\"Youmeanyouwanttobuymysilence,shutmymouthaboutthislumbersteal?\"
Hedrewinhisbreathaudibly,yetstillhedidnotspeak。Eitherhewasdullofcomprehensionorelsehewasastonishedbeyondwords。IknewIwasmadtogoadhimlikethat,butIcouldnothelpit。Igrewhotwithanger,andthemoreclearlyIrealizedthathehadbelievedhecould\"fix\"mewithhisdirtymoneythehotterIgot。
\"YoutoldStocktonyouwerelearyofWashington,andwereafraidI’dqueeryourbigdeal……Well,Mr。Buell,that’sexactlywhatI’mgoingtodo——
queerit!\"
Hewentblackintheface,and,cursinghorribly,graspedmebythearm。I
struggled,butIcouldnotloosethatironhand。SuddenlyIfeltaviolentwrenchthatfreedme。ThenIsawDickswingbackhisshoulderandshootouthisarm。HeknockedBuellclearacrosstheroom,andwhenthemanfellI
thoughtthecabinwascomingdowninthecrash。Heappearedstunned,forhegropedaboutwithhishands,foundachair,and,usingitasasupport,rosetohisfeet,swayingunsteadily。
\"Leslie,I’llgetyouforthis——takeitfromme,\"hemuttered。
Dick’slipsweretight,andhewatchedBuellwithflamingeyes。Thelumbermanlurchedoutofthedoor,andweheardhimcursingafterhehaddisappeared。ThenDicklookedatmewithnolittledisapproval。
\"WhatdidyousaytomakeBuellwildlikethat?\"
ItoldDick,wordforword。Firsthelookeddumfounded,thenangry,andheendedupwithagrimlaugh。
\"Ken,you’resurebentonstartingsomething,asJimwouldsay。You’vestarteditallright。AndJim’llloveyouforit。ButI’mresponsibletoyourmother。Ken,Irememberyourmother——andyou’regoingbackhome。\"
\"Dick!\"
\"You’regoingbackhomeasfastasIcangetyoutoHolstonandputyouonatrain,that’sall。\"
\"Iwon’tgo!\"Icried。
WithoutanymorewordsDickledmedownthestreettoarudecorral;hereherapidlysaddledandpackedhishorses。TheonlytimehespokewaswhenheaskedmewhereIhadtiedmymustangs。Soonwewerehurryingoutthroughtheslashtowardtheforest。Dick’stroubledfacekeptdownmyresentment,butmyheartgrewlikelead。Whatanendingtomylong—cherishedtriptotheWest!Ithadlastedtwodays。ThedisappointmentseemedmorethanI
couldbear。
WefoundthemustangsasIhadleftthem,andthesightofHalandthefeelingofthesaddlemademealltheworse。Wedidnotclimbthefoot—hillbythetrailwhichtheMexicanhadused,buttookalong,slowascentfarroundtotheleft。Dickglancedbackoften,andwhenwereachedthetophelookedagaininawaytoconvincemethathehadsomeapprehensionsofbeingfollowed。
Twilightofthateventfuldayfounduspitchingcampinathicklytimberedhollow。IcouldnothelpdwellingonhowdifferentmyfeelingswouldhavebeenifthisnightwerebutthebeginningofmanynightswithDick。Itwasthelast,andthemoreIthoughtaboutitthemorewretchedIgrew。Dickrolledinhisblanketwithoutsayingevengood—night,andIlaytherewatchingtheveilsandshadowsoffirelightflickeronthepines,andlistening,tothewind。Graduallythebitternessseemedtogoaway;mybodyrelaxedandsankintothesoft,fragrantpine—needles;thegreatshadowytreesmixedwiththesurroundingdarkness。WhenIawokeitwasbroaddaylight,andDickwasshakingmyarm。
\"HuntupthehorseswhileIgetthegrubready,\"hesaid,curtly。
Asthehollowwascarpetedwiththickgrassourhorseshadnotstrayed。I
noticedthatherethelargertreeshadbeencut,andtheforestresembledafinepark。Inthesunnypatchesseedlingsweresprouting,manylittlebushypinesweregrowing,andthesaplingshadsufficientroomandlighttoprosper。IcommentedtoDickuponthedifferencebetweenthispartofPenetierandthehideousslashwehadleft。
\"TherewereacoupleofGovernmentmarkerswentthroughhereandmarkedthetimbertobecut,\"saidDick。
\"WasthetimbercutinthemillIsaw?\"
\"No。Buell’sjustrunupthatmill。Theoldoneisouthereaways,nearerHolston。\"
\"Isitpossible,Dick,thatanyofthoseloggersbacktheredon’tknowtheGovernmentisbeingdefrauded?\"
\"Ken,hardlyanyofthemknowit,andtheywouldn’tcareiftheydid。Yousee,thisforest—preservebusinessisnewouthere。Formerlythelumbermenboughtsomuchlandandcutoverit——skinnedit。Twoyearsago,whentheNationalForestswerelaidout,thelumberingmen——thatis,theloggers,sawmillhands,andsoon——foundtheydidnotgetasmuchemploymentasformerly。Sogenerallythey’resoreontheNationalForestidea。\"
\"But,Dick,iftheyunderstandtheideaofforestrythey’dneveropposeit。\"
\"Maybe。Idon’tunderstandittoowellmyself。Icanfightfire——that’smybusiness;butthisrangerworkisnew。IdoubtiftheWesternerswilltaketoforestry。There’vebeensomeshadydealsallovertheWestbecauseofit。Buell,now,he’satimbershark。HeboughtsomuchtimberfromtheGovernment,andhadthemarkerscomeintomarkthecut;thenaftertheyweregone,herushedupamillandclappedonathousandhands。\"
\"Andtherangersstandforit?Where’lltheirjobsbewhentheGovernmentfindsout?\"
\"Iwasagainstitfromthestart。SowasJim,particularly。Buttheotherrangerspersuadedus。\"
ItbegantodawnuponmethatDickLesliemight,afterall,turnouttobegoodsoilinwhichtoplantsomeseedsofforestry。Isaidnomorethen,aswewerebusypackingforthestart,butwhenwehadmountedIbegantotalk。ItoldhimallIhadlearnedabouttrees,howIlovedthem,andhowI
haddeterminedtodevotemylifetotheirstudy,care,anddevelopment。Aswerodealongunderthewide—spreadingpinesIillustratedmyremarksbyeveryexampleIcouldpossiblyuse。ThemoreItalkedthemoreinterestedDickbecame,andthisspurredmeon。PerhapsIexaggerated,butmyconscienceneverprickedme。Hebegantoaskquestions。
Wereachedaspringatmidday,andhaltedforarest。Ikeptonpleading,andpresentlyIdiscovered,tomyjoy,thatIhadmadeastrongimpressionuponDick。Itseemedastrangethingformetobetryingtoexplainforestrytoaforestranger,butsoitwas。
\"Ken,it’sallnewstome。I’vebeenonPenetieraboutayear,andIneverheardawordofwhatyou’vebeentellingme。Mydutieshavebeenthepracticalonesthatanywoodsmanknows。Jimandtheotherrangers——why,theydon’tknowanymorethanI。It’sagreatthing,andI’vequeeredmychancewiththeGovernment。\"
\"No,youhaven’t——neitherhasJim——notifyou’llbestraightfromnowon。
Youcan’tkeepfaithwithBuell。Hetriedtokidnapme。Thatletsyouout。
We’llspoilBuell’slittledealandsavePenetier。Alettertofatherwilldoit。HehasfriendsintheForestryDepartmentatWashington。Dick,whatdoyousay?It’snottoolate!\"
Thedarkshadeliftedfromtheranger’sface,andhelookedatmewiththesmileoftheoldfishingdays。
\"Say?Isayyes!\"heexclaimed,inringingvoice,\"Ken,you’vemadeamanofme!\"
VI。BACKTOHOLSTON
Soonwewereoutoftheforest,andridingacrossthesage—flatwithHolstoninsight。Bothofusavoidedtheunpleasantsubjectofmyenforcedhome—going。EvidentlyDickfeltcutupaboutit,anditcausedmesuchapangthatIdroveitfrommymind。TowardtheendofourrideDickbeganagaintotalkofforestry。
\"Ken,it’smightyinteresting——allthisyou’vesaidabouttrees。SomeofthethingsaresosimplethatIwonderIdidn’thitonthemlongago;infact,Iknewalotofwhatyoumightcallforestry,butthescientificideas——theystumpme。Now,whatyousaidaboutapine—treecleaningitself——comebackatmewiththat。\"
