CHAPTER X.
THE SIGNAL-FIRES.
Jack Dudley was awakened by the sound of laughter. Opening his eyes, hestared about him confusedly, unable for some moments to recall hissituation. Fred Greenwood stood in front of him, shaking so much withmirth that he could scarcely stand.
"O faithful sentinel!" he said; "how well thou hast kept thy trust!"
"I don't see anything to laugh at," replied Jack, rising to his feet andrubbing his eyes; "you would have done the same if you had been in myplace."
"Perhaps I should, and then the laugh would have been on me. But we havecause to be thankful that, while no harm has come to us, we have had agood night's rest. I suppose you dropped into slumber almost as soon asI did."
"No, I didn't," persisted the elder; "I stood here a long time, but madethe mistake of sitting down for a few minutes, just before it was timeto call you. I ought to have known better, and shall never do the likeagain."
"Well, we have been fortunate and it has taught us both a lesson. Let'sattend to our toilet and have breakfast."
They laved their faces and hands in the cold stream of clear waterrunning near them, combed their hair, stretched and limbered arms andlegs by a series of gymnastics to which they were accustomed, and then,returning to the mouth of the cavern, found, by raking over the ashes,that enough live embers remained to broil the venison more acceptablythan any meal that had been prepared since coming to the region.
By that time Jack had recovered his usual good nature, and was as readyto jest as his companion over his dereliction of duty.
"I don't know what time it was when I fell asleep," he said, "but itmust have been past midnight. The moon had risen over that high mountainyonder, and I was admiring the wonderful picture its rays made as theyshot out over the lower peaks and lit up the chasms between. I never sawanything so beautiful."
"You ought to have called me to share the pleasure with you."
"I have no doubt it was time to do so, but I knew you preferred to sleeprather than look upon Niagara Falls or the Yellowstone."
"If so, I am not the only younker, as Hazletine says, who has such apreference. That reminds me, Jack, that it's mighty lucky we are notvegetarians."
"Why?"
"What should we do for our meals? So long as we stay in these mountainswe must live on game. This seasoning that Hank was thoughtful enough togive us makes it palatable, but coffee, bread and a few vegetables wouldhelp a good deal."
"It doesn't make much difference, so long as we are blessed, or rathertortured, with such appetites as we have had ever since we struckWyoming."
From where they sat at the mouth of the cavern they saw all three oftheir ponies cropping the succulent grass. It was evident that nothingcould add to their enjoyment of this outing.
Naturally the boys speculated over the absence of their guide.
"He must have expected to spend the night with us. And, Fred, perhaps itwill be just as well, when he does come, that we don't tell him how Ipassed the time when trying to act the sentinel."
"I surely shall not, unless he questions us so closely that we cannothelp letting him know the truth."
"He will have a small opinion of us."
"Why of '_us_?'"
"Because you would have done the same as I."
"That has not yet been proven."
"Well, say 'myself,' if that suits better."
"It is a very good amendment. I wonder whether anything can havebefallen him?"
"He is too much of a veteran to make such blunders as we."
"That is true, and yet the most skilful hunter in the world is liable toaccident. What's frightened the ponies?"
One of the animals had raised his head, with the grass dripping likegreen water from his jaws, and was looking off to the side of theplateau as if he scented danger of some kind. He was near the furtherboundary, thus being considerably removed from the boys, who graspedtheir Winchesters and rose to their feet.
"It's Hank's horse," said Jack, in an undertone; "the others do not seemto be interested in what disturbs him."
"And there comes Hank himself!" was the delighted exclamation of Fred,as they saw their old friend step into view from behind the rocks andwalk with his peculiar silent stride toward them.
The movement of the beard under the broad sombrero showed that the guidewas smiling, and doubtless he was as pleased as the boys over themeeting. He advanced with the same lengthy step and extended his handwith his hearty "Howdy?" to each in turn.
"Glad to see you, younkers; you seem to have got along as well withoutme as if I'd been with you."
"Nothing has come amiss; but, Hank, we're glad indeed to see you."
"Where did you git your breakfast?" he asked, glancing at the signs ofthe meal of which they had partaken.
"Oh, I thought it best yesterday afternoon to shoot a buck," said Fred,airily; "for the main thing for us to do in this part of the world is tolook out that we don't starve to death."
"You shot a buck, eh? How was it?"
Thereupon the younger lad gave the particulars of the incident. Hanklistened attentively, and when he learned of the part played by Motoza,the vagrant Sioux, his interest deepened.
"So that scamp is in the mountains? I s'pected it; he claimed to haveshot the buck and wouldn't divide till Jack took a hand. Why did you lethim have any of it?"
"Because he had the right. I thought it was my shot that killed thegame, but the bullet only grazed one of his antlers; it was Motoza whokilled the buck, and he was entitled to him. Have you been tobreakfast?"
"Yes," replied the veteran, whose manner showed that he was displeasedwith the story he had just heard.
