AN INHUMAN ACT.
"I'll bet no men ever went away from a camp before without somebody
said good-bye to them," said Jake. "They don't care where we go, or
what luck we have, provided we don't go near the haunted mine. If they
will just stay that way until to-morrow, they can all come on at once,
if they have a mind to."
Claus was the soberest man in the party. He was waiting and watching
for that bluff at which their faithful steeds were to give up their
lives to make it possible for their owners to get away with the amount
they expected to raise at the haunted mine. There was something
cold-blooded about this, and Claus could not bring himself to think of
it without shivering all over.
"I don't see why you can't tie them there," Claus ventured to say;
"they won't make any fuss until we are safely out of the way. It
looks so inhuman, to kill them."
"Look here!" said Bob, so fiercely that Claus resolved he would not
say anything more on the subject--"if you don't like the way we are
managing this business, you can just go your way, and we'll go ours."
"But you can't go yet," interrupted Jake; "we are not going to have
you go back to Dutch Flat and tell the men there what we are going to
do. You will stay with us until we get that money."
"Of course he will," assented Bob. "When we get through with that
haunted mine we'll go off into the mountains, and then you'll be at
liberty to go where you please."
"Of course I shall stay with you," said Claus, not a little alarmed by
the threat thus thrown out. Then he added to himself, "I reckon I
played my cards just right. If I can keep them from searching me, I'll
come out at the big end of the horn, no matter what happens to them."
For the next hour Claus held his peace; but he noticed that his horse
turned his head and looked down the gully as if he feared they were
not going the right away. He did not remember that he had come that
route before, but concluded that Bob was gradually leaving the trail
behind them, and was veering around to get behind the camp at Dutch
Flat. Then the mule which bore their pack-saddle began to be
suspicious of it, too, for he threw up his head and gave utterance to
a bray so long and loud that it awoke a thousand echoes among the
mountains.
"Shut up!" exclaimed Jack, jerking impatiently at his halter. "I hope
that bluff is not far away. We'll soon put a stop to your braying when
we get there."
In another hour they came upon the bluff, one side of which was
bounded by a deep ravine that seemed to extend down into the bowels of
the earth, and the other was hemmed in by lofty mountains which rose
up so sheer their tops seemed lost in the clouds above. Here again the
mule became suspicious, for, in spite of the jerks which Jake gave at
his halter, he set up another bray that sounded as if the mountains
were full of mules.
"Hold fast to him, Jake, until I take his saddle off," said Bob,
hastily dismounting from his horse; "I can soon stop that, if you
can't. There--his pack is off. Take him by the foretop--don't let him
get away from you. Now, then, look at you!"
The mule got away in spite of all Jake's efforts to hold fast to him.
The moment the bridle was out of his mouth he dodged the grab that
Jake made for his foretop, and with a flourish of his heels and
another long bray made for the gully by which he had entered the
bluff. The horses made a vain attempt to follow him, and the animal on
which Claus was mounted seemed determined to go away, but he was
finally stopped by his rider before he reached the gully. Bob and Jake
were fairly beside themselves with anger. Bob stamped up and down so
close to the ravine that the least misstep would have sent him over
the brink, and Jake sat down on the ground and swore softly to
himself.
"I tell you, this won't do!" said Bob, coming back to the horses. "Let
us put them over without the least delay; and, mind you, we won't
take their bridles off at all. That mule will be in camp in less than
an hour, so we must make tracks. Let their saddles go, too."
The men went to work at pushing the horses over into the ravine as if
they were in earnest. First Bob's horse went; then Jake's; and finally
they took Claus's bridle out of his hands and shoved his horse over,
too. Claus did not see any of this work. The animals went over without
making any effort at escape beyond putting out their feet and trying
to push themselves away from the brink; but the miners got behind
them, and all their attempts to save themselves amounted to nothing.
He heard the horses when they crashed through the branches of the
trees below him, and then all was silent.
"What else could we do?" exclaimed Bob, who thought Claus looked
rather solemn over it. "Dutch Flat is not a mile from here, and some
one there would have heard their whinnying. I am sorry to do it, too,
but when there is ten thousand dollars in sight, I don't stop at
anything. Now pitch that mule's things over, also, and then we'll get
away from here."
This being done, the three, with a small package of provisions on
their shoulders, set out once more at a rapid pace, Bob leading the
way.
For a long time no one spoke, the travelling being so difficult that
it took all their breath to keep pace with Bob; but finally he turned
about and made a motion of silence with his hand, and then they began
to pick their way through the bushes with more caution. After a few
moments he stopped, pushed aside the branches of an evergreen, and
after taking a survey of the scene presented to his gaze he made
another motion, which brought his companions up beside him.
