“I must be real good,” said Dick Hamilton airily as he resumed his tramp, “thus to crush my fondest hopes and dash away the tempting cup held to my lips, but all the same, I almost wish I had dropped that fellow.”
By this time he was so much nearer Harvey than to Bohunkus that Dick emitted the signal to which all were accustomed. He hardly expected a reply and did not receive any, the singular situation being that at that very moment the brothers were issuing their calls and yet neither could hear the other. Harvey’s location at the bottom of the gorge shut in his voice and signals and shut out those of Dick. Had the former been standing above the gorge where only trees and brush intervened, the two would have come together in a brief while.
Despite the assurance of Dick, he wandered from the course he intended to follow. It will be remembered that the region was strange to him and he had no guiding landmarks. When he awoke to the unpleasant fact night was closing in. He did not know what direction to take to reach Harvey and signaled repeatedly, but inasmuch as he was a good deal farther off than in the first place, it need not be said that his calls failed to reach the ears for which they were meant. He strove to regain his bearings, and since he was able to locate the lake and saw the glimmer of the camp fire beyond, he accomplished much in the way of correcting his course.
“I wonder whether anything has happened to Harv,” he mused, with a vague uneasiness stealing over him; “I don’t see what could have harmed him, for he has his Colt and no animals in this part of the world will attack a fellow in his situation. He is too used to tramping through the woods to fall over the rocks or to tumble into any chasm.”
Little did the elder brother suspect how near he had hit upon the truth.
Satisfied that he was on the right course, Dick pressed on until the darkness became too deep for him to see his way. He halted and peered around in the starlight, but his vision was too obstructed to give any satisfaction.
“As nearly as I can figure out I am pretty near the spot. If I am right, why in the mischief doesn’t he answer me?”
He raised his voice once more and shouted and whistled. In this instance Harvey would have made reply but for the fact that he was asleep. All through the racket he slumbered as serenely as if in his own bed at home.
Dick, with his hands extended in front, one grasping his Winchester, groped forward, careful where he placed each foot in turn.
“I can’t say that I fancy this work. If I don’t bump against Harv pretty soon I’ll give it up for the night.