CHAPTER XX
WHAT SALLIE DID
Sallie seemed a long time in getting up on her knees. All the while,too, she was keeping that watch upon the two men, as though the poorlittle heart might be throbbing like mad for fear lest one of themsuddenly raise his head, and demand to know in gruff tones, why she wasleaving her blanket at that hour.
There could be only one explanation of her suspicious actions, Dolphconcluded; this was, that she had deliberately resolved to brave thewrath of Big Gabe as well as her own ruffianly father, and help Amosescape.
Dolph fairly held his breath with suspense when he grasped all thatshe seemed bent upon accomplishing. At the same time he was saying tohimself in a whisper over and over again:
“Good for you, Sallie! Bulliest little girl I ever saw; don’t this beatall, though!”
Sallie was now creeping away from her blanket. She certainly headedstraight for the spot where Amos was lying.
Turning his eyes in that direction Dolph saw the prisoner raise hishead. He seemed to be intently watching the silent advance of the girl,as though, bound as he was, Amos understood what Sallie meant to do.
Something glittered in the hand of the child, as a tongue of flamelicked up a small bit of fuel that had dropped into the fire when alog partly turned over. Dolph quickly guessed that it must be a knife,though just where Sallie could have obtained the same he could notimagine.
Here was a situation, dramatic enough to please the most critical.
No wonder, then, that the two boys hardly dared to breathe properlyas they watched the slow advance of the child of the lawless formermink trapper, and now game poacher. No wonder Dolph, yes, and Teddytoo, blessed her mentally over and over, as she thus took her couragein both hands and dared the wrath of the two rough men. She evidentlyfully determined to assist the lad who had found the way to her poorlittle heart through the fairy touch of his bow on the strings of theold fiddle.
Perhaps she fancied that one of the sleepers moved, for suddenly Salliesank down flat upon the ground as though stricken with death, and laythere while several full minutes passed.
Amos bobbed his head up again and again, as though he could notunderstand just why the little girl had halted in her rescue work. Heseemed to have been expecting her coming, from which Dolph guessed thatAmos must have earlier in the night received some hint as to what hemight expect.
The alarm, however, proved to be without foundation, it seemed; forpresently Sallie was once more on the move, approaching now thesprawling form of Big Gabe, who chanced to have cast himself down nearthe prisoner, though perhaps after all it had been design on his partthat caused the timber cruiser to do this.
These sort of wood voyagers are accustomed to waking by instinct whenthe fire burns low, and a chill pervades the air of the camp; the softfootfall of a cat might arouse them.
And Sallie knew it.
Dolph remembered what his instructions had been. He was to make useof his gun as a gentle persuader in case of trouble while Teddy wascreeping forward. Now that the task of setting Amos free had beentransferred to the shoulders of another there was just as much reasonfor vigilance.
Accordingly, Dolph brought his gun to bear upon the burly figure ofBig Gabe. If that worthy had reared up at that particular moment, thechances were the timber cruiser would have found himself precipitatedinto a peck of trouble.
But now Sallie had managed to creep past the man who snored, as he layflat on his broad back. She was very close to Amos, who appeared tobe more or less nervous. Dolph could guess why. He understood that itgalled the woods boy to be compelled to lie there, incapable of helpinghimself, and just wait to be set free by a small, weak girl.
Amos was proud and would feel the humiliation of this for many a day.But of course he was too sensible a boy to refuse to profit by theopportunity.
When the girl bent down beside the prisoner Dolph gave vent to a sighof genuine relief; for he had watched her slow and laborious progressover the intervening ground with his heart almost in his throat, asthey say, with suspense.
She now seemed to be sleeping alongside Amos, but Dolph knew full wellthat her knife must be diligently at work, sawing at the boy’s cruelbonds.
Two, three minutes passed, and Dolph was beginning to grow impatientfor a movement to be made, when he saw Amos raise his head again, as iffor an observation.
This probably meant that he was free, so far as bonds went.
Would he hasten to slip quietly out of camp and leave the two rascalsin possession of the coveted Marlin repeater.
Dolph thought not.
He knew something of the stubborn disposition of his camp mate, andwould have been willing to risk considerable on his ability to guessthe next move of Amos.
As soon as the woods boy rolled gently over, it could be seen that hewas moving toward Big Gabe and not in the direction where freedom lay.
