CAPTURED
As the dogs drew the sleds down the little elevation on which the gold
was buried, and where the fort was built, the treasure finders caught a
glimpse of their enemies.
The Indians had established four camps, about equal distances apart,
depending on members from each one to guard the spaces between. Four
fires glowed on the snow, and little dark heaps here and there showed
where either dogs or the Indians were huddled up in slumber.
Mr. Baxter directed the leading dog team as nearly as possible between
two fires. He hoped none of the natives would awake, and certainly there
seemed to be no danger of disturbing any guards, for there were none to
be seen, at least none patroling the open spaces.
But his hopes were doomed to disappointment. One of the Indian dogs set
up a sudden howl. Perhaps it was a challenge in the Alaskan dog
language. At any rate, it was answered from several throats of the
beasts pulling the sleds of our friends.
"That will bring them out!" exclaimed Mr. Baxter in dismay. "No need for
silence now!"
He shouted to the dogs, calling loudly, and cracked the long whip.
Barking and snarling, bidding defiance to their fellows in the camp of
the enemy, the animals rushed on.
But the barking had roused the Indians and likewise their white leader.
Callack's voice could be heard urging on his men. One or two rifles were
fired, probably at random.
"Whip your dogs, boys," called Mr. Baxter, and Fred and Jerry let the
long lashes fly.
The Indians were leaping to their feet and shouting. Several hurried to
their sleds and began harnessing the animals.
Even then the fugitives might have escaped had it not been for their own
dogs. A series of loud howls came from the beasts of the Indians. This
was too much for the others. With wild yelps, utterly disregarding the
voices and whips of Mr. Baxter, the boys and Johnson, who tried to urge
them on, the brutes turned and made straight back for the camp of the
Alaskans, probably intent on fighting with those who had challenged
them.
"They're taking us right into the midst of the enemy!" cried Fred.
"Let's jump off and run!"
He tried to do so, but he was so encumbered with robes and fur coats
that he could not.
Mr. Baxter was trying his best to guide the leading team to one side,
but it was useless. Lash them as he did the dogs kept on, straight for
the Indian camp, beyond which they had almost passed.
"We've got 'em!" yelled Callack. Then he cried some commands in the
Alaskan tongue.
"Shall we fire?" cried Fred.
"No, don't!" replied Mr. Baxter. "You can't tell where you are aiming.
You might kill one of us. I guess it's all up. But I'm glad I buried the
gold," he added to himself.
A moment later the adventurers were fairly in the hostile camp, and
Jacob Callack and his men had surrounded them.
"Surrender! We've got you!" yelled the rascally white man.
"Yes, you've got us," admitted Mr. Baxter coolly, "but you wouldn't have
if our dogs hadn't turned back."
"They're fine dogs," answered Callack with a sneer. "I think I'll take
'em for myself. Now then, get off your sleds and we'll talk business.
After I have the gold I may consent to let you have your dogs back,
though you don't deserve it, for you've made me a lot of trouble."
He spoke as though he had a right to steal the treasure from those who
had found it, and as if they had no right to resist. Callack called
something to his men, and a moment later they were pulling the treasure
finders from the sleds and binding them with thongs of deer skin, having
first taken their guns away.
Mr. Baxter and the two boys submitted with what grace they could to
these indignities. But Johnson, the big colored man, fought with all his
strength against the Indians. And, as he was very strong, and they were
not very muscular, he tumbled several of them in a heap.
"There ain't no ugly ole Indian gwine t' tie up George Johnson without a
fight, that's what they ain't!" he exclaimed.
"Rush at him all together!" called Callack to his men in the Alaskan
tongue. Four or five of them did rush, but even they were no match for
Johnson, who caught them in his long, powerful arms and tossed them over
his shoulder, one by one, into a deep snow bank.
"I'll fix you!" yelled Callack, springing toward the fighting colored
man, whose gun had been taken away.
The leader of the ugly Indians raised his rifle by the barrel and
brought the stock down with terrific force on the head of Johnson.
Even protected as his skull was by a thick fur cap, the blow felled the
negro like an ox. With a groan he sank down on the snow.
"There," said Callack, addressing Mr. Baxter. "That's the way I serve
them as don't do what I say."
"You're a coward, to strike a defenseless man," said Mr. Baxter
contemptuously.
"What's that! You dare call me a coward!" and the infuriated man strode
over to Jerry's father with upraised rifle. But Mr. Baxter did not
flinch. Looking Callack straight in the face, he never moved away from
under the poised weapon. The man's bravery was too much for the coward.
Muttering something below his breath Callack moved away, calling to the
Indians to bring along the captives and the sleds.
"Are you going to let Johnson lie there and freeze to death?" asked Mr.
Baxter.
"Let him freeze! What do I care?" was the cruel answer.
"If you do I shall charge you with deliberate murder when I reach a
settlement," threatened Mr. Baxter.
"Maybe you'll never reach one."
But the threat evidently had some effect, for, at a muttered word from
Callack, some of the Indians carried the unconscious colored man to one
of the tents of the enemy's camp.
It was quite light, for the Aurora Borealis was streaming across the
sky, giving a radiance like that of a full moon, only more beautiful.
The captives could see that they were in the hands of quite a large band
of Indians. More of the Alaskans had evidently arrived since the first
skirmish. Among them was Zank, on whose evil face was an ugly grin at
his success in betraying those who had trusted him.
"It would have been better if you'd given up the gold at first," said
Callack with a sneer. "Then I'd have let you go down to the river with
your sleds and dogs. Now I don't know what I'll do with you. But first
I'll get the gold."
"Will you?" thought Fred, as he recalled the cunning way in which they
had buried it.
Callack gave some more orders, and the Indians began taking the things
off the sleds of the captives. The dogs were removed and tied at a
distance from the other animals, so the different teams would not fight.
So eager was the rascally white man to get possession of the treasure
that he began to aid his allies in searching for the precious metal. The
robes, tools, provisions and supplies of Mr. Baxter and the boys were
rudely cast to one side in the hunt for the bags of yellow nuggets.
But the search was without avail. When at last the sleds had been
stripped bare and no gold was found, Callack started up in a rage.
"Where's that gold?" he cried. "You had it, I know you did!"
"Yes, we had it," admitted Mr. Baxter calmly. "One of your spies saw
it."
"Then where is it now? You've got to give it up! I see! You have it
concealed about you."
He strode over to Mr. Baxter and began to feel about his clothing. The
impossibility of any one hiding a lot of bulky sacks about him without
having them show did not occur to Callack until he had convinced himself
that Mr. Baxter had no gold under his fur suit. Neither had the boys nor
Johnson.
Callack was plainly puzzled. He had confidently expected to get the gold
when he captured the fugitives. Now that it was neither among their
baggage nor on their persons, he did not know what to do. But he was
determined to have the bags of nuggets.
Approaching close to Mr. Baxter, and shaking his fist in the face of the
bound man, he asked:
"Are you going to tell me where that treasure is?"
"No, I am not," was the bold reply.
"Then you'll suffer for it!"
He turned aside, called to some of the Indians, and the three captives
were led into one of the tents, while a guard of several of the Alaskans
was stationed outside.
"Well, they've got us," said Fred softly when they were left alone.
"Yes," admitted Mr. Baxter, "but they haven't got the gold."