THE BRAVE DEFENSE
Robert hoped for a fair morning. Surely Areskoui would relent now! But
the sun that crept languidly up the horizon was invisible to them,
hidden by a dark curtain of clouds that might shed, at any moment,
torrents of rain or hail or snow. The whole earth swam in chilly
damp. Banks of cold fog filled the valleys and gorges, and shreds and
patches of it floated along the peaks and ridges. The double fires had
dried his clothing and had sent warmth into his veins, increasing his
vitality somewhat, but it was far below normal nevertheless. He had an
immense aversion to further movement. He wanted to stay there between
the coals, awaiting passively whatever fate might have for him.
Somehow, his will to make an effort and live seemed to have gone.
While weakness grew upon him and he drooped by the fire, he did not
feel hunger, but it was only a passing phase. Presently the desire for
food that had gnawed at him with sharp teeth came back, and with it
his wish to do, like one stirred into action by pain. Hunger itself
was a stimulus and his sinking vitality was arrested in its decline.
He looked around eagerly at the sodden scene, but it certainly held
out little promise of game. Deer and bear would avoid those steeps,
and range in the valleys. But the will to action, stimulated back to
life, remained. However comfortable it was between the fires they must
not stay there to perish.
"Why don't we go on?" he said to Willet.
"I'm glad to hear you ask that question," replied the hunter.
"Why, Dave?"
"Because it shows that you haven't given up. If you've got the courage
to leave such a warm and dry place you've got the courage also to make
another fight for life. And you were the first to speak, too, Robert."
"We must go on," said Tayoga. "But it is best to throw slush over the
fire and hide our traces."
The task finished they took up their vague journey, going they knew
not where, but knowing that they must go somewhere, their uncertain
way still leading along the crests of narrow ridges, across shallow
dips and through drooping forests, where the wind moaned miserably. At
intervals, it rained or snowed or hailed and once more they were wet
through and through. The recrudescence of Robert's strength was a mere
flare-up. His vitality ebbed again, and not even the fierce gnawing
hunger that refused to depart could stimulate it. By-and-by he began
to stumble, but Tayoga and Willet, who noticed it, said nothing--they
staggered at times themselves. They toiled on for hours in silence,
but, late in the afternoon, Robert turned suddenly to the Onondaga.
"Do you remember, Tayoga," he said, "something you said to me a couple
of days since, or was it a week, or maybe a month ago? I seem to
remember time very uncertainly, but you were talking about repasts,
banquets, Lucullan banquets, more gorgeous banquets than old Nero had,
and they say he was king of epicures. I think you spoke of tender
venison, and juicy bear steaks, and perhaps of a delicate broiled
trout from one of these clear mountain streams. Am I not right,
Tayoga? Didn't you mention viands? And perhaps you may still be
thinking of them?"
"I _am_, Dagaeoga. I am thinking of them all the time. I confess to
you that I am so hungry I could gnaw the inside of the fresh bark upon
a tree, and if I were turned loose upon a deer, slain and cooked, I
could eat him all from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail."
"Stop, you boys," said Willet sternly. "You only aggravate your
sufferings. Isn't that a valley to the right, Tayoga, and don't you
catch the gleam of a little lake among its trees?"
"It is a valley, Great Bear, and there _is_ a small lake in the
center. We will go there. Perhaps we can catch fish."
Hope sprang up in Robert's heart. Fish? Why, of course there were fish
in all the mountain lakes! and they never failed to carry hooks and
lines in their packs. Bait could be found easily under the rocks.
He did not conceal his eagerness to descend into the valley and the
others were not less forward than he.
The valley was about half a square mile in area, of which the lake in
the center occupied one-fourth, the rest being in dense forest.
The three soon had their lines in water, and they waited full of
anticipation, but they waited in vain until long after night had come.
Not one of the three received a bite. The lines floated idly.
"Every lake in the mountains except one is full of fish--except one!"
exclaimed Robert bitterly, "and this is the one!"
"No, it is not that," said Tayoga gravely. "It means that the face
of Areskoui is still turned from us, that the good Sun God does not
relent for our unknown sin. We must have offended him deeply that he
should remain angry with us so long. This lake is swarming with fish,
like the others of the mountains, but he has willed that not one
should hang upon our hooks. Why waste time?"
