Adrift in the Wilds; Or, The Adventures of Two Shipwrecked Boys, Ellis [100 books to read txt] 📗
- Author: Ellis
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"What is it that you propose, then?"
"That we turns the night into day, and slaaps and smokes and meditates by sunlight, and does our traveling by moonlight, or what is bether, without any light at all."
This proposal suited the boys exactly. It was so plainly dictated by common sense that the wonder was they had not thought of it long before. Elwood took the paddle in his hand and held it poised.
"Which way—east or west?"
Howard pointed to the left bank.
"That is the side where they are," replied Elwood, referring to the Indian party they had passed.
"And where he is," meaning their good friend, the Pah Utah.
"To the left—to the left," said Tim. "Didn't I git into the worst throuble of me life—always barring the repulse me Bridget give me—by hunting in them parts?"
Elwood delayed no longer, but plied the oars with a dexterity that showed his experience had not been lost upon him.
"You understand it quite well," said Howard approvingly.
"Yes; but my arms ache terribly."
"Ah! here we are."
The prow of the canoe moved as silently and easily into the undergrowth as if it were water, and our friends at a step passed from every portion of it to dry land.
As they intended remaining in their present quarters until darkness, they took some pains to select a suitable place. They finally hit upon a spot, on an incline of the river bank, and about a dozen yards distant. Here the grass was green and velvety, and the wood so thick that they had little fear of discovery, unless by some who had seen them land and took the trouble to hunt them out.
It was about noon when they landed, and as they had all spent a wakeful night, their first proceeding was so to arrange themselves as to enjoy a quiet sleep. Terror was placed on duty as sentinel, and all lay down with a sense of security to which they had been strangers in a long time.
As usual, the boys were the first to awake, doing so almost at the same moment. They saw by the sun that the afternoon was about half gone, but they were not troubled from hunger, as their morning meal may be said to have been their midday one, and had been one of those royal ones whose memory is apt to linger a long time with us, especially if we are boys.
"This is tiresome," said Elwood, yawning and stretching his limbs, "let us take a tramp of discovery."
The proposal suited Howard, although prudence told him to remain where he was and keep his friend with him. But the restraint was so irksome that he was all too willing a listener to the persuasions of his companion.
"I noticed there was quite a high range of hills just back of us," added Elwood. "Let's take a look at them."
"Is it prudent?" and Howard only repeated audibly the question that his conscience had just asked him.
"Prudent? Of course it is, if we only take good care of ourselves."
"Shall we awake Tim before we go?"
"No; he will sleep until to-morrow morning."
"We must leave Terror to watch him then, for it wouldn't do for him to lie alone and asleep."
"Of course not."
The Newfoundland, which had risen to his feet, was told to remain on guard, and the boys started off on a ramble that was to be a most eventful one to them.
CHAPTER XXXVI. THE RAMBLE.After the restraint the boys had undergone, cramped in the canoe, and not daring to wander out of sight of their camp-fire when upon shore, there was a delicious relief in rambling through the woods. The clear, pure air that was dry and cool in the shadow of the forest, the undulating, charming scenery, the novel look that rested upon all they saw—these possessed a charm to our young friends which they hardly could have resisted, even if they had the will to do so; but when we say that after starting forth scarcely a thought of their imprudence entered their heads, it was but natural that they should find themselves led much further away than was either wise or consistent with the resolves with which they left their friends, Tim and Terror.
They took no notice of the direction they were following, nor of the distance they had gone, until near the middle of the afternoon Howard abruptly paused and asked, with a look of alarm:
"Elwood, what have we done?"
"Why? What is the matter?"
"We must be a mile off from Tim, and it will be dark before we can get back."
"O! I think not. You know we have walked very slowly, and we can hurry when we take it into our heads to return."
"But do you know the way?"
"Certainly. Don't you?"
"What course must we follow?"
Elwood pointed to the northwest, which, while it was not far from their general course, was by no means the proper one by which to rejoin their companion.
"How strange!" said Howard. "It seems to me that yonder is the point from which we started."
And he pointed nearly due west, just as wrong as he could possibly be.
"You are wrong," said Elwood positively. "I am sure of the right way."
"We won't dispute over it," replied his companion, with some sadness, "for it is very doubtful if either of us is right."
"All we have to do then, is to hunt for the river and follow that up until we find Tim sound asleep."
"Yea; but how is the river to be found? To you it lies in one place, and to me in another."
"But I can prove that you are wrong, and," laughed Elwood, "that I am, too, although I was never right."
"How so?"
"The sun sets in the west, and notice where it is."
Howard now opened his eyes in amazement. He would have been sure that it was going down in the other part of the sky; but the proof before his eyes was irrefragable.
