A SAD BREAKFAST--SAGACITY OF DOGS--SEARCH FOR THE BOAT--EXCITING
ADVENTURE--A PRETTY PET--UNEXPECTED INTELLIGENCE
Once more the young people assembled in their tent; once more they read
the Scriptures, and knelt together in prayer. Their tones were humble
and subdued. They felt more deeply than ever their dependence upon an
arm that is stronger and farther reaching than man’s.
Their simple meal was soon ready, consisting of the most tempting bits
that Mary could select, as an enticement to their reluctant appetites.
They sat down, and endeavoured to appear cheerful, but little was said,
and less was eaten. Harold’s face was towards the marsh. Robert
observed him fix his eye steadily upon a distant point of land, where
the opposite bluff of the river terminated on the sea. He looked as if
he saw something unusual, but after a scrutinizing gaze of half a
minute, turned away his eye, and relapsed into thought.
"Did you observe anything across the marsh?" inquired Robert, willing to
relieve the silence.
"I thought I saw a little curl of smoke upon the point," he returned;
"but now suppose it was the steam from the bluff, drawn up by the sun.
"Robert," he continued, "it is possible after all that we may find our
boat. If not sunk at the landing, it is certainly somewhere up the
river, in the direction of the wind. The tide has not yet begun to ebb.
If it has lodged in the marsh, we can best see it while the water is
high, and if it has not lodged, it may float back with the tide.
Suppose we set off at once to search."
Mary’s reluctance to be left alone yielded to the necessity of the case,
and begging them to be careful of themselves, and to return as soon as
possible, she assumed a cheerful air, and tried to prepare them for
their departure.
The boys promised to return by midday, unless delayed by finding the
boat; and taking their guns and hatchet, together with a luncheon in
case of delay, they set out, accompanied by Mum. Ere proceeding more
than a few steps, however, Robert stopped to say, "Harold, we shall not
need the dogs. Let us leave them for protectors to Mary and Frank.
True, there is no danger; but they will feel safer for having them at
hand. Frank, bring me Mum’s chain. Here, Mum! Here, Mum!"
Mum came rather reluctantly; for dog though he was, he appeared to
apprehend the state of the case. Mary observing this, exclaimed,
"Cousin, I do believe that Mum understands what brother says. Only see
how disappointed he looks!"
"O, yes," returned Harold; "dogs understand more than most people
suspect. He probably heard Robert use the word ’chain’; and he has
heard it often enough to know what it means. But they gather more from
the eye and tone than from words. Mum, poor fellow, I am sorry to leave
you; for I know you love hunting better than staying at home. But you
know nothing of hunting boats, Mum; so we want you to stay and help
Fidelle to guard your young mistress and master against the squirrels
and opossums. If any of them come you must bite them well; do you hear,
Mum?"
The poor dog wagged his short tail mournfully, as much as to say he
would do his best; but at the same time cast a wistful look at the guns.
With a charge to Mary not to let Mum loose without necessity, and to
Frank not to approach the bluff except in the company of his sister, the
boys were once more on the move, when Mary inquired, "But what shall we
do if we see the boat coming down the river, or if we need you for any
other reason?"
"True, true," said Robert; "I am glad you suggested it. We will load
William’s gun for you, and you must fire it for your signal. We shall
probably be within hearing."
Robert well knew that Mary was able to do what he proposed, for her
father had made it a part of his duty to instruct her, or cause her to
be instructed, in every art necessary to preserve and enjoy life. For
this purpose she had learned how to load and use the several varieties
of firearms--to manage a horse in harness and under the saddle--and even
to swim. Compared with most other girls she was qualified to be quite a
heroine.
With many adieus and kind wishes from both sides, the boys finally set
off. They struck directly through the woods for their old fishing
point, at the junction of the creek with the river. Standing on the
most commanding part of the bluff, they looked in every direction, but
no sign of the boat appeared. Then they turned their steps to the
southeast, following, as closely as they could, the bank of the creek,
though compelled oftentimes to make large circuits in order to avoid the
short creeks and bay-galls that set in from the marsh. These bay-galls
are wet spongy bottoms, shaded with loblolly bays, and tangled with
briers, and the edges are usually fringed with the gall-berry bush--a
shrub closely resembling the whortleberry, and bearing a black fruit of
the same size, but nauseously bitter. Compelled to make great circuits
around these miry bottoms, and interrupted by a close growth of vines
and trees, the boys advanced scarcely a mile and a half to the hour.
They left not a foot of the shore unexplored; still no vestige of the
boat appeared.
