Ferrier carried the bag of gold and notes, Jefferson Hope had the scantyprovisions and water, while Lucy had a small bundle containing a fewof her more valued possessions. Opening the window very slowly andcarefully, they waited until a dark cloud had somewhat obscured thenight, and then one by one passed through into the little garden. Withbated breath and crouching figures they stumbled across it, and gainedthe shelter of the hedge, which they skirted until they came to the gapwhich opened into the cornfields. They had just reached this point whenthe young man seized his two companions and dragged them down into theshadow, where they lay silent and trembling.
It was as well that his prairie training had given Jefferson Hope theears of a lynx. He and his friends had hardly crouched down before themelancholy hooting of a mountain owl was heard within a few yardsof them, which was immediately answered by another hoot at a smalldistance. At the same moment a vague shadowy figure emerged from thegap for which they had been making, and uttered the plaintive signal cryagain, on which a second man appeared out of the obscurity.
"To-morrow at midnight," said the first who appeared to be in authority."When the Whip-poor-Will calls three times."
"It is well," returned the other. "Shall I tell Brother Drebber?"
"Pass it on to him, and from him to the others. Nine to seven!"
"Seven to five!" repeated the other, and the two figures flitted awayin different directions. Their concluding words had evidently been someform of sign and countersign. The instant that their footsteps had diedaway in the distance, Jefferson Hope sprang to his feet, and helping hiscompanions through the gap, led the way across the fields at the topof his speed, supporting and half-carrying the girl when her strengthappeared to fail her.
"Hurry on! hurry on!" he gasped from time to time. "We are through theline of sentinels. Everything depends on speed. Hurry on!"
Once on the high road they made rapid progress. Only once did theymeet anyone, and then they managed to slip into a field, and so avoidrecognition. Before reaching the town the hunter branched away into arugged and narrow footpath which led to the mountains. Two dark jaggedpeaks loomed above them through the darkness, and the defile which ledbetween them was the Eagle Canon in which the horses were awaiting them.With unerring instinct Jefferson Hope picked his way among the greatboulders and along the bed of a dried-up watercourse, until he came tothe retired corner, screened with rocks, where the faithful animals hadbeen picketed. The girl was placed upon the mule, and old Ferrier uponone of the horses, with his money-bag, while Jefferson Hope led theother along the precipitous and dangerous path.
It was a bewildering route for anyone who was not accustomed to faceNature in her wildest moods. On the one side a great crag towered up athousand feet or more, black, stern, and menacing, with long basalticcolumns upon its rugged surface like the ribs of some petrified monster.On the other hand a wild chaos of boulders and debris made all advanceimpossible. Between the two ran the irregular track, so narrow in placesthat they had to travel in Indian file, and so rough that only practisedriders could have traversed it at all. Yet in spite of all dangers anddifficulti
es, the hearts of the fugitives were light within them,for every step increased the distance between them and the terribledespotism from which they were flying.
They soon had a proof, however, that they were still within thejurisdiction of the Saints. They had reached the very wildest and mostdesolate portion of the pass when the girl gave a startled cry, andpointed upwards. On a rock which overlooked the track, showing out darkand plain against the sky, there stood a solitary sentinel. He saw themas soon as they perceived him, and his military challenge of "Who goesthere?" rang through the silent ravine.
"Travellers for Nevada," said Jefferson Hope, with his hand upon therifle which hung by his saddle.
They could see the lonely watcher fingering his gun, and peering down atthem as if dissatisfied at their reply.
"By whose permission?" he asked.
"The Holy Four," answered Ferrier. His Mormon experiences had taught himthat that was the highest authority to which he could refer.
"Nine from seven," cried the sentinel.
"Seven from five," returned Jefferson Hope promptly, remembering thecountersign which he had heard in the garden.
"Pass, and the Lord go with you," said the voice from above. Beyond hispost the path broadened out, and the horses were able to break into atrot. Looking back, they could see the solitary watcher leaning uponhis gun, and knew that they had passed the outlying post of the chosenpeople, and that freedom lay before them.
CHAPTER V. THE AVENGING ANGELS.
ALL night their course lay through intricate defiles and over irregularand rock-strewn paths. More than once they lost their way, but Hope'sintimate knowledge of the mountains enabled them to regain the trackonce more. When morning broke, a scene of marvellous though savagebeauty lay before them. In every direction the great snow-capped peakshemmed them in, peeping over each other's shoulders to the far horizon.So steep were the rocky banks on either side of them, that the larchand the pine seemed to be suspended over their heads, and to need only agust of wind to come hurtling down upon them. Nor was the fear entirelyan illusion, for the barren valley was thickly strewn with trees andboulders which had fallen in a similar manner. Even as they passed,a great rock came thundering down with a hoarse rattle which wokethe echoes in the silent gorges, and startled the weary horses into agallop.
As the sun rose slowly above the eastern horizon, the caps of the greatmountains lit up one after the other, like lamps at a festival, untilthey were all ruddy and glowing. The magnificent spectacle cheered thehearts of the three fugitives and gave them fresh energy. At a wildtorrent which swept out of a ravine they called a halt and watered theirhorses, while they partook of a hasty breakfast. Lucy and her fatherwould fain have rested longer, but Jefferson Hope was inexorable. "Theywill be upon our track by this time," he said. "Everything depends uponour speed. Once safe in Carson we may rest for the remainder of ourlives."
