CHAPTER XXI
THE PICTURE WRITING ON THE BARK
"WHY, they're gone!" the backwoods boy exclaimed, as he stared hard atthe spot where he had supposed their visitors were still lying.
The blanket was there, carefully folded over a stick of wood, so as togive the impression at first glance that some one might be underneath,though Roger now saw that this could not be so.
"Yes, that's a fact," added Dick, just as if he meant to say that anyone with eyes could see it.
"But, if you thought this would happen, why didn't we do something?"asked Roger.
Dick shrugged his shoulders.
"Why should we try to stop the old squaw if she thought it best toleave us in this way? She is naturally suspicious of all whites. Andperhaps, for all we know, she might have thought we meant to take thatlittle girl away to our people. So, just like an Indian, she watchedher chance, and while we slept crept out of camp. Let them go, Roger;even if we wanted to, we couldn't spare time to look for them now. Wehave to find that river to-day, you know."
"Yes, I think you're right, Dick," admitted the other, slowly, as hegrasped the idea. "And anyhow, she didn't take my blanket. I ought tobe thankful for that, I suppose. Indians are born thieves, they say.But see how she wrapped it about this piece of wood, just to make methink one of them might be lying under the folds. What's that lying ontop of the blanket, Dick?"
"Looks to me like a piece of fresh bark," replied the other, as hestepped forward.
"Oh! it may be a message!" cried Roger, his eyes sparkling.
"Just what it is," answered his cousin. "See, she has drawn it inpictures, for you know that's the only way Indians can communicatetheir ideas to each other. Here is what she means to stand for ourcamp, with four of us sitting around a fire, two being men and theothers women, for they have skirts. Then you can see the last twocreeping away on their hands and knees. And here they come into what Iguess must be an Indian village."
"How easy to understand what she wants us to know," declared Roger,much struck by the manner in which the old squaw had left word that sheand the little Indian girl were even then on their way to the villagewhere they belonged.
"I thought something like this might happen," Dick said, presently,"when I saw the squaw hiding small pieces of meat last night, insteadof eating them herself, hungry though she was. She meant to keep themfor the child. A warrior, or an old squaw, may be able to go without abite for days, but not a child."
Roger folded his blanket, and stowed it away, after which he went backto the little blaze he had started, saying in a humorous way:
"Well, anyhow we can have our meat cooked as we want it this morning,and not half burned in the Indian style; and that's worth something;"at which remark his comrade laughed.
"The chances are we'll never know just who old Karmeet was, or thepretty little dark-faced girl with her," Roger observed later, whilethey were eating their frugal meal. "Dove Eyes, she said her name was;and perhaps it was all right, though I never yet saw a turtle-dove withsuch black eyes; did you, Dick?"
But Dick's mind was already wrestling with a weightier problem. Hehad to map out the day's march and figure on whether they would beapt to strike the river by still heading due north. Roger was alreadyquestioning in his mind whether they had not better turn somewhattoward the northeast, so as to make doubly sure; but as yet he had notdared speak his thought aloud.
But after all, it looked as though these things were ordered for thebest. Supposing they had never left the bank of the Missouri, whatwould have been the fate of Karmeet and little Dove Eyes? Surely theremust be some Power that regulated all such affairs; and even thiswandering on their part had been for a purpose.
As they rode on that morning they gradually left the timber behind oncemore, and found it only in scattered _mottes_.
Roger was wavering in his belief, but Dick never allowed himself todoubt that, sooner or later, they must come upon the river again,and possibly many miles above the spot where they had left it. Hehimself had been figuring it out, and reached the conclusion thatthere was a tremendous bend above the place of their turning aside tomake a "cut-off;" and that, when they were able to again look upon thecurrent of the river, they would have saved possibly a hundred miles ofterritory.
And should this prove to be the case Dick stood ready to thank hiscompanion for being the cause of their wandering. What had promisedto be a disaster might under such new conditions prove a blessing indisguise.
At noon they halted only long enough to take a cold bite. Indeed, thismight as well have been done while on the move, only that the boys hadcompassion on their horses, and wished to give them a little rest inthe middle of a hot day.
More than once Dick had raised himself in the stirrups as the afternoonwore on. Roger noticed this finally, and of course was curious to knowwhy he did it.
