CHAPTER XXVII
A FAILURE
The task which Jack Carleton took upon himself, when he partedcompany with Otto Relstaub on the clearing, was of the simplestnature, and one which he was confident could be accomplished withouttrouble; it was to reach by a circuitous course a point directlyopposite to his friend, and on a line with the horse, so that if thelatter fled from one, he could be secured by the other.
The experience of the young Kentuckian averted some mistakes intowhich others might have fallen. One of the hardest things for ahunter to do, while tramping the forest, is to keep his bearings.There are few who have shouldered a gun that have not learned thisfact, and, without a compass, landmarks, the bark of trees, or someother artificial aid, it may be set down as impossible for any oneto escape bewilderment. If his wanderings are extended he will findhimself traveling in a circle, and instances are known in which aperson has followed his own trail for hours, without suspecting thegrotesque truth.
Jack Carleton therefore took every precaution against going astray.He had in fact but one landmark, so to speak, and that was the moon,then well up in the sky. He located the luminary with such exactness,that he knew it would be directly over his right shoulder when hearrived at a point precisely opposite his friend, and, as he hoped,in a straight line with the colt between them.
"That means good luck," said he to himself, with a smile; "I alwayslike to see the moon over my right shoulder, though it can't meananything after all, as mother has told me many a time. She saidthat she and father, a few nights before he was killed by theShawanoes, watched the new moon, which shone through the window,over his right shoulder and on my bare head. Father was in goodspirits, for he believed in signs, and I think mother, though shechided him, had a sly belief in them, too; but," added the boy witha sigh, "she shudders now at the mere mention of such a thing."
While Jack was indulging in this sad reminiscence, he was carefullypicking his way among the trees, making sure that he did not get thepoints of the compass confused. There was no call for haste, and itmay be said he felt every step of the way.
"Otto is an odd fellow," he muttered, allowing his fancy to straywhither it chose, "and I hope he won't become bewildered. He is soanxious to get the colt, that he will run into trouble if there'sany into which he can run. He is shrewd, brave, and somewhatstupid, and it is never certain what he will do or say. Let mesee."
He stood still, and, peeping at the moon, as beat he could throughthe foliage overhead, studied its position in the heavens, withparticular reference to his own.
"I haven't reached the right spot yet; it must be a hundred yardsfurther."
His aim was to halt some twenty or thirty rods beyond the clearing.Then, when assured he had gone far enough, he would walk directlytoward Otto, the two keeping the horse between them.
"I do so hope we will get him," muttered Jack, beginning to feel amisgiving now that the decisive moment was at hand, "for if we failit will end the business. If he goes home without the colt, hisfather will beat him, and more than likely will drive him into thewoods and forbid him to come back till he brings the horse with him.He is such a hard-hearted, miserly old fellow, that he will acceptno excuse from Otto, and his mother doesn't seem to be much better."
After a time Jack reached the point where he found the moonlightstreaming over his right shoulder. Of course, he could have securedthat lucky omen at any time, but it resulted now from the systematiccourse he had followed, and he was sure no mistake had been made.
He had no more than formed the conclusion that everything was as itshould be, when he was surprised to hear the neigh of a horse withinbowshot of where he stood. As it came from the direction of theclearing, no doubt remained that it was the animal for which he washunting.
"It looks as if it is to be my fortune after all to recover thecolt," thought the pleased lad. "It will be a surprise to Otto, butI hope we shall not have to wait any longer, for we have lost a gooddeal of time."
He moved through the wood, stepping softly, so as not to frightenthe animal, which probably had had enough of liberty to be unwillingto go back to bondage.
A brief distance was passed, when the young Kentuckian caught sightof the stray steed. In an opening, less than a tenth of an acre,where there was an abundance of grass, stood the identical coltwhich ran away the day before. Saddle and bridle were still inplace, though even the moonlight was sufficient to show they hadsuffered much from the journey of the horse. The latter, evidentlywas suspicious that something was amiss. He was cropping the grass,when the sound of Jack's footsteps alarmed him. He stood with hishead up, the grass dripping like water from his mouth, while helistened for the cause of alarm.
