CHAPTER XVII

SIGNAL SHOTS

HOW those seconds dragged, to the two impatient boys! They seemed, each one, to be hours in length, so eager were the lads to send the warning.

But Pat, who kept quite cool, knew what he was doing. He was also well aware of the fact that, in their eagerness to save the others, the boys would not take any precaution with reference to themselves; and, as a consequence, must fall victims to the fury of the baffled savages.

Pat's idea was to save both parties; and this was why he meant to allow a certain amount of time to elapse before informing those at the boat of the impending peril, which they could only avoid by immediate flight.

"Come, lit us be thryin' to cross the ridge, me byes," said Pat, picking up his bundle of meat with the old-time obstinacy that would not give in.

"The ridge!" echoed Sandy, in dismay, as he fell in behind, when they had started.

"Sure, we have to git beyant the same, av we hope to make the river," the Irish trapper went on to say.

"Then do you hope to follow up the water, and get there ahead of them?" gasped the boy, in sore distress, as he contemplated the slow progress the limping man was making at the time.

"I do not, be the same token," answered Pat; "but the closer we are to the river, the better for us, when we do be thryin' to work down strame, afther warrnin' the camp, d'ye mind."

"Oh! I see now what you mean," Sandy whispered, keeping close behind the other. "After we've sent the signal, we must hurry as fast as we can down the river, so as to put a lot of distance between us. Then, when the boat comes along, we have to hail them, and wade out to get aboard. Is that what you figure on, Pat?"

"Yees have hit the tarrget in the bull's-eye, Sandy; and now, arrah, please close up shop; it do be harrd climbin' the ridge, and we nade ivery bit av breath to kerry us over the same."

Under ordinary conditions the task would not have given them much trouble; but bearing such heavy burdens, and with Pat able to make such poor headway, it took them some little time to gain the top of the ridge.

Bob fancied that they must be about in the same spot as where they had seen the grim line of fighting men outlined against the sky. He hoped there would be no one below to notice their passage at the time.

"Do we fire the shots from here!" asked Sandy.

"Not yit," replied the trapper; "we must git down near the river first. Depind on it, there do be plenty av time yit. The hathen wud crape along, afther gettin' above, and I'm thinkin' it might be all av half an hour afore they could rach the camp. Long afore thin we'll have our frinds a-sailin' down the river as nice as pie. Lave it to me, byes, and I do promise ye all will be well."

And so Sandy had to repress his desire to yell, or fire his gun, or do something rash, in the hope of sending the alarm all the way over that mile of territory, so as to start the people on the flatboat down the river.

They had less trouble in descending, though Pat grunted considerably as he frequently wrenched that lame ankle, in his efforts to walk. They could see the river shining in the light of the moon, when openings occurred in the trees. It seemed to have the appearance of an old friend. And how glad they would be when they glimpsed the boat moving along with the current, and a safe distance from the dangerous shore.

"Now, I think it be time," said Pat, presently, when they had gained a spot at least half-way down the side of the bluff.

"Tell us what we are to do, Pat," remarked Bob, as he deposited his share of the venison on the ground, and took his gun in both hands.

Sandy was already prepared to carry out his share of the programme; for he always did things with great rapidity.

"The arrangemint was this," said the trapper, impressively. "Three shots, aich about five seconds afther the wan afoore. Thin wait a minute or so, till we could reload our guns, whin the same thing was to be done agin. That winds up the performance. Are yees riddy?"

Both boys answered in the affirmative.

"Thin, Sandy, do ye fire first; and Bob, whin I say the worrd, lit fly. As for mesilf, I'll wind up the first relay in great style. Go it, Sandy!"

Instantly the boy raised his gun, and pulled the trigger. There was a loud report, for those old-fashioned flint-lock muskets held a large charge of powder, and the wad was usually well rammed before the bullet followed it home.

"Now, Bob!" and hardly had the words been spoken by the trapper than the second report rang out.

Sandy was already feverishly reloading, when Pat followed with a third shot.

"I wonder what the Indians will think when they hear that volley?" Bob remarked.

