CHAPTER XIII.

LUCKY ACQUIRES AN ARSENAL.

Bob was far from convinced that the move, proposed by Jack, was a wise one but, for the life of him, he was unable to suggest anything else and, after a few more objections, he gave in.

"Who's going to do the frisking?" he asked.

"Injun do eet Injun ver' bon like that," Lucky told them.

"All right then. We'll stand guard and, mind now both of you, if they start any shooting make for the door as quickly as possible."

It was a desperate chance they were taking and Bob's heart beat rapidly as they retraced their steps and once more stood before the door.

"It's up to you, Lucky," he whispered as the Indian reached out his hand to push the door open.

"Injun do heem best," Lucky whispered back.

"I know it," Bob assured him.

Another instant and they once more stood in the room. They could hear the heavy breathing of the men and one of them was snoring loudly enough, Jack afterward declared, to wake the dead. The two boys at once took their position by the big table and the Indian approached the nearest of the bunks. It was so dark that they were unable to see a hand before their eyes, a fact that Bob was undecided whether to regard as an advantage or otherwise. Plenty of light would undoubtedly be to their advantage should any of the men awake for it would enable them to keep them quiet in their bunks, but a little light, perhaps, would throw the advantage to the other side. Maybe, on the whole, it was just as well that it was dark. Not a sound save the breathing of the men and the stentorion tones of the snorer broke the silence. Lucky was doing his work with absolute silence and, as minute after minute passed, Bob began to breath more easily. Perhaps they would succeed after all.

It seemed to him that a long time had passed when he felt a touch on his arm and he knew that Lucky was thrusting revolvers into the pockets of his coat. He longed to ask him if he was through, but did not dare and then he knew he was not for he did not give the signal to leave. Carefully feeling with his hands he counted six revolvers and wondered if he had put any in Jack's pockets. Then, suddenly, his heart skipped a beat as he heard a movement in the direction of the bunks.

"What de matter?" he heard one of the men grumble.

He reached out a hand and touched Jack's arm as a caution for him to keep silent.

"Can't you no let feller sleep?" came, in sleepy tones from another bunk.

"What for you touch me den?"

"Me no touch you, you have de dream, oui."

"Shut up you feller," came in louder tones which Bob recognized as the leader's.

Then all was still again.

"That was a narrow one," Bob thought.

The minutes passed and he wondered if the Indian was again at his work. He knew he would wait some time to permit them to get to sleep again. Then, suddenly, he was conscious of a new sound which seemed to come from the room at the rear. It was so slight a sound that he strained his ears uncertain whether or not he had really heard anything. It sounded like a very feeble groan and was repeated several times so that finally he was convinced that it was no trick of imagination.

"There's someone in that room," he thought, and wondered if Jack had heard it.

Would Lucky never finish? It seemed to the anxious boy that hours had passed since they had re-entered the room when he at last felt a tug at his sleeve and knew that the Indian was telling him that it was over.

"Thank God," he breathed as he reached out his hand and caught hold of Jack's arm.

A moment more and they were again outside.

"Did you get them all?" Bob whispered as soon as they were well away from the door.

"No can tell. Geet all could find."

"How many?"

"I t'ink ten."

"That's one apiece and one over," Jack said. "Now what do you think of my plan?"

"It turned out well, but if it hadn't--"

"Quit hanging crepe," Jack interrupted. "They didn't."

"But they came mighty near it."

"I'll say they did and I was just on the point of ordering hands up when you touched me."

"It's a good think I touched you then."

"I'll say it was."

"Say, Jack, did you hear anything while in there?" Bob asked suddenly.

"Heard one fellow snoring if that's what you mean."

"No. I thought I heard something that seemed to come from that back room."

"As if someone was groaning?"

"Yep, that was it."

"Now you speak of it seems as though I did. Yes, I remember wondering what it could be."

"Did you hear it, Lucky?"

"No, Injun too busy."

"Well, I'm convinced that there's someone there and I think we ought to investigate," Bob declared.

"Maybe they've got Uncle Silas and that Long tied up in there," Jack suggested.

"Just what I was thinking."

"Well there's a way to find out."

"I know, but I wish I was sure that Lucky got all their guns."

"You can't be, so what's the use of wishing? Let's go out back and see if there's a rear door."

