Jake was the only one who could render any assistance just at this moment, and he proved to be equal to the occasion.
Seizing one of the guns he waded into the water to his waist, and succeeded in extending the weapon sufficiently for Cummings to grasp the end of the barrel.
"Hold on for grim death; I've got to drop the torch!" he shouted, suiting the action to the words, and Teddy could see no more because the light was suddenly extinguished.
Now the sentinel forgot that the enemy might creep upon them and running forward he cried:
Before he could reach the stream the work was accomplished. Jake pulled Cummings on the bank by the side of Neal, and proceeded to relight the torch, a difficult matter since the matches in his pocket had been spoiled by the action of the water.
In this last work Teddy was able to render some assistance, and the flame had but just sprung up from the wood when Cummings said hurriedly:
"Extinguish that light. If we haven't advertised our whereabouts to the Indians already there is no reason for taking foolish risks. We'll attend to matters here, Teddy, and you get back to the entrance."
This command was obeyed at once, and the sentinel heard only a faint sound from the direction of the stream until his companions rejoined him, none the worse for the battle except in the respect of being decidedly wet.
"Have you heard anything suspicious?" Cummings asked anxiously.
"Not the slightest noise. If there had been any Indians in the vicinity they would surely have made an attempt to enter when all hands was raising such an uproar."
Cummings crept through the short tunnel and investigated in the immediate vicinity of the opening before he could believe they had been so fortunate, and when he returned Jake said:
"I thought you wouldn't find anything. If those imps had had the slightest inkling of where we are it wouldn't have been necessary to wait so long as this before the fact was made known."
"It was better to be sure. Poyor was so careful to caution us about a noise that I was afraid he knew some of them were lurking near by. It is all right, however, and we can congratulate ourselves on a fortunate escape from more than one danger."
The weather was so warm that no one felt any serious effects from the involuntary bath. A portion of the wet clothing was taken off and hung on the guns set in the sand as stakes, to dry, and since their fears regarding the proximity of the Indians had been partially set at rest by Cummings' survey, there was a general disposition to talk of something foreign to the struggle through which they had just passed.