you will remember that dick hamilton was not only a sophomore in yale university, but had attained his twenty-first year. he was warranted therefore in looking upon himself as a full-grown man, while in his mind his brother harvey was only a “kid.” he treated him as such, but was none the less fond of him. it need not be added that dick had a strong affection for bohunkus johnson because of his simplicity, honesty, unfailing good nature and love for the two brothers. consequently when the elder learned of the singular peril in which the colored lad had fallen through no fault of his own, he was as resolute as harvey that he should be saved if the task was within the range of accomplishment.
but he took an impulsive man’s view of the situation. he was impatient with the regard shown the crazy inventor, professor morgan, and what he looked upon as awe and fear on the part of harvey.
“i’ll end this monkey business when i gain the chance,” he reflected, after parting from his[180] brother on the shore of the lake. “let me once get within reach of bunk and i’ll yank him back to common sense quicker than he can say jack robinson. if he objects, i’ll wipe the ground with him, and if harv makes a kick i’ll serve him the same way. as for the lunatic, if he can’t be bluffed i’ll use other means. he ought to be jugged where he can’t get a chance to run off with such numskulls as bunk. all i want is a show.”
which it may be said was all that harvey wanted. dick was confident that if he could once reach the colored lad all trouble would be over. but that was the crux of the situation: bunk had not yet been found.
the elder hamilton was sure that he was on his way to where the colored youth was a prisoner. and it was because of that confidence that he sent harvey on his wild-goose chase.
“he won’t get near bunk. if he does, the wild man may drop down on both and raise the dickens with them. i should like to see him try it with me. i told harv that i knew the section where i had seen him come down in his monoplane more than once, but i didn’t tell him that i know pretty nearly the exact spot. if the court knows herself and she thinks she do, that spot is whither my footsteps are now tending.”
[181]it came about that the paths pursued by the brothers diverged more than the younger suspected. instead of leading to points a fourth of a mile apart, the distance between them was fully double that.
“now i shouldn’t mind if the professor arrived just behind me and tried to butt in. if he does i’ll make things lively for him. i haven’t had any special exercise since my boxing bout with big burt thompson and i should like to have a little fun with a full-grown man.”
from which it will appear that the elder hamilton held views which, to say the least, would have surprised his brother.
to dick all seemed plain sailing, but such did not prove the fact. having his destination clearly in mind he went straight to it. the place was similar in several respects to that visited by harvey; but after a little search among the rocks, he came upon a cavern, which extended twenty feet back, with half that width and height, and the entire front open. it would serve well as a shelter during a storm but a fire would become necessary in cold weather.
one comprehensive glance showed that some one had occupied this primitive retreat during the past few days. the flinty floor was strewn with[182] bones, bits of dry bread, pieces of paper that had evidently served for wrapping, bottles, and other debris which suggested that a party of picnickers had recently made use of it. at the rear was a single rumpled blanket that no doubt had served for a bed.
“this is bunk’s home,” was the conclusion of the visitor, after his survey. “the professor has warned him not to wander off, and keeps him supplied with the necessaries of life, which, knowing bunk’s appetite as i do, is no small job.”
so much being conceded, dick looked around for the occupant, satisfied that he must be near. not seeing him, he raised his voice, as his brother did some time later at the other place.
“come here, bunk!” he called; “come a-running too, for if you don’t i’ll lambaste you out of your three and a half senses!”
when the summons had been repeated several times without results it occurred to dick that he had been somewhat hasty. gentler means might have prevailed. he decided that it might be well to appeal to the affectionate side of bunk’s nature, by calling out that mr. and mrs. hartley were dead, that harvey had fallen down stairs and broken his neck, and that dick himself was not[183] feeling well; but he decided to retain this stupendous bluff as a last reserve.
“he can’t be far off,” continued the young man, fast losing patience. enough light entered the cavern from the front to show the interior clearly, but to make sure, he jerked the blanket from the stone floor and peeped under it, where a mouse would not have found room to hide itself. then he strode outside and glanced sharply toward the different points of the compass.
“i’ll shake him till his teeth rattle for doing this,” muttered dick; “i believe he is watching me all the time.”
the conviction forced itself upon dick hamilton stronger than ever that he had taken a wrong method of dealing with the african youth. he ought to have waited until the fellow was within reach before being so emphatic. bunk must have detected the approach of his old friend and hidden himself. the chances of doing this successfully were so numerous that it was useless for dick to hunt for him. he must decide upon his next step.
he would have shouted out the fiction of misfortune having overtaken harvey, thus appealing to the friendship of bunk, had he not believed it was too late to adopt the subterfuge. the colored lad would see through the trick.
[184]the only recourse that occurred to dick was to pretend he had given up the search and go away as if to return to camp. he therefore called:
“good bye, bunk; when you get back from africa you must tell us about your trip. i wish you good luck.”
there was no response and he did not expect any. he picked his way through the undergrowth and among the trees and rocks, heading toward the lake, but soon changed his course with the purpose of joining harvey a half mile distant. he would have preferred to notify him of his approach by whistling, but the signal most likely would have been heard by bunk and would put him on his guard.
