CHAPTER XXXIX.
THE SEARCH.
All through the night Tim O'Rooney and Howard Lawrence sat in closeconsultation. Hunger and sleep were alike unthought of. Elwood Brandonwas lost, and that was all of which they could think or speak. How theylonged for the morning, and how impatient they were to be on the hunt!It seemed to Howard as if he could go leaping and flying down the chasmsand gorges among the hills, and never tire until he had hunted out andbrought back his cousin. Where could he be? If nestling in the branchesof a tree, or hid away among the rocks, was he asleep? Or if awake, ofwhat was he thinking? Did he believe that Howard was searching for him?Or did he imagine him also lost? It would not be reasonable to supposethat he had any suspicion of his finding Tim O'Rooney.
If in the hands of California Indians----But it would be vain to traceout all the thoughts and speculations that ran through the head of theboy. Some of them were of the wildest and most grotesque character, andwould assume a ludicrous phase to one whose mind was not in such a whirlof excitement and distress.
In the gloom of the wood the darkness was so intense that neither Timnor Howard could distinguish each other, though only a few feet apart.The Newfoundland lay close to his master, seemingly sound asleep, butmore heedful than the two of the approach of danger.
Occasionally through the night the call of some wild animal washeard--sometimes distant and sometimes so near that they started totheir feet and were about to enter their canoe and shove out into thestream; but when it came no more they were reassured. Then somethinglike the report of a gun came faintly up the river to their ears.
These sounds only served to render the night more gloomy and lonely, andto make the daylight the more welcome.
"Now let's be off," said Howard, as soon as it was light enough todistinguish each other's faces.
"We must find some means of remembering this place, or we'll never seethe canoe agin, and will be obliged to sail into San Francisco on fut."
The boat was drawn entirely out of the water and covered as much aspossible with leaves and undergrowth; for it was a loss that under anycircumstances they could not sustain. The feat of marking the place sothat they could readily return to it from any direction was moredifficult; but Howard finally hit upon quite an ingenious scheme. Theywaited until the sun had approached near enough to the horizon that theycould tell precisely the point where it would appear, and then turningtheir backs against it they walked forward until they reached the hillswhere Elwood had disappeared. Here they noticed the character andformation of the rocks so particularly that they could recognize themthe moment they saw them. Thus the hills were such a conspicuouslandmark as to be seen from a great distance; and, as they did notintend to go out of their sight, all they had to do was to hunt tillthey found this spot, and then walk due east.
All this was agreed upon, and they were among the hills just as the sunwas coming up the horizon. Here, after whistling and shouting forsometime without receiving any response, they concluded to search forthe point where the boys separated. This was quite distant, and over anhour was required to find the place, and when it was discovered Howardcould not be positive that he was right.
But as time was of the greatest importance, they pressed on, the dogsnuffing the ground as though he had scented the footprints, but hefailed to follow them with certainty. Several hundred yards brought themto an opening in the hills just broad enough to admit the body of a man.It was not a tunnel-like opening, but a rent, as if the hills had beenpulled a few feet asunder by the power of an earthquake.
The two paused in doubt before this.
"He went in there," said Tim. "He couldn't help it, no matter how greathis hurry."
"I am half disposed to believe you; at any rate let us follow it someways."
Terror was running over the ground, as though he had made a discovery,and he finally whisked forward out of sight.
"That looks as if he were upon his trail."
"Yis, or somebody ilse's; maybe some of the rid gintlemen has took hismarnin' walk in this direction."
They followed the path with caution, and were surprised the further theyadvanced. It wound around and among the rocks, which came so closetogether as to forbid the passage of a man, and the sides neverwithdrawing more than a dozen feet.
"It looks as though it had been made on purpose," said Tim, gazingaround him in admiration.
Finally, it was broken up among the hills, after winding through everypoint of the compass for fully an eighth of a mile. It gradually rosefrom its commencement--occasionally interrupted by sharp ascents--untilits termination, when they found they had reached no mean elevation.
Still the rocks rose on every hand, and shut out their view of thesurrounding country, but showed them a specimen of the wild sceneryproduced in California. The interior of the hills was cut up by chasms,gorges and ravines, and they heard, but did not see, the rush of a smallstream of water.
They stood in silence a few moments and then Howard said:
"If he is lost in here there is no need of us looking for him."
"And why not?"
"We might search till we died of old age, and never find the least traceof him."
"And might discover the poor youngster's body the first half-hour wespint in looking."
This last remark caused Howard to start off at once, fully resolved notto pause again in the search until compelled to do so.
Terror was constantly commanded to hunt for the trail of the boy, andthe dog appeared to understand what was expected of him, for he wasrunning constantly hither and thither, but never gave sign that he hadfound anything positive.
This fact led Howard to doubt whether Elwood had preceded them in thisplace. If he had really been here, he must have passed directly over thespot upon which they were standing, and it seemed hardly possible thatthe dog could miss the scent. So strong was he impressed with this thathe proposed to Tim O'Rooney to turn back and resume their search outsidethe hills; but he was so sure that Elwood Brandon could never havepassed unentered such an inviting opening that he would not consent towithdraw until they examined further.
Looking around they saw several paths by which they could enter thewild, desolate-looking scene before them. Of course, it was all a matterof chance whether they took the one which had been followed by theirlost friend. Tim affirmed that the one that looked the most dangerousand uninviting was surely the right one; but Howard was hardly preparedto admit this. Selecting the most accessible, they carefully followed itfor over an hour. In and out among the rocks, sometimes over their tops,then between or around them, down through ravines, and then along theiredges, up the stony, earthy sides of the gorges, until at length theyhalted as they believed in the very heart of this wild looking place.
"Here we are!" said Howard. "I don't see how we can advance much furtherwithout going out to the other side."
"It's the qua'rest sight I iver looked upon," said Tim, turning roundand round, meaning the wild scenery.
"But there is nothing learned of Elwood."
"Niver a sign do I saa of the youngster," rejoined Tim. "I graive tothink we cannot be near him."
"We have gone on the wrong track."
"I'm a feared so."
"Too bad, too bad," wailed Howard, "what is to come of the poor fellow?"
"But we can't till," hastily added Tim, "do yees put your fingers inyour mouth and give that jolly little whistle."
Howard Lawrence was in the very act of doing so when his arm wassuddenly arrested by his companion, who, with an exclamation of surprisepointed to a ledge of rocks above them.