Chapter VII: John and Stut Rescuing Three Captives

John stopped suddenly, and held up a hand, without saying a word. Then, slowly turning around, whispered: “Do you see the light beyond?” and he pointed to the southeast.

“Yes; I see several. I wonder if that can be their village?”

“That explains the matter that troubled me, in one respect only--ah! I am satisfied now.” And George looked to the southwest in the direction indicated.

“Do you see the river? It must flow near here. Let us go forward in the direction of the lights.”

Their progress was stopped within three hundred feet by a stream which flowed southwest, and which must pass near where the savage camp was located. It was thus evident why the pickets were on the north and northwesterly side only.

“How far off do you think those lights are?” asked George.

“I estimate them at about three miles, probably more.”

George recalled the first lights which they had seen beyond West River, the first time they made the trip to the west. The lights looked just like the ones now before them.

“Can you make any estimate of the number in the camp?”

“I judge there are fully fifty there, as I saw four groups. The night is not clear enough to enable me to make this statement positively, but there are not more than that.”

“Would it not be well to go to the village?”

“That would not be as hazardous a task as the one we have just undertaken. It will mean swimming the river, and if you are prepared for that I am only too anxious to make the trip.”

Before they had started a commotion was plainly heard in the camp to their right.

“Do you think they have discovered our presence?” asked George, breathlessly.

John did not answer, but leaned forward and listened intently. He did not move for a full minute, while the din increased.

“They seem to be fighting. It is possible they have been attacked, still I do not hear any of the usual cries which accompany their struggles.”

Several lights now appeared in the camp.

They waited in silence for ten minutes more, and John said: “Let us move nearer. I am anxious to know what all this means.”

“Do you think those at the wagon can hear them?”

“Undoubtedly. They are nearer than we are. For that reason we should reach the wagon as soon as possible, and in doing so we can pass near their camp by making a slight detour. I am most anxious to know what the commotion means.”

As the camp was neared, it was evident from the character of the noises that, instead of an attack, it was the arrival, as John interpreted it, of reinforcements, or of a section of the band which had returned.

The hilarity in the camp was made the more apparent as they drew nearer. “We need not have much fear of approaching now.”

They did not require such care in treading the way along, as the excitement in the camp was such as to drown the noise of their footsteps.

“I believe they have some captives. Look at the bunch of warriors to the right, and the struggle of the different ones to go near; their actions, and the dancing around that group, are sufficient to convince me that the new arrivals have just brought them in.”

“Yes; I can see them,” exclaimed George in excitement. A fire was now being lit, and another, and finally the glowing lights were all around the group, and when the warriors stepped outside of the circle of fires three bound victims were plainly seen.

“That method of confining their captives within a circle of fires is a common one with two of the tribes here, one of them being the ones which first captured me. The Saboros, however, do not adopt that method.”

“Look at the one nearest us. He doesn’t look like a native.” John could not resist the impulse to move forward, but he did it with the greatest prudence, and as he returned, said:

“You were correct. He is not a savage. That is, he seems to be different from the other two. Probably he is from some other tribe, and--”

The man referred to raised himself up, and turned his position; this brought his face into view. He was a bearded white man, and at the sight John could hardly restrain himself.

“Let us return to the wagon at once.”

When the wagon was reached they found the greatest excitement, and learned that the Professor had gone forward in order to ascertain whether the noise from the savage camp was in any way connected with John and George.

While debating the subject the Professor reappeared, to the relief of the party, and John recounted their experiences, and the sighting of the village.

“I felt assured,” said the Professor, “as I approached the camp, that you could not have been taken, because not a shot had been fired, and it would be quite unlike you to be captured without giving us that warning signal.”

“How near did you go to the camp?”

“Within two hundred feet. I believe there are two white men among the captives.”

Thus was new fuel added to the imaginations of the boys. It was, indeed, a mission of rescue. But the new arrivals added materially to the force in their front.

“They must have fully a hundred men, judging from the hurried count made after we returned. I made out fifty before the lot with the captives came in.”

John and the Professor conferred on the situation, and made numerous suggestions as to their proper course.

“The only objection I have to attempting a rescue to-night is that we shall bring down on us the enmity of the tribe. I had hoped we could show them by our actions that we were disposed to be friendly, and the rescue of the captives would be an act of hostility at the start.”

