"Sure," said Art. "But how you going to do it with--"
He was about to ask how Frank intended to drive their enemies from cover by stampeding the reindeer, but Frank grinned at him, and he paused.
Dawning comprehension came into his eyes, too.
"That"s it," Frank said. "I see you get my idea."
He turned his gaze toward Farnum, farthest from the center, but who had overheard the conversation.
"You see, Mr. Farnum," he said, "when the reindeer come dashing down, Lupo"s men will have to run for it to get out of the way. A stampeding herd isn"t anything to monkey with, I expect. Then you"ll have your chance. But the reindeer won"t dash in among these few close-set trees, so you"ll be safe. No, sir; as I figure it, they"ll just head right on past here and try to get through the hills beyond."
Farnum"s glance approved.
"A fine idea," he said, but then he added in a tone of doubt: "I don"t know as I ought to let you go, though. Mr. Hampton wouldn"t like it, maybe, putting yourself into danger like that."
"Oh, nonsense," said Frank. "I can slip unseen into the water. And I can swim like a seal. Ask Bob."
And at once, to prevent any interruption of his plans, he resumed worming his way to the bank of the river.
The river ran at this point between six-foot banks, and the clump of trees in which camp was situated stood so close to the water that the roots of several projected through the soil of the land. Frank had little difficulty in getting down to the water, and felt sure that he accomplished the feat unseen by the enemy. He let himself into the stream, which was of sufficient depth right up to the bank to enable him to float downstream under the protection of the high bank, without the necessity of wading out to get to deeper water.
"For G.o.d"s sake, be careful, boy," whispered Farnum, as Frank disappeared.
Frank was naked, and unarmed except for a long knife. He had not figured out how he would set about stampeding the reindeer. He was leaving that to chance. What concerned him now was to get to a position behind the herd without discovery. He stuck close insh.o.r.e, floating, his eyes roving along the edge of the bluff above him for signs of the enemy.
None was to be seen. After all, he thought, it was hardly likely that any of the enemy lay in hiding here, as none of the shots fired at them had come from so close to the river. On the contrary, the enemy lay inland, showing they had come upon the camp from the landward side.
Becoming bolder, therefore, he turned over and struck out, swimming strongly, the long knife in a sheath at his belt. He felt for it several times, to rea.s.sure himself it was there and had not fallen out.
Frank was a strong swimmer. Indeed, this was the one athletic sport at which he excelled both Bob and Jack, although they, too, were excellent swimmers. It did not take him long, therefore, aided by the current, to come abreast of the trees clothing the first of the two hills between which the reindeer had entered their valley. The hill sloped abruptly down to the water, and Frank had marked from camp how trees clothed it entirely, even dipping into the stream. When he had pa.s.sed, as he believed, beyond a point at which there was any possibility of his being seen, he seized a branch of a willow tree and pulled himself ash.o.r.e.
Then, after climbing a short distance up the hill, he began working his way around it through the trees. Presently he was on the hillside facing the valley where were his friends in the distant clump of trees, and the enemy hidden in the long gra.s.s. The reindeer had not moved far. They were only a short distance from him, and Frank hurried forward at the best pace he could command.
CHAPTER XVIII.-THE STAMPEDE.
For the first time since starting on his wild project, a doubt as to its success entered Frank"s mind. But he put it resolutely aside as he sped forward, crouching, sliding under the low branches, determined to make the best speed possible. His companions were in a ticklish situation. He wanted to do what he could to relieve them as soon as possible. As to his own danger, he gave it not a thought.
What worried Frank was the possibility that he would be unable to stampede the reindeer herd. This was the thought which he put aside. But it kept recurring. And when he had come into position behind the herd, and saw them feeding quietly below him, not a stone"s throw away, at the foot of the hill, where the trees ended abruptly and the gra.s.sy plain began, he was still without an idea as to what to do.
Originally, he had thought that stoning the herd might set them into motion and stampede them forward. But doubt as to the workability of that method had seized him as he first climbed from the water and, from among the trees, obtained his first view of the herd. The animals, grazing quietly, were so well spread out that he feared stoning them would not alarm them sufficiently to start a stampede.
"Well, here goes for a try, anyway," he muttered to himself.
Fortunately, there were numerous pieces of rock lying about. Collecting a heap of these, he began pelting away at the nearest reindeer, a brown and white spotted cow. His aim was good, and the startled animal, struck on the flank, snorted, tossed her head and gave a little jump. She went forward only a step or two, however, and then settled down to grazing again.
Once more Frank let fly, and this time the stone caught her on the side of the neck. She tossed her head angrily, and sidled forward again. The movement brought her sharply into contact with another cow, and for a moment Frank was filled with hope that the pair would start fighting and alarm the rest of the herd. He was disappointed. The first cow sheered away from the other, and both resumed grazing.
What should he do now? Frank was perplexed. He had already considered the possibility of startling the reindeer by shouting at them, but had given up that idea because it would apprise the hidden enemy in the gra.s.s ahead of his presence. He wanted them to know nothing of the menace in their rear until the stampeded herd should sweep down upon them.