"You didn't get hold of a flashlight did you, Lucky?" Bob asked as they started around back.

"Oui, I geet one," and the Indian pulled it from his pocket and handed it to Bob.

"Good."

They found a door at the rear as they had expected and, as they reached it, Bob said:

"No need of more than one going in. You two stay here and I'll see what there is there."

"You leave door open," Lucky declared.

The door was not locked and yielded readily to his touch and he quickly stepped inside leaving it wide open as the Indian had ordered. It was pitch dark inside and, for an instant, he listened. Soon he was conscious of heavy breathing and, pressing the spring of the flashlight, he threw its beams about the room. As he had expected it was the kitchen and in one corner, near the stove, lay the body of a man. As Bob bent over the form he perceived that it was a man slightly past middle age. He bent over and touched the man lightly on the shoulder.

"S-s-s-s-h," he whispered as he moved. "Don't make a noise."

"Who--who are you?" the man whispered.

"I'm a friend. Are you tied?"

"Yes."

Bob knelt on the floor and in a moment had untied the piece of rope with which the man's hands were tied behind his back. Then he released his feet which were also tightly bound together.

"Can you get up?" he asked.

"I--I guess so."

"Just a minute and I'll help you."

He turned off the light and thrust it into his pocket and then, putting his hands beneath the man's shoulders he helped him to his feet.

"You are pretty weak," he whispered.

"I'm starved. Had nothing to eat for five days."

"The brutes."

By this time they had reached the door and in another minute were outside.

"You found him," Jack whispered.

"Yes, and they've nearly starved him."

"Who--who are you?" the man again asked weakly.

"My name is Bob Lakewood and this is my brother, Jack and--"

"Lakewood, did you say?" the man interrupted.

"Yes, and unless I'm mistaken you are Silas Lakewood."

"And--and you--you are my nephews."

"Right, but we must not stand here talking now."

"They'll kill you if--if--" the man faltered.

"Not that bad," Bob assured him. "You see we've got all their guns, that is, we think we have and--" Then he stopped short. "Well of all the dumb--"

"What's the matter now?" Jack interrupted.

"The rifles. We forgot them."

"What do you know about that?"

"Injun no forgeet heem."

"You mean you got them, Lucky?" Bob asked quickly.

"Oui. Them rifle all out whar dog be."

"But when did you do it?"

"After put leetle guns in your pocket. Then geet rifles."

"And I thought you had gone back for the rest of the revolvers," Bob told him.

While talking they had been walking toward the shed which stood about forty feet to one side of the cabin, Bob and Jack supporting their uncle one on each side.

"We'd better start now as soon as we can, eh Lucky?" Bob asked as they stopped in front of the shed.

The Indian had gone ahead to make sure that the dogs made no noise and assured them that he would have the team hitched in "a leetle minute."

Among their stores were several bottles of malted milk and Bob quickly rummaged in the pack and found one which he emptied into a dipper and brought to his uncle.

"I reckon this is the best we can do just now," he told him, "and I'm not sure, but that it's about the best thing you could have if you haven't eaten for five days."

Mr. Lakewood drank the milk eagerly and declared that nothing could have been better suited to his needs. He had hardly finished when Lucky announced that the team was ready to start. Their snow-shoes were quickly secured, having been stuck in the snow by the door of the cabin and, as soon as they had arranged a place on the sled for their uncle and had wrapped him in heavy blankets, they were ready for the start.

"Where did you put their rifles?" Bob asked the Indian as the latter picked up his long whip.

"Put 'em een binder pack on sled."

"Then I reckon we're all ready to start, eh?"

"Oui, we go queek."

But at that instant, just as Lucky was about to give the word to the dogs, Jack grabbed Bob by the arm and whispered:

"Look."

At the same time he pointed toward the cabin and Bob's heart skipped a beat as he saw that there was a light in the big room.

"Now the fat's in the fire," he gasped.

"But it isn't burnt, not yet," Jack told him. "If Lucky got all their guns they can't do much."

"If he only did," Bob repeated.

"What'll we do?" Jack asked turning to the Indian who stood staring at the cabin, his hands on the handles of the sled.

"We go," he said stoically. "Mush," he gave the order in a voice little above a whisper, but the dogs heard it and bounded forward in the traces.

"Have gun all ready," Lucky ordered.

