XVIII
MABYN MAROONED
When Natalie awoke, it was a gray and haggard Garth she saw through theraised flaps of her tent. His arms, folded on his knees, bore up hischin; and he stared before him, still pursuing the narrow round of histroublous thoughts. He was the gainer for his excursion, by valuableinformation--but he was no nearer the solution of it all.
Natalie partly raised herself on her good arm. "My poor Garth!" she saidsoftly. "How very tired you are!"
His weary eyes lighted up. "I'm all right," he cried. "And how are you?"
"Splendid!" she said, matching his tone--while her face was drawn withpain. "Come in," she added softly.
He sat a little diffidently on the ground beside her; Natalie'sroom--though its walls were of canvas--was a sacred place to him whenshe was in it.
"Look at me!" she commanded.
He turned his grave, smiling eyes down on her. In spite of difficulties,dangers and weariness, he had to smile when he looked at her; he lovedher so! His eyes were full of it.
Natalie's eyes fell; her hand crept into his. "You may tell me to-day,"she whispered.
He understood. "Oh, my Natalie!" he murmured deeply. "I love you! Itbreaks my heart to see you suffer!"
She caught up his hand, and pressed it to her cheek. "I am cured!" shewhispered with a lift in her voice.
"There is something I want you to do for me," she said presently.
"Anything in the world!" he cried.
"No!" she said. "This is only a little thing--but you mustn't laugh!"
He immediately smiled.
"I want to feel, for a moment, that I have helped you too," shewhispered. "Put your head down on my good shoulder."
He flung himself down beside her, and laid his head where she bid. Herbreath was warm on his cheek. He slipped his over-heavy burden, andglided into Paradise for awhile.
"My brave, brave Garth," she whispered in his ear. "All my heart isyours! I thought about this last night--every time I woke. I thought wemight steal one such moment. I thought, what if something happened toyou, or to me, and we had never known it!"
She tried to tempt him to sleep a while, but Garth, fearful of tiringher, and with his responsibilities pressing on him, drew himself away.He arose, better refreshed, he vowed, than by all the nights of sleep hehad ever had in his life.
As he rose, their lips met, once and briefly.
* * * * *
Garth's first task after breakfast was to clear the growth of willowsthat obstructed their access to the lake. The little island was framedsquarely in the centre of the opening made by his axe; and off to theleft, across an estuary formed at the mouth of the watercourse, Mabyn'sshack stood on top of its cut-bank in plain view.
At sight of the convenient island, Garth was struck by an idea. Heexamined it attentively. It lay something less than a quarter of a mileoff shore; and a triangle might have been drawn between his camp, theisland and Mabyn's shack, of which the three sides would have been ofabout equal length. The island was about three acres in extent; andcompletely ringed about with willow bushes. In the centre, two or threecottonwood trees elevated their heads above the willows.
Later, he asked Natalie casually: "Could Mabyn swim, when you knew him,do you remember?"
"He could not," she said instantly. "In fact he had a childish horror ofthe water."
Garth turned his head to hide his satisfaction; and his plan began totake shape.
While the sun was yet low, Rina, true to her promise, came to attendupon Natalie. There was no change in her manner; her unreadable eyesexpressed no consciousness of the events of the night before. Shequestioned Natalie in her best professional way. It was not yetnecessary to disturb the dressings on the arm; but she volunteered to doNatalie's hair; and what other offices would contribute to her comfort.Garth, convinced now that he had as sure a hold on her as she on him,unhesitatingly allowed her to enter the tent alone. But he kept withinearshot.
He necessarily overheard part of their talk. Natalie, it seemed, had amethod of her own with Rina. Obliterating the fact that she had receivedher injury at the breed's hands, she was unaffectedly grateful for allthat was done for her; and what was more subtle--or kinder--she treatedRina as her equal, as one who understood in herself the thoughts and theinstincts of a lady. Garth, with the clue he possessed to the unhappyheart of the girl, could not tell which he ought to commend the more,Natalie's mother-wit, or her generosity.
Rina apparently sought to steel her breast against the other'sovertures. For the most part she maintained a hardy silence; and whenshe did speak, it was in sullen monosyllables.
