CHAPTER XXI.--A BREAK IN THE CLOUDS.
The second series of rapids, though much more dreaded by Sam than thefirst, proved to be neither very long, nor, by comparison, verydangerous.
Within ten minutes from the time of entering them they were passed insafety, and the raft was floating down the broadest, smoothest currentthey had experienced since starting on their perilous journey.
Ike and Wah Shin cautiously released their hold on the logs and lookedabout them.
Sam again stood up with the steering pole in his hands.
Straight as an arrow, and for fully three miles, the river could be seenflowing down between its towering banks.
This sight brought to Sam a sense of great relief, and its effect on Ikewas decidedly exhilarating.
Standing up in the front of the raft he waved his arms like a windmilland shouted out:
"Bress de Lor! we'z safe! we'z safe!"
Escape from the awful dangers they had just come through so miraculouslymade Ike forget, for the moment, his hunger and the fact that therecould be no safety to people floating on a shaky raft, down a riverwhose course seemed through the very heart of sterile, toweringmountains.
Ah, well, this only goes to show that, no matter how desperate thesituation we always have something to be thankful for; and that nomatter how bad things are, so long as life, health and hope remain, theymight be worse.
Another thing very unusual in this experience was the fact that thecanyon walls, instead of rising straight up from the water, stood back,leaving on either side a strip on which, amid great masses of detachedsandstone there grew a number of stunted mezquite and cedar trees.
They were all as wet as they well could be, but they had grown soaccustomed to this that Sam made up his mind not to go ashore to drytheir clothes, but to keep right on, when a shout from Ike caused him tochange his purpose.
"I see a wolf or a deer; way dar to de right!" and Ike pointed down towhere the bushes hid the rocks.
"Lat no deel," said Wah Shin, as he bent forward and shaded his eyes.
"Mebbe yeh ken tell us wat it is," said Ike, with a touch of sarcasm,for having discovered the animal he felt that he had a right to say whatit was.
"Lat's yalla doggee," said Wah Shin.
And Wah Shin was right, for at that instant the animal sprang into viewand began a vigorous barking, and a frisking back and forth.
"It's Maj! It's Maj!" cried Ike.
Maj it certainly was, and the joy of the faithful creature at seeing hisfriends was touching.
Sam at once guided the raft to the shore, but while it was yet manyyards away, the dog swam out, was pulled on board and at once jumped onSam, who if he had not been wet before certainly would have been now.
"Dat ar dog looks to me ez if he had been habin' a big feed some place,"said Ike, when they got on shore, and he could examine Maj's roundedform, which his dripping coat made more conspicuous.
"Mebbe him full of watel," suggested Wah Shin.
"No," said Ike, as he pressed the dog's sides, "it's grub; good solidgrub." Then, addressing Maj, he said, in tones intended to be veryseductive: "See har, ole feller, don't go foh to tell me dat yer hungry,like we is. You'se been eatin' meat, don't say 'no' foh I won't stan'it; but, like a good dorg, show me de place whar yeh found it, an' ifebber I gits out ob dis yeh fix, I'll buy yeh a brass collar, wif yehname on de outside in great big letters."
As if he understood this and was anxious to earn the reward sogenerously offered him, Maj started off with a short, sharp bark, butbefore he had gone very far he turned and came slowly back again, as ifhe had changed his mind.
Meanwhile, Wah Shin got together a pile of dry wood, and, as the matchesin Sam's water-proof case escaped the water, they soon had a roaringfire, before which their cargo and their clothes--the latter welltattered--were placed to dry.
At first Sam, who was now very hungry, was inclined to think that it wasa whim of Ike's that led him to see anything suggestive of food in thedog's appearance, but when he came to look carefully at the animal andstudy his contented manner, he was satisfied that he had found somethingto eat since being washed from the raft.
With nearly all his clothes drying before the fire, Sam, followed byIke, started off to examine the shore further down.
He had not gone far when he noticed great clefts in the walls of thecanyon, as if the mighty mass had been cracked by some tremendous power.
These fissures ran up and back for thousands of feet, but the largestone visible was not of sufficient width to admit of their getting up inthat way, neither were these openings on the side of the canyon whichthey must ascend in order to reach Hurley's Gulch.
An examination of the point where one of the fissures came down to theshore convinced Sam that some creatures had used this passage-wayrecently as an avenue for ascending to the upper world, or coming downto this profound and silent valley.
He had just communicated this opinion to Ike, and was about to turn awaywhen his attention was attracted to the dog, now standing with his rightpaw raised, his tail extended and his whole form as rigid as if it hadbeen cut in marble.
"See!" shouted Ike, "Maj is on de p'int! Whar, whar's de game?"
The words had scarcely passed his lips when there was a squeak and arushing noise, and a score, or more, long-eared rabbits dashed by withintwenty feet of the party.
"Hooraw! Rabbits! rabbits!" cried Ike. "Let us git our guns! Rabbitsmakes bully grub!"
Sam had not his gun with him, but he at once started back to the fireand examined his rifle, which had come through without being damaged.
The water had not affected the metallic cartridges, of which he had agood supply left. Filling his belt with these he started off, Ikekeeping by his side with his remarkable old shot-gun on his shoulder,though its utter uselessness had been emphasized by its recent heavyrusting.
Ike was useful, however, in holding back the dog, who had evidently beenfeeding on rabbit since his landing at this place.
Sam was an excellent rifleman, having had much practice, and beingpossessed of nerves as true and steady as steel, without which theweapon can never be mastered.
He crept ahead, and about three hundred yards below the camp he camewithin sight of a little cove, or pocket, in the canyon wall that seemedliterally to swarm with long-eared rabbits.
He fired with judgment, and kept firing while the creatures remained insight and he was sure of his shots.
The result was that within five minutes he had killed thirteen rabbits.
Everyone that was struck was taken, and to the true hunter, who neverinflicts an unnecessary wound on the animals he hunts, this is always agreat satisfaction.
Ike was disappointed that he had not been permitted to try "her," as hecalled his old shot-gun, on the game; but, as he picked up the goodlyload of rabbits and carried it back to camp, it would be difficult toimagine a more delighted fellow.
It is said that "it never rains but it pours," and this seemed to be thecase with the sudden turn in the tide of good luck that had set intoward our unfortunate friends.
When they got back to camp, they found that Wah Shin had been testingthe fish lines and flies, which they had scarcely thought of up to thistime, and with such unexpectedly good luck that he had landed two finetrout and was in the act of pulling in the third when Ike came to sightladen down with game.
The least ray of light is cheering to those who have been long indarkness; and the briefest cessation from pain is like Heaven to thosegroaning in agony! so the prospect of food--a prospect made all the moredelightful by the gnawing hunger each felt so keenly--made them forgetfor the time all the trials they had passed and the uncertain futurethat lay before them.
Even the fire blazed up cheerily as if in sympathy with their feelings,and Maj lay down like a faithful scout, who has guided the famished intoa land--of rabbits.
In almost as short a time as it takes to tell it, the rabbits and thefish were cooking.
We shall n
ot attempt to describe that feast, for there are some thingsimpossible to even our expressive English tongue.
Suffice it to say, each ate all he could, with a result that "made away"with one half the supply on hand.
They had just finished their most enjoyable meal, when Wah Shin, whochanced to be looking toward the river, uttered a cry of alarm.
The others quickly turned in that direction, and, to their amazement,they saw the spectral figure of a dark man rising from the water.