"Yes," he said, laughingly, "once more a rich man."
"Is one any the happier for being rich?" I said.
"Not a bit, my lad. I was rich once, and was a miserable idiot. Mayne,
I left college to find myself suddenly in possession of a good fortune,"
he continued, pausing excitedly now, and speaking quicker, for Esau had
strolled off to a little distance with Quong. "Instead of making good
use of it, I listened to a contemptible crew who gathered about me, and
wasted my money rapidly in various kinds of gambling, so that at the end
of a year I was not only penniless, but face to face with half a dozen
heavy debts of honour which I knew I must pay or be disgraced. Bah! why
am I telling you all this?"
"No, no; don't stop," I said eagerly; "tell me all."
"Well," he said, "I will; for I like you, Mayne, and have from the day
we first met on board the _Albatross_. It may be a warning to you. No:
I will not insult you by thinking you could ever grow up as I did. For
to make up for my losings, I wildly plunged more deeply into the
wretched morass, and then in my desperation went to my sister and mother
for help."
"And they helped you?" I said, for he paused.
"Of course, for they loved me in spite of my follies. It was for the
last time, I told them, and they signed away every shilling of their
fortunes, Mayne, to enable me to pay my debts. And then--"
"And then?" I said, for he had paused again.
"And then I had the world before me, Mayne," he said, sadly. "I was
free, but I had set myself the task of making money to restore my mother
and sister to their old position. I tried first in London, but soon
found out it would be vain to try and save a hundredth part of what I
ought to pay them, so I tried adventure. There were rumours of gold
being discovered in Australia, then in the Malay Peninsula, and again at
the Cape, so I went to each place in turn and failed. Other men made
fortunes, but I was always unlucky, till once at the Cape, where I hit
upon a place that promised well, but my luck was always against me. My
tent was attacked one night, and I was left senseless, to come to myself
next morning, and find that I had been robbed, and so cruelly ill-used
that the sight of one eye was gone for ever, and there was nothing left
for me to do but sell my claim for enough money to take me back to
England amongst my poor people to be nursed back to health. Then, as I
grew strong again, there came rumours of the gold in British Columbia,
and I started once more, taking passage as a poor man in the steerage,
and meeting on board one Mayne Gordon, with whom I became friends. Am I
right?"
"Indeed, yes," I cried, giving him my hand.
"That's well," he said, smiling. "Since then I have worked, as you
know, for the golden prize that, if it does not make those at home
happy, will place them far above want, but always without success,
passing away from Fort Elk, when there was abundance near, and returning
poorer than I went, to find out quite by accident that here was indeed
the golden land. Mayne, I have gold worth hundreds of pounds already
hidden away safe."
"I am very, very glad," I cried. "But I want to know--"
"Yes?" he said, for I had stopped.
"Have you--no, not now," for just then Esau came up to us.
"Look here, my lad," said Gunson, quickly, "I sincerely hope that we may
never have cause to use weapons against our fellow-men; but we must be
prepared for emergencies. Do you know how to handle a revolver?"
Esau shook his head.
"Hit ever so much harder with my fists," he said.
"But that will not do. The sight of our weapons may keep evil visitors
off. Let me show you how to load and fire."
"Will it kick?" said Esau.
"Not if you hold it tightly. Now, look here."
And as I looked on, Mr Gunson showed Esau how to load and fire, and
generally how to handle the weapon, the lesson acting as well for me.
"There," said Mr Gunson at last, "you ought to be a valuable help to me
now; for the beauty of a weapon like this is, that the very sight of its
barrel will keep most men at a distance; and if they come I hope it will
these."
"Did yesterday, didn't it?" said Esau, laughingly, to me.
"Now," said Gunson, "about your rifle, Mayne; can you manage it?"
"I think so," I said; and I handled it in a way which satisfied my
master.
"That's right," he said. "Never mind about hitting. To fire is the
thing; the noise will, I hope, scare enemies. Now if Quong could be of
some use, it would make a show of four defenders; but we know of old his
strong point."
"Getting up a tree," I said, laughing.
"Exactly. Perhaps he could throw boiling water, but I shall not ask him
to do that. There, we are all right; every force must have a
commissariat department, and some general once said that an army fights
upon its stomach. We'll have him to feed us, while we keep guard about
the place."
"And won't you wash for gold at all?" said Esau, in a disappointed tone
of voice.
"No, nor yet mention it," said Gunson, firmly. "To all intents and
purposes there is no gold here whatever. We are settlers, and we are
going to hold this spot. You see, there is our brand on that tree."
As he spoke he pointed to the mark we had cut on the great fir-tree hard
by, and I could not help a shudder as I recollected the events of that
day.
The morning passed, and the afternoon came without our hearing a sound
but those made by the birds and squirrels, and after partaking of a meal
we began to look anxiously for the night as the time of danger; but we
saw the ruddy blaze of light die out on snow-topped peaks, and then the
pale stars begin to appear.
"This place is wonderfully like Switzerland in parts," said Gunson, as
we sat near the fire always on the _qui vive_ for danger; and in a low
voice he chatted to us till it was quite night, and the sky was a blaze
of stars.
"I think we may sleep in peace to-night," said Gunson, and he was a true
prophet, for, though I woke twice with a start of fear, the noise which
had wakened me was only caused by Quong going to throw some wood upon
the fire, which he never suffered to die out, but coaxed on so as to
have a plentiful heap of hot ashes in which to bake.
Two days passed in peace, and then a third, with the inaction telling
upon us all. For we were constantly on the strain, and the slightest
sound suggested the coming of an enemy.
"You see we cannot stir," Gunson said to me. "We must keep together.
If one of us played spy and reconnoitred, the chances are that the enemy
would come while we were away."
"But what does Quong say?" I asked. "He went down the stream last
night."
"That there are thirty parties between here and the river, and that
means some of them are new-comers, making their way up here before long.
To-morrow we shall have to send him to the Fort to beg for food."
"But there is a store lower down, Quong told me."
"Yes, and to buy off the people at their exorbitant prices, I shall have
to pay with gold, and for the present I wish to avoid showing that there
is any here."
The next day dawned, and was passing as the others had passed, for Mr
Gunson was hesitating still about sending Quong for provisions, that
little gentleman having announced that there would be "plenty bread,
plenty tea, plenty bacon for another day."
"Mayne," said Mr Gunson, as the sun was getting low, "I think I shall
go down the stream to-night, and see if those men are there. Perhaps,
after all, we are scared about nothing; they may have gone up another of
the valleys instead of this, and found gold in abundance--who knows?
But I must end this suspense some--"
He started, for I was pointing down stream at something moving.
"Is that a deer?" I whispered; and before he could answer a voice
cried--
"Come on, lads, it's more open up here, and it looks a likely spot."