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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Waif of the Mountains, by Edward S. Ellis
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Waif of the Mountains
+
+Author: Edward S. Ellis
+
+Release Date: August 15, 2009 [EBook #29693]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A WAIF OF THE MOUNTAINS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: SHE STARED BEWILDERED INTO THE SHAGGY FACES AROUND
+HER.--PAGE 21.]
+
+
+
+
+A WAIF OF THE MOUNTAINS
+
+BY
+
+EDWARD S. ELLIS
+
+AUTHOR OF "UP THE TAPAJOS," "FROM THE THROTTLE TO THE PRESIDENT'S CHAIR,"
+"THE LAND OF WONDERS," ETC.
+
+CHICAGO
+
+GEO. M. HILL CO.
+
+PUBLISHERS
+
+
+
+
+COPYRIGHT, 1900,
+
+BY
+
+THE MERSHON COMPANY
+
+
+
+
+A WAIF OF THE MOUNTAINS
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+AT NEW CONSTANTINOPLE
+
+
+IT had been snowing hard for twenty-four hours at Dead Man's Gulch.
+Beginning with a few feathery particles, they had steadily increased
+in number until the biting air was filled with billions of snowflakes,
+which whirled and eddied in the gale that howled through the gorges
+and canyons of the Sierras. It was still snowing with no sign of
+cessation, and the blizzard blanketed the earth to the depth of
+several feet, filling up the treacherous hollows, caverns and abysses
+and making travel almost impossible for man or animal.
+
+The shanties of the miners in Dead Man's Gulch were just eleven in
+number. They were strung along the eastern side of the gorge and at an
+altitude of two or three hundred feet from the bed of the pass or
+canyon. The site protruded in the form of a table-land, offering a
+secure foundation for the structures, which were thus elevated
+sufficiently to be beyond reach of the terrific torrents that
+sometimes rushed through the ravine during the melting of the snow in
+the spring, or after one of those fierce cloud-bursts that give
+scarcely a minute's warning of their coming.
+
+The diggings were in the mountain side at varying distances. The
+success in mining had been only moderate, although several promising
+finds raised hopes. The population numbered precisely thirty men,
+representing all quarters of the Union, while five came from Europe.
+The majority were shaggy, bronzed adventurers, the variety being
+almost as great as the numbers. Some had been clerks, several were
+college graduates, a number were the sons of wealthy parents, and one
+was a full-fledged parson, while there was a certain percentage who
+had left their homes to escape the grip of the offended law.
+
+With that yearning for picturesqueness which is a peculiar trait of
+Americans, the miners felt that when their settlement had attained the
+dignity of nearly a dozen dwellings, it was entitled to an appropriate
+name. The gorge, which seemed to have been gouged out of the solid
+mass of boulders and rocks, when the mountains were split apart in the
+remote past, was known from the first by the title already given,
+which also clung to the diggings themselves.
+
+The single saloon presided over by Max Ortigies, was the Heavenly
+Bower,--so _that_ point was settled, but when it came to naming the
+settlement itself, the difficulties were so numerous that days and
+weeks passed without an agreement being reached. No matter how
+striking and expressive the title offered by one man, the majority
+promptly protested. It was too sulphurous, or too insipid or it lacked
+in that nebulous characteristic which may be defined as true
+Americanism. It looked as if the problem would never be solved, when
+Landlord Ortigies, taking the bull by the horns, appointed a committee
+of three to select a name, the others pledging themselves to accept
+whatever the committee submitted.
+
+But the mischief was to pay when on the night of the blizzard the
+committee met at the Heavenly Bower to make their report. The chairman
+insisted upon "E Pluribus Unum," the second member's favorite was
+"Murderer's Holler," while the third would not listen to anything
+except "Wolf Eye," and each was immovably set in his convictions.
+
+Budge Isham was not a member of the committee, but he was known as a
+college graduate. From his seat on an overturned box at the rear of
+the room, where he was smoking a pipe, he asked troublesome questions
+and succeeded in arraying the committeemen so fiercely against one
+another that each was eager to vote, in the event of failing to carry
+his own point, in favor of any name objectionable to the rest.
+
+The chairman as stated favored the patriotic name "E Pluribus Unum,"
+and boldly announced the fact.
+
+"It has a lofty sound," blandly remarked Isham; "will the chairman be
+good enough to translate it for us? In other words, what does 'E
+Pluribus Unum' mean?"
+
+"Why," replied the chairman with scorn in his manner; "everybody
+oughter know it means, 'Hurrah for the red, white and blue.'"
+
+"Thank you," returned Isham, puffing at his pipe.
+
+Vose Adams, the second committeeman, felt it his duty to explain his
+position.
+
+"The trouble with that outlandish name is in the fust place that it
+has three words and consequently it's too much to manage. Whoever
+heard of a town with three handles to its name? Then it's foreign.
+When I was in college (several disrespectful sniffs which caused the
+speaker to stop and glare around in quest of the offenders); I say
+when I was in college and studying Greek and Chinese and Russian, I
+larned that that name was made up of all three of them languages. I
+b'leve in America for the Americans, and if we can't find a name
+that's in the American language, why let's wait till we can."
+
+This sentiment was delivered with such dramatic force that several of
+the miners nodded their heads in approval. It was an appeal to the
+patriotic side of their nature--which was quick to respond.
+
+"Mr. Chairman," said Budge Isham, addressing the landlord, who, by
+general consent, was the presiding officer at these disputations, and
+who like the others failed to see the quiet amusement the educated man
+was extracting, "if it is agreeable to Mr. Adams, to whose eloquent
+speech we have listened with much edification, I would like him to
+give us his reasons for calling our handsome town 'Murderers'
+Hollow.'"
+
+The gentleman appealed to rose to his feet. Turning toward the man who
+had called upon him, he gave him a look which ought to have made him
+sink to the floor with mortification, preliminary to saying with
+polished irony:
+
+"If the gentleman had paid attention as he oughter, he would have
+obsarved that I said 'Murderer's Holler,' not 'Murderers' _Hollow_.' I
+would advise him not to forget that he ain't the only man in this
+place that has received a college eddycation. Now as to the name: it
+proclaims our stern virtue and love for law."
+
+The orator paused, but the wondering expression of the bronzed
+faces turned toward him showed that he would have to descend to
+particulars.
+
+"When violators of the law hear that name, what does it say to them?
+It says that if any murderer shows his face in this place, he will
+receive such rough handling that he will have to holler 'enough,' and
+will be glad to get out--I don't see what there is to laugh at!"
+exclaimed Vose angrily, looking threateningly around again with his
+fists clenched and his gaze fixed specially upon the grinning Budge
+Isham.
+
+"There's some sense in what Vose says, which ain't often the case,"
+remarked Ike Hoe, the other member of the committee, "but the trouble
+will be that when folks hear of the name, they won't think to give it
+the meanin' that he gives it. They'll conclude that this place is the
+home of murderers, and, if it keeps on, bime by of hoss thieves. If it
+warn't for that danger, I might go in for backing up Vose with his
+name, but as it stands it won't do."
+
+The argument of Ike had produced its effect. There was little sympathy
+in the first place for the title, and that little was destroyed by the
+words of Ike, who proceeded to plead for his own choice.
+
+"Now as to 'Wolf Eye.' In the first place, it is short and easy to
+say. There ain't any slur in the name, that might offend a new comer,
+who would think the 'Murderer's Holler' contained ungentlemanly
+allusions to his past. It is warning, too, that the place has got an
+eye on everybody and has teeth as sharp as a wolf. Then there is
+poetry in the name. Gentlemen," added Ike in a burst of enthusiasm,
+"we oughter go in for poetry. How can any one live in such a glorious
+country as this with the towering kenyons around him, with the
+mountains thousands of feet deep, with the grand sun kissin' the
+western tips in the morning and sinking to rest at night in the
+east,--with the snow storms in summer and the blazing heat in
+winter--with the glo----"
+
+"Hold on! hold on!" called Budge Isham, rising solemnly to his feet,
+with hands uplifted in protest; "if Ike doesn't stop, he'll have us
+all standing on our heads. There's a brand of liquor down in
+Sacramento called 'Wolf Eye;' I don't make any charges, gentlemen,
+against my friend Ike, but you can draw your inferences. Wolf Eye
+won't do."
+
+A general laugh greeted this sally, seeing which the indignant Ike
+turned the tables upon Budge with an admirable piece of sarcasm.
+
+"Seeing as how all of us together don't know 'nough to git up a name
+that will suit, I move that the college eddycated gentleman supplies
+the brains and does it himself."
+
+The crushing irony of this remark was spoiled by Budge accepting it in
+all seriousness. He bowed his head and gracefully thanked the
+satirical Vose.
+
+"I shall be very glad to do so. The committee meant well enough, but
+the trouble was that there were too many fools on it----"
+
+At this point Wade Ruggles sprang to his feet, with the fierce
+question:
+
+"Does the gentleman refer to _me_?"
+
+His hand was at his hip on the butt of his revolver and matters
+looked squally, but the tactful Budge quelled the rising storm with
+Chesterfieldian grace. Waving his hand and bowing, he said:
+
+"I did not intend the remotest reference to you."
+
+Vose Adams came up promptly.
+
+"Then it's _me_ and I'm ready to make any man eat his words."
+
+"My good friend is mistaken; nothing could induce me to apply such a
+term to him; I hold him in too high esteem."
+
+Since this left Ike Hoe as the only remaining member, he began to show
+signs of explosion, perceiving which the incomprehensible Budge
+proceeded to mollify him.
+
+"And Ike knows that I would be the last person in the world to slur a
+gentleman from whom I as well as the others have received so much
+instruction."
+
+Ike was mystified. He looked at the other members of the committee and
+then into the faces of the group. He couldn't make it out.
+
+"If it's all the same, Mr. Chairman, since the gentleman has said
+there was too many fools on the committee, and has just explained that
+he didn't mean any one of us three, I'll be obliged if he'll explain
+who in thunder he did mean."
+
+This sounded unanswerable, but the cunning Budge was equal to the
+occasion.
+
+"It gives me pleasure to answer the question of the gentleman: my
+remark was made in a Pickwickian sense."
+
+He leaned forward with a beaming smile, as if his explanation left
+nothing to be added. No one understood to what he referred, but all
+were too proud to admit the fact. There was a general nodding of
+heads, and Ike, with the manner of a man who magnanimously accepts the
+humble apology of him whom he has worsted, leaned back on his stool
+and audibly remarked:
+
+"That makes it all right."
+
+Budge Isham resumed his seat, when he was reminded that he was
+expected to submit a name for the new settlement.
+
+"I beg pardon," he said, rising again, "it is a fact known to this
+highly intelligent assemblage, that every city of prominence in Europe
+has from one to forty namesakes in this country. There is one
+exception, however; doubtless all know to what city I refer."
+
+In response to his inquiring looks, the group tried to appear as if
+the name was familiar to them, but no one spoke.
+
+"It is hardly necessary for me to mention the city, but I may say it
+is Constantinople."
+
+A contemptuous sniff greeted this proposal.
+
+"That's the worst yet," said Wade Ruggles, drawing a match along the
+thigh of his trousers to relight his pipe, which had gone out during
+the excitement; "the man that insults this party with such a
+proposition, ought to be run out of the place."
+
+"What's the matter with it?" demanded Budge.
+
+"It's too long in the fust place," commented Ike Hoe; "it bothers a
+man to git his mouth around it and it hain't any music, like the other
+names such as Starvation Kenyon, Hangman's Noose, Blizzard Gorge and
+the rest. I stick to mine as the purtiest of all."
+
+"What's that?"
+
+"'Blazes,' short and sweet and innercent like."
+
+Landlord Ortigies was leaning with both elbows on the bar. The new
+name struck him favorably.
+
+"I'm inclined to agree with Budge," he said, "cause there hain't any
+other place that's hit onto it. All of them names that you chaps have
+tried to spring onto us, have been used in other places, or at least
+some part of the names, but, as Budge has observed, no galoot has
+scooped 'Constantinople.'"
+
+"'Cause no one ain't fool enough," observed Ike Hoe, who noted the
+drift of the sentiment.
+
+"But they'll pounce onto it powerful quick if we don't grab it while
+it's passin'; it's a good long name, and what if it does make a chap
+sling the muscles of his jaw to warble it? All the better; it'll make
+him think well of his town, which I prophesy is going to be the
+emporium of the West."
+
+"Let's see," growled Wade Ruggles, "Constantinople is in Ireland isn't
+it?"
+
+"Where's your eddycation?" sneered Ike Vose; "it's the oldest town in
+Wales."
+
+Landlord Ortigies raised his head and filled the room with his genial
+laughter.
+
+"If there was anything I was strong on when I led my class at the
+Squankum High School it was astronermy; I was never catched in
+locating places."
+
+"If you know so much," remarked Ruggles, "you'll let us know something
+'bout that town which I scorn to name."
+
+"I'm allers ready to enlighten ign'rance, though I've never visited
+Constantinople, which stands on the top of the Himalaya Mountains, in
+the southern part of Iceland."
+
+"That's very good," said Budge Isham, who with his usual tact
+maneuvered to keep the ally he had gained, "but the Constantinople I
+have in mind is in Turkey, which is such a goodly sized country that
+it straddles from Europe to Asia."
+
+"Which the same I suppose means to imply that this ere Constantinople
+will do likewise similar."
+
+"No doubt that's what it'll do in time," assented the landlord.
+
+"I beg to offer an amendment to my own motion," continued the oily
+Budge; "when the boom strikes this town, as it is bound soon to do,
+and it rivals in size the famous city on the other side of the
+Atlantic, there should be something to distinguish the two. We have no
+wish to rob any other place of the honors it has taken centuries to
+gain; so, while we reserve the principal name, I propose that we
+distinguish it from the old city by prefixing the word 'New.'"
+
+"You mean that this town shall be 'New Constantinople?'" was the
+inquiring remark of the landlord.
+
+"Precisely; and I now make the motion that that be our name."
+
+There were seventeen persons present and it looked as if a decision
+was inevitable. The landlord was shrewd. His first act was to invite
+all to drink at his expense, after which he made each pledge himself
+to abide by the decision, whatever it might be. These preliminaries
+being arranged, a show of hands was called for. The vote was eight for
+and eight against the new name.
+
+"That's a tie," commented the landlord from behind his immense beard;
+"and therefore the question ain't settled."
+
+"It's easy 'nough to settle it," said Ike Hoe.
+
+"How?"
+
+"Take another vote."
+
+"I don't see how that'll do it, onless some one changes his mind; but
+again, gentlemen: all who favor the new name, raise their right
+hands."
+
+Eight horny palms were elevated in air, while the same number were
+displayed in the negative. The landlord looked troubled.
+
+"We must keep it up till some one weakens," observed Wade Ruggles.
+
+The host scanned the earnest faces in front of him.
+
+"Which of you gentlemen will promise to weaken if we keep this thing
+up for half the night?"
+
+"I'll stay here a week," was the reply of Vose Adams, while the
+general nodding of heads showed that he echoed the sentiments of the
+others. The landlord met the crisis with becoming dignity.
+
+"Gentlemen, when I was a member of Congress, all questions that was
+tied was settled by the presiding officer casting the deciding vote,
+and which as aforesaid we don't lay any claim to being higher than
+Congress, I therefore, by virtue of the aforesaid right vested in me,
+cast my vote in favor of this city being called New Constantinople,
+which the same is on me again; gentlemen, what will you have?"
+
+It was a coup d'etat, the victory being clinched before the opposition
+realized it. Ere the company had fairly recovered from their
+bewilderment, Budge Isham declared that the victory was really his,
+due to the good sense and high toned chivalry of his friends, and he
+insisted upon doing the honors. He would accept no denial and the
+engaging style in which he acquitted himself of this duty restored
+good humor. Thus it was that the little mining town of the Sierras in
+the days that are gone received its title.
+
+The Heavenly Bower consisted of two large apartments, both on the
+ground floor. The one at the rear was used by Landlord Ortigies for
+sleeping, eating and partial storage purposes. When Vose Adams made
+his quarterly visits to Sacramento, he was accompanied by two mules.
+They were not necessary to take and bring the mail, since the pocket
+of Adams' great coat was sufficient for that, but they carried down to
+Sacramento several empty casks which came back filled, or rather they
+were thus when the return journey was begun, but to the dismay of the
+proprietor of the Heavenly Bower, he found that they were barely
+two-thirds full, when unloaded at his place. Vose explained that the
+leakage was due to the roughness of the trail. Since there seemed no
+other way of overcoming this, the landlord sent an extra cask with the
+request to Vose that he would confine his leakage to that and Vose
+kindly obliged him.
+
+The stuff thus provided for the Heavenly Bower was generally in
+concentrated form, thereby permitting a dilution which insured a full
+supply for the customers who were afflicted with an eternal thirst.
+
+The bar room was of extensive proportions. Nearly all of one side was
+occupied by the bar. Opposite was the huge fireplace, and scattered
+around were a number of stools, rickety chairs and strong boxes which
+served equally well for seats.
+
+The crackling fire, the genial warmth and good cheer within the room
+were the more striking because of their contrast with the howling
+storm without. The gale roared around the corners of the rude but
+strong structure, rattling against the massive door and the log walls,
+spitting vicious gusts down the chimney and flinging great drifts
+hither and yon with a fury that threatened to send the building
+skurrying through the snowy space.
+
+"It's the worst blizzard we ever had," remarked Wade Ruggles, after
+one of these violent outbursts; "God pity any one that's abroad
+to-night."
+
+"It reminds me of that zephyr last winter," observed Vose Adams, "when
+I was bringing your freight, Max, from Sacramento."
+
+"I remember," nodded the landlord; "you started with two kegs and got
+here with about half a one; the leakage was tremenjus on that trip."
+
+"True; the blizzards is always rough on Mountain Dew, and sorter makes
+it shrink," replied the unblushing Vose.
+
+"Can't you stop the casks leaking so much," inquired Felix Brush, who
+had been a parson in Missouri, and claimed that he had never been
+"unfrocked."
+
+The landlord solemnly swayed his head.
+
+"Not as long as Vose has charge of the freight----"
+
+At that instant a dull but resounding thump was heard on the roof
+overhead. It shook every log in the structure, checked speech and
+caused each man to look wonderingly at his neighbor.
+
+"The mountain has fell on us!" exclaimed Ike Hoe in a husky whisper.
+
+"If it was the mountain," said Budge Isham, slightly raising his
+voice, as the courage of the party came back; "none of us would be
+able to tell of it."
+
+"Then it's a rock--well, I'm blessed! the thing is moving!"
+
+Something was certainly astir in the mass of snow overhead.
+
+"I guess it's a angel that has lost its way," submitted Hoe.
+
+"More likely it's a grizzly b'ar that's stumbled off the rocks--"
+
+But all these speculations were scattered to the winds by the sound of
+a voice muffled and seemingly far away, which came to them through the
+storm:
+
+"_Helloa, the house_!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+WHAT THE BLIZZARD BROUGHT TO NEW CONSTANTINOPLE
+
+
+A moment after the hail was heard from the roof, the muffled noise
+which accompanied it ceased. The stranger groping about in the snowy
+gloom had stepped off the roof into the huge drift outside the
+Heavenly Bower, and a minute later, lifted the latch of the door and
+pushed in among the astonished miners. They saw the figure of a sturdy
+man holding something in his arms, so wrapped round with blankets and
+coverings that no one could tell its nature. He stamped the snow from
+his boots, shook himself like a shaggy dog, then walked heavily to the
+chair which Budge Isham placed near the fire for him, and almost fell
+into it.
+
+"Good evening, friends," he said in a grave voice; "It was no fault of
+mine that I tried at first to enter by the roof."
+
+"When I built the Heavenly Bower," replied Landlord Ortigies; "I
+meant to place a door up there, but there wasn't anybody in New
+Constantinople with enough sense to know how to do it. I 'spose you
+was looking fur it, stranger."
+
+"No," was the reply, "I wasn't looking for anything; I was just
+walking, walking through the storm, not knowing or caring where I
+went. I can't say how far I came, but it must have been a number of
+miles. I was still plodding on, when I set my foot on vacancy and down
+I went."
+
+"Gracious! you fell nearly a hundred feet," said Parson Brush; "it was
+a wonderful providence that saved you from being dashed to death."
+
+"The snow on the roof must be five or six feet deep," replied the
+stranger; "for it received me as if it were a feather bed. I saw a
+glow from the top of your chimney against the rocks and knew I was on
+the roof of a house. I hardly felt jarred and groped my way off into a
+lot more snow and here I am."
+
+The astonishment of the listeners did not make them forget the laws of
+hospitality. Budge Isham looked significantly at the landlord, but he
+had already drawn a glass of spirits and was coming from behind the
+bar with it.
+
+"Stranger, swallow this; you look cold; you're welcome to the Heavenly
+Bower, whether you come through the roof or down the chimbley."
+
+"Thank you; I'll take the whiskey in a minute."
+
+And then feeling that he owed those who made him so welcome some
+explanation of his coming among them, the stranger said:
+
+"My friends, my name is Maurice Dawson. About two months ago, I left
+Independence, Missouri, with an emigrant train for the Pacific coast.
+The elements, disease and the Indians made such inroads upon us that
+after a time only half a dozen families remained. As if that wasn't
+enough, the few survivors quarreled over the course to follow, most of
+them aiming for a pass through the mountains into Southern California,
+while I, the greatest fool of them all, set out to find Dead Man's
+Gulch, of which I had heard from a party of trappers. My canvas
+covered wagon, with a single span of horses, contained all my worldly
+goods, and my companions were my wife and little girl Nellie, only
+three years old. Everything might have gone well but for this
+blizzard, which jumbled up the points of the compass and made
+traveling so difficult that after a time it became impossible."
+
+All were listening with the closest interest, and every heart was
+touched by the emotion of the man, which he could not control for
+several minutes. No one interrupted, and, feeling that his story was
+not quite completed, he added:
+
+"I fired my gun in the hope of attracting attention, but fortunately
+for others I was the only one abroad. By and by the horses stopped.
+They could draw the wagon no further. They stood panting and exhausted
+and soon lay down in the snow. I turned to speak to my wife, when I
+found she had been dead for some minutes, the cold carrying her off as
+quietly as if she were dropping asleep. Before she passed away, she
+wrapped nearly all her clothing about Nellie, who was cuddling beside
+her, so that really the mother, like the noble woman she was, gave her
+life for the little one. It was because Nellie was alive, that I
+jumped out of the wagon and began floundering through the snow. I
+ploughed blindly forward until providence guided me to you."
+
+While uttering the last words, Maurice Dawson was tenderly unwrapping
+the bundle in his arms. There were many folds to draw away, but at
+last he reached the treasure within, which was his Nellie, still sound
+asleep.
+
+If the miners were startled by the resounding thump on the roof, they
+were now almost struck dumb with amazement. They sat with open mouths,
+staring eyes and for a minute no one spoke or stirred.
+
+"God bless you, my Nellie," murmured the father, bending his head and
+touching his lips to the cool forehead; "I had no hope of this when I
+left your dead mother and started on my tramp through the snow."
+
+A general sigh went up from the group of awed miners. Wade Ruggles,
+who had been leaning on the bar, with his gaze fixed on that of the
+handsome stranger, was the first to recover from the spell which held
+them all. Tiptoeing across the room, he paused in front of the father
+and his child and stared, wondering and speechless. Then one by one
+the others did the same, until the whole company were grouped around
+the man and child, each afraid to whisper, as if doing so would
+dissolve the heavenly vision.
+
+When the wrappings had been laid aside, and the little one was placed
+upright, she stared bewildered into the shaggy faces around her. Her
+big blue eyes were open to their widest extent, the mass of golden
+curls rippled about her shoulders and the fairy-like feet were
+inclosed in thick, warm shoes and stockings. The dress of a dull brown
+color and thick texture, fitted her tiny frame perfectly and she
+formed a most winsome picture of infantile beauty.
+
+For fully five minutes all stared in silence at the marvelous picture.
+As before, Wade Ruggles was the first to come to himself, but when he
+spoke, it was in an awed, hesitating whisper:
+
+"Is she really alive?"
+
+The sorrowful face of the father lit up with a faint smile as he
+answered:
+
+"Yes; thank heaven; alive and well."
+
+"May I touch her?" timidly asked Ike Hoe, extending his finger which
+faintly brushed the rosy cheek, and was instantly snatched away as if
+he felt he had done a sacrilegious thing.
+
+"I say," ventured Ruggles gathering courage, "I wonder now if she
+would let me take her in my arms for a minute or so; I won't drop her;
+but that's too much to ask, howsumever."
+
+While he stood hopeful, hesitating and doubtful, Nellie with a half
+frightened smile, dived her head under the arm of her father, as if to
+get away from the embarrassing situation. He gently fondled the golden
+hair and drew her face into view again.
+
+"There, little one, there's nothing to be frightened at; these people
+are all your friends and will do anything they can to please you."
+
+"You're right!" exclaimed Landlord Ortigies, with a shake of his head;
+"we'll do anything in the world for you; if you say the word, I'll
+stand on my head or stand any one else here the same way."
+
+And he showed an alarming inclination to invert himself for the
+amusement of the child, but she did not seem to grasp the meaning of
+the offer. She fixed her eyes upon Ruggles, who made bold by what
+seemed a favorable sign, took a step forward and invitingly extended
+his hands. She debated for a moment, whether to meet the proffer and
+then with the impulsiveness of infancy leaned toward him. With a
+thrill of pleasure the grizzled miner carefully placed his huge arms
+underneath hers, and lifted her as if she were a doll from her
+father's knee. As he did so, every one saw the big tears trickling
+down his cheeks.
+
+"I can't help it, boys," he said apologetically; "the last child I
+held in these arms was my own Jennie, and she was dead."
+
+With infinite affection, he pressed his bearded lips against the
+chubby cheek, while she, relieved of all fear, flung her dimpled arms
+about his neck and kissed him in return. With one hand, she lifted the
+flapping hat from his head and with the other smoothed away the
+luxuriant hair from his forehead.
+
+"I like you ever so much, but you are crying," she said sympathetically;
+"what makes you do that? Haven't you got a little girl like me?"
+
+"No, my precious child; I once had just such a sweet tot as you, but
+the good Lord took her from me, and I love you just as I loved her."
+
+"And that's what we all are going to do," remarked Ike Hoe, with a
+sniff as he drew his sleeve across his eyes; "this beats anything in
+the history of New Constantinople, by seven hundred and eighty-four
+thousand majority."
+
+"Come, Wade, you must be fair with us," said the landlord, reaching
+out his arms; "we all claim an equal share in her."
+
+The miner felt the truth of this, and without a word relinquished the
+treasure. Drawing his handkerchief, he wiped his eyes clear of their
+mist and jealously followed the surrendered one as she was fondled in
+turn by the others. First one and then another, until she had
+completed the round. All had something pleasant to say to her and she
+replied in her sweet innocent way, causing laughter and winning her
+path straight to the hearts of the hardy fellows, to whom such
+endearments had been unknown for years, but whose better natures were
+stirred by the presence of the child, as if she were in reality an
+angel sent from heaven.
+
+Felix Brush had purposely left his turn for the last, hoping thereby
+to retain her longer than his friends. After chatting with her for a
+moment and repeating some rigmarole that set her laughing, followed by
+the request for him to say it again, he stood her on the bar. Then he
+danced in front of her, swung his arms like a jumping-jack, and told
+some outlandish fairy story from the stock that no one had ever
+suspected he possessed.
+
+"Can you stand on your head?" asked Nellie, rippling over with fun.
+
+"Certainly," he replied, as without a moment's hesitation, he inverted
+himself and cracked his heels together, though the attitude was such
+an unfamiliar one that he careened and went over on his back with a
+thump that made the room tremble. Nellie clapped her chubby hands
+with delight and before Brush could repeat the performance, she
+called:
+
+"Catch me; I'm going to jump."
+
+"All right; I'm ready for you."
+
+She recoiled a step to gather momentum and Landlord Ortigies,
+terrified at the fear that she might step off backward, made a dive
+round the end of the bar, catching his foot in an obstruction and
+falling with a crash that drew all attention to him.
+
+"I'm so sorry; be you hurt?" asked Nellie, turning her head and
+surveying him, as his face came up to view like the full moon rising
+above the horizon.
+
+"Not a bit; I done that on purpose to make you laugh; I always do that
+to please good little girls like you."
+
+"Bime by I'll let you fall all the time, but just see me jump."
+
+Felix Brush was still standing, with arms outstretched, and, without a
+second's hesitation the child leaped off into space. She showed no
+fright, for there was no cause for it, since she was caught fairly and
+securely. Inasmuch as she had been fondled by every one, and the
+parson had had her longer than anyone else, he set her down on the
+floor and she began running here and there, displaying a childish
+curiosity to understand everything in sight. Going to the half-opened
+door, communicating with the darkened apartment at the rear, she
+peeped timidly in.
+
+"Who lives in dere?" she asked, turning around and addressing the
+whole group who were laughingly watching her.
+
+"That's where I live," replied Ortigies.
+
+"Do you live all alone?"
+
+"Yes, my child."
+
+"Haven't you got any little girl like me?"
+
+"No; I'd give all I have in the world if I had."
+
+"Wouldn't you like to have me for your little girl?"
+
+"Indeed I would; will you be my little girl?"
+
+The baby face became thoughtful. She thrust one finger in the corner
+of her mouth and looked down at the floor.
+
+"What would papa do and those other folks? I will be the little girl
+for all of you."
+
+This struck the party as the brightest and wittiest expression ever
+made by a mortal. They laughed, clapped their hands and striking each
+other on the shoulder wanted to know whether anything of the like had
+ever before been heard. Certainly not. Without paying any heed to
+them, Nellie was peering into the room again.
+
+"It's dark and cold," she said in an awed voice, turning her face
+around, the better to communicate the information; "but I ain't
+afraid."
+
+Before she could fairly enter the place, her father, who was
+affectionately watching her, said:
+
+"I guess you would better not go in there, Nellie; it's growing late
+and is time you prepared for bed."
+
+"I'll fix a place for her," said Ortigies; "we ain't much on style
+here, but I can manage to make her comfortable."
+
+"But will it not discommode you?"
+
+"That little gal can't discommode any one in New Constantinople; if
+she would prefer to have me go out and sleep in the snow, I'll be glad
+to do it."
+
+"I've just the place for her," interposed Wade Ruggles; "couldn't be
+better if I had taken a week to get it ready."
+
+"Can't begin with my quarters," Felix Brush hastened to say, and there
+would have been a general wrangle for the privilege of accommodating
+the little one, had not her father, seeing how matters were going,
+smilingly raised his hand in protest.
+
+"I cannot tell you, my friends, how much I thank you all for your
+kindness. Ah, if my poor wife could have held out until she reached
+here, but that was not to be. I shall be glad to stay with Mr.
+Ortigies to-night, and with your permission shall remain for a few
+days in your settlement. I have lost everything I owned in the world,
+and will need some time to decide what is best to do. Our stay in New
+Constantinople will give all a better chance to get acquainted with
+Nellie. I'll surrender her to you until you get tired of her."
+
+"Get tired of her!" repeated Vose Adams, voicing the sentiments of
+all; "we're not the kind of galoots to git tired of an angel."
+
+The father expressed his thanks with such winsome grace, that every
+man instinctively felt that he was a born gentleman. There was not a
+miner in the room who did not sympathize with him in his affliction,
+and yet they envied him the possession of the child, whose innocence
+and beauty impressed them as more wonderful than they had ever looked
+upon before. When Felix Brush whispered to Budge Isham that
+arrangements must be made in some way to keep the father with them,
+for the sake of having the child, his friend nodded his head, and said
+he had made up his mind to the same effect from the moment the parent
+referred to the matter. And the sentiments of these two were those of
+the rest.
+
+"Come, Nellie, let me prepare you for bed; it's a long time since you
+have had that privilege."
+
+The little one obediently walked to her father and turned her back to
+him that he might better remove her clothing.
+
+"I suppose you have plenty of covering for her?" remarked the parent
+inquiringly to the landlord.
+
+"There's all she can need."
+
+Lifting her on his knee, the father began removing the shoes and
+stockings, the little one giving what aid she could, when it came to
+the garments. One of the last acts of the affectionate mother had been
+to place upon her child the gown she was accustomed to wear while
+asleep. When at last she was ready, she looked up to her father and
+asked in a half whisper:
+
+"Where's mamma?"
+
+"She will not be with us to-night."
+
+"Then she will come in the morning?"
+
+"Wait until then, my child; don't say anything more about mamma now."
+
+She was satisfied, and signified that she was ready to have her father
+carry her to her bed. Then she exclaimed with a laugh:
+
+"Ain't that funny?"
+
+"What's that?"
+
+"I like to fordot to say my prayers."
+
+And slipping from her father's knee, she knelt on the floor, with her
+hands covering her face which, as it pressed his knee, was hidden by
+the mass of golden ringlets clustering and falling about it. Not a man
+stirred or spoke. All were so silent that the sifting of the snow
+against the logs, the moaning of the gale and the soft rustle of the
+embers that broke apart on the hearth were audible. But all these were
+as the "voice of silence" itself, so that when the child began her
+prayer in a low voice, every syllable was heard.
+
+     "Now I lay me down to sleep.
+     I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
+     If I should die before I wake,
+     I pray the Lord my soul to take.
+     God bless papa, mamma and make Nellie a good girl; bless--"
+
+Wheeling short round at the silent, awed group, she looked at the
+landlord and asked:
+
+"What is your name?"
+
+"Or-ti-gies," he replied, pronouncing it carefully.
+
+She made rather sorry work at first, but there could be no doubt that
+the One to whom she was addressing the petition understood her wishes.
+When she had satisfied herself and included the landlord in her
+prayer, she ceased again, and this time looked up at her father whose
+hand was resting on her head.
+
+"I must pray for _all_ of them, musn't I?"
+
+"Certainly, my child."
+
+"But I don't know dere names."
+
+"They will all tell them."
+
+No act of worship in church or grand cathedral was more solemn and
+reverential than that of the men, as each in turn stepped softly
+forward with bowed head, and repeated his name to the tiny petitioner,
+who immediately included it with those for whom she had already prayed
+and it was wafted upward through space to Him who delights to hear and
+answer such petitions.
+
+She did not forget one. To make sure, she looked up while still on her
+knees and asked:
+
+"Did I fordot any of you?"
+
+"No," replied the parent; "you have not missed any. That's a good
+girl."
+
+"And I know they will all be good, for I asked God to make 'em so."
+
+The father now rose to his feet with her in his arms, and she
+called a general good night, flinging a kiss to all. Landlord
+Ortigies had lit an extra lamp and with it in hand, he led the way to
+the rear room, where as he stated, comfortable quarters were
+provided for the little one. Since the Heavenly Bower was the only
+place in the mining settlement where the wanderer, who occasionally
+made his way into that remote part of the world, could expect to
+find sleeping accommodations, Ortigies was always prepared for
+visitors. Thus he was able to furnish the father with a couch so
+placed that he virtually shared the bed with his child.
+
+Ten minutes later, when he stole back into the room with the landlord
+to see whether everything was right with his child, she was found sunk
+in the sweet, dreamless slumber of infancy. The picture was so winsome
+as she lay with her cheek resting upon the rough pillow, that Ortigies
+stepped softly to the door and beckoned to his friends. Everyone stole
+forward, and stood looking down for several minutes upon the sleeper,
+and, as he did so, new resolves sprang into his heart. Already it may
+be said they were better men because of the blessed messenger that had
+come among them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+A SLIP OR TWO
+
+
+The blizzard gradually subsided toward morning, but when the fall of
+snow ceased, it lay to the depth of several feet on the level, while
+the gorges were choked with vast drifts. The cold was below zero and
+no work could be done in the diggings until a rise in temperature
+came.
+
+It was hardly light, however, on the succeeding morning, when three of
+the miners accompanied Maurice Dawson in his search for the abandoned
+wagon and team. There was not a trace of anything resembling a trail,
+the footprints of the man having been obliterated by the wind-driven
+snow, and the skill of the party was taxed to the utmost. Several
+times they were compelled to rest, and Dawson himself suggested that
+the search be given up until a change in the weather; but the kind
+hearted men saw how deeply he grieved, and their sympathy kept them
+toiling until about noon when success came.
+
+The wagon was so covered with snow that it resembled a hummock, which
+ordinarily would have been passed without notice. The horses and the
+inanimate form within were like blocks of wood. The slight figure was
+lifted tenderly from its resting place and brought to Dead Man's
+Gulch.
+
+Since the last recollection of Nellie was when she supposed her mother
+alive, it was deemed kinder that she should not look upon the lifeless
+form again. With hard labor the picks and shovels hollowed out a
+shallow grave into which the form, wrapped about with a single
+blanket, was laid away to rest until the last day.
+
+The father, when questioned by the little one, explained that her
+mother had gone on a long, long journey and there was no saying when
+she would be seen again. Nellie cried a good deal and it saddened her
+parent's heart, when stealing softly into her room, he saw the traces
+of tears on her cheeks. Who can tell the sorrows of childhood when
+such a cruel affliction comes upon it? But it is a blessed truth that
+time is the healer of all wounds, and after awhile the little one
+ceased to ask about her mother. When the whole truth was told her, she
+had become old enough to bear the blow.
