Adrift in the Wilds; Or, The Adventures of Two Shipwrecked Boys

by Edward Sylvester Ellis

  CHAPTER XIV.

  A STRANGE OCCURRENCE.

  On a slight eminence, about an eighth of a mile south of them, stood thesolitary Indian who had fired the alarming shot, he was in open view, asthough he had no fears of the results of his challenge, and appeared tobe surveying the white people with an air of curiosity that they shouldpresume to encroach upon his hunting-grounds.

  "If yez manes that, there's two of us, as me brother Pat towld the judgewhen he called him a good-for-nothing dog."

  With which exclamation Tim O'Rooney sighted his rifle at the aborigine,and taking a tedious, uncomfortable aim, pulled the trigger, and thenlowered his piece and stared at his target to watch the result. TheIndian stood as motionless as a statue, and finally the Irishman drew adeep sigh.

  "I wonder whether the bullet has reached him yet?"

  "Reached him!" laughed Howard. "I saw it clip off a piece of rock fullyforty feet from him."

  "Worrah, worrah! but I've ate so much dinner I can't howld the gunstiddy."

  "I saw it vibrate----"

  "Look out! he's going to shoot again!" called Elwood, as he and Howarddropped on their faces. "Get down, Tim, or he'll hit you. He's a bettermarksman than you are."

  "Who cares----Heaven! save me!"

  The second discharge sent the bullet within a few inches of theIrishman's face, and somewhat alarmed him.

  "Load quick!" admonished Howard, "and shelter yourself, or you are adead man."

  The Irishman obeyed this, and had his gun reloaded in a few moments.

  "Now let me try my hand," said Elwood; "you can never hit him."

  "Be all manes, if yez wish it."

  "The piece is too heavy for me to shoot off-hand and I'll rest it on myknee."

  The boy took the gun, and placing the barrel on his knee, drew back thehammer, when presto! the savage whisked out of sight like magic. Thenoble aborigine had come to the conclusion that discretion was thebetter part of valor.

  "Where is he?" asked the bewildered boy, rising to his feet and lookingaround him.

  "He is gone," replied Howard.

  "I admire his sense; he doesn't care about being shot just yet."

  Howard laughed.

  "You have a good opinion of your marksmanship, Elwood, and he seems tofear you more than Tim."

  "But he didn't give me time to practice on 'im," said the latter. "If hehad stood there an hour or two I'd hit him sure."

  "Yes, and he would have picked you off at the next fire. He's a goodmarksman at any rate."

  They kept their position for some time, but saw nothing more of theIndian.

  "He has left," said Elwood, "and will give us a wide berth after this."

  "It was rather curious that he should expose himself in that manner."

  "Perfectly natural," replied Elwood. "He knew there was no danger until_I_ took the gun; then he thought it best for him to clear out."

  "He may turn up again when we least expect it."

  "Do yees understand the maning of that?"

  "Not precisely; do you?"

  "He's a lover of the fair female that ye gave the watch to for theblanket, and he had been watchin' us till he sane me, and then he got sojailous of me that he has tried to put me out of the way."

  The boys laughed at this explanation, which Tim gave with everyappearance of earnestness, and were rather doubtful about believing it.

  There was some fear expressed that this Indian might send them a bulletfrom some covert, when he could make his aim sure and shelter himselffrom all danger of a return fire; although as regards that the specimenhe had been given of the skill of the whites should have convinced himthat there was no need of his being particularly alarmed on this point.

  Our friends were sufficiently rested, and the associations of the placewere such that they resumed their journey at once toward the Salinasriver. They had gone but a short distance when Howard exclaimed:

  "Halloo! yonder goes that Indian!"

  He pointed in the direction of the river fully a mile away, and lookingthere they saw very near the center of the stream a small Indian canoe,propelled by a single occupant. The distance was so great that theycould decide nothing regarding his dress and appearance, and for a timeit was doubtful whether there were one or two in the boat. They weresure, however, that it was the same personage that had so startled them,and that he was returning to his home.

  "That looks as though he did not belong to these parts," said Elwood,"and seems to throw doubt on his being the young squaw's lover."

  "And it's a qua'r lover the same would be if he wouldn't go five hundredmiles for the smile of his beloved. Begorrah! but it was meself thatused to walk five miles and back agin ivery Sunday night in Tipperary tosee Bridget Ann Mulloney, and then lost her after all when I'd spentalmost half a pound on her."

  "There's another thing I'd like to buy, beside our rifles," said Elwood.

  "What is that?"

  "A canoe. See how smoothly the savage floats down the river. The currentis quite rapid, and it would take very little labor for us to make muchbetter headway than we now do.'"

  "But we do not know how to paddle one of those frail concerns."

  "We could learn soon enough."

  "We may find one of them along the shore, as there seem to be plenty ofIndians hereabouts, and I suppose every one of them is the proprietor ofone of these establishments."

  "It isn't likely if yees finds one ye'll find the owner," said Tim, "andI s'pose your conscience wouldn't let you take it unless you made a fairbargain with the owner."

  "I don't know," laughed Howard, "but what under the circumstances wecould persuade ourselves to take it."

  In the course of a few hours they found themselves in the vicinity ofthe Salinas River, and turned to the left so as to follow its windingsas nearly as possible to the mouth, where they hoped to secure safer andspeedier transportation to their homes.

  At night when they encamped the soft murmur of the river was in theirears, and the cool, dry wind fanned them quietly as they sat down near acluster of thick cottonwood to smoke their pipe, chat and prepare forthe night's rest. They made a good meal from their mountain sheep, andgorging Terror, threw the rest away as they deemed it hardly fit forfurther use.

  It was quite late when they camped. Tim would have nothing to do withthe blanket, so the boys spread it upon the earth, lay down upon it, andthen drew the borders over them.

  Wearied out they soon fell asleep, depending, under the kindness ofheaven, upon the watchfulness of the faithful Newfoundland that hadnever yet proved unfaithful to his trust.

  In the middle of the night Elwood awoke from a feeling of uncomfortablewarmth, and threw the blanket off and slept thus until morning. He wasthe first to awake, just as light was dawning, and was on the point ofrising when he started and became suddenly transfixed with horror at asight directly before his eyes!