CHAPTER III.
OVER THE FALLS.
Not for an instant. He had decided on his course while leaping down intothe opening which had admitted the imperilled bruin into safety. Themoment he landed he flung his gun away, snatched off his hat, doffed hiscoat, seemingly with the same movement, and leaped with might and maininto the terrible current.
The narrow width at this portion caused him to strike within arm'slength of his friend. The left arm of the powerful young Irishman gripedthe collar of the sinking youth, and he gave him a shake fierce enoughalmost to dislocate his neck.
"Wake up, Whart, ye spalpeen! What's the matter wid ye?"
They were now so close to the falls that the voice of Larry wasindistinct, but the violent shaking did just what was needed. Thehalf-drowned youth was roused, and stared about him in a bewildered way.He gasped and began struggling.
"Take it aisy, me boy," added Larry, who could not avoid talking even inthat appalling moment; "ye nadn't try to swim over the falls, for thewater is kind enough to save ye the trouble."
The knowledge that his friend was alive, when he feared he was not, wasenough to send a thrill of pleasure through him, even though theawakening, as may be said, was on the brink of death itself.
Young Edwards was still too bewildered to comprehend matters. Hisstruggling continued, but it was instinctive and naturally without theleast result. His companion retained his grasp on his collar until hesaw that nothing could be gained by it. Then he let go and gave moreattention to himself.
By this time they were on the brink of the falls. The torrent moved witha calm, swift, hurrying impressiveness that was the more appallingbecause of its contrast with the churning hades of waters below. It wasas if the volume, gathering itself for the plunge, ran forward witheager speed and dived off the rocks into the boiling cauldron.
Larry Murphy was too wise to make any resistance. He drew in his breath,cast one look at the white face of his friend, uttered a prayer forboth, and then over they went.
Neither of the youths were ever able to tell clearly what followedduring the few moments, though their experiences must have been quitesimilar. Larry Murphy probably kept better track of events than hiscompanion, because he had not suffered the temporary daze undergone byhim a brief while before.
It seemed to him that on the very brink of the falls he was thrownbodily outward and downward by some fearful power independent of theresistless current. The descent, of necessity, was short, but itappeared to be tenfold its actual length. Then he went down, down, down,as though he would never stop, until he fancied that he was driven tothe bottom of a watery cavern of immeasurable depths.
He instinctively held his breath until he felt that the distendedblood-vessels must burst. He was whirled about and tossed hither andthither amid spray and foam and more sold water, like an egg-shell in amaelstrom. Then, when he could hold his breath no longer, he made onespasmodic inhalation. He was almost strangled, but a part of that whichhe drew in was air. The next breath was all air, and then he wasswimming in the comparatively smooth water below the falls.
As soon as he could clear his eyes and look about him, he saw that hewas borne along by the swift current, which was double the width of thestream above. Instead of the rocky bluffs which rendered it almostunapproachable in that portion, the banks were comparatively low andlined with large trees, some of which leaned out over the water, withtheir limbs almost touching it.
The most pleasing sight that greeted Larry was that of his friend in theact of lifting himself upon dry land, with the help of one of theoverhanging limbs. He had escaped and was himself again.
"Are you all right?" he called, in a cheery voice, looking around atLarry, who was swimming hard toward the same point, but would be unableto strike it until he passed a few rods below.
"I'm not sure, but I think I be; I'll report whin I sets fut on dryland."
"If you are bruised or hurt, I'll swim out to your help."
"Stay where ye be till I asks ye to do the same."
Wharton moved along the bank, so as to keep pace with his friend. Whenthe shore was reached he extended his hand and helped him out, and, asmay be supposed, the two greeted each other with warmth and gratitude.
Wharton explained what a woful mistake he made in his eagerness to get ashot at the bear, but Larry did not refer to the blunder he committedwhen he shot at a fallen tree instead of the brute.
"I wonder where that cratur is?" said he, looking around as if heexpected to see the animal at his elbow.
"Safe beyond any harm from us," replied Wharton; "he had enough senseto get out of the water before going over the falls."
"And it's yersilf that would have done the same, but for the whack yegot from trying to bust the rocks apart by jumping against them."
"That was the stupidest thing I ever did in my life. If I had taken tenseconds more I could have made the leap as easy as you can jump overyour hat."
"Ye are mighty good at leaping and running, but I wouldn't want to seeye try that again."
"Which reminds me, Larry, that it's best to go back and get our gunsbefore some one else finds them for us."
The clothing of the youths was drenched, but they cared nothing forthat, for it was the summer time, and the weather was seasonable. So faras Larry Murphy could tell, he had received no injury whatever. Hiscompanion suffered somewhat from his collision with the rocks, but thatwas of a nature that it must soon pass away, and was only felt atintervals.
While the couple are making their way to the point above the falls,where the elder had left his gun and part of his clothing, we will givea few sentences of explanation.
Brigham Edwards and his family dwelt in one of the small frontiersettlements of Kentucky. His family consisted of his wife, his only sonWharton, aged seventeen, and the Irish youth, a year older. They hadlived originally in Western Pennsylvania, where Larry was left to thecare and kindness of the well-to-do settler, who had been one of thebest friends his Irish laboring man ever knew. The mother of Larry diedin his infancy, so that he was an orphan, without any near relatives.
Mr. Edwards was among the prominent members of the frontier town, wherehe had lived for nearly three years, when the incident just describedoccurred. The parents took it into their heads a short time before tomake a visit to some old friends that had settled in a larger town abouta hundred miles farther east. In order to do so, they mounted theirponies and followed a well-marked trail, crossing several streams andmountainous sections, and incurring considerable danger from theIndians, who, in those days, were nearly always hostile.
