CHAPTER XV.
THE PAMPAS ON FIRE.
The party started at a canter--the pace which they knew theirhorses would be able to keep up for the longest time--breakingevery half-hour or so into a walk for ten minutes, to give thembreathing time. All were well mounted on strong, serviceableanimals; but these had not in all cases been bought specially forspeed, as had those of the Hardys. It was evident that the chasewould be a long one. The Indians had twelve hours' start; they weremuch lighter men than the whites, and carried less additionalweight. Their horses, therefore, could travel as fast and as far asthose of their pursuers. The sheep would, it is true, be anencumbrance; the cattle could scarcely be termed so; and it wasprobable that the first day they would make a journey of fifty orsixty miles, traveling at a moderate pace only, as they would knowthat no instant pursuit could take place. Indeed their strength,which the peon had estimated at five hundred men, would render themto a certain extent careless, as upon an open plain the charge ofthis number of men would sweep away any force which could becollected short of obtaining a strong body of troops from Rosario.
For the next two days it was probable that they would make as longand speedy journeys as the animals could accomplish. After that,being well in their own country, they would cease to travelrapidly, as no pursuit had ever been attempted in former instances.
There was no difficulty in following the track. Mr. Mercer hadpossessed nearly a thousand cattle and five thousand sheep, and theground was trampled, in a broad, unmistakable line. Once or twiceMr. Hardy consulted his compass. The trail ran southwest by west.
There was not much talking. The whole party were too impressed withthe terrible scene they had witnessed, and the tremendouslyhazardous nature of the enterprise they had undertaken, to indulgein general conversation. Gradually, however, the steady, rapidmotion, the sense of strength and reliance in themselves and eachother, lessened the somber expression, and a general talk began,mostly upon Indian fights, in which most of the older settlers hadat one time or other taken a part.
Mr. Hardy took a part in and encouraged this conversation. He knewhow necessary, in an expedition of this sort, it was to keep up thespirits of all engaged; and he endeavored, therefore, to shake offhis own heavy weight of care, and to give animation and life tothem all.
The spirits of the younger men rose rapidly, and insensibly thepace was increased, until Mr. Hardy, as leader of the party, wascompelled to recall to them the necessity of saving their animals,many of which had already come from ten to fifteen miles beforearriving at the rendezvous at the Mercers'.
After three hours' steady riding they arrived at the banks of asmall stream. There Mr. Hardy called a halt, for the purpose ofresting the animals.
"I think," he said, "that we must have done twenty-five miles. Wewill give them an hour's rest, and then do another fifteen. Some ofthem have already done forty, and it will not do to knock them upthe first day."
Girths were loosened, and the horses were at work cropping thesweet grass near the water's edge. The whole party threw themselvesdown on a sloping bank, pipes were taken out and lit, and theprobable direction of the chase discussed.
In a short time Charley rose, and saying, "I will see if I can getanything better than dried meat for supper," exchanged his riflefor Mr. Hardy's double-barreled gun, which was carried by Terence,and whistling for the retriever, strolled off up the stream. In tenminutes the double-barrels were heard at a short distance, and aquarter of an hour afterward again, but this time faintly. Tenminutes before the hour was up he appeared, wiping the perspirationfrom his face, with seven and a half brace of plump duck.
"They were all killed in four shots," he said, as he threw themdown. "They were asleep in the pools, and I let fly right into themiddle of them before they heard me."
There was a general feeling of satisfaction at the sight of thebirds, which were tied in couples, and fastened on the horses.
In two minutes more they were again in the saddles, Hubert sayingto his father as they started, "There is one satisfaction, papa, wecan't miss the way. We have only to ride far enough, and we mustovertake them."
Mr. Hardy shook his head. He knew enough of Indian warfare to becertain that every artifice and maneuver would have to be lookedfor and baffled; for even when believing themselves safe frompursuit, Indians never neglect to take every possible precautionagainst it.
