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The Peril Finders, a novel by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 21. On The Trail |
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_ CHAPTER TWENTY ONE. ON THE TRAIL It was horribly disappointing in their hungry and weary state, but it was no time for finding fault. "Roll yourselves up in your blankets, boys, and go to sleep," said Griggs. "Is that what you are going to do?" said Chris dismally. "No," was the reply; "I'm going to have the first watch." "First watch?" said Chris, staring. "Yes, and your father is going to relieve me at the end of four hours." "But--watch? What for?" "Because there are Indians about. You don't suppose we could leave the camp unguarded at a time like this, do you?" "I--I never thought about it," stammered Chris. "Did you, Ned?" "Of course not. But is it necessary?" "If you want to take care of your scalp, yes, my lad," said the American dryly. "Oh, but--" began Chris. "You think there's no risk, eh? Well, perhaps it's not quite so bad as that, but we don't want to wake up and find that the mules and horses have been swept off in the night. There, lie down and sleep. Whoever has the morning watch will wake you up to a good fire and such a breakfast as will make up for your cold water supper. Well--why don't you lie down?--Here: stop! What are you going to do?" "Going to speak to father." "No, no, don't disturb him. I dare say he's asleep by now." "He can't be," replied Chris sturdily; "there hasn't been time." "What!" cried Griggs, laughing. "Not time? Well, come with me and look; I'll be bound to say he is. But what do you want to say to him?" Chris hesitated to answer, but the American pressed him, and the boy spoke out. "I only wanted to tell him that I didn't want to be such a selfish pig as to go to sleep and leave him to keep watch." "Oh!" said Griggs gravely. "And to say that I was going to order you to wake me when the four hours are up, and I'd go on duty." "I see," said Griggs. "Well, come along; he's over there by the packs; but promise me if he's asleep that you will not waken him." Chris hesitated for a moment or two, and then promised unwillingly, the boys following the American softly to where the heavy breathing of three sleepers could be plainly heard. "There," said Griggs, leading them back; "are you satisfied?" "Yes," replied Chris. "They haven't been long going off." "Do you know how long it takes a tired man to go to sleep, my lad?" "No. I never noticed." "Just about as long sometimes as it takes him to shut his eyes." "Nonsense!" "And sometimes not so long, for he's asleep before they're shut." "Old Griggs is making this up, Ned," said Chris. "No, he isn't, my lad, for I've seen it; and I tell you what I've often seen too--a man go off fast asleep on horseback. There, now lie down and get your own share." "I wish I'd told father." "Tell him in the morning over your breakfast, when you're eating frizzled bird. Now then, no more talking." "I haven't done yet," said Chris stubbornly, and now feeling wonderfully wide awake. "Look here, I'm not going to have father woke up in four hours. He's more tired than I am, and you are going to wake me to take your place." "No, I'm not, boy." "Yes, you are. I order you to," said Chris. "Are you boss of this expedition?" "You know I'm not." "Who is, then?" "Don't ask stupid questions," said Chris irritably. "You know: father." "That's right, and he gave the orders of the night--that I was to watch four hours before calling him, and I was to see that all was right in the camp. Now then, you're kicking up a disturbance instead of going to sleep and resting yourself so that you may be useful in the morning." "But, Griggs--" "You obey orders, sir," said the man sternly. "Do you want to wreck the expedition by breaking rules?" "No." "Then go to sleep." "But I can't sleep now." "Then lie down and keep awake." "Yes, I'll do that," said Chris, spreading out his blanket. "Come on, Ned; we'll lie down and wait till he calls father, and then we'll talk to him and get him to lie down again while we take his watch. Will you?" "Of course," said Ned eagerly. "Hah! That's better," said Griggs. "Now you're talking sensibly. It doesn't do to oppose your captain at a time like that. Well rolled up, both of you?" "Yes," was the reply, from the ground where the boys were seated. "Better lie down, my lads; you'll keep warmer. There's a chilly wind coming down from the mountains with a bite of frost in it." "Very well, then:--there!" said Chris peevishly. Griggs did not speak then, but stood with his rifle-butt upon the ground and