He drew his line from the water, wound it up carefully and replaced
it in his pack. The others, after a fruitless wait, imitated him,
convinced that he was right. Then, after infinite pains, as before,
they built two fires again, and slept between them. But the next
morning all three were weak. Their vitality had declined fast in the
night, and the situation became critical in the extreme.
"We must find food or we die," said Willet. "We might linger a long
time, but soon we won't have the strength to hunt, and then it would
only be a question of when the wolves took us."
"I can hear them howling now on the slopes," said Tayoga. "They know
we are here, and that our strength is declining. They will not face
our rifles, but will wait until we are too weak to use them."
"What is your plan, Dave?" asked Robert.
"There must be game on the slopes. What say you, Tayoga?"
"If Areskoui has willed for game to be there it will be there. He
will even send it to us. And perhaps he has decided that he has now
punished us enough."
"It certainly won't hurt for us to try, and perhaps we'd better
separate. Robert, you go west; Tayoga, you take the eastern slopes,
and I'll hunt toward the north. By night we'll all be back at this
spot, full-handed or empty-handed, as it may be, but full-handed, I
hope."
He spoke cheerfully, and the others responded in like fashion. Action
gave them a mental and physical tonic, and bracing their weak bodies
they started in the direction allotted to each. Robert forgot, for a
little while, the terrible hunger that seemed to be preying upon his
very fiber, and, as he started away, showed an elasticity and buoyancy
of which he could not have dreamed himself capable five minutes
before.
Westward stretched forest, lofty in the valley, high on the slopes and
everywhere dense. He plunged into it, and then looked back. Tayoga and
Willet were already gone from his sight, seeking what he sought. Their
experience in the wilderness was greater than his, and they were
superior to him in trailing, but he was very hopeful that it would be
his good fortune to find the game they needed so badly, the game they
must have soon, in truth, or perish.
The valley was deep in slush and mire, and the water soaked through
his leggings and moccasins again, but he paid no attention to it now.
His new courage and strength lasted. Glancing up at the heavens he
beheld a little rift in the western clouds. A bar of light was
let through, and his mind, so imaginative, so susceptible to the
influences of earth and air, at once saw it as an omen. It was a
pillar of fire to him, and his faith was confirmed.
"Areskoui is turning back his face, and he smiles upon us," he said to
himself. Then looking carefully to his rifle, he held it ready for an
instant shot.
He came to the westward edge of the valley, and found the slope before
him gentle but rocky. He paused there a while in indecision, and,
then glancing up again at the bar of light that had grown broader, he
murmured, so much had he imbibed the religion and philosophy of the
Iroquois:
"O Areskoui, direct me which way to go."
The reply came, almost like a whisper in his ear:
"Try the rocks."
It always seemed to him that it was a real whisper, not his own mind
prompting him, and he walked boldly among the rocks which stretched
for a long distance along the slopes. Then, or for the time, at least,
he felt sure that a powerful hand was directing him. He saw tracks in
the soft soil between the strong uplifts and he believed that they
were fresh. Hollows were numerous there, and game of a certain kind
would seek them in bitter weather.
His heart began to pound hard, too heavily, in fact, for his weakened
frame, and he was compelled to stop and steady himself. Then he
resumed the hunt once more, looking here and there between the rocky
uplifts and in the deep depressions. He lost the tracks and then
he found them, apparently fresher than ever. Would he take what he
sought? Was the face of Areskoui still inclining toward him? He looked
up and the bar of light was steadily growing broader and longer. The
smile of the Sun God was deeper, and his doubts went away, one by one.
He turned toward a tall rock and a black figure sprang up, stared at
him a moment or two, and then undertook to run away. Robert's rifle
leaped to his shoulder, and, at a range so short that he could not
miss, he pulled the trigger. The animal went down, shot through the
heart, and then, silently exulting, young Lennox stood over him.
Areskoui had, in truth, been most kind. It was a young bear, nearly
grown, very fat, and, as Robert well knew, very tender also. Here was
food, splendid food, enough to last them many days, and he rejoiced.
Then he was in a quandary. He could not carry the bear away, and while
he could cut him up, he was loath to leave any part of him there. The
wolves would soon be coming, insisting upon their share, but he was
resolved they should have none.
