CAMPFIRE SMOKE
Dick’s eyes were shining as Sandy strode up.
“The last person on earth I expected to see!” he shouted. “When did you
get here?”
“A few hours ago,” replied Sandy, releasing Dick’s hand and standing up
to look curiously about him. “Corporal Rand was over at the warehouse
when we arrived.”
“We!” exclaimed Dick.
“Yes. Do you think I came alone? Sergeant Richardson and I left
Settlement Mountain a week ago, and I want to tell you we’ve made quick
time.”
“But what did you do with your prisoners?”
“Took them back to Wandley’s post. Had ’em locked up. While we were
there we saw Pearly. He’s very much improved.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” said Dick. “Well, how did you like the trip? I
suppose you had difficulty in finding the entrance to Blind Man’s Pass.”
“We were afraid we would, but fortunately everything turned out all
right. You see, Dick, there hasn’t been a heavy snow storm since that
day we started out with Pearly. We were able to follow your tracks most
of the way. The only place, where we had any trouble at all, was just
east of that long ravine. Here the wind had drifted in your trail. We
were delayed several hours before we found it again—about a mile farther
on.”
“I’m anxious to see Sergeant Richardson. How is he?”
“As fit as ever.”
There ensued a short interval of silence. Sandy gazed down at his chum,
sympathy and commiseration in his eyes.
“I guess you’ve had a pretty tough time of it. Do you think you’ll be
able to be around soon? Over at the warehouse, Toma told me all about
your experiences.”
At the memory, Dick’s face shadowed.
“I wouldn’t care to go through it all again. I’m glad you weren’t here,
Sandy. You might not have been so fortunate.”
Sandy grinned to himself. “Well, we’ve had a few exciting moments
ourselves. Early this morning we discovered the packers. I suppose Rand
told you.”
“Packers! What do you mean? Both the corporal and Toma have been as
secretive as clams. But once or twice I almost caught them. Tell me
about it, Sandy.”
The young Scotchman pulled forward a block of wood and sat down.
“It isn’t a very long story, Dick. I think our meeting with the packers
was as much a surprise to us as it was to them. You see, all day
yesterday we had been hurrying along, anxious to get down here to the
coast. We were not sure where we would find you. Sergeant Richardson was
always looking for the smoke of a campfire. When we were still ten or
twelve miles back along the trail, every chance he got he’d climb some
hill and scan the surrounding country with his field-glasses.
“We passed several cabins, but he thought it would be better not to make
inquiries there. Last night, just before we made camp, he shinned up a
tall tree and looked everywhere. He thought he could see the distant
glow of a fire, but he was not sure. This morning we rose early. It was
still dark when we started out. Sergeant Richardson was in the lead.
When daylight came, I remember he turned to tell me that we were not
more than four miles from the ocean.”
Sandy paused and smiled reminiscently.
“Not long after that we smelled smoke. It was faint, yet one could
detect the odor. The sergeant said:
“‘We’re pretty close to them now, Sandy. When we find the source of this
smoke, I think we’ll find them.’
“A little farther on, we saw a blue spiral, twisting and curling up
among the trees. We were very close now. Naturally, I was very anxious
to see you all again, and started forward on a run, but the sergeant
overtook me, seizing me by the collar. He yanked me into the bush.
“‘Don’t be a fool!’ he said.
“I thought he was unduly cautious. He warned me to be quiet, to follow
him. We advanced toward that smoke spiral as stealthily as a couple of
Bengal tigers. I’m here to tell you, Dick, that I’m mighty glad now that
we did.
“I guess you can imagine our surprise. Not you at all—not any of you!
Instead four dirty half-breeds and a queer-looking duffer of a white
man. I was disappointed. I didn’t have the least idea who they were, and
supposed, of course, that we would leave them and proceed on our
journey. I recall plucking at the sergeant’s sleeve and whispering
something about hurrying along on our way.
“But for some reason, Richardson was suspicious. He instructed me to
remain there while he crawled closer. The men were eating their
breakfast and talking amongst themselves. Richardson wanted to hear what
they said.
“I was annoyed over the delay. I wasn’t the least bit interested in
those half-breeds.
“‘We’re just wasting valuable time,’ I told myself.
“After a time, a rabbit hopped up close to where I was sitting and I
became interested in him. I had just chucked a piece of bark at him,
when I heard a sudden commotion. Someone was talking in a loud voice.
“It was the sergeant. There he stood with a gun in his hands, bawling
out orders. The half-breeds and the funny duffer in the gray cap were
huddled in front of him like a flock of frightened sheep.
“Even then it didn’t occur to me that they were Murky’s packers. I guess
I was a little bewildered. The thing had happened so suddenly. I heard
Richardson calling me.
“It was the white man who told us the story. He said he was sick of the
whole business and was ready to quit. He said he hadn’t done anything
wrong anyway, but even if he had, he preferred jail to another day in
that wilderness. He was only a common sailor, he told us, and would be
mighty glad to get back to his ship. Until just recently, neither he nor
any of the other sailors knew that the fur had been stolen. Captain
Reynolds, master of the yacht, had told them a very plausible story and
they had believed it.”
Sandy paused again.
“There isn’t much more to tell. We reached the warehouse less than an
hour later, where we found Corporal Rand and his prisoners. Maybe you
think I wasn’t glad.”
Dick looked up into his chum’s face and smiled.
“I’m glad too. This surely came as a surprise to me. It won’t be long
now until we can return to Fort Good Faith.”
Sandy rose to his feet. He stretched his arms above his head, yawning
lazily. Suddenly his hands dropped and he stared in surprise.
“Look, Dick! Here comes Sergeant Richardson. He’s bringing all the
prisoners.”