IN THE MOW
"All quiet along the Potomac," remarked Jim, as no disturbance was heard
from the direction of the house.
"Not a sound was heard, not a funeral note," added the engineer, with
his usual whimsical humor.
"I bet that there will be a few funeral notes for that fellow who let go
the rope," put in Jim.
"Not to speak of what would happen to us if old Broome should get his
hand on we 'uns," remarked the engineer casually.
"He's just mad enough to chaw iron," grinned Jim. "Well, now, here's for
a little acrobatics."
Jim leaped up to the stone and cement parapet in which the iron fence
was set, taking care to leave a few mud traces on the cement; then he
went along for some little distance from iron bar to iron bar, and when
he rested he did not do so on the wall, so that all trace of their trail
was practically lost, even to the nose of a bloodhound. John Berwick
followed him with greater agility than Jim showed, for he was much
lighter, and very wiry, so that it was easy work for him compared with
the heavier Jim.
Berwick did not guess what their destination might be, though he had
some idea that Jim's scheme was to get down to the beach, but how this
was to be done without getting outside of the grounds he could not
figure. Then close by he saw the faint outline of a building through the
fog, and he thought for the moment that they had come back to the house;
however, he recognized it as the stable. This building was a rustic
affair, built with logs that still had the bark on, and had originally
cost much more than a stone or brick structure would.
"Here we are," said Jim in a low voice; "now look out for the hound."
"I don't believe that he is here now," said Berwick.
This proved to be the case, and they were able to slip into the stable
without anyone being the wiser. It seemed like a refuge to the two
comrades after the hazards that they had run during the past few hours.
And even Jim was fagged and worn, and now that there was time for
reaction his face showed it. There were deep cuts of fatigue in his
cheeks and his eyes looked haggard. They also burned, and his head was
full of a sort of vacant daze, from sleeplessness.
"I don't know, John, whether I'm hungrier or sleepier, but if I had to
choose I think that I would select a nap."
"You have had it a lot harder than I have, old chap," said the engineer;
"take a lay-off and get some sleep."
"I believe I will," agreed Jim; "I don't imagine that we will be
disturbed for some time at least."
There was plenty of hay in the warm, dusky mow, and a cozy, safe place
to rest in.
"I tell you what, Chief," said Jim, "let's both take a sleep, and then
we will be fresh for what may happen next."
"It wouldn't take much urging," replied the engineer; "I'm half dead for
sleep myself, but we had better make the doors secure first, in case
they should look for us here."
"No," rejoined Jim, "leave everything open; if they came to the stable
and found it locked on the inside, they would know, for sure, that we
were in here."
"But suppose some of the gang come in here while we are asleep, they
would be certain sure to hear one or both of us snoring."
"That's right enough," agreed Jim, "but I tell you what we can do, we'll
crawl down under the hay, get close to the wall, and our loudest snores
would be smothered."
"I guess you're right," agreed Berwick. "So lead on and I will follow."
"This reminds me of when I was a boy," declared Jim; "when we used to
tunnel in the hay to hide in the old barn on the back lot."
"When you were a boy," exclaimed Berwick, in good-natured raillery. "How
old do you consider yourself now, I should like to know?"
"Oh, I've lived in heartbeats, not in years," said Jim; "that makes me
about a hundred years old."
"It strikes me that it takes a good deal to make your heart beat faster
than usual," remarked the engineer; "you are a cool hand if there ever
was one." This was a sincere tribute.
Then the two comrades began to work back under and through the hay,
keeping close to the south wall, so that the hay showed no sign of
having been disturbed, and in a short time they had burrowed their way
clear through, until they reached the back wall. How comfortable and
cozy it was in the warm, dry hay! Jim stretched his weary length out
with a sigh of relief.
"Ah, John, isn't this great? After being through what we have,"
exclaimed Jim.
"It is fine," agreed Berwick, "to get into a safe, warm place like this
when you have been in constant danger, as we have, and cold and wet
besides. Here goes for a good sleep."
And the word was hardly out of his lips when he was sound asleep. Jim
looked at his watch by means of a crack of light that came in between
the logs, and saw that it was twenty minutes after six. And then, lulled
by the sound of the waves at the base of the cliffs, he too sank into a
deep, dreamless sleep.
He never thought of sleeping beyond a couple of hours, but he had not
counted on the effect of his extreme fatigue, and the sudden cessation
of the constant strain the two had been under for nearly eighteen hours.
So hour after hour went by and still they slept in the cozy and soft
dryness of the hay, that has no equal as a bed for the truly weary.
It was after two in the afternoon that something happened that roused
them; otherwise they might have slept until night, and indeed it was
almost as dusk as night, for the fog which had lifted in the morning
closed in thicker than ever, so that in the homes and offices of the
city the gas lamps and jets were burning.
Jim awoke with a start, utterly and absolutely bewildered. Where he was
he could not guess; his mind was a confused daze of fragments of events
that had happened during the night of adventure and excitement. Then he
came to himself and remembered how they came in this strange place. His
hand reached out and touched the foot of his sleeping comrade. But what
had roused him? There had been something; of that he was certain. So he
kept perfectly still, listening with the utmost intentness; then he
started slightly, for there was repeated the noise that had roused him
from his sleep. It was a low, terrible croon, like "o-o-h--o-o-h,"
repeated and repeated, and every once in a while its monotone was broken
by a sharp shriek.
Rested though he was, and not liable to nervous tremors, Jim felt his
flesh creep at the uncanny sound. It came, as far as he could judge,
from the open space in the mow not far from the ladder that led up into
the loft. But what it was he could not guess, nor its object in coming
to this particular spot. One thing was probable, that it had nothing to
do with them, and was not indicative of someone on their trail, but it
was no pleasant companion to have in that dusky loft.
He wished that John Berwick might wake, but he did not want to disturb
his much-needed rest until necessary. At that moment there came that
horrid shriek, and, as if in reply to it, the engineer struggled up with
a loud yell. Jim had to shake him vigorously to bring him out of his
very natural nightmare. The sound outside had suddenly stopped, and Jim
heard a rustling, creeping noise, and then all was silence.
"What in the deuce was that?" whispered Berwick.
Jim made no reply, only put his hand on his friend's shoulder. He could
imagine this object rising up and peering through the dusk, trying to
make out what that other noise might be, then evidently not much worried
about it. After a short interval, it began its peculiar croon again.
"I don't know what it is, John," replied Jim to his friend's repeated
question; "it has been going on some time before you waked. You must
have heard it in your sleep, and that is what gave you that nightmare."
"It must have been that," remarked the engineer, "because it could not
have been anything that I have eaten." There was no doubt about the
humor of this. They were able to talk together in low tones, for this
object outside seemed to be more concerned with its own troubles than
anything else.
"How long have we slept?" queried Berwick.
"Bless me if I know," replied Jim, "and it is so dark in here now that I
can't make out the time."
"Well, I reckon that it is high time to get up, anyhow," remarked
Berwick.
"It is more a question of getting out than of getting up," remarked
James, with his usual quaint humor.
But at this point Berwick put a hand of caution on Jim's shoulder, for
he was sure that there was something on hand.