The Peril Finders Part 100

"I've got it!"

"Kill it, then," said Griggs, without looking up from his task. "What is it--a skeeter?"

"No," cried Ned excitedly. "The idea!"

"You have?" said Chris eagerly.

"Yes!"

"Let's have it, then," said Griggs, "only be gentle. Don't startle us too much."

"Don't you begin sneering," said Ned, rather haughtily. "Other people may have bright ideas too."

"I don't know about 'too,'" said Griggs coolly; "I've got none. My head has grown thick with thinking of how we're to get out of this hole."

Ned was silent, and sat frowning.

"Well, let's have it," said Chris.

"Oh, I don't know," said Ned coldly. "Perhaps you've got a better idea of your own."

"Here, don't make us hungry with keeping it back," cried Chris good-humouredly. "What a fellow you are to take offence."

"Oh, I'm not offended, only I don't think some people need be ready to jeer quite so soon."

"'Some people,'" said Griggs softly. "That means me. Very sorry, and won't do so any more."

"And you keep on doing it."

"Well, never mind," said Griggs, smiling. "I'm only 'Murrican, and you know what we are. Come, let's have your notion, squire, and if it seems a right one we'll get out of our trouble like a shot. What was it?"

"Well, I propose," said Ned reluctantly, "that we take proper steps one night, and startle the Indians' horses into making a stampede. It could easily be done."

"And afterwards?" said Chris quietly.

"Why, ride off ourselves and get beyond the redskins' reach. They'd have no horses to follow."

"And they'd never think of running after and catching them," said Chris quietly.

"How could they when the horses had galloped right away? They wouldn't know which way the ponies had gone in the dark."

"But they'd find the trail in the morning, and follow it, if the job took them a week."

"Hear, hear!" cried Griggs, raising the barrels of his rifle to his eyes and looking through them as if they formed a binocular telescope.

"Oh, you're always so ready with your objections," said Ned angrily.

"Why couldn't it be done?"

"Just because it would be impossible, I'm afraid, squire," said Griggs, polishing away now at his right barrel. "_If_ you had all the horses together, and _if_ you could frighten them, they might all rush off, but even if they did it wouldn't matter much, as Chris here hints, because the Indians would follow the trail, and not lose one. Very sorry, squire. Glad if it would do; but it won't, so try again."

Ned uttered a grunt.

"You'd better try now, Chris," he said scornfully, "and old Griggs'll sit upon your plan directly."

Griggs breathed upon the stock of his rifle, and gave it a hard rub with his piece of rag to bring up the polish upon the walnut grain.

"To be sure I will," he said pleasantly, as he gave Chris a nod. "I'm not going to play with a job like this. Have you got anything like an idea, my lad?"

"I've been trying to think out something," said the boy, turning a little red in the face.

"Let's have it, then," cried Ned.

"To be sure, let's have it," said Griggs, looking proudly at his well-cleaned rifle, before opening the breech and slipping in a couple of cartridges. "There, that's ready. Now, squire, I'll have yours, please."

Ned pa.s.sed his rifle, after extracting the ball-cartridge, and the American began taking it to pieces at once.

"What's your notion, my lad?" he said, turning to Chris.

"I'm afraid to say anything about it," said Chris modestly.

"Why?" cried Ned.

"Because it seems now that I have thought it out quite extravagant and strange."

"It can't be worse than mine," cried Ned bitterly. "Come, out with it.

Play fair. I don't see why I should be laughed at, and you get off scot free."

"Don't you make yourself uncomfortable about that, squire," said Griggs dryly. "I'll mind and rub him wrong way if there's nothing in it. Now then, my lad, let's have it."

Chris was silent a minute, and then said--

"One word first. My poor pony came down into the valley where I fell, but you don't think the Indians could bring their beasts down that way, do you?"

"I'm sure they couldn't," said Griggs, working the cleaning-rod up and down one of the barrels.

"I feel sure too," said Chris. "But do you think they could get them out again that way--I mean, out through the head of the valley?"

"And I'm sure of that," said Griggs. "They couldn't unless they taught 'em how to fly."

"Why, of course not," said Ned scornfully. "You know it too. Why do you ask?"

"Only because I wanted to make sure," replied Chris, "and because it has something to do with my plan."

Griggs left off pumping and squirting water, laid the barrel across his knees with his hands resting upon the former, and gazed thoughtfully in the boy's face, while Ned seemed influenced by his companion's manner and sat perfectly silent.

"You know I went to watch for the coming of the Indians?"

"Yes," said Griggs.