CHAPTER III "WE MUST ESCAPE"
"We must find some way of escape."
The girl's tone, low, mellow, earnest, was scarcely more than a whisper.
"But we are upon an island within an island. Or did that man lie to you?"
"He did not lie."
"What then?"
"We can do but one thing at a time. We must escape. And after that--" Shedid not finish.
The boy found it difficult, this discussing plans with one he could notsee, had never seen.
"I could soon cut a small hole between two logs," he told himself.
He thought of suggesting this, but considered it better to wait.
He set about planning their escape methodically. The staple that held thepadlock to his door was large. It was clinched on the inside. By workingfirst with a nail pulled out of the wall, then a bit of wire, he managedto straighten these points. Then, little by little, without sound, hepushed the staple back until only the points showed.
"Two or three good yanks and the door will fly open," he confided to thegirl.
"But mine? How are we to manage it?"
Red pondered this problem. He could, he told himself, pass his crudeinstruments through to her. But were her fingers strong enough for thetask? He doubted this.
He studied the wall that lay between them. He was at a loss to accountfor this wall, which had, from all appearances, stood there for someyears. Then it occurred to him that a trapper had built the cabin, usingone room for himself, the other for his dogs. Campers of a later date haddoubtless cleared up the dogs' kennel and made a bunk room of it withoutremoving the partition.
"But this partition," he whispered excitedly, "is not notched into thecabin wall. The logs were merely laid up, one upon another, then a whitebirch pole spiked in each corner to hold them into position. Once thepoles are removed, the logs may be taken down."
"And then?" the girl breathed.
"Your room will be mine and mine yours."
"Until they discover."
"They will not discover. We will not remove the logs until the hour setfor our escape. When they discover the cage door open, the birds willhave flown."
It was with strangely mixed feelings that Red began the task of removingthe white birch poles which held the logs in place. Until that moment thegirl had seemed quite remote, one living in another world, a rich man'sdaughter. But as the last spike yielded and the last pole stood leaninglightly in its place, as he realized that the logs that lay between themcould be removed as easily as stones are piled or grain shocked, hebecame conscious of a new sort of comradeship such as he had experiencedwith none other.
"We are in for it," he breathed, "for better or for worse."
"For better or for worse," came the girl's faint answer. "And, oh, I'msure it is for better than we dare dream."
"Only one thing could be truly good: to get back to Soldiers' Field ontime." Red thought this, but he did not say it.
With the preparations all made there remained but to wait. To one ofRed's nature, this was hardest of all. He was ever for action.
"But we must wait," he said to the log wall before him, in tones loudenough for the girl's ears. "The guard will be on the alert early in thenight. Later he will relax his vigil."
"Yes, yes. We must wait!" came from the other side of the wall.
"I'm putting out my light, retiring for the night." These words, endingin a subdued laugh, came from behind the wall half an hour later, tellingRed that for the eyes of the guard she had retired for the night.
"Retired for the night," Red thought soberly. "Wonder when we willretire, and where?"
As he thought of the cold black waters of this inland bay, a mentalpicture of his own form, lying ten fathoms deep where the fishes play,came to him. He saw his hands waved about by the currents. Then with ashudder he shook himself free from the illusion.
Fifteen minutes later he too "retired for the night." After that, withthe cabin shrouded in darkness, he sat and listened to the sounds of thenight.
Curious sounds they were to one who knew nothing of wild life; theshrill, long-drawn whistle of some bird calling to his mate; the throatycall of a bull moose from down the bay, and that piercing scream of theloon, never failing to set his blood running cold.
He thought he caught the sound of footsteps. The guard! What if heappeared and discovered all that had been done? He listened long for arattle at the lock, but none came.
At last, standing erect, he stretched himself like a cat, then said in ahoarse whisper:
"I'm taking down the wall."
In absolute silence he lifted the birch poles from their places. He put ahand to the topmost log. It did not yield to his pull.
"Spiked on the other side."
He tried the second one.
"Ah!"
It came away. Without a sound he placed it at his feet. A second, athird, fourth, fifth. Still no sound.
An opening three feet wide now lay before him. He put out a hand. Ittouched some one. Groping about, he found the girl's hand, then guidedher through the opening.
"It is strange," he thought. "I have never seen this person. Is she darkor fair, beautiful or ugly?"
One or two things he could know. She was short and rather plump. Hermuscles were hard. He was surprised at this. He had supposed that richmen's daughters were always soft and white.
He drew the girl to a place on the bench beside him. She was trembling.As her shoulder pressed against his, he felt the wild beating of herheart. This would never do. She must be calm.
As for his own feelings, he had gone cold all over, just as he had at thebeginning of every gridiron battle.
"Warm enough when time comes for action," he told himself. It had alwaysbeen that way.
The time for action had not yet come. They continued to listen there inthe dark; a boy and a girl; the girl kidnaped for ransom which sherefused to assist in collecting, the boy carried away and held for heknew not what.
The ticking of their watches sounded loud in this lonely place. Waterlapped on the shore. From time to time there came a low bump-bump.
"Rowboat tied to the dock," Red whispered to the girl. "Wonder if wecould get it?"
She made no reply.
From somewhere back in the forest a hoot owl began his silly noise. Reddid not know what it was. He asked the girl about it. She explainedbriefly.
"Hope he keeps it up," he sighed. "Cover up any little nasty sounds wemay stir up."
"Will there be noises?" The girl seemed to shrink. Then suddenly her formstiffened. "Count me in on--on anything. They are dirty dogs, thesekidnapers; deserve the worst!"
"Yes, the very worst!" Red agreed.
He felt loath to leave this place of warmth and momentary peace. Therewas something altogether agreeable about being so near to this girl hehad never seen. "Well, the zero hour approaches."
"Yes." She sprang to her feet. "Let's make it now!"
"Now it is."
He rose to stand beside her. So for one full moment, side by side in thedark, they stood.
At last, with a long-drawn sigh, he seized her hand to lead her out intothe night.