a good place, and we started working separate."
"Yes," said Bel, "and fate has ordered that we should come together
again. We--bah! what mockery it seems to talk of `we' when I'm such a
helpless log."
"Look here, Bel, I wish you were a bit stronger, and I'd kick you."
"Don't wait, my son; kick him now," cried Tregelly. "He deserves it."
"I'll save it up," said Dallas. "But look here, Big Bob, you needn't
make a long speech. You were going to say that you thought now that we
had better stick together, share and share alike for the future."
"Well, I dunno how you knew that," said Tregelly; "but it was something
of the kind."
"That's right, then we will; eh, Bel?"
"Of course; if Tregelly will consent to share with such a weak,
helpless--"
"Here," cried the big Cornishman, springing up, "shall I kick him?"
"No, no; let him off."
"But he do deserve it," said Tregelly, subsiding. "Now, I was going to
say it don't seem quite fair for me to stop, as those precious three--if
there is three of 'em left unhung--not having shown up, there don't seem
any need."
"More need than ever," said Dallas. "Your being here scares them away."
"Hope it do," said Tregelly. "Then look here, we'll go down to my pit
to-morrow, and bring up the sledge load, including my bit of ice, for it
can't be so very long now before it'll begin to thaw a bit every day,
and I don't want my block to melt and let out the gold. There's more
there than you'd think."
"But that's yours," said Abel.
"Nay, nay, my son; we'll put it all together. You've got some, and
there's a lot yonder outside when the soft weather comes and we can wash
it out; so that's settled. Wonder whether working in that hot damp
shaft'll give us rheumatiz by-and-by."
"I hope not, Bob," said Dallas, yawning. "I've often thought of
something of the kind. One thing is certain, that if we don't find much
more gold than we have got so far we shall have earned our fortunes."
"Fortunes!" cried Abel contemptuously; "why, at the rate we have been
going on, if we get enough to pay for our journey home, as well as for
our provisions, that will be about all."
"And except for the pleasant trip, my sons, we might as well have
stopped at home."
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.
A STRANGE DISCOVERY.
Dallas stared the next morning when he opened his eyes, for the fire was
burning brightly and Abel was bustling about in the lit-up hut, with
nothing but a slight limp to tell of the old frost-bite in his foot.
"Come," he said cheerfully; "breakfast is nearly ready."
"Where's Bob Tregelly?" cried Dallas.
"Scraping the ice off the sledge to make it run easily. It's a glorious
morning."
"Night," said Dallas sourly, for he was half asleep. "I'm not going to
call it morning till there's daylight. Snowing?"
"No. Keen frost, and the stars are brilliant."
"Bother the stars!" grumbled Dallas, rolling out of his warm couch of
blankets and skins. "I want the sun to come back and take the raw edge
off all this chilly place. But I say, you have given up going with us
to-day--to-night, I mean?"
"Given up? No. I feel that it is time I made an effort, and I shall be
better and stronger if I do."
"But you can't wear your boots, you know, and it will not be safe for
you to trust to a bandaged sandal."
"Can't wear my boots?" said Abel. "Well, at any rate, I've got them
on."
"But they must hurt you horribly."
"Not in the least," said Abel, and his cousin was silent while he
completed his exceedingly simple toilet--one that he would not have
thought possible in the old days.
By the time he had finished, the door opened, and Tregelly stooped to
pass under the lintel.
"Morning, my son," he cried; "I've been greasing the runners of the
sledge a bit, and rubbing up the chest-strap. The thing wants using.
I've oiled the guns and six-shooters too. Beautiful morning. I say,
how that dog has come round!"
For the great shaggy brute had walked to the door to meet him, with his
bushy tail well curled-up, and a keen look of returning vigour in his
eyes and movements.
"Yes," said Dallas; "I never thought he'd live. But I say, Bel persists
in going with us, and I'm sure he'll break down."
"Well, that doesn't matter, my son. If he does we'll make him sit
astride of the load as we come back, and each take a rope, and give him
a ride home."
"I shall be able to walk," said Abel stoutly.
"Very well," said Dallas. "You always were the most obstinate animal
that ever breathed."
The breakfast was eaten, pistols and cartridges placed in their belts,
rifles taken down from their hooks, and the fire banked up with big logs
that would last to their return; and then Dallas took up one of the
skin-lined sleeping-bags.
"What's that for?" said Abel suspiciously.
"For you to ride back in."
