CHAPTER XLIII.
WANDERINGS.
The light increased each moment, and Elwood Brandon soon saw theposition in which he was placed. He had walked along the path and fallenabruptly off, alighting on a projection that ran along the edge of theravine, and was of sufficient width to only comfortably hold him. Had hegone a yard forward he would have fallen over to another ledge, althoughthis was not more than a dozen feet below. Indeed, his rifle had donethis, and now lay on this broad band of earth and gravel, which heresloped so gradually down to the bottom of the ravine that it could bedescended without difficulty.
His first proceeding, after thanking Heaven for the protection of thenight, was to let himself down to where his rifle lay. An examinationproved it uninjured, and with its possession came a feeling ofconfidence and safety such as he had not felt for a moment during thehours of darkness.
"Now, if that wild creature, whatever it was, would like to introduceitself, I am prepared."
And he looked around as if he expected its appearance; but it had leftsome time before. At first he was at a loss to understand what it hadchosen as its parade ground, but, concluded it must have been the verypath from which he had fallen, and where, had he remained, he could nothave avoided falling into its power.
Elwood could not see the possibility of extricating himself by the sameway in which he had entered. In some places it was necessary to climb ascore or two feet up the perpendicular side of the ravine; and as therewas no means at hand for doing this, he thought it best to press on downamong the hills in the hope of discovering a new way of egress, or aneasier access to the paths behind him.
He wandered rather aimlessly forward, his path being over loose,rattling stones, constantly descending, until he reached the hard-packedearth, and judged himself to be in about the lowermost part of thevalley. On every hand rose the ridges, rocks and peaks of the hills,until, as he looked up at the cloudy sky so far above him, he seemed butthe merest pigmy.
As he turned his head he caught sight of something a few rods ahead thatpuzzled him. For some time he could not make out its meaning, butfinally he saw that it was a smouldering camp-fire, while around it werestretched five Indians--although at the moment he could not be positiveas to their number--their blankets over them and they seemingly soundasleep.
He concluded that the best thing he could do was to leave that immediateneighborhood as speedily as possible. He looked hurriedly around for thebest line of retreat. It was difficult to decide, and he was stilldebating with himself when, as he glanced at the terrifying forms, hefancied, or really saw, one of them move. Without further reflection hedarted a rod or two backward and shrunk in behind a breach in the rocks.
This was no hiding-place in case the Indians came along this path. Hecould not conceal his body, as it was merely a niche such as would havebeen made had this portion of the rocky wall been set back about a footfrom the rest. If the savages left the ravine by another direction therewas no cause for fear, but if they came this way he had good reason totremble.
He had scarcely ensconced himself in this place of refuge when from thewoods and rocks above him came the clear, echoing whistle of HowardLawrence. It startled him as if it were the whoop of this Indians soclose at hand. Of course he dare not reply to it, for it could onlyprecipitate his capture.
But he trembled more for the safety of his friends than himself. Theywere advancing hurriedly in their search, without one suspicion of theenemies so near them. Had he dared, to make a noise it would have havebeen one of warning for Tim and Howard to hasten away ere it was toolate; but even that small comfort was denied him.
He peered cautiously out and saw that the Indians were awake, butcuriously enough appeared to pay no heed to the whistling, which to theboy were uttered twenty times as often and as loud as there was anyneed. One of the savages was stirring the fire with a stick, while theothers were looking stupidly on.
Drawing back his head, Elwood looked up among the rocks in the directionof the signals for some sign of his friends. He was startled into asuppressed exclamation by the sight of Tim O'Rooney's hat and facepassing along the path above him; but before he could catch his eye itwas gone and he saw it no more.
The whistling sound now gradually retreated until it sounded quite faraway, and Elwood began to feel more at ease, although not entirely so.He wondered greatly that the suspicions of the Indians were not excited,and that they did not hasten away at once to destroy his friends.
The report of Tim O'Rooney's gun that slew the antelope soundedfearfully near, and sent a shiver of terror through the youngstercrouching in his hiding-place. At the same time, as he looked stealthilyout, he saw that it had attracted the attention of the Indians. All fivewere standing on their feet, with their loose blankets hung over theirshoulders, and gesticulating with their arms. The sound of their voiceswas plainly heard where he stood, and a thrill of hope ran through himas he imagined that he recognised in one of them a resemblance to thatof Shasta, the Pah Utah.
At this point the boy observed the storm gathering overhead--the sullenbooming of thunder, the black clouds sweeping tumultuously across thesky, the vivid spears of lightning darting in and out among them. A coolwind whistled through the gorge overhead, and dust and leaves camewhirling in the air and settled all around him.
The boy looked above, and saw that when the storm did burst it was sureto spend its full fury upon his head. Not the least particle of sheltercovered him, and he had to expect a full drenching; but this he waswilling to bear, if it would only tend to keep the attention of theIndians diverted. It seemed to him very probable, as he stood betweenthem and his own friends, that in following up the suspicious report ofthe rifle they would pass directly by him, in which case he had aboutone chance out of a thousand of remaining unseen by them.
Elwood did not dare to look out, so fearful was he of being seen. Hebelieved that the heads of the savages were turned toward him, in whichcase the risk was too great. He therefore, unheedful of the large dropsthat were beginning to patter around him, stood and listened.
Hark! He hears their tread! His heart throbs faster than ever, as heknows they are coming toward him! Closer and closer he shrinks to therock, as if to bury himself in its flinty surface.
All at once, an Indian, too tall and muscular to be Shasta, steps toview and passes beyond him without turning his head; the second is aboutthe right height, but the one furtive glance stole at him shows that heis a stranger; so as regards the third; the fourth is too short, hepasses on in the procession. The fifth and last Elwood at first believedto be Shasta, but a second look showed him his mistake. Had he held anydoubts they were removed by the Indian abruptly pausing, turning hisface full toward him, and uttering the _"hoogh!"_ of surprise, as he sawthe boy cowering against the rocks.