CHAPTER X
AT BAY
While Jack and Otto were talking in guarded tones, and carefullypicking their way through the wood, each stopped and became silentat the same instant. They saw nothing, but their ears told themsome person or animal was approaching through the undergrowth behindthem.
Within the same minute the creature revealed himself in the form ofa large, black bear, which was lumbering along unmindful thatenemies were near.
"Mebbe he don't be an Indian," whispered Otto, who knew much of thecunning of the red men.
The same thought had occurred to the Kentuckian, who held his gun atfull cock, until he should be able to learn the truth. While thusemployed he could not help reflecting on the improbability of such aclumsy artifice being that time, for there was no call for theattempt, no prospect of deceiving two persons who displayed suchexcellent woodcraft.
Jack speedily saw that the bear was a genuine one, probably on hisway to the river. There no occasion for shooting him, and thehunters stepped aside to allow him to pass. Jack kept eye on him,however, for it being the spring of year, he had not been long outof his hibernating quarters, and was likely to be lean, hungry,fierce.
Bruin caught sight of the hunters, while several rods off, andthrowing up his snout, took a look at them, as though uncertain ofthe species to which they belonged.
"He looks pig, don't he?" said Otto, referring to his size, and halfinclined to give him a shot. "One pullet would make him put up dotsnout down."
"Let him alone, so long as he doesn't disturb us. He isn't half sodangerous as the Indians and they would be likely to rush upon usbefore you could reload your gun."
Otto saw the prudence of his friend's words, and he not only letdown the hammer of his rifle, but emphasized his intention byturning his back upon the bear.
The huge beast seemed disposed to attack the boys. It may be thatthe plump, ruddy-faced Gorman looked specially tempting to him whilein his hungry state, for Jack fancied that it was he on whom hislarge eyes were fixed with a peculiar lodging.
The bear took several steps toward the couple, and Jack cocked hisgun, believing he would have to fire. Otto, seeing the movement,turned, but at that moment the animal, if he had actually anypurpose of opening hostilities, changed his mind, moving off to oneside, and continued his awkward gait toward the river.
The boys watched him until he reached the stream and began lappingthe water, when they resumed their withdrawal from the spot, stillwalking in a northerly course along the right bank of theMississippi.
Both were anxious to get as far away as they could, in the hope thatthey would be able to keep a safe space between themselves and thered men, whom they held in such fear.
Their uneasiness was not lessened when the sharp crack of a riflebroke upon their ears, from a point not far down the stream. It wasfollowed by another report deeper in the woods, and then severalwhoops came from different parts of the forest, all being within ashort radius.
The boys could not guess the cause of the firing, unless they weremeant as signals, but they were sure the cries referred to them.Most likely, as they viewed it, they were meant to direct theactions of the parties, who must have felt that it only needed alittle care and energy to capture the youths that, up to that time,had baffled the enmity of both the Miamis and Shawanoes.
The result was, that Jack and Otto, keeping as near as was prudentto the river, pushed on as fast as they could. A species of runningvine close to the ground caused them much annoyance, the more chubbyone falling forward several times on his hands and knees.
They had traveled a short distance only, when the signals that hadso alarmed them were heard again. The Indiana called to each otherby means of the whoops and shouts, as intelligible to those for whomthey were meant as if they were so many spoken words.
The lads could not fail to observe that they were considerablynearer than before. The red men were evidently converging in theirpursuit, and meant to force the struggle to an issue with the leastdelay possible.
"We must travel faster," said Jack Carleton, compressing his lips,after glancing behind him. "This has settled down to a regular racebetween us."
"Dot is so," assented Otto, sprawling forward again on his hands andknees, from the running vine which caught, like fine wire, aroundhis ankles. "If it Vos who falls down the most and cracks his head,den I would beat dem, don't it?"
"We shall have to make a fight for they can travel a great dealfaster than we--"
"Let's jump mit the river; we gets so far off afore dey learns votwe don't do."
It seemed to be the only recourse left to the fugitives, and theyturned toward the Mississippi. But at that very moment Jack caughtsight of a pile of logs only a short distance ahead.
It seemed a direct interference of Providence, totally unexpected byboth. Whether the logs were the retreat of a friend or enemy couldonly be guessed. The probabilities were that the former was thecase, since the structure was not of the kind made by Indians.
Jack caught the arm of Otto and whirled him back.
"Vot ain't de matter?" asked the German, half angrily at the check,when there was so much necessity for haste.
"See?" asked Jack, in turn, pointing to the logs as seen through thetrees.
Otto nodded his head. It was enough, and he made a desperate rushto reach the refuge, catching his foot and falling headlong again.
"Dunderation!" he exclaimed; "wonder if dere ain't no blamed vinesthat I hef not fall over and proke mine nose."
