CHAPTER XXXII.
THE LAST HALT.
Within the following half hour a pleasant surprise came to the littleparty.
"My gracious!" exclaimed the pioneer to his wife, "do you see that,Margaret?"
He pointed to the ground between them as he spoke, and she nodded herhead with a smile.
"We are travelling over a trail," he added; "Red Crow is keeping hispromise; he knows what he is doing."
It was the truth. The path was faintly marked, but it was unmistakable,and all knew the meaning. They were approaching one of those openspaces, known as "salt licks," which are quite numerous in Kentucky andOhio. Naturally they are the resort of animals who thread their wayover long distances to the spots where the brackish moisture, oozingthrough the ground, affords a taste of the mineral which is asindispensable to beasts as to human beings.
The bears, deer, buffaloes and other inhabitants, journeying toward onecommon point, gradually form paths through the forest, into whichadditional brutes turn, adding to the distinctness of the trails, whichsometimes radiate outward from the common centre like the spokes of awheel, until they gradually lose themselves in the wood, as the brutesdiverge from the route, whose individuality becomes lost like the courseof the streams in the sandy wastes of Africa or the barren regions ofthe Southwest.
By and by the path was as clearly defined as the trail connecting thesettlement and the block-house. A short distance farther and theyarrived at the lick.
The favorite time for the wild animals to visit these places ofrefreshment is early in the morning, but when our friends arrived there,a huge wolf was lapping the ground on the other side. They caught but asingle glimpse of him, when he skurried off among the trees, vanishingin a twinkling.
The sight was a singular one, with the ground worn as smooth as thefloor of a barn by the licking of multitudinous tongues, and itsmoisture glistened in the sunlight, as if it had been oiled.
The horses showed their appreciation of the luxury by stretching outtheir necks and eagerly applying their tongues to the saltish surface.They were allowed to do so freely, and a few minutes later Kenton joinedthem. His handsome face expanded with a broad grin, and he surprisedall, especially the recipient of the compliment, by slapping Red Crow onthe shoulder.
"Arqu-wao, you're a powerful good chap, and here's my hand on it."
The Shawanoe, rather gingerly, allowed his palm to be almost crushed inthat of the scout.
"He's doin' jes' what the varmint said he would," added Kenton,addressing the rest of the party. "If nothin' don't happen, he'll landus at the settlement all right, but we're goin' to be followed."
"Have you discovered anything?" asked Mr. Edwards.
"Not as yet, but they won't let us slip away in this style without somekind of a rumpus; we musn't stay here too long."
Red Crow was of the same mind, for he tugged at the rein of the leadinghorse, who was reluctant to abandon his feast, while the pioneer had towork as hard with the other before he would leave the spot. The lick wasskirted and another trail taken on the other side, so that the journeywas continued in substantially the same direction as before. Inasmuch,however, as this path must soon dissipate itself, there was somecuriosity to know what their guide would do when the point of vanishingwas reached. Not a member of the party, however, felt distrust of hisability and loyalty to them.
Kenton, as before, fell to the rear, for there was every reason tobelieve that whenever the Shawanoes chose to make a demonstration, itwould be from that quarter. As anticipated, the path grew fainter asthey progressed until it was hardly perceptible, but the wood remainedopen, and progress was comparatively easy.
For some minutes before this the whites had been sensible of a dull,roaring sound, which at times was quite distinct, and then sank againbeyond their power of hearing.
"I believe that is the stream where Larry and I had so much troubleyesterday and last night," said Wharton to his father.
"Undoubtedly you are right."
"I wonder whether he intends we shall cross it?"
"If he does, he knows the way."
"I guess we will not, for you know the regular trail doesn't take theother side."
"But if he means to follow a new course to the settlement, it may benecessary."
The afternoon was well along, and some of the party had eaten nothingsince early morning. All were hungry, but though there was a substantiallunch in the packs carried by the horses, no one spoke of it. They weretoo desirous of getting forward while the opportunity was theirs, to payany attention to their appetites.
They had not yet reached the torrent, which was now close at hand, whenRed Crow halted the animals and said to the pioneer:
"Wait here--Arqu-wao go ahead--won't stay long--want to see."
Mr. Edwards bowed his head, signifying that it should be as he wished,and the Shawanoe was off in a twinkling before Kenton, who was hardlyout of sight to the rear, could come up. He soon appeared, and inquiredwhat had taken place.
"Thar's trouble," was his emphatic comment.
"How can you know that?" asked the pioneer, with slight impatience; "youhaven't seen anything."
"We're not far from where the younkers had the row yesterday; the lakeisn't more'n half a mile up stream, and the reg'lar trail ain't that furoff in t'other direction."
"Don't you think Red Crow is acting wisely?"
"No one could do as well. It ain't that; but I told you we wouldn'treach the settlement without a rumpus. He means to take us across thegorge. The other varmints may not know the course we've took, butthey'll be smart enough to 'spect that we'll try to cross at this spot,and some of 'em will be on the watch thar as sure as you're born. Waithyar whar you be till I go ahead and larn how things stand. I think RedCrow is likely to need me."
The words proved true sooner than the sagacious scout suspected.
Blazing Arrow: A Tale of the Frontier Page 32
