CHAPTER VIII
THE SHELTER OF THE WOODS
For the first few minutes as they ran, the three of them were too busyto talk, and they needed their breath too much to be anxious to sayanything. Jack, his little legs flying, covered ground at an astonishingpace. Zara had always been a speedy runner, and now, clutching Bessie'shand tightly, she helped her over some of the harder places.
They were running right into the woods, as it seemed to Bessie, and morethan once, as she heard sounds of pursuit behind, she was frightened. Itseemed to her impossible that little Jack, mean he never so well, couldpossibly enable them to escape from angry Farmer Weeks, who, for an oldman, seemed to be keeping up astonishingly well in the race. But soonthe noises behind them grew fainter, and it was not long before theground began to rise sharply. Jack dropped to a walk, and the two girls,panting from the hard run, were not slow to follow his example.
"This is like playing Indians," said Jack, happily. "It's lots offun--much better than playing by myself. Here's my cave."
"Don't you think we'd better go on, Bessie?" panted Zara. "We're aheadof them now, and they might find us here."
"No, I think we'd better stop right here. Would you ever know there wasa cave here if Jack hadn't uncovered the entrance? And see, it's so wildthat we'd have to stick to the path, and we don't know the way. I'mafraid they'd be sure to catch us sooner or later if we went on."
"Listen!" said Jack. "They're getting nearer again!"
And sure enough, they could hear the shouts of those who were followingthem, and the noise was getting louder. Bessie hesitated no longer, butpushed Zara before her into the cave. Jack followed them.
"See," he said, "I can pull those branches over, and they'll never seethe mouth of the cave. They'll think these are just bushes growing here.Isn't it a bully place? I've played it was a smuggler's cave, and allsorts of things, but it never was as good fun as this."
"Just think that way," said Bessie to poor Zara, who was trembling likea leaf. "When we get back with the girls, we'll think this is just goodfun--a fine adventure. So cheer up, we're safe now."
"But how will we ever get back to them, even if they don't catch usnow?" asked Zara. "We'll be seen when we go out, won't we?"
"No, indeed," said Bessie. "I'll bet Jack's thought about that, haven'tyou, Jack?"
"You bet!" he said, proudly. "They'll go by, and they'll keep on for along way, and then they'll think they've gone so far that a girlcouldn't ever have done it. And then they'll decide they've missed her,and they'll turn around and come back again, and hunt around near thehotel. And when they do that--"
"Hush!" said Bessie. "Here they come! Keep quiet, now, both of you!Don't even breathe hard--and don't sneeze, whatever you do!"
And then, lying down close to one another, at full length on the floorof the cave, which Jack, for his play, had covered with soft branches ofevergreen trees, they peeped out through the leafy covering of the cavewhile Farmer Weeks went by, snorting and puffing angrily, like some wildanimal, his eyes straight ahead. He never looked at the cave, or intheir direction, but the next man, one employed about the hotel, seemedto have his eyes fixed directly on the branches. Bessie thought helooked suspicious. She was sure that he had spied the device, and wasabout to call to Farmer Weeks. But, when he was still a few feet off, hetripped over a root, and sprawled on his face, and, if he had everreally had any suspicions at all, the fall seemed to drive them from hismind effectually. He picked himself up, laughing, since the fall hadnot hurt him, and, after he had shouted back a warning to two men whofollowed him, he went on, dusting himself off.
The root had been good to the fugitives, sure enough, for the men whofollowed kept their eyes on the ground, looking out for it, since theyhad no desire to share the tumble of the man in front, and neither ofthem so much as looked at the cave.
"My, but they're brave men!" said Jack. "Three of them, all to chase onelittle girl!"
Zara, her fears somewhat relieved, laughed as she looked at her rescuer.
"I'm bigger than you are," she said, smiling.
"Yes, but you're a girl," said Jack, in a lordly fashion that would havemade Bessie laugh if she hadn't been afraid of hurting his feelings."And I've rescued you, haven't I? Did you ever read about the Knights ofthe Round Table, and how they rescued ladies in distress? I'm yourknight, and you ought to give me a knot of ribbon. They always do in thebooks."
Zara looked puzzled.
"Haven't you ever read about them?" said Jack, looking disappointed. Butthen he turned to Bessie. "You have, haven't you?"
"I certainly have, Jack, and Zara shall, soon. They were brave men,Zara, who lived centuries ago. And whenever they saw a lady who neededhelp they gave it to her. Jack's quite right; he is like them."
Jack flushed with pleasure. He had liked Bessie from the start and nowhe adored her.