"We have caught them at it!" said he. 'Julian is on top, and Jack is
down below, shovelling dirt. Where are your revolvers?"
"Those fellows from the Flat have not come yet," said Jake, looking
all around to make sure that the boys were alone. "Lead ahead, Bob,
and remember that we are close at your heels."
Leaving his provisions behind him, Bob arose to his feet, stepped out
of his place of concealment and advanced toward the pit. Julian was so
intent on watching his companion below that he did not hear the sound
of their footsteps until they were so close to him that he could not
pull his partner up; so he simply raised his head, and was about to
extend to them a miner's welcome, when he saw something that made him
open his eyes and caused him to stare harder than ever. There was
something about that short, fleshy man which he was sure he
recognized. It did not make any difference in what style of clothing
Claus was dressed in,--whether as a gentleman of leisure or as a
miner,--his face betrayed him. He saw that it was all up with him, for
he had no time to go to the lean-to after his revolver.
"Pitch that dirt out of the bucket and come up, Jack," called Julian,
shaking the rope to attract the attention of his comrade. "Claus is up
here."
There was a moment's silence; then Jack's voice came back in no very
amiable tones.
"Get away with your nonsense!" he exclaimed. "If I come up there again
for just nothing at all, I pity _you_! If Claus is there, make him
show himself."
"Why, he's your uncle," asserted Bob, who began to wonder if that was
the first lie that Claus had told them.
"That man?" exclaimed Julian. "Not much, he ain't. Jack, is Claus your
uncle?"
"Tell him to come down here and I'll see about it," said Jack, who
could not yet be made to see that there was something really going on
at the top. "That makes two I have against you, old fellow."
"No, you haven't got anything against me," said Julian. "Here is
Claus. Don't you see his face? Any man who would claim such an uncle
as that--"
"That is enough out of you!" interrupted Jake. "Fetch that partner of
yours up, and then bring out your money--we must get away from here in
a hurry."
"Well! well!" cried Jack, who happened to look up and catch a glimpse
of Claus's face. "I will come up directly."
"Say, you, down there," called Bob, bending over the shaft, "if you
have a revolver down there, be careful that you keep it where it
belongs."
"Don't worry yourself," answered Jack; "I haven't anything in the
shape of a revolver about me. Hoist away, Julian."
The dirt was emptied out by this time, and Jack stepped into the
bucket and was promptly hoisted to the top. Then he stood waiting for
the three men to make known their wants; but he devoted the most of
his time to scrutinizing the face of Claus, to whom he was indebted
for the presence of the other two.
"Do you think you could recognize me if you should chance to meet me
again anywhere?" asked Claus.
"Certainly, I could," answered Julian; "I would recognize you if I saw
you in Asia. You are bound to have some of that money, are you not?"
"That is just what I am here for," said Claus, with a grin. "You have
one bagful and another partly full, and we want them both as soon as
you can get them."
Jack was astonished when he heard this, for Mr. Banta had told him to
keep the full bag hidden where no one could find it. How, then, did
Claus know anything about it? Julian was equally amazed; but, after
thinking a moment, he turned on his heel and led the way toward their
lean-to. Bob and his companion kept close by the side of the two boys,
for they did not want them to find their revolvers before they knew
something about it. They had heard from various sources that the boys
were fair shots, and they did not want to see them try it on.
"Well, Claus, you slipped up on one thing," said Julian; "you didn't
get any of that block of buildings--did you?"
"Come, now, hurry up!" insisted Bob. "Where are those bags?"
"Here's one you have been talking about," answered Jack, pulling the
head of his bed to pieces and producing the article in question.
"Julian, you know where the other one is."
While Jack was engaged in performing this work the revolvers were kept
pointed straight at him, for fear he might pull out another one and
turn it loose upon them before they could draw a trigger. But the boys
did not seem to care any more about the revolvers than if they had
been sticks of wood that were aimed at them. Claus had a revolver, but
he did not seem inclined to use it.
"Are you sure it is gold in here, and not something else?" asked Bob.
"You have got the bag in your hands, and you can look and see for
yourself," said Jack.
"Go out in front of the lean-to and sit down on the ground so that I
can watch you," said Bob. "Jake, go with that boy and dig up the other
one. Is this all you have made since you have been here?"
"Yes, that's all. Now, what are you going to do with us?"
"I'll tell you when Jake comes back. Is there much more of that lead
down there?"
"Well, you have charge of the mine, now, and there is no law to hinder
you from going down and finding out," retorted Jack. "Claus, where are
you going? I don't expect to see these gentlemen any more, but I
should like to keep track of you."
Claus did not see fit to answer this question, and in the meantime
Julian and Jake returned with the other bag.