In order to keep in the trail they were obliged to pass within a few feet of the front door of the cabin and, as the two boys, who were walking ahead of the sled, came opposite it, it flew open and the big leader of the gang rushed out. But he was not off the step before both Bob and Jack had him covered.

"Hands up."

The order evidently was no new one to the man for he obeyed without an instant's hesitation.

"You--you--" he started, then stopped as though at a loss for words as he caught sight of the sled and the man seated on it as it passed them.

"Well, what about us?" Bob demanded.

"You--you geet away?"

"Looks like it."

"But--but me--me tie you ver' hard," the man stammered.

"You sure did but not hard enough."

"How you geet untie?"

"That's telling. Hands up there," he ordered sharply as another of the breeds appeared in the doorway.

Instead of obeying the man dodged back into the room and Bob's heart almost stopped. What if the fellow had a gun? He could easily shoot them both from a window.

"You geet all our gun."

Bob was not sure whether the sentence was a question or a statement of fact.

"I hope so," he said.

He was beginning to take courage again for no shot had come from the room and he now was almost convinced that Lucky had indeed secured them all. Already the sled was some distance down the trail, and, turning to Jack, he said:

"Let's go." Then, turning back to the man who still stood "reaching for the stars," he remarked:

"Yes, we've got your guns and I'd advise you not to follow us for, believe me, we shall be on the watch and, after seeing how you have treated that man you had in the back room, we'll not have the slightest scruples against protecting ourselves."

"But you go leave us wid no gun we starve."

"That's your lookout, but I reckon it won't be as bad as that."

"You geeve me only one gun?"

"Do you think I'm a fool?"

"Me promise me no shoot."

"Nothing doing."

Seeing that his appeal was having no effect the man changed his attitude and became threatening.

"You no geeve us guns we keel you," he stormed.

"I have no doubt but that you will if you can, but let me tell you once for all that if you follow us we'll shoot the first man we see and don't you forget it. Come on, Jack."

Jack started off down the trail and Bob followed, keeping his head turned and his gun trained on the man until they were some hundred feet away. Then he quickened his pace and quickly caught up with Jack who was some distance ahead.

"Talk about your minutes of suspense," he said. "When that guy dodged back I expected to feel that sting of a bullet any second."

"So did I, but I reckon Lucky must have made a clean sweep of them," Jack declared.

"Well it sure saved our lives."

"You said it. But do you think they'll follow us?"

"There's no telling. I reckon they're a bit of a coward when the cards are stacked against them."

"And Lucky sure stacked 'em that time," Jack chuckled.

"Unless they find a gun which he overlooked I don't see, but we're safe enough. All we've got to do is to be on our guard every minute of the time."

"You bet."

While talking they had been hurrying along as rapidly as possible and in a few minutes they had caught up with Lucky.

"They no follow?" he asked.

"I hardly think so," Bob told him. "I tried to make in plain to him that it would be dangerous to do so."

"Injun mebby ought not come on leave white boy thar but--"

"You did exactly the right thing," Bob assured him.

"Injun ver' sure he geet all um gun."

"And I reckon you did."

"Oui."

"Do you reckon they'll follow us?" Jack asked.

"No can tell."

"They'll follow us." Mr. Lakewood made the last statement in a tone that left no doubt as to his feelings in the matter.

"Why do you think so?" Bob asked

"Because they're scared to death of that man, Long."

"Where is he?" Bob asked eagerly.

"He left two days ago for town with a load of furs."

"On a dog sled?"

"Yes."

"It's rather strange that we didn't meet him."

"But you came up by the river didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Then that's why you didn't meet him. You see there's another trail back from the river and, as it's a bit shorter, he probably took it."

"Then he can't get back for at least three days more can he?" Bob asked.

"It'll probably be four at the least, as he'll stay in town for a day to rest the dogs and to fill up on booze."

"Then I reckon we don't need fear anything from him."

"No, I don't think so."

They had not stopped while talking, but had kept on at a slow pace but now Lucky snapped his long lash and the dogs sprang forward at a smart trot.

"We geet on ver' queek now," he said.

While there was no moon the sky was studded thickly with stars and, in the north great streamers of light flashed from horizon to zenith giving them plenty of light to travel by. Hour followed hour and the boys were beginning to wonder if Lucky was never going to stop for a rest and for breakfast when he finally ordered the dogs to halt in the middle of a large open space the first they had encountered for some time.