After riding for two hours longer Mr. Hardy consulted the Gauchosif there were any stream near, but they said that it would be atleast two hours' riding before they reached another, and that thatwas a very uncertain supply. Mr. Hardy therefore decided to halt atonce, as the men knew this part of the plain thoroughly, fromhunting ostriches on it, and from frequent expeditions in search ofstrayed cattle. They had all lived and hunted at one time oranother with the Indians. Many of the Gauchos take up their abodepermanently with the Indians, being adopted as members of thetribe, and living and dressing like the Indians themselves. Thesevisits are generally undertaken to avoid the consequences of somelittle difficulty--a man killed in a gambling quarrel, or forrivalry in love. Sometimes they make their peace again, satisfy theblood-relations with a bull, secure absolution readily enough byconfession and a gift of a small sum to the Church, and return totheir former life; but as often as not they remain with theIndians, and even attain to the rank of noted chiefs among them.
The men who accompanied the expedition were all of the formerclass. All had taken to the pampas to escape the consequences ofsome crime or other, but had grown perfectly sick of it, and hadreturned to civilized life. In point of morals they were not,perhaps, desirable companions; but they were all brave enough,thoroughly knew the country further inland, and, if notenthusiastic in the adventure, were yet willing enough to followtheir respective masters, and ready to fight for their lives uponoccasion.
Just as they halted Mr. Herries thought that he caught sight ofsome deer a short way ahead. He therefore started at once for astalk, several of the others going off in other directions. Mr.Herries proceeded very cautiously, and the wind being fortunatelytoward him, he was enabled to creep up tolerably close. Theanimals, which are extremely shy, had, however, an idea that dangerwas about before he could get within a fair shot. As he knew thatthey would be off in another instant, he at once practiced a trickwhich he had often found to be successful.
He threw himself on his back, pulled a red handkerchief from hisneck, tied it to one of his boots so as to let it float freely inthe air, and then threw up both legs in the form of a letter V.Then he began moving them slowly about, waving them to and fro. Thedeer, which were upon the point of flight, paused to gaze at thisstrange object; then they began to move in a circle, their looksstill directed at this unknown thing, to which they gradually keptapproaching as they moved round it. At last they were fairly inshot, and Herries, whose legs were beginning to be very weary,sprang to his feet, and in another instant the foremost of the deerlay quivering in death.
Taking it upon his shoulders, he proceeded to the camp, where hisarrival was hailed with acclamation. A fire was already alight,made of grass and turf, the former being pulled up in handfuls bythe roots, and making a fierce but short-lived blaze. A largequantity had been collected at hand, and the ducks were already cutup. Half a one was handed to each; fur every man is his own cookupon the pampas.
The other hunters shortly returned, bringing in another of thelittle deer; for the stag of the pampas is of small size. They werespeedily skinned by the Gauchos, and cut up, and all the party werenow engaged in roasting duck and venison steaks on their steelramrods over the fire.
When all were satisfied, a double handful of tea was thrown intothe kettle, which was already boiling, pipes were lighted, and ageneral feeling of comfort experienced. The horses had beenpicketed close at hand, each man having cut or pulled a heap ofgrass and placed it before his beast; beside which, the picketropes allowed each horse to crop the grass growing in a smallcircle, of which he was the center.
Mr. Ha
rdy chatted apart for some time with the Gauchos, anxious toknow as much as possible of the country into which he was entering.The others chatted and told stories. Presently Mr. Hardy joinedagain in the general conversation, and then, during a pause, said,"Although, my friends, I consider it most improbable that anyIndians are in the neighborhood, still it is just possible thatthey may have remained, on purpose to fall at night upon any partywho might venture to pursue. At any rate, it is right to begin ourwork in a businesslike way. I therefore propose that we keepwatches regularly. It is now nine o'clock. We shall be moving byfive: that will make four watches of two hours each. I should saythat three men in a watch, stationed at fifty yards from the campupon different sides would suffice."
There was a general assent to the proposal.
"To save trouble," Mr. Hardy went on, "I suggest that we keep watchin the alphabetical order of our names. Twelve of us will be onto-night, and the next twelve to-morrow night."
