For several days after their fortunate escape from the storm at sea the
boys were willing enough to lie around their camps, resting, undertaking
no labor beyond that necessary in getting their daily food. About this
latter there was rarely any difficulty at all.
Of course, after a time all the birds in the lagoon were easily
frightened away, but once in a while during the coming week the young
hunters repeated their hunt with the thongs, and finally saw quite a
heap of smoked goose-breasts accumulate on their drying-rack, where some
of the bear meat still remained, as well as a goodly number of split
salmon.
The gulls' nests and the salmon stream afforded their best source of
supply, each practically exhaustless at that season. The salmon came
practically to their very door, and, provided as they were now with
salt, there was small excuse for any of them going hungry. So easy,
indeed, did life become, so far as food was concerned, that, as has been
stated above, a certain monotony, not to say anxiety, settled upon them
all. This, however, was one day broken by an event of most startling
interest.
They were following down the salmon creek, with the intention of taking
a few fish at the pool near the mouth, when all at once the young Aleut,
whose keen eyes were ever searching the country both far and near,
paused and gave a low exclamation as he pointed to the mud near the
banks.
"Bad mans come!" he said.
They peered where he pointed. Sure enough, there was the mark of a man's
foot, evidently that of a man wearing _mukluks_, or seal boots. The boys
looked at one another.
"Him come," said Skookie, making signs of catching salmon. He made other
signs of going to sleep, putting his hands against his cheek and closing
his eyes, and then pointing up the hills. He pointed from the hills to
the creek. Thus the boys knew what he meant, what they at once suspected
to be the truth--that their late prisoner Jimmy was hiding out in the
mountains, and coming down like a wild animal to make his living on the
salmon run.
This was a situation which at once seemed to them very grave.
"He has not left, after all," said Rob, moodily. "I wish we had him
under lock and key again. The question is, are we going to catch him
again, or is he going to catch us first? That's what I want to know."
"What do you mean?" asked John. "He's free, and we don't know where he
is. Surely you don't mean that we ought to go and hunt him up?"
"I feel just this way," answered Rob, "as I always have about anything
of the sort--if there's going to be trouble, let us have it over and
done with. For one, I don't relish lying awake night after night
wondering if our camp is going to be surprised; and neither do I like to
walk these shores wondering if this fellow is going to slip an arrow
into one of us from the grass."
"Wouldn't we be safe in the house?" asked Jesse.
"We can't stay in the house all the time, and we would not be safe even
there. No, it looks as though we ought to go out and hunt this fellow up
and see what he is doing and intends to do."
Without further words they turned back toward the house, followed by the
Aleut boy, who looked from one to the other as if wondering what their
words signified. This he discovered a few moments later, when Rob and
John both emerged, each with a loaded rifle under his arm.
"Come on," said Rob, and led the way, splashing through the shallow
water at the foot of the lagoon which separated them from the
mountain-side beyond.
They climbed in silence for some time, steadily ascending the steep face
of the snow-capped mountain which lay before them. Again they saw the
wonderful pictures afforded by this region, where both ocean and
mountains blend in the landscape. As now and then they paused for
breath, they turned to look at the wonderful view of the great bay, the
silver thread of the lagoon and creek, and the low, round dot made by
their hut upon the flat. Above them circled many of the great bald
eagles, which occasionally departed for their salmon-fishing in the
stream. Once or twice they heard the sharp bark of a fox concealed in
the alder thickets, and as they reached the upper slopes, where the snow
still lay, frequently they saw the mountain ptarmigan, at this altitude
still in its white winter plumage. These birds, when alarmed, would fly
but a short way and then poise in the air, uttering a sharp, crowing
cackle, soon to alight and stand motionless on the snow. All these
scenes of wild nature were noted by the boys, though perhaps not so much
as they might have been had they not been upon so serious an errand.
From time to time they caught the trail of the fugitive across the
snow-field, where it could be seen for half a mile at a stretch. Beyond
such a snow-field they came across the ashes of a fire which had been
built behind a clump of rocks out of sight from the beach below. There
were some half-burned bones, which showed that some one had cooked fish
here. Skookie, making the sign of sleep, or night, held up six fingers,
to show that it had been that many days since the fugitive had been
here.
They managed to puzzle out the trail for some distance up the mountains
from this point, but finally lost it on a bare rock ridge which thrust
up well toward the peak of the mountain between two snow-fields.
Skookie, stooping down and hunting like a dog among the half-bare rocks,
slowly puzzled out the trail for a time. Evidently the man they wanted
had made a practice of sleeping far back in the mountains. For a time
they almost despaired of discovering him, until at last Jesse, whose
eyes were always keen, pointed out what he thought were tracks leading
across a snow-bank a quarter of a mile ahead. Hastening thither, they
gained a half-mile more in their pursuit, but finally were obliged to
halt puzzled at a bare rim of rock, beyond which and below them lay a
wide expanse of rough country broken by canyons and covered by a dense
alder growth, the only timber of that region.
