TURNING BACK.
It is singular how, in the most critical moments, certain thoughts will
obtrude themselves. While Wharton Edwards was peering over the ravine
and wondering whither Blazing Arrow had vanished, a sudden suspicion
caused him to raise his rifle and examine its lock.
There was not a grain of powder in the pan and no charge in the barrel.
All the time that it had been in the hands of the Shawanoe and himself
it was as useless as a stick. It seemed incredible that such should have
been the fact, and yet here was the evidence before his own eyes.
What was equally apparent and more astonishing was that Blazing Arrow
must have been unsuspicious of the truth. The youth had not reloaded the
weapon after firing the last time, and it was, therefore, empty when he
flung it across the ravine preparatory to making his leap. It had been
picked up by the runner, who failed, in the excitement, to notice the
oversight, taking it for granted that it was ready for use. In the rush
of the pursuit he had no chance of examining it, and when he recovered
his senses the gun was in the hands of its owner.
But had the Shawanoe known the truth, when the lad stood within a few
paces defying him, his pretended weakness would have gone in a flash,
and, bounding to his feet, he would have leaped upon his conqueror like
a panther.
"That's the strangest thing I ever knew," exclaimed Wharton, with a
shudder at his inexplicable escape; "I can't understand how he and I
missed seeing it."
When it is remembered that the fact of an old-fashioned flintlock being
unloaded is perceptible at a glance, the feature of the mistake is the
more remarkable.
The discovery threw the youth into something of a panic. He felt as if
the venomous old man was about to assail him from among the trees, and,
with a quick glance around, made desperate haste to reload the gun. Not
until the ball was rammed down the barrel and the powder was in the pan
did he breathe freely.
"There!" he exclaimed, drawing a sigh of relief, "when I make that
blunder again I deserve to be shot, but the laugh is on Blazing Arrow
more than on me."
Now that he had a trusty weapon in his possession, and the Shawanoe had
none, the situation of the latter was like that of a wild beast and a
marksman. Could the beast leap unawares upon the marksman he could
overcome him, but the latter had only to maintain his watchfulness.
Had Blazing Arrow rushed toward the lad after he had found his gun was
empty, and before he reloaded it, Wharton's only resource would have
been to take again to his heels; for, active and athletic as he was, he
could not possibly be a match for the powerful, full-grown warrior, and
it would have been foolhardy on his part to take any such risk.
The disappearance of the Shawanoe during the brief absence of Wharton
was proof that the wily wretch was shamming. His fall had given him a
severe shock, but no bones were broken; and had the youth heeded the
request to help him to rise he would have snatched him off his feet in a
twinkling and had him at his mercy.
Whither had he gone? The dread that he might be stealing among the trees
in the effort to surprise him caused young Edwards to make a hasty
withdrawal from the wood to the open plain which had been the scene of
the severest race of his life.
When he stood clear of the trees, and beyond reach of any sudden
surprise, he breathed freely for the first time.
"Now let him come, if he wants to. I can outrun him anyway, but I don't
run any more races," added Wharton, glancing down at his gun.
The Shawanoe, who was doubtless glaring at him from some point of
concealment, must have relied upon cunning to outwit his victim.
"I wonder what sort of yarn he will tell his people when he goes back?"
mused Wharton. "How will he account for his failure to capture me, and
what explanation will he give for the loss of my gun? I suppose he will
say he concluded to shoot me, and broke it over my head and flung it
away. But if I come out of this trouble they will learn the truth some
day."
Not forgetting to be on his guard against his foe, the lad walked slowly
across the clearing, taking the back trail. He was considering the best
thing to do. But for Larry Murphy, he would have made all haste in the
opposite direction. The block-house was almost twenty miles away, and
this flurry had delayed the couple so long that there was no time to
spare. Wharton's parents would become anxious and set out to meet the
boys. If they should become involved with these Indians, direful
consequences were likely to follow.
But Wharton could not desert his comrade. He was a mile or two away,
near the main party of warriors, and Providence alone could prevent his
falling into their hands. Larry would naturally suppose that his friend
was not far from him, and it would be just like the fellow to run into
the worst sort of peril in the hope of doing him service.
"I must get back to him as soon as I can. If he could only know how
fortunate I have been it would be easy for him to steal around the whole
party and join me here. Then we could do some fast travelling, and be at
the block-house before sunrise to-morrow."
Since, however, such a state of affairs was out of the question, Wharton
had only to face matters as they were.
One ground for hope cheered him. The sultry summer afternoon was drawing
to a close, and night was at hand. He could manoeuvre in the darkness
much better than when the sun was shining. He and the Irish lad had a
system of calls and signals by which they communicated when within
hearing distance of each other. He could fall back on this when darkness
fell.
With his controlling wish there was but one thing for him to do; that
was to make his way with the utmost care to the region of the falls,
where he had parted from Larry. If his comrade had been wise enough to
keep out of the hands of the Shawanoes he was hopeful of opening
communication with him. A few more hours must decide the question.
He increased his pace. When he reached the wood on the opposite side of
the plain it was twilight. He walked rapidly, as though in a hurry, but
after going far enough to be beyond sight he came stealthily back and
looked toward the point where he had reloaded his gun. As he did so he
caught the outlines of a figure in the dim light steadily approaching,
and he knew it was Blazing Arrow, the Shawanoe.