After the horses had been given up and sent back, Lou, by Dan's
arrangement, continued the journey on the sled of some men who were not
properly of the stampeders, but were bound for Malamute. Dan himself,
hardy as he was, had no difficulty in keeping up the pace with the best
of the travelers on foot. He carried snow-shoes--for which he had no
present need as the crust held--and a light pack on his back. The others
of the stampeders regarded him as one of themselves, without ulterior
purpose beyond the legitimate finding of gold somewhere in the
creek-beds, or within the ledges of the mountains. Only Lou guessed
aught of the evil project cherished by her husband. She had little
compunction, for her sensibilities had become hardened with the passage
of the years, and she had long ceased to regard herself as in any wise
the keeper of Dan's conscience.
Dan himself, as always, had no scruples, though he meant to add yet
another to the list of his crimes. He went warily to his work. He held
Sam Ward under close observation, but so discreetly that the victim of
his watchfulness had no hint of it. As the train straggled out toward
nightfall, Dan contrived to be near his intended victim, though not in
company with him. Because of the information gathered by Lou, that the
miner meant to steal away from the others during the night, Dangerous
Dan had determined to keep a vigil during the hours of darkness, so
that, when the miner slipped away by stealth, thinking himself
unobserved by any one, he would be able to follow as stealthily, and
thus to trace the owner to the secret mine.
To one of Dangerous Dan McGrew's accomplishments the task was very
simple. The night was clear, and he became aware at once when Sam Ward
prepared to set forth. He allowed the miner to proceed for a
considerable distance before following. Against the white surface of
the snow, the moving form was distinguishable for a long way, and, since
it alone in the expanse moved at all, it was not to be mistaken. But,
while the miner was so distinctly visible to his pursuer, Dan McGrew had
little fear of being himself observed, since no eyes were seeking his
presence there. So, separated by a considerable distance, the two men
advanced through the night, ascending at a smart pace from the level
reaches of the valley to the lower slopes of the mountains. Here the
spruce cast black shade, and often gorges lay deep in shadow. Dan was
forced to lessen the distance between himself and the one he followed.
Often, he was hard put to it to keep close enough on his quarry to be
sure of the man's movements, without revealing his own presence on the
trail. Some risks he took, since needs must. But the danger of discovery
did not trouble Dangerous Dan, for he had never lacked courage, whatever
his other vices.
It was in the gray of the dawn when at last Sam Ward halted, with a
grunt of satisfaction, which the listening man, crouched behind a stump
fifty yards away, plainly heard through the motionless chill air. The
miner cast off the pack that he had carried throughout most of the day
and all of the night, and began hasty preparations for pitching camp....
It was evident that Sam Ward had reached his destination.
Assured that this was the end of the journey, Dangerous Dan silently
withdrew to a sheltered nook within the trees, a full quarter of a mile
from the other's camp. Here he built a fire, without any fear of its
light being seen by Sam Ward; for, besides the screen of trees, a high
ridge intervened between the two camps. Dan, owing to the unusual
mildness of the night, did not trouble with piling green logs against
which to stack his fire, but contented himself with selecting a spot
where a steep bank at his back aided in the retention of the heat.
Tired as he was, Dangerous Dan gathered sufficient fuel ready at hand,
so that he might replenish the blaze, arousing instinctively from sleep
as the flames died down. He guessed that the miner would sleep late,
after the fatigue of the trip. But he allowed himself only two hours of
rest; for he had yet much to do, and weariness must await leisure. Dan
McGrew could sacrifice selfish desires for the time being in order to
attain to selfish ends.
The sun was well above the horizon, when Dan McGrew at last arose
reluctantly, and stamped out the dying embers. He rolled up his pack,
but left it where he had camped. He carried a revolver with him, but he
had no intention of using it, lest the report attract the attention of
some chance prospector in the vicinity. He was not quite sure, even,
that he meditated violence--it might not be necessary. But, before
setting forth, he drew from its sheath, hidden within his bosom, a long,
wicked-looking knife, the blade of which he examined approvingly,
testing its edge with a bare thumb. When he had returned the weapon to
its place of concealment, he went forward very cautiously, his feet
leaving hardly a trace of their passage over the snow-crust. He took
advantage of the shelter afforded by bushes and trees, so that his
approach might not be detected. Thus, he came finally to a vantage point
behind a clump of bushes, which grew on a little knoll. Below this,
hardly a score of yards away, was Sam Ward's camp.