+
+Maurice Dawson's first purpose was to remain only for a week or two
+with the friends of himself and child. He had set out for the Pacific
+coast, and, although it was still a thousand miles distant, he felt it
+his duty to press on, but he suffered himself to be dissuaded, when it
+was explained that the prospect of obtaining gold was as good at New
+Constantinople, whereas, if he continued his journey, he would have to
+make his home among strangers, who were not likely to feel the
+interest in him and his child that was felt by those who were the
+means of saving their lives. Furthermore, since he had lost his team,
+he was without the means of pressing on. None of the emigrant trains
+turned so far out of their course as to come to Dead Man's Gulch, and
+nothing was plainer than that the citizens of that place would not
+give the least help in an enterprise that was to deprive them of
+Nellie. It is impossible to say what would have followed, had he
+persisted in his first decision, for while the men might have
+consented to let him go, they would have rebelled had he attempted to
+take the child from them.
+
+And so it came about, we repeat, that Maurice Dawson decided to make
+his home indefinitely in the town that had been christened New
+Constantinople. With the help of his neighbors, Landlord Ortigies
+divided his rear room into two apartments, one of which was turned
+over to the parent and his child. Nearly every miner brought some
+article, such as a fragment of mirror, a picture or trinket and
+presented it to the little one, whose room naturally became the finest
+in New Constantinople.
+
+Dawson himself joined the miners at their work, all showing an
+eagerness to lend him a helping hand, and there was reason to hope
+that in time there would be a fair reward for their labor. He was not
+only an educated man, but was strong and enterprising, considerate of
+the feelings of others, and now that his life partner was gone, he had
+but the little daughter to live for. Gladly he toiled for her, for no
+child was ever more tenderly loved by parent than she. His thoughts
+turned to the future, but for some years he believed it was better
+that she should remain where she was.
+
+Nellie Dawson became the pet of the mining town. There was not a man
+in the place, no matter how rough his ways, nor how dark had been his
+past, who was not made the better by her presence. She touched a
+responsive chord in every heart. She awoke tones that had been silent
+for years, and stirred into life resolves that had lain dormant for a
+generation. When the weather grew milder with the approach of spring,
+she flitted like a bird from cabin to cabin, equally at home and
+dearly prized in all. Many a time when night came, the father was
+unable to find her, and perhaps saw nothing of her until the next day,
+but he never felt any solicitude. He knew that some of the men had
+persuaded her to remain with them, and he was too considerate to rob
+them of the pleasure of listening to her innocent prattle, while they
+racked their ingenuity and threw dignity to the winds in the effort to
+entertain her. Each one strove to make her think more of him than the
+others, and it ended by her loving them all.
+
+As a rule, Nellie ate her morning meal at home, after spending the
+night with her father, and then she was off for the day, returning or
+remaining away as her airy fancy prompted. Her sweet influence in the
+mining camp was beyond the power of human calculation to fathom. No
+gauge could be placed upon it. Like the sweep of an angel's wing, her
+coming seemed to have wafted nearly all the coarseness, wrong and evil
+from her path.
+
+"There's a serious question that I want to lay afore this company,"
+gravely remarked Wade Ruggles one night in the Heavenly Bower. Dawson
+was absent with a brother miner at the lower end of the settlement, so
+the gathering felt at liberty to discuss him and his child. Wade of
+late had fallen into the habit of taking the lead in such discussions,
+and Landlord Ortigies was quite willing to turn over the honors of the
+chairmanship to the outspoken fellow.
+
+The remainder of the company were smoking, drinking and talking as the
+mood took them, and all looked inquiringly at the speaker, seeing
+which Wade continued with the same earnestness he had shown at first:
+
+"It is this: that little angel that was tossed down here in the
+blizzard is growing fast; she's larning something cute every day; she
+notices things that you don't think of; fact is she's the smartest
+youngster that was ever born. Does any gent feel disposed to dispoot
+the aforesaid statement?" he abruptly asked, laying his hand on the
+butt of his revolver and looking severely around in the faces of his
+friends.
+
+No one questioned the assertion. Had it been left to them to choose
+the words, they would have made them stronger.
+
+"Wal, the remark I was about to remark is that I hear some coarse
+observations once in awhile. I may say that I have indulged in a few
+myself when the 'casion was suitable and called for 'em, but I want to
+give notice that the thing must stop in the presence of the angel."
+
+"Your suggestions generally ain't worth listenin' to," observed Ike
+Hoe, "but there's solid sense in them words. I have been troubled over
+the same thing and was goin' to submit a proposition."
+
+"You're a purty one to do it," commented Vose Adams scornfully; "why
+it's only yesterday that I heerd you say 'darn' just because I
+happened to smash the end of your finger, with the hammer I was
+drivin' a nail with."
+
+"Did the little one hear him?" asked Wade Ruggles, while an expression
+of horror settled on every countenance.
+
+"No, sir!" declared Ike; "afore I indulged in the expression, so
+proper under the tryin' circumstances, I looked round to make sartin
+she wasn't in hearing distance."
+
+"You must have looked very quick," said Vose; "for the horrible words
+was simultaneous with the flattenin' of your big forefinger.
+Howsumever, I gazed round myself and am happy to say she warn't in
+sight. If she had been, I'd smashed all your fingers."
+
+"A very proper Christian spirit," commended Wade; "I hope all the rest
+of you will strive to emerlate it."
+
+Felix Brush was leaning on the end of the bar with a glass of steaming
+toddy, which he had partly sipped, and was now caressing with his
+hand.
+
+"Gentlemen," said he impressively, "permit me a word. Wade has touched
+a subject which appeals to us all. I have given it much thought for
+the past few days and feel it my duty to look after the religious
+instruction of the child."
+
+Two or three disrespectful snickers followed this declaration. The
+parson instantly flared up.
+
+"If any reprobate here feels a desire to scoff, he's only to step
+outside for a few minutes and see who can get the drop on the other."
+
+Everybody knew that the parson was always well heeled, and no one
+questioned his courage. His friends contented themselves with pitying
+smiles and significant glances at one another. Felix hastily
+swallowed his toddy, with the evident intention of airing his emphatic
+views, when Wade Ruggles interposed:
+
+"Pards, you're gettin' off the track; we hain't got to the religious
+racket yit; that'll come later. What I want to 'rive at is as to using
+cuss words and unproper language where the angel hears it. It ain't
+'nough for us to agree that we won't do it; it must be fixed so we
+don't take no chances."
+
+This was not exactly clear and Wade was asked to be more explicit.
+
+"I mean that there must be a penalty, such as will stop a galoot that
+has once offended from doing the same thing again."
+
+This clearly intimated that the punishment which the chairman had in
+mind was of a frightful nature. The landlord begged Wade to come down
+to particulars.
+
+"My idee is that whoever offends this little one by unproper language
+shall be filled full of bullet holes: how does _that_ strike you?"
+
+"It hits me just right!" responded the landlord, with several nods of
+his head; "but there's one thing in the way."
+
+"What's that?" demanded Wade, showing some temper at this attack upon
+his scheme.
+
+"It 'lows a man to say the unproper words in the hearin' of the angel,
+_afore_ he's shot; so it won't prevent her ears from being 'fended.
+Can't we fix it some way, so that she shan't hear 'em at all?"
+
+"There's no trouble about that," solemnly remarked Budge Isham from
+his seat at the further end of the room; "You have only to find out
+when a fellow has made up his mind to use improper language in the
+presence of the child, and then shoot him before he can say the
+words."
+
+"But how shall we know he's going to say 'em?" inquired the chairman,
+who in the earnestness of his feelings felt no suspicion of the
+honesty of his friend.
+
+"You will have to judge that by the expression of his countenance. I
+think when a fellow has made up his mind to swear his looks give
+notice of what is coming. The rest of us must be on the alert and pick
+him off before the words get out of his mouth. And yet I am sorry to
+say," added Budge gravely rising to his feet, "that there is one
+serious drawback to my proposition."
+
+"The chairman is anxious to hear it."
+
+"There might be mistakes made. A man's expression is not always an
+index of his thoughts. He might be suffering from some inward pain,
+and be in the act of uttering some expression, but his face could have
+so mean a look that if our law was in force, he would be shot on
+sight. For instance, studying these faces all turned toward me, I
+should say, speaking on general principles, that all except one or
+two deserve, not shooting, but hanging, and if looks were to determine
+a man's depth of infamy, mighty few of you would live five minutes."
+
+Budge sank gravely into his seat and resumed smoking, while his
+friends, understanding his trifling character, contemptuously refused
+attention to his disrespectful remarks. In the general discussion
+which followed, several insisted that the only proper punishment for
+the grave offence was death; but the sentiment crystallized into the
+feeling that that penalty was somewhat severe for the first breaking
+of the law. It was proper enough for the second crime, but a man who
+had been accustomed to picturesque and emphatic words was liable to
+err once at least while on the road to reformation. The agreement
+finally reached was that the offender should be heavily fined,
+compelled to fast several days, or, more frightful than all, be
+deprived of the privileges of the bar for the same length of time.
+When the last penalty was fixed there were several suppressed groans
+and a general setting of lips, with the unshakable resolve to steer
+clear of that appalling punishment.
+
+Everything was serene for several days, when, as might have been
+anticipated, the explosion came. Al Bidwell, in coming out of the
+Heavenly Bower, caught the toe of one of his boots and fell forward on
+his hands and knees. Two of his friends seeing him naturally laughed,
+whereupon, as he picked himself up, he demanded in the name of the
+presiding genius of hades, what they saw to laugh at. By way of
+answer, one of them pointed to Nellie Dawson, who ran forward to help
+him to his feet.
+
+"Did you hurt yourself, Mr. Bidwell? I's so sorry."
+
+"You may well be, little one," was the bitter response, as he realized
+his awful offence; "for this will play thunder with me--there it goes
+agin! Please don't say another word," he exclaimed desperately,
+striding down the street to save himself from piling up a mountain of
+unpardonable crimes.
+
+The committee did not gather until late that evening, for Nellie was
+at home and it was thought advisable to wait until she was asleep, so
+that she should not know anything of what was in the air. The
+conversation was in subdued tones until Mr. Dawson tip-toed out of the
+rear room, with the announcement that the little one was sunk in
+slumber.
+
+"Such bein' the case," remarked Wade Ruggles, with becoming gravity,
+"this meeting will proceed to bus'ness. Pards, a hein'us crime has
+been committed among us. In the proud history of New Constantinople,
+we've had hangin' bees; we've shot three Injins 'cause they _was_
+Injins; there has been any number of holes plugged inter them as was a
+little careless of speech, and more'n once there has been the devil to
+pay, but nothin' like this, _never_! Vose Adams, you was one as heard
+this wretch Bidwell indulge in his shocking profanity. You'll be good
+'nough to give the partic'lars to the gents that I must warn to brace
+themselves fur the shock."
+
+Vose Adams told the story which was familiar to all. He and Budge
+Isham were approaching the Heavenly Bower that forenoon, the cause
+being a due regard for the requirement of the laws of health, when
+Albert Bidwell, the accused, stubbed his toe. Hearing a laugh, he
+looked up and demanded to know what the ---- they were laughing at.
+While the query, though objectionable on aesthetic grounds, might have
+passed muster in the diggings or anywhere in New Constantinople
+previous to the advent of the angel at present making her home with
+them, yet the horror of the thing was that the aforesaid angel heard
+it. She ran to the help of the villain, who added to his monumental
+crime by calmly remarking to her that what he had just said would play
+thunder with him.
+
+This second offence was unanimously felt by those present to be more
+unpardonable than the first, since it was in the nature of an
+addendum, had nothing to do with the business proper, and worst of
+all, was addressed to Nellie herself.
+
+Chairman Ruggles turned his severest frown upon the prisoner, who was
+sitting disconsolately on a box, and drawing at his brier wood pipe,
+which in the depth of his emotion, he failed to notice was unlighted.
+
+"What has the prisoner to say fur himself?"
+
+Bidwell shuffled to his feet, took the pipe from his mouth and looked
+around upon the cold, unsympathetic faces.
+
+"Wal, pards," he remarked, heaving a great sigh, "I don't see that
+there's anything partic'lar fur me to say. When a thing is fairly
+proved onto you, you can't make nothin' by denyin' of the same. I've
+been tryin' to walk a chalk line ever since the angel arrove among us.
+Two or three times I fell over backward and bruised my head, owin' to
+my tryin' to stand up too straight. I was just bracin' myself to do
+the same as aforesaid, when comin' out of this disgraceful place, when
+I took a headlong dive and struck the earth so hard, I must have made
+a bulge in China. Two unmannerly ijuts that happened to see me,
+instead of expressin' sorrer for my mishap, broke out laughin', and in
+my righteous indignation, I asked them a emphatic question."
+
+"Ord'narily," observed the Court, "your explanation would do. In the
+old times, nothin' would have been said if you'd drawed your gun and
+give 'em a lesson in manners, but that aint the question afore the
+house: Why did you do it in the presence of the angel?"
+
+"Didn't see her till after the crime was committed."
+
+"But why didn't you look fur her to larn whether she was in sight or
+was liable to hear your shocking words?"
+
+"Didn't think of it."
+
+"Your reply only aggervates the offence. If any man feels that he must
+swear or bust, he must bust, purvided the little one is in sight; or
+he must hold in till he can climb on top of the rocks, or creep among
+the foothills where he's sure of being alone. The Court hain't any
+'bjection to your thinking all the cuss words you want to, but you
+mus'n't speak 'em when she's about. You understand the position of the
+Court?"
+
+"I'd be a fool if I didn't," growled the accused.
+
+"It's onnecessary to understand 'em in order to be a fool, Mr.
+Bidwell, but how 'bout your second offence, when you used the word
+'thunder,' and addressed it to the gal herself?"
+
+The prisoner felt that nothing could be said in palliation of this
+charge.
+
+"That _was_ bad bus'ness, I'll confess; but I was so disgusted with
+myself that I didn't know what I was doing or saying; the words come
+out afore I had time to pull myself together. I was so afeard of
+adding something still worser that I just rushed off to git out of
+danger."
+
+[Illustration: AS HE PICKED HIMSELF UP, HE DEMANDED IN THE NAME OF THE
+PRESIDING GENIUS OF HADES WHAT THEY SAW TO LAUGH AT.--PAGE 43.]
+
+"There's where you showed the first grain of sense the Court ever
+knowed you to show. If I had been in your place, I would have jumped
+off the rocks, into the kenyon, two thousand feet below. If you'd done
+that you'd been saved the disgrace of being put on trial in this
+honorable Court. Gents," added Ruggles, glancing from the prisoner
+into the expectant faces, "since the man owns up, it rests with you to
+fix the penalty for his crime of bigamous murder."
+
+The prisoner resumed his seat and the chairman looked around, as an
+invitation for those present to express their views. When they came to
+do so, a wide diversity came to the surface. Vose Adams suggested that
+the criminal be compelled to go without any food for three days, but
+this was not favorably received, since the rough, trying life which
+each man had been compelled to follow at times during the past years,
+made the punishment much less than it appeared to be.
+
+Ike Hoe suggested that instead of food, the accused's liquid
+refreshment should be shut off for the time named. The accused
+groaned.
+
+When this had continued for some time, Felix Brush, the parson, took
+the floor.
+
+"Gentlemen, it's a principle in law to be lenient with the first
+offence, and, since this is the first time that Bidwell has offended
+and he deeply feels his disgrace, why not require him to apologize to
+the young lady and stand treat for the crowd, with the understanding
+that his next crime shall be visited with condign punishment?"
+
+"Do you propose to let him off?" demanded the wrathful chairman.
+
+"Yes; for this once, but never again."
+
+"I'll never consent to anything of the kind! The dignity of the Court
+must be preserved; the law must be executed, and any man who says
+'devil' or 'thunder' in the presence of the little gal, I don't care
+what the circumstances, orter to be shot, so that there wont be any
+delay in his going to the devil, where he belongs."
+
+"_O, Mr. Ruggles, I heard you_!"
+
+A little figure dressed in white stood at the door leading to the rear
+room, and the startled auditors turning their heads, saw Nellie
+Dawson, with her chubby finger pointed reprovingly at the dumbfounded
+chairman.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+SUITING THE PUNISHMENT TO THE CRIME
+
+
+Wade Ruggles was speechless. He sat with his mouth wide open and his
+eyes staring at the little figure, as if it were a veritable
+apparition. All the others looked in the same direction. Nellie Dawson
+stood for a moment with her finger pointed reprovingly at the
+chairman, and then turning about ran back into the rear room and
+plunged into her bed.
+
+"Max, quick!" said Ruggles faintly, pointing to the black bottle at
+the rear of the bar. The landlord hastily poured out some of the fiery
+stuff, and the miserable fellow swallowed it at a gulp. It served
+partly to revive him, but he was really on the verge of collapse.
+
+The only one of the company not impressed was Maurice Dawson, father
+of the little girl. He was sitting well back of the rest, where no one
+paid attention to him. Comprehending the meaning of this incident, he
+drew his hand across his mouth to conceal the smile that could not be
+wholly restrained. Then he hurried back into the room to see that his
+child was "tucked up" and properly covered for the night. Finding
+himself in the dark, where he could not be observed, he laughed
+deeply and silently, his mirth all the greater because of the
+oppressive gravity of every one else. Then bending over, he said, as
+he kissed the little one:
+
+"I thought you were asleep, Nellie?"
+
+"So I was, but Mr. Ruggles spoke those bad words so loud he woked
+me."
+
+"You mustn't get up again, will you?"
+
+"Not if you don't want me to."
+
+"I have just told you I don't wish you to."
+
+"Then I wont get up."
+
+The father lingered in the room, until he mastered his disposition to
+laugh, and then, when he walked out among his friends no countenance
+was graver than his.
+
+"I say, Dawson," said Ruggles, swallowing a lump in his throat, "will
+you oblige me by acting as chairman?--I don't feel--very--well."
+
+The gentleman walked forward to where Ruggles had been standing with
+his back against the bar, looking down in the faces of his friends.
+The poor fellow seemed to have aged ten years, as he slouched off to
+an upturned box near the door, where he dejectedly seated himself.
+
+"What is your pleasure, gentlemen?" asked Dawson, as if presiding over
+the deliberations of one of the most august assemblages in the land;
+"I am ready to hear any suggestion or motion."
+
+Al Bidwell rose to his feet.
+
+"Mr. Chairman, I wish to endorse with all my heart, the soul-stirring,
+eloquent address to which we have just listened from the late Mr.
+Ruggles,--I mean the late Chairman. Them sentiments of his is as sound
+as a gold dollar. He maintains that any gent that uses an unproper
+word, such as he used and which I scorn to repeat, in the presence of
+the young lady, who has just listened to his remarks, oughter to be
+sent to the individooal whose name is too shocking fur me to
+pronounce, since the aforesaid young lady is in the adjoining
+apartment, from whence she was awoke by the awful profanity of the
+gent who lately served as our chairman."
+
+And having gotten back on Ruggles in this masterly manner, Bidwell sat
+down, slung one leg over the other, and relit his pipe. The oppressive
+silence was broken by a prodigious sigh from Ruggles.
+
+Parson Brush, after the stillness had continued some minutes, rose to
+his feet.
+
+"Mr. Chairman, an extraordinary state of affairs has arisen. You have
+not forgotten that I plead for charity for Mr. Bidwell, because it was
+his first offence. My plea was not well received, but my sentiments
+are unchanged, and I now make the same plea for Mr. Ruggles and on the
+same grounds. When he was denouncing in fitting terms the sin of
+Bidwell, he had no thought of committing the crime himself, but in
+his earnestness he did. This being plain to all of us, I renew----"
+
+Wade Ruggles bounded to his feet.
+
+"I don't want any one to plead for me! I ain't pleading fur myself! I
+can take my medicine like a man; if there's any galoot here----"
+
+He suddenly checked himself with an apprehensive glance at the door of
+the rear room, and then resumed in a more subdued voice:
+
+"I insist that Al Bidwell shall suffer for his onspeakable crime and
+me too, 'cause mine was onspeakabler. Jedgin' from the evidence that
+showed itself, I must have awoke the little gal from peaceful slumber,
+by them awful words of mine."
+
+He paused and looked inquiringly at the chairman, who calmly returned
+his gaze, without speaking. It was Parson Brush who interposed:
+
+"I should like to ask, Mr. Dawson, whether the supposition of Mr.
+Ruggles has any foundation in fact."
+
+"It has; when I asked Nellie what caused her to awake, she said it was
+Mr. Ruggles when he used those bad words."
+
+"Just what I thought!" exclaimed Ruggles, as if he enjoyed heaping
+fire upon his own head; "there ain't any depth of infamy which I
+hain't reached. For me to try to sneak out now, when I made such
+a----(Here he again threw a startled glance at the rear of the room)
+would be to do something which Wade Ruggles never done in his
+variegated career of nigh onto forty years. All I ask is that you'll
+git through it as soon as you kin and fix our terms of imprisonment or
+our deaths and hev done with it."
+
+Al Bidwell took an unworthy delight in prodding the man who had been
+so severe upon him.
+
+"I beg humbly to suggest to the gent that there are plenty of places
+in the mountains where he can make a jump of a thousand feet or two
+into the kenyons. Wouldn't it be a good idee fur the gent to try it?"
+
+"I will if you'll join me," retorted Wade, turning upon him like a
+flash.
+
+"I'll let you try it first and see how it works," replied Bidwell, so
+crushed that he remained silent henceforward.
+
+"Since I am chairman," said Dawson, with becoming dignity, "it is my
+duty to listen to suggestions and to hear motions. What is your
+pleasure, gentlemen?"
+
+No one in looking at the countenance of Maurice Dawson would have
+suspected he was extracting the keenest enjoyment from these
+proceedings, yet such was the fact. There was something so intensely
+ludicrous in the whole business, that only by assuming preternatural
+gravity could he refrain from breaking into merriment. His policy was
+to egg on the discussion until the company were ready for a decision,
+when he would interpose with the proposal to wipe out the whole matter
+and begin over again. The earnestness of Wade Ruggles, however,
+threatened to check anything of that nature. He was on his feet
+several times until Budge Isham, who shrewdly suspected the sentiments
+of the chairman, protested.
+
+"With all due respect to the parson, to Ruggles and to Bidwell, it
+strikes me, Mr. Chairman, that they should give the rest of us a show.
+We have listened to their yawping until it has grown monotonous.
+Having told us a dozen times, more or less, that he wants us to punish
+him all he deserves, Mr. Ruggles ought to let it rest with that; but
+he shouldn't forget," added Budge, with the solemn manner which always
+marked his waggery, "that, if we took him at his word, he would be
+kicking vacancy this minute. However, this hasn't anything to do with
+his general cussedness, but concerns his offence against the young
+lady. That is all there is before the house, and I insist that we
+confine ourselves to that----"
+
+"Isn't that what I've been insistin' on?" demanded Wade Ruggles.
+
+"There you go again! I have the floor, and you have no parliamentary
+right to interrupt me with your frivolous remarks. Am I correct, Mr.
+Chairman?"
+
+"You are most unquestionably; proceed."
+
+"Well, to bring this tiresome matter to a close, I move that Mr.
+Bidwell be deprived of the bar privileges of the Heavenly Bower for a
+period of four days, and that the same be denied to Mr. Ruggles for a
+period of one week. Did I hear a groan?" asked Budge, looking round at
+the two men, who were trying bravely to bear up under the threatened
+punishment.
+
+Both shook their heads, afraid to trust their voices by way of reply.
+
+"If the gentlemen will permit me," said the chairman, "I should like
+to say a few words."
+
+"I am sure we shall be glad to hear from Mr. Dawson," remarked the
+parson.
+
+"Thank you. What I had in mind is this:--It is creditable to your
+honor that you should pledge yourselves to refrain from unbecoming
+language in the hearing of my little girl, for you cannot help being
+her instructors, no matter how much you may wish it were otherwise.
+But you are magnifying the matter. I am sure every man of you will
+strive just as hard, without being incited thereto by the fear of
+punishment. I would beg to suggest----"
+
+He paused, for, looking at Wade Ruggles, he saw it was useless to go
+further. Bidwell would have been glad to receive leniency, but his
+partner in crime was immovable, and it would not do to punish one and
+allow the other to go free. Dawson was wise enough to accept the
+situation promptly.
+
+"You have heard the penalties suggested for the offences of the two
+gentlemen accused. All who favor such punishment will show it by
+raising their right hands."
+
+Every man in the room, except the chairman, voted in the affirmative.
+
+"It isn't worth while to put the negative. The accused have heard the
+verdict, which is that Mr. Bidwell shall not drink a drop of anything
+except water or coffee for a period of four days, dating from this
+moment, while Mr. Ruggles is to undergo the same penalty for a period
+of one week."
+
+"That's right," growled Bidwell; "for he drank about half of what was
+in the bottle only a few minutes ago."
+
+"And you would have drunk it all," retorted Ruggles, "if you'd knowed
+what was coming."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+A HUNDRED FOLD
+
+
+All this may seem a trifling matter to the reader who does not
+understand the real punishment suffered by these two men, who, like
+all the rest of their companions, had been accustomed to the use of
+ardent spirits for many years. There was no deprivation which they
+could not have borne with less distress, but their great consolation
+was that both knew the penalty was fully deserved, and they would not
+have complained had it been made more severe.
+
+"I tell you," said Bidwell, at the end of the fourth day, when he had
+celebrated his release from purgatory, "it pays, Ruggles."
+
+"What pays?"
+
+"The reward you git for all this. At the end of a week you'll have a
+thirst that you wouldn't take a thousand dollars fur."
+
+"But the week isn't much more'n half gone and I'd sell my thirst
+mighty cheap now."
+
+"Don't you do it! Hold fast to it."
+
+"That's what I'm doing, 'cause I can't help myself. Howsumever it's
+the thirst that's holding fast to me."
+
+"That's the beauty of it; it'll git stronger and stronger, and then
+it's so big that you can't well handle it. It seems to me that ten
+minutes after I've had a drink, I'm thirsty agin, which reminds me;
+I'd like to invite you, Wade."
+
+"Invite all you want to, 'cause it won't do any more hurt than good;
+don't let me keep you," added Ruggles, observing the longing eyes his
+friend cast in the direction of the Heavenly Bower. Bidwell moved off
+with pretended reluctance, out of consideration for the feelings of
+his friend, but once inside, he gave another demonstration of the
+truth of his remarks concerning thirst.
+
+As for Ruggles, only he who has been similarly placed can appreciate
+his trial. No man is so deserving of sympathy as he who is making a
+resolute effort to conquer the debasing appetite that has brought him
+to the gutter.
+
+On that fourth night the thirst of the fellow was a raging fever. He
+drank copious draughts of spring water, but all the help it gave was
+to fill him up. The insatiate craving remained and could not be
+soothed. It seemed as if every nerve was crying out for the stimulant
+which it was denied.
+
+"The only time I ever went through anything like this," he said to
+himself, "was twenty years ago, when a party of us were lost in the
+Death Valley. Three of 'em died of thirst, and I come so nigh it that
+it makes me shudder to think of it even at this late day."
+
+A wonderful experience came to Wade Ruggles. To his unbounded
+amazement, he noticed a sensible diminution, on the fifth day, of his
+thirst. It startled him at first and caused something in the nature of
+alarm. He feared some radical change had taken place in his system
+which threatened a dangerous issue. When this misgiving passed, it was
+succeeded by something of the nature of regret. One consoling
+reflection from the moment his torture began, was the reward which Al
+Bidwell had named, that is,--the glorious enjoyment of fully quenching
+his terrific craving, but, if that craving diminished, the future
+bliss must shrink in a corresponding ratio, and _that_ was a calamity
+to make a man like him shudder.
+
+On the evening of the fifth day, he ventured for the first time during
+his penal term, to enter the Heavenly Bower. He wished to test his
+self-control. When he sat quietly and saw his friends imbibing, and
+was yet able to restrain himself from a headlong rush to join them, he
+knew that beyond all question, his fearful appetite had lost a part of
+its control over him. Still he believed it was only a temporary
+disarrangement, and that the following day would bring a renewal of
+his thirst, with all its merciless violence.
+
+But lo! on the sixth morning, the appetite was weaker than ever. His
+craving was so moderate that, after a deep draught of mountain spring
+water, he was hardly conscious of any longing for liquor. He seemed to
+be losing his memory of it.
+
+"I don't understand it," he mused, keeping the astonishing truth to
+himself; "It's less than a week ago that I was one of the heaviest
+drinkers in New Constantinople, and if anyone had told me of this, I
+would have been sure he'd lost his senses, which the same may be
+what's the matter with me."
+
+But there was no awakening of his torment during the day, and when he
+lay down at night, he was disturbed by strange musings.
+
+"If we had a doctor in the place, I would ask him to tell me what it
+means. The queerest thing 'bout the whole bus'ness is that I feel
+three thousand per cent. better. I wonder if it can be on 'count of my
+not swallerin' any of Ortigies' pison which the same he calls Mountain
+Dew. I guess it must be that."
+
+But that night he was restless, and gradually his thoughts turned into
+a new channel. A momentous problem presented itself for solution.
+
+"If I've improved so much after goin' six days without drinkin', won't
+I feel a blamed sight better, if I try it for six weeks--six
+months--six years--_forever_."
+
+And as an extraordinary, a marvelous resolution simmered and finally
+crystallized, he chortled.
+
+"What'll the boys say? What'll the parson think? What'll I think? What
+would that good old mother of mine think, if she was alive? But she
+died afore she knowed what a good for nothin' man her boy turned out
+to be. God rest her soul!" he added softly, "she must have prayed over
+me a good many hundred times; if she's kept track of me all these
+years, this is an answer to her prayers."
+
+Budge Isham was the partner of Wade, and shared his cabin with him. He
+slept across the room, and noticed how his friend tossed and muttered
+in his sleep.
+
+"Great Gee!" he exclaimed, "but Wade's got it pretty bad; I wonder if
+it's the jim jams that is getting hold of him; I'll sleep with one eye
+open, for he will need looking after. What a blessed thing it is that
+he has only one more day. Then he can celebrate and be happy. I have
+no doubt that by the end of another week, he will have brought things
+up to their old average."
+
+And with this conclusion, the man who a few years before took the
+first honors at Yale, shifted his position, so as to keep an eye on
+his comrade, and straightway proceeded to drop into a sound slumber,
+which was not broken until the sun rose on the following morning.
+
+The sympathy for Wade was general. Had he not insisted upon carrying
+out in spirit and letter the full punishment pronounced upon him,
+there would have been a unanimous agreement to commute his term by
+one or two days at least; but all knew the grit or "sand" of the
+fellow too well to propose it.
+
+His actions on the seventh day caused considerable disquietude. He had
+labored in the mines, in a desultory fashion up to that time, but he
+did not do a stroke of work during the concluding hours of his ordeal.
+It was observed by his partner, Budge Isham, that his appetite was
+unusually good and he seemed to be in high spirits. His friends
+attributed this to the closeness of his reward for his abstention, but
+he took several walks up the mountain side and was gone for a good
+while. He wore a smiling face and Vose Adams declared that he
+overheard him communing with himself, when he thought he was too far
+off for the act to be noticed.
+
+"No use of talkin'," whispered Vose; "Wade ain't quite himself; he's a
+little off and won't be exactly right till after two or three days."
+
+"He has my sympathy," remarked the parson, "but it will serve as a
+lesson which he will always remember."
+
+"And won't _we_ remember it?" said Ike Hoe, with a shudder. "When
+we're disposed to say one of them unproper words, the picture of that
+miserable scamp going a full week without a touch of Mountain Dew,
+will freeze up our lips closer than a clam."
+
+That night the usual group was gathered at the Heavenly Bower. There
+were the same merry jests, the reminiscences, the conjectures how
+certain diggings would pan out, the small talk and the general good
+feeling. Common hardship and suffering had brought these rough men
+close to one another. They were indulgent and charitable and each one
+would have eagerly risked his life for the sake of the rest. Quick to
+anger, they were equally quick to forgive, mutually rejoicing in good
+fortune, and mutually sympathetic in sorrow.
+
+There was more than one furtive glance at Ruggles, who was among the
+first arrivals. Whispers had passed around of his strange actions, and
+the surprise would not have been great had it been found that he had
+gone clean daft; but nothing in his manner indicated anything of that
+nature. He was as full of quip and jest as ever, and none was in
+higher or more buoyant spirits than he.
+
+He suddenly called:
+
+"Dawson, what time is it?"
+
+The latest comer among them carried a watch which he drew out and
+examined.
+
+"It is exactly half-past nine."
+
+"When did my punishment begin?"
+
+"A week ago to-night, precisely at this hour; I began to fear that you
+had forgotten it."
+
+"No danger of my ever forgetting it," grimly responded Ruggles; "what
+I want to know is whether I have served out my full term."
+
+"You have unquestionably."
+
+"Is there anyone here disposed to dispute this statement?" asked Wade,
+standing very erect and looking around in the faces of his friends.
+
+No one interposed an objection. He had not only the sympathy but the
+respect of every one.
+
+"You sarved your time like a man," remarked Ike Hoe; "the week is up
+and you've give good measure."
+
+"Which the same being the case, I invite all to come forward and
+liquidate."
+
+Never was an invitation responded to with more enthusiasm. The
+grinning Ortigies set out a couple of bottles, intending as a matter
+of course to join in the celebration. He feelingly remarked:
+
+"Wade, my heart bled for you and thar ain't a pard here that wouldn't
+have been willing to take your place--that is for a limited time," the
+landlord hastened to add.
+
+Each tumbler was half-filled with the fiery stuff and all looked in
+smiling expectancy at their host to give the cue. He poured a small
+quantity into his glass, and elevating it almost to a level with his
+lips, looked over the top.
+
+"Are you ready, pards? here goes."
+
+Up went every glass and down went the stuff. But there was one
+exception. While the glass was at his lips, and while the familiar
+odor was in his nostrils, Wade Ruggles deliberately inverted the
+tumbler and emptied the contents on the floor.
+
+It was the strangest incident that had ever occurred in New
+Constantinople.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+TEACHER AND PUPIL
+
+
+The group looked at Wade Ruggles in breathless amazement. He had
+invited them to the bar to join in celebrating his release from
+thralldom; all had filled their glasses and he had raised his own to
+his lips, though several noticed that there was only a small amount of
+liquid in the tumbler. Then, when every glass was upraised and there
+was a general gurgling, he had turned his glass upside down and
+spilled every drop on the floor.
+
+Before anyone could think of suitable terms in which to express his
+emotions, Wade said, with a smile that rather added than detracted
+from his seriousness:
+
+"Pards, never again does a drop of that stuff go down my throat! I've
+suffered hell, but I've come out of the flames, and the one that
+fetched me through is the little gal which lays asleep in the next
+room."
+
+He did not attempt to deliver a temperance lecture to his friends, nor
+did they trifle with him. They questioned him closely as to how he had
+reached this extraordinary decision, and he gave a vivid and truthful
+account of his experience. It made several of the men thoughtful, but
+most of them felt dubious about his persistence in the new path he had
+laid out for himself.
+
+"You know, boys, whether I've got a will of my own," he quietly
+replied; "just wait and see how this thing comes out."
+
+It was noticed that Parson Brush was the most interested inquirer,
+and, though he had comparatively little to say, he left the Bower
+unusually early. He had begun his system of instruction with Nellie
+Dawson, and reported that she was making remarkably good progress. Had
+the contrary been the fact, it may be doubted whether it would have
+been safe for him to proclaim it.
+
+And now the scene changes. It is the close of a radiant summer day in
+the Sierras. Far down in the canyon-like chasm between the mountainous
+spurs, nestled the little mining settlement, which had been christened
+but a short time before, New Constantinople. Here and there tiny
+wounds had been gouged into the ribs of the mountain walls, and the
+miners were pecking away with pick and shovel, deepening the hurts in
+their quest for the yellow atoms or dark ore which had been the means
+of bringing every man thousands of miles to the spot.
+
+Far up toward the clouds were the towering, craggy peaks, with many a
+rent and yawn and table-land and lesser elevation, until, as if to
+check the climbing ambition of the prodigious monster, nature had
+flung an immense blanket of snow, whose ragged and torn edges lapped
+far down the sides of the crests. Ages ago the chilling blanket was
+tucked around the mountain tops, there to remain through the long
+stretch of centuries to follow.
+
+Down the valley, at the bottom of the winding canyon, the air
+palpitated with the fervor of the torrid zone. He who attempted to
+plod forward panted and perspired, but a little way up the mountain
+side, the cool breath crept downward from the regions of perpetual ice
+and snow, through the balsamic pines and cedars, with a revivifying
+power that was grateful to all who felt its life-giving embrace.
+
+The sun hovered in a sky of unclouded azure. It shot its arrows into
+the gullies, ravines and gorges, but made no impression on the frozen
+covering far up in cloudland itself. Long pointed ravelings on the
+lower edge of the mantle showed where some of the snow had turned to
+water, which changed again to ice, when the sun dipped below the
+horizon.
+
+The miners were pigmies as they toiled in the sides of the towering
+mountain walls, where they had toiled for many a day. On the lip of a
+projecting crag, half a mile above were three other pigmies, who
+neither toiled nor spun. Viewed through a glass, it was seen that they
+wore stained feathers in their black hair dangling about their
+shoulders, with the blankets wrapped round their forms descending to
+their moccasined feet. They were watching in grim silence these proofs
+of the invasion of their homes by the children of another race, and
+mayhap were conjuring some scheme for driving them back into the great
+sea across which they had sailed to occupy the new land.
+
+One of the Indians was a chieftain. He had come in violent contact
+with these hated creatures and he bore on his person the scars of such
+meeting. All carried bows and arrows, though others of their tribe had
+learned the use of the deadly firearms, which has played such havoc
+with the American race.
