JACK TAKES A FORCED WALK.
When Jack left his brother sitting on the office steps he fully expected
to be back in a very few minutes. Noiselessly he ran over the frozen
snow toward the side of the bunk house. As he reached it he stopped to
listen, and the slight sound of the crackle of snow crust came to his
ears.
"Somebody's out back there," he thought as he stole silently toward the
back, keeping close to the side of the building. When he reached the
rear corner he paused again. The sound was now more distinct and, as he
held his breath, he could plainly hear someone moving over the snow.
Carefully he stuck his head around the corner, only to feel a powerful
pair of arms clasp about his neck. A muffled cry burst from his lips as
he was dragged to the snow, but before he could repeat the cry a huge
hand was pressed firmly over his mouth effectually blocking the attempt.
He struggled with all his strength to free himself, but, soon realizing
that he was but a child in the powerful hands of the man who was holding
him, he gave it up and lay still. He heard approaching footsteps and
knew that he was in the power of at least two men. How many more there
might be he had no way of knowing.
"Give me dat rope," he heard the man who was holding him down whisper.
"Now you mak' der noise and I keel you queek," the man whispered in his
ear as he removed his hand from over his mouth.
The boy did not for a moment doubt but that he was quite capable of
carrying out the threat, so he did as he was ordered. Quickly his hands
were tied behind his back and a large handkerchief, which from the odor
was none too clean, was bound over his eyes. Then he was roughly jerked
to his feet.
At that moment a window, near the farther back corner, was pushed open.
Instantly the boy was pushed around the corner and one of his captors
again held his hand over his mouth as they crouched on the snow. But
whoever had opened the window evidently decided that everything was all
right and what he thought he had heard was a false alarm; for, after a
moment or two, Jack heard the window shut down.
"We geet away queek now," one of the men whispered. "Dat feller mebby
come out here," he added, grabbing the boy by the arm.
Silently they stole away through the deep forest at the back of the
camp. It was too dark for rapid traveling, but they hurried along as
fast as they could go and avoid hitting the trees.
Jack expected that they would head down the lake toward the Donahue
camp, as he had no idea that the men were other than employed by Big
Ben. But, to his surprise, they soon turned north and, after proceeding
in this direction for an hour or more, bore sharply to the east. Whither
they were bound he had not the least idea, as they were now in a stretch
of country strange to him. He knew that there were no towns for many
miles in that direction, the section being probably the wildest in all
Maine. Not a word was spoken as they hurried along, covering mile after
mile.
Jack's legs were beginning to ache and his breath was coming in short
pants when, suddenly, they emerged from the dense woods onto the shore
of a lake.
"If I'm not mistaken this is Chesuncook Lake," he thought as the men
came to a halt, and for the first time since they had started began to
talk in the French language. Jack could understand French fairly well,
but they talked so rapidly and with a dialect which he had never heard
before, that although he was able to catch a word here and there, he was
unable to get the drift of the conversation.
Evidently Jack was not the only one who was tired, for they rested for
nearly a half hour before they started again. Their way now led straight
across the lake, which was about two miles wide at that point. On
reaching the opposite shore, they plunged again into the deep forest
which lined the bank. The men did not now seem to be in as great a hurry
as at first, and for this Jack was very thankful, as he was very tired
and felt that he would not be able to keep up the pace they had been
going much longer.
It must have been nearly two hours later, and the boy had about decided
to refuse to go any farther, when suddenly a small log cabin loomed out
of the darkness directly in front of them. Much as he loathed the two
Frenchmen, Jack could not but feel a thrill of admiration for the way in
which they had steered a straight course through the pathless forest
when it was so dark it was impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.
"They must have cats' eyes," he thought as they stopped in front of the
cabin.
The door was not locked and, without hesitation, one of the men pushed
it open and stepped inside.
"Geet in thar," the other man ordered, as he pushed Jack ahead of him.
It was pitch dark in the room, but the men were evidently familiar with
the location of things, for in a moment the one who had entered first
had a lamp lighted. For an instant the light dazzled Jack's eyes so that
he was obliged to close them. When he opened them a moment later he saw
that he was in a cabin which evidently had been occupied at some not
very distant date. The room contained but little furniture, two or three
common straight backed chairs, a rough table, and a well battered iron
stove was all, with the exception of a couple of rude bunks built one
above the other against one side of the room. In the corner of the room
was a pile of stove wood and in another a crude closet. The cabin held
but the single room.
"Geet the fire goin' Pierre, and I'll see what I can find to eat,"
ordered the larger of the two men.
Jack sank down on one of the chairs, glad of a chance to rest his aching
legs. As the two Frenchmen hurried about their tasks he studied them
closely. They were both large men, well above the average in both height
and weight, but the one whom the other had called Pierre was little less
than a giant.
