from his pocket he began to read. So Allan sat there reading, andsome fifty or sixty yards beneath him the men worked, singing andlaughing as they plied the axe and saw. A whole half-hour was thuspassed.
"This is slow work," he thought at last, placing the book in his pocket."I'll creep quietly over to that bit of jungle--I'm sure to get a shotat something."
If there was anything to shoot in the jungle the wind was all in hisfavour. He was down to leeward.
When he neared the thicket he threw himself on his hands and knees, andapproaching, entered with caution.
There is no sport in the world a Scottish Highlander loves so much asthat of deer-stalking. Is it any wonder, then, that when he foundhimself within fifty yards of a tall an tiered red deer his heart jumpedfor joy?
"One hundred and fifty pounds," he said to himself, "if he weighs anounce."
He was just about to raise his rifle, when a dead branch snapped underhim, and next moment the quarry had glided silently away.
"Anyhow," thought Allan, "I'll follow him up a little way. I've done abit of this work at home, and he is a wary scamp, indeed, if he escapesme."
He searched all through the piece of jungle first. This led him agoodly mile along the ravine, and into the forest, and he was about togive up the quest when he caught a glimpse of the animal's white flagabout a hundred yards away, but quickly getting farther off, thoughseeming in no great hurry. Keeping well under cover, Allan went on andon, determined if possible not to go back without a lordly haunch ofvenison on his shoulder. Before very long he found himself on the brinkof a ravine. This puzzled him not a little. It was _a_ ravine, but wasit _the_ ravine at the end of which he was sure to find his comrades?He did not care whether it was or not; he would cross and risk it, foryonder, on the opposite "brae," were antlers; not one pair but manypairs.
So down he went, and, to his joy, found the stream was fordable.
Upwards now, with all the caution imaginable, crept this enthusiasticsportsman, upwards to where the all-unconscious herd were browsing. Hewas near them now, and was pushing the boughs aside to obtain a view,when, as ill luck would have it, a twig caught the trigger, the riflewent off, the deer stampeded, and poor Allan was left to mourn.
"Back homewards now, Allan," a voice seemed to whisper to him. "Back,back; it isn't the first time a deer has brought misfortune to the houseof Arrandoon."
Allan was a good mountaineer, and an excellent walker; he felt sure hecould regain his party in an hour at most, but would daylight hold outas long? He feared it would not, and he knew it would get dark muchsooner under the pine-trees, so he determined to follow the course ofthe stream. If it flowed at the bottom of the _right_ ravine he wasbound soon to rejoin his party. "Oh, of course it is the _right_ravine!" He found himself making this remark to himself a dozen timesin a minute, as he commenced hurrying along the banks of the rivulet.
But now the shades of night began to fall, great black clouds rolled upand obscured the sky's blue; there would neither be moon nor stars toguide him, so he increased his pace to as nearly a run as the roughnature of the ground would permit. But presently the trees got thickerand darker overhead, and he could no longer see the stream, and toadvance farther were but madness.
He pauses now, and the dread of some coming evil falls like a shadowover his heart. In vain he shouts. There is no answer from the hillsabove; no answer from the dark woods. He fires his rifle again, itreverberates from rock to rock as if a volley had been fired. But theecho is the only response.
CHAPTER TWENTY.
ALONE IN THE BEAST-HAUNTED WILDERNESS--THE SEARCH PARTY--AGONY OFTHOUGHT--A MIDNIGHT VISITOR--THE FOREST ON FIRE.
The feeling of consternation on the minds of Ralph and Rory, when theyreturned to the working party and found that Allan was missing, may bebetter imagined than described. Mitchell was in command of thewoodcutters, and not only he, but every one of the men, was interrogatedas to what they knew or could tell of the sudden disappearance. Theyhad all the self-same story to relate. They simply missed him, all atonce as it were, from his seat. They had not noticed which way he hadgone. They certainly did not hear the crack of his rifle; he haddisappeared as quietly and suddenly as if he had been spirited away, andthey very naturally imagined that he had got tired of waiting, and hadgone along down to the river and creek to meet his friends.
