Garth beat recklessly on the cabin door crying:
"Natalie! Natalie! Good news!"
She was not long in opening.
"See what I've brought you back!" he shouted.
They slammed the door shut; and together pulled Charley in by the light
of the fire.
"Charley! _Charley!_" cried Natalie, quite beside herself with delight;
and flinging her free arm around his neck, she pressed her lips full on
his.
The honest full-moon face of the boy turned as red as a peony; but his
arms closed around her too, with a right good will; and it was Natalie
in the end, who was obliged gently to disengage herself.
They all talked at once; they laughed and wept in concert. As soon as
they finished shaking hands all around, they began again. Whenever Garth
was at a loss to express his feelings, he whacked Charley between the
shoulders, until the boy coughed. In the end, speech failing them
completely, they whooped and capered about the shack like wild things.
"I say!" said Garth suddenly. "We're giving ourselves away nicely! The
news has reached Mabyn and Grylls by this time."
They quieted down.
"Tell us your adventures, Charley dear," said Natalie.
"I'd better bring my stuff in first," said he.
"Where is it?"
The boy unslung a bundle from his back. "Thought you might be hungry, so
I brought enough for a couple of squares," he said; "sugar, and tea, and
bacon, and flour. And say, I thought something fancy would go down good;
so there's a tin of sardines and a box of biscuits."
"Oh! you darling!" said Natalie.
Charley was much embarrassed. "The rest of the stuff's cached two miles
down the shore," he went on hastily. "I'll trot along and bring it in."
"Take the canoe," said Garth; "and they can't hold you up."
"What will I do with the horses?" asked Charley.
This was a problem. "How many?" Garth asked.
"Three."
"How will we keep them out of Grylls's hands?"
"Why wait at all?" asked Natalie. "Let us all get in the canoe, and
start for home. It will take me just five minutes to get ready!"
But Garth shook his head. "You can't ride above a walk yet," he said.
"It would mean a running fight all the way. The odds are still too
great against us in the open!"
"The fellows from the Settlement promised to come look for us in a week
if we weren't home," said Charley.
"Good!" said Garth. "Then we'll wait for them!"
"And the horses?" said the boy anxiously. "They're not much to brag
about; but I'm in debt a hundred bones for them."
Garth clapped him on the back again. "Don't you worry about that, old
boy!" he cried. "The debt is mine! Tell you what we'll do!" he added,
"We'll bring them up here, and swim them off to the island. There's
forage enough over there for a day or two, and they will be right under
our eyes!"
They set off immediately in the canoe; and it was all accomplished as
planned. Charley brought the precious grub back by water, out of
Grylls's possible reach; while Garth drove the horses in over the trail
at a smart pace. Nothing happened en route; it was probably all done
before their adversaries had time to plan an attack. They swam the
horses to the island, and were both back in the shack, before it was
light enough to aim a gun.
Breakfast followed; and such a breakfast! They both helped the one-armed
cook. There was bannock light and snowy; bacon fried crisp--"breakfast"
bacon, very different in the North from plain "bacon"; and fried
sardines--delectable morsels! and coffee, and jam. All the delicious
things Garth and Natalie had dreamed of paled beside this homely
reality. Each of the three was delighted, moreover, to see the others
eat; Charley in especial, at the sight of the good he had brought, could
scarcely stop grinning to chew. Afterward he had to be told all that had
happened; and he in return related his adventures.
"Tell you what! I was sore when Garth sent me back!" Charley began.
"'What's the use!' I thought. 'I can't do any work, not knowing what's
come of them.' In the end I just didn't go back. I had all kinds of
crazy ideas about following you along the trail; but at last I thought
maybe I could be some real use by hanging round the Settlement, and
keeping an eye on Nick Grylls. And I did.
"Say, he really was knocked out all right, all right. They carried
him in from the lake; and the sisters nursed him in the Convent.
Construction of the brain he had, or something like that. Seems he
got up when he first come to on the shore, walked ten miles, and then
collapsed right near Grier's Point. But they kept that low. Hooliam gave
out a great story, how a big storm came up on the lake, and how Nick
fell overboard, _et cetera, et cetera_; Garth wasn't mentioned in it
at all!