"He must be all of six foot three," Jack thought as the man straightened
up after touching a match to the kindling in the stove.
Both men wore short black beards and resembled each other so closely
that he decided they must be brothers. The eyes of both were small and
shaded by shaggy brows, giving to their faces a most cruel expression.
Jack was not lacking in bravery, but as he realized that he was in the
power of two men who probably thought no more of murder than he would of
shooting a squirrel, a chill of fear stole over him, and he breathed a
silent prayer that he might escape.
To his surprise he saw that the closet or cupboard was well supplied
with food, judging from the large number of cans which he could see on
the shelves.
Since entering the cabin the men had not paid the slightest attention to
him, and several times he wondered if it would not be possible for him
to slip out of the door and escape them in the darkness. But he realized
that, even should he succeed in eluding them, he would more than likely
perish from cold and hunger before he could find his way back to the
camp. And besides, he remembered that a light snow had been falling for
the past hour, and that as soon as it was light they would easily be
able to track him.
By this time the fire was roaring up the old rusty chimney, sending a
welcome warmth through the room.
"Hope they don't intend to starve me," Jack thought as the odor of
frying bacon filled the room.
But his heart sank as, the meal being ready, the two men sat up at the
table and started eating without as much as a glance toward him. Jack
was by this time very hungry and his mouth watered as he saw them
gulping down huge mouthfuls of the food. Besides bacon, he could see
that they had a good supply of eggs and crackers, as well as canned
fruit.
"They must have been expecting to come here soon or they wouldn't had
those eggs here," he thought as he watched them.
But his fears in regard to starving were groundless for, as soon as they
had satisfied their appetites, the larger man, without a word, untied
his hands and motioned toward the table, indicating that he was welcome
to what was left. Somewhat to his surprise he found that there was
enough and he made a hearty meal, cleaning up every bit that was left.
"They may not be so generous next time," he thought as he washed the
last mouthful down with his third dipper of coffee.
Meanwhile a large kettle had been filled with snow and placed on the top
of the stove to melt, and as soon as he had finished the big Frenchman
in gruff tones ordered him to get busy and wash the dishes. At first
Jack was on the point of refusing, the tone in which the order was given
making his blood boil with anger, but quickly realizing how completely
he was in their power he decided to make the best of it and do as he was
ordered.
The men sat at the table playing cards with a dirty pack which they had
taken from the drawer and paid no further attention to him. Washing the
dishes was not a long task and as soon as he had finished he sat down in
the only chair unoccupied and for a time watched the men. They were
playing for small stakes and it was evident to the boy that the smaller
man was winning. A heavy frown settled on the larger man's face and Jack
wondered if the game would not end in a fight. But after playing for an
hour or more the loser threw down the cards with an exclamation of
disgust and declared that he was tired out and was going to bed.
The two bunks were filled with small pine boughs as Jack could tell by
the odor which pervaded the room.
"Guess I'll have to sleep on the floor," he thought as the two men threw
off their heavy coats and pulled off their moccasins.
It was nearly five o'clock in the morning when they threw down their
cards and started to make preparations for bed. Jack wondered anxiously
what disposition would be made of him, but he was not left long in
doubt. He was told to keep his seat in the chair and quickly and
expertly the larger of the men bound his hands together behind the back
of the chair. His feet were then tied firmly to the legs of the chair.
"Now I guess you stay put," the man grunted as he straightened up and
surveyed the job.
Jack had not uttered a word while he was being tied. He knew that a plea
for mercy would be a waste of breath, so he kept quiet. After stuffing
the stove full of wood they extinguished the light and the boy could
hear them as they tumbled into the bunks, and a few minutes later the
sound of heavy breathing told him that they were asleep.
For a time he strained at the rope in an effort to free himself, but it
had been tied by a man skilled in the art, and all he accomplished was
to chafe his wrists until it seemed as though they were rubbed raw.
Realizing that he was causing himself pain and getting no results, he
soon gave up the effort.
"Perhaps Bob could do it, but I can't," he thought.
Then he fell to wondering what object the men could have in bringing him
there. Were they going to hold him for ransom? Or were they merely
trying to save themselves from arrest for attempting to burn the bunk
house? These questions and many others ran through his mind as he sat
there in the darkness listening to the heavy breathing and snoring of
the two Frenchmen.
How slowly the time passed. It seemed hours before the first hint of the
approaching dawn crept in at the windows. The fire in the stove had been
out for some time and the room was beginning to grow cold. He had tried
to sleep, but his position in the chair was too uncomfortable to permit
it and besides his arms were paining him severely due to the strain on
them.