The proposal was at once agreed to; and the three who were first onduty at once rose, and, taking their rifles, went off in variousdirections, first agreeing that one of them should give a singlewhistle as a signal that the watch was up, and that two whistlesclose together would be a warning to retreat at once toward thecenter.
The watch also ascertained which were the next three men to beroused, and these and the succeeding watches agreed to lie next toeach other, in order that they might be roused without awakeningtheir companions.
In a few minutes there was a general unrolling of ponchos, and soonafterward only sleeping figures could be seen by the dim light ofthe smoldering fire. Mr. Hardy, indeed, was the only one of theparty who did not fall to sleep. Thoughts of the events of the lasttwenty-four hours, of the best course to be adopted, and of theheavy responsibility upon himself as leader of this perilousexpedition, prevented him from sleeping. He heard the watch return,rouse the relief, and lay down in their places. In another halfhour he himself rose, and walked out toward the sentry.
It was a young man named Cook, one of the new settlers to the eastof Mount Pleasant. "Is that you, Mr. Hardy?" he asked, as heapproached. "I was just coming in to wake you."
"What is it, Mr. Cook?"
"It strikes me, sir, that there is a strange light away to thesouthwest. I have only noticed it the last few minutes, and thoughtit was fancy, but it gets more distinct every minute."
Mr. Hardy looked out anxiously into the gloom and quickly perceivedthe appearance that his friend alluded to.
For a minute or two he did not speak, and then, as the lightevidently increased, he said, almost with a groan, "It is what Ifeared they would do: they have set the prairie on fire. You neednot keep watch any longer. We are as much separated from theIndians as if the ocean divided us."
Cook gave the two short whistles agreed upon to recall the othermen on guard, and then returned with Mr. Hardy to the rest of theparty. Then Mr. Hardy roused all his companions. Every man leapedup, rifle in hand, believing that the Indians were approaching.
"We must be up and doing," Mr. Hardy said cheerfully; "the Indianshave fired the pampas."
There was a thrill of apprehension in the bosom of many present,who had heard terrible accounts of prairie fires, but this speedilysubsided at the calm manner of Mr. Hardy.
"The fire," he said, "may be ten miles away yet. I should say thatit was, but it is difficult to judge, for this grass does not flamevery high, and the smoke drifts between it and us. The wind,fortunately, is light, but it will be here in little over half anhour. Now, let the four Gauchos attend to the horses, to see theydo not stampede. The rest form a line a couple of yards apart, andpull up the grass by the roots, throwing it behind them, so as toleave the ground clear. The wider we can make it the better."
All fell to work with hearty zeal. Looking over their shoulders,the sky now appeared on fire. Flickering tongues of flame seemed tostruggle upward. There was an occasional sound of feet, as herds ofdeer flew by before the danger.
"How far will it go, papa, do you think?" Hubert asked his father,next to whom he was at work.
"I should say that it would most likely stop at the stream where wehalted to-day, Hubert. The ground was wet and boggy for somedistance on the other side."
The horses were now getting very restive, and there was a momentarypause from work to wrap ponchos round their heads, so as to preventtheir seeing the glare.
The fire could not have been more than three miles distant, whenthe space cleared was as wide as Mr. Hardy deemed necessary forsafety. A regular noise, something between a hiss and a roar, wasplainly audible; and when the wind lifted the smoke the flamescould be seen running along in an unbroken wall of fire. Birds flewpast overhead with terrified cries, and a close, hot smell ofburning was very plainly distinguishable.
Starting about halfway along the side of the cleared piece ofground, Mr. Hardy set the dry grass alight. For a moment or two itburned slowly, and then, fanned by the wind, It gained force, andspread in a semicircle of flame.
The horses were already unpicketed, and half of the party held themat a short distance in the rear, while the rest stood in readinessto extinguish the fire if it crossed the cleared space.
Over and over again the fire crept partially across--for theclearing had been done but roughly--but it was speedily stamped outby the heavy boots of the watchers.
