THE NEIGH OF A HORSE
The stray horse appeared to be distributing the property of the boys
in a promiscuous fashion. So far as they knew, he still retained
his equipments and a roll of personal effects, fastened in front of
the saddle instead of behind it, as was the case with the blankets.
"Seems to me," remarked Otto, who began to feel some weariness and
impatience, "dot the animal ish not a good vile getting tired so as
he vants to sot down and rest."
"He is likely to do so when it begins to grow dark, which will be
before long," added Jack Carleton, noting the closing day.
The friends had been hopeful from the first that they would overtake
the missing horse before sunset. They had been cheered by the
belief that they were not far behind him at the start, and it was
certain they had made much better progress than he, but it now
looked as if they were to be disappointed.
When they arrived on the edge of a natural clearing, several acres
in extent and covered with a luxuriant growth of grass, they were
sure the horse was there, but a careful scrutiny showed no signs of
him, though his tracks indicated that he had cropped some of the
grass before passing on.
It was comparatively easy traveling for the boys, the woods being
notably clear of the vines and undergrowth, which often added to the
labor of journeying through them. They had not yet seen bird,
animal or living person after parting company with Deerfoot, and
Jack was conscious more than once of a strange feeling of
loneliness, such as comes over the traveler when wandering in a vast
and desolate land.
"Is this so different from Ohio and Kentucky?" he asked himself;
"are there no Shawanoes because there is no game for them to hunt?"
He smiled when he asked himself the latter question, for his own
knowledge rendered it pointless. He knew that the game was as
limitless on one side of the Mississippi as on the other.
The sun-had gone down behind the rim of forest, when they found
themselves on the edge of a clearing more extensive than the former,
and intersected by a small, winding stream of water.
"Here, we will camp," said Jack, throwing down his moist bundle and
leaning his rifle against a tree; "it will soon be so dark that we
can't see the tracks of the horse, and, if we push on, we'll only
have to do our work over again."
"Dot ish vot I dinks," said Otto, imitating the action. It must not
be forgotten that the German, since the reproof received from the
young Shawanoe, had resolved to improve his manner of expressing
himself. He was of the age that he could do so rapidly, and he had
(what he never possessed before) an earnest wish to succeed.
Something in the way of food would have been appreciated by both the
sturdy youths, but nothing of the kind presented itself, and it was
no great hardship for them to wait until the morrow.
"Vill a fire we kindle?" asked Otto.
"We may as well do so, for we shall need it to help dry our
blankets, which have enough moisture, even after wringing them, to
last a week."
The night was more chilly than the preceding one, and the warmth of
the blankets would have been pleasant to both. As it was, their
only resource was the extra fire, for which they began preparations.
They were plentifully supplied in the way of fuel, which they
gathered, throwing it down in a pile near where they intended to
start the blaze. The stream was small, but the water was clear,
cool and refreshing. Whoever has been burned with consuming fever,
or tormented by a torturing thirst, can never forget the ecstasy
which thrilled every nerve, when he quaffed his full of the
colorless, odorless and tasteless fluid, more exquisite in the
delight it imparted than can be the "nectar of the gods."
"Ali!" said Otto, with a long-drawn sigh of happiness, "I could live
on dot."
"It's certain you couldn't live very long without it," remarked his
friend, as he drew down another armful of dry and decayed wood. "I
don't think there is much to fear in the way of thirst in this part
of the world. There may be deserts further west toward the Pacific,
such as they have in other parts of the world, but I don't believe
we can reach them in a week's journey."
"Ish not looking for them," said Otto, with a grin, "'cause I does
not see vot I does with them ven I finds 'em."
"Our country is too rich in its natural resources to make it
probable that it has much in the way of waste land--"
"Mine gracious!" exclaimed Otto, with a start, "didn't you hear
dot?"
"Of course I did," replied Jack, turning his head like a flash and
gazing across the clearing.
Indeed it would have been impossible for either to avoid noting the
sound, which was the unmistakable neigh of a horse at no great
distance from them.
"Dot vos de golt," said Otto, with a beaming countenance. "He vos
near by and not far off."
Night was closing in so rapidly that the vision of the two was
necessarily shortened. They could not see entirely across the
clearing or opening, but in the dim, uncertain light, Otto Relstaub
was positive he detected the animal they were so anxious to find.
"Dot ish he," he insisted, leveling his arm with the extended finger
pointed at a certain spot. "He ish looking mit dis way; he has seen
us and he dinks he don't know us, and he sings out mit dot way to ax
us who we ain't; dot ish his style."
Jack Carleton was naturally strong of vision, and he believed his
companion was right. He was able to discern some object, which,
through the gloom, resembled a horse that seemed to have become
aware of the presence of strangers, and, throwing up his head, had
challenged them in the manner named.