"Hank," said Jack, "why did Motoza give us any of the venison?"
"I don't know," was the unexpected reply; "I'd give a good deal toknow."
"Do you suppose he was frightened when he found there were two insteadof one to face?"
"It looks that way, but I can't believe it. The Sioux is a scamp meanenough to do anything; but he has grit, and I don't believe that twoyoung tenderfeet like you could scare him."
"Perhaps he felt a respect and friendship for Jack because of what tookplace in the grove on the prairie," suggested Fred.
The boys expected their friend to ridicule this idea, but he did not. Onthe contrary, he admitted that it was the most reasonable explanationthat presented itself; and because of this admission, both of the ladswere confirmed in their faith that the right cause had been named.
"One of you stood guard last night while the other slept?"
The question was so abrupt that Jack's face flushed. Fred was silent,but his comrade thought the best course was to make a clean breast ofit, and he did so. Hank won the gratitude of the boys by not uttering aword of reproof or showing any displeasure. More than that, he made theastounding comment:
"I'm glad you slept most of the night."
The two looked at him in astonishment.
"If the Sioux meant you harm, you gave him the best chance in the world.He carries as good a repeating Winchester as yours, and there wasnothing to keep him from stealing up in the night and shooting you both;or, if he liked the knife better, it would have been the easiest thingin the world for him to wipe you out when your eyes was closed."
This was a view of the matter that had not presented itself to theyouths, for the reason, as will be remembered, that they had acceptedthe friendship of Motoza as a fact.
"But he could have followed and picked us off when we were on our wayhere," suggested Jack.
"Yes, he's had all the chances he wanted."
"Then it's safe to set Motoza down as a friend?"
But Hank shook his head.
"The safest thing to do when an Indian is afore the house is to set himdown as an enemy waiting for a chance to lift your scalp. Thatconfounded Sioux is one of the cunningest imps that ever stole a whiteman's pony or helped to stampede a drove of cattle. Everything that he'sdone since we come into the mountains looks as
if he was a friend to usall. I can't help saying that, but it mustn't be furgot that the wholebus'ness may be meant to close our eyes, and that he's got some deviltryin mind back of it all, that neither of you younkers has thought about."
"Have _you_ thought of it?"
The hunter would not reply to this direct question except to say:
"We'll have to wait and see."
And so Jack and Fred were left as much in doubt as before; but, it maybe added, with their belief in the friendship of the Sioux unshaken.They reasoned that their guide was so accustomed to seeing the worstside of the red men that he found it hard to believe any good of them.As for themselves, they would feel no further anxiety over the enmity ofMotoza, for had he not shown the best possible proof that could be askedof his good-will?
Inasmuch as Hank had given them a series of surprises by his questionsand remarks, Jack Dudley now turned the tables on him by saying:
"Yesterday afternoon, when we looked down into that deep canyon overyonder, we shouted to you at the bottom, but suppose the noise of thewater prevented your hearing us. At any rate, you gave us no attention."
The hunter was astonished, as he showed by his start and inquiring look.
"So you seen me, did you?"
"We did, and wondered what you were doing there."
Hank laughed in his silent way, as if it were all a joke, but did notoffer any explanation. Evidently he had some business down there, but,like most of his kind, was not inclined to make known his secrets whenthe necessity did not exist.
"What a tremendous climb that was! And it must have been dangerous topick your way down the side of the canyon."
"I s'pose it would have been if I'd done it, but I didn't."
"Then the canyon cannot be as extended as we thought?"
"That depends on how long you thought it was. As near as I can find out,it is between sixty and seventy miles."
Not wishing to persist in speaking in riddles, Hank added:
"Howsumever, though it's as long as I said, there's a break not furaway, where the banks ain't more than a few feet above the stream. Thebreak isn't large, but it don't have to be. You obsarved that the streamruns into the mountains. It seems to be making a dive fur t'other side,as if it meant to make fur the Pacific, but it gives it up and comesback after a while, and finds its way into the Wind River, and so on tothe Big Horn and the Missouri."
"Then you came up the canyon from the break and went back again?"
"I didn't say that. I come up to where you seed me, but instead of goingback I climbed the side to the top."
"Gracious, what a task! It must be a thousand feet."
"It isn't much less, but the sides of the canyon are so rough that it'sjust like so many steps. I've done it often, and ain't the only one.Bart and Mort tried both ways and like the climb better, though KansasJim would never take it. Don't furgit one thing, younkers. When you havea job like that afore you it's a good deal easier to climb up than it isto climb down. If you should find yourself at the bottom of the canyonand hit the right spot, you'll larn that the work is easier going upthan you think, but it's too resky going down for any one to try."
The boys hoped their friend would tell them why he had entered thegorge, when the act at best was exhausting and accompanied by more orless peril, but he ignored their curiosity, and they did not feelwarranted in questioning him. When he thought it well he would tellthem, and they could afford to wait until then.
