In leaning back to emphasize his speech with an out-flung arm, Jeb lost his balance, and the stool being treacherous on its three legs, promptly turned over and sent both lovers from ecstasy down to earth. As Sary and Jeb managed to get upon their feet, they thought they heard sounds of smothered laughter and scampering feet over the brick walk, but when they got from behind the lilac bushes to reconnoiter, everything between the kitchen and the Shrubbery Walk was silent as the tomb.
CHAPTER X
A TRIP TO BUFFALO PARK
Word was received through Jeb, who met Jake at Oak Creek, that Mrs.
Carew would spend the week-end at Camp to welcome the party from the ranch; so the young folks at Pebbly Pit eagerly prepared for the trip to Buffalo Park. The panniers were packed with luncheon for the riders, besides the cakes and home-made pies which Mrs. Brewster sent to the boys in camp.
At dawn on Sat.u.r.day morning, the party started, Mrs. Brewster watching them ride down the trail until they disappeared back of Rainbow Cliffs.
Then she went back to attend to her household duties.
Polly rode Noddy as usual, and Eleanor had Choko. The other four members of the party rode horses, but one extra burro, n.i.g.g.e.r, was taken to carry the luggage. The trail from Bear Forks across the mountain-side was very rough, being seldom used; most riders, going to Buffalo Park, took the old worn trail that ran from Silver Creek.
Finally, the going was found to be so steep that it was deemed best to attach the pack-burro to John"s horse, by means of a rope. This would necessitate the burro following after John"s horse instead of wandering away in the maze of forest trees.
But sometimes, these little burros get stubborn when they are made to follow in the rear of a horse, and it was so with n.i.g.g.e.r. He acted like a sulky child, and made the girls laugh at his contrary behavior. He seemed to have lost all individual ambition, and made John"s horse drag him at the unusually hard places in the trail.
They had been climbing steadily for two hours and hoped soon to reach the clearer trail that ran direct to Buffalo Park. But the trees grew so closely together, now, that they offered obstructions in every direction the horses went. Sometimes it was even necessary for the riders to dismount and follow after the horses to eliminate the extra width caused by stirrups and legs.
n.i.g.g.e.r"s panniers were packed with food, cooking utensils to use while on the trail, and rifles. This bulky roll projected over a foot on either side of him, often creating a "blockade" in the narrow going between trees.
John"s horse, being unable to read blazes as easily as his rider could, would choose the wrong turn now and then, sulkily followed by n.i.g.g.e.r.
Then the horse would come to a spot impossible to pa.s.s through and would decide to back out. n.i.g.g.e.r, with his clumsy pack and grouchy manner, stood and fairly laughed at such times. Polly and Eleanor enjoyed these funny experiences thoroughly; but John felt annoyed, as he wished to appear his best before Anne, and how can a young gallant impress his lady-love favorably when his horse is making a fool of itself?
While n.i.g.g.e.r and s...o...b..ll (John"s horse was white) were engaged in disentangling themselves from one of these snarls, the other riders went ahead. Finding John was not immediately behind, they halted and turned to watch him get his two steeds straightened out and going again.
All was serene once more and s...o...b..ll started briskly up the trail, but unfortunately, she went about a tree on one side of the trail while n.i.g.g.e.r insisted upon choosing the other side. Both were suddenly yanked up when the tie-rope tautened about the tree, so that John was almost thrown out of the saddle. Neither beast would give in but tugged stubbornly to make the other waive his right of way, until finally, John had to jump down again, and compel s...o...b..ll to walk back and around the tree on the right side, where the burro waited.
n.i.g.g.e.r stood with neck stretched and his mouth half-open, while his eyes gleamed impishly. John roared at the expression on the burro"s face, as true to a malicious grin as ever a human could produce it. Then they resumed the climb.
But n.i.g.g.e.r had found a new way to tantalize s...o...b..ll. He would step upon a stone and allow it to trip him. This would make his pack strike the tree on the side he rolled. Then the tree, resisting the impact, would slew him back again. Naturally, every time he performed this way, s...o...b..ll was unceremoniously yanked up too, and this sudden stopping interfered with John"s conversation with Anne.
After Polly had laughed herself weak over n.i.g.g.e.r"s clever performances, she called to John. "No use! You"ll have to give Nig his freedom! He"ll land s...o...b..ll in kingdom come if you keep him tied."
So wise little n.i.g.g.e.r was freed once more, and thereafter he walked as circ.u.mspectly as any good burro should. But the going was better, too, with the trail running through miles and miles of dark green forests, patterned here and there with golden stretches of mesa and parks.
"Are you sure you know the trail, Polly?" asked John, as he gazed about at the unfamiliar path.
