the party turned about as if to retrace their steps; but the moment they had descended the hill, so as to be out of sight of the enchanted island, inwood dismounted, and said to his friends:
“now, you walk the horses as slowly as you can, and when you get beyond that grove of trees, wait for me, but don’t halt until you are there.”
jim and edwin looked wonderingly at him, but he waved them impatiently away, and trailing his rifle, ran rapidly around the brow of the hill from which he had taken his view of the lake, and, gaining a position where he could still see it, he screened himself from observation, and carefully awaited the confirmation of his suspicions.
he had been here about twenty minutes, when he observed an agitation in the bushes between the hill and the lake, and the next minute the head and shoulders of a man rose to view. one glance identified him as the individual whom he had surveyed through his telescope, and it is hardly necessary to say that our young friend watched his motions with intense interest.
looking cautiously about him, as if to satisfy himself that he was unobserved, the stranger soon came fully to view, and commenced ascending the hill with a silent, cautious step. reaching a point almost to the summit, he sank down on his hands and knees, and looked over. watching the horsemen, who, by this time, were a third of a mile distant, for a few moments, he laid his rifle across a mound of earth, and took a long, deliberate sight.
inwood felt very uncomfortable as he watched this operation, and he was on the point of bringing his own gun to his shoulder to prevent this murder, when the piece was discharged, and, glancing at his friends, he saw that they were not disturbed enough to cause them to look around.
“try it again!” muttered inwood, “that is rather too long a range for a gun like yours.”
the man, after the failure of his piece, took an upright position, and watched the horsemen with an intensity of gaze which showed that for some reason or other, he had a deep interest in their movements. finally they rode behind the grove referred to, and the man, with a great sigh and some muttered words, turned on his heel and descended the hill.
“that man, for some reason or other, doesn’t wish any visitors in these parts,” was the reflection of inwood, “and he has a special objection to white men. there is some connection between what i have seen and that island out in the lake.”
having learned all that he deemed it safe to learn, he carefully made his way out of his hiding place, and soon after rejoined his friends behind the grove. jim had had some difficulty in controlling the actions of the mule, but he had succeeded at last in bringing him to a stop by shying him against the trunk of a tree, as he swung round his circle.
“dat’s de way to put de brakes on,” said jim, “no danger ob de wheels slippin’—fotched him up chock!”
“i suppose you didn’t understand what i meant,” remarked george, as he resumed his horse, “but i discovered a man watching us, and i wanted to watch him a little.”
“did you see him?”
“yes; but i took good care that he didn’t see me. you heard a gun fired shortly after you left. that was done by him, and he took deliberate aim at you, but the distance proved too great.”
as might be expected, this announcement created quite a sensation.
“he is a white man,” added george, “although he is disguised as an indian. why he should do so, i cannot understand, but i suspect he does not want any one to know that there are white men in this vicinity. it might draw others here, to which he appears to have a strong objection.”
“it has sumfin’ to do wid dat ’ere island!” asserted jim.
“i believe you are correct.”
“an’ dere is spooks about, so’ de best ting we can do is to trabble. i—i—i—don’t tink the air around here ’grees wid me.”
“we must find a suitable place and settle down here for a few months, or, at any rate, until i understand the mystery about this enchanted island.”
“jus’ as you says; i don’t care about ingins, for i can come de gold trick ober dem, but i don’t like spooks.”
“can’t you serve them the same way?”
“no; dey won’t hold still; dey is always oneasy, an’ den i’s afeered ob ’em.”
“they have never harmed any one as yet.”
“but dey will carry you off—dat’s what dey will do.”
“do you think we are going to find any gold?” inquired edwin.
“we may and we may not; the chances are equally good in almost any place in this section.”
“i suppose there is plenty of hunting?”
“yes; and we will let you range the woods. jim may look for gold, while i keep my eye on this island. i think we shall all find enough to interest us.”
“i’s no ’bjection, so long as i don’t have to hunt spooks,” replied the negro.
