Waking with the bright sun shining over the waters of the lake, the
cattle quietly browsing, and the well-watered horses enjoying a
thoroughly good feed, the troubles of the journey over the dreary plain
were pretty well forgotten, and as fires were lit and meals prepared,
there were bright faces around ready to give the Doctor a genial "good
morning."
Soon after those on the look-out, while the rest made a hearty meal to
prepare them for the toil of the day, announced Indians, and arms were
seized, while men stood ready to run to their horses and to protect
their cattle.
But there was no need for alarm, the new-comers being the Beaver and his
followers, who stated that they had come upon signs of Indians, and
found that they had been by the mountain within the past day or two.
But they had followed the trail, and found that their enemies had gone
due north, following the course of the Great Canyon, and it was probable
that they had finished their raid into these southern parts, and would
not return.
"If they do," said the Beaver, with contemptuous indifference, "our
young men shall kill them all. Their horses will be useful. They are
no good to live, for they are thieves and murderers without mercy."
The rest of the journey was soon achieved, and the waggons drawn up in
regular order close beside the mountain, while, after due inspection of
the cavernous place where Joses had remained concealed with the horses,
it was decided as a first step to construct with rocks a semi-circular
wall, whose two ends should rest against the perpendicular
mountain-side, and this would serve as a corral for the cattle, and also
act as a place of retreat for a certain number to protect them, the
horses being kept in Joses' Hole, as Bart christened the place.
There was plenty of willing labour now that the goal had been reached,
and a few of the principals had been with the Doctor to inspect the vein
of silver, from which they came back enthusiastic to a degree.
Leaving the greater part busy over the task of forming the cattle corral
or enclosure, the Doctor called upon Bart and Joses, with three or four
of his leading followers, to make the ascent of the mountain, and to
this end a mysterious-looking pole was brought from the Doctor's waggon,
and given to one of the men to carry. A pick and some ropes and pegs
were handed to Joses, Bart received a bag, and thus accoutred they
started.
"Where are we going?" said one of the party, as he saw that they were
walking straight for the perpendicular wall.
"Up to the top of the mountain," replied the Doctor.
"Have you ever been up?" the man asked, staring at him wonderingly.
"No; but I believe the ascent will be pretty easy, and I have a reason
for going."
"Is he mad?" whispered the man to Bart. "Why, nothing but a fly could
climb up there."
"Mad? No," replied Bart, smiling. "Wait a bit, and you'll see."
"Well, I wouldn't have believed there was a way through here!" said the
man, slapping his leg, and laughing heartily, as they reached the narrow
slit, crept through, and then stood with the long slope above them ready
for the ascent. "It seems as if nature had done it all in the most
cunning way, so as to make a hiding-place."
"And a stronghold and fort for us," said Bart. "I think when once we
get this place in order, we may set at defiance all the Indians of the
plains."
"If they don't starve us out, or stop our supply of water," said Joses,
gruffly. "Man must eat and drink."
By this time the Doctor was leading the way up the long rugged slope,
that seemed as if it had been carved by water constantly rushing down,
though now it was perfectly dry. It was not above ten feet wide, and
the walls were in places almost perpendicular.
It was a toilsome ascent, for at varying intervals great blocks of stone
barred the path, with here and there corresponding rifts; but a little
labour enabled the party to surmount these, and they climbed on till all
at once the path took a new direction, going back as it were upon
itself, but always upward at a sufficiently stiff angle, so as to form a
zigzag right up the face of the mountain.
"It is one of the wonders of the world," exclaimed the Doctor,
enthusiastically.
"It's a precious steep one, then," grumbled Joses.
"I can hardly understand it yet," continued the Doctor, "unless there
has been a tremendous spring of water up on high here. It seems almost
impossible for this path to be natural."
"Do you think it was made by men, sir?" said Bart.
"It may have been, but it seems hardly possible. Some great nation may
have lived here once upon a time, but even then this does not look like
the work of man. But let us go on."
It was quite a long journey to where the path turned again, and then
they rested, and sat down to enjoy the sweet pure breeze, and gaze right
out over the vast plain, which presented a wondrous panorama even from
where they were, though a far grander view awaited them from the top,
which they at last set off to reach.
There were the same difficulties in the way; huge blocks of stone, over
which they had to climb; rifts that they had to leap, and various
natural ruggednesses of this kind, to seem in opposition to the theory
that the zigzag way was the work of hands, while at every halting-place
the same thought was exchanged by Bart and the Doctor--"What a fortress!
We might defend it against all attacks!"
But the Doctor had one other thought, and that was, how high did the
silver lode come up into the mountain, and would they be able to
commence the mining up there?
"At all events, Bart," he said, "up here will be our stores and
treasure-houses. Nothing can be more safe than this."
