25 At Short Range

In the supreme moments following our flight and rapid pursuit by the horde of outlaws I felt but little alarm. The night was dark, the thickets were dense and my confidence in Pike was great.

“Listen how they t’ar up the groun’,” said the big hunter, who chuckled in his satisfaction. “They’re wuss nor a whole troop uv bull buffaloes. They’ll hev to do better than that ef they ketch us. Bend ez low down ez you kin, Joe, so ez they won’t see your head above the bushes.”

We ran down the ravine about twenty yards, and then turned abruptly to the left, running parallel with the course of the hill.

“They kain’t follow us in the dark,” said Pike. “They’ve run to the p’int from which they heard the shots, an’ they’ll try to get track uv us thar, an’ while they’re doin’ that we’ll see ef we kain’t work a little scheme which is a sight more important to us than the shootin’ uv them two fellers. Still, I think when we wiped ’em out we raised the moral average uv the population uv Californy.”

We heard the cries of the outlaws for some minutes, Halftrigger’s voice rising occasionally above the din. Then the noises ceased abruptly, and we heard nothing but our own breathing.

“Halftrigger hez stopped thar jabber,” said Pike. “He know’d they couldn’t keep up thet foolishness ef they wanted to find us. Don’t furgit to step mighty light an’ to keep bent low down.”

In a few minutes Pike changed our course, again, and bore off towards the crest of the hill. I wondered what he meant to do, but it was not a time to waste one’s breath in asking questions. Arrived at the crest of the hill he turned again, and now, to my great surprise, was heading back towards the tree cannon. We were within fifteen yards of the place by my calculation when Pike stopped so abruptly that I ran against him.

“Jest flop down here a minute,” he said, “an’ we’ll do some spyin’.”

Obeying his own command he sank down in the grass and I imitated his action.

“Don’t you see them saplin’s?” said Pike, pointing ahead.

Following the line of his index finger I saw the two young trees that were such a menace to us.

“Now, what’s that shinin’ on the groun’ thar by ’em?” asked Pike.

“That’s one of our axes,” I replied. “It’s the very one, no doubt, with which they fixed up that catapult or tree cannon as you call it.”

“An’ you don’t see any ’uv them fellers nigh, do you?” continued Pike.

“No,” I replied; “in their excitement and hurry to overtake you and me they’ve left their cannon and their camp-fire unguarded.”

“That’s jest what I wuz hopin’ would happen,” cried Pike, exultantly, “and by the eternal it hez happened. Now foller me quick an’ we’ll put an end to the best part uv thar game.”

Rising to his full height he ran to the saplings, with me close upon his heels. We almost stumbled over the two dead bodies that lay in the grass, but we did not stop to look at them. Pike handed me his rifle, snatched up the axe and with two powerful blows, into which he put all the strength of his mighty shoulders and arms, the job was done. Bach sapling was cut more than two-thirds of the way through about a yard from the ground. If any one attempted to bend them again they would break short off.

“Thar’ll never be another stun fired with them,” exclaimed Pike as he threw down the axe.

Crack! bang! whizz! whizz! zip! zip!

From the other side of the camp-fire two rifles were discharged at us, but the light was imperfect and the aim was hasty; and though the bullets sang in our ears as they passed we were untouched.

“Up with your rifle, Joe!” cried Pike, “and hold ’em back.”

He seized his own rifle from me and it leaped to his shoulder. The light of battle was flaming in the great hunter’s eyes. He was in his element now, confronting a visible danger. The outlaws were issuing from the wood in a confused horde, and had begun a great shouting at the sight of us. Two had fired already, with the unsuccessful results I have described.

But even as they were preparing again Pike’s own rifle spoke and the foremost man, tearing at his chest where the bullet had entered, fell in the undergrowth. I fired also, but I was hasty and excited and the bullet missed.

“Better luck next time, Joe,” cried Pike. “Now let’s foot it, and we’ll save the loads in our pistols fur close quarters, ef they overtake us.”

He dashed over the crest of the hill, curving away from the house, and bent his course toward the river bed, running like a deer. Some scattering shots were fired at us, but all flew wide of the mark, and as we had passed over the hill before our pursuers reached its crest a few jumps hid us from their sight.

At first we ran, along without any regard to noise, smashing among the undergrowth and kicking loose stones about. But when we had gone a hundred yards Pike make a sign ana we slackened our speed and became as noiseless as the creeping panther. Then we changed our course again, slanting still further towards the north. Pike was in buoyant spirits. He chuckled in his peculiar way and said:

“Joe, old boy, this hez been a great night’s work. Halftrigger wuz smart with his tree cannon, but I think we’ve been jest about ez smart in spilin’ it.”

“But suppose they find other saplings and put them to the same use,” I suggested.

“The chances area thousand to one agin’ it,” said Pike. “They’ve got to hev two at the right distance from each other and growin’ in the right place. No, you needn’t hev any fears on that p’int. We’ve sp’iled the artillery business fur good.”

