SQUATTERS' RIGHTS
"Yeou doan't reckon as haow anybody kin see a fire, if so be I started a
little blaze back in here, do yeou, partner?" queried Perk.
Jack knew how the other was fairly itching just to feel the warmth of a
genuine campfire, under such extraordinary conditions, and hence shook
his head.
"Not a Chinaman's chance, buddy--too many crooks in the passage we took
getting here. The wood I fetched in lies just back of you; and besides,
a fire will save my battery, which means a heap. Go to it then, and get
busy."
Accordingly Perk lost no time in carrying out his cherished plan, for he
had always vowed himself to be a "reg'lar cat o' a fire-worshipper;" so,
the match having been applied they were treated to a generous glow that
revealed much more plainly the character of the wonderful cavern.
Later on the investigating Perk discovered that another fissure, shaped
somewhat like a regular tunnel, led away from the central cavern, and
sloped downward.
His mind seemed to still follow up that Mark Twain idea, for he had no
sooner taken a good survey at the passage entrance than he gave Jack a
shrewd look, and followed this up by saying ingenuously:
"Huh! if I didn't know we was a heap o' miles away from the ole
Mississip I'd be 'clined to swear this must be the gen-u-ine cave Tom
and Huck knocked 'raound in the time they found all that lost treasure.
But I wonder--"
"What do you wonder, Perk?"
"Struck me that mebbe aour ole friend, that silvertip bear, might have
his den somewhere 'bout in the rocks; an' where'd he run 'cross a better
place to hole up fur the winter than right here! Say, mebbe I wouldn't
hate to run smack on the ugly critter while we was a explorin' some o'
the tunnels an' passages that lead outen this here central chamber? They
kinder give these here grizzlies a reputation fur havin' long memories,
jest like elephants do; an' I bet yeou a cookey he aint never agoin' to
furget little Gabe Perkiser, what throwed a match into his hair, an' set
him afire."
But Jack did not appear to have such a lively imagination as his
comrade, for he shook his head in the negative, and tried to soothe the
anxious Perk.
"I hardly think there's any chance for such a nasty happening, buddy,"
he assured the other; "though I do reckon the old chap'd never forget
you, after receiving such scurvy treatment at your hands. Some time
later we'll take a look in at that same passage--these caves in the
mountains often turn out to run for a mile or more, twisting and
turning, to come out it may be close to the starting point, even in the
shape of another fissure."
"Say, I'd like that same trick, I'm atellin' yeou, Jack, boy. 'Sides,
bein' partial to caves o' all kinds an' species I'm also given to
explorin' queer places--got me into heaps o' trouble in my kid days,
which same makes me laugh to remember. But tell me some more things yeou
thunk up, or seen, while I was aout wrastlin' fur grub."
Jack looked at him in a peculiar way that caused Perk to wonder what he
was about to spring upon him.
"Remember my telling you about that cook chap they've got, waiting on
them, and all that, Perk?"
"Sure do, him with the s'posed to be white _chef's_ cap--was he any
different from the general run--cook, crook, seems to me they sorter
hitch like they might be first cousins."
"There was something that seemed familiar about him, but it was only
later in the day I managed to glimpse a better look at the fellow, when
the sun shone full on his moniker; then it flashed on me who he was."
"Hold on there, partner, I jest hopes yeou ain't agoin' to inform me
he's yet another galoot I useter know--seems like that Nat Tucker, added
to aour ole friend, Slippery Slim, might be enough former 'quaintances
to meet up with in sech a nest o' flim-flam artists an' crooks."
"Well, I think you told me once you'd never known this party; but I had,
and only a short time back I told you more or less about him. It was in
Washington I used to run along with him in my work."
"Wait up, partner--go slow 'til I ketches my breath. Yeou ain't agoin'
to stagger me by sayin' that this here cook might be _him_?"
"Just what I mean, Perk."
"Simeon--Simeon Balderson?"
"No other, brother, undoubtedly a prisoner, and being made to serve that
miserable gang of hoodlums in a menial capacity, partly to humble him,
and give them plenty of chances to throw mean jibes at him as the
representative of the Service they hate so much. It's the irony of Fate,
if ever such a thing could be."
"Dead certain be yeou, Jack?"
The other nodded in the affirmative, adding:
"He must have been badly injured in the scrap before he and his
companion were knocked out, for he certainly never limped like that when
I knew him, only a year or so back. Possibly the second man may have
been wiped out in the gun battle; though why they should spare Simeon's
life is a puzzle to me; but some day we'll understand, since I wouldn't
think of going away from here and leaving him in the hands of those
human tigers."
"Shake on that same, ole hoss; I'm with yeou every time, 'cause it means
we're agoin' to have some mighty stiff work on aour hands 'fore we kin
send a ball daown in each alley, an' make a clean sweep o' the
duck-pins; an' that's the dizzy game I sure likes most."
There was really nothing like brag about what Perk said, as his comrade
knew full well; in the past he had seen Perk put up a grand fight, and
never could forget how he slashed, and cut, and struck home with any old
weapon he chanced to have in his hands, until a clean swathe had been
cut through the ranks of their foes. He always appeared to be a little
ashamed of having lost his head, and striking blind, excusing himself
under the plea that he must have been in a bit of a "tailspin."
"Here we can stay, Perk, without running much risk of being discovered;
for I hardly imagine any of those chaps would bother exercising
themselves to try and find out what the country around their Happy
Valley looks like."
"Huh! I kinder guess not any," remarked the skeptical Perk, with a look
akin to disgust on his face; "they're a heap too lazy to move, 'cept to
come to their three meals a day when off duty, and kept in camp. Same
men when on a raid robbin' some border bank; holdin' up a train; or nice
healthy jobs like that, kin act like a pack o' half starved locoed
wolves."
