THE RESCUE.
Black Bill, revolver in hand, lay on the pine straw, guarding his
prisoners, who were tied to trees in front of him.
Neither the negro nor his prisoners heard the scout approaching, but
the latter heard Rocks saying:
“See here, nigger, don’t you be fool enough to think all four of us
is goin’ ter hang, and that one of us won’t git away, and that we
will kill you sure as the sun shines if you don’t let us go.
“That fool, Buffalo Bill, has gone off trustin’ you, and our horses
ain’t far away, so we can all pack some provisions on, load up with
gold, and be far away afore he comes back.
“As you say you are all on foot, ther scouts kin never catch us, and
you’ll git gold enough to last you all your days as a rich man.”
“I’d ruther be a poor honest man than a rich one what had betrayed
the gemman I owes my life to more than one time.
“You gemmen is as bad as you kin be, and I’m onter your whole game
now, though them in the valley don’t know it.
“When dey does, your necks won’t be worth nothin’, I is a-thinkin’,
gemmens.”
“Good for you, black pard.”
The negro sprang to his feet, and was face to face with Buffalo Bill
and Ben. The four prisoners scowled and muttered curses.
“Well, Black Bill, we have found your valley.”
“Done found it, Massa Bill?”
“Yes, we went through the break in the cliff where you so nearly lost
your life yesterday.
“I have sent to our camp after the boys; but it must have been a very
hard and dangerous task, from what I have seen of the descent, to get
that train down into that sunken valley, a very Devil’s Den I would
call it.”
“De pass led through and down de side of de cliff, sah. It were
mighty dangerous fer wagons, sah, but all right for de people ter
walk.
“Saturday nights dey all went down in de valley ober Sunday.
“One Saturday, Massa Bill, all went but four men--here dey is, right
here now.
“Dey had been working on de cliff road, blastin’ it out wid powder,
for we brought our wagons along, with plenty of powder, sah.
“Just at sunset dere came what we all thought was a ’arthquake or
volcano, and de whole front of de cliff fell into de valley. Dere was
rocks and fire and smoke go way up inter de air, and three people in
de valley was kilt dead.
“When dey all got deir senses de next day, Sunday, dey came to de
conclusion dat de four men, dese very gemmens here, hab let de powder
git on fire and blew up de cliff and dem, too.
“But I now know dat dese gemmens blowed up dat cliff on purposse,
sah, dat dey might git all de gold what was found in de cañon and
keep it. But, Massa Bill, dem poor people in de valley was same as in
jail, for dey couldn’t git out.”
“These four men did prepare that powder mine to blow off the edge of
that cliff and keep those people in the valley, which you call lost,
and they were a lost people as well.”
Standing on the very edge of the precipice, Buffalo Bill began to
watch the cliffsides with his glass.
“Try and make them see you, Bill,” said the scout.
The negro fired his rifle, and gave a loud halloo.
Many faces were upturned at once, women and children were seen
running here and there, and a wild cheer arose as the negro was
recognized.
The scene was a startling one, for the people in the valley were wild
with joy.
Writing with a pencil upon several pages of his notebook, Buffalo
Bill put them in his handkerchief, wrapped it around a large stone,
and tossed it down into the valley. There was a wild rush for it at
once.
“I told them that we were here, planning to get them out of their
valley.
“That I had noticed that the winding trail along the face of the
cliff had been blocked up where the rocks had fallen below, and also
that it would readily be reached by lariats from here, and we would
find a way to rescue them.”
“You’ll do it, Massa Bill, and I kin see now, sah, dat a few lariats
tied together will reach de old trail yonder.”
“We can blast the rocks out that fell and choked up the trail, and we
can bring that whole outfit out of that valley, though it may take us
a week, perhaps longer, to do so.
“I will write them what to do.”
Another note was written and thrown down as before.
Captain John Hill himself picked it up, and his voice reached those
on the cliff:
“God bless you, Buffalo Bill.”
“If you will spare us some powder, we can blast this end clear.”
“There is another pass farther along, which you can blast out down to
the trail.”
“Good!”
“We will begin work to-morrow, for all my men will be here then,” was
shouted back in the clear tones of Buffalo Bill, and a great cheer
told him he had been heard, and hope filled every heart.
Within one week the scouts slept in the valley, and the next morning
all hands went to work repairing wagons, harness, and shoeing the
horses and mules, while preparations were made by the women for
leaving the place, which had so long been to them a living tomb.
Just two weeks after the arrival of the scouts, the march was begun.
One wagon at a time was taken up the ledge trail; the women and
children followed, then the extra horses, and next the cattle, sheep,
and all that could be carried along.