THE GOLD RUSH
“A German gun out here! We’ve found our clue!” cried Bug Eye excitedly.
“So,” Teddy mused, “a Dutchman shot Decker!”
Mr. Ball shrugged his shoulders.
“Germans are not Dutchmen,” he corrected. “An’ just because we find a
German gun is no proof that a German did the job. Of course, he might
have--the signs point that way. Don’t know any one who owns one of these
things. No real puncher would ever handle one. The balance ain’t so
good.” He hefted it in his hand. “I seen plenty of ’em,” he mused. “A
plenty!”
Roy glanced at him. Mr. Ball had been a captain in the infantry during
the war, and had seen action in France. He never talked about his
experiences on the other side.
“Well, we got somethin’ to go by!” Bug Eye burst out. “Snakes, a real
German gun! What do you suppose--”
“Don’t go flingin’ words away regardless,” Mr. Ball said dryly.
“Actually, we don’t know an awful lot more than we did before. But this
might help--it might help.”
“What’s the plan now?” Roy asked. “Do we start to search for ’em?”
“Well--” Mr. Ball looked down again at the weapon he held in his hand.
“It’s gettin’ late,” he went on. “We can’t just roam around like a bunch
of steers, hopin’ to run across the waddies who shot Decker. I think--”
he deliberated. “I think we’d better go back. When you boys got to head
for the X Bar X?”
“To-morrow morning,” Roy replied. “Dad expects us.”
“O. K. Then we’ll hit for home now. I want to think this thing out.”
They made a further search, but found nothing else, and shortly
afterward headed their ponies toward the 8 X 8. Nothing was said of
their discovery when they reached the ranch.
The wounded man was no better; but he was no worse. Doctor Ring had left
after giving positive directions that Decker was to talk to no one. Thus
the boys were still wondering how much he had been robbed of.
Early the next morning Roy, Teddy, and Belle started for home. Decker
seemed stronger and was able to take some milk through a tube. Neither
of the boys saw him again before they left, obeying the doctor’s
instructions.
“Thanks again for catching my pony,” Nell called to Roy as he was riding
out of the yard. “Maybe I’ll do as much for you some day!”
“Maybe,” Roy laughed. “In the meantime--take keer o’ yo’self!”
“Say good-bye to Doctor Ring for me!” Belle exclaimed.
Teddy and Roy turned to look at her.
“So-o-o!” Teddy drawled. “That’s the way the land lies, does it?”
“Well, well,” Roy mocked. “Our icicle sister going to be a nurse! Hm!
Did you notice the doc’s eye-lashes, Teddy? Such nice, splendid ones!”
“And he’s got a wonderful voice,” Teddy went on. “It’s thrilling! It
makes you feel--oh, just like--”
“Oh, hush up!” Belle cried, her face a fiery red. “I could tell plenty
about you two, if I wanted to! Curly, Teddy told me the other day that
you--”
“So long! Got to be going now! So long! So long! Sorry to rush away like
this!” Teddy seized Belle’s bronco by the bridle and led him out of the
yard. The boy was talking loudly, trying his best to drown out his
sister’s voice, but she managed to shout, “were the prettiest girl he’d
ever seen!” before he succeeded in taking her so far away that her
words would not carry to the interested listeners.
The bout was declared a draw, and the two brothers and the sister went
on their way with grins on their faces. The talk naturally veered to the
happenings of yesterday, and Belle told what had occurred while she was
helping Doctor Ring.
“Mr. Decker talked a lot,” she declared. “Mostly about Nugget Camp. He
spoke about--”
“Then it _was_ Nugget Camp!” Teddy interrupted. “Maybe he made a real
strike!”
“I think he did, because he was babbling of ten and twenty thousand
dollars,” Belle said seriously.
“Twenty _thousand_!” Roy gave vent to a long whistle. “That’s _some_
money!”
“Did he say his nuggets were worth that much?” Teddy demanded.
“No, he didn’t. But I gathered that’s what he meant.”
“That is a big loss,” the boy remarked. “No wonder he was worried. Me,
I’d be worried, too. Poor geezer! After working for maybe two years then
making a strike--and he gets robbed of it! Not only that, but he may
even die in the bargain.”
“I really think he’ll recover,” Belle said. “He’s thin, but he’s lived
in the open most of his life. His stamina is good. He lost a lot of
blood, but--”
“A-ha, words of wisdom!” Teddy laughed. “So doc said all this, did he?”
“Well, what if he did?” Belle answered, raising her chin defiantly.
“It’s all true!”
“Sure it is,” Roy comforted her. “I certainly hope he pulls through.
Moreover, I hope we get his nuggets back for him.”
The morning was clear, the air keen, and each of the three rode as
though this was the thing they wanted most of all to do--ride and
breathe and live. They were at a period in life when the world showed
itself to be a particularly wonderful place. Every bird that winged
overhead, every cloud that veiled the sun for a moment, every breeze
that blew, seemed to exist just for them.
