CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY
"ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before
dark comes?" Sandy began.
"Well, how do we know that yet?" returned Bob.
"Do you really think there's any chance, then?" asked the other,
feverishly.
"About one in ten," answered Bob. "Something might cause them to stop,
and go into camp. Then, as evening came on we would sight their fire,
and be able to steal up close to them. Or it might be one of them could
twist his ankle in a creeper, and have a tumble that would bruise him
so badly he would want to lie over to rest up. There's always a slender
chance of such things happening, you know, Sandy."
"Oh! to be sure, I understand all that," return the other; "but,
altogether it's less than one chance in ten of its happening; I think
you might have said twenty, while you were about it. But, see, Pat
has halted. I hope he hasn't lost the trail. That would finish us, I'm
afraid."
Pat turned to the boys, and they could see a quizzical gleam in his
blue eyes. Bob felt sure the genial Irish trapper must have heard the
complaining words of Sandy, and was in the humor to take them with at
least a grain of allowance. He understood the nature of the lad.
"Sure, they arre thryin' their level best to pull the wool over the
eyes av anny wan that undertakes to follow," Pat was saying.
"In what way, Pat?" asked Bob, immediately understanding that the
trapper had been reading the signs closely.
"By some av the oldest thricks a sly fox iver practised. Av ye look
here ye may say where they jumped on this same fallen tree, and walked
along the trunk a good ways. Go as ye plaze, I defy yees to diskiver
where the sarpints lift that same tree trunk. But bliss ye, 'tis as
plain as the nose on me face; and nobody'd have the laste throuble
about saing that. Come wid me, now, and be afther lookin' at the way
they jumped from the log into the bush beyant. Notice how the same is
crushed down in the wan spot. 'Tis there they landed, troth; and from
that point we must now take up the thrail afresh."
It proved to be just as Pat said. Among the bushes they easily detected
the now well-known tracks of the two French trappers. They had
undoubtedly run along the tree trunk, and, at the most favorable part,
made a flying leap so as to land at some little distance away, and in
the midst of a thicket, hoping to thus throw any possible pursuer off
the trail. But the trick was so palpable and so ancient, that it is
doubtful whether even Sandy himself would have long been held in check.
Frontier lads early learned a multitude of things connected with
trailing that had to be known in order to give them equal advantages
with the cunning Indian, or the wise four-footed denizens of the woods.
They understood the nature of the animal that made certain tracks,
whither he was bound at the time, whether toward home or in search of
his prey; just how he limped with one of his legs that had likely been
injured at some time; how he crouched in the snow, perhaps waiting
until his intended quarry came within reach, and then sprang--to
fall short, because the imprint of his paws lay in plain view and
those made by the feet of the escaping creature were just beyond. In
many ways they could read the story by means of the telltale tracks.
An education may not always mean ability to talk in Latin, or read
scientific works; both of which would be very poor accomplishments when
out in the great wilderness.
So Pat was able to follow the Frenchmen, no matter how many times they
resorted to tricks of this sort. In the first place he had done similar
things himself on many occasions, and was therefore familiar with them
all; and then again, Pat was on the constant lookout for trickery,
and the instant he lost sight of the trail, his first act was to look
around and decide what he would probably have done, had he been seeking
to escape under the same circumstances.
"It's already getting a little dim; don't you think, Bob?" asked Sandy,
after they had been moving along in this fashion for considerably more
than an hour.
"I'm afraid that's so, Sandy," returned the other.
"And pretty soon Pat will be telling us that he can follow the trail no
longer," pursued the disconsolate one. "Then here we'll have to settle
down for the night, and wait for it to get light enough to see, when
we'll be off in a big hurry. I wish I could do what Joshua did, you
know, Bob."
"Make the sun stand still, you mean, Sandy?"
"Yes, because that would give us more time to keep chasing after these
rascally Frenchmen," replied the other, with vehemence.
"Oh! yes, but you forget that, if the daylight remained, and they kept
on moving all the time, they would be holding their own against us, and
continuing to play those tricks that so far have failed to hoodwink
Pat."
