Track's End

  CHAPTER IX

  More of a strange Christmas: I make Kaiser useful in an odd Way,together with what I see from under the Depot Platform.

  I think Kaiser was the best dog that ever lived. When I looked out ofthe window, what with seeing the men and with the pain which shotthrough my leg from my ankle, I sank down on the floor in a kind offaint. How long I lay there I know not, but when I came to Kaiser wasstanding over me licking my face. When he saw me open my eyes and movehe uttered a sort of a whine, half like a cry and half like a littlelaugh, and began wagging his tail. I put my arms around his neck anddrew myself up so that I was sitting on the floor. At this he began tobound about and bark as if he would say, "Cheer up, Jud; this is badluck, but we will get through yet!"

  The pain in my ankle was half killing me, and suddenly it drove medesperate. I seized my foot in my hands, drew it up into my lap, andgave it a wrench that was like to break it off. I felt something crackinside, and half the pain stopped. "I've fixed it!" I cried to Kaiser,and tried to get up, thinking I could walk; but I went down in a heap,and saw that, though it was better, I was still far from walking. Theankle was swelled to twice its right size; but I felt sure that itmust now improve.

  I made Kaiser stop his fuss and pulled open the door. I could justmake out the horsemen going along the grade almost to the town. Icrawled to the hay, and thought a long time. In the first place, Iknew the fires were all out and that the new snow had covered alltraces of any life about the town. The robbers would find the placedeserted and would go to work upon the safe. How long it would takethem to open it I did not know, but one of the many things I nowregretted was that, while fooling around with my tunnel, I hadneglected to take out and hide the tools that were in Beckwith'sblacksmith shop, as I had intended to do; for with these I did notthink it would take the men long to break into the safe.

  After they had got the money two things might happen: they might takeit and return west, in which case they would be almost sure to stop atMountain's and discover me; in fact, the only thing I could notunderstand was why they had not stopped as they went in. I knew howmuch mercy I could expect from Pike and the kind of men that were withhim.

  The other course that they might take after getting the safe open wasto stay in town for several days or even weeks; and in this case Ishould simply starve and freeze to death where I was. The reasons thatmade it seem likely that they would stay awhile were that there was nodanger, plenty of food and fuel, and comfortable places to live andsleep. At first thought I saw one reason against it, and that was thatthere was no liquor in the town; and I knew they were the kind of menwho would prize liquor higher than food. Then I remembered that,though the contents of the saloons had been shipped away when theywere closed, I had heard there was a barrel of whiskey in the cellarof Fitzsimmons's grocery store; and I knew, of course, that theywould find it. I thought again of my detestable tunnel, for if I hadnot had my mind on it so much the barrel might have occurred to me andI could have disposed of it somehow.

  I thought a long time, and this was the amount of it: That in any caseI had best get back to town if I could. If I reached there while theywere at work on the safe, I might be able to slip in unseen and hidesomewhere till they were gone; and even if they did not go for somedays, I might manage to keep out of sight and live after a fashion.Anything seemed better than staying where I was.

  I was half dead from thirst, and it seemed that no harm could now comefrom a little fire; so I soon had one started and some snow melting inan old tin can. The drink and the warmth revived me a good deal, and Idecided to start immediately to crawl to the town. I thought with goodluck I might make it in four hours. It was now probably eleveno'clock. I left my skees and started out. Kaiser bounded around me inthe greatest delight, barking and throwing up a cloud of snow. Butbefore I had gone twenty rods I sank half fainting with the pain ofdragging my ankle. Poor Kaiser whined and licked my face. When Irevived a little, I crept back and threw myself on the hay again,ready to die with despair.

  I lay there half an hour in the greatest mental and physical pain;then an idea that drove it all away struck me like a flash. I sat upand drew the skees to me on the floor, and placed them parallel andabout ten inches apart. Then I took one of the legs of the stove andpounded a board off of the dry-goods box. It was four feet long and afoot or more wide. I beat some nails out of the box, and then placedthe board lengthways on top of the skees and nailed it firmly. Thismade me a sled, low but long and light.

