CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.
A NIGHT'S MUDDLE.
On went the dogs, apparently following the track of some animal; and, asthey seemed to be leading the fugitives farther and farther away fromthe plantation, nothing Nic felt, could be better.
For, in spite of the long imprisonment at the settler's place, theknowledge of the prisoners was confined to the river and the clearingsabout the house. Certainly they had had a view of the distant hills;but all beyond the plantation, save towards the swamp, was unknown land.
"We can't do better than go on, Pete," said Nic, after following thedogs for about an hour.
"Don't see as we can, zir. They're hunting after zomething they've gotthe zmell of, and maybe, if we cross their scent, they may begin huntingus; zo I zay let 'em go. You zee, they're mostly kep' chained up inthem gashly kennels o' theirs; and they're enjoying a run in the woods.Any idee where we be?"
"Not the slightest, Pete; but at any rate we're free."
"Till we're ketched again, Master Nic. But I zay, you'll show fight ifthey should catch up to uz?"
"Yes, Pete; I should feel so desperate that I should be ready to diesooner than give up now."
"That's me all over, lad," said Pete. "I zay, though; couldn't get tobe more friends still wi' the dogs, and make 'em fight for uz, couldwe?"
Nic laughed bitterly, and then stopped short, for the yelping hadceased.
"Can you hear the hounds now?"
A sharp burst of barking a short distance away told of their direction,and after wandering in and out among the trees for a few minutes, theyfound the three great creatures apparently waiting for them to come upbefore starting off again.
This went on for a full hour longer, the dogs leading them on and on,evidently getting scent of one of the little animals the blacks huntedfrom time to time; but from their clumsiness, and the activity of thelittle quarry, each run being without result.
"Where are we now?" said Pete at last, after the yelping of the littlepack had ceased.
"It is impossible to say," replied Nic. "It is all so much alike herein the darkness that I have felt helpless ever since we started; but wemust be many miles away from the plantation, and I hardly know how thenight has gone in this excitement; but it must be near morning."
"Must be," said Pete, "for my clothes are quite dry again, and I'mgetting thirsty. What are we going to do now?"
"Keep on, and coax the dogs more and more away. We must not let them goback."
"No; that wouldn't do, Master Nic. On'y if they don't ketch anythingthey'll get hungry, and if they gets hungry they'll grow zavage; and ifthey grow zavage, what's going to happen then?"
"Wait till the trouble comes, Pete," replied Nic; "then we'll see."
"That's good zense, Master Nic; and I b'lieve them brutes are lying downand resting zomewhere. Shall I give a whistle?"
"Yes; it would do no harm."
Pete uttered a low, piping sound such as would be given by a bird, andit was answered by a bark which showed the direction; and, on turningtowards it, a minute had not elapsed before they heard the heavy pantingof the three animals, which sprang up and came to them, lolling outtheir tongues to be caressed.
"Good old dogs, then," said Nic, patting their heads. "Go on, and takeus right away, and when it gets daylight you may all have a good sleep.Hie on, then, boys; hie on! Right away."
The dogs threw up their heads, snuffed about a bit, and then started offonce more at a steady pace, which soon slowed down, and made the task offollowing them in the darkness much less difficult. Then all at onceone of them uttered a low, whining sound and sprang off a little faster.
For the ground was more open here, the trees bigger, and theundergrowth--the great hindrance--scarce.
"Better going here, Master Nic, if it waren't for the great rootssticking out. Now, if the day would only break we should be able to zeebetter what we were doing. My word! if we could only come across a goodwild-apple orchard it wouldn't be amiss."
"And that we shall not find."
"Never mind, zir; we'll find zum'at else--toadstools on the trees, orwild berries, or zomething; and if them dogs don't run down anythinggood for a roast, why, they don't come up to one of our old Devonlurchers. If this was one of our woods we shouldn't be long withoutsomething between our teeth. Don't you be downhearted; I'll findzome'at we can eat."
"I am not downhearted, Pete; and, if we can do so in safety, we'll go onwalking all day."
"That's right; on'y we don't want to run upon no more plantations."
"No; we must trust to the wild country, Pete, till we can reach thesea."
"And not feel zafe when we get there, zir. Zay, Master Nic, I don'tthink much of a country where they has zlaves, whether they're white orwhether they're black."
"Never mind that now, Pete; we have escaped."
"And without my having a chance to thrash Humpy Dee, and giving MasterZaunders one for his nob."
"Hist! what's that?" whispered Nic, as a peculiar sound came through thetrees.
"Water!" said Pete excitedly. "The dogs lapping. Come on, zir. Mymouth's as if it was full of dust. The very thing we want."
The next minute the darkness seemed to be less intense, and in anotherthey were close to a little stream, where the dogs were drinking deeply;but they left the edge as the fugitives came up, shook themselves, andstood by while Pete sought for a place a little higher up.
"Here you are, Master Nic," he said. "They might ha' let uz have firstgo; but I forgive 'em for finding it. Lie down on your face and drink."
Nic needed no incitement, and Pete followed his example, both enjoyingthe sweetest, most refreshing draught that had ever passed their lips.
"Hall!" ejaculated Pete as he raised himself into a sitting posture."Can't drink any more. Hope we aren't zwallowed no young 'gators or asnake; but if we have, zir, it'll be vittles as well as drink, and do uzgood."
"Ugh! don't talk about it," said Nic. "But where are the dogs?"
"Eh? Gone on, I s'pose; and we must trot on too. I'm ready foranything now."
"Look, Pete. Yonder's the east."
"That's our way then, zir."
"And the sun will not be long before it's up. It is getting light fast.Come along and find the dogs. We came up from the left; they will goright on to the right. We should have heard them if they had crossedthe stream."
"That's right, lad. What a good--" Pete was going to say poacher, buthe checked himself--"wood-man you'd have made. Forward, then. It's allopen yonder."
A minute later they had stopped short, to see the three dogs walkingacross a clearing, plainly seen in the grey dawn, while to the left thestream had widened out.
It was only a momentary pause, and then the fugitives shrank back intocover, chilled to the heart by the dreadful truth.
The dogs, quite at home in the neighbouring forest, had taken them along round, and brought them back to the plantation; and now, weariedout, they were making their way to their kennel at the back of the houseand sheds.
The night's labour seemed to have been all in vain; and Nic laid hishand upon his companion's shoulder as he said, with a bitter sigh:
"Pete, Pete, it is hopeless. We shall never see the old home again."