CHAPTER XXIII.
A CLIMB IN THE DARK.
"THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe,as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going onwith his exacting recital.
"I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and Ireckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one lessmastiff in the world right now. But after all, it's well I didn't takethe weapon. Things would have gone different from what they did; and Ihave no fault to find, suh, not a bit."
"But what did you do; don't tell us you beat a big dog runnin'?"demanded Bumpus, incredulously.
"I am not so foolish as to want you to believe that sort of stuff,suh," replied the Southern boy, stiffly. "I doubt very much if there isa man living, even the winner of the great world Marathon, who couldhave outrun that hound. Fortunately I didn't have to depend on my heelsaltogether, to escape being bitten by his fangs. There chanced to beanother way out of the hole."
"Say, I guess _she_ had a hand in it!" suggested Giraffe.
"Go up to the head, suh," remarked Bob, with a smile; "because that isjust what did come about. Old Reuben, he must have managed to catchsight of some one, even if he wasn't nigh enough to tell that I wasdressed in the uniform of a scout. He up and sicked the dog on me; and Ireckon it wouldn't have mattered one bit to that cold-blooded old man ifthe ugly beast had torn me badly."
"And was you arunnin' like fun all the while?" asked Step Hen.
"I believe I was making pretty fast time, suh, considerin' that thebushes in the garden interfered with my sprinting. But that dog wouldhave caught up with me befo' I ever could have climbed the high fence,only for a thing that happened. First thing I knew I heard Berthacalling at the top of her little voice to the mastiff. And I reckon nowthat Ajax, he must have been more used to mindin' the crook of herlittle finger than he was the orders of Old Reuben. Fo', believe me,suh, he just gave over chasin' after me, and went, and began to fawnin'on her hand."
"Great stuff!" declared Bumpus. "Say, I c'n just think I see that OldRube prancin' around there, orderin' Ajex on to grab you, an' gettin'madder'n madder when the wise dog just utterly declined to obey. Ialways heard that the sun c'd force a feller to take his coat off, whenthe wind made a dead fizzle out of the job. Kindness goes further withsome animals than fear does."
"Hear! hear! words of wisdom dropping like pearls of great price fromthe lips of our comrade, Bumpus!" cried Giraffe.
"But they're true, every word, all right," affirmed the stout scout,firmly.
"I kept on running for two reasons," Bob went on to explain. "In thefirst place, I didn't know but what the dog might be forced to alter hisways, and start out after me. Then again, p'raps that man with OldReuben might be coming, licketty-split after me; and I want you tobelieve I didn't mean to be caught, with that valuable paper in mypocket at that."
"So you made pretty warm time of it over here, eh?" remarked Davy Jones,who had remained quiet for some time, being deeply impressed by thisstory which the other was giving them.
"I never let up for two minutes at a time all the way across," admittedBob, in a satisfied tone. "Of course I had a few tumbles, but I reckonthere was none of 'em serious; leastways I didn't get bruised, or tearmy clothes. And now that I've got my breath back again, it's time wethought of starting out; because there's heaps mo' that's got to be donebefore we c'n call a rest."
"Yes, a great deal," admitted Thad, who, however, was well pleased withthe outcome thus far; "and after you've lain here about ten minutes orso, Bob, we'll see whether you feel able to take that other climb. Ifyou don't why, Allan here could go in your place."
"And do just as well, I have no doubt, suh," added Bob; "but thank you,I shall surely be able to take my part in that climb. If you gave theword right now you'd see me spring to my feet, and start; becausethere's every reason in the world to spur me on. Who wouldn't make anextra effort for that?"
The hour had grown late, since they had waited much beyond the appointedtime for the return of the messenger who had gone to meet Bertha. ButThad knew they still had an abundance of time to get to the placearranged with Polly, before midnight, which had been the hour set fortheir meeting.
"Now, if you feel refreshed, we'll make a start, Bob," remarked thescoutmaster, after a bit.
The other was on his feet instantly, and he gave not the slightest signof weariness at that.
"Let me have just one more cup of that fine water," he remarked, "andthen I'm in fine fettle for business. If this second job only turns outas handsome as that other, this'll sure be the happiest night ever. ButI hope that Reuben does not lay his hand on my cousin for what hashappened this night. If he does, he'll suffer for it, as sure as myname's Bob Quail."
"You don't really think he'd go as far as to strike her, do you?" askedThad, to whom the very idea seemed abhorrent.