"I was just thinking," continued Jack, who seemed never to lose a point
worth considering, "that perhaps we'd better make sure our eats are kept
secure. Such places as this cavern would be attractive dens for foxes,
and such predatory varmints, who'd like nothing better than to steal
every scrap of food we've got; which would be a serious thing, I'd
allow."
"Wall, I kinder guess it sure _would_, by hokey!" exclaimed Perk,
quickly aroused, as the danger loomed along the line of possible
starvation, "an' it ain't agoin' to happen either, if I have to stick
'raound all night long. Grub an' me air the best o' friends; an' I'd go
a long way to defend sech a good pal."
"Hardly be so serious as that, buddy," advised Jack, seeing how his
suggestion had awakened lively fears in his companion's breast. "Plenty
of loose stuff lying around in here, so we'll just _cache_ our food
supplies, by covering the pile with a heavy weight no beast could
budge."
"Yeou said it, partner, an' I'll take a look 'raound till I kin pick
aout the best place to build aour fort. Watch my smoke, Jack, boy."
It did not take him long to find what he sought, after which they
speedily arranged things to suit their idea of security.
"There she be," Perk remarked, in a satisfied tone, as the job was
finished. "If any red fox or kiote kin scratch his way under that stack
o' dornicks I'll eat my hat--an' ole dungarees in th' bargain. I ain't a
luggin' good eats all the way from San Diego, an' payin' aout lots o'
coin fur the same, jest to make a holiday fur four-footed thieves."
"Both of us are dead for sleep, I reckon," ventured Jack, as they lay on
the rocky floor, Perk indulging in the luxury of a pipe of his favorite
Turkish mixture for solace; "and perhaps we'd be wise to snatch a few
hours while we may--we're up against a pretty hard proposition, and
there's no telling just what lies ahead of us. How about it, Perk?"
"Shucks! I'm willin' enuff to lay off; an' mebbe naow I ain't glad I
done fetched them two woolen blankets along as we had on aour cots
aboard the ship. They sure helped to make up a fine load; but right naow
they'll be wuth all they cost me on the hike."
"And I'll bless your long-sightedness in thinking of our comfort," Jack
hastened to assure him. "Bare rocks like these are hardly in the same
class with a good spring bed, and plenty of covers. We'll skip some sore
bones because of having these to tuck under us, Perk."
"I hate to let the bully fire die down," Perk presently observed, for he
never was so happy as when sitting alongside a cheery blaze, puffing at
his briarwood pipe, and watching the rings of smoke sail upward.
"Oh! it wouldn't do to try and keep it going all night," Jack told him.
"Too little stuff for burning, and hard to tote in here. I'll keep my
electric hand-torch close beside me, and if there's any occasion for
lighting up the cavern I can do it in a jiffy."
That seemed to ease Perk's mind somewhat, for Jack could plainly see the
other was somewhat concerned regarding the possibility of their having
an unwelcome visitor during the time they were resting from the fatigues
of the past day.
He watched Perk making his preparations for retiring, and just as he
anticipated the other was exceedingly careful to pick out a camping
place as far removed from that mysterious passage leading out of the
central cavern as he possibly could.
Of course the reason for his so doing was plainly manifest to Jack--he
could spell it in four letters--B-E-A-R--Perk could not wholly dissuade
himself that Fate meant to play him a nasty trick, and bring him into
close quarters with that ferocious monster, the silvertip, or as he was
known along the mountains of the Coast, "Old Eph." The distinct smell of
burning hair still seemed to linger within reach of his olfactories, and
give him a reproachful sensation, as though he felt he had taken a mean
advantage of the beast.
No such thought worried Jack; but then the shadow of guilt did not hang
over his head as was the case with Perk.
"Don't forget to wind up your wrist-watch, buddy," warned Jack, shortly
afterwards; as Perk still sat there on his blanket, keeping up his
meditative puffing, as though he meant to see the fire to its last
flickering extinction. "They're our only reliable guide to tell us when
morning comes around. In this black cave we might lie dozing until the
middle of the day, without knowing how we were sleeping at the switch,
and wasting precious time."
"Hot-diggetty-dig! partner, haow yeou do jest think o' ever'thing. On'y
fur yeou I'd be like a lost lamb awanderin' 'raound the countryside,
bleatin', an' shiverin' fur fear the pesky wolves'd get me."
"That'll do for you, buddy," Jack sternly told him. "We've both got our
several good and bad points; but we're essential to each other to make
up a working team, six of one, and half a dozen of the other--now, don't
let me hear you getting off any of that boloney stuff again, mind."
"Huh! yeou lets me daown too easy, partner; guess I know my shortcomings
better'n anybody else; an' thinkin' ain't much o' a long suite with
Gabe, not at no time in hist'ry."
"Well, have it any way you like, Perk; but I'm meaning to settle down
for a nice nap. Just call out if you want a light any old time, and I'll
accommodate you before you can say Jack Robinson. So-long, and here's
hoping we'll be able to get a move on before another night sets in."
"I sure echoes that wish, boy," muttered Perk, seriously; for he
realized that they had undertaken one of the most troublesome tasks that
could be placed to their credit; and would have need of all the good
luck and breaks possible in order to come through.
Perk having set himself to what he considered a duty, would never let
any trivial things deter him; and so he must have sat up with that
declining fire until the very last feeble flicker expired; then rolling
himself up in his blanket he sought relief in slumber.
Time went on, the night passed away, and there was not a solitary alarm
to give Perk a thrill. Both of them were very tired, and must have slept
soundly, for the first thing Perk knew Jack turned the dazzling light of
his little torch full on his face, arousing him, and then remarked
quietly:
"Time we were stirring, partner--I figure the dawn has got around, when
we can start doing things."