FOLLOWED BY THE ENEMY
An uneasy feeling filled the hearts of the treasure finders. If what Mr. Baxter surmised proved true, they might have to face more perils than any they had yet encountered.
"Do you think that man with the glass eye—Callack his name is—will try to get the gold?" asked Fred.
"It looks as if he had arranged some plot," replied Mr. Baxter. "You recall how he whispered something to Zank as we started off on this expedition. I did not like that at the time, for I feared he was up to some trick. Now, it appears, this other Indian, who is acquainted with Zank, has been spying on us. Probably Zank, and the other three Indians who we dismissed, made their way to where their tribe was encamped, and Callack was there. He may have paid Zank to give information about us."
"But how did he know where we were going?"
"He may have gotten it out of Holfax in some way," said Jerry's father in a low voice. "I don't believe Holfax would betray us knowingly, but he is simple-minded, and a scoundrel like Zank may have wormed it out of him."
"Then what shall we do?"
"We can only be on the lookout. We must stand guard to-night, and to-morrow we will proceed as fast as we can to the south. Come, we will eat now. Holfax has the fire ready."
The Indian had built a roaring blaze, and was preparing a meal, while the hungry dogs, smelling it, tried in vain to break loose and reach the food.
The travelers passed an uneasy night. They took turns standing guard, at the mouth of the cave, and, though they saw no signs of any hostile Indians, there was a nervous fear in every heart. Soon after breakfast the next morning, having seen that the sleds were well loaded, with the gold and the remainder of their supplies, they started for the south.
All that day they traveled, making fairly good time, as the slopes of the hills were downward. The terrible cold did not let up, however, and Johnson's hands were slightly frost-bitten when they camped that night.
Once more they stood guard, but this time it was under trying circumstances. For they were now in the open, protected only by the tent, and the time they had spent in the cave, where it was comparatively warm, made them wish again for its shelter.
Shortly after midnight, when Fred, in accordance with the arrangements, roused Mr. Baxter to take his turn at guard duty, there sounded, off to the rear, long-drawn-out howls. At the sound the sled-dogs raised their muzzles in the air, until they were pointing at the flickering and shifting Northern Lights, and sent back an answer.
"Wolves!" exclaimed Mr. Baxter. "I hope we're not going to be surrounded by a hungry pack of the brutes. We may need all our ammunition to fight off human enemies."
"Do you think the Indians will attack us?"
"I hope not, but it is hard to say what the rascals will do, especially if they have an unscrupulous white man to urge them on."
"That sounds as if there were a large number of wolves on our trail."
"It certainly does, Fred. I think I'll rouse Johnson and Holfax."
But there was no need to awaken the Indian. The disturbance among the dogs, of which he had charge, had roused him from his slumber on the snow under a pile of fur blankets. He called some commands to the animals, and they slunk down.
"Wolves coming, Holfax?" asked Mr. Baxter. "Shall we get our guns ready?"
"No wolves," replied the Indian.
"No wolves? Why I can hear them howl."
"No wolves," repeated the Indian. "Them dogs what howl. Listen. Can tell different noise. Wolf howl long—shrill—dog he howl short an' quick."
Mr. Baxter and Fred listened intently. Now that their guide had called their attention to it, they could distinguish a difference in the howls, which did not sound at all like those of the brutes that had once attacked them.
"Then if those are dogs, there must be Indians close to us," went on Mr. Baxter.
Holfax nodded.
"What are they doing near here? Is that the camp where Zank and the others went?"
"No," replied Holfax. "Them Indians follow us."
"They are following us?"
"'Bout three miles back," added Holfax. "Can hear plain on cold night."
"Do you mean they are coming after us to get the gold?" inquired Mr. Baxter.
Once more Holfax nodded.
"Them camp now," he said. "Follow us in mornin'."
Mr. Baxter, as Fred could see in the glare of the Aurora Borealis, looked grave. Their worst fears were realized. It would have been better to have a pack of wolves after them, than to have this band of savage Alaskan Indians, led on probably by a daring and unscrupulous white man.
"Shall I stay up and keep watch with you?" asked Fred.
"No. I think, as Holfax says, that they will not attempt to creep up on us during the night. They will do nothing until morning. Then we must be on the lookout."
Holfax proved that he had guessed correctly. There was no disturbance that night, but, in the morning, after they had started, the Indian mounted a hill, near which they had encamped.
"There Zank and his men," he announced, pointing to the rear. "Can see smoke of fire."
Mr. Baxter looked. A thin thread of smoke could be observed ascending in the frigid morning air, but no camp was in sight.
They started off soon after they had made a hasty breakfast. It seemed colder than at any time yet, but a glance at the thermometer showed that it was only thirty degrees below zero. Still that was cold enough, though what made it seem more piercing was a stiff wind that sprang up.
"Hark!" exclaimed Holfax, when they had gone several miles.
He halted the dogs and listened. The others could hear nothing.
"What is it, Holfax?" asked Mr. Baxter.
"Them come," replied the Indian. "Can hear dogs howl, an' sound of sleds on ice."
This may have been so, but the hearing of the Indian was more acute than that of the travelers.
"So the enemy is after our gold?" remarked Mr. Baxter. "Well, they'll have to fight to get it."
"Suppose they outnumber us?" asked Fred.
"They probably do. Otherwise I do not believe they would dare think of attacking us. There is probably a large band of them."
"Then we can not fight them alone."
"I suppose not," admitted Mr. Baxter. "But I have a plan that may help us. Holfax, come here, I want to talk to you."