Chapter 17: In the Cavern

The place in which we lay furnished perfect concealment and yet did not obstruct our view of the pass. It was such a refuge as Providence sometimes offers to men when the last moment seems at hand. At this point the cleft in the mountain was so deep and narrow that twilight reigned there though the sun was high in the skies overhead. Nevertheless we could see a considerable distance down the pass. In about five minutes the Indians rushed into sight. They came on pell- mell, fifty, sixty, a hundred of them at least. They were so hot on the chase that they must not have noticed the abrupt narrowing of the pass, and they were brought up with a jerk by the sheer blank wall of the cliff, in the same manner that we had been stopped.

Indians are probably the most cautious of human beings. I, who have seen so much of them, should know. But this crowd was taken by surprise. I imagined I could see a look of astonishment and chagrin on their faces, bronzed and painted though they were. Apparently the earth had opened and swallowed us up, and their spoil had slipped right out of the hollow of their hands. I heard a deep, joyous chuckle beside me and Pike whispered in my ear:

“It was worth comin’ so fur an’ runnin’ so many risks to see this, Joe! them devils are jest kerflummexed!”

We knew the Indians would soon divine the manner of our disappearance, for the intelligence that led us to seek the source of the brook would lead them into the same path. In fact their bewilderment lasted only a minute. Then one of them uttered what sounded to me like a warning cry, and they vanished with a quickness that took my breath. I could not understand it at first, but Pike explained it in a moment.

“They’ve dropped to the groun’,” he said, “an’ the muddy color uv thar bodies an’ the bad light, makes ‘em look like the earth. They’ve seen this hole an’ know we’re in here. They’re afeard uv shots from us an’ they’re sneakin’ off out uv range. Then they’ll try to think up some way of prizin’ us out uv here. I could pick off one uv them fellers easy enough from here, but ‘tain’t worth while to waste good powder an’ ball. We’ll wait till the shoe pinches tighter.”

Looking closely, I could see some of the Indians gliding away over the earth. When they disappeared a dead stillness reigned in the pass.

“Since we’ve had a hard run for it an’ have work ahead,” said Pike, “we’d better take a little dinner. Nuthin’ like a full stummick when you’ve got to fight and circumvent the red imps.”

Following Pike’s instructions and precedent each of us took a strip of dried venison and began to eat.

“We’re purty well fixed fur a siege,” said Pike. “I guess our water supply’ll never give out, fur you kin hear it tricklin’ away over thar, an’ we’ve got enough of this jerked meat here to last us a long time. Tain’t as comfortable az it was down in the valley thar afore the Injuns came, but I guess we kin get along, though I’m boun’ to say our new place ain’t very well lighted.”

“Suppose this place has another entrance!” said Henry. “The stream may flow through the mountain. Suppose the Indians find the other entrance and come, in behind us.”

This thought was very alarming, but Pike’s reply reassured us.

“‘Tain’t likely we’ve got anythin’ to be afeard of in that line,” he said. “Thar may be an openin’ in the other side of the mountain. But it is a hard matter for the Injuns to get over thar. It would take a year’s huntin’ to find it, an’ then, if they ever found it, it mightn’t be big enough for a coyote to squeeze into. The chances are a million to one agin thar comin’ on us from behin’. No; we’ll jest lay here and watch the pass out thar. That’s whar the danger is.”

Several hours passed away, and the silence in the pass was unbroken. By this time our eyes had grown somewhat accustomed to the darkness, and we could see that we were lying in a species of cavern, which a few feet beyond the entrance widened rapidly. The roof was higher than a man’s head, and the floor was fairly even. On one side the brook splashed over the pebbles.

Our attention was drawn from the examination of the cavern by Bonneau’s exclamation of surprise:

“Look! Look!” he cried. “Zere ees somethin’ strange coming to see us!”

An object that looked like a platform of timber turned up edgewise had come into view. We couldn’t see behind it, but we knew very well it was pushed by the Indians. It came on very slowly over the uneven ground. I was very much puzzled, but Pike explained the matter.

