"Until night, or until we find him."
"But how can we find each other at night?"
"That can be fixed easily enough; if necessary, we can signal to each other, or we can pick out some landmark that can be seen a long ways off and gradually approach that as the sun goes down."
There was nothing brilliant in this proposition, but after some discussion it was agreed to by the others, and they began looking around for something which might serve them as a guide.
Directly to the north, the woods rose in a series of hills of no great elevation, but among them were numerous large rocks of limestone formation, some of them of such a light color that they could be seen a long distance.
"Right yonder," said Nick, pointing toward the largest, "is one which we cannot mistake; let"s agree to meet there at nightfall and go into camp.
If either one of us loses his reckoning he will fire his gun and the others will answer him, so there need be no danger at all."
"I don"t see as there would be any danger if we failed to find each other before morning," said Sam; "we are not in a wild country where Indians will hunt for us."
"There ain"t any danger," said Herbert, "only it will be a great deal more pleasant to spend the night together; you will feel safer by knowing that I am with you with my patent breech-loader."
"Yes," said Nick, "for by keeping close to you there won"t be half as much likelihood of being hit when you fire at something else."
"I haven"t tried yet," said Herbert; "my gun is a long-distance shooter: there"s where I get my work in. Show me a mark a good long distance off and you"ll open your eyes."
"Well, I declare, if that doesn"t beat all!"
It was Sam Harper who uttered this exclamation. He had been gazing steadily at a broad, flat rock about a quarter of a mile distant to the northwest of them, and his words announced that he had made some important discovery.
The peculiar tone in which he spoke caused the others to turn toward him and ask the cause.
"Look at that yellowish white rock," he answered, pointing toward it, "and tell me whether that isn"t a little ahead of anything yet."
One brief searching glance showed that the young man had sufficient cause for his excitement.
[Ill.u.s.tration: "Now I"ll show you what my Creedmoor will do," said Herbert Watrous.]
Standing on the top of the rock, so that his figure was thrown in clear relief against the tinted sky behind him, was the very buck they had been vainly chasing. He seemed to be looking back at the young hunters as though he disdained their prowess and defied them to renew their attempt to bring him down.
"_That"s my chance!_" exclaimed Herbert, in excitement; "that"s just my distance; get out of my way! give me room! now I"ll show you what my Creedmoor will do, when aimed by a master of the art."
With great display and ceremony the youth prepared to give an exhibition of shooting like that shown at the international matches. The others stepped back, so as not to impede his movements, and he deliberately threw off his cap, got down on his back, raised the rear sight, crossed his feet and drew them half way up to his body, then rested the barrel of his gun on the support thus furnished between the knees, and with his left hand beneath his head, and turned so as to rest against the stock of his gun, while his right was crooked around with the finger lightly pressing the trigger, he was in the proper position to make a "crack shot."
The others watched his actions with the closest attention, only fearful that the deer would not keep his position long enough for Herbert to obtain the aim he wished.
The conditions could not have been more favorable; the buck being to the northwest, while the sun was high in the heavens, there was no confusion of vision from that cause. The smokiness of the atmosphere was so slight that it was scarcely perceptible at so brief a distance, while there was not the least breath of air stirring.
"I am afraid he will lose his chance if he waits too long," said Nick impatiently, in an undertone to Sam, who whispered back:
"The buck understands him and will wait."
It was evident that Mr. Herbert Watrous did not mean to spoil his aim by haste. Shutting one eye, he squinted carefully through his sights, lowering or raising the stock or barrel so as to shift the aim, until at last he had it elevated and pointed to suit him.
Sam watched the buck, while Nick kept his eye on the marksman, who was holding his breath, with his finger crowding the trigger harder and harder until the explosion came.
As before, Herbert uttered a grunt the instant the piece was discharged, and then, hastily clambering to his feet, he put on his cap and said with the utmost a.s.surance:
"That bullet struck him in the chest and will be found buried in his body."
"He doesn"t know you fired at him," said Sam Harper, as the buck, a moment later, turned about and walked out of sight.
"The deer doesn"t fall at once, even if you drive the bullet through his heart. That buck may go a hundred yards or so, but he will then drop as if struck by lightning."
The confidence with which these words were uttered puzzled Nick and caused him to think that possibly the boaster was right after all, and he had made the shot he claimed.
The truth would probably be learned during the afternoon, for Nick meant to learn it for himself.
Now that they agreed to separate, it was decided that Herbert should keep straight along the route they had been following. Sam should diverge to the right, while Nick would swerve far enough to the left to pa.s.s the rock whereupon the buck stood at the time he was shot or rather shot at.
"I am bound to find out the truth," said Nick, with a shake of the head.
And so he did; but little did he dream of what was to happen to him during this search for the truth.
CHAPTER XVIII.
A QUAIL.
As the hound belonged to Sam Harper and showed a disposition to go with him, he was allowed to do so, the lad moving off to the right and Nick Ribsam to the left, as was agreed upon.
Nick had not his father"s watch with him, but Herbert Watrous carried a handsome gold hunting-piece, which was now consulted and showed it was nearly two o"clock.
"The days are getting short," said Sam Harper, with a doubtful shake of the head; "that doesn"t leave us more than three hours of daylight, and it is hardly worth while to part company."
"What"s the odds?" laughed Nick, who was anxious to look for the deer; "we won"t be far apart, as we may be to-morrow."
And, without waiting to discuss the question, he struck to the left with his strong step, the others following the courses already mentioned.
No afternoon could have been more charming, with the summer lingering and mellowing the approaching winter.
The faint, smoky haze of the atmosphere, the clear sky, the warm sun, the brilliant-hued vegetation in the woods, the faint cawing of crows in the distance, and the flight of birds overhead, looking like mathematical figures in India-ink gliding across the blue heavens, the delicious languor everywhere: all these were at their best, and he who was wandering through the rainbow-tinted forest, where the sleepy waters flowed, could well understand why it was the pioneers, like Daniel Boone, Simon Kenton, and others, turned their backs on civilization, and, plunging into the wilderness, buried themselves for months from the sight of their fellow-men.
Sam Harper was moving quietly toward the north, when it seemed to him that a large leaf suddenly blew forward from beneath his feet and was carried swiftly over the ground, straight ahead and away from him.
Looking closely, he discovered that it was a plump quail which he had startled, and which was speeding from him. Although the bird has short legs it runs very swiftly, and it was gone almost before Sam identified it.
"Ah, if I could only get a shot at you," said the lad, his mouth fairly watering, "what a splendid supper you would make!"
The words were yet in his mouth, when a sudden whirring sound broke the air, and he caught a glimpse of a second quail flying like an arrow below the princ.i.p.al limbs.