At the end of a few minutes Shaddy turned his head and spoke over his
shoulder.
"Hear anything of your puss, Mr Rob?"
"I have fancied I heard him twice."
"Then he's after us, safe--depend upon it. These sort of things go
along on velvet, and can get under the trees and branches for hours
without your knowing anything about their being so near. Let's be
friends with him, my lad. We're lonely enough out here, and he'll get
his own living, you may depend upon that."
Shaddy pressed on as rapidly as he could, for the evening was drawing
nigh, and, as he said, it would be black night in there directly the sun
went down; but it was a long way, and Rob was growing weary of seeing
his companion keep on halting in doubt, before, with a look of triumph,
he stopped short and pointed to a broken-down creeper, a kind of
passion-flower, which had been dragged at till a mass of leafage and
flower had been drawn down from high up in the tree it climbed, to lie
in a heap.
"There you are, Mr Rob, sir."
"No, no, Shaddy; that might have been dragged down by a puma or jaguar,"
said Rob sadly.
"Then he must have carried a good sharp knife in his pocket, my lad,"
replied the old hunter. "Look at this."
He held up the end of the stem, for Rob to see that it had been divided
by one clean chop with a big knife.
"Yes, of course. He must have been here," cried Rob joyfully. "Now
then, we must find his trail and follow it on."
"We must make straight for camp, Mr Rob, sir," replied Shaddy, "hoping
to find him there, for in less than an hour's time we shall have to feel
our way."
"Oh, Shaddy!"
"Must, sir, and you know it. We must try all we know to get back, and I
tell you it's as much as I can do to find the way there. I'm sure I
can't follow Mr Brazier's trail."
Rob looked at him sternly.
"Fact, sir. You know I'm doing my best."
"Yes," said Rob, reproach sounding in his tones; but he could not help
feeling that he was a little unjust, as he tramped steadily on behind
his companion, who was very silent for some time, working hard to make
his way as near as possible along the track by which they had come.
Rob was just thinking that from the tone of the gloom around him the sun
must be very low, when Shaddy turned his head for a moment.
"Don't think you could find your way, do you, Mr Rob?"
"I'm sure I couldn't," was the reply.
"So am I, my lad."
"But you have it all right?"
"Sometimes, my lad; and sometimes I keep on losing it, and have to make
a bit of a cast about to pick it up again. We're going right, my lad,
so don't be down-hearted. Let's hope Mr Brazier is precious anxious
and hungry, waiting for us to come to him."
"I hope so, Shaddy."
"But you don't think so, my lad."
Rob shook his head.
"Heard your cat, sir?"
"No."
"More have I. Scared of me, I suppose. Rec'lects first meeting."
They went on again in silence, with the gloom deepening; but the forest
was a little more open, and all at once Shaddy stopped short, and
holding one hand behind him signed to Rob to come close up.
"Look!" he whispered: "just over my shoulder, lad. I'd say try your bow
and arrow, only we've got plenty of food in camp, and had better leave
it for next time."
"What is it, Shaddy? I can't see. Yes, I can. Why it's a deer.
Watching us too."
The graceful little creature was evidently startled at the sight of
human beings, and stood gazing ready to spring away at the slightest
motion on their part. The next instant there was a sudden movement just
before them, as a shadow seemed to dart out from their right; and as the
deer made a frantic bound it was struck down, for a puma had alighted
upon its back, and the two animals lay before them motionless, the
puma's teeth fast in the deer's neck, and the former animal so flattened
down that it looked as if it were one with the unfortunate creature it
had made its prey, and whose death appeared to have been almost
instantaneous.
"Why, it must be my puma!" cried Rob.
"That's so, my lad, for sartain," replied Shaddy. "Now, if we could get
part, say the hind-quarter of that deer, for our share, it would be
worth having. What do you say?"
Rob said nothing, and Shaddy approached; but a low, ominous growling
arose, and the great cat's tail writhed and twined about in the air.
"He'll be at me if I go any nearer," said Shaddy. "What do you say to
trying, Mr Rob, sir?"
"I don't think I would," said the lad; and he stepped forward, with the
result that the puma's tone changed to a peculiar whining, remonstrant
growl, as it shifted itself off the dead deer, but kept its teeth buried
in its neck, and began to back away, dragging the body toward the spot
from which it had made its bound.
"Let it be, Mr Rob, sir. The thing's sure to be savage if you meddle
with its food. We can do without it, and there's no time to spare.
Come along."
There was a fierce growl as Shaddy went on, and Rob followed him; but on
looking back he saw that the puma was following, dragging the little
deer, and after a few steps it took a fresh hold, flung it over its
back, followed them for a few minutes, and then disappeared.
They had enough to do to find their way now, for darkness was coming on
fast, and before long Shaddy stopped short.
"It's of no use, my lad," he said. "I'm very sorry, but we've drove it
too late. The more we try the farther we shall get in the wood."
"What do you mean to do, then?" said Rob, wearily.
"Light a fire, and get some boughs together for a bed."
"Oh, Shaddy, don't you think we might reach camp if we went on?" cried
Rob, despairingly.
"Well, we'll try, Mr Rob, sir; but I'm afraid not. Now, if your friend
there would be a good comrade and bring in our supper, we could roast
it, and be all right here, but he won't, so we'll try to get along. We
shall be no worse off farther on, only we may be cutting ourselves out
more work when it's day. Shall we try?"
"Yes, try," said Rob; and he now took the lead, on the chance of finding
the way. A quarter of an hour later, just as he was about to turn and
give up, ready for lighting a fire to cook nothing, but only too glad of
the chance of throwing himself down to rest, Shaddy uttered a cheery
cry.
"Well done, Mr Rob, sir!" he said. "You're right. Camp's just ahead."
"What! How do you know?"
"By that big, flop-branched tree, with the great supports like stays. I
remember it as well as can be. Off to the right, sir, and in a quarter
of an hour we shall be in the clearing."
"Unless that's one of thousands of trees that grow like it," said Rob
sadly, as he pressed on.
"Nay, sir, I could swear to that one, sir, dark as it is. Now, you look
up in five minutes, and see if you can't make out stars."
Rob said nothing, but tramped on, forcing his way among trees which he
only avoided now by extending his bow and striking to right and left.
Five minutes or so afterwards he cast up his eyes, but without expecting
to see anything, when a flash of hope ran through him, and he shouted
joyfully,--
"Stars, Shaddy, stars!" and as a grunt of satisfaction came from behind,
he raised his voice to the highest pitch he could command, and roared
out, "Mr Brazier I Mr Brazier! Ahoy!"