The spectacle, as the fire swept away before the wind, was fine inthe extreme. The party seemed includes between two walls of fire.The main conflagration was now fearfully close, burning flakes werealready falling among them, and the sound of the fire was like thehiss of the surf upon a pebbly beach.
"Now," Mr. Hardy said, "forward with the horses. Every one to hisown animal. Put your ponchos over your own heads as well as yourhorses."
In another minute the party stood clustered upon the black andsmoking ground which the fire they had kindled had swept clear.There, for five minutes, they remained without moving unscorched bythe raging element around them, but half-choked with the smoke.
Then Mr. Hardy spoke: "It is over now. You can look up."
There was a general expression of astonishment as the heads emergedfrom their wrappers, and the eyes recovered sufficiently from theeffects of the blinding smoke to look round. Where had the firegone? Where, indeed! The main conflagration had swept by them, haddivided in two when it reached, the ground already burned, andthese columns, growing further and further asunder as the newlykindled fire had widened, were already far away to the right andleft, while beyond and between them was the fire that theythemselves had kindled, now two miles wide, and already far in thedistance.
These fires in the pampas, although they frequently extend over avast tract of country, are seldom fatal to life. The grass rarelyattains a height exceeding three feet, and burns out almost like somuch cotton. A man on horseback, having no other method of escape,can, by blindfolding his horse and wrapping his own face in aponcho, ride fearless through the wall of fire without damage tohorse or rider.
It was only, therefore, the young hands who had felt any uneasinessat the sight of the fire; for the settlers were in the habit ofregularly setting fire to the grass upon their farms every yearbefore the rains, as the grass afterward springs up fresh and greenfor the animals. Care has to be taken to choose a calm day, whenthe flames can be confined within bounds; but instances haveoccurred when fires so commenced have proved most disastrous,destroying many thousands of animals.
"There is nothing to do but to remain where we are until morning,"Mr. Hardy said. "The horses had better be picketed, and then thosewho can had better get a few hours' more sleep. We shall want nomore watch to-night." In a few minutes most of the party were againasleep; and the young Hardys were about to follow their example,when Mr. Hardy came up to them and said quietly, "Come this way,boys; we are going to have a council."
The boys followed their father to where some eight or nine men weresitting down at a short distance from the sleepers, and these theboys made out, by the glow from th
eir pipes, to consist of Herriesand Farquhar, the two Jamiesons, Mr. Percy, and the four Gauchos.
"This is a terribly bad business," Mr. Hardy began, when he and hissons had taken their seats on the ground. "I expected it, but it isa heavy blow nevertheless."
"Why, what is the matter, papa?" the boys exclaimed anxiously."Have we lost anything?"
"Yes, boys," Mr. Hardy said; "we have lost what is at this momentthe most important thing in the world--we have lost the trail."
Charley and Hubert uttered a simultaneous exclamation of dismay asthe truth flashed across their minds. "The trail was lost!" Theyhad never thought of this. In the excitement of the fire, it hadnever once occurred to them that the flames were wiping out everytrace of the Indian track.
Mr. Hardy then went on, addressing himself to the others: "Ofcourse this fire was lit with the especial intent of throwing usoff the scent. Have you any idea how far it is likely to havecome?" he asked the Gauchos. "That is, are you aware of theexistence of any wide stream or damp ground which would havechecked it, and which must therefore be the furthest boundary ofthe fire?"
The Gauchos were silent a minute; then Perez said, "The next streamis fifteen miles further; but it is small, and would not stop thefire going with the wind. Beyond that there is no certain stream,as far as I know of."
"The ground rises, and the grass gets thinner and poorer thirtymiles or so on. I should say that they would light it this side ofthat," Martinez said. The other Gauchos nodded assent.
"We took the bearings of the track by our compass," Farquhar said."Could we not follow it on by compass across the burned ground, andhit it upon the other side?"
Mr. Percy and Mr. Hardy both shook their heads. "I do not pretendto say where the trail is gone," the former said, "but the oneplace where I am quite sure it is not, is on the continuation ofthe present line."
