Part 13 (2/2)
”That man was B., who never undeceived Mountain, or tried to do so; but in detailing the story to my father, closed the recital thus: 'I have always thought that he had an attack of delirium tremens, and that he fancied the a.s.sault of the goblin; for I forgot to tell you that next morning they followed his track, finding his shoes and fragments of his attire on the opposite side of the run, which was torn up, with the marks of a terrible struggle and many feet. Probably he tore off his own clothes in the fancied fight, drew his knife, struck at ”an air-born fantasy,” and was finally partially restored by falling into the water, after which he completed his exhaustion by running back to the house.'
”'Have you seen the marks?' asked my father.
”'Yes; I saw them at the time,' slowly answered Mr. B.
”'Were they as described?'
”'Very like the grip of a hand; one dark impression on the back of the left hip, and four smaller ones in a row on the front,' said B.
”'And how do you account for those?' asked my father.
”Mr. B. hesitated, and then answered candidly, 'I don't know what to think of that myself. I have sometimes thought that a fall among the many roots and fallen trunks of trees, which then strewed that desolate place, may have caused such injuries; but why did they remain apparent long after discolorations of such a nature should have disappeared?
Perhaps imagination may have had its effect, and made the impressions indelible. But if there _is_ any truth in old-world stories, few places fitter for such horrors can be found than was that drear waste of sand, dest.i.tute of all signs of man's proximity, bounded on one side by a blackened forest, on the other by the sailless sea, and containing only the whitened ribs of a long-forgotten wreck. None of the folk around here, sir, join in my doubts as to the reality of Mountain's fight with the devil.'”
As Ben closed, a sound of sleigh-bells came up the road, and Lund opened the door, at which appeared a light sleigh driven by one of Risk's sons.
”You and uncle are wanted in town at once. L. has sent you this letter, and says--” And he whispered a few words in his father's ear.
”I came out to-night, for the ice is getting very bad, and a horse was lost crossing the North River at Duckendorff's to-day. It is freezing to-night, but the moon shows at times through the clouds, and we can get home before one o'clock.”
An hour later, Risk and the elder Davies bade a regretful farewell to their young companions. ”I am sorry,” said the former, ”that as yet we have had no story from you, La Salle; but I hope to see you at my house in C., and hear it there when your trip is over. Take care of yourself, and make Lund out a false prophet. Good night, captain, you old croaker;” and the sleigh disappeared in the shadows of the forest-covered lane which led to the beach.
”Well, boys,” said La Salle, ”the best of our evenings are over, and we must look to boat and gun for our best sport.”
”We must have your story, though,” said Ben.
”O, of course; but not to-night, for we have much to do to-morrow, to get our boats down for the open-water shooting.”
With this no one disagreed; and half an hour later, all were fast asleep.
CHAPTER VIII.
FLOAT-SHOOTING.--A GENERAL FIELD-DAY.--CHANGES OF THE ICE.
The next morning, the boats, which were all provided with runners, were drawn to the bar, and Carlo's sled carried, besides the lunch and ammunition of the party, a dozen wooden duck decoys, weighted and roped, for open water.
Davies and Creamer gave up their box and outfit to one-armed Peter, as they were about to try their new paddle-boat. She was duly launched, and Ben placed himself forward, between the paddle-boxes, ready to do the steering and shooting, while Creamer acted as the motive power, transmitted by a belt and pulleys. Although somewhat high out of water, she moved off easily, and made little noise when running slowly; and taking the first of the ebb, the pair moved eastward into the opening ice.
George and Ben Lund, in their new-fas.h.i.+oned centre-wheel, made poorer progress, but hurried out ”to get ahead of the skimmin'-dish,” as they styled La Salle's light, shallow craft. He let them go, and stationing George and Regnar in the ice-boat, put out his floating decoys in the nearest waters, and, cutting slabs of ice, built a high wall around his own boat, which he drew up on the ice. Carlo incontinently plunged into the straw under the half-deck of the larger boat, and soon all was ready for the expected birds.
Meanwhile, upon the stranded berg which lay immovable off the southern face of the island, gathered the new comers, whose Baccha.n.a.l approach has of late been chronicled. Had they had any outfit of decoys, and known how to use them, they could not but have had good sport; and even as it was, so many birds pa.s.sed and repa.s.sed them, that a good shot could not have failed to secure at least a few ducks. But, however unfortunate in securing any trophies, they failed not in the weight or constancy of their fire.
Not a flock pa.s.sed within a quarter of a mile but received a volley; not a loon that showed his distant head above water but went down under the fire of a platoon; and not a frightened duck darted overhead but heard the air behind him torn with whistling shot enough to have exterminated his whole tribe.
From time to time a lull in the storm would occur, and then peals of laughter would come across the intervening waters; and looking up, the irritated sportsmen generally beheld a tableau of inverted pocket-flasks, and feats of strength with a rapidly lightening ale-keg.
But, although our friends bore the proximity of these city gunners with great patience for a while, an event soon occurred which brought matters to a focus.
<script>