Chapter 31

AN ATTACK

It could not have been other than an accident which caused Sam to head for this particular spot; but excited as he was Jet believed the man knew they were encamped in the cedars.

The first question in his mind was whether he had best make a stand on the shore, or in the thicket, and the latter course was decided upon.

Sam was not more than two boat lengths from the island when he started, and there would be several moments in which to arrange for a defense before the man could land.

Jim was overhauling the cooked provisions preparatory to feeding the prisoners when his comrade burst into the encampment looking quite as excited as he felt.

"Sam must have come to the conclusion that those who hit him last night were not officers of the law, for he went back to the island, and now is heading straight for this place."

"What?" Jim cried, sharply, as he leaped to his feet, dropping a handful of fried fish.

"Now, don't get excited, and, above all, keep quiet. It isn't dead certain he has any suspicion there is a camp here; but we must be prepared for the worst."

"What are you goin' to do?" Jim asked in a voice trembling with fear.

"Fight him off if he tries to come inside this thicket. It will be strange if two of us, well armed and under cover, can't hold our own against one man."

"But how is it to end? He may keep us shut up here till the provisions are all gone."

"There is no need to look so far ahead. Get your gun and come with me."

Jim obeyed very unwillingly.

This was one of the moments when he felt more like running away than fighting, but Jet took good care that he should not have an opportunity.

The two crept to the very edge of the thicket, where it would be possible to see any one who came up from the lake, and they had hardly concealed themselves before the man appeared.

He was walking slowly, gazing around scrutinizingly, as if expecting to find enemies, and carried a revolver in his hand.

Jet hoped sincerely that he would pass the cedars without devoting to them any especial attention, but in this he was disappointed.

Sam had already noted the place, and came straight on as if determined to examine every inch of the ground.

There was no time for hesitation.

Already he was within a dozen yards of where the boys were crouching, and in a moment more would be upon them.

Jet suddenly pushed the muzzle of his gun out from among the branches, and cried:

"Put up your hands, or I'll fire."

Unfortunately Sam was not taken by surprise as the others had been; his revolver was ready for use, and it seemed as if the words had hardly been uttered when he fired three times in rapid succession.

He aimed directly for the muzzle of Jet's gun, but was forced to discharge his weapon so quickly that there was no time to shoot with any degree of accuracy.

Two of the bullets whistled past Jet, but the third lodged in the fleshy portion of his arm.

For the instant he was conscious of nothing more than a sharp twinge such as might have been caused by the sudden application of a galvanic battery, and he pulled both triggers of his gun at the same instant.

Unfortunately neither of the bullets took effect.

At the moment he fired Sam leaped behind a tree, thus shielding himself from what might otherwise have put a speedy end to the battle.

"Stay where you are, and fire whenever he shows himself!" Jet whispered sternly to Jim, who was showing signs of beating a retreat.

"Where's the use?" the small guide whined. "You're pretty nigh killed, an' what am I goin' to do?"

"I'm all right; there's no need to worry about me if you'll only do your share."

"But look at the blood!" and Jim pointed to his friend's shoulder down which the life fluid was flowing copiously.

Just at that instant Jet had no time to bestow upon his own injuries.

He had seen Sam edging around as if to advance nearer, and he emptied two chambers of his revolver as a warning that it would be dangerous for him to make the attempt.

The man shrank behind the tree very suddenly, and this gave the amateur detective an opportunity to slip a couple of cartridges into his gun.

"Shall I go to see if the prisoners are all right?" Jim whispered. "They'll be sure to try an' give us the slip after hearin' all this shootin'."

"Stay here, and keep your eyes oh that fellow! The others must be left to do as they can for a while."

This scheme of Jim's for getting out of the way of danger had proven a failure, and with a deep sigh he turned his attention once more to the enemy in front.

Jet knew how dangerous it would be to allow Sam a chance to rush in upon them, and after loading his gun he fired one ball at the fellow's leg, which was visible from behind the tree.

A smothered curse, and two shots fired at random told that he had succeeded in making matters even, so far as wounds were concerned, and Jet whispered:

"Fire, whenever you see a bit of his clothes; that will prevent him from jumping in on us."