Issuing out of the tent, she surprised Garth by asking, as one whodemands a right, to take old Cy. She needed an herb for Natalie, shesaid, that could only be procured on the shore of a slough five milesaway. Garth was prompt with his permission. There was a possibilitythat it was merely a pretext to deprive them of the horse; but his heartleaped at the chance of getting Rina out of the way for an hour. It wasall he needed to complete his plan; and it had seemed an insuperablebar. If she turned the horse out, he would come back anyway; for Cy wasthe town-bred horse, always waiting anxiously about camp for hisvanished stable; and Garth had further trained him to stick to theoutfit, with judicious presents of salt and tobacco.
Rina, disdaining a saddle, scrambled on his back, and rode off. Garthwaited, not without anxiety, to see what direction she would take. Shepresently reappeared, mounting the rise to the shack. Pausing briefly atthe door, apparently to speak within, she continued her way up the slopebehind; and, gaining the prairie, disappeared over the brow.
Garth instantly put himself in motion. He had his compunctions in thusmoving against Rina while she was absent on an errand for Natalie; buthe consoled himself with the thought that Rina, with all she could do,had still a heavy score to pay off. He told Natalie what he was about todo; and at her earnest pleading carried her out of the tent, and proppedher partly upright at the edge of the lake where she would be able tosee him. Then, looking to his gun, he set off a second time for theshack.
From the circumstance of Rina's pausing at the door, he was well assuredthat Mabyn was within. He had marked that the door stood open. On hisway, he paused to examine the ancient dugout lying at the mouth of thewatercourse; and found it in a sufficiently seaworthy condition toanswer his purpose. A paddle lay in the bottom.
Garth ascended the grassy slope swiftly and noiselessly; and making adetour around the window, presented himself suddenly at the door. Mabynwas revealed to him sprawling on his blankets in the corner, plucking athis face, and scowling at the rafters, he, too, no doubt, plotting andscheming. When the armed shadow fell across the floor of his shack, hestarted to his elbow; his eyes widened, his flesh blanched and a visibletrembling seized his limbs.
"What do you want?" he contrived to stammer.
Strong disgust seized Garth again; so despicable an adversary shamed hisown manhood. He shifted his gun significantly.
"Get up!" he said.
Mabyn dragged himself to his hands and knees. It was some moments beforehe could control himself sufficiently to stand upright.
"What are you going to do with me?" he kept muttering.
Garth stepped backward. "Come outside!" he commanded.
Mabyn obeyed, making a circuit of the walls for support. His eyes werealways riveted on the gun; and however slightly it was moved, heexperienced a fresh spasm of fear.
"Face about!" ordered Garth; "and walk to the mouth of the creek!"
Mabyn became even paler. His skin was like white paper on which asheshave been rubbed, leaving streaks and patches of gray. "Would you shootme in the back?" he said shrilly. "An unarmed man! I will not turn myback!"
"Then walk backward!" said Garth, with his laconic start of laughter.
Mabyn went like a crab down the rise, with his head over his shoulder, aludicrous and deplorable figure. He was unable to drag his eyes from thegun, consequently he stu
mbled and lurched over every obstacle. Once hefell flat; and a sharp scream of fright was forced from him. Garthsickened at the sight, while he laughed. He had to give him a minute inwhich to recover himself.
Mabyn, scarcely coherent, ceaselessly begged for mercy. "Do not killme!" he whimpered. "I _can't_ die! Oh, God! Not like this! I never had achance! You kill Natalie if you kill me--the breed will fix her!--and mymother! You'll have three murders on your soul! I _can't_ die yet!"
"Get up!" commanded Garth.
Reaching the edge of the water, he ordered him into the dugout.
Mabyn fell on his knees on the stones. "Not in the water! Not in thewater!" he shrilled. "Kill me here!"
"No one is going to kill you," said Garth with scornful patience. "Dowhat you're told, and you'll not be hurt!"
Mabyn darted a furtive look of hope and suspicion in Garth's face. Hegot up.
