by Roy J. Snell
CHAPTER XXII THE HUNCHBACK LEADS ON
Someone else saw the light of Faye's fire against the sky. Sittingcrosslegged on their deerskins, the two Indians squinted at it for a timein stolid silence. After that a few guttural exclamations passed betweenthem. Then, having drawn their moccasins on, they hurried away down theriver, leaving Gordon Duncan asleep by the fire.
What words had they spoken? Had they judged the girl too long gone fromcamp? Did they fear for her safety? Or did they suspect a hostileencampment?
Whatever it may have been, they traveled rapidly. Passing through a clumpof pine trees they chose two hard knots, then hurried on. By the timethey came within sight of the island Faye's clothes were dry. She haddonned them again, and might be seen moving about replenishing the fire.Accustomed as they were to accurate observation of living things at adistance, the Indians had no trouble in recognizing her.
At once they lighted their torches. The girl saw, and her heart leapedwith joy. Her plight had been discovered. Here was hope.
Noting that the ice fragments that drifted by were growing larger, sheendeavored to calculate the possibility of riding one to safety.
"Won't do," she told Tico. "Not yet."
* * * * * * * *
Though Johnny Longbow had seen the light of his good friend's fire, andshe in turn had heard the noise of his battle with the bears, morning wasdestined to find them once more far apart. To Johnny's great surprise thehunchback, after replenishing their larder, did not lead the way back tothe cabin where they had last slept.
Instead he struck away across the hills. When they had traveled for thegreater part of an hour and had come to a barren and rocky dry ravine, hepiled a heap of large stones in the form of a rude oven. Beneath this hekindled a fire and roasted meat.
After giving Johnny a liberal supply of bear meat and devouring greatquantities himself, he again took up his burden and led away over otherhills.
"How is this all to end?" Johnny asked himself. "It doesn't much matterwhere we go. I haven't the slightest notion which direction would lead meto my friends."
That the hunchback was pleased with him was shown by his actions as theypaused now and then to rest. At such times he went through the motions ofa charging bear. Opening his mouth wide he acted a pantomime of receivinga mortal wound in the mouth, and falling backward dead. These actionswere followed by loud laughter.
"This," Johnny told himself, "probably indicates approval."
He was not the least bit displeased that the hunchback held a friendlyfeeling for him; yet he was led to wonder many times and how long he wasto wander and how the affair was to end.
* * * * * * * *
Faye's escape from her island was less dramatic than that of the Indiansshe had saved. As she waited, a surprisingly large cake of ice driftedby. Seizing the opportunity, she sprang once more into the chillingwaters, swam a few strokes, clambered aboard, drifted close to shore, wascaught and dragged to land by the husky natives. Then, followed by thedripping Tico, she raced away to camp.
For a second time that night her garments were hung by a fire to dry.This time, however, she did not dance away the chill, but creeping deepdown among the blankets and deerskins, fell asleep to dream of toweringicebergs and racing floods.
* * * * * * * *
As he tramped on and on, mile after mile over low ridges, down narrowvalleys, through sparse growth of fir and tangled masses of willows,following his strange guide through the night, Johnny wondered over andover what their destination might be.
More than this, his mind was filled with wild speculations regarding thefuture. What were the plans that revolved in the mind of this hunchback?Had he any plans? His attitude amused Johnny. Of course he was only aboy, but in the wilds where he so often takes a man's part a boy soonenough gets to rate himself as a man.
"He seems to think of me as a child," he told himself after the strangebeing had finished patting him on the head. "No, not quite that either;more like a cub. That's it, a bear cub."
In a park where bears were protected and tame, Johnny had often amusedhimself by watching the actions of mother bears and their cubs.
"He seems a great hunter of bears," Johnny told himself. "No doubt,living as he does in such isolation, he knows more about bears than humanbeings. But am I to be his cub weeks on end?"
He pictured himself living in the wilderness with this curious wanderer,dressing in skins, hunting with bow and arrow, fishing with crude nets,living the life of a savage.
"No," he told himself. "It can't be."
The hunchback heard. Turning about, he leered at him in a strangefashion. Then they tramped on.
Just as dawn was breaking they came upon a thick growth of fir treescrowning the crest of a hill. At the very center of this they found acabin.
This cabin was much more perfectly built than the other. The stones forits chimney were cut in squares. The logs had been hewn off on two sides.And beside the fireplace hung two heavy iron skillets and threestew-pans.
"Did he build it, or appropriate it after some trapper or prospector hadleft it?" the boy asked himself.
Too weary for thought, he went about the business of frying bear steakover the fire kindled by his companion. After eating, he buried himselfin a great heap of furs and lost himself in the land of dreams.