\"Why,that’ssimpleenough,Dick,\"Ianswered。\"Now,sayherewehaveaclumpofpinesaplings。Theystandprettyclose——closeenoughtomakedenseshade,butnottoocrowded。Theshadehaspreventedthelowerbranchesfromproducingleaves。Asaconsequencethesebranchesdie。Thentheydry,rot,andfalloff,sowhenthetreesmaturetheyareclean—shafted。Theyhavefine,cleartrunks。Theyhavecleanedthemselves,andsomakethebestoflumber,freefromknots。\"
Soourtalkwenton。OnceintownIwasimpatienttowritetomyfather,forwehaddecidedthatwewouldnottelegraph。LeavingourhorsesinCless’scorral,wewenttothehotelandproceededtocomposetheletter。
Thisturnedoutmoreofataskthanwehadbargainedfor。Butwegotitfinishedatlast,notforgettingtoputinawordforJimWilliams,andthenwebothsignedit。
\"There!\"Icried。\"Dick,somethingwillbedoingroundHolstonbeforemanydays。\"
\"That’snojoke,youcanbet,\"repliedDick,wipinghisface。\"Ken,it’smademesweatjusttoseethatletterstartEast。Buellisatoughsort,andhe’llmaketrouble。Well,hewantstosteerclearofJimandme。\"
Afterthatwefellsilent,andwalkedslowlybacktowardCless’scorral。
Dick’slipswereclosedtight,andhedidnotlookatme。Evidentlyhedidnotintendtoactuallyputmeaboardatrain,andthetimeforpartinghadcome。Hewateredhishorsesatthetrough,andfussedoverhispackandfumbledwithhissaddle—girths。Itlookedtomeasthoughhehadnotthecouragetosaygoodby。
\"Ken,itdidn’tlooksobad——someantillnow,\"hesaid。\"I’mallbrokenup……Togetyouwayouthere!Oh!what’stheuse?I’mmightysorry……Good—bye——maybe—\"
Hebrokeoffsuddenly,and,wringingmyhand,hevaultedintothesaddle。
Hegrowledathispack—pony,anddrovehimoutofthecorral。Thenhesetoffatasteadytrotdownthestreettowardtheopencountry。
Itcametomeinaflash,asIsawhimridingfartherandfartheraway,thatthereasonmyheartwasnotbrokenwasbecauseIdidnotintendtogohome。DickhadtakenitforgrantedthatIwouldboardthenexttrainfortheEast。ButIwasnotgoingtodoanythingofthesort。TomyamazeI
foundmymindmadeuponthatscore。Ihadnodefiniteplan,butIwasdeterminedtoendurealmostanythingratherthangiveupmymustangandoutfit。
\"It’sshiftformyselfnow,\"Ithought,soberly。\"IguessIcanmakegood……I’mgoingbacktoPenetier。\"
EveninthemomentofimpulseIknewhowfoolishthiswouldbe。ButIcouldnothelpit。Thatforesthadbewitchedme。Imeanttogobacktoit。
\"I’llstayawayfromthesawmill,\"Imeditated,growinglighterofhearteveryminute。\"I’llkeepoutofsightofthelumbermen。I’llgohigheruponthemountain,andhunt,andstudythetrees……I’lldoit。\"
WhereuponImarchedoffatoncetoastoreandboughtthesupplyofprovisionsthatBuellhaddecidedagainstwhenhehelpedmewithmyoutfit。
Thisadditionmadepackingtheponymoreofaproblemthanever,butI
contrivedtogetitallontomysatisfaction。ItwasnearingsunsetwhenI
rodeoutofHolstonthissecondtime。Thesageflatwasbareandgray。Dickhadlongsincereachedthepines,andwouldprobablymakecampatthespringwherewehadstoppedforlunch。Icertainlydidnotwanttocatchupwithhim,butastherewassmallchanceofthat;itcausedmenoconcern。
Shortlyaftersunsettwilightfell,anditwasnightwhenIreachedthefirstpine—trees。Still,asthetrailwaseasilytobeseen,Ikepton,forIdidnotwanttocampwithoutwater。Theforestwasverydark,insomeplaceslikeahugeblacktent,andIhadnotriddenfarwhentheoldfearofnight,thefancyofthingsoutthereinthedarkness,oncemorepossessedme。Itmademeangry。WhycouldInothavethesameconfidencethatIhadinthedaytime?Itwasimpossible。Theforestwasfullofmovingshadows。Whenthewindcameuptoroarinthepine—tipsitwasareliefbecauseitbrokethesilence。
IbegantodoubtwhetherIcouldbesureoflocatingthespring,andI
finallydecidedtomakecampatonce。IstoppedHal,andhadswungmylegoverthepommelwhenIsawafaintglimmeroflightfarahead。Ittwinkledlikeastar,butwasnotwhiteandcoldenoughforastar。
\"That’sDick’scampfire,\"Isaid。\"I’llhavetostophere。MaybeI’mtooclosenow。\"
Iponderedthequestion。Theblazewasalongwayoff,andIconcludedI
couldriskcampingonthespot,providedIdidnotmakeafire。AccordinglyIdismounted,andwassearchingforasuitableplacewhenIhappenedtothinkthatthecampfiremightnotbeDick’s,afterall。PerhapsBuellhadsenttheMexicanwithBudandBillonmytrailagain。Thiswouldnotdo。
ButIdidnotwanttogobackorturnoffthetrail。
\"I’llslipupandseewhoitis,\"Idecided。
Theideapleasedme;however,Ididnotyieldtoitwithoutfurtherconsideration。Ihadaclearsenseofresponsibility。IknewthatfromnowonIshouldbecalledupontoreasonoutmanyperplexingthings。Ididnotwanttomakeanymistakes。SoItiedHalandthepack—ponytoabushfringingthetrail,andsetoffthroughtheforest。
Itdawneduponmepresentlythatthecampfirewasmuchfartherawaythanitappeared。Oftenitwentoutofsightbehindtrees。Bydegreesitgrewlargerandlarger。ThenIsloweddownandapproachedmorecautiously。OncewhenthetreesobscureditItraveledsomedistancewithoutgettingagoodviewofit。PassingdownintoalittlehollowIlostitagain。WhenI
climbedoutIhauledupshortwithasharpcatchofmybreath。Therewereseveralfiguresmovingaroundthecampfire。IhadstumbledonacampthatsurelywasnotDickLeslie’s。
Thegroundwasassoftasvelvet,andmyfootstepsgaveforthnosound。
WhenthewindlulledIpausedbehindatreeandwaitedforanothergustyroar。Ikeptveryclosetothetrail,forthatwastheonlymeansbywhichIcouldreturntomyhorses。Ifelttheskintightenonmyface。Suddenly,asIpaused,Ibeardangryvoices,pitchedhigh。ButIcouldnotmakeoutthewords。
Curiositygotthebetterofme。IfthemenwerehiredbyBuellIwantedtoknowwhattheywerequarrellingabout。Istolestealthilyfromtreetotree,andanotherhollowopenedbeneathme。ItwassowideandthepinessoovershadoweditthatIcouldnottellhowclosetheoppositesidemightbetothecampfire。Islippeddownalongtheedgeofthetrail。Theblazedisappeared。Onlyafaintarcoflightshowedthroughthegloom。
Ipeeredkeenlyintotheblackness。AtlengthIreachedtheslope。HereI
droppedtomyhandsandknees。
Itwasalongcrawltothetop。Reachingit,Icautiouslypeepedover。
Thereweretreeshidingthefire。Butitwasclose。Iheardthevoicesofmen。Ibackeddowntheslope,crossedthetrail,andcameupontheotherside。Pinesgrewthickonthislevel,andIstolesilentlyfromonetoanother。FinallyIreachedtheblacktrunkofatreeclosetothecampfire。
ForamomentIlaylow。Ididnotseemexactlyafraid,butIwasalltenseandhard,andmyheartdrummedinmyears。Therewassomethingticklishaboutthisscouting。ThenIpeepedout。
ItaddedlittletomyexcitementtorecognizetheMexican。Hesatnearthefiresmokingacigarette。Nearhimwereseveralmen,oneofwhomwasBill。
Facingthemsatamanwithhisbacktoasmallsapling。Hewastiedwithalasso。
Oneglanceathiswhitefacemademedropbehindthetree,whereIlaystunnedandbewildered——forthatmanwasDickLeslie。
VIII。THELUMBERMEN
ForafullmomentIjustlaystill,huggingtheground,andIdidnotseemtothinkatall。Voicesloudinangerrousedme。Raisingmyself,I
guardedlylookedfrombehindthetree。
Oneofthelumbermenthrewbrushonthefire,makingitblazebrightly。Hewastallandhadaredbeard。IrecognizedStockton,Buell’srighthandinthelumberdeal。
\"Leslie,you’realiar!\"hesaid。
Dick’seyesglintedfromhispaleface。
\"Yes,that’syourspeed,Stockton,\"heretorted。\"Youbringyourthugsintomycamppretendingtobefriendly。Yougrabafellowbehindhisback,tiehimup,andthencallhimaliar。Wait,youtimbershark!\"