+
+Suddenly the chief uttered an exclamation. Then drawing an arrow from
+the quiver over his shoulder, he fitted it to the string of his long
+bow, and pointing downward toward the group of miners, launched the
+shaft. Except for the power of gravity, it would have been a foolhardy
+effort, but guided by the wisp of feather twisted around the reed, the
+missile spun far outward over the canyon, and dived through the vast
+reach of space, as if it were endowed with life and determined to seek
+out and pierce the intruders. The black eyes of the three warriors
+followed the arrow until it was only a flickering speck, far below
+them; but, before that moment arrived, they saw that it was speeding
+wide of the mark. When at last, the sharp point struck the flinty
+rock, and the missile doubled over upon itself and dropped harmlessly
+to the bottom of the canyon, it was at such a distance from the miners,
+that they knew nothing of it. They never looked up, nor were they
+aware of the futile anger of the red men, who seeing how useless was
+everything of that nature, turned about and soon passed from view.
+
+The incident was typical of the futility of the red man struggling
+against his inevitable doom at the hands of his white brother.
+
+Half way between the bottom of the canyon and the lower fringe of the
+vast mantle of snow, a waterfall tumbled over the edge of a rock, and
+with many a twist and eddy found its way to the small stream, which
+rippled along the bottom of the gorge, until its winding course
+carried it beyond sight. Now and then a rift of wind blew aside some
+of the foam, like a wisp of snow, and brought the murmur more clearly
+to the ear of the listener, shutting out for the time, the faint
+hollow roar that was wafted from the region of pines and cedars. It
+was a picture of lonely grandeur and desolation, made all the more
+impressive by the tiny bits of life, showing in the few spots along
+the mountain wall.
+
+[Illustration: THE TEACHER HAD MARKED ON THE DARK FACE OF THE ROCK WITH A
+SPECIES OF CHALK ALL THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET.--PAGE 71.]
+
+At the rear of the row of cabins, and elevated perhaps fifty feet
+above, was the comparatively smooth face of a rock, several square
+rods in extent. At the base was abundant footing for two persons,
+Parson Brush and Nellie Dawson. The teacher had marked on the dark
+face of the rock with a species of chalk, all the letters large and
+small of the alphabet. They were well drawn, for the parson, like
+others in the settlement, was a man of education, though his many
+years of roughing it had greatly rusted his book knowledge.
+
+Standing to one side of his artistic work, like a teacher of the olden
+time, the parson, with a long, trimmed branch in his hand, pointed at
+the different letters in turn and patiently waited for his little
+pupil to pronounce their names.
+
+It never would have done to make the child keep her feet like an
+ordinary mortal. With great labor, three of the miners had carried a
+stone of considerable size to the spot, which served her as a seat,
+while receiving instruction. It is true that she never sat still for
+more than three minutes at a time, but that was enough to establish
+the indispensable necessity of a chair.
+
+"You are doing very well, my dear," said the parson, encouragingly;
+"you have received only a few lessons, but have mastered the alphabet.
+I notice that the 'd's' and 'b's' and 'h's' and 'q's' puzzle you a
+little now and then, but you have got them straight, and it is now
+time that we took a lesson in spelling."
+
+"Oh, I can't do that, Mr. Brush," protested the queen, rising from
+the chair, adjusting her skirts and sitting down again; "I never can
+spell."
+
+"What is it to spell?"
+
+"I don't know; what is it?"
+
+"I can best answer your question by showing you. Have you ever seen a
+cat?"
+
+"Do you mean a pussy?"
+
+"Yes; some folks call it that."
+
+"Oh, yes; when we came from where we used to live,--I guess it must
+have been three or four hundred years ago, we brought my pussy along.
+Her name was Nellie, the same as mine."
+
+"What became of her?"
+
+"She died," was the sorrowful reply; "I guess she was homesick."
+
+"That was too bad. Now will you tell me what letter that is?"
+
+"Why, Mr. Brush, don't you know?"
+
+"Yes, but I wish to find out whether you know."
+
+"It is C; anybody knows that."
+
+"And this one?"
+
+"A."
+
+"That is right; now this one?"
+
+"T; I hope you will remember, Mr. Brush, because I don't like to tell
+you so often."
+
+The teacher continued to drill her, skipping about and pointing at the
+letters so rapidly in turn that he was kept bowing and straightening
+up like a jumping-jack. Then, allowing her to rest, he pronounced the
+letters in their regular order, giving them the sounds proper to the
+word itself. Nellie, who was watching closely and listening, suddenly
+exclaimed with glowing face:
+
+"Why, that's 'cat'!"
+
+"Of course; now can you say the letters without looking at them?"
+
+After one or two trials she did it successfully.
+
+"There! you have learned to spell 'cat.' You see how easy it is."
+
+"Does that spell 'pussy' too?"
+
+"No,--only 'cat.' After a time you will be able to spell big words."
+
+"Let me try something else, Mr. Brush."
+
+The next word tackled was 'dog,' which was soon mastered. When this
+was accomplished, the teacher paused for a moment. He was trying to
+think of another word of three letters, but oddly enough could not
+readily do so.
+
+"Ah," he exclaimed, "here is another. Now give me the name of that
+letter,"
+
+"D."
+
+"And that?"
+
+"A."
+
+"And that?"
+
+"M."
+
+"Now say them quickly, 'd-a-m;' what is the word?"
+
+"Why, it's 'dam'; O, Mr. Brush, I heard you say that is a bad word."
+
+The teacher was thunderstruck and stammered:
+
+"I didn't think of that, but there are two kinds of 'dam' and this one
+is not a bad word. It means a bank of earth or stones or wood, that is
+put up to stop the flow of water."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+PUPIL AND TEACHER
+
+
+Mr. Brush glanced nervously around, to learn whether any of his
+friends were within hearing, shuddering to think what the consequences
+might be. He believed that he could explain the matter to some of the
+folks, but the majority were so radical in their views that they would
+refuse to admit the distinction, and would take him to task for
+teaching improper language to his young pupil. It caused him another
+shudder at the thought that the same penalty that Wade Ruggles had
+undergone might be visited upon him, though it is doubtful if the
+issue would have been similar.
+
+"Ahem, Miss Nellie, when we go back home, will you promise me to say
+nothing about this part of your lesson?"
+
+"You mean 'bout that bad word?"
+
+"Yes,--let's forget all about it."
+
+"I'll try, but mebbe I'll forget to forget it."
+
+"Likely enough," gloomily reflected the parson; "suppose we try some
+other words. Ah, we have a visitor."
+
+At that moment Budge Isham climbed into view and sauntered smilingly
+toward them. Brush added a whispered warning to the little one not to
+forget her promise, though, since Isham was an educated man, there
+ought not to have been anything to fear in his case, but the teacher
+knew his waggish nature, and had good reason to fear the mischief he
+would delight in creating.
+
+"Good day," was his cheery greeting, as he came up; "I hope I am not
+intruding, but I thought I should like to see how you are getting on,
+Nellie."
+
+"Oh, Mr. Brush says I am learning real fast; I can spell 'cat,' and
+'dog,' and 'dam.'"
+
+Budge raised his hands in horror.
+
+"What in the name of heaven, parson, does she mean?"
+
+"Mr. Isham," said the gentleman, severely, "are you aware that you are
+using improper language in the presence of this young lady?"
+
+"Explain yourself."
+
+"It is wrong for you to appeal to heaven on so trifling a question; it
+is such a near approach to profanity that the dividing line is
+imperceptible. I am sorry you forgot yourself, but I will overlook it
+this time."
+
+Budge was really frightened, for though the distinction was quite
+fine, he felt there was some justice in the position of the parson,
+but he bluffed it out.
+
+"I doubt whether a jury would find me guilty, and in the meantime
+explain the remark just made by Nellie, if you please."
+
+Thus cornered, the parson made a clean breast of it. Isham assumed a
+grave expression.
+
+"The only criticism I can make is upon your taste in selecting a word,
+susceptible of a questionable meaning. You know as well as I that if
+this should be submitted to a jury at the Heavenly Bower this evening,
+the majority would sit down on you, and it would be hard work for you
+to escape the penalty."
+
+"I'm afraid it would," responded the parson; "it was a piece of
+forgetfulness on my part----"
+
+"Which is the plea that Bidwell and Ruggles made, but it didn't
+answer. However, I'll say nothing about it, knowing you will be more
+careful in the future, while I shall not forget to put a bridle on my
+own tongue. The trouble, however," he added with a smile, "is to make
+_her_ overlook it."
+
+"She has promised she will do so."
+
+"Since that promise was made just before I got here, she has shown how
+readily she can forget it."
+
+"I will give her a longer lesson than usual and thus drive all
+remembrance out of her mind," said the parson resolutely.
+
+Budge Isham folded his arms, prepared to look on and listen, but the
+queen of the proceedings checked it all by an unexpected veto.
+
+"Mr. Brush, I feel so tired."
+
+Her face wore a bored expression and she looked wistfully away from
+the blackboard toward the cabins below them.
+
+"Does your head hurt you?" inquired the teacher with much solicitude,
+while the single auditor was ready to join in the protest.
+
+"No, but mebbe it will hurt me one of these days."
+
+"It isn't wise, parson, to force the child; a great deal of injury is
+done to children by cramming their heads with useless knowledge."
+
+The teacher could not feel sure that this counsel was disinterested,
+for there could be no danger of his taxing the mental powers of the
+little one too severely, but her protest could not pass unheeded.
+
+"You have done very well, my child; you are learning fast, so we'll
+leave the spelling for to-morrow. Suppose we now try the commandments:
+can you repeat the first one?"
+
+Nellie gave it correctly, as she did with slight assistance, the
+remaining ones. She was certainly gifted with a remarkable memory and
+possessed an unusually bright mind. Budge Isham was impressed by her
+repetition of the decalogue, whose meaning she was unable fully to
+grasp. His frivolous disposition vanished, as he looked upon the
+innocent child and watched the lips from which the sacred words
+flowed. He quietly decided that it would be inexcusably mean to seek
+any amusement at the expense of the parson, and it may as well be
+added that he never afterward referred to the incident, while it
+seemed to have passed wholly from the mind of Nellie herself. At the
+conclusion of the lesson, Budge complimented teacher and pupil and
+said he would be glad to certify that Mr. Brush was the best teacher
+in New Constantinople, and that it was impossible for any one to take
+his place. Then he bade them good day and walked thoughtfully away,
+leaving them once more to themselves.
+
+These were the most precious moments of all to the teacher, when the
+formal lesson was completed, and he sat down for a little talk with
+his pupil. He occupied the stone which served her for a seat, while
+one arm loosely clasped the figure which stood between his knees. She
+patted his cheek, played with his rough collar and shaggy whiskers,
+while as he listened and replied to her prattle, felt as never before
+the truth of the declaration that of such is the kingdom of heaven.
+
+"Mr. Brush," she finally said, "do you know why I love you?"
+
+"I suppose it must be because I am so handsome," he replied with a
+smile.
+
+"No; it isn't that, for you _ain't_ handsome."
+
+"Whew! but you are not afraid to speak the truth, little one, and I
+hope you will always do that. No; I don't know why you love me,
+unless you are so good yourself that you can't help it."
+
+This was not exactly clear to the little one, and she stood silent for
+a minute, gently fingering his long beard. Then she thought it best to
+clear up the mystery without further parley.
+
+"I love you 'cause you're good."
+
+Even though the avowal was delightful, it caused a pang, like a
+knife-thrust from his accusing conscience.
+
+"I am thankful to hear you say that, but, Nellie, I am not good."
+
+"Yes, you is, but if you ain't good, why ain't you good?"
+
+The logic of the reply of the adult was of the same grade as that of
+the child.
+
+"I suppose the true reason is because I am bad. I am sorry to say it,
+but I have drifted far away from where I ought to be."
+
+The dimpled hand continued to fondle the whiskers, and the little
+brain was busy, but a wisdom that was more than human guided it.
+Turning those lustrous blue eyes upon him she softly asked:
+
+"Will you do what I ask you?"
+
+He almost gasped, for he instinctively suspected what was coming, but
+he answered without hesitation:
+
+"If it is my power I will do it, though it kills me."
+
+"Oh, I don't want it to kill you; this won't hurt you; will you do it,
+Mr. Brush?"
+
+"Yes, God helping me."
+
+"Do like Mr. Ruggles."
+
+"How's that?" asked the parson with a sinking heart.
+
+"Don't drink any more of that red water, which makes men talk loud and
+sometimes say bad words."
+
+"Heavens!" thought the parson; "she little dreams what she is asking
+me, but it is not she but some One who is thus calling me back to
+duty. Yes, my child, I will do what you ask."
+
+"You is as good and nice as you can be now, but then you will be a
+good deal gooder and nicer," said she, warmly kissing him.
+
+"I hope so," he added, rising to his feet, with the feeling that he
+was not himself but some one else, and that that some one else was the
+young man away among the distant hills of Missouri, before he wandered
+to the West, and in doing so, wandered from the path along which he
+had attempted to guide and lead others.
+
+"I call myself her teacher," he mused, as he reached down and took the
+tiny hand in his own, "but she is the teacher and I am the pupil."
+
+They had started in the direction of the cabins, when they heard
+curious shouts and outcries in that direction. "There's something
+strange going on down there," he said, peering toward the point; "I
+wonder what it can be; let us hurry and find out."
+
+Firmly clasping her hand, the two hastened down the incline, wondering
+what it was that caused all the noise and confusion.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+THE PASSING YEARS
+
+
+THE excitement in New Constantinople was caused by the arrival of Vose
+Adams, the mail carrier and messenger, with his budget of letters and
+freight for the Heavenly Bower.
+
+These periodical journeys never occupied less than two weeks, and in
+the present instance he had been absent several days beyond that
+period, so that some anxiety was felt for him, since every trip was
+attended with more or less danger. He was exposed to the peril of
+storms, snowslides, wild animals and hostile Indians. The elemental
+disturbances in the Sierras are sometimes of a terrific nature. Twice
+he had lost a mule, and once both animals went spinning down a
+precipice for a thousand feet, in an avalanche of snow and were never
+found again. Vose's only consolation in the last instance was that it
+occurred when on his way to Sacramento, while in the former case he
+saved one of the precious kegs, which he insisted was the means of
+saving him in turn from perishing in the Arctic temperature.
+
+The shadowy trail wound in and out among the gorges and canyons,
+beside towering mountain walls, at a dizzying elevation, over ridges
+above the snow line, across table lands, through forests of pine and
+cedar and tumultuous mountain torrents, where he took his life in his
+hands every time he made the venture.
+
+The unerring marksmanship of Vose and his alertness reduced the danger
+from the fierce grizzly bears and ravening mountain wolves to the
+minimum, but the red men were an ever present peril. He had served as
+the target of many a whizzing arrow and stealthy rifle shot, but thus
+far had emerged with only a few insignificant hurts. He was ready at
+the stated times to set out on his journey, and appeared indeed to
+welcome the change in the existence which otherwise became tiresome
+and monotonous. It mattered not that his friends often intimated that
+he was starting on his last venture of that nature, for he believed
+that his "time" had been set and it mattered naught what he did, since
+it could not be changed.
+
+Vose explained that the cause of his last delay was the old
+one--Indians. They had pursued and pestered him so persistently that
+he was compelled to hunt out a new trail, longer and more difficult
+that the old one, and which came within a hair of landing him into the
+very camp of his enemies. However, everything had turned out well, and
+he brought with him the most prized cargo that ever arrived in New
+Constantinople.
+
+First of all, were the two casks of freight, which had suffered so
+slight leakage, that Landlord Ortigies complimented the vigilance of
+the messenger. Then he brought with him fully a hundred letters and
+newspapers. Each citizen received one, and many had several. In every
+instance, the grateful recipient paid Vose a dollar for his mail, so
+that the reward was generous, including as it did a liberal honorarium
+from the proprietor of the Heavenly Bower.
+
+In addition to the mail and freight, there were a number of articles
+to which no special reference is needed. In one package, however,
+every one was deeply interested, and Nellie Dawson more than the
+others. Unknown to the father, a goodly sum had been entrusted to
+Adams, with which to purchase such articles as it was believed the
+child needed. These included material for numerous new dresses of
+gorgeous pattern, stockings, shoes, slippers, ribbons, hats and even
+gloves, trinkets and playthings beyond enumeration.
+
+When these were spread out before the little one, she clapped her
+hands and danced with delight. She had never dreamed of or seen such
+bewildering wealth, and the miners were repaid a hundred fold, while
+the grateful parent thanked them for their thoughtful kindness.
+
+With no other person of her sex in the settlement, it would naturally
+be thought that she lacked in many of the little attentions which only
+a mother or adult female friend can give, but such was not the case.
+There was not a man among them all, who had not been taught in the
+hard school of necessity to become his own tailor and conservator of
+clothing. Many had natural taste, and had not wholly forgotten the
+education and training received in the homes of civilization, before
+they became adventurers and wanderers. A consensus of views, all moved
+by the same gentle impulse, resulted in Nellie Dawson being clothed in
+a garb which would hardly have caused criticism in the metropolis of
+our country. Not only that, but she was abundantly provided against
+all kinds of weather, and with Vose Adams making his regular trips
+westward, there was no possibility of her ever knowing the want of
+thoughtful care.
+
+The education of the little one was never neglected. Enough has been
+told to show her brightness, and even had not her teacher been
+inspired by his affection for the little one, the task of imparting
+knowledge to such an apt pupil must have been a constant pleasure.
+This work, as we have shown, fell by common consent to the parson,
+Felix Brush, though his choice at first was not unanimous. Wade
+Ruggles was so insistent that he should have a part in the work, that
+he was allowed a trial, but it cannot be said the result of several
+days' effort was satisfactory. A stealthy inspection of the blackboard
+by Budge Isham and the parson disclosed that Ruggles had constructed
+the alphabet on a system of his own. Some of the letters were
+reversed, several inverted, while the forms of others prevented any
+one from identifying them except the teacher himself.
+
+An examination of the pupil developed the same startling originality
+in Ruggles's system of orthography, which seemed to be a mixture of
+the phonetic and the prevailing awkward method. Thus he insisted that
+"purp" was the right way to spell the name of a young dog, whose
+correct title was "dorg." Ruggles was finally persuaded to resign,
+though he displayed considerable ill feeling and intimated that the
+movement was inspired by jealousy of his success.
+
+Budge Isham not only refrained from referring to the slip which the
+parson made in his spelling lesson, but spoke in such high terms of
+his success with Nellie, that every one conceded the right teacher had
+been selected, and it would be a misfortune for any one to assume to
+take the place of the parson.
+
+Not until the final summing up of all accounts, will the full measure
+of the influence of the little one be known. It was gentle, subtle,
+almost imperceptible. Wade Ruggles never broke his resolve not to
+touch liquor. Inasmuch as an appetite nourished for years, cannot be
+wholly extirpated in a day, he had his moments of intense yearning for
+stimulants, when the temptation was powerful, but his will was still
+more so, and the time came when the terrific thirst vanished
+entirely, though he knew it was simply "asleep" and could be roused
+into resistless fury by indulgence in a single glass.
+
+The parson had a severer struggle. After holding out for days, he
+yielded, and by his inordinate dissipation brought back matters to a
+fair average. Then he set about manfully to retrieve himself. A second
+time he fell, and then, thank heaven! he gained the mastery.
+Henceforward he was safe.
+
+Maurice Dawson himself had been an occasional tippler for years, but
+he felt the influence of example and experienced no trouble in giving
+up the habit. Several others did the same, while more tried but "fell
+by the wayside."
+
+Landlord Ortigies noticed the diminution in his receipts, but, strange
+as it may sound, down in his heart he was not sorry. Like nine out of
+ten engaged in his business he was dissatisfied, and like the same
+nine out of ten, he longed for the chance to take up some other
+calling which would bring him bread and butter and no accusing pangs
+of conscience.
+
+Before the coming of Nellie Dawson, brawls and personal encounters
+often occurred. The walls of the Heavenly Bower contained several
+pounds of lead. Blood had been shed, and the history of the settlement
+showed that three persons had died with their boots on, but those
+stirring days seemed to have departed forever.
+
+Parson Brush did a good deal of thinking. When through with his pupil,
+he was accustomed to take long walks into the mountains, his hands
+clasped behind his back and his head bowed in meditation. It is safe
+to conclude that Conscience was getting in its work with him.
+
+And so the seasons came and went and the years rolled on. Varick
+Thomson, an old miner, who had spent years of fruitless toil in the
+diggings of Australia, lay down and died, and the parson officiated at
+his funeral. Two other miners grew weary of the poor success in Dead
+Man's Gulch and went off on a prospecting tour deeper into the
+mountains. A year later another prospecting party came upon two
+skeletons, near a small stream of water, which after careful
+examination, were pronounced to be those of their former friends,
+doubtless victims of the ferocity of the red men. Three vagrant miners
+straggled into New Constantinople one night and were hospitably
+entertained at the Heavenly Bower. Their appearance was against them,
+and, when they announced their intention of making their home at Dead
+Man's Gulch, the suggestion to them to move on was made in such terms
+that they acted upon it and were never seen there again. Thus it came
+about that New Constantinople, instead of increasing in population
+and making a bid for the chieftaincy among the new towns in the West,
+was actually shrinking in numbers.
+
+And all this time, Nellie Dawson was growing fast. Her beautiful mind
+kept pace with the expansion of her body. Her natural grace and
+perfection of figure would have roused admiration anywhere. Her
+innocence and goodness were an ever present benison to the rough
+miners, who had long since learned to check the hasty word, to
+restrain the rising temper and to crush the wrongful thought in her
+presence.
+
+After a time, Maurice Dawson took possession of one of the deserted
+cabins which he fitted up, or rather the community fitted up the
+principal apartment for the young queen, whose rule was supreme. No
+one else was permitted to share the building with them, though
+visitors were constant and Nellie herself continually passed to and
+fro among her friends.
+
+But those who watched Dawson saw that a change had come over him.
+Formerly there was a quiet waggery in his nature, much like that of
+Budge Isham, which led him to enjoy the rough pleasantries of his
+companions, though he rarely took part in them, except as an inciting
+cause. One of his greatest pleasures had been to sit in the Heavenly
+Bower and exchange reminiscences with his friends, but all that came
+to an end. Night after night passed without his face being seen in
+the place. Those who called at the cabin were treated hospitably, but
+he was reserved and moody, and often failed to hear the words
+addressed to him. It was evident that there was something on his mind,
+though he showed no disposition to make a confidant of any one.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+THE CLOUD OF WAR
+
+
+"I KNOW the cause of Dawson's trouble," remarked Vose Adams, late one
+night at the Heavenly Bower.
+
+"What is it?" asked Wade Ruggles, while the rest listened intently.
+
+"On my last trip to Sacramento, two months ago, I brought him a thick
+letter: that's what is raising the mischief with him."
+
+"But what was in the letter to make him act so queer?"
+
+"How should I know? do you expect me to open and read all the letters
+I bring through the mountains?"
+
+"Bein' as you couldn't read the big letters the parson has painted on
+the side of the rock a foot high," said Al Bidwell sarcastically,
+"there ain't much danger of your doin' that, which the same is lucky
+for them as gits love letters like myself regular by each mail."
+
+"Which the same you won't git any more onless you sling your remarks a
+little more keerful," warned the mail carrier.
+
+"And the same being that you can't read the directions writ onto
+them, I don't see how you're going to help yourself."
+
+"The postmaster at Sacramento is very obligin'," was the significant
+comment of Vose.
+
+Bidwell saw the dangerous ground on which he was treading, and made it
+safe by a jesting remark and an invitation to Adams and the rest to
+join him at the bar.
+
+"We was on the subject of Dawson," remarked Ruggles from his seat, for
+all had learned long before of the uselessness of inviting him to
+drink; "and it's the opinion of Vose, I understand, that it was the
+letter that has made the change in him."
+
+"There ain't any doubt about it," said Adams; "fur the attack took him
+right after; I noticed the difference in him the next day. He sets by
+himself these evenings after the little gal has gone to bed, smoking
+his pipe, without any light in his shanty, and thinking hard."
+
+Wade smoked thoughtfully a minute and then remarked:
+
+"I wonder whether it wouldn't be a good idee to app'int a committee to
+wait on Dawson and ask him what the blazes is the matter and whether
+we can't do nothin' to make a man of him agin."
+
+Since Ruggles had become accustomed to act as chairman at the
+discussions in the Heavenly Bower, he had developed a strong faith in
+committees.
+
+"That's a piece of the most onspeakable foolishness that I've run
+aginst since I settled in New Constantinople," observed the landlord
+with a contemptuous sniff; "the minute the committee arrove and stated
+their bus'ness, Dawson would kick 'em out of his shanty and clean
+across the street, and he'd be lacking in the instincts of a man if he
+didn't do that same thing."
+
+"Mr. Ortigies forgits that I didn't mean to suggest that _he_ was to
+be a member of the committee; I meant they should be _gentlemen_;
+consequently that bars him out and there wouldn't be no trouble."
+
+"I understand your sarcasm, Wade, but your words would leave you off
+the committee likewise; but may I ask what the members would ask him
+when they knocked at his door?"
+
+"Any gentleman wouldn't be at a loss what to say, fur he would only
+hev to remark sorter careless like that he had observed the man was
+acting so queer that we was afeard he was troubled with remorse over
+some crime he'd committed, and about which he had got notice that the
+officers was lookin' fur him, but that if he'd trust us and give a
+description of the officers, so there wouldn't be any mistake, we'd
+watch fur 'em up the trail and pick 'em off afore they could profane
+New Constantinople with their presence."
+
+This was a prodigious sentence for Wade, and he leaned back and smoked
+his pipe with considerable self-complacency, but it impressed none of
+his hearers as he expected. Parson Brush shook his head.
+
+"It isn't a very wise way of introducing yourself to a man by assuming
+that he is a fugitive from justice. In the first place, I am sure
+there is nothing of the kind in the case of Dawson. He has probably
+heard some news from the East that troubles him."
+
+"That's just what I was sayin'," broke in Ruggles.
+
+"But not of the nature intimated by you."
+
+"What else can it be?"
+
+"It might be one of a dozen things; I know you are all wrong in your
+guesses."
+
+Every eye was fixed upon the parson, for all were anxious to learn at
+what he was hinting. His face was unusually grave, but he stopped
+speaking, as if he deemed it indiscreet to say anything more. He
+noticed the looks and whetted the curiosity by adding:
+
+"I have been so disturbed over the change in Dawson that I called on
+him last night and had a talk with him."
+
+"And what did you learn?" asked Budge Isham, the moment Brush showed
+an inclination to stop talking.
+
+"Well, it was hard work to draw him out, but finally he told me he had
+received a letter from the East, which made him think he would have to
+leave us. That isn't the worst."
+
+All were breathless, afraid to give utterance to the dread that until
+then was vague and indistinct in their minds.
+
+"He thinks he must take his daughter Nellie with him."
+
+"What! Take her away from us? That can never be allowed."
+
+None felt the anguish of the announcement keener than the man who made
+it, but he looked calmly into the angry faces and said:
+
+"You forget, my friends, that she is his child and he has the moral
+and legal right to do what he thinks is best for her."
+
+"But where are _our_ rights?" demanded Wade Ruggles; "they mustn't be
+forgot."
+
+"We haven't any,--not a single one. But I am satisfied that one cause
+of Dawson's distress of mind is the very question you have asked. He
+can never cease to be deeply grateful to all of us for what we have
+done for him and his child. He doesn't wish to take her away for it
+will be as painful to her as to us. But friends," continued the
+parson, with a sense of right that was creditable to him, "Dawson's
+first duty is to his child. She is now twelve years old, quite a large
+girl and is growing fast. She has never seen girl or woman since she
+was brought here; she will soon be a young woman; she requires
+association with others of her own sex; her welfare demands this; her
+education and proper training can never be obtained in this mining
+settlement."
+
+"Eddycation!" exclaimed Vose Adams; "what have you been doing with her
+all this time? She must be as far along in her studies and eddycation
+as me and Ruggles."
+
+"It is to be hoped so," replied the parson with a smile; "I doubt
+whether she will meet any one of her age as proficient in book
+learning as herself, but there remains music, etiquette, and above
+all, the social customs and accomplishments which can be acquired
+nowhere except in the abode of civilization. There is none upon whom
+this blow will fall more heavily than myself, but I have no right to
+interpose when a man is doing his duty."
+
+An exploding bomb could not have caused more consternation than the
+news brought by the parson. Every one felt the truth of his words and
+respected him for their utterance, but it was like asking them to
+consent to the blotting of the sun from the heavens.
+
+"I see a way out of it," finally remarked Wade Ruggles with a
+brightening face; "we can compermise."
+
+"In what way?"
+
+"Why, if Dawson feels that he and the gal must go, let him split the
+difference atween us; he can go and leave her; that will satisfy
+everybody."
+
+"It will hardly satisfy him, since the whole question is that of
+taking her with him. He must be left free to do whatever he chooses."
+
+The parson looked into the gloomy faces turned toward him.
+
+"Boys, you have all heard the news brought by the last papers. Fort
+Sumter has been fired on; President Lincoln has called for volunteers;
+the Southern Confederacy has been declared and civil war has begun. It
+is the intention of Dawson to offer his services to the cause of the
+Union."
+
+"And I shall enlist too," declared Wade Ruggles, compressing his lips,
+"but it will be on the other side."
+
+"I'm with you," added Budge Isham; "I am from Alabama, and if she
+secedes, as she is sure to do, I am ready to lay down my life in her
+defence."
+
+"Sorry, pards, but that shoves me into the Union army," remarked Al
+Bidwell, puffing quietly at his pipe; "we must keep the balance right,
+but we'll part friends here and we'll be friends till we shoulder our
+muskets. Then we'll do all we can to kill each other."
+
+Further discussion disclosed that the citizens of New Constantinople
+were about equally divided in their allegiance, but all of them were
+not yet ready to take up arms in support of the cause with which they
+sympathized. There were eight who announced their intention of making
+their way to San Francisco, there to find the most available route to
+the points necessary to reach. It was typical of that stupendous
+struggle, the greatest of modern times, that four of these recruits
+were ardent supporters of one cause and four equally eager to risk
+their lives for the other. They were the warmest of friends and had
+been for years, willing to face any danger for the sake of the
+remainder. It would be the same until they parted, and then, as one of
+them had already expressed it, they would devote every energy to
+trying to kill one another.
+
+None of the volunteers faltered until Maurice Dawson decided to leave
+his daughter at the settlement until his return, if so be he should be
+permitted to return. He knew of no better or safer place for her, nor
+of any friends to whose care he would more cheerfully commit her, in
+case it should be his lot to fall on the field of battle.
+
+It had been Parson Brush's intention to be Dawson's comrade in his
+perils, but when the father begged him to stay behind to look after
+his child he consented. And so the programme, so fraught with
+momentous consequences, was arranged.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+THE BLUE AND THE GRAY
+
+
+The four years of stupendous war came to an end. The sun of the
+Southern Confederacy went down in gloom and defeat behind the hills of
+Appomattox, never to rise again, and blessed peace brooded over a
+reunited nation, which shall endure through the coming ages to the end
+of time.
+
+It was only the faint echoes of the mighty struggle that, faintly
+reverberating across prairie and mountain, reached the little mining
+settlement nestling among the solitudes of the Sierras. Vose Adams
+made more frequent journeys to Sacramento, in order to gather news of
+the terrific events, which were making history at an appalling rate.
+Upon his return, the miners gathered round Parson Brush, or some other
+one with a good voice, who stood up, with every eye centred on him and
+every ear keyed to the highest point and they listened with breathless
+interest until the thrilling story was read through to the end.
+
+The same diversity of sentiment that appeared at first continued to
+the last, but the parson's earnest words and his insistence that no
+quarrels should take place among the neighbors prevented any
+outbreak, though more than once the point was perilously near.
+
+"If your sympathies are with the Union or with the South," he said
+impressively, "there is nothing to prevent your taking up arms, but it
+must be on the battle field and not here."
+
+And this wise counsel prevailed. Now and then some ardent partisan
+shouldered his rifle, bade his friends a hasty good-by and hurried
+away. One by one, they went until the new recruits numbered five. Thus
+the population of New Constantinople dwindled to about one-half, and
+retaining its exclusive tastes, permitted no new comers to join them,
+so that the boom which in its early days was so confidently looked for
+sank to zero and vanished. In truth it looked as if New Constantinople
+was doomed to die of dry rot.
+
+Strange news came now and then from the men who had gone to the war.
+Maurice Dawson wrote often to his daughter Nellie, whose letters, it
+can well be understood were the bright spots in his life of adventure
+and danger. She had improved wonderfully under the careful tuition of
+Parson Brush, who, gaining experience, as he saw the brightness of her
+mind, found his work of the most pleasant nature conceivable. She
+displayed a thirst for knowledge and made advances which astonished
+him. The books needed for her instruction were procured by Vose Adams
+in Sacramento, and she valued such presents more than anything else.
+The teacher declared many a time, with a certain pride, that she put
+him upon his mettle to make clear the abstruse problems with which he
+wrestled when in college.
+
+"How she will surprise the boys and her father when they come back,"
+reflected the parson; "it won't take her much longer to reach the
+point beyond which I cannot lead her."
+
+To her friends who remained, the growth and improvement of the girl
+were astonishing. Probably no one of her sex ever gave nature itself a
+better chance to show what she can do with a healthy frame, when
+untrammeled by the fashions and requirements of modern usages. Her
+lithe, comely figure was perfect. She never knew an hour's illness.
+The cheeks had the rose tint of health, the eyes were clear, the teeth
+perfect and her spirits buoyant. As one of the men expressed it, she
+was like a burst of sunshine in the settlement.
+
+But Parson Brush was thoughtful. He saw that she was crossing the line
+into young womanhood, and that her own interests demanded that she
+should go out into the world of which he had told her so much; that
+she should meet those of her own sex and learn the mysteries of her
+own being. The affection of her friends could not make up for this
+lack. It cost the honest fellow many a pang when he thought of this,
+but his consolation lay in the inevitable conclusion that nothing
+could be done until the return of her parent or until his wishes were
+made known.
+
+"If it so happens that he shall fall in battle, then a grave problem
+must be met. It will not do for her to remain here; I will talk it
+over with the others and we shall make some arrangement for her good,"
+and with this conclusion he was content to await the issue of events.
+
+Occasionally the parson received a letter from the father. The
+missives were models in their way, telling of his experiences in the
+service of the battles, of the prospect of victory and his faith in
+the final triumph of the great struggle. He thanked the teacher for
+his interest in his child and assured him that his kindness would
+never be forgotten by father or daughter.
+
+Vose Adams continued his frequent journeys to Sacramento, for those
+were stirring times and he was as anxious as his friends for news.
+Always on his return he was met by Nellie some distance down the
+winding trail, and, as soon as she was in sight, he held up the plump
+letter for which she yearned, and over which she was made happy beyond
+expression, and he never failed to carry back with him the reply of
+the child, who knew how much it cheered the brave soldier in the
+distant East and South fighting the battles of his country.
+
+For two years and more there was not a break in this correspondence.
+Dawson must have been a good soldier, for, though he enlisted as a
+private, he was soon promoted, and before the close of the two years,
+was a full fledged captain, with the brevet of major. It was about
+this time that one of his letters gave the story of Gettysburg. In the
+hell-blast of Pickett's charge two of his old friends, who had left
+New Constantinople to fight for the South, were riddled, and another,
+marching at the captain's side, had his head blown off by an exploding
+shell. Thus in one engagement three of the old residents of the mining
+settlement were wiped out.
+
+Only once or twice was any news received of Al Bidwell. It was known
+that Ruggles was with the Army of Northern Virginia, but no tidings
+came of Budge Isham and Ike Hoe. The continued silence was accepted as
+almost certain proof of their death, and yet both were well and
+unharmed.
+
+One day in early summer, two sunburned, shaggy men rode down the
+mountain side and drew up their horses in front of the Heavenly Bower.
+They had ridden from the East and had come through many hardships and
+dangers. One of them wore a partial uniform of blue, while the other
+was of a faded, butternut tinge. The two had been engaged for years in
+trying to slay each other, inclusive of their respective friends, but
+failing in the effort, gave it up when the final surrender took place
+at Appomattox. Both were from New Constantinople, and they now turned
+their faces in that direction. Starting from widely separated points
+their lines of travel converged and finally joined. When they met,
+there was a moment of mutual sharp scrutiny, then an exclamation of
+delight, a fervent handclasp and a moistening of the eyes, as both
+exclaimed:
+
+"God bless you, old boy! There's no one in the world I would rather
+meet than you! Shake again!"
+
+And they did, and henceforward they followed the same trail and "drank
+from the same canteen." They shared their rations with each other, and
+in the regions of the West, where danger lurked in the air, one
+watched while the other slept, ready to interpose his body as a shield
+between peril and his comrade.
+
+And what splendid soldiers the Civil War made! How those veterans
+could fight! What pluck, what coolness, what nerve, what daring they
+displayed! There was one stormy night beyond the Mississippi, when a
+band of jayhawkers, believing the two men carried a few hundred
+dollars, formed a plan for shooting both for the sake of the plunder.
+There were six of the outlaws at the opening of proceedings, but at
+the close just half the number was left, and one of them carried away
+a wound with him, from which he could never recover, while the
+defenders did not receive a scratch.
+
+"When I heard that rebel yell of yours," remarked the veteran who wore
+the blue, "it tingled through my veins as it did at Chancellorsville,
+Antietam and various other scenes of unpleasantness. I couldn't help
+sailing in."
+
+"I didn't mean to let out the yawp," returned his companion, "but when
+the shooting began, it was so like old times I couldn't help it. It
+was real enjoyable."
+
+"Yes," was the dry response, "but rather more so for us than for the
+other fellows."
