Page:Hugh Pendexter--The young timber-cruisers.djvu/192

 “Will he follow us?” whispered Stanley, to whom such cold-blooded behavior seemed impossible even in Big Nick.

“Ain’t he tried to kill each of us so far?” returned Abner, talking between his teeth.

“He’ll chase us as long as there is light to follow our trail,” panted Bub. “I wish we could strike some ledge where we’d leave no trail.”

“We can’t take to a ledge till we git a lead on him,” said Abner.

“It is hard work for me to believe he is so bloodthirsty,” declared Stanley, straightening to relieve his cramped muscles. As if to assure him to the contrary a bullet whistled close to his side.

“Keep down and sprint!” commanded Abner, his eyes flaming in helpless anger. “That butcher will chase us till we strike the warden’s. Don’t ye understand his life may be at stake as well as ourn? He intended to have the fire burn us up together with the timber. We didn’t camp up there as he expected when he found we’d taken our blankets and feed. We came back before he got things going nicely and discovered him. Then he knew that once we got clear of the woods and told how he set a fire there wouldn’t be a hand in