\"You’relyingaboutthatkid,Ward,\"declaredtheother。\"YousenthimbackEast,that’swhat。He’llhavethewholeforestservicedownhere。Buellwillbewild。Oh,hewon’tdoathingwhenhelearnsWardhasgivenustheslip!\"
\"Itellyou,KenWardgavemetheslip,\"repliedDick。\"I’lladmitImeanttoseehimsafeinHolston。Buthewouldn’tgo。Heranofffrommerighthereinthisforest。\"
WhatcouldhavebeenDick’sobjectintellingsuchalie?Itmademewonder。PerhapstheselumbermenweremoredangerousthanIhadsupposed,andDickdidnotwishthemtobelieveIhadleftPenetier。Maybehewasplayingfortime,anddidnotwantthemtogetalarmedandescapebeforetheofficerscame。
\"Whydidherunoff?\"askedStockton。
\"BecauseImeanttosendhimhome,andhedidn’twanttogo。He’scrazytocampout,tohuntandride。\"
\"Ifthat’strue,Leslie,there’sbeennowordsenttoWashington。\"
\"Howcouldtherebe?\"
\"Well,I’vegottoholdyouanywaytillweseeBuell。HisordersweretokeepyouandWardprisonerstillthislumberdealispulledoff。We’renotgoingtobestoppednow。\"
Leslieturnedcrimson,andstrainedonthelassothatboundhimtothesapling。\"Somebodyisgoingtopayforthisbusiness!\"hedeclared,savagely。\"YouforgetI’manofficerinthisforest。\"
\"I’llholdyou,Leslie,whatevercomesofit,\"answeredthelumberman。\"I’dadviseyoutocooldown。\"
\"YouandBuellhavebarkedupthewrongtree,mindthat,Stockton。JimWilliams,mypardner,iswise。Heexpectsmebacktomorrow。\"
\"Seehyar,Stockton,\"putinBill,\"you’renewinArizona,an’Iwanttogiveyouahunch。IfJimWilliamshitsthistrail,youain’tgoin’tobewellenoughtocareaboutanyoldlumbersteal。\"
\"Jimhitthetrailallright,\"wentonDick。\"He’safterGreaser。It’dgohardwithyouifJimhappenedtowalkinnow。\"
\"Idon’twanttobuckagainstWilliams,that’scertain,\"repliedStockton。
\"Iknowhisrecord。ButI’lltakeachance——anyway,tillBuellknows。It’shisgame。\"
Dickmadenoanswer,andsatthereeyeinghiscaptors。Therewaslittletalkafterthis。Budthrewalogonthefire。StocktontoldtheMexicantotakealookatthehorses。GreaserwalkedwithintwentyfeetofwhereI
lay,andIheldmybreathwhilebepassed。Theothersrolledintheirblankets。ItwasnowsodarkthatIcouldnotdistinguishanythingoutsideofthecampfirecircle。ButIheardGreaser’ssoft,shufflingfootstepsashereturned。Thenhisdark,slimfiguremadeashadowbetweenmeandthelight。Hesatdownbeforethefireandbegantorollacigarette。Hedidnotseemsleepy。
Adaringschemeflashedintomymind。IwouldcrawlintocampandfreeDick。NotonlywouldIoutwitthelumberthieves,butalsomakeDickthinkwellofme。WhatwouldJimWilliamssayofatricklikethat?ThethoughtoftheTexanbanishedwhatlittlehesitationIfelt。Glancingroundthebrightcircle,Imademyplan;itwastocrawlfarbackintothedarkness,goaroundtotheothersideofthecamp,andthenslipupbehindDick。
Alreadyhisheadwasnoddingonhisbreast。Itmademefurioustoseehimsittingsouncomfortably,sagginginthelasso。
Itriedtobeatdownmyexcitement,buttherewasatinglingallovermethatwouldnotsubside。ButIsoonsawthatImighthavealongwait。TheMexicandidnotgotosleep,soIhadtimetocooloff。
Thecampfiregraduallyburnedout,andthewhiteglowchangedtored。Oneofthemensnoredinawaythatsoundedlikeawheezywhistle。Coyoteshowledinthewoods,andthelongerIlistenedtothelong,strangehowlsthebetterIlikedthem。Theroarinthewindhaddieddowntoamoaning。I
thoughtofmyselflyingthere,withmyskinpricklingandmyeyessharponthedarkeningforms。IthoughtofthenightsIhadspentwithHalintheoldwoodsathome。Howfullthepresentseemed!Mybreastswelled,myhandgrippedmyrevolver,myeyespiercedthedarkness,andIwouldnothavebeenanywhereelsefortheworld。
Greasersmokedouthiscigarette,andbegantonod。Thatwasthesignalforme。Icrawlednoiselesslyfromthetree。WhenIfoundmyselfgoingdownintothehollow,Istoppedandrosetomyfeet。TheforestwassopitchyblackthatIcouldnottellthetreesfromthedarkness。Igropedtotheleft,tryingtocircle。OnceIsnappedatwig;itcrackedlikeapistol—shot,andmyheartstoppedbeating,thenbegantothump。ButGreaserneverstirredashesatinthewaninglight。AtlastIhadhalfcircledthecamp。
AfterashortrestIstartedforward,slowandstealthyasacreepingcat。
WhenwithinfiftyfeetofthefireIwentdownonall—foursandbegantocrawl。TwiceIgotoutofline。ButatlastDick’sburlyshouldersloomedupbetweenmeandthelight。
ThenIhalted。Mybreastseemedbursting,andIpantedsohardthatIwasinaterrorlestIshouldawakensomeone。AgainIthoughtofwhatIwasdoing,andfoughtdesperatelytogainmycoolness,NowtheonlycoverIhadwasDick’sbroadback,forthesaplingtowhichhewastiedwassmall。Idrewmyhunting—knife。OnemorewrigglebroughtmeclosetoDick,withmyfacenearhishands,whichwereboundbehindhim。I
slippedthebladeunderthelasso,andcutitthrough。
Dickstartedasifhehadreceivedanelectricshock。Hethrewbackhisheadandutteredasuddenexclamation。
AlthoughIwasalmostparalyzedwithfrightIputmyhandonhisshoulderandwhispered:\"S—s—s—h!It’sKen!\"
Greaserutteredashrillcry。Dickleapedtohisfeet。ThenIgrewdizzy,andmysightblurred。Iheardhoarseshoutsandsawdarkformsrisingasifoutoftheearth。Allwasconfusion。Iwantedtorun,butcouldnotgetup。
Therewasawrestling,whirlingmassinfrontofme。
Butthisdimnessofsightandweaknessofbodydidnotlast。Isawtwomenontheground,withDickstandingoverthem。Stocktonwasclosingin。
Greaserranaroundthemwithsomethinginhishandthatglitteredinthefirelight。StocktondivedforDick’slegsandupsethim。Theywentdowntogether,andtheMexicanleapedonthem,wavingthebrightthinghighoverhishead。
Iboundedforward,and,graspinghiswristwithbothhands,Iwrenchedhisarmwithallmymight。Someonestruckmeoverthehead。Isawamilliondartingpointsoflight——thenallwentblack。
WhenIopenedmyeyesthesunwasshining。Ihadaqueer,numbfeelingallover,andmyheadhurtterribly。Everythingaboutmewashazy。IdidnotknowwhereIwas。AfteralittleIstruggledtositup,andwithgreatdifficultymanagedit。Myhandsweretied。Thenitallcamebacktome。
Stocktonstoodbeforemeholdingatincupofwatertowardmylips。Mythroatwasparched,andIdrank。Stocktonhadagreatbruiseonhisforehead;hisnostrilswerecrustedwithblood,andhisshirtwashalftornoff。
\"You’reallright?\"hesaid。
\"Sure,\"Ireplied,whichwasnottrue。
Iimaginedthatalookofreliefcameoverhisface。NextIsawBillnursinghiseye,andbathingitwithawethandkerchief。Itwasswollenshut,puffedouttothesizeofagoose—egg,andblueasindigo。DickhadcertainlylandedhardonBill。ThenIturnedroundtoseeDicksittingagainstthelittlesapling,boundfastwithalasso。Hiscleanfacedidnotlookasifhehadbeeninafight;hewassmiling,yettherewasanxietyinhiseyes。
\"Ken,nowyou’veplayedhob,\"hesaid。Itwasareproach,buthislookmademeproud。
\"Oh,Dick,ifyouhadn’tcalledout!\"Iexclaimed。
\"Darnedifyou’renotright!Butitwasaslickjob,andyou’lltickleJimtodeath。Iwasanoldwoman。Butthatcoldknife—blademademejump。\"
IglancedroundthecampfortheMexicanandBudandthefifthman,buttheyweregone。Billvariedhisoccupationofthemomentbykneadingbiscuitdoughinabasin。ThentherecamesuchaseverepaininmyheadthatIwentblindforalittlewhile。\"What’sthematterwithmyhead?