his hands resting on the muzzle for a few minutes, before he began to shake. But it was not from cold. It was with perfectly silent mirth, as he said to himself-- "I honestly believe that they were both asleep as soon as their heads touched the ground." Then after a pause, during which he had been slowly and watchfully gazing about him in every direction, his thoughts came back to the sleepers at his feet. "I like that," he thought, "for it was all real and plucky and true. Not a bit of sham in it. He meant it all, and he meant to go to his father when it was time for me to call him in nearly four hours' time. But nature's too strong for him. He won't wake up, and I shan't rouse him. It will be the doctor who does that." It was the doctor, and directly after--at least, so it seemed to Chris, who opened his eyes to stare at his father, and then at the fire crackling and smoking in a sheltered spot among the nearest bushes and trees. "Why, it's to-morrow morning," cried the boy excitedly. "Ah, that's what you ought to have said last night, my boy," said the doctor, laughing, as he pressed Ned's side with his toe. "Come, Ned, lad: breakfast." Ned sprang up as sharply as if he had been kicked. "Eh? What?" he cried.--"Oh! We've been to sleep." "Of course you have," said the doctor. "You lay down to sleep, didn't you?" "No, father; we lay down to keep awake till it was time to call you," cried Chris. "Ah, yes, I know. Griggs told me; but you didn't keep awake. Now then, go and have a wash, and then come and help me do some cooking. Be sharp." "One moment, father. Have you heard or seen any Indians?" "No, not one. And look here; you'll be attending to the fire when you come back; don't make it up with green wood, but pick up the pieces of the dry and dead. I don't want more smoke than we can possibly help to be rising up above the trees. Now: off!" There was water near at hand, but no time to undress for a swim, and the boys were soon back, with the stiffness produced by the previous day's exertion dying out before the bright buoyancy produced by a sound sleep in the beautiful cool, elastic air, while the feeling of ravenous appetite that began to attack them made their task of shifting wooden fresh green spits, rather than skewers, laden with pieces of bird, from place to place, where they could catch most heat from the glowing embers, one that was tantalisingly hard. There was bread-cake, too, in the hot ashes, and water boiling in the big tin, ready for the tea to be thrown in, and very soon afterwards the whole party were restoring strength over as delicious a breakfast as could fall to the lot of hungry men and boys, who never once troubled themselves at the want of milk, a table, or chairs. "Now," said the doctor at last, "the sooner we're off the better; so pack up." "Do you mean to follow our yesterday's trail?" said Bourne. "Certainly," said the doctor. "There is only that, or to go back; and we can't do that." "Certainly not," came in chorus. "But is it not possible to take some other line, on account of the Indians?" said Wilton. "No," said the doctor and Griggs, almost together. "If we strike off over the open land it means desert, and we shall be full in sight of Indians if they came near," said Griggs. "And if we strike in through the long grass we shall go more and more into the bed of the unseen river, with the marshes to stop us before we can get far." "I see," said Wilton. "Off for the mountains, then. Yes, that's the only way." Half-an-hour later the little train was steadily advancing, the mules making light of their loads, and proving by their playfulness--which took the form of a disposition to bite or kick every one of their fellows within reach--that they were thoroughly rested, refreshed, and ready for as much work as would be demanded of their sturdy legs. A sharp lookout was kept to their left over the open country as the leading mule was steered, as he called it, by Griggs, close in to the high grass, which acted as a screen against which they would have been hardly seen; but nothing alarming appeared in the distance, and no footprints of man and horse other than their own in the soft soil showed that any enemy had crossed their trail to make for the hunting-grounds to their right. But night came on ere the slow pace of the laden mules had covered the distance the explorers had got over by the previous afternoon, and there the little caravan was guided right into a sheltered valley to the borders of an elongated pool, where, well hidden from the plain, preparations were made for their next camp. _ |
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