+
+Three days later a band of Indians concluded to try their hand upon
+the veterans, but the trouble was that the red men could not get a
+fair chance. Before they arrived within effective striking distance,
+the veterans began shooting, and whenever they shot somebody fell. The
+thing became so monotonous that the hostiles gave it up in disgust and
+drew off. Thenceforward the old soldiers had comparatively an easy
+time of it.
+
+And so, after a ride of more than two thousand miles on horseback,
+these two men entered Dead Man's Gulch and drew rein in front of the
+Heavenly Bower. Their coming caused a sensation, for their looks
+showed they were veterans of the war and were certain to bring
+important news. The couple smiled and whispered to each other, for
+they saw that no one suspected their identity.
+
+Among the wondering group that gathered round was Nellie Dawson. She
+was profoundly interested, for Vose Adams had made two journeys to and
+from Sacramento without bringing a letter from her father. Doubtless
+these men could tell her something, and she stood on the edge of the
+group, waiting for them to speak and for the opportunity to question
+them.
+
+"Do you see her?" whispered one of the men.
+
+"Yes; gracious! hasn't she grown? Why, she was a little girl when we
+left and now she's a young woman."
+
+"Blessed if she isn't! She wears such long dresses that you can see
+only the tiny toes of her shoes; we've obsarved a good many purty
+women since we left these parts, but nothing that could come up to
+her."
+
+"You can bet your life! She hasn't any idee of who we are, nor
+have the boys, but it looks to me as if the parson is a little
+suspicious."
+
+Although the patronage of the Heavenly Bower had shrunk a good deal,
+Landlord Ortigies was as genial and hospitable as ever. The new
+arrivals had time only for a few secret comments, when he came
+forward:
+
+"Strangers, you're welcome to the best we have, which isn't anything
+to boast of; look as if you had rid a good many miles and you must be
+as tired and thirsty as your animals. If you'll turn 'em over to Vose
+Adams, he'll 'tend to them, and, if you'll allow me, you shall have a
+good meal, which before the same, I beg to tender you some distilled
+home brewed Mountain Dew."
+
+Thanking the landlord for his offer, the men dismounted and waited
+outside, while he brought forth two glasses, half-filled with the
+fiery stuff of the poetical name. One of the men took his and eagerly
+swallowed it. The other held his aloft, where under the bright
+sunlight it glowed crimson like blood. With his hand motionless for a
+moment, he slowly inverted the glass and allowed the liquid to run out
+on the ground.
+
+"Max, I reckon you haven't forgot when I done something like that some
+four years ago," said the man, turning toward the astonished host.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+WAITING
+
+
+"Wade Ruggles, as I'm alive!" exclaimed the delighted landlord,
+rushing forward and grasping his hand. Instantly the group closed in,
+and there was such laughing and handshaking that for a time nothing
+was clearly distinguished.
+
+"I was suspicious," remarked the parson; "but, though you both had
+beards when you went away, these have grown so much that they have
+greatly altered your appearance."
+
+He scanned the other man closely, but before the parson had identified
+him, several others had done so.
+
+"It's Al Bidwell!"
+
+"Yes," replied the laughing Ruggles; "that's the fellow, but I'm sorry
+to say that since they made a major-general of him, he's become a
+reg'lar dude. He doesn't go out when it rains for fear of soiling his
+uniform, and the noise of powder makes him sick, so be careful how you
+handle the delicate fellow."
+
+"Well, you do not need to be told," was the hearty response of the
+parson, "that no one could be more welcome than you; let's shake hands
+all around again."
+
+It was some minutes before the flurry was over, for the delight on
+both sides was unbounded and the joy of the reunion great.
+
+One member of the group lingered in the background. Her face was
+flushed with delighted expectancy, but with a coyness unknown in her
+earlier years, she hesitated on the outer edge of the circle. She
+could not mingle with the rush and waited until the flurry was over.
+The men were scarcely less embarrassed than she, and while not
+appearing to see her, both were watching her every movement. When the
+time came that the meeting could no longer be delayed, Ruggles walked
+to her and extended his hand.
+
+"Well, Nellie, aren't you glad to see me?"
+
+The crinkling of the whiskers at the side of the invisible mouth
+showed that he was laughing, and indeed his white teeth gleamed
+through his wealth of beard. Nellie promptly advanced and met him half
+way.
+
+"Mr. Ruggles, I can't tell you how glad I am to meet you again."
+
+He had been asking himself whether it would do to kiss this vision of
+loveliness. He wished to do so, but was afraid. However, the question
+was settled by the girl, who, instead of taking the hand, flung her
+arms about his neck and saluted him fervently, that is as well as she
+could under the conditions.
+
+Al Bidwell came forward and was received in the same manner. Then, as
+the two men stepped back and looked admiringly at her, she said:
+
+"I can see you are the same and yet those beards make you look
+different; I love to think of you as you were when you bade us good-by
+and rode off four years ago."
+
+"We shall be glad to fix up our faces in the old style," said Ruggles,
+while his companion nodded assent. If she had asked them to cut off
+their heads they would have unhesitatingly agreed to do it.
+
+"No doubt we've changed somewhat," said Bidwell, "but not one half so
+much as you."
+
+"As I!" she repeated in astonishment; "why, I am just the same," and
+she looked down at her dress, as if seeking the explanation of his
+remark; "I haven't changed a bit."
+
+"Not in goodness and all that sort of thing, but we left a little girl
+and now I'm blessed if we don't find a young woman, and yet it's the
+same little girl after all."
+
+The maidenly blush darkened her face and she laughed.
+
+"You couldn't expect me to stand still all these years."
+
+"No; though we would have been glad if you had done so."
+
+The three were standing apart, the others with commendable delicacy
+leaving them to themselves. Nellie laid her arm on the sleeve of
+Ruggles, and looking up yearningly in his face she asked:
+
+"Can you give me any news of father?"
+
+"Being as him and me was on different sides, I haven't seen or heard a
+thing of him since we parted in San Francisco, but I hope all has gone
+well with him."
+
+She turned to Bidwell, who said:
+
+"Me and him was thrown together once or twice and I met him after
+Gettysburg, where neither of us got a scratch, which is more than tens
+of thousands of others can say. Then I seen him in front of
+Petersburg, where we had the same good luck agin, but in the fighting
+round there we lost track of each other. Are you worried about him,
+little gal?"
+
+"Very much," she mournfully replied; "never once did Vose Adams come
+back from Sacramento without one or two letters from him, but he has
+now done so twice, and I haven't heard a word. I fear father is dead;
+if he is, my heart is broken and I shall die too."
+
+What could they say to cheer her, for Vose Adams made still another
+journey westward with the same dismal emptiness of the mail bag, so
+far as she was concerned. Every one did his utmost to cheer her, but
+none succeeded. The ground taken was that the parent had set out on
+his return, but had been hindered by some cause which would be
+explained when he finally arrived. When not one of the men himself
+believed the story, how could he hope to make the mourning daughter
+believe it?
+
+Felix Brush took a different stand from the others. He early settled
+into the belief that Captain Dawson was dead, and that it was wrong to
+encourage hope on the part of the child when the disappointment must
+be more bitter in the end.
+
+"If you are never to see him again in this world," he said, at the
+close of a sultry afternoon, as the two were seated on a rocky ledge
+near the cabin in which she had made her home all alone during her
+parent's long absence, "what a blessed memory he leaves behind him!
+Died on the field of battle, or in camp or hospital, in the service of
+his country,--what more glorious epitaph can patriot desire?"
+
+"If he is dead then I shall die; I shall pray that I may do so, so
+that I shall soon see him again."
+
+"My dear child, you must show some of the courage of your parent and
+prove that you are a soldier's daughter. Your blow is a severe one,
+but it has fallen upon thousands of others, and they have bravely met
+it. You are young; you have seen nothing of the great world around
+you--"
+
+"I do not care to see anything of it," she interrupted with a sigh.
+
+"You will feel different when you have recovered from the blow. It is
+an amazing world, my dear. The cities and towns; the great ocean; the
+works of art; the ships and steamboats; the vast structures; the
+railways; the multitudes of people; the lands beyond the seas, with
+still more marvelous scenes,--all these will expand like fairy land
+before you and make you wonder that you ever should have wished to
+leave such a realm of beauty and miracles while in your youth."
+
+Nellie sat for some time in silence, and then rose to her feet with a
+weary sigh. Without speaking, she turned to walk away, but not in the
+direction of her own home.
+
+"Where are you going?" he asked.
+
+"To look for him," was her sorrowful reply.
+
+It was what he suspected and feared. He knew she had done the same
+thing night after night for weeks past, even when the rains fell and
+the chilling blasts made her shiver with discomfort. He could not
+interpose, and with the reflection that perhaps it was as well, he
+turned mournfully aside and walked slowly toward the cabins.
+
+Meanwhile, Nellie Dawson passed beyond the limits of the settlement
+until all the houses were behind her. She did not sit down, but
+folding her arms, after gathering her shawl about her, bent her gaze
+upon the trail, which wound in and out at the bottom of the canyon
+below, for a fourth of a mile, when a mass of projecting rocks hid it
+from sight.
+
+Night was closing in. Already the grim walls, thousands of feet in
+height, were wrapped in gloom, and few eyes beside hers could have
+traced the devious mule path for more than a hundred yards from where
+she stood. The clear sky was studded with stars, but the moon had not
+yet climbed from behind the towering peaks, which would shut out its
+light until near the zenith.
+
+The soft murmur of the distant waterfall, the sound of voices behind
+her, the faint, hollow roar, which always is present in a vast
+solitude, filled the great space around her and made the stillness
+grander and more impressive.
+
+All this had been in her ears many a time before, and little heed did
+she give to it now. Her musings were with that loved one, who had been
+silent for so many weeks, and for whose coming she longed with an
+unspeakable longing. She knew the course of the trail so well, though
+she had never been far over it, that she was aware at what point he
+must first appear, if he ever appeared, and upon that point she
+centered her attention.
+
+"Something tells me that when father comes it will be in the night
+time," she said; "I know he has tried hard to reach me, and what
+could it be that held him back? I will not believe he is dead
+until--"
+
+Her heart gave a quicker throb, for surely that was a faint sound in
+the path, though too far off for her to perceive the cause. She could
+not tell its precise nature, but fancied it was the footfall of some
+animal. She took several quick steps forward on tiptoe, with head
+extended, peering and listening, with all her senses at the highest
+tension.
+
+Hark! she heard it again. Surely it was the noise of hoofs, for it was
+repeated and the sounds ran into each other as if the animal were
+trotting or galloping, or mayhap there was more than one of them.
+
+Yes; some one was drawing nigh on the back of horse or mule. There was
+no mistaking the hoof beats, and in the gloom the figure of an animal
+and his rider assumed vague form, growing more distinct each moment.
+Nellie broke into a run, her arms outstretched and her hair flying.
+
+"Father! father! I know it is you! It is I--Nellie, your own Nellie,
+who has waited so long for you! You have come at last!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+HOME AGAIN
+
+
+The horseman coming up the trail had assumed definite form. Checking
+his animal he sat transfixed until the flying girl was beside him.
+Then he bent forward and in a choking voice, answered:
+
+"Yes, Nellie, it is your father! God be thanked for permitting me to
+come to you again. And you are Nellie! But how grown!"
+
+Captain Dawson leaned over the side of his horse and, passing his
+strong arm around the waist of his daughter, lifted her up in front of
+him. Then he pressed his lips to hers, and half-laughing and
+half-crying asked:
+
+"Who's the happier, you or I?"
+
+"You can't be any happier than I; but, father," she added in
+amazement, "where is your other arm?"
+
+"Buried in Southern Virginia as a memento of my work for the Union,
+but, my dear child, _I_ am here; isn't _that_ enough?"
+
+"Yes, bless your heart!" she exclaimed, nestling up to him; "it all
+seems like a dream, but it _isn't_, for I can feel you. I am so
+sorry," she added, noticing the sleeve pinned to his breast; "how you
+must have suffered."
+
+"Nonsense! it isn't anything to lose an arm; it's not half so bad as
+having your head blown off or both legs carried away. After going
+nearly through the war without a scratch, I caught it just before
+Appomattox, but thousands were less fortunate and I am thankful."
+
+"But why did you not write to me and tell me all this? Mr. Brush was
+sure you were dead, and I know the rest thought so, too, though they
+didn't talk that way."
+
+"I did have a close call; I got the fever while in the hospital and
+didn't know so much as my own name for several weeks. Then, when well
+enough to write, I concluded to come myself, believing I could keep up
+with any letter and you would be gladder to see me than to receive
+anything I might send."
+
+While these words were passing the steed remained motionless, but
+Nellie had observed from the first that her parent had a companion.
+
+"Father," she whispered, "you have some one with you."
+
+"Yes, my child, I had forgotten it in my delight at meeting you."
+
+A horseman was sitting as motionless as a statue in the trail behind
+them, the form of himself and animal clearly outlined in the
+obscurity. He had not spoken nor stirred since the coming of the girl.
+The head of the steed was high, but beyond and above it loomed the
+head and shoulders of the man sitting upright, like an officer of
+dragoons. The gloom prevented a fair view of his countenance, but
+Nellie fancied he was of pleasing appearance and wore a mustache.
+
+Captain Dawson turned his head and looked over his shoulder, as if to
+locate the man.
+
+"That is Lieutenant Russell; he served under me during the latter
+part of the war; he is my friend, Nellie, for he saved my life.
+Lieutenant," added the captain, elevating his voice, "this is my
+daughter Nellie of whom you heard me speak so often."
+
+The young officer lifted his cap, the graceful gesture being plainly
+seen and replied with a pleasant laugh.
+
+"Miss Dawson, I am glad to become acquainted with you and hope I shall
+soon be favored with a better view."
+
+"And I hope to see more of the one that was the means of saving my
+dear father," she was quick to reply.
+
+"Well, I guess that was equal on both sides, for I should never have
+reached this place but for him."
+
+"Father, what is _that_?" abruptly asked Nellie, shrinking closer to
+him; "have you a bear following you?"
+
+That which caused the startled question was a huge animal, which came
+slowly forward from the gloom in which he had been enveloped. The
+horses showed no fear of him, and he sniffed at the skirts of the
+girl.
+
+"Don't be alarmed," replied her father; "you may consider him a lion
+or tiger or both combined. He is Lieutenant Russell's dog Timon, one
+of the biggest, fiercest, but most intelligent and affectionate of his
+kind. We three are comrades, so you must accept him, too, as your
+friend."
+
+The two now gave rein to their horses and within briefer time than
+would be supposed, every man in New Constantinople knew of the arrival
+of the couple and had given them right royal welcome. It was the most
+joyous incident in the history of the little mining settlement. Every
+one knew of the corroding grief of Nellie Dawson, and there was not a
+heart that did not go out in sympathy to her. All were gathered around
+and within the crowded quarters of the Heavenly Bower, where the two
+men and Nellie ate their happy evening meal. Then the pipes were
+lighted, and with the girl perched upon her father's knee, the rest
+listened to his story, which he summarized, leaving the particulars
+for a more convenient occasion.
+
+"I am sorry my long silence caused misgiving," said he looking round
+in the faces of his friends, "but it could not be very well helped.
+You have noticed that whereas I left New Constantinople with two arms,
+I am now one short. As I told Nellie, that happened in the very last
+days of the war. It was quite a loss, but you have little idea of how
+soon a man can become accustomed to it. The fact is," added the
+soldier, with a grim smile, "things are moving so well with me that I
+wouldn't give much to have the old limb back again. I have no doubt
+General Howard feels the same way."
+
+"The pruned oak is the strongest," observed Parson Brush.
+
+"Provided it isn't pruned too much. With my wound came an attack of
+fever, which brought me nearer death than I ever was in battle, but I
+came out of it all and here we are."
+
+"What route did you take, captain?" asked Wade Ruggles.
+
+"By steamer to the Isthmus, then up the coast to San Francisco.
+There the lieutenant and I joined a party to Sacramento and each
+bought a good strong horse. He had brought his dog Timon all the
+way from Virginia, where he was given to him by an old friend who wore
+the gray. We were hopeful of meeting Vose Adams in Sacramento, but
+he had not been there for weeks. Instead of him, whom should we come
+across but Ike Hoe, who was also getting ready to start for this
+place. We three set out nearly ten days ago, but Ike is still in the
+mountains."
+
+This was said with so grave a face that all knew what it meant.
+
+"I never heard of the Indians being so troublesome. For three days and
+nights it was little else than fighting. In the darkness we would
+steal off and hunt for some new way through the mountains, but it
+mattered not where we went, for we were sure to run against some of
+them."
+
+"How was it that Hoe met his death?" asked the parson.
+
+"It was on the third night. We hadn't seen a thing of the Indians
+since the noon halt and were hopeful they had given up the hunt for
+us. We hadn't eaten a mouthful for twenty-four hours and were hungry
+enough to chew our boots. Ike found a place among the rocks, where a
+camp fire couldn't be seen for more than a few rods and started a
+blaze. The lieutenant had brought down an antelope, and if we could
+get a chance to cook the steak, we were sure of the right kind of a
+meal. Well, we broiled enough to give each all he wanted. Ike leaned
+back with a pleasant smile on his face and remarked that it was worth
+all the risk to get such a feast, when I caught the flicker of
+something like the dart of a small bird between him and me. Before I
+could make out what it was, Ike gave a groan, and rolling over
+backward, never spoke or stirred. I saw the feathered end of an arrow
+sticking up above his breast. The head had gone clean through him and
+it must have split his heart in two."
+
+"But was neither you or the lieutenant harmed?"
+
+"That is the remarkable part of it. The lieutenant saw the arrow
+before I did and warned me. We darted back in the darkness with our
+guns ready, but saw and heard nothing more of the Indians. What was
+remarkable about it was that only the single arrow should have been
+launched at Ike."
+
+"It looks as if there was but the single Injin," suggested Bidwell.
+
+"That is the way we interpreted it."
+
+"And that was the end of your troubles with the Indians?"
+
+"Not quite, but they bothered us only once more and then they managed
+to get us into a corner, where it would have been the last of me had
+it not been for the lieutenant and Timon. I tell you----"
+
+The captain stopped short and smiled. He had seen the protesting
+expression on the face of the young officer, and said:
+
+"We'll keep that story till some time when he isn't present. But there
+is another fact which I observed. There are more white men in the
+mountains than ever before and the numbers will increase. The close of
+the war has released nearly a million soldiers, who must make a living
+somehow. Some will come westward. You have preserved this place as an
+exclusive residence for yourselves, but you won't be able to do it
+much longer."
+
+All saw the truth of these words, and knew trouble would inevitably
+follow the mingling of uncongenial spirits, but they concluded it
+would be time enough to meet it when it came, without allowing the
+fear to disturb the pleasure of the present communion. Lieutenant Fred
+Russell could not fail to be an individual of keen interest to those
+who had never before seen him. While the captain was talking, he sat
+modestly in the background, smoking his brierwood, listening as
+intently as if everything said was new to him. It was noticed that
+like several of the rest, he did not drink at the bar, though he
+received numerous invitations. Truth to tell, he had been quite a
+drinker, but during that eventful journey through the mountains, when
+Captain Dawson was talking of his daughter, as he loved to do, he
+named those who had reformed as the result of Nellie's influence. The
+young officer made no comment, but it struck him that if those rough,
+hardy men could abstain, it ought not to be difficult for him to do
+the same, and he did it.
+
+Few men were more prepossessing than the lieutenant. He was educated,
+about twenty-four years of age, and undeniably handsome. His campaigns
+of exposure, hardship and fighting had hardened his frame into the
+mould of the trained athlete. The faded uniform which he still wore
+became him well. The ruddy cheeks had grown swarthy and browned, but
+when he removed his cap, the upper part of his forehead showed as
+white and fair as that of a woman.
+
+His nose was slightly aquiline, just enough to give character to his
+countenance, the hair which was rather scant, was dark like the
+mustache and the small tuft on his chin. He wore fine, high cavalry
+boots, reaching above the knees, a sword and like the captain was
+armed with revolver and Winchester rifle.
+
+Crouched at his feet was his massive dog Timon, an object of as much
+interest as his master; for, curious as it may seem, he was the only
+canine ever owned in New Constantinople. He was of mixed breed, huge,
+powerful and swift, seeming to combine the sagacity and intelligence
+of the Newfoundland, the courage of the bull dog, the persistency of
+the bloodhound and the best qualities of all of them. Seeming to
+understand that he was among friends, he rested his nose between his
+paws and lay as if asleep, but those who gazed admiringly at him,
+noted that at intervals he opened one of his eyes as if to say:
+
+"Strangers, I guess it is all right, but I'm taking no chances."
+
+Coming with the credentials that no one else ever bore, Lieutenant
+Fred Russell was sure of a warm reception at New Constantinople. The
+depletion of the population had left more than one cabin vacant and
+the best of these was turned over to him. In it he found cooking
+utensils, rough but serviceable bedding and accommodations and much
+better comforts than he was accustomed to during his campaigning.
+Having no immediate relatives, he had followed the discreet course of
+Captain Dawson, who deposited nearly all of his accumulated pay in a
+savings institution in the East, reserving only enough to insure their
+arrival on the Pacific coast.
+
+Russell, like so many turned from consumers into producers by the end
+of hostilities, was obliged to decide upon the means of earning a
+livelihood. He had begun the study of law, at the time he answered the
+call for volunteers, and would have had no difficulty in taking it up
+again; but, somehow or other, he did not feel drawn thitherward. He
+disliked the confinements of office work and the sedentary profession
+itself. He wanted something more stirring, and active, and calling for
+out door life. It was when he was in this mood, that Captain Dawson
+urged him to accompany him to the gold diggings in the Sierras.
+
+"So far as I can learn," explained the captain, "the mines haven't
+panned out to any great extent, but there is no doubt that there are
+millions of dollars in gold in the mountains, and if it isn't at New
+Constantinople, it is not far off."
+
+"I shall accept your invitation," replied the junior officer, "with
+the understanding that if the prospect is not satisfactory, I shall
+feel at liberty to go somewhere else."
+
+"That's the constitutional right of every American citizen."
+
+"I am not as far along in years as you, but I am old enough to feel
+that no person ought to fritter away the most valuable years of his
+life."
+
+And thus it was that the lieutenant went to New Constantinople and
+received the heartiest welcome from every one there. And yet among
+these citizens were two that had lately become partners and sharers of
+the same cabin, and who were oppressed with misgiving.
+
+"I tell you," said the parson late at night, when he and Wade Ruggles
+were smoking in their home, with no one near enough to overhear them;
+"Captain Dawson has made the mistake of his life."
+
+"How?"
+
+"In bringing Lieutenant Russell to New Constantinople."
+
+"I don't quite foller your meaning, parson."
+
+"Yes, you do; you understand it as well as myself."
+
+"I have a suspicion of it, but are you afraid to trust me?"
+
+"You ought to know better than to ask that."
+
+"Go ahead then and give me the partic'lars."
+
+"In the first place then, the lieutenant is young and good looking."
+
+"Unfortinitly there can't be any doubt of that."
+
+"Nellie Dawson has never seen a handsome young man----"
+
+"Exceptin' you and me, and we ain't as young as we once was."
+
+"She is now a young woman and ready to fall in love, and just at the
+right hour, or rather the very worst hour, the captain brings the man
+here."
+
+"You have spoke the exact thoughts I had in mind all along; you're
+right, parson."
+
+He would have been better pleased had Ruggles contradicted him. He did
+not wish to believe that which he could not help believing.
+
+"We must treat him well because the captain brings him and he has
+saved the captain's life, but, Wade, _we must watch them both
+close_."
+
+"I agree with you agin, but what shall we do if we find him making
+love to the little gal?"
+
+The parson's fierce reply showed how deeply his feelings were
+stirred.
+
+"Warn him just once!"
+
+"I feel as bad about it as you do, but, parson, I haven't forgot that
+afore the war broke out, and we was afeard the captain meant to take
+the gal away to have her eddycated, you told us it was none of our
+bus'ness and he had the right to do as he thought best with his own
+child."
+
+"All that was true at the time, but the conditions have changed."
+
+"_Now_ I can't foller you. 'Spose the captain is agreeable?"
+
+"He _won't_ be!" exclaimed Brush, who in the depth of his excitement
+added an exclamation which sounded perilously like profanity. But for
+the parson's intense earnestness, Ruggles would have quizzed him, but
+he pitied the man and at the same time was distressed himself.
+
+"I hope you're right, but I doubt it. We've all felt for a good while
+that sooner or later, we must lose the little one. Now that she's
+growed up, the captain may feel more than ever that she must be took
+off to some town where all the men ain't savages, and she can see some
+of her own kind."
+
+"If he puts it that way, we shall have to submit. He can take her
+where he wills, for my position is the same as four or five years ago,
+but nobody else must take her from among us."
+
+Ruggles's mood was now quite similar to that of his partner.
+
+"If I see anything wrong in the doings of that pretty faced young
+officer, I'll shoot him down like a mad dog."
+
+"So will I."
+
+The two were in the ugliest temper conceivable. They continued to
+smoke, but their meditations were tumultuous and revengeful. Each
+breast contained a strange disturbing secret that either would have
+died before confessing, but nevertheless, it was there and had taken
+ineradicable root within the past days and weeks.
+
+Felix Brush, as the reader knows, had been the instructor of Nellie
+Dawson from infancy. He was the medium through which she had gained an
+excellent book education. He had held many long confidential talks
+with her. She, in her trusting innocence, had told him more of her
+inmost thoughts, her self communings, her dim, vague aspirations, than
+she imparted to anyone else.
+
+And he could not but notice her wonderful budding beauty. Surely, he
+thought, such a winsome creature was never born. He had begun to ask
+himself in a whispered, startled way: "Why may I not possess this
+mountain flower? True, I am much her senior, but I will nourish,
+protect and defend her against the world, as no younger man could or
+would. She believes in my goodness, far more than I deserve. I will
+cultivate the affection within her of whose nature she has as yet no
+comprehension. By and by, when she is a few years older, perhaps I may
+claim her. More extraordinary things have happened and are happening
+every day. I have but to keep her uncontaminated from the world, of
+which I have told her so much, so that when she goes forth, she shall
+be under my guardianship--the most sacred guardianship of all for it
+shall be that of husband."
+
+"Aye," he added, his heart throbbing with the new, strange hope, "all
+this, please heaven, shall come to pass if things go on as they are,
+and no younger man with better looks crosses my path."
+
+And now that younger and better looking man had crossed his path.
+
+The knowledge seemed to rouse all the dormant resentment of his
+nature, and to undo the good that the girl herself had done in the
+years that were gone. He felt that if he lost her, if his cherished
+dream was to be rudely dissipated, he would go to perdition.
+
+And somewhat similar in range and nature were the communings of Wade
+Ruggles, who until this eventful evening, had cherished a hope, so
+wild, so ecstatic, so strange and so soul-absorbing that he hardly
+dared to admit it to himself. At times, he shrank back, terrified at
+his presumption, as does the man who has striven to seize and hold
+that which is unattainable and which it would be sacrilege for him to
+lay hands upon.
+
+"I'm three months younger than the parson," he would reflect when the
+more hopeful mood was upon him; "neither of us is in danger of being
+hung for our good looks, but I've got the bulge on him dead sure. I
+had too much in the way of whiskers to suit the little one, when I
+came back from the war; she wanted to see me as I was when I left;
+_why was that_?"
+
+After pausing for a reply, he continued:
+
+"So accordin' I trimmed 'em off and she says I'm better looking than
+ever, and what she says in Dead Man's Gulch and New Constantinople,
+goes. She meant it, too, as I could see by the sparkle of her eyes.
+
+"I went all through the war without swallerin' a mouthful of strong
+drink, even when the doctor ordered it. I've contrived, sort of
+accerdental and off hand like, to let her know them circumstances and
+I've seen it pleased her immense. I've been layin' out some of my
+money for clothes, too, since I got back. Vose bought me a coat in
+Sacramento, blue with brass buttons. I've had a necktie that has been
+laid away till the proper time comes to put it on. There are three or
+four yards of silk in it and it will knock a rainbow out of sight. I
+didn't want to overwhelm her too sudden like, and have been layin'
+back for the right occasion.
+
+"It's arriv! I must knock that leftenant out, and that necktie will do
+it! I'm mighty glad the parson hain't got any foolish dreams 'bout
+the gal. The leftenant is the only galoot I've got to look out for, or
+rather," added the miner grimly, "I'm the one he's got to beware of.
+I'm in dead earnest this time."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+YOUNG LOVE'S DREAM
+
+
+That which in the nature of things was inevitable came to pass.
+Lieutenant Russell, in the same moment that his eyes rested upon
+Nellie Dawson, was smitten, as hopelessly as ever ardent lover was
+smitten by the lady whom he worshiped. The many things which the
+father had told him about his daughter naturally excited interest in
+her, but the young officer never dreamed of looking upon such
+marvelous beauty as that which met his gaze in that secluded canyon of
+the Sierras. It required all his self-control from drawing attention
+to himself by his admiration of her.
+
+"I never saw such a perfect combination of face, feature and figure,"
+he reflected when alone. "It is an illustration of what nature can do
+when left to herself. Then, too, she has a fund of knowledge that is
+amazing, when all the circumstances are considered. I haven't had much
+chance to converse with her, but I heard enough to know that she would
+shine by virtue of her mind among the most accomplished of her
+sisters, who have had every advantage that civilization can give. She
+is a flower nourished on a mountain crag, exhaling all its fragrance,
+untainted by a poisonous breath from the outer world. Who would have
+dared to say that amid this rough, uncouth people, such loveliness
+could take root and nourish? And yet it is that loveliness which has
+permeated and regenerated the miners themselves. But for her these
+nights would be spent in drinking, roistering, fighting and carousing.
+It is her blessed influence, which unconsciously to herself has
+purified the springs of life. Like the little leaven she has leavened
+the whole lump."
+
+The passing days increased his interest in her, until very soon he
+confessed to himself that he was deeply in love with Nellie Dawson.
+She had become dearer to him than his own life. He could not live
+without the hope of gaining and possessing her. He would remain in New
+Constantinople and starve, even though a Golconda was discovered a few
+miles away. He would linger, hopeful, buoyant and believing that the
+dream of his existence was to be crowned with perfect fruition.
+
+But the sagacious lieutenant had learned to be observant and to note
+the most trifling things that escape the eyes of the majority of
+persons. Thus it was that the secret which Wade Ruggles and Parson
+Brush believed was hidden, each from everyone except himself, became
+as clear as noonday to him. He pitied them and yet he extracted a grim
+amusement from the fact.
+
+"They are hopelessly infatuated with her; they are excessively jealous
+and would rather shoot me than have me win. They are more than double
+her age, and yet they can see no incongruity in hoping to win her.
+They will hope on until the awakening comes. Then they will be my
+deadliest enemies. I shouldn't be surprised if I receive a call and
+warning from them, but neither they nor the whole world shall turn me
+from the prize which is more than all the gold, mined or unmined, in
+the Sierras."
+
+No one could have been more circumspect than the young man. He treated
+Nellie Dawson with the chivalrous respect of a Crusader of the olden
+time. He was always deferential, and, though he managed frequently to
+meet and chat with her, yet it invariably had the appearance of being
+accidental. Fortunately his feeling of comradeship for Captain Dawson
+gave him a legitimate pretext for spending many evenings in his cabin,
+where it was inevitable that he should be thrown into the society of
+the daughter.
+
+Wade Ruggles and the parson noted all this with growing resentment.
+When it had continued for several weeks, the two friends had a
+conference over the situation.
+
+"I tell you, parson, it won't do to wait any longer," observed
+Ruggles, puffing away at his pipe; "things is getting dangerous."
+
+"Do you think so?" asked his companion, who held precisely the same
+opinion, but disliked to admit it.
+
+"There isn't a particle of doubt of it."
+
+"Let me see,--we agreed to give him warning didn't we?--just once."
+
+"Yes,--it's only fair that you should let a man know afore you hit
+him, so he can brace himself for the shock, as it were."
+
+"Well, if we are going to do it, there is no use of waiting."
+
+"No use! It'll git worse every day. Let's go over to his place now."
+
+"It isn't likely we'll find him there; he spends nearly every evening
+in the cabin of Captain Dawson."
+
+Neither fancied the task, and, had not their feelings been so wrought
+up, they never could have been induced to undertake it, but because of
+their misgivings, nothing could have dissuaded them from their
+purpose.
+
+"When he comes to think soberly of it," added Ruggles, "he'll thank us
+for giving him warning in time. If we wait much longer, it might be
+too late; we couldn't scare him off the track, but now he'll show his
+sense by stopping at once."
+
+The two passed out of the house and walked to the cabin of Lieutenant
+Russell. Relieved, and yet in a certain sense dismayed, they found the
+young officer at home engaged in reading. The instant he saw and
+admitted them, he knew the errand on which they had come. Except for
+the grave question involved, that which followed would have been a
+delicious comedy. The lieutenant could not have treated a brother with
+greater cordiality and never did host shine more brilliantly. He fell
+to talking of war times, drew out Ruggles, interested the parson and
+gave some of his own stirring experiences. They remained two hours and
+went away charmed, without having once referred to Nellie Dawson. They
+voted the young man a good fellow, concluded they were mistaken about
+his admiring the young lady, and thought it lucky they had not made
+fools of themselves.
+
+When they were clear of the house, Lieutenant Russell laughed
+heartily.
+
+"Their faces gave them away; they were loaded and primed, but I drew
+their charges; to-night they will vote me one of the best fellows that
+ever lived; to-morrow they will begin to doubt, and by and by the
+sweetest privilege they can ask will be to shoot me."
+
+Perhaps the most curious feature of the tragical incidents that
+followed was the obtusiveness of Captain Dawson. What every one else
+saw was veiled from him, until at times he almost seemed wilfully
+blind. The two men had gone through many perilous experiences
+together, and sometimes alone. It had been the fortune of the younger
+officer to serve the elder, more than once when in imminent danger
+and none could be more grateful than the captain.
+
+As for Nellie Dawson herself, it is unlikely that for a time she
+suspected the truth in all its fulness. She knew that hers was a
+peculiarly sweet enjoyment, while her deft fingers were busy with some
+needlework, to listen to the reminiscences of the two. Sometimes she
+started with a shock of alarm, when the father pictured in his graphic
+way a situation from which it seemed no escape was open to him.
+Forgetful for the moment of the fact that he was there before her,
+alive and well, she fairly held her breath, until the _denouement_
+came. Not until then were her fears wholly relieved.
+
+And when the parent rendered such glowing tributes to the bravery of
+the young officer, recalling events of so thrilling a nature that the
+lieutenant never would have dared to describe them in similar terms,
+how could the daughter help the kindling of admiration for the
+handsome young man? How could she avoid feeling grateful, when she
+knew that he had risked his life for her parent, even on their late
+journey through the mountains? In truth, everything tended to fan the
+flame that had already been kindled in both hearts.
+
+It was late one night, after the tired Nellie had withdrawn, that the
+visitor made her the subject of the conversation, the approach being
+so tactful, that the captain had no suspicion of its object.
+
+"Do you intend to spend all your life in this out of the way corner of
+the world?" was the question of the lieutenant.
+
+"Probably I shall. Just before I went to war, I became convinced that
+my duty to my daughter demanded I should move to the East, in order to
+give her the education she can never receive here. However, when I
+went to the war, there was no place except this where I could leave
+her. When I come back, I find her a young woman, with excellent book
+knowledge, thanks to Brush and the kind attention of the others.
+Sometimes I think that she is so innocent and ignorant of evil, that
+it will be better for her to spend the rest of her life here."
+
+"It is a serious matter, but neither you nor she should be content to
+remain in this place for the rest of your lives."
+
+"Why not? Does that which she can learn elsewhere outweigh that which
+she will never learn in this secluded settlement? Is not the man or
+woman fortunate who never comes face to face with the ingratitude, the
+treachery, the selfishness, the baseness and the sin which are the
+accompaniments of civilization? In this untainted mountain air, her
+nature will retain its freshness and purity; her life will be a well
+spring of happiness and goodness to all with whom she comes in
+contact; I shall never marry, and mean to keep her by me until in the
+order of nature I am called away. That is the only boon that I ask
+from heaven."
+
+"But may not all this be hers and yours if the flower is transplanted
+from the wilderness into a more congenial soil? Has she not already
+acquired that rugged strength which renders her nature secure against
+evil? Is she not doubly panoplied in goodness by the training of her
+infancy and girlhood?"
+
+"I would like to think so, but, lieutenant, I have lived a few years
+longer than you. She _might_ not be safe there; I _know_ she is
+here."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+THE THUNDERBOLT
+
+
+Lieutenant Russell was treading on delicate ground, where the utmost
+caution was necessary. He must not alarm his friend. He smoked a few
+minutes in silence.
+
+"It is not for me to give counsel to my captain, but is it not a fact
+that selfishness grows upon us with advancing years?"
+
+"Very likely."
+
+"Has it occurred to you that in concluding to pass the remainder of
+your days in this mining settlement, you are thinking more of yourself
+than of your child?"
+
+"What have I said that warrants that question?" asked the captain
+sharply.
+
+"No higher motive than to protect a daughter from harm can inspire a
+father, but if she should be allowed to close your eyes, when you come
+to lie down and die, it will be hers to live: what _then_?"
+
+"I shall leave her comfortably provided for. My pay amounted to a
+goodly sum when the war ended, and it is placed where no one else can
+reap the benefit of it. Then, too, as you know we have struck
+considerable paying dirt of late. The prospects are that New
+Constantinople, even if a small town, will soon be a rich one."
+
+Lieutenant Russell groaned in spirit. Would the parent never
+understand him?
