The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-06-03
che bct11e Reading Circle

the bare apartment, then picked up the
damper and threw it to me with the
remark: You'd better take charge of
that, youngster." Then without a word
he wrapped the ham in a piece of news
paper that lay on the floor and turned
away. We left the woman standing
by the smoldering remains of the fire,
her eyes blazing with fierce resent
ment, yet pathetic with the forecast
of the future. 1t was the last we saw
of her. In another minute we had
plunged into the gray depths of the
forest once more.
Jacky stood awaiting us just within
the shadow of the trees. In answer to
the sergeant's question he pointed
onward into the long arcade before us.
white fellow horse make a jump
here" he said white fellowhorse no
go far" Nothing more was said. Jacky
turned and led the way once more.
The day was still young, and although
the trees stood close and the growth
overhead was more than usually thick,
yet the sunlight cleaned and quivered
ili long spears and arrows of gold as 1t
shot through the leafy cover and lit
up the dim recesses Of the bush. There
was loud hum of insects in the air,
and now and then the harsh note of
bird sounded amongst the branches,
but otherwise all was silent. Not even
fancy could conjure up the faintest
sound of horse hoofs. any more than
my most persistent efforts could enable
me to trace the footprints of horse or
man upon the soft yet elastic ground
over which Jacky travelled with such
confidence.
The course he followed was up hill.
The slope was not a steep one, yet by
the time we had Travelled for several
hours it had begun to tell. and /, at
least, was far from sorry when the SER
geant called a halt. Jacky came back
obediently. white fellow horse no
good" he said, as he accepted the
damper and peat handed to him and
squatted down to eat it.
mo good. Jacky?" said the sergeant.
How you see?"
white fellow make a walk. Horse no
CO. and Jacky explained his meaning
by swaying his body from side to side.
The sergeant glanced at his carbine,
which lay on the ground beside him,
and Jacky grinned. The news seemed
to give a new zest to our pursuit for
in a very few minutes we had eaten our
simple meal and We're on foot again.
Upwards and upwards still. Gradually
the flecks of sunshine had withdrawn
from the ground, and now their glitter
| had ceased to sparkle amongst the
| leaves overhead. With the sun the hum
of insect life had died away and left a
cold stiffness behind. 1t was growing
colder, too, and an occasional shiver
crept over me III spite of the exercise.
| Little by little the long avenues of
| trees grew grayer and more colorless,
| and the ends of the vistas grew misty
| and seemed to be closing in. The sun
| had gone down. / looked around me
uneasily as l went and more than once
| | thought the sergeant cast a quick
! glance Of question around him. Jacky
alone was apparently visited by no
| doubts On and on-at the same slow,
| deliberate trot, his head bent forward,
| his arms hanging loose at his sides,
| his eyes fixed on the ground.
| At last he stopped. TOO much dark,
he said, as he squatted on the ground
and waited for US to come up. There
was no appeal from Jacky's decision,
of course, so we prepared to camp for
the night. Our preparations were nee
essarily simple. Jacky collected the ma
terials for fire which the rapidly
increasing cold rendered necessary in
spite of the danger it involved OF a
night surprise from the man we were
hunting and possibly companions with
whom he might have the means of COM
municating. ITS a case of watch and
watch about" as the sergeant's re-
| ri hn RrGt
young fellow, if you don't want him
to pot you"
The first soon burned brightly, and
after we had eaten some more of the
| damper we proceeded to make the best
of it. 1t fell to my share to keep the
first watch. and nothing happened tC
disturb it. 1t was in no danger OF
falling asleep, however, in spite of my
eXertions throughout the day. 1t may
have been the novelty and excitement
of the events that had occurred since
| l had left Hutchen's IN the morning
it may also have been in part the pos.
slble dangers that surrounded us still
that seemed effectually to remove any
tendency to sleep. / sat, my back
propped against a tree, my feet eX,
tending nearly to the fire; my hand or
the sergeant's revolver and my eyes
moving restlessly round the narrow
circle lighted by the blaze. A thous
and times during that endless watch
must have fancied l heard mysterious
sounds of footsteps in the stiffness Of
the forest, and as often / seemed tC
catch glimpses of fiery eyes thai
watched me out of the abyss of dark
ness that closed me in. More thar
once l had almost pointed the revolver
when the shifting of the light con
WINGED me that my fancied assailan
existed only in my imagination.
don't know whether Jacky ever really
slept, but each time Lmoved 1 seemed
to see his bead-like eyes gleaminl
from below the penthouse of his hail
where he lay partly coiled in a dog-lik,
heap close to the hottest corner of thu