A Study In Scarlet Part 7 (1/2)
”Good God!” gasped John Ferrier ”How you scared me! Whatever made you come in like that”
”Give me food,” the other said, hoarsely ”I have had no ti hi upon the table from his host's supper, and devoured it voraciously ”Does Lucy bear up well?” he asked, when he had satisfied his hunger
”Yes She does not know the danger,” her father answered
”That is well The house is watched on every side That is why I crawled my way up to it They h to catch a Washoe hunter”
John Ferrier felt a different man now that he realized that he had a devoted ally He seized the youngit cordially ”You're a man to be proud of,” he said ”There are not er and our troubles”
”You've hit it there, pard,” the young hunter answered ”I have a respect for you, but if you were alone in this business I'd think twice before I put s uess there will be one less o' the Hope family in Utah”
”What are we to do?”
”To-ht you are lost I have a le Ravine How old, and five in notes”
”That will do I have as h the mountains You had best wake Lucy It is as well that the servants do not sleep in the house”
While Ferrier was absent, preparing his daughter for the approaching journey, Jefferson Hope packed all the eatables that he could find into a small parcel, and filled a stoneware jar ater, for he knew by experience that the mountain wells were few and far between He had hardly coehter all dressed and ready for a start The greeting between the lovers arm, but brief, for minutes were precious, and there was much to be done
”Wein a low but resolute voice, like one who realizes the greatness of the peril, but has steeled his heart to meet it ”The front and back entrances are watched, but with caution we h the sideand across the fields Once on the road we are only twoBy daybreak we should be half-way through the mountains”
”What if we are stopped,” asked Ferrier
Hope slapped the revolver butt which protruded from the front of his tunic ”If they are too many for us we shall take two or three of thehts inside the house had all been extinguished, and from the darkenedFerrier peered over the fields which had been his own, and which he was now about to abandon for ever He had long nerved hiht of the honour and happiness of his daughter outweighed any regret at his ruined fortunes All looked so peaceful and happy, the rustling trees and the broad silent stretch of grain-land, that it was difficult to realize that the spirit of h it all Yet the white face and set expression of the young hunter showed that in his approach to the house he had seen enough to satisfy hiold and notes, Jefferson Hope had the scanty provisions and water, while Lucy had a s a few of herthevery slowly and carefully, they waited until a dark cloud had soh into the little garden With bated breath and crouching figures they stue, which they skirted until they caap which opened into the cornfields They had just reached this point when the young ed the
It was as well that his prairie training had given Jefferson Hope the ears of a lynx He and his friends had hardly crouched down before theof a mountain oas heard within a few yards of them, which was immediately answered by another hoot at a sed fro, and uttered the plaintive signal cry again, on which a second ht,” said the first who appeared to be in authority ”When the Whip-poor-Will calls three times”
”It is well,” returned the other ”Shall I tell Brother Drebber?”
”Pass it on to him, and from him to the others Nine to seven!”
”Seven to five!” repeated the other, and the two figures flitted away in different directions Their concluding words had evidently been son The instant that their footsteps had died away in the distance, Jefferson Hope sprang to his feet, and helping his coap, led the way across the fields at the top of his speed, supporting and half-carrying the girl when her strength appeared to fail her
”Hurry on! hurry on!” he gasped froh the line of sentinels Everything depends on speed Hurry on!”
Once on the high road they ress Only once did they ed to slip into a field, and so avoid recognition Before reaching the town the hunter branched away into a rugged and narrow footpath which led to the h the darkness, and the defile which led between the the the great boulders and along the bed of a dried-up watercourse, until he came to the retired corner, screened with rocks, where the faithful aniirl was placed upon the mule, and old Ferrier upon one of the horses, with histhe precipitous and dangerous path
It was a bewildering route for anyone as not accustoreat crag towered up a thousand feet orbasaltic colued surface like the ribs of some petrified monster On the other hand a wild chaos of boulders and debris ular track, so narrow in places that they had to travel in Indian file, and so rough that only practised riders could have traversed it at all Yet in spite of all dangers and difficulties, the hearts of the fugitives were light within them, for every step increased the distance between the
They soon had a proof, however, that they were still within the jurisdiction of the Saints They had reached the very wildest and ave a startled cry, and pointed upwards On a rock which overlooked the track, showing out dark and plain against the sky, there stood a solitary sentinel He saw thee of ”Who goes there?” rang through the silent ravine
”Travellers for Nevada,” said Jefferson Hope, with his hand upon the rifle which hung by his saddle
They could see the lonely watcher fingering his gun, and peering down at them as if dissatisfied at their reply
”By whose permission?” he asked
”The Holy Four,” answered Ferrier His Morhest authority to which he could refer
”Nine from seven,” cried the sentinel
”Seven fro the countersign which he had heard in the garden
”Pass, and the Lord go with you,” said the voice from above Beyond his post the path broadened out, and the horses were able to break into a trot Looking back, they could see the solitary watcher leaning upon his gun, and knew that they had passed the outlying post of the chosen people, and that freedom lay before theht their course lay through intricate defiles and over irregular and rock-strewn paths More than once they lost their way, but Hope's intiain the track once e beauty lay before thereat snow-capped peaks he over each other's shoulders to the far horizon So steep were the rocky banks on either side of them, that the larch and the pine seeust of wind to co down upon them Nor was the fear entirely an illusion, for the barren valley was thickly streith trees and boulders which had fallen in a sireat rock ca doith a hoarse rattle which woke the echoes in the silent gorges, and startled the weary horses into a gallop