"It must be," he replied. "We have been 'turned round.' Just as when we left the wharf at New York. I was below when the steamer came out, and so long as New York was in sight I was sure it lay in the wrong place."
"But, how bad even that makes it! We cannot reach the river before dark, and we shall not know whether we am a mile above or below where Tim is sleeping."
"If we go straight for the river, I think it likely that we shall come much nearer him than that."
"It may be, but how are we to tell?"
"Why, if we don't find him by night, we can fire oft our guns and call to him."
"And bring a party of the savages down upon us."
"That may be if there are any in the neighborhood, but we shall have to run the risk."
By this time the boys were fully impressed with their want of discretion and with the urgent necessity of making all haste back to the river.
"Let us keep our thoughts about us," said Howard, "for we have been without them long enough. Now, the Salinas River runs very nearly north and south, doesn't it?"
"This portion of it does."
"Then we must go as nearly east as we can, and let's be off."
Turning their backs upon the sun, they began retracing their steps; but they had journeyed scarce half an hour when they found themselves near a range of hills, which they were sure they had not passed through, and did not remember to have seen.
"What does this mean?" asked Howard, still more alarmed. "We never have been near these."
"Are they not the hills we noticed just us we were about starting?"
"They cannot be;—these are larger, have not half as much wood upon them. I tell you, Elwood, there is one thing sure."
"I know what you mean."
"What is it?"
"We are lost!"
"We are lost."
"You are right. We may find Tim again, but we are going to have trouble to do it."
"Listen! He may call to us."
They stopped walking find held their breath, but not a sound broke the solemn stillness, save a faint, hollow roar—whether the deep murmur that is always heard in a great forest, or the sound of the distant Pacific Ocean they could not tell.
"No; he is asleep yet," said Elwood. "If he would only wake up he would shout to us."
"Thus you see, if we shoot our guns, the chances are that he will not hear it, while it may be the means of bringing to us the very ones we are so anxious to keep away."
So they concluded not to fire their rifles for the present.
"But these hills," continued Howard, "they don't extend in any great direction either north or south. The question now is, shall we pass around the northern or southern end?"
"What difference will it make?"
"All the difference in the world. If Tim is to the south of us, and we pass around that way, I think we shall find him without much hunting, while if we take the wrong course it will be night before we can get anywhere near him."
"I see," replied Elwood. "We shall have to guess at it. But, hold!" he exclaimed, with sparkling eyes. "You go one way and I will another!"
Howard shook his head.
"There is too much risk."
"Not at all. The distance is short, and we can whistle to each other every few minutes. Then, you know, as we shall be looking for each other, we cannot lose ourselves in these still woods. The minute I get sight of the river I can tell whether we are above or below Tim."
Howard would not consent at first, but his cousin set forth the advantages of the plan so eloquently that he finally agreed. Arranging their signals and manner of proceeding, the boys, therefore, separated.
CHAPTER XXXVII. BACK TO CAMP.The hill which the boys proposed to pass around was about a quarter of a mile in length and but slightly less in breadth—much greater than either of them suspected when they set out. It rose like a peak to the height of several hundred feet, as if it were an offshoot from the main ridge of hills, left to flourish by itself.
Howard walked slowly along, after glancing back at his cousin until the intervening wood concealed him from view, when he gave a short, sharp whistle, which was immediately answered. Then, appreciating the necessity of haste, he quickened his footsteps.
As he advanced the hills assumed proportions of which he had not dreamed, and that raised in his mind strong doubts as to the wisdom of separating from his companion. He would not have done it had not the latter urged him so. Misgivings now arose in the mind of the boy. He looked upon his duty as that of restraining and tempering Elwood's impulsiveness. He had done so several times to his manifest advantage; but on this day, as Howard looked back, it really appeared as if he had bidden good-by to his senses. Their separation from Tim was almost criminal in its foolishness, and yet he had scarcely raised an objection; and now, was not the last proceeding still more imprudent? As it stood, the three members of the little party who should never have been out of each other's sight, were now a good distance from each other, and that, too, when in a hostile country.
From these rather sad reflections Howard was roused by the faint, echoing whistle of Elwood.
"He is all right," thought he, feeling much relieved, as he placed his fingers to his mouth and returned the whistle. "We are both now passing around the hill, so that we cannot get further apart, and can keep within call all the time."
Admonished by the lateness of the hour, Howard almost ran. He grew somewhat impatient at the unexpected extent of the hill; but finally he passed beyond the southern point, and as he stood and listened, he heard the murmur of the river—proof that it was close at hand.
"Now," thought he, "if Elwood will only hurry, we have a good chance of finding Tim before he gives us up for lost."
The boy could not see that anything at all was gained by their course in passing around the ridge. Neither of them, were in sight of the river, and would have to advance still further before they could form any idea of their whereabouts. He was resolved to do
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