"I think you are right," said Jack, still going across the
intervening space, "though we can't make sure without getting closer
to him. It is barely possible that he may be a horse of another
color."
Otto shook his head by way of dissent. He could not be convinced he
was not looking upon the very animal for which they had been hunting
ever since they reached the western bank of the Mississippi.
The only way to settle the doubt was at their command. Nothing was
to prevent a closer inspection of the quadruped that had awakened
such interest.
They felt the necessity of great care. The horse was high-spirited
and wild, and the taste gained of freedom had undoubtedly increased
the difficulty of his capture. Great caution would be necessary to
avoid scaring him away altogether.
It will be seen also that if they frightened the colt into dashing
into the woods, it would be hard, under any circumstances, to secure
him. He would run a good distance, and the morrow would compel
another long and laborious search.
A simple plan suggested itself: one would make a cautious advance
across the clearing, while the other worked his way around to the
other side, so that the two would close in upon the animal, as may
be said, and if he fled from the first he would run into the custody
of the second.
As Jack was quicker in his movements, beside being a better
horseman, than Otto, it was agreed that he should pass through the
woods until beyond the animal; when he arrived at the proper point
he was to notify Otto by means of the whistle which had served them
so often as a signal. Then the young German would use the most
seductive methods of which he was master soothe the colt into
submission.
What was to be feared was that in the gloom the animal would fail to
recognize his master an would be unusually timid on that account.
The moon would shed no light on the scene for an hour or two, and
from what has been said it will be admitted that the friends had
undertaken a delicate and difficult task.
But the anxiety of both to obtain the animal was too great for them
to throw away an opportunity, however slight. Jack, therefore,
passed the few paces necessary to reach the cover of the wood, and
with the promise that he should soon be heard from, disappeared.
The fire had not yet been started, and Otto, stood leaning on his
gun and looking off in the gloom toward the colt that had led him on
such a long chase. The darkness had increased since the first sight
of the animal, so that he was no longer visible; but the lad was
confident he had not changed his position, nor was he likely to do
so for some time to come. The trail showed that he had been on the
move almost continuously since morning, and he must feel a certain
degree of fatigue that would make such a rest acceptable.
Otto held his position until Jack bad time to reach a point beyond
the colt, when he laid down his gun and began his cautious advance.
He walked straight across the clearing, until once more he was able
to trace the outlines that caught his eye some time before.
"I doesn't knows vot he don't change mit, he stands where he stood a
few minutes after awhile," said Otto to himself, relapsing into his
old unintelligible style of expression, now that no one was at his
elbow to criticize him. "Mebbe he don't do dot and mebbe he does,
don't it?"
What the lad meant to express was his doubt whether the colt had
moved during the preceding few minutes. If he had done so, it was
to so slight extent, that it was hardly noticeable.
So soon as the boy's eyes rested on him again he was satisfied the
colt was asleep in the standing position. His head was down, and
his whole demeanor was that of rest, and consequently ignorance of
what was going on near him.
"Dot ish goot," was the thought of Otto, "for he don't hear me ven I
creeps up to him, and perfore he don't knows it he don't know
nodings and I have him."
There was promise of such an issue of the attempt be proposed to
make, provided he should succeed in stealing up to the animal
without detection.
Otto stood motionless a moment, hoping to hear some signal from Jack
Carleton, but none came, and it was only simple prudence on his part
to move forward without delay.
"I dinks I does it," he muttered, hopefully, when he found himself
within a couple of rods of the colt without having disturbed it in
the slightest degree. "It ish as easy as nefer vos, and I will grab
him in one two dree minute, and den I whips him 'cause he runs mit
away, and den--mine gracious!"
It seems as if the vines which had tormented him so much during the
day were not yet through with the honest German. Even on the tract
of open-forest or clearing they intruded themselves, and he suddenly
felt the familiar rasping vegetable wire twisting about his ankles.
Impatient that such an obstruction should be encountered, he made a
spiteful kick of the foot, meant to snap the vine asunder and to
free himself; but he miscalculated the strength of the resistant.
His foot was more inextricably entangled than before, and a second
fierce effort sent him forward on his hands and knees. Had his
rifle been in hand it is more than likely it would have been
discharged.
Otto was angered, because he was sure he had frightened the colt
into dashing off at full speed. He sprang to his feet and made for
the horse, resolved to secure him at all hazards.
He was spurred on by observing that the animal was slumbering so
soundly that he had not yet taken the alarm. The distance was
short, and he was very hopeful.
"Whoa, whoa dere," called out Otto, in a soothing voice, "don't you
runs away agin dimes more, or py gracious I vill whip you so dot you
vill want to die--"
While uttering the words he was advancing with the utmost haste.
Feeling himself nigh enough to make the leap, he did so, and threw
both arms around what he supposed to be he head of his colt. And as
he did so he discovered that it was not the colt at all!