At last, after a breathless ascent, Bart, who was in advance, sprang
upon the top, and uttered a loud cheer, but only to stop short as he
gazed round in wonder at the comparatively level surface of the
mountain, and the marvellous extent of the view around. Whether there
was silver, or whether there was none, did not seem to occur to him: all
he wanted was to explore the many wide acres of surface, to creep down
into the rifts, to cautiously walk along at the very edge of this
tremendous precipice, which went sharply down without protection of any
natural parapet of rock. Above all, he wanted to get over to the
farther side, and, going to the edge, gaze right into the glorious
canyon with the rugged sides, and try from this enormous height to trace
its course to right and left as it meandered through the plain.
"What a place to live in!" thought Bart, for there were grass, flowers,
bushes, stunted trees, and cactuses, similar to those below them on the
plain. In fact, it seemed to Bart as if this was a piece--almost
roughly rounded--of the plain that had been left when the rest sank down
several hundred feet, or else that this portion had been thrust right up
to stand there, bold and bluff, ready to defy the fury of any storms
that might blow.
The Doctor led the way half round, till he found what he considered a
suitable spot near the edge on the northern side of the mountain; and
there being no need to fear the Indians any longer, he set Joses to work
with the pick to clear out a narrow rift, into which the pole they had
brought was lowered, and wedged up perpendicularly with fragments of
rock, one of which Bart saw was almost a mass of pure silver; then
staves were set against the bottom, and bound there for strength; then
guy ropes added, and secured to well-driven-down pegs; and lastly, as a
defiance to the Indians, and a declaration of the place being owned by
the government, under whose consent they had formed the expedition, the
national flag was run up, amidst hearty cheers, and its folds blew out
strongly in the breeze.
"Now," said the Doctor, "we are under the protection of the flag, and
can do as we please."
"Don't see as the flag will be much protection," growled Joses; "but
it'll bring the Injun down on us before long."
The Doctor did not hear these words, for he was beginning to explore the
top of the mountain, and making plans for converting the place into a
stronghold. Bart heard them, however, and turned to the grumbler.
"Do you think the Indians will notice the flag, Joses?" he said.
"Do I think the Injuns will notice it, Master Bart? Why, they can't
help noticing it. Isn't it flap, flap, flapping there, and asking them
to come as hard as it can. Why, they'll see that bit o' rag miles and
miles away, and be swooping down almost before we know where we are.
Mark my words if they'll not. We shall have to sleep with one eye open
and the other not shut, Master Bart, that's what we shall have to do."
"Well, we shall be strong enough now to meet any number," said Bart.
"Yes, if they don't catch us just as we are least expecting it. Dessay
the Doctor knows best, but we shall never get much of that silver home
on account of the Apaches."
"Oh yes, we shall, Joses," said Bart, merrily. "Wait a bit, and you
will see that the Indians can be beaten off as easily as possible, and
they'll soon be afraid to attack us when they find how strong we are.
Perhaps they'll be glad to make friends. Now, come and have a look
round."
Joses obeyed his young leader, shouldering his rifle, and following him
in a surly, ill-used sort of way, resenting everything that was
introduced to his notice as being poor and unsatisfactory.
"Glad to see trees up here, Master Bart," he said, as the lad made a
remark, by a patch whose verdure was a pleasant relief to the eye after
the glare from the bare rock. "I don't call them scrubs of things
trees. Why, a good puff of wind would blow them off here and down into
the plain."
"Then why hasn't a good puff of wind blown them off and down into the
plain?" said Bart.
"Why haven't they been blown off--why haven't they been blown off,
Master Bart? Well, I suppose because the wind hasn't blowed hard
enough."
Bart laughed, and they went on along the edge of the tremendous cliff
till they came above the canyon, down into which Bart, never seemed
weary of gazing. For the place had quite a fascination for him, with
its swift, sparkling river, beautiful wooded islands, and green and
varied shores. The sides of the place, too, were so wondrously
picturesque; here were weather-stained rocks of fifty different tints;
there covered with lovely creepers, hanging in festoons or clinging
close to the stony crevices that veined the rocky face in every
direction. The shelves and ledges and mossy nooks were innumerable, and
every one, even at that great height, wore a tempting look that drew the
lad towards it, and made him itch to begin the exploration.
"What a lovely river, Joses!" he cried.
"Lovely? Why, it's one o' those sand rivers. Don't you ever go into it
if we get down there; you'd be sucked into the quicksands before you
knew where you were. I don't think much of this place, Master Bart."
"I do," cried the lad, stooping to pick up a rough fragment of stone,
and then, as it was long and thin, breaking it against the edge of a
piece of rock, when the newly-fractured end shone brightly in the sun
with a metallic sheen.
"Why, there is plenty of silver up here, Joses," he said, examining the
stone intently. "This is silver, is it not?"
Joses took the piece of stone in an ill-used way, examined it carefully,
and with a sour expression of countenance, as if he were grieved to own
the truth, and finally jerked it away from him so that it might fall
into the canyon.
"Yes," he growled; "that's silver ore, but it's very poor."