Whohitme?\"Icried。
\"Budsluggedyouwiththebuttofhispistol,\"saidDick。\"And,Ken,I
thinkyousavedmefrombeingknifedbytheGreaser。Youtwistedhisarmhalfoff。Hecursedallnight……Ha!therehecomesnowwithyouroutfit。\"
Sureenough,theMexicanappearedonthetrail,leadingmyhorses。IwassogladtoseeHalthatIforgotIwasaprisoner。ButGreaser’ssullenfaceandglitteringeyesremindedmeofitquicklyenough。Ireadtreacheryinhisglance。
Budrodeintocampfromtheotherdirection,andhebroughtabunchofhorses,twoofwhichIrecognizedasDick’s。Thelumbermensetaboutgettingbreakfast,andStocktonhelpedmetowhatlittleIcouldeatanddrink。NowthatIwascaughthedidnotappearatallmeanorharsh。Ididnotshrinkfromhim,andhadthefeelingthathemeantwellbyme。
Thehorsesweresaddledandbridled,andDickandI,stilltied,werebundledastrideourmounts。Thepack—poniesledtheway,withBillfollowing;Icamenext,Greaserrodebehindme,andDickwasbetweenBudandStockton。Sowetraveled,andnotimewaswasted。Inoticedthatthemenkeptasharplookoutbothtotheforeandtherear。Webranchedoffthemaintrailandtookasteeperoneleadinguptheslope。Werodeforhours。
ThereweremomentswhenIreeledinmysaddle,butforthegreaterwhileI
stoodmypainandwearinesswellenough。Sometimeintheafternoonashrillwhistleaheadattractedmyattention。Imadeouttwohorsemenwaitingonthetrail。
\"Huh!abouttime!\"growledBill。\"Hyar’sBuellan’Herky—Jerky。\"
AsweapproachedIsawBuell,andthefellowwiththequeernameturnedouttobenootherthantheabsentmanIhadbeenwonderingabout。Hehadbeendispatchedtofetchthelumberman。
Buellwassuperblymountedonasleekbay,andhelookedverymuchthesamejovialfellowIhadmetonthetrain。Hegrinnedatthedisfiguredmen。
\"Takeitfromme,youfellerswouldn’tlookanyworsebungedupifyou’dbeenjoltedbythesawlogsinmymill。\"
\"Wecan’tstandheretocrackjokes,\"saidStockton,sharply。\"Somerangermightseeus。Nowwhat?\"
\"Youketchedthekidintime。That’sallIwanted。Takehiman’Leslieupinoneofthecanyonsan’keepthemtheretillfurtherorders。Youneedn’tstay,Stockton,afteryougettheminasafeplace。An’youcansendupgrub。\"
Thenheturnedtome。
\"You’llnotbehurtif——\"
\"Don’tyouspeaktome!\"Iburstout。ItwasonmylipstotellhimofthelettertoWashington,butsomehowIkeptsilent。
\"Leslie,\"wentonBuell,\"I’lloverlookyourhittin’mean’letyougoifyou’llgivemeyourwordtokeepmumaboutthis。\"
Dickdidnotspeak,butlookedatthelumbermanwithadarkgleaminhiseyes。
\"There’sonething,Buell,\"saidStockton。\"JimWilliamsiswise。You’vegottolookoutforhim。\"
Buell’sruddyfaceblanched。Then,withoutanotherword,hewavedhishandtowardtheslope,and,wheelinghishorse,gallopeddownthetrail。
IX。TAKENINTOTHEMOUNTAINS
Weclimbedtoanotherlevelbenchwherewebranchedoffthetrail。Theforeststillkeptitsopen,park—likecharacter。Underthegreatpinesthegroundwasbareandbrownwithathickcoveringofpine—needles,butinthegladesweregreengrassandblueflowers。
OnceacrossthislevelweencounteredasteeperascentthananyIhadyetclimbed。Herethecharacteroftheforestbegantochange。Therewereothertreesthanpines,andparticularlyonekind,cone—shaped,symmetrical,andbright,whichDickcalledasilverspruce。Iwasgladitbelongedtotheconifers,orpine—treefamily,becauseitwasthemostbeautifultreeIhadeverseen。Weclimbedridgesandthreadedthroughaspenthicketsinhollowstillnearsunset。ThenStocktonorderedahaltforcamp。
Itcamenonetoosoonforme,andIwassoexhaustedthatIhadtobehelpedoffmymustang。Stocktonarrangedmyblankets,fedme,andbathedthebruiseonmyhead,butIwastoowearyandsicktobegratefulortocareaboutanythingexceptsleep。Eventhefactthatmyhandswereuncomfortablybounddidnotkeepmeawake。
Whensomeonecalledmenextmorningmyeyesdidnotwanttostayopen。I
hadalazyfeelingandadullacheinmybones,butthepainhadgonefrommyhead。Thatmadeeverythingelseseemallright。
Soonwewereclimbingagain,andmyinterestinmysurroundingsgrewaswewentup。Forawhilewebrushedthroughthicketsofscruboak。Thewholeslopeofthemountainwasridgedandhollowed,sothatwewerealwaysgoingdownandclimbingup。Thepinesandsprucesgrewsmaller,andweremoreruggedandgnarled。
\"Hyar’sthecanyon!\"sangoutBill,presently。
Wecameoutontheedgeofadeephollow。Itwashalfamilewide。Ilookeddownalonginclineofsharptree—tips。Theroarofwaterrosefrombelow,andinplacesawhiterushingtorrentshowed。Aboveloomedthesnow—cladpeak,glisteninginthemorningsun。Howwonderfullyfaroffandhighitstillwas!
Tomyregretitwasshutofffrommysightaswedescendedintothecanyon。
However,Isoonforgotthat。Isawatroopofcoyotes,andmanyblackandwhitesquirrels。Fromtimetotimehugebirds,almostasbigasturkeys,crashedoutofthethicketsandwhirredaway。Theyflewswiftaspheasants,andIaskedDickwhattheywere。
\"Bluegrouse,\"hereplied。\"Looksharpnow,Ken,therearedeeraheadofus。Seethetracks?\"
LookingdownIsawlittle,sharp—pointed,ovaltracks。Presentlytwofoxescrossedanopenpatchnotfiftyyardsfromus,butIdidnotgetaglimpseofthedeer。Soonwereachedthebottomofthecanyon,andstruckintoanothertrail。Theairwasfullofthelowroaroftumblingwater。Thismountain—torrentwasabouttwentyfeetwide,butitsswiftnessandfoammadeitimpossibletotellitsdepth。Thetrailledup—stream,andturnedsoconstantlythathalfthetimeBill,theleader,wasnotinsight。Oncethesharpcrackofhisriflehaltedthetrain。Iheardcrashingsinthethicket。Dickyelledformetolookuptheslope,andthereIsawthreegraydeerwithwhitetailsraised。Iheardastrange,whistlingsound。
OngoingforwardwefoundthatBillhadkilledadeerandwasropingitonhispack—horse。Asweproceededupthecanyonitgrewnarrower,andsoonweenteredaveritablegorge。Itwasshort,butthefloorwasexceedinglyrough,andmadehardgoingforthehorses。SuddenlyIwasamazedtoseethegorgeopenoutintoakindofamphitheatreseveralhundredfeetacross。Thewallsweresteep,andonesideshelvedout,makingalong,shallowcave,Inthecenterofthisamphitheatrewasadeepholefromwhichthemountainstreamboiledandbubbled。
\"Hyarweare,\"saidBill,andswungoutofhissaddle。Theothermenfollowedsuit,andhelpedDickandmedown。Stocktonuntiedourhands,sayinghereckonedwewouldbemorecomfortablethatway。Indeedwewere。
Mywristswereswollenandblistered。StocktondetailedtheMexicantokeepguardoverus。
\"Ken,I’veheardofthisplace,\"saidDick。\"How’sthatforaspring?
