CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.
THE TROOPS OUTWITTED BY THE SCOUT AND HIS FRIENDS.
Creeping quickly to the mouth of the cave Leather peeped cautiously out,and the scene that met his startled gaze was not calculated to restorethat equanimity which his recent dreams had disturbed.
The narrow and rugged valley which lay spread out below him was alivewith horsemen, trotting hither and thither as if searching for some one,and several parties on foot were scaling gorges and slopes, up which ahorseman could not scramble.
The shout which had awakened the fugitive was uttered by a dismountedtrooper who had climbed higher on the face of the cliff than hisfellows, and wished to attract the attention of those below.
"Hi! hallo!" he cried, "send Hunky Ben up here. I've found a track thatseems to lead to somewhere, but it'll need the scout's nose to ferret itout."
Leather's heart beat wildly, for, from the position of the man, he couldnot doubt that he had discovered the track leading up to the cave.Before he could think how he should act, a response came to the callfrom Hunky Ben.
"Ay, ay," he shouted, in a voice so bold and resonant, that Leather feltit was meant to warn him of his danger, "Ay, ay. Hold on! Don't be ina hurry. The tracks branch out further on, an' some o' them aredangerous. Wait till I come up. There's a cave up there, I'll lead yeto it."
This was more than enough for Leather. He turned hastily to survey hisplace of refuge. It was a huge dismal cavern with branching tunnelsaround that disappeared in thick obscurity, and heights above that lostthemselves in gloom; holes in the sides and floor that were of invisibledepth, and curious irregular ledges, that formed a sort of arabesquefringe to the general confusion.
One of these ornamental ledges, stretching along the roof with manyothers, lost itself in the gloom and seemed to be a hopefulliving-place--all the more hopeful that it was in the full blaze oflight that gushed in through the front opening of the cave. Thisopening, it will be remembered, was on the face of the cliff andinaccessible. But Leather found that he could not reach the ledge.Hastening to the dark side of the cave, however, he saw that by means ofsome projections and crevices in the rocky wall he could reach the endof the ledge. Creeping along it he soon found himself close to theopening, surrounded by strong light, but effectually concealed from viewby the ledge. It was as if he were on a natural rafter, peeping down onthe floor below! As there was a multitude of such ledges around, whichit would take several men many hours to examine, he began to breathemore freely, for, would the searchers not naturally think that afugitive would fly to the darkest recesses of his place of refuge,rather than to the brightest and most accessible spot?
He gave vent to a sigh of relief, and was congratulating himself uponhis wisdom, when his eyes chanced to fall on the flask of water and coldroast fowl and loaf lying conspicuous in the full glare of light thatflooded the front part of the cave!
If the fowl had been thrust whole into his throat it could scarcely haveadded to the gush of alarm that choked him. He slipped incontinentlyfrom his arabesque ledge and dropped upon the floor. Securing thetell-tale viands with eager haste he dashed back into the obscurity andclambered with them back to his perch. And not much too soon, for hehad barely settled down when the voice of the scout was heard talkingpretty loudly.
"Come along, Captain Wilmot," he said, "give me your hand, sir. It'snot safe to walk alone here, even wi' a light."
"Here, where are you? Oh! All right. Haven't you got a match?" askedthe captain.
"Nothin' that would burn more'n a few seconds. We're better without alight, for a gust o' wind might blow it out an' leave us worse than wewas. Mind this step. There."
"Well, I'm glad I didn't bring any of my men in here," said the Captain,as he kicked one of his heavy boots violently against a projection ofrock.
"Ay--'tis as well you didn't," returned the scout, in a tone suggestiveof the idea that he was smiling. "For there's holes on both sides, an'if one o' your men went down, ye might read the funeral sarvice over himat once, an' be done with it. There's a glimmer o' daylight at last.We'll soon be at the other end now."
"A horrible place, truly," said the Captain, "and one that it would behard to find a fellow in even if we knew he was here."
"Didn't I say so, Captain? but ye wouldn't be convinced," said HunkyBen, leading his companion into the full light of the opening and comingto a halt close to the ledge above which the fugitive lay. "Besides,Leather could never have found his way here alone."
"You forget," returned Wilmot, with a peculiar smile, "the monster mighthave shown him the way or even have carried him hither."
"Ah, true," answered the scout, with solemn gravity. "There's somethin'in that."
Wilmot laughed.
"What a splendid view," he said, going forward to the opening--"and see,here is a bed of pine brush. No doubt the cave must have been used as aplace of refuge by the Redskins in days gone by."
"Ay, an' by the pale-faces too," said the scout. "Why, I've hadoccasion to use it myself more than once. And, as you truly obsarve,sir, there's small chance of findin' a man once he's in here. As wellrun after a rabbit in his hole."
"Or search for a needle in a haystack," observed the Captain, as hegazed with curious interest around and above him. "Well, Ben, I givein. You were right when you said there was no probability of my findingany of the outlaws here."
"I'm ginerally right when I speak about what I understand," returned thescout calmly. "So now, Captain, if you're satisfied, we may as well goan' have a look at the other places I spoke of."
Assenting to this the two men left the place, but Leather continued tolie perfectly still for a considerable time after their footsteps haddied away. Then, gliding from his perch, he dropped on the floor andran to the opening where he saw the troopers still riding about, butgradually going farther and farther away from him. The scene was notperhaps, as the scout had prophesied, quite "as good as a play," but itcertainly did become more and more entertaining as the searchers recededand distance lent enchantment to the view.
When at last the troops had disappeared, Shank bethought him of the foodwhich Hunky Ben had so thoughtfully provided, and, sitting down on thebrush couch, devoted himself to breakfast with a hearty appetite and athankful spirit.
Meanwhile Captain Wilmot, having satisfied himself that the outlaws hadfairly escaped him, and that Buck Tom was too ill to be moved, retiredto a cool glade in the forest and held a council of war with the scoutand Charlie Brooke.
"Now, Ben," he said, dismounting and seating himself on a mossy bank,while a trooper took charge of the horses and retired with them to aneighbouring knoll, "it is quite certain that in the present unsettledstate of the district I must not remain here idle. It is equallycertain that it would be sudden death to Buck Tom to move him in hispresent condition, therefore some men must be left behind to take careof him. Now, though I can ill afford to spare any of mine, I feel thatout of mere humanity some sacrifice must be made, for we cannot leavethe poor fellow to starve."
"I can relieve you on that point," said the scout, "for if you choose Iam quite ready to remain."
"And of course," interposed Charlie, "I feel it my duty to remain withmy old friend to the end."
"Well, I expected you to say something of this sort. Now," said thecaptain, "how many men will you require?"
"None at all, Captain," answered Ben decisively.
"But what if these scoundrels should return to their old haunt?" saidWilmot.
"Let them come," returned the scout. "Wi' Mr Brooke, an' Dick Darvall,an' three Winchesters, an' half-a-dozen six-shooters, I'd engage to holdthe cave against a score o' such varmin. If Mr Brooke an' Dick arewillin' to--"
"I am quite willing, Ben, and I can answer for my friend Dick, so don'tlet that trouble you."
"Well, then, that is settled. I'll go off at once," said the captain,rising and signing to the trooper to bring up the horses. "But bear inremembrance, Hunky Ben
, that I hold you responsible for Buck Tom. If herecovers you must produce him."
The scout accepted the responsibility; the arrangements were soon made;"boots and saddles" was sounded, and the troopers rode away, leavingCharlie Brooke, Dick Darvall, Buck Tom, and the scout in possession ofthe outlaws' cave.