+
+"Then you expect her to remain here, sharing in all the vicissitudes
+of the place? It cannot always stand still; it will either increase,
+bringing with it many bad elements, or it will cease to exist and
+these people will have to go elsewhere: what then of the child whom
+you have left behind you?"
+
+"Oh, by that time," airily replied the father; "she will be married to
+some good honest fellow, like the parson, who seems to be fond of her,
+as I know she is of him, but I will not allow her to think of marriage
+for a long while to come," he added with emphasis.
+
+Lieutenant Russell had heard all he wished. He had learned that the
+father would not consent to the marriage of his daughter for a number
+of years, and when that time came, he would select one of the shaggy,
+uncouth miners for her life partner.
+
+"He has never thought of _me_ in that capacity, but he will have to
+entertain the thought before he is much older."
+
+In her dreamings of the mysterious world, with its teeming multitudes
+and all manner of men, Nellie Dawson was sure that none lived who
+could compare with this young cavalier who had come out from that
+wonderful realm into the loneliness of her mountain home, bringing
+with him a sunshine, a glow, a radiance, a happiness, and a thrilling
+life which she had never believed could be hers.
+
+She often sat with her eyes upon his countenance, when, in his chair
+opposite her father, he recalled those marvelous experiences of his.
+To her no man could ever possess so musical a voice, and none so
+perfect features and winning ways. It was young love's dream and in
+her heart the sacred flame was kindled and fanned until her whole
+being was suffused and glowed with the new life.
+
+One of Lieutenant Russell's firsts acts of kindness to Nellie Dawson
+was to present her with his massive dog Timon. She had shown great
+admiration from the first for the magnificent brute, who became fond
+of her. The maiden was delighted beyond measure and thanked the donor
+so effusively that he was embarrassed. It is not probable, however,
+that Timon himself was ever aware of the change of ownership, for it
+brought no change of conditions to him. He had learned to divide his
+time about equally between the home of the lieutenant and that of
+Captain Dawson, while, like the young lady herself, he wandered about
+the settlement at will. He was a dignified canine, who stalked
+solemnly through New Constantinople, or took a turn in Dead Man's
+Gulch, resenting all familiarity from every one, except from the only
+two persons that had ever owned him.
+
+The lieutenant reflected much upon his conversation with Captain
+Dawson, the impression which he had received being anything but
+pleasant. "He considers himself unselfish, and yet like all such he is
+selfishness itself. He has determined to spend the rest of his days in
+this hole and to keep her with him. He won't allow her to marry for
+years, because it might interfere with his own pleasure; then he
+intends to turn her over to that lank, shaggy-faced Brush, who
+pretends to be a parson. The captain never thinks of _me_ as having
+any claims upon her love. To carry out his plan would be a crime. If
+she objects to Brush, he will probably give her a choice from the
+whole precious lot, including Ruggles, Adams, Bidwell, or Red Mike,
+the reformed gambler.
+
+"Never once has he asked himself whether his daughter may not have a
+preference in the matter, but, with the help of heaven, he shall not
+carry out this outrage."
+
+In the solitude of his own thoughts, the lover put the question to
+himself:
+
+"Am _I_ unselfish in my intentions?"
+
+Selfishness is the essence of love. We resolve to obtain the one upon
+whom our affections are set, regardless of the consequences or of the
+future. It is _our_ happiness which is placed in the balance and
+outweighs everything else.
+
+"Of course," continued the young officer in his self-communing, "I
+shall be the luckiest fellow in the world when I win her and she will
+be a happy woman. Therefore, it is her good which I seek as much as my
+own."
+
+How characteristic of the lover!
+
+"I shall not abduct her. If she tells me she does not love me; if she
+refuses to forsake all for me, then I will bid her good-by and go off
+and die."
+
+How characteristic again of the lover!
+
+And yet it may be repeated that Lieutenant Russell was the most
+guarded and circumspect of men. He no longer argued with Captain
+Dawson, for it was useless. He rather lulled his suspicion by falling
+in with his views, and talked of the future of parent and daughter, as
+if it were one of the least interesting subjects that could come
+between them.
+
+On one of Vose Adams's pilgrimages to Sacramento, he returned with a
+superb mettled pony, the gift of Lieutenant Russell. With this pet she
+soon became a daring and accomplished horsewoman. She was an expert,
+too, with the small Winchester and revolver which her father brought
+with him from the East. Perched like a bird upon her own Cap, as she
+named him, she often dashed for a mile down the trail, wheeling like
+a flash and returning at full speed.
+
+"Have a care," said Parson Brush, more than once; "you ride like a
+centaur and none knows better how to use firearms, but there are
+Indians in these mountains and they sometimes approach nigh enough to
+be seen from New Constantinople. Then, too, your father brought word
+that other miners are working their way toward us. More than likely
+there are bad men among them whom it is best you should not meet."
+
+"But none would harm _me_," was the wondering reply of the miss; "are
+not all of my own race my friends?"
+
+"They ought to be, but alas! it is too much to expect."
+
+She could not believe, however, that any danger of that nature
+threatened her, but she deferred to the fears of her father,
+Lieutenant Russell and the parson to that extent that she generally
+had a companion with her on these dashes down the trail. Sometimes it
+was Brush, sometimes Ruggles or her parent, and less frequently the
+young officer. Timon always galloped or trotted behind her pony, and
+she could not be made to believe that his protection was not
+all-sufficient.
+
+The winds of early autumn were moaning through the gorges and canyons
+of the Sierras, bringing with them the breath of coming winter, which
+was often felt with all its Arctic rigor in these depressions among
+the towering peaks and ridges. The usual group was gathered in the
+Heavenly Bower, though two of the most prominent citizens were absent.
+They were Felix Brush and Wade Ruggles, who were seated in their
+cabin, where a small fire had been kindled on the primitive hearth and
+afforded the only light in the small apartment. They had eaten their
+evening meal and as usual were smoking.
+
+As neither cared to taste the Mountain Dew, so winsome to a majority
+of the miners, the two often spent their evenings thus, especially
+since the shadow caused by the coming of Lieutenant Russell had fallen
+across their threshold.
+
+"Things begin to look better than afore," remarked Ruggles, sitting
+with one leg flung across the other and looking thoughtfully into the
+fire.
+
+"Yes, I always insisted that the soil about here is auriferous and we
+had only to stick to it to obtain our reward."
+
+Ruggles took his pipe from his mouth and looked at his partner with a
+disgusted expression.
+
+"What are you talkin' 'bout, parson?"
+
+"Didn't you refer to the diggings?" he innocently asked in turn.
+
+"Come now, that won't do; you know my references to allusions was the
+leftenant and the young lady. I say things look better as regards the
+same."
+
+"In what way?"
+
+"In the only way there could be. They don't care partic'lar for each
+other."
+
+"There is no doubt they did some time ago."
+
+"Of course, but I mean _now_."
+
+"How do you explain the change, Wade?"
+
+"The chap ain't a fool; he's took notice of our warnin's."
+
+"I wasn't aware that we had given him any."
+
+"Not 'zactly in words, but every time I've met him with the gal, I
+give the leftenant a scowl. Once I come purty near shakin' my fist at
+him; he's obsarved it all and is wise in time."
+
+"I think there is ground for what you say," remarked the parson,
+anxious to be convinced of the hoped-for fact; "what I base my belief
+on is that the leftenant doesn't accompany her on her little riding
+trips as often as her father or you or I: _that_ is a sure barometer,
+according to my judgment. Still I have sometimes feared from the way
+she talks and acts that she thinks more of him than is right."
+
+"Nothing of the kind! She treats him as she does everybody else; the
+leftenant is the friend of the cap and the leftenant give her the dog
+that is the size of a meetin' house and the pony hardly as big as the
+dog, but she doesn't think half as much of him as of you and me; how
+can she?" demanded Ruggles, sitting bolt upright and spreading his
+hand like a lawyer who has uttered an unanswerable argument; "hain't
+she knowed us a blamed sight longer than him?"
+
+"You are correct; I didn't think of that."
+
+How eagerly we accept the argument, flimsy as it may be, which accords
+with our wishes!
+
+"When I feel sorter ugly over my 'spicions," continued Ruggles; "I
+jest reflect that we've knowed the gal ever since she was a baby and
+her father tumbled down a hundred feet onto the roof of the
+Heavenly Bower, with her in his arms in the middle of that howlin'
+blizzard,--when I think of that I say----"
+
+The door of the cabin was hastily shoved inward and Captain Dawson,
+his face as white as death, strode in.
+
+"Have you seen anything of Nellie?" he asked in a husky whisper.
+
+"No; what's the matter?" asked the startled miners.
+
+"She has gone! she has left me!" gasped the father dropping into the
+only remaining chair, the picture of despair and unutterable woe.
+
+"Why do you think that?" asked the parson, sympathetically.
+
+"Lieutenant Russell has gone too! They have fled together!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+COMRADES IN SORROW
+
+
+Wade Ruggles and Parson Brush sprang to their feet and confronted the
+white-faced Captain Dawson, who stared at them and breathed fast. For
+a full minute they gazed into one another's faces, dazed, motionless
+and speechless. The partners stood, each with pipe in hand, the faint
+smoke curling upward from the bowls, their slouched hats still on
+their frowsy heads, the revolvers at their cartridge belts spanning
+their waists, their trousers tucked in the tops of their boots, and
+with their heavy flannel shirts serving for coats and vests.
+
+Captain Dawson was similarly attired. He had dashed out of his own
+cabin and into that of his friends, his long locks flying, and even
+the strands of his heavy beard rigidly apart, as if from the
+consternation that had taken possession of his very soul.
+
+In those seconds of tomb-like stillness, an ember on the earthen
+hearth fell apart and a twist of flame threw a yellow illumination
+through the small room, grim and bare of everything suggesting
+luxury.
+
+It was the parson who first found voice, but when he spoke the tones,
+even to himself, sounded like those of another person.
+
+"Captain, it is possible that there is some mistake about this."
+
+"Would to God there might be!"
+
+"Let us hope there is."
+
+"Mistake!" he repeated in a husky, rasping voice; "can there be any
+mistake about _that_?"
+
+He threw out his single arm as he spoke, as if he would drive his fist
+through their chests. But he held a crumpled bit of paper in the face
+of the parson, who silently took it from him, crinkled it apart and
+turning his side so that the firelight fell on the sheet, began
+reading the few words written in pencil and in the pretty delicate
+hand which he knew so well.
+
+"Read it out loud, parson," said Ruggles, speaking for the first
+time.
+
+Felix Brush did so in a voice of surprising evenness:
+
+  "MY DEAREST FATHER:--I have decided to go with Lieutenant Russell.
+  We love each other and I have promised to become his wife. Do not
+  think I love you any less for that can never be. I cannot remain
+  here. You will hear from us soon and then I pray that you will
+  come to your own
+
+                                                            NELLIE."
+
+"Have you been to his shanty?" asked Ruggles, who hardly comprehended
+the meaning of his own words.
+
+"Why would he go there?" angrily demanded the parson.
+
+"Mebbe the villain changed his mind."
+
+"But, if he had, _she_ would not be there."
+
+"Yes; I went to his cabin," bitterly answered Captain Dawson; "he has
+not been in the place for hours; all is dark and deserted; if I found
+him, I would have killed him."
+
+The three were laboring under fearful emotion, but with surprising
+power forced themselves to seem comparatively calm.
+
+"Captain, tell us about it," said the parson, carefully folding the
+bit of paper upon itself and shoving it into his pocket, unobserved by
+the others.
+
+Despite his apparent calmness it took a few moments for the father to
+gain sufficient self-control to speak clearly. Seated in the chair, he
+looked into the embers of the fire on the hearth, compressed his lips
+and breathed hard. His two friends had also seated themselves, for it
+seemed to them it was easier to master their agitation thus than while
+upon their feet.
+
+"What have I to tell, but my everlasting woe and shame? The lieutenant
+and I have been working for several days by ourselves on a new lead. I
+had noticed nothing unusual in his manner nor indeed in that of my
+child. At lunch time to-day he complained to me of not feeling like
+work, and told me not to expect him back this afternoon. I would have
+returned with him, had not the indications of the new lead been so
+good. And actually he invited me to do no more work until to-morrow,
+though why he should have done it, when it would have spoiled their
+whole scheme, is more than I can explain.
+
+"It was part of his plan to deceive you."
+
+"I don't see how it could do that, for there was no need of his
+inviting me,--but let it go. It came about that I worked later than
+usual, so that it was dark when I got home. I was surprised to see no
+light and to find no fire or Nellie. I thought nothing of that,
+however, for who would have believed it possible that there could be
+anything wrong? I supposed she was with some of the folks and being
+tired I sat down in my chair and fell asleep.
+
+"When I awoke, the room was cold, silent and as dark as a wolf's
+mouth. I felt impatient and decided to give her a scolding for being
+so neglectful. I groped around until I found a match, intending to
+start a fire. I had just lit the lamp and set it down on the table,
+when I caught sight of a folded piece of paper with my name in her
+handwriting on the outside. It gave me a queer feeling and my hands
+trembled when I unfolded and read it.
+
+"I don't clearly remember the next few minutes. The room seemed to be
+spinning around, and I think I had to sit down to keep from falling,
+but what saved me from collapse was my anger. I have been consumed
+with indignation once or twice in my life, but was never so furious,
+so uncontrollable, so utterly savage as I was after reading that note.
+If I could have found Russell, I would have throttled him. It may
+sound strange, but I hardly once thought of Nellie; it was _he_, the
+villain, whom I yearned to get my hands on."
+
+"Of course," said Ruggles, "that's the way you oughter feel."
+
+"I don't know what possessed me to do so, but I rushed out and made
+straight for his cabin, as if I would find him there. Of course that
+too was empty, and then I came here. Fool that I have been!" exclaimed
+the parent, leaping to his feet and striding up and down the room;
+"not to see all this, but," he added pathetically, "I believed that
+Nellie loved me."
+
+The flaming wrath of the two melted into pity for the stricken father.
+Parson Brush laid his hand on his shoulder and compelled him to resume
+his seat. Then he spoke with the tenderness of a woman:
+
+"That child _does_ love you more than she loves her own life, but she
+is blinded by her infatuation for that smooth-tongued scoundrel. It is
+the nature of her sex to feel and act thus; but, as I said, it does
+not mean that her love for you is less--"
+
+"Don't talk of her love for me," fiercely interrupted the parent; "we
+only judge of a person by his actions."
+
+"But you and I have made mistakes--"
+
+"Nothing like this; why did she not ask me? why did _he_ not tell me
+that he wished to marry her?--that is if he does," added the father,
+as if determined to make his own cup as bitter as possible.
+
+"He did not ask you, because he knew you would refuse; for from the
+first time he entered this community, he was determined to have her."
+
+"How do you know that?"
+
+"Because Ruggles and I read him; we did what no one else did,--we
+measured the man. Am I right, Wade?"
+
+The miner nodded his head.
+
+"Every word is as true as gospel; we noticed his sly looks at her,
+that first night you and him entered the Heavenly Bower and she was
+there. We couldn't make any mistake about it."
+
+"And you didn't warn me! You two are as bad as he, because you kept
+the secret when you ought to have put me on my guard, so that I might
+have strangled him at the first advance he made."
+
+Sympathy for the man prevented his listeners taking offence at
+the words which, from any one else, would have brought serious
+consequences. The parson said soothingly:
+
+"If you were not so wrought up, captain, you would not be so
+unreasonable; suppose Wade and I had gone to you with the statement
+that the man who, according to your own words, had saved your life but
+a short time before in the mountains, was a villain, who contemplated
+robbing you of your child; what would you have done?"
+
+"Thanked you and been on my guard."
+
+"You would have done nothing of the kind; you would have cursed us and
+told us to mind our own business."
+
+"No matter what I would have done, it was your duty to tell me,
+regardless of the consequences to yourselves. I might have resented
+it, but my eyes would have been opened and this blow saved me."
+
+"Nothing could have opened your eyes, for you were blind," said the
+parson, who felt that though the man was intensely agitated, he ought
+to hear some plain truths; "even had you suspected there was ground
+for our fears, you would have gone to Lieutenant Russell and demanded
+an explanation. He would have denied it, and you would have believed
+him with the result that he would have been put on his guard and would
+have deceived you the more completely."
+
+"Likewise, as aforesaid," added Ruggles, "the villain would have come
+to us and made us give our grounds for our charges. What ridic'lous
+fools we would have been, when all we could answer was that we
+thought he looked as if he meant to run away with your darter."
+
+"There may be some justice in what you say," replied the captain more
+composedly; "It was I who was blind, but I can't understand it. Never
+until I read that piece of paper, did I suspect the truth."
+
+"Howsumever, the parson and me haven't been idle; we often talked it
+over and fixed on a line that we thought would work better than going
+to you. We showed the leftenant that we was onto his game; I give him
+a scowl now and then, as it fell convenient, that said 'Beware!' We,
+that is the parson and me, made up our minds to watch close, and, at
+the first sign that was dead sure, we'd fall onto him like a couple of
+mountains."
+
+"And why didn't you?"
+
+"He fooled us as he did you. We was talkin' over matters the very
+minute you busted into the door and was satisfied that he had larned
+he was playin' with fire and had concluded to drop it. We was as big
+fools as you."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+NOW
+
+
+It was the parson who now broke in.
+
+"Why do we sit here, lamenting that which cannot be helped? Do you
+mean to give up, captain, and let her go? Will you settle down to
+toil in the diggings, giving her no further thought, while this
+pretty-faced lieutenant is chuckling over the clever manner by which
+he fooled you as well as us--"
+
+"No!" fairly shouted the roused parent; "I will follow them to the
+ends of the earth! They shall not find a foot of ground that will
+protect them! She has never seen me angry, but she shall now!"
+
+"We are with you," coolly responded Brush, "but only on one
+condition."
+
+"What's that?"
+
+"That this account is to be settled with _him_ alone; you musn't speak
+so much as a cross word to Nellie; she will shed many a bitter tear of
+sorrow; she will drain the cup to its dregs; _he_, the cause of it
+all, is to be brought to judgment. When do you wish to take up the
+pursuit?"
+
+"Now!"
+
+"And we are with you."
+
+There was something wonderful in the way Parson Brush kept control of
+himself. Externally he was as calm as when standing in front of the
+adamantine blackboard, giving instruction to Nellie Dawson, while down
+deep in his heart, raged a tempest such as rouses into life the
+darkest passions that can nerve a man to wrong doing. Believing it
+necessary to stir the father to action, he had done it by well chosen
+words, that could not have been more effective.
+
+For weeks and months the shadow had brooded over him. Sometimes it
+seemed to lift and dissolve into unsubstantiality, only to come back
+more baleful than before. And the moment when he had about persuaded
+himself that it was but a figment of the imagination, it had sprung
+into being and crushed him. But he was now stern, remorseless,
+resolute, implacable.
+
+It was much the same with Wade Ruggles. He strove desperately to gain
+the remarkable control of his feelings, displayed by his comrade, and
+partly succeeded. But there was a restless fidgeting which caused him
+to move aimlessly about the room and showed itself now and then in a
+slight tremulousness of the voice and hands, but his eyes wore that
+steely glitter, which those at his side had noticed when the rumble
+and grumble told that the battle was on.
+
+Captain Dawson went from one extreme to the other. Crazed, tumultuous
+in his fury, and at first like a baffled tiger, he moderated his voice
+and manner until his companions wondered at his self-poise.
+
+"They have started for Sacramento and are now well advanced over the
+trail," he remarked without any evidence of excitement.
+
+"When do you imagine they set out?" asked Brush.
+
+"Probably about the middle of the afternoon; possibly earlier."
+
+"Then," said Ruggles, "they have a good six hours' start. They haven't
+lost any time and must be fifteen or twenty miles away."
+
+"The trail is easy traveling for twice that distance, as I recollect
+it," observed the captain; "after that it grows rougher and they will
+not be able to go so fast."
+
+"This must have been arranged several days ago, though it is only
+guesswork on our part. Of course she has taken considerable clothing
+with her."
+
+"I did not look into her room," said the captain; "there's no use; it
+is enough to know they made their preparations and started,
+accompanied by that dog Timon."
+
+No time was wasted. They knew they would encounter cold weather, for
+the autumn had fairly set in, and some portions of the trail carried
+them to an elevation where it was chilly in midsummer. Each took a
+thick blanket. The captain donned his military coat, with the empty
+sleeve pinned to the breast, caught up his saddle and trappings, his
+Winchester and revolver, and buckled the cartridge belt around his
+waist. Then he was ready. Neither of the others took coat or vest. The
+blanket flung around the shoulders was all that was likely to be
+needed, in addition to the heavy flannel shirt worn summer and
+winter.
+
+Thus equipped, the three stood outside the cabin, with the moon high
+in the sky, a gentle wind sweeping up the canyon and loose masses of
+clouds drifting in front of the orb of night. Here and there a light
+twinkled from a shanty and the hum of voices sounded faintly in their
+ears. Further off, at the extreme end of the settlement, stood the
+Heavenly Bower, with the yellow rays streaming from its two windows.
+They could picture the group gathered there, as it had gathered night
+after night during the past years, full of jest and story, and with
+never a thought of the tragedy that had already begun.
+
+"Shall we tell them?" asked Ruggles.
+
+"No," answered Brush; "some of them might wish to go with us."
+
+"And it might be well to take them," suggested Captain Dawson.
+
+"We are enough," was the grim response of the parson.
+
+Like so many phantoms, the men moved toward the further end of the
+settlement. Opposite the last shanty a man assumed form in the gloom.
+He had just emerged from his dwelling and stopped abruptly at sight of
+the trio of shadows gliding past.
+
+"What's up, pards?" he called.
+
+"Nothing," was the curt answer of the captain, who was leading and did
+not change his pace.
+
+"You needn't be so huffy about it," growled the other, standing still
+and puffing his pipe until they vanished.
+
+"That was Vose Adams," remarked the captain over his shoulder; "he'll
+tell the rest what he saw and it will be known to everybody in the
+morning."
+
+The little party was carefully descending the side of the canyon, with
+now and then a partial stumble, until they reached the bottom of the
+broad valley where the grass grew luxuriantly nearly the whole year.
+It was nutritious and succulent and afforded the best of pasturage for
+the few horses and mules belonging to the miners.
+
+Captain Dawson and Lieutenant Russell had ridden up the trail, each
+mounted on a fine steed, which had brought them from Sacramento. When
+the saddles and bridles were removed, the animals were turned loose in
+the rich pasturage, which extended for miles over the bottom of the
+canyon. There, too, grazed the pony of Nellie Dawson, the horses of
+Ruggles and Bidwell and the three mules owned by Landlord Ortigies
+and Vose Adams. The latter were left to themselves, except when needed
+for the periodical journeys to Sacramento. The little drove
+constituted all the possessions of New Constantinople in that line.
+Consequently, if any more of the miners wished to join in the pursuit,
+they would have to do so on foot or on mule back,--a fact which was
+likely to deter most of them.
+
+In the early days of the settlement, before the descent of that
+terrible blizzard, fully a dozen mules and horses were grazing in the
+gorge, subject to the call of their owners, who, however, did not
+expect to need them, unless they decided to remove to some other site.
+But one morning every hoof had vanished and was never seen again. The
+prints of moccasins, here and there in the soft earth, left no doubt
+of the cause of their disappearance. Perhaps this event had something
+to do with the permanence of New Constantinople, since the means of a
+comfortable departure with goods, chattels, tools and mining
+implements went off with the animals.
+
+After that the miners made no further investments in quadrupeds,
+except to the extent of three or four mules, needed by Vose Adams,
+though he was forced to make one journey to Sacramento on foot. Thus
+matters stood until the addition of the horses. There was always
+danger of their being stolen, but as the weeks and months passed,
+without the occurrence of anything of that nature, the matter was
+forgotten.
+
+The three men were so familiar with the surroundings that they made
+their way to the bottom of the canyon with as much readiness as if the
+sun were shining. Pausing beside the narrow, winding stream, which at
+that season was no more than a brook, they stood for several minutes
+peering here and there in the gloom, for the animals indispensable for
+a successful pursuit of the eloping ones.
+
+"There's no saying how long it will take to find them," remarked the
+captain impatiently; "it may be they have been grazing a mile away."
+
+"Have you any signal which your animal understands?"
+
+"Yes, but it is doubtful if he will obey it."
+
+Captain Dawson placed his fingers between his lips and emitted a
+peculiar tremulous whistle, repeating it three times with much
+distinctness. Then all stood silent and listening.
+
+"He may be asleep. Once he was prompt to obey me, but he has been
+turned loose so long that there is little likelihood of his heeding
+it."
+
+"Try it again and a little stronger," suggested Ruggles.
+
+The captain repeated the call until it seemed certain the animal must
+hear it, but all the same, the result was nothing.
+
+It was exasperating for the hounds thus to be held in leash when the
+game was speeding from them, with the scent warm, but there was no
+help for it.
+
+"We are wasting time," said Dawson; "while you two go up the gorge, I
+will take the other direction; look sharp for the animals that are
+probably lying down; they are cunning and will not relish being
+disturbed; if you find them whistle, and I'll do the same."
+
+They separated, the captain following one course and his friends the
+other.
+
+"It'll be a bad go," remarked Ruggles, "if we don't find the horses,
+for we won't have any show against them on their animals."
+
+"Little indeed and yet it will not hold us back."
+
+"No, indeed!" replied Ruggles with a concentration of passion that
+made the words seem to hiss between his teeth.
+
+Since the stream was so insignificant, Wade Ruggles leaped across and
+went up the canyon on the other side, his course being parallel with
+his friend's. A hundred yards further and he made a discovery.
+
+"Helloa, Brush, here they are!"
+
+The parson bounded over the brook and hurried to his side, but a
+disappointment followed. The three mules having cropped their fill had
+lain down for the night but the horses were not in sight.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+THE PURSUERS
+
+
+The parson expressed his disappointment in vigorous language, when,
+instead of the horses, the hybrids proved to be the only animals near
+them.
+
+"I am afraid this proves one thing," he said.
+
+"What is that?"
+
+"I have had a dread all along that the Indians would run off the
+horses, but it seems to me that if they had done so, they would have
+taken the mules."
+
+"It strikes me as more likely that the leftenant took the horses, so
+as to prevent our follering him and the gal."
+
+"That sounds reasonable," said the parson thoughtfully; "the plan is
+so simple that it must have occurred to him. The mules are too slow to
+be of any use to us, and it may be as well that we shall have to go
+afoot."
+
+"How do you figure that out?"
+
+"They will conclude that, if we haven't any horses, we won't follow
+them; they will, therefore, take their time and travel so slow, that
+we'll have the chance to swoop down on them when they are not
+expecting it."
+
+"I s'pose there's what you call philosophy in that, but it doesn't hit
+me very favorable. We'll see what the cap thinks--helloa!"
+
+Clearly and distinctly through the still air came the signal by which
+Captain Dawson was to announce his discovery of the animals. The call
+scattered all thoughts of making the journey on foot, and, wheeling
+about, the two started off at a rapid pace to join their friend. At
+the same moment the call sounded again, and they answered it to let it
+be known they understood the situation. In a brief time they came upon
+Captain Dawson impatiently awaiting them. There was no need for him to
+tell them he had been successful in his search, for he was standing
+beside the three horses, which were quickly saddled and bridled. A
+minute later the men vaulted upon their backs and the captain said
+crisply:
+
+"Now we are off!"
+
+Each seemed to be inspired by the spirit of adventure. They sat erect
+in the saddles, drew in a deep inhalation of the keen night air, and
+moved off with their horses on a brisk walk, which almost immediately
+became a canter. For a mile, the trail through Dead Man's Gulch was
+nearly as hard and even as a country highway. The width of the canyon
+varied from a few rods to a quarter of a mile, with the mountain
+ridges on either hand towering far up into cloudland, the tallest
+peaks crowned with snow which the sun never dissolved.
+
+The tiny stream wound like a silvery serpent through the stretch of
+green, succulent grass, narrowing gorge and obtruding rock and
+boulder. Now and then the path led across the water, which was so
+shallow that it only plashed about the fetlocks of the horses. Captain
+Dawson, in his impetuosity, kept a few paces in front of the other
+two, as if he were the leader. When the space increased too much he
+reined up his animal and waited until his friends joined him. They
+were grim, resolute and for most of the time had little to say to one
+another, though, as may be supposed, their thoughts were of anything
+but a pleasant nature.
+
+So long as the moon held her place near the zenith, the canyon was
+suffused and flooded with its soft radiance, but the rifts of clouds
+drifting before its face rendered the light at times treacherous and
+uncertain. The horses had rested so long, and had had such extensive
+browsing on the rich pasturage, that they were in fine condition, and
+the gallop seemed more grateful to them than an ordinary walking gait.
+The air was cool and the fine trail, at this portion of the journey,
+made all the conditions favorable. After a time however, the ascent
+and descent would appear, the ground would become rough and the best
+the animals could do would be to walk.
+
+When Parson Brush remarked that Lieutenant Russell had proved himself
+an idiot when he left these horses behind for his pursuers to use, the
+captain and Ruggles agreed with him.
+
+"I don't understand it," said Brush; "he must have expected we would
+be hot after him, within the very hour we learned of what he had done,
+or can it be that he and she concluded we would say, 'Depart in
+peace?' If so, the young man shall have a terrible awakening."
+
+"It seems to me," said Ruggles, "that it is more likely he believed
+that with the start he would gain, it didn't matter whether we
+follered or not, feelin' sure that he could keep out of reach and get
+to Sacramento so fur ahead of us, that he needn't give us a thought."
+
+"I am not very familiar with the trail," remarked the captain, "for,
+as you know, I have passed over it only twice; first, nearly five
+years ago, when I went to the war, and a few months since when I came
+back."
+
+"But you and Russell did not lose your way," said the parson.
+
+"That was because we did our traveling by day. We tried it once at
+night, but came within a hair of tumbling over a precipice a thousand
+feet deep. This will be easy enough, so long as we have the sun to
+help us."
+
+"You probably know as much about the trail as Wade and I, for neither
+of us has been over it often. Consequently, when we travel by night,
+we shall have to go it blind, or rather shall do so after awhile,
+since all is plain sailing now."
+
+"I ain't so sure of that," observed Ruggles doubtfully; "we must have
+come a mile already and ought to have made a turn by this time."
+
+Captain Dawson checked his horse and peered ahead.
+
+"Can it be we are off the track? We have come nearer two miles than
+one--ah!"
+
+Just then the moon emerged from the obscuring clouds and their field
+of vision so broadened that they saw themselves face to face with an
+impassable barrier. The canyon closed directly in front of them like an
+immense gate of stone. It was impossible to advance a hundred feet
+further.
+
+"Well, I'm blessed if this isn't a pretty situation!" exclaimed the
+captain.
+
+"We have passed the opening, but we haven't far to return, and you
+know that a bad beginning brings a good ending."
+
+"Humph! I would rather chance it on a good beginning."
+
+Ruggles was the first to wheel and strike his horse into a gallop,
+which he did with the remark that he knew where the right passage was
+located. His companions were almost beside him. The canyon was of that
+peculiar conformation that, while it terminated directly in front, it
+contained an abrupt angle between where the party had halted and the
+mining settlement. At that point it was so wide that the little
+stream, which might have served for a guide, was lost sight of. Had
+they followed the brook, they would not have gone astray. The only
+inconvenience was the slight delay, which in their restless mood tried
+their spirits to the utmost. Captain Dawson muttered to himself and
+urged his horse so angrily that he again placed himself in advance.
+His mood was no more savage than that of his companions, but he chafed
+at everything which caused delay, no matter how trifling, in the
+pursuit.
+
+Fearing that he might go wrong, Ruggles spurred up beside him. The
+distance passed was less than any one expected it to be, when Ruggles
+called out:
+
+"Here we are!"
+
+The exclamation was caused by the hoofs of their horses plashing in
+the water. They seemed to share the impatience of their riders; "all
+we have to do now is to keep to the stream; obsarve its turn."
+
+Its course was almost at right angles to that which they had been
+following. The animals were cantering easily, when suddenly a deeper
+gloom than usual overspread the valley like a pall. This came from a
+heavy bank of clouds sweeping before the moon. The steeds were drawn
+down to a walk, but the obscurity was not dense enough to shut out the
+chasm-like opening, where the mountains seemed to part, riven by some
+terrific convulsion ages before. The enormous walls drew back the door
+as if to invite them to enter and press the pursuit of the couple that
+were fleeing from a just and righteous wrath.
+
+The width of the canyon had now dwindled to a few yards, and the stream
+expanding and shallow, occupied so much of the space that the horses
+were continually splashing through it, but the rise and fall of the
+trail was so slight that the gallop might have continued with little
+danger of mishap.
+
+The formation of the party was in "Indian file," with Captain Dawson
+leading, Ruggles next and Brush bringing up the rear. All three
+animals were walking, for the light of the moon was variable and often
+faint, while the danger of a mis-step was ever present, and was likely
+to bring a fatal ending of the pursuit almost before it had fairly
+begun. Occasionally the gloom in the narrow gorge was so deep that
+they distinguished one another's figures indistinctly, but the animals
+were left mostly to themselves. They seemed to know what was expected
+of them and showed no hesitation. It was impossible for them to go
+wrong, for it was much the same as if crossing a bridge, with its
+protecting barrier on either hand. The horse of the captain showed his
+self-confidence once or twice by a faint whinney and a break from the
+walk into a trot, but his rider checked him.
+
+"Not yet; heaven knows that I am as anxious to push on as you, but we
+have already made one blunder and we can't afford another; when the
+time comes that it is safe to trot you shall do so and perhaps run."
+
+"Hush!" called Brush from the rear; "I hear a curious sound."
+
+"What does it seem to be?"
+
+"It is impossible to tell; let's stop for a moment."
+
+As the three animals stood motionless, the strange noise was audible.
+It was a deep, hollow roar rapidly increasing in volume and intensity,
+and resembled the warning of a tornado or cyclone advancing through
+the forest. The animals, as is the case at such times, were nervous
+and frightened. They elevated their heads, pricked their ears, snuffed
+the air and the animal of the parson trembled with terror.
+
+The three believed that something in the nature of a cyclone was
+approaching, or it might be a cloudburst several miles away, whose
+deluge had swollen the stream into a rushing torrent that would
+overwhelm them where they stood, caught inextricably in a trap.
+
+The terrifying roar, however, was neither in front nor at the rear,
+but above them,--over their heads! From the first warning to the end
+was but a few seconds. The sound increased with appalling power and
+every eye was instinctively turned upward.
+
+In the dim obscurity they saw a dark mass of rock, weighing hundreds
+of tons, descending like a prodigious meteor, hurled from the heavens.
+It had been loosened on the mountain crest a half mile above, and was
+plunging downward with inconceivable momentum. Striking some
+obstruction, it rebounded like a rubber ball against the opposite side
+of the gorge, then recoiled, still diving downward, oscillating like a
+pendulum from wall to wall, whirling with increasing speed until it
+crashed to the bottom of the gorge with a shock so terrific that the
+earth and mountain trembled.
+
+Landing in the stream, the water was flung like bird shot right and
+left, stinging the faces of the men fifty feet distant. They sat awed
+and silent until Ruggles spoke:
+
+"Now if that stone had hit one of us on the head it would have hurt."
+
+"Probably it would," replied the captain, who had difficulty in
+quieting his horse; "at any rate, I hope no more of them will fall
+till we are out of the way."
+
+"I wonder whether that could have been done on purpose," remarked the
+parson.
+
+"No," said Ruggles; "the leftenant couldn't know anything about our
+being purty near the right spot to catch it."
+
+"I alluded to Indians,--not to him."
+
+But Ruggles and the captain did not deem such a thing credible. A
+whole tribe of red men could not have loosened so enormous a mass of
+stone, while, if poised as delicately as it must have been, they would
+have known nothing of the fact. Sometimes an immense oak, sound and
+apparently as firm as any in the forest around it, suddenly plunges
+downward and crashes to the earth, from no imaginable cause. So, vast
+masses of rock on the mountain side which have held their places for
+centuries, seem to leap from their foundations and tear their way with
+resistless force into the valley below. This was probably one of those
+accidental displacements, liable to occur at any hour of the day or
+night, which had come so startlingly near crushing the three men to
+death.
+
+Captain Dawson drew a match from his pocket and scraping it along his
+thigh, held it to the face of his watch.
+
+"Just midnight and we are not more than half a dozen miles from
+home."
+
+"And how far do you suppose _they_ are?" asked the parson.
+
+"Probably five times as much, if not more."
+
+"But they will not travel at night, and by sunrise we ought to be
+considerably nearer to them than now."
+
+"You can't be certain about that. Lieutenant Russell knows me too
+well to loiter on the road; he has a good horse and the pony of Nellie
+is a tough animal; both will be urged to the utmost; for they must be
+sure the pursuit will be a hard one."
+
+The discomforting fact in the situation was that if the fugitives, as
+they may be considered, pushed their flight with vigor, there was no
+reason why they should not prevent any lessening of the distance
+between them and their pursuers, and since they would naturally fear
+pursuit, it was to be expected that they would use all haste. The hope
+was that on account of Nellie, the animals would not keep up the
+flight for so many hours out of the twenty-four, as the pursuers would
+maintain it.
+
+The trail steadily ascended and became so rough and uneven that the
+horses frequently stumbled. This made their progress slow and
+compelled the three men, despite themselves, to feel the prudence of
+resting until daylight, but not one of them wished to do so, since the
+night pursuit was the only phase of the business which brought with it
+the belief that they were really lessening the distance separating
+them from the two in advance.
