The Lost Trail | Page 3

shport, or that it was the bears at a shindy, or that it was
something else."
"Ah! Teddy, there are times when jesting is out of place," said the
young wife, reproachfully; "and it seems to me that when we are alone
in this vast wilderness, with many and many a long mile between us
and a white settlement, we should be grave and thoughtful."
"I strives to be so, Miss Cora, but it's harder than paddling this
cockle-shell of a canoe up-shtream. My tongue will wag jist as a dog's
tail when he can't kape it still."
The face of the Irishman wore such a long, woebegone expression, that
it brought a smile to the face of his companion. Teddy saw this, and his
big, honest blue eyes twinkled with humor as he glanced upward from
beneath his hat.
"I knows yees prays for me, Misther Harvey and Miss Cora, ivery night
and morning of your blessed life, but I'm afeard your prayers will do as
little good for Teddy as the s'arch-warrant did for Micky, the praist's
boy, who stole the praist's shirt and give it away because it was lou--"
"Look!"
From the very center of the clump of bushes of which we have made

mention, came a white puff of smoke, followed immediately by the
faint but sharp report of a rifle. The bullet's course could be seen as it
skipped over the surface of the water, and finally dropped out of sight.
"What do you say, now?" asked the young man. "Isn't that proof that
we've attracted attention?"
"So it saams; but, little dread need we have of disturbance if they
always kaap at such a respictable distance as that. Whisht, now! but
don't ye saa those same bushes moving? There's some one passing
through them! Mebbe it's a shadow, mebbe it's the divil himself. If so,
here goes after the imp!"
Catching up his rifle, Teddy discharged it toward the bank, although it
was absolutely impossible for his bullet to do more than reach the
shore.
"That's to show the old gintleman we are ready and ain't frightened, be
he the divil himself, or only a few of his children, that ye call the poor
Injuns!"
"And whoever it is, he is evidently as little frightened as you; that shot
was a direct challenge to us."
"And it's accepted. Hooray! Now for some Limerick exercise!"
Ere he could be prevented, the Irishman had headed his canoe across
stream, and was paddling with all his might toward the spot from which
the first shot had been fired.
"Stop!" commanded his master. "It is fool-hardiness, on a par with your
general conduct, thus to run into an undefined danger."
Teddy reluctantly changed the course of the boat and said nothing,
although his face plainly indicated his disappointment. He had not been
mistaken, however, in the supposition that he detected the movements
of some person in the shrubbery. Directly after the shot had been fired,
the bushes were agitated, and a gaunt, grim-visaged man, in a

half-hunter and half-civilized dress, moved a few feet to the right, in a
manner which showed that he was indifferent as to whether or not he
was observed. He looked forth as if to ascertain the result of his fire.
The man was very tall, with a face by no means unhandsome, although
it was disfigured by a settled scowl, which better befitted a savage
enemy than a white friend. He held his long rifle in his right hand,
while he drew the shrubbery apart with his left, and looked forth at the
canoe.
[Illustration: He held his long rifle in his right hand, while he drew the
shrubbery apart with his left, and looked forth at the canoe.]
"I knew the distance was too great," he muttered, "but you will hear of
me again, Harvey Richter. I've had a dozen chances to pick you off
since you and your friends started up-stream, but I don't wish to do that.
No, no, not that. Fire away; but you can do me no more harm than I can
you, at this moment."
Allowing the bushes to resume their wonted position, the stranger
deliberately reloaded his piece and as deliberately walked away in the
wood.
In the meantime, the voyagers resumed their journey and were making
quite rapid progress up-stream. The sun was already low in the sky, and
it was not long before darkness began to envelop wood and stream. At
a sign from the young man, the Irishman headed the canoe toward
shore. In a few moments they landed, where, if possible, the wood was
more dense than usual. Although quite late in the spring, the night was
chilly, and they lost no time in kindling a good fire.
The travelers appeared to