"But I hope he will never think of giving up the pursuit as long as
we can find a single trace of where they have gone. This is the last
chance we're ever going to have to get back that belt; and something
tells me that, if we keep after them, just like the wolf does the
wounded stag, day and night, without ever quitting, why, we're just
bound to catch up with Jacques and Henri--some time or other."
"Wait and see what happens," was all Bob would say; but Sandy knew that
his elder brother had considerable persistency in his nature; and on
this account he hugged a hope that Bob would want to keep on the track
of the thieves until in the end they were overhauled.
But it certainly was growing dusk rapidly. Pat had to bend over more
and more to see what he wanted. At any minute Bob expected to hear the
trapper declare that it would be folly to try to track the Frenchmen
any longer, unless they chose to make use of a torch, which would be a
dangerous proceeding, since they were apt to attract the notice of any
roving Indian who might happen to be in the vicinity.
And sure enough, Pat presently came to a full stop, calmly proceeding
to charge his little pipe, at which he puffed with evident relish.
"The game is up for the night, me byes," he said, calmly. "We do be
havin' to settle down here, and wait for the day to come, whin I'll
again sthart away. I doubt that the rogues will thry to throw the
dust in our eyes again; and so we kin make better time, wance we get
stharted. It's harrd, I do be understandin'; but what's the use thryin'
to smash your head ag'inst a stone wall? Bitter far, jist take it
aisy-like, and belave it's all a-goin' to come out right in the ind."
They went into camp. Bob had been wise enough to bring along a portion
of the fresh venison, so there was no need of any one going hungry; and
Pat took it upon himself to build the cleverest little cooking fire
they ever saw, so fashioned that, even in the darkness that came upon
them presently, it could not have been seen twenty feet away.
After partaking of their supper, the three settled down to spend a long
and tiresome night under the trees of that forest bordering the bank of
the Mississippi.
Sandy slept very little, Bob felt sure, because every time the latter
woke up he could see the other sitting there, hugging his knees with
his arms, and with an anxious face turned squarely toward the east,
as though desirous of knowing when the first faint peep of daybreak
arrived.
And really it was one of the longest nights Bob himself could ever
remember passing through. It seemed as though dawn would never come.
But finally Pat stirred, and, sitting up, announced that they had
better be making a fire, if they hoped to have a bite before starting
off. How he knew what the time was might seem a deep mystery to those
unacquainted with the ways of a woodsman. The chances were that Pat,
who used the heavens for his clock, had decided that a certain star
would be just at a particular point an hour before daylight, and this
was plenty of time for their needs.
So once more they were on the move, as soon as the light was strong
enough for Pat to take up the trail.
The two Frenchmen evidently believed that they had long since baffled
any possible pursuer. Indeed, they could hardly dream that they would
be followed at all. The little band of English, that had thus boldly
invaded the territory so long claimed by the French, must be only a
weak branch of the rival race; and surely would never dare venture far
away from their base, lest they be overwhelmed by hostile Indians.
Consequently, Pat was enabled to make very good time along the trail,
now that he had the light of day to assist him.
They came upon the ashes of a fire after a while, showing that the men
they were chasing must have camped not a great distance away from
their own resting place, certainly no more than three miles.
Pat could tell by placing his hand among the still warm ashes just
how long before the place had been deserted; just as he was able to
discover from the tracks what space of time had elapsed since the men
passed along.
Their caution increased as the morning advanced, for they realized that
they were rapidly overhauling the two Frenchmen; and, as these worthies
had been spending the better part of their lives among the Indians and
wild animals of the frontier, it was to be expected that they were well
versed in all the ways of the borderman.
Noon found them stealing along like shadows. Pat had announced in a
whisper that he believed they would come upon their men resting in the
heat of the day; and he had hopes that they might thus take them by
surprise.
Ten minutes later he made gestures that told the two pioneer boys the
pleasing news of discovery. The Frenchmen had indeed halted to build
a small fire, and, having eaten, were now lying flat on their backs,
enjoying a noon nap, little dreaming that enemies could be creeping
upon them, just as the sly panther crawls, inch by inch, upon his prey.
And when Bob and Sandy presently caught sight of the two recumbent
figures they felt a thrill of eagerness and satisfaction, such as
always accompanies successful attainment.