"Allee dleadful," he said. "No cookee meat plopelly. No makee tea
plopelly. Blead bad."
"Why, I'm sure it isn't," I said, crumbling off a piece to taste.
"Yes; allee bad. No bake blead to-day. Blead high."
"High?" I said; "you mean stale?"
"Yes; stale high. Keep blead too long. Not good to eat."
"Why, Quong," I cried; "you're grumbling because somebody else cooked
and baked," and I burst out laughing.
The little fellow jumped up with his yellow forehead all wrinkles and
his eyes flashing and twinkling comically with resentment. But as I
still laughed at him, the creases began to disappear from his face, and
the angry look to depart, till he too smiled up at me.
"You velly funny," he said. "Laugh at me."
"Well, you made me by grumbling for nothing."
"Quong cook well--better allee this? Cookee ploply."
"Yes; everything you have done has been delicious. Here, go on with
your supper."
"Quong cook bleakfast?"
"Yes; I'll ask Mr Raydon to let you. Here, go on."
This pacified the little fellow, and he finished his meal quickly. He
was busy clearing up when Mr Raydon came in, and I saw him glance
sharply at the busy little fellow, whose tail was whisking about in all
directions as he bobbed here and there, just as if he not been walking
all day.
"Had a good supper?" said Mr Raydon. "That's right. Now then come to
my office, and let us have a talk."
I followed him with some trepidation, Esau coming on nervously behind;
and as we went outside, and then along to another building, catching
sight of men and women at different places about the enclosure, our host
went on to where I now saw that Gunson was waiting for us by a wooden
house that had some show of comfort.
"Come in," said our host, and he pointed to roughly-made, strong chairs,
while he seated himself behind a deal desk.
The walls were covered with weapons, and heads and horns of the various
animals that I presumed had fallen to his rifle were nailed up here and
there, the white deal floor being nearly covered with skin rugs. These
various objects of interest kept my eyes busy for a few moments, and
then I was called back to my position by Mr Raydon's voice, as he
addressed Gunson.
"You are quite welcome," he was saying, "and I dare say I could give you
a little shooting if you were disposed to stay."
"No," said Gunson, "I thank you; but I have finished one part of my task
here. I am not going of course to make any secret of my mission. I am
a prospector."
"Yes."
"It was my fortune to come out with these lads, and when I heard that
they were journeying up the river, I determined to get up to the higher
waters by the same route as they did for the sake of helping them."
"Then you would not have come this way, Mr Gunson?" I said.
"No, my lad," he replied, smiling. "I should have struck up one of the
side rivers sooner."
"Oh!" I ejaculated.
"For it seemed to me that it was utter madness for two boys like these
to attempt the journey alone in perfect ignorance of what they had
undertaken."
"And you made up your mind to see them through?"
"I did, for they would never have done it alone."
"Indeed we should," I said, quickly.
Gunson laughed, leaned forward, and patted me on the shoulder.
"No, no, Mayne, my lad," he said kindly. "There's all the pluck--the
English spirit in you; but there was more than you could have done by
yourselves. You would have struggled on, but Master Dean here would
have broken down long enough ago, and wanted to go back home to his
mother."
"How could I have wanted to go back home to mother when she ain't at
home?" cried Esau, angrily.
"Well, to have gone back," said Gunson. "There, I am in real earnest,
my lads. It was more than you could have done."
"But we should have persevered," I said, warmly.
"And failed, as better men have done. Besides, there were the Indians,
my lad. They always seemed very peaceable towards us, but you had a
well-armed man with you; and it may have made some difference. There, I
don't want to rob you of any credit you deserve, and I tell Mr Raydon
here before you that I have derived no little assistance from you both,
and enjoyed my journey all the better for your company. What do you
say, Mr Raydon--would they have found their way up here alone?"
"In time, perhaps," he replied; "if they had met with other people
making the trip they might have got here. Certainly not alone, and it
would have been madness to have attempted it. It has been a mad project
altogether."
Gunson looked at me and smiled.
"But there, you have reached your goal safe and sound, and to-morrow
morning we'll shake hands and say good-bye."
"Please understand, Mr Gunson," said our host, quietly, "that you have
no occasion to hurry."
"I beg your pardon," replied Gunson; "you are wrong. Time is gliding
on, sir. I have spent years already in my quest and have no time to
spare."
"The quest of wealth?" said Mr Raydon, rather sarcastically.
"Yes, sir; the quest of wealth to redeem the past. You do not know my
early life, and I'm not going to tell of it."
"I only know enough to prove to me that Mr Gunson was educated as an
English gentleman."
"And is now the rough prospector you see," replied Gunson. "There, sir,
one lives for the future, not the past. To-morrow morning, thanking you
warmly for your hospitality, I start; and I ask you to give my young
friends here what you have offered so generously to me."
"Your Chinese servant going with you, of course. You said `I start.'"
"My Chinese servant!" said Gunson, laughing. "I keep no servants. The
poor fellow attached himself to us, and has worked for us patiently ever
since. He is one of the poor patient Celestials, hunting for gold, and
if ever he scrapes together fifty pounds' worth he will account himself
rich."
"And you?"
"Ah, my desires are far higher," said Gunson, laughing. "Now, if you
will excuse me, I'll go outside and enjoy a pipe in this delicious
evening air."
"Let me offer you a cigar, Mr Gunson," said our host. "I have a few
good ones for my visitors."
"Thanks, no. I'll keep to my pipe till better times come. Now, my
lads, it is your turn to have your chat with our host."
He rose.
"One moment, Mr Gunson," said Mr Raydon. "There is a powder magazine
in the enclosure."
"Yes; I caught sight of it," was the reply. "I shall not drop any
matches near."
I saw our host watch him very thoughtfully as he went out of the office.
Then turning to us sharply he looked from one to the other, his clear
eyes seeming to search us in a way that was far from encouraging.
"Now, young fellows," he said, "I need not ask your names: Mayne Gordon
and Esau Dean. I have been expecting you."
"Expecting us, sir?" I said.
"Of course. Because you have been six months coming; a letter would not
be all this while. I have known of your proposed visit for some time,
though I tell you frankly that when I read my thoughtless, inconsistent
brother-in-law's letter, I never expected to see you here. You have
been very lucky, that's all."
"If you mean Mr John Dempster is thoughtless and inconsistent, sir," I
said warmly, "I must speak. He is all that is kind, thoughtful, and
gentlemanly, and he is the best--almost the only--friend I have in the
world."
"What, sir? Isn't it thoughtless and inconsistent of a man to send two
raw boys nearly all round the world on such a mad journey as this? A
thoughtful man would say the person who planned it was a fool."
"No thoughtful man who knew Mr John Dempster would speak of him like
that, sir," I said, angrily.
"Why you might just as well say so of some one who set him and poor Mrs
John to travel thousands of miles the other way here," cried Esau,
coming to my help.
"Means that I am a fool!" said our host, sharply, as he turned on Esau.
"Here, you hold your tongue, sir, till your turn comes."