"Yes, it's going down, and it will soon be night. I was puzzled at
first. I thought it was morning. It all comes through lying down at
such an unnatural time."
"Ah, you mustn't expect to go on in the regular way when you're
travelling, my lad," said Griggs, "but get your bit of sleep when the
chance comes."
"I suppose so," said Ned; "but it was ever so long before I could go
off, though I was as tired as a dog. Chris was just as bad, but he's
sleeping soundly enough now."
"No, I'm not," said Chris quietly. "I'm wide awake, listening to what
you say, and smelling the cakes. Are they nearly done, Griggs?"
"Want another quarter of an hour, and then I shall make the tea."
"Then I shall go and bathe my face," said Chris. "That'll freshen me
up. Will you come?"
This was to Ned, who rose at once, and they walked off together towards
where a little stream came gurgling and splashing down from the heights
above.
"They sleep well enough," said Chris, with a side wag of the head.
"Yes; but I couldn't. I say, shall we have to watch to-night?"
"No, I think not. I'm sure we shall have our turn to sleep till
morning."
"That's right. I know I shall go off like a top. But I say, look at
the sky and those fir-trees up there."
"Lovely," said Chris. "Some parts are so bright, all red and orange,
and others look quite purple and black. It keeps changing so fast too,
that the black shadows seem to move."
"Yes; that's what I thought more than once as I lay there before you
woke. It was just as if something was creeping about under the boughs."
"Not an Indian spy on all fours, was it?" said Chris quickly.
"Nonsense! He wouldn't have shown himself like that."
"Wasn't a wild beast?"
"Of course not. If it had been it would have scared the mules and
ponies. No, it was only a shadow creeping along, and I suppose, after
all, I wasn't quite awake. Now then for that water. It's sure to be
fresh and cold, and will wash all the sleepy feeling away."
Ned was quite right. The water had come tumbling down from somewhere
high up the peak, and felt quite icy as they lay down upon their faces
amongst the stones and scooped it up out of a little moss-grown
rock-pool for a few minutes, before rising up to dry their faces,
feeling bright and elastic once more and wonderfully ready for the
evening meal, the preparations for which sent forth another scent far
more attractive than that which came from the ferns which grew in every
crevice of the rocks, and the pines whose aromatic resin shed a fainter
perfume now that the heat of the sun had died away.
So beautiful was the soft gloom in the valley, so delicious the warm
glow above, about the summit of the peak, that every one looked content
and dreamy, as they sat almost in silence about the camp-fire and
partook of their welcome repast.
"My turn to-night, Lee," said Wilton suddenly. "I don't think we shall
be disturbed--do you?"
"No; I feel sure that we got away unseen, and in an hour it will be so
still that you can hear the slightest sound."
"And so dark that an enemy could not find us."
"Till the moon rises," said Bourne, "and then I come on. I say, doctor,
you're going to have as idle a time as the boys."
"And I'm sure father wants it," said Chris sharply; "he nearly works
himself to death."
"And never felt better in my life," said the doctor, with a pleasant
laugh. "This mountain air is glorious after the work in those dreary
salt plains. But thank you all the same, Chris, my boy; you'll take
care that I am not quite worked to death, eh?"
"You won't let me," said the boy quickly.
"No," replied the doctor. Then changing the subject, he turned to
Griggs. "Just a word with you, neighbour," he said. "You feel pretty
confident about to-night, don't you?"
"Yes; we'll have a good rest, and to-morrow--"
"Well, what about to-morrow?" said the doctor, for the American paused.
"Strike right off to the south."
"Why?" said Wilton sharply.
"Because, grand as all this part is, it won't do. A man wouldn't dry up
with starvation and thirst in such a country as this, but get fat and
lazy. We're not anywhere near the map land yet."
"I'm afraid not," said the doctor; "but the climate is perfect. One
would like to settle here, for some things."
"One?" said Bourne. "I know two."
"Three," said Wilton.
"All of us," cried Chris.
"I didn't speak," said Griggs dryly.
"No; but you said you liked the place if it wasn't for the Indians,"
cried Ned.
"Ah, I wasn't thinking about the gold then, my lad."
"The gold!" cried Bourne contemptuously. "What is the gold, after all,
but so much yellow metal?"
"That's right enough, sir," said Griggs, "but precious--"
"Precious!" said Bourne, with more contempt in his tone. "A fancy
word."
"I hadn't finished what I meant to say, sir," said Griggs.
"Finish then," cried Bourne. "I don't believe you are a slave to the
lust for gold."
