“Wal,” said Vic, “it war in this way. I war ’way up the creek two three miles, an’ I had a little bout with three copper-skins, an’ worsted two on ’em an’ t’other one took leg-bail. I kep’ a sharp look-out, an’ I’m powerful sartin there warn’t any o’ ’em follered me, but the fact is, the woods is full of ’em. I seen more’n forty signs. I come back here an’ hadn’t been here long when I heerd a noise at the doorway thar. I jest peeked out of the passage, an’ thar war a pesky red-skin peekin’ in! I got my gun up a leetle the quickest, but the imp see’d me an’ drawed back, an’ slammed the stun down in a jiffy. Then we heerd them jabberin’ out thar, an’ hootin’ an’ yellin’.”
“That must have been the noise I heard when in the further cave,” remarked Kent. “It was so faint I supposed it was Nat, and thought no more about it. If there was only another outlet to the place! We discovered a small opening in the last apartment, but it is twenty feet from the floor, and can not be reached.”
“Why?” asked Nat, “can’t we climb?”
“Law,” put in Scip, “the wall slants toward the middle of the room at the top. It’s like clim’in’ the underside of a ladder that’s set slantin’. Can’t be done, nohow.”
At the close of this scientific explanation, the trapper started up, and taking the torch, said:
“I’m goin’ tew see. Come, Kent.”
The young man followed, but in ten minutes they returned, saying that it would be impossible to escape through there, even if it led to the outer air, which was by no means certain.
“It’s entirely unpossible to reach thet hole,” said Wild Nat, throwing down the torch he held. “It can’t be done. We’re in a trap, thet’s sartin. We mought dig out ef the mountain warn’t so all-fired steep. As it is thar’s no chance tew come out fur enough from the alligators tew escape unseen; an’ thet ain’t the worst on’t nuther. Ninety-nine chances out’n a hundred, thet we’d come tew rocks thet would stop our tunnel.”
“It’s a tight place,” said Vic. “Fur’s I’m concerned, I shouldn’t mind runnin’ out thar an’ fightin’ my way, or die tryin’ it, but the gal’s a different matter.”
“Then I suppose we must content ourselves to stay here and starve,” said Kent. “Of course the Indians will stay here.”