+
+Eager as the couple were to get through the mountains and reach
+Sacramento, where for the first time they could feel safe from their
+pursuers, the young officer was too wise to incur the risk of breaking
+down their horses, for such a mishap would be a most serious one
+indeed, and fraught with fatal consequences.
+
+There was little fear of the pursuers going astray. Captain Dawson had
+an extraordinary memory for places, as he repeatedly proved by
+recalling some landmark that he had noticed on his previous trip.
+Furthermore, the gorge was so narrow that in a certain sense, it may
+be said, they were fenced in, and would have found it hard to wander
+to the right or left, had they made the effort.
+
+After an hour of steady climbing they reached an altitude which
+brought with it a sharp change of temperature. The air became so
+chilly that Ruggles and Brush flung their blankets about their
+shoulders and found the protection added to their comfort. The horses,
+too, began to show the effects of their severe exertion. Their long
+rest had rendered them somewhat "soft," though the hardening would be
+rapid. After a few days' work they would not mind such exertion as
+that to which they were now forced.
+
+When a sort of amphitheatre was reached, it was decided to draw rein
+for a brief while, out of sympathy for their panting animals.
+
+"I thought if we failed to find our horses," remarked the parson, "we
+wouldn't find it hard to keep up the pursuit on foot; I have changed
+my mind."
+
+He looked back over the sloping trail, which speedily vanished in the
+gloom and the eyes of the other two were turned in the same direction.
+At the moment of doing so, the animals again became frightened, so
+that, despite their fatigue, it was hard to restrain them.
+
+"There's something down there," remarked the captain slipping from his
+saddle; "Wade, you are the nearest, can you see anything?"
+
+Ruggles was out of the saddle in an instant, Winchester in hand.
+
+"I catched sight of something," he said in an undertone; "look after
+my horse, while I find out what it is."
+
+"Have a care," cautioned the parson; "it may be an Indian."
+
+"That's what I think it is," replied Ruggles, who instantly started
+down the trail rifle in hand, his posture a crouching one and his
+senses strung to the highest point.
+
+He passed from view almost on the instant, and his companions listened
+with intense anxiety for what was to follow. Suddenly the sharp crack
+of their friend's rifle rang out in the solemn stillness, the report
+echoing again and again through the gorge, with an effect that was
+startling even to such experienced men. It was the only sound that
+came to them, and, while they were wondering what it meant, Ruggles
+reappeared among them with the noiselessness of a shadow.
+
+"It was a bear," he explained; "I think he scented the animals and was
+follering on the lookout for a chance at 'em."
+
+"Did you kill him?"
+
+"Don't think I did; he must have heard me comin' and was scared; he
+went down the trail faster than I could; when I seen that I couldn't
+catch him, I let fly without taking much aim. Maybe I hit him;
+leastways, he traveled so much faster that I give it up and come
+back."
+
+The party lingered for half an hour more, but as the horses showed no
+further fear, they concluded that bruin had taken to heart the lesson
+he received and would bother them no further.
+
+The mountains still towered on every hand. The stream had long since
+disappeared among the rocks and the gorge had become narrower.
+Generally it was no more than a dozen feet in width, occasionally
+expanding to two or three times that extent. The moon had moved over
+so far that only its faint reflection against the dark walls and
+masses of rock availed the horsemen. The sky seemed to contain an
+increasing number of clouds and there were indications of a storm,
+which might not break for a day or two, and as likely as not would not
+break at all.
+
+The traveling, despite its difficulty, was comparatively safe. The
+trail did not lead along the sides of precipices, with a climbing
+wall on one side and a continuous descent on the other, but it was
+solid and extended across from one ridge to the other. Because of this
+fact the three pushed their animals hard, knowing that it would not be
+long before they would have to be favored.
+
+"I don't know whether we are wise to keep this up as we are doing,"
+said the captain, "but I know there are few places where we can travel
+in the darkness and I feel like making the most of them."
+
+"It is only a question of what the horses are able to stand," replied
+Brush; "it is easy enough for us to ride, but a very different thing
+for them to carry us. We must guard against their breaking down."
+
+"I will look out for that, but it is strange that when we were making
+ready to start we forgot one important matter."
+
+"What was that?"
+
+"We did not bring a mouthful of food."
+
+"We shall have little trouble in shooting what game we need."
+
+"Perhaps not and perhaps we shall. The lieutenant and I found on our
+way from Sacramento that, although game appeared to be plenty, it had
+an exasperating habit of keeping out of range when we particularly
+needed it. Delay will be necessary to get food, and the reports of
+our guns are likely to give warning, just when it is dangerous."
+
+"It was a bad slip," assented the parson; "for there was plenty of
+meat and bread at home; but we shall have to stop now and then to rest
+our animals and to allow them to feed and we can utilize such
+intervals by getting something for ourselves in the same line."
+
+"It isn't that, so much as the risk of apprising the two of their
+danger. In addition, it will be strange if we get through the
+mountains without a fight with the Indians. According to my
+recollection, we shall strike a region to-morrow or on the next day,
+where there will be the mischief to pay."
+
+Two miles more of laborious work and another halt. For the first time
+Parson Brush showed excitement.
+
+"Do you know," he said, "that some one is following us? There may be
+several, but I am sure of one at least and he is on a horse."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+A CLOSE CALL
+
+
+Few situations are more trying than that of being followed at night by
+what we suspect is an enemy. The furtive glances to the rear show the
+foe too indistinctly for us to recognize him, and the imagination
+pictures the swift, stealthy attack and the treacherous blow against
+which it is impossible to guard.
+
+There was little of this dread, however, in the case of our friends,
+for they felt strong enough to take care of themselves. Moreover, all
+three formed an instant suspicion of the identity of the man.
+
+It was Felix Brush at the rear who first heard the faint footfalls,
+and, peering into the gloom, saw the outlines of a man and beast a few
+rods distant, coming steadily up the trail in the same direction with
+himself. A few minutes later the halt was made and all eyes were
+turned toward the point whence the man was approaching. He must have
+noticed the stoppage, but he came straight on until he joined the
+group.
+
+"Howdy, pards," was his greeting.
+
+"I thought it was you, Vose," said the captain, sharply; "what do you
+mean by following us?"
+
+"What right have you to get in front of me? Don't I have to make a
+trip to Sacramento three or four times each year?"
+
+"But you are not accustomed to start in the night time."
+
+"And I never knowed it was your custom to leave New Constantinople in
+the middle of the night; leastways I never knowed you to do it
+afore."
+
+"We have important business," added the captain brusquely, uncertain
+as yet whether he ought to be displeased or angered by the intrusion
+of Adams.
+
+"So have I."
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"Your good."
+
+"I don't understand you; explain yourself."
+
+"There ain't one of you three that knows the way through the
+mountains, and if you undertook it alone, it would take you three
+months to reach Sacramento."
+
+This was a new and striking view of the situation, but the parson
+said:
+
+"Each of us has been over it before."
+
+"Sartinly, but one trip nor half a dozen ain't enough. You lost your
+way the first hour in Dead Man's Gulch; if you hadn't done so, it
+would have took me a blamed sight longer to find you; there are half a
+dozen other places in the mountains ten times worse than the one
+where you flew the track. Howsumever, if you don't want me, I'll go
+back."
+
+And Vose Adams, as if his dignity had received a mortal hurt, began
+turning his mule around.
+
+"Hold on," interposed Captain Dawson; "you have put things in their
+true light; we are very glad to have you with us."
+
+"That makes it all right," was the cheery response of the good natured
+Vose; "I never like to push myself where I ain't wanted, but as you
+seem glad to see me, after having the thing explained, we won't say
+nothing more about it. Howsumever, I may add that I obsarved you
+started in such a hurry that I thought it warn't likely you fetched
+any vittles with you, so I made up a lunch and brought it with me,
+being as you may not always have time to spare to shoot game."
+
+The chilliness of Vose Adams' greeting changed to the warmest welcome.
+He had shown more thoughtfulness than any of them, and his knowledge
+of the perilous route through the mountains was beyond value. Indeed,
+it looked as if it was to prove the deciding factor in the problem.
+
+"Do you know our business, Vose?" asked the captain.
+
+"I knowed it the minute I seen you sneaking off like shadows toward
+the trail. I hurried to my cabin, got a lot of cold meat and bread
+together and then hunted up Hercules, my boss mule. He isn't very
+handsome, but he has a fine voice and has been through these mountains
+so many times that he knows the right road as well as me. I knowed you
+would travel fast and didn't expect to overhaul you afore morning, but
+you went past the right turn and that give me a chance to catch up
+sooner."
+
+"But how was it you suspected our errand?" persisted the captain.
+
+"How could I help it? What else could it be? I seen the miss and the
+leftenant start for Sacramento, and being as you took the same course
+it was plain that you was going there too, if you didn't overtake 'em
+first."
+
+"You saw them start!" thundered the father of Nellie Dawson; "why
+didn't you hurry off to me with the news?"
+
+"Why should I hurry off to you with the news?" coolly asked Vose
+Adams; "it wasn't the first time I had seen the two ride in that
+direction; sometimes she was with you, or with the parson or Ruggles,
+and once or twice with me. Would you have thought there was anything
+wrong if you had seen them?"
+
+"No, I suppose not," replied the captain, seeing the injustice of his
+words; "but I have been so wrought up by what has occurred that I can
+hardly think clearly. I ask your pardon for my hasty words."
+
+"You needn't do that, for I see how bad you feel and I'm sorry for
+you."
+
+"When was it they left?"
+
+"Early this afternoon."
+
+"There was no one with them of course?"
+
+"Nobody except that big dog they call Timon; he was frolicking 'round
+the horses, as if he enjoyed it as much as them."
+
+Every atom of news was painful, and yet the afflicted father could not
+restrain himself from asking questions of no importance.
+
+"About what hour do you think it was when they left?"
+
+"It must have been near two o'clock when the leftenant fetched up his
+horse and the pony belonging to the young lady. She must have been
+expectin' him, for she come right out of the house, without keeping
+him waitin' a minute. He helped her into the saddle, while they talked
+and laughed as happy as could be."
+
+This was wormwood and gall to the parent, but he did not spare
+himself.
+
+"Did you overhear anything said by them?"
+
+"I wouldn't have considered it proper to listen, even if they hadn't
+been so far off I couldn't catch a word that passed atween 'em."
+
+"Was there anything in their actions to show they intended to take a
+longer ride than usual?"
+
+"I don't see how there could be," replied the puzzled Adams, while
+Parson Brush, understanding what the distraught captain meant,
+explained:
+
+"Was there anything in their appearance which suggested that they
+meant to take anything more than an ordinary gallop?"
+
+"I didn't think of it at the time, but I can see now there was. Each
+of them had what seemed to be extra clothing and perhaps they had
+food, though I couldn't make sure of that. You know there has been
+something in the sky that looked like a coming storm, and I thought it
+was on that account that the clothing was took along. Then, as the
+leftenant had knocked off work, it might be he was not feeling very
+well."
+
+"The scoundrel made that very excuse for leaving me," bitterly
+commented Captain Dawson, "but he wouldn't have taken the clothing as
+part of the same design for there was no need of anything of the kind.
+They laid their plans carefully and everything joined to make it as
+easy as possible."
+
+"Your thoughts were precisely what ours would have been," said the
+parson, drawn toward the messenger unjustly accused by the captain in
+the tumult of his grief;" if we had seen the two start, we should have
+believed it was for one of the usual gallops which the young lady is
+so fond of taking; but, Vose, if we would have certainly gone astray
+in the mountains, without your guidance, how will it be with them,
+when she has never been over the trail and he has ridden over it but
+once?"
+
+"They are sure to have a tough time of it which will make it all the
+harder for us."
+
+"How is that?"
+
+"Some good luck may lead them right; more than likely, howsumever,
+they'll get all wrong; therefore, if we stick to the path we may pass
+'em a half dozen times. You see it's the blamed onsartinty of the
+whole bus'ness."
+
+"I would not question your wisdom on such matters, Vose, but when I
+remember that each of them is riding a horse, and that the two must
+leave traces behind them, I cannot apprehend that we shall go very far
+astray in our pursuit. The most likely trouble as it seems to me is
+that they will travel so fast that it will be almost impossible to
+overtake them."
+
+"If they can manage to keep to the trail, it is going to be hard work
+to come up with them. You haven't forgot that when I'm pushing through
+the mountains I sometimes have to hunt a new trail altogether."
+
+"That is due to the trouble with Indians?"
+
+"Precisely; sometimes it's a long, roundabout course that I have to
+take, which may keep me off the main course for a couple of days, or
+it may be for only a part of the day, but Injins is something that
+you must count on every time."
+
+"And they are as likely to meet them as we?"
+
+"More so, 'cause they're just ahead of you. Oh, it was the biggest
+piece of tomfoolery ever heard of for them to start on such a journey,
+but what are you to expect of two young persons dead in love with each
+other?"
+
+This was not the kind of talk that was pleasing to the father, and he
+became morosely silent. It was equally repugnant to Ruggles and the
+parson to hear Nellie Dawson referred to as being in love with the
+execrated officer. Ruggles was grim and mute, and the parson deftly
+drew the conversation in another direction.
+
+"I would like to ask you, Vose, how it was that Lieutenant Russell did
+not take the other horses with him, so as to make it impossible for
+anything in the nature of pursuit?"
+
+"There might be two reasons; he may have thought it would be mean to
+hit you below the belt like that; he was too honorable--"
+
+"It warn't anything like _that_," fiercely interrupted Ruggles.
+
+"Then it must have been that if he had took all the animals with him,
+even though they was a considerable way down the gulch, the thing
+would have been noticed by others, who would have wanted to know what
+it meant."
+
+"No doubt you have struck the right reason. Had the start been in the
+night time, he would have made sure that not even the mules were left
+for us. But, Vose," added the parson gravely, "we would be much better
+pleased if when you referred to the lieutenant, you said nothing about
+'honor.'"
+
+"Oh, I am as much down on him as any of you," airily responded Vose;
+"and, if I git the chance to draw bead on him, I'll do it quicker'n
+lightning. Fact is, the hope of having that same heavenly privilege
+was as strong a rope in pulling me up the trail after you as was the
+wish to keep you folks from gettin' lost. But, pards, Hercules is
+rested and I guess likely your animals are the same, so let's be
+moving."
+
+Although Captain Dawson had been silent during the last few minutes,
+he did not allow a word to escape him. He knew Vose Adams was
+talkative at times, due perhaps to his enjoyment of company, after
+being forced to spend weeks without exchanging a word with any one of
+his kind, but there was no overestimating his value, because of his
+knowledge of the long, dangerous route through the mountains. When,
+therefore, the party were about to move on, the captain said:
+
+"Vose, from this time forward you are the guide; the place for you is
+at the head; you will oblige me by taking the lead."
+
+Vose accepted the post of honor, which was also the one of peril, for
+it is the man in his position whose life hangs in the balance when
+Indians are concerned. But there was no hesitancy on his part, though
+he was well aware of the additional risks he incurred.
+
+"There's one good thing I can tell you," he said, just before they
+started.
+
+They looked inquiringly at him and he explained:
+
+"The hardest part of the climbing is over,--that is for the time," he
+hastened to add, seeing that he was not understood; "you'll have
+plenty more of it before we see Sacramento, but I mean that we have
+struck the highest part of the trail, and it will be a good while
+before there's any more climbing to do."
+
+"That is good news," said Ruggles heartily, "for it has been mighty
+tough on the animals; I 'spose too, the trail is smoother."
+
+Adams laughed.
+
+"I am sorry to say it's rougher."
+
+Ruggles muttered impatiently, but the four took up the task, Adams in
+the lead, with the rest stringing after him in Indian file. The
+declaration of Vose was verified sooner than was expected. While the
+mule was so sure-footed that he seemed to meet with no difficulty, it
+was excessively trying to the horses, who stumbled and recovered
+themselves so often that Captain Dawson began to fear one or more of
+them would go lame. Still in his anxiety to get forward, he repressed
+his fears, hoping that there would be some improvement and cheering
+himself with the belief that since all had gone well for so long, it
+would continue on the same line.
+
+                  *       *       *       *       *
+
+Once, however, his horse made such an abrupt stumble that the captain
+narrowly saved himself from being unseated. On the impulse of the
+moment he called to Adams in advance:
+
+"Vose, I am afraid this won't do!"
+
+The leader did not look around and acted as if he had not heard him.
+
+"I say, Vose, isn't it better that we should wait till our horses can
+see the way?"
+
+Since the leader took no notice of this demand, the captain concluded
+his fears were groundless and said no more.
+
+"If he thinks it safe for us to keep on, I shall not oppose."
+
+But Captain Dawson might have opposed, had he known the truth, for,
+strange as it may seem, Vose Adams did not hear the words addressed to
+him, because he was asleep on the back of his mule Hercules, as he had
+been many a time while riding over the lonely trail. In truth, there
+was some foundation for his declaration that he could sleep more
+soundly on the back of his animal than while wrapped up in his blanket
+in some fissure among the rocks. Fortunately for him, however, these
+naps were of short duration, and, while indulging in them, he relied
+upon his animal, which had acquired a wonderful quickness in detecting
+danger. The slightest lagging in his gait, a halt, a turning to one
+side or a whinny was sufficient to bring back on the instant the
+wandering senses of the rider. In the present instance his slumber was
+not interrupted until Hercules, seeing exactly where he was, dropped
+his walk to a lagging gait.
+
+On the very second Vose Adams opened his eyes. So naturally that no
+one suspected anything, he checked his animal and looked around.
+
+"Pards, we've reached a ticklish spot, and it's for you to say whether
+we shall wait for daylight afore trying it."
+
+"What is its nature?" asked the captain, as he and the two behind him
+also reined up their animals.
+
+"The trail winds through these peaks in front, and instead of being
+like that we've been riding over all along, keeps close to the side of
+the mountain. On the right is the solid rock, and on the left it
+slopes down for I don't know how many hundred feet, afore it strikes
+bottom. Once started down that slide, you'll never stop till you hit
+the rocks below like that mass of stone that tumbled over in front of
+you."
+
+"How wide is the path?" asked the parson.
+
+"There's more than a mile where it isn't wide enough for two of us to
+ride abreast, and there are plenty of places where a horse has got to
+step mighty careful to save himself. Hercules knows how to do it, for
+he larned long ago, but I have my doubts about your hosses."
+
+"It might have been better after all if we had brought the mules,"
+said the captain.
+
+"Not a bit of it, for Hercules is the only one that knows how to git
+over such places."
+
+"How do the others manage it?"
+
+"They've never tried it in the night time; that's what I'm talking
+'bout."
+
+Adams's description enabled the others to recall the place. It was all
+that had been pictured and they might well pause before assuming the
+fearful risk. One reason for wishing to press forward was the
+knowledge that at the termination of the dangerous stretch, the trail
+was so smooth and even that for a long distance it would be easy to
+keep their animals at a gallop, while still further the peril appeared
+again.
+
+Captain Dawson once more struck a match and looked at his watch.
+
+"Half-past three; in two hours it will begin to grow light; if no
+accident happens we shall be at the end of the ugly piece of ground by
+that time, where the traveling is good. It is a pity to lose the
+opportunity, but I will leave it to you, parson and Ruggles; what do
+you say?"
+
+"Our horses have been pushed pretty hard, but they are in good
+condition. I hate to remain idle."
+
+"Then you favor going ahead?"
+
+"I do."
+
+"And you, Ruggles?"
+
+"I feel the same way."
+
+"That settles it; lead on, Vose."
+
+"I'm just as well suited, but keep your wits about you," was the
+warning of the leader, whose mule instantly responded, stretching his
+neck forward and downward and occasionally snuffing the ground, as if
+he depended on his sense of smell more than that of hearing.
+
+The task was a nerve-wrenching one, and more than once each of the
+three regretted their haste in not waiting for daylight; but, having
+started, there was no turning back. To attempt to wheel about, in
+order to retrace their steps, was more perilous than to push on, while
+to stand still was hardly less dangerous.
+
+The moonlight gave such slight help that the four depended almost
+wholly upon the instinct of their animals. Hercules never faltered,
+but advanced with the slow, plodding, undeviating certainty of those
+of his kind who thread their way through the treacherous passes of the
+Alps. Once his hind hoof struck a stone which went bounding down the
+precipice on his left, until at the end of what seemed several
+minutes, it lay still at the bottom. Neither animal nor rider showed
+the least fear, for in truth both were accustomed to little slips like
+that.
+
+"I'm blessed if this isn't the most ticklish business that I ever
+attempted," muttered Captain Dawson; "I never had anything like it in
+the army; it reminds me of scouting between the lines, when you expect
+every second a bullet from a sharpshooter--"
+
+At that instant his horse stepped on a round, loose stone which turned
+so quickly that before he could recover himself the hoof followed the
+stone over the edge of the precipice. The horse snorted and struggled
+desperately, and the brave rider felt an electric shock thrill through
+him from head to foot, for there was one moment when he believed
+nothing could save them from the most frightful of deaths.
+
+The left hind leg had gone over the rocky shelf, which at that point
+was very narrow, and the hoof was furiously beating vacancy in the
+despairing effort to find something upon which to rest itself. His
+body sagged downward and the rider held his breath.
+
+"Steady, my boy!" he called, and with rare presence of mind allowed
+the rein to lie free so as not to disconcert the steed.
+
+The tremendous struggle of the intelligent animal prevailed and with a
+snort he recovered his balance and all four feet stood upon firm
+support.
+
+"That was a close call," observed the parson, whose heart was in his
+mouth, while the brief fight for life was going on.
+
+"It was so close that it couldn't have been any closer," coolly
+commented the captain, fully himself again.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+A COLLISION
+
+
+At this moment, the cheery voice of Adams called:
+
+"There's only about a hundred yards more of this, but we've now struck
+the worst part of the whole trail."
+
+"If it is any worse than what we have just passed, it won't do to try
+it," replied Captain Dawson, with the memory of his recent thrilling
+experience still vivid with him.
+
+"We can do it, but we must foller a different plan."
+
+"What is that?"
+
+"We must lead our animals. There are plenty of places where you can
+get off your horses with more comfort, but we can't stand here doing
+nothing. Get to the ground the best way you know how."
+
+It was clear that the advice of the guide would have to be followed,
+and all four set about the task with the cool daring shown from the
+first. Since each man was to lead his animal, it was necessary to
+dismount in front, instead of slipping over the tail, as would have
+been easier. The beasts showed striking sagacity in this delicate
+task. The trail was so narrow that to dismount to the left, on the
+side of the dizzying precipice, made it impossible for a man to keep
+his poise, while to descend on the right, directly beside the body of
+the animal was almost certain to crowd him over into the gorge. Each,
+therefore, lowered himself with infinite care over the right shoulder
+of his steed, so well forward, that the horse by turning his head to
+the left afforded just enough room for the trick to be done. Every one
+dismounted in safety, each drawing a breath of relief when the
+exquisitely delicate task was accomplished.
+
+Looking around in the gloom, Vose Adams saw that his friends stood on
+the ground.
+
+"Are you all ready?" he asked.
+
+"Yes," replied Brush from the rear.
+
+"Hold the bridle so gentle that you can let go if your animal slips
+off: if he has to go over the precipice, there's no need of your
+follering him."
+
+Each man took his Winchester in hand, and loosely grasping the bridle
+rein, began stealing forward, the captain's loss compelling him to
+make his single arm answer for both purposes. The advance was
+necessarily slow, for it was made with the utmost care. The path could
+not have been more dangerous than for the brief stretch between them
+and the broad, safe support beyond.
+
+Several times the trail so narrowed that each trembled through fear of
+not being able to keep his balance, while it seemed absolutely
+impossible for a horse to do so; but one of the strange facts
+connected with that intelligent animal is that, despite his greater
+bulk, he is generally able to follow wherever his master leads. So it
+was that when a miner carefully turned his head, he saw his steed
+following slowly but unfalteringly in his footsteps.
+
+It was soon perceived that this perilous stretch did not take a
+straight course, but assumed the form of an immense, partial circle.
+When half way around, the plodders came in sight of a huge rent in the
+distant mountain wall, through which the sky showed nearly from the
+zenith to the horizon. In this immense V-shaped space shone the moon
+nearly at its full, and without a rift or fleck of cloud in front of
+its face.
+
+A flood of light streamed through and between the encompassing peaks,
+tinging the men and animals with its fleecy veil, as if some of the
+snow from the crests had been sprinkled over them. On their left, the
+craggy wall sloped almost vertically downward, the projecting masses
+of rock displaying the same, fairy-like covering, ending in a vast,
+yawning pit of night and blackness, into whose awful depth the human
+eye could not penetrate.
+
+On the right, the mass of stone, rock and boulder, rugged, broken and
+tumbled together, as if flung about by giants in sport, towered beyond
+the vision's reach, the caverns, abysses and hollows made the blacker
+and more impenetrable by the moonlight glinting against the protruding
+masses.
+
+It was as if a party of Titans had run their chisels along the flinty
+face of the mountain from the rear, gouging out the stone, with less
+and less persistency, until they reached the spot where the men and
+animals were creeping forward, when the dulled tools scarcely made an
+impression sufficient to support the hesitating feet.
+
+Captain Dawson was but a few paces to the rear of Vose Adams's mule,
+whose surety of step he admired and tried to imitate.
+
+"Training seems able to accomplish anything," reflected the captain;
+"I remember how Lieutenant Russell and I stopped on the further edge
+of this infernal place when we reached it one forenoon and spent
+several hours trying to find a safer path. It kept us in a tremor
+until we were across. Had any one told me that on the next journey I
+should try it in the night, I would have believed him crazy, but," he
+grimly added, "I would have thought the same, if I had been told that
+a necessity like this would compel us to do so."
+
+The bridle rein was looped over his elbow, which extended behind him,
+the same hand grasping his rifle, so that he advanced partly sideways
+over the treacherous trail. He attempted to do nothing but look after
+his own footsteps. Sometimes, when it was a little harder to pull the
+rein, he slackened his pace. It would not do to hurry the animal,
+since a slight disturbance might cause him to loose his footing. The
+horse knew what was required of him and would do it better by being
+left wholly to himself.
+
+It was because of this concentration of his mind upon the one thing
+that the captain failed to perceive that the mule in his front had
+stopped walking, until the rim of his slouched hat touched the tail of
+the motionless animal.
+
+"Helloa, Vose, what's the matter?"
+
+The guide said something, but kept his face turned away, and his
+words, instead of being in the nature of an answer, were addressed to
+some one who confronted him. Adams was of slight stature, so that,
+although he stood erect, it was easy for the captain to look over his
+head and see what was beyond. That which was thus revealed was another
+horseman leading his animal and coming toward them. He was advancing
+in the same manner as the miners, that is by leading his horse, and,
+meeting our friends thus face to face, it was impossible for either
+party to pass: one or the other must give way and retreat.
+
+A startling feature of this meeting was that the individual who thus
+confronted them was an Indian of gigantic stature. He was more than
+six feet in height and of massive proportions. He belonged to what
+were known as the "mountain Indians," who were brave and of
+irrestrainable ferocity. They were the most dangerous people met by
+the miners in the early days on the Pacific slope.
+
+Equity demanded that this particular specimen should back his horse
+over the few yards to the point where the trail broadened, for the
+task was possible of accomplishment, while the white men were unable
+to force their animals in safety for one-half of the distance behind
+them. Moreover, it was evident that this Indian had deliberately
+started over the trail, with the knowledge of the four white men
+approaching, so that a meeting was inevitable. He courted an encounter
+with them and was in a murderous mood.
+
+Vose Adams knew all this and recognized the warrior as one of the
+dreaded Indians, with whom he was better acquainted than were his
+friends. He had had several scrimmages with them on his trips through
+the mountains, and held them in such wholesome fear that he contrived
+to avoid a direct conflict. The diminutive miner overflowed with
+pluck, but in a hand to hand encounter, must be only a child in the
+grasp of the aboriginal giant. The present situation, however, was
+peculiar.
+
+There can be no doubt that this savage sought the meeting with the
+party, for on no other supposition can his acts be explained. He must
+have reasoned that on the narrow ledge his enemies would have to meet
+him one by one and engage him single handed. He was like a chamois
+that had lived all its life in these wild solitudes and was
+surer-footed than any white man. What a triumph it would be (and was
+it unreasonable to expect it?) for him to slay the insignificant pale
+face immediately in his front, shove his mule over the precipice, and
+then serve the remaining three in same fashion!
+
+"Get out of this!" were the words which Vose Adams addressed to the
+Indian, directly after the question of Captain Dawson to himself, and
+when the enemies were within six feet of each other; "there isn't room
+for both of us; you knew that before you started; one of us has got to
+give way and I'll be hanged if I do!"
+
+Inasmuch as the red man did not understand a word of English, it is
+not to be supposed that he grasped the whole meaning of this command,
+but the situation must have made it evident that he had been ordered
+to back his horse and to open a way for the white men, and inasmuch as
+he had come upon the trail for the express purpose of bringing about
+this encounter, it seems hardly necessary to say that he failed to
+obey the order. Instead, he repeated some words in his own language,
+which it is not unlikely were of the same import as those addressed
+to him, for he resolutely maintained his place.
+
+"I tell you," added Vose, raising his voice, as if that could help
+make his meaning clear; "if you don't do as I say, somebody is going
+to get hurt!"
+
+The warrior, who was carrying a rifle, stooped and gently let it fall
+beside him. At the same moment he let go of the thong which served as
+a bridle. Thus both hands were free and he crouched down with his
+hideous face thrust forward and took a slow, half-step toward Adams.
+
+The coarse black hair dangling loosely about his shoulders, the broad
+frightful countenance, which, however, was devoid of paint, the
+glittering, basilisk-like eyes, the sinewy half-bent finger, with the
+right fingers closed like a vise around the handle of the knife at his
+waist, while gently drawing it forth, the catlike advance,--all these
+made him so terrible an enemy that the bravest man might well doubt
+the result of a meeting with him.
+
+And yet the closest scrutiny of Vose Adams would not have discovered
+any tremor in his frame, or so much as a blanching of his face. He
+fully comprehended the nature of the peril that impended, but with the
+cool readiness of a veteran, he had fixed upon his line of action, in
+the same moment that he read the purpose of his formidable enemy.
+
+The preliminary actions of the guide were similar to that of the
+warrior. The bridle rein dropped from his hand, and, slightly
+stooping, he let his Winchester fall to the ground beside him. Then
+his knife flashed out and he was ready.
+
+Since only the mule was between Captain Dawson and the combatants, he
+observed all this and interpreted its meaning.
+
+"Vose, what do you mean to do?" he sharply asked.
+
+"Have a little dispute with the fellow," replied Adams, without
+removing his gaze from the face of the savage.
+
+"You mustn't do it."
+
+"It sorter looks as if it can't be helped, captain."
+
+"I shall prevent it."
+
+"How?"
+
+"Thus!"
+
+The captain had laid down his rifle and drawn his revolver, in the use
+of which he was an expert. While thus engaged, he stooped down, so
+that the interposing body of the mule, prevented the Indian from
+observing what he was doing. When his weapon was ready and just as he
+uttered his last word, he straightened up like a flash. Adams being of
+short stature and in a stooping posture, gave him just the chance he
+needed. His single arm was extended with the quickness of lightning
+and he fired. The bullet bored its way through the bronzed skull of
+the Indian, who, with an ear-splitting screech, flung his arms aloft,
+leaped several feet from the ground, toppled sideways over the edge of
+the trail and went tumbling, rolling and doubling down the precipice
+far beyond sight, into the almost fathomless abyss below.
+
+"That's what I call a low down trick!" was the disgusted exclamation
+of Adams, looking round with a reproachful expression.
+
+"Do you refer to the Indian?" asked the captain.
+
+"No; to you; I had just got ready for him and had everything fixed
+when you interfered."
+
+"Vose, you are a fool," was the comment of his friend.
+
+"And why?"
+
+"That fellow was twice as big as you and you hadn't an earthly chance
+in a fight with him."
+
+"Do you 'spose that is the first time I ever met a mountain Injin?"
+
+"You never fought one of that size in this spot."
+
+"What difference does the spot make?"
+
+"I want you to understand," said the captain with assumed gravity,
+"that I didn't interfere out of any regard for you."
+
+"What the mischief are you driving at?" demanded the puzzled guide.
+
+"Under ordinary circumstances, I would have stood by and watched the
+flurry, only wishing that the best man might win. That means, of
+course, that you would have been the loser. But we need some one to
+guide us through the mountains; you haven't done it yet; when your
+work is over you may go and live on wild Indians for all I care."
+
+Vose quickly regained his good nature. He returned his knife to its
+resting place, picked up his rifle, grasped the bridle rein and gently
+pulled.
+
+"Come, Hercules; I don't know whether they appreciate us or not;
+steady now!"
+
+"What are you going to do with that horse in front of you?" asked the
+captain.
+
+"Hang it! if I didn't forget about him; back with you!" he commanded
+with a gesture, moving toward the animal, who showed the intelligence
+of his kind, by retrograding carefully until he reached the broad safe
+place so anxiously sought by the others. There he wheeled and trotted
+off, speedily disappearing from sight.
+
+"Vose, you might have traded Hercules for him."
+
+"Not much! I wouldn't give that mule for a drove of horses that have
+belonged to these mountain Injins."
+
+"What's the matter with them? Aren't they as good as ours?"
+
+"They're too good; you can't tell what trick they'll sarve you; I was
+once riding through these very mountains, on the back of a horse that
+I picked up--it isn't necessary to say how--when his owner gave a
+signal and the critter was off like a thunderbolt. If I hadn't slipped
+from his back at the risk of breaking my neck, he would have carried
+me right into a camp of hostiles and you would have been without your
+invaluable guide on this trip."
+
+"That is important information--if true--helloa! it is growing light
+off there in the east!"
+
+"Yes,--day is breaking," added Vose.
+
+The captain looked at his watch and found the time considerably past
+five o'clock. They had been longer on the road than any one supposed,
+and the coming of morning was a vast relief to all.
+
+The party were now grouped together, for the trail was broad and safe.
+Parson Brush asked, as he pointed almost directly ahead:
+
+"Isn't that a light off yonder?"
+
+The guide gazed in that direction and replied:
+
+"Yes, but it comes from a camp fire, which isn't more than a half mile
+away."
+
+The men looked in one another's faces and the captain asked in a
+guarded voice, as if afraid of being overheard:
+
+"Whose fire is it?"
+
+"There's no saying with any sartinty, till we get closer, but I
+shouldn't be 'sprised if it belong to the folks you're looking for."
+
+The same thought had come to each. There was a compression of lips, a
+flashing of eyes and an expression of resolution that boded ill for
+him who was the cause of it all.
+
+In the early morning at this elevation, the air was raw and chilling.
+The wind which blew fitfully brought an icy touch from the peaks of
+the snow-clad Sierras. The party had ridden nearly all night, with
+only comparatively slight pauses, so that the men would have welcomed
+a good long rest but for the startling discovery just made.
+
+Over the eastern cliffs the sky was rapidly assuming a rosy tinge. Day
+was breaking and soon the wild region would be flooded with sunshine.
+Already the gigantic masses of stone and rock were assuming grotesque
+form in the receding gloom. The dismal night was at an end.
+
+The twinkling light which had caught the eye of Felix Brush appeared
+to be directly ahead and near the trail which they were traveling.
+This fact strengthened the belief that the fire had been kindled by
+the fugitives. The illumination paled as the sun climbed the sky,
+until it was absorbed by the overwhelming radiance that was
+everywhere.
+
+The pursuers felt well rewarded for the energy they had displayed in
+the face of discouragement and danger. Valuable ground had been
+gained, and even now when they had supposed they were fully a dozen
+miles behind the fugitives, it looked as if they had really caught up
+to them, or at least were within hailing distance.
+
+Every eye was fixed on the point which held so intense an interest for
+them. As the day grew, a thin, wavy column of smoke was observed
+ascending from the camp fire, which was partly hidden among a growth
+of scrub cedars, some distance to the right of the trail, whither it
+must have been difficult for the couple to force their horses.
+
+"That leftenant ought to have knowed better than to do that," remarked
+Vose Adams, "his fire can be seen a long way off."
+
+"What else could they do?" asked the captain.
+
+"The rocks give all the cover he needs."
+
+"But they could have no idea that we were so near," suggested the
+parson.
+
+"It isn't that, but the leftenant had 'nough 'sperience with Injins on
+his way through here before to know he's liable to run agin them at
+any time. I never dared to do a thing like that on my trips."
+
+"Let's push on," said the captain, who saw no reason for tarrying now
+that they had located the game.
+
+The ground was so much more favorable that the animals were forced to
+a canter, though all were in need of rest. Little was said, and
+Captain Dawson spurred forward beside Adams, who as usual was
+leading.
+
+Wade Ruggles and Parson Brush also rode abreast. They were far enough
+to the rear to exchange a few words without being overheard.
+
+"From the way things look," said Brush; "we shall have to leave
+everything with the captain and he isn't likely to give us anything to
+do."
+
+"He's mad clean through; I don't b'leve he'll wait to say a word, but
+the minute he can draw bead on the leftenant, he'll let fly."
+
+"He is a fine marksman, but he may be in such a hurry that he'll
+miss."
+
+"No fear of that; I wonder," added Ruggles, startled by a new thought,
+"whether Vose has any idee of stickin' in his oar."
+
+"Likely enough."
+
+"I must git a chance to warn him that we won't stand any nonsense like
+that! The best that we'll do is to promise him a chance for a crack
+after you and me miss."
+
+"That won't be any chance at all," grimly remarked the parson.
+
+"Wal, it's all he'll have and he mustn't forgit it. There's some
+things I won't stand and that's one of 'em."
