It need not be said that Fred Godfrey improved his opportunity to the
utmost.
Having eluded the Senecas who were so close behind him, it was not
likely he would run any risk of being caught on their return. In fact,
he might have considered himself beyond danger, and yet the narrowest
escape of all occurred only a few minutes afterward.
Anxious to gain the utmost time possible, he was picking his way with
great care, when he stepped upon a stone that turned under his foot, and
he narrowly escaped falling.
Immediately he caught a birdlike call near him, and his quick wit told
him it was a signal from one of the warriors searching for him.
Fred made an abrupt turn, and going a rod or two, halted precisely as
before--that is beneath a large tree, and stood close against the
trunk.
And standing thus, he noticed the same sound once more, this time
answered from a point directly behind him.
He could do nothing but stand still, and he knew how to do that equal to
a living statue. Only a few yards in front was an open space, where the
moonlight revealed objects without exposing himself to observation.
Thus it was that the youth detected two Indians, who came out of the
wood on the other side and stopped, as if they were posing for
inspection. They talked for some minutes in their own tongue,
gesticulating earnestly and then walked toward him.
He quickly shifted his position to the other side of the tree and peered
around, but, when they came into the shadow, nothing could be seen of
them.
"I believe they know where I am," thought he, "and are amusing
themselves at my expense."
Such seemed to be the case, for once more the red men stopped and were
actually within reach of him. Since the arms of the latter were still
fastened behind him, it can well be understood how he dreaded
discovery, his chief fear being that the painful throbbing of his heart
would betray him.
But the good fortune that had attended him on the other side the river
did not desert him now. The Senecas hovered about him only a minute or
two and then moved away, this time taking a direction that led toward
the camp-fire--an indication that they had given up the pursuit.
Pausing only long enough for them to pass beyond hearing, Fred resumed
his flight, with the same care he had used from the first.
He was now more hopeful than ever, but almost instantly received another
warning that it is never safe to shout until you are "out of the woods."
He judged he was fully two hundred yards from the camp-fire which he had
left so hurriedly, when he found himself in such darkness that he once
more stopped until he could gather some idea of his location and of the
points of the compass.
Listening closely, he caught the gentle flow of the small waterfall and
of the Susquehanna on his right, from which direction also came the
occasional reports of guns and the shouts of Indians. This convinced him
he was facing south, and that his back was turned toward his friends.
It was no pleasant discovery to find the same ominous sounds proceeding
from his own side the river; but, having left them in such a situation,
this alarming fact was scarcely noticed.
"The first thing for me to do is to get these withes off my arms and
wrists," he said, poking around with his feet for some sharp-cornered
stone. "I've stood this--"
To his dismay, a figure approached in the gloom. There were just enough
scattering rays of moonlight to show it, and its movements made certain
the fact that he (the stranger) had discovered him.
"I shall have to use my feet," was the thought of Fred, as he braced
himself; "and I will give him a kick that will do something--"
"Am dat you, leftenant?" came in the form of a husky whisper, as the
figure stopped a few feet away and tried to peer through the gloom.
Fred Godfrey almost shouted with delight, for the question revealed the
identity of Gravity Gimp.
"Thank Heaven!" was the exclamation of the young man. "I hadn't the
remotest idea of meeting you, Gravity."
"Let's shake on it," chuckled the African, groping forward with his huge
palm, which he shoved into the face of the pleased Fred, who said:
"If you'll be kind enough to cut these bonds that hold my arms
immovable, I'll shake both hands."
"Of course; where am dey?" asked the equally happy negro, poking around
with his immense jack-knife. "I'se so glorious dat you mus' 'scuse me if
I cut off de wrong things. I can't hold myself. Dar, I knowed it!" he
added, slashing away; "dat's your leg dat I have hold of, and I do
b'leve dat I've cut it half off. Begs pardon, leftenant, and I'll hit it
after a while."
But no such blunder had been committed, and, under the manipulation of
the jack-knife, the withes that had bound the arms of Fred Godfrey were
speedily cut, and he swung his hands about and sawed the air with great
relief.
"My gracious! but that's good!" he exclaimed. "I was so wretched that I
believe I would have gone wild if I hadn't been freed."
"Why didn't you gnaw 'em off?" said Gimp. "You've got good 'nough teeth
to walk right through anything like dat."
"That may be, Gravity; but with my hands tied behind me, I couldn't very
well get at them with my teeth."
"I didn't thunk ob dat--but you could hab fixed it easy 'nough."
"In what way?"
"Jes' stood on your head--dat was de way to reach 'em."