"Dropped down where he was, and is waiting and watching. Dead certain he isn"t moving," said Joe, "or I"d hear him. I"ll wait and watch too."
Presently his patience was rewarded. A black sleeve came into view--only a tiny triangle showing--then the muzzle of the weapon. Joe levelled his own on the sleeve and called again loudly.
"Drop that gun, Hurley," he shouted roughly, "or take the consequences!"
The answer came so swiftly that he was astonished, and once again our hero had the unpleasant feeling of a bullet pa.s.sing within close distance of him. Under the circ.u.mstances it required nerve to kneel a little higher, take aim just a foot below the spot where he had seen that sleeve, and press his own trigger. Then, like a dart, he sprang away, and within a moment was located behind a stout birch tree, which gave excellent cover.
"Got him, I think," he gasped. "There was a shout directly I fired.
Wonder if I killed him?"
The thought set his ears tingling and a nasty cold feeling down the centre of his back. Joe wasn"t bloodthirsty by any means. He hated the very thought of killing a man; but here it was decidedly a case of Hurley or himself. Softness and pity would be thrown away on such a villain; the smallest advantage allowed would certainly end in his own undoing. It was with the utmost caution, then, that our hero peeped out from behind cover, while his fingers were busily employed in thrusting a fresh cartridge into his rifle. Moreover, he listened eagerly for any sound which might tell him that Hurley was moving. Joe had, in fact, an artful and cunning foe to deal with, and quickly found that he was very far from effecting his purpose, also that the murderer was by no means likely to give in without a struggle. For as he peeped from behind the shelter of his tree a figure rose suddenly, a weapon was fired, and at the same instant down went the figure.
"Thunder!" he exclaimed, using an exclamation which Hank was in the habit of employing. "That was a near one; chipped a nice little piece out of the bark of the tree and--yes, perforated the b.u.t.t of my rifle."
Very cautiously he peered round the tree again, and then, with a sudden feeling of elation, caught sight of a black object slowly rising above the undergrowth. Joe dropped his sights on it and pressed the trigger steadily; but, to his amazement, the black object continued to rise for the s.p.a.ce of a few seconds, then it dropped just as suddenly out of view.
"Huh!" he grunted. "A decoy! Lifted his coat on a stick and drew my fire. Two can play at that game."
But even if he were to follow Hurley"s example, caution and cunning were still required. Joe dropped on to hands and knees and then spread himself face downwards on the ground. In that position he wormed his way along some three yards to the right, where he again took cover behind a tree, and on this occasion he lifted his head with the greatest care.
"He"ll be watching the tree where I was located," he told himself, "and if I wait a little he"ll show himself, seeing that I don"t put in an appearance. Then will be the time to aim straight, for I am sure that if I don"t take the fullest advantage of every opportunity he will shoot me down."
"That "ere young cub that was the cause of most of my trouble," growled Hurley, as he lay on the ground awaiting developments. "Wall, it might ha" been wuss; I kin knock him out easy ef I"m just ordinarily cautious, then there won"t be no one in the way. I"ll double the hull way back--that"s what I"ll do--get along to the railway, and board a freight train. Down by Niagara Falls there won"t be no difficulty in hoppin" across the suspension bridge, and afore these fools is much the wiser I"ll be hid up in Buffalo."
His keen eye detected Joe"s new position, and, watching closely, he soon saw a portion of the latter"s clothing projecting from behind the tree. Up went his rifle, and an instant later the clothing fell to the ground. With a shout of triumph, Hurley stood to his feet, only to drop back again like a stone; for Joe was undamaged. He had merely played Hurley"s trick upon himself, and now that the opportunity had come to him, he stood out from cover and fired direct at the man.
Unfortunately, however, he was too late, his bullet tearing on through the undergrowth.
"The young cuss!" growled Hurley, startled by his narrow escape. "But I"ll get even with him yet. Ef he can play a game same as that, see me foller."
He thought it all out as he lay there in the underwood, and then once again selected a suitable portion of a fallen branch. This time it was his wide-brimmed hat which he raised slowly above the leaves and ferns.
But though Hurley peered from amidst the tangle of boughs and leaves, he could see no sign of our hero. It was an intense surprise to him when there came a flash and a loud report from the left, from an altogether different position, while his hat twiddled round on the branch he had thrust into it.
"Jingo! He"s shootin"!" he told himself, with a growl. "Lucky my head warn"t in there. But I ain"t done, not by a long way. I"ll try the trick agin, and then I fancy I shall have a surprise fer that "ere Britisher."
Very slowly he proceeded to elevate his hat again, and this time so soon after the last that he guessed that Joe would hardly have had time to change his position. So that it was again a shock to find a bullet swishing rather from the right. However, Hurley was a man with an iron nerve; moreover, he knew what awaited him should he be captured.
Straightway leaping to his feet and trusting to Joe not having had time to reload, he dashed into the bush and, seeing our hero, threw himself upon him furiously. Nor did he deign to make use of his own weapon.
Dropping it as if it were no longer of use, he gripped Joe with both hands and, swinging him aloft as he had done once before, he prepared to hurl him against a tree. Indeed, he almost carried out that intention; but Joe managed to curl in his legs and so escape.
"You"re jest about dead this time," gasped Hurley. "You"d have done far better to have stayed right at home with the kids, which are yer place, than have come out here to take grown men. That"ll finish it."
But the second swing he gave didn"t finish the matter. Joe was a tougher foe to deal with than Hurley imagined, for, locking his arms round the murderer, he defied his every effort to lift him. But all the while he was conscious of the fact that the man was a great deal stronger than he, and that unless he could deal him a vital blow, his own chances were far from good. It was at this critical moment, when the two were once more struggling fiercely and had rolled to the ground, that a man came darting through the underwood. Dashing up to the combatants, he placed the muzzle of his old gun against the murderer"s head and called loudly on him to surrender.