+
+"We can't do anything now, but we may have a chance to notify him. If
+the opportunity comes to me, he shall not remain ignorant."
+
+They were now nearly opposite the camp and the two noticed with
+surprise that Adams and the captain were riding past it.
+
+"What's that fur?" asked the puzzled Ruggles.
+
+"That's to prevent them from fleeing toward Sacramento. When they find
+we are on the other side, they will have to turn back."
+
+This was apparently the purpose of the men in advance, for they did
+not draw rein until a hundred yards beyond the camp. Suddenly the two
+halted, and half-facing around, waited until Brush and Ruggles joined
+them. The explanation of the guide showed that his plan had been
+rightly interpreted by Parson Brush.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+THE CAMP FIRE
+
+
+The trail, as has been stated, was broad and comparatively level. The
+slope of the mountain to the right was so moderate that it could be
+climbed by a horse almost as readily as by a man. Its face was covered
+with a growth of cedars, continuing half way to the summit, when it
+terminated, only bleak masses of rock, sprinkled with snow, whose
+volume increased with the elevation, being visible above and beyond.
+
+When the four pursuers came together, their faces showed that they
+comprehended the serious business before them. It was seen that
+Captain Dawson was slightly pale, but those who had been with him in
+battle had observed the same peculiarity. Accompanied, as it was in
+this instance, by a peculiar steely glitter of his eyes, it meant that
+he was in a dangerous mood and the man who crossed his path did so at
+his peril.
+
+It was evident that he and Vose Adams had reached an understanding
+during the few minutes that they were riding in advance. The words of
+Vose Adams were spoken for the benefit of Ruggles and the parson.
+
+"You'll wait here till I take a look at things."
+
+"What do you mean to do?" asked Brush.
+
+"I'm going up the slope on foot to find out how the land lays."
+
+"And when you find that out, what next?"
+
+"He is to come back and report to me," interposed the captain.
+
+There was a world of meaning in these words. It showed that the
+captain allowed Adams to lead only when acting as a guide. In all
+other matters, the retired officer assumed control. The opportunity of
+Vose to pick off the offending lieutenant promised to be better than
+that of any one else, since he would first see him, but he had been
+given to understand that he must immediately return and let the
+captain know the situation. Adams had promised this and he knew Dawson
+too well to dare to thwart him.
+
+Brush and Ruggles could make no objection, keen though their
+disappointment was. They watched Adams, as he slipped off his mule,
+not deeming it worth while to utter the warning both had had in mind.
+It was the parson who said:
+
+"I suppose we have nothing to do except to wait here till you come
+back?"
+
+"It looks that way, but you must ask the captain."
+
+"You won't be gone long?"
+
+"I don't think so."
+
+"Be careful, but there's no need of waiting," said the captain.
+
+The three watched the guide until he disappeared from sight among the
+cedars, when the captain added:
+
+"Vose told me that it was possible that camp fire had been started by
+Indians, but it seems to me there is little likelihood of that."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Those people are so skilled in woodcraft that they would have been on
+the alert against our approach, for a brief survey of the trail for
+the last half hour would have revealed us to them."
+
+"It may be," suggested the parson, "that with every reason to believe
+there is no danger of anything of the kind, for it must be rare that a
+white man passes along this trail, they did not keep a lookout."
+
+The captain shook his head.
+
+"From what I know of the American race, it is unlike them."
+
+"What knowledge have we that they have not maintained such a lookout
+and discovered us as soon as we noticed the camp fire itself? They may
+have formed an ambuscade at some point further along the trail."
+
+"It is a disturbing possibility and I would be alarmed, but for my
+confidence in Vose. He has been through this region so often and knows
+these wild people so thoroughly that he could not commit a blunder
+like that. It seems to me," added the captain a few minutes, later,
+"that he is absent a long time."
+
+"It's tough," remarked Ruggles, "that things are fixed so we won't
+have a chance to take any hand in this bus'ness."
+
+The captain looked inquiringly at him and he explained:
+
+"You and Vose have set it up atween you."
+
+"I have told you that if your help is needed, it will be welcome; I
+can add nothing to that."
+
+"The captain is right," interposed the parson, "but at the same time,
+he can see what a disappointment it is for us."
+
+"I admit that, but we are not out of the woods yet."
+
+Before he could make clear the meaning of this remark, Vose Adams
+emerged from the cedars, and the three breathlessly awaited his
+coming. He broke into a trot and quickly descended the slope to where
+they stood. The expression of his face showed before he spoke that he
+brought unwelcome news.
+
+"Confound it!" he exclaimed with a shake of his head, "they're not
+there!"
+
+"Then they have gone on up the trail," said the captain inquiringly.
+
+"No; they haven't been there; it isn't their camp."
+
+"Whose is it?"
+
+"Injins; there are five of 'em; they've just had their breakfast and
+are gettin' ready to make a start."
+
+"Didn't they see you?"
+
+"That isn't the way I do bus'ness," replied Vose rather loftily; "it's
+more'n likely, howsumever, they seen us all awhile ago when we was
+further down the trail. They're traveling eastward."
+
+"How can you know that?" asked the parson.
+
+"The Injin that took his dive off the trail 'bout the time the captain
+fired off his revolver, was going that way. He b'longed to the party
+and was sorter leading 'em; he was a chief or something of the kind."
+
+"Where are their ponies?"
+
+"They haven't any,--leastways he was the only one that had, which is
+why I said he was some kind of a chief. We shall hear from 'em agin."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"I mean after they find out about that little row."
+
+"Why need they find out about it?"
+
+"They can't help it; they'll miss their chief; they'll run across that
+horse of his and that'll give 'em the clue."
+
+This unexpected discovery put a new face on matters. Five mountain
+Indians, the bravest and most implacable of their race, were almost
+within stone's throw of the party. But for the occurrence of a brief
+while before, they probably would have permitted the white men to
+continue their journey unmolested, since the strength of the two
+bands, all things considered, was about equal, but when the hostiles
+learned of the death of their leader, they would bend every effort
+toward securing revenge. They would dog the miners, watchful, alert
+and tireless in their attempts to cut them off from the possibility of
+ever repeating the deed.
+
+"But that chief, as you seem to think he was," said Captain Dawson,
+"is gone as utterly as if the ground had opened and swallowed him.
+They will never have the chance to officiate at his funeral, so how
+are they to learn of the manner of his taking off?"
+
+"It won't take 'em long," replied Adams; "his pony will hunt them out,
+now that he is left to himself; that'll tell 'em that something is up
+and they'll start an investigatin' committee. The footprints of our
+horses, the marks on the rocks, which you and me wouldn't notice, the
+fact that we met the chief on that narrer ledge and that he's turned
+up missing will soon lay bare the whole story, and as I remarked
+aforesaid, we shall hear from 'em agin."
+
+"It looks like a case of the hunter hunting the tiger," said the
+parson, "and then awaking to the fact that the tiger is engaged
+in hunting him; it is plain to see that there's going to be a
+complication of matters, but I don't feel that it need make any
+difference to us."
+
+"It won't!" replied the captain decisively; "we haven't put our hands
+to the plough with any intention of looking back. What's the next
+thing to do, Vose?"
+
+"We've got to look after our animals."
+
+"But there's no grass here for them."
+
+"A little further and we'll strike a stream of water where we'll find
+some grass, though not much, but it's better than nothing."
+
+Vaulting into the saddle, the guide after some pounding of his heels
+against the iron ribs of Hercules, forced him into a gallop, which the
+others imitated. The trail continued comparatively smooth, and, being
+slightly descending, the animals were not crowded as hard as it would
+seem. A mile of this brought them to the water, where they were turned
+loose. The stream gushed from the mountain side, and, flowing across
+the trail, was lost among the rocks to the left. The moisture thus
+diffused produced a moderate growth of tough, coarse grass, which the
+animals began plucking as soon as the bits were removed from their
+mouths. They secured little nutriment, but as the guide remarked, it
+was an improvement upon nothing. The men bathed their faces in the
+cold, clear water, took a refreshing draught, and then ate the lunch
+provided for them by the thoughtful Adams. Though they ate heartily,
+sufficient was kept to answer for another meal or two, if it should be
+thought wise to put themselves on an allowance.
+
+They had just lighted their pipes, when Wade Ruggles uttered an
+exclamation. Without explaining the cause, he bounded to his feet and
+ran several rods to the westward, where he was seen to stoop and pick
+something from the ground. He examined it closely and then, as he
+turned about and came back more slowly it was perceived that he held a
+white handkerchief in his hand. His action caused the others to rise
+to his feet.
+
+"What have you there?" asked Captain Dawson, suspecting its identity.
+
+"I guess you have seen it before," replied Wade, handing the piece of
+fine, bordered linen to him. He turned it over with strange emotions,
+for he was quick to recognize it.
+
+"Yes," he said, compressing his lips; "it is hers; she dropped it
+there--how long ago, Vose?"
+
+The latter examined the handkerchief, as if looking for the answer to
+the question in its folds, but shook his head.
+
+"Even a mountain Injin could not tell that."
+
+The parson asked the privilege of examining the article. His heart was
+beating fast, though no one else was aware of it, for it was a present
+which he had made to Nellie Dawson on the preceding Christmas, having
+been brought by Vose Adams, with other articles, on his trip made
+several months before the presentation. There was the girl's name,
+written by himself in indelible ink, and in his neat, round hand. It
+was a bitter reflection that it had been in her possession, when she
+was in the company of the one whom she esteemed above all others.
+
+"It may have been," reflected the parson, carefully keeping his
+thoughts to himself, "that, when she remembered from whom it came, she
+flung it aside to please him. Captain," he added, "since this was once
+mine, I presume you have no objection to my keeping it."
+
+"You are welcome to it; I don't care for it," replied the parent.
+
+"Thank you," and the parson carefully put it away to keep company with
+the letter of Nellie Dawson which broke her father's heart; "I observe
+that it is quite dry, which makes me believe it has not been exposed
+to the dew, and therefore could not have lain long on the ground."
+
+"You can't tell anything by that," commented Vose; "the air is so dry
+up here, even with the snow and water around us, that there's no dew
+to amount to anything."
+
+All seemed to prefer not to discuss the little incident that had
+produced so sombre an effect upon the party. Wade Ruggles was disposed
+to claim the handkerchief, inasmuch as it was he who found it, but he
+respected the feelings of the parson too much to make any protest.
+
+The occurrence was of no special interest to the guide. He had said
+they were in danger from the Indians and he gave his thoughts to them.
+While the others kept their seats on the ground, he stood erect, and,
+shading his eyes with one hand, peered long and attentively over the
+trail behind them. The clump of cedars from amid which the thin column
+of vapor was slowly climbing into the sky and the narrow ledge which
+had been the scene of their stirring adventure were in view, though
+its winding course shut a portion from sight.
+
+"I expected it!" suddenly exclaimed Vose.
+
+The others followed the direction of his gaze and saw what had caused
+his words. The five Indians, whom Vose had discovered in camp, were
+picking their way along the ledge, with their faces turned from the
+white men, who were watching them. Despite the chilly air, caused by
+the elevation, not one of the warriors wore a blanket. Two had bows
+and arrows, three rifles, carried in a trailing fashion, and all were
+lithe, sinewy fellows, able to give a good account of themselves in
+any sort of fight.
+
+A curious fact noted by all of our friends was that while these
+warriors were thus moving away, not one of them looked behind him.
+Their long black hair hung loosely about their shoulders, and in the
+clear air it was observable that three wore stained feathers in the
+luxuriant growth on their crowns.
+
+"Is it possible that they have no suspicion of us?" asked the parson;
+"their action in not looking around would imply that."
+
+"Don't fool yourself," was the reply of Adams; "they knowed of us
+afore we knowed anything of them."
+
+"Why did they allow us to pass their camp undisturbed?"
+
+"Things weren't in the right shape for 'em. There are only three guns
+among 'em, though them kind of Injins are as good with the bow as the
+rifle, and they made up their minds that if we let them alone, they
+wouldn't bother us."
+
+"You said awhile ago that we should have trouble from them."
+
+"And so we shall; when they reasoned like I was sayin', they didn't
+know anything about the little accident that happened to their chief;
+it's that which will make things lively."
+
+"We can't see the point where that accident took place," said Captain
+Dawson.
+
+"No; the trail curves too much, but we can foller it most of the way;
+they're likely to go right on without 'specting anything, but when
+they find the horse, it'll set 'em to looking round. After that, the
+band will begin to play."
+
+While the party were watching the five Indians, the leader was seen
+to pass from view around the curve in the trail, followed by the next,
+until finally the fifth disappeared. All this time, not one of the
+warriors looked behind him. It was a singular line of action, and
+because of its singularity roused the suspicion of the spectators.
+
+While three of the miners resumed their seats on the boulders and
+ground, Vose Adams kept his feet. Doubling each palm, so as to make a
+funnel of it, he held one to either eye and continued scrutinizing the
+point where he had last seen the hostiles. He suspected it was not the
+last of them. Instead of imitating him, his friends studied his
+wrinkled countenance.
+
+The air in that elevated region was wonderfully clear, but it is
+hardly possible to believe the declaration which the guide made some
+minutes later. He insisted that, despite the great distance, one of
+the Indians, after passing from view, returned over his own trail and
+peeped around the bend in the rocks, and that the guide saw his black
+hair and gleaming snake-like eyes. The fact that Vose waited until the
+savage had withdrawn from sight, before making the astonishing
+declaration, threw some discredit on it, for it would have required a
+good telescope to do what he claimed to have done with the unassisted
+eye alone.
+
+"You see I was looking for something of the kind," he explained, "or
+mebbe I wouldn't have obsarved him."
+
+"Could you tell the color of his eyes?" asked the doubting Ruggles.
+
+"They were as black as coal."
+
+"It is safe to say that," remarked the parson, "inasmuch as I never
+met an Indian who had eyes of any other color."
+
+"There are such," said Vose, "and I've seen 'em, though I'll own
+they're mighty scarce and I never knowed of any in this part of the
+world. Howsumever, I won't purtend that I could see the color of a
+man's eyes that fur, but I did see his hair, forehead and a part of
+his ugly face. He knowed we was behind him all the time, and this one
+wanted to find out what we was doing. When he larned that, they kept
+on along the ledge, but there's no saying how fur they'll go afore
+they find something's gone wrong."
+
+Captain Dawson showed less interest in this by-play than the others.
+He was not concerned with what was behind them, so much as with what
+was in front. The belief was so strong with him that their persistent
+travel through the night had brought them close to the fugitives that
+he begrudged the time necessary for the animals to rest and eat.
+
+Parson Brush felt that Adams was acting wisely in giving attention to
+the rear. It would be the height of folly to disregard these
+formidable warriors when they meant trouble. Brush rose to his feet
+and using his palms as did the guide, scanned the country behind
+them.
+
+He saw nothing of any warrior peering around the rocks, but he did see
+something, which escaped even the keen vision of Vose Adams himself.
+Beyond the ledge and a little to the left, he observed a riderless
+horse, with head high in air, and gazing at something which the two
+white men could not see. The parson directed the attention of Vose to
+the animal.
+
+"By gracious! it's the chief's horse," he exclaimed; "do you see
+that?"
+
+The other two were now looking and all plainly saw a warrior advance
+into view, approaching the animal, which, instead of being frightened,
+seemed to recognize his friends, and remained motionless until the
+Indian came up and grasped the thong about his neck. Then the two
+passed from sight.
+
+The identical thing prophesied by Vose Adams had occurred under the
+eyes of the four pursuers. The steed of the dead chieftain had been
+recovered, and it would not take the hostiles long to penetrate the
+mystery of the matter. Vose was wise in taking the course he did, and
+his companions were now inclined to believe his astonishing assertion
+that he saw one of the number when he peeped around the curving ledge
+and watched their actions.
+
+However, it would have been absurd to wait where they were in order to
+learn every move of their enemies, for that would have been a
+voluntary abandonment of the advantage secured at the cost of so much
+labor and danger. Captain Dawson insisted that the pursuit should be
+pressed without any thought of the red men, and Vose consented.
+
+"But there's one thing we mustn't forget, captain," he said, "and that
+is that it is daytime and not night."
+
+"I do not catch your meaning," replied the captain, pausing on the
+point of moving off to secure his horse.
+
+"It is this: them people in front will keep as sharp an eye to the
+rear as to the front; more'n likely it will be sharper, and it will be
+a bad thing if they discover us when we're two or three miles off."
+
+"How shall we prevent it?"
+
+"We can do it, if we're careful. You'll remember that when you went
+over this route last, you come upon places where you could see for a
+mile or more, 'cause the trail was straight and broad, while there are
+others where you can't see more'n a hundred yards. Them that I've
+named last is where we must overhaul 'em."
+
+"That sounds well, Vose," said the captain, "but I am unable to see
+how you are going to manage so as to bring that about."
+
+"While you're getting the animals ready, I'll take a look ahead."
+
+This was not in the nature of an explanation, but the three willingly
+did their part. Vose disappeared almost instantly, and, though they
+took but a few minutes to prepare their animals for the resumption of
+travel, he was back among them, the expression of his face showing
+that he brought news of importance.
+
+"They ain't fur off," he said.
+
+"How far?" asked the captain.
+
+"I can't say anything more than that we're purty close to 'em. Let's
+push on!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+STRANGERS
+
+
+The signs of an approaching storm that had been noted with some
+apprehension the night before, passed away. The sky revealed hardly a
+cloud rift, and, when the sun had climbed the mountain crests, the
+scene was grand beyond description. But for the grim errand of the
+four men, holding relentlessly to the pursuit, they must have yielded
+to its impressive influence.
+
+The trail remained so favorable for a couple of miles further, that it
+was passed at the same easy, swinging gallop. Vose Adams retained his
+place a few paces in advance of the others, who saw him glance sharply
+to the right and left, often to the ground and occasionally to the
+rear, as if to assure himself that none of his friends was going
+astray.
+
+The moderate but continuous descent of the path took them so far
+downward that the change of temperature again became noticeable. The
+ground was rough and uneven and the animals dropped to a walk.
+Sometimes the course led around boulders, through sparse growths of
+cedar, beside brawling torrents, two of which they were compelled to
+ford, where it was hard for their animals to keep their feet.
+
+"Last fall," remarked the guide, at the most difficult of these
+passages, "I had to wait two days before I dared try to cross with
+Hercules and one of the other mules."
+
+His companions nodded their heads but made no other answer. They were
+not in the mood for talking.
+
+They were now making their way through a canyon similar to Dead Man's
+Gulch, with rents and yawning ravines opening on the right and left,
+before which the party might have halted in perplexity, had it been in
+the night time. But the path showed plainly and the familiarity of the
+guide prevented any mistake on his part.
+
+Adams had intimated that by a certain line of procedure the watchful
+fugitives could be prevented from discovering the approach of the
+pursuers until too late to escape them. In counting upon his ability
+to do this, he overestimated his skill, for the task was clearly
+impossible, and it was because of his efforts in that direction that
+he made a serious blunder. He had crossed for the third time a stream
+which was shallow, and, upon reaching the opposite bank, where the
+ground was moist and soft, he reined up with an exclamation of
+impatience.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Captain Dawson, in the same mood.
+
+"We've passed 'em," was the reply; "they're somewhere behind us."
+
+"How far?"
+
+"That remains to be found out, but I don't think it's a great
+distance."
+
+The captain angrily wheeled his horse and re-entered the stream.
+
+"If they don't get away, it won't be our fault," was his ungracious
+comment; "we have done little else than throw away our chances from
+the first."
+
+The guide made no response, and the next minute the four were
+retracing their course, their animals at a walk, and all scanning the
+rocks on either hand as they passed them.
+
+It was clear by this time that the fugitives held one important
+advantage over their pursuers. The route that they were following was
+so devious and so varied in its nature, that only at rare intervals
+could it be traced with the eye for a quarter or half a mile. Certain
+of pursuit, Lieutenant Russell and his companion would be constantly
+on the lookout for it. They were more likely, therefore, to discover
+the horsemen than the latter were to observe them. Even if their
+flight was interrupted, there were innumerable places in this immense
+solitude where they could conceal themselves for an indefinite
+period.
+
+The question the pursuers asked themselves was whether the others had
+strayed unwittingly from the trail, or whether they had turned off to
+elude their pursuers, whose desperate mood they could not but know.
+The latter supposition seemed the more likely, since the path was
+marked so plainly that it could be lost only by unaccountable
+carelessness.
+
+At the first break in the side of the vast mountain walls Vose Adams
+again slipped from his mule and spent several minutes in studying the
+ground.
+
+"They haven't gone in here," was his comment, as he remounted.
+
+"Make certain that we are not too far back," said the captain.
+
+"I have made no mistake," was the curt reply of the guide. The party
+had gone less than twenty rods further, when another rent opened on
+the other side of the canyon, which was about an eighth of a mile wide.
+It would not do now to slight anything, and Adams headed his mule
+diagonally across the gorge, the animal walking slowly, while the
+rider leaned over with his eyes on the ground. Suddenly he exclaimed:
+
+"We've hit it this time! Here's where they went in!"
+
+All four leaped from the back of their animals. Adams pointed out the
+faint indentations made by the hoofs of two horses. Less accustomed
+than he to study such evidence, they failed to note that which was
+plain to him; the hoof prints of one of the animals were smaller than
+those of the other, since they were made by Cap, the pony belonging to
+Nellie Dawson. There could no longer be any doubt that the pursuers
+were warm on the trail of the fugitives.
+
+Such being the fact, the interest of the men naturally centered on the
+avenue through which the others had made their way.
+
+It was one of those fissures, sometimes seen among enormous piles of
+rock, that suggest that some terrific convulsion of nature, ages
+before, has split the mountain in twain from top to bottom. The latter
+was on a level with the main canyon itself, the chasm at the beginning
+being ten or twelve yards in width, but, occurring in a depression of
+the mountain spur, its height was no more than five or six hundred
+feet, whereas in other localities it would have been nearly ten times
+as great. The base was strewn with fragments of sandstone, some of the
+pieces as large as boulders, which had probably been brought down by
+the torrents that swept through the ravine in spring or when a
+cloudburst descended upon the upper portion.
+
+Standing at the entrance, it was observed that the gorge trended
+sharply to the left, so that the view was shut off at a distance of
+fifty yards. It was noticeable, too, that the path taken by the
+fugitives sloped upward at so abrupt an angle that it must have sorely
+tried the horses.
+
+"I thought so," was the comment of Vose Adams, when he returned from a
+brief exploration of the ravine; "they got off and led their
+animals."
+
+"Have you any idea of the distance they went?" asked Captain Dawson,
+who was in a more gracious mood, now that he appreciated the value of
+the services of their guide.
+
+"No; I've rid in front of that opening a good many times, but this is
+the first time I ever went into it."
+
+"Well, what is to be done?" asked Parson Brush.
+
+"Why, foller 'em of course," Wade Ruggles took upon himself to reply.
+
+"That won't do," replied Adams, "for it is likely to upset everything;
+I'll leave Hercules with you and sneak up the gorge far enough to find
+how the land lays. I'll come back as soon as I can, but don't get
+impatient if I'm gone several hours."
+
+Brush and Ruggles showed their displeasure, for, while admitting the
+skill of the guide, they could not see adequate cause for the
+impending delay. They had made so many slips that it seemed like
+inviting another. It was clear that they were close upon the
+fugitives, and the two believed the true policy was to press the
+pursuit without relaxing their vigor. But Captain Dawson, the one who
+naturally would have been dissatisfied, was silent, thereby making it
+apparent that Adams was carrying out a plan previously agreed upon by
+the two.
+
+Vose paid no heed to Ruggles and the parson, but started up the
+ravine, quickly disappearing from view. Believing a long wait
+inevitable, the three prepared to pass the dismal interval as best
+they could. Here and there scant patches of grass showed in the canyon,
+and the animals were allowed to crop what they could of the natural
+food. The men lounged upon the boulders at hand, smoked their pipes
+and occasionally exchanged a few words, but none was in the mood for
+talking and they formed a grim, stolid group.
+
+Hardly ten minutes had passed, when Ruggles, with some evidence of
+excitement, exclaimed in a guarded undertone:
+
+"Helloa! Something's up!"
+
+He referred to the horses, who are often the most reliable sentinels
+in the presence of insidious danger. Two of them had stopped plucking
+the grass, and, with their ears pricked, were staring up the canyon at
+some object that had attracted their attention and that was invisible
+to their owners in their present situation.
+
+Convinced that something unusual had taken place, Ruggles walked out
+into the canyon where he could gain a more extended view. One sweeping
+glance was enough, when he hurried back to his companions.
+
+"Thunderation! all Sacramento's broke loose and is coming this way!"
+
+The three passed out from the side of the gorge to where they had a
+view of the strange procession. There seemed to be about a dozen men,
+mounted on mules, with as many more pack animals, coming from the west
+in a straggling procession, talking loudly and apparently in exuberant
+spirits.
+
+"I don't like their looks," said Brush; "it is best to get our
+property out of their way."
+
+The counsel was good and was followed without a minute's delay. The
+four animals were rounded up and turned into the ravine, up which Vose
+Adams had disappeared. They gave no trouble, but, probably because of
+the steepness of the slope, none of the four went beyond sight. Had
+the three men been given warning, they would have placed them out of
+reach, for none knew better than they how attractive horses are to men
+beyond the power of the law. But it was too late now, and the little
+party put on a bold front.
+
+As the strangers drew near, they were seen to be nine in number and
+they formed a motley company. Their pack mules were so cumbrously
+loaded as to suggest country wagons piled with hay. The wonder was how
+the tough little animals could carry such enormous burdens, consisting
+of blankets, picks, shovels, guns, cooking utensils, including even
+some articles of furniture.
+
+Our older readers will recall that for years after the close of the
+war, tens of thousands of the blue army overcoats were in use
+throughout the country. It looked as if every man in the present
+company was thus provided, including in many instances trousers of the
+same material, though each person had discarded the army cap for a
+soft slouch hat, similar to those worn by the miners. All the garments
+were in a dilapidated condition, proving their rough usage as well as
+their poor quality. Many of the heavy boots disclosed naked toes,
+while the mules had not known a curry comb for weeks and perhaps
+months.
+
+The faces of the men were anything but attractive. Most of them were
+heavily bearded, with long, frowsy, unkempt hair, dangling about the
+shoulders. Every one displayed side arms, and there could be no
+mistake in setting them down as a reckless lot, whom a peaceable
+citizen would not care to meet anywhere.
+
+The leader of this mongrel gang was a massive man, who bestrode so
+small a mule that his feet were only a few inches from the ground.
+There was little semblance of discipline in the company, but a certain
+rude deference to the fellow, who kept his place at the head, and did
+the loudest talking, ornamented with plenty of expletives, indicated
+his prominence among his fellows.
+
+The mountain tramps had descried the three men standing at the side of
+the canyon, watching them as they approached. They ceased their
+boisterous talking and studied them as they drew near.
+
+"Howdy, pards?" called the leader, raising his two fingers to his
+forehead and making a military salute, to which our friends responded
+coolly, hoping the company would keep on without stopping.
+
+But they were disappointed. Colonel Briggs, as his men called him,
+suddenly shouted "Whoa!" in a voice that could have been heard a mile
+off, and pulled so hard on his bridle rein that he drew the jaws of
+the mule against his breast, while the rider lay back almost on the
+haunches of his animal, who showed his contrariness by walking round
+in a short circle before standing still.
+
+"Which way, pards?" asked the leader, while his followers, who with
+more or less effort succeeded in checking their mules, curiously
+surveyed the three miners.
+
+"We intend to visit Sacramento," replied Captain Dawson.
+
+"Huh! that's where we come from."
+
+"On your way to the diggings I presume?" continued the captain
+courteously.
+
+"That's what's the matter; we're going to New Constantinople, which is
+the name of a mining settlement in Dead Man's Gulch. Do you know
+anything of the place?"
+
+"We live there."
+
+"The deuce! Queer town, ain't it?"
+
+"In what respect?"
+
+"Don't like visitors; Red Tom and Missouri Mike, two of the gang with
+me, stopped there a year or so ago with the idee of staying; the best
+they could do was to sleep there one night and git fired the next
+morning. That went agin the grain," continued Colonel Briggs, "and the
+more the boys thought it over the madder they got. When they told the
+rest of us, we made up our minds that the trouble was the diggings had
+panned out so rich in them parts that the folks meant to keep 'em to
+themselves. I don't call that square, so we're going down to divvy
+with 'em. Big scheme, ain't it?"
+
+Our three friends were astounded. The addition of this gang to New
+Constantinople meant nothing less than its moral ruin. It would bring
+a peril from the first hour and doubtless precipitate a murderous
+conflict with a doubtful issue.
+
+"They are a peculiar people," said Captain Dawson, repressing all
+evidence of his anger; "it's a mistake to attribute their prejudice
+against immigrants to the richness of the diggings, for though they
+have been worked for years, they have not produced much. But they want
+no strangers among them, and I know they will not allow you and your
+friends to make your homes in their settlement."
+
+Colonel Briggs threw back his head, opened his enormous mouth and
+broke into uproarious laughter, most of his companions joining him to
+the extent of a broad grin.
+
+"Do you hear that, boys? Won't let us settle among 'em, eh? And there
+are nine of us and we hain't had a scrimmage since we left Sacramento,
+except with the Injins, which don't count. Stranger, we're yearning to
+hear your folks say we shan't jine 'em, 'cause if they try to stop it,
+it'll make things lively."
+
+It was not a pleasant recollection of our friends that, since their
+departure from New Constantinople, the force left behind would be
+hardly a match for this desperate gang of marauders, who no doubt were
+as eager for trouble as they professed to be.
+
+"Why not make a settlement of your own?" was the conciliating question
+of Parson Brush; "there's plenty of room in this country."
+
+"That would be too peaceable like; it don't suit us; we're looking for
+trouble."
+
+"And you'll find it powerful quick," said Wade Ruggles, "if you try to
+shove that gang of yours into New Constantinople."
+
+"That's music in our ears; that's what we're hungry for; we're ready
+to start an opposition hotel to the Heavenly Bower, too; we've got the
+stock to furnish it."
+
+"Wade," said the parson, "keep your temper; we can't afford to quarrel
+with these men."
+
+"It wouldn't take much for me to shoot that chap off his mule as he
+sets there."
+
+"Leave matters to the captain; it looks as if we shall have a fight,
+but it is best to keep cool."
+
+The observant trio had noticed an additional cause for uneasiness.
+More than one of the party were surveying the three horses and mule
+with admiring eyes. Some of them spoke to one another in low tones,
+and there could be no doubt they looked with envy upon the animals,
+which, tiring of their confinement in the ravine, had come forth as if
+with the purpose of passing under review, on their way to crop the
+grass from which they had been driven.
+
+"Colonel," called one of the men behind him, "them is likely
+animals."
+
+"I had obsarved that fact myself; strangers, I've made up my mind to
+buy them critters; what's your price?"
+
+"They are not for sale," replied Captain Dawson.
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"We need them for our own use."
+
+"Then we'll trade."
+
+"You won't do anything of the kind," said the captain, speaking with
+the utmost coolness, but with that paling of the countenance and
+glitter of the eyes that Colonel Briggs would have done well to heed.
+
+"Strikes me, stranger, you're rather peart in your observations," said
+the leader with an odd chuckle; "we ain't used to having people speak
+to us in that style."
+
+"It is my custom to say what I mean; it saves misunderstanding."
+
+"It's my opinion, stranger, you'd better say trade."
+
+"It is of no importance to me what your opinion is; we need the horses
+and the mule for our own use and we shall keep them."
+
+"But you've got one more than you want."
+
+"He belongs to a friend who is not far off and will soon return; we
+can't spare one of them."
+
+"If we give you four of ours for the lot, that'll make an even thing
+of it. Besides, we'll throw in something to boot."
+
+"I wouldn't give one of the horse's shoes for all the trash you have
+piled on top of your animals; the stuff isn't worth house room, but it
+is what I should expect to see in the hands of a lot of tramps like
+you and yours; I wouldn't trade our mule for the whole party which, to
+judge by their looks, ought to be in jail."
+
+Brush and Ruggles were amazed to hear the captain use such language,
+for it sounded as if he was trying to provoke instead of avoid a
+fight. The truth was the veteran was thoroughly enraged by the
+evident purpose of the fellow before him. Although his voice was low
+and deliberate, the captain's temper was at a white heat. The point
+had been reached where a desperate struggle seemed unavoidable, and he
+wished to precipitate the crisis, inasmuch as it had to come.
+
+Colonel Briggs did not laugh, but turning his head, talked for a
+minute with the man nearest him, their words so low that no one else
+heard them. Then the leader turned back in a quick, decisive way.
+
+"There don't seem much use in talking, stranger, so 'spose we make a
+fight of it."
+
+"As you prefer."
+
+The gang hardly expected so firm a front. Some of them muttered to one
+another. They were not a unit on the question, though it was evident
+that the majority preferred to fight.
+
+The three men stood with their backs almost against the mountain wall.
+Each had a Winchester and revolver and all were expert in the use of
+the weapons. The others were gathered in an irregular group around
+their leader. They, too, were provided with all the weapons they could
+use, not to mention the extra guns strapped upon the pack mules. They
+outnumbered our friends three to one.
+
+Captain Dawson could use his rifle as well with his single arm as
+formerly with two.
+
+"He can't fire before me," he said in an undertone to Brush, standing
+next to him; "when the shooting begins, I'll drop him off his mule
+before he knows what's coming. When I say the word, let fly as quick
+as lightning! Likely enough they'll win, but we'll make them pay high
+for their victory."
+
+"Do you notice that tall thin man at the rear?" asked Brush, in the
+same guarded voice; "his eyes shine like a rattlesnake's; he'll be
+_my_ first target."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+FRIENDS
+
+
+Colonel Briggs was nonplussed for the moment. He had failed to scare
+the men whom he meant to despoil of their property and some of the
+mutterings behind him showed that he lacked the unanimous support of
+his followers.
+
+"Boys," he said, looking round in their faces; "you've heerd what
+these strangers say to my mild requests. Since they are too mean to
+trade, I leave it to you to say whether we shall let up on 'em or make
+'em trade; which is it?"
+
+"Trade! trade!" was the response, given with such ardency that there
+seemed to be no dissent, though there was.
+
+"That hits me right; trade it shall be; the first one of the strangers
+that kicks, fill him full of holes."
+
+"And the first man that lays a finger on my property," said Captain
+Dawson, in the same deliberate voice, "will be shot down like a dog!"
+
+The person whom Parson Brush had selected a few minutes before for
+his first target and whom he was watching closely, now did an
+extraordinary thing. This individual was thin to emaciation. His
+beard was scant and scraggly, and his large black eyes gleamed like
+those of a wild animal. He had a very long body, and sat so upright
+in his saddle, with his Winchester resting across in front, that he
+towered head and shoulders above his companions. From the first,
+he fixed his penetrating eyes on Captain Dawson and studied him
+closely. It was this persistent intensity of gaze that attracted
+the notice of Brush, who set him down as being even more malignant
+than the leader of the disreputable party.
+
+When a collision was impending, and must have come the next second,
+the singular looking man, grasping his revolver, raised his hand above
+his head and called:
+
+"Hold on a minute!"
+
+His commanding voice and manner hushed every one. From his place at
+the rear, he spurred his mule straight toward the three men standing
+on the ground.
+
+"Keep off!" commanded the parson; "if you come any nearer I'll
+shoot!"
+
+The extraordinary looking individual gave him no heed, but forced his
+mule in front of Captain Dawson, upon whom he kept his eyes riveted.
+
+"Don't fire till I give the word," commanded the captain, who had
+become suddenly interested in the tall, slim man.
+
+Halting his mule directly before Dawson, and with no more than a
+couple of yards separating them, the stranger craned his head forward
+until his chin was almost between the long ears of his animal. He
+seemed to be trying to look the officer through, while every other man
+watched the curious proceeding.
+
+Suddenly the fellow resumed his upright posture in the saddle, his
+manner showing that he had solved the problem that perplexed him.
+Through his thin, scattered beard, he was seen to be smiling.
+
+"What's your name?" he asked.
+
+"Maurice Dawson."
+
+"Formerly captain of the Iowa ---- cavalry?"
+
+"The same at your service."
+
+"Don't you know me, captain?"
+
+The officer thus appealed to took a single step forward, and looked
+searchingly in the face of the man that had thus addressed him.
+
+"There is something familiar in your looks and voice, but I am unable
+to place you."
+
+"Did you ever hear of Corporal Bob Parker of the ---- Missouri?"
+
+"Yes; you are he! I recognize you now! I am glad to greet you."
+
+And shoving his Winchester under the stump of his arm, Captain Dawson
+extended his hand to his old comrade and shook it warmly, the two
+seeming to forget the presence of every one else.
+
+"Something in your face struck me," said the corporal, "but I wasn't
+sure. The last time I saw you, you had both arms."
+
+"Yes; I got rid of this one at the very close of the war."
+
+"Things were pretty well mixed up around Petersburg; I tried to get on
+your track, but failed; I knew you meant to come to California, and
+when we drifted here, I was hopeful of finding you, but I didn't think
+it would be in this style."
+
+While speaking the corporal had retained the hand of the captain,
+shaking it occasionally as he spoke. He now gave it a final pressure
+and dropped it.
+
+"Captain, you and I went through some pretty tough scrimmages and you
+were always dead true and game; when we lost our colonel and major,
+you took command and led the charge that day at Cold Harbor; Grant or
+Sheridan couldn't have done better."
+
+"It _was_ rather warm," smiled the captain, blushing at the
+compliment; "but, corporal, it looks as if we are going to have
+something of the kind here."
+
+Corporal Parker deliberately turned to the wondering group behind
+him.