"I don't just know how far a man of his stripe would go if made veryfurious, suh. To tell you the truth, I didn't want to run at all; butBertha insisted on my doing the same. She said nothing was going tohappen to injure her; and that if I was caught, with that paper in mypossession, she never would have the least chance to get away. And thatwas all that made me run, believe me, suh."
Thad took his shotgun along with him; and noticing the queer lookGiraffe gave him, he condescended to explain.
"Don't believe for a minute that I expect to make use of this on somemoonshiner," he said, earnestly, yet with a trace of a smile lurkingabout the corners of his mouth. "The mission of Boy Scouts is more tobind up, than to give wounds; though they are allowed to do this otherin extreme cases, where some person's life may be in danger. But youremember, we ran across a nasty bobcat up yonder once before; and if sobe she happens to be laying for us, I'd like to be prepared for trouble.A scout should never go around with a chip on his shoulder looking fortrouble; but if it finds him out, why, he's just _got_ to defendhimself. That's the way I look at it; and most others do too. Come on,Bob, if you're ready."
When the two boys quitted camp Bob was walking as sprucely as ever. Ifhe still felt the effects of his long run he knew how to conceal thefact in the finest way--Giraffe, Bumpus, Step Hen, Smithy, and DavyJones believed they had ever seen. Only Allan, being experienced in suchthings, could see that Bob was laboring under a heavy strain, and hadhis teeth tightly clenched; though the body might be weak, it was anindomitable spirit that urged him on.
Between them the two boys had noted things when coming down the mountainthat afternoon, and in this way picked out the course they expected totake on that same night. It was rough enough, especially when they hadto do their climbing in the dark; since carrying a lighted lantern wouldbe foolhardy in the extreme.
Bob's impatience took him in the lead most of the time. Thad cautionedhis impetuous companion in low whispers several times; and yet, knowingwhat the motive was that drew Bob along in such feverish haste, hecould hardly blame him. At the same time he knew the danger of making afalse step when they happened to be close to the brink of some steepdescent, down which a roll meant instant death, or at least brokenbones.
As they climbed upwards they would pause every little while to get a newsupply of energy, as well as recover their breath. And at such timesboth boys eagerly scanned the black gulf that lay below them.
It had not taken their keen eyes long to discover several lights thatseemed to move in eccentric circles and other movements. Nor was eitherof them at a loss to understand what this implied.
"The moonshiner videttes are having another talk," Bob remarked, as theysat and watched several lights carrying on in this weird fashion.
"Seems like it," said Thad, thoughtfully.
"I wonder now, what is being carried along the lines? It'd be a greatstunt, Thad, if we could read the signs, and listen to the talk,wouldn't it? P'raps now we'd learn something to our advantage," theSouthern lad went on, longingly.
"Well, as we haven't got the code book," laughed the scoutmaster, "thatwou
ld be a pretty hard job, I take it."
"But still," Bob continued, with a shade of entreaty in his voice thatwas hard to resist, "I take it that you could give a guess that wouldcome pretty nigh the truth, if you cared to try, Thad."
"Well, I don't know about that," replied the other scout; and thenadding, as he realized that Bob was grieved: "I'm willing enough to makea try, if you think it would pay. Let's see, first of all, where thesefellows are located who are doing all this communicating."
"There's one on the side of the mountain over yonder," declared Bob;"then that's a second fellow across the valley; you can see his lanternor torch dipping every which way; now he's stopped, as if he'd beenasking more questions. And Thad, seems to me, the one that's doing theheft of the jabbering is located down yonder. Like as not theinformation's coming from him."
"That's across the valley, Bob?" remarked Thad.
"You're correct, suh; somewhere neah the place from which I was chasedaway not more than two hours back. That's where the cabins lie."
"And that's where Nate and the other mountain man took Cliff Dorie,"continued the scoutmaster. "Now, you can put things together yourself,if only you think, Bob. Don't you see that Nate is probably tellingthese other fellows all about what happened to Cliff. And I certainly dohope he doesn't forget to give us our due in the matter, for it would goa great way toward making these rough men our friends. You know only toowell what that would mean, Bob. Friends with Phin Dady just now might bethe means of giving you back your father."
Bob sighed heavily as he started on again, urged by a desire to comeupon Polly as soon as possible, and learn the truth, no matter whetherthe news proved a disappointment, or not.
But in his haste he forgot the caution Thad was trying always to instillin his mind; for stumbling presently, he found himself toppling over anunknown abyss that lay in the darkness, so that its extent could not beseen.
Thad had kept very close to his heels, and was prepared for somethinglike this, so that he acted from impulse, there being not a second togive to thinking.