"No," Mr. Hardy continued. "As you say, Percy, there it certainlyis not. The Indians, when they got to some place which is probablyabout half across the burned ground, turned either to the right orleft, and traveled steadily in that direction, sending one or twoof their number in the old direction to light the grass, so as tosweep away all trace of the trail. They may have gone to the rightor to the left, or may even have doubled back and passed us againat only a few miles' distance. We have no clew whatever to guide usat present, except the certainty that sooner or later the Indianswill make for their own camping-ground. That is the exact state ofthe affair." And Mr. Hardy repeated what he had just said inSpanish to the Gauchos, who nodded assent.
"And in which direction do the Gauchos believe that theircamping-ground lies?" Mr. Jamieson asked after a pause; "because itappears to me that it is a waste of time to look for the trail, andthat our only plan is to push straight on to their villages, whichwe may reach before they get there. And in that case, if we foundthem unguarded, we might seize all their women, and hold them ashostages until they return. Then we could exchange them for Ethel;and when we had once got her, we could fight our way back."
"Capital, capital!" the other English man exclaimed. "Don't youthink so, papa?" Hubert added, seeing that Mr. Hardy did not joinin the general approval.
"The plan is an admirably conceived one, but there is a greatdifficulty in the way. I observed yesterday that the trail did notlead due south, as it should have done if the Indians were goingstraight back to their camping ground. I questioned the Gauchos,and they all agree with me on the subject. The trail is toowesterly for the camping-grounds of the Pampas Indians; too far tothe south for the country of the Flat-faces of the Sierras. I fearthat there is a combination of the two tribes, as there was in theattack upon us, and that they went the first day in the directionwhich would be most advantageous for both; and that, on reachingtheir halting-place--perhaps twenty or thirty miles from here--theymade a division of their booty, and each tribe drew off toward itsown hunting-grounds. In this case we have first to find the twotrails, then to decide the terrible question, which party havetaken Ethel?"
Again the Gauchos, upon this being translated to them, expressedtheir perfect accordance with Mr. Hardy's views, and some surpriseat his idea as having been so identical with their own upon thesubject.
As for the six young men, they were too dismayed at the unexpecteddifficulties which had started up in their way to give any opinionwhatever. This uncertainty was terrible, and all felt that it wouldhave a most depressing effect upon themselves and upon the wholeexpedition; for how could they tell, after journeying for hundredsof miles, whether every step might not take them further from theobject of their search?
In this state of depression they remained for some minutes, whenPerez the Gaucho said, in his broken English, "Most tribe take mostplunder, most cattle, most sheep--take girl."
"Well thought of, Perez!" Mr. Hardy exclaimed warmly. "That is theclew for us, sure enough. As you say, the tribe who has furnishedmost men will, as a matter of course, take a larger share of thebooty; and Ethel being the only captive, would naturally go to thestrongest tribe."
The rest were all delighted at this solution of a difficulty whichhad before appeared insuperable, and the most lively satisfactionwas manifested.
The plans for the day were then discussed. Propositions were madethat they should divide into two parties, and go one to the rightand the other to the left until they arrived at unburned ground,the edge of which they should follow until they met. This schemewas, however, given up, as neither party would have seen the trailinspected by the other and no opinion could therefore be formed asto the respective magnitude of the parties who had passed--a matterrequiring the most careful examination and comparison, and anaccurate and practiced judgment.
It was finally resolved, therefore, to keep in a body, and toproceed, in the first place, to search for the trail of the partyto the south. A calculation was made, upon the supposition that theIndians had traveled for another twenty-five miles upon their oldcourse, and then separated, each party making directly for home. Toavoid all mistakes, and to allow for a detour, it was determined toshape a direct course to a point considerably to the east of thatgiven by the calculation, to follow the edge of the burned grounduntil the trail was arrived at, and then to cut straight across, inorder to find and examine the trail of the western Indians.
As this conclusion was arrived at, the first dawn of light appearedin the east, and Mr. Hardy at once roused the sleepers.
