When I opened my eyes again it was with a horrible sensation of sickness
at my heart, and my eyes swam, but I could dimly make out Mr Raydon's
face, as he leaned over me, and I heard him say, as if he was speaking a
very long way from me in a very small voice--
"That's right; go on. Keep bathing his face."
Then I heard Esau speak in a faint choking voice.
"Oh, sir! oh, sir! He won't die, will he? Tell me he won't die."
"I tell you to keep on bathing his face. There, take that basket and
throw the wretched gold back into the stream. The basket will hold a
little water at the bottom. No, no! squeeze what you have in your
handkerchief first over his face."
There was a cool refreshing sensation on my face directly after, and all
the time I could hear that Esau was in great trouble, for he kept on
softer with a curious moaning voice--
"Oh--oh--oh--oh!"
It seemed very strange, and sounded to me as if it was all occurring
some distance off, and I wanted to shout to him, and ask what was the
matter. But Mr Raydon was still leaning over me, pulling me about it
seemed, and a sharp pain suddenly shot through me, and made me wince.
"Don't--don't," I said, faintly; but he kept on burning me, so it seemed
to me, with a red-hot iron in the chest; and after doing this for some
time, while Esau kept on after a bit making his low moaning sound and
splashing water over my face, Mr Raydon turned me over, and began
burning me on the back.
I wanted to struggle, and tell him to leave off, but no words would
come; and he kept on hurting me dreadfully, and pushing me about, for
what seemed to be a terribly long time, before he turned me again upon
my back.
"Oh, do tell me, sir, please do tell me, whether he'll die," I heard
Esau say again, and I fancied that I caught sight of him through a thick
cloud.
"I cannot tell you, my lad," I heard Mr Raydon say. "Please God! no."
"But I shot him, sir; I shot him. It was me, and I declare to goodness
I'd sooner have shot myself."
"Yes, my lad, I believe you," said Mr Raydon, very faintly, from
further away now.
"Is it--is it right through the heart?"
"No, no, no, not, so bad as that. The bullet has passed right through
just below the shoulder."
"There--then he'll bleed to death," groaned Esau.
"No; I've stopped that. Quick! more water; he's going off again."
"He's dying! he's dying!" cried Esau, very close to me now, as it seemed
to me; but his voice died out quickly, beginning as a shrill cry and
ending in a faint whisper, and it all grew dark and silent for a time.
Then once more I seemed to wake up with a shrill-toned bell ringing
loudly in my ears; and I lay with a terrible sensation of deathly
faintness till I heard Esau say, close to me--"I'll carry him, sir."
"No, no, my lad."
"But you don't know how strong I am, sir."
"We must not shake him more than we can help, and he must be in an easy
position. Have you your knife? I left mine."
"Yes, sir, here," cried Esau; and then in a low voice, "Oh, poor chap!
poor chap!--what have I done!"
I lay very still then, listening to a hacking noise as if some one were
chopping with a knife, and I listened again for what seemed a long time
to a good deal of rustling and panting, and what sounded like the
tearing up of handkerchiefs.
"There," said Mr Raydon, "if we are careful that will bear him. Now
then--no, wait a moment. I must tie the rifle to this pole. I want
something else."
"Here's my other boot-string, sir," I heard Esau say.
"Yes, capital. That will do. Now, are you ready? Get hold of his legs
quietly; don't hesitate, and when I say _now_, both lift together."
I had some faint, wondering thought as to whom they were talking about,
when a terrible pang shot through me, and I felt myself lifted up and
laid down again on what felt like a bed of fir-branches. The sickness
did not increase, and I lay there listening to some one moaning as if in
pain, while I became conscious of a curious, swinging motion as I was
being gently borne up and down and carried through the air.
Then I seemed to fall into an uneasy sleep, and to lie and dream about
Mr Raydon burning my chest with red-hot irons, and these changed to
little nuggets of gold which burnt me every time they touched my chest
or back. At times the pain ceased, and then it began again, always with
the swaying motion, while now and then, when the movement ceased, I
began to dream of cool fresh water moistening my brow, and being
trickled between my burning lips.
That was a long, wearisome, painful dream, which lasted for what felt
like an indefinite time, to be succeeded by other dreams in which the
terrible bear's head from Mr Raydon's office was always pursuing me,
and the great moose's head looking on in a melancholy, pitiful way.
And it did not appear strange to me that as I tried to escape and
started on up and up a ravine where the sun scorched my brains, that the
heads should be following without, any bodies. There they always were,
the bear's head with the huge teeth waiting to seize me if I only halted
for a minute, and the moose's head hurrying on to be there and pity me
when I was caught.
How I seemed to toil in terrible agony to get away, the sun burning, and
the way up which I climbed growing more and more stony with precipices,
down which I was always about to fall! Then great rows of the heads of
the mountain sheep came in my way with their large curled horns
threatening to drive me back into the jaws of the grizzly bear, which
was always close behind. It seemed hidden sometimes behind heaps of
skins, but I always knew it was there, and its great muzzle came out
again.
I tried to run--to climb further, but something held me back, and the
burning on my head grew terrible. I was thirsty too, and I thought that
the moose pitied me, and would show me the way to water; but it only
looked at me mournfully till I awoke in the darkness, and lay wondering
for a few minutes before I stretched out my hand and felt that I was in
my bed, and as I lay there, I suddenly saw in the darkness the shape of
my door formed by four faint streaks of light which grew brighter, and
directly after there was the sharp point of light where the keyhole was,
near one side.
It seemed very strange, and more so that the door should open directly
after, and Mr Raydon be standing there in his shirt and trousers
carrying a candle.
"What does he want?" I thought to myself in a confused way, as I saw
him come into our room, and the light fell on Esau, who was not
undressed, but lying on his bed with his mouth wide open.
Suddenly he started up, and Mr Raydon raised his hand, and I heard him
say, "_Sh_!" The next minute he was holding the candle over my bed,
looking in on my face.
"What's the matter?" I said; "I'm not asleep;" but it did not sound
like my voice speaking.