"What are you going to do with me?" he muttered.
"Put you on the island," said Garth coolly.
"I'll starve," he whined.
"Food will be brought you regularly, as long as you obey orders," saidGarth.
Mabyn, his extreme terror subsiding, showed an inclination to temporize."Let me get a few things," he begged. His eyes wandered to the hill overwhich Rina had disappeared.
Garth was anxious on the same score. He fingered the trigger of his gun."In with you!" he said.
Mabyn jumped to obey.
Garth, sitting in the bow with his weapon in his arms, faced Mabyn; andforced him to wield the paddle. Mabyn, seeing that he did mean to puthim on the island, realized there had been no occasion for his brutishterror; but instead of feeling any shame for the self-betrayal, hecharacteristically added it to his score against Garth. His gray eyescontracted in an agony of impotent hate. At that moment unspeakableatrocities committed on Garth's body would not have satisfied Mabyn'slust to destroy his flesh. Any move on his part would have overturnedthe crazy dugout, but, shivering at the sight of the water, he wasunable to take that way.
Garth, wary of the furtive gleam in the man's eye, sprang to his feetthe instant they touched the island, and leaped out, careful never toturn his back. He forced Mabyn to retire a dozen paces, while he tookthe place he vacated in the stern; and then he ordered him to push off.
At the prospect of being left alone, Mabyn's flesh failed him again. Heclung to the bow of the canoe, and gabbled anew for mercy. Garth,wearying of it all, suddenly sent a shot over his head. His weapon,silent and smokeless, had an effect of horrible deadliness. Mabyn, witha moan of fear, pushed the canoe off, and sank back on the grass of theislet.
Exchanging his gun for the paddle, Garth hastened back to the mouth ofthe creek, pausing only to wave his hat reassuringly at Natalie, whom hecould see reclining on her grassy couch. An essential part of his planwas yet to be effected; and he knew not how soon Rina might return.Hastily ransacking the cabin, he gathered together all their meagrerations; flour, sugar, beans, tea and pork; and he likewise commandeeredeverything that might be turned to use for a weapon; an axe, a chisel,and all knives. Three trips up and down the hill conveyed it to thedugout. Reembarking, he had no sooner brought it all to his own campthan Natalie's sharp eyes discovered Rina returning on the distant hill.
Garth carried Natalie into the tent again; and nerved himself to awaitthe inevitable scene. Meanwhile he could see Rina alight at the door,search the cabin hastily, and dart about outside, like a distracted antreturning to find her dwelling rifled. She followed the tracks down tothe water's edge, dragging the horse after her. Seeking over the water,she soon discovered the dugout lying at Garth's camp; whereupon sheclambered on the horse again. Presently she came crashing through thebush.
This was a vastly different kind of antagonist, that slipped from thehorse and faced him with blazing eyes. Rina regarded the weapon in hishands with as little respect as if it had been a pop-gun. But there wasnothing baffling about her now, she was just the furious woman common toany shade of skin.
"Where is he?" she cried--and without waiting for any answer, emptiedthe hissing ewer of her wrath over Garth's head. Her careful English wasdrowned in a flood of guttural Cree--she fished it up only to curse him.
Garth received the impact in silence, for at first she was in nocondition to take in the answers she demanded. He suddenly realized, asa man thinks of an interesting circumstance that does not concern him atall, how beautiful she was; and the thought gave him greater patience.
Rina, bethinking herself at last that her Cree was wasted on him, wentback to English. "You wait!" she cried threateningly. "Bam-bye, herbone, him grow together, and she all the time cry of pain! Then youwant me bad, and I not come! She will have fever and die!" Shepassionately threw down the leaves she had brought and ground them underher heel.
"Mabyn is unhurt!" Garth repeated patiently more than once. "I put himon the island."
At last it seemed to reach her. "What for you do that?" she demanded.
"He is always trying to kill me," he said. "I have only put him where hecan do no harm!"
"I tak' him off!" she cried defiantly. "I mak' a raft! You can't stopme!"
"I have seized all the food," said Garth quietly. "You will get none forhim unless he stays where he is."