During the next ten minutes no less than a dozen shots were exchanged without apparent effect.

Sam was growing more cautious.

The discharge of Jim's weapon, thus showing there were at least two confronting him, had taught a salutary lesson, and he now appeared eager to find a better shelter.

Jet understood what the man wished to do and determined to prevent it if possible.

Sam, in his present position, did not dare show himself long enough to take aim, and while he remained behind this particular tree there was little danger he could do very serious damage.

By this time Jet's wound had begun to make itself felt.

The pain had become great, and the blood was yet flowing freely.

Once he thought he would creep over to Jim that the latter might fasten a ligature above the aperture, thus checking the blood, but in order to do so it would have been necessary to expose himself to a certain extent, and also give Sam the desired opportunity to gain a better shelter.

"I don't see any way out of the scrape," he said to himself, "for there's no chance anybody will come this way, and he's bound to get the best of us after a time, because I can't hold out a great while longer if I keep on growing weak; but anything is better than surrendering willingly."

Therefore he remained where he was, firing on the slightest chance of hitting the mark, and using the revolver when the gun was empty.

The only ray of hope which Jet could see in the entire business was the fact that Sam might not have a full supply of cartridges.

He no longer shot at random, reserving his fire as if it was necessary to make every shot count, but this might mean nothing more than a desire to tire the others out.

Jet was growing weaker each moment.

Jim watched his companion anxiously, ready to take flight the instant he was overcome.

Jet knew exactly what would happen the instant he failed to show a bold front, and between two evils be chose the one which seemed the least.

Loading the gun and the revolver he laid both at his side, and stripped off his coat to stanch the flow of crimson fluid.

Sam must have seen this movement, for at that moment he ran for a clump of trees half a dozen yards farther off, and succeeded in gaining the desired spot before Jet could pick up his weapons.

"Why didn't you fire?" the latter asked sharply.

"I didn't know he was goin' to leave so sudden," was the innocent reply.

"That move was just what I've been trying to guard against, and now we must push back a bit, to prevent him from picking us off."

The small guide was only too willing to beat a retreat, even though it was only for a short distance, and he followed his companion quickly.

An overturned tree twenty feet away was the barricade Jet selected, and when they were sheltered by it he said:

"Tie this handkerchief around my arm above that bullet hole, and then twist it with a stick until the blood stops. I'll use the revolver in the meanwhile so he'll know we haven't gone far."

Jim did as he was directed, and Jet discharged one chamber of the weapon every few seconds, taking good aim at the clump of bushes behind which he believed Sam was hiding.

Twice he loaded his revolver, and twice exploded every cartridge before the surgical work was done, and then Jim seized his own weapon, saying as he did so:

"That fellow has got a good chance now to creep around behind us an' let the others loose. Then the fat will be in the fire for certain, because we shan't even have a chance to run away."

This was a possibility which Jet had failed to take into consideration, and for the first time since the battle began he was thoroughly alarmed.

He did not know whether it would be best to go up to the encampment or remain where he was, either course seemed fraught with danger, and he was beginning to despair when the sound of a human voice startled both him and Jim.

"Hold up your hands!" some one shouted, the speaker evidently being between the lake and Sam's hiding-place.

"Drop that revolver, but don't lower your arm!" was the next command, and Jet cried joyfully:

"Some one has come to help us, Jim, and it don't make much matter who, for we can get him to help take the prisoners up to the village."

The small guide had recovered all his lost courage immediately upon hearing the words, and was dancing about in a triumphant manner, but much too cautious to venture from his hiding-place until knowing to a certainty that the enemy was really disarmed.

During a couple of minutes not another sound was heard, and then the listeners could distinguish the words:

"Go up farther and find out what this fellow was shooting at."

There was a sound as of some one making his way through the foliage, and again the voice shouted:

"Hello there! What's the matter?"

"Who is that?" Jet cried.

"Harvey!"

"Come on! Come on! You've got here just in' time!" and Jet started down the slope to meet the one person in the world whom he particularly wished to see at that moment.