Twentyyardswide,andnotellinghowdeep!Thisissnow—waterstraightfromthepeaks。We’renotathousandfeetbelowthesnow—line。\"
\"Icantellthat。LookatthoseJwaripines,\"Ireplied,pointingupoverthewall。Aruggedsloperoseaboveourcamp—site,anditwascoveredwithatangledmassofstuntedpines。Manyofthemweretwistedandmisshapen;
somewerehalfdeadandbleachedwhiteatthetops。\"It’smyfirstsightofsuchtrees,\"Iwenton,\"butI’vestudiedaboutthem。Uphereit’snotlackofmoisturethatstuntsandretardstheirgrowth。It’sfightingtheelements——cold,storm—winds,snowslides。Isupposenotoneinathousandseedlingstakesrootandsurvives。Buttheforestfightshardtolive。\"
\"Well,Ken,wemayaswellsitbacknowandtalkforestrytillBuellskinsallhewantsofPenetier,\"saidDick。\"It’sreallyafinecamping—spot。
Plentyofdeeruphereandbear,too。\"
\"Dick,couldn’tweescape?\"Iwhispered。
\"We’renotlikelytohaveachance。ButIsay,Ken,howdidyouhappentoturnup?Ithoughtyouweregoingtohoponthefirsttrainforhome。\"
\"Dick,youhadanotherthinkcoming。Icouldn’tgohome。I’llhaveagreattimeyet——I’mhavingitnow。\"
\"Yes,thatlumponyourheadlookslikeit,\"repliedDick,withalaugh。
\"IfBudhadn’tputyououtwe’dhavecomeclosertolickingthisbunch。
Ken,keepyoureyeonGreaser。He’streacherous。Hisarm’slameyet。\"
\"We’vehadtworun—insalready,\"Isaid。\"Thethirdtimeistheworst,theysay。Ihopeitwon’tcome……But,Dick,I’masbig——I’mbiggerthanheis。\"
\"Hearthekidtalk!Icertainlyoughttohaveputyouonthattrain——\"
\"Whattrain?\"askedStockton,sharply,fromourrear。Hetookusinwithsuspiciouseyes。
\"IwastellingKenIoughttohaveputhimonatrainforhome,\"answeredDick。
Stocktonlettheremarkpasswithoutfurthercomment;still,heappearedtobedoingsomehardthinking。HeputDickatoneendofthelongcave,meattheother。Ourbeddingwasunpackedandplacedatourdisposal。Wemadeourbeds。AfterthatIkeptmyeyesopenanddidnotmissanything。
\"Leslie,I’mgoingtotreatyouandWardwhite,\"saidStockton。\"You’llhavegoodgrub。Herky—Jerky’sthebestcookthissideofHolston,andyou’llbeleftuntiedinthedaytime。Butifeitherofyouattemptstogetawayitmeansalegshotoff。Doyougetthat?\"
\"Allright,Stockton;that’sprettysquareofyou,considering,\"repliedDick。\"You’readecentsortofchaptobemixedupwithathieflikeBuell。
I’msorry。\"
Stocktonturnedawayatthisratherabruptly。ThenBillappearedonthewallabove,andbegantothrowdownfirewood。Budreturnedfromthecanyon,wherehehaddriventhehorses。Greasersatonastonepuffingacigarette。
ItwasthefirsttimeIhadtakenagoodlookathim。HewassmallerthanI
hadfancied;hisfeetandhandsandfeaturesresembledthoseofawoman,buthiseyeswerelivecoalsofblackfire。InthedaylightIwasnotintheleastafraidofhim。
Herky—Jerkywasthemostinterestingoneofourcaptors。Hehadashort,stockyfigure,andwasthemostbow—leggedmanIeversaw。Neveronearthcouldhehavestoppedapiginalane。Astubbybeardcoveredthelowerhalfofhisbrick—redface。ThemoststrikingthingaboutHerky—Jerky,however,washisperpetualgrin。Helookedveryjolly,yeteverytimeheopenedhismouthitwastoutterbadlanguage。Hecursedthefire,thepans,thecoffee,thebiscuits,allofwhichhehandledmostskillfully。Itwasdisgusting,andyetasidefromthisIratherlikedhim。
Itgrewdarkveryquicklywhilewewereeating,andthewindthatdippeddownintothegorgewascold。Ikeptedgingcloserandclosertotheblazingcampfire。Ihadnevertastedvenisonbefore,andratherdislikeditatfirst。ButIsooncultivatedalikingforit。
ThatnightStocktontiedmesecurely,butinawaywhichmadeiteasyformetoturn。Isleptsoundlyandawokelate。WhenIsatupStocktonstoodbyhissaddledhorse,andwasgivingorderstothemen。Hespokesharply。Hemadeitclearthattheywerenottobelaxintheirvigilance。Then,withoutawordtoDickorme,herodedownthegorgeanddisappearedbehindacornerofyellowwall。
BilluntiedtheropethatheldDick’sarms,butlefthisfeetbound。Iwasfreedentirely,anditfeltsogoodtohavetheuseofallmylimbsoncemorethatIprancedroundinaratherlivelyway。EithermyanticsannoyedHerky—Jerkyorhethoughtitagoodopportunitytoshowhisskillwithalasso,forheshottheloopovermesohardthatitstungmyback。
\"I’mallthereasaroper!\"hesaid,pullingthelassotightroundmymiddle。ThemenalllaughedasItumbledoverinthegravel。
\"Betterkeepahalf—hitchonthecolt,\"remarkedBud。
Sotheyleftthelassofastaboutmywaist,andittrailedaftermeasI
walked。Herky—JerkyputmetocarryingDick’sbreakfastfromthecampfireupintothecave。ThisIdidwithalacrity。DickandIexchangedcommonplaceremarksaloud,butwehadseverallittlewhispers。
\"Ken,wemaygetthedroponthemorgivethemtheslipyet,\"whisperedDick,inoneoftheseinterludes。
Thisputideasintomyhead。Theremightbeachanceformetoescape,ifnotforDick。Imadeupmymindtotryifagoodchanceoffered,butIdidnotwanttogoalonedownthatcanyonwithoutagun。Stocktonhadtakenmyrevolverandhunting—knife,butIstillhadthelittleleathercasewhichHalandIhadusedsooftenbackontheSusquehanna。Besidesapen—knifethiscasecontainedsaltandpepper,fishinghooksandlines,matches——ahostoflittlethingsthataboywhohadneverbeenlostmightimaginehewouldneedinanemergency。WhilethinkingandplanningIsatontheedgeofthegreatholewherethespringwas。SuddenlyIsawaswirlinthewater,andthenasplendidspottedfish。Itbrokewatertwice。Itwastwofeetlong。
\"Dick,there’sfishinthishole!\"Iyelled,eagerly。
\"Shouldn’twonder,\"repliedhe。\"Sure,kid,thethole’sfulloftrout——
speckledtrout,\"saidHerky—Jerky。\"Buttheycan’tbeketched。\"
\"Whynot?\"Idemanded。IhadnotcaughtlittletroutinthePennsylvaniahillsfornothing。\"Theyeat,don’tthey?ThatfishIsawwasawhale,andhebrokewaterforabug。Getmeapoleandsomebugsorworms!\"
WhenItookoutmylittlecaseandshowedthefishing—line,Herky—Jerkysaidhewouldfindmesomebait。
WhilehewasabsentIstudiedthatspringwithnewandawakenedeyes。Itwasroundandverydeep,andthewaterbulgedupingreatgreenishswirls。
Theoutletwasanarrowlittlecleftthroughwhichthewaterflowedslowly,asthoughitdidnotwanttotakeitsfreedom。Therushandroarcamefromthegorgebelow。
Herky—Jerkyreturnedwithalong,slenderpole。Itwasaspliantasabuggy—whip,andoncetrimmedandriggeditwasfarfrombeingapoortackle。Herky—Jerkywatchedmewithextremeattention,allthetimegrinning。Thenheheldoutahandfulofgrubs。
\"IfyouketchatroutonthetI’llswallerthepole!\"heexclaimed。
Istoopedlowandapproachedthespring,beingcarefultokeepoutofsight。
\"Youforgottospitonyerbait,kid,\"saidBill。
Theyalllaughedinawaytorousemyire。ButdespiteitIflippedthebaitintothewaterwiththesameoldthrillingexpectancy。
Thebaitdroppedwithalittlespat。Anarrowyshadow,blackandgold,flashedup。Splash!Thelinehissed。ThenIjerkedhard。Thepolebentdouble,wobbled,andswayedthiswayandthat。Thefishwasapowerfulone;
