Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1918-06-01
CHAPTER v.
In Deep Water.

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In Deep Water.
The dawn thrust aside nights SON.
Ser curtains while they ate, revealing
J sky overcast with slaty clouds. What
with her wanderings Of the night be-
fore and the journey through the dark
with Roaring Bill, she had absolutely
no idea Of either direction or locality.
The Unfolding timber shut off the out
look.
do you suppose I can get home in
time to open SCHOOL," she inquired
anxiously.
Roaring Bill smiled. II don't know =
he answered. 1T all depends"
"You know where you are now.
don't you?" she asked.
mot exactly" he responded. but
l will before long-I hope"
The ambiguity of his answer did not
escape her. She puzzled over it while
Silk ambled sedately behind the other
horses. She hoped that Bill Wagstaff
knew where he was going. If he did
not-but she refused to entertain the
alternative. And she began to watch
eagerly for some sign Of familiar
ground.
For two hours Roaring Bill trampled
through aisles bordered with pine and
spruce and fir, through thickets OF
berry bush, and across limited areas OF
grassy meadow. Not once did they
cross q road or q trail. Eventually Bill
halted at a small stream to get drink.
Hazel looked at her watch. It was
half past eight.
"Aren't we ever going to get thereT'
she called impatiently.
Pretty soon," he called back. and
struck out briskly again.
Another hour passed. Ahead Of her.
leading one pack horse and letting the
other follow untrammeled, Roaring
Bill kept doggedly on, hating for moth
ing, never looking back.
They crossed q ravine and slanted
up a steep hillside. Presently Hazel
could look away over an area OF wood
land undulating like a heavy ground
swell at sea. Here and there ridges
stood forth boldly above the general
roll, and distantly she could descry 9
white-capped mountain range. They
turned the end Of thick patch Of pine
scrub. and Bill pulled up In small
opening. From case swinging at his
belt he took out pair of field glasses
and leisurely surveyed the country.
"Well?" Hazel Intercepted.
Nothing in sight, is thsre?' Bill said
thoughtfully. IF the mn was out
now. Funny I can't spot that Soda
Greek TRAIL"
"Don't you know this country al
all?" she said gloomily.
II thought I did," he replied. "But
can't seem to get my bearings to
work out correctly. I'm awfully sorry
to keep you in such a pickle. But II
can't be helped"
He took up the lead rope and moved
on. They dropped over the ridge
crest and once more into the woods
Roaring Bill made his next halt beside
a spring, and fell to unlashing the
packs.
"What are you going to do?" Hazel
asked.
"Cook a bite, and let the horses
craze" he told her. "Do you realize
that we've been going since daylight
IT'S near noon. Horses have to eat and
rest once in q while, just the same as
human beings"
The logic Of this Hazel could not
we'll deny, since she herself was tired
and ravenously hungry. BY her watch
it was just noon.
Ril hobbled out his horses on the
pross below the spring, made q fire,
and set to work cooking. He worked
silently at the meal getting, fried
steaks of venison, and boiled pot OF
coffee. They ate. He filled his pipe
and smoked while he repacked. Alto
gether. he did not consume more than
fortv minutes at the noon halt. Hazel,
now woefully saddle sore, would fam
have rested longer, and, in default OF
resting, tried to walk and lead Silk.
Roaring Bill offered no objection to
that. But he hit faster gait. She
could not keep up, and he did not
slacken pace when she began to fall
behind. So she mounted awkwardly,
and Silk jolted and shook her with his
trotting until he caught " with his
mates. Bill grinned over rs shoulder.
you're learning fast" he called
back. you'll be able to run a pack
train by and BY"
The afternoon wore on without
bringing them any nearer Cariboo
Meadows so far as Hazel could see.
Travelling over a country swathed in
timber and diversified in contour, she
could not tell whether Roaring Bill
swung in a circle or bore straight for
some given point.
She called q halt at four O'Clock.
"AIr. .Wagstaff!"
Bill stopped his horses and came
back to her.
aren't we ever going to get any