CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
INTERESTING THOUGH PUZZLING DISCOVERIES.
About eight o'clock they halted for breakfast, which Larry O'Dowdprepared with his accustomed celerity, and assisted to consume with hiswonted voracity.
"There's nothin' like aitin' when yer hungry," observed Larry, with hismouth full.
"'Xcept drinking when you're dry," said Stiff, ironically.
"Now I don't agree with ye," retorted Larry; "I used to think so wance,before I left the owld country--my blissin' rest on it. I used to thinkthere was nothin' like drink, an' sure I was right, for there niver_was_ anythin' like it for turnin' a poor man into a baste; but when Icomed into the woods here I couldn't get drink for love or money, an'sure I found, after a while, I didn't need it, and got on better widoutit, an' enjoyed me life more for want of it. Musha! it's little I carefor drink now; but, och! I've a mortal love for aitin'!"
It needed not Larry's assurance to convince his hearers of the fact, forhe consumed nearly twice as much dried meat as any of his comrades.
"Well, if ye don't drink gin-sling or cocktail," said Stiff, "you'remighty hard on the tea."
"True for ye, Stiff, it was the fav'rite tipple o' me owld mother, an'I'm fond of it on that score, not to mention other raisins of a privatenatur'."
"Couldn't ye make these reasons public?" said Walter.
"Unpossible!" said Larry, with much gravity, as he helped himself toanother can of tea.
"Come, time's up," said Robin abruptly, as he rose to put on hissnow-shoes.
Larry swallowed the tea at a draught, the others rose promptly, and in afew minutes more they were again on the march.
Towards noon they issued out of the woods upon a wide undulatingcountry, which extended, as far as the eye could see, to faint bluemountains in the distance. This region was varied in character andextremely beautiful. The undulations of the land resembled in someplaces the waves of the sea. In other places there were clumps of treeslike islets. Elsewhere there were hollows in which lakelets and pondsevidently existed, but the deep snow covered all these with a uniformcarpet. In some parts the ground was irregular and broken by miniaturehills, where there were numerous abrupt and high precipices.
The party were approaching one of the latter in the afternoon, whenRobin suddenly paused and pointed to a projecting ledge on the face ofone of the cliffs.
"What would ye say yonder objic' was?" he inquired of Slugs.
The hunter shaded his eyes with his hand, and remained silent for a fewseconds.
"It _looks_ like a sled," said he, dropping his hand, "but how it gotthar' would puzzle even a redskin to tell, for there's no track up tothat ledge."
"It _is_ a sled," said Black Swan, curtly.
"An' how came it there?" asked Robin.
"It fell from the top," replied the Indian.
"Right, lad, yer right!" said Slugs, who had taken another long look atthe object in question; "I see somethin' like a broken tree near the topo' the precipice. I hope Wapaw hain't gone an' tumbled over thatcliff."
This supposition was received in silence and with grave looks, for allfelt that the thing was not impossible, but the Indian shook his head.
"Come, Black Swan," said Walter, "you don't agree with us--what thinkye?"
"Wapaw had no sled with him," replied the Indian.
"Right again!" cried Slugs; "I do believe my sense is forsakin' me; anInjun baby might have thought of that, for his tracks are plain enough.Hows'ever, let's go see, for it's o' no use standin' here guessin'."
The party at once advanced to the foot of the precipice, and for nearlyan hour they did their utmost to ascend to the ledge, on which thesledge lay, but their efforts were in vain. The rock was everywhere toosteep and smooth to afford foot-hold.
"It won't do," said Larry, wiping the perspiration from his brow; "av wehad wings we might, but we hain't got 'em, so it's o' no manner o' usetryin'."
"We shall try from the top now," said Robin. "If anybody _has_ tumbledover, the poor crittur may be alive yet, for all we know."
They found their efforts to descend from the top of the precipiceequally fruitless and much more dangerous, and although they spent along time in the attempt, and taxed their wits to the utmost, they wereultimately compelled to leave the place and continue their journeywithout attaining their object.
One discovery was made, however. It was ascertained by the old marks inthe snow at the edge of the precipice that, whatever members of theparty who owned the sledge had tumbled over, at least two of them hadescaped, for their track--faint and scarcely discernible--was traced forsome distance. It was found, also, that Wapaw's track joined this oldone. The wounded Indian had fallen upon it not far from the precipice,and, supposing, no doubt, that it would lead him to some encampment, hehad followed it up. Robin and his men also followed it--increasingtheir speed as much as possible.
Night began to descend again, but Wapaw was not overtaken, despite theBlack Swan's prophecy. This, however, was not so much owing to themiscalculation of the Indian, as to the fact that a great deal of timehad been lost in their futile endeavour to reach the sledge that hadfallen over the precipice.