"You're Zara's true knight, Jack, and she'll give you that ribbon fromher hair. But you mustn't let anyone see it, or tell about thisadventure, unless your father asks you. You mustn't say anything thatisn't true, but only answer questions. Don't offer to tell people, orelse you may be punished, because Farmer Weeks would say we were bad,and that it was wrong to help us."
"I wouldn't believe him, and neither would my pop, I know that. He's thegreatest man that ever lived--greater than George Washington. And he'llsay I was just right if I tell him. I just know he will."
"But maybe he and Farmer Weeks are friends, Jack. Then he'd think it wasall wrong, wouldn't he?"
"My pop wouldn't have him for a friend, Bessie, don't you believe hewould! My pop would never lock a girl up in a room by herself withouther dinner, even if she'd been bad."
"I wonder why they're so long coming back," said Bessie, finally. "Won'tthey miss you, Jack?"
"Not if I get back in time for supper. They don't care what I do whenit's a holiday, like this. They know I know my way around here, andthere aren't any wild animals. I wish there were!"
"Wouldn't you be afraid of them?"
"Not a bit of it! I'd have a gun, and I'd shoot them, just as quick asquick!"
"Even if they weren't trying to hurt you?"
"Yes, why shouldn't I? Everyone does, in all the books."
"But we don't act the way people in books do, Jack. We can't. Thingsaren't just that way. Books are to read, to learn things, and for fun,but we've got to remember that real life's different."
"Well, I bet if I saw a lion coming through that wood there I'd killhim."
"Suppose he ate you up first?" asked Zara.
"He'd better not! My pop'd catch and make him sorry he ever did anythinglike that! Say, it is taking them a long time to come back. Maybethey've lost their way."
"Could they around here?"
"You bet they could! Lots of people do, from the hotel, and we have tosend out and find them, so's they don't have to stay out all night. Say,did you hear something just then?"
They listened attentively, and presently Zara keen ears detected asound.
"There's someone coming," she said. "Listen! You can hear them quiteplainly now."
They were quiet for a minute.
"They must be quite close," said Zara, then. "We heard them much furtheroff than that when they were coming after us. I wonder why they got sonear before we heard them this time?"
"That's easily explained, Zara," said Bessie. "When they were going thewind was behind them. Now it's in front of them. And they were going uphill, too, so there may have been an echo, because they were shoutingtoward the rocks upon the hill. Now that's changed, too."
"Say, you're a regular scout!" said Jack approvingly. "_I_ knew allthat, but I didn't suppose girls knew things like that. Say, when I getold enough I'm going to be a Boy Scout. That'll be fine, won't it? I'llhave a uniform, and a badge, and everything."
"Splendid, Jack! We're going to be Camp Fire Girls, and we'll haverings, and badges, too."
"What are Camp Fire Girls? Are they like the Boy Scouts?"
"Something like them, Jack. Sometime, when I know more about them, I'llcome back and tell you all about it. I know it's nice--but I don'treally know much more than that yet."
Then they had to be still again, for the voices of the returning hunterswere very plain. They could hear Farmer Weeks, loud and angry, in thelead.
"Ain't it the beatin'est thing you ever heard of?" he was asking one ofhis companions. "How do you guess that little varmint ever got away?"
"Better give it up as a bad job, old hayseed," said another voice."She's too slick for you--and I can't say I'm sorry, either. Way you'vebeen goin' on here makes me think anyone'd be glad to dig out and runaway from a chance to work for you."
"Any lazy good-for-nothing like you would--yes," said Farmer Weeks,enraged by the taunt. "I make anyone that gits my pay or my vittleswork--an' why shouldn't they? If you'd gone on, like I wanted you to,we'd have caught her."
"We ain't workin' for you, an' we never will, neither," said the otherman, laughing. "Better be careful how you start callin' us names, I cantell you. If you ain't you may go home with a few of them whiskers ofyour'n pulled out."
"You shut your trap!"
"Sure! I'd rather hear you talk, anyhow. You're so elegant and refinedlike. Makes me sorry I never went to collidge, so's I could talk thatway, too."
They couldn't make out what Farmer Weeks replied to that. He was soangry that he just mumbled his words, and didn't get them out properly.Zara was smiling, her eyes shining. But then the old farmer's voice roseloud and clear again, just as he passed the cave.
"I'll git her yet," he said, vindictively. "I know what she's done, allright. She's gone traipsin' off with that passel of gals that Paw Hooversold his garden truck to yesterday. I heard 'em laughin' and chatterin'back there on the road where I found her. She'll go runnin' back to'em--and I'll show 'em, I will!"
