CHAPTER XI.
IN A CORNER.
Larry Murphy's first thought, when he found he had stumbled intosomething in the nature of a cave, was that it might serve him as arefuge or a fort in the impending fight with the Shawanoes, who werecertainly beginning to crowd him hard.
The night being fully come, his eyes were of little use, but the senseof feeling told him that he had stumbled down an abrupt incline, perhapsa rod in length, and into a cavern in the rocks, of whose extent hecould form no idea. It might be only a few feet, or it might extendbackward or to the right or left until its ramifications equalled thoseof the Mammoth Cave, afterwards discovered at no great distance fromthat very spot.
He was debating the question with himself when a figure appeared at thehead of the short incline down which he had stumbled. There was justenough arrowy moonlight reaching that portion of the rocks for him toidentify the huge, lumbering mass as that of an immense bear.
He had his rifle at his shoulder, with the intention of letting fly athim as he came head on, when the thought that the Shawanoes were so nearthat they would hear the report caused him to hesitate. If they werenear enough to appear before he could get away he would be in a bad fix,knowing nothing of the cave, and with no chance to get food or water.
Still, he could not stand still and allow the brute to make a supperupon him, and, plucky as he was, he had no wish to fight him alone withhis hunting-knife.
He thought and acted quickly. He resolutely walked backward severalpaces in the cave at the risk of breaking his neck. His extended handstold him that the space was wide, and he moved silently to the right, soas to be out of the path of the animal, provided he followed anythinglike a direct course.
The enormous beast swung along in his heavy fashion, and was in the actof entering the cavern, when he stopped, emitting a grunting snort, andabruptly withdrew. He had scented something wrong, and did not intend torush headlong into danger.
The act of the bear disconcerted Larry for a moment. Standing within thecavern, he could have fired his gun with little risk of the report beingheard outside. That was one of his motives in retreating, willing to letthe animal alone if he would be equally considerate, but not afraid tofire the moment it was necessary.
But bruin not only withdrew from the entrance to the cavern, butclambered up the incline to a point where he could not be seen by theyouth. The discovery on his part that some intruder was in his home haddoubtless decided him to have it out in the open air rather than in thedark.
This was a wise proceeding on the part of the animal, which is rarelycapable of anything of that nature, and it outwitted the Irish lad--anexploit not often achieved by others.
He could not leave the cavern without following the bear up the inclineand bringing about a collision, for he was certain the beast was lurkingnear, with the intention of attacking him.
After some delay he moved softly toward the opening of the cavern togain a view of the exterior, which was faintly lit up in places by themoonlight. He could see nothing, and he hesitated to venture out throughfear that, despite its size, the bear would pounce upon him before hecould defend himself.
The brave youth, however, fully understood his grave situation. So longas he remained within the cavern he might as well be a thousand milesaway for all the help he could give his friend. Instead of assistingWharton Edwards, he was in need of assistance himself.
Knowing the patience with which most wild animals will await the descentof treed game, he believed this bear would remain on the outside throughthe night, and perhaps a portion of the next day, with the probabilitythat even then the prisoner would have to make a fight of it before hecould get away. This was more than Larry could stand, and he did notmean to wait.
If the bear was really lying on the outside, he was not so near the topof the incline that the youth did not have some chance of eluding himwithout firing a gun.
Furthermore, if he was obliged to discharge his rifle, it was by nomeans likely that any of the Shawanoes were so close that they couldrush to the spot before he would have the opportunity of getting away.He had already stood within an arm's reach of them, as may be said,without discovery; and, although that was because they had no suspicionof the fact, yet the favoring night, it would seem, ought to give himall the hope he could ask.
"At any rate," he concluded, "I've stayed here as long as I intend to,and now I'll take my departure."
Larry Murphy, having decided on his course of action, followed it outwith his usual promptness. With his rifle grasped in his right hand, andhis body slightly crouching, he began climbing the incline which led tothe level ground above. This was so steep that when he stumbled at thetop in the first place, he rolled all the way to the bottom, but withcare he could go up or down without falling.
The stillness was profound--the sound of the falls being dull and faint,as though they were miles distant in the depth of the wilderness. Thoughthe fierce Shawanoes were prowling in the darkness among the trees, nota rustling leaf betrayed their presence.
Near the top of the slope he sank on his hands and knees and advancedinch by inch. The bear, as we have stated, is not famous for hissagacity, but at times he shows a remarkable cunning, and this specimenwas not likely to let his supper walk away without causing some trouble.
As the lad's head came to a level with the surface he crouched stilllower and advanced a little farther. This gave him the "purchase" hewanted. Then, sitting on his heels, he brought his gun around to thefront, the hammer up, and the weapon held with both hands. In thisposition it could be fired the instant needed.
He now slowly raised his head and peered intently in all directions. Hisheight was sufficient to allow him to see all about him, but the intensegloom rendered his eyes almost useless. It was impossible for him toidentify any object.
Fancying that he might be able to detect bruin's breathing in thestillness, he listened for a few seconds, but was unable to hearanything. He was now on the threshold, as may be said, and it wasuseless to wait longer.
He assumed the upright position, stepped away from the incline forseveral paces, and then stopped. He meant to do this with a certaindignity, and fully expected that it would compel the bear to uncoverhimself so that he would know where to fire.