During the whole of that day they struggled on through the defiles, andby evening they calculated that they were more than thirty miles fromtheir enemies. At night-time they chose the base of a beetling crag,where the rocks offered some protection from the chill wind, and therehuddled together for warmth, they enjoyed a few hours' sleep. Beforedaybreak, however, they were up and on their way once more. They hadseen no signs of any pursuers, and Jefferson Hope began to think thatthey were fairly out of the reach of the terrible organization whoseenmity they had incurred. He little knew how far that iron grasp couldreach, or how soon it was to close upon them and crush them.
About the middle of the second day of their flight their scanty storeof provisions began to run out. This gave the hunter little uneasiness,however, for there was game to be had among the mountains, and he hadfrequently before had to depend upon his rifle for the needs of life.Choosing a sheltered nook, he piled together a few dried branches andmade a blazing fire, at which his companions might warm themselves, forthey were now nearly five thousand feet above the sea level, and the airwas bitter and keen. Having tethered the horses, and bade Lucy adieu,he threw his gun over his shoulder, and set out in search of whateverchance might throw in his way. Looking back he saw the old man and theyoung girl crouching over the blazing fire, while the three animalsstood motionless in the back-ground. Then the intervening rocks hid themfrom his view.
He walked for a couple of miles through one ravine after another withoutsuccess, though from the marks upon the bark of the trees, and otherindications, he judged that there were numerous bears in the vicinity.At last, after two or three hours' fruitless search, he was thinking ofturning back in despair, when casting his eyes upwards he saw a sightwhich sent a thrill of pleasure through his heart. On the edge of ajutting pinnacle, three or four hundred feet above him, there stood acreature somewhat resembling a sheep in appearance, but armed with apair of gigantic horns. The big-horn--for so it is called--was acting,probably, as a guardian over a flock which were invisible to the hunter;but fortunately it was heading in the opposite direction, and had notperceived him. Lying on his face, he rested his rifle upon a rock, andtook a long and steady aim before drawing the trigger. The animal spranginto the air, tottered for a moment upon the edge of the precipice, andthen came crashing down into the valley beneath.
The creature was too unwieldy to lift, so the hunter contented himselfwith cutting away one haunch and part of the flank. With this trophyover his shoulder, he hastened to retrace his steps, for the evening wasalready drawing in. He had hardly started, however, before he realizedthe difficulty which faced him. In his eagerness he had wandered farpast the ravines which were known to him, and it was no easy matterto pick out the path which he had taken. The valley in which he foundhimself divided and sub-divided into many gorges, which were so likeeach other that it was impossible to distinguish one from the other.He followed one for a mile or more until he came to a mountain torrentwhich he was sure that he had never seen before. Convinced that he hadtaken the wrong turn, he tried another, but with the same result. Nightwas coming on rapidly, and it was almost dark before he at last foundhimself in a defile which was familiar to him. Even then it was no easymatter to keep to the right track, for the moon had not yet risen, andthe high cliffs on either side made the obscurity more profound. Weigheddown with his burden, and weary from his exertions, he stumbled along,keeping up his heart by the reflection that every step brought himnearer to Lucy, and that he carried with him enough to ensure them foodfor the remainder of their journey.
He had now come to the mouth of the very defile in which he had leftthem. Even in the darkness he could recognize the outline of the cliffswhich bounded it. They must, he reflected, be awaiting him anxiously,for he had been absent nearly five hours. In the gladness of his hearthe put his hands to his mouth and made the glen re-echo to a loud hallooas a signal that he was coming. He paused and listened for an answer.None came save his own cry, which clattered up the dreary silentravines, and was borne back to his ears in countless repetitions. Againhe shouted, even louder than before, and again no whisper came back fromthe friends whom he had left such a short time ago. A vague, namelessdread came over him, and he hurried onwards frantically, dropping theprecious food in his agitation.
When he turned the corner, he came full in sight of the spot where thefire had been lit. There was still a glowing pile of wood ashes there,but it had evidently not been tended since his departure. The samedead silence still reigned all round. With his fears all changed toconvictions, he hurried on. There was no living creature near theremains of the fire: animals, man, maiden, all were gone. It was onlytoo clear that some sudden and terrible disaster had occurred duringhis absence--a disaster which had embraced them all, and yet had left notraces behind it.
Bewildered and stunned by this blow, Jefferson Hope felt his head spinround, and had to lean upon his rifle to save himself from falling. Hewas essentially a man of action, however, and speedily recovered fromhis temporary impotence. Seizing a half-consumed piece of wood from thesmouldering fire, he blew it into a flame, and proceeded with its helpto examine the little camp. The ground was all stamped down by the feetof horses, showing that a large party of mounted men had overtakenthe fugitives, and the direction of their tracks proved that they hadafterwards turned back to Salt Lake City. Had they carried back both ofhis companions with them? Jefferson Hope had almost persuaded himselfthat they must have done so, when his eye fell upon an object which madeevery nerve of his body tingle within him. A little way on one side ofthe camp was a low-lying heap of reddish soil, which had assuredlynot been there before. There was no mistaking it for anything but anewly-dug grave. As the young hunter approached it, he perceived that astick had been planted on it, with a sheet of paper stuck in the cleftfork of it. The inscription upon the paper was brief, but to the point:
JOHN FERRIER, FORMERLY OF SALT LAKE CITY, [22] Died August 4th, 1860.
The sturdy old man, whom he had left so short a time before, was gone,then, and this was all his epitaph. Jefferson Hope looked wildly roundto see if there was a second grave, but there was no sign of one. Lucyhad been carried back by their terrible pursuers to fulfil her originaldestiny, by becoming one of the harem of the Elder's son. As the youngfellow realized the certainty of her fate, and his own powerlessness toprevent it, he wished that he, too, was lying with the old farmer in hislast silent resting-place.