"Poor, Joses?"
"Yes; horrid poor. There wasn't above half of that silver; all the rest
was stone. I like to see it in great solid lumps that don't want any
melting. That's what I call silver. Don't think much of this."
"Well, it's a grand view, at all events, Joses," said Bart.
"It's a big view, and you can see far enough for anything," he growled.
"You can see so far that you can't see any farther; but I don't see no
good in that. What's the good of a view that goes so far you can't see
it? Just as well have no view at all."
"Why, you are never satisfied, Joses," laughed Bart.
"Never satisfied! Well, I don't see nothing in this to satisfy a man.
You can't eat and drink a view, and it won't keep Injun off from you.
Pshaw! views are about no good at all."
"Bart!"
It was the Doctor calling, and on the lad running to him it was to find
that he was standing by a great chasm running down far into the body of
the mountain, with rough shelving slopes by which it was possible to
descend, though the task looked risky except to any one of the firmest
nerve.
"Look down there, Bart," said the Doctor, rather excitedly; "what do you
make of it?"
Bart took a step nearer so as to get a clearer view of the rent, rugged
pit, at one side of which was a narrow, jagged slit where the sunshine
came through, illumining what would otherwise have been gloomy in the
extreme.
How far the chasm descended it was impossible to see from its
irregularity, the sides projecting in great buttresses here and there,
all of grey rock, while what had seemed to be the softer portions had
probably crumbled away. Here and there, though, glimpses could be
obtained of what looked like profound depths where all was black and
still.
"What should you think this place must have been?" said the Doctor, as
if eager to hear the lad's opinion.
"Wait a minute, sir," replied Bart, loosening a great fragment of rock,
which with some difficulty he pushed to the edge, and then, placing his
foot to it, thrust it over, and then bent forward to hear it fall.
The distance before it struck was not great, for there was a huge mass
of rock projecting some fifty feet below upon which the stone fell,
glanced off, and struck against the opposite side, with the effect that
it was again thrown back far down out of sight; but the noise it made
was loud enough, and as Bart listened he heard it strike heavily six
times, then there was a dead silence for quite a minute, and it seemed
that the last stroke was when it reached the bottom.
Bart was just about turning to speak to the Doctor when there came
hissing up a horrible echoing, weird sound, like a magnified splash, and
they knew that far down at an immense depth the great stone had fallen
into water.
"Ugh!" ejaculated Bart, involuntarily imitating the Indians. "What a
hole! Why, it must be ten times as deep as this place is high. I
shouldn't care about going down."
"Horrible indeed, Bart; but what should you think? Is this place
natural or dug out?"
"Natural, I should say, sir," replied Bart. "Nobody could dig down to
such a depth as that."
"Yes, natural," said the Doctor, carefully scanning the sides of the
place with a small glass. "Originally natural, but this place has been
worked."
"Worked? What, dug out?" said Bart. "Why, what for--to get water?"
"No," said the Doctor, quietly; "to get silver. This has been a great
mine."
"But who would have dug it?" said Bart, eagerly. "The Indians would
not."
"The people who roughly made the zigzag way up to the top here, my boy."
"But what people would they be, sir? The Spaniards?"
"No, Bart. I should say this was dug by people who lived long before
the Spaniards, perhaps thousands of years. It might have been done by
the ancient peoples of Mexico or those who built the great temples of
Central America and Yucatan--those places so old that there is no
tradition of the time when they were made. One thing is evident, that
we have come upon a silver region that was known to the ancients."
"Well, I am disappointed," cried Bart. "I thought, sir, that we had
made quite a new find."
"So did I at first, Bart," replied the Doctor; "but at any rate, save to
obtain a few scraps, the place has not been touched, I should say, for
centuries; and even if this mine has been pretty nearly exhausted, there
is ample down below there in the canyon, while this mount must be our
fortress and our place for furnaces and stores."
They descended cautiously for about a couple of hundred feet,
sufficiently far for the Doctor to chip a little at the walls, and find
in one or two places veins that ran right into the solid mountain, and
quite sufficient to give ample employment to all the men without
touching the great lode in the crack of the canyon side; and this being
so, they climbed back to meet Joses, who had been just about to descend
after them.
"You'll both be killing of yourselves before you're done, master," he
said, roughly. "No man ought to go down a place like that without a
rope round his waist well held at the end."
"Well, it would have been safer," said the Doctor, smiling.
"Safer? Yes," growled Joses; "send down a greaser next time. There's
plenty of them, and they aren't much consequence. We could spare a
few."
The Doctor smiled, and after continuing their journey round the edge of
the old mine, they made their way to the zigzag descent, whose great
regularity of contrivance plainly enough indicated that human hands had
had something to do with it; while probably, when it was in use in the
ancient ages, when some powerful nation had rule in the land, it might
have been made easy of access by means of logs and balks of wood laid
over the rifts from side to side.