"Do you think you see anything ahead there, Dick?" he demanded.
"I was noticing the formation of the land," came the calm reply; "and,Roger, unless I'm greatly mistaken, we're going to come on the riverbefore the sun sets."
"I only hope you're a good prophet, Dick, that's all," the otherquickly returned, as he, too, looked long and earnestly ahead. "And nowthat you've called my attention to it, I do believe it looks promisingover there. Well, for one, I'm fish hungry, and I don't care who knowsit. It seems like a terribly long time since I felt a fish tug at aline."
What Dick so confidently predicted came true.
Just one hour later they no longer had the slightest doubt about theriver lying ahead, for there were many things that went to prove thisfact. Roger gave himself up to picturing the success that was bound tofollow his fishing operations; for, as has been remarked, the boy neverwas happier than when engaged in his favorite occupation.
"If we don't get there until about dark, Dick, promise me that you'lllay out our camp to-night close to the water, so that I can have myfill of fun without having to go far for it. Seems to me I don't wantto lose sight of the water in a hurry again."
"I feel pretty much the same way as you do, Roger," replied the other,frankly. "And so I can safely promise you what you ask. We'll sleepto-night so near the water that it will make music to put us to sleep."
"The finest of music, too," ventured Roger; "especially after you'vebeen silly enough to lose it for three nights running. But then I keepon hoping we may have gained something after all, which would make myblunder the easier to hear."
"I'm sure that it will turn out to be so," added generous Dick.
"And that we are right now closer to the exploring party than everbefore; that would be just fine, eh, Dick?"
"It certainly would, Roger. There, if you look yonder, you can see thesun shining on what can be nothing else than running water."
"Yes, yes, that's what it must be, Dick; the river at last! I'll beglad to see our old friend again. Two months we've been following itscourse; until now we are so far away from our homes that it almostseems as if we might never get back there again. But it does look goodto see the water again, and to know that perhaps we'll even have ataste of fresh fish soon."
Even the horses seemed to know that the water was close by, for theyacted as if given new life, pushing on with a vim that had been lackingduring the earlier part of the day.
And so, about an hour before sundown, they came upon the Missouri oncemore, flowing peacefully between its wide banks, and at this season ofthe year rather low; so that here and there islands could be seen, aswell as sandbars, on the latter of which flocks of birds sought theirfood.
"Now let's find a good spot where we can stay until morning; and itmust be a fishing place, too," Roger remarked, as they turned theirhorses' heads up-stream.
Ten minutes later he suddenly called out:
"Look! how would that little island do, Dick? We can easily let thehorses wade out, because it is hardly to their knees, I feel sure.And if you examine the lower part of the island you'll agree with methat it's just the finest place
to let a baited hook float down-streamanybody ever could find. Please say yes, Dick!"
Roger was so urgent, and there seemed so little chance of anythinglike disaster following the move, that even cautions Dick could notresist. And when they put the horses to it, they found that the water,as Roger had declared, was not more than a foot or so in depth, so thatthe passage was easily accomplished.
It was only a small island, with a few trees growing upon it, thougheven these showed signs of having been compelled to fight for existencewhen the spring freshets came along.
"We might as well make camp here at this lower end, eh, Dick?" askedRoger, who had an eye on the fishing possibilities, and was anxious toget busy.
Dick had been looking around, as usual, being desirous of getting thelay of the land fixed in his mind in case there should come any suddennecessity for a change of base during the night, when he would knowwhat to do.
"Just as you say, Roger," he remarked. "If we are going to camp here,one place is about the same as another to me, so long as we keep ourfire well hidden. And I can see where that can be easily done amongthese rocks back here. The horses we can tie to the trees with theirropes, and there is enough grass to do for one night. So get busy assoon as you wish. I'll take care of everything else."
"Thank you, Dick; you feel for a fellow, don't you? But then you neverwere just as wild for fishing as I am. Oh! don't it seem good to beback once more close to our old friend, the river? And all night longI'm sure the splash of the water on the rocks will keep me soundasleep. It's the next thing to getting home again."
And in a short time Roger was attending to the several stout fish linesthat he had baited, and thrown far out upon the passing current.