“I appreciate your views, Professor, but we are here, primarily, to rescue our people, and to-morrow they will take them to their village, and the chances of recapture would be lessened. It occurs to me that a strong, bold front at this time will do more to instil fear than any other course.”

“I agree with you in the main. It will be a hazardous undertaking, but whether it is or not should not deter us if we consider it the proper course to follow. Yes; let us make arrangements accordingly.”

The news of this decision was hailed with delight by the boys. Stut knew what was going on, and volunteered to accompany them. He knew the people before them. They were his deadly enemies.

The boys had made a half dozen pistols to replace those lost when the yaks ran away, about six months before. John removed Chump’s breech clout, took off his own clothing, and daubed the exposed part of his body with mud, and Stut, with an eye to business, which was very much to his liking, took the headdresses, and to the surprise of John, and amusement of the others, converted them into fairly good imitations of the clothing worn by the campers beyond.

“Now,” said John, “we are about to attempt one of the most difficult feats, the recapture of prisoners. If possible, we want to do this without sacrificing life. Stut knows the savages beyond are his enemies, and we can count on his assistance. He and I will undertake the rescue. With our new suits we shall be able to approach and enter the camp, and I am counting on his ability to talk with them, to assist us very materially.”

The boys now understood the plans, and were delighted, notwithstanding the seriousness of the undertaking.

“The team will be in no danger,” remarked Harry, who feared that it would be incumbent on him to remain there inactive. “I want to take part in this, too.”

The Professor and John both appreciated this appeal. “Most assuredly, you must be with us. The team can take care of itself, and besides, the warriors over there will have enough on their hands without caring for the team, if they give us any trouble,” was John’s comment.

John carefully concealed two of the pistols, and selected a bow and some arrows, and Stut had a spear and his own bow. By the time the camp was reached the savages had settled down, and the fires began to dwindle.

It was long past midnight before John began any movement. The boys wondered at the delay, but the Professor stated that the best time to make the attempt would be after sleep had overtaken them, and the chances of success would be much enhanced.

Before John and Stut left, the former turned to the boys: “The Professor knows what to do in any emergency. The only thing you have to do is to keep cool, and obey the orders of the Professor implicitly.”

As they moved toward the camp they looked like two savages, and George said: “They look exactly like the fellows in the camp. That is an ingenious thing to do, and I hope for their success.”

The tension on the part of the boys was beyond expression, as they watched the two move up slowly. When the outer circle of the camp was reached they were surprised to see John and Stut rise up boldly and make their way among the sleeping warriors.

When they had reached the interior of the camp they halted.

“What do you suppose they are doing?” asked one of the boys.

“Familiarizing themselves with the situation,” was the Professor’s response.

“See them, they are lying down. What is that for?”

“Probably one of the guards has noticed them.”

“It looks to me as though all the guards are asleep.”

“That is exactly the thing they are waiting for.”

Occasionally there would be some guttural exclamations, on the part of the savages, and at no time was there complete silence. The waiting was the most trying part of the business. For over an hour the watchers sat silent, and there was scarcely a movement on the part of John or Stut.

The positions of both John and Stut were carefully noted, so their movements could be traced. About three o’clock one of the guards arose and walked over to the place occupied by them, and, after a few words, which were plainly heard by the boys, although the language was not recognized, Stut arose, and took the place of the guard. Two others did likewise; and now there was another period of inaction.

“They are now waiting until the last guards have gone to sleep, before taking the next step.”

In less than an hour John was seen to rise from his position and slowly move toward Stut, and the quiet motions between the two showed that they were about ready to act.

Continually during this trying watch the white man could be seen moving about uneasily. His head would be raised occasionally, as though listening; but the three prisoners were bound together by the feet, so that they were lying, as it were, in a circle. The four guards, two of which were John and Stut, sat around, all of them nodding.

The moon, which had been out since midnight, made the motions of the actors plain enough for them to distinguish many things, but it was impossible from the position of the boys to learn all that did occur.

When the time for changing the guard took place, Stut was awake or placed himself in such a position that he was elected. He knew that being awake would be the signal for his selection, John, who was not more than ten feet away, also awake, was picked by Stut, and the two thus relieved retired at once.