Abel made an angry gesture. "I tell you I'm better," he said sharply.
"Well, never mind if you are, my son," said Tregelly quietly. "You must
get tired, and if you are you'll be none the worse for a ride, but a
good deal so if you get your toes frosted again."
"Very well, make a child of me," said Abel, and he gave way. "Have we
got all we want?"
"Better take something for a bit of lunch before we start back,"
suggested Dallas.
"Nay-y-ay!" cried the Cornishman, "there's plenty yonder, and we may as
well carry some of it back inside as out."
"Come on, then," said Dallas, and he strode to the door, when, to the
surprise of all, the dog uttered a deep bark and sprang before them.
"Oh, come, that won't do," cried Dallas. "You've got to stop and mind
the house."
The dog barked fiercely, and rose at the door upon its hind-legs.
"Yes, he had better stay," said Abel; "we mustn't leave the place
unprotected. Let's slip out one by one."
"I don't know," said Tregelly thoughtfully; "he has evidently made up
his mind to go with us, and if we shut him in alone he'll be wild and
get springing about, and perhaps knock the fire all over the place.
Don't want to come back and find the shanty burned up."
This remark settled the matter, and they started out into the keen dark
morning, the dog, after bounding about a little and indulging in a roll
in the snow, placing himself by the trace as if drawing, and walking in
front of the empty sledge which Tregelly was dragging.
"Might as well have let you pull too," said the latter; "but never
mind--you may rest this time."
No fires were burning yet, as they trudged on over the frozen snow,
while the stars glittered brilliantly as if it were midnight, giving
quite enough light for them to make their way over the four miles which
divided them from Tregelly's claim.
"Getting pretty close now," he said, breaking the silence; for the
rugged state of the slippery snow had resulted in the latter part of the
journey being made in silence, only broken by the crunching of the icy
particles and the squeaking sound made from time to time by the sledge
runners as they glided over the hard surface.
Suddenly Tregelly stopped short, and as they were in single file, the
rest halted too.
"What's the matter?" said Dallas.
"Why, some one's took up a claim and made a shanty close up to mine.
No, by thunder! They've got in my place and lit a fire! Oh, I'm not
going to stand that!"
"What impudence!" said Dallas.
"Impudence! I call it real cheek! But come on; I'll soon have them out
of that!"
"Hist!" whispered Abel; "let's go up carefully and see first. It may be
some one we know."
"Whether we know them or whether we don't," said Tregelly angrily,
"they're coming out, and at once. Do you hear? There's more than one
of them. Come along."
But before he had taken a dozen of his huge strides towards the hut,
from whose rough chimney the ruddy smoke and sparks were rising, there
was a wild hoarse cry as of some one in agony, and the sound of a
struggle going on, while fierce oaths arose, and a voice, horrible in
its weird, strange tones, shrieked out so that the words reached their
ears:
"The dog--the dog! Keep him from me, or he'll tear my heart right out!"
while at the same moment Scruff barking fiercely, bounded forward
towards the door, just as a cry of horror arose, so awful that it seemed
to freeze the marrow in the young men's bones.
"Come on," shouted Tregelly; "they're killing some one."
The two young men needed no inciting. Following Tregelly closely, they
ran towards the door, which was flung open as their leader reached it,
and Tregelly was dashed back against them with such violence that he
would have fallen but for their support.
At the same moment, after they had caught, by the light of the fire
within, a glimpse of two rough-looking men, one of them apparently as
big as their companion, the door swung to again and all was darkness,
while added to the still continuing cries, yells, and appeals to keep
back the dog, there came from the other direction the crunching of heavy
boots in full retreat on the snow, the savage barking of the dog, and
then flash after flash, followed by reports, as the late occupants of
the hut evidently turned to fire at the pursuing dog.
The first idea of the trio was to rush after the men who had come in
contact with them, but second thoughts suggested the impossibility of
overtaking them in the darkness, while the appealing cries from within
the cottage drew them in the other direction.
"Leave them to the dog," shouted Dallas excitedly.
"Yes, come on and see who's this one inside," growled Tregelly, as he
thrust open the door and stepped into his hut.
The place was well illumined by the blazing wood fire, and they looked
round in wonder for the assailant or dog which had elicited the hoarse
wild appeals for help and protection which rose from the solitary
occupant of the place--a wild, bloodshot-eyed, athletic man in torn and
ragged half-open shirt and trousers, who cowered on the rough bed trying
to force himself closer into the corner, his crooked fingers scratching
at the wall, while all the time his head was wrenched round so that he
stared wildly at imaginary dangers, evidently vividly seen, and kept on
shrieking for help.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.