The whoops of the Miamis and Shawanoes sounded still closer; theywere pressing the pursuit with utmost vigor, and were upon the heelsof the fugitives.
The Kentuckian, who continually glanced back, caught sight of morethan one figure flitting among the trees. Suddenly something redgleamed; it was the flash of a gun, and, at the same moment thesharp report rang out, the bullet passed between Jack and Otto, whowere striving desperately to get beyond reach before a fair aimcould tempt their enemies.
The second view which Jack caught of the shelter told him it wassimply four walls of logs, a dozen feet square, half as high, andwithout any roof. When, why, and by whom they had been put up was amystery.
But no oasis in the flaming desert could be more welcome to thetraveler dying with thirst than was this simple structure to thepanting fugitives. Jack Carleton, with a recklessness caused by theimminence of his peril, flung his gun over into the enclosure,sprang upward so as to grasp the topmost log, and scrambled after itwith the headlong impetuosity of a wounded animal.
Otto was only a second or two behind him, and, puffing and gasping,he dropped squarely on his head and shoulders, rolled over, caughtup his gun again, and sprang to his feet.
"Dot's de way I always climb down stairs," he exclaimed, raising thehammer of his gun and holding it ready to fire on the firstappearance of a foe.
"It's all well enough, if you ain't hurt, but look out for the redmen; they're right on us."
"Dot's vot I don't dinks," replied Otto, who, still panting from hisexertion, seemed to have recovered his coolness; "if dey climbs updot vall, den dey run agin de, pall of mine gun and one of dem getshurt, and it ain't de pall-don't it?"
The pursuers were so close to the fugitives that the tramp of theirmoccasins was heard at the moment the boys braced themselves for theshock which they were sure would come within the next few seconds.The sight of a flying foe intensifies the courage of the pursuer,and it may have been that the Shawanoe who discharged his gun at thelads, when they were so close to the shelter, believed he hadwounded one at least, and that a vigorous assault could not fail toend the struggle speedily. There may, in fact, have been a dozencauses which incited him to a bravery and personal effort greaterthan that of any of his companions.
"They'll try to overwhelm us," said Jack. "Hold your gun ready."
The words were yet in his mouth, when a peculiar, soft scratching,which was ended the instant it began, told that one of the warriorshad inse
rted the toe of his moccasin in a crevice of the logs, withthe purpose of climbing over into the enclosure.
"I'll attend to him if there's only one," added Jack, naturallyfearful of throwing away a shot.
"I dinks I 'tends him mit myself--"
Suddenly the painted face of a Shawanoe Indian rose to view. Onehand had grasped the top log, and he was drawing himself rapidlyupward with the purpose of leaping over. The countenance wasfrightful beyond description--the streaks and circles in red,yellow, and black, from amid which glared the black eyes, with anexpression of ferocity like that of a Bengal tiger, and the whiteteeth, gleaming between the parted lips, drawn far back at thecorners, gave a hideous fierceness to the visage that would haveappalled a brave man who saw it for the first time.
"I dinks I 'tends him mit myself--"
Just as Otto Relstaub reached that point in his remark, he pulledthe trigger of his rifle. A rasping howl followed, and the horribleface vanished a speedily as if the owner had been standing on atrap-door, which was sprung.
"Yaw--I dinks I 'tends mit him," repeated Otto, coolly lowering hisgun and looking at the spot where the head and shoulders werevisible an instant before.
"Load up quick!" said Jack, who held his cocked rifle in hand whilehis eye glanced hastily along the upper part of the logs, "don'tlose a second."
The thump of the body was heard as the Shawanoe--dead before hecould fall the brief space--struck the ground on the outside. Atthe same moment a second warrior (a Miami that time), drew himselfupward close to the place from which the Shawanoe had dropped. Herose until his tufted head, his sloping forehead and his gleamingeyes appeared just above the horizon of the enclosure. Staringdownward, he looked straight into the muzzle of a rifle, held by ayoung Kentuckian, who had just become aware of his presence.
Down went the Indian, possibly with a suspicion that his bronzedskull was also perforated, as he fell across the limp body beneathhim; but Jack Carleton had not fired, not because the opportunitywas not inviting enough nor because he felt the least scruple aboutshooting one of the savages who were thirsting for his life, but hewas afraid to discharge his piece before Otto should force anotherbullet home.
Repeating and percussion rifles were unknown at that day, and ittook much valuable time to reload musket or gun after its discharge.Knowing this, the infuriated redskins were likely to make a rushwhenever they knew that the weapons within the enclosure wereunloaded.
Inasmuch as the boys possessed no other firearms, it will be seenthat in such an event they would be helpless. Indeed, it wasimpossible for them to hold out if their assailants determined toforce matters. They had but to leap over the walls, as could beeasily done, and the contest would be decided right speedily; thatdecision must inevitably be against the daring defenders.