Chapter 25: At Short Range

In the supreme moments following our flight and rapid pursuit by the horde of outlaws I felt but little alarm. The night was dark, the thickets were dense and my confidence in Pike was great.

“Listen how they t’ar up the groun’,” said the big hunter, who chuckled in his satisfaction. “They’re wuss nor a whole troop uv bull buffaloes. They’ll hev to do better than that ef they ketch us. Bend ez low down ez you kin, Joe, so ez they won’t see your head above the bushes.”

We ran down the ravine about twenty yards, and then turned abruptly to the left, running parallel with the course of the hill.

“They kain’t follow us in the dark,” said Pike. “They’ve run to the p’int from which they heard the shots, an’ they’ll try to get track uv us thar, an’ while they’re doin’ that we’ll see ef we kain’t work a little scheme which is a sight more important to us than the shootin’ uv them two fellers. Still, I think when we wiped ‘em out we raised the moral average uv the population uv Californy.”

We heard the cries of the outlaws for some minutes, Halftrigger’s voice rising occasionally above the din. Then the noises ceased abruptly, and we heard nothing but our own breathing.

“Halftrigger hez stopped thar jabber,” said Pike. “He know’d they couldn’t keep up thet foolishness ef they wanted to find us. Don’t furgit to step mighty light an’ to keep bent low down.”

In a few minutes Pike changed our course, again, and bore off towards the crest of the hill. I wondered what he meant to do, but it was not a time to waste one’s breath in asking questions. Arrived at the crest of the hill he turned again, and now, to my great surprise, was heading back towards the tree cannon. We were within fifteen yards of the place by my calculation when Pike stopped so abruptly that I ran against him.

“Jest flop down here a minute,” he said, “an’ we’ll do some spyin’.”

Obeying his own command he sank down in the grass and I imitated his action.

“Don’t you see them saplin’s?” said Pike, pointing ahead.

Following the line of his index finger I saw the two young trees that were such a menace to us.

“Now, what’s that shinin’ on the groun’ thar by ‘em?” asked Pike.

“That’s one of our axes,” I replied. “It’s the very one, no doubt, with which they fixed up that catapult or tree cannon as you call it.”

“An’ you don’t see any ‘uv them fellers nigh, do you?” continued Pike.

“No,” I replied; “in their excitement and hurry to overtake you and me they’ve left their cannon and their camp-fire unguarded.”

“That’s jest what I wuz hopin’ would happen,” cried Pike, exultantly, “and by the eternal it hez happened. Now foller me quick an’ we’ll put an end to the best part uv thar game.”

Rising to his full height he ran to the saplings, with me close upon his heels. We almost stumbled over the two dead bodies that lay in the grass, but we did not stop to look at them. Pike handed me his rifle, snatched up the axe and with two powerful blows, into which he put all the strength of his mighty shoulders and arms, the job was done. Bach sapling was cut more than two-thirds of the way through about a yard from the ground. If any one attempted to bend them again they would break short off.

“Thar’ll never be another stun fired with them,” exclaimed Pike as he threw down the axe.

Crack! bang! whizz! whizz! zip! zip!

From the other side of the camp-fire two rifles were discharged at us, but the light was imperfect and the aim was hasty; and though the bullets sang in our ears as they passed we were untouched.

“Up with your rifle, Joe!” cried Pike, “and hold ‘em back.”

He seized his own rifle from me and it leaped to his shoulder. The light of battle was flaming in the great hunter’s eyes. He was in his element now, confronting a visible danger. The outlaws were issuing from the wood in a confused horde, and had begun a great shouting at the sight of us. Two had fired already, with the unsuccessful results I have described.

But even as they were preparing again Pike’s own rifle spoke and the foremost man, tearing at his chest where the bullet had entered, fell in the undergrowth. I fired also, but I was hasty and excited and the bullet missed.

“Better luck next time, Joe,” cried Pike. “Now let’s foot it, and we’ll save the loads in our pistols fur close quarters, ef they overtake us.”

