THE SEARCH.
All through the night Tim O'Rooney and Howard Lawrence sat in close
consultation. Hunger and sleep were alike unthought of. Elwood Brandon
was lost, and that was all of which they could think or speak. How they
longed for the morning, and how impatient they were to be on the hunt!
It seemed to Howard as if he could go leaping and flying down the chasms
and gorges among the hills, and never tire until he had hunted out and
brought back his cousin. Where could he be? If nestling in the branches
of a tree, or hid away among the rocks, was he asleep? Or if awake, of
what was he thinking? Did he believe that Howard was searching for him?
Or did he imagine him also lost? It would not be reasonable to suppose
that he had any suspicion of his finding Tim O'Rooney.
If in the hands of California Indians----But it would be vain to trace
out all the thoughts and speculations that ran through the head of the
boy. Some of them were of the wildest and most grotesque character, and
would assume a ludicrous phase to one whose mind was not in such a whirl
of excitement and distress.
In the gloom of the wood the darkness was so intense that neither Tim
nor Howard could distinguish each other, though only a few feet apart.
The Newfoundland lay close to his master, seemingly sound asleep, but
more heedful than the two of the approach of danger.
Occasionally through the night the call of some wild animal was
heard--sometimes distant and sometimes so near that they started to
their feet and were about to enter their canoe and shove out into the
stream; but when it came no more they were reassured. Then something
like the report of a gun came faintly up the river to their ears.
These sounds only served to render the night more gloomy and lonely, and
to make the daylight the more welcome.
"Now let's be off," said Howard, as soon as it was light enough to
distinguish each other's faces.
"We must find some means of remembering this place, or we'll never see
the canoe agin, and will be obliged to sail into San Francisco on fut."
The boat was drawn entirely out of the water and covered as much as
possible with leaves and undergrowth; for it was a loss that under any
circumstances they could not sustain. The feat of marking the place so
that they could readily return to it from any direction was more
difficult; but Howard finally hit upon quite an ingenious scheme. They
waited until the sun had approached near enough to the horizon that they
could tell precisely the point where it would appear, and then turning
their backs against it they walked forward until they reached the hills
where Elwood had disappeared. Here they noticed the character and
formation of the rocks so particularly that they could recognize them
the moment they saw them. Thus the hills were such a conspicuous
landmark as to be seen from a great distance; and, as they did not
intend to go out of their sight, all they had to do was to hunt till
they found this spot, and then walk due east.
All this was agreed upon, and they were among the hills just as the sun
was coming up the horizon. Here, after whistling and shouting for
sometime without receiving any response, they concluded to search for
the point where the boys separated. This was quite distant, and over an
hour was required to find the place, and when it was discovered Howard
could not be positive that he was right.
But as time was of the greatest importance, they pressed on, the dog
snuffing the ground as though he had scented the footprints, but he
failed to follow them with certainty. Several hundred yards brought them
to an opening in the hills just broad enough to admit the body of a man.
It was not a tunnel-like opening, but a rent, as if the hills had been
pulled a few feet asunder by the power of an earthquake.
The two paused in doubt before this.
"He went in there," said Tim. "He couldn't help it, no matter how great
his hurry."
"I am half disposed to believe you; at any rate let us follow it some
ways."
Terror was running over the ground, as though he had made a discovery,
and he finally whisked forward out of sight.
"That looks as if he were upon his trail."
"Yis, or somebody ilse's; maybe some of the rid gintlemen has took his
marnin' walk in this direction."
They followed the path with caution, and were surprised the further they
advanced. It wound around and among the rocks, which came so close
together as to forbid the passage of a man, and the sides never
withdrawing more than a dozen feet.
"It looks as though it had been made on purpose," said Tim, gazing
around him in admiration.
Finally, it was broken up among the hills, after winding through every
point of the compass for fully an eighth of a mile. It gradually rose
from its commencement--occasionally interrupted by sharp ascents--until
its termination, when they found they had reached no mean elevation.
Still the rocks rose on every hand, and shut out their view of the
surrounding country, but showed them a specimen of the wild scenery
produced in California. The interior of the hills was cut up by chasms,
gorges and ravines, and they heard, but did not see, the rush of a small
stream of water.
They stood in silence a few moments and then Howard said:
"If he is lost in here there is no need of us looking for him."
"And why not?"
"We might search till we died of old age, and never find the least trace
of him."
"And might discover the poor youngster's body the first half-hour we
spint in looking."
This last remark caused Howard to start off at once, fully resolved not
to pause again in the search until compelled to do so.
Terror was constantly commanded to hunt for the trail of the boy, and
the dog appeared to understand what was expected of him, for he was
running constantly hither and thither, but never gave sign that he had
found anything positive.
This fact led Howard to doubt whether Elwood had preceded them in this
place. If he had really been here, he must have passed directly over the
spot upon which they were standing, and it seemed hardly possible that
the dog could miss the scent. So strong was he impressed with this that
he proposed to Tim O'Rooney to turn back and resume their search outside
the hills; but he was so sure that Elwood Brandon could never have
passed unentered such an inviting opening that he would not consent to
withdraw until they examined further.
Looking around they saw several paths by which they could enter the
wild, desolate-looking scene before them. Of course, it was all a matter
of chance whether they took the one which had been followed by their
lost friend. Tim affirmed that the one that looked the most dangerous
and uninviting was surely the right one; but Howard was hardly prepared
to admit this. Selecting the most accessible, they carefully followed it
for over an hour. In and out among the rocks, sometimes over their tops,
then between or around them, down through ravines, and then along their
edges, up the stony, earthy sides of the gorges, until at length they
halted as they believed in the very heart of this wild looking place.
"Here we are!" said Howard. "I don't see how we can advance much further
without going out to the other side."
"It's the qua'rest sight I iver looked upon," said Tim, turning round
and round, meaning the wild scenery.
"But there is nothing learned of Elwood."
"Niver a sign do I saa of the youngster," rejoined Tim. "I graive to
think we cannot be near him."
"We have gone on the wrong track."
"I'm a feared so."
"Too bad, too bad," wailed Howard, "what is to come of the poor fellow?"
"But we can't till," hastily added Tim, "do yees put your fingers in
your mouth and give that jolly little whistle."
Howard Lawrence was in the very act of doing so when his arm was
suddenly arrested by his companion, who, with an exclamation of surprise
pointed to a ledge of rocks above them.