“it seems to me,” continued george, pointing to the south, “that off yonder must be a good place for our camping ground. suppose we make a search there?”
“dat’s good,” said jim, with a pleased countenance, “don’t you see dat de mule has got his head turned dat way. jus’ wait a minute.”
the animal was shoved a little to one side, so as to go clear of the tree, when he instantly started off on his long, loping walk, while the rest followed.
the point indicated by george inwood was a mile away, and when they reached it, they found themselves on the border of a large wood, with an undergrowth of almost impenetrable density. a small stream of clear cold water gushed silently forth; and, following up the pebbly bed of this for several yards, they made an abrupt turn to the right, when they fixed upon their camping ground. a small space was cleared off, and their tent erected, when they made search for a grazing ground for their horses. this was found without much difficulty, and, by the middle of the afternoon, they were fairly settled in their new quarters.
they had enough provisions to give them a meal, when they all lay down to rest and chat over matters.
“to-morrow, edwin, you start on your hunt,” said george, “and, as we are in a totally new country, you must use extra caution.”
“what shall i bring you?” asked the young hunter, “a grizzly bear or an antelope?”
“i prefers an antelope,” replied jim, “an’ if you comes across a grizzly b’ar, you’d better take my advice an’ give him a wide berfh.”
“yes; fire your gun only when it is necessary; don’t be tempted aside by any wish for sport, or any ambition to become a great hunter.”
edwin had received this advice so often that he did not see the necessity of its being repeated. he could only repeat his intention to be prudent and careful, as he had been at all times.
“as we have several hours of daylight before us,” continued inwood, “suppose we make a reconnoisance of the lake?”
“dat ’ere will suit me,” replied jim, “i want you to see dat island fly away. i know you won’t b’lieve it till you see it.”
“that i certainly shall not; you will go with us, edwin?”
“i would rather take a ramble in another direction, if you are willing.”
“certainly; try and be in before dusk. come, jim, if you are ready.”
they stepped into the brook, and, walking on the hard, pebbly bed, soon emerged into the open, rocky country, about a mile distant from the lake.
“now, jim,” said inwood, “we must be particularly cautious. there are other white men in this neighborhood, and i am sure if they knew we were here, they would as lief kill us as not, to get us out of the way.”
“’spose so; but den what would we do all dat time?” was the surly demand of the african. “while dey was doing dat, we’d have de chance to try de gold trick. i would just as lieb see dem as not—a little lieber, i tink.”
“i would not; if we can get along without trouble, it is our duty to do so, and i particularly request you to be cautious in your movements. the man that i watched has already fired his gun at us, and if he can steal up within a hundred feet, it isn’t likely he’ll make such a miss as he did awhile ago.”
“hang ’em! what do dey wish to shoot us for?”
“that’s the question which i wish to settle.”
“an’ what does he want to make hisself look like one ob dem darkeys for, ’stead ob being ’spectable?”
“it is all curious, jim, but i have hopes that we may penetrate the mystery before long.”
all this time the two men were carefully making their way toward the lake, both of them constantly gazing about them to discover any signs of danger. inwood saw nothing, and was about to congratulate himself upon the secrecy which had attended their entrance into this strange section, when jim suddenly started.
“dere he is! look dere!”
“where?”
he pointed a little to the right of the lake; but, as inwood followed the direction of his finger, he saw nothing, and so he said.
“he jest now dropped down—right dere—let’s foller him up,” exclaimed the negro, dashing straight at the spot, while inwood speedily followed him, hardly certain whether he was acting prudently or not in doing so.
all the time they kept their eyes fixed upon the point, and the nature of the ground being such that the stranger could not escape without being seen, they were confident of either catching or identifying him. jim made good progress despite his ungainly manner of traveling, and, in a few minutes, he came upon the place, which consisted of a small rock raised about a foot above the surface. dashing forward, he made a spring over it, his immense feet coming down simultaneously and tremendously.
“dere, i got you! hold still now, for you is fast!”
but he wasn’t, no one was there.