hisrusheswerelikethoseofaheavybass。Butneverhadabassgivenmesuchastruggle。EveryinstantImadesurethetacklewouldbewrecked。
Then,justatthebreaking—point,thefishwouldturn。Atlasthebegantotire。Ifeltthathewasrisingtothesurface,andIputonmorestrain。
SoonIsawhim;thenheturned,flashinglikeagoldbar。Iledmycaptivetotheoutletofthespring,whereIreacheddownandgotmyfingersinhisgills。WiththatIliftedhim。DickwhoopedwhenIheldupthefish;asforme,Iwasspeechless。Thetroutwasalmosttwofeetlong,broadandheavy,withshinysidesfleckedwithcolor。
Herky—Jerkycelebratedmyluckwithagenerousoutburstofenthusiasm,whereuponhiscomradesremindedhimofhisoffertoswallowmyfishingpole。
Iputonafreshbaitandinstantlyhookedanotherfish,asmallerone,whichwasnotsobardtoland。Thespringholewasfulloftrout。TheymadethewaterboilwhenIcast。Severallargeonestorethehookloose;Ihadneverdreamedofsuchfishing。Reallyitwasastrangesituation。HereI
wasaprisoner,withGreaserorBudtakingturnsatholdingtheotherendofthelasso。Morethanoncetheytetheredmeupshortfornootherreasonthantotormentme。YetneverinmylifehadIsoenjoyedfishing。
By—and—byBillandHerky—Jerkyleftthecamp。IheardHerkytellGreasertokeephiseyeonthestew—pots,anditoccurredtomethatGreaserhadbetterkeephiseyeonKenWard。WhenIsawBudliedownIrememberedwhatDickhadwhispered。Ipretendedtobeabsorbedinmyfishing,butreallyI
waswatchingGreaser。Asusual,hewassmoking,andappearedlistless,buthestillheldontothelasso。
SuddenlyIsawabigbluerevolverlyingonastoneandIcouldevencatchtheglintofbrassshellsinthecylinder。ItwasnotclosetoBudnorsoveryclosetoGreaser。Ifheshoulddropthelasso!Awildideapossessedme——heldmeinitsgrip。justthenthestew—potboiledover。Therewasasputterandacloudofsteam,GreaserlazilysworeinMexican;hegotuptomovethestew—potanddroppedthelasso。
WhenhereachedthefireIboundedup,jerkingthelassofarbehindme。I
ranandgrabbedtherevolver。Greaserheardmeandwheeledwithayell。Budsatupquickly。Ipointedtherevolverathim,thenatGreaser,andkeptmovingitfromonesidetotheother。
\"Don’tmove!I’llshoot!\"Icried。
\"Goodboy!\"yelledDick。\"You’vegotthedrop。Keepit,Ken,keepit!Don’tloseyournerve。Edgeroundhereandcutmeloose……Bud,ifyoumoveI’llmakehimshoot。Comeon,Ken。\"
\"Greaser,cuthimloose!\"IcommandedthesnarlingMexican。
Itrembledsothattherevolverwabbledinmyhand。Tryingtoholditsteadied,Isqueezedithard。Bang!Itwentoffwithabellowlikeacannon。ThebulletscatteredthegravelnearGreaser。Hisyellowfaceturnedadirtywhite。Hejumpedstraightupinhisfright。
\"Cuthimloose!\"Iordered。
GreaserrantowardDick。
\"Lookout,Ken!Behindyou!Quick!\"yelledDick。
Ibeardacrunchingofgravel。EvenasIwheeledIfeltatremendouspullonthelassoandIseemedtobesailingintheair。IgotablurredglimpseofHerky—Jerkyleaningbackonthetautlasso。ThenIplungeddown,slidovertherocks,andwentsouseintothespring。
X。ESCAPE
Down,downIplunged,andtheshockoftheicywaterseemedtopetrifyme。
Ishouldhavegonestraighttothebottomlikeapieceofleadbutforthelasso。Ittightenedaroundmychest,andbegantohaulmeup。
Ifelttheairandthelight,andopenedmyeyestoseeHerky—Jerkyhaulingawayontherope。Whenhecaughtsightofmehelookedasifreadytododgebehindthebank。
\"Whar’smygun?\"heyelled。
Ihaddroppeditinthespring。Heletthelassosag,andIhadtoswim。
Then,seeingthatmyhandswereempty,hebegantoswearandtodragmeroundandroundinthepool。Whenhehadpulledmeacrossherantotheothersideandjerkedmeback。IwasdrawnthroughthewaterwithaforcethatIfearedwouldtearmeapart。Greaserchatteredlikeahideousmonkey,andrantoandfroinglee。Herky—Jerkysoonhadmesputtering,gasping,choking。WhenhefinallypulledmeoutoftheholeIwasallbutdrowned。
\"Youbow—leggedbeggar!\"shoutedDick,\"I’llfixyouforthat。\"
\"Whar’smygun?\"yelledHerky,asIfelltotheground。
\"Ilost——it,\"Ipanted。
Hebegantorave。ThenIhalfswooned,andwhensightandhearingfullyreturnedIwaslyinginthecaveonmyblankets。Agreatlassitudeweightedmedown。Theterriblethrashingaboutintheicywaterhadquenchedmyspirit。ForawhileIwastooplayedouttomove,andlaythereinmywetclothes。FinallyIaskedleavetotakethemoff。Bud,whohadcomebackinthemeantime,helpedme,orIshouldneverhavegotoutofthem。Herkybroughtupmycoat,which,fortunately,Ihadtakenoffbeforetheducking。
IdidnothavethehearttospeaktoDickorlookathim,soIclosedmyeyesandfellasleep。
ItwasanotherdaywhenIawoke。Ifeltallrightexceptforasorenessundermyarmsandacrossmychestwherethelassohadchafedandbruisedme。StillIdidnotrecovermygoodspirits。Herky—Jerkykeptongrinningandcrackingjokesonmyfailuretoescape。Hehadappropriatedmyrevolverforhimself,andheaskedmeseveraltimesifIwantedtoborrowittoshootGreaser。
Thatdaypassedquietly,andsodidthetwothatfollowed。Themenwouldnotletmefishnormoveabout。TheyhadbeenexpectingStockton,andashedidnotcomeitwasdecidedtosendBuddowntothemill;infact,Buddecidedthematterhimself。HewarnedGreaserandHerkytokeepclosewatchoverDickandme。Thenherodeaway。DickandIresumedourtalkaboutforestry,andaswewereseparatedbythelengthofthecaveitwasnecessarytospeakloud。Soourcaptorsheardeverywordwesaid。
\"Ken,what’sthedifferencebetweenGovernmentforestryouthereand,say,forestrypracticedbyafarmerbackinPennsylvania?\"askedDick。
\"There’sabigdifference,Iimagine。ForestryisestablishedinsomepartsoftheEast;it’sonlyanexperimentouthere。\"
ThenIwentontotellhimaboutthemethodofthefarmer。Heusuallyhadasmallpieceofforest,mostlyhardwood。Whenthesnowwasonhecutfirewood,fence—rails,andlumberforhisownuseinbuilding。Someseasonslumberbroughthighprices;thenhewouldselectmaturedlogsandhaulthemtothesawmill。Buthewouldnotcutagreatdeal,andhewouldusecareintheselection。Itwashisaimtokeepthelandwellcoveredwithforest。Hewouldsowaswellasharvest。
\"NowtheGovernmentpolicyistopreservetheNationalForestsfortheuseofthepeople。Thesoilmustbekeptproductive。Agriculturewouldbeimpossiblewithoutwater,andtheforestsholdwater。TheWestwantspeopletocometostay。Thelumbermanwhoslashesoffthetimbermaygetrichhimself,butheruinstheland。\"
\"What’sthatnewlawCongressistryingtopass?\"queriedDick。
Iwaspuzzled,butpresentlyIcaughthismeaning。BillandHerky—Jerkywerehangingonourwordswithunconcealedattention。EventheMexicanwaslistening。Dick’scuewastoscarethem,oratleasttohavesomefunattheirexpense。
\"They’vepassedit,\"Ireplied。\"FellowslikeBuellwillgotothepenitentiaryforlife。Hismen’llgettwentyyearsonbreadandwater。Nowhiskey!Serves’emright。\"
\"What’llthePresidentdowhenhelearnsthesemenkidnappedyou?\"
\"Do?He’llhavethewholeforestserviceouthereandtheNationalGuard。
He’safriendofmyfather’s。Why,thesekidnapperswillbehanged!\"
\"IwishtheGuardwouldcomequick。Toobadyoucouldn’thavesentword!
