Daybreak came all too soon for Chris, who sprang up rubbing his eyes and
yawning, in response to a summons from Griggs, who stood over the boy
like a black figure cut out of cardboard showing against a ruddy glow.
"Why--oh bother! It can't be time," cried the boy.
"Yes, it is, and we're late."
"So we are. You said daylight, and the sun's rising."
"Is it?" said Griggs. "Then it's before its time. There, unbutton your
eyelids and look again. The sun doesn't crackle and spit when it gets
over the world's edge."
"Humph!" grunted Chris, as he realised the truth that a roaring fire of
pinewood was burning in a sheltered spot. "Have you woke Ned?"
"Yes, and he's growling for his breakfast. Going to have a sluice
first? You'll just have time."
Griggs went back to see after the breakfast, and Chris turned to where
Ned had lain down on a fragrant pine-bough couch.
"Here, look sharp," he said. "I suppose we must have a dose of cold
water."
Ned grunted and seemed as ill-humoured as his companion at being
awakened from sleep, and the pair hurried through the gloom to the side
of the gully, where there was a soft, splashing roar caused by water
falling like so much foam from a ledge about a hundred feet above their
heads into a rock-pool at their feet.
The boys' preparations did not take long, neither did the application of
their bath. Chris stepped into the rock-pool, took a couple of paces,
and stood right in the middle of the descending broken water, uttered a
gasp or two, stepped out, and began to apply a rough home-made towel
with tremendous energy.
"Is it cold?" said Ned, with a preliminary shiver.
"Ugh! Horrid!" was the smothered reply.
The words seemed to check Ned, but the shock had to be suffered, and he
too stepped into the natural shower-bath, and sprang out again, to
follow his companion's example.
"Feel sleepy now?" cried Chris, with a laugh, and in quite a different
tone of voice.
"Sleepy? Who could?" was the reply, punctuated with gasps. "My! Isn't
it icy this morning!"
"Yes. Washed all the snarl out of you, old chap," cried Chris merrily.
"I say, you did sound disagreeable."
"Oh, I like that!" said Ned. "Why, a bear with a sore head was nothing
to you."
"Humph!" grunted Chris, feeling too guilty to defend himself. "I say,
feel cold now?"
"No; burning hot," was the reply. "I say, what a pity there are not
falls like this all over the salt desert."
"There'd be no salt desert if there were," said Chris, who was now
dressing rapidly in the increasing light. "They'd soon wash all the
salt away. Look sharp: old Griggs will be shouting directly."
The word "Breakfast!" came almost as he spoke, and as the boys hurried
towards the fire, fully alert now and ready for anything, they saw that
the mules were all laden but the one which carried the kitchen, as they
called it, and this beast was feasting in company with the ponies.
"Oh, I say, father, it isn't fair," cried Chris, in response to the
morning greeting. "You know I like to help load."
"Yes, my boy, but we woke earlier than usual, and I wanted you two to
have a good rest, for we shall have a long day."
Ned was making a similar protest to his father, who responded by telling
him that he would be tired enough before night.
The words proved to be quite true, for they had a long, long journey
through rugged valley, up steep mountain side, down precipitous gulch,
and across many a roaring torrent, one of which necessitated the use of
knotted-together ropes to ensure that the mules with their loads were
not swept away.
For in spite of the descents they were gradually ascending into a higher
mountainous region which grew more and more grand, while,
notwithstanding the fierce heat of the sun, fatigue seemed non-existent,
as the party drank in the strong, invigorating air.
The ideas that had been suggested about this part of the country being
island-like, rising out of a vast sea of salt desert, were proved to be
correct, for during quite a fortnight's journeyings here and there they
obtained glimpses in the far distance of the glistening plains over
which hung the cloud-like haze of heat.
But whenever after scaling some height their approach towards the
boundaries of the island was revealed, the doctor called a halt, and
after a discussion with Griggs they struck off in a fresh direction
through what proved to be a perfect wonderland of mountain gorge and
forest, the home of wild animals and birds, every valley and plain
furnishing supplies, while the want of water was never once felt.
