Part 3 (1/2)
The day wore on, and still no signs of the wanderers, while the anxiety of the boys rapidly increased And when night caan to decide that some serious accident must have taken place
Until late into the hours of darkness the two lads sat by the ca hopefully at each sound from the forest or river--ready to believe that any whisper of Nature er
How different it was fros! At such ti thefresh exploits for the ht they had thus sat and planned the expedition that had ended in adding a heavier glooht
The fire-flies flickered their tiny laht-hawks shrieked as they swooped from the heavens, the owls hooted their disht over the remains of the antelope that had been left to theht when Bob broke an unusually long spell of silence
”Well, old boy,” he said, with forced brightness, ”I guess the best thing we can do is to turn in They won't be back to-night, that's certain”
”Yet--one ht come I wouldn't like to be asleep if--if there was any call, you know”
”Then we'll take it turn about--two hours asleep, two hours watch,” was the elder boy's practical suggestion ”Besides, very likely we are worrying ourselves without need Anything --not even an accident, as we've been supposing One never knohat may take place in the backwoods, and--and perhaps they were forced to wait till ”
Bob knew, and Alf kneell, that it was but a plucky atteht--an effort to convince both against their conviction that their evil forebodings were groundless
But Alf was not easily convinced
”I a except accident could have happened to prevent at least your father orto camp They would know that we should be worried And no , there has been plenty of ti that they came upon tracks of the moose, as they wanted, and----”
”Hush,” interrupted Bob kindly ”Don't let your iination run aith you like that, old ood shots both our fathers are They know the ways of ht Such an accident _ht_ happen to one--even the finest trapper; but, to both--believe ood chap I'll take first watch”
”You'll wake me as soon as the two hours are up?” pressed Alf, reluctant to leave the watch when he n of news
”Yes, I'll waken you Don't worry about that You are tired as a dog as it is--ith fighting lynxes and other excitements In two hours you'll find that I'll be too ready for sleep to let you doze a second over time”
CHAPTER IV
FRIENDS OR FOES?
So sudden had been the attack when the two men were snatched from the waters of the treacherous Athabasca, that they were too confused to realise as taking place No signs of any prowlers had been previously evident, though possibly the fact that danger froht have secluded ould have been discernible by suspicious eyes
Moreover, the h which they had just passed that they were only able to offer feeble resistance, and, by the time their scattered faculties were collected, they found the of Indians
Such conduct was certainly surprising in these days, when the redard the pale-faces as well- since buried the hatchet of tribal feuds
”What on earth can be theof this?” Arnold questioned of his companion, who lay at his side
”It's certainly extraordinary,” the other ressive”
”No They offered no indignities, such as would have been our fortune in olden days But did you notice how that old warrior examined the knots himself? He see of a few dialects, and I aht Do not hurt the pale-faces, but keep them firm'”
”It's certainly mysterious,” said Holden ”Perhaps we have arrived in the middle of some sacred feast Or perhaps we've come upon them when they were about to carry out some form of lawlessness”