A Soldier's Daughter, and Other Stories Page 6

  CHAPTER VI

  ROUGH TRAVELLING

  Carter was away two hours, and he returned, carrying a prime joint ofbeef. "I was lucky in finding an animal that was lying down. I stalkedhim from behind, and came upon him before he could spring on to hisfeet and get into motion."

  "That is good indeed," Nita said, "but what have you done with theremainder?"

  "He was fortunately lying near the river. I cut the remainder of thecarcass up into a number of pieces and threw them all into the stream,which is strong and rapid enough to carry them away down the passbefore morning. Of course the owners will light upon the blood, butwill most likely put it down that the beast has been killed by a bearfrom the mountains. How have you been getting on?"

  "I made a fire at once and have laid in a good stock of fuel, and havegot a batch of chupaties almost ready for eating. They would have beenbetter if I had had a little of that beef fat to mix with them, but Ishall be thankful for them as they are, after having eaten nothing butunground corn for the last four days. Now will you please cut off someslices for spitting over the fire? I have never done any work of thatsort, and I am afraid that I should make a very poor hand at it."

  In a couple of minutes four good-sized slices of meat were grillingover the fire.

  "We have neither salt nor mustard," Nita said merrily, as her companionplaced two of the savoury slices on the chupaties. As neither hadknives, and the sword-bayonet was a somewhat clumsy instrument forfeeding with, they were reduced to making unaided use of their teeth.However, the meal was a merry one, and their spirits rose high at thethought that they were again free, and that with good fortune it mightnot be long before they rejoined their friends.

  After the meal was over they had a consultation on the best course tobe pursued, and finally agreed to travel west for some time and thento turn south towards the frontier. They would thus at least, theythought, farther throw their pursuers off the track, and would thenonly have to run the ordinary risk of detection from the tribes throughwhose territory they passed.

  They discussed their prospects for the next day's march, but finallydecided to take a day's rest. Nita had suffered much from the anxiety,and the very long journey had told on her, and as the spot where theythen were was well hidden, it was improbable in the extreme that any ofthe herdsmen or passers through the valley would be at all likely tocome upon them.

  After their meal and talk, Carter made a shelter tent of the largeblanket for Nita, and wrapping himself up in another rug, lay down ashort distance away.

  The next day passed quietly. They had not replenished the fire whenthey lay down, nor was it necessary to light one in the morning, asthey had purposely cooked sufficient to last them for a couple ofdays. Towards evening they observed three or four herdsmen gatheredby the stream at the point where Carter had killed the bullock thenight before. They were evidently greatly puzzled at the occurrence,and from their gestures while Carter was watching them, he formed theconclusion that the theory of its being carried away by a bear did notfind much acceptance among them. "However," he said, on returning toNita, who had been having a nap, "they won't start off on a search thisafternoon, and before morning we shall be well away. We sha'n't wantto repeat the offence for some little time, for the store of meat wenow have ought to last us for seven or eight days, that is to say if itdoes not get bad before that, but I should think that up in these highaltitudes it would keep for some time."

  Two hours before daylight they were on the move. The water-skin wasrefilled at the river, and they put a bundle of firewood on the top ofthe sack, as they could be by no means certain of finding water andwood on the way. They were so far up the hillside by the time the sunrose that they had no fear of their appearance being noticed by peoplein the valley that they had left. They went on merrily, laughing andjoking, and were delighted with their progress, though at times thecold was severe in the extreme. They met with no signs of a pass oreven the smallest track. Sometimes Carter would ascend to some pointwhich commanded a view of the line that they were following; at othersthey came to precipices so steep that they had to make a detour ofmiles before they found a place where a descent could be made into aravine which, as a rule, was but a water-course covered with bouldersof every shape and size.

  After some days of perpetual toil, they agreed at their camp-fire atnight, that they must now have got far enough west and could strike forthe south.

  "I suppose you have no idea whatever how far the frontier is, Charlie?"

  "Not in the slightest. I don't even know how far it was from Darlingerto the village, for I was insensible during most of the journey."

  "It took us six days, Charlie, and I suppose the two villages where wewere confined were about the same distance from Darlinger."

  "What rate did you travel?"

  "I fancy about forty miles the first day, but considerably lessafterwards, making it somewhere between one hundred and fifty and twohundred miles."

  "Yes, I suppose so, but of course the calculation is mere guesswork,and it may be forty or fifty miles out. Since escaping we have onlysteered by the sun, and may be a good deal north or south of due west.Besides, we have made such bends and turns as would make it impossibleto keep anything like a true reckoning. However, suppose we call it twohundred miles from here to Darlinger, we shall be lucky if, travellingamong the hills, we don't have to go twice that distance. Certainly,unless we get into a very different country from that through which wehave been travelling so far, ten miles a day is the extreme that we cancalculate upon."