Stut, knowing the language thoroughly, encouraged the two remaining guards to continue their naps, while John, who was next to Stut, and near the head of the white man, after everything had again quieted down, began to attract the attention of the captive.

He finally turned his face to John, and the latter held up a warning finger, which, for the moment stunned him, but this was understood, as John stealthily drew out a knife. The man was bound with his hands behind him, and was lying on his side.

After a few cautious movements he succeeded in drawing up the bound wrists close to the shoulders, thus bringing the cords near enough, so that John had an opportunity to sever them. This being done, there was quiet for a time. The man seized the knife which was pushed over, and without any waste of time, cut the cords which joined him to his captives.

The two who were with him saw the act, and the white man held his fingers to his lips. They understood, but were considerably surprised to see Stut in the same act of sending a warning. The man pushed over the knife with his foot, and one of them, after considerable wriggling, secured it and instantly cut his companions’ cords.

It was now but the work of a moment to free the other, and the three unbound captives lay there, while Stut pointed to John, in order to indicate that the two were associated. Stut acted like a trump in this emergency. He was at home in the proceedings, and had probably assisted in work of this kind before.

John and Stut slowly rose, and signaled the captives to do so. To show how every feature of this business had been considered by John, it should be stated that instead of making an immediate rush for liberty, that event was delayed for an age, as the boys thought.

The Professor enlightened the boys on this point. “If your limbs are held in one position for any length of time, they ‘go to sleep,’ it is said. In other words, the positions of the limbs are usually such that the blood ceases to circulate, and it becomes congested, producing a sort of paralysis, and in that condition the muscles and the nerves are affected. If they had tried to escape the moment the cords were cut this temporary derangement might have prevented them from moving away rapidly.”

The captives arose, and the two guards were still oblivious of the situation. Stepping lightly along between the sleeping warriors John and Stut at first led the way, followed as quietly by the captives, and when clear of the guard John and Stut allowed the captives to lead.

Before they reached the last row of the sleepers, one of the guards awoke, and seeing no captives there, and only a single guard at his side, arose suddenly, and his eyes fell on the retreating band. A terrific shriek followed, and without waiting a moment the three captives were urged forward, while John and Stut followed after and began to shoot arrows toward the fleeing parties.

They bounded forward in the joy of their freedom, and the Professor and the boys could hardly restrain themselves at the success of the enterprise. They made straight in the direction of the boys, and at the Professor’s suggestion they allowed them to pass alongside, not more than twenty feet away.

After they had passed the Professor motioned to the boys to trail them, and after following the rescued ones for several hundred feet the Professor called out in a suppressed voice: “Wait, you need not go any farther. Keep quiet, we are your friends.”

The white man grasped the nearest fellow and urged him to stop, and he did so, but the other continued on.

Now let us observe the tactics followed by John. When the three captives were beyond the confines of the camp, and well on to the position occupied by the Professor’s party, John knew the latter would be able to cope with the situation.

Arresting Stut in the pursuing movement, he turned and held up his hand as a warning to the savages who were arming and following. In an instant Stut divined the trick, and, calling back, said that there was a large party of their attackers in front.

This caused a decided halt in the rush of their followers. Taking advantage of this, the two moved forward in an apparently cautious manner until they had reached the place formerly occupied by the Professor, and then darting north, were soon in sight of the boys, who had charge of the man and one of the native captives.

“Let us go to the left to avoid them. In that way they will not discover the location of the wagon.”

A detour was made, but it was done in as quiet a manner as possible, and both reached the Professor and his party before they got to the wagon.

When the white captive heard the Professor’s words he stopped in surprise. Turning to see who had addressed him he rushed to grasp the Professor’s hand, and saw the boys approaching. “This is too good to be true. Who were the savages that rescued us?”

“We will let you know in time. We must now hurry forward. Your rescuers will come up in time.” And without waiting for further words the Professor led the way to the wagon, only to be met by John and Stut, as before stated.

When the wagon was reached they saw the captive which had gone on ahead skulking around the wagon, and Stut rushed forward talking excitedly as he followed him. The captive stood still while he went up and put his arms around him and led him forward. Stut was happy beyond expression, and tried to explain the situation to John.