  I had on under my coat a jacket of coarse, strong cloth. This I tookoff and cut and tore up into strips, knotted them together, and madetwo stout ropes five or six feet long. I fastened one end of each ofthese to the front of the skees. Then I let out Kaiser's collar two orthree holes, tied the other ends of my ropes to each side of it,making them precisely like harness traces, and pushed out of the doorand sat down on my new sled. I had like to have forgotten the letteron the door, but drew myself up and got it and put it in my pocket.There was a monstrous red skull and cross-bones on the outside of it.

  If you think I did not have a time teaching that dog to draw me, thenyou are mistaken. The poor animal had not the least notion what Iwanted of him, and kept mixing up his legs in the traces, coming backand bounding around me, and doing everything else that he shouldn't. Icoaxed, and tried to explain, and worked with him, and at last boxedhis ears. At this he sat down in the snow and looked at me as much asto say, "Go ahead, if you will, and abuse the only friend you havegot!" At last I got him square in front, and, clapping my handssuddenly, he jumped forward, jerked the sled out from under me, andwent off on the run with the thing flying behind.

  I lay in the snow with my five wits half scared out of me, expectingno less than that he would be so terrified that he would run toTrack's End without once stopping. But I made out to do what I could,and called "Kaiser! Kaiser!" with all the voice I had. Luckily heheard me, got his senses again, and stopped. He stood looking at me along time; then he slipped the collar over his head and came trottingback, innocent as a lamb, without the sled.

  There seemed to be nothing to do but to crawl to the sled, so Istarted, with Kaiser tagging behind and not saying a word. I think hefelt he had done wrong, but did not know exactly how. The crawlingpained my ankle somewhat, but not so much as before, and I got to thesled at last. I saw that it was near the trail which the men onhorseback had made, and this gave me an idea: perhaps Kaiser wouldfollow that. I pushed on over, and as soon as he saw the trail hepricked up his ears, began to sniff at the snow and look toward thetown. I hitched him up again, headed him the right way, took a goodhold, and shouted, "Sic 'em, Kaiser!" He started off like a shot andran till he was quite out of breath.

  After he had rested and I had petted and praised him, we went on. Heunderstood now what was wanted, and made no further trouble. We soongot up on the grade, and found it much smoother. Indeed, the horseshad left a very good road, and by sitting well back on my odd sled, sothat the board would not plow up the snow, it was not at all hard forKaiser to draw me. We were soon near enough to the town, so that Ibegan to tremble for fear of being seen. My eyes were troubling me agood deal; it was snow-blindness, but, as I had never heard of it, Iwas frightened, not knowing what to think.

  I could see the horses standing in a bunch in the open square betweenthe depot and town, but the men were nowhere in sight, and I doubtednot they were hard at work on the safe. After a good deal of labor Imanaged to get Kaiser to turn off to the south until the railroadbuildings were between us and the town. Then I struck out straight forthe water-tank, and in a few minutes was up to it.

  The space below the tank was inclosed, making a round, dark roomfilled with big timbers. One of my keys fitted the door, and I openedit, put Kaiser and the sled inside, and shut the door. The poor dogthought this was poor payment for his work, but I could not trust himloose. I picked up a narrow piece of board and broke it to the rightlength for a crutch, and so managed to hobble along upright to the endof the station platform.
This was three or four feet from the ground,and beneath it were a lot of ties, old boxes, and other rubbish. Icrawled under and around to the side next to the town, and peeped overa log of wood.

  The horses were standing in a huddle with their heads together, and Idid not pay much attention to them. A little to one side I saw a bigpile of blankets, bed-clothing, and other things taken from the hoteland stores; and on top of it all my guns and other weapons. I expectedthat they would take the guns, but was surprised at their botheringwith the other stuff. I could hear no sounds of their working on thesafe. All at once the door of Taggart's store opened and they came outcarrying a lot of rope and other things. Then I saw that they were notthe men I had thought, after all, but a band of Sioux Indians.