Part 15 (1/2)

”Well, that makes a different matter of it; do as you think best.”

Believing that his sister had come to his view of the case, Jo so stated to Ned, and there was no further hesitation. While this little conference was going on, Worrell remained seated, acting as if he had no concern in the matter. He busied himself in examining his rifle, and making sure it was in order. A minute or so before Jo was prepared to make a definite proposition to him, he rose to his feet, and a.s.sumed an att.i.tude of intense attention, as though some faint signal had fallen on his ear. Then as the young scout turned to address him, he spoke first:

”Well, I guess I'll have to bid you good-morning.”

”And why so?” asked Jo, in some surprise.

”To tell the truth, this is too dangerous a place to stay any longer. I hear sounds in the woods that lead me to think there are some of the redskins not very far off, and I prefer to dig out; maybe it'll be safer and better for you to wait till Lena-Wingo comes back, and he'll get you out better than I can.”

”No one could do better than the Mohawk if he were only here, but the trouble is he isn't here just now, and we've come to the conclusion that it is not safe to wait for him. Where do you mean to go?”

”Oh, there's a little hiding-place up here a way, where I'll crawl into, for, when I'm in there, you may trot out all the redskins in the valley, and I'll go to sleep while they're hunting. I don't care if Lena-Wingo is among them. I ca'c'late to spend some time there till the Indians get a little scarcer.”

”What will you do for food?”

”I've got _that_ fixed,” replied Worrell, in a voice and with a manner that implied there was nothing to fear on that score.

”Well, if you will allow us to go with you--”

”Allow you!” exclaimed the man, in a gus.h.i.+ng mood. ”Haven't I been wanting you to go with me ever since I stopped and found in what trouble you were? Why, come along, and I'll put you in a place where you can stay a month, if you want to, without a living soul finding out where you are.”

”We'll do it, and be forever grateful for your kindness; but you say even Lena-Wingo will be unable to find out where we are hiding. We must let him know where we are when he returns and misses us.”

”That can be fixed. When we see him looking for us, we can step out and let him know we are around, and he'll be there in a second, of course.”

”All right, then; lead the way.”

The man placed himself at the head of the party, Jo following, while Ned and Rosa brought up the rear. The first move of Worrell impressed the youths in his favor, for he headed toward the mountain close at hand, a course that would suggest itself to one who was hunting a hiding-place.

It looked as if he understood his business, and knew where to take them to find what they wanted. There was no material change in the appearance of the forest through which they were making their way, except that it grew somewhat rougher and more difficult to traverse, though the company continued to journey without any hesitation in their rate of progress.

They pushed along for quite a distance in this manner, when their guide halted, as if he had again detected something that did not suit him. He stood with his head bent in the way they noticed before starting, but said nothing.

”What's up now?” asked Jo, who thought they might as well understand everything as they went along.

”It's queer,” replied their companion, in a low voice, ”but I've fancied once or twice that I heard signals in the woods just such as have caught my ear when I knew the redskins were looking for some of us. Night before last, I picked up a poor chap--Tom Haley, a settler living near me, and was on my way to another place to hide him, when we heard the same sort of sounds, and we stopped to listen to 'em, but we hadn't stood more than five minutes when they come down on us. The first notice we had was the banging of about a dozen rifles, and that was the last of poor Tom. I was lucky enough to get away, but I don't want to meet any more neighbors like that.”

This was not cheerful or soothing information, and the three fugitives felt anything but comfortable.

”Haven't you heard the sounds?” asked Worrell, addressing the three.

None of them had noticed anything, and Rosa asked:

”What do they resemble?”

”Nothing so much as the faint call of the whip-o'-will, so low and soft that the ear can hardly catch it.”

”It is strange that you should be the only one to notice it,” she continued; ”are you sure that you weren't mistaken?”

”It may be I was, but my experience with the Iroquois has made me very suspicious; but I do hope I was off the track, for it may prove a bad thing if I wasn't.”