"Oh, yes, I"ve gone this way lots of times when Mr. Montresor lived in the cabin where Carew"s men are now camping."
"Well, if it is much farther, then I say we"d best halt for something to eat."
"I will second that motion whether it is far or near. We had best have a bite, as we will have to wait for the crew"s dinner-time when we arrive in camp," added Tom Latimer.
So the riders dismounted and hastily prepared a luncheon. When they were ready to proceed on the way, n.i.g.g.e.r found his pack much lighter than before, so he, too, was delighted to have had the humans stop for lunch.
It was past noon before the visitors reached Carew"s Camp, but once there, they were given a hearty welcome by every one. Cookee had been mixing and stirring viands ever since the breakfast had been cleared away, and now he was ready to smile satisfactorily at results, for he was going to give these guests a rare meal that day.
Mrs. Carew was a Chicago lady and, for once, Barbara was happy, as she found her hostess knew several people that the Maynards felt were exalted enough to be cla.s.sed "in their set."
As soon as their section master gave them the afternoon"s vacation, Jim Latimer and Kenneth appropriated Polly and Eleanor, and the four started off on fresh horses from the corral, for an excursion.
Jim wanted to ride to one of the peaks where they had surveyed that week, and show the girls the far-off desert that stretched for miles and miles between Buffalo Park and the Lincoln Memorial Highway.
The trail was well defined, as the crew had traveled it twice a day that week, and had worn down cactus and sage-brush.
The four finally reached the pinnacle where the gray expanse of sand could be seen stretching out to meet the blue sky on the horizon, and Jim laughingly remarked: "Ken and I came near finding a sandy grave there the other day."
"How?" eagerly asked the girls.
"Why, we were sent with our superior, to tie up a line at the edge of the desert down there, and having done so, one of the crew saw a fine little bit of water and a few trees growing about it, not more than half-a-mile from where we were working.
"We concluded it would make an admirable place to rest and have lunch, and give the horses a good drink, too, at the same time. So we all started over the sand to enjoy the unusual oasis.
"Well, we kept on going and going, but the darn old oasis seemed as far away as ever. Suddenly, I thought I was going queer in my head, because it slowly vanished like mist. I rubbed my eyes and called on Ken to verify the fact. Then you should have heard the men swear! Phew!"
Both boys laughed as they recalled the irritation of the men who found they had been riding for a mirage--And lunch farther off than ever.
"However, we saw a gigantic bowlder of lava and sand rear its head from the desert a short distance off, so we decided to make for that and see if there was a crevice in its side where we might find shelter from the baking sun.
"We left the horses hobbled while we scrambled up its sides to look for any projection that would cast a shadow for us.
"The men separated when we started to climb, but we all met at the top without having found any shade. The wind that blew across the desert, was comparatively cool, however, so we sat on the uncomfortable spikes of lava and planned where we might have something to eat.
"Ken turned to speak to me, and a great ma.s.s of shale broke away from his feet and rolled down the steep sides of the crag. But he managed to catch himself from slipping. Then we began breaking off fragments of shale and tried to see who could throw it the farthest out on the desert. We laid wagers, and one of the party said he would go down, after a bit, and mark the ones that were prize-winners. That made us laugh as no one would ever be able to find any individual chunk of shale out on that wild place.
"The breeze that had been blowing rather too strong, now became stronger, and then Prang, who was in charge of us, that day, shaded his eyes with a hand and stared off at the horizon. We all gazed in the same direction, but we were not experienced enough to know what it was he saw.
""My G.o.d, boys! slide down this crag as fast as you can--that"s a storm blowing across the sands. It will hit us in a few moments. Grab the horses or they"ll bolt and we"ll all be lost on the desert!""
"Gee! didn"t we get down those awful sides. Ken slid more than half-way down, then he lost his grasp on the side. His back and arms are all sc.r.a.ped now, from the way he rolled the rest of the way."
The girls sympathized with Ken, but he laughed away the thought that he had been too tender to stand such a test.
"Well, most of us got down and had caught our horses before the sand-storm struck us, but two of our crowd had to stumble through the terrific storm that blinded them. Had we not kept on calling and shouting to direct them, they would have wandered away and been buried.
"It was an awful experience, but now that it is over, I"m glad we had it. I will have _something_ to brag about when I"m at college, this Fall."
Ken laughed. "I"d rather not brag than to go through such a hair-raising time again."
"Do both of you boys intend going to college?" asked Eleanor.
"Yes; we"ve gone through school together since we were little shavers.
And that"s quite a record for boys in New York, where folks are always moving from one district to another," replied Jim.