DANGEROUS WORK.
Having disposed of the dogs, Tom stepped cautiously into the house, and
I moved up as near the door as I dared, to take the guns as he passed
them out, not forgetting meanwhile to keep my eye on the Indians, as he
had directed.
Once I ventured to look in at the door, and when I saw the sight the
inside of the cabin presented, I wondered that Tom’s heart did not fail
him. There were no beds in the room, and the forms of Luke Redman and
his boys were scattered over the floor in such positions that Tom was
obliged to step over one or two of them in order to reach the guns,
which I saw were stacked in the furthest corner of the cabin, with the
powder-flasks and shot-pouches belonging to them hanging from their
muzzles. Luke, looking like a giant among pigmies, lay stretched out on
his blanket in the middle of the floor, one powerful arm thrown over his
head, and the other passed through the handles of the valise, which he
had hugged close to his side.
This was a most discouraging sight. I thought the money might as well
have been locked up in some iron safe.
Tom, who had not failed to make the best use of his eyes, quickly
discovered that he had something of a task before him, but I could see
that he was not disheartened by it. The frown on his face deepened, and
a determined expression settled about his mouth. He placed his hand on
one of the guns, and then turned to look at Luke, as if thinking up some
plan to secure the valise, when a powder-flask, loosened from its
fastening, fell with a loud noise on the floor.
“What’s that ar?” growled Barney, raising himself on his elbow so
suddenly that I was almost ready to believe that he had been merely
feigning sleep on purpose to be ready to catch Tom.
He rubbed his eyes as he gazed stupidly about the room, and I, knowing
that I could not stir without attracting his attention, remained
perfectly motionless. Tom dropped on the instant, and, with a quickness
that was astonishing, stretched himself at full length on the floor. If
Barney saw him at all, he probably thought he was one of his companions.
The leader of the Dragoons was too sleepy to spend much time or energy
in investigating the cause of the disturbance. He yawned once or twice,
and, reaching out his hand, took a gourd from a nail over his head,
dipped it into a bucket of water that stood close by, and while he was
drinking, I could have vowed that his eyes were fastened squarely on my
face.
I stood just outside the door, in plain sight, and how it happened that
he did not discover me, I can not tell; but it was very evident that he
did not, for when he had satisfied his thirst, he returned the gourd to
its nail, rolled over on his blanket, and, with one arm under his head
for a pillow, speedily went off into the land of dreams again.
For full five minutes my companion in the corner remained so motionless
that he scarcely seemed to breathe. At the end of that time a faint
snore coming from Barney’s direction mingled with the others, and that
must have satisfied Tom that the danger was passed, for in a second he
was on his feet again.
He at once turned his attention to the guns, and to my surprise, instead
of selecting two of the weapons, he began to load himself down with
them. When he had collected all he could carry, he stepped cautiously
over the prostrate forms and came out of the cabin.
“Joe,” he whispered excitedly, as I accompanied him toward the
grape-vine at the foot of the bluff, “I have just thought of something
grand. Those fellows may wake up and pursue us before we can reach a
place of safety; and wouldn’t it be a good plan to take all their guns
away from them?”
“It would, indeed,” I replied; “but you will have to make two or three
trips to bring them.”
“Oh, I can carry them all at one more load, and then I’ll go back for
that money.”
“Tom, you had better give that up,” said I. “You will only put yourself
in danger for nothing, for you can’t get that valise without waking Luke
Redman.”
“Can’t I? Well, I’ll show you that I can. I know just how to do it. Now,
Joe, while I am gone you had better pick out two guns—be sure and get
the best—and hide the others under this grape-vine. They’ll never think
of looking for them there.”
Tom went into the house again, and I hastened to carry out his
suggestions. As the Indians had left their guns in the cabin with the
others, I found my own double-barrel among those Tom had brought out,
and also Sandy’s, of both of which I took possession.
After slinging the powder-flasks and shot-pouches which belonged to them
over my shoulder, I dropped the ramrods into the weapons, and found that
they contained more than five fingers of a load. They were heavily
charged with buckshot, which would be just the thing for knocking over
those fierce bloodhounds, if they were put on our trail.
