Through Forest and Stream | Page 8

bounded away."
"It was no deer that I heard, my boy," he whispered, "but something big and heavy. Whatever it was trod upon a stick or a shell, and it snapped loudly and woke me up. There it is again."
I heard the sound quite plainly in the darkness, and it was exactly as Uncle Dick described, but I leaned towards its being a fragile shell trodden on by some big animal or a man.
"Couldn't be one of the great cats?" I whispered.
"Oh, no! they tread like velvet."
"Could it be a tapir?"
"Not a likely place for one. Hist!"
I was silent, and lay listening, so to speak, with all my might, till a low swishing sound reached us, just as if someone had brushed against a bush.
Uncle Dick laid his hand upon my shoulder, and he pressed it hard, as if silently saying, "Did you hear that?"
I answered him in a similar way, and then he whispered:
"Someone is prowling round the tent, and we shall have to go out and challenge them."
"Suppose they are savages with bows and arrows?" I whispered back.
"Too dark for them to take aim," he said. "A bold dash out will scare them, and I'll fire over their heads."
I felt as if it would be safer to stay where we were; but it seemed cowardly, so I was silent.
"I'll go out at once," said Uncle Dick, and I was silent for a moment, and then rose with my gun ready.
"I'll come with you, uncle," I whispered.
He pressed my hand before creeping softly out; and I followed, to find that the darkness was as black as inside the tent; that the fire-flies had ceased to shimmer and flash about the low trees, and that the fire was so nearly out that there was nothing visible but a faint glow.
"Stand fast," whispered Uncle Dick, "while I throw on some of the light twigs we put ready."
I did not remember putting any light twigs ready, nor anything else just then, for my head was full of wild thoughts, and I was straining my eyesight in all directions, with my gun cocked and ready to fire at the first attack.
All at once there was a rustle as the twigs were thrown on the glowing embers; a sharp crackling followed, and a bright flame sprang up.
At almost the same moment there came from the trees beyond the sound of a rush being made through the bushes, and then the report of Uncle Dick's gun as he fired twice.
Someone uttered an ejaculation, the rushing sound increased, and directly after there came a loud crashing noise as if someone had fallen; but he--or it--was up again directly, and our enemies, by the splashing and crackling sounds, seemed to be retreating up the bed of the rivulet.
I stood ready to fire, but reserved my shot, as there seemed to be no need; and as I listened intently I could hear Uncle Dick slipping fresh cartridges into his gun, and the click it gave as he closed the breech.
"Hadn't we better get into shelter?" I whispered. "We offer such a good mark for an arrow."
"No, my boy," said my uncle; "the fire is between us and the enemy, and we are quite safe."
For the twigs were blazing merrily now, and sending out a bright light, which spread around and made the nearest trees stand out and the little tent look bright and clear.
But the next moment something else caught my eye, and the startled sensation seemed to cause a catching of my breath as I stood pointing down at the smooth patch of sand beside the trickling water of the stream--a patch over which a wave must have lately passed, it was so smooth, while close up towards the fire, and where the full blaze of light played, were the objects which had struck my eye.
"What is it, Nat?" said my uncle sharply, and then as he caught sight of the marks too, he answered his own question aloud:
"Footprints--men's--yes, more than one. Hah! Look-out, Nat; I can hear them coming back."
Uncle Dick's ears seemed to be sharper than mine, for though I listened intently and stood prepared to fire, some minutes elapsed before I heard a sound, and then it was not from up the stream, but from overhead--a sharp whistling cry--which was repeated again and again, and I caught the flash of wings as a large bird circled round, evidently attracted by the fire, which was kept blazing.
"Throw on some more, Nat," said my uncle; "it will serve to keep them at a distance. Perhaps we've scared the savages off for good."
"I hope so," I said; "but we mustn't go to sleep again."
"You're a queer chap, Nat, if you could go to sleep after this; I couldn't."
"But they may not be savages, uncle," I said.
"Perhaps not, but