"It's going to puzzle them a lot to make it out," Sandy declared. "But what if those at the boat shouldn't hear our signal, Pat?"

"There do be no danger at all av that, son," replied the trapper, readily. "Becase we did not turrn up be darrk, they are likely listenin' for signs. And, av yees notice, the night wind is crapin' up the river, comin' from the west; so that the sound av the guns was kerried straight away to the camp. Ready, Sandy? Thin let fly!"

Once again was the programme carried out as before, the three shots punctuating the stillness of the night.

"And now 'tis away we go, headin' for the idge av the river," said Pat, again shouldering that prized venison, which, if once taken safely on board the boat, would be well earned, indeed.

They soon came to the bank of the river, and just as had been expected, found that the walking was better if they kept close to the water's edge. In places they might have to push through some dense copse that persisted in growing to the water's edge; but, on the whole, it proved to be a wise move.

Of course they headed down-stream. This was done in order to put as great a distance as possible between the Indians and themselves; for later on they hoped to have an opportunity to get aboard the flatboat; and it meant a good deal to them all if the enemy at that time happened to be some distance away.

All the while the boys were anxiously listening for sounds from the rear. Naturally they were picturing all sorts of terrible things as happening to the crew and passengers of the floating home on the water.

And, when suddenly a series of fierce yells broke out, Sandy and Bob stopped in their tracks, shivering with fear.

Pat, however, only chuckled. He could read between the lines, and hence knew the true meaning of those loud cries.

"Sure they do be as mad as a wit hin," he remarked, as a number of gunshots came to their ears, still accompanied by those shouts.

"Then you think our friends have escaped, do you, Pat?" inquired Sandy, eagerly.

"I do be sure av the same," was the prompt answer.

"But listen to the firing that is going on!" Sandy continued.

"It is all on the wan side, I warrant ye, lad," the trapper declared, with firm conviction in his manner.

"Yes, for I know the sound of those hateful French guns. They do not make the same kind of report as our own weapons," Bob ventured to say. "And that means the Indians are just firing away at the floating boat, to give vent to their fury because their prey has escaped."

"What if they follow the boat down the river, and come on us when we are trying to get aboard?" his brother asked, still seeing trouble ahead.

"To be sure, there might be a chanct av the same happenin'," Pat admitted; "but we'll have to risk it, I fear, lads. Av we can only get to that point av land ye say below there, it would be a great place to step aboord, becase the boat must pass close by it."

"And for the same reason the Indians are likely to think of it, and hurry here, in hopes of getting the same chance," remarked Bob.

But all the same, he knew that Pat had planned wisely. There was really nothing else for them to do, unless they wished to allow the boat to pass on down-stream, and wait for them far below. That would necessitate the making of a temporary raft out of some big log, and floating down to rejoin their friends.

The lame trapper hurried as much as he could, utterly regardless of the pain the effort caused him, and in this way they presently reached the point of land that thrust out into the river.

"Perhaps they've already gone by?" suggested Sandy, when they failed to see anything of the floating house above their hiding-place.

"I hardly think there's been time for that," Bob replied. "The current is only about four miles an hour, Pat told us; and, unless my figuring is wrong, it would take them nearly half an hour to get past here. And we have been no such time making this point; have we, Pat?"

"'Tis right yees are, me bye," replied the trapper; and he did not say more, for he was scanning the surface of the river as well as he was able.

"But it seems to me there's a river fog coming up from below," declared Sandy.

"Yes, that's a fact," admitted Bob; "I noticed that myself; but it isn't going to be so thick we couldn't see the flatboat passing anywhere this side of the middle of the stream."

All relapsed into silence. The deepest anxiety prevailed, for it meant a tremendous lot to the three wanderers if they should be so unfortunate as to miss the boat, and be thrown on their own resources, with a lame comrade on their hands in the bargain.

"Do you see anything, Bob?" whispered Sandy, presently, when the silence began to seem unbearable.

"I believe I do," came the reply. "There, Pat has caught it, too; for I can tell from his actions. Yes, it's a moving object away up yonder; and I do believe, Sandy, it is the boat, coming at last!"