"You may jest as well throw it up, Hurley," he said, with wonderful coolness, "fer I guess you"re cornered. "Sides, ef you"re troublesome you"re like to get the sort o" dustin" a feller don"t take to kindly.
So jest turn it up. Joe, get a hold of his rifle. Now, my man, you stand there agin the tree and don"t try hanky-panky. I ain"t particular whether it"s the law that deals with yer or me. Savvy?"
Hurley did; he unloosed his grip of our hero promptly and, now that the tables were turned, stood cowed and subdued in front of Hank, eyeing his old muzzle-loader askance. As for Hank, he grinned at Joe.
"It war a near call, lad," he said. "Strange that it should be you as really cornered him. But keep yer eye on him and yer finger on your trigger. There ain"t never no saying when he"ll be up to games, though it won"t be often he"ll play "em once Mike"s up. He could lift this hulkin" feller as ef he war a baby, and my, wouldn"t he give him sauce!"
Some twenty minutes later Fox put in an appearance, and after him Mike.
Hurley was promptly secured, his hands being bound behind his back, for Mike had lost his handcuffs, while a stout cord was pa.s.sed from the lashings and secured to Fox"s wrist. Then the party wended their way through the forest, and in a wonderfully short s.p.a.ce of time came to the hut in which Hurley had taken refuge. Here their comrades joined them in the evening.
"It war a close call," said Peter, when he had heard of Joe"s adventure; "but I ain"t quite clear as to how it come about that you was out there in the forest all alone. Spin us the yarn."
"I was lost, that"s the simple explanation," answered Joe, telling them how he had dashed hither and thither in a frenzy, and how a collision with a tree had in the end sent him senseless to the ground. "And a mighty big b.u.mp I"ve got to show for it," he added ruefully.
"You"re jest mighty lucky to have one to show at all, young feller,"
growled Hank. "I ain"t been in these parts without meeting with similar cases. I"ve known young fellers, and oldish men too, go off into the timber and never come back. I"ve seed a ghost of one crawl back after a week, and he as mad as a hatter. What"s more, I know what the feelin" of bein" lost is. An old hunter same as me don"t never feel like that. When I war young it war different. Nowadays I could find my way out anywhere. I"d do as you did, doss down fer the night--so I reckon that blow you got war lucky,--then, when morning came, I"d watch fer the sun, and I"d go ahead always in one direction; but it seems to me as ef supper war ready."
"One moment," said Joe. "How was it you came upon the scene so opportunely, Hank?"
"How? Jest like this, and simple enough. This "ere Hurley give me the slip, and shot out into a glade. Wall, a bit of a rattle as he pa.s.sed over a stony patch told me the direction he had taken, and precious soon I had picked up his traces again. Seems he took to the lake, straddling a log he found there and pushing out. But the wind war on this sh.o.r.e and brought him back. Early this mornin" I dropped on his traces and found as he"d turned south. Mike come along with Fox at the same moment, and reckon we set out fer all we war worth. It war then that we heard a shot, and then others. That set me movin", and--wall, that"s all."
He closed up like an oyster, and actually blushed when Joe continued.
"Not all, Hank," he said earnestly; "you saved my life. I"m grateful."
"Gee! Ef I ain"t that hungry!" shouted Hank, springing to his feet hurriedly. "George, ain"t you got them steaks frizzled yet?"
"Ready," came the answer, while George held a stick to which the steaks were skewered aloft.
"Then we"ll eat," growled Hank, as if he had recently had a quarrel with our hero; "and mind, there ain"t no more ga.s.sin"."
"He aer fair set on you," whispered Peter, after the meal, taking Joe aside. "He knew you was in trouble, and I tell you he wouldn"t rest.
All night he war searchin" for your traces, and ef he hadn"t bustled, guess he"d have reached you too late. Hank aer the queerest little morsel as ever I set eyes on."
"He"s a fine fellow," declared Joe eagerly. "Some day I"ll get even with him."
The following morning they mounted again, and in due course reached the settlements, where the party divided.
"Hank"s comin" along to stay with us," said Peter. "How"s that, young "un?"
"Ripping!" Joe meant it; he had taken a huge fancy to the little hunter, and hoped, if he were lucky, to learn a great deal more from him.
"You"ll do that right enough," laughed Peter, when our hero told him.
"Hank aer a troublesome feller. It ain"t often that I hear of him that he ain"t been in some adventure. Jest you watch to see that he don"t drag you in too. I don"t altogether trust the little varmint."
"Drat the man!" exclaimed Mrs. Strike. "Joe was a steady worker afore he came here; but now, bless us! he"s always wantin" to be off into the wilds and forests."
And go Joe did. He worked all through the summer and autumn, helping Peter to get in his harvest, and learning much about farming; then, leaving Tom, the lad for whom he had fought, as Peter"s man in his place, he packed his bag and rode off with Hank on a prospecting expedition.
CHAPTER XI
Investing Hard-earned Dollars
Barely six months had pa.s.sed since Joe Bradley took pa.s.sage to Canada and became one of the ever-growing army of immigrants who yearly ascend the mighty St. Lawrence river and are scattered throughout the provinces of the Dominion. The days had flown since his landing, and but for that long chase of Hurley, the murderer, scarcely an event had happened to break through the orderliness of his day"s duties. No longer was he a greenhorn, either. His knowledge of farming as it is practised in England may be said to have been still extremely small, but of farming in the Dominion he knew almost enough to manage a quarter section of his own.