ONE GETS HIS DESERTS.
The little party paused and glanced excitedly round, their weapons ready
to fire at the companions whom the man was addressing.
"Keep him off, mate--drag him back, Beardy! Can't you see he's tearing
me to bits! Shoot! shoot! why don't you shoot? Never mind hitting me.
Shoot!--can't you see the dog's mad?"
There was a moment or two's pause, during which the man was silent,
panting and foaming at the mouth, as he glared wildly towards the door.
Then he began again.
"There, there--you've missed him!" he shrieked. "He's at me again.
He's mad--mad, I tell you! Shoot--shoot!--ah!"
The poor wretch darted out one hand, caught up something from between
the bed and the wall, and the firelight glistened upon the side of a
bottle, which he raised so violently to his lips that the neck
rattled against his teeth; and the lookers-on heard the deep
_glug_--_glug_--_glug_ of the liquid within, as the man drank with
avidity.
"Ah!" he yelled again, and, raising himself up, he threw the bottle with
all his might across the hut, so that it struck the wooden wall heavily,
and fell to the floor unbroken.
"Missed--missed!" shrieked the man; "and he's springing at me again!
Keep him back--keep him back! Ah!"
The shriek he uttered was horrible, as he went through all the movements
of one struggling wildly against the attacks of a savage beast, and then
suddenly dropped down cowering into the corner, panting loudly.
Meanwhile Tregelly had picked up the bottle and held it to his nostrils,
before glancing at the side.
"That's mine," he growled. "They found that, then. I got it for
spirits, case I was took ill in the night; but it was so bad I never
used none, and put it on the corner of the shelf. It's poison, that's
what it is; much like paraffin as can be. Nice stuff for a man like
that!"
"The man's mad," said Dallas, with a shudder.
"Yes," whispered Abel; "don't you see, Dal? It's one of three who
attacked us up in the pass."
"Yes; there's no doubt about that," said Dallas.
"He's the man who attacked me the other night. I'm sure as can be."
"Oh, that's him, is it?" said Tregelly with a deep, angry growl. "Well,
it'll be a long time before he attacks you again, my son."
"Is it fever?" said Dallas.
"'M! no, my son; I've seen a man took like that before. I should say
it's hydrophoby, from the bite of a dog; and he's been doctoring himself
with that paraffin stuff till he's madder than ever."
The sight before them had so taken up their attention that for the
moment Scruff's pursuit of the other two had been forgotten; but now it
was brought vividly back to mind by a dull thump at the door, and the
scratching of claws, and as the door yielded, the great dog forced its
way in, with his red tongue lolling out, and panting loudly with his
exertions.
The effect was magical. The man upon the couch could not have seen or
heard the dog, but he seemed to divine the great animal's presence, and
springing up again from where he cowered, he began to shriek again
horribly.
"The dog--the dog!" he yelled--"tearing me to pieces! Mad--mad!
Shoot--shoot, I say!"
But attention was taken from him to the action of the dog.
As soon as the ghastly, distorted face in the corner rose, and the
shrieks began to fill the hut, the dog paused by the door, with the
thick hair about his neck bristling up till the animal looked double his
former size, and a low, muttering, thunderous growl came from his
grinning jaws.
The next moment he would have sprung at the wretched man, but Dallas
grasped the position and was too quick for him. In an instant he had
sprung across the dog's back, nipped him between his knees, and buried
his hands in the thick hair of his neck.
"Quick, Bel, or he will tear him to pieces!" cried Dallas. "The door--
the door! Here, Bob, help; I can't hold him. Strong as a horse."
Abel flew to drag open the door, Tregelly seized the dog by his tail;
there was a furious scratching and barking, a rush out, a swing round of
two powerful arms, and the door was banged to again, and fastened; but
only just in time, Scruff's head coming at it with a loud thud, and his
claws rattling and scratching on the wood, as he barked and growled
savagely.
"Lie down, sir!" roared Dallas. "How dare you! Lie down."
There was a loud barking at this, but there were sounds as if of protest
mingled with it, and finally the dog subsided into a howl, and dropped
down by the door to wait, a low, shuffling, panting sound coming through
the crack at the bottom.
"He'd have killed him," said Dallas, panting with the exertion.
