The Phantom of the River

de by one of those black-coated birds calling to its mate or the flock from which it had strayed. Neither Boone nor Kenton distinguished any difference between the tone and what they had

o. From the first time it was heard, no more than half an hour before, it held the same relative distance from the river, but advanced

e. The oppressive stillness that held reign throughout the forest on that sultry su

rades that he was following the progress of the pioneers, which was therefore fu

eated on the fallen tree looked in each other's faces with

ou make of

awanoes are keeping track of every movement of

e varmints are

ne, and there m

determining the number, since the hostiles in front so regulated their progres

was not wholly co

ficant smile, "there's more than o

d in turn and n

two, and may be more-bu

dcraft of these remarkable men than their agreement

nd I would have shaken our heads and smiled, had we been asked to distinguish it, but to those two pa

mitted a companion to try his hand, or rather his throat, at

I make it, it's this way-they mean to

proving nod of his head, "and if we don't sarcumvent '

and within one hundred yards of the stream. It was less than a half a mile in advance of wh

oubt this path had been in existence at least one hundred years. Beyond the gulch it trended to the right and deepe

g necessity could prevent a person from using the trail when journeying to the eastward or westward through that section. Evidently,

er, which burried his fangs in his leggins, just missing his skin. Afore the sarpent could strike again, the captain made a sweep with his gun bar'l that knocked off his head. He was a whopper, and the captain pulled out his knife to cut off his rattles to bring to the block

me Rattlesnake Gulch to the place, I 'sp

rty, but desarving, though I've been through the h

hav

was

t was a rattler as big as them of the captain's. The buck was a fool, for instead of backing out, as you know animals are quick to do at sight of a rattler, he began to snuff and cavort about the snake, and finally brought his front hoofs down on it

, they don't caw like a crow, and don't try to ambuscade folks, and they give

s, "he'd be a much more decent sarpint if he didn't strike at all. The black snake doesn't sting you, and yet he'll k

e varmints think we're going to try to pass through Rattlesna

hat will ou

me other

that they, especially the women, can't go ten feet without

lated much on the matter. "In the first place, they must move so slow that they won't reach the neighborhood of the

d does wi

of the boys can, with the women-and cross the river further down stream, stri

The scheme did not i

children across the river? It isn't likely th

would it be to

head; he was not pleas

seriously, "there's a canoe of mine hid under the bushes just this

t, but if I ain't mistook, there's a craft along

are r

go back f

f I can manage to fetch the boat up the river without an

women and children and r

wo v'yages or more,

n be done. If you are lucky 'nough to find tother boa

ps, as if searching for something. So h

urs are long 'nough for the folks to make the trip to Rattlesnake Gulch twice over. Some plan has got to be fixed up not to git thar till af

der, after a brief pause; "some accident might happe

ny rattler near the gulch; you have; you're the one, therefore, to see some of 'em agin. You're the one to let a big rattler sting

oise been less pronounced the two rangers would have darted behind the nearest sheltering trees; but the noise was too distinct for e

servant lad of Mr. Altman, slouched into sight, with his rifle slung over his shoulder. Not until he had advanced a dozen steps further did

Kenton, uncertain wha

s' gwine to plug yo'; lucky yo' spoke when yo' done did, or I'd wiped out bofe ob yo' afore anybody could hol