"We eat," he announced.

"You bet we'll eat," Jack assured him.

"Have go some ways geet wood but no dare stop whar woods thick. Bad mans may be follow."

"We'll get the wood all right," Bob said as he and Jack started for the edge of the clearing after Lucky had pulled an axe from the pack and handed it to them.

They were fortunate in finding a dead tree almost at once and inside of half an hour from the time they had reached the place a fire was sending its dancing flames into the darkness. They still had left three of the fish Jack had caught and soon they were sizzling in the frying pan while beside it a pot of potatoes was boiling.

"Reckon we'll have to omit the dessert," Jack chuckled as he turned the fish.

"Who wants dessert for breakfast?" Bob laughed.

"Is this breakfast? It's dark so much of the time up here that it's hard to tell which is which."

Lucky, as soon as he had fed the dogs, had found another bottle of malted milk and their uncle sat by the fire, slowly sipping the beverage.

"Best thing I ever tasted," he told them.

"If that's good just wait till you get some of this fish," Jack laughed.

"I suppose you are wondering how I came to be in that fix," Mr. Lakewood said as, a little later, they started to eat.

"We sure are," Bob assured him. "But you'd better wait till you get a bit of your strength back before you tell us about it."

"This food is putting strength into me at the rate of a mile a minute," he laughed, "and I'm plenty strong enough to talk. Besides I'll cut it short."

"And we'll be glad to hear about it," Bob assured him.

"Well, you probably know all about why I started up this way so I won't go into that. Oh yes, I was warned as to what kind of a man Long is, but somehow I was drawn to him and didn't believe half that was said against him. But now I know it was all true and more. He's a rascal if ever there was one. Everything went all right for several weeks except that we didn't find any gold. That didn't worry me particularly as I came up here more from a love of adventure than for the sake of the gold. You see, I've got more money now than I know how to spend, not that I mean to brag about it, you understand, but I've always loved to hunt for gold and other things. But our failure to find any gold seemed to be gradually changing Long's nature. He became morose and actually abusive at times.

"I stood it for some time and then one day told him what I thought of his actions and that, unless he cut it out, we'd part company. Well, he seemed to go almost crazy and, to make a long story short, he finally blamed me for bringing him up here and swore that I must sign over to him my interest in a very valuable gold mine in Colorado. Of course I refused and he knocked me down with his fist when my back was turned. I struck my back somehow in falling and have been nearly helpless ever since although it's been getting better all the time and is nearly well now."

"But what's his connection with those breeds?" Bob asked as he paused. "I suppose they're trappers."

"Yes, they're trappers and mighty good ones, judging from the stack of pelts they've taken so far this year. But, as to Long's connection with them, I only know that he has some sort of hold on them and that, strange as it may seem, they're scared to death of him. We stayed in that cabin you probably saw about half way between here and Arctic City for several weeks and then he brought me up here. I don't know why. We had been there about two weeks and the breeds were kind enough to me when he wasn't around, but he tried in every way he could to force me to sign that paper. Why he even beat me with a whip. Finally he declared that I'd not get another mouthful of food till I signed it. That was five days ago."

"And you've been tied up since then?"

"Every minute."

"The brutes."

"You mean brute. The breeds are really not so bad. Two or three of them are what you'd call good fellows and I know they wanted to help me but they didn't dare."

"Not even after he'd gone?"

"Not even after he'd gone. I suspect that they thought he might cut short his trip or get back sooner than they expected and catch them if they did for me what he'd ordered them not to do. Oh, he owns them body and soul all right but, as I said before, I don't know how or why."

"I reckon it's lucky we got there about the time we did," Jack grinned.

"It saved my life for I'd have died before I'd have given in to him. Oh, I know that sounds foolish and I reckon it is, but I'm made that way and can't help it."

By this time they had finished eating and Lucky declared that they had better be on their way. The Indian had not said a word while Mr. Lakewood had been telling his story, but the boys knew that he had not missed a sentence and that he was deeply impressed. Mr. Lakewood asked if they had an extra pair of snow-shoes, declaring that he was strong enough to walk, but neither the boys nor Lucky would listen to it and he finally consented to ride a little longer.