Slowly the light grew stronger until finally a beam of sunshine stole in
at the east window, telling him that the weather had cleared. He knew
that it must be nearly eight o'clock, but the two men gave no sign of
waking. He was now thoroughly chilled through, and his arms ached as he
had never believed it possible for arms to ache. Would they never wake
and set him free? Another hour passed and still another. The pain was
rapidly becoming unbearable and he had about made up his mind to shout,
regardless of consequences, when he heard one of them stir. A loud yawn
followed, and a moment later Pierre crawled out of the lower bunk. He
stretched himself and came over to where Jack was sitting.
"You cold?" he asked with a broad grin.
"Rather," Jack replied.
"Dat's all right. I untie you, you mak' fire queek," and a moment later
the boy was beating his arms about his body to restore the arrested
circulation.
By the time he had the fire roaring up the chimney the other man was up,
and soon the two sat down to breakfast. As before, Jack was forced to
wait until they had finished, then he was told that he could go to it.
He went without hesitation. The food was good and there was plenty of it
and he made a hearty meal.
"They don't intend to starve me at any rate," he thought as he swallowed
the last mouthful.
"Now you wash up and then you can sleep you want to," Pierre growled as
he got out the pack of cards.
Jack made short work of the dishes, and as soon as he had finished he
tumbled into the lower bunk and, pulling the heavy blanket over him, he
was almost immediately lost to the world and to his troubles as well.
When he awoke it was dark. For a moment he was uncertain where he was,
but as memory returned he lay quiet and listened. Not a sound broke the
deathlike stillness of the room.
"They must have gone out or I could at least hear them breathe," he
thought.
After waiting a few minutes longer, he crept softly from the bunk and
carefully groped his way to the stove. It was stone cold.
"They must have been gone for some time," he thought as he took from his
pocket a small flashlight. "It's funny they didn't search me to see if I
had any shooting irons," he whispered to himself as he crossed the room
to the closet where he found a small tin box filled with matches. "Guess
they were too stupid to think of it," he concluded, lighting the lamp on
the table.
He next started a fire in the stove, for the room was already decidedly
chilly, and as soon as it was going in good shape he sat down in front
of it and started to think what his next move should be. Had the men
really left for good, or were they playing some trick on him? were the
questions which raced through his mind. Should he leave or stay? On the
one hand he knew that he was miles from the nearest settlement or camp,
and he very much doubted his ability to find his way through the woods
in the darkness. He well knew what it meant to be lost in the Maine
woods at that time of year. On the other hand, he shuddered at the
thought of being tied up again to pass another night of agony. In fact
the thought was unbearable.
He got up, and, going to the door, tried to open it, only to find that
it was fastened on the outside. An examination of the windows showed
that they were nailed down in such a way that it would be impossible to
get them open without tools.
"Wonder if they thought I wouldn't know enough to smash one of them if I
wanted to get out," he grinned as he went back to the stove. "I'll wait
long enough to get something to eat anyhow," he decided, as he glanced
at his watch and saw that it was nearly half-past six.
In the closet he found a package of flapjack flour and several cans of
condensed milk. There was a little water left in the pail, and diluting
the milk he soon had a batch of batter ready for the iron, and by the
time the coffee had come to a boil he had eight richly browned cakes
ready.
By the time he had finished his supper he had decided on his course of
action. He would smash a window and climbing out hide in a tree from
which he could watch the cabin. If the men had not returned by nine
o'clock he would return and spend the night there. If on the other hand
he should see them coming back, he would wait until they were inside and
then steal away through the woods, preferring to take his chances in the
forest rather than to be tied up again. But he had waited too long
already. He had selected a stick from the pile in the corner and was on
the point of attacking the window, when he heard someone at the door. A
log was snatched away and the two men entered, barely giving him time to
throw the stick back on the pile.
"You geet supper ready for us ver' queek," Pierre snarled as he flung
his cap on the floor and sat down in front of the stove.
Knowing the folly of resisting, Jack made haste to obey and did his best
hoping that, if he pleased them, they might not tie him up. But in this
he was doomed to disappointment for, soon after eleven o'clock, having
tired of playing cards, the big Frenchman tied him to the chair in much
the same way as before. But this time, remembering a trick which Bob had
taught him, he held his muscles as tense as possible while the rope was
being tied. To his joy he found, when he relaxed, that the rope was much
looser than on the previous occasion. He waited until heavy breathing
told him that his captors were asleep and then began to try to work his
hands free. For all of a half hour he struggled and tears of
disappointment came to his eyes as gradually he realized that he could
not do it. He could almost do it but not quite, and finally was forced
to give up the attempt. But his position was much more comfortable than
it had been before, for the looseness of the rope allowed him to rest
his arms by moving them slightly when they began to ache.