"Long before Nick was able to be around, he sent down for Mary Co-que-wasa
and Xavier; and then I knew there was more mischief brewing. Say, those
two are the toughest of the whole tough bunch. They say Xavier is Mary's
son. All this time I was getting mighty worried myself, why you didn't
come back, and I was going to look for you anyway. However, as soon as he
was up, Grylls got a big outfit together, and started over the portage
with the two breeds. He gave out that he was going up to Ostachegan
Creek--but I knew! I got a couple of cayuses on credit, and a little
grub; and followed him inside three hours.
"He beat me by a day to the Crossing, and went right through. Over there
I heard about you from the fellows; and say, I was scared for fair, when
I counted up the grub I knew you had, and then thought how long you'd
been away! I hustled and got another horse and all the grub they would
trust me for. I tried my darnedest to get some of the fellows to come
with me. They laughed at me! They said I'd been reading too many dime
novels--I never read any! You see, every one knows Nick Grylls so well,
and nothing like this ever happened before. Jim Plaskett, the policeman,
would have believed me; but he was away. I left a letter for him. I lost
a couple of good days at the Crossing over this. The most the fellows
would say was, if I didn't bring you back in a week, the bunch would
ride up here.
"I was so excited with it all, I lost myself like a bloody fool for two
days on the prairie; and I just ran on the lake, by accident, yesterday
afternoon. Say, I almost gave the whole snap away, for I came over the
hill right above Mabyn's shack. Maybe I didn't duck in a hurry! There
was the whole bunch below me! Across the corner of the lake, I could see
this house too. I know it must be yours because it was just built; and
it had a sort of tenderfoot look to it. Say! I wasn't glad to see smoke
coming out of the chimney! Oh, no!
"Well, that's about all. I took a long sweep around the prairie, and
came down at the place where we got the horses. I thought they would
have you watched, so I figured I'd better wait for night, before trying
to open up communications. When she got good and dark, I crawled around
the shore of the lake. But when I got here, I didn't know how in thunder
to let you know it was me, without bringing down the bunch on us. So I
decided to lay low till morning, and show myself to you, the first
chance I got. Then Garth came out and it was all right!"
"Just in the nick of time!" said Garth grimly.
"What were you going to do?" asked Natalie quickly.
But he never told her.
* * * * *
They settled down with what patience they could muster, to wait for
their relief. Two days passed without any hostile demonstration from the
camp on the hill; but that their enemies kept themselves well informed,
they had the best reason to know; for it snowed on the second day, and
on the following morning there were moccasin tracks around the house,
and the rounded marks of two knees under the loophole in Natalie's room.
Garth had taken the precaution to hang a piece of canvas over the hole;
nevertheless, the discovery made them decidedly uncomfortable. Garth
nailed a board over the hole; and they searched the walls anew for any
tell-tale crack that might betray them.
It grew warm again; and the snow melted off the ground. Frequent
observations of the other camp taught them nothing. This apparent
inactivity puzzled Garth, since the others must know that the game of
starving them out was blocked with the arrival of Charley. They waited
in momentary expectation of attack, or a proposal; but none came.
Garth's only serious anxiety now was for the three horses. They must by
this time have cropped the limited herbage of the island; and in another
day, when they began to suffer with hunger, they would undoubtedly swim
off; and all his trouble to save them would be lost. He was greatly
tempted by the recollection of a wide, low meadow on the edge of the
lake below, where the blue-joint grass grew as high as a man's thigh,
curing naturally in the sun. With an hour's labour, he reflected, he
could cut enough to last them for a day.
There was a risk, of course, in depriving the cabin of its principal
defender for even so long; but he would not be at any time more than
half an hour's journey from them; and Charley ought surely to be able
to hold the fort for that time. In case of an attack it might even be
an advantage for him, Garth, to be on the outside of the cabin, where he
could flank the attackers with his gun.