In that broken country hiding might have been offered for a regiment,
almost, it seemed. Rob suggested that it was perhaps as well to return
to camp and give up the search.
"Hold on a minute," said Jesse. "Look over there! I think I see
something."
He pointed ahead and below at some object a half-mile farther on.
Presently they all saw it--a figure visible against the snow which lay
along the edge of a sharp canyon wall. A moment later it was lost as it
moved into the cover of the alder thicket; but even as they hesitated
they saw arising a thin wreath of blue smoke, which proved to them that
the figure they had seen was a man, and no doubt the one for whom they
were looking.
Skookie looked serious, his brown face drawn into a frown of anxiety and
fear.
"Bad mans, bad mans!" he said, over and over again, shaking his head.
"Come on, fellows!" was Rob's comment, and he plunged on down the rock
face, hurrying to get his party out of sight as quickly as possible.
Once lower down, and near the elevation of the smoke at the canyon side,
concealment was much easier, and from this point they stalked the hidden
fugitive much as they would have done with a big-game animal had they
been pursuing it.
They paused at last at the rim of a shelving rock which projected out at
the top of the canyon wall. The smell of the smoke was strong in their
nostrils, and they knew that they were near the end of their hunt.
Somewhere below them, perhaps within a few yards or feet, the fugitive
must be lying; but, although they peered over cautiously, they could see
no one. As a matter of fact, a shallow cavern existed directly under
them in the side of the canyon wall, and it was at the mouth of this that
the Aleut had built his fire.
Seeing no sign of life, Rob proceeded to dispose his forces with the
purpose of surrounding his man. He motioned to Jesse and the Aleut boy
to remain at the rim of the canyon, and, sending John to a point below,
he himself climbed down on the upper side of the fire. When he reached a
point where he could see into the mouth of the cave and realized that
very probably this was the abode of the escaped Aleut, he waited until
he saw John in position below, and then as they both covered the mouth
of the cave with their guns he gave a loud call:
"Here, you, Jimmy, come out of that!"
They all heard a low exclamation, which assured them that their man was
at home; but at first he refused to appear. Rob called out loudly again,
half raising himself above a rock behind which he had taken shelter
against any surprise.
Presently they heard a voice raised, not in defiance, but in entreaty.
They scarcely recognized the figure which limped to the mouth of the
cave, so gaunt and haggard did it seem. It was, indeed, their late
prisoner, but now bent and weak, as though ill and half starved. He held
his bow and arrows in one hand over his head, but the bow was not
strung. Evidently he intended to surrender without any resistance.
"Good mans, good!" he repeated, beating on his breast.
They closed in on him now and took away his weapons. The Aleut boy
jabbered at him in excited tones, apparently accusing or reproaching
him. Jimmy edged away from him and looked at the white faces of the
others, which regarded him sternly but with no apparent anger. He sadly
pointed to his leg, which had been injured by a fall on the rocks.
Evidently he wanted to tell them that if they would take him back on the
old footing he, for his part, would be glad enough to come, if only they
would keep the savage brown boy away from him.
"Now we've got him," said Rob, at last, "and what shall we do with him?"
"We'll have to take him down," said John. "He'd just about die if we
left him up here; and I don't believe he'll make us trouble any more.
Besides, we've got Skookie here to watch him now."
Rob debated the matter in his mind for some time, but finally agreed
that Jimmy would probably make them no more trouble, since he very
possibly was hiding out more in fear of them than in any wish to harm
them. Reasoning that one or both of these natives might be useful in
later plans, he at last held out his hand to Jimmy, and with some effort
persuaded Skookie that it would be better for him to shake hands with
Jimmy than to take a rifle and shoot him, as the boy seemed more
disposed to do. He knew that these natives soon forget their
animosities.
Thus at length they started down the mountain along the trail, which
Jimmy pointed out, hobbling along in advance. In a couple of hours they
were at the top of the high rock face above the mouth of the creek. Here
Jimmy paused and anxiously scanned the entire expanse of the adjacent
cove and the long line of the beach beyond. He seemed overjoyed that
there was no longer any sign of the hostile party which had come in
pursuit of him. At least the boys guessed that was what he felt, and
guessed also that he had been coming down to the stream at night and not
in the daytime, perhaps thus sustaining the fall which had hurt his leg.
They were hungry that night as they cooked their evening meal in the
smoky barabbara.
"No watch to-night, boys!" said Rob. "These two friends can watch each
other, if they feel like it, but I think we may sleep without anxiety."
"For a prisoner, it looks to me that Jimmy was very glad to be caught,"
remarked John.