He put his fingers over his mouth and blew between them a whistle,
long, shrill and piercing, a sound that penetrated farther than
the rifle shot. It was answered presently in a faint note from the
opposite slope, and, then sitting down, he waited patiently. He knew
that Tayoga and Willet would come, and, after a while, they appeared,
striding eagerly through the forest. Then Robert rose, his heart full
of gratitude and pride, and, in a grand manner, he did the honors.
"Come, good comrades," he said. "Come to the banquet. Have a steak of
a bear, the finest, juiciest, tenderest bear that was ever killed.
Have two steaks, three steaks, four steaks, any number of them. Here
is abundant food that Areskoui has sent us."
Then he reeled and would have fallen to the ground had not Willet
caught him in his arms. His great effort, made in his weakened
condition, had exhausted him and a sudden collapse came, but he
revived almost instantly, and the three together dragged the body of
the bear into the valley. Then they proceeded dextrously, but without
undue haste, to clean it, to light a fire, and to cook strips. Nor did
they eat rapidly, knowing it was not wise to do so, but took little
pieces, masticating them long and well, and allowing a decent interval
between. Their satisfaction was intense and enormous. Life, fresh and
vigorous, poured back into their veins.
"I'm sorry our bear had to die," said Robert, "but he perished in a
good cause. I think he was reserved for the especial purpose of saving
our lives."
"It is so," said Tayoga with deep conviction. "The face of Areskoui is
now turned toward us. Our unknown sin is expiated. We must cook all
the bear, and hang the flesh in the trees."
"So we must," said the hunter. "It's not right that we three, who are
engaged in the great service of our country, should be hindered by the
danger of starvation. We ought now to be somewhere near the French and
Indians, watching them."
"Tomorrow we will seek them, Great Bear," said Tayoga, "but do you not
think that tonight we should rest?"
"So we should, Tayoga. You're right. We'll take all chances on being
seen, keep a good fire going and enjoy our comfort."
"And eat a big black bear steak every hour or so," said Robert.
"If we feel like it that's just what we'll do," laughed Willet. "It's
our night, now. Surely, Robert, you're the greatest hunter in the
world! Neither Tayoga nor I saw a sign of game, but you walked
straight to your bear."
"No irony," said Robert, who, nevertheless, was pleased. "It merely
proves that Areskoui had forgiven me, while he had not forgiven you
two. But don't you notice a tremendous change?"
"Change! Change in what?"
"Why, everything! The whole world is transformed! Around us a
little while ago stretched a scrubby, gloomy forest, but it is now
magnificent and cheerful. I never saw finer oaks and beeches. That sky
which was black and sinister has all the gorgeous golds and reds and
purples of a benevolent sunset. The wind, lately cold and wet, is
actually growing soft, dry and warm. It's a grand world, a kind world,
a friendly world!"
"Thus, O Dagaeoga," said Tayoga, "does the stomach rule man and the
universe. It is empty and all is black, it is filled and all that
was black turns to rose. But the rose will soon be gone, because the
sunlight is fading and night is at hand."
"But it's a fine night," said Robert sincerely. "I think it about the
finest night I ever saw coming."
"Have another of these beautiful broiled steaks," said Willet, "and
you'll be sure it's the finest night that ever was or ever will be."
"I think I will," said Robert, as he held the steak on the end of a
sharpened stick over the coals and listened to the pleasant sizzling
sound, "and after this is finished and a respectable time has elapsed,
I may take another."
The revulsion in all three was tremendous. Although they had hidden
it from one another, the great decrease in physical vitality had
made their minds sink into black despair, but now that strength was
returning so fast they saw the world through different eyes. They
lay back luxuriously and their satisfaction was so intense that they
thought little of danger. Tandakora might be somewhere near, but it
did not disturb men who were as happy as they. The night came down,
heavy and dark, as had been predicted, and they smothered their fire,
but they remained before the coals, sunk in content.
They talked for a while in low tones, but, at length, they became
silent. The big hunter considered. He knew that, despite the revulsion
in feeling, they were not yet strong enough to undertake a great
campaign against their enemies, and it would be better to remain a
while in the valley until they were restored fully.
Beside their fire was a good enough place for the time, and Robert
kept the first watch. The night, in reality, had turned much warmer
and the sky was luminous with stars. The immense sense of comfort
remained with him, and he was not disturbed by the howling of the
wolves, which he knew had been drawn by the odor of game, but which he
knew also would be afraid to invade the camp and attack three men.