Rina's anger stilled and concentrated. "You devil!" she hissed.
Garth turned away. "When you are yourself," he said coolly, "I will talkto you plainly and honestly about us all."
"I not talk with you!" she stormed. "You tell lies to me! I not comeagain--till some time you sleep--then I come and kill you!"
He faced her with a sudden imperiousness she could not ignore. "Then theway is made open for Mabyn to come to _her_!" he cried. "Where will yoube then?--thrown on the ground, as you were yesterday!"
The shot told. Her arms dropped, she visibly paled. The white man'sblood in Rina's cheeks betrayed her at the moments when most shedesired to secrete her heart. She lowered her head to hide her strickeneyes from him. Suddenly she turned and fled through the trees.
Garth was beginning to believe that Rina after all was not so differentfrom her white sisters; if so, he thought she would come back. Natalie,who had overheard all that passed, said so too. Garth wished to carryNatalie out of the tent, that she might help him work with the girl; butNatalie, with better wisdom, said no, that Rina would be more tractableif she were out of sight.
Meanwhile he set to work with an air of unconcern he was far fromfeeling--there were a hundred ways this plan of his might miscarry, andonly one way it could succeed! He tied old Cy to his stake again; andcarefully gathered up what remained of the herbs Rina had cast on theground. He unloaded the seized supplies and made a temporary cache undera piece of sail-cloth.
By and by, while he was so engaged, he became aware that Rina washovering about among the trees. He went on with his task, carefullyavoiding any notice of her. She approached by devious stages, like achild drawn against its will. When it became impossible longer toconceal herself, she came into the open with her old, wistful, sullen,inscrutable face. Garth went about his work, displaying no anxiety totreat. He made her speak first.
"What you want say to me?" she asked at last, feigning supremeindifference.
"Sit down," he said.
She dropped obediently on the grass; and averted her head. She did notsquat like the other red people; but reclined, supporting herself on onehand, much as Natalie might have done.
Garth lit his pipe, considering what simple, figurative form of wordswould best appeal to her understanding.
"I do not wish Mabyn harm," he began mildly. "He is nothing to me. Myheart knows only one wish--to make her well, and to take her back safelyto her friends outside. To accomplish that, I will let nothing stop me!"
He paused to let it sink in. Rina gave no sign of having even heard.
"That is your wish, too," he continued. "You want her away from here.She and I are nothing to you. You were happy before we came!"
She darted a startled look at the man w
ho could so well read herfeelings.
"Mabyn is mad because she will not have him!" Garth went on. "He isalways crazy for what he cannot have."
She turned her head again with the look that said so plainly, "How didyou know that?"
"When we get her away, he will soon forget. All will be as it wasbefore!"
She maintained her obstinate silence.
"Do I not speak true words?" Garth challenged.
She evaded the question. "If you go out, you send the police after him,"she muttered.
He saw Mabyn's hand here. "I will not," he said quickly. "I give you myword on that!"
She looked at him incredulously. She did not understand the pledge.
"There's my hand on it," said Garth, offering it.
Rina gravely laid her own in it, and let him wag it up and down. Thisform of binding an agreement she knew.
Still she had not committed herself to anything; and Garth paused,determined to make her speak before he went on.
She favoured him at last with a walled glance purely savage. "Let'Erbe't go off the island," she said indifferently. Clearly she asked itmore with the idea to see what he would say, than with any hope of hisagreeing.
"I will not do that," said Garth firmly. "Night and day he would beplotting to kill me. Night and day he would be driving you on to do itfor him. You would try to do it. You cannot say no to him! And if youdid bring me down--" Garth sunk his voice--"all, _all_ would belost!--Mabyn and you and Natalie and I!"
Her eyes sought his with a poignant glance; and she paled again. He felthe had made an impression.
"I will treat him kindly," he said, seeking to follow up his advantage."You shall go to the shack now for everything he needs; and we will takeit to him."
"Can I spik with him?" asked Rina in a low tone.
Garth rejoiced--it was the first token of submission. "For five minutesby my watch," he said.
Two on the Trail: A Story of the Far Northwest Page 18