For some hours all was blank to the brave young fellow, and then he
seemed to struggle back into half-consciousness sufficient to enable him
to drink from a glass held to his lips, and then once more all was blank
for many hours.
When Bart awoke from the long sleep, it was to find Maude seated by his
bedside looking very anxious and pale; and as soon as she saw his eyes
open, she rose and glided from the room, when in a few minutes the
governor and a tall quiet-looking fair-haired man, whom Bart had never
before seen, entered the apartment.
"Ah! my young friend," exclaimed the governor, "how are you now?"
"Did you get the letter?" cried Bart excitedly.
"Yes; and I have given orders for a strong relief party to be mustered
ready for going to our friend's help," replied the governor, "but we
must get you strong first."
"I am strong enough, sir," cried Bart, sitting up. "I will guide them
to the place. We must start at once."
"Really, my young friend," said the governor, "I don't think you could
manage to sit a horse just yet."
"Indeed I can, sir," cried Bart. "I was only tired out, and hungry and
sleepy. The Apaches have been hard upon my trail ever since I started a
week--ten days--I'm afraid I don't know how many days ago."
"Here! you must not get excited," said the tall pale man, taking Bart's
hand and feeling his pulse, and then laying his hand upon his forehead.
"Are you a doctor?" said Bart eagerly.
"Yes," said the governor, "this is Doctor Maclane."
"Yes, I am Doctor Maclane," said the tall fair man; "and Miss Maude,
yonder, said I was to be sure and cure you."
"But I'm not ill," cried Bart, flushing.
"No," said Doctor Maclane, "you are not ill. No fever, my lad, nothing
but exhaustion."
"I'll tell you what to prescribe for that," cried Bart excitedly.
"Well, tell me," said the Doctor, smiling.
"The same as Doctor Lascelles does, and used to when Joses and he and I
had been hunting up cattle and were overdone."
"Well, what did he prescribe?" said Doctor Maclane.
"Plenty of the strongest soup that could be made," said Bart. "And now,
please sir, when may we start--to-night?"
"No, no--impossible."
"But the Doctor is surrounded by enemies, sir, and hard pushed; every
hour will be like so much suffering to him till he is relieved."
"To-morrow night, my lad, is the very earliest time we can be ready.
The men could set out at once, but we must have store waggons prepared,
and a sufficiency of things to enable the Doctor to hold his own when
these savage beasts have been tamed down. They do not deserve to be
called men."
"But you will lose no time, sir?" cried Bart.
"Not a minute, my lad; and so you had better eat and sleep all you can
till we are quite ready to start."
"But you will not let them go without me, sir?" cried Bart imploringly.
"Not likely, my lad, that I should send my men out into the desert
without a guide. There! I think he may get up, Doctor, eh?"
"Get up! yes," said the Doctor, laughing. "He has a constitution like a
horse. Feed well and sleep well, my lad, and lie down a good deal in
one of the waggons on your way back."
"Oh, no, sir, I must ride."
"No, my lad, you must do as the Doctor advises you," said the governor,
sternly. "Besides, your horse will want all the rest it can have after
so terrible a ride as you seem to have had."
"Yes, sir," said Bart, who saw how much reason there was in the advice,
"I will do what you wish."
"That's right, my lad," said the governor. "Now then we will leave you,
and you may dress and join us in the next room, where Donna Maude is,
like me, very anxious to learn all about the Doctor's adventures and
your own. You can tell us and rest as well."
Bart was not long in dressing, and as he did so, he began to realise how
terribly worn and travel-stained his rough hunting costume had become.
It was a subject that he had never thought of out in the plains, for
what did dress matter so long as it was a stout covering that would
protect his body from the thorns? But now that he was to appear before
the governor's lady and Maude, he felt a curious kind of shame that made
him at last sit down in a chair, asking himself whether he had not
better go off and hide somewhere--anywhere, so as to be out of his
present quandary.
Sitting down in a chair too! How strange it seemed! He had not seated
himself in a chair now for a very, very long time, and it seemed almost
tiresome and awkward; but all the same it did nothing to help him out of
his dilemma.
"Whatever shall I do?" thought Bart. "And how wretched it is for me to
be waiting here when the Doctor is perhaps in a terrible state,
expecting help!"
"He is in safety, though," he mused the next minute, "for nothing but
neglect would make the place unsafe. How glad I am that I ran that
risk, and went all round to make sure that there was no other way up to
the mountain-top!"