"Here, I know where he is," cried Esau excitedly.
"Yes? Where?"
"Gone up one of the streams to try for gold on the sly. You see if he
don't find out our bit one of these days."
"Perhaps he has gone for that," I said thoughtfully.
"I feel sure of it. He has been away lots of times for a bit, and I
shouldn't wonder if he is getting that little physic-bottle of his
pretty full."
"He had better not let Mr Raydon know of it. He'd be in a towering
rage," I said. "Here, let's hunt him out, and put a stop to it."
"All right," said Esau. "Here we are then. Which way shall we go?--
east, west, north, or south, or half-way between any two of 'em. I'm
willing; don't make no difference to me."
I stood and stared at him, for now I saw first how absurd my proposal
was, and how unlikely we were to find Quong if we had really gone off on
such a mission. Esau grinned.
"I say, 'tain't so easy, is it?"
I made no reply, but stood thinking, and trying to find a solution to
the difficulty.
"Seems to me," said Esau, "that about the best way of finding this
little gentleman is to go and sit down by his fire till he comes, for he
goes off so quietly, and he may be anywhere now."
"Let's look round again," I said, "and if we cannot find him we had
better go and tell Mr Raydon."
It was humiliating, but the only thing to do; and after asking at every
cottage in the enclosure without effect, I turned to go back to Mr
Raydon's quarters, just as we saw the man Grey going in that direction.
"Why, he might know," I said, hurrying my pace so that we entered almost
at the same time, but too late to question him.
"Well," said Mr Raydon, "have you found him?"
"No," I replied; and then turning quickly to Grey, who had not yet
spoken--"Have you seen anything of Quong?"
"Yes; he is at the west valley, I met him going there."
"The west valley?" said Mr Raydon, starting and looking excitedly at
the speaker. "What was he doing there?"
"Gone to join Mr Gunson and a party of men I suppose," said Grey,
slowly.
"Mr Gunson? Back?" I said wonderingly, but with a chill of dread
spreading through me as I spoke. "What is he doing there?"
"Busy with the others. They have set up camp, and are washing for
gold."
I glanced at Mr Raydon, whose eyes were fixed on me, and I saw a
furious look of anger gathering in his face, while Esau backed slowly
toward the door.
"This is your doing, sir. Here, you--stop! don't sneak away like that,
and leave your companion in the lurch."
"Wasn't going to sneak away," said Esau, surlily. "Go away then, you
miserable coward. Well, Mayne Gordon, I hope you are satisfied. Is
this your gratitude?"
I fully expected these words, but I was not prepared to answer him, and
in the rush of his indignant accusation my defence was swept down, and I
could only stammer out--
"You are mistaken, sir."
"No," he cried, "I am not mistaken. I told you when you made that
unlucky discovery I wished to keep all the wild gold-seeking scoundrels
away from my peaceful happy valley; and in spite of all I have done to
welcome you for my sister's sake, you give me evil for good."
"Indeed you are wrong, sir; I have not told a soul," I cried.
"Bah!" said Mr Raydon, furiously. "How can I think otherwise, when I
see you holding half-secret meetings with that man Gunson, who returns
in force to destroy this place? Well, my lad, I wish you joy of your
share, but, mark my words, this gold-seeking is miserable gambling, the
work of men who will not see that the real way to find gold is in
genuine honest work. Take the gold-seekers all round, and they would
have made more of the precious metal by planting corn than by this
digging and washing in the river-beds."
"Then you will not believe me, sir?"
"I cannot, my lad, after what I have seen," he said. "Your conduct has
not seemed to me manly and frank."
"I have tried to be, sir," I cried.
"And failed, boy. The temptation of the gold has proved to be too much
for you."
I stood silent now, for I could not speak. I wanted to say a great
deal, but there was a swelling in my throat--a hot feeling of
indignation and misery combined kept me tongue-tied, and above all there
was a guilty feeling that he was just.
"As for you," Mr Raydon continued, turning to Esau, "I shall not waste
words upon you. Of course you agreed with your companion, but you would
both have done better for yourselves as lads, and earned better
positions in life, by being faithful to me, than by letting yourselves
be led away by this miserable temptation."
"I ain't done nothing," said Esau; "I only--"
"That will do," cried Mr Raydon, fiercely, cutting him short. "Now
go."
"All right, sir," said Esau; and now I found my tongue again.
"Yes, Esau, we had better go," I said, bitterly. "Mr Raydon will some
day find out how unjust he has been to us."
"That will do," cried Mr Raydon, sternly. "No hypocrisy, sir. Once
for all, I know that you gave Gunson either full particulars or hints,
such as enabled him to bring a gang to this peaceful place."
"Well, if you won't let a fellow speak," began Esau.
"Silence, sir!" cried Mr Raydon, as I moved towards the door. "And
you, Gordon, where are you going?"
"I don't know, sir," I said.
"Then I do. You are going to join that wild crew up at the
gold-washings."
"I was going to see and tell Mr Gunson of what had happened, sir."
"Exactly. Then I forbid it. You shall not go."
"You ain't got no right to keep us here if we want to go," said Esau,
who was now losing: his temper fast.
"Indeed!" said Mr Raydon.
"You won't believe in a fellow--I mean this fellow," continued Esau;
"and you don't believe Mr Gordon, so I'm going straight up to Mr
Gunson to see if he will, and I'll trouble you to hand over that gold we
found that day."
"Esau!" I cried, angrily.
"Well, you won't speak out, so I must. Come on. Much obliged for all
you've done in keeping us, sir, and good-bye."
"Grey," said Mr Raydon, sharply.
"Yes, sir."
"See that those lads do not leave the Fort till I give them permission.
When you go off duty Hanson is to take your post."
"What?" cried Esau, as I felt my cheeks burning with indignation, "ain't
we to be allowed to go out?"
"Am I to put them in the block-house, sir?" said Grey.
"No; they can occupy the strangers' quarters, but they are not to pass
the gates. That will do. Go!"