This proposition was very welcome to the trampers, and they immediately drew lots, fortune favoring Mr. Bradford and Roly. Uncle Will and David accordingly set off on foot directly after breakfast, while Bud and Joyce departed toward Klukwan, and the other three went into the woods to find the horses,—a task which proved both long and tedious. Roly, who had taken an easterly direction, came out upon the open gravel3, where he found plenty of hoof-prints, but no horses. He looked carefully over the whole broad expanse and listened for the tinkle4 of the bell, but in vain, so he turned back into the woods toward the trail, encountering swamps and thickets5 which greatly impeded6 his progress. Mr. Bradford[340] had no better luck, returning tired and alone. Phil, with a born packer's instinct, finally discovered the animals in a swamp in the densest7 part of the forest, and soon afterward8 brought them into camp.
Mr. Bradford and Roly, it must be confessed, were of nearly as little assistance in loading as they had been in rounding up. They knew absolutely nothing of the diamond hitch9, which every up-to-date packer uses, and Phil would tolerate no other.
"You just bring up the horses and packs sep'rate," said the latter, good-naturedly, "and I'll put 'em together."
So one by one the horses were led up. The blankets and pack saddle were first placed in position, and the canvas band under the breast tightened10 until the animal fairly grunted11. Then the packs were set in place on each side of the saddle and secured by many windings12 of the cinch-rope, all being finally made fast by the famous hitch, tightened by the united efforts of Phil and Mr. Bradford.
"There!" exclaimed Phil when the work was done, "now they'll pass muster13."
"They may buck14, they may roll, they may rub agin a tree,
But their loads will stick like—"
"Like your poet-ree," Roly suggested, after a pause.
"Haw! haw!" laughed the big Missourian. "Yes, that's it. I was going to say, 'like a bad reputation,'[341] but that wouldn't rhyme. No matter how well I get started, I'm always floored by the second line."
The pack train was now put in motion, Phil directing his companions to ride in the rear and keep the animals from lagging. Their way lay through a wild, mountainous region. There were ascents15 and descents so steep that the riders were forced to dismount and lead their horses with the utmost caution, but wherever the nature of the trail permitted, the animals were urged to a gallop16.
Roly and his father found it no easy matter to do rear-guard duty. There was a speckled horse called "Pinto" who made it his especial care to keep them busy. He had started in the van of the train, but, being a confirmed shirk, had gradually fallen back until there remained only a meek17 little white horse between him and the hindmost riders. Having gained this position, he dropped into a walk at every opportunity and was soon far behind the other horses, all efforts on the part of the amateur drivers to reach him with a switch or strap18 being futile19. No sooner did he see them spurring up than he would jump ahead just out of reach, while the punishment intended for him—the clever rogue—fell upon the poor little white horse, whom he would not allow to pass him on the narrow trail. At the first wide clearing, however, Pinto got what he deserved, and, being thoroughly[342] convinced that his new masters would have no trifling20, he was as well behaved for the rest of the day as could be desired.
Now let us follow the fortunes of Uncle Will and David.
While the horses were being rounded up and loaded, the two pedestrians21 had obtained a good lead, walking as rapidly as the nature of the ground permitted, and pausing only to drink at a sparkling brook22 or to admire for a moment some scene of unusual beauty. They had covered several miles, and were ascending23 a wooded slope on the other side of which lay a deep and narrow ravine, when David broke a shoe-string and stopped to tie the ends, his uncle continuing over the crest24 and into the hollow beyond.
A moment later, hurrying to catch up, David also mounted the slope, and had almost reached the top when a gleam of light caught his eye, coming from the opposite edge of the ravine and a little to the right. Looking there to discover the cause, he halted abruptly25. The sun had glinted on the barrel of a rifle in the hands of a man who, at that moment crouched26 beside a large rock, was facing away from him and motioning to some one in the woods beyond. The stranger wore fringed buckskin breeches and a red flannel27 shirt, and his broad-brimmed felt hat lay on the ground beside him.
[343]
There was something in the appearance and stealthy movements of this man which at once aroused David's suspicions. Instinctively28 he threw himself flat on the ground behind a young spruce which grew on the top of the bank, at the same time unslinging his rifle and laying it beside him. As he did so, he watched the gaudy29 stranger intently through the branches of the tree and tried to recall the description of the men who were suspected of robbing Dalton's Post. With every detail which he could remember, this man tallied30 exactly.
He glanced also to the bottom of the ravine, where he was amazed to see his uncle bending over what seemed to be a man's lifeless body. Startled and wondering, David dared not long avert31 his eyes from the opposite bank.
The stranger had turned, and now, kneeling behind the rock, raised his rifle to the shoulder, pointing it at the stooping figure of Uncle Will, who was all unconscious of his peril32. He did this, however, with cool deliberation, since he had no idea he was watched.
There could no longer be the slightest doubt that murder had been done here, and that in another instant Uncle Will would be lying beside the first victim. David no sooner perceived the outlaw's cowardly intent than he aimed at the red shirt, and fired. At almost the same instant the other rifle was discharged, but its aim was spoiled. David had fired just in time.
