CHAPTER IX
SURROUNDED BY MYSTERIES
"WHAT about the swivel gun in the camp; could it be heard as far awayas this, do you think, Dick?" asked Roger, as though a new idea hadflashed into his mind.
The other shook his head in the negative.
"Hardly," he replied, "and, even if it were possible, you forget thatit is only when the wind picks up from this new quarter that we hearthe sound."
"And that is from the northwest, while our camp lies back yonder, morein the northeast," admitted Roger. "I admit that, when I spoke, I waspicturing a horde of half-naked Indians trying to carry the camp bystorm, and Captain Clark rallying his defenders behind the breastworkswe built out of pine logs and earth."
"It is nothing of that sort, I am sure," said Dick, "though, when youask me to explain the origin of that sound, I am as much in the darkas you."
"Well, as our way lies toward the northwest," remarked Roger, "there'ssome satisfaction in knowing we will be getting closer to the mysteryall the time."
"I am glad to see that you are not afraid, Roger."
"There can be no telling what state I may be in before we get out ofthis strange country," admitted Roger, laughingly. But Dick knew himtoo well to think he could show any sign of fear.
Mayhew said little, for he was naturally a man of few words. He couldnot be reckoned as above the average of his class; and possibly therewas a well-defined streak of superstition in his nature, even as it wasto be found in other bordermen of the day.
Left to his own devices, perhaps Mayhew would have much preferred notto advance any further into this unknown and terrifying land. He had noparticular desire to learn whether the stories told were true or false;and the camp that had been left behind held many alluring claims to hisregard.
But his honor as a reliable borderman was in the balance. He could notforget that, chiefly through his carelessness, there had been lost apaper entrusted to his charge, which was of the utmost value to theselads.
Hence he was firmly resolved to stand by them, no matter what happened,for the object of their venture was to duplicate the document he hadallowed to slip out of his hands.
"There is the river over yonder; I can see the sun shining on thetumbling water of one of the numerous cataracts," Dick commented, as hepointed in the direction indicated.
"The Indians have a story to the effect that it springs from a greatfresh water inland sea lying over the ridges somewhere," Rogerremarked, as he stood looking at the foaming surface of the stream. "Doyou believe there is any truth in that account, Dick; or can it be setdown as a fable, like this Evil Spirit of the land?"
"Oh! it seems that others have looked upon the great lake at adistance, French traders and voyageurs, and they say it is surelythere," the other affirmed. "Who knows but that, before we see our goodfriend Captain Lewis again, we, too, may be able to boast of having seteyes on the mirror lake."
"Captain Lewis told me he would give much for the privilege ofaccompanying us; but duty would not permit," Roger observed.
"Yes, he cannot forget that the President committed the fate ofthis exploration into his hands, and looks to him to supply all theinformation possible," said Dick. "So Captain Lewis, like an honorableand conscientious gentleman, will not take any unnecessary risk inorder to gratify his curiosity. His place is there in the camp."
Feeling hungry as noon arrived they munched some of the hard pemmicanwhile keeping on the move. That suited the impetuous Roger, for it wasvirtually "killing two birds with one stone"; they satisfied theirhunger, and yet found no reason to delay their progress in order to doso.
Mayhew still found a way to discern the trail of those who had goneover this same ground ahead of them. Indeed, it would have to be afaint track that his practiced eyes failed to discover.
All this while there had been a perceptible change in the characterof the country. It kept getting more rocky, and wilder the furtherthey advanced. Roger was constantly looking on all sides as thoughexpecting to discover some new and remarkable thing at any minute.Indeed, Dick was also considerably worked up over the strangeconditions surrounding them, and made up his mind not to be surprisedat anything that might happen.
It was when they were in this receptive frame of mind that somethingoccurred out of the common, to alarm them. Roger was the first to heara sound, though Dick, seeing him come to a sudden halt, and stand in anattitude of listening, also began to catch it.
"Hold on, Benjamin," said Dick, in a low tone, "there's something queergoing on around us that we must look into before proceeding further."
"Of all the strange things, did you ever hear such a terrible groaningbefore, Dick?" asked Roger. "I wonder if it has anything to do with thenoise we caught before, that was so like thunder."
"Hardly, for that was surely far away, while this is close by," repliedthe other boy, with a puzzled look on his sun-browned face.
Roger even took off his foxskin cap, as though he imagined that thedangling flaps which he used to keep his ears warm in bitter weathermight interfere with his sense of hearing.