He then gave them a brief account of the conclusions to which hehad arrived in the night, and of his reason for so doing. There wasa general expression of agreement, then the girths were tightened,and in five minutes the troop was in motion.
How great was the change since the preceding evening! Then, as faras the eye could reach stretched a plain of waving grass. Birds hadcalled to their mates, coveys of game had risen at their approach;deer had been seen bounding away in the distance; ostriches hadgazed for an instant at the unusual sight of man, and had gone offwith their heads forward and their wings outstretched before thewind.
Now, the eye wandered over a plain of dingy black, unbroken by asingle prominence, undisturbed by living creatures exceptthemselves. As Hubert remarked to his father, "It looked as if ithad been snowing black all night."
Both men and horses were anxious to get over these dreary plains,and the pace was faster, and the halts less frequent, than they hadbeen the day before.
It was fortunate that the fire had not taken place at an earlierhour of the evening, as the horses would have been weakened by wantof food. As it was, they had had five hours to feed after theirarrival.
Both men and horses, however, suffered much from thirst; and theformer had good reason to congratulate themselves on havingfilled every water-skin at the first halting-place of the precedingday.
Clouds of black impalpable dust rose as they rode along. The eyes,mouth, and nostrils were filled with it, and they were literally asblack as the ground over which they rode.
Twice they stopped and drank, and sparingly washed out the nos
trilsand mouths of the horses, which was a great relief to them, forthey suffered as much as did their masters, as also did Dash, who,owing to his head being so near the ground, was almost suffocated;indeed, Hubert at last dismounted, and took the poor animal up onto the saddle before him.
At last, after four hours' steady riding, a gleam of color was seenin the distance, and in another quarter of an hour they reached theunburned plains, which, worn and parched as they were, lookedrefreshing indeed after the dreary waste over which they hadpassed.
The Gauchos, after a consultation among themselves, agreed in theopinion that the little stream of which they had spoken was but ashort distance further, and that, although the channel might bedry, pools would no doubt be found in it. It was determined,therefore, to push on, and half an hour's riding by the edge of theburned grass brought them to the spot, when, following the courseof the channel, they soon came to a pool, from which men and horsestook a long drink.
At their approach an immense number of wild duck rose, and, as soonas the horses were picketed Charley again started with the gun,taking Terence with him to assist in bringing home the birds. Theysoon heard his gun, and Terence presently returned with six braceof ducks and a goose, and a request that another man would go backwith him, for that the birds were so abundant, and so apparentlystupefied from flying over the smoke and flame, that he could bringin any quantity.
One of the Jamiesons and Herries therefore went out, and returnedin less than an hour with Charley, bringing between them four moregeese and eighteen brace of ducks.
Charley was greeted with a round of applause, and was I soon atwork with his friends upon the meal which was now ready.
After breakfast there was a comparison of opinion, and it was atlast generally agreed that they had ridden nearly forty miles sincedaybreak, and that they could not be far from the spot where theIndians ought to have passed if they had kept the direction ascalculated. It was also agreed that it would be better to let thehorses remain where they were till late in the afternoon, when theymight accomplish another fifteen miles or so.
Mr. Hardy then proposed that those who were inclined shouldaccompany him on a walk along the edge of the burned ground. "Wecannot be very far off from the trail," he said, "if ourcalculations are correct; and if we can find and examine it beforeit is time to start, we may be able to-night to cross to the otherside, and thus gain some hours."
Herries, Farquhar, the two Jamiesons, Cook, and the young Hardys atonce volunteered for the walk, and shouldering their rifles,started at a steady pace.
They had not walked much over a mile when a shout of pleasure brokefrom them, as, upon ascending a slight rise, they saw in the hollowbelow them the broad line of trampled grass, which showed that alarge body of animals had lately passed along. All hurried forward,and a close and anxious examination took place.
