CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.
IN PAINFUL QUEST.
At the end of a few minutes Shaddy turned his head and spoke over hisshoulder.
"Hear anything of your puss, Mr Rob?"
"I have fancied I heard him twice."
"Then he's after us, safe--depend upon it. These sort of things goalong on velvet, and can get under the trees and branches for hourswithout your knowing anything about their being so near. Let's befriends with him, my lad. We're lonely enough out here, and he'll gethis own living, you may depend upon that."
Shaddy pressed on as rapidly as he could, for the evening was drawingnigh, and, as he said, it would be black night in there directly the sunwent down; but it was a long way, and Rob was growing weary of seeinghis companion keep on halting in doubt, before, with a look of triumph,he stopped short and pointed to a broken-down creeper, a kind ofpassion-flower, which had been dragged at till a mass of leafage andflower had been drawn down from high up in the tree it climbed, to liein a heap.
"There you are, Mr Rob, sir."
"No, no, Shaddy; that might have been dragged down by a puma or jaguar,"said Rob sadly.
"Then he must have carried a good sharp knife in his pocket, my lad,"replied the old hunter. "Look at this."
He held up the end of the stem, for Rob to see that it had been dividedby one clean chop with a big knife.
"Yes, of course. He must have been here," cried Rob joyfully. "Nowthen, we must find his trail and follow it on."
"We must make straight for camp, Mr Rob, sir," replied Shaddy, "hopingto find him there, for in less than an hour's time we shall have to feelour way."
"Oh, Shaddy!"
"Must, sir, and you know it. We must try all we know to get back, and Itell you it's as much as I can do to find the way there. I'm sure Ican't follow Mr Brazier's trail."
Rob looked at him sternly.
"Fact, sir. You know I'm doing my best."
"Yes," said Rob, reproach sounding in his tones; but he could not helpfeeling that he was a little unjust, as he tramped steadily on behindhis companion, who was very silent for some time, working hard to makehis way as near as possible along the track by which they had come.
Rob was just thinking that from the tone of the gloom around him the sunmust be very low, when Shaddy turned his head for a moment.
"Don't think you could find your way, do you, Mr Rob?"
"I'm sure I couldn't," was the reply.
"So am I, my lad."
"But you have it all right?"
"Sometimes, my lad; and sometimes I keep on losing it, and have to makea bit of a cast about to pick it up again. We're going right, my lad,so don't be down-hearted. Let's hope Mr Brazier is precious anxiousand hungry, waiting for us to come to him."
"I hope so, Shaddy."
"But you don't think so, my lad."
Rob shook his head.
"Heard your cat, sir?"
"No."
"More have I. Scared of me, I suppose. Rec'lects first meeting."
They went on again in silence, with the gloom deepening; but the forestwas a little more open, and all at once Shaddy stopped short, andholding one hand behind him signed to Rob to come close up.
"Look!" he whispered: "just over my shoulder, lad. I'd say try your bowand arrow, only we've got plenty of food in camp, and had better leaveit for next time."
"What is it, Shaddy? I can't see. Yes, I can. Why it's a deer.Watching us too."
The graceful little creature was evidently startled at the sight ofhuman beings, and stood gazing ready to spring away at the slightestmotion on their part. The next instant there was a sudden movement justbefore them, as a shadow seemed to dart out from their right; and as thedeer made a frantic bound it was struck down, for a puma had alightedupon its back, and the two animals lay before them motionless, thepuma's teeth fast in the deer's neck, and the former animal so flatteneddown that it looked as if it were one with the unfortunate creature ithad made its prey, and whose death appeared to have been almostinstantaneous.
"Why, it must be my puma!" cried Rob.
"That's so, my lad, for sartain," replied Shaddy. "Now, if we could getpart, say the hind-quarter of that deer, for our share, it would beworth having. What do you say?"
Rob said nothing, and Shaddy approached; but a low, ominous growlingarose, and the great cat's tail writhed and twined about in the air.
"He'll be at me if I go any nearer," said Shaddy. "What do you say totrying, Mr Rob, sir?"
"I don't think I would," said the lad; and he stepped forward, with theresult that the puma's tone changed to a peculiar whining, remonstrantgrowl, as it shifted itself off the dead deer, but kept its teeth buriedin its neck, and began to back away, dragging the body toward the spotfrom which it had made its bound.
"Let it be, Mr Rob, sir. The thing's sure to be savage if you meddlewith its food. We can do without it, and there's no time to spare.Come along."
There was a fierce growl as Shaddy went on, and Rob followed him; but onlooking back he saw that the puma was following, dragging the littledeer, and after a few steps it took a fresh hold, flung it over itsback, followed them for a few minutes, and then disappeared.
They had enough to do to find their way now, for darkness was coming onfast, and before long Shaddy stopped short.
"It's of no use, my lad," he said. "I'm very sorry, but we've drove ittoo late. The more we try the farther we shall get in the wood."
"What do you mean to do, then?" said Rob, wearily.
"Light a fire, and get some boughs together for a bed."
"Oh, Shaddy, don't you think we might reach camp if we went on?" criedRob, despairingly.
"Well, we'll try, Mr Rob, sir; but I'm afraid not. Now, if your friendthere would be a good comrade and bring in our supper, we could roastit, and be all right here, but he won't, so we'll try to get along. Weshall be no worse off farther on, only we may be cutting ourselves outmore work when it's day. Shall we try?"
"Yes, try," said Rob; and he now took the lead, on the chance of findingthe way. A quarter of an hour later, just as he was about to turn andgive up, ready for lighting a fire to cook nothing, but only too glad ofthe chance of throwing himself down to rest, Shaddy uttered a cheerycry.
"Well done, Mr Rob, sir!" he said. "You're right. Camp's just ahead."
"What! How do you know?"
"By that big, flop-branched tree, with the great supports like stays. Iremember it as well as can be. Off to the right, sir, and in a quarterof an hour we shall be in the clearing."
"Unless that's one of thousands of trees that grow like it," said Robsadly, as he pressed on.
"Nay, sir, I could swear to that one, sir, dark as it is. Now, you lookup in five minutes, and see if you can't make out stars."
Rob said nothing, but tramped on, forcing his way among trees which heonly avoided now by extending his bow and striking to right and left.
Five minutes or so afterwards he cast up his eyes, but without expectingto see anything, when a flash of hope ran through him, and he shoutedjoyfully,--
"Stars, Shaddy, stars!" and as a grunt of satisfaction came from behind,he raised his voice to the highest pitch he could command, and roaredout, "Mr Brazier I Mr Brazier! Ahoy!"
Shaddy took up the cry in stentorian tones--
"Ahoy! Ahoy! Ahoy!" and the shout was answered.
"There he is!" cried Rob, joyfully. "Hurrah!"
Shaddy was silent.
"Didn't you hear, Shaddy? Mr Brazier answered. You are right: he didget back, after all."
Still Shaddy remained silent, only increasing his pace in the darkness,lightened now by the stars which overarched them, so as to keep up withRob's eager strides.
"Why don't you speak, man? Let's shout again: Mr Brazier! Ahoy!"
"Mr Brazier! Ahoy!" came back faintly.
"I don't like to damp you, Mr Rob, sir," said Shaddy, sadly, "but youdon't see as we're out in the clearing again. That's onl
y the echo fromthe trees across the river. He isn't here."
"No," said Rob, with a groan; "he isn't here."
Just then there was a rustling sound behind them, and a low growl,followed by a strange sound which Rob understood at once.