I then proceeded to conceal the other guns among the leaves and bushes
about the root of the grape-vine; and while thus engaged, it struck me
that it would be a good plan to put it out of the power of our enemies
to use the weapons, even if they found them. This I conceived to be a
bright idea, and I carried it out by emptying the contents of the
shot-bags and powder-flasks upon the ground, those I carried over my
shoulder of course excepted.
By the time this had been done, Tom appeared with another armful of
guns.
“Those fellows are the soundest sleepers I ever saw,” he whispered. “I’d
like to be introduced to the man or boy who could fool about my bed that
way without arousing me, even if I had been in the saddle all night.
Now, put those shooting-irons out of sight somewhere, and watch me get
that valise. Keep the guns you have selected in your hands, and also my
boots, so that we can be ready to start for the horses the instant I
come out.”
Tom moved off again, and I remained behind to hide the guns he had last
brought out. This done I glanced toward the camp-fire, to make sure that
the Indians were still asleep, and then crept to the door of the cabin
and looked in. Tom was kneeling on the floor beside Luke Redman, and
when I caught sight of him, he was in the act of drawing from his pocket
a huge clasp-knife, which he opened with his teeth. He made two quick
passes with the keen blade, and the handles of the valise fell apart.
That much was done, and now came the most difficult part of the whole
operation. Tom had no doubt thought over all the details of his plan;
for after shutting up the knife and putting it into his pocket, he
seized the valise with both hands, and slowly and cautiously raised it
from the floor. The sinewy arm that clasped it slipped easily over its
glossy leathern surface, and presently rested at full length on the
blanket, while Tom lifted his prize above his head in triumph.
Our luck, which had thus far been all that we could have desired, now
began to change. The robber suddenly stirred in his sleep, and probably
from the force of habit, threw out his arm as if to embrace some object.
He expected, no doubt, to feel the weight of the valise, but his arm
passed through the empty air and fell upon the floor again. This aroused
him at once. Opening his eyes and discovering Tom kneeling at his side,
he comprehended the situation in an instant.
“Hallo, here!” he shouted, in his stentorian voice; “drop that ar’
carpet-sack.”
As quick as thought, Tom started to his feet, and made an effort to leap
over the robber; but it so happened that the latter arose to a sitting
posture at the same moment, and this brought his head and Tom’s feet in
violent contact. The result was that one fell heavily back upon his
blanket, while the other flew headlong through the air and out at the
door as if he had been thrown from a catapult. It was plain that Luke
Redman had the worst of it, for he lay motionless where he had fallen,
while Tom, who had clung manfully to the valise, was on his feet again
almost as soon as he touched the ground.
“Now, Joe, we’ve got work before us,” said he, hurriedly. “We can’t get
our horses, and consequently we must trust to our heels.”
While Tom was putting on his boots—I never saw a boy get into a pair in
less time than he did on that occasion—I looked toward the camp-fire and
saw that he was right when he said that we must abandon the idea of
escaping by the aid of our horses. The Indians had been awakened by Luke
Redman’s voice, and were hurrying toward us. In order to reach our nags,
we would be obliged to pass directly through their ranks, and that was
something we were not foolish enough to attempt.
“Give me one of the guns, Joe, and keep close behind me,” said Tom, who
seemed to know just what ought to be done. “Watch the dogs, and don’t
let them come too close.”
The Swamp Dragoons, who had been aroused by this time, were not long in
finding out what was going on. Some of them hurried to the corner where
they had left their guns, while Barney thrust his head out of the door
and shouted for his hounds.
“Hi! hi!” he yelled. “Take ’em, you rascals! Here, Nero! here, Growler!”
Tom and I were not standing idle all this while. The instant he was
fairly into his boots we commenced our flight; but although we made the
very best use of our legs, we did not reach the cane in time to escape
discovery by the hounds. They were quick to respond to the calls of
their master. A hoarse yelp sounded behind us, and looking over my
shoulder, I saw the dogs advancing in a body, Growler and Nero leading
the way.