As the sun rose slowly above the eastern horizon, the caps of the great mountains lit up one after the other, like la The itives and gave they At a wild torrent which swept out of a ravine they called a halt and watered their horses, while they partook of a hasty breakfast Lucy and her father would fain have rested longer, but Jefferson Hope was inexorable ”They will be upon our track by this ti depends upon our speed Once safe in Carson wethe whole of that day they struggled on through the defiles, and by evening they calculated that they were ht-ti, where the rocks offered soether for warmth, they enjoyed a few hours' sleep Before daybreak, however, they were up and on their way once ns of any pursuers, and Jefferson Hope began to think that they were fairly out of the reach of the terrible organization whose enrasp could reach, or how soon it was to close upon them and crush theht their scanty store of provisions began to run out This gave the hunter little uneasiness, however, for there was ga the mountains, and he had frequently before had to depend upon his rifle for the needs of life Choosing a sheltered nook, he piled together a few dried branches and ht warm themselves, for they were now nearly five thousand feet above the sea level, and the air was bitter and keen Having tethered the horses, and bade Lucy adieu, he threw his gun over his shoulder, and set out in search of whatever chanceback he saw the oldfire, while the three ani rocks hid theh one ravine after another without success, though from the marks upon the bark of the trees, and other indications, he judged that there were numerous bears in the vicinity At last, after two or three hours' fruitless search, he was thinking of turning back in despair, when casting his eyes upwards he saw a sight which sent a thrill of pleasure through his heart On the edge of a jutting pinnacle, three or four hundred feet above hi a sheep in appearance, but ar-horn -- for so it is called -- was acting, probably, as a guardian over a flock which were invisible to the hunter; but fortunately it was heading in the opposite direction, and had not perceived hi on his face, he rested his rifle upon a rock, and took a long and steady ai into the air, tottered for a e of the precipice, and then ca down into the valley beneath
The creature was too unwieldy to lift, so the hunter contented hi away one haunch and part of the flank With this trophy over his shoulder, he hastened to retrace his steps, for the evening was already drawing in He had hardly started, however, before he realized the difficulty which faced hierness he had wandered far past the ravines which were known to him, and it was no easy matter to pick out the path which he had taken The valley in which he found hies, which were so like each other that it was iuish one from the other He followed one for a mile or more until he came to a mountain torrent which he was sure that he had never seen before Convinced that he had taken the wrong turn, he tried another, but with the sa on rapidly, and it was almost dark before he at last found himself in a defile which was familiar to hiht track, for the h cliffs on either side hed doith his burden, and weary fro up his heart by the reflection that every step brought hih to ensure them food for the remainder of their journey
He had now come to the mouth of the very defile in which he had left thenize the outline of the cliffs which bounded it Theyhim anxiously, for he had been absent nearly five hours In the gladness of his heart he put his hands to his nal that he was co He paused and listened for an answer None came save his own cry, which clattered up the dreary silent ravines, and was borne back to his ears in countless repetitions Again he shouted, even louder than before, and again no whisper cao A vague, nameless dread ca the precious food in his agitation
When he turned the corner, he caht of the spot where the fire had been lit There was still a glowing pile of wood ashes there, but it had evidently not been tended since his departure The saned all round With his fears all changed to convictions, he hurried on There was no living creature near the reone It was only too clear that so his absence -- a disaster which had embraced them all, and yet had left no traces behind it
Bewildered and stunned by this blow, Jefferson Hope felt his head spin round, and had to lean upon his rifle to save hi He was essentially a man of action, however, and speedily recovered fro a half-consu fire, he blew it into a flame, and proceeded with its help to exaround was all stae party of itives, and the direction of their tracks proved that they had afterwards turned back to Salt Lake City Had they carried back both of his companions with them? Jefferson Hope had almost persuaded himself that they must have done so, when his eye fell upon an object which le within hi heap of reddish soil, which had assuredly not been there before There was nohunter approached it, he perceived that a stick had been planted on it, with a sheet of paper stuck in the cleft fork of it The inscription upon the paper was brief, but to the point: JOHN FERRIER, FORMERLY OF SALT LAKE CITY, {22} Died August 4th, 1860
The sturdy old one, then, and this was all his epitaph Jefferson Hope looked wildly round to see if there was a second grave, but there was no sign of one Lucy had been carried back by their terrible pursuers to fulfil her original destiny, by beco fellow realized the certainty of her fate, and his oerlessness to prevent it, he wished that he, too, was lying with the old farain, however, his active spirit shook off the lethargy which springs fro else left to hie With indomitable patience and perseverance, Jefferson Hope possessed also a power of sustained vindictiveness, which he st whom he had lived As he stood by the desolate fire, he felt that the only one thing which could assuage his grief would be thorough and coht by his own hand upon his eney should, he deterrim, white face, he retraced his steps to where he had dropped the food, and having stirred up the sh to last him for a few days This he made up into a bundle, and, tired as he was, he set hih the els
For five days he toiled footsore and weary through the defiles which he had already traversed on horseback At night he flung hi the rocks, and snatched a few hours of sleep; but before daybreak he was alell on his way On the sixth day, he reached the Eagle Canon, froht Thence he could look down upon the home of the saints Worn and exhausted, he leaned upon his rifle and shook his gaunt hand fiercely at the silent widespread city beneath his in sons of festivity He was still speculating as to what this ht mean when he heard the clatter of horse's hoofs, and saw a nized him as a Mormon named Cowper, to whom he had rendered services at different tiot up to hi out what Lucy Ferrier's fate had been
”I am Jefferson Hope,” he said ”You reuised astonishnize in this tattered, unkehastly white face and fierce, wild eyes, the spruce young hunter of for, however, at last, satisfied hied to consternation
”You are mad to come here,” he cried ”It is aswith you There is a warrant against you fro the Ferriers away”