He opened his mouth to call out a cheery greeting to them and then his mouth remained open, no sound issuing from it for the moment. In the pine grove above them he detected a spurt of fire, and the next instant a dry bush burst into crackling flame. He awoke from his temporary muteness.
“Come on boys, on the jump!” he shouted. “Grab all the pails you can get hold of! The woods are on fire!”
CHAPTER XIX
DRUMMER SAVES HIS CHIEF
It was with a sinking heart and a quick flash of chilling fear that Buck felt himself in the grasp of the unknown man back of the cemetery monument. The attack had come so quickly that, added to the mystery and uncanniness of the place and hour, his mind whirled for the moment. The hand over his mouth was rough and horny, calloused apparently by hard labor, and the arm which encircled his body and pinned his own arms to his sides was a strong and sinewy one, the thin but whip-like cords of which he could feel even through his clothing.
His fingers still rested on the button of his flashlight and the thought occurred to him to light it. But as though reading his thought the strange individual swung down a long, lean hand and swept it from his grasp. Buck might have used his light for a weapon had he thought about it, but just now his thoughts and impressions were too confused to allow for anything constructive.
Still keeping his hand over Buck’s mouth and his thin arm around his body with a grip of steel, the man peered out around the tall stone to see if anyone was following the leader. He could see the group of boys merely as shadows a little darker than the sky, for at the point where they were standing there was no woods background and as the cemetery was high on a ridge of the mountain the boys were outlined like uneasy shadows against a black sky. Seeming to derive comfort from the fact that Buck was all alone, the man started to drag him off.
But in this period of time Buck had recovered his presence of mind. The man who had him was very little taller than he was, his body was thin and he seemed to be nearer middle age than young. All in all, Buck was huskier, but for all that, the man who held him had muscles of steel. There was no doubt that he was a native mountain character and he was ready for any emergency. Buck wished fervently that he could get his mouth free and also gain the use of his arms. He felt that with the use of his arms he could match himself up favorably with the man who held him.
Just as the man began to drag him off, Buck began a frantic attempt to break away. He jerked his head back in an effort to free his mouth, but the man immediately dug his long fingers into Buck’s cheeks. The pain infuriated the boy and he increased his struggles. He fought to free his arms, exerting all of his strength to do so.
The attempt was futile. Like a winding whip the thin arm tightened even more closely until the wind was almost forced from his body. Then Buck began a foot attack.
This nearly succeeded, for the man was not prepared for it. Buck gave his nearest foot a kick that made the man grunt with pain, and for a moment it looked as though he was going to go over. But he recovered his ground and once more began his dragging process. Fighting stoutly but vainly, Buck was dragged along.