We ran on some distance further in silence. We had dropped our pursuers. The darkness of the night, the thickness of the undergrowth and the surprise were all in our favor. We had nothing to fear except from their first volley, and luckily we had been untouched by that.

I noticed that our course was taking us further and further from the cabin.

“Would it not have been a good idea,” I asked, “to have run for the fort and taken refuge there with our friends.”

“Yes, if we could hev’ got into the place all fight,” replied Pike, “but we wuz too close fur it. It’s likely that them robbers thought we’d try to do that an’ made thar fust break fur the cabin. So, ef we hed gone thar we would hev been shot down while we wuz makin’ the signals an’ the boys wuz tryin’ to let us in. No use in throwin’ our lives away.”

When we had gone about a half mile from the hut we slackened our speed, and a hundred yards further we stopped entirely.

“Let’s squat in the bushes here and listen awhile,” said Pike. “Remember we’ve got to think uv the boys in our cabin ez well ez ourselves, an’ we don’t want to git too fur away. Besides, it’s purty safe here. None uv them fellers kin git within twenty yards uv me without my hearin’ em’. Now, if they wuz Injuns it might be different, fur they kin crawl an’ make no more noise than sarpints. But these fellers ain’t hed enough woods trainin’ fur that.”

I was glad to stop, for I was almost out of breath, and after the exciting events of the night my nerves needed rest.

“What time do you think it might be?” I asked Pike.

“Wa’al it might be most any time,” said Pike chuckling and putting his emphasis on the “might.” “It might be sunrise and it might be sunset, but it ain’t neither. I guess it’s closer to midnight than to anythin’ else. Perhaps it’s a leetle after that hour.”

I was surprised. Only four or five hours since sunset, and so much had happened in that time. To quote Pike, “things wuz a-movin’.”

“We’ve hed better luck in this scheme than I hed hoped fur,” continued Pike; “better than we hed a right to hope fur. But we ain’t through yet by a jugful. Halftrigger an’ and all his men are shore to be hoppin’ mad over this. We’ve wiped out three uv thar gang, smashed thar artillery an’ knocked all thar plans a-windin’. If Halftrigger is the man I take him to be he’ll die now afore he gives up.”

I had no doubt that Pike’s words were true, and our danger was still very great.

“Halftrigger seems bound to get that gold,” I said.

“Yes,” replied Pike, “an’ we’re boun’ to keep it.”

We were beginning to feel refreshed, and were able to breathe freely again, when we heard a rifle shot in the direction of the cabin.

“Thunder,” exclaimed Pike, “what’s up now?”

Before I could, answer we heard a rapid volley of shots all off towards the cabin.

“Thar must hev been a dozen guns fired thet time,” said Pike.

“What does it mean?” I asked, repeating Pike’s own query.

“I think it means,” replied Pike, “thet Halftrigger is attackin’ the cabin. He must hev thought that we managed to git in somehow, an’ now he’s tryin’ to take the cabin an’ wipe us all out in one grand rush. Anyway we’ll soon find out. Come on, Joe, we’ve got pur work cut out fur us agin. We must take a hand in this here thing.”

It seemed to me that we were to be forever prowling in the darkness among the bushes, either hunting the bandits or being hunted by them. But plainly it was necessary to undertake a new movement, and without a word I arose and followed Pike. Once mote we compelled to resort to creeping.

“I say, Pike,” I whispered after we had gone a few yards, “if this sort of thing keeps on and we have to be always crawling and creeping, I’ll forget how to walk erect on two feet like a man.”

“Ef you goto walkin’ aroun’ here like a man,” replied Pike, “you’ll soon be in sech a condition that you’ll never do no crawlin’ nor walkin’ either, agin. You’ll jest stretch yourself out on the groun’ with a bullet through the top o’ your head ornamentin’ the mounting side with your corpse.”

We heard other shots as we crawled along and Pike’s theory that the cabin was besieged was soon turned into positive assurance. We had approached so near that our ears told us beyond the possibility of a doubt, that some of the shots proceeded from the cabin.

“See that!” exclaimed Pike, as by the light of a flash of flame that burst from its side we saw the cabin ahead of us. It was though an opening in the foliage that we caught this glimpse, for we were yet some distance away.

“They must hev made a rush on the house,” continued Pike, “for shorely the boys wouldn’t be firin’ away at random in the dark, an’ wastin’ that ammunition like that!”

We approached a little closer and waited to hear more shots, but instead there was silence.

“I wish they’d open ag’in,” growled Pike, “an’ that would tell us whar they are. ’Tain’t well fur us to go any further now, fur we might pitch right into the middle uv a hornet’s nest afore we knowed it.”

Nevertheless, in spite of Pike’s cautionary remarks, we kept edging up, edging up, until we had cut down the distance between ourselves and the house nearly half. I had a theory that the bandits were on the hill above the cabin because all their attacks had been made from that point, and the higher ground was the natural position for a besieging or attacking party. This opinion was confirmed by our failure to stir up any of the hornets as we slowly and cautiously approached the cabin.

I told Pike of my theories and he agreed with me. He was also confirmed in his belief that the Halftrigger party believed us to be in the house, though he did not think they had relinquished the attack.

