We two lads wandered away one day along a valley down which a stream
came gliding here, roaring in a torrent there, or tumbling over a mass
of rock in a beautiful fall, whose spray formed quite a dew on the
leaves of the ferns which clustered amongst the stones and masses of
rock. To left and right the latter rose up higher and higher crowned
with fir-trees, some of which were rooted wherever there was sufficient
earth, while others seemed to have started as seeds in a crevice at the
top of a block of rock, and not finding enough food had sent down their
roots over the sides lower and lower to where they could plunge into the
earth, where they had grown and strengthened till the mass of rock was
shut in tightly in what looked like a huge basket, whose bars held the
stone fast, while the great fir-tree ran straight up from the top.
These wild places had a constant attraction for us, the greater that we
were always in expectation of hearing a deer rush away, or catching
sight of some fresh bird, while there was always a shivering
anticipation of our coming face to face with a bear.
The sun came down glowing and hot into the ravine, where the strong
aromatic scent of the pines floated to us laden with health as we toiled
on higher and higher, leaping from rock to rock, wading or climbing, and
often making use of a great pine-trunk for a bridge.
"It's so different to the city," Esau used to say. "The roaring of the
water puts you a bit in mind of Cheapside sometimes; but you can't lie
down there, and listen and think as you can here."
"What do you generally think about, Esau?" I said.
"Dunno; mostly about getting higher up. Let's get higher up now. I
say, look at the trout. Shall we try and get a few for dinner; the old
man likes them?"
"As we come back," I said. "Let's go up higher now."
"How far would it be up to where this stream begins?"
"Not very far," I said. "It cannot come from the ice up yonder."
"Why not?" he said sharply. "I think it must."
"It cannot, because it is so clear. We couldn't see the trout if it was
a glacier stream."
"Humph, no, I s'pose not. Where does it come from then?"
"Oh, from scores of rills away perhaps in the mountains. How
beautifully clear the water is!--you can see every stone at the bottom--
and, look, it's like a network of gold on the sand."
"What makes that?" said Esau.
"The ripple of the water as it runs. How beautiful it all is!"
"Yes; I should like to build mother a cottage up there when she comes."
"That's what you always say. Why don't you set to work and build one
ready when she does come?"
"If you talk like that I will," said Esau, irritably. "Of course I
always say so--shame if I didn't."
"Well then, select your place and let's begin."
"Shan't! not for you to make fun of me," cried Esau, throwing himself
down. "Now then, if you want to quarrel again, go it. I shan't
grumble."
We went on by the side of the little stream for quite half-an-hour
almost in silence, not from Esau being out of temper, but from the
intense satisfaction we felt in being in so beautiful a place, and at
last sat down close by a gravelly-looking shallow, where the beautiful
clear water tempted us to lie flat down, lean over till we could touch
it, and drink.
"That's good water," said Esau, as he wiped his mouth. "I wish plenty
of fruit grew here too. What are you doing? Why, you're not going to
hunt for gold, are you?"
I did not answer, but went on with what I was doing; scooping up the
gravel and sand, and agitating my hand till the light sand was washed
away and only the stones remained. It was in imitation of what I had
seen Gunson and Quong do scores of times, and in the idlest of moods
that I did this, partly, I think, because the water felt cool and
pleasant to my hands, and the sensation of the sand trickling between my
fingers was agreeable.
"I wonder whether Gunson has found a good place for gold yet?"
"Dunno," replied Esau, with a yawn. "I wish those people would come
here, so that we could set to work in real earnest, and be making a
house. Shall you come and live with us, or with Mr and Mrs John?"
"Can't say at present. All that sort of thing must be left till they
come, and--oh!"
"What's the matter?"
"Nearly slipped in; that's all," I said, selecting a fresh stone for my
seat, the one I had been using at the edge of the stream having turned
slowly over and pitched me forward.
"Only got wet; you would soon get dry again in the sunshine."
"Yes," I said, taking a fresh handful of gravel and beginning to shake
it to and fro in the stream, pausing every now and then to pick out the
big stones and throw them away, and the gravel after them, before taking
another handful.
"Makes your hands nice and clean, doesn't it?" said Esau. "Nothing like
sand for that. Found any gold yet?"
"Not yet," I said.
"No, nor you won't. There's no gold here, only a few little specks like
Quong got."
"Oh, there might be," I said carelessly, as I thrust in my hand a little
deeper, and brought out a good handful of sand from lower down. "Gunson
said he was sure there was plenty if you could--"
"Well, could what?" said Esau, as he lay back with his hands beneath his
head, his cap over his eyes, and his voice sounding hollow and strange
from having to run round inside his hat.
I did not answer, for I was washing the contents of my hand with a
sudden feeling of eagerness.
"Well?" he said again, "could what?"
"Esau, come and look down here," I whispered very huskily.
"Can't," he said, lazily. "Too comfortable to move."
"Come here!" I cried again.
"Shan't. I'm tired. I don't want to be roused up to look at a fly, or
some stupid bird in a tree. You can look at it all to yourself."
"Come here, will you?" I said so fiercely that he sprang up.
"What's the matter?"
"Come and look here!"
He rose and came to me, looking wonderingly at my hands, which I held
closely clasped together.
"What's the matter?" he said; "cut yourself? Wait till I tear up my
hank'chief."
"No, no," I panted, and the excitement I felt made me giddy.
"Well, I thought you hadn't," he cried. "Don't bleed. Here, what is
it? What's the matter with you? You look as silly as a goose."