"Slave, eh?" said Griggs merrily. "Britons never shall be slaves, as
you sing--nor Murricans neither. No, sir. I was going to say precious
useful, when you cut me short."
"I beg your pardon, Griggs."
"Granted, sir. I was speaking as a man who has toiled for years and
years to get a decent living by his plantation, and I must say, after
all my disappointments I should like to drop all at once upon that gold
city where the stuff's lying waiting to be carted away."
"Yes," said the doctor; "after all our lost labour it would be
pleasant."
"I don't want to wear gold chains and rings, and to keep carriages,"
continued Griggs, "but I should like to have enough of the yellow stuff
to put in a bank, and one might do a good deal of good if one made a
pile."
"Yes, I quite agree with you," said the doctor. "We all do, and we'll
work till we find it."
"Of course," cried Wilton; "but I don't like that striking off south
to-morrow; why should we do that?"
"It means getting clear of the Indians," said Griggs, "and into a more
likely part."
"But we should have to go right across that desert yonder. I could see
it stretching away to the horizon from one point we passed to-day."
"So did I, sir," said Griggs.
"Then why not keep hugging the mountains?"
"Or letting them hug us, Ned," whispered Chris.
"Didn't use the glass when you looked out over the salt plain, did you,
Mr Wilton?" said Griggs.
"No; there wasn't any need. I could see nothing else but one vast
alkali plain."
"That's a pity, sir," said the American.
"That's what I say, and I propose that we keep on in the mountains till
we can see a place likely to be that we are looking for."
"Look here, gentlemen," said Griggs, "I'm Amurrican, and I speak with a
slow sort of drawl which comes nat'ral to me. You don't give me time.
I've got a lot more to say about that lookout and the glass, only--
snip-snap, you cut my speech right in two."
"I'm very sorry, Griggs," cried Wilton. "Did you use the glass up
there?"
"Up there, and several other places too. That's why I asked the doctor
here to let me carry it."
"Well, and what did you see?" cried Wilton.
"Nothing, till we got to that highest part."
"And then?"
"Why then, right away south where the salt plains seemed to come to an
end--"
"Ah!" cried the doctor.
"I could see just a line of faint clouds or shadows."
"Yes, clouds," said Wilton--"shadows."
"Nay, it warn't," said Griggs. "Clouds and shadows miles away--a
hundred, perhaps--seen through this clear air look like clouds and
shadows."
"Of course," said Wilton.
"Blackish or greyish. These didn't."
"How did they look then?" said Bourne.
"Like mountains, sir; just that beautiful, wonderful, soft, pale pinkish
blue. We were very high up, it was as clear as clear, and I don't say
how far it was off; most likely a hundred miles away, perhaps two; but
there they were, a long line of 'em, some high and some low. Mountains,
and no mistake, and that's where we ought to go."
"Right across that scorching desert?" said Wilton.
"Yes, sir. It won't be nice, but we'll take plenty of water."
"And risk the rattlesnakes?"
"Yes, sir, and leave the Indians to themselves here," said Griggs.
"They may have this part and welcome. We don't want it. What do you
say, doctor?"
"That we'll have a good rest to-night, and climb to-morrow morning as
high above us as we can to get another glimpse of your mountains,
Griggs, and then map down our course by the compass and start, after
making the best preparations we can. Have you anything more to say
against the plan, Wilton?"
"Not a bit," cried the latter. "I didn't know that Griggs had got
another range of mountains up his sleeve. There, I'm a lazy one, and I
can't help longing to loaf about in a beautiful place like this. I
should like to stop and shoot and explore. The place is lovely."
"Wait till we've got the gold, sir," said Griggs merrily, "and then I'm
with you. Nothing I should like better than to stop about here if Mr
Lo! the poor Indian, would leave us alone. But he wouldn't, I know of
old, and I've a great objection to standing still for him to make a
target of me and stick me as full of arrows as a porcupine. Say, I
wonder we haven't seen any of those gentlemen, and those black and white
fellows with the feathery tails."
"The skunks!" cried the doctor. "No, nor do we want to. Then now for a
good rest. Sleep, boys, and `pay attintion to it,' like Barney
O'Reardon. This moss will feel like feather-beds to-night. My word,
how dark it has grown while we have been talking! Good-night, every
one. I'm half-asleep now."
Five minutes later he was quite, and the rest, saving the watch, were
rapidly following his example, the only sounds heard being the distant
hoot of an owl, the musical trickling of falling water, and the crop,
crop of the grazing beasts.