by Zane Grey
X. ESCAPE
Down, down I plunged, and the shock of the icy water seemed to petrifyme. I should have gone straight to the bottom like a piece of lead butfor the lasso. It tightened around my chest, and began to haul me up.
I felt the air and the light, and opened my eyes to see Herky-Jerkyhauling away on the rope. When he caught sight of me he looked as ifready to dodge behind the bank.
"Whar's my gun?" he yelled.
I had dropped it in the spring. He let the lasso sag, and I had to swim.Then, seeing that my hands were empty, he began to swear and to drag meround and round in the pool. When he had pulled me across he ran tothe other side and jerked me back. I was drawn through the water witha force that I feared would tear me apart. Greaser chattered like ahideous monkey, and ran to and fro in glee. Herky-Jerky soon had mesputtering, gasping, choking. When he finally pulled me out of the holeI was all but drowned.
"You bow-legged beggar!" shouted Dick, "I'll fix you for that."
"Whar's my gun?" yelled Herky, as I fell to the ground.
"I lost--it," I panted.
He began to rave. Then I half swooned, and when sight and hearing fullyreturned I was lying in the cave on my blankets. A great lassitudeweighted me down. The terrible thrashing about in the icy water hadquenched my spirit. For a while I was too played out to move, and laythere in my wet clothes. Finally I asked leave to take them off. Bud,who had come back in the meantime, helped me, or I should never have gotout of them. Herky brought up my coat, which, fortunately, I had takenoff before the ducking. I did not have the heart to speak to Dick orlook at him, so I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
It was another day when I awoke. I felt all right except for a sorenessunder my arms and across my chest where the lasso had chafed andbruised me. Still I did not recover my good spirits. Herky-Jerky kept ongrinning and cracking jokes on my failure to escape. He had appropriatedmy revolver for himself, and he asked me several times if I wanted toborrow it to shoot Greaser.
That day passed quietly, and so did the two that followed. The men wouldnot let me fish nor move about. They had been expecting Stockton, andas he did not come it was decided to send Bud down to the mill; in fact,Bud decided the matter himself. He warned Greaser and Herky to keepclose watch over Dick and me. Then he rode away. Dick and I resumed ourtalk about forestry, and as we were separated by the length of the caveit was necessary to speak loud. So our captors heard every word we said.
"Ken, what's the difference between Government forestry out here and,say, forestry practiced by a farmer back in Pennsylvania?" asked Dick.
"There's a big difference, I imagine. Forestry is established in someparts of the East; it's only an experiment out here."
Then I went on to tell him about the method of the farmer. He usuallyhad a small piece of forest, mostly hard wood. When the snow was on hecut firewood, fence-rails, and lumber for his own use in building. Someseasons lumber brought high prices; then he would select matured logsand haul them to the sawmill. But he would not cut a great deal, and hewould use care in the selection. It was his aim to keep the land wellcovered with forest. He would sow as well as harvest.
"Now the Government policy is to preserve the National Forests for theuse of the people. The soil must be kept productive. Agriculture wouldbe impossible without water, and the forests hold water. The West wantspeople to come to stay. The lumberman who slashes off the timber may getrich himself, but he ruins the land."
"What's that new law Congress is trying to pass?" queried Dick.
I was puzzled, but presently I caught his meaning. Bill and Herky-Jerkywere hanging on our words with unconcealed attention. Even the Mexicanwas listening. Dick's cue was to scare them, or at least to have somefun at their expense.
"They've passed it," I replied. "Fellows like Buell will go to thepenitentiary for life. His men'll get twenty years on bread and water.No whiskey! Serves 'em right."
"What'll the President do when he learns these men kidnapped you?"
"Do? He'll have the whole forest service out here and the NationalGuard. He's a friend of my father's. Why, these kidnappers will behanged!"
"I wish the Guard would come quick. Too bad you couldn't have sent word!I'd enjoy seeing Greaser swing. Say, he hasn't a ghost of a chance, withthe President and Jim Williams after him."
"Dick, I want the rings in Greaser's ears."
"What for? They're only brass."
"Souvenirs. Maybe I'll have watch-charms made of them. Anyway, I canshow them to my friends back East."
"It'll be great--what you'll have to tell," went on Dick. "It'll befunny, too."
Greaser had begun to snarl viciously, and Herky and Bill looked glum andthoughtful. The arrival of Bud interrupted the conversation and put anend to our playful mood. We heard a little of what he told his comrades,and gathered that Jim Williams had met Stockton and had asked questionshard to answer. Dick flashed me a significant look, which was as muchas to say that Jim was growing suspicious. Bud had brought a store ofwhiskey, and his companions now kept closer company with him than everbefore. But from appearances they did not get all they wanted.
"We've got to move this here camp," said Bud.
Bud and Bill and Herky walked off down the gorge. Perhaps they reallywent to find another place for the camp, for the present spot wascertainly a kind of trap. But from the looks of Greaser I guessed thatthey were leaving him to keep guard while they went off to drink bythemselves. Greaser muttered and snarled. As the moments passed his facegrew sullen.