The miner was just arousing from sleep, when Dan reached this point of
observation. While the hidden man watched attentively, Sam Ward
replenished the fire, and hastily prepared a breakfast, which he
devoured even more hastily. Forthwith, then, he set about the serious
business of the day. To the watcher's surprise, the miner removed a heap
of firewood, which had been stacked against the sloping bank, some
distance above a tiny frozen stream. When the branches had been thrown
aside, there was revealed an opening through the snow, and on into the
earth itself. It was evident that the miner had already tunneled into
the ledge.
Now, he got dynamite from his pack, and set it carefully where it might
thaw out within the radius of heat from the fire. Thereafter, he crawled
into the tunnel, and was occupied out of the watcher's sight for some
time. On emergence, he examined the dynamite, and, satisfied with its
condition, took it, along with caps and fuse, on his return into the
tunnel. This time, he was gone for only a short interval. Presently,
came a dull rumble as the explosive detonated within the earth. The
miner reentered the tunnel, carrying a bag. When he brought this forth,
he was staggering under the weight it contained.
[Illustration: DAN McGREW, STARING DOWN WITH HUNGRY EYES, SAW THE MINER.]
Dan McGrew, staring down with hungry eyes, saw the miner pound the
fragments of rock to powder in a roughly contrived mortar, which was set
beside the fire. Dangerous Dan had learned enough of gold-mining to
understand that the miner had chanced on a quartz lead of the richest
sort. Undoubtedly, it was a vein of considerable size which would assay
thousands of dollars to the ton. It was free-milling ore. The rough
method employed by the miner was sufficient to secure the golden
treasure. Now, when he had made an end of crushing the bits of rock, Sam
descended to the creek, where he chopped a hole through the ice, and so,
after great labor, was able to winnow the dust. Dan McGrew was able to
see the golden stream of tiny flakes that the miner at last poured into
his poke, with chuckles of glee. The watcher's steady eyes narrowed and
grew savage, for black envy and avarice filled his heart. Of a sudden,
his vague purpose became crystallized.... He would have this mine for
his own--at any cost.
Dangerous Dan looked over the scene carefully, as he made his plans. The
little stream, above which the miner had encamped, ran straight between
shallow banks out into a broad valley beyond. Dan was sure that he could
advance to a point on the slope where he would be just above his
unsuspecting prey. Thence, he could drop down on the miner, who, all
unconscious of any peril, squatted before the fire gloating over his
treasure. A single blow of the knife would put a term to his ownership
of the mine. Afterward, it would be a simple matter to conceal the body
in some cranny where only the wolves would be likely to scent it out.
And Dan McGrew would have the treasure-house for his own.
His decision made, Dan acted upon it at once. It came about according to
his calculations--with two exceptions:
The first was that, as he leaped upon his victim from behind, some
faintest sound of movement, or some subtle instinct in the victim, gave
warning. Sam Ward sprang to his feet, whirling as he rose. The lust of
gold was in him, too. On the instant, he understood the death that
threatened and the cause of it. He fought for his life and his gold with
all the strength that was in him. He got his hands to his assailant's
throat, and the fingers clutched in a clutch meant to kill. Dangerous
Dan's eyes goggled from his head as he strangled within that grip. But
he did not forget, even in his anguish, either his purpose or his
advantage. He thrust the knife with all his power into the miner's
breast. For a second that seemed to endure for an eternity, Dan was
still held in the vice-like grasp. Then abruptly, there came a gurgling
moan from Sam Ward's lips. The clenched fingers relaxed. Dan thrust the
form of his adversary from him. The haft of the knife, which he still
held in his right hand, was broken from the blade by the wrench of the
inert body, as it fell and went limply sliding down the slope toward the
creek.
[Illustration: HE FOUGHT FOR HIS LIFE AND HIS GOLD WITH ALL THE STRENGTH
THAT WAS IN HIM.]
Dan McGrew gazed on the grim descent with eyes that were dull still from
the deadly grapple. His breath came in sobs. He was triumphant, but he
realized how close he had been to failure.
Then, a minute later, when his brain and his sight were clear again, he
suddenly uttered a frightful curse....
In the wide expanse of the valley into which the creek flowed, a sled
moved rapidly, as the dogs strained in their harness. And it was coming
straight toward the creek--toward the place where he stood. Dangerous
Dan McGrew cursed yet once again--and more horribly. Then, he leaped
down the slope to where the dead body had halted. He stooped over
it--searched with desperate rapidity. A moment later, with the poke of
gold and a few papers from the dead man, Dangerous Dan raced back up the
bank, and on, flying from the spot where he had committed a crime so
great for a reward so small.