THE RECONNOITER
"It seems to me that we are only where we were before," said the chief
engineer, in a low voice.
"We won't be there much longer," remarked Jim, with determination;
"follow your leader, and look out for the dog; he bites."
This time James Darlington took a new tack, crawling along in the
opposite direction from the big gate and keeping well hidden. Followed
by John Berwick, he went cautiously along for a distance of a hundred
yards, and then Jim halted, and with very good reason, for he had come
to the edge of the cliff, but not exactly to the end of the fence.
There was an iron obstruction in the way, that barred them from getting
further. It was a fan-like spread of sharp iron spikes, such as you
sometimes see in these days, separating the roofs of adjoining tenements
on the Island of Manhattan. It appeared an impassable obstacle and
indeed it was, as the powerful Jim and the agile engineer had to admit
after a careful investigation.
"No use impaling ourselves on that thing," said Berwick. "It's pretty
clear that the folks in there don't wish to be disturbed."
"More reason for disturbing 'em," asserted Jim briefly. "That Mexican is
inside and has my valued possessions. I intend to get them back."
"I admit the logic, go ahead."
It might have been possible for Jim to have scaled the high fence with
its pointed iron spikes, but it was not practicable for the shorter John
Berwick.
For a little while Jim sat on the ground thinking, trying to find some
way out of the difficulty.
"If we only had a rope," remarked the engineer; "we could make it."
"Yes," replied Jim, "and then use it to hang the greaser with. That is
what I call a beautiful thought."
"We haven't enough clothes to spare, to tear up, either," put in
Berwick.
"You are right, John," remarked Jim. "It is a little bit too damp and
foggy for that."
Jim began pacing up and down for a few minutes, then he reached some
decision.
"You stay here, John, for a few minutes," he said.
"I hate to stay alone here in the dark," remarked Berwick humorously.
Jim grinned, then he strode away along the cliff, and quickly
disappeared in the darkness. Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed, and then
he appeared unexpectedly in front of the engineer.
"Hello, what have you got there?" inquired Berwick; "looks to me like
you were going to start a garden."
"I found these vines growing over some rocks back there," Jim explained;
"as we haven't any rope they are next best."
"Good boy! I would never have thought of that," said Berwick.
"We have used it before," said Jim; "when we were on the frontier."
"But will it hold?" remarked the engineer. "I'm no heavy weight, but I
am not a fairy either."
"Wind 'em together and they will do," replied Jim.
In a short time, he had got one end of the improvised rope over one of
the iron spikes, then he criss-crossed them and got the other end over
the next spike, making a very respectable ladder.
"You first, John," ordered Jim.
"All right, me lad, and if those hounds in the yard nab me, you must do
something to distract their attention."
"I'll attend to them," replied Jim confidently.
"Here goes, then," said the engineer, and with the liveliness of a cat
he was up and over, and Jim followed.
"Now," exclaimed the engineer, "we are in for it. What is our next
move?"
"Take in this rope," replied Jim practically; "maybe we can use it in
our business."
His friend patted James on the back to show his appreciation. Then they
together got most of the vine down, and Jim made a neat coil of it. Then
before they went on they waited, listening for any sound that might
indicate life of any kind about the castle, but it was absolutely dark
and silent.
In all probability the dogs were somewhere about, or at least one of
them would surely be on guard. Jim knew that the first thing to do was
to locate these hounds, for if they were to get on their trail the game
would be up, aside from the danger of being attacked by these ferocious
beasts, who were in reality as strong as a mountain lion and much more
courageous.
First they must find some sort of shelter. The enclosed yard was a
large one, including about eight acres, with trees and shrubs set here
and there and a fountain in the center of the driveway. This latter they
would hardly use, unless they needed a bath. Where the two comrades had
got over the fence was on the north side of the house, and about one
hundred and fifty yards distant.
At half the distance to the house was a clump of bushes in the center of
which rose a tall tree. Back of the castle a short space was a stable
built of brick. At first Jim thought of making it his base of retreat
and observation but gave it up for the present as he was fearful that
one of the dogs might be there or chained near it. As a matter of fact,
one of the big hounds was lying with his nose to the ground not far from
the double door of the stable. It may as well be stated that this
building was at the foot of a sharp slope below the castle and its back
wall was built on a line with the bluff.
"Come on, John," said Jim finally; "we will make for that clump of
bushes with the tree in the center."
"Aye, aye, sir!" replied the engineer softly.
Jim threw himself on the ground and began to crawl imperceptibly towards
the bushes and the engineer followed in as close an imitation of his
leader as possible, and about six feet behind him. The grass was four or
five inches high and they looked to be only a couple of inconspicuous
and inoffensive logs. Jim did not make the mistake of cranching swiftly
through the darkness, for motion was the one thing that would attract
the attention of even an unwary eye. So much James had learned from his
old-time enemies, the crafty and patient Indians.
Once they got a bad scare when they had worked along for half the
distance undertaken. Jim and his comrade became aware of the hulking
yellow form of one of the huge hounds, as he stalked into the open about
fifty yards from where they lay in the short grass. Luckily what little
wind there was blew from the southwest, so that it could not aid to
betray them.
The beast evidently did not have them in mind, and was unsuspicious of
their nearness, as he was looking in the direction of the big gate, but
only a short turn about the grounds and he would pick up their trail and
then the two comrades might as well resign from their present position
and retire over the fence if possible. It would seem as if he were
looking for someone to come from the direction of the road. Then to the
relief of Jim and the engineer the hound hulked heavily towards the
gate.
When he reached it he placed his fore feet high upon a cross bar and
gazed through, evidently on the lookout in a friendly, not an inimical
way. Then he turned and loping near to the house disappeared in the
direction of the stable, and this gave Jim and the engineer their chance
to reach the coveted clump of bushes.
"He is surely looking for someone," said the engineer, as they
straightened up in their shelter of overhanging leaves.
"Lucky he wasn't hunting for us," remarked Jim. "It would have been all
off if he had."
"Or we would be off," put in the engineer frankly.
"Come on, John; let's crawl through this clump and see what is on the
other side," ordered Jim.
"Lead on, MacDuff," assented Berwick.
"My name is plain Duff, I'll have ye to know," replied Jim, catching his
friend playfully by the throat.
For some reason they both felt a thrill of high spirits go through them
and it showed in their speech and actions. If Jim had stopped to
consider he would have remembered that high spirits at a time like this
always indicated some unusual peril ahead. It had been so on many
previous occasions and this peculiar thrill of every fiber was the
distillation of the very wine of danger. They had reached the middle of
the clump of bushes; Jim leading, when our friend received the shock of
his young life, and it startled him through and through.