Opinions differed a good deal as to the number that had passed;nor, accustomed as they all were to seeing the tracks made by herdsof cattle and flocks of sheep, could they come to any approximateagreement on the subject. Had the number been smaller, the taskwould have been easier; but it is a question requiring extremeknowledge and judgment to decide whether four hundred cattle andtwo thousand sheep, or six hundred cattle and three thousand sheep,have passed over a piece of ground.
Mr. Hardy at last sent Charley back, accompanied by Mr. Cook, torequest Mr. Percy to come on at once with the Gauchos to give theiropinion. Charley and his companions were to remain with the horses,and were to request those not specially sent for to stay therealso, as it would be imprudent in the extreme to leave the horseswithout a strong guard.
Pending the arrival of Mr. Percy, Mr. Hardy and his friendsfollowed up the trail for some distance, so as to examine it bothin the soft bottoms and on the rises. They returned in half an hourto their starting place, and were shortly after joined by Mr. Percyand the Gauchos. Again a careful and prolonged examination, tookplace, and a tolerably unanimous opinion was at last arrived at,that a very large number of animals had passed, apparently thelarger half, but that no positive opinion could be arrived at untila comparison was made with the trail on the western side.
Although this conclusion was arrived at unanimously, it appeared tobe reluctantly conceded to by most of them, and the reason of thisbecame apparent as they were walking back toward the horses. "Ihave little doubt that the conclusion we have arrived at iscorrect," Herries remarked, "although somehow I am sorry for it;for ever since our talk last night I have made up my mind that shewas most likely to be taken to the west. I suppose because theIndians there are more warlike than those of the pampas, andtherefore likely to have furnished a larger contingent. Of course Ihad no reason for thinking so, but so it was."
"That was just what I thought," Hubert said; and I the otherEnglishmen admitted that they had all entertained a somewhatsimilar idea.
At four in the afternoon they were again in the saddle, havingtaken the precaution of filling their water-skins, and of wateringthe horses the last thing.
"How far do you think it is across, papa?" Hubert asked.
"It cannot be very far, Hubert. We are so much nearer the placewhere the fire began that I do not think it can have spread morethan ten miles or so across."
Mr. Hardy's conjecture proved to be correct. An hour and a half'sriding brought them to the other side of the burned prairie,striking a point which they felt sure was to the south of the placewhere the trail would have left it.
As they had done more than fifty miles since the morning, and thehorses were much distressed with the effect of the dust, it wasresolved to encamp at once. The horses received a little water, andwere picketed out to graze. The fire was soon lit, and the duckscut up and spitted upon the ramrods.
All were so much exhausted with the heat, the ashes, the fatigue,and the want of sleep of the previous night that, the tea and pipesfinished and the watch posted, the rest lay down to sleep beforethe sun had been an hour below the horizon.
All rose at daybreak, refreshed with their quiet night's rest, andwere soon in the saddle and on their way northward.
They had nearly an hour's ride before they came upon the trail.
There it was unmistakably--at first sight as broad and as muchtrampled as the other; but after a careful examination of it therewas but one opinion, namely, that the number of animals who hadpassed was decidedly less than those who had gone south.
One of the Gauchos now told Mr. Hardy that he knew that at a shortdistance further to the west there was a spring of water much usedby the Indians, and where he had no doubt they had halted on thenight of the fire. Finding that it was not more than half an hour'sride, Mr. Hardy, after a brief consultation, determined to go overthere to water the horses and breakfast, before retracing theirfootsteps across the burned prairie.
In little over the time named they came to a small pool of brightwater, from which a little stream issued, running nearly due northacross the plain. After drinking heartily themselves, and fillingthe water-skins and kettle, the horses were allowed to drink; andDash plunged in with the greatest delight, emerging his usualbright chestnut color, whereas he had gone into the water perfectlyblack.
After he had come out and had shaken himself, he commenced huntingabout, sniffing so violently that Hubert's attention was attractedto him. Presently the dog ran forward a few paces and gave a sharpbark of pleasure, and Hubert, running forward, gave so loud a crythat all the party rushed up.
