_ CHAPTER XXI. A HUNT FOR FOOD
The Indian was awake and making signs to his friends. For some time they were at a loss to understand their meaning, but Howard noticed that he had a leaf in his hand which he offered to them. When the boy took it his face showed that he was pleased, but continued his signs as before.
Suddenly Elwood's eyes sparkled.
"He wants us to bring him some of those leaves. Let me have it; they must be on the island."
He hastened away and was not long in finding a bush that bore precisely the same species, and gathering quite a lot he returned to the Indian and offered them to him. But he did not seem satisfied. He looked at the leaves, nodded his head, and then taking them by the slight twigs to which they were fastened, he made as if to pull them up again.
"Ah! I know what he means!" said Howard. "It is not the leaf but the root that he wishes."
"I can soon get that."
Elwood verified his words, and scarce ten minutes elapsed ere he returned with several goodly-sized roots, which were washed and cleaned. The look of the Indian showed that he had now got what he wanted, and he began gnawing the bark and chewing it.
"He's a docthering himself now!" said Tim, "as the patient said when he gave the docther his own medicine and pisened him to death by raisin of the same. He will get along."
They watched the sufferer for a few moments. Gathering his mouth nearly full of the bark, he continued chewing and swallowing for some time longer, when he finally shut his eyes and again slept.
Picking up a piece of the root which he had gathered Elwood tasted of it. He found it so bitter that he instantly spat it out.
"It must have some medicinal quality," remarked Howard, "or he would not use it. I believe the Indians doctor entirely with herbs, and I have no doubt that he will soon be well."
"Do yez mind that if it isn't noon it is close to the same? And be the tame towken we are all slightly hungry."
Now arose a query. The island was so small that it contained no game of any kind, and so was unavailable to supply their wants. The river abounded in fish, but there was no means of catching them; and finally, after some discussion, it was agreed that Tim should cross over to the mainland and shoot something.
"Do yez kaap your eyes about yez till I'z back again, for some of the coppery gintlemen may take a notion to pay yez a visit."
The boys felt a little uneasiness as they saw their companion enter the canoe and paddle toward the eastern shore--the shore which as yet had been unvisited by them. They watched until he landed, pulled the boat up behind him into shelter, and then disappeared in the wood.
"We shall be in rather a bad situation if he never comes back," remarked Elwood.
"I don't know about that; in what better occupation can we be found than in ministering to the wants of a suffering Indian? Would not that itself protect us from injury?"
"Perhaps it might; but what would become of us any way? They wouldn't be kind enough to guide us up to San Francisco."
"They might take us so far that we could find our way."
"Hardly; I don't like to see Tim go to that shore; it looks too dangerous. I wonder why he did it?"
"He must have believed there is more game there."
"But there is enough on the other side, and he would avoid this greater danger by going there."
"I imagine that a river running through a hostile country is as dangerous upon one side as upon the other, and there is little choice, Howard, in the matter."
"But I know _you_ feel unpleasant in being thus left alone."
"I know I shall be glad to see Tim come back again, for there is always great danger in such a small party separating."
"Halloo! there goes his gun or somebody else's."
The sharp crack of the rifle came from the shore, and Elwood was sure he saw the faint smoke of the discharge ascend from some thick bushes near the edge of the wood. But he was no doubt mistaken, for as they scrutinized the spot they detected nothing of him who had fired the gun.
"I suppose it was Tim firing at some game. You know he is not a very good shot, and so he has badly wounded without killing it."
"Then we ought to hear his gun again."
"We shall no doubt----"
"Hark!"
Crack went a gun, almost instantly followed by three similar reports. The boys turned pale and looked at each other.
"What does that mean?" whispered Elwood.
"That is bad; Tim is in trouble."
"He ought to have had better sense than to paddle out there in open day, plunge right into the woods and go to shooting without stopping to see what the danger is. But what will become of him?"
"And of us?"
"This Indian here must have had some way of getting upon the island. I believe he has a canoe hid somewhere."
"But what of it? We cannot think of leaving until we know something definite about Tim."
"Unless some of the Indians start to come over to the island, and then we'll leave."
"Do you think that would be the wisest plan, Elwood? They can handle the paddle so much better than we that it would take but little time for them to overhaul us. Then, too, if they should find us by this suffering brother of theirs would it not make friends of them?"
"Suppose this Indian here is one of their enemies?"
This was a supposition that had never occurred to Howard before, but which he saw was very reasonable. All Indians not belonging to the same tribe might be supposed to be enemies of each other, and thus the mercy and kindness of our young heroes might be made the means of their destruction.
"I didn't think of that," said Howard, "it may be so. But let us hope for the best. Tim may soon return to us again."
"Not if he has a grain of sense left."
"And why not?"
"He has been seen by Indians, and if they haven't got him now they will soon have him if he undertakes to paddle his canoe over to the island."
"You are right, Elwood; he will no doubt wait until it is dark, and then come out to us as stealthily as he can."
"That is if he gets the chance. I tell you, Howard," said his cousin, starting up, "this begins to look bad."
"I know it does."
"We know how those red men handle their guns, and it don't look likely to me that all those shots have missed Tim."
"They may be quite a distance apart--far enough to make their aim uncertain."
"But then they could cut off his return to the shore."
Howard suddenly laid his hand upon the arm of his cousin and pointed to the other shore. _