A few minutes after I saw how darkness and fancy can combine to startle
one who wakes suddenly from sleep, for the man who had been Mr Raydon's
companion on the previous day suddenly made his appearance silently at
the door and walked in, his deerskin moccasins making no sound as he
came towards us. He was followed by a great fierce-looking dog, about
whose neck was a formidable ruff of loose hair, and as he trotted
towards me I saw in them the Indian and the wolf of my scare.
"Morning," said the man, quietly; "needn't ask you how you slept. I
came in late to see if the fire was all right, and you were all fast.
Here, Rough--quiet! Better make friends with him at once," he
continued, turning to me.
For, after sniffing at Gunson, and Esau, who got out of his way as soon
as possible, the dog turned his attentions to me, smelling me all round,
as if to try whether I was good to eat, and then uttering a low deep
growl, to indicate, I suppose, that he was satisfied that I was a
stranger.
"Well," I said, laying my hand upon his head, feeling nervous though not
showing it, "are we to be friends?"
There was a deeper growl, and two fierce eyes glared up at me, while I
fully expected that my hand would be seized. Then there was a slight
agitation of the great fluffy tail, which began to swing slowly from
side to side, and before I knew what was about to happen the great beast
rose up, planted its paws upon my shoulders, threw up its muzzle, and
uttered a deep-toned bay.
"That's all right," said the man; "you and he will be good friends now.
Can I do anything for you? Start this morning, don't you?"
"Yes," said Gunson, "I'm off directly."
"Right; my wife will bring you some breakfast.--Come along."
He went to the door, and the great dog followed him with his muzzle
down; but as soon as he was outside he ran back to me, thrust his great
head against my side, uttered a loud bark, and then trotted off.
A few minutes after an Indian woman, dressed partly in English fashion,
came in with a kettle of tea and some cake and bacon, which she
smilingly placed ready for us, while Quong stood over by the fire
looking very serious and troubled.
Gunson smiled and gave me a cheery look, and we sat down to the early
meal; but I did not feel hungry, and was playing with my breakfast when
Mr Raydon came in, looking quiet and firm as he wished us good morning.
"Quite ready for your start then?" he said; "quite decided to go
to-day?"
"Quite," replied Gunson, shortly. "If you come back this way I shall be
glad to see you," continued our host.
"Thank you. I hope to come back safely some day, and," he said, turning
to me, "to see how you are getting on."
"I shall be very glad to see you again," I said warmly; for though I did
not feel that I exactly liked the prospector, there was something beside
gratitude which attracted me to him.
"The Chinaman goes with you, I suppose?" said Mr Raydon, glancing to
where Quong stood, looking troubled and uneasy at being superseded.
"I don't know. He is free, and not tied to me in any way."
"What are you going to do?" said Mr Raydon, turning sharply on the
little fellow.
"Light n'--make blead--plenty tea hot--stlong. Cookee, velly much
cookee. Speak ploper English, allee same Melican man."
"Yes; but are you going on with Mr Gunson here?"
Quong looked at the prospector and then at me and at Esau, his little
black eyes twinkling, and his face as full of lines as a walnut-shell;
but Gunson made no sign, only went on with his breakfast.
"No wantee me," said Quong, shaking his head. "Go washee washee gole,
no wantee Quong."
"Then if I offered you work, would you like to stay here for a while?"
"Make blead, flesh blead? Yes, Quong going stop."
He looked at us and laughed.
Then Gunson spoke.
"Yes," he said, "he had better stay. I can carry my own pack and cook
all I require. There," he said, rising, "I'm ready for my start now.
Will you lads walk a little way with me?"
"Yes," I cried; and two minutes later we were outside, with Esau
shouldering the pack, while its owner stood for a few minutes talking
earnestly to Mr Raydon. I could not hear his words, but from his
glancing two or three times in my direction, I guessed the subject of
their conversation.
Gunson would not let us go far, but stopped short at the rise of a steep
slope, at the foot of which the river ran.
"Good-bye, Mayne," he said. "I shall come and look you up by and by if
the Indians do not kill me, or I am starved to death somewhere up
yonder. No, no: my nonsense," he continued, as he saw my horrified
look. "No fear; I shall come back safely. Good-bye."
He shook hands with us both hurriedly, shouldered his pack, and we stood
there watching him till he disappeared round a curve in the valley.
"He don't like me," said Esau, in a grumbling tone, as we began to walk
back.
"And you never liked him," I said.
"No. Perhaps it's because he had only got one eye. Never mind, he's
gone now, and we're going to stay. Will the old man set us to work?"
There seemed to be no sign of it at first, for when we returned to the
Fort Mr Raydon was away, and when he returned we spent our time in what
Esau called sight-seeing, for Mr Raydon took us round the place, and
showed us the armoury with its array of loaded rifles; took us into the
two corner block-houses, with their carefully-kept cannon, and showed us
how thoroughly he was prepared for danger if the Indians should ever
take it into their heads to attack him.
Then there were the stores, with the gay-coloured blankets and other
goods which were dear to the Indian and his squaw, and for which a
portion of a tribe came from time to time to barter the skins they had
collected by trapping and shooting.
There they were, bales of them--seal, sea-otter, beaver, skunk, marten,
and a few bear, the sight of all raising up in our hearts endless ideas
of sport and adventure possibly never to be fulfilled.
"There," said Mr Raydon, when we had seen all the stores, including
that where an ample supply of provisions was laid up, and we had visited
the homes of his men, all of whom had married Indian wives, "I have not
settled anything about you two lads yet. I may set you to work perhaps,
but at all events not for a few days, so you can wander about the place.
Don't go away from the streams. Why?" he added, as he saw my inquiring
look; "because if you wander into the forest there is nothing to guide
you back. One tree is so like another that you might never find your
way out again. Easy enough to talk about, but very terrible if you
think of the consequences. If you ascend one of the streams, you have
only to follow it back to the river. It is always there as a guide."
Nothing could have gratified us more, and for some days we spent our
time exploring, always finding enough to attract, watching the
inhabitants of the woods, fishing, bathing, climbing the trees, and
going some distance up into the solitudes of one of the mountains.
It was a pleasant time, and neither of us was in a hurry to commence
work, the attractions were so many.
"It's so different to being in streets in London," Esau was always
saying. "There it's all people, and you can hardly cross the roads for
the 'busses and cabs. Here it's all so still, and I suppose you might
go on wandering in the woods for ever and never see a soul."
It almost seemed as if that might be the case, and a curious feeling of
awe used to come over me when we wandered up one of the little valleys,
and were seated in the bright sunshine upon some moss-cushioned rock,
listening to the murmur of the wind high up in the tall pines--a sound
that was like the gentle rushing of the sea upon the shore.
Mr Raydon generally asked us where we had been, and laughed at our
appetites.
"There, don't be ashamed, Mayne," he said, as he saw me look abashed;
"it is quite natural at your age. Eat away, my lad, and grow muscular
and strong. I shall want your help some day, for we are not always so
quiet and sleepy as you see us now."
I had good reason to remember his words, though I little thought then
what a strange adventure was waiting to fall to my lot.