Distance is illusive in the clear atmosphere of high mountain lands, and
it took two days longer than had been calculated before a position well
upon the slope of the giant peak was reached--a grand shelf, covered
with verdure close to where a sparkling stream gushed out of a patch of
rocks and made a leap of fully a hundred feet down into a rift, along
which it gurgled musically beneath a rainbow-like arch of ever-changing
beauty on its way to the plain below.
A more beautiful spot could not have been selected for the camp,
presenting as it did shelter, shade, a comprehensive view of the country
for probably a hundred miles round, and of the valleys that ran down and
opened out from the mountain side into the plains, so that the presence
of enemies could be made out and favourable parts selected for finding
game.
But Chris was not satisfied, and Ned expressed his disapprobation
plainly to Griggs.
"I thought we were going right up to the top of the peak," he said.
"This isn't more than a quarter the way."
"It's as far as we could get the mules and ponies by now," replied the
American. "What do you want to go up higher for?"
"Why, to see, of course," cried Ned.
"You're a hard one to satisfy," said Griggs. "There's hundreds of times
as much down yonder as you can see anyhow. Besides, do you know how it
would be if you climbed higher?"
"Splendid."
"No it wouldn't," said Griggs. "It would be so cold you couldn't bear
it."
"What, up there in the blazing sunshine?"
"Yes, up there in the blazing sunshine. That only lasts till sundown;
after that ice would be forming in the water-bottles, while the wind
would be so cold that you couldn't bear it. We should want bearskin
coats," added Griggs meaningly, as he sheltered his eyes from the sun's
glare.
He and the boys had climbed, after helping with the camping
arrangements, some three or four hundred feet above the shelf, armed
with the doctor's glass.
"We could keep ourselves warm enough, I dare say," said Ned surlily, for
the ponies had been walked up the final portion of that day's journey so
as to relieve them of their loads.
"Strikes me," said Griggs, "that this place will about do for a couple
of weeks, and then we can get right round to the other side for a day or
two to see what we can make out there."
"I should say we had better start right off there to-morrow," said
Chris, after taking a comprehensive glance round. "How far can I see,
do you think?"
"From here? Why, big things a hundred miles off, I dare say."
"Then it's all a failure, so far," said Chris; "there's no sign of the
mountains on the map. This is not the right part."
"I didn't expect it would be," said the American coolly.
"Then why did we come?" cried Chris.
"Just to make sure, my lad. That's the sort of thing we shall have to
do: keep on trying, and always expecting we are not right."
"Oh!" cried Ned impatiently.
"Ah, you may `Oh,' my lad, but that's the way to succeed. We shall go
about to hundreds of places before we've done, and out of those hundreds
there's only one can be right, and it isn't natural to expect that it
will be ready for us at the start. There's no hurry."
"No hurry?" cried the boy, staring.
"Not a bit. You chaps are a long way off twenty yet, and if you find
the gold city before you're seventy you'll do well."
"Hark at him!" cried Chris merrily. "Griggs turned philosopher. What
about you then? You're past thirty."
"Ever so much," said the American, "but I don't mind if I never find it.
This life's quite good enough for me."
"Do you mean to tell me that you don't want to find the old city?" cried
Chris.
"No, of course not. I should like to find it, my lads, and be a rich
man; but I shan't break my heart if we never go near the place. We
shall have travelled half over America and seen plenty of the country.
That's good enough for a man who only wants to live."
"You're a rum chap, Griggs," said Chris.
"I am, my lad, but I can't help it. Now, let's see: we came up here to
see what there was to be seen, and you wanted to go up higher."
"And you said we should want bearskin coats."
"To be sure I did," without moving a muscle. "Well, there's one over
yonder."
"A bearskin coat?" cried Ned. "Nonsense! Bearskin coats don't grow on
trees."
"Thank you for the information," said Griggs, "but tell me something
else; I knew that."
"Tell us something else," cried Ned. "A bearskin coat on the mountain
side! Where?"
"Over yonder, I tell you, with the gentleman it belongs to wearing it.
A splendid fit too, I should say, but it's too far off to make sure."