"Not a doubt about it, my son," replied Tregelly. "That's the chap,
sure enough--him as half killed you, Mr Abel."
"Yes, I'm sure of it."
"Knew him again directly."
"Think so?" said Dallas.
"Sure of it, my son. Dog wouldn't have gone for a sick man in bed.
Knew him directly, and went for him. Depend upon it, them two had a
desprit fight that night when Scruff laid hold of him and made him drop
the gold-bag."
"That's it, Bel," said Dallas. "No doubt Scruff bit him pretty well,
and he has scared himself into the belief that the dog was mad."
"Yes, that and delirim trimins," said the big Cornishman, looking down
at the horrible wreck before him, the face seeming more ghastly and
grotesque from the dancing shadows. "The brute has drunk himself mad.
He's a thief, and a murderer, or meant to be; and him and his gang have
broke into my house. If the judge and his lot yonder could get at him
they'd hang him to the first tree; he told us if we saw him and his lot
we were to shoot at sight; and he's no good to himself or anybody else,
and the world would be all the better without him; and--I say, don't you
think we'd better let the dog come in and put him out of his misery?"
"No," said Dallas angrily; "neither do you."
"Well, put him outside in the snow. It's a merciful sort of death, and
very purifying to such a chap as this. Soon freeze hard. He wouldn't
come back to life like old Scruff. What do you say to that, Master Abel
Wray?"
"Nothing," said Abel shortly, "because if I said _Yes_! you wouldn't do
it."
Tregelly stood and shook with the ebullition of chuckles which came
bubbling out.
"Oh, dear me," he said at last, as he wiped his eyes. "I can't help
being such a fool. It's my nature to, my sons. No, I couldn't set the
dog at the beast, and I couldn't put him out to freeze; but if it had
come to a fight, and I'd been up, I could have shot him or knocked him
on the head, and felt all the better for it."
"Yes, I know," said Dallas, who stood gazing down at the trembling
wretch upon the couch.
"I s'pose I ought to be very glad him and his lot found my place empty;
and I ought to sit down and nurse him and try to make him well again,
and stop till his mates came and made an end of me--same as they've made
an end of everything in the place. I say, just look here--quiet,
Scruff, or I'll come and talk to you with one of my boots!--I'm blessed
if they haven't finished up everything I left here--ham, bacon, meal,
tea, sugar--every blessed thing," continued Tregelly, as he opened
canister and tin, peered into the meal-tub, and finished by staring down
at the miserable wretch on the bed, and thoughtfully scratching his
head.
"It's horrible, Bob," said Dallas. "The brutes! But I don't know what
we're to do."
Tregelly looked down again at the man, whose lips were moving fast; but
his words were inaudible, save now and then, when he uttered a strange
yelping cry, and they heard the word, "Dog!"
"Seems your turn now, Master Abel," said Tregelly. "You've got your
knife into him most. But he's got his deserts."
CHAPTER THIRTY.
A STAGGERING BLOW.
"Is he dying?" said Abel, as he looked down with commiseration on the
man who tried to take his life.
"As sure as the sun'll rise to-morrow morning somewhere if it don't
here, my son. He's dying fast. Man can't live long going through what
he's going through now. He's dying as horrible a death as a man can
die. Hanging would be a blessing to it."
"Yes, he's weaker already," said Dallas, looking at the prostrate man.
"That's so, my son. I don't like his dying in my place; but we can't
help it. Let's get together what we want to take, and go."
"But there is nothing to load the sledge with," said Dallas.
"There's a nice lot of cartridges--pistol and rifle--in a tin in yon
corner. We'll take those and--Well, I'm blessed! They've got them,
too!"
"How tiresome!"
"But they haven't got my gold; I'll warrant that."
"Where is it buried?" asked Abel.
"Buried?" replied Tregelly, with a laugh. "'Tain't buried at all. It's
just outside the door there--one of those big blocks of ice; but we
shall have to wipe it round with a pick-axe to make it a more decent
size for the sledge."
"One of these blocks?"
"That's right, my son. If you make a hiding-place some one's sure to
find it; but they'd never think of looking inside a block lying outside
your door. You see, I picked a big hole in it, put in my stuff, then a
big wedge of flannel, rammed some snow on the top, poured a drop of
water over, and in half an hour it was a solid block."
"Well, let's get it and go, before those other scoundrels come back."
"You needn't fear them, my son. Scruff would let us know if they were
near. I only wish they would come, so as we could have a fight. Taking
my stores like that."