Again those strange groanings made themselves heard. This time bothboys managed to locate the sound as coming from the right. That was atleast one point gained, and it was toward that quarter they now turnedtheir attention.
If they had been trying to pick out the most difficult spot in allthe wild vicinity, they would have selected that toward which theirattention was now directed. The rocks seemed to be piled on one anotherin hap-hazard fashion. Here and there they formed deep chasms, thesides of which were so precipitous as to be incapable of being scaledby any creature short of a monkey.
"It comes welling up out of the ground itself, Dick," ventured Roger,presently, with awe in his manner, as though, after all, he might bewondering whether there could be any truth in the tales told of theEvil Spirit that haunted these weird ridges, speaking in thunder tonesat one minute, and with dreadful groanings the next.
Dick believed in taking the bull by the horns in a case like this.
"We must look into it, Roger; it would never do for us to say we hadbeen driven away through hearing some mysterious sound that we did notunderstand."
"There it comes again, Dick, and louder than before. What can it be?"
"The hot spring seemed to tell of some sort of fires away under thesurface of the ground," the other said, reflectively, "and it might bethat this is more of the hot vapor pressing up through holes in therocks."
"But how like human groans the sounds are!" marveled Roger.
"I agree with you," his companion returned, "but have you forgotten thetime we heard those terrifying noises coming from the old mill thatstood a mile away from our homes, and how some of our companions fled,but we had the hardihood to go inside and look around?"
"Yes," interjected Roger, quickly, "and we found the wind forced a waythrough a crack between two logs, and made the doleful noise! It may besomething like that here."
"We will soon know, because I mean to make my way over there and take agood look around," announced Dick.
"If you go I will keep you company!" declared Roger, just as stoutly,as he gave a glance down, in order to make sure that the powder in thepan of his flint-lock rifle had not been disturbed, and that the weaponwas ready for instant use.
Together they advanced, with Mayhew keeping them company. All wereconstantly on the alert for signs of treachery and danger. Those whodealt with the tricky red sons of the forest in the pioneer dayslearned to be always on the watch.
Now the sounds ceased, and the boys exchanged looks, as if asking eachother whether this could have anything to do with their arrival. Werehostile eyes watching them from some rocky covert; and would a signalbe given to launch an attack?
Dick, examining what lay just beyond, came to a conclusion.
"There is a gaping hole yonder, you see, Roger?" he noted.
"Where the rocks seem to drop straight down, you mean?" replied theother.
"Yes, and it is out
of that hole the sounds came. Let us stand here,and wait to see if we can hear them again."
They had not long to wait. Even as they stood listening intently, therecame once more a long-drawn moan, which was followed by others. Thensucceeded a rattling sound as though some heavy body were endeavoringto creep up the slanting rock, only to slip back again. They even heardthe thud that seemed to announce the end of the vain attempt.
Still it was all unintelligible to both Dick and Roger. While thegroans continued to well up out of the basin, they again started tocreep forward. The brink was within plain sight, and in another minutethey would be in position to peer over the edge.
What new and terrifying wonder they might discover there they could noteven guess, yet it was with a thrill that the lads kept on, coveringthe intervening rock foot by foot.
They reached the brink together, and both immediately thrust out theirheads to take the first look. Only for a brief space of time did theystare downward, and then, just as a cautious tortoise might draw backhis head within his shell, Dick and his companion retreated.
"Oh!" gasped Roger, as he turned his face, filled with perplexity,toward the other, "did you see what it was, Dick?"
"After all, nothing so strange as we thought," replied the other."Instead of a supernatural happening, it was real human groans weheard. There are men trapped in that hole, and they have tried againand again to climb up, always to slip back again. They must hebattered, and nearly starved, which would be enough to make them groan,I think."
"But, Dick, I saw one of them plainly, and I knew him, too!" urgedRoger, bluntly.
"Then you saw more than I did," the other told him. "From the fact thatthey are dressed in buckskin I knew they must be hunters or trappers,but supposed it would turn out that they were French voyageurs, such ashave roamed throughout the Northwest country since the time of Pontiac.Who was the man you saw, Roger?"
"It was surely Thomas Hardy, one of the men who accompanied JasperWilliams," said Roger, showing much concern. "And I believe the otherto be Mordaunt, the second frontiersman and trapper. But there is nothird in the party. What can have become of Williams? If he is deadthere is an end to all our hopes. Oh, Dick, I am afraid!"
Dick's face had also lost much of its customary color, for a spasm ofalarm had attacked his bold heart when his companion thus voiced hisfears.