CHAPTER XIX
A PERILOUS SLIDE
For a few seconds after Jack's announcement Nat stared at his chum.
"Lost?" he repeated.
"That's what I said, Nat. Long Gun was right, and so was Tanker Ike.It's a heap sight easier to get lost in here than I thought. Why, everyone of these peaks looks just like the one next to it. I don't believewe've been over the same bit of ground twice."
"I know how we can tell."
"How?"
"Make a mark on one of these peaks, and then walk around and see if weget back to it."
"That's a good way, but in which direction shall we go?"
Nat shrugged his shoulders.
"You've got me," he admitted. "But, say, didn't we come into this badsection from the east when we were after the deer?"
"Yes," said Jack after a little thought, "I believe we did. I know whenwe were eating lunch I noted the sun. We sure did come in from theeast. But what of that?"
"Why, if we want to go back we must walk toward the east. That is, havethe sun at our backs. Instead of that we've been walking with the sun inour faces most of the time. Let's try it."
"All right, but first let's make a mark on one of these peaks."
They did so by digging out a hollow with their hunting knives, andplacing some stones in it. This accomplished, they started off again.
"What about the deer you shot?" asked Nat.
"We'll not try to get back to that. Make for camp is what I say. LongGun will probably be able to find the deer."
It was getting quite late now, and the sun was barely visible from overthe peaks of the bad lands. But turning their backs to it they startedoff. They did not know how far they went, but it was getting duskrapidly, and they saw no indication that they were getting nearer to theedge of the curious region in which they were lost.
"Well?" asked Nat dejectedly as he sat down on a stone. "How about it?"
"We don't seem to be getting any closer to camp," admitted Jack. "Say!"he exclaimed, "why didn't we think of it before? We ought to yell."
"Yes, and fire our rifles," added Nat. "That's what Long Gun told usto do if we got lost. Queer we didn't think of it long ago. Well, heregoes!"
He raised his voice in a loud shout, and Jack joined in. They calledseveral times, but the echoes seemed to be their only answer.
"Now let's fire a few shots," proposed Jack, and they discharged theirweapons together, making a terrible din, and causing so many echoes thatit seemed as if a thunderstorm was in progress.
"I believe those echoes will confuse them," said Nat. "I know they wouldme."
"I guess Long Gun can tell where we are if he hears 'em at all," repliedJack. "But I think we're quite a way from camp. I wish we'd stucktogether."
"Too late for that now. Fire again."
They did so, and also shouted a number of times, moving about in theinterval.
"Well," said Nat at length as he noted the shadows growing longer andlonger, "I guess we're in for the night; and it's getting colder, too."
"You're right, there," answered Jack, turning up the collar of his coat."Still there's one consolation."
"What's that?"
"We haven't gone in a circle. We haven't seen anything of that peak wemarked."
"No; but it will soon be so dark we can't see anything."
The two lads gazed at each other. Their plight was a serious one, forthey were in no condition to remain out in the cold night withoutshelter.
All at once, from somewhere off to the left, there came a curious noise.It startled the lads, and Nat exclaimed:
"What's that?"
"I don't know," answered Jack. "Some sort of an animal," and in spite ofhimself he felt the cold chills running down his spine.
"Maybe it's a bear," suggested Nat. "I wish----"
The noise came again, louder than before, and closer.
Jack burst into a laugh.
"Aren't we the ninnies?" he exclaimed. "Those are our horses whinnying,and the echoes made their calls sound strange. Now we're all right, Nat.We'll find the horses and ride right to camp."
"My! but that's good news!" responded his companion.
Once more came the whinnying, and following the direction of the sound,the lads soon came to their horses, but, to their surprise, the steedswere standing in among the sawtooth peaks of the bad lands.
"Didn't we leave them outside, on the edge of this pestiferous region?"asked Nat in some doubt.
"We sure did," replied Jack, "but they've pulled up the tether pegs andfollowed us in. Never mind, they can probably find their way out. We'llmount them and let them take us back to camp."
With hearts very much lighter, the two lads leaped into the saddle, andcalling to the horses, let the reins lie lightly on their necks,trusting to the superior intelligence of the beasts to extricate themfrom their plight.
As if only waiting for their masters, the horses started off. It wasalmost dark now, and one or two early stars could be seen.
"Ho! for camp, and a good, hot supper!" exclaimed Jack.
"Jumping Johnniecakes! but you're right!" cried Nat with something ofhis old enthusiasm. "I don't believe I ever was so hungry."
The horses walked at a fast pace, and seemed to have no hesitation inmaking their way out of the bad lands.
"Next time I'll ride my horse in," said Jack. "I didn't think it wasgood footing, or I'd have done it to-day."
They rode on for some time longer, and then Nat remarked:
"Seems to me it's taking quite a long while to get out of this place.The horses must have come in quite a distance."
"Maybe they did," agreed Jack, "or maybe they're taking us out on theother side. I don't know as it makes much difference."
"Well, we're going up hill, anyhow," went on Nat. "It's quite a grade."
It certainly was, and the horses were having no easy task. But they kepton, as if they knew just where they were going.
The boys were beginning to get a bit anxious again, wondering if, afterall, the horses were taking them right, when the bad lands came to asudden end. There were no more of the sawtooth peaks.
"Hurrah, we're out of 'em!" cried Jack.
"Yes, and look where we are," said Jack. "Nowhere near camp."
They were on the shoulder of a steep mountain, while below them, wrappedin the fast approaching night, was a great valley. Then something elsecaught the eyes of the boys.
"There's a fire!" called Nat, pointing to a blaze at the foot of themountain.
"I'll wager it's our camp," declared Jack. "Here goes for a hail."
He shouted and fired his gun. In a few seconds there came an answeringcall, and a firebrand was waved in the air.
"That's Bony's voice," cried Nat. "I can almost hear him cracking hisknuckle bones."
"Yes, but how are we to get down?" asked Jack. "I don't see the sign ofa trail."
The next instant his horse answered the question for him by startingright down the side of the mountain, which at that point was composed ofshaling stones, and quite smooth.
"Where you going?" cried Nat.
"I don't know," answered Jack. "My horse seems to want to take a slide."
Then Nat's steed followed the other, and a moment later the two lads, onthe backs of their animals, were sliding, stumbling and slipping downthe precipitous slope of the mountain.
Jack Ranger's Gun Club; Or, From Schoolroom to Camp and Trail Page 20