"De boys?" said the guide. "Haf dey not come to de hotel?"
"No."
"But I did leave dem on de road to go back, and dey did go. Dey must be back."
"But they"re not back. And I want to hunt them up," said Frank.
"Where was the road where you say you left them?"
"I will go myself and show you de ver place," said the guide. "Do not fear. Dere can come no harm. It is not possibile."
With these words the guide set forth to take them", to the place.
These words of the guide added; if possible, to the deep distress and dismay of Uncle Moses. He was only conscious now that the boys were without any guide in some unknown, perhaps dangerous place.
If he feared while he supposed that they had a guide, his fears under these new and worse circ.u.mstances were far greater.
On the way the guide explained all about it. He told about the tunnel, about the path which he had recommended as a short cut. He declared that it was perfectly straight, and that it was impossible for any one to get lost between Albano and the place where he left them. There was no place, he declared, for them to get lost in. It was quite open--a little valley--that was all.
But this gave no comfort to poor Uncle Moses. He walked along looking ten years older, with his face full of grief. At length the guide came to the path along which he had sent David and Clive, and turning into this, he walked along in the direction where he had seen them go.
"We haf now," he said, "to walk to de hotel at Albano, and you sall find dey did come back, and will be dere at dis moments."
"What a joke it would be," cried Frank, "if they have got back, and have started off after us! I wonder whether they would. Not they. I don"t believe it. They"re starving, and will think of nothing but their dinners."
But poor Uncle Moses refused to see any "joke" at all. It was a deeply solemn reality to his poor, distracted breast.
At length they came within sight of the house.
As they walked on, there came to their ears a long, shrill yell.
All of them started. At first they did not detect the source of the sound. Then it was repeated.
"Hallo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!"
They looked all around. Frank saw two figures, one at each window of the old house.
"Hallo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!"
The cry was repeated. It came from these two figures. Those must be David and Clive; but how in the name of wonder had they got there, and what were they doing? But he said not a word. He merely pointed, and then started off at a full run, followed first by Bob, then by the guide, and last by Uncle Moses, who did not yet comprehend why Frank was running, or where.
A smart run of only a few minutes brought them to the place. There they saw David at one window, and Clive at the other. Both of them appeared to be tremendously excited, and were shouting to them most vociferously, both together, in an utterly confused an unintelligible manner. At length some words in the midst of their outcries became distinguishable.
"Keep back! O, keep back! The wild boar! The wild boar! Run for help! Keep back! You"ll be torn to pieces! Keep back! Run for help."
At this Uncle Moses shrank back in spite of himself, and the guide looked much disturbed; but Frank and Bob stubbornly stood their ground.
"What do you mean?" cried Frank. "Don"t kick up such a row. What wild boar? Where is he?"
"Underneath!" bawled Clive.
"He"s watching us," shouted David.
"He was hid in there, and we came in and waked him. We got up here, and he won"t let us out!"
"He"ll spring at you if you come any nearer," shouted David.
"Keep back! O, keep back! I hear him now," bawled Clive.
"Go and get help!" cried David. "Get a gun--or something!"
"Help us out soon," cried Clive; "we"re starving!"
"Keep back!" cried Clive.
do. cried David.
"Go and get help!" cried Clive.
do. cried David.
"Get a gun!" cried Clive.
do. cried David.
"Help!" cried Clive.
do. cried David.
"Take care!" cried Clive.
do. cried David.
"He"ll tear you to pieces!" cried Clive.
do. cried David.
Etc., etc., etc.!
"Come back," said the guide, in evident anxiety. "We are too near.
We can do notin", We mas get arm."
"But do you think there really is a wild boar there?" asked Frank.
The guide said nothing, but shook his head solemnly, and looked unutterable things. Mean while he continued to retreat, watching the small door of the old house, and the rest followed him, as they thought he knew better what ought to be done than they did. The guide took up that line of retreat which led towards Albano, and as he did so he watched the door of the house with evident anxiety, as though fearful of seeing at any moment the formidable beast bound forth to rush upon them. But at length, after he had placed a considerable distance between himself and the old house, he began to breathe more freely, and to think about what ought next to be done.
"Do you think it really is a wild boar?" asked Frank once more of the guide.
"Dey did say dat, dey did see him," said he.
"Yes; but how do they know? They never saw a wild boar," objected Frank.
"Any man dat sees a wild boar will know him," said the guide.
"I didn"t know that there--were any about here."
"About here?"
"Yes; so near the town, and public roads. I thought that an animal like the wild boar prefers the moat solitary places, and will never come near where men are living."