And how were they to know that circumstances were about to fling them
into a maelstrom of activity, that the next few weeks were to be charged
with excitement?
Even as they rode, talking calmly, the events of the past fading almost
into insignificance beside the wonder of the morning, a rider approached
them. He was coming swiftly, his pony kicking up little spurts of dust.
“Some one’s in a mighty hurry,” Teddy observed.
They reined in, watching the horseman.
“Looks familiar,” Roy remarked. “Say, by golly--”
“It’s Jim Casey from home!” Teddy exclaimed. “Wonder if anything
happened?” A frown came to his face.
“Oh, I hope dad’s all right,” Belle breathed. “Do you suppose he’d be
sent after us?”
“He’s got something over his shoulder,” said Teddy. “Looks like a pick
or a shovel. Hey, Jim! Yo-o-o!”
The rider came closer, and stopped his pony, stiff-legged.
“What-a-ya say!” he yelled. “Heard the news?”
They saw then that it was a pick Casey had on his shoulder. Hanging from
his saddlehorn was a bundle of clothes.
“What news? What happened? Everything all right at home?” Roy asked
quickly.
“Sure, as far as I know! It ain’t that!” Jim, a tall, well-built
puncher, of about thirty-five, swung the pick down. “It ain’t that.
Nothin’s happened there. But some place else there has!”
“Well, what?”
“A gold strike! A bonanza! At Nugget Camp! Millions of dollars lyin’
around loose! Me, I’m on my way to stake a claim. One guy found a nugget
worth--oh, fifty thousand! Maybe more! Boy, we’ll all be rich!” He was
prancing his pony around excitedly. “I told yore pop I was goin’, an’ I
am! What’s the use of workin’ for wages when you can lean over an’ pick
up gold! Hey?” He paused, breathless.
“At Nugget Camp, you said?” Teddy asked, looking at the cowboy
strangely.
“That’s what! An’ I’m goin’ to be one of the lucky ones. No passin’ up a
chance like that for yours truly!”
“But listen--” Roy began, when Jim Casey cut him short.
“I’d like to, Roy, but I ain’t got time. There’s lots goin’ out. I want
to get a good claim. So long! Wish me luck!” and he was off.
“Well, what do you know about that!” Teddy said slowly. “One of our own
men got the fever!”
“And he’s a man we can’t spare, either,” Roy remarked. “There’s plenty
of work to be done around the ranch just now. Hope he’s the only one. A
strike at Nugget Camp!”
“That’s where Mr. Decker found his nuggets!” Belle exclaimed. “There
must be some truth in it, Roy.”
“Oh, I suppose there is.” He was frowning intently at the ground. “But I
sure hope the other boys don’t get bitten by the gold bug. We need every
man we have.”
“Oh, there’s always one or two who want to make money easily,” Teddy
replied. “Jim will come back soon enough. I bet he got a fine razzing
for leaving the ranch.”
“Well, I hope he’s the only one,” Roy said again. “Nugget Camp--a
played-out placer station! And they find gold now!”
“And see what it’s brought already!” Belle said indignantly. “A poor old
man gets shot and robbed, all because of the gold! Oh, I hope nothing
else will happen!”
“Gold brings trouble, always,” Teddy mused. “If the word gets
around--and it looks as though it had--that a strike has been made out
here, it’ll mean the riff-raff of the West will be down on our necks.
Gamblers, swindlers, gunmen--”
“Lucky we started to-day and not to-morrow,” Roy said, as they urged
their horses forward. “Dad will need us, now this thing has come.”
“Oh, it isn’t as serious as all that,” Teddy remarked easily. “It’s true
that Jim was a good man, but we can get along without him if we have to.
Anyway, he may be back soon.”
“Yes, that’s all right as far as it goes,” Roy declared. “But suppose
more of them decide to quit and go gold hunting? Then where’ll we be,
with the fall coming on? We need--”
“Who’s that?” Belle interrupted. “Another rider--no, two of them! And
they’re coming fast!”
The boys, startled, not knowing what to expect, looked up. Bearing down
upon them were two horsemen, partly hidden in a cloud of dust. The wind
shifted, the dust cloud parted, and Teddy gave a cry.
“It’s two more from home, Roy, as sure as you’re a foot high! It’s--”
“Nat Raymond and Gus Tripp! Well, for the love of Pete! To think that
those two--” He stopped, overwhelmed.
The riders, with picks, shovels, and kits hanging from their saddles,
rapidly approached. As they came within hailing distance the boys heard
a yell that caused them to draw breath quickly. It came from Gus Tripp.
“Yey, Teddy! Roy! Come on, join the rush! Head in with us! Jim Casey’s
gone, an’ the rest are goin’!”
“Where?”
The answer was already known to them even before Gus shouted:
“To Nugget Camp!”