Jack Carleton was well aware of the difficulty that faced him whenon the very threshold of success. Though he was close to theanimal, he was not yet secured.
"Ah! If Deerfoot was here," sighed the boy, "then there would be nodoubt of the result, for he would dart forward and catch him. Ifthe horse wanted to run away, he would let him do it, and then theShawanoe would chase him down, just as easily as he would me orOtto; but it is going to be hard work for me."
It was difficult to decide on the best course of procedure. Thesagacious creature would not only be quick to recognize Jack, butequally quick to understand his purpose in approaching him. It wastoo much to expect him to submit quietly to recapture.
Jack softly plucked a handful of grass, and, stepping out from thecover of the woods began moving gently toward the colt. The latterturned his head and uttered a sniff of inquiry, at the same timeshowing an inclination to whirl about and gallop off. The boy stoodstill and, holding out the grass, deftly manipulated it so that apart dropped loosely to the ground: this insured its notice by hisvictim. Jack also addressed him in his most soothing tones. Hecalled him all the pet names at his command, and, as the steed stillheld his ground, the youth resumed his stealthy advance.
Jack Carleton's heart throbbed with hope. The animal threw his headhigher, snuffed louder, and manifestly was hesitating whether topermit a closer approach before fleeing, or whether to turn his faceat once from temptation.
"A few steps more and he is mine," was the thought of Jack, whorepeated the pet names with greater ardor, interspersing them with avariation of cluckings and chirpings that would have charmed aprattling baby. He increased his pace, for he was almost withinreach, while the beast snorted with excitement.
All at once Jack dropped the gun in his other hand, and made adesperate plunge, meaning to grasp the forelock of the horse. Itmay be said that he succeeded, for he felt the coarse, cool hair asit was swept through his fingers by the flirt of the animal's head.Jack missed success, by what may be truly said to have been a hair'sbreadth.
"Whoa! confound you!"
This command was uttered in a very different tone from that in whichhe had been addressing the colt a minute before. There was nothingsoothing in it, and the animal showed his contempt by whirlingabout, kicking up his heels and dashing into the woods.
Jack snatched his gun from the ground and bounded after him at theimminent risk of breaking his neck. He was too far from Otto andhis captor to attract attention, but the noise may have reached theears of the Indian. The angered pursuer did not coax or order thecolt, for what he had done in that line was sufficient to show theeffort was thrown away.
He listened: the animal was still going at a rate which showed hebelieved the danger was at his heels. The sound he made, whilegalloping over the leaves and through the bushes, grew fainter andfainter until it died out altogether.
"I suppose he will keep it up for several hours. If he faces towardthe settlement, he will reach it to-morrow, but if he veers to theright or left, Otto may as well give up the job."
Jack was keenly disappointed, for he had been confident of success,and now he was forced to admit there was scarcely a hope of everseeing the colt again.
"It's a bad go," he said, turning about and moving toward theclearin
g, where he had left his friend; "we'll keep up the huntto-morrow, but if he isn't caught before sundown, I shall insistthat we go home. Mother's anxious to see me," he added, in a softervoice, "but no more than I am to see her. It has been weeks sincewe parted, and if anything should happen to her while I am loiteringby the way, I can never forgive myself."
He did not reflect that he was exposed to tenfold more harm than hisparent. He reproached himself that he had tarried in Coatesvilleuntil Otto came for him. He was ready and waiting several days,during which he could have made the journey on foot, without theguidance of his friend.
However, it was too late now for regrets, and he tried to takematters philosophically.
The young Kentuckian made certain he was steadily pursuing the rightcourse, and, when he thought he had advanced far enough, he emittedthe whistle agreed upon. Of course no reply came back, for, as thereader knows, the young Teuton for whom the signal was meant was notin a situation to make suitable answer. In fact it did not reachhis ears at all.
Without losing any more minutes, Jack Carleton pushed forward, untilhe was brought to a stand-still by catching the unmistakable glimmerof a light a short distance ahead among the trees.