Part 49 (1/2)

QUONG TAKES REFUGE.

Our way was the same as the bear's, for the simple reason that it was the only open level part we could find on that side of the valley. To our left, the rocks went up in huge, precipitous steps, and then went down to the right to where the river foamed along a couple of hundred feet below. And there, with the greatest regularity, were the great footprints which had deceived me, pretty close beside a little stream which trickled on along the level, till suddenly it turned to the right, and plunged down towards the river.

”Look!” said Gunson, pointing, and there were the footprints again, but turning off now to our right, while our way lay straight on.

”Then he's gone!” cried Esau, eagerly.

_Cras.h.!.+ Rush_! There was the sound of breaking twigs, as if some monstrous creature was forcing its way through the undergrowth to the right, and I heard another rush behind me as I stood there behind Gunson, too much paralysed to run, as I saw him drop on one knee and raise the rifle to his shoulder.

The rus.h.i.+ng noise continued, but it grew more faint, and Gunson rose to his feet.

”We've frightened him as much as he has frightened us. Here, hi!

Hallo! where are you?” he cried, as he caught sight of two bundles lying on the ground where they had been dropped.

There was no answer.

”Here, Dean, come along,” shouted Gunson again; and I shouted too.

”Ahoy!” came back from some distance away, and a good ten minutes elapsed before Esau reappeared, looking hot and white.

”Did you shoot him?” he said.

”How could I, when you ran away with the ammunition. Seen the bear?”

”No.”

”Well, have you seen Quong?”

”No,” said Esau, rather dolefully, and looking as if extremely dissatisfied with the part he had played.

”The bear can't have seized him?” I said, looking at Gunson.

”Impossible,” he said. ”It went the other way.”

Just then I caught sight of something blue, and burst out laughing.

”What is it?” cried Gunson.

I pointed upward to where, about fifty feet from the ground, the little Chinaman was perched in a great spruce fir, clinging tightly to one of the horizontal boughs, with his feet on another, and as he peered anxiously down, looking like a human squirrel on the watch for foes.

”Here, come down,” I cried. ”It's all right now. Come down.”

”Yes, come down, you little coward,” shouted Esau, who brightened up directly he found that some one had cut a worse figure than he. ”I say,” he continued, with a forced laugh, ”doesn't he look comic up there?”

”Yes,” said Gunson, grimly, as he gazed fixedly at Esau, who turned uncomfortable directly, and made no remarks about Quong, as he walked to the foot of the tree, which was about a hundred yards away, and losing sight of its occupant now he was hidden by the intervening boughs.

”Come, Quong,” I said, ”get down, or we shall leave you behind.”

”Gone?” he said in a weak voice.