CHAPTER VII.
A CHECK.
It was characteristic of Larry Murphy and Wharton Edwards that eachshould hasten to risk his own life for the other.
When the latter made his leap across the chasm, through which the waterrushed, with his rifle that had been left there, he had no thought ofthe peril in which he placed himself. Had he turned on the instant, orsprang back to the bluff he had just left, he would have had acompanion, with a good weapon between them, even though he possessed nogun himself.
But that would have placed the Irish lad in the extremity of peril, asWharton well knew, and he determined to face the danger alone, reasoningthat it was useless to involve both as long as it could be prevented.
The earnestness of Wharton caused Larry to withdraw from the gorgeuntil he was among the trees beyond, when he halted for a moment, and,reflecting on the situation, read the purpose of his friend.
"I see through the trick," he muttered, angry with himself that he hadbeen duped even for a few moments, "and it won't work on me. LarryMurphy isn't to be left out of this business."
It was all well enough to form this resolution, but the youth wasconfronted by the query as to how his friend was to receive anypractical benefit from his efforts. Peering from the trees in thedirection of the gorge, he saw nothing of him, nor of the Indians who hewas sure were there.
Nothing would have pleased Larry more that to repeat the performance ofWharton, and thereby place himself on the other side of the gorge; buthe saw no way of doing it without a fatal delay. It was utterly beyondhis power to make the leap which was so easy for the other. He knew thatif he attempted it he would plump down into the torrent and go over thefalls again, unless he swam out, as did the bear, on the same side fromwhich he entered.
There was no break in the bluffs across stream by which one could climbout above the falls, so that the only feasible way open to him to reachWharton was by swimming the torrent below the falls. That, as we havesaid, involved a delay which, under the circumstances, was fatal to allchance of giving his friend any practical help. But Larry could notstand idle. In the blind hope of doing something, he hurried down streamand approached it again at the point where he had entered it before, andwhence the bear had emerged.
It was as he feared. He might as well have tried to climb the smoothface of a perpendicular wall as to leave the torrent at any point abovethe falls, to say nothing of the danger of being swept over the latter.
A slight bend in the stream enabled him to discern the spot whereWharton had landed when he made his leap. He was looking fixedly in thatdirection, hoping he would reappear, when a Shawanoe Indian came intoview and paused on the brink of the gorge.
He held his rifle in one hand and was in war paint. He seemed to belooking at the water and the other bluff, as though measuring thedistance preparatory to leaping the chasm. This indicated that the redman knew, or suspected, that another was near at hand, and on the otherside of the stream.
The leap was a good one, even for a trained warrior, and when this onemade up his mind to attempt it, he stepped back several paces in orderto gain the necessary momentum. When he paused, only the top of his headwas visible to the watchful Larry, who knew very well what he intendedto do.
The Shawanoe suddenly ran the short distance, and made the leap with theease shown by Wharton Edwards a short time before.
At the moment the crouching form was in mid-air, with limbs drawntogether and muscles set, the rifle dropped from his grasp, his armswent upward with a wild cry that rose above the waters, and his body,landing on the edge of the bluff, rolled back in the torrent andinstantly sank out of sight.
"I can jump the stream myself. I don't maan that such spalpeens as yeshall have the chance of doing the same," muttered Larry, stepping backseveral paces and reloading his gun with the utmost haste.
None knew better than he that the occurrence would stir up matters amongthe Indians on the other side, and he would have been a zany to invite areturn shot by remaining a fair view to those who would investigate thematter offhand.
Had he possessed one of the modern breech-loaders and repeating rifles,he might have secured a good position and held half a hundred Indians atbay; but with his clumsy though excellent weapon he could not hope tomaintain his ground for any length of time.
The moment his gun was ready he cautiously advanced to the edge of thestream and peered around the rocks. There was no warrior in sight, buthe was shrewd enough to allow his vision to roam along the bluff on theother side down to the falls themselves.
So far as he could judge, no one was near. A dark body, however, caughthis eye in the water itself. It was going over the falls, a limp andinert mass, which he was quick to recognize, and at which he cast but asingle glance.
But the youth was not left long in suspense. His keen eyes were rovingalong the edge of the other bluff, which was sharply outlined againstthe blue sky, when a small protuberance suddenly appeared at the verypoint on which his eyes happened to rest.
"It's anither of 'em," was his thought, as he screened himself so far ashe could behind the ledge of rocks and brought his rifle to a level;"when his head rises high enough I'll plug him in the eye. Whisht now!"
The Indian was cunning. Instead of bringing his crown into sight, itsank out of sight again.
Larry was standing with his gaze centred on the point where he had justseen the object, his gun loaded and ready to fire the instant a fairtarget was presented, when it shot up like a jack-in-the-box a dozenfeet to one side, immediately dropping out of view again.
The movement was so quick that the painted face had appeared andvanished before Larry could shift his aim.
The Shawanoe must have known that some one was awaiting a favorablechance to serve him as the warrior was served who attempted to leap thegorge.
"It saams to me," growled the disappointed Larry, "that every one I'mgetting acquainted wid is up to some of his tricks. Why couldn't thatspalpeen have showed himself where he made me expect him? It would bejust like some of 'em to sneak across above or below, where I can't head'em off. I wonder what's become of Whart?"