"Why, we must have pretty well explored this part of the country," said
Wilton, one evening, as they sat resting and watching the sun-glow dying
out amongst the peaks.
"A little bit of it, sir," said Griggs dryly; "just to show us how we
might spend a year or two."
"What!" cried Wilton with a mocking laugh. "If we started west
to-morrow in a couple of good marches we should be right out on the salt
plains again."
"Perhaps so; but this Amurrica's a bigger place than you think for, sir.
We're going south-west to-morrow, aren't we, doctor, so as to get a
lookout from that double-topped mountain where the tongue of desert came
right in?"
"Yes; that is what I proposed," said the doctor. "He is quite right,
Wilton. We have seen only a little of one of the grandest parts of the
country I have been in."
"Like some of the Rockies, sir," cried Griggs enthusiastically. "I
guess that Mr Wilton will alter his opinion as we go on."
"Perhaps," said Wilton good-humouredly. "I don't mind. It is, as you
folks say, very grand."
"Grander than you think, sir," said Griggs. "I went higher than the
doctor yesterday, and I think we're going to have a surprise to-morrow."
The surprise did not come that next day as Griggs had prophesied, but
two days later, when after an arduous struggle through a wild ravine,
with the perpendicular cliffs rising to such a height on either side
that the bottom was in twilight at mid-day, they took advantage of a
fall of water to halt and refresh their ponies and mules, letting them
drink their fill and then begin cropping the rich grass growing near,
while wallets were opened and the tired party lay about partaking with
excellent appetite of the provisions they had brought with them.
"This is about the wildest place we've been in yet, father," said Chris,
as he looked up at the mighty cliffs by which they were enclosed.
The doctor nodded, but Wilton, who heard the remark, made reply.
"Yes," he said; "I shouldn't care about being here in a storm. I should
expect to have the rocks loosened by every peal of thunder, and come
tumbling down upon our heads."
"A frightful gorge," said Bourne; "but we seem to have come to the end.
It closes in yonder. A regular blind lead."
"Just the sort of place where we ought to search for minerals," said the
doctor.
"Why don't you come and lie down for a rest, Griggs?" cried Ned, for the
American, after hurrying through his lunch, had gone forward a hundred
yards or so to begin climbing up from ledge to ledge, pausing to look
round from time to time.
He heard Ned's question, which came to his ears like a strange whisper,
and then again louder as if it was reflected from the rock-face on his
left; but he only waved his hand by way of reply and went on climbing
higher.
"If he were not as active as a goat," said the doctor, "I should feel
nervous and expect to see him fall."
"Yes, it is very risky," said Bourne thoughtfully, "and, though we have
you with us, a broken limb would not add to the comfort of our journey."
"Oh, Griggs won't fall," said Chris decisively. "He's going up there to
see where the spring comes from."
"No," said the doctor. "He is climbing up beside the fall because the
water has worn the gully into rough steps and formed a staircase by
which we might get out of this gorge and perhaps find ourselves in
another perhaps wilder valley. What's he doing now?"
"Chipping at the stones by the water-side to see if there's any gold,"
said Ned, who was watching their companion attentively. "But he hasn't
found any, for he's going on."
This was the case, and at last they saw him come to a stand as if
unwilling, or unable, to go any farther.
"Quite a blind lead there," said the doctor.
"You wouldn't attempt to take the mules up there, would you," said
Wilton, "even if he said it was passable?"
"No, it would be folly; too much risk. We'll go back soon, and try some
other way."
"Here he comes back," said Chris, as he saw the American turn and begin
to descend by another way, leaving the rushing torrent above him and
following the sharp descent into the bottom of the gorge, along which he
made his way till he was level with and joined them.
"Find the door locked?" said Wilton, laughing.
"No," was the reply, as the American stretched himself on the grass.
"No? You couldn't have got along that way any further, could you?" said
the doctor.
"Oh yes; the place seems to come to a blank end from here, but from up
yonder you can see that it doubles back round a sharp corner to the
left."