He began his effort well, but in the darkness he could not observe theobstructions in his way; so, when at his most dignified point, anobtruding bowlder sent him sprawling over it.
He was not hurt, and when he pulled himself together, and, with hisweapon ready, stared about in the gloom, he not only saw but heardnothing.
And then the odd truth dawned upon him. There was no bear near, and hadnot been for some time past.
The animal, after his hurried retreat up the incline, on discovering theintruder in his home, had not lain down to pounce upon him as he cameforth, as that intruder suspected, but had lumbered off into the woods,apparently as anxious to get away from the young hunter as the latterwas too keep out of his reach.
Larry had waited a long time in the cavern before making this venture,and naturally he was chagrined on learning the truth.
"It's a big lot of valuable time wasted," he muttered.
He was now once more free to do as he chose, but without any clear ideaof what course to take. His whole anxiety was to find his friend,Wharton Edwards, and give him what help he could, if he stood in need ofit, but where to look for him he knew no more than the earth'ssatellite.
Ah! through the cool hush of the summer night a soft, almost inaudiblesound reached him. It was the faint, tremulous cooing of the wild dove,but so low, timid, and flute-like, that the bird seemed to mean itshould be heard only in its immediate vicinity.
The heart of Larry Murphy gave a quick throb. That was the call he andWharton Edwards had practiced until they could give it perfectly. Couldit be that his friend was not only free from the Shawanoes, but was sonear?
It seemed impossible, and yet, when the signal was repeated a minutelater, all doubt was gon
e, and, hardly unable to repress a shout, thelad replied with a precisely similar call.
These signals were of that pure musical quality that, when first made,neither could tell the point whence the other came. The note was simply"in the air." Larry, however, suspected that his friend had crossed thetorrent a few minutes before by means of the prostrate tree, and hebegan treading his way thither with the utmost caution.
For several minutes utter stillness reigned. Some cause led the firstone to hold his peace for that time.
Larry was so near the narrow, moonlit space bordering the torrent thathe halted, deeming it unwise to venture farther. It was evident, despitethe care he used, he had gone away from instead of toward his friend. Toadvance any farther was likely to take him beyond reach, and possiblycomplicate matters with the Shawanoes, who could not be far off.
"I wonder where they can be?" he mused, sufficiently prudent to remainin the shadow among the trees. "He's very careful, which is wise, andI'll be the same."
He waited minute after minute, without hearing the expected signal, anda vague misgiving began to trouble him.
"It can't be I'm too far off for me to hear him. I'll give him the callmesilf, and a little louder."
He was shaping his lips to form the singular cry, when it sounded sonear that he started. With the signal came a thrill of affright, for thelistening ear detected a shade of difference; it was not precisely whathe expected, nor exactly similar to his own.
At the same moment a crouching figure appeared on the edge of themoonlit space, and advancing with the slow, noiseless motion of a shadowacross the face of a dial.
Larry Murphy saw that it was a Shawanoe Indian. As if the red man meantto reveal himself beyond mistake, he took a single step forward, heldhis head bent for a moment in the attitude of intense attention, andthen slowly looked toward every point of the compass in turn.
At one angle the full moonlight fell upon the painted face, which theyouth recognized as that of the ferocious Blazing Arrow.
"I'll settle you!" whispered the youth, stealthily raising the hammer ofhis gun. "Ye have no business with that signal."
He tried to present his weapon without any noise, but with all his carethe hammer, as it was drawn back, made two dull clicks, which soundedstartlingly loud in the situation.
Knowing that the ear of the Indian had caught the noise, Larry broughthis weapon to his shoulder like a flash and pointed the muzzle towardthe spot, less than twenty-five feet away.
But no Blazing Arrow was there. He had disappeared like the coon at theflash of the huntsman's rifle.
Whether his acute sense of hearing had enabled him to locate the pointwhence came the double click, Larry did not wait to see. He had nointention that the miscreant, knife in hand, should come down on himwith the resistless force of an avalanche.
Lowering his head to help conceal his movements, he drew back severalpaces, with a silence and stealth that the Shawanoe himself could nothave surpassed. Then, crouching low on the ground, he waited, watchedand listened.
His rifle was ready to be fired, and he resolved to let Blazing Arrowhave the charge the instant he caught sight of him. The warrior wascunning, but he was liable to uncover himself in moving about the youth,whose precise location he could not know.
The danger of the latter was that other Shawanoes besides this one werenear, and might close around him in the gloom. He was ready, and wouldfight any number of them if they beset him, but there could be but oneresult of such a desperate struggle.
Hearing and seeing nothing of his enemies, he decided to improve hissituation by a further change of base. Inasmuch as the slightest slipwas certain to prove fatal, the work was slow and surpassingly delicate.
The foot was lifted quickly from the ground and suspended in the air andlowered slowly, while the body leaned gently forward, waiting a longwhile before its weight was allowed to rest on the limb.
The tedious work was continued until Larry moved fully a dozen yardsfrom his starting-point. Then, for the first time, he breathed freelyand felt that it was safe to pause.
Still nothing was seen or heard of Blazing Arrow or his companions, andthe youth, with a shudder, asked himself the startling question: "Howcame the Shawanoe to have the signal of Wharton Edwards?"