In the end he went; setting off two hours before dawn, according to his
custom. On issuing from the shack, he found with some anxiety that the
sky had become heavily overcast, and an east wind had sprung up. This
would prevent his hearing as well as he wished; however, he considered
that if Grylls intended a night attack, he would scarcely wait until so
near morning: and he kept on.
He sat in the stern of the canoe pushing hard against the opposing wind.
The raised bow danced over the water, slapping the little waves, and
sending out musical cascades of drops on either side. The wind had the
same cool, damp smell of the east winds at home; and he was reminded of
a score of nights when he had nothing heavier on his mind than the
approaching end of a vacation. After two days' imprisonment in the
shack, the tussle with the wind was highly exhilarating; and it was very
good to measure the strength of his arms. He sang under his breath as he
worked. Black as it was, he could guide himself by the dimly-sensed
outline of the tree masses; and when they receded he knew he had arrived
opposite the meadow.
It took him longer than he had counted on to gather what he could carry;
for he was hampered by the intense darkness. He collected the hay into
small armfuls, which in turn he tied into great bundles; and wedged them
into the canoe. Embarking again, he raced back before the wind at double
the speed he had made against it.
On the way, a single, dull sound, coming muffled through the night,
brought his heart into his throat. He paused; but no other sound
followed, except the song of the water, and the sweep of the wind
through the branches on shore. He redoubled his strokes, filled with a
vague anxiety; and pausing only to cast out his bundles on the shore of
the island, hastened back to the camp. He heard no other untoward
sounds; but crossing from the island, he saw that the fire in the other
camp had died down. This had never happened any night before; and it
added to his uneasiness. The increased chill of the air now heralded the
approach of dawn; but it was not yet any lighter.
As he landed, the familiar outline of his own house, just as he had left
it, allayed his fears. Everything about the camp was still. Cautiously
drawing up the canoe, he advanced with confidence to give the prearranged
knock on the door. His knuckles beat upon the air. The door was wide open.
Then Garth's heart shrivelled in his breast; and his throat was
constricted as by sudden deadly fumes. He staggered in. There was
a stale odour of gunpowder in the room.
"Natalie! Charley!" he called, in a choked whisper.
The stillness mocked him.
He ran into Natalie's room, still faintly illumined by the embers of
the hearth. A glance told him it was empty; but he felt with his hands
in all the dim corners, agonizingly whispering her name. There was no
evidence here that any struggle had taken place.
Running out to the outer room toward Charley's bed, he fell over a body
lying on the floor. A touch told him it was the boy. He disregarded it,
until he had made sure Natalie was not there. Then dragging the body
into the inner room, he built up the fire. He saw the boy was not dead;
he could find no wound on him. He worked desperately to bring him to.
Charley stirred at last, and opened his eyes.
"What happened?" besought the distracted Garth.
The boy only looked at him stupidly.
"For God's sake collect your wits, and tell me!" he cried.
Charley, suddenly clutching Garth's arm, raised himself on his elbow.
"Garth!" he cried wildly. "Natalie! Where is she?"
"God knows!" groaned Garth.
Terrible recollection returned to the boy's eyes. He sat up dizzy and
nauseated. "I remember now!" he stuttered.
"Quick! Quick!" implored Garth.
"It was a little while after you went," Charley continued, getting it
out with difficulty. "Natalie came and shook me. She said she heard a
sound outside.... We waited and listened--a quarter of an hour it
seemed.... We heard nothing.... Then suddenly with one big crack, the
door flew open. They drove a log against it.... I couldn't tell how many
came in--maybe three.... I shoved Natalie behind me in the farthest
corner. I had the Winchester ready in my hands.... They dropped to the
floor when they came in; and scattered. I couldn't tell where they
were--I don't know how long it was.... Suddenly I heard something close
to--somebody breathing. I fired. In the flash I saw them all, Xavier,
Mary, and right over me, Nick Grylls, swinging the butt of his gun--then
my head split in pieces ... and you came!"
"Oh, my God!" cried Garth.
He picked up his rifle, and ran like a madman from the cabin.