A couple of turns proved quite enough to carry Amos close up to wherethe husky timber cruiser lay.
Big Gabe had an abiding faith in his ability to awaken should anythingamiss come about in camp. At the same time he possessed a still greaterconfidence in the value of the up-to-date repeating gun that had sofortunately fallen into his possession just when he wanted such aweapon very much.
When he lay down to sleep, therefore, he had clutched the preciousMarlin as though he meant to make it his bed fellow.
While he slept, however, in tossing about uneasily, as men are aptto do when suffering from a wound, for Big Gabe’s conscience nevertroubled him the least bit, he had lost something of his grip on thegun. It was now lying close to his person, but was not in his grasp.
It was possible by a deft movement, to lift the weapon withoutdisturbing the sleeper; and this was just what Amos meant to do.
When Dolph saw Amos thrust out an eager hand toward the gun, he thoughthe should almost smother, and there was a ringing in his ears, asthough all the blood in his body rushed to his head.
And when the weapon was actually lifted, and clutched in the hands ofthe backwoods boy, Dolph felt ready to almost swing his hat and shoutfor joy.
Now things were beginning to look somewhat more rosy.
Big Gabe was shorn of his power; for even should he awaken at thisjuncture, it would be to hear a steady voice demand that he hold hishands up, and find himself staring into the black and threatening tubeof that reliable repeater, with the determined face of Amos pressedagainst the stock.
Where would his forlorn old-fashioned Winchester be then, with a relayof six shells to back the boy in his demand?
In that moment Dolph felt that the game was as good as won.
They might still have few minor difficulties to overcome, especiallyif the two men happened to awaken before Amos quitted the camp. But onthe whole it looked as though a positive end had been put to Big Gabe’swonderful scheme to capture the millionaire’s son, and hold him forransom.
Amos was again rolling over, only this this time he went in theopposite direction, and away from the sleeping men. Having secured thecoveted gun, it seemed that Amos felt no further desire to seek thesociety of the fellow who had held possession of it.
When he reached the spot where the girl crouched, Amos paused. She hadwatched his every move with deepest satisfaction, to judge from herattitude as she knelt there.
Amos when he halted, seemed to be saying something to Sallie.
It was easy enough for Dolph to guess the nature of this whisperedcommunication, for the same idea had been in the mind of the watcher.
He was again endeavoring to influence the child to desert her evilfather, and go with himself and chums. No doubt Amos had talked it allover with Sallie before, and she knew full well that these kind-heartedboys would see that she arrived safely at her maternal grandmother’shome in the Soo, if she but consented.
But from the emphatic way in which she shook her head it was evidentthat Sallie had not changed her mind a particle, and could not beconvinced that her reprobate old “dad”
was utterly beyond hope of beingreclaimed.
Dolph felt his spirits fall, for somehow he had cherished a hope thatthe child might give way to the pleading of Amos, for whom she seemedto have taken such a fancy, and allow them to better her condition.
It was hard indeed to leave her there in the midst of such discomfort,and with only those two rough men for company, when if she but changedher stubborn little mind she might live in a pleasant home.
But she continued to refuse to go, and of course they could not thinkof trying to carry her off against her will.
All the while she was pushing Amos from her, and pointing toward thegully through which the creek ran, as offering the best means ofleaving the camp without being observed; which showed that even thischild of Nature had in her short life picked up considerable knowledgeof woodcraft from association with her father, who at times was stillengaged in trapping fur-bearing animals.
Teddy thought it just as well to rise up on his knees, so as to let thegirl know Amos had friends near by, who would see him through.
She did immediately catch sight of him, and from her gestures it wasevident that she was calling the attention of the woods-boy to thefact, for Amos suddenly turned his head, and waved his hand toward them.
Both Teddy and Dolph thereupon beckoned wildly to him to make hastebecause it seemed the height of foolishness for Amos to delay anylonger.
They saw him bend down and kiss Sallie—kiss her just as reverentlyas a mother might her child at parting; and the act stamped Amos as atrue-hearted fellow. Little though he had seen of Sallie, the poacher’sdaughter, he had in that short time come to be deeply concerned abouther gloomy future, and to care for her just as though she were a littlesister whom he should always remember.
Camp Mates in Michigan; or, with Pack and Paddle in the Pine Woods Page 21