Books: In the Pecos Country

L >> Lieutenant R.H. Jayne >> In the Pecos Country

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Thus matters remained for ten or fifteen minutes longer, during which
the lad held himself on the alert, and was no little puzzled to
comprehend the meaning for the course of their enemies.

"They daren't do anything, now that they know where we are. They're
afraid we're on the watch, and think if they wait a while longer, we
will drop off to sleep; but they will find---"

A sudden light just then broke in upon young Munson. He was looking
off in the direction of the sound, when the phosphorescent gleam of a
pair of eyes shot out from the darkness upon him.

There was a greenish glare in the unexpected appearance that left no
doubt of their identity. Instead of Indians, as he had imagined at
first, there was some kind of a wild animal that was prowling about
them. None of the Apaches had entered the cave at all--only a single
beast.

But where had he come from? By what means had he entered the cave?

These were very significant questions, of the greatest importance to
the two who were shut within the subterranean prison. Fred did not
feel himself competent to answer, so he reached over and shook Mickey
harder than ever, determined that he should arouse.

"Come, wake up, you sleepy head," he called out. "There might a dozen
bears come down on you and eat you up, before you would open your
eyes! Come, Mickey, there is need of your waking!"

"Begorrah--but--there's more naad of me slaaping," muttered the
Irishman, gradually recalling his senses. "I was in the midst of a
beautiful draam, in which there came two lovely females, that looked
like Bridget O'Flaherty and Molly McFizzle. Both were smiling in
their winsome way on me, and both were advancing to give me a swaat
kiss, or a crack over the head, I don't know which, when, just before
they raiched me, you sticks out your paw and gives me a big shake.
Arrah, ye spalpeen, why did ye do that?"

"Didn't you hear me say there was something in the cavern? I thought
there were a couple of Apaches at first, but I guess it is a wild
animal."

The Irishman was all attention on the instant, and he started bolt
upright.

"Whisht! what's that ye're saying? Will ye plaze say it over again?"

The lad hurriedly told him that an animal of some kind was lurking
near them. Mickey caught up his rifle, and demanded to know where he
was. In such darkness as enveloped them it was necessary that the
eyes of the beast should be at a certain angle in order to become
visible to the two watchers. Both heard his light footsteps, and knew
where the eyes were likely to be discerned.

"_There he is!_" exclaimed Fred, as he caught sight of the green,
phosphorescent glitter of the two orbs, which is peculiar to the eyes
of the feline species.

Mickey detected them at the same moment, and drew his rifle to his
shoulder. He kept the kneeling position, fearing that the target
would vanish if he should wait until he could rise. It is no easy
thing for a hunter to take aim when he is utterly unable to detect the
slightest portion of his weapon, and it was this fact which caused
Mickey to delay his firing. However, before he could make his aim any
way satisfactory, a bright thought struck him, and he lowered his gun,
carefully letting the hammer down upon the tube.

"Ain't you going to fire?" asked the lad, who could not understand the
delay.

"Whisht, now! would ye have me slay me best friend?"

"I don't understand you, Mickey."

"S'pose I'd shot the baste, whatever he is, that would be the end of
him; but lave him alone, and he'll show us the way out."

"How can he do that?"

"Don't you obsarve," said the man, who haf got the theory all
perfectly arranged in his mind, "that that creature couldn't get into
this cave without coming in some way?"

There was no gainsaying such logic as that, but Fred knew that his
friend meant more than he said.

"Of course he couldn't get in here without having some way of doing
it. But suppose he took the same means as we did? How is that going
to help us?"

But the Irishman was certain that such could not be the case.

"There ain't any wild beasts as big fools as we was. Ye couldnt git
'em to walk into such a hole, any more than ye could git an Irisman to
gaze calmly upon a head without hitting it. Ye can make up your mind
that there's some way leading into this cavern, which nobody knows
anything about, excepting this wild creature, and, if we let him
alone, he'll go out again, showing us the path."

"I should think if he knew the route some of the Indians would learn
it."

"So anybody would think; but the crayther has not given 'em the
chance--so how can they larn it? If we play our cards right, me
laddy, we're sure to win."

"What kind of an animal is it?"

They were all the time gazing at the point where the eyes were last
seen, but the beast was continually shifting its position, so that the
orbs were no longer visible. The faint tipping of his feet upon the
gravely earth was heard, and now and then the transient flash of his
eyes, as he whisked back and forth, was caught, but all vanished again
almost as soon as seen. All that could be learned was, that whatever
the species of the animal, he owned large eyes, and they were placed
close together. Neither of the two were sufficiently acquainted with
the peculiarities of the different animals of the West to identify
them by any slight peculiarities.

"I don't think he can be an ilephant or a rhinoceros," said Mickey,
reflectively, "because such crathurs don't grow in these parts. What
about his being a grizzly bear?"

"He can't be that," said Fred, who had been given time to note the
special character of the footsteps before he awoke his companion. "He
walks too lightly."

"What do you conclude him to be?"

"If there were such things as wild dogs, I would be sure he was one."

"Then I have it; he must be a wolf."

"I guess you're right. He acts just like one--trotting here and
there, while his eyes shine like we used to see them when we were
camped on the prairie, and they used to hang round the camp waiting
for a chance to get something to eat."

"It's aisy to double him up,'' said Mickey,who just then caught a
glimpse of the eyes again; "but if he'll show the way out of here,
I'll make a vow never to shoot another wolf, even if he tries to chaw
me head off."

"How are we going to discover the place?"

"Just foller him. He'll hang round a while, very likely all night,
and when he finds out there's nothing to make here, he'll trot off
agin. All we've got to do is to do the same, and he'll show the way
out."

"It don't look so easy to me," said Fred, a few minutes later, while
he had been busily turning the scheme over in his mind. "If we only
had the daylight to see him, it wouldn't be so hard, but here he is
right close to us, and it is only now and then that we can tell where
he is."

"Yees are right, for it is n't likely that we can walk right straight
out by the way that he does; but we can larn from his movements pretty
nearly where the place is, and then we can take a torch and hunt for a
day or two, and I don't see how we can miss it."

There seemed to be reason in this, although the lad could not feel as
sanguine as did his companion. The wolf, as he believed it to be, was
doubtless familiar with every turn of the cave, and, when he was ready
to go, was likely to vanish in a twinkling--skurrying away with a
speed that would defy pursuit. However, there was a promise, or a
possibility, at least, of success, and that certainly was something to
be cheerful over, even though the prospect was not brilliant, and Fred
was resolved that failure should not come through remissness of his.

The continuation of this absorbing story is entitled "The Cave in the
Mountain."

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