WHAT THE TELESCOPE REVEALED.
All this was very entertaining, especially when “Speckled Beauty,” the
hero of the tale, was before the listener, prancing and cavorting, as
though he appreciated the compliments of the old mountaineer, but Harry
could not forget the fact that their errand was to discover Little
Rifle, of whose fate as yet they had not gained the slightest inkling.
“But, Uncle Ruff, what of _her_? Have you no good news to tell me?”
He sobered on the instant the question was asked, and shook his head.
“I’m afeard not. You see I had an idee that Maquesa was at the head of
this party, and, as soon as I got in good range of ’em, I laid down and
watched. I counted ’em over a half-dozen times, and found thar war just
eight. But the old codger wasn’t among ’em. To make sarten, I waited in
the bushes till they all got aboard and shoved off, thinkin’ p’raps
Maquesa was somewhar out of sight; but he warn’t, and then I started to
hunt you up, and found you and Speckled Beauty, waltzin’ ’round the
camp-ground.”
“Suppose you had seen the Blackfoot chief,” inquired Harry, “suppose you
had discovered that he was at the head of this little party, what clew
would that have given you? What would such a fact have told you about
Little Rifle?”
“I had an idee that if I seen him, I’d see the gal too. If them varmints
hadn’t looked so mighty ugly, I’d gone in among ’em, and axed about the
health of Maquesa, and l’arned whether he’d been seen in these parts
lately, but it didn’t look as though thar war much show fur me. Still I
believe that that varmint is at the bottom of this business, and the
fust thing I’m going to l’arn is whether he’s been seen in this
neighborhood. If he has he’s the roo-ter we’re going fur.”
“Uncle Ruff,” said Harry, as a bright idea struck him, “isn’t there some
way in which we can turn this bear to account? It seems to me that such
a strange, wonderful-looking animal would scare any Indian out of his
wits.”
“That’s what I’ve used him fur,” replied the bear-tamer. “These
Blackfeet don’t know much about hair-dye and such stuff, though they can
paint up their faces, and when they see Speckled Beauty they’re apt to
think he’s something of a spirit. Ef he’ll only scare _them_ as much as
he does these younkers that go snoopin’ ’round Injin camps, they’ll
never git over it, as long as they live.”
Harry could but “acknowledge the corn,” pleading as an excuse that any
one unacquainted with Speckled Beauty could not look upon him without
agitation.
Old Ruff then announced his intention of continuing the pursuit of these
red-skins toward the Cascade Range, as he had strong reason to suspect
that they would be joined by Maquesa before they advanced much further.
Harry was unable to understand what his reasons were for this persistent
belief, but he knew he was too clear-headed to follow any phantom, and
that there was good cause to expect tangible results from such a course.
But, there remained the trifling difficulty already alluded to. This
course was taking them further and further away from the fort, and the
old hunter could not consent that the lad should accompany him, until he
had received the permission of his father.
This necessitated quite a _detour_, and the loss of much valuable time;
but happily this necessity was averted by the unexpected appearance of
Mr. Northend himself.
While the two were talking, they heard voices, and the next moment three
men emerged to view. All were mounted upon horses, and one was a hunter
and guide well known to old Robsart, who instantly went forward to greet
him, while Harry hurried up to salute his parent.
Considerable time was passed before a full understanding all round was
reached. Mr. Northend, under the guidance of Matt Muggs, a noted scout,
was making a sort of tour with a friend through this part of Oregon, in
the interests of the Missouri Fur Company, and was now on his way back
to Fort Abercrombie, with the intention of soon leaving there for home
by way of San Francisco.
It required considerable persuasion before he would give his consent for
his son to go off on what he termed this “wild-goose expedition,” but he
finally gave in, and, after some further exchange of friendly converse,
and the acceptance of quite a sum of money upon the part of the boy, in
order to defray all possible expenses, the two parties were about
separating to go their respective ways, when old Robsart, noticing that
the trio had come by a route that must have given them a view of the
river, asked Matt whether he had seen any thing of a party of Blackfeet
within the last hour.
“I reckon,” was the instant response; “thar’s a party of ’em less nor a
mile off in thar boats, steerin’ straight for the kenyon in the
mountains. As they was a-comin’ from this way you must have see’d the
same skunks, Ruff?”
“So we did,” replied the hunter; “them’s the coves we’re follerin’. Did
you count ’em, Matt?”
“Allers does that, when I kin git a fair squint at ’em. They war in two
canoes, and thar war just ten of ’em—”
“What?” demanded old Robsart in great excitement, “sure of that, Matt?”
