on a slight eminence, about an eighth of a mile south of them, stood the solitary indian who had fired the alarming shot, he was in open view, as though he had no fears of the results of his challenge, and appeared to be surveying the white people with an air of curiosity that they should presume to encroach upon his hunting-grounds.
"if yez manes that, there's two of us, as me brother pat towld the judge when he called him a good-for-nothing dog."
with which exclamation tim o'rooney sighted his rifle at the aborigine, and taking a tedious, uncomfortable aim, pulled the trigger, and then lowered his piece and stared at his target to watch the result. the indian stood as motionless as a statue, and finally the irishman drew a deep sigh.
"i wonder whether the bullet has reached him yet?"
"reached him!" laughed howard. "i saw it clip off a piece of rock fully forty feet from him."
"worrah, worrah! but i've ate so much dinner i can't howld the gun stiddy."
"i saw it vibrate——"
"look out! he's going to shoot again!" called elwood, as he and howard dropped on their faces. "get down, tim, or he'll hit you. he's a better marksman than you are."
"who cares——heaven! save me!"
the second discharge sent the bullet within a few inches of the irishman's face, and somewhat alarmed him.
"load quick!" admonished howard, "and shelter yourself, or you are a dead man."
the irishman obeyed this, and had his gun reloaded in a few moments.
"now let me try my hand," said elwood; "you can never hit him."
"be all manes, if yez wish it."
"the piece is too heavy for me to shoot off-hand and i'll rest it on my knee."
the boy took the gun, and placing the barrel on his knee, drew back the hammer, when presto! the savage whisked out of sight like magic. the noble aborigine had come to the conclusion that discretion was the better part of valor.
"where is he?" asked the bewildered boy, rising to his feet and looking around him.
"he is gone," replied howard.
"i admire his sense; he doesn't care about being shot just yet."
howard laughed.
"you have a good opinion of your marksmanship, elwood, and he seems to fear you more than tim."
"but he didn't give me time to practice on 'im," said the latter. "if he had stood there an hour or two i'd hit him sure."
"yes, and he would have picked you off at the next fire. he's a good marksman at any rate."
they kept their position for some time, but saw nothing more of the indian.
"he has left," said elwood, "and will give us a wide berth after this."
"it was rather curious that he should expose himself in that manner."
"perfectly natural," replied elwood. "he knew there was no danger until i took the gun; then he thought it best for him to clear out."
"he may turn up again when we least expect it."
"do yees understand the maning of that?"
"not precisely; do you?"
"he's a lover of the fair female that ye gave the watch to for the blanket, and he had been watchin' us till he sane me, and then he got so jailous of me that he has tried to put me out of the way."
the boys laughed at this explanation, which tim gave with every appearance of earnestness, and were rather doubtful about believing it.
there was some fear expressed that this indian might send them a bullet from some covert, when he could make his aim sure and shelter himself from all danger of a return fire; although as regards that the specimen he had been given of the skill of the whites should have convinced him that there was no need of his being particularly alarmed on this point.
our friends were sufficiently rested, and the associations of the place were such that they resumed their journey at once toward the salinas river. they had gone but a short distance when howard exclaimed:
"halloo! yonder goes that indian!"
he pointed in the direction of the river fully a mile away, and looking there they saw very near the center of the stream a small indian canoe, propelled by a single occupant. the distance was so great that they could decide nothing regarding his dress and appearance, and for a time it was doubtful whether there were one or two in the boat. they were sure, however, that it was the same personage that had so startled them, and that he was returning to his home.
"that looks as though he did not belong to these parts," said elwood, "and seems to throw doubt on his being the young squaw's lover."
"and it's a qua'r lover the same would be if he wouldn't go five hundred miles for the smile of his beloved. begorrah! but it was meself that used to walk five miles and back agin ivery sunday night in tipperary to see bridget ann mulloney, and then lost her after all when i'd spent almost half a pound on her."
"there's another thing i'd like to buy, beside our rifles," said elwood.
"what is that?"
"a canoe. see how smoothly the savage floats down the river. the current is quite rapid, and it would take very little labor for us to make much better headway than we now do.'"
"but we do not know how to paddle one of those frail concerns."
"we could learn soon enough."
"we may find one of them along the shore, as there seem to be plenty of indians hereabouts, and i suppose every one of them is the proprietor of one of these establishments."
"it isn't likely if yees finds one ye'll find the owner," said tim, "and i s'pose your conscience wouldn't let you take it unless you made a fair bargain with the owner."
"i don't know," laughed howard, "but what under the circumstances we could persuade ourselves to take it."
in the course of a few hours they found themselves in the vicinity of the salinas river, and turned to the left so as to follow its windings as nearly as possible to the mouth, where they hoped to secure safer and speedier transportation to their homes.
at night when they encamped the soft murmur of the river was in their ears, and the cool, dry wind fanned them quietly as they sat down near a cluster of thick cottonwood to smoke their pipe, chat and prepare for the night's rest. they made a good meal from their mountain sheep, and gorging terror, threw the rest away as they deemed it hardly fit for further use.
it was quite late when they camped. tim would have nothing to do with the blanket, so the boys spread it upon the earth, lay down upon it, and then drew the borders over them.
wearied out they soon fell asleep, depending, under the kindness of heaven, upon the watchfulness of the faithful newfoundland that had never yet proved unfaithful to his trust.
in the middle of the night elwood awoke from a feeling of uncomfortable warmth, and threw the blanket off and slept thus until morning. he was the first to awake, just as light was dawning, and was on the point of rising when he started and became suddenly transfixed with horror at a sight directly before his eyes!
