CHAPTER XXI
THE UPLIFTED HAND
Amos made the transfer without a hitch.
He did not even look back once. It was as though he depended whollyupon his chums to note any danger, and warn him of the same in goodtime.
Another thing Amos did, Dolph was quick to notice, and which showed howan observing wide-awake boy may pay attention to small things.
In making his advance toward the creek, Amos instead of pushing on ina straight course seemed to choose a more roundabout one. Dolph wasat first a little puzzled to know why he did this when he might havespared himself some extra labor.
It dawned suddenly upon him that the backwoods boy knew what he wasabout for by circling in this way he was really keeping himself out ofrange so that if it became necessary for Dolph to fire he might notstop a portion of the bird shot.
Amos was nothing if not thoughtful, and while he may have beenready to sacrifice much upon the altar of friendship, that did notnecessitate his accommodating Big Gabe and Crawley by sharing theirburdens.
Sallie remained on her knees, with her hands clasped in front of herchild-fashion, watching the progress of the boy toward the point wherein her mind his safety seemed assured, for were not his companionswaiting to receive him?
A very pitiful object the little girl looked just then, Dolph wasthinking. And then he felt his hand clutched by Amos, who had arrivedin company of Teddy.
After all their adventures, the right thing had come about at last;and there did not seem to be any reason why they should not strike outat once for the camp on the shore of the lake, where their tents andcanoes awaited them.
Undoubtedly, after the two ruffians awoke, and realized that theirprisoner had not only escaped, but carried off the precious Marlin gunwith him they would consider it too risky to remain in the neighborhoodof those whom they had been plotting against.
And the chances were the boys would have no further trouble with thepair of lawless characters.
One thing alone worried Dolph.
Would little Sallie be suspected of having assisted the woods boy makehis escape; and if so, would her brutal father treat her as he wasaccustomed to serving those bold enough to cross his will?
It was a galling thought, and made the lad grit his teeth because ofhis utter inability to alter the complexion of things.
So the three boys began to move along the creek bed, intending to leaveit at a point further on, and take to the shelter of the woods.
The first thing Teddy did, however, was to exchange guns with Amos; andthe very touch of his recovered favorite seemed to send a thrill ofpleasure through the whole system of the lumberman’s son.
With that gun in his possession Teddy felt doubly armed, and ready todefy the forces of villainy that could be arrayed against him.
They had gone only a short distance, after creeping out of the gully,when a sound came to their ears that caused each of them to stopinstantly in his tracks, and listen eagerly.
There could be no mistaking the nature of the eruption, for it was theroaring voice of Big Gabe, calling upon his companions to get up andsee what a trick had been played upon them while they slept.
Immediately the three lads sought places of observation, and the samethought seemed to flash through the mind of each—what was about tohappen to Sallie?
As they looked toward the camp they saw that the big timber cruiser hadtossed an armful of light wood upon the red embers of the fire, foralready a flame had commenced to shoot up, and the immediate vicinitywas illuminated.
Crawley was on his feet also, prancing around, and evidently more orless enraged because he could see nothing of the prisoner, who had beenthere, safely tied hand and foot, when they lay down to sleep.
Big Gabe was pointing toward the girl, and his act was full ofsignificance, for Sallie had not moved from her position, and she wasexactly in the spot where Amos had last been seen.
Even duller-witted men than these must have been able to put two andtwo together, when the conditions were so plain. Crawley of coursecould easily guess where Amos had received his assistance, even beforehe strode over, and clutched the child by the arm, savagely draggingher to her feet.
Dolph unconsciously leveled his gun at the man though of course hewould not have dared fired at that distance lest Sallie be injured, aswell.
But the whole three boys were ready to spring to their feet and dashforward, if it came to the worst.
As Crawley thus dragged the girl’s arm up in that violent fashion, whatshe held clutched in her hand was disclosed; this of course, was thevery knife, one used in her kitchen work perhaps, with which the bondsof Amos had been cut a few minutes before.
Big Gabe gave utterance to a howl, and immediately threw up his hands,as if by that tragic gesture to intimate that he was ready to drop thegame then and there since there seemed to be a traitor in the camp.But he evidently looked to Crawley to fit the punishment to the crime,since it was a family affair.