About eleven o’clock they approached the tongue of land on which they
had discovered the orange trees, and where they proposed to quench their
thirst with the pleasant acid of the fruit, and afterwards to return to
the tent. They had just headed a short bay-gall, and were enjoying the
first glimpses of the south river, when they were startled by a
trampling in the bushes before them; and a herd of six deer rushed past
and disappeared in the dark bottom. Soon after a half grown fawn, white
as milk, and bleating piteously, was seen staggering through the bushes,
having a large wildcat seated upon its shoulders, and tearing furiously
at its neck. Robert’s gun had been levelled, when the herd appeared,
but they passed too quickly for a shot; he was therefore all ready when
the fawn approached, and aiming not at it, but at the fierce creature
upon its back, both animals rolled together upon the ground. He would
have rushed immediately upon them, had he not been restrained by the
grasp of Harold.
"Not yet!" said he, "not yet! keep your other barrel ready, a wildcat is
hard to kill, and will fight until he begins to gasp."
It was fortunate for Robert that he was thus arrested, for the cat was
only wounded, and soon recovered sufficiently to limp away. "Now give
him your second barrel, Robert; give it to him in his shoulder." Before
he could do so, however, the cat slipped into the hollow of a
neighbouring tree.
"He is safe now," said Harold; "we can kill him at our leisure. But
keep your eye on the hole, and be ready to shoot, while I attend to this
fawn."
When Harold took hold of the beautiful little creature, he discovered
that the wounds were very slight. The ball had penetrated the back of
the head and stunned it, without touching any vital part, and it was
beginning to recover; the wounds made by the wildcat were only skin
deep, and could easily be healed.
"Shall I bleed it for venison?" asked Harold, "or save it as a pet for
Mary and Frank?"
"O, save it by all means," replied Robert, whose sympathies had been
from the first excited by the piteous, childlike tones of the fawn.
"Save it for sister, and let us make haste to finish this beast."
"Then lend me your handkerchief," said Harold; "mine alone is not
sufficient for both collar and cord."
Robert approached him for the purpose, when he observed the cat creep
slyly from his hole, and hobble away with all haste. "Quick, Harold,"
cried Robert, tossing him the handkerchief, "tie the fawn, and follow
me," then dashed through the bushes in pursuit.
"Take care, you may get too near," Harold shouted; but Robert was
already lost to sight behind the underwood. By the time the fawn was
secured, Harold heard him hallooing about one hundred paces away, and
going rapidly in that direction, saw him watching the convulsive throes
of the wild creature as it lay gasping on the ground.
Harold looked on and pleasantly remarked, "You will soon get your name
up for a hunter, if you keep improving at this rate. That is a splendid
cat! What claws and teeth! Let us see how long he is." Putting his
hands together at the thumbs, and spreading them out to span a foot, he
ascertained that it measured two feet nine inches from the nose to the
root of the short tail; and that, standing with its head erect, it must
have been fully two and a half feet high. Its teeth and nails were
savage looking things.
"I am glad he did not fasten those ugly looking things in my leg," said
Robert; "but I was so excited by the pursuit, that I rushed at one time
almost upon him. He had stopped behind a bush; all at once he sprang at
me with a growl, showing his white teeth, bristling his hair, and
glaring at me with his large fierce eyes. He dodged behind another
bush, and when I next saw him he was gasping and convulsed as when you
came up."
"It would have been a desperate fight, if he had seized you," remarked
Harold; "you would have borne the marks to the end of your life."
Returning to the fawn, which struggled violently on their approach, they
soon succeeded in allaying its terror by gentle tones and kind
treatment. It yielded passively to its fate, and consented to be led
wherever they chose.
The oranges were delicious after their long walk, and now excessive
thirst. A few minutes served to rest their weary limbs, and they had
just begun to discuss the propriety of returning to the tent, when the
fawn pricked up its ears with the signs of renewed alarm, a neighbouring
bush was agitated, and ere they could fully grasp their guns and spring
to their feet, Mum came dashing up at full speed.
The boys were much surprised, and were afraid some accident had
happened. Mum, however, showed no signs of anything wrong; he came up
wagging his cropped tail, and looking exceedingly pleased. He cast a
hungry look at the fawn, as though his mouth watered for a taste, but he
offered no interference. On close inspection, Harold observed a string
tied round his neck, to which was fastened a little roll of paper. He
hastily took it off, and calling to Robert, they read these lines in
pencil:
"Come home quickly. I see some one across the river; he is waving a
flag. Mary."