He dashed over the crest of the hill, curving away from the house, and bent his course toward the river bed, running like a deer. Some scattering shots were fired at us, but all flew wide of the mark, and as we had passed over the hill before our pursuers reached its crest a few jumps hid us from their sight.

At first we ran, along without any regard to noise, smashing among the undergrowth and kicking loose stones about. But when we had gone a hundred yards Pike make a sign ana we slackened our speed and became as noiseless as the creeping panther. Then we changed our course again, slanting still further towards the north. Pike was in buoyant spirits. He chuckled in his peculiar way and said:

“Joe, old boy, this hez been a great night’s work. Halftrigger wuz smart with his tree cannon, but I think we’ve been jest about ez smart in spilin’ it.”

“But suppose they find other saplings and put them to the same use,” I suggested.

“The chances area thousand to one agin’ it,” said Pike. “They’ve got to hev two at the right distance from each other and growin’ in the right place. No, you needn’t hev any fears on that p’int. We’ve sp’iled the artillery business fur good.”

We ran on some distance further in silence. We had dropped our pursuers. The darkness of the night, the thickness of the undergrowth and the surprise were all in our favor. We had nothing to fear except from their first volley, and luckily we had been untouched by that.

I noticed that our course was taking us further and further from the cabin.

“Would it not have been a good idea,” I asked, “to have run for the fort and taken refuge there with our friends.”

“Yes, if we could hev’ got into the place all fight,” replied Pike, “but we wuz too close fur it. It’s likely that them robbers thought we’d try to do that an’ made thar fust break fur the cabin. So, ef we hed gone thar we would hev been shot down while we wuz makin’ the signals an’ the boys wuz tryin’ to let us in. No use in throwin’ our lives away.”

When we had gone about a half mile from the hut we slackened our speed, and a hundred yards further we stopped entirely.

“Let’s squat in the bushes here and listen awhile,” said Pike. “Remember we’ve got to think uv the boys in our cabin ez well ez ourselves, an’ we don’t want to git too fur away. Besides, it’s purty safe here. None uv them fellers kin git within twenty yards uv me without my hearin’ em’. Now, if they wuz Injuns it might be different, fur they kin crawl an’ make no more noise than sarpints. But these fellers ain’t hed enough woods trainin’ fur that.”

I was glad to stop, for I was almost out of breath, and after the exciting events of the night my nerves needed rest.

“What time do you think it might be?” I asked Pike.

“Wa’al it might be most any time,” said Pike chuckling and putting his emphasis on the “might.” “It might be sunrise and it might be sunset, but it ain’t neither. I guess it’s closer to midnight than to anythin’ else. Perhaps it’s a leetle after that hour.”

I was surprised. Only four or five hours since sunset, and so much had happened in that time. To quote Pike, “things wuz a-movin’.”

“We’ve hed better luck in this scheme than I hed hoped fur,” continued Pike; “better than we hed a right to hope fur. But we ain’t through yet by a jugful. Halftrigger an’ and all his men are shore to be hoppin’ mad over this. We’ve wiped out three uv thar gang, smashed thar artillery an’ knocked all thar plans a-windin’. If Halftrigger is the man I take him to be he’ll die now afore he gives up.”

I had no doubt that Pike’s words were true, and our danger was still very great.

“Halftrigger seems bound to get that gold,” I said.

“Yes,” replied Pike, “an’ we’re boun’ to keep it.”

We were beginning to feel refreshed, and were able to breathe freely again, when we heard a rifle shot in the direction of the cabin.

“Thunder,” exclaimed Pike, “what’s up now?”

Before I could, answer we heard a rapid volley of shots all off towards the cabin.

“Thar must hev been a dozen guns fired thet time,” said Pike.

“What does it mean?” I asked, repeating Pike’s own query.

“I think it means,” replied Pike, “thet Halftrigger is attackin’ the cabin. He must hev thought that we managed to git in somehow, an’ now he’s tryin’ to take the cabin an’ wipe us all out in one grand rush. Anyway we’ll soon find out. Come on, Joe, we’ve got pur work cut out fur us agin. We must take a hand in this here thing.”