"But about this man?" said Abel.
"What about him, my son? We are doing all we can by letting him alone.
I know enough of that sort of thing to be able to say that nothing can
be done for him. No doctor could do him any good, if there was one to
be had. Let's get the gold and go back. Perhaps his mates will come
back to him when we're gone."
"And if they do, what then?" said Dallas sharply.
"You mean, shall I lay wait for them and trap them, my son. No; I can't
do that now. Be best for them, though, to keep quite out o' my way.
Now then, open the door just a little way, so that you can squeeze out
and get hold of the dog, Mr Dallas. If he gets in we shall have a
scene."
Dallas nodded, glanced at where the delirious man lay muttering to
himself, and then slipped out, and was nearly thrown backward by the
rush the dog made to get into the hut; but he held on to the animal's
thick coat till his companions had had time to slip out and the door was
closed, the dog growling his disappointment the while.
"Now," said Dallas merrily, "which is the block we ought to take?"
There was a heap of hardened snow on either side of the door--a heap
composed of roughened blocks, and when the young men had declared their
inability to say that one was more likely than another, Tregelly stooped
down and rolled the very first one over and over.
"That's the one," he said; "but I may as well chip a hundredweight of
ice off it. Wait while I get the pick from the side of the shaft, and
you may as well keep a sharp look-out with cocked pieces. They might
try to rush us."
Dallas and Abel took the hint, and did better; they sheltered themselves
behind the wood heap, ready for any attack that might come; while the
dog, now pacified, walked here and there, snuffing about as if scenting
danger.
Tregelly was back directly, and by dexterous usage of the pick-axe he
soon reduced the heavy block to a more portable size, after which it was
secured upon the sledge, and the return journey commenced.
A good look-out was kept, every man walking with his piece ready cocked,
for there were plenty of places to be passed where they might well
expect to meet with an ambush; but all went well, the ice-block forming
but a light load, as the snow was hard beneath their feet.
To make matters easier, Abel kept up well, declaring again and again
that he was not tired.
"Don't overdo it," Dallas said. "Even with you on the sledge it would
be a light load for us two to draw."
"You will not draw me, even if it would be," replied Abel. "I feel
stronger and brighter now than when I came out. It shows what a little
energy will do."
It was fairly light as they came within sight of the hut they had left
that morning, and a faint curl of smoke rising from the roof showed that
the fire was still alight; and all seemed to be perfectly right, till
they were close up, when Dallas caught sight of a piece of timber lying
across the front of the door, and began to run.
"Take care, my lad!" cried Tregelly; "There may be danger."
Abel followed, but the dog out-speeded the little party, and rushing to
the front, bounded in at the open door.
"Take care! take care!" cried Abel, as he saw that the door had been
forced in their absence.
But he was too late, for his cousin had rushed up, rifle in hand, and
sprung into the place.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.
SCRUFF GIVES WARNING.
Abel was still weak and wanting in spirit from his long illnesses, but
the courage displayed by his cousin roused him to action, and he
followed the others into the hut.
But it was to face no enemies, only to find Scruff sniffing about--
Tregelly stamping with rage.
"What is it?" cried Abel. "Somebody been in, of course."
"Been in and carried off all they could lay hands on."
"Took advantage of our absence, Bel, and loaded themselves with stores."
"And all through not leaving the dog and risking the fire."
"Poor Scruff!" said Abel. "Perhaps it's as well, for they would
probably have shot him."
"They might as well shoot us," cried Tregelly, "if this sort of thing is
to go on."
"Yes," said Dallas. "Everybody round must be warned at once."
Fortunately, further examination showed that the visitors to the hut
must have been hurried in their movements, and had been either unable to
carry away, or had overlooked, a portion of the remaining stores, so
that starvation did not quite stare them in the face; but it was
absolutely necessary that a journey to the settlement should be made at
once.
"My job this time," said Tregelly, as the matter was discussed by the
fire, where, armed with an axe, he was busily chipping a way into the
centre of the block of ice they had brought back. "Now, if those two
mates of mine hadn't grown sick of it, and gone back before the winter
come on, they'd just have been useful now."
"Did you quarrel?" asked Dallas.
"Quarrel? No, my son," said Tregelly, as he chipped away at the ice.
"They took the right notion one day that there was the long winter to
face, and that they'd better share and be off while their shoes was
good."
"Well?" said Dallas.
"Well, we shared, and they went home."