"I know what you think," he said, gravely; "that it's horrible to shed
blood. So it is; but I've got a wife here, and children, and out in a
wild place like this, a man has to be his own soldier and policeman, and
judge and jury too."
"It seems very horrible," I said. "It is very horrible, my lad, but
it's not our doing. If these people will leave us alone, we shall not
interfere with them."
"Of course not," said Esau. "Wonder whether I could hit a man."
"I hope you will not have to try," said Grey. "It's what the Governor
has been afraid of for years and years."
I winced again, for it was as if everything I saw or heard tended to
accuse me of destroying the peace of the place.
"Wonder whether they'll come here to-night," said Esau.
"We must be ready for them; but I don't think it's likely," said Grey.
"They got a good deal of plunder last night, and plenty of provisions.
I should say that they will do nothing now for a few days. They'll wait
till they think we are not on the look-out."
It proved as Grey said, and for the next few days there was no alarm.
Communications had been kept up with the mining camps, and one morning,
as I was talking with Mr John about the terribly weak state in which
Mr Gunson lay, partaking of the food and medicine administered, but as
if still asleep, Mr Raydon came up.
"Gordon," he said, "you and Dean have wandered about well, and gone in
nearly every direction, have you not?"
"Yes, sir," I said, wondering what was coming.
"Do you think you could find your way to Gunson's claim?"
"Of course, sir," I said, smiling.
"I do not mean by the valley," he said, testily. "I want some one to go
by the short cut over the mountains--the way I came to your relief."
"I don't know, sir," I said. "I have never been there, but I will try."
"Bravo!" said Mr John. "Mayne, you're like Pat with the fiddle. He
said he would try if he could play."
"Are you willing to try?" said Mr Raydon.
"With Dean, sir?"
"No; alone. I cannot spare two."
"Yes," I said, eagerly; "I'll go."
"I do not see what harm could befall you," said Mr Raydon, musingly.
"The direction is well marked, and the trees are blazed through the bit
of forest. Any beasts you came near would skurry off. Yes; I think I
will let you go. By the way, you may as well take your rifle and
pistol."
"Yes," I said, feeling quite excited over my mission. "Have you
anything for me to take to the men?"
"No; it is only a visit to an outpost, to let them see that they are not
forgotten, and to ask them if they have seen the enemy, or want
anything. But perhaps you had better go by the valley; it is surer."
"I should like to try the near way, sir," I said.
He gazed at me thoughtfully for a few moments.
"Well," he said, to my great satisfaction, "you shall try it. You ought
to know every trail round. Go and make a hearty meal before you start,
and then you need not take any provisions, for you can easily be back
before dark. Which way shall you go at first?"
"Up through the pines at the back," I said.
"No. Go down the valley to where that rounded rock stands up like a
dome, and climb up at once, keeping to the left. Then go right over the
side of the valley, and make straight for the big pine-forest you will
see across the open, striking for the tallest pine at the edge. That
tree is blazed with a white patch cut out by an axe. The trees right
through are blazed, and from one you can see the next, and from that the
next, so that you cannot go wrong."
"I see," I said; "I see."
Then he went on and told me what to do when I got through the dense
forest--this being a narrow corner which ran out into the open lands,
and on the other side went right off into the wilds, where it was
impenetrable. He roughly sketched out points, buttresses, and ravines,
which were to serve me as landmarks to make for; and then I was to go to
right or left, as the case might be; and one way and another, he marked
down for me a series of prominences to make for, so as to gain one and
then see another from it, till I reached to where I could look down into
Golden Valley, as I called it now, right above Gunson's claim.
He made me repeat my instructions, impressing upon me that I was to
treat the landmarks he gave me just as I did the blazed trees in the
forest, making sure of another's position before I left one, and,
satisfied at last, he gave me a nod of the head, and said abruptly--
"Off as soon as you can."
"I should like to go with you, Mayne," said Mr John, eagerly.
"No, no! Nonsense!" cried Mr Raydon. "I cannot spare you, John. I
may want you to shoot down a few hundreds of the enemy."
Mr John took these words so seriously that I could not help laughing,
when he saw them in the right light, came with me to my quarters,
watched me make a good meal, and then walked with me to the slope
beneath the dome, where he shook hands and stood to see me climb.
"Be careful, my boy," he said, at parting. "It is very steep and
dangerous."
I laughed, and ran up the side feeling like a goat. There was something
very delightful in the excursion, after the confinement within the
block-house, and in the glorious sunshine and the bright clear air, I
sprang forward, turning from time to time, as I climbed higher, to wave
my hand to him, and look down on Fort and valley, till the inequalities
of the wild, stony side hid him from my view.
I felt in high spirits, for this task made me think that Mr Raydon was
beginning to trust me again; and as I went on I thought about Mrs John
and her gentle words, as she told me all would come right in the end.