“I’m goin’ to take the resk an’ go near enough to git a sight uv thet cabin ef anythin’ happens,” said Pike, and I was more than willing to share the danger with him, for if great events were going to occur, I wished to be at the centre of them.

We were now lying almost flat upon the ground, but we managed to worm along until we could get an indistinct view of the hut. We could see a formless shape standing up in the darkness, and that was all, but we knew it was the hut. We considered it rashness to go any further, and we stopped there to await developments. Pike once more resorted to his favorite method of placing his ear to the ground and listening. I did likewise, but my hearing had not been as well trained as Pike’s. I relied more upon what he might discover than upon myself.

We lay there in perfect quiet for more than half an hour, and I had begun to believe that the besiegers had retired when Pike said he heard both footsteps and the murmur of voices.

“Somebody’s approachin’ the hut,” he said, “an’ they’re approachin’ it fast, too. I think it’s another attack, an’ we must help beat ’em off, too. But steady, boy, we must lay here till we find out what thar plan is.”

I was trembling with excitement, but I managed to hold myself in hand, though I also could now hear the murmur of voices and the rapid tread of heavy footsteps. There was no doubt that a party was approaching the cabin, and as Pike said, approaching it with much speed, too.

“I wish the boys inside the cabin could hear that,” muttered Pike, “but we’ve got the advantage uv ’em ez thar are no walls between us an’ the noises.”

The tread of the footsteps lightened presently.

“They’re gittin’ more cautious,” said Pike. “They want to hide thar mischief, but I reckon we’re out here, Joe, an’ kin take a hand in this thing.”

We advanced still further, until we came to the edge of the undergrowth, and I was about to continue my onward crawl, when Pike’s heavy hand fell on my shoulder, and he whispered:

“Not yit! Not yit; we must save ourselves till needed.”

Just then the moon came from behind a cloud and threw a pale but clear light over the shoulder of the hill. Its brightest beams fell upon a dark line of men who were approaching the cabin in a peculiar halting manner, as if they were carrying a great weight.

“They’re tryin’ the old Indian way uv batterin’ down a door,” said Pike, “an’ they’ve got a log thet’s big enough fur it. Thet’s sartin.”

The bandits, with their united strength, were supporting one of the large fragments of the fallen tree trunks that were plentiful along the hillside. It was plainly their object to smash the door with the piece of timber, and it’s weight would enable them to do so unless driven back by the defenders. The besiegers were not more than ten paces from the cabin when we first saw them, and it was time for the besieged to open fire. In fact I wondered that we had not heard already the sound of their rifles, and Pike evidently shared my surprise, for he exclaimed impatiently:

“What are the boys about? Ef they wait much longer these fellows will be on em’ afore they kin fire a shot. Besides ef they git too close they kain’t git thar guns to bear on ’em through the loopholes.”

This was a difficulty which I had forgotten. If the besiegers succeeded in getting close up under the walls, it would be impossible for the fire of the beseiged to harm them.

But our apprehensions in regard to the vigilance of the beseigers were put at rest, for at that moment a rifle shot flashed from a loophole, followed by another and another, and then another. One of the outlaws, fell and others seemed to be hit, but they raised a great cry and rushed forward. The heavy timber struck the house with a crash. “Fire on ’em Joe! Fire on ’em!” cried Pike. “They missed the door that time! Ef they hed hit it it would hev been druv in.”

As he spoke he fired his own rifle, and the discharge of my weapon was but a few seconds behind his. Then we drew our pistols and sent two more shots among them. This unexpected and terrible attack seemed to daze the outlaws. They dropped the log and retreated from the door. As they did so they came within range of the marksmen in the cabin, and the pistol balls began to pop through the loopholes. Taken in front and and in flank, they fell into a panic. They fired confusedly at the cabin and then broke and ran towards the summit of the hill.

“Firin’ by moonlight ain’t the most sartin thing in the world, but I guess they lost three or four uv thar men in that leetle brush, an’ they won’t hardly come agin to-night,” exclaimed Pike.

“Now what are you and I to do?” I asked.

“Git back in the cabin,” he replied. “But we kain’t make a start jest yet, for in this imparfect light the boys would take us fur some of the gang an’ shoot us down, but we mustn’t wait long, fur we must act while them fellers are feelin’ ez ef lightnin’ had struck ’em.”

We waited about five minutes, and then Pike imitated the howl of a wolf with such perfection that I sprang aside as if I had been bitten by the beast.

“Hev you forgot the signal?” asked Pike. “Remember it wuz to be the howl uv a wolf. I expect the boys are glad to hear that, too, for it’ll let ’em know that at least one uv us is alive an’ kickin’.”

He repeated the cry and then rising we walked confidently towards the house. I knew the defenders would be watching through the loopholes and I thought they would be able to recognize us despite the poorness of the light. Pike led the way to the door, and as it swung open before us the voice of Starboard Sam said:

“Come in, lads, the sight o’ ye is good fur sore eyes.”

It was an invitation that was quickly accepted and then the door closed once more between us and our enemies.

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