Hubert could not speak. There, half-buried in the ground, andpointing west, was an Indian arrow, and round the head was twisteda piece of white calico, with little blue spots upon it, which Mr.Hardy instantly recognized as a piece of the dress Ethel had wornwhen she left home.
Surprise kept all quiet for awhile, and then exclamations ofpleasure and excitement broke from all, while Mr. Hardy and hissons wore greatly affected at this proof of the recent presence oftheir lost one. The arrow was deeply sunk in the ground, but it wasplaced at a spot where the grass happened to be particular
ly short,so that any one passing outward from the spring could hardly havefailed to notice the piece of calico upon the grass. There was aperfect shower of congratulations; and it was some time before theywere recovered sufficiently to renew their preparations forbreakfast.
At last they sat down round the fire, all their faces radiant withexcitement.
Perez and Martinez, however, sat somewhat apart, talking in ananimated undertone to each other. They did not even approach thefire to roast their food; and Mr. Hardy's attention being attractedby this circumstance, he asked what they were talking so earnestlyabout.
Neither of them answered him, and he repeated the question. ThenPerez replied: "Martinez and I think same. All trick; girl goneother way."
Conversation and eating were alike suspended at these ominouswords, and each looked blankly into the others' faces.
Now that their attention was called to it, the whole circumstancesof the case rushed to their minds; and as they felt the probabletruth of what Perez said, their hopes fell to zero.
Mr. Percy was the first who, after a long silence, spoke. "I amafraid, Hardy, that what Perez says is right, and that we have beenvery nearly thrown off the scent by a most transparent trick.Watched as Ethel must have been, is it probable that she could havepossessed herself of that arrow, and have fastened a strip of herdress to it, without being noticed? Still more impossible is itthat she could have placed the arrow where we found it. No onecould have passed without noticing it; so unless we suppose thatshe was allowed to linger behind every one, which is out of thequestion, the arrow could not have been put there by her."
"Too true, Percy," Mr. Hardy said with a sigh, after a shortsilence; "it is altogether impossible, and I should call it aclumsy artifice, were it not that it deceived us all for awhile.However, there is one comfort; it decides the question as we hadourselves decided it: Ethel is gone with the larger party to thesouth."
Breakfast was continued, but with a very subdued feeling. Huberthad now finished his, and, being a lad of restless habit, he tookup the arrow which lay beside him, and began toying with it. Firsthe untied the piece of stuff, smoothed it, and put it into hispocketbook, while his eyes filled with tears; then he continuedlistlessly twisting the arrow in his fingers, while he listened tothe conversation around him.
Presently his eyes fell upon the arrow. He started, a flush ofexcitement rushed across his face, and his hands and lips trembledas he closely examined the feather.
All-gazed at him with astonishment.
"Oh, papa, papa," he cried at last, "I know this arrow!"
"Know the arrow!" all repeated.
"Yes, I am quite, quite sure I know it. Don't you remember,Charley, the day that those wounded Indians started, as we weretaking the quivers down to them, I noticed that one arrow had twofeathers which I had never seen before, and could not guess whatbird they came from. They were light blue, with a crimson tip. Ipulled one off to compare it with my others. It is at home now. Iremember that I chose the one I did because the other one had twoof the little side feathers gone. This is the feather, I can mostsolemnly declare, and you see the fellow one is gone. That arrowbelongs to one of the men we recovered."
All crowded round to examine the arrow, and then Mr. Hardy saidsolemnly, "Thank God for his mercy, He has decided our way now.Undoubtedly, as Hubert says, one of the men we aided is of theparty, and wishes to show his gratitude. So he has managed to get apiece of Ethel's dress, and has tied it to this arrow, hoping thatwe should recognize the feather. Thank God, there is no more doubt,and thank Him, too, that Ethel has at least one friend near her."
All was now joy and congratulation, and Hubert rubbed his hands,and said triumphantly, "There, Charley, you were always chaffingme, and wanting to know what was the good of my collection, and nowyou see what was the good. It has put us on the right trail forEthel, and you will never be able to laugh at me about mycollection again."