CHAPTER XXVIII

CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY

"ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?" Sandy began.

"Well, how do we know that yet?" returned Bob.

"Do you really think there's any chance, then?" asked the other, feverishly.

"About one in ten," answered Bob. "Something might cause them to stop, and go into camp. Then, as evening came on we would sight their fire, and be able to steal up close to them. Or it might be one of them could twist his ankle in a creeper, and have a tumble that would bruise him so badly he would want to lie over to rest up. There's always a slender chance of such things happening, you know, Sandy."

"Oh! to be sure, I understand all that," return the other; "but, altogether it's less than one chance in ten of its happening; I think you might have said twenty, while you were about it. But, see, Pat has halted. I hope he hasn't lost the trail. That would finish us, I'm afraid."

Pat turned to the boys, and they could see a quizzical gleam in his blue eyes. Bob felt sure the genial Irish trapper must have heard the complaining words of Sandy, and was in the humor to take them with at least a grain of allowance. He understood the nature of the lad.

"Sure, they arre thryin' their level best to pull the wool over the eyes av anny wan that undertakes to follow," Pat was saying.

"In what way, Pat?" asked Bob, immediately understanding that the trapper had been reading the signs closely.

"By some av the oldest thricks a sly fox iver practised. Av ye look here ye may say where they jumped on this same fallen tree, and walked along the trunk a good ways. Go as ye plaze, I defy yees to diskiver where the sarpints lift that same tree trunk. But bliss ye, 'tis as plain as the nose on me face; and nobody'd have the laste throuble about saing that. Come wid me, now, and be afther lookin' at the way they jumped from the log into the bush beyant. Notice how the same is crushed down in the wan spot. 'Tis there they landed, troth; and from that point we must now take up the thrail afresh."

It proved to be just as Pat said. Among the bushes they easily detected the now well-known tracks of the two French trappers. They had undoubtedly run along the tree trunk, and, at the most favorable part, made a flying leap so as to land at some little distance away, and in the midst of a thicket, hoping to thus throw any possible pursuer off the trail. But the trick was so palpable and so ancient, that it is doubtful whether even Sandy himself would have long been held in check.

Frontier lads early learned a multitude of things connected with trailing that had to be known in order to give them equal advantages with the cunning Indian, or the wise four-footed denizens of the woods. They understood the nature of the animal that made certain tracks, whither he was bound at the time, whether toward home or in search of his prey; just how he limped with one of his legs that had likely been injured at some time; how he crouched in the snow, perhaps waiting until his intended quarry came within reach, and then sprang--to fall short, because the imprint of his paws lay in plain view and those made by the feet of the escaping creature were just beyond. In many ways they could read the story by means of the telltale tracks. An education may not always mean ability to talk in Latin, or read scientific works; both of which would be very poor accomplishments when out in the great wilderness.

So Pat was able to follow the Frenchmen, no matter how many times they resorted to tricks of this sort. In the first place he had done similar things himself on many occasions, and was therefore familiar with them all; and then again, Pat was on the constant lookout for trickery, and the instant he lost sight of the trail, his first act was to look around and decide what he would probably have done, had he been seeking to escape under the same circumstances.

"It's already getting a little dim; don't you think, Bob?" asked Sandy, after they had been moving along in this fashion for considerably more than an hour.

"I'm afraid that's so, Sandy," returned the other.

"And pretty soon Pat will be telling us that he can follow the trail no longer," pursued the disconsolate one. "Then here we'll have to settle down for the night, and wait for it to get light enough to see, when we'll be off in a big hurry. I wish I could do what Joshua did, you know, Bob."

"Make the sun stand still, you mean, Sandy?"

"Yes, because that would give us more time to keep chasing after these rascally Frenchmen," replied the other, with vehemence.

"Oh! yes, but you forget that, if the daylight remained, and they kept on moving all the time, they would be holding their own against us, and continuing to play those tricks that so far have failed to hoodwink Pat."

