CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT.
SMOKED OUT.
Our conversation had been carried on in a low tone, for the Indiansstill remained in front of the cave. Many others had arrived, and wereexamining the skull of the Canadian with the same looks of curiosity andwonderment that had been exhibited by their comrades.
Rube and I sat for some time in silence, watching them. The trapper hadflitted near me, so that he could see out and talk in whispers.
I was still apprehensive that the savages might search the cave.
"'Tain't likely," said my companion. "They mout ef thur hadn't 'a beenso many o' these diggins, do 'ee see? Thur's a grist o' 'em--more'n ahundred--on t'other side; an' most o' the men who got clur tuk furrerdown. It's my notion the Injuns seed that, an' won't disturb--Ef thurain't that dog!"
I well understood the meaning of the emphasis with which these lastwords were repeated. My eyes, simultaneously with those of the speaker,had fallen upon the dog Alp. He was running about in front of the cave.I saw at a glance he was searching for me.
The next moment he had struck the trail where I had crawled through thecacti, and came running down in the direction of the cave.
On reaching the body of the Canadian, which lay directly in his track,he stopped for a moment and appeared to examine it. Then, uttering ashort yelp, he passed on to that of the doctor, where he made a similardemonstration. He ran several times from one to the other, but atlength left them; and, with his nose once more to the ground,disappeared out of our view.
His strange actions had attracted the attention of the savages, who, oneand all, stood watching him.
My companion and I were beginning to hope that he had lost me, when, toour dismay, he appeared a second time, coming down the trail as before.This time he leaped over the bodies, and the next moment sprang into themouth of the cave.
A yell from without told us that we were lost.
We endeavoured to drive the dog out again, and succeeded, Rube havingwounded him with his knife; but the wound itself, and the behaviour ofthe animal outside, convinced our enemies that someone was within theshaft.
In a few seconds the entrance was darkened by a crowd of savages,shouting and yelling.
"Now show yur shootin', young fellur!" said my companion. "It's the newkind o' pistol 'ee hev got. Load every ber'l o' it."
"Shall I have time to load them?"
"Plenty o' time. They ain't a-gwine to come in 'ithout a light. Thurgone for a torch to the shanty. Quick wi' yur! Slap in the fodder!"
Without waiting to reply, I caught hold of my flask, and loaded theremaining five chambers of the revolver. I had scarcely finished whenone of the Indians appeared in front with a flaming brand, and was aboutstooping into the mouth of the cavern.
"Now's yur time," cried Rube. "Fetch the niggur out o' his boots!Fetch him!"
I fired, and the savage, dropping the torch, fell dead upon the top ofit!
An angry yell from without followed the report, and the Indiansdisappeared from the front. Shortly after, an arm was seen reaching in,and the dead body was drawn back out of the entrance.
"What will they do next, think you?" I inquired of my companion.
"I can't tell adzactly yit; but thur sick o' that game, I reckin. Loadthat ber'l agin. I guess we'll git a lot o' 'm afore we gins in. Cussthe luck! that gun, Tar-guts! Ef I only had that leetle piece hyur!'Ee've got six shots, have 'ee? Good! 'Ee mout chock up the cave wi'their karkidges afore they kin reach us. It ur a great weepun, an' nomistakes. I seed the cap use it. Lor'! how he made it tell on themniggers i' the shanty! Thur ain't many o' them about, I reckin. Loadsure, young fellur! Thur's plenty o' time. They knows what you've gotthur."
During all this dialogue none of the Indians made their appearance, butwe could hear them on both sides of the shaft without. We knew theywere deliberating on what plan they would take to get at us.
As Rube suggested, they seemed to be aware that the shot had come from arevolver. Doubtless some of the survivors of the late fight hadinformed them of the fearful havoc that had been made among them withour pistols, and they dreaded to face them. What other plan would theyadopt? Starve us out?
"They mout," said Rube, in answer to my question, "an' kin if they try.Thur ain't a big show o' vittlin' hyur, 'ceptin' we chaw donnicks. Butthur's another way, ef they only hev the gumshin to go about it, that'llgit us sooner than starvin'. Ha!" ejaculated the speaker, withemphasis. "I thort so. Thur a-gwine to smoke us. Look 'ee yander!"
I looked forth. At a distance I saw several Indians coming in thedirection of the cave, carrying large bundles of brushwood. Theirintention was evident.
"But can they do this?" I inquired, doubting the possibility of ourenemies being able to effect their purpose in that way; "can we not bearthe smoke?"
"Bar it! Yur green, young fellur. Do 'ee know what sort o' brush thura-toatin' yander?"
"No," said I; "what is it?"
"It ur the stink-plant, then; an' the stinkinest plant 'ee ever smelt, Ireckin. The smoke o' it ud choke a skunk out o' a persimmon log. Itell 'ee, young 'un, we'll eyther be smoked out or smothered whur weare; an' this child hain't fit Injun for thirty yeern or better, to gounder that a way. When it gets to its wurst I'm a-gwine to make a rush.That's what I'm a-gwine ter do, young fellur."
"But how?" I asked, hurriedly; "how shall we act then?"
"How? Yur game to the toes, ain't 'ee?"
"I am willing to fight to the last."
"Wal, than, hyur's how, an' the only how: when they've raised the smokeso that they can't see us a-comin', we'll streak it out among 'em. Youhev the pistol, an' kin go fo'most. Shoot every niggur that clutches atye, an' run like blazes! I'll foller clost on yur heels. If we kinoncest git through the thick o' 'em, we mout make the brush, an' creepunder it to the big caves on t'other side. Them caves jines oneanother, an' we mout dodge them thur. I seed the time this 'coon kud 'arun a bit, but these hyur jeints ain't as soople as they wur oncest. Wekin try neverthemless; an' mind, young fellur, it's our only chance: do'ee hear?"
I promised to follow the directions that my never-despairing companionhad given me.
"They won't get old Rube's scalp yit, they won't. He! he! he!"
I turned towards him. The man was actually laughing at this wild andstrangely-timed jest. It was awful to hear him.
Several armfuls of brush were now thrown into the mouth of the cave. Isaw that it was the creosote plant, the ideodondo.
It was thrown upon the still blazing torch, and soon caught, sending upa thick, black smoke. More was piled on; and the fetid vapour, impelledby some influence from without, began to reach our nostrils and lungs,causing an almost instantaneous feeling of sickness and suffocation. Icould not have borne it long. I did not stay to try how long, for atthat moment I heard Rube crying out--
"Now's your time, young fellur! Out, and gi' them fits!"
With a feeling of desperate resolve, I clutched my pistol and dashedthrough the smoking brushwood. I heard a wild and deafening shout. Isaw a crowd of men--of fiends. I saw spears, and tomahawks, and redknives raised, and--