Part 14 (1/2)

About half an hour afterward, as they were walking along, Dernor, by a mere accident, happened to look at the pan of his rifle and saw that the priming had been removed. A moment's reflection convinced him that this had been done by Zeke Hunt, not accidentally, but on purpose. The hunter managed to reprime without being noticed, and he made a vow that this apparent lubber should henceforth be watched with a lynx-eye.

They had gone scarcely a half-mile further, when the latter came up beside Edith, and remarked that he had been taken sick.

”Don't you feel able to walk?” she asked.

”I'm dreadful afeard I shall have to ax you to pause for a while,” he said, manifesting that peculiar repugnance to receiving kindness, which, singularly enough is manifested more or less by every person in similar circ.u.mstances.

”What's the matter?” gruffly asked Dernor, who was still meditating upon the incident we have mentioned above.

”Sick,” groaned Zeke Hunt, apparently in great misery.

”What has made you sick?”

”I don't know; allers was considered delicate.”

”How do you feel?”

”_Jest as though I wanted to whistle!_” was the curious reply and placing his finger in his mouth, the fellow gave a sound that would have done credit to an ordinary locomotive.

”If you make that noise again I'll shoot you,” said the Rifleman, now fairly convinced that mischief was intended. Without heeding his threat, the sick man arose to the upright position, and with flas.h.i.+ng eyes, repeated the sound.

”I gave you warning,” said Dernor, raising his gun, pointing it at his breast, and pulling the trigger. It missed fire!

”I guess you'll have to fix up that load a little,” said Zeke Hunt, ”and afore you can do that, you're likely to have visitors.”

The Rifleman clubbed his gun and advanced toward the man. The latter drew his knife, and said:

”Keep off, Lew Dernor; don't you know me?”

”I've been a fool,” said the hunter. ”Yes, I know you through your disguise, _Simon Girty_. I see what you have been trying to do, but you will never take one of us alive. I hear the tramp of the coming Indians that he has signaled,” he added, addressing Edith, ”and there is not a minute to lose.”

So saying, he placed his arm around her waist, and started off at a rapid run.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE FLIGHT.

The pa.s.s was steep and rugged, The wolves they howled and whined; But he ran like a whirlwind up the pa.s.s, And left the wolves behind.--MACAULAY.

Moments like these, Rend men's lives into immortalities.--BYRON.

For a few minutes, the Rifleman ran ”like a whirlwind,” supporting entirely the weight of Edith, for none knew better than he the imminent peril that menaced both. The wood was quite open, so that his way was not much impeded, and he went at a terrific rate, well aware that all depended upon gaining an advantage over the Indians at the start.

He had gone but a short distance, when he became convinced that his only danger was from falling into the hands of his pursuers, as it was their sole object to make him and Edith prisoners; as a consequence, there was no danger from being fired at by them. When he deemed it prudent, he released his hold upon her, and she, half running and being half carried, flew over the ground at a rate as astonis.h.i.+ng to herself as it was to her pursuers. The latter kept up a series of yells and outcries, amid which the discordant screeches of Zeke Hunt, now Simon Girty, the renegade, could be plainly distinguished. Several furtive glances over the shoulder gave him glimpses of some eight or ten savages in pursuit, the renegade being among the foremost.

As Dernor was thus hurrying forward, he recalled that, less than half a mile distant, the woods were broken and cut up by ravines and hills, as though an earthquake had pa.s.sed through that section; and, believing that this would afford him a better opportunity of eluding his foes, he turned in that direction and strained every nerve to reach it. As for Edith herself, she seemed fired with supernatural strength, and sped with a swiftness of which she never dreamed herself capable. Seeing this, the Rifleman attempted to draw the charge out of his gun and reload it. It was a work of great difficulty to do this while running, but he succeeded in accomplis.h.i.+ng it at last.

Constantly glancing behind him, in order to see his chance, he suddenly whirled and fired with the rapidity of thought. Without pausing to reload, he again placed his arm around Edith, and dashed forward almost at the top of his speed.