I’denjoyseeingGreaserswing。Say,hehasn’taghostofachance,withthePresidentandJimWilliamsafterhim。\"
\"Dick,IwanttheringsinGreaser’sears。\"
\"Whatfor?They’reonlybrass。\"
\"Souvenirs。MaybeI’llhavewatch—charmsmadeofthem。Anyway,IcanshowthemtomyfriendsbackEast。\"
\"It’llbegreat——whatyou’llhavetotell,\"wentonDick。\"It’llbefunny,too。\"
Greaserhadbeguntosnarlviciously,andHerkyandBilllookedglumandthoughtful。ThearrivalofBudinterruptedtheconversationandputanendtoourplayfulmood。Weheardalittleofwhathetoldhiscomrades,andgatheredthatJimWilliamshadmetStocktonandhadaskedquestionshardtoanswer。Dickflashedmeasignificantlook,whichwasasmuchastosaythatJimwasgrowingsuspicious。Budhadbroughtastoreofwhiskey,andhiscompanionsnowkeptclosercompanywithhimthaneverbefore。Butfromappearancestheydidnotgetalltheywanted。
\"We’vegottomovethisherecamp,\"saidBud。
BudandBillandHerkywalkedoffdownthegorge。Perhapstheyreallywenttofindanotherplaceforthecamp,forthepresentspotwascertainlyakindoftrap。ButfromthelooksofGreaserIguessedthattheywereleavinghimtokeepguardwhiletheywentofftodrinkbythemselves。
Greasermutteredandsnarled。Asthemomentspassedhisfacegrewsullen。
Allatoncehecametowardme。Heboundmyhandsandmyfeet。Dickwasalreadysecurelytied,butGreaserputanotherlassoonhim。Thenhesloucheddownthegorge。Hishigh—peakedMexicansombrerobobbedabovetherocks,thendisappeared。
\"Ken,now’sthechance,\"saidDick,lowandquick。\"Ifyoucanonlyworkloose!There’syourrifleandmine,too。Wecouldholdthisfortforamonth。\"
\"WhatcanIdo?\"Iasked,strainingonmyropes。
\"You’renotfasttotherock,asIam。Rolloverhereanduntiemewithyourteeth。\"
Iraisedmyheadtogetthedirection,andthen,withaviolenttwistofmybody,Istartedtowardhim;butbeingboundfastIcouldnotguidemyself,andIrolledofftheledge。Thebanktherewasprettysteep,and,unabletostop,Ikeptonlikeabarrelgoingdown—bill。Thethoughtofrollingintothespringfilledmewithhorror。SuddenlyIbumpedhardintosomethingthatcheckedme。Itwasalogoffirewood,andinoneendstuckthebigknifewhichHerky—Jerkyusedtocutmeat。
InstantlyIconceivedtheideaofcuttingmybondswiththisknife。ButhowwasItosetaboutit?
\"Dick,here’saknife。How’llIgettoitsoastofreemyself?\"
\"Easyaspie,\"repliedhe,eagerly。\"Thesharpedgepointsdown。Youhitchyourselfthisway——That’sit———good!\"
WhatDickcalledeasyaspiewasthehardestworkIeverdid。Ilayflatonmyback,boundhandandfoot,anditwasnecessarytojerkmybodyalongthelogtillmyhandsshouldbeundertheknife。Iliftedmylegsandedgedalonginchbyinch。
\"Finework,Ken!Nowyou’reright!Turnonyourside!Becarefulyoudon’tloosentheknife!\"
Notonlyweremywristsbound,butthelassohadbeenwrappedroundmyelbows,holdingthemclosetomybody。Turningonmyside,IfoundthatI
couldnotreachtheknife——notbyseveralinches。Thiswasabitterdisappointment。Istrainedandheaved。InmyefforttoliftmybodysidewiseIpressedmyfaceintothegravel。\"Hurry,Ken,hurry!\"criedDick。\"Somebody’scoming!\"
Thusurged,Igrewdesperate。InmystruggleIdiscoveredthatitwaspossibletoedgeuponthelogandstickthere。Igluedmyselftothatlog。
BydintofgreatexertionIbroughtthetightcordagainsttheblade。Itpartedwithalittlesnap,myelbowsdroppedfree。Raisingmywrists,I
sawedquicklythroughthebonds。Icutmyself,thebloodflowed,butthatwasnomatter。jerkingtheknifefromthelog,Iseveredtheropesroundmyanklesandleapedup。
\"Hurry,boy!\"criedDick,withasharpnoteofalarm。
Irantowherehelay,andattackedtheheavyhalterwithwhichhehadbeensecured。Ihadcuthalfthroughtheknotswhenashrillcryarrestedme。ItwastheMexican’svoice。
\"Headhimoff!He’safteryourgun!\"yelledDick。
ThesightofGreaserrunningtowardthecaveputmeintoafrenzy。Droppingtheknife,Idartedtowheremyrifleleanedacrossmysaddle。ButIsawtheMexicanwouldbeatmetoit。Checkingmyspeed,Igrabbeduparoundstoneandletfly。Thatwaswheremyball—playingstoodmeingoodstead,forthestonehitGreaserontheshoulder,knockinghimflat。Buthegotup,andlungedfortheriflejustasIreachedhim。
Ikickedtherifleoutofhisband,grappledwithhim,anddownwewenttogether。Wewrestledandthrashedofftheledge,andwhenwelandedinthegravelIwasontop。
\"Slughim,Ken!\"yelledDick,wildly。\"Oh,that’sfine!Giveittohim!
Punchhim!Gethiswind!\"
EitheritwasamortaldreadofGreaser’sknifeorsomekindofanew—bornfurythatlentmesuchstrength。Hescreeched,hesnappedlikeawolf,heclawedme,hestruckme,buthecouldnotshakemeoff。Severaltimeshehadmeturning,butahardraponhisheadknockedhimbackagain。ThenI
begantobanghimintheribs。
\"That’stheplace!\"shoutedDick。\"Ken,you’regoingtodohimup!Soakhim!Oh—h,butthisisgreat!\"
IkepttheadvantageoverGreaser,butstillhepunishedmecruelly。
Suddenlyhegothissnakyhandsonmythroatandbegantochokeme。WithallmymightIswungmyfistintohisstomach。
Hishandsdropped,hismouthopenedinagasp,hisfaceturnedgreen。Theblowhadmadehimhorriblysick,andhesankbackutterlyhelpless。I
jumpedupwithashoutoftriumph。
\"Run!Runforit!\"yelledDick,inpiercingtones。\"They’recoming!
Nevermindme!Run,Itellyou!Notdownthegorge!Climbout!\"
ForamomentIcouldnotmoveoutofmytracks。ThenIsawBillandHerkyrunningupthegorge,and,fartherdown,Budstaggeringandlurching。
Thislentmewings。IntwojumpsIhadgrabbedmyrifle;then,turning,I
ranroundthepool,andstarteduptheoneplaceinthesteepwallwhereclimbingwaspossible。AbovetheyellsofthemenIheardDick’spiercingcry:
\"Go—go—go,Ken!\"
Isentthelooserocksdowninmyflight。HereIleapedup;thereIranalongalittleledge;inanotherplaceIclimbedhandandfoot。Thelastfewyardswasagravellyincline。IseemedtoslidebackasmuchasI
gained。
\"Comebackhyar!\"bawledBill。
Crack!Crack!Crack……Thereportsrangoutinquicksuccession。A
bulletwhistledoverme,anotherstruckthegravelandsentashowerofdustintomyface。Ipitchedmyrifleupoverthebankandbegantodigmyfingersandtoesintothelooseground。AsIgainedthetoptwomorebulletssangpastmyheadsoclosethatIknewBillwasaimingtomorethanscareme。Idraggedmyselfovertheedgeandwassafe。
Thecanyon,withitsdensethicketsandscrubbyclumpsoftrees,laybelowinplainsight。Oncehiddenthere,Iwouldbehardtofind。Pickingupmyrifle,Iranswiftlyalongthebaseoftheslopeandsoongainedthecoverofthewoods。
XI。THEOLDHUNTER
IrantillIgotastitchinmyside,andthensloweddowntoadog—trot。
Theonethingtodowastogetalongwayaheadofmypursuers,forsurelyattheoutsettheywouldsticklikehoundstomytrail。
AmileormorebelowthegorgeItooktothestreamandwaded。Itwasslippery,dangerouswork,forthecurrenttoreaboutmylegsandthreatenedtoupsetme。AfteralittleIcrossedtotheleftbank。Heretheslopeofthecanyonwasthickwithgrassthathidmytracks。Itwasalongclimbuptothelevel。UponreachingitIdropped,exhausted。
\"I’ve——giventhem——theslip,\"Ipanted,exultantly……\"But——nowwhat?\"
ItstruckmethatnowIwasfree,Ihadonlyjumpedoutofthefrying—panintothefire。HurriedlyIexaminedmyWinchester。Themagazinecontainedtencartridges。WhatluckthatStocktonhadneglectedtounloadit!Thismadethingslookbetter。Ihadsaltandpepper,aknife,andmatches——
thankstothelittleleathercase——andsoIcouldliveinthewoods。
Itwastoolateforregrets。ImighthavefreedDicksomehoworevenheldthemenatbay,butIhadthoughtonlyofescape。Thelackofnerveandjudgmentstungme。ThenIwasbitteroverlosingmymustangandoutfit。
Butonthinkingitallover,IconcludedthatIoughttobethankfulforthingsastheywere。Iwasfree,withawholeskin。Thatclimboutofthegorgehadbeennosmallrisk。Howthosebulletshadwhistledandhissed!