Then I began to think about poor Gunson, and wondered whether he would
soon be better, as I hoped and prayed that he would.
This made me feel low-spirited for a while, but the glorious scene
around me chased these gloomy thoughts away, for there before me in the
distance was the great pine towering up above its fellows at the edge of
the forest.
"Oh, it's easy enough to find one's way," I said, and excited by my task
I whistled, sang, and shouted, to have my voice come echoing back.
"I want Esau over here," I said aloud, as I shifted the heavy rifle from
one shoulder to the other. "How he would enjoy it!" Then I began
thinking of how attentive Mr Raydon was in his stern, grave way to poor
Gunson, and it struck me that he must feel a great respect for him, or
he would not be so careful, seeing how he disliked it all, in keeping
guard over his gold claim.
Then I had to think of my task, and climb over some rough ground, till I
reached the first trees, which very soon hid the huge pine, and found it
to be not quite at the edge of the forest. But I soon caught sight of
it again, and on reaching it saw the great mark or blaze in its side,
and from it the next. From this I could see another, and so found no
difficulty in getting through the solemn groves.
On the other side, as I stood by the last blazed tree, I had no
difficulty in making out a vast mass of rock, for which I at once
stepped out, and all proved to be so clear, there were so many landmarks
in the shape of peculiar stones, falls, and clumps of trees, that I made
my way easily enough, and felt no little pride in being so trusted to
tramp through these vast solitudes with a pistol in my belt and my rifle
over my shoulder.
"How grand! how grand!" I kept on saying to myself, as I climbed to the
top of some high point and looked around, while at such times a feeling
of awe came over me at the silence and loneliness of the scene.
I found my way at last to the top of a ridge where I could look down
into a green valley, seeing here and there in the distance faint lines
of smoke rising over the tops of the trees, and after a hot, rather
difficult descent through the pines, just as Mr Raydon must have come
to our help that day, I reached the little camp, and was greeted by the
men with a cheery shout.
They had not seen a sign of danger, they said, and as I looked round I
saw no sign of the place having been disturbed. I heard too that the
gold-washing was going on very busily below, but no party had gone
higher than they were, Barker having urged upon his fellow-miners the
necessity for keeping well together.
After a rest and a mug of tea, which they soon had ready for me, two of
them saw me up to the ridge above the valley, and gave me a hint or two
about my way, with a warning to be careful; and, full of confidence, I
started forward on my return journey.
I soon lost sight of the men and trudged on, keeping a sharp look-out in
the hope that I might see something in the form of game for a shot, and
a change in the fare at the Fort, but the utter absence of animals was
wonderful, and it was only at rare intervals that I heard the cry of a
bird, or caught sight of a squirrel.
I soon found that going back was not so easy, everything looking very
different reversed, and consequently I went astray twice, and had to
tramp back to the spot where I knew I had erred. Once I was brought up
short by a terrible precipice; a second time by a huge wall of rock,
going up hundreds of feet, ample proof that I was wrong.
Returning to the starting-place was best, and each time I soon realised
where I had strayed from the right track, and went on afresh.
But these wanderings took up time, and evening was setting in as I
reached the great patch of wood where the trees were blazed, and under
the shade of these great pines it was twilight at once, and soon after,
to my dismay, I found that it was quite dark. Still I knew the
direction in which I ought to go, and pressed on as fast as I could,
trusting to get through the forest; and then the four miles or so out in
the open could soon be got over. So I thought, but if you try to
realise my position it will be easy to understand how difficult it is to
keep to a certain direction, when one has constantly to turn to right or
left to pass round some big tree.
Not very difficult, you may say. Trees are not so big as that. But
they are out there. Just picture to yourself one of our pines starting
from the ground with a beautiful curve, before growing up straight as an
arrow, and so far round that I have seen them, when lying on the ground
felled by the axe, about ten feet up from the roots, where they would
not be so big, with the butt where it was cut, ten feet across or thirty
feet round, while, down at the level of the ground, it would be a long
way on to double that thickness.
To walk round such trees as that, and avoid the great roots, means
taking a good many steps, and when this is done again and again, in a
place where there is no beaten track, it is very easy to go astray.
It was so with me in the darkness of that forest, and I began to repent
bitterly now of my determination, for I had volunteered to come, feeling
positive of being able to find my way, while the more I tried to see,
the more confused I grew; till, hot, panting, and weary, I came to a
dead stand.
The silence was terrible, for there was not so much as a whisper in the
tops of the pines. The darkness had increased so that I had to feel my
way, and in a hopeless state of misery I leaned against a tree, fancying
I heard steps; then the heavy breathing of some huge beast; and at last,
asked myself if I was to wander about there till I fell down and died of
exhaustion and want of food.