His spirits, high as they were already, rose steadily as he watched.
Surely after the Supreme Power had cast them down into the depths, a
miracle had been worked in their behalf to take them out again. It was
no skill of his that had led him to the bear, but strength far greater
than that of man was now acting in their behalf. As they had triumphed
over starvation they would triumph over everything. His sanguine mind
predicted it.
The next morning was crisp and cold, but not wet, and Robert ate the
most savory breakfast he could recall. That bear must have been fed on
the choicest of wild nuts, topped off with wild honey, to have been so
juicy and tender, and the thought of nuts caused him to look under the
big hickory trees, where he found many of them, large and ripe. They
made a most welcome addition to their bill of fare, taking the place
of bread. Then, they were so well pleased with themselves that they
concluded to spend another day and night in the valley.
Tayoga about noon climbed the enclosing ridge to the north, and, when
he returned, Willet noticed a sparkle in his eyes. But the hunter said
nothing, knowing that the Onondaga would speak in his own good time.
"There is another valley beyond the ridge," said Tayoga, "and a war
party is encamped in it. They sit by their fire and eat prodigiously
of deer they have killed."
Robert was startled, but he kept silent, he, too, knowing that Tayoga
would tell all he intended to tell without urging.
"They do not know we are here, I do not think they dream of our
presence," continued the Onondaga, "Areskoui smiles on us now, and
Tododaho on his star, which we cannot see by day, is watching over us.
Their feet will not bring them this way."
"Then you wouldn't suggest our taking to flight?" said Willet. "You
would favor hiding here in peace?"
"Even so. It will please us some day to remember that we rested and
slept almost within hearing of our enemies, and yet they did not take
us."
"That's grim humor, Tayoga, but if it's the way you feel, Robert and I
are with you."
Later in the afternoon they saw smoke rising beyond the ridge and
they knew the warriors had built a great fire before which they were
probably lying and gorging themselves, after their fashion when they
had plenty of food, and little else to do. Yet the three remained
defiantly all that day and all through the following night. The next
morning, with ample supplies in their packs, they turned their faces
southward, and cautiously climbed the ridge in that direction, once
more passing into the region of the peaks. To their surprise they
struck several comparatively fresh trails in the passes, and they were
soon forced to the conclusion that the hostile forces were still all
about them. Near midday they stopped in a narrow gorge between high
peaks and listened to calls of the inhabitants of the forest, the
faint howls of wolves, and once or twice the yapping of a fox.
"The warriors signaling to one another!" said Willet.
"It is so," said Tayoga. "I think they have noticed our tracks in
the earth, too slight, perhaps, to tell who we are, but they will
undertake to see."
"I hear the call of a moose directly ahead," said Robert, "although I
know it is no moose that makes it. Our way there is cut off."
"And there is the howl of the wolf behind us," said Tayoga. "We cannot
go back."
"Then," said Robert, "I suppose we must climb the mountain. It's lucky
we've got our strength again."
They scaled a lofty summit once more, fortunately being able to climb
among rocks, where they left no trail, and, crouched at the crest in
dense bushes, they saw two bands meet in the valley below, evidently
searching for the fugitives. There was no white man among them, but
Robert knew a gigantic figure to be that of Tandakora, seeking them
with the most intense and bitter hatred. The muzzle of his rifle began
to slide forward, but Willet put out a detaining hand.
"No, Robert, lad," he said. "He deserves it, but his time hasn't come
yet. Besides your shot would bring the whole crowd up after us."
"And he belongs to me," added Tayoga. "When he falls it is to be by my
hand."
"Yes, he belongs to you, Tayoga," said Willet "Now they've concluded
that we continued toward the south, and they're going on that way."
As they felt the need of the utmost caution they spent the remainder
of the day and the next night on the crest. Robert kept the late
watch, and he saw the dawn come, red and misty, a huge sun shining
over the eastern mountains, but shedding little warmth. He was hopeful
that Tandakora and his warriors had passed on far into the south, but
he heard a distant cry rising in the clear air east of the peak and
then a reply to the west. His heart stood still for a moment. He
knew that they were the whoops of the savages and he felt that they
signified a discovery. Perhaps chance had disclosed their trail. He
listened with great intentness, but the shouts did not come again.
Nevertheless the omen was bad.