[344]
Jumping to his feet with an involuntary yell, the lad saw the robber's rifle fall to the ground and the man sink backward. His confederate, hitherto unseen, immediately rushed forward, caught him, and dragged him back out of sight before David had collected himself sufficiently33 to fire again. Meantime Uncle Will, in the bottom of the ravine, startled by the sudden reports on each side of him, drew his revolver instantly, wondering how it happened that he could have been fired upon so closely without being even scratched. With the resolute34 look of a brave man at bay, he turned first toward one bank, then toward the other, not knowing how many his enemies were nor where they lurked35. He caught only a glimpse of the robbers, but he saw David plainly enough as he shouted and leaped to his feet, smoking rifle in hand. The next moment Uncle Will was at his side.
"Shall we follow them?" cried David, excitedly.
"How many were there?"
"Only two, and I hit one."
But now they heard galloping36 hoofs37, and conjectured38 that the uninjured man had lifted his wounded companion upon a horse and was hurrying him away to avoid capture.
"The birds have flown," said Uncle Will. Then with a quick impulse he added, "David, you have saved my life. Thanks seem very small at such a time,[345] yet I must thank you with all my heart for a most prompt and courageous39 act. Give me your hand." And the two understood each other better by that silent, hearty40 hand-clasp than they could have done with any number of words.
They now crossed to the other bank, where David picked up the rifle as a prize of war, and the hat as an additional means of identifying the robber. Bloodspots showed that the wounded man had been dragged through the woods a distance of several hundred feet to the trail, where fresh hoof-marks confirmed the flight.
"Did you recognize that man in the ravine?" asked Uncle Will as they returned.
"No," answered David. "Do I know him?"
"It's Ike Martin, Dalton's storekeeper."
"Ike Martin!" exclaimed David, in an awe-struck voice. "Is he dead?"
"Yes, with a bullet through his brain."
It was true. They examined the body, and found that poor Ike must have been instantly killed. His money, watch, and revolver were missing. It was probable that the crime had been but just committed, the murderers not having had time to hide the body. Indeed, they both remembered hearing a distant shot.
Somewhat shaken in nerve, the two sat down to await the pack train. Upon its arrival a half-hour[346] later, Mr. Bradford, Roly, and Phil were quickly made acquainted with the events we have narrated41, and it was decided42 to carry the body of the storekeeper to Dalton's toll-tent a few miles beyond.
The two toll-gatherers had seen nothing of the robbers, who had doubtless taken refuge in some mountain fastness away from the trail. They were not a little alarmed to learn that they had such dangerous neighbors, and declared that but for David's wounding one of them, the toll-tent would almost certainly have been their next object of attack. As it was, there would be time to send the toll-money to Pyramid Harbor and take all proper precautions. They promised to see that Martin's body received decent burial.
By nightfall the pack train had clattered43 down from the mountain trail to the upper tide-flats, where camp was pitched within eight miles of the harbor. With his usual predilection44 for fruit, Phil went off and picked a quart of marsh-berries. They were of a yellowish-pink color, and contained a large pit which made the eating of them awkward, but when boiled with sugar they produced a sauce of very agreeable flavor.
Bud and Joyce had already arrived at the rendezvous45. They had but little to say about the ledge, and the Bradfords could not make up their minds whether they had been disappointed, or had found good prospects46 and[347] wished to keep the matter quiet, though the former supposition seemed the more probable. The canoeists had heard the rifle-shots, and the story of the adventure on the trail was related again for their benefit and discussed around the fire until late in the evening, David coming in for enough praise to have turned the head of a less sensible youth. All had a good word for poor Ike, too, for there was not one present for whom he had not done a good turn.
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1
ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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2
quartz
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| n.石英 | |
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3
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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4
tinkle
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| vi.叮当作响；n.叮当声 | |
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5
thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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6
impeded
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| 阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
densest
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| 密集的( dense的最高级 )； 密度大的； 愚笨的； （信息量大得）难理解的 | |
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8
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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9
hitch
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| v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉 | |
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10
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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11
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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12
windings
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| （道路、河流等）蜿蜒的，弯曲的( winding的名词复数 )； 缠绕( wind的现在分词 )； 卷绕； 转动（把手） | |
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13
muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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14
buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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15
ascents
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| n.上升( ascent的名词复数 )；（身份、地位等的）提高；上坡路；攀登 | |
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16
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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17
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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18
strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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19
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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20
trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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21
pedestrians
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| n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 ) | |
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22
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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23
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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24
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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25
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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26
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27
flannel
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| n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服 | |
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28
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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29
gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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30
tallied
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| v.计算，清点( tally的过去式和过去分词 )；加标签（或标记）于；（使）符合；（使）吻合 | |
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31
avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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32
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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33
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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34
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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35
lurked
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| vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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36
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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37
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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38
conjectured
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| 推测，猜测，猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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40
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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41
narrated
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| v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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43
clattered
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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44
predilection
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| n.偏好 | |
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45
rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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46
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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