Fire Cloud Part 17

In a few moments Black Bill was at liberty.

As soon as he felt himself free from the cave, he gave vent to a fit of boisterous delight, exclaiming. "Hah! hah! hah! Now de debile may come arter ma.s.sa Flint as soon as he please, he ain't a goun to ketch dis chile, I reckan. Serb de captain right for trowin my fadder in de sea.

"Hah! hah! hah! he tink I forgit all dat. I guess he fin out now."

Thus he went on until the thought seeming to strike him that he might be overheard, and pursued, he stopped all at once, and crept further into the forest and as he thought further out of the reach of the devil.

The morning had far advanced when captain Flint awoke from his slumber.

He knew this from the few sunbeams that found their way through a crevice in the rocks at one corner of the cave.

With this exception the place was in total darkness, for the lamp as we have said had been carried off by the negro.

"h.e.l.lo, there, Bill, you black imp," shouted the captain, "bring a light."

But Bill made no answer, although the command was several times repeated.

At last, Flint, in a rage, sprang up, and seizing a raw hide which he always kept handy for such emergencies, he went to the sleeping place of the negro, and struck a violent blow on the place where Bill ought to have been, but where Bill was not.

The captain started. "Has he, too, escaped me?" he exclaimed.

Flint went back, and for a few moments sat down by the table in silence. After awhile the horror at being alone in such a gloomy place, once more came over him.

"Who knows," he thought, "but this black imp may betray me into the hands of my enemies. Even he, should he be so disposed, has it in his power to come at night, and by fastening the entrance of the cavern on the outside, bury me alive!"

So Flint reasoned, and so reasoning, made up his mind to leave the cavern.

Flint had barely pa.s.sed beyond the entrance of the cave, when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. He crouched under the bushes in order to watch and listen.

He saw a party of six men approaching, all fully armed excepting one, who seemed to be a guide to the rest.

Flint fairly gnashed his teeth with rage as he recognised in this man his old a.s.sociate--Jones Bradley.

The whole party halted at a little distance from the entrance to the cave, where Bradley desired them to remain while he should go and reconnoitre.

He had reached the entrance, had made a careful examination of everything about it, and was in the act of turning to make his report, when Flint sprang upon him from the bushes, saying, "So it's you, you traitor, who has betrayed me," at the same moment plunging his dagger in the breast of Bradley, who fell dead at his feet.

In the next moment the pirate was flying through the forest. Several shots were fired at him, but without any apparent effect.

The whole party started in pursuit. But the pirate having the advantage of a start and a better knowledge of the ground, was soon hidden from view in the intricacies of the forest.

Still the party continued their pursuit, led now by Henry Billings.

As the pirate did not return the fire of his pursuers, it was evident that his only weapon was the dagger with which he had killed the unfortunate Bradley.

For several hours they continued their search, but all to no purpose, and they were about to give it up for the present, when one of them stumbled, and fell over something buried in the gra.s.s, when up sprang Black Bill, who had hidden there on hearing the approach of the party.

"Lookin' arter ma.s.sa Flint?" asked the boy, as soon as he had discovered that he was among friends.

"Yes; can you tell us which way he has gone?" asked Billings.

"Gone dat way, and a-runnin' as if de debble was arter him, an' I guess he is, too."

The party set off in the direction pointed out, the negro following.

After going about half a mile, they were brought to a full stop by a precipice over which the foremost one of the party was near falling.

As they came to the brink they thought they heard a whine and a low growl, as of a wild animal in distress.

Looking into the ravine, a sight met their gaze, which caused them to shrink back with horror.

At the bottom of the ravine lay the body of the man of whom they were in pursuit, but literally torn to pieces.

Beside the body crouched an enormous she bear, apparently dying from wounds she had received from an encounter with the men.

Could his worst enemy have wished him a severe punishment?

"De debble got him now," said Black Bill, and the whole party took their way back to the cave.

On their way back, Billings learned from the negro that h.e.l.lena in company with Lightfoot, had left the cave several days previous to their coming. Where they had gone he could not tell.

He was so possessed with the idea they had been spirited away by the devil, or some one of his imps in the shape of an enormous Indian, that they thought he must have been frightened out of his wits.

Billings was at a loss what course to take, but he had made up his mind not to return to the city, until he had learned something definite in relation to the fate of his intended bride.

In all probability, she was at some one of the Indian villages belonging to some of the tribes occupying that part of the country.

For this purpose he embarked again in the small vessel in which he had come up the river, intending to proceed a short distance further up, for the purpose of consulting an old chief who, with his family, occupied a small island situated there.

He had proceeded but a short distance when he saw a large fleet of canoes approaching.

Supposing them to belong to friendly Indians, Billings made no attempt to avoid them, and his boat was in a few moments surrounded by the savages.

At first the Indians appeared to be perfectly friendly, offering to trade and, seeming particularly anxious to purchase fire-arms.

This aroused the suspicions of the white men, and they commenced endeavoring to get rid of their troublesome visitors, when to their astonishment, they were informed that they were prisoners!

Billings was surprised to find that the Indians, after securing their prisoners, instead of starting up the river again, continued their course down the stream.

But what he learned shortly after from one of the Indians, who spoke English tolerably well, astonished him still more. And that was, that he was taken for the notorious pirate Captain Flint, of whose escape they had heard from some of their friends recently from the city, and they thought that nothing would please their white brethren so much as to bring him back captive.

It was to no purpose that Billings endeavored to convince them of their mistake. They only shook their heads, as much as to say it was of no use, they were not to be so easily imposed upon.

And so Billings saw there was no help for it but to await patiently his arrival at New York, when all would be set right again.

But in the meantime h.e.l.lena might be removed far beyond his reach.