“They’re goin’ to try to smoke us out,” he said. “They’ve been down in the valley, an’ they’ve made the thing thar. They’ve got loads of dry grass behind it. When they get close to the door of our house here, they’ll set it all afire, an’ then wait fur the smoke to drive us tumblin’ out of our holes. A redskin thinks mighty hard when he’s got a good chance to get a scalp, and that’s the result of some of his thinkin’ today. The wind’s blowin’ squar’ in our direction, an’ they believe their trick’ll do the work.”

It was evident that it was a difficult task for the Indians to transport the big wooden frame, for they stopped frequently to rest. As they were pushing it along, Pike caught sight of a brown ankle at the corner of it. Quick as a flash he fired.

A yell of pain followed the report of the rifle.

“That’ll teach ‘em to be careful,” said Pike. “They mustn’t expect to have a picnic of it when they’re maneuverin’ agin a lot of white gen’elmen. I’ll be bound that feller don’t walk agin fur a month.”

Two or three shots were fired from behind the wooden barricade at the mouth of the cavern, but the bullets merely flattened against the rocks. They were random shots, as the Indians could see none of us, and they did not waste much of their ammunition in that manner. They resumed very cautiously the work of pushing forward the new weapon which they thought would prove fatal to us. When they were within twenty feet of us they stopped, set the grass and leaves which they carried behind it on fire, and retreated. They had supposed, probably, that they would be protected in their flight by the wooden frame, but as they dashed back into the valley one warrior came into full view. Pike’s rifle spoke, and the next instant the Indian was rolling over, clutching at the stones in his death-agony.

The grass and leaves crackled and burned rapidly, and the pieces of timber caught fire next. But the whole thing was such a miserable farce that we actually laughed. Most of the smoke floated against the rocks above us, and then went sailing off in spirals into the clouds. A little came into the cave and tickled our eyes, and made us sneeze, but that was the whole result the Indians had achieved with the loss of one killed, one wounded, and at the cost of much labor.

“Ef that’s the best they kin do,” said Pike, sneeringly, “they’d better go back to their lodges and let somebody else try it.”

“Do you think they will leave us now?” asked Henry.

“Not much,” replied Pike. “Do you see that patch of ground kivered with boulders down the pass thar? Wa’al I’m willin’ to bet at least twenty of the reds are lyin’ in thar watchin’ the mouth of this cave. Ef you don’t believe it just watch me an’ I’ll prove it”

He crept nearer to the mouth of the cave, took off his cap, put it on the muzzle of his rifle, and raised it gently until the crown appeared in view. Three rifles cracked at once. Three gusts of flame rose above the boulders in the pass, and the cap was dashed against the rocks with three bullet-holes in it.

“Purty good marksmen,” said Pike, picking up the cap and examining it critically. “Rather better than most Injuns are. You kin see easy now that they’re watchin’ fur us. Thar’s nothin’ an Injun kin do better than watchin’ and waitin’. They’ll set out thar till next summer, ef they think they kin git us by doin’ it”

Noon came and then the sun began to descend the horizon, and as Pike anticipated an attack in the night, we gathered up all the loose stones we could find in the cavern. These we heaped up in the entrance, leaving a hole just large enough for a man to crawl through. We could have closed it up entirely, but we were compelled to have fresh air.

By and by the night came on, very thick and dark. Pike chose me to watch with him and told the others they might go to sleep. They demurred at first.

“I don’t want to sleep when pirates are tryin’ to board us,” said Starboard Sam. “I’ll keep watch, too.”

But Pike assured him that it was not necessary for more than two to watch. The others should sleep and regain their strength. This argument prevailed and soon was heard the deep, heavy breathing that indicated that they were asleep.

Pike and I sat on either side of the entrance with our rifles across our knees. We felt comparatively safe, for, situated as we were then, it was impossible for the Indians to get at us. For the while we had nothing to fear except some new trick.