Any search for a trail was altogether a waste of time. Had Seth himselfbeen there, hardly could he have picked it up, for the gloom of nightwas fast settling down over mountain, and forest, and sea.
One thing, however, they could and did do. Coming speedily to theconclusion that Allan had gone more inland, probably after big game ofsome kind, they took a middle course, 'twixt east and south, and in abody marched upon a high bluff of barren ground, that rose up like anisland in the centre of the spruce pines. Once on the top they couldhear from all directions, if anything were to be heard. But alas! therewas no answering shout to theirs, and the only reply to their firing wasthe faint echo of the rifles among the distant hills. Then a hopelesskind of sorrow seemed to settle down on every heart.
Neither Ralph nor Rory dared to express their thoughts in words. Allantheir beloved companion was gone. The chances of their ever seeing himalive again were few, for what might not have happened to him already,or what might not happen to him during the night, all alone in thisbeast-haunted wilderness!
Was there any comfort to be had from the thought that he was simplylost? None. For how could they forget the many stories trapper Sethhad told them of men lost on the prairies, on the plains, or in thewoods and jungles; of how some suddenly lose all hope and heart, throwthemselves on the ground, fall into a stupor, shiver and die; of howothers lose all control over themselves, and rush hither and thitherlike wild beasts in confinement, and others who, instead of keeping cooland waiting for friendly help, become the victims of a restless mania?
It is strange how two people in an emergency like the present may be, atprecisely the same moment of time, thinking of exactly the same thing,so that almost without the aid of words they may read each other's soul.I have seen many instances of this, but am not psychologist enough tobe able to account for it; but here now we have Ralph turning suddenlyround to his companion, and looking for a brief moment inquiringly intohis face, and Rory replying, "No, he left his compass in his cabin thismorning, with his watch and chain."
This was an answer to the very question Ralph was about to ask.
"Heaven help him, then!" said Ralph, with one brief glance skywards.Perhaps, reader, Heaven even then helped the utterer of that littleprayer himself, and granted him presence of mind.
Anyhow, he at once began to give orders. Ralph had what might be calleda larger and more grasping mind than Rory; the latter was as brave asbrave could be, but Ralph was ever the better man in an emergency.
"Mitchell," said our English hero, "there is no time to be lost. Take afew men with you, and go on board at once, and report this sad businessto Captain McBain. He will know what to do as soon as it is daylight."
"Ay, ay, sir," said Mitchell, and choosing three men he ran quickly downthe side of the hill, and the spruce forest swallowed them up.
"Now, lads," continued Ralph, "go to work and collect wood, there isplenty about; we'll build a fire on the hill here, and trust the rest toProvidence."
The men were glad to set to work, it revived hope in their hearts.
From the deck of the _Snowbird_, the eminence which Ralph and Roryoccupied could be seen by daylight, so the fire could be seen burningsteadily all the livelong night. Just after midnight McBain threwhimself wearily on his cot to snatch a few hours' rest. He was up againbefore daybreak, the fire was burning brightly then.
Trapper Seth was on deck even before McBain. He was quite ready to goover the side as soon as the order was given, so were the dogs. Themastiff would go with his master as a matter of course, who on thisparticular occasion had resumed his former useful, if not picturesque,costu
me of skins.
Had one of even those few individuals in this world who neither care fornor admire man's true friend, the dog, been on the _Snowbird's_ deck andwitnessed the quiet, eager anxious looks of great Oscar, as he took hisseat in the boat along with McBain, he could not have begrudged a wordof pity for the poor fellow.
Meanwhile, how fared it with Allan in the solitude of the forest? Braveas he was, he could not help experiencing a feeling of awe as nightdeepened around him. He determined, however, to make the most of hisposition, and selecting a spot close under a rock, he collected wood andlit a fire; there was some comfort in that, and its fitful light,although it seemed to deepen the darkness all around him, made him feelmore cheerful. He rolled himself in his Highland plaid, and placing hisrifle handy, lay down to watch the blazing logs, without, however, anyvery serious intention of going to
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