THE NEW GUIDE.
Minturn looked in the face of his sister a moment, as if he would read
her very thoughts. Then he asked in a whisper that not even Ned Clinton
overheard:
"Do you mistrust him, Rosa?"
She regretted her words, and answered:
"I ought not to have said it, Jo, but I didn't like his looks when he
first joined us; have you ever seen him before?"
"I think I have, though I can't recall the place or occasion."
"Well, that makes a different matter of it; do as you think best."
Believing that his sister had come to his view of the case, Jo so stated
to Ned, and there was no further hesitation. While this little
conference was going on, Worrell remained seated, acting as if he had no
concern in the matter. He busied himself in examining his rifle, and
making sure it was in order. A minute or so before Jo was prepared to
make a definite proposition to him, he rose to his feet, and assumed an
attitude of intense attention, as though some faint signal had fallen on
his ear. Then as the young scout turned to address him, he spoke first:
"Well, I guess I'll have to bid you good-morning."
"And why so?" asked Jo, in some surprise.
"To tell the truth, this is too dangerous a place to stay any longer. I
hear sounds in the woods that lead me to think there are some of the
redskins not very far off, and I prefer to dig out; maybe it'll be safer
and better for you to wait till Lena-Wingo comes back, and he'll get you
out better than I can."
"No one could do better than the Mohawk if he were only here, but the
trouble is he isn't here just now, and we've come to the conclusion that
it is not safe to wait for him. Where do you mean to go?"
"Oh, there's a little hiding-place up here a way, where I'll crawl into,
for, when I'm in there, you may trot out all the redskins in the valley,
and I'll go to sleep while they're hunting. I don't care if Lena-Wingo
is among them. I ca'c'late to spend some time there till the Indians
get a little scarcer."
"What will you do for food?"
"I've got _that_ fixed," replied Worrell, in a voice and with a manner
that implied there was nothing to fear on that score.
"Well, if you will allow us to go with you--"
"Allow you!" exclaimed the man, in a gushing mood. "Haven't I been
wanting you to go with me ever since I stopped and found in what trouble
you were? Why, come along, and I'll put you in a place where you can
stay a month, if you want to, without a living soul finding out where
you are."
"We'll do it, and be forever grateful for your kindness; but you say
even Lena-Wingo will be unable to find out where we are hiding. We must
let him know where we are when he returns and misses us."
"That can be fixed. When we see him looking for us, we can step out and
let him know we are around, and he'll be there in a second, of course."
"All right, then; lead the way."
The man placed himself at the head of the party, Jo following, while Ned
and Rosa brought up the rear. The first move of Worrell impressed the
youths in his favor, for he headed toward the mountain close at hand, a
course that would suggest itself to one who was hunting a hiding-place.
It looked as if he understood his business, and knew where to take them
to find what they wanted. There was no material change in the appearance
of the forest through which they were making their way, except that it
grew somewhat rougher and more difficult to traverse, though the company
continued to journey without any hesitation in their rate of progress.
They pushed along for quite a distance in this manner, when their guide
halted, as if he had again detected something that did not suit him. He
stood with his head bent in the way they noticed before starting, but
said nothing.
"What's up now?" asked Jo, who thought they might as well understand
everything as they went along.
"It's queer," replied their companion, in a low voice, "but I've fancied
once or twice that I heard signals in the woods just such as have caught
my ear when I knew the redskins were looking for some of us. Night
before last, I picked up a poor chap--Tom Haley, a settler living near
me, and was on my way to another place to hide him, when we heard the
same sort of sounds, and we stopped to listen to 'em, but we hadn't
stood more than five minutes when they come down on us. The first notice
we had was the banging of about a dozen rifles, and that was the last of
poor Tom. I was lucky enough to get away, but I don't want to meet any
more neighbors like that."
This was not cheerful or soothing information, and the three fugitives
felt anything but comfortable.
"Haven't you heard the sounds?" asked Worrell, addressing the three.
None of them had noticed anything, and Rosa asked:
"What do they resemble?"
"Nothing so much as the faint call of the whip-o'-will, so low and soft
that the ear can hardly catch it."
"It is strange that you should be the only one to notice it," she
continued; "are you sure that you weren't mistaken?"
"It may be I was, but my experience with the Iroquois has made me very
suspicious; but I do hope I was off the track, for it may prove a bad
thing if I wasn't."
"Do you hear it now?"
"Hark! let us listen."
All stood motionless, and scarcely breathing. But nothing resembling the
sounds described by their guide was noticed.
"It _does_ look as if I was mistaken," said Worrell, brightening up. "I
hope I was."
"It could be very well the other way," said Ned Clinton. "The Indians
may have made a dozen calls to each other, but they were not likely to
keep it up very long. A few signals would accomplish all they want."
Nothing was to be gained by argument over the question, in which all was
conjecture, and they moved on once more. It was not five minutes before
their guide paused again, but it was only for a moment, and he said
nothing. He acted as if he fancied he caught something suspicious, but
seeing the whites with the appearance of attention, concluded he was
mistaken, so long as nothing of the kind fell upon their ears. By that
time the afternoon was well advanced, and the day was somewhat warmer
than before.
None of the fugitives had gained a moment's sleep during the preceding
night, while the exhaustion and privation of the past few days were so
severe that they experienced the need of rest and food. Ned and Jo felt
that the man could not do them a greater favor and kindness than to lead
them into some retreat where they could recuperate in this
respect,--sleep being needed more than anything else. Jo turned about
while they were walking cautiously forward, and whispered to Ned
immediately behind:
"Watch the route we take."
Ned nodded his head to signify he understood him. At intervals they
reached and crossed small spaces of natural clearings, where Rosa and
the youths scanned all the country that could be brought under their
field of vision. In no instance were these very extensive, and the view
resulted in nothing tangible as regarded the movements of their enemies.
Much of the ground which was passed was rough and covered with stones.
Upon these they stepped so carefully that they left a trail which it
would require the keenest eye of the Indian warrior to detect and
follow.