AN ADVENTURE WITH THE NAVAJOS
Three days later, Ned Napier and Alan Hope, worn and almost
exhausted with the steady climb and descent of countless rocky
heights, made their camp for the night at the foot of a rugged
slope. Their shoes were torn so that a protection of rags was
necessary. The hot and pitiless sun had seemingly dried up their
boyish spirits. Silent with fatigue, having plodded steadily
forward since sunrise, they threw themselves on the sand.
The young adventurers were headed straight for the east. And still
the last range of mountains was beyond them. Led by the compass,
they held to their course, sometimes passing miles out of their path
to avoid some inaccessible mesa, but more often scaling ragged and
tiresome heights.
Eating had now become a matter of form and necessity. There was no
longer the keen joy in making camp. During the three days the boys
had seen no living object except birds, rabbits, many deer and two
bears, all of which they had left unmolested in their eagerness to
press forward. But at noon on this day Alan, having occasion to
glance backwards, was positive that he saw a human head. Whether
white man or Indian he could not determine. The incident gave the
lads no little, concern, but as no further sign of a human being was
seen that day they finally forgot the matter.
That night, after making tea and taking a little more pains than
usual with their supper in an effort to revive their spirits as well
as their tired bodies, Ned and Alan spread their blankets at the
edge of a pine grove. Almost before it was dark they were both
sound asleep.
Some hours later Alan awoke with the instant consciousness of an
unusual sound. Motionless and straining his ears, he heard deep
breathing just behind him. A new moon was just sinking below the
buttes on the far side of the little valley in which they had
stopped for rest, but under the pines the shadows were deep. He
knew that danger was near and he did not move. In another moment he
felt a soft hand on his waist, as swift and as silent as a snake,
and he knew that the hand was extracting his revolver.
Then, from his half-opened eyes, he saw a figure crouching over his
chum just opposite. Some one no doubt was also removing Ned's
weapon. Then there was the pressure of stealthy footsteps on the
pine needles and Alan moved his head until he could see two
indistinct forms moving from the shadows of the timber across the
open space to the dying embers of their little fire. There he could
easily discern five or six figures. He was about to put his hand on
Ned's face to awaken him gently when he saw the entire group coming
directly toward their sleeping place. Their movements now revealed
plainly that they were Indians.
With cold beads of perspiration covering his body Alan again
pretended sleep. It was now apparent that they had been followed,
and, no doubt, by Navajos. Perhaps this was the end of their
toilsome retreat. With visions of death presenting themselves, he
wondered again whether he ought to arouse Ned. Then he realized the
futility of such action. As the moccasined feet drew near Alan
could read death in each approaching sound. But at the edge of the
trees there was another pause, and then he knew that the Indians had
scattered.
Straining every muscle in an effort to breathe naturally, like one
asleep, the boy counted the seconds while he waited for the clutch
of a savage hand. And as the moment passed and the attack did not
come he tried to speculate on what the strangers were doing. A
guttural half exclamation soon allowed him a quick breath of
temporary relief. The Indians were only after their supplies.
The savages had found the half-concealed packs of the two boys.
Alan knew this by the location of the sounds that now came to him,
and then, as the prowlers withdrew again into the open and the faint
moonlight, it could be seen that they were bearing all the
belongings of the two lads. For perhaps ten minutes Alan lay
without moving and watched the Indians. He could make out that they
were hastily looking over the packs and dividing what yet remained
among themselves. Then ponies were led to the place of the camp
fire and the members of the band quickly threw themselves on their
animals and disappeared into the night.
Almost paralyzed with the knowledge of what this meant Alan now
softly put his hand on Ned's face:
"Are you awake?" came instantly from Ned.
"Are you?" retorted Alan in surprise.
"Yes," whispered Ned, "I saw it all. But I didn't move, because I
was afraid of arousing you."
"Here, too," exclaimed Alan. "Did you feel them take your
revolver?"
Ned's band flew to his belt.
"Is yours gone too? I saw them when they came up from the fire.
But you did right to keep still. If we had moved I expect we'd have
had our throats cut."
"That was one of them I saw to-day," added Alan, "and I guess we're
lucky to be alive."
"Yes," added Ned rising to his feet, "we are. They are satisfied, I
suppose, to let us starve."
The prospect was a trying one. If the range behind them was the one
they hoped it was, there was only one more valley between its summit
and the outer ridge of the Tunit Chas. If they could reach this
ridge they believed they might see Mount Wilson's peak. But even
that meant another thirty miles to the scene of the attack on Buck's
camp on the banks of the Chusco. And from that place it was
eighty-five miles to a railroad and help!
The boys sat in the edge of the pines as the new moon disappeared,
leaving them in utter darkness, and tried desperately to encourage
each other. Both had the grit to set themselves stoutly to the
apparently hopeless task. Without food or firearms and possibly
without water, they knew they would find the task gigantic. But
nothing was to be gained by waiting for starvation and death in the
wilderness, and their decision was to do what they could, to try the
almost impossible, and if they failed to fail with their faces
toward the east.
"Why not start now?" urged Alan. "Let's use what strength we have."
But Ned showed him the folly of this.
"A night's rest will enable us to make better time to-morrow. And
besides, we can't make headway when we can't follow the compass."
Retiring a little further into the woods the boys composed
themselves again and before long were once more fast asleep.