"Aw, you're all talk and no do," said the other man, contemptuously."You talk big, but you don't do a thing."
"I'll have the law on 'em. That gal's as good as mine for the time tillshe's twenty-one, an' I'll show 'em whether they can run off that waywith a man's property. Guess even a farmer's got some rights--an' I canafford to pay for lawin' when I need it done."
"I s'pose you can afford to pay us for runnin' off on this wild goosechase for you, then? Hey?"
"Not a cent--not a cent!" they heard Farmer Weeks say, angrily. "I ain'ta-goin' to give none of my good money that I worked for to any low-downshirkers like you--hey, what are you doin' there, tryin' to trip me up?"
A chorus of laughter greeted his indignant question, but he seemed totake the hint, for the fugitives in the cave heard no more talk fromhim, although for some time after that the sounds in the direction thepursuers had taken on their return to the inn were plain enough.
When the last sounds had died away, and they were quite sure that theywere safe, for the time, at least, Bessie got up.
"Suppose we follow this trail right up the way they went?" Bessie askedJack. "Where will it bring us?"
"To the top of the mountain," said Jack. "But if you want to go off thatway I'll walk a way with you, and show you where you can strike off andcome to another trail that will bring you out on the main road toZebulon."
"That'll be fine, Jack. If you'll do that, you'll help us ever so much,and we'll be able to get along splendidly."
"We'd better start," said Zara, nervously. "I want to get away as soonas ever I can. Don't you, Bessie?"
"Indeed I do, Zara. I'm just as afraid of having Farmer Weeks catch usas you are. If he found me he'd take me back to Maw Hoover, I know. Andshe'd be awfully angry with me."
"I'm all ready to start whenever you are," announced Jack. "Come on. Itgets dark early in the woods, you know. They're mighty thick when youget further up the mountain. But if you walk along fast you'll get outof them long before it's really dark."
So they started off. Little Jack seemed to be a thorough woodsman and toknow almost every stick and stone in the path. And presently they cameto a blazed tree--a tree from which a strip of bark had been cut with ablow from an axe.
"That's my mark. I made it myself," said Jack, proudly. "Here's where weleave this trail. Be careful now. Look where I put my feet, and comethis same way."
Then he struck off the trail, and into the deep woods themselves wherethe moss and the carpet of dead leaves deadened their footsteps.Although the sun was still high, the trees were so thick that the lightthat came down to them was that of twilight, and Zara shuddered.
"I'd hate to be lost in these woods," she said.
Then, abruptly, they were on another trail. Jack had been a true guide.
"You can't lose your way now," he said. "Keep to the trail and gostraight ahead."
"Good-bye, Jack," said Bessie. "You're just as true and brave as any ofthe knights you ever read about, and if you keep on like this you'll bea great man when you grow up--as great as your father. Good-bye!"
"Good-bye and thank you ever so much," called Zara.
"Come again!" said Jack, and stood there until they were out of sight.
It was not long before they came out near the main road, and now Zaragave a joyful cry.
"Oh, I'm so glad to be here!" she exclaimed. "Those woods frightened me,Bessie. They were so dark and gloomy. And it's so good to see the sunagain, and the fields and the blue sky!"
Bessie looked about her curiously as she strove to get her bearings.Then her face cleared.
"I know where we are now," she said. "We're still quite a littledistance from where we stopped for lunch and Farmer Weeks got hold ofyou, Zara. We'll have to go up the road. You see, it brought us quite alittle out of our direct way--going back in the woods as we did. But itwas worth it--to get away from Farmer Weeks."
"I should think it was!" said Zara. "I'd walk on my hands for a mile tobe free from him. He was awful. He drove up just as I got down to theroad, and as soon as I saw him I started to run. But I was so frightenedthat my knees shook, and he jumped out and caught me."
"What did he say to you?"
"Oh, everything! He said he could have me put in prison for runningaway, and he asked me where you were, but I wouldn't say a thing. Iwouldn't even answer him when he asked me if I'd seen you. And he saidthat when I came to work for him, he'd see that I got over my lazinessand my notions."
"Well, you're free of him now, Zara. Oh!"
"What is it, Bessie?"
"Zara, don't you remember what he said? That he'd find us through theCamp Fire Girls? He knows about them! If we go right back to them now,we may be walking right into his arms. Oh, how I wish I could get holdof Miss Eleanor--of Wanaka!"
They stared at one another in consternation.
A Campfire Girl's First Council Fire Page 8