Slowly the hours dragged past until, when he thought it must be nearly
morning, he fell into a troubled sleep.
The dawn was just beginning to steal in at the window when he awoke with
a start. The room was cold and he was chilled through. His arms felt
numb and he restored the circulation by moving them slowly up and down
as far as the rope would permit. An hour passed and then another and
still no signs of life from the sleepers. Would they never wake and
untie him?
He had again about reached the limit of his endurance when, happening to
glance toward the window on the east side of the room, he saw something
which made his heart leap. A face was pressed close against the window
pane. A second glance revealed the fact that it was the face of an
Indian and, in a moment, to his great delight, he recognized Kernertok.
As the eyes of the Indian rested on the boy bound to the chair, a look
first of amazement and then of anger spread over his face. He stared at
him for a moment and then disappeared, but a moment later Jack heard the
door, which had not been fastened, slowly pushed open. Noiselessly the
old man stole across the room and the next moment the rope which bound
his wrists was cut and his arms were free. To free his feet was but the
work of a moment, and standing up Jack placed his finger on his lips and
pointed toward the bunks.
The Indian motioned for the boy to follow him, and was starting for the
door when suddenly, without warning, Pierre sprang from his bunk and
confronted them. As the Frenchman saw the Indian he let loose a loud cry
and sprang for him. Kernertok met him with a blow on the chin which
staggered him but did not knock him down, and in another second they
were rolling on the floor, first one on top and then the other.
The cry had wakened the other man, and by the time Pierre and Kernertok
had clinched, he was out of his bunk and rushing for Jack. But the
latter, as soon as he had seen what had happened, had stepped quickly
back to the pile of wood and picked up a round stick about two inches in
diameter and eighteen inches long. Seeing the man coming for him, he did
not hesitate but hurled the stick with all his might. It caught the
Frenchman full on the forehead and he went down in a heap as though he
had been shot.
"One out," Jack muttered, as he turned to the two struggling on the
floor.
He knew that the Indian was strong and wiry, but feared that he would be
no match for the giant Frenchman should the latter succeed in getting a
decisive hold. He quickly picked up the stick and was about to go to the
old man's aid when suddenly the latter broke away and sprang to his
feet. Pierre, with a cry of rage, followed suit. But before he had time
to spring again at the old man, an unexpected ally entered the fight.
There was a fierce growl and a gray streak flashed through the air.
Pierre went down, thrown off his balance by the impact. Vainly he tried
with all his might to keep the huge jaws from his throat, as man and dog
rolled over and over on the floor. But the dog had secured a hold and
was not to be shaken off. Fortunate indeed was it for Pierre that
Kernertok had taught Sicum not to kill, else the man's throat would have
been torn into slits by the sharp teeth. As it was the dog bit just hard
enough to keep his hold. But it was plenty hard enough to take all the
fight out of the Frenchman, and when, a moment later, Kernertok dragged
the dog away, he made no attempt to rise.
"Good old Sicum," Jack said as he threw his arms about the dog's neck.
Sicum gave vent to a low whine as if to say that he was glad to have
been of service.
"Git rope," Kernertok ordered, and in another moment Pierre was tied
hand and foot. He made no resistance as the dog stood close by showing
his teeth.
The man's throat, although bleeding, was but slightly torn, and after a
hasty examination they turned their attention to the other man who still
lay where he had fallen. He was breathing heavily and, as Jack bent over
him, he slowly opened his eyes. He too had had all desire for fighting
taken out of him, and offered no resistance as Kernertok bound his hands
and feet.
A search through their pockets revealed no weapon more formidable than a
pocket knife.
In a few words Jack told his friend what had happened and Kernertok in
turn told how he was returning from a trip to a town in the northern
part of the state and had just happened to glance in at the window in
passing.
"It was a mighty lucky thing for me that you did," Jack declared as he
finished.
"What for you tie up young white boy?" the Indian asked Pierre, stepping
close to where he was lying.
"We 'fraid he tell police we try burn bunk house, so we tak' him off. No
know what do wid heem," the man replied sulkily. "We no mean hurt heem."
"I thought probably that was it," Jack declared.
After a short talk they decided to set the men free and leave them
there.
"We be heap safe, they got no gun and we got Sicum," the Indian declared
after a thorough search had failed to reveal any firearms in the cabin.
"You follow us an' Sicum kill you heap quick," Kernertok warned them as
he cut the rope which bound the smaller Frenchman's hands together.
Leaving him to free his feet and to untie Pierre, they started for
Kernertok's cabin which he told Jack was about twenty miles to the
southwest.