About half way between the two settlements stood a block-house, whichwas a favorite meeting-place for Boone, Kenton, McClelland, Wells, andthe frontier rangers whose names are linked with the early history ofthe great West. It was agreed between the parents and the boys that theyshould meet on the return of the former at this post, and make the restof the journey together.
Mr. Edwards fixed on the 10th of August as the day he would be at theblock-house. The boys were to arrive no later than that date, and nosooner than a day before. The parents agreed to wait twenty-four hoursfor them if necessary, and then, in case they did not show up, they wereto continue their journey homeward.
The trail was so plain and the route so well known that it was easy tomake accurate calculations, and to figure the time within a very fewhours when the respective parties would reach the block-house. Thisfiguring, as in these later days, was based on the supposition that noaccident befell any one concerned.
Wharton and Larry had walked about two-thirds of the distance betweentheir home and the block-house, when they had their flurry with the hugebear, which certainly did not suffer as much as they. It was early inthe afternoon of the mild summer day, and they were in the depths of thevast Kentucky wilderness through which prowled the wild beasts andequally wild red men.
The lads soon reached the spot where Larry had flung his coat andcoonskin cap. The former was picked up, and a short d
istance off hefound his rifle unharmed. The cap, however, was still missing, after thetwo had spent some little time hunting for it.
"Whart," said Larry, stopping short and staring hard at him, "I knowwhat's become of that fine hat of me own."
"Well?"
"The bear sneaked back here and stole it; he's got the laugh on us sofar, but I'll niver be satisfied till we mate again and adjoostaccounts."
"More likely you flung it into the water in your excitement, and it wentover the falls with us."
"Why didn't I think of the same?" asked Larry, with a relievedexpression on his freckled face. "I don't mind its absince, for I'drather be widout a hat than to wear one, but the sun harms mecomplexion."
"Come on," laughed Wharton, laboriously climbing his way to the higherbluffs, whither his companion followed him; "I feel a little uneasyabout leaving my rifle so long."
"How are ye going to get to the same?"
"I'll show you."
It will be understood that they had left the water below the falls onthe side from which they had entered it, so that the weapon lay on thebluffs just across where the owner had flung it. The athletic youthintended to repeat the leap he made a short time before, despite theprotests of Larry, who had no wish to make a second descent of the fallsin his effort to help his friend.
"Go ahead, go ahead," he said, "if ye find any fun in the same; we'vegot a half day to spare, and I s'pose we may as well spend it inturning flip-flaps off the rocks and over the falls as in any otherway."
"No fear of that," calmly answered his friend, who, having reached theplace, now prepared to make the leap.
The preparations were simple. There was a run of a couple of rods, allthat he needed. Taking a number of short, quick steps, young Edwardsbounded from the edge of the bluff for the opposite one, whose elevationwas about the same.
He formed a striking picture, with his fine athletic form crouching inmid-air, or sustained for an instant over the rushing torrent into whichhe was precipitated on his first effort. His feet were partly gatheredunder him, and his bent elbows were close at his sides in the approvedattitude. Larry, who knew the marvellous powers of his young friend inrunning or leaping, never felt any misgiving as to the result, though hepretended to be alarmed.
He saw him alight more than a foot beyond the edge with the grace of anantelope, taking only a couple of steps forward from the momentum ofhis new leap.
"That's aisy," he muttered, "that is, for him as finds it aisy to do;I'm sure I could make the leap if they'd move the bluffs about half thedistance nearer to this side than the same is at this moment."
Larry was indulging in these characteristic expressions, when he thoughthis friend was acting as though not fully satisfied with things. Hewalked a few steps, as if about to lift his gun from the ground, butabruptly halted, straightened up, and looked about him in a puzzled way.
At this point the two were so far above the falls that they could easilyunderstand each other's words without elevating their voices to anunusual extent. The Irishman's waggery was irrepressible.
"I say, Whart, the bear tuk it the same as me cap; he's going off withboth his arms full."
Young Edwards must have heard the badinage, but he gave no evidence ofit. He stood looking at the ground, but not across the stream, wherehis friend was watching him.
"I say, what's the matter?" called Larry, beginning to feel uneasy atthe peculiar action of his friend.
In answer, the younger lad turned about and looked hard at him. His facewas pale, as if he were laboring under great excitement; beyond questionhe had made some alarming discovery. Glancing to the right and left,young Edwards now came to the edge of the bluff, and making a funnel ofone of his hands called out:
"Run, Larry, as quick as you can! don't wait a minute."
"What is it, owld felly?"
"Indians!" was the startling reply; "the woods are full of them."
"Why, then, don't ye run yersilf?" demanded the astounded Larry; "leapback here, and we'll keep each ither company."
"Run, run!" called his companion, frantically gesticulating andmotioning him away. "They've got my gun, and if they see you, Larry,you're lost!"
The impetuosity of the youth literally forced the Irish lad away fromthe stream and among the trees. He retreated a few yards, puzzled beyondexpression.
"What the mischief can I do?" he asked himself; "I can't jump more'nhalf way across the stream, and that won't do me any good. What doesWhart maan by sinding me away while he stays and won't jump? By thepowers! I have it!" he exclaimed, striking his thigh and stopping short."It's a maan thrick of his to git me out of the way, where I won't beharmed, while he rolls up his slaaves and fights a whole tribe ofInjins. That thrick won't work! Larry Murphy must be counted in."