He awoke Willet and the Onondaga, who had been sleeping soundly,
and told them what had happened, both agreeing that the shouts were
charged with import.
"I think it likely that we will be attacked," said the hunter. "Now we
must take another look at our position."
The peak, luckily for them, was precipitous, and its crest did not
cover an area of more than twenty or thirty square yards. On the three
sides the ascent was so steep that a man could not climb up except
with extreme difficulty, but on the fourth, by which they had come,
the slope was more gradual. The gentle climb faced the east, and it
was here that the hunter and Robert watched, while Tayoga, for the
sake of utmost precaution, kept an eye on the steep sides.
Knowing that it was wise to economize and even to increase their
strength, they ate abundantly of the bear steaks, afterward craving
water, which they were forced to do without--the one great flaw in
their position, since the warriors might hold them there to perish of
thirst.
Robert soon forgot the desire for water in the tenseness of watching
and waiting. But even the anxiety and the peril to his life did not
keep him from noticing the singularity of his situation, upon the
slender peak of a high mountain far in the wilderness. The sun, full
of splendor but still cold, touched with gold all the surrounding
crests and ridges and filled with a yellow but luxurious haze every
gorge and ravine. He was compelled to admire its wintry beauty, a
beauty, though, that he knew to be treacherous, surcharged as it was
with savage wile and stratagem, and a burning desire for their lives.
A time that seemed incredible passed without demonstration from the
enemy. But he realized that it was only about two hours. He did not
expect to see any of the warriors creeping up the slopes toward them,
but too wise to watch for their faces he did expect to notice the
bushes move ever so slightly under their advance. He and Willet
remained crouched in the same positions in the shelter of high rocks.
Tayoga, who had been moving about the far side, came to them and
whispered:
"I am going down the northern face of the cliff!"
"Why, it's sheer insanity, Tayoga!" said the astonished hunter.
"But I'm going."
"What'll you achieve after you've gone? You'll merely walk into
Tandakora's hands!"
"I go, Great Bear, and I will return in a half hour, alive and well."
"Is your mind upset, Tayoga?"
"I am quite sane. Remember, Great Bear, I will be back in a half hour
unhurt."
Then he was gone, gliding away through the low vegetation that covered
the crest, and Robert and the hunter looked at each other.
"There is more in this than the eye sees," said young Lennox. "I never
knew Tayoga to speak with more confidence. I think he will be back
just as he says, in half an hour."
"Maybe, though I don't understand it. But there are lots of things one
doesn't understand. We must keep our eyes on the slope, and let Tayoga
solve his own problem, whatever it is."
There was no wind at all, but once Robert thought he saw the shrubs
halfway down the steep move, though he was not sure and nothing
followed. But, intently watching the place where the motion had
occurred, he caught a gleam of metal which he was quite sure came from
a rifle barrel.
"Did you see it?" he whispered to the hunter.
"Aye, lad," replied Willet. "They're there in that dense clump, hoping
we've relaxed the watch and that they can surprise us. But it may be
two or three hours before they come any farther. Always remember in
your dealings with Indians that they have more time than anything
else, and so they know how to be patient. Now, I wonder what Tayoga is
doing! That boy certainly had something unusual on his mind!"
"Here he is, ready to speak for himself, and back inside his promised
half hour."
Tayoga parted the bushes without noise, and sat down between them
behind the big rocks. He offered no explanation, but seemed very
content with himself.
"Well, Tayoga," said Willet, "did you go down the side of the
mountain?"
"As far as I wished."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I have been engaged in a very pleasant task, Great Bear."
"What pleasure can you find in scaling a steep and rocky slope?"
"I have been drinking, Great Bear, drinking the fresh, pure water of
the mountains, and it was wonderfully cool and good to my dry throat."
The two gazed at him in astonishment, and he laughed low, but with
deep enjoyment.
"I took one drink, two drinks, three drinks," he said, "and when the
time comes I shall take more. The fountain also awaits the lips of the
Great Bear and of Dagaeoga."
"Tell it all," said Robert.
"When I looked down the steep side a long time I thought I caught a
gleam as of falling water in the bushes. It was only twenty or thirty
yards below us, and, when I descended to it, I found a little fountain
bursting from a crevice in the rock. It was but a thread, making
a tiny pool a few inches across, before it dropped away among the
bushes, but it is very cool, very clear, and there is always plenty of
it for many men."