“i can reach harv without trouble and he and i will fix upon a plan.”
the young man was so impatient with bunk that he longed for the chance to punish him for his foolishness.
“he holds that professor in deadly fear, and is more afraid of offending him than of vexing us. i can understand how such a crank with his wild, magnetic eyes can gain a hypnotic power over the simple fellow, but he ought to throw off the spell when he knows the man is a long distance away and we are near him.”
[185]the route was so rough that dick, who did not hurry, spent a long time in traversing it. he had gone the greater part of the way when a threshing in the underwood in advance brought him to an abrupt halt. he sprang behind the nearest tree and held his winchester ready for use. he knew from the peculiar racket that an animal of some kind was approaching. as in the case of his brother, the gentle breeze was in his favor and the brute as yet was unaware of his presence.
“well, i’ll be hanged!”
the very buck about which he had written home in glowing terms, and which he had seen several times in the neighborhood, was stalking through the brush like a forest monarch, his course such that unless alarmed, he must pass within a few paces of the young hunter.
the temptation to bag the prize was almost resistless. dick had only to reach out his hand, as may be said, to seize the treasure. with the deadly weapon in his grasp and many shots at command, he could drop the gigantic animal in his tracks. it would be easy to remove the magnificent antlers, hide them among the rocks, and return for them weeks later when the season was open. after that he would fill his classmates with rank unbearable jealousy.
[186]it was natural perhaps that dick hamilton should fall back upon the specious reasoning which comes to him who meditates breaking the law. how can it be right to shoot an elk or deer on the sixteenth of september, and wrong to do so on the fifteenth? can the simple wording of a statute decide the question? of course not. besides, none of the game protectors were near and at the most dick would be compelled only to pay a big fine, for which the accommodating “governor” would readily stand.
it has been said that, as to the question of free moral agency, a logician may argue so subtly as to convince his hearers that such a thing is impossible. and yet there always remains one person whom he cannot convince, and that person is himself. so it came about that dick’s conscience would not down. he could not hush the still small voice.
twenty yards away the buck was warned by his strange instinct that danger was in the air. he came to a halt, his big brown body only partially disclosed among the foliage, but when he reared his head, that and the glorious crown of curving prongs rose in relief against the emerald background. it was an ideal target and dick hamilton in a tremor brought his rifle to his shoulder. slight as was the movement and[187] imperceptible the noise, the buck wheeled and fled on the instant. just then the youth should have pressed the trigger, but instead he lowered his weapon.
“i can’t do it!” he said, compressing his lips; “it isn’t out of mercy for you, my fine fellow, but because the law says ‘no!’”
it will be understood that the buck had finished with the younger brother, who escaped his knife-like hoofs through accident. the query naturally occurs as to why the creature should run toward one youth and away from the other. ask any veteran or amateur hunter, and he will answer that it was because in one case the biped had a deadly weapon and in the other he had not. it sounds absurd, but you can never make a ranger of the woods believe that the game animals do not govern their actions in accordance with the open and close seasons.
“i must be real good,” said dick hamilton airily as he resumed his tramp, “thus to crush my fondest hopes and dash away the tempting cup held to my lips, but all the same, i almost wish i had dropped that fellow.”
by this time he was so much nearer harvey than to bohunkus that dick emitted the signal to which all were accustomed. he hardly expected a reply[188] and did not receive any, the singular situation being that at that very moment the brothers were issuing their calls and yet neither could hear the other. harvey’s location at the bottom of the gorge shut in his voice and signals and shut out those of dick. had the former been standing above the gorge where only trees and brush intervened, the two would have come together in a brief while.
despite the assurance of dick, he wandered from the course he intended to follow. it will be remembered that the region was strange to him and he had no guiding landmarks. when he awoke to the unpleasant fact night was closing in. he did not know what direction to take to reach harvey and signaled repeatedly, but inasmuch as he was a good deal farther off than in the first place, it need not be said that his calls failed to reach the ears for which they were meant. he strove to regain his bearings, and since he was able to locate the lake and saw the glimmer of the camp fire beyond, he accomplished much in the way of correcting his course.
“i wonder whether anything has happened to harv,” he mused, with a vague uneasiness stealing over him; “i don’t see what could have harmed him, for he has his colt and no animals in this part[189] of the world will attack a fellow in his situation. he is too used to tramping through the woods to fall over the rocks or to tumble into any chasm.”
little did the elder brother suspect how near he had hit upon the truth.
satisfied that he was on the right course, dick pressed on until the darkness became too deep for him to see his way. he halted and peered around in the starlight, but his vision was too obstructed to give any satisfaction.
“as nearly as i can figure out i am pretty near the spot. if i am right, why in the mischief doesn’t he answer me?”
he raised his voice once more and shouted and whistled. in this instance harvey would have made reply but for the fact that he was asleep. all through the racket he slumbered as serenely as if in his own bed at home.
dick, with his hands extended in front, one grasping his winchester, groped forward, careful where he placed each foot in turn.
“i can’t say that i fancy this work. if i don’t bump against harv pretty soon i’ll give it up for the night.
“what the deuce—” he abruptly exclaimed as he felt himself sinking downward.
