"It"s queer you didn"t see that track before," said the driver slowly.
"The reason is because it comes from the rocks. Barberry thought it best to keep on the rocks, I suppose. Maybe he thought he would get stuck in the mud with the cases if he got on soft ground."
"That"s the truth of it, you can depend on it," said Andy. "Hurry up and follow that track to the end, and we"ll soon have our wagon and goods back."
On and on they went, over soft patches of ground, through low bushes, and around rocks and fallen trees. Sometimes they were close to the water"s edge, and again they traveled almost out of sight of the clear-flowing stream.
"We can"t go much further in this direction," said the freight agent, when all of a mile of ground had been covered.
"Why not?" asked Andy.
"There is a big wall of rock just ahead. We will have to pull away from the river now."
"No, we won"t!" shouted Matt. "Look there!"
And he pointed to where the wagon tracks led directly down into the water.
"I"ll bet all I am worth that he crossed the stream here," he went on.
"Do you not see how shallow it is? He went over to that island, and from there directly to the other side."
CHAPTER XXV.
A BITTER MISTAKE.
Both Andy and the freight agent saw at once that Matt was right, and the jaw of the driver of the wagon dropped.
"Humph! I was certain he couldn"t cross right after such heavy rains,"
he said moodily.
"But you see he has crossed," went on the young auctioneer. "I will tell you what I"m going to do--wade across and see if I can"t strike the tracks on the other side."
"You"ll get pretty wet, especially if you slip into a deep hole,"
returned Andy.
"I"ll take off part of my clothing," returned Matt, and he did so without delay.
The water was colder than he had antic.i.p.ated, and he shivered slightly as he waded in deeper and deeper.
"Can you swim, should you slip?" called out Andy anxiously.
"Yes, I can swim," returned Matt, "but I hope that won"t be necessary!"
Moving along cautiously where the rocks stuck up the highest, the young auctioneer worked his way slowly over to the island he had previously pointed out. It was painful work, for he had taken off his shoes, and now he found the bottom in many places cut his feet. But at last the island was reached, and he walked out upon the dry ground.
It did not take Matt long to discover the wagon tracks for which he was searching. They were close at hand, and led almost in a straight line across the little patch, which was not over two hundred feet in width.
"Here they are!" he shouted back to the others. "He went right across just as I supposed."
"Humph! Now what is to be done?" questioned the agent, with a perplexed look upon his face.
"We must cross and follow him," replied Andy determinedly.
"Do you want me to take the horse and wagon across?"
"Why not? The thief took that heavily loaded wagon over. I guess this light affair will go over all right."
The agent was doubtful about this, and rubbed his chin reflectively.
"I might drive on till I got to a bridge, or turn back to one," he suggested.
"That would take too long," returned Matt"s partner impatiently. "We must "strike while the iron is hot," as the saying is."
"Come on!" shouted Matt from the island. "Come straight over and you will be all right."
"Well, we can make the venture, but I am a bit shaky over it," said the freight agent, and with a face full of the concern he felt for his turn-out he headed his trotter toward the water.
At first the horse was inclined to shy to one side. He pranced up and down a bit and dug into the sand and loose stones with his hoofs.
"You can see he don"t want to go," said the driver. "I really think we had better find a bridge."
"Oh, nonsense! give me the reins!" returned Andy sharply, seeing that the fellow was altogether too easily frightened. "I will take him over safely."
"Don"t be too sure!" cried the agent in alarm. "He will break at the least little thing!"
But Andy would not listen to him further. He took the reins, and holding them firmly, tapped the trotter with the whip.
The horse made a rush into the water, and in less than ten seconds the wagon was in up to the axles.
"We will be drowned! We will be drowned!" cried the agent in sudden terror. "I can"t swim!"
"We won"t be drowned. Just you hold on and keep quiet," returned Andy shortly.
"But--but we are going deeper!"
"Not much deeper. I can still see the bottom."
"Supposing we should slip--or Flip should slip?"
"Or we had an earthquake," added Andy, utterly disgusted with the freight agent"s actions. "Don"t you want to get back those cases, or do you prefer to pay for them?"
This last remark effectually silenced the man. He clung to the seat looking badly scared, but he offered no more suggestions.
With due caution, but as rapidly as possible, Andy drove the horse over the rocks, carefully avoiding such spots as he thought might be extra deep or slippery. Matt, on the island, shouted several directions to him; and thus the journey was safely accomplished.
"Good so far!" cried the young auctioneer, when the horse was once more on dry ground. "That was easy enough."