Part 17 (1/2)
”Wait!” Terry cried suddenly. Then he added, ”What do yo' think o' this, Pye? Forest fire or camp site?”
The Indian stared long and thoughtfully at the curling smoke. He watched for indications of spreading flames but saw none.
”No forest fire,” he announced laconically. ”Hombre make fire. Cook grub.”
167 As all eyes focused on the smoke, it seemed to fade out, confirming Pye's notion that the blaze was under control. But under the control of human beings.
”Would any of the Crowhead cowboys be camping there?” Frank asked Pye.
”No cow, no men,” the Indian answered. ”Pye tell you bad place over there.”
”You've been in that forest?” Frank queried in amazement.
”Pye no go,” the man answered. ”Ancestor say stay away, so stay away.”
”But what's there to make it bad?” Frank persisted.
The Indian shrugged. ”Pye no know. But Pye not afraid. We go see.”
”That's the stuff.” Frank praised. ”Come on!”
The sun was low as they neared the forbidding forest. The sky was taking on the vivid, darkening colors of sunset. Purple and magenta clouds blended into the pink backdrop of the heavens, which were making ready to cloak the plains with darkness.
”We'd better look for a camp site,” Frank suggested.
”You got plenty savvy,” Pye commented admiringly. ”Dark come in.”
After scanning the area, Joe and Terry found a 168 rocky gulch, protected from the wind and affording an ideal place to spend the night.
After tying their animals, the five travelers built a fire in the bottom of the gulch, so that it would not be seen by other campers. Terry said that he and Pye would take turns standing watch during the night.
Frank unpacked the provisions. Putting a tender piece of beef on a spit, he turned it over and over above the fire until its rich juice sizzled a merry tune.
”Hot diggidy!” Chet exclaimed, sniffing the savory odor. ”This night air makes me hungrier than ever!”
After they had eaten, the boys set about to make their beds. Frank and Joe quickly dug little depressions to fit the contours of their bodies, arranp^d their blankets half under them, then crawled in, pulling the rest of the blankets over them. Chet was still digging. Finally he, too, setded down, along with Terry. Pye stood watch until three o'clock when Terry took over.
The sun was sticking its red thatch above the distant horizon when Frank awoke. He shook Joe, then tossed a pebble at Chet. It bounded off the sleeping boy's freckled nose and he sat up with a start.
”Oh, vvowee!” he exclaimed. Then, grinning, The Dangling Rope he added, ”Am I relieved! I dreamed a snake was crawling over me.”
”Bad dream,” Pye said, shaking his head. The Indian and Terry were busy with breakfast. ”Bad luck dream of snake,” he prophesied.
”Let's hope it doesn't strike today,” Frank remarked. ”Gosh, that bacon smells good.”
By the time the group had eaten, the sun was ascending like a barrage balloon.
”Let's get going,” Frank urged.
”Go slow. Watch for bad hombre and snake,” Pye advised.
”S-snakes?” Chet quavered.
”Maybe big chief ancestor mean poison snake,” Pye shrugged, as the party advanced cautiously into the forest.
Suddenly the Indian halted the group. He said he thought they had gone far enough on horseback and should investigate further on foot.
”Put on animal feet,” he ordered.
The boys tied on the tracking feet. Joe became a fox, Frank a bear, and Chet a wildcat.
Pye and Terry strapped on deer and wolf feet. Then they walked stealthily forward, listening intently and looking for clues that might lead them to Arrow Charlie or at least to the men responsible for some of the strange, recent happenings.
170 But their search proved fruitless, and the going tough. Any campers had covered their tracks well, and any riders to the forest certainly came and went by a totally different route.
Finally the boys and the two Crowhead men returned to their ponies. Just as they were about to mount, the sound of an airplane sifted down through the dense trees. The boys peered up through the heavy foliage but could see nothing.
”Give me your gla.s.ses quick, Chet,” Joe said.
He looped the strap of the binoculars around his neck and made for a tall tree near by.
s.h.i.+nning up to the first branch, Joe quickly climbed to the top limb. He put the binoculars to his eyes and scanned the countryside.
Presently a small plane came into view. It looked like the same one the boys had seen before. Dangling from it was a long rope. It reached nearly to the treetops as the plane skimmed along.
At the end of the rope was a small package. As Joe glued his vision to it, the plane dipped out of sight behind the upland forest. Joe climbed down to report what he had seen.
”Do you suppose the plane was dropping the package?” Frank asked excitedly.
”Either that, or the pilot had picked it up,” Joe replied.
”That proves the smoke did come from a camp171 fire,” Terry put in. ”An5 it can't be far from here.”
”Let's go!” Joe cried, eager to be off.
”No go fast,” Pye advised. ”Enemy of Crow-head maybe plenty smart.”
”Pye's right,” Frank agreed. ”We'd better go on foot.”
”An' go separately,” Terry said. ”It'd be too bad if we all got caught at once.”
Heeding the singing cowboy's advice, the five hobbled their ponies and set off in different directions, but all heading generally toward the spot where Joe had seen the plane.
They agreed to return to the ponies in two hours.
Frank set off first, creeping along stealthily. After going several hundred yards, he stopped to listen. A little noise came from his left. Probably Chet, Frank thought, but to make sure, he hid himself inside a large, hollow log and waited.