“And pretty soon Pat will be telling us that he can follow the trail no longer,” pursued the disconsolate one. “Then here we’ll have to settle down for the night, and wait for it to get light enough to see, when we’ll be off in a big hurry. I wish I could do what Joshua did, you know, Bob.”
“Make the sun stand still, you mean, Sandy?”
“Yes, because that would give us more time to keep chasing after these rascally Frenchmen,” replied the other, with vehemence.
“Oh! yes, but you forget that, if the daylight remained, and they kept on moving all the time, they would be holding their own against us, and continuing to play those tricks that so far have failed to hoodwink Pat.”
“But I hope he will never think of giving up the pursuit as long as we can find a single trace of where they have gone. This is the last chance we’re ever going to have to get back that belt; and something tells me that, if we keep after them, just like the wolf does the wounded stag, day and night, without ever quitting, why, we’re just bound to catch up with Jacques and Henri—some time or other.”
“Wait and see what happens,” was all Bob would say; but Sandy knew that his elder brother had considerable persistency in his nature; and on this account he hugged a hope that Bob would want to keep on the track of the thieves until in the end they were overhauled.
But it certainly was growing dusk rapidly. Pat had to bend over more and more to see what he wanted. At any minute Bob expected to hear the trapper declare that it would be folly to try to track the Frenchmen any longer, unless they chose to make use of a torch, which would be a dangerous proceeding, since they were apt to attract the notice of any roving Indian who might happen to be in the vicinity.
And sure enough, Pat presently came to a full stop, calmly proceeding to charge his little pipe, at which he puffed with evident relish.
“The game is up for the night, me byes,” he said, calmly. “We do be havin’ to settle down here, and wait for the day to come, whin I’ll again sthart away. I doubt that the rogues will thry to throw the dust in our eyes again; and so we kin make better time, wance we get stharted. It’s harrd, I do be understandin’; but what’s the use thryin’ to smash your head ag’inst a stone wall? Bitter far, jist take it aisy-like, and belave it’s all a-goin’ to come out right in the ind.”
They went into camp. Bob had been wise enough to bring along a portion of the fresh venison, so there was no need of any one going hungry; and Pat took it upon himself to build the cleverest little cooking fire they ever saw, so fashioned that, even in the darkness that came upon them presently, it could not have been seen twenty feet away.