"But the mules couldn't get by?"
"Oh yes; it looks narrow, but not so strait as that. We can ride
along."
"Indeed?" cried Bourne, while the boys listened eagerly.
"I half thought we should have to go back, but it's all right. This
place only zigzags a bit, and we can get through into the next valley
when the beasts have had their feed. It's much better to go forward
than journey back."
"Did you find anything when you were chipping up there?" said Ned.
"Yes," replied the American coolly; "there's gold in the rock up yonder
by the water, and I found this in one little hole."
He took a scrap of yellow metal from his pocket, and held it out to the
doctor.
"A nugget of gold," said that gentleman, "very much worn by the water."
"And the stones," said Griggs sharply; "and no wonder, for it was being
swept round and round. One minute I could see it, the next it was gone;
but it was washed right into my hand at last. I dare say we might wash
a good deal here."
"But you do not propose to stop?"
"No, sir; I've an idea that this is the most likely part we've come to
yet. Let's get on. We could come back then if we found nothing
better."
Griggs' remarks roused the interest of all present, and at the end of
half-an-hour, spent by the boys in washing the sand in a pool lower
down, where they found a few scales of the rich metal, the journey was
continued, Griggs leading, to where all further progress seemed
impossible, for they were compelled to halt by the apparent closing-in
of the gorge, which presented, in fact, an unclimbable precipice. A few
steps farther there was a narrow rift extending from their feet to the
top of the cliff a couple of thousand feet above their heads, and
literally doubling back into this, they threaded their way along a
passage not twenty feet in width, which zigzagged here and there for
about a quarter of a mile deeper and deeper into the mountains, growing
more and more gloomy, and then all at once displaying the bright glow of
sunshine right in front, as if it came round an elbow of the way. A few
minutes later Griggs led the party into a vast amphitheatre walled in by
towering walls that were on the whole perpendicular, but seamed with
rifts running up to natural terraces or breaks in the strata of which
the vast walls were composed.
The change from the gloom of the zigzag ravine along which they had made
their way, to the sunlit amphitheatre, was almost painful, and the party
stood in a group shading their eyes, gazing about in silence, till Chris
suddenly snatched off his hat, waved it in the air, and with a shout
startled the mules into the beginning of a stampede.
But this was nipped in the bud, and as soon as the animals were calmed
down, the boy cried excitedly--
"I didn't mean to do that. But, I say, we've found the old city at
last."
"Nay," cried Griggs, shaking his head. "This don't go on all fours with
our map."
"But it's a city," cried Ned eagerly. "It's precious old; but look all
along there, and up yonder, and down that bit--everywhere, there are
houses with doorways and windows. Why, there's quite one side of a
street along at the back of that shelf."
"Yes, boys; it's a city, sure enough," said the doctor almost as
excitedly as the lads. "Why, Griggs, this must be one of the old
pueblas that the Spaniards talked about."
"Yes, sir, that's it, sure enough; a city cut out of the rock-faces of
this great shut-in place. Why, it must have been a regular stronghold
where thousands of people lived, and we've hit upon the way in. I
shouldn't wonder if there's no way out."
"Oh, there may be at the end yonder. How far is it to where that great
rock-wall closes in?"
"Mile and a quarter, I should say," replied the American.
"Then at the widest part yonder it must be nearly half-a-mile across,"
cried Bourne.
"Hardly, sir; say quarter, and here and there not half that."
"But the cliffs seem about the same height," cried Chris, "just as if
they had been cut level."
"Nature cut them then," cried Griggs, laughing. "Seems to me that it's
just one great fault in a bit of tableland."
"But how could it come so regular?" said Wilton thoughtfully.
"Who knows, sir? Earthquake perhaps, or shrinking. Anyhow, here it is,
regular rock city such as we've read about; and the old folks made it by
cutting away. Chopped it out of the stone and by filling up and
securing the openings."
"But look at the terraces one above the other. They must have built
those."
"Nay, squire; those regular lines are just how the rocks form in ledges
and cracks. I s'pose, doctor, we shan't go any further to-day?"