The day was as perfect in its way as its predecessor. The blue skyshowed only a few fleecy clouds at wide intervals, and the sun shonewith a strength that made its warmth perceptible even in that elevatedregion. The boys began to feel impatient to be moving. A good many daysyet remained to them, but they were all too few to satisfy their longingfor the inspiriting life they had entered upon with so much zest.
As the three stood, the backs of Jack and Fred were toward the cavern,in which the fire had been burning, while the hunter faced them. He nowturned and looked off over the wild, precipitous mountains by which theywere surrounded. The youths, who were observing him, saw him fix hiseyes on a point to the right, at which he gazed so long and steadilythat it was evident he had discovered something of more than usualinterest. Following the same direction they looked keenly, but wereunable to detect anything out of the ordinary.
Despite his own fixity of gaze, Hank noted what they were doing, andturning abruptly toward them, asked:
"Do you obsarve anything 'tic'lar?"
"Nothing more than what we have seen," replied Jack. "There are themountain peaks, most of them reaching above the snow-line; the darkmasses below; the scrubby pines, with more abundant vegetation, stillfurther down."
"Do you see that crag that juts out from the side of the lower part ofthat peak?" asked Hank, extending his hand in the direction indicated.
Thus aided, both boys looked at the exact spot. It was below thesnow-line, where only a few of the rocks showed, because of the numerouspines which grew luxuriantly; but, keen as was their eyesight, they wereunable to detect the first sign of moving thing or life.
"Try your glasses on it," said Hank.
The boys brought the instruments round in front and levelled them at thepoint of interest. As they did so they made a discovery. From the verycentre of the clump of wood rose a thin, shadowy line of vapor, whichwas dissolved in the clear air before it ascended more than a few feetabove the tree-tops.
"So you obsarve it at last," said the hunter, after they had told whatthey saw. "Wal, now study it closer, and tell me if you notice anythingqueer 'bout the same."
Wondering what he could mean, they did as he requested. A minute laterFred said:
"The smoke does not ascend steadily; first it shows plainly, then thereis none, and then it shows again."
"Seems to keep it up, eh?"
"Yes, like the puffs from the smoke-stack of a locomotive, only they area great deal slower," explained Jack; "but the smoke soon dissolves inthe clear air."
"Not soon enough, though, to keep you from obsarving what we've beentalking about?"
"No; it is too plain to be mistaken."
"Did you ever see the smoke of a camp-fire act like that?"
"Never; have you?"
"Many a time; that's an Injin signal-fire."
This was interesting, but caused nothing in the nature of fear on thepart of the boys. It was Fred who remarked:
"The Indians must be signaling to some one."
"Exactly."
"It can't be to _us_?"
"Not much; it's to another party of Injins, and that other party iscalling back to 'em. See whether you can find t'other signal."
The boys moved the points of their glasses back and forth and up anddown, but it was not until their guide again pointed out the right spotthat they located the second signal. Indeed the vapor was so fine andfeathery that it was wonderful how Hank himself had been so quick tonote it.
The points were of about the same elevation, and separated by a distanceof some two miles. Peak and valley, gorge and canyon, rock and boulderin profusion lay between. No doubt could remain that two parties ofIndians were telegraphing messages back and forth, and that they wereunderstood by each party.
As yet the boys failed to see that the matter was of any special concernto them, though it was interesting to know that they were not the onlyones who were hunting in that section.
"I suppose," said Jack, "that the parties are from the reservation andare signaling to each other about the game."
"That may be," replied Hank, after some hesitation, "but I ain't quitesure _we_ ain't the game they're signaling 'bout."
"They wouldn't dare disturb us!" exclaimed Fred.
"Not in the open; but don't furgit what I obsarved to you some time agothat an Injin, when he feels purty sartin of not being found out, ain'tto be trusted. Now, younkers, I may be all wrong, but if I am, nothingwon't be lost by acting as if I was right; whereas if I'm right and wedon't act that way, the mischief will be t
o pay."
"How shall we make sure?"
"By keeping our eyes open; when we're hunting fur game, look out thatsome of the redskins ain't hunting fur us. I think that confoundedMotoza has a finger in this pie."
Without explaining further, the hunter rested the stock of his gun onthe ground and leaned upon it in profound meditation. He paid noattention to his companions, but continued gazing in the direction ofthe first signal-fire he had noticed, and was evidently turning oversome scheme in his mind.
Had he been alone he would have given no further attention to the signs,which might mean nothing or a good deal, for he felt able to take careof himself, no matter in what situation he was placed; but he consideredthat to a large extent the safety of the two boys, who were totallywithout experience in these solitudes, rested upon him. He must take nochances that were avoidable.
"Younkers," he suddenly said, rousing himself, "I must larn more 'boutthis bus'ness; I'm off; don't go so fur from this place that you can'tgit back to-night; I'll be here and have some news fur you."
And with this parting he strode across the plateau on his way deeperinto the mountains.