The Hunters of the Ozark | Page 6

shaking his head; "and if
that was Brindle that rang it the first time, she would have done it the
second time."
Twice before Fred fancied he heard something moving among the
undergrowth a short distance in advance, and a little to one side. The
noise was now so distinct that he could no longer deceive himself; there
was some specific cause for it.
"I guess Terry has worked over this way, finding what a mistake he has
made--no! by gracious! it isn't Terry!"
Fred started in alarm, confident that it was an Indian that was moving
through the wood. It will be admitted that there was cause for his fear,
if such should prove to be the case, for he was without any firearms
with which to defend himself; but while he stood meditating whether
he should turn and take to his heels, he caught enough of a glimpse of
the object to make out that it was a quadruped instead of a biped.
This was a great relief, though it did not remove all fear, for he was not
in form to meet any of the wild beasts that one was liable to run against
at any time. The next minute, he broke into a hearty laugh, for that
which he saw was the lost cow, quietly browsing on the tender herbs,
as though just turned loose by her owner.
"Well, that is funny," said the youth, walking hastily toward her; "this
proves that I was right. You are a pretty one, old Brindle, to lead us on
such a chase!"
The cow, hearing the voice and footsteps, stopped cropping, and with
her motionless jaws dripping with leaves and buds, started at Fred as if

she wasn't sure of his identity. She knew enough, however, to see that
he was a friend, and so resumed her feeding.
Assuring himself that she was the estray, Fred looked at her bag to see
the condition of that. It was only moderately full, proving that she had
been milked later even than the preceding night.
Fred Linden had approached close enough to place his hand on the
handsome creature, when he noticed--what indeed he knew before--the
bell was not fastened to her neck; that explained why, after hearing the
sound, it was heard no more.
"The cord has broken just after the tinkle, and let the bell fall to the
ground; no wonder that it was not heard again. Some one has been kind
enough to give Brindle a milking."
The words were yet in the mouth of Fred when he received a shock that
for a moment held him speechless; a long distance to the right he
caught the sound of the cow-bell!
It was precisely the same that he and his friend had noticed, and since
the bell of Brindle was gone, there could be but one meaning to the
signal; it was made by some one for the purpose of drawing the boys
into a trap.
Without pausing to think over the dozen questions that came with this
conclusion, Fred set off at the most hurried pace possible to warn his
friend of his peril.
"He has no suspicion of any thing wrong, and is sure to do the very
thing that he ought not to do."
Fred Linden was right in this conclusion. It can be readily understood,
why no thought of peril should enter the brain of the Irish lad, who was
never so sure that he was right and Fred wrong when the two parted to
take different routes in search of the cow.
"It's a bright lad--is Fred," said Terry, "but there isn't any law that I

knows of by which he is to be right ivery time and Mr. Terence Clark
wrong. I'm going straight for the point where the tinkle of the bell came
from."
The same thought puzzled him that puzzled Fred Linden; after walking
more than the whole distance that first intervened, the cow was still
invisible. There was nothing in the fact that when she had strayed so far
from home, she should keep on in the same direction.
"It may be that she has heard something about the Pacific Ocean, and
has set out to see for herself whither the reports are correct," was the
quaint thought of the Irish lad, as he pushed vigorously through the
undergrowth, which was dense enough to turn him aside more than
once and compel him to keep his wits about him to prevent going
astray altogether.
Now and then he paused, naturally expecting (as did Fred), that he
would hear more of the bell; but it is not necessary to say that, like his
companion, he was disappointed. He had fixed the point whence came
the noise so firmly in his mind, that