  "In that case, Charlie, even if all goes well it will be from forty tofifty days before I see my dear father."

  "But I think we shall travel a good bit faster than that," Carter saidencouragingly. "Everywhere through these mountains are valleys, some ofthem of considerable size, and containing a dozen or more villages. Ofcourse when we come upon these we could travel at night, and ought tobe able to do from twenty to thirty miles. We could not have done thatat first, but the practice we have had at this work has put us intofirst-rate marching condition."

  "Yes, except my feet, Charlie; think of my poor feet. My shoes are fastdisappearing, and I don't know what I shall do when they come quite topieces."

  "I must kill a goat and make a pair of sandals for you of its skin."

  "Thank you, Charlie, that would be first rate; still, these shoes willdo for a bit yet, and I am a little doubtful as to your capabilities asa shoemaker. Well, I think we shall do better to-morrow. From the highridge we last crossed I could see a large valley in front of us, and Iam not sure but I saw villages."

  "Then your eyes are sharper than mine are; I saw the valley, but Ifailed to make out anything like habitations. However, in any case, weare not likely to go very fast to-morrow, for I should say that we mustbe still some fifteen miles from the valley."

  "Oh well, one day will not make any very great difference. We will goon as long as it is light enough to see, and then camp for the night,go down the next day to a point low in the hills, and can either campfor the night or stop twenty-four hours."

  "I certainly vote for the halt," Carter said, "I am sure that wedeserve it. How did you think the valley lay?"

  "I should think, from the appearance of the hills behind it, that itmust run north and south, which is the right direction for us."

  "Probably when we get to the other end," Carter said, "we shall find atrack of some sort, through which we can pass into the next valley. Idon't know whether there is much traffic between these villages; if so,we shall have to travel at night; if not, we can risk it and go on byday. I hope the latter will be the case. It will be bad enough findingour way along the valleys now that there is no moon, and we should makevery slow work of it on the tracks connecting them on a dark night."

  "We shall have a new moon this afternoon," Nita said.

  "Yes, it was full the night that I stood at the window, and that is afortnight ago to-day."

/>   "It will be splendid, Charlie, if it gets even half full, then weshall make good travelling, whatever ground we are crossing over. Atany rate, when we get into the valley you will let me carry the rifle,won't you? You insisted on taking it, you know; but if it comes tofighting, I have a right to it, haven't I?"

  "Certainly you have, and as you are a very much better shot than I am,it will be more valuable in your hands than in mine."

  The following evening they camped some three miles from the valley. Thenext day they only moved to a spot where they commanded a full viewof it. They thought it was some twenty miles long and contained manyvillages.

  "Thank goodness there is a river running down it," Nita said; "thatwill be some guide, anyhow. There are only one or two villages on thebanks, as far as I can see, the rest are on the hillsides."

  They started as soon as it was dark, made their way down into thevalley, and, striking the river, kept along down it; not keeping close,however, for the course meandered so much that it would add verygreatly to the distance to be travelled.

  "There is the north star," Carter said; "if we keep it on the same handand steer by it we sha'n't be very far out."

  They plodded steadily on. More than once they would have walked into avillage, but were warned of its exact position by the barking of dogs.However, after what seemed an almost interminable journey they arrivedat the end of the valley as morning was breaking. They found that apath ran up the hill in front of them. As soon as they had satisfiedthemselves about its position they entered a grove close by it andcamped there. Eating a chupatie or two from the store she had cookedthe evening before, Nita threw herself down and fell asleep at once.Carter, however, placed himself on watch near the edge of the wood.Four times during the day parties of two or three men went up the path,and this led him to believe that the next valley could not be far away,and that a good deal of communication was kept up with the one theywere now in. Late in the afternoon Nita opened her eyes. She lookedabout for a minute or two before she caught sight of her companion. Sheat once went up to him.

  "You don't mean to say, Charlie, that you have been watching all thistime while I have been asleep?"

  "It was absolutely necessary to keep watch," he said, "and I was veryglad to do so. It was nothing to me to miss a night's sleep."

  "I am very angry with you," she said, "and insist on taking my turn infuture. Now you must lie down at once without a minute's delay. The sunis already getting low, and we cannot have more than three hours beforeit is time to start. I suppose it is not very necessary to stand quitestill and watch all the time?"

  "By no means. From this point you can see well down the valley, andwould be able to make out any one approaching at some distance."

  "Very well, then, I will get some meat cooked. I am sorry to say thatwe have come to our last piece. It has held out a good deal better thanwe expected."

  "I have no doubt that we shall be able to replenish it," he said;"there are a considerable number of cattle in these valleys."

