Dick shook his fist at the hills in the direction the shot seemed to have come from.
“I guess I’m hit pretty bad,” the corporal revived and whispered. Toma had thrown up the sled as a sort of barricade, if any more shots were fired, and Dick and Sandy commenced administering first aid to the wounded policeman. The bullet had struck under the shoulder blade at the back, and had come out the right side.
“It’s a nasty wound,” Dick said grimly—“maybe a lung is touched.”
“Rather lucky for you fellows at that,” the corporal smiled gamely. “Now you can use my dog team to tote me back to the fort.”
“Do you have any idea who shot you?” Dick asked.
“One of Henderson’s men without a doubt,” was the faint reply, “the country’s alive with them. But we’ll beat ’em yet.”
Strangely enough, no more shots were fired. Dick judged the reason for this was that a single man had attacked them and had lost courage after seeing he had drawn blood in a party too strong for him. Yet he could not be sure. At any moment they might expect the sharpshooter lurking in the wooded hills to drop one of them. If they were to move on to the fort they could not remain sheltered from attack.
The limp body of the corporal was speedily transferred to his sled, after some of the packs had been thrown aside. Dick picked up the gee-pole, Toma took the lead, and Sandy cracked the long whip.
They were off, the dogs yelping eagerly down the back trail, overjoyed at hitting the home trail so soon.
For nearly an hour they advanced at a fast rate of speed, Sandy and Dick changing off advance guard with Toma. Then they entered a long ravine, crested with spruce and jackpine. As yet no sign of the man who had shot the corporal appeared. Then, without warning, from the brow of the ravine, puffed the smoke of a rifle. A bullet fanned Dick’s cheek, and he paused and fired at the distant smoke at the top of the ravine.
“Mush! Mush!” shouted Sandy to the dogs, cracking the long whip.
The dogs responded nobly, drawing the sled, carrying the wounded officer, so fast that the boys could hardly keep up.
Again the hidden rifle cracked from the top of the ravine. This time one dog gave a sharp yelp, leaped into the air and fell kicking his last in a tangle of harness.