Crawley at first seemed a little stunned at this positive evidenceof Sallie’s guilt; but the pent-up evil in his nature broke out in avolley of oaths.
Carried away by the violence of his passion he raised his heavy hand tostrike the child down at his feet.
Had he done so, the man would have had to reckon with three furiouslads, for all of them were ready to leap forward and finish him as hedeserved by forcing him to run the gauntlet of their shot guns.
The fire leaped up into a fierce blaze at that moment, as if desirousof allowing the angry man to plainly see the white face of hisdaughter, as she stood there, bravely facing him, with words from hermother about saving him, on her lips, and a look of calm resignationset upon her face.
It was a tableau for about ten seconds, with the brute’s hand raisedaloft, and the child standing there, looking straight into his eyes.
Crawley simply could not stand it. Perhaps he saw again the look thathad been upon her mother’s face the last time he had struck her, beforeshe died; a smile that doubtless had haunted the guilty wretch eversince.
Shaking his ugly head, and drawing a long breath, he threw her from himand turning, strode away.
Dolph sighed.
He felt relieved, and yet in a measure disappointed, for just thenwhen his blood was up, it seemed to the boy that the problem of littleSallie’s future could best be decided by energetic action on the partof himself and his chums.
But it was not to be.
One last look they cast in the direction of the fire, and then plungedinto the depths of the pine woods.
Dolph wondered if fortune would ever throw them in contact with anyof these persons again. True, they had not wholly enjoyed theirassociation with the two men, but their thoughts must often go out tothe little lass who was struggling with one of the greatest problemsthat can beset any of her sex, a task foolishly set her by the motherwho was gone. And bravely was little Sallie endeavoring to fulfill hertrust.
Amos knew just about where they were, and which direction they musthead in order to reach the shore of the lake around the spot where theyhad made in the camp.
The genius of the Michigan backwoods boy for locating places was verymarked. And Teddy, who was a little bewildered himself, was glad to beable to fall back on the one who was able to serve as a pilot.
“I notice you saved one thing from the wreck,” remarked Teddy, asthey walked steadily forward, hoping to reach the camp, even thoughexhausted, long before the hour of dawn. “I saw you pick it up on yourway out.”
“Well, yes,” chuckled Amos. “It struck me I was entitled to something,to pay up for all the bother they gave me. It is too bad to get awaywith old Crawley’s fiddle just when he’s gone and learned how to starton the second part of “The Arkansaw Traveler,” after waiting so long.But I was just fiddle hungry, boys, and I felt I must have the thing.”
“Glad of it,” said Teddy.
“That’s right,” added Dolph, enthusiastically; “we can have music everynight now after thi
s, and I give you my word, Amos, every time you playI can just shut my eyes and see that crazy old rascal jumping around,snapping his fingers, whistling and acting like he’d just broke out ofa lunatic asylum.”
“And I’ll always see her a-settin’ there on that three-legged stool,holdin’ her chin in the hollow of her hand and lookin’ at me with thembig blue eyes. Poor Sallie; poor little gal. She’s got a hard row tohoe, pardners,” and Amos sighed heavily.
“There’s one thing we must do when we get to the Soo,” said Teddy,firmly.
“I know what you’re going to say,” declared Dolph, “and you can justbank on me backing you up in it, too.”
“We’ll see Sallie’s grandmother and make her understand that when thechild comes back to her again to stay a spell, she must never let hergo away again. I reckon she don’t know what kind of a man Crawley is,because Sallie would never say a word against her father. But thisthing has got to stop.”
When Teddy spoke in that way, the others just knew he meant it, and thechances were little Sallie would sooner or later find that she wouldnot be allowed to make the sacrifice of her health and happiness, inthe useless expectation that by so doing she might possibly reform thathopeless, drunken rascal she called father.
So the boys pushed on in a direct line. Tired as they were, they wouldnot let anything keep them from carrying out their plans.
About two hours after midnight they came upon the shore of the lake,with the battered old moon showing them the beloved khaki-colored tent,just as they had left it.
Camp Mates in Michigan; or, with Pack and Paddle in the Pine Woods Page 22