In the Cabin
Dick Dare was unable to break the hold of the man who had seized him. He
struggled fiercely, but as the man was a giant in size, and very strong,
he was thrown upon the ground and was utterly helpless. The man held the
youth without seemingly having to exert himself very greatly.
“Who are you?” pantingly asked Dick. “And why have you seized me?”
“My name is Gabe Gurley,” was the reply. “I’m a loyalist, an’ as I know
ye have been runnin’ frum ther Injuns, what are helpin’ the British, ye
must be a rebel, an’ so I’ve grabbed ye, an’ll hold ye till I fin’ out
about ye.”
“You had better let me go,” said Dick sternly. “You have no right to
hold me.”
“Wal, I’m goin’ to hold ye ennyhow. I’ll jest bind yer arms, an’ then
ye’ll come with me to my cabin.”
The fellow then bound Dick’s wrists together, with a piece of rope that
he produced from a pocket, after which he allowed him to rise, then he
took hold of his arm and conducted him through the woods a distance of
nearly a mile, when they reached a rude cabin that stood in the depths
of a thick growth of bushes and timber.
The fellow lighted a candle, and then Dick saw that his captor was a
ruffian in appearance, a huge giant of a fellow, who looked capable of
murder, if he took a notion.
“He’s a regular desperado,” thought Dick.
The ruffian turned and surveyed his prisoner. “Humph,” he grunted
presently. “Ye’re a youngster. Who are ye, ennyhow?”
Dick decided that it would be best to give a fictitious name, so he said
that his name was Dick Fenton, and that he lived about one hundred miles
to the northward and was on his way to visit relatives who lived about
fifty or seventy-five miles farther south.
“You have made a mistake in making a prisoner of me,” he said. “I was
running from the Indians, awhile before you stopped me, true, but
anybody would run from a gang of Indians on the warpath.”
“Yas, thet’s so,” was the reply. “But I guess I’ll hold ye a while,
ennyhow, till I fin’ out whether ye are tellin’ the truth or not.”
“How long will that be?” asked Dick, with a sinking of the heart, for he
did not like the idea of being delayed from reaching General Greene with
the news that the patriot settlers were needing his help.
“I don’ know. Ye’ll stay here till I tell ye ye may go, ennyhow, so ye
might as well make up your mind to thet.”
“I don’t see any sense in such a proceeding on your part,” said Dick.
“Uv course ye don’,” with a grin. “I wouldn’t expect ye to. But I do,
and here ye stay. In the mornin’ I’ll take a stroll an’ see if I can
find out anythin’ about ye, an’ then we’ll see about lettin’ ye go.”
He put a bar across the door, and then, pointing to a bunk in one corner
of the room said: “You can sleep there. I’ll lay on a blanket on the
floor.”
Dick knew it would do no good to argue with the ruffian, so he got into
the bunk, and lay down, after which Gurley blew out the light and lay
down on a blanket, and was soon snoring.
Dick did not get to sleep. In fact, he began trying to get his hands
free, for he was eager to make his escape and go on his way to carry the
news to General Greene.
Gurley had tied his wrists so securely he could not get them free,
however, and finally the youth gave up the attempt, and eventually
slept.
Next morning Gurley cooked some corn cakes and potatoes for breakfast,
and after he had eaten, he untied Dick’s wrists and gave him some of the
food. Then he bound the youth’s wrists again, but not so tightly as
before, for the reason that Dick held his wrists in such a manner that
he could move them into a different position and the rope would be
loosened somewhat.
An hour or so later Gurley said he was going away, and did not know how
long he would be gone. “As I can’t fasten the door,” he went on, “I will
tie yer feet, an’ then ye won’t be able to git away while I’m gone.”
He got another piece of rope and bound Dick’s ankles, and then took his
departure.
As soon as he was sure that Gurley was gone, Dick began working at the
rope binding his wrists. If he could get his wrists free, the rope about
his ankles could be quickly loosened.
He worked hard at the rope binding his wrists, but was unable to make
much headway. The knots were tight, and the rope would not stretch. He
kept at it, however, and was pulling and tugging at a great rate, when
there was a thump against the door, and it flew open and into the room
came a huge timber wolf.
At sight of the animal, Dick’s heart sank, and a feeling akin to fear
took hold upon him. It was not pleasant to be lying there, bound hand
and foot, and a huge, hungry wolf sniffing about within a few feet of
him.
Dick guessed that the wolf had been attracted by the smell of the food
Gurley had cooked for breakfast, and that the animal was hungry was
evident by the way it nosed around for edibles, and snapped up several
small scraps of food that had fallen on the floor.
Then, presently the wolf approached the bunk, in which Dick was lying,
and sniffed at him. Dick lay absolutely still, till he felt the animal’s
nose against his leg, and then, fearing he might be bitten, he gave his
leg a jerk, and yelled at the wolf: “Get out of here! Go away!”
The wolf was startled into a snarl of surprise and fright, and leaped
backward to the middle of the floor, where it stood, glaring at Dick,
its eyes looking vicious indeed, its bared teeth showing.
Again Dick yelled at the animal, and moved his legs in a threatening
manner, and the wolf shrank back somewhat, but after a few moments no
harm coming to him it began moving slowly forward, growling and showing
its teeth.
Dick realized that he was in great danger, for the wolf was a big
fellow, indeed, and would have given the youth a good fight, even had
his hands and feet been free. As it was, with both hands and feet tied,
Dick felt that the chances were that he would be chewed up.
Closer and closer came the wolf, and although Dick kept yelling at him,
and moving his legs as threateningly as possible, the animal would not
retreat. Closer and closer he came, until his nose was within six inches
of the youth’s body; then, as he seemed on the point of springing upon
him, Dick pushed out his arms suddenly, in an effort to frighten the
wolf away. Instead, however, the wolf made a quick snap, and seized the
rope in its teeth. In some manner the teeth became fastened in the rope,
and as the animal leaped backward, in alarm, Dick was pulled off the
bunk, and came to the floor with a thump.
This frightened the animal still more, and he went clawing backward
across the room, trying to get his teeth loose, and presently his teeth,
being sharp, cut through the rope, weakening it so that Dick was able to
snap the remaining strands, and his arms were free.
The wolf, however, angered, again sprang at Dick, and the youth, being
unable to get out of the way owing to his feet being tied, seized a
stool that was at hand and struck at the wolf, causing the animal to
struggle back, with a snarl of rage.
Then ensued a battle such as is seldom seen--a youth with his ankles
bound, fighting against a hungry wolf, his only weapon being a clumsy
stool.
Snarling, snapping, springing at the youth, the now infuriated animal
kept at work, and Dick rolled over and over, now and then striking at
the wolf with the stool, hitting it too occasionally, but this seemingly
only serving to make the animal the more fierce and angry.
It was indeed a fierce battle, and there was no telling how it would
end, for the gaunt, hungry wolf was a very dangerous antagonist. But
Dick fought on with desperate energy.