Again the heat lightning illumined the
wide, vague sky. He saw the solemn dark forests; he saw the steely
glimmer of the lick; the distant mountains flickered against the
pallid horizon; and once more--densest gloom.
CHAPTER III.
It was Nate who had been here,--Birt felt sure of that; Nate, who
had promised he would not come.
Convinced that his friend was playing a false part, Birt went at
once to the bark-mill in the morning, confident that he would not
find Nate at work in the tanyard according to their agreement.
It was later than usual, and Jubal Perkins swore at Birt for his
tardiness. He hardly heard; and as the old bark-mill ground and
ground the bark, and the mule jogged around and around, and the hot
sun shone, and the voices of the men handling the hides at the
tanpit were loud on the air, all his thoughts were of the cool,
dark, sequestered ravine, holding in its cloven heart the secret he
had discovered.
Rufus happened to come to the tanyard today. Birt seized the
opportunity.
"Rufe," he said, "ye see I can't git away from the mill, 'kase I'm
'bleeged ter stay hyar whilst the old mule grinds. But ef ye'll go
over yander ter Nate Griggs's house an' tell him ter come over hyar,
bein' ez I want to see him partic'lar, I'll fix ye a squir'l-trap
before long ez the peartest old Bushy-tail on the mounting ain't got
the gumption ter git out'n. An' let me know ef Nate ain't thar.
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