All at once he came toward me. He bound my hands and my feet. Dick wasalready securely tied, but Greaser put another lasso on him. Then heslouched down the gorge. His high-peaked Mexican sombrero bobbed abovethe rocks, then disappeared.
"Ken, now's the chance," said Dick, low and quick. "If you can only workloose! There's your rifle and mine, too. We could hold this fort for amonth."
"What can I do?" I asked, straining on my ropes.
"You're not fast to the rock, as I am. Rollover here and untie me withyour teeth."
I raised my head to get the direction, and then, with a violent twistof my body, I started toward him; but being bound fast I could not guidemyself, and I rolled off the ledge. The bank there was pretty steep,and, unable to stop, I kept on like a barrel going down-bill. Thethought of rolling into the spring filled me with horror. Suddenly Ibumped hard into something that checked me. It was a log of firewood,and in one end stuck the big knife which Herky-Jerky used to cut meat.
Instantly I conceived the idea of cutting my bonds with this knife. Buthow was I to set about it?
"Dick, here's a knife. How'll I get to it so as to free myself?"
"Easy as pie," replied he, eagerly. "The sharp edge points down. Youhitch yourself this way--That's it---good!"
What Dick called easy as pie was the hardest work I ever did. I lay flaton my back, bound hand and foot, and it was necessary to jerk my bodyalong the log till my hands should be under the knife. I lifted my legsand edged along inch by inch.
"Fine work, Ken! Now you're right! Turn on your side! Be careful youdon't loosen the knife!"
Not only were my wrists bound, but the lasso had been wrapped round myelbows, holding them close to my body. Turning on my side, I found thatI could not reach the knife--not by several inches. This was a bitterdisappointment. I strained and heaved. In my effort to lift my bodysidewise I pressed my face into the gravel. "Hurry, Ken, hurry!" criedDick. "Somebody's coming!"
Thus urged, I grew desperate. In my struggle I discovered that it waspossible to edge up on the log and stick there. I glued myself to thatlog. By dint of great exertion I brought the tight cord against theblade. It parted with a little snap, my elbows dropped free. Raisingmy wrists, I sawed quickly through the bonds. I cut myself, the bloodflowed, but that was no matter. Jerking the knife from the log, Isevered the ropes round my ankles and leaped up.
"Hurry, boy!" cried Dick, with a sharp note of alarm.
I ran to where he lay, and attack
ed the heavy halter with which hehad been secured. I had cut half through the knots when a shrill cryarrested me. It was the Mexican's voice.
"Head him off! He's after your gun!" yelled Dick.
The sight of Greaser running toward the cave put me into a frenzy.Dropping the knife, I darted to where my rifle leaned across my saddle.But I saw the Mexican would beat me to it. Checking my speed, I grabbedup a round stone and let fly. That was where my ball-playing stood mein good stead, for the stone hit Greaser on the shoulder, knocking himflat. But he got up, and lunged for the rifle just as I reached him.
I kicked the rifle out of his band, grappled with him, and down we wenttogether. We wrestled and thrashed off the ledge, and when we landed inthe gravel I was on top.
"Slug him, Ken!" yelled Dick, wildly. "Oh, that's fine! Give it to him!Punch him! Get his wind!"
Either it was a mortal dread of Greaser's knife or some kind of anew-born fury that lent me such strength. He screeched, he snappedlike a wolf, he clawed me, he struck me, but he could not shake me off.Several times he had me turning, but a hard rap on his head knocked himback again. Then I began to bang him in the ribs.
"That's the place!" shouted Dick. "Ken, you're going to do him up! Soakhim! Oh-h, but this is great!"
I kept the advantage over Greaser, but still he punished me cruelly.Suddenly he got his snaky hands on my throat and began to choke me. Withall my might I swung my fist into his stomach.
His hands dropped, his mouth opened in a gasp, his face turned green.The blow had made him horribly sick, and he sank back utterly helpless.I jumped up with a shout of triumph.
"Run! Run for it!" yelled Dick, in piercing tones. "They're coming!Never mind me! Run, I tell you! Not down the gorge! Climb out!"
For a moment I could not move out of my tracks. Then I saw Bill andHerky running up the gorge, and, farther down, Bud staggering andlurching.
This lent me wings. In two jumps I had grabbed my rifle; then, turning,I ran round the pool, and started up the one place in the steep wallwhere climbing was possible. Above the yells of the men I heard Dick'spiercing cry:
"Go-go-go, Ken!"
I sent the loose rocks down in my flight. Here I leaped up; there I ranalong a little ledge; in another place I climbed hand and foot. The lastfew yards was a gravelly incline. I seemed to slide back as much as Igained.
"Come back hyar!" bawled Bill.
Crack! Crack! Crack... The reports rang out in quick succession. Abullet whistled over me, another struck the gravel and sent a shower ofdust into my face. I pitched my rifle up over the bank and began to digmy fingers and toes into the loose ground. As I gained the top two morebullets sang past my head so close that I knew Bill was aiming to morethan scare me. I dragged myself over the edge and was safe.
The canyon, with its dense thickets and scrubby clumps of trees, laybelow in plain sight. Once hidden there, I would be hard to find.Picking up my rifle, I ran swiftly along the base of the slope and soongained the cover of the woods.