About sunset they came to a place where the track turned suddenly at aright angle and entered the bushes.
"Ha! the first travellers must have camped here, and Wapaw has followedtheir example," said Robin, as he pushed aside the bushes. "Just so,here's the place, but the ashes are cold, so I fear we are not so nearour Injun friend as we could wish."
"Well, it can't be helped," cried Stiff, throwing down his bundle;"we've had plenty o' walkin' for one day, so I vote for supper rightoff."
"I second the motion," said Walter, seizing his axe, "seein' that thecamp is ready made to hand. Now, Larry, get your pot ready."
"Sure it's stuffed full a'ready--an' I only wish I was in the samestate," said the Irishman, as he pressed the snow tightly into a tinkettle, and hung it over the fire, which Slugs had just kindled.
The supper scene of the previous night was, in most of its details,enacted over again; but it was resolved that each of the party shouldkeep watch for an hour, as, if the Indians had followed, there was apossibility of their having gained on them during the delay at theprecipice.
Before the watch was set, however, and while all the party were enjoyingtheir pipes after supper, the Black Swan suddenly exclaimed, "Ho!" andpointed with his finger to something which peeped out of the snow atLarry's elbow, that volatile individual having uncovered it during someof his eccentric movements.
"It's only an owld mocassin," said Larry, plucking the object from thesnow as he spoke; "some Injun lad has throw'd it away for useless."
"Hand it here," said Robin, re-lighting his pipe, which had gone out.
Larry tossed the mocassin to his leader, who eyed it carelessly for amoment. Suddenly he started, and, turning the mocassin over, examinedit with close and earnest attention. Then he smiled, as if at hispassing anxiety, and dropped it on the ground.
"It reminded me," said he to Walter, "of my Nelly, for it has somethingof the same shape that she was fond of, an' for a moment I was foolishenough to think it might ha' belonged to the dear child, but--. Come,Larry, have 'ee got any more tea there?"
"Is it tay ye want? faix, then, it's little more nor laves that'sremainin'," said Larry, draining the last drops into a pannikin; "well,there's about half a mug-full, afther all; it's wonderful what can begot out o' it sometimes by squaazin' the pot."
"Hand it over, that's enough," said Robin, "thank 'ee, lad--here'sluck."
He drained the pannikin as though it had been a glass of rum, and,smacking his lips, proceeded leisurely to refill his pipe.
"Are ye sure it's _not_ one of Nelly's old mocassins?" asked Walter, ashe eyed the little shoe earnestly.
"Sure enough, nephy, I would know her mother's make among ten thousand,an' although that one is oncommon like it in some respec's, it ain't oneo' _hers_."
"But Nelly mig
ht have made it herself," suggested Walter, "and thatwould account for its bein' like her mother's in the make."
Robin shook his head. "Not likely," said he. "The child didn't use tomake mocassins. I'm not sure if she could do it at all; besides she waslast heard of miles and miles away from here in another direction. No,no, Walter lad, we mustn't let foolish fancies bother us. However, thesight o' this has fixed me to push on to-morrow as hard as I can lay mylegs to it, for if Wapaw's alive we can't fail to come up wi' him aforesundown; and I'm keen to turn about an' go after my children. I'll pushon by myself if ye don't care to keep up wi me."
This latter remark was made to Stiff, whose countenance indicated thathe had no desire to undertake a harder day's march than usual. Theeffect of the remark was to stir up all the Yankee's pride.
"I'll tell 'ee what it is, _Mister_ Gore," said he, tartly; "you maythink yourself an oncommon hard walker, but Obadiah Stiff is not the manto cave in to any white man alive. I don't care to go trampin' over thecountry day after day, like the Wandering Jew, after a redskin, as, I'llgo bound, ain't no better than the rest o' his kind; but if ye want tosee which of our legs is the best pair o' compasses, I'll walk with yefrom here to hereafter, I guess, or anywhar else ye choose; if I don't,then my name ain't Stiff."
"It would be well av it worn't Stiff, for ye've no reason to be proudo't," observed Larry O'Dowd, with a grin; "don't spake so loud, man, butshut up yer potatie trap and go to roost. Ye'll need it all if yewouldn't like to fall behind to-morrow. There now, don't reply; ye'veno call to make me yer father confessor, and apologise for boastin';good night, an' go to slape!"
The rest of the party, who had lain down, laughed at this sally, andStiff, on consideration, thought it best to laugh too. In a few minutesevery one in the encampment was sound asleep, with the exception ofRobin Gore, who took the first hour of watching, and who sat beside thesinking fire like a Indian in earnest meditation, with his eyes restingdreamily on the worn-out mocassin.