"I wonder--" he said, muttering the words for the comfort of hearing his own voice.
Then he fell silent, thinking. Art had said they were tame reindeer, accustomed to the presence of man. Yes, but of man clothed and in his natural state. And of Eskimos at that-men dressed a good deal differently from the way in which he ordinarily clothed himself. What would those reindeer think if they saw a naked, white body dash down upon them suddenly?
"I"ll do it," he said. "That"s the only way. And it will work, too, I"ll bet."
Drawing his long knife from the sheath, he looked around and selected a tough branch the thickness of his thumb. This he cut off, stripped from it the projecting twigs, and made of it a long, pliant whip.
Whip in one hand, knife in the other, eyes gleaming and determined, Frank made his way to the edge of the trees, and then stole out into the long gra.s.s, crouching low. He did not want the reindeer to see him until he was upon them, and as they were grazing away from him, this was not so difficult. In fact, he was within several yards of a clump of cows before one swung about and looked at him.
The minute that occurred, Frank realized there was no longer any possibility of concealment, and that the time had come to strike. And strike he did. Jumping to his feet, he bounded forward, swinging his whip so that it sank through the air.
Bringing the whip down with a cruel lash on the flank of the nearest reindeer, Frank swung it around on all sides. Every swing landed. The swish as the pliant green wood struck the animals reminded him oddly of the sound of a stick beating rugs at home. Many a time he had heard that same thud-thud from behind his house.
Not a sound did he make as he lashed about him, for he felt that if no sound indicating that he was human came from him, the consternation of the reindeer would be increased.
And that he had not miscalculated became at once apparent, for the reindeer near him lifted up their sharp little hooves and sprang to get out of the vicinity of this strange animal with the lash. Naturally, to escape him, there was only one way for them to go, and that was forward, so forward they went. Right into the main body of the herd they dashed, with Frank prancing and bounding behind them, with each leap bringing his whip down upon the flank of a laggard.
Suddenly, one reindeer, nearer than the rest, dashed by so close on his right as to brush Frank. He was not being charged. The animal was panicky, and merely seeking to escape. But he had to leap nimbly aside to avoid being bowled over. And as he leaped, the long knife clutched in his hand p.r.i.c.ked the animal"s flank.
The reindeer screamed, a shrill, terror-stricken cry, and launched itself forward like a thunderbolt into the midst of the disturbed herd.
That, apparently, was all that was needed to complete the impending panic. Frank"s inexperienced eye could not have told the composition of the herd, but Art, when they had first caught sight of the reindeer from the hilltop, had pointed out the majority were cows, and the bucks numbered only a handful. If any buck had a masculine curiosity to discover what this strange white-skinned animal that looked so like and yet so unlike a man was, he did not get the chance to gratify it. For the now thoroughly frightened cows started forward in a rush that would have overborne any animal foolish enough to try to stem it.
And then Frank did what might have been considered a foolish thing.
Carried away by the enthusiasm engendered by seeing his plan to stampede the herd work out successfully, he continued to bound along behind, at first able to whip the bunched-up stragglers, but soon falling hopelessly behind as the herd picked up speed and swept forward like the wind.
Straight toward the clump of trees sheltering Frank"s friends dashed the reindeer. And an exultant throb filled his breast. For the hidden enemy lay in the long gra.s.s between the herd and the trees, and inevitably, therefore, the stampeding animals would drive them out.
Regardless of the risk to himself, Frank continued on his way, running as fast as the nature of the ground permitted. The herd beat the long gra.s.s flat in its advance, as flat as if a great board had been pressed down on all, and the going was easier than he had looked for.
Suddenly a shot rang out, then another, and a little wisp of smoke showed the young fellow the discharge came from the trees. His own friends were shooting. At what? Again an exultant thrill swept over him.
He felt certain his friends were firing at the enemy, and that the stampeding herd was driving the latter ahead of it, although because of the presence of the animals between himself and the enemy he could not see whether such was the case.
That Frank"s surmise was correct, however, was soon borne out. For the first shots fired from the trees were succeeded by a rapid rattle that told him everybody was in action.
Then followed a confused medley of shots interspersed with shouts and cries, and Frank, pausing a moment to peer ahead and listen came to the conclusion that the enemy was desperately shooting at the reindeer in an effort to turn the herd aside. If that was the case, however, their efforts were unsuccessful, for the animals filled with the unreasoning spirit of panic did not swerve from their course.
"By golly," Frank exclaimed aloud, "I believe I can reach camp all right."
And once more he began to run forward. For it seemed to him that the herd, sweeping the enemy before it, would leave the ground free for him to reach the clump of trees and rejoin his friends.
On swept the herd, and on ran Frank in the beaten down gra.s.s behind it.
His eyes were strained towards the trees. He began to wave and shout, as he came closer and made out the outline of Mr. Hampton"s tent. He paid no attention to his surroundings.
Then a form rose up from the long gra.s.s beside the swathe beaten down by the reindeer, there was a shot, and Frank fell forward on his face, a buzzing in his ears, and lost consciousness.