  Three hours later they again set out. It was in many places verydifficult to keep to the path, and they had to hark back several times,but at length they began to descend so rapidly that they felt that theycould be but a small distance from the next valley. They thereforehalted and sat down till daylight broke, and then moved away from thepath to a mass of great boulders, among which they lay up for the day.Three more valleys were passed in safety. Carter had succeeded inreplenishing their supply of meat, and the water-skin was regularlyfilled whenever they got the chance.

  "Things are going on first-rate," Nita said, when they halted early onemorning.

  "Yes, but we must not expect them always to go so well. This valleyis getting larger. The houses are more carefully built, and it is, nodoubt, inhabited by an increased population. You see, the robes that weare wearing will do well enough to pass at a distance, but they wouldnot bear close inspection."

  The next evening, emboldened by their good fortune, they started sometime before the sun was down, and at a sudden turn in the pass cameupon three Afridis.

  "Walk straight on," Carter said.

  Nita happened to be carrying the rifle, while Charlie had been obligedto lead the pony. The men paused when within twenty yards of them, andthen a sudden exclamation broke from the party, and one raised hisrifle and shouted, "Who are you?"

  "We are travellers on our way to our homes, twenty miles off."

  "You lie," the man said, pointing his gun at them, "you are not nativesof the country."

  Nita had thrown her rifle forward and fired at the same instant as thenative. His bullet knocked off her turban, while she shot him throughthe body. With a shout of rage the other two men raised their rifles,but one fell dead before he could get it to his shoulder. The otherfired a shot and then fled with the agility of a deer, getting cover ina moment round a sharp corner of the defile.

  "It is unfortunate, but there was nothing else to be done," Cartersaid; "now what is our best course?"

  Nita stood a minute without speaking, and then said:

  "My opinion is that we had better find some spot to hide as close hereas possible."

  "Hide as close to this place as possible?" Carter said, in surprise. "Ishould have thought that we had better turn down the pass at once, orpush on."

  "I do not think so," Nita said; "we must take it as certain thatthe man who has fled will return as quickly as possible with twentyor thirty others. As they will not see us on our way here they willsuppose that we have either returned or have taken to the hills, oneside or the other; they would never think of searching close here."

  "You are right," Carter said. "What do you say to that pile of boulderson the right?"

  "That will do excellently, if we can find a place among them."

  "We are sure to be able to do that by moving two or three of them. Wehave probably got a couple of hours to make our preparations."

  Accordingly they set to work at once, and by using their unitedstrength, managed to move enough of them to make a first-rate placeof concealment for themselves and the pony. The animal's legs werefastened, and it was made to lie down, and they took their placesbeside it. Carter went down the path, and looked at the hiding-placefrom all sides, in order that he might feel sure that it could not bemade out from any point close by. The heap of boulders lay at the footof a steep precipice, and it was evident that no one from above couldapproach near enough to the edge to look down upon them. Having madesure of this he returned to the hiding-place. Three-quarters of an hourpassed, and then a score of wild figures armed with rifles, muskets,and other weapons appeared round the corner of the pass.

  Carter took a glimpse at what was going on. There was an excitedconversation; some of the men pointed to the hills on both sides,while some were evidently of opinion that their assailants, whoeverthey were, had returned to the valley beyond. Finally they broke upinto three parties, seven or eight men going on each side, while theremainder pushed on along the path. Half an hour later another sixteenmen came up and also divided, half climbing the hills on either side.But night was now falling. For some time the shouts of the searcherscould be heard, but these gradually ceased as the men abandoned thehunt as hopeless for the night. They came down in twos and threes,until presently the fugitives were convinced that all had returned.

  "It was certainly an admirable plan of yours, Miss Ackworth, and hascompletely thrown them off the scent. Now we had better be going. Themoon gives us enough light to make our way, and we must be as far aspossible from here before morning, when, no doubt, the men of thisvalley, and perhaps the one that we have just quitted, will turn out insearch of us."

  "I am quite ready," Nita said, "and I have no doubt the pony is too.His sack has been getting lighter and lighter every day, and I thinkthat we haven't more than thirty or forty pounds left, and as we havealways been able to get water, I don't think that there is more thanenough in the water-skin to balance the sack."

  "I am sorry that the provisions are ge
tting short," Carter said, "butit is an immense advantage, in climbing about among these hills, tohave such a light burden. The pony ought to be able to make its waywherever we can, so, as we don't want to cut ourselves adrift fromthe valleys, I should say that we had better work round the foot ofthe hills, in which case we ought to be well to the south of the nextvalley before day breaks. Fortunately they can have no idea who we are.That we are strangers, and curious ones, they of course know, but weare so far out of the road which they would think the escaped prisonerswould take, that it is not at all likely that they will in any wayassociate us with them, even if they have heard of our escape, which isvery improbable. They will therefore have nothing to indicate the roadwe are taking. All they really do know of us is that we have a rifle,and can shoot straight."