"But I hope he will never think of giving up the pursuit as long as we can find a single trace of where they have gone. This is the last chance we're ever going to have to get back that belt; and something tells me that, if we keep after them, just like the wolf does the wounded stag, day and night, without ever quitting, why, we're just bound to catch up with Jacques and Henri--some time or other."

"Wait and see what happens," was all Bob would say; but Sandy knew that his elder brother had considerable persistency in his nature; and on this account he hugged a hope that Bob would want to keep on the track of the thieves until in the end they were overhauled.

But it certainly was growing dusk rapidly. Pat had to bend over more and more to see what he wanted. At any minute Bob expected to hear the trapper declare that it would be folly to try to track the Frenchmen any longer, unless they chose to make use of a torch, which would be a dangerous proceeding, since they were apt to attract the notice of any roving Indian who might happen to be in the vicinity.

And sure enough, Pat presently came to a full stop, calmly proceeding to charge his little pipe, at which he puffed with evident relish.

"The game is up for the night, me byes," he said, calmly. "We do be havin' to settle down here, and wait for the day to come, whin I'll again sthart away. I doubt that the rogues will thry to throw the dust in our eyes again; and so we kin make better time, wance we get stharted. It's harrd, I do be understandin'; but what's the use thryin' to smash your head ag'inst a stone wall? Bitter far, jist take it aisy-like, and belave it's all a-goin' to come out right in the ind."

They went into camp. Bob had been wise enough to bring along a portion of the fresh venison, so there was no need of any one going hungry; and Pat took it upon himself to build the cleverest little cooking fire they ever saw, so fashioned that, even in the darkness that came upon them presently, it could not have been seen twenty feet away.

After partaking of their supper, the three settled down to spend a long and tiresome night under the trees of that forest bordering the bank of the Mississippi.

Sandy slept very little, Bob felt sure, because every time the latter woke up he could see the other sitting there, hugging his knees with his arms, and with an anxious face turned squarely toward the east, as though desirous of knowing when the first faint peep of daybreak arrived.

And really it was one of the longest nights Bob himself could ever remember passing through. It seemed as though dawn would never come.

But finally Pat stirred, and, sitting up, announced that they had better be making a fire, if they hoped to have a bite before starting off. How he knew what the time was might seem a deep mystery to those unacquainted with the ways of a woodsman. The chances were that Pat, who used the heavens for his clock, had decided that a certain star would be just at a particular point an hour before daylight, and this was plenty of time for their needs.

So once more they were on the move, as soon as the light was strong enough for Pat to take up the trail.

The two Frenchmen evidently believed that they had long since baffled any possible pursuer. Indeed, they could hardly dream that they would be followed at all. The little band of English, that had thus boldly invaded the territory so long claimed by the French, must be only a weak branch of the rival race; and surely would never dare venture far away from their base, lest they be overwhelmed by hostile Indians.

Consequently, Pat was enabled to make very good time along the trail, now that he had the light of day to assist him.

They came upon the ashes of a fire after a while, showing that the men they were chasing must have camped not a great distance away from their own resting place, certainly no more than three miles.

Pat could tell by placing his hand among the still warm ashes just how long before the place had been deserted; just as he was able to discover from the tracks what space of time had elapsed since the men passed along.

Their caution increased as the morning advanced, for they realized that they were rapidly overhauling the two Frenchmen; and, as these worthies had been spending the better part of their lives among the Indians and wild animals of the frontier, it was to be expected that they were well versed in all the ways of the borderman.

Noon found them stealing along like shadows. Pat had announced in a whisper that he believed they would come upon their men resting in the heat of the day; and he had hopes that they might thus take them by surprise.

Ten minutes later he made gestures that told the two pioneer boys the pleasing news of discovery. The Frenchmen had indeed halted to build a small fire, and, having eaten, were now lying flat on their backs, enjoying a noon nap, little dreaming that enemies could be creeping upon them, just as the sly panther crawls, inch by inch, upon his prey.

And when Bob and Sandy presently caught sight of the two recumbent figures they felt a thrill of eagerness and satisfaction, such as always accompanies successful attainment.