THE TRACKS OF HORSES.
At the moment when neither of the youths had a thought of such a thing,
they found themselves walking along a distinctly marked trail in the
woods, while Arqu-wao, the Shawanoe guide, turned his head with an odd
expression, as if to ask their opinion of the manner in which he had
kept his agreement.
This issue would have been highly pleasing but for the question which
instantly presented itself to Wharton Edwards and Larry Murphy--were
they upon the right trail?
Fully aware of the treacherous subtlety of the American race, they might
well doubt the answer. The Indian must have seen that he was regarded
with suspicion, and knew, therefore, that extraordinary care was
necessary on his part to bring about the ruin of his captors and save
himself.
What more likely to deceive them than the act of taking them to a
plainly marked path through the woods?
But such trails were not common at that day in the forest, and since the
boys had passed over the one connecting the block-house with the
settlement, it surely seemed that they ought to be able to identify it.
They set out to do so, and quickly succeeded.
Wharton was slightly in advance of his companion, and, turning his head,
he said in a low tone, over his shoulder:
"Larry, we're on the right track as sure as we're born."
"I know it. Do ye mind that tree over there to the right, beyant, that
has been knocked all to splinters by lightning? Do ye mind that, I say?"
"Yes; I remember it well. We saw it last fall when we passed here."
It would seem that the splintered trunk should have been an infallible
guide to the youths; but, as if fate wished to toy with them, Wharton
was positive that it was on the right side of the trail as they faced
the block-house, while Larry was equally certain it was on the left.
Neither could dissuade the other, and the question remained as
exasperating as before. One believed that instead of going right they
were walking directly contrary to the proper course, and that sooner or
later they would reach the dangerous section where they had already met
with so many narrow escapes.
Had either been able to convince the other of his mistake they would
have decided what was the best thing to do, for such a decision of
necessity would have determined whether Arqu-wao was playing them false
or not.
It was the younger lad who believed they were going astray, and it was
this fact which caused him to examine the ground, as they walked along,
with closer scrutiny than his companion. In doing so he made an alarming
discovery; the path showed the distinct hoofprints of two horses that
had travelled in the opposite direction.
The woodcraft of the young man told him that the animals had passed that
way quite recently, probably within a few hours. While there could be
no certainty as to who the couple were, he decided at once that they
were his father and mother on their way from the block-house to the
settlement.
"Larry," said he, touching the shoulder of his friend, "the Shawanoe is
acting honestly with us."
"How can ye know that?" asked the other in surprise.
"These are the footprints of father and mother's horses."
Larry bent his head forward and closely studied the ground for some
time, walking slowly, and allowing nothing to escape him.
"Ye are right," straightening up, "which means that two people have
passed this way--pretty lately, too; but how can we know who they were?"
"This trail is little travelled. If the folks left the block-house very
early this morning they would have been near here by this time. We can't
know it is they, but it is certain as anything can be."
"Then ye were wrong and I was right about the course we were
following."
"Yes; I believe the Indian is doing his best to keep his promise."
"I hope so, but I don't feel as sartin as yersilf of that."
The brief delay of the couple had allowed Arqu-wao to gain so much on
them that he was almost invisible. Discovering the fact, he again halted
and looked back, as if waiting for them to come up.
"Obsarve him," said Larry. "He stands jist as he did whin we took a
drink from the brook."
Such was the fact. If he chose to launch an arrow, he could do so with
an instantaneousness that was sure to be fatal to one; but now they were
in a better situation than before, and the result was so certain to be
fatal to him that neither felt much fear of any attempt.
Wharton beckoned to him to wait, and they hurried forward. Pointing to
the hoofprints, clearly showing in the earth, he asked:
"What do they mean, Arqu-wao?"
The Shawanoe merely glanced at the ground. He had noticed the signs
before, and it was not necessary for him to scrutinize or study them in
order to know what the youth meant.
"Horses--so many," he said, holding up two fingers of his hand.
"How long ago did they pass this way?"
While the Indian understood the question, he was puzzled for a moment as
to how to make an intelligent answer. He fixed his keen black eyes on
the face of the questioner, then looked around the trees as if searching
for some aid. These shut out the sun, but it was easy to locate the orb
about one-third of the way between the horizon and the zenith. He had
struck the key.
"When sun dere," he replied, pointing low down in the sky, "den men ride
along on horses."
Wharton Edwards's heart gave a painful start. Of course the Shawanoe
could not know that one of the horses carried a woman instead of a man,
nor, with all the woodcraft of the American Indian, could he determine
within an hour or two the time when the animals had passed along the
trail, but he did know of a verity that the passage had taken place
since the sun went down on the night before.
Understanding, now, the precise distance to the block-house, and the
strong probability that the parties would not leave there in the night
time, and well aware, also, from the marks of the hoofprints, that the
horses were walking at a leisurely pace, it became an easy matter for
him to tell at what time they were due at this particular spot. He had
indicated the hour, which was another evidence that the boys were at no
great distance from their destination.
"We don't want to go to the block-house," said Wharton, impetuously. "We
want to travel the other way. We must overtake those horsemen before
they reach the falls."