\"I’mprettylucky,\"Imuttered。\"Nowtogetgoodandclearofthisvicinity。They’llridedownthetrailafterme。Bettergooverthisridgeintothenextcanyonandstrikedownthat。Imustgodown。Buthowfar?
WhatmustIstrikefor?\"
Itookalonglookatthecanyon。Inplacesthestreamshowed,alsothetrail;thentherewereopenpatches,butIsawnohorsesormen。WithagrimcertaintythatIshouldbelostinaverylittlewhile,Iturnedintothecool,darkforest。
Everystoneandlog,everybitofhardgroundinmypath,servedtohelphidemytrail。Herky—Jerkyverylikelyhadthecowboy’sskillatfindingtracks,butIleftfewtracesofmypresenceonthatlongslope。OnlyanIndianorahoundcouldhavetrailedme。Thetimberwassmallandroughbrushgreweverywhere。PresentlyIsawlightahead,andIcametoanopenspace。Itwasawideswathintheforest。AtonceIrecognizedthepathofanavalanche。Itslopedupcleanandbaretothegraycliffsfarabove。
Belowwasagreatmassoftreesandrocks,alltangledinblacksplinteredruin。Ipushedonacrossthepath,intotheforest,andupanddownthehollows。Thesunhadgonedownbehindthemountain,andtheshadowsweregatheringwhenIcametoanotherlargecanyon。ItlookedsomuchlikethefirstthatIfearedIhadbeentravellinginacircle。Butthisoneseemedwider,deeper,andtherewasnoroarofrushingwater。
Itwastimetothinkofmakingcamp,andsoIhurrieddowntheslope。AtthebottomIfoundasmallbrookwindingamongbouldersandledgesofrock。
Thefarsideofthiscanyonwassteepandcraggy。SoonIdiscoveredaplacewhereIthoughtitwouldbesafetobuildafire。Myclotheswerewet,andtheairhadgrownkeenandcold。Gatheringastoreofwood,Imademyfireinaniche。ForabedIcutsomesweet—scentedpineboughs(Ithoughttheymustbefromabalsam—tree),andtheseIlaidcloseupinarockycorner。
ThusIhadthefirebetweenmeandtheopening,andwithplentyofwoodtoburnIdidnotfearvisitsfrombearsorlions。AtlastIlaydown,dryandwarmindeed,butverytiredandhungry。
Darknessclosedinuponme。Isawafewstars,heardthecheerycrackleofmyfire,andthenIfellasleep。TwiceinthenightIawakenedcold,butbyputtingonmorefirewoodIwassooncomfortableagain。
WhenIawokethesunwasshiningbrightlyintomyrockybedchamber。Thefirehaddiedoutcompletely,therewasfrostonthestones。Tobuildupanotherfireandtobathemyfaceintheice—waterofthebrookweremyfirsttasks。Theairwassweet;itseemedtofreezeasIbreathed,andwasabracingtonic。Iwastinglingallover,andashungryasastarvedwolf。
Isetforthonahuntforgame。EvenifthesoundofashotbetrayedmywhereaboutsIshouldhavetoabidebyit,forIhadtoeat。Steppingsoftlyalong,Iglancedaboutmewithsharpeyes。Deertrailswerethick。Thebottomofthiscanyonwasverywide,andgrewwiderasIproceeded。Thenthepinesoncemorebecamelargeandthrifty。IjudgedIhadcomedownthemountain,perhapsacoupleofthousandfeetbelowthecampinthegorge。I
flushedmanyofthebigbluegrouse,andIsawnumerouscoyotes,afox,andalargebrownbeastwhichmovedswiftlyintoathicket。Itwasenoughtomakemyheartriseinmythroat。Todreamofhuntingbearswassomethingvastlydifferentfrommeetingoneinalonelycanyon。
JustafterthisIsawaherdofdeer。Theywereagoodwayoff。Ibegantoslipfromtreetotree,anddrewcloser。PresentlyIcametoalittlehollowwithathick,shortpatchofunderbrushgrowingontheoppositeside。Somethingcrashedinthethicket。Thentwobeautifuldeerranout。
Oneboundedleisurelyuptheslope;theother,withlongearserect,stoppedtolookatme。Itwasnomorethanfiftyyardsaway。Tremblingwitheagerness,Ileveledmyrifle。Icouldnotgetthesighttostaysteadyonthedeer。Eventhen,withtheriflewobblinginmyintenseexcitement,I
thoughtofhowbeautifulthatwildcreaturewas。Strainingeverynerve,I
drewthesighttillitwasinlinewiththegrayshape,thenfired。Thedeerleapeddowntheslope,staggered,andcrumpleddowninaheap。
Itorethroughthebushes,andhadalmostreachedthebottomofthehollowwhenIrememberedthatawoundeddeerwasdangerous。SoIhalted。Thegrayformwasasstillasstone。Iventuredcloser。Thedeerwasdead。Mybullethadenteredhighabovetheshoulderatthejunctureoftheneck。ThoughI
hadonlyaimedathimgenerally,Itookagooddealofprideinmyfirstshotatadeer。
Fortunatelymypen—knifehadafair—sizedblade。WithitIdecidedtocutoutpartofthedeerandcarryitbacktomycamp。ThenitoccurredtomethatImightaswellcampwhereIwas。Therewereseveraljumblesofrockandacliffwithinastone’s—throwofwhereIstood。Besides,ImustgetusedtomakingcampwhereverIhappenedtobe。Accordingly,Itookholdofthedeer,anddraggedhimdownthehollowtillIcametoaleaningslabofrock。
Skinningadeerwas,ofcourse,newtome。Ihaggledthefleshsomewhatandcutthroughtheskinoften,myknife—bladebeingmuchtoosmallforsuchwork。FinallyIthoughtitwouldbeenoughformetocutoutthehaunches,andthenIgotdowntoonehaunch。IthadbotheredmehowIwasgoingtoseverthejoint,buttomygreatsurpriseIfoundtheredidnotseemtobeanyconnectionbetweenthebones。Thehaunchcameouteasily,andIhungituponabranchwhilemakingafire。
Herky—Jerky’smethodofbroilingapieceofvenisonattheendofasticksolvedtheproblemofcooking。Thenitwasthatthelittleflatflask,fullofmixedsaltandpepper,rewardedmeforthelongcarryingofit。Iwashungry,andIfeasted。
Bythistimethesunshonewarm,andthecanyonwasdelightful。Iroamedaround,satonsunnystones,andlayintheshadeofpines。Deerbrowsedintheglades。Whentheywindedorsawmetheywouldstanderect,shootuptheirlongcars,andthenleisurelylopeaway。Coyotestrottedoutofthicketsandwatchedmesuspiciously。Icouldhaveshotseveral,butdeemeditwisetobesavingofmyammunition。OnceIheardalowdrumming。Icouldnotimaginewhatmadeit。Thenabigbluegrousestruttedoutofapatchofbushes。Hespreadhiswingsandtailandneckfeathers,afterthefashionofaturkey—gobbler。Itwasaflaporshakeofhiswingsthatproducedthedrumming。Iwonderedifheintended,byhisactions,tofrightenmeawayfromhismate’snest。SoIwenttowardhim,andgotveryclosebeforeheflew。Icaughtsightofhismateinthebushes,and,asIhadsupposed,shewasonanest。Thoughwantingtoseehereggsoryoungones,Iresistedthetemptation,forIwasafraidifIwentnearershemightabandonhernest,assomemotherbirdsdo。