"Is the descent hard?" asked Willet.
"Not for one who is strong and cautious. There are thick vines and
bushes to which to hold, and remember that the splendid water is at
the end of the journey."
"Then, Robert, you go," said the hunter, "and mind, too, that you get
back soon, because my throat is parching. I'd like to have one deep
drink before the warriors attack."
Robert followed Tayoga, and, obeying his instructions, was soon at the
fountain, where he drank once, twice, thrice, and then once more
of the finest water he could recall. Then, deeply grateful for the
Onondaga's observation, he climbed back, and the hunter took his turn.
"It was certainly good, Tayoga," he said, when he was back in
position. "Some men don't think much of water, but none of us can live
without it. You've saved our lives."
"Perhaps, O Great Bear," responded the Onondaga, "but if the bushes
below continue to shake as they are doing we shall have to save them
again. Ah!"
The exclamation, long drawn but low, was followed by the leap of his
rifle to the shoulder, and the pressing of his finger on the trigger.
A stream of fire sprang from the muzzle of the long barrel to be
followed by a yell in one of the thickets clustering on the slope. A
savage rose to his feet, threw up his arms and fell headlong, his body
crashing far below on the rocks. Robert shut his eyes and shivered.
"He was dead before he touched earth, lad," said the hunter. "Now the
others are ready to scramble back. Look how the bushes are shaking
again!"
Robert had shut his eyes only for a moment, and now he saw the scrub
shaking more violently than ever. Then he had a fleeting glimpse of
brown bodies as all the warriors descended rapidly. Anyone of the
three might have fired with good aim, but they did not raise their
rifles. Since their enemies were retreating they would let them
retreat.
"They're all back in the valley now," said the hunter after a little
while, "and they'll think a lot before they try the steep ascent a
second time. Now it's a question of patience, and they hope we'll
become so weak from thirst that we'll fall into their hands."
"Tandakora and his warriors would be consumed with anger if they knew
of our spring," said Tayoga.
"They'll find out about it soon," said Robert.
"I think not," said Tayoga. "I noticed when I was at the fountain that
the rivulet ran back into the cliff about a hundred feet below, and
one can see the water only from the crest. If Areskoui has allowed us
to be besieged here, he at least has created much in our favor."
He looked toward the east, where the great red sun was shining, and
worshiped silently. It seemed to Robert that his young comrade stared
unwinking for a long time into the eye of the Sun God, though perhaps
it was only a few seconds. But his form expanded and his face was
illumined. Robert knew that the Onondaga's confidence had become
supreme, and he shared in it.
The hunter and Tayoga kept the watch after a while, and young Lennox
was free to wander about the crest as he wished. He examined carefully
the three sides they had left unguarded, but was convinced that no
warrior, no matter how skillful and tenacious, could climb up there.
Then he wandered back toward the sentinels, and, sitting down under a
tree, began to study the distant slopes across the gorge.
He saw the warriors gather by-and-by in a deep recess out of rifle
shot, light a fire and begin to cook great quantities of game, as
if they meant to stay there and keep the siege until doomsday, if
necessary. He saw the gigantic figure of Tandakora approach the fire,
eat voraciously for a while and then go away. After him came a white
man in French uniform. He thought at first it was St. Luc and his
heart beat hard, but he was able to discern presently that it was an
officer not much older than himself, in a uniform of white faced with
violet and a black, three-cornered hat. Finally he recognized young De
Galissonnière, whom he had met in Québec, and whom he had seen a few
days since in the French camp.
As he looked De Galissonnière left the recess, descended into the
valley and then began to climb their slope, a white handkerchief held
aloft on the point of his small sword. Young Lennox immediately joined
the two watchers at the brink.
"A flag of truce! Now what can he want!" he exclaimed.
"We'll soon see," replied Willet. "He's within good hearing now, and
I'll hail him."
He shouted in powerful tones that echoed in the gorge:
"Below there! What is it?"
"I have something to say that will be of great importance to you,"
replied De Galissonnière.
"Then come forward, while we remain here. We don't trust your allies."
Robert saw the face of the young Frenchman flush, but De
Galissonnière, as if knowing the truth, and resolved not to quibble
over it, climbed steadily. When he was within twenty feet of the
crest the hunter called to him to halt, and he did so, leaning easily
against a strong bush, while the three waited eagerly to hear what he
had to say.