“I reckon I kin count ten, ef I can’t count any more, and I ciphered up
them skunks twice, as I had an all-fired notion of takin’ a crack at one
of ’em. Howsumever, you can ax Mr. Farrell, or Northend here, ’cause
they seen ’em too.”
“Yes,” replied the latter gentleman, “I remember distinctly that Matt
remarked that there were ten, upon which I counted them and found that
he was right. But, why are you so deeply interested in this particular
party?” asked Northend, as he reined up his horse.
“’Cause I think that little pet that I’m arter is among ’em, that’s all.
I don’t s’pose you noticed, Matt, if the old chief Maquesa was with
’em?”
“No,” answered the hunter, “they war just fur enough off for me to see
fairly, and I wa’n’t thinkin’ ’bout nothin’ of the kind, or I’d tuk a
little closer peep on your account. If you think the little gal is among
’em you’d better be off with your Speckled Beauty.”
The three horsemen paused for some time to watch the curiously colored
animal, as it went prancing and lumbering after its master, and when it
was out of sight, they resumed their progress toward the fort.
“Just what I thought,” exclaimed Old Ruff, in some excitement, as soon
as they were alone; “the pet is thar, and she and Maquesa make up the
extra two, that Matt spoke about.”
“But, where did they join the party?”
“Somewhar further ’long, and I b’lieve now,” continued the mountaineer
in his emphatic way, “that the whole caboodle of ’em have come over here
after Little Rifle. Maquesa has l’arned somethin’ that has made him
s’pect the gal that was left in his charge is the same one that I’ve
been bringin’ up, and he’s come over the mountains in s’arch of her.”
“All that looks reasonable,” replied Harry, “but I haven’t heard or
thought of any thing yet that can make me understand the course of
Little Rifle in the business. _That_ is the mystery which passes my
comprehension.”
A troubled look crossed the face of the hunter, and he stared earnestly
in the countenance of the lad for a moment, and then asked in a low
voice:
“Shall I tell you what it means?”
“If you can?” replied Harry, intensely eager to hear his explanation.
“Wal, I can—I can see it all; I know more ’bout the pet than you do, and
it all come to me why she left you in that style, when you war asleep by
the camp-fire.”
Harry Northend stared wonderingly at the hunter, as if he doubted his
sanity. But the old man was never in clearer mood, and he was in dead
earnest. But now, when the very words seemed trembling upon his tongue,
he hesitated, as if unwilling to pronounce them. He appeared indeed to
control his emotions only by the strongest effort.
Harry waited, wondering what the words would be; but they came not, and
the trapper, who had partly paused in his walk, now walked faster, as if
seeking to get away from some exceedingly painful recollection.
Under any other circumstances, the lad would have respected this
embarrassment upon the part of his friend; but, where Little Rifle was
concerned, he was unwilling to do so, and he put the question direct.
“What is it that you were going to say about our lost friend? You have
raised my curiosity, and I hope it wasn’t merely for the purpose of
tantalizing it by a refusal to reveal what it is you know.”
Robsart was silent a moment, and then he spoke briefly but with much
feeling.
“No; I didn’t do it fur that, younker, fur I think too much of you—but I
was in too much of a hurry when I spoke; I can’t tell you yit; the time
will come after awhile; wait till then; I won’t forgit.”
There was no refusing such a request as this, much as it distressed
Harry to do so. He resolved that he would make no further reference to
the matter until the trapper, in his own good time, should see fit to
make clear the mysterious references that had escaped his lips.
The great purpose now was to overhaul the Blackfoot party before they
got beyond their reach. This seemed easy enough, as they had no cause to
fear pursuit, and their quite lengthy halt for dinner looked as if they
intended to continue their journey in a very leisurely manner.
True they had their canoes, and if they chose they could easily maintain
a speed that would carry them much more swiftly than their pursuers, but
they were not likely to do so, for the simple reason, that there was no
occasion (at least in their estimation) for such haste, and Maquesa was
not a chief who was accustomed to run away from an enemy, even when he
was more powerful than he.
And so, making all haste, the two continued down the banks of the river,
moving almost due westward, until they struck another elevation which
gave them an extended view of the river flowing away before them. And to
their delight they saw the two canoes about half a mile distant,
paddling along with a tardy deliberation, that showed they thought and
cared little for all who might choose to follow them.
In an instant, Old Ruff had Harry’s telescope to his eye. In a moment
his face lit up and he passed it back again with:
“Take a squint at that front canoe, and tell me what you see.”
And the boy looked and saw beyond all mistake, that Little Rifle was
sitting in the forward canoe!