SI TAKES A TUMBLE
As has been said, Si had stopped to fix his shoe, which now hurt him
more than it had for some time.
As he was bending over, the wind took off his cap and blew it across
the trail. The headcovering lodged in some brushwood growing at the
side of a steep incline.
"Drat the luck!" murmured the former farm boy, and having adjusted the
shoe once more, he started to regain the cap.
This was not so easy as it looked, and before Si knew it, he was
slipping down the incline. He clutched at the brushwood, but it came
out by the roots, and over and over he rolled, bringing up at last
against a mass of dead leaves and brush and in almost total darkness.
The fall had taken the wind out of the youth and it was several minutes
before he felt able to stand up and look around him. He had bumped his
forehead and likewise one elbow, but, fortunately, none of the hurts
was serious.
"Gosh! If this don't beat all creation!" he gasped, peering around. "I
must have come a mile a minit down that slide! Wonder how I am ever to
get up again?"
The question was not an easy one to answer. In coming down he had
rounded several curves, so that he could not get a view of the point
from which he had started. The bottom of the pocket--for it was nothing
more--was not over ten feet wide and a hundred or more feet in length.
He calculated, after he had gotten his wits together, that the top was
at least two or three hundred feet above him.
"Suppose I can be thankful I wasn't killed," he murmured, as he gazed
up the twisting incline. "Beats all how I came down. Wonder if anybody
in the crowd saw me?"
He waited for a few minutes, and then, having regained his breath,
set up a shout. No answer came back, and he shouted several times in
succession.
"They must have gone on," he mused. "If so, I'll have to do what I can
to get out without their help."
He walked from one end of the pocket to the other twice, examining the
incline from every possible point of view. Presently he discovered one
place where there were numerous cracks in the rocks, and he started to
crawl up, slowly and cautiously, digging his fingers into the cracks as
firmly as possible.
Si was half-way to the top of the opening when something happened that
scared him not a little. From one of the cracks just over his head
there darted some small animal--what he could not tell. It made for
the top of the incline, but in its haste lost its footing and rolled
up against the boy's head. Then, as Si tried to knock it away, it went
leaping on, while the poor boy, having lost his hold, rolled and slid
once more to the bottom of the pocket.
"Wonder what it was," thought the boy, as he picked himself up
ruefully. "Glad it didn't bite me."
He wished he knew if there were more of the animals at hand, but as
none appeared, he started up the incline as before, resolved to keep
his grip no matter what happened.
"Hullo, Si!" came suddenly in a hearty voice from above.
"Mark, is that you?" he answered, joyfully.
"Yes. Where are you?"
"Tumbled down this hole."
"Are you hurt?"
"I reckon not. But I am pretty well shook up."
"Can you crawl up?"
"I am trying to do it, but it is a tough job."
"Wait, I'll get a rope," answered Mark, and ran off.
The others were all on the hunt, but Mark soon called them together. A
long rope was taken from one of the mule packs and one end was allowed
to slide down the incline. It came close to the spot where Si was
clinging to the rocks.
"Got it?" sang out Bob.
"Not yet. Can't you let it down a few feet more?"
"Not very well."
"Then leave it as it is and I'll climb for it."
It was no easy task to reach the end of the rope, and twice poor Si
thought that he would roll down into the pocket once more. But at last
he had a firm hold of the lower end and he shouted for his friends to
haul away, which they did, soon bringing him to the surface.
"I am glad to be on top again," said he, as he came out into the
daylight.
"Be thankful you didn't break your neck," was Josiah Socket's comment.
"I am thankful."
"After this we'll have to be more than careful of where we walk,"
observed Mark, with a serious shake of his head. "There are some
fearful pitfalls along this route."
"Well, I just guess!" cried Maybe Dixon. "Why, I've heard o' some
gulches four an' five hundred feet deep! Reckon nobuddy wants to fall
into sech a hole as that, eh?"
With the promise of another fall of snow in the air, the pioneers
did not delay long, and soon the journey through the mighty mountain
pass was resumed. They had to go upward for several hours, but before
nightfall found themselves on the downward trail.
"Hurrah! we have passed the highest point!" cried Mark.
"And now downward we go to the Land of Gold!" exclaimed Bob with equal
enthusiasm.
The thought that the upward climb was at an end at last cheered
everybody in the party. They looked ahead eagerly, but the gloom of
night was at hand and they could see little.
"If it was real clear maybe we could see some of them gold camps," said
Maybe Dixon, in disappointed tones.
"Do you think we are close enough?" asked Si.
"It ain't that, lad. In a good clear air one can see for a long
distance over these mountains."
"Then we've got lots of traveling to do yet?"
"Yes,--unless somebody has discovered gold along this trail. Gold may
be in one place as well as another."
That night they went into camp close to the edge of a mighty cliff.
Firewood was as scarce as "hen's teeth," as Si said, and they had to
make the most of a tiny blaze just big enough to cook supper. They ate
their food piping hot, which warmed them some. Then they got out all of
their blankets.
"We are in for a night of it," said Mark, as he looked at the sky.
"Snow?" queried Bob, laconically.
"Yes, and a lot of it."
"I believe you. Too bad! when we are so near the end of the journey!"
"Well, as it can't be helped, we'll have to make the best of it."
It was decided that the entire party, including the Sockets, should
camp together, and the horses and the mule were tied up close by.
Darling was so tired he soon dropped down and fell asleep and the other
steeds speedily followed.
Mark had the first watch and Bob and Si followed. Then Maybe Dixon took
his turn. By this time it was snowing steadily.
"In for it sure," said Dixon to Josiah Socket, who relieved him. "I'm
afraid we won't do much travelin' to-morrow."
On account of the fall of snow it was not very cold, so the party slept
fairly well even without a campfire. Mark was the first person to stir
of his own party.
"Well, we are snowed in surely!" he cried, as he gazed around.
On all sides was a spread of dazzling white, and the snow was still
coming down steadily. The pass behind them was totally blotted out, and
they could see next to nothing ahead.
"The wust yet!" groaned Josiah Socket. "I calkerlated to be well
sheltered by the time the snow was a-flyin'. What are we going to do?"
"I know what I am in favor of," said Mark, decidedly.
"What?"
"I'm in favor of getting down from this mountain somehow, to where we
can strike better shelter and plenty of firewood, and water. We can't
stay here all winter."
Mark's opinion was the opinion of all. They would wait for the snow to
stop and then go on.
It was not until two o'clock in the afternoon that the fall ceased. But
then the sun came out as if by magic, and on they went as rapidly as
the animals with their burdens could travel. Two old miners had come
up and they assisted in keeping to the proper trail. All kept on until
darkness made it unwise to go further.
"We are getting down," said Bob. "It is not as cold as it was." And
what he said was true, the temperature was at least fifteen degrees
above what they had experienced on the mountains the night before.
The next morning the sun came out again and as it rose they started
onward once more, resolved to make as much progress as possible. They
were aiming for the valley of the Yuba River, a tributary of the
Feather River, where gold had but recently been located.
"I don't think we'll do any gold digging this winter," said Mark.
"We'll have to wait until next spring."
"Well, we'll be on the ground, when the season opens," said Bob,
consolingly.
"Ready to pick up nuggets, eh?" put in Si, with a broad grin.
"You're right, Si," laughed Mark. "And the bigger the better."
"Wouldn't mind finding one worth a million, would you?"
"Better make it two millions while you are at it," came from Bob.
"I am willing to take what comes," said Mark. "But I do hope we find
some gold," he added, wistfully.
"We have certainly gone through enough to get it," added the former
sailor lad.