+
+"Jim and Tom, you know what we agreed on, if this should prove to be
+my old commander. You two wore the gray, but you are true blue now."
+
+At this reminder, two of the company without a word rode forward and
+placed themselves beside the corporal.
+
+"Now, we'll face the other way."
+
+His suggestion was followed. The three wheeled their animals around,
+so that their riders, like the footmen, were in a line confronting
+Colonel Briggs and his astonished company.
+
+"Dress," said the corporal, looking down and moving his mule about
+until the alignment would have drawn a compliment from a West Point
+cadet.
+
+"Now, boys, are your shooting irons ready?"
+
+"They gin'rally air," was the significant response of one of the men.
+
+"All right, colonel," added the corporal making a military salute;
+"everything being in readiness please let the skirmish proceed."
+
+Colonel Briggs emitted a forceful exclamation.
+
+"What's the meaning of all this? I don't understand it."
+
+"There are six on each side; that evens matters; shall you start the
+music or do you prefer to have the captain fire the opening gun?"
+
+"But you haven't told me what this means."
+
+"It means that Captain Dawson and Corporal Bob Parker have drunk from
+the same canteen."
+
+It must be conceded that Colonel Briggs had one merit; no one was
+quicker than he to grasp a situation. So long as there were nine men
+on one side and three on the other, the success of the former was
+promising. He meant to crowd the defiant miners to the wall and would
+have done so but for the unprecedented turn of affairs. Now it was six
+to six and he knew the mettle of the three recruits that had joined
+the miners. Bob Parker was the most terrific fighter in the whole
+company. He was one of those men, occasionally seen, who was
+absolutely without fear. He would have stood up alone and fought the
+other eight. During that single week in Sacramento, he gained the name
+of a terror and caused a sigh of relief on the part of the authorities
+when he left for the mountains.
+
+The corporal always fired to kill, and his skill with rifle and pistol
+was marvelous. While talking with Colonel Briggs, he fixed his
+brilliant black eyes on him, as if to intimate that he had selected
+_him_ for his pet antagonist. All this was disconcerting.
+
+In this crisis, when every nerve was drawn tense and the question of
+life and death hung on the passing of a breath, Colonel Briggs leaned
+backward and elevating his chin in the way that had become familiar,
+emitted one of his resounding laughs. Then he abruptly snapped his
+jaws together like the springing of a trap.
+
+"Why, Bob, this puts a different face on things," he said cheerily;
+"if the man's a friend of yours, of course we can't quarrel with
+him."
+
+"I rather think not," replied the corporal.
+
+"I was in the army myself," added the colonel, "but didn't stay long;
+me and General Grant couldn't agree as to how the war should be run,
+and one night when no one was around, I resigned and left."
+
+"Then you didn't win your title in the service," remarked Captain
+Dawson, who felt that he could afford to show good will, now that the
+situation had taken so remarkable a turn.
+
+"Scarcely; the boys think that no officer lower than a colonel is fit
+to command this crowd, so that's how I got the handle."
+
+Captain Dawson could not forbear saying:
+
+"I think it much more befitting that a true and tried soldier, like
+Corporal Parker, should be in your place."
+
+"It was offered to me," said the corporal, "but I refused it."
+
+"No; we agreed to make him a full-fledged major-general, but he
+declined the honor with some sarcastic remarks," said the colonel;
+"howsumever, boys, now that things have been straightened out, do you
+intend to go with the captain or with us?"
+
+Corporal Parker addressed his two comrades.
+
+"Wheel and salute!"
+
+They faced their animals around, and, taking the cue from the
+corporal, made an elaborate military salutation to Captain Dawson and
+his companions. Then they wheeled again and rode back to their former
+places.
+
+"With my best regards," added the colonel, also saluting, while the
+rest half-nodded and grinned over the odd turn of affairs. Dawson,
+Brush and Ruggles unbent sufficiently to respond, but kept their
+places, side by side, and watched the curious procession until it
+passed out of sight beyond a sweeping curve in the canyon.
+
+"I wonder if we are likely to see any more of them," said the parson;
+"they are an ugly lot and badly want our horses."
+
+"Not badly enough to fight Corporal Parker and his two friends. The
+corporal is the bravest man I ever saw. I know he was disappointed
+when the colonel was so quick in backing down. He will go hungry for
+two or three days, for the sake of a fight. It is he and not the
+colonel or any one in the company that is spoiling for a row."
+
+"And I picked him out as the first one to shoot," grimly remarked
+Brush.
+
+"The chances are ten to one that he would have dropped you first, but
+it shows how easily one may be mistaken."
+
+"I tell you," said Ruggles earnestly, "when that gang strikes New
+Constantinople, there'll be trouble."
+
+"There's no doubt of it," commented Brush; "the forces will be about
+equal; if the boys at home could have warning of what is coming, they
+would make it so hot for Colonel Briggs and his tramps that they would
+be glad to camp somewhere else."
+
+"That wouldn't improve matters, for of necessity there would be
+passing back and forth, and there are some people at New Constantinople
+who would welcome the change. That's the worst of it; a good deal of
+this evil seed will fall on soil waiting for it."
+
+"We may be back in time to take a hand in the business," said the
+parson; "I don't know whether your friend, the corporal, can be
+secured as an ally."
+
+"It is doubtful, for about the only merits he has are his bravery and
+his loyalty to his friends."
+
+"In my 'pinion the same is considerable," commented Ruggles.
+
+"He would be a powerful friend to Nellie, because she is a female and
+because she is my daughter, but," added the father with a sigh, "I
+have my doubts whether I shall ever take her to the settlement
+again."
+
+This announcement strangely affected the two who heard it, for the
+dearest schemes which they secretly nourished included the spending
+of their days in the mining settlement. The hope of each had flickered
+into life once more with the prospect of recovering and punishing her
+abductor. They knew that she would bitterly mourn his loss, and would
+probably be inconsolable for a time, but the months and years would
+bring forgetfulness and then--who should say what _might_ come to
+pass?
+
+"We thought," remarked Ruggles, as they resumed their seats, "that we
+should have a weary wait for Vose, but it didn't prove so dull after
+all."
+
+The captain looked at his watch.
+
+"He has been gone more than an hour, and there's no saying when he
+will be back. He has his own way of managing this business, and,
+though I concede his skill and superior knowledge in this part of the
+world, it is hard to keep my patience when I see the hours slipping
+away without bringing any results."
+
+But the patience of the three men was tried more sorely than ever
+before, and to a greater extent than any one of them anticipated. Noon
+came and passed and without bringing Vose Adams. The party partook
+sparingly of their lunch, leaving enough for their absent friend, but
+the lagging hours wore away and they still waited. They said little to
+one another, but the captain, unable to restrain his restlessness,
+wandered down the canyon. The two left behind watched him until he
+passed from view in the direction taken by Colonel Briggs and his
+company. A few minutes later, the report of his rifle came back to
+them.
+
+"I wonder if _he's_ got into trouble," exclaimed the parson, rising to
+his feet and peering to their left, without seeing everything to
+explain the sound that had reached them.
+
+"I shouldn't wonder," replied Ruggles; "everything is going wrong;
+Vose wouldn't stay away so long, unless he, too, was in difficulty."
+
+"The captain may need us; he can't be far off."
+
+Gun in hand, the couple walked hurriedly down the canyon, on the alert
+for Indians, for it seemed more likely that if any danger threatened,
+it was from them. To their relief, however, they soon found their
+alarm groundless. The captain was seen coming, apparently as well as
+ever.
+
+"Nothing is wrong," he explained when they were within speaking
+distance; "I saw an antelope among the rocks and took a shot at him."
+
+"How near did you come to hitting him?"
+
+"He made only a single jump after he received my bullet; it's a pity
+he didn't make a couple of them."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"It would have brought him over the outer rock and into the ravine;
+then we should have had something for supper. Haven't you seen Adams
+yet?"
+
+Instead of answering directly the three looked toward the fissure in
+the side of the canyon, and there, to their unspeakable relief, they
+saw the man who had been absent for so many hours. As is the rule at
+such times, their ill-humor deepened.
+
+"Why didn't you wait till morning?" was the question of the captain.
+
+"I was afraid I would have to do so," replied the guide, whose flushed
+face and agitated manner proved that he brought important news; "but I
+didn't have to, and got away in time to reach you afore night."
+
+"Not much before," commented the parson; "you must have had a
+remarkable experience to detain you so long."
+
+"Rather, but I'm starving, give me something to eat, while I talk."
+
+The lunch was produced, and he fell to with avidity, but he saw they
+were in no mood for frivolity, and he did not presume upon their
+indulgence.
+
+"Wal, pards, after leaving you, I picked my way as best I could up the
+gorge, which runs back, with the bottom rising more or less all the
+way, for 'bout two hundred yards when you reach level ground. That is
+to say, the gorge ends, but the ground is anything but level."
+
+"And they went all that distance ahead of you with their animals?"
+asked Brush.
+
+"That's what they done; the tracks of the horses were so plain there
+couldn't be any mistake 'bout it. At the top of the gorge, the trail
+slanted off to the right, toward a big pile of rocks, caves and
+gullies, where it didn't look as if a goat could travel. There was so
+much stone that it was mighty hard to keep on the trail and I lost
+it."
+
+"And didn't you find it again?" demanded the captain.
+
+"Yes, but it took a good deal of time; that's one reason why I was
+gone so long, but it wasn't the only reason by a jug full. When I
+struck it agin, it led straight toward a high rocky place to the left,
+where I made up my mind the two were hidin'."
+
+"That would imply that they knew we were close behind them."
+
+"There can't be any doubt of that. What bothered me was to learn what
+they had done with their horses, fur the prints that I followed was
+made by the folks' feet. I couldn't figger out what they had done with
+the animals, and I spent some more time in trying to larn, but it was
+no use.
+
+"Bime by I struck better ground, where the trail was so clear I could
+have trotted over it."
+
+"Why didn't you do it?" asked Ruggles.
+
+Adams shook his head.
+
+"It wouldn't have done; as I said they must have found out, purty
+early in the day, that we was after them, for if they didn't, why did
+they turn off the reg'lar track?"
+
+"Never mind asking questions," replied the captain; "go on with your
+story."
+
+"Wal, pards, by that time I must have been a mile from here and it
+looked as if I'd have to go that much further. I had a good mind to
+come back after you, for time was important, but when another rocky,
+walled-up place showed in front of me, I was sartin I was close upon
+'em. Their horses couldn't make their way through such a spot, and I
+was sure I had 'em fast."
+
+"Why didn't you come back at once?" said the captain, "but, never
+mind, go on with your account."
+
+"I thought it would be best to find out just how they was fixed. At
+the same time, it would never do to let 'em diskiver that I was about.
+So I was powerful careful and crept forward as if into an Injin camp.
+It wasn't long before I smelled burning wood. That told me they had
+come to a stop, built a fire and didn't dream I was anywhere in the
+neighborhood.
+
+"But I wasn't through with the bother yet; it took me another long
+time to find where that fire was burnin', but I hit it at last. A
+little faint streak of smoke was climbin' from behind a ridge, among a
+growth of pines. I begun creeping forward when I changed my mind. I
+thought that if one of 'em happened to be on the watch and see me,
+they would be off afore I could git anywhere near 'em. So I worked
+round to the other side to come upon 'em from that. Then you see if
+they took the alarm, they'd have to come back toward you or make
+another long circuit. Anyway, I was sure of a chance to meet 'em.
+
+"Wal, pards, I don't want to make a long story of what is a short one.
+I got round to tother side, but it took me a good while, and it's
+hardly an hour ago that I catched my first sight of their camp."
+
+"What passed between you and them?" asked the captain.
+
+"When I rested my eyes on the little bundle of wood burnin', there
+wasn't a man, woman or horse in sight."
+
+The listeners were dumbfounded for the moment. After the waste of the
+greater part of the day, they were no nearer seeing the fugitives than
+before. In a voice, husky with passion, Captain Dawson exclaimed:
+
+"It will take hard work to convince me that all this was not done on
+purpose by you."
+
+"What do you mean?" demanded Vose, showing more anger than at any time
+since the strange hunt had been begun.
+
+"If you had spent a week trying to fix things so as to help them get
+away from us, you couldn't have done any better than your own account
+shows you to have done. The whole day has been lost and we stand just
+as near success as we did twenty-four hours ago."
+
+"You ought to have returned to us as soon as you located them," added
+Brush in the effort to soothe the ruffled feelings of the two.
+
+"P'raps I didn't do the wisest thing," replied Adams with unexpected
+meekness; "but I ain't the first person in the world that has made a
+mistake. Howsumever, there won't be any more slips by me."
+
+His companions looked inquiringly at him.
+
+"I don't understand that remark," said the captain, "when you are sure
+to blunder as long as you attempt to manage things."
+
+"That's the p'int; I resign from this time forward; I haven't given
+satisfaction and you may now do the work to suit yourselves."
+
+"It's just as well," commented the captain, "for we can't make a
+greater mess of it than you."
+
+The story told by Vose Adams was a singular one, but the most singular
+feature about it was that it did not contain a grain of truth. Every
+statement was a falsehood, deliberately intended to deceive, and,
+seeing that he had succeeded in his purpose, he was satisfied.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+VOSE ADAMS
+
+
+Lieutenant Russell gave no hint to Nellie Dawson of the scheme upon
+which he had fixed his hopes, until after she had confessed her love
+for him, and he was certain beyond the shadow of a doubt, that he
+possessed the sole affection of her heart. Even then he hesitated for
+he knew the shock it would cause the gentle one, who was devotedly
+attached to her father. But the resolution of Captain Dawson to spend
+the remainder of his days at the mining settlement, and his intention
+of selecting her husband from among those that had made New
+Constantinople their home for years, crystallized the determination
+that had been vaguely shaping itself in his brain for weeks.
+
+As he expected, she recoiled shocked by the proposal to leave her
+father; but love is eloquent, and he won by convincing her that the
+separation would be only temporary. Her father would be quick to see
+the great wrong his course would inflict upon his child, and he would
+not only consent to the union, but would follow and make his home with
+them. It was this implicit belief which made her the companion of
+Lieutenant Russell in the flight from the mountain settlement.
+
+The project having been carefully planned and arranged, the
+preparations were more complete than those of their pursuers. They
+took sufficient extra clothing in the form of wraps and blankets, and
+enough food to last for several days. They were well mounted and had
+the companionship of the huge dog Timon, with his almost human
+intelligence.
+
+The lieutenant's memory of places was good, and, having a number of
+hours of daylight at command, he escaped the mistake of his pursuers.
+The turn from Dead Man's Gulch was made at the right point, and they
+were miles on their way before their flight was discovered by Captain
+Dawson and his friends.
+
+Both of the fugitives did not doubt they would be pursued. They knew
+the consuming anger that would take possession of her father, who
+would probably collect several companions and start after them with
+furious haste. He would take frightful vengeance upon the man that had
+dared to steal his daughter. Everything, therefore, must be done to
+keep beyond his reach until his wrath had time to cool. The intention
+was to make Sacramento ahead of him. At that city, the lieutenant
+would seek out his future father-in-law and plead his cause.
+
+When night closed around them, they had penetrated to a distance of
+perhaps fifteen miles in the Sierras. It was at sunset that they
+passed a spot, where horses and riders, the latter on foot, had to
+pick their way with extreme care, while even Timon, who clung
+faithfully to them, showed timidity, though he had been over the place
+before. The sagacious brute knew that a mis-step on his part meant
+death. The passage, however, was made without mishap, and Russell, as
+he helped his companion into the saddle, assured her that nothing so
+trying to the nerves was to be expected during the rest of the
+journey.
+
+There was no fear of pursuit until after nightfall, but Russell
+frequently pointed his glass backward and scanned the trail over his
+whole field of vision. When the gathering darkness shut out
+everything, he had seen nothing of enemies, either white or red. He
+could not forget that on his previous journey, he and the captain had
+desperate fighting with the Indians and the same peril still
+impended.
+
+Nellie was eager to cover all the ground possible, while the
+opportunity was theirs, and the flight was pushed longer than Russell
+would have advised. Finally, he insisted they should stop and rest
+themselves and horses for the remainder of the night. The halting
+place was selected with much care. The animals were turned loose,
+where the grass was growing and a small stream wound its way toward a
+larger one. Then the two, accompanied by Timon, pushed in among the
+rocks to where the final halt was made.
+
+They were in profound darkness. The lieutenant decided to start a
+fire, and, with much difficulty, gathered a sufficiency of dried
+branches. They were fortunate enough to find a partial cavern, so open
+in front that it would have given slight shelter in the event of a
+storm. When the blaze threw out its cheerful light, it served to
+dissipate the gloom which in spite of themselves had oppressed them
+with the coming of night.
+
+They partook of food and the lieutenant's spirits rose, for he saw
+nothing to prevent the full success of the dream which had inspired
+and thrilled him so long. His buoyancy was infectious, and he brought
+a smile to the beauteous countenance by his merry sallies, and his
+picture of the happy future that was close at hand.
+
+"Your father will be angry at first," he said; "it would be strange if
+he were not, but he loves you and I think has a pretty fair opinion of
+me. When he gains time to think over the matter, he will admit the
+wisdom of what we have done and we shall receive his blessing."
+
+It was this assurance, more than all else, that served to lift the
+gloom from her. Deep as was her love for the one at her side, it would
+not have sufficed to draw her from her adored parent, had she believed
+that his resentment against her would last. As it was, she grieved
+that even for a brief time, as she thought would be the case, he
+should hold harsh feelings toward her.
+
+No chivalrous knight of the Crusades could have been more scrupulously
+considerate of lady intrusted to his charge than Lieutenant Russell.
+He would have died before offending Nellie Dawson by act, word or
+presumptuous thought. When, as the night advanced, the bright eyes
+began to grow drowsy, he arranged a couch for her, saw that she was
+well provided with blankets and then turned to the immense dog, who
+had never left them and who looked as if he understood everything.
+
+"Now, Timon, you are to stay right here," he said, bending over and
+impressively shaking his finger at the animal; "you are not to
+venture a dozen feet from your mistress without permission. Do you
+understand?"
+
+A whine and wagging of the tail left no doubt that the wishes of his
+late master were clear to him.
+
+"You have your gun at your side," he added, turning to Nellie; "I do
+not think you will have any call to use it. We have not met any
+Indians and your father cannot overtake us before morning. Timon will
+be sure to give you warning of the approach of danger, and, if your
+gun goes off, I shall be here in a twinkling."
+
+He bade her good night and departed. Enough wood had been flung on the
+fire to keep it going for an hour or two, but long before it sank to
+ashes, the girl had drifted into dreamland.
+
+The lieutenant carefully selected his own sleeping quarters. He
+finally fixed upon a large flat boulder, at the rear of the cavern
+occupied by Timon and his charge; but, although beyond sight, he was
+near enough to reach the spot on the instant needed. Spreading out his
+blanket, he lay down upon it.
+
+"This recalls the old days in Virginia, when mud a foot deep, with the
+rain dashing in our faces, was what we had for weeks at a time. This
+couch doesn't equal a feather bed, but it will answer."
+
+The night passed without incident and it was hardly light when the
+young officer was astir. He visited the horses and found them cropping
+the grass, but he waited until Timon came to him before calling upon
+Nellie. She, too, had been awake for some time and they partook of
+their morning meal with rugged appetites.
+
+She was so eager to hurry on that he lost no time in taking the road
+again. Neither could doubt that their pursuers were on their trail,
+and, with the aid of his small glass, he carefully studied the country
+behind them. It was not long before he made the discovery he dreaded:
+four horsemen were following their footprints, and beyond them were
+the five Indians picking their way along the ledge in the opposite
+direction.
+
+The lieutenant passed the glass to his companion who scrutinized the
+party with the keenest interest.
+
+"They must have traveled all night," remarked her escort, while she
+still peered through the instrument.
+
+"That shows how dreadfully angry father is; I hope it will not last."
+
+"Can you make out the members of the party?"
+
+She studied them a minute or two more before answering:
+
+"I think that is father who is close to the man on a mule."
+
+"The one on a mule must be Vose Adams, for he is more accustomed to
+that sort of animal. I am sorry he is with the party."
+
+"Why?" asked Nellie, lowering the glass and looking at him.
+
+"He is so familiar with the trail, that it will be hard work to outwit
+him; he isn't the man to make mistakes. Did you recognize the
+others?"
+
+"I cannot be sure, but I suspect they are Mr. Ruggles and Mr. Brush."
+
+"I have no doubt you are right,--not because I was able to identify
+them, but because the two are partners and your father would naturally
+go to them first. I do not think any one of the four has a glass, so,
+despite their sharp eyes, we have a big advantage in that respect."
+
+"But they know the route better than we, and we are losing time."
+
+The course of the trail took them out of the field of vision of their
+pursuers. It was at the suggestion of Russell that the two turned
+aside from the canyon into the fissure-like gorge. This would have been
+a serious mistake, except for the plan he had in view, for it must
+place the pursuers in advance, the very thing which it would seem the
+fugitives ought if possible to prevent.
+
+The lieutenant had believed from the first that Vose Adams, in
+threading his way through the mountains, traveled a good many miles
+more than was necessary. It was quite likely that, if he could follow
+a straight line, he would shorten the distance one-half. Although this
+was impossible, the young man, nevertheless, was convinced that by
+changing the route, a good many miles could be saved: and it was in
+his mind to do that thing.
+
+The lieutenant's experience in campaigning had taught him the danger
+of going astray, when picking his way through an unfamiliar country,
+but the little compass attached as a charm to his watch chain would
+help him to keep track of the variations and windings, and he was
+confident of coming out right. He and Nellie were well mounted and
+armed, all of which being impressed upon his companion, she offered no
+objection to the radical change of plan which took them out of the
+canyon into the ravine that led them they knew not whither, but it was
+ominous of disaster that at the top of the fissure, when the two were
+leading their animals, a grievous mishap occurred. The pony of Nellie
+slipped and sprained his ankle so badly that he whined with pain and
+paused with his weight supported on three legs.
+
+[Illustration: THE LIEUTENANT PASSED THE GLASS TO HIS COMPANION, WHO
+SCRUTINIZED THE PARTY WITH THE KEENEST INTEREST.--PAGE 269.]
+
+"That's a bad go!" exclaimed the dismayed Russell; "it will be several
+days before he is able to travel."
+
+She examined the ankle, as best she could, trying to soothe the pain
+by passing her hand over the injured part, but it was plain that
+neither she nor her companion could give any help.
+
+"Poor fellow," she said sympathetically; "you cannot go any further;
+what shall be done, Fred?"
+
+"Only one thing seems possible,--take you on my horse."
+
+"And what will become of Cap?"
+
+"We must leave him behind."
+
+"What will happen to him?"
+
+"Some one will pick him up, or, after his leg recovers, he may find
+his way back to the settlement."
+
+The impulsive girl flung her arms about the animal's neck and touched
+her lips to the silken nose.
+
+"They shall not part us, Cap," she exclaimed with tears in her eyes.
+
+The lieutenant watched this by-play, full of sympathy for the girl,
+but he was in a quandary. Prudence seemed to demand that everything
+should be sacrificed to speed by abandoning the pony. In all
+probability, the latter would serve as a dinner for some of the bears,
+wolves or other denizens of the mountains, who would quickly harry him
+to death. To wait where they were until the animal was able to travel
+rendered certain a speedy meeting with their pursuers. The woodcraft
+of Vose Adams would enable him to discover with slight delay the point
+where the fugitives had left the canyon, and he would guide his
+companions with the skill of one of the mountain Indians themselves.
+
+On the other hand, the plan he had in view imposed prodigious work
+upon his own animal. Between the halting place and Sacramento were
+many miles of easy traveling, over which he could walk, but for long
+distances the beast would be compelled to carry double. In the event
+of close pursuit, this must prove a fatal handicap.
+
+In his perplexity, the lieutenant again examined the hurt of the
+pony.
+
+"It would be cruel to make him take a single step, but he may soon
+recover. I am afraid to leave him behind and to continue our flight
+with only my horse. You know how dangerous it is to linger, Nellie,
+when it is certain _they_ are not far off----"
+
+She caught his arm and whispered:
+
+"Look at Timon! he has discovered something!"
+
+The dog was standing a few paces in front of them, with his nose
+pointed toward the canyon. He emitted several growls and pricked up his
+ears in a way that left no doubt that he was angered. The lieutenant
+had hardly time to place himself in an attitude of defence with his
+Winchester, when a soft footfall was heard, and the next moment Vose
+Adams emerged from behind the pile of rocks and approached them.
+
+It was proof of the guide's woodcraft that he was able to come thus
+close before being detected by Timon, who advanced threateningly
+toward him. A word, however, from the lieutenant stayed the dog.
+
+"Well, Vose," said the young man, "this is unexpected."
+
+"So I jedge and I've a 'spicion that you ain't tickled half to death
+to see me."
+
+"We were always friends, but I can't say that either Nellie or I am
+glad to meet you under the circumstances; for in truth, we have been
+doing all we could to prevent such a meeting."
+
+"Things has that look," added Vose, standing on guard as may be said,
+for he was not free from misgiving concerning the young lieutenant
+whom he had managed to run down. His positive orders forbade him to
+assume the aggressive, but no one could forbid him to defend himself,
+and he did not mean that this handsome officer should catch him
+unprepared.
+
+"Whom have you with you?" asked Russell.
+
+"The captain, Wade Ruggles and the parson."
+
+"What we suspected; I presume no one of the three feels specially
+affectionate toward me."
+
+"It is all the captain can do to prevent the other two from quarrelin'
+as to which shall have the first chance to shoot you."
+
+"Why does Captain Dawson prevent them?"
+
+"'Cause he means to have the first chance himself."
+
+"How about _you_?" grimly asked Lieutenant Russell.
+
+"I'm left."
+
+"How's that?"
+
+"A low down trick was played onto me; as near as I can find out, the
+captain comes first, Wade and the parson next and me fourth. You can
+see for yourself that there won't be any chance at all left for me
+after them three is through."
+
+"It doesn't look so,--that's a fact. But where are the three?"
+
+"Along the main trail, down in the kenyon."
+
+"Why did they not come with you?"
+
+"I advised 'em to wait till I found out how the land laid and they
+won't leave the spot till I get back."
+
+Lieutenant Russell gave no expression to the thought that flashed
+upon him. Why not keep Vose Adams a prisoner? The loss of his services
+to the party would be irreparable, for, as it was, the present hiding
+place of the fugitives never would have become known to them without
+the help of the guide. It was a daring scheme, but there were so many
+objections to carrying it out, that the officer dismissed it. In truth
+he thought of a much better plan.
+
+"You have told me enough, Vose, to prove that the four men--for I may
+as well include yourself--feel bitterer toward me than I suspected: do
+you think this enmity of theirs will last?"
+
+"Not for long."
+
+"How long?"
+
+"They'll let up as soon as you're shot."
+
+Lieutenant Russell could not restrain a smile at this way of putting
+it, while Nellie was so horrified that she gasped and stared and
+listened in silence.
+
+"There can be little doubt that you are right, but I meant to ask
+whether you do not think the captain will moderate his anger when he
+is given time to think it over."
+
+"He has had all night to do that, and this mornin' he was hotter if
+anything, than at any time since he larned what you had done."
+
+"When did he learn it?"
+
+Thereupon, Vose told the facts which have already been made known to
+the reader, the most interesting feature of which was that Adams was
+not an original member of the pursuing party. But, although the guide
+was so pronounced in his opinion of the continuance of the enmity of
+Captain Dawson, the lieutenant believed otherwise. He was confident
+that if he and Nellie could reach Sacramento before meeting the irate
+father, the latter would be open to reason, and all would turn out
+well.
+
+Vose turned to the young woman.
+
+"Nellie, do you want a little advice from me?"
+
+"I am glad to have it at any time."
+
+"Howsumever, what I say is as much for the leftenant as for you, which
+the same is that both of you should give up this bus'ness."
+
+"But," said Nellie, "you have just told us that father is so angry
+with Lieutenant Russell that he will shoot him the moment they meet."
+
+"We can fix that easy 'nough; let the leftenant stay here while you go
+with me; I think we can explain matters to the captain and the others
+so they won't bother the leftenant."
+
+"And what am _I_ to do?" asked Russell.
+
+"Push on to Sacramento as fast as you can, for though I think I can
+fix it, I wouldn't advise you to take too many chances."
+
+"In other words, after Nellie and I have fled from the settlement and
+got this far on the road to safety, you urge me to give her up
+forever."
+
+"Wal, that's lookin' a little further ahead than I meant to, but I
+'spose it amounts to that."
+
+"You mean well, Vose, but do you imagine that Nellie and I did not
+count the cost before turning our backs on New Constantinople? Don't
+you suppose we knew we should be pursued and were prepared for the
+consequences?"
+
+"I can't say as to that, but it strikes me that the plan I laid before
+you is the only one there is."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"You cannot get away from the captain and the men with him."
+
+"Well, there is no call for me to repeat my opinion, but I will say
+that the decision shall rest with Nellie herself. If she wishes to go
+with you I will interpose not a word of objection."
+
+He looked toward her as an invitation for her to speak. There was a
+world of affection and faith in the lustrous eyes, as she walked
+resolutely forward and placed herself by his side.
+
+"Only death shall separate us!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+AN UNEXPECTED ALLY
+
+
+The lovelight shone in the eyes of Lieutenant Russell, as he looked
+down at the slight figure beside him. He tenderly passed his arm
+around the girl and touched his lips to her forehead.
+
+"It was not that I doubted you, Nellie," he said, "but that Vose might
+know the full truth."
+
+Then turning to the guide, he asked:
+
+"Do you still advise her to leave me?"
+
+Vose Adams was unaccustomed to scenes like this. He moved about
+uneasily, coughed, cleared his throat, and for a few minutes was at a
+loss for words.
+
+"I don't know what to advise," he finally said; "but don't you think,
+if she could go to the captain and let him see how she feels, he will
+give in? How would it do for both of you to walk back with your arms
+round each other's neck and sayin' sweet words--wouldn't that fetch
+him? Hanged, if I know what to tell you!" he exclaimed desperately,
+observing the smiles on their faces.
+
+"I am afraid your plan wouldn't work," said the lieutenant, "but you
+have proved yourself the very friend we need."
+
+These words were a hint of the scheme that had come into the brain of
+the young officer. Had he made a prisoner of Vose Adams, as he thought
+for a minute of doing, the guide would really be more dangerous, since
+there was no way of guarding against his treachery, but if he could be
+turned into a friend, it would be almost equivalent to saving the
+fugitives. It was that for which the young man planned, but he felt
+that the real work must be done by Nellie. He could not win the good
+will of Vose, but she could, for who was able to resist her appeals?
+
+It was a proof of the brightness of the girl that she caught the
+purpose of her escort the moment his last words were uttered, and she
+performed her part with a cleverness that could not have been
+surpassed.
+
+Tears were in the eyes of the emotional Nellie, but she stepped across
+the brief intervening space and laid her hand on the arm of Adams.
+
+"How glad I am, Vose, that you will help us, for you have told enough
+to show that it will not do for us to meet father for some time to
+come; we are now in your hands."
+
+"Blamed if I won't do anything I can! But what can _I_ do? 'Spose I
+sneak back, shoot the captain and then plug Ruggles and the parson?
+Will that suit you?"
+
+"Gracious; I should rather you would kill me than harm a hair of
+father's head."
+
+"Wal, 'spose I shoot you and the leftenant and the captain and the
+rest? No; that won't do; how the mischief shall I fix things?"
+
+The cooler headed Russell saw that the problem had been solved; Nellie
+Dawson had won over Vose Adams, as may be said, by the turn of her
+finger. He was eager to do all he could to help them, but in the
+flurry of the moment could not reason with his usual acumen.
+
+"We don't want any shooting, Vose; I am sure that if we can reach
+Sacramento without meeting the captain, his anger will pass away. In
+Sacramento, I shall be able to arrange a meeting between him and his
+daughter, and his love for her will break down the barriers and do the
+rest."
+
+"I'm in too deep water when you get to figgerin' that way, but there
+seems to be reason in what you say, but what about Ruggles and the
+parson?"
+
+"We'll leave them out; they are in this as the friends of Captain
+Dawson, and will not dare go contrary to his wishes, but if they do,
+it can make no difference to my plan."
+
+"They're just as savage as the captain," said Vose significantly; "and
+it won't do to forget 'em; but what did you expect to do, when you
+left the kenyon? If you come back, you would have been sartin to meet
+us, and what then?"
+
+"My intention was not to return, but to keep away from the main trail
+and hunt a shorter road through the mountains to Sacramento."
+
+Vose Adams gave a low whistle of astonishment.
+
+"That's the worst I ever heard!"
+
+"And why?"
+
+"You're not follerin' any trail at all; you would be sartin to get
+lost and would never find your way through the mountains; anyhow it
+would take you three or four years, which I ca'clate is longer than
+you want to wait."
+
+"How can you be so positive?"
+
+"It's true I never went to Sacramento and back, except by follerin'
+for most of the way the trail that I know so well, but other folks as
+smart as you have been lost in the mountains and you couldn't help
+it."
+
+"You advise against it then?"
+
+"I'm so sure of your goin' wrong that I won't try to help you unless
+you give up the idee."
+
+"Then I hereby give it up."
+
+Since Vose Adams had committed himself to Russell and Nellie's
+interests, there was no more talking at cross purposes. The object
+of the three was the same, and they sat down on the rocks for
+consultation. There was abundance of time in which to do this,
+since those whom they feared would not leave the canyon until the
+return of their guide, and he did not mean to go back until the day
+was so far spent that further delay was unavoidable.
+
+"They will be mad when they see me," he said with a grin, "but it
+won't do them any good and I'll fix up a yarn about gettin' on and
+then off your trail agin, that they'll have to be satisfied with."
+
+"That will serve for to-night, but you will all be astir at an early
+hour to-morrow morning."
+
+"They will still have to depend on me to guide 'em, and I rather think
+I can steer 'em off the track, so as to give you plenty of time to get
+out of the way."
+
+"How?"
+
+"As soon as they leave the kenyon, that is as soon as the way is
+clear, you must ride back to it and put on all steam for Sacramento,
+for I understand, leftenant, that you've give up your idee of finding
+a new route through the mountains."
+
+"I have."
+
+"You've got two good animals and you'll gain a full day's start."
+
+"You forget about poor Cap," said Nellie.
+
+"So I did! if he can't go with you, you'll have to leave him behind
+and ride double, but it will be rather tough on your horse,
+leftenant."
+
+"Nellie doesn't weigh enough to make any difference, and I expect to
+walk most of the distance."
+
+An unexpected piece of good fortune raised the spirits of the three.
+To the amazement of all, Cap, the pony, was seen hunting for grass and
+bearing upon the lame foot with little inconvenience. That which was
+thought to be a bad sprain was only a wrench, from which he promised
+speedily to recover.
+
+"He'll be as well as ever by to-morrow mornin'," said Vose Adams;
+"you'll need to humor him at first, but not for long."
+
+As has been intimated, the guide remained with them through most of
+the afternoon, for, if he had gone back to his friends earlier than he
+did, he would not have dared to offer any excuse for not leading them
+in the pursuit, and he meant to avert all possibility of that. The
+reader understands by this time why the guide formulated such an
+astounding fiction when attempting to explain the cause of his delay.
+Had his listeners been in cooler mood, they might have tangled him up
+with a few questions, but their exasperation and disgust prevented.
+
+Before parting with the fugitives, Vose assured them that he was
+confident their plans could not fail.
+
+"All they've got to do," he reflected, "is to do nothing afore
+to-morrow and then when the road is open, strike out over the main
+trail as hard as they can travel. I hope none of them Injins that we
+had the row with will be pokin' 'round to-night, for if there's to be
+any trouble, it'll come from them."
+
+It will be recalled that the story of Adams was received with such
+coolness that he indignantly resigned and told the captain to run
+matters himself.
+
+"And he'll make purty work of it," chortled Vose "he won't be able to
+come within miles of where they are hidin'."
+
+When the moody silence had lasted for some time, the guide was moved
+to remark in a more conciliatory spirit:
+
+"There's one thing that mustn't be forgot: Colonel Briggs and his
+folks won't make any trouble, but we're not done with them Injins."
+
+"Isn't there likelihood that Colonel Briggs will divert them?" asked
+the parson.
+
+"No; for the redskins can't be fooled; they'll know it wasn't any of
+the colonel's folks that give their chief his walkin' papers, but us,
+and they're the sort of people that don't forget a thing of that
+kind."
+
+"I was thinking of hunting up enough wood to start a fire," said the
+captain; "but we don't need it, and I suppose it will be safer without
+it."
+
+"It seems to me," observed Ruggles, "that what we've got the most to
+fear is that the Injins will run off with our animals: we would be
+left in a bad fix."
+
+"We must look out for that; I'll stand guard the first part of the
+night."
+
+Each was ready to take his turn, and it was arranged that Captain
+Dawson should act as sentinel until midnight, when he would awake Vose
+Adams, who would assume the duty till morning. Soon afterward, the
+three wrapped themselves in their blankets and stretched out on the
+ground, near the boulders, where they speedily sank into deep
+slumber.
+
+It seemed to Adams that he had slept less than an hour, when the
+captain touched him. Rising immediately to a sitting position, he
+asked:
+
+"Is it midnight?"
+
+"It's a half hour past."
+
+"Why didn't you awake me afore? Have you seen anything wrong?"
+
+"I am not sure; my doubt made me hold on a little longer, but I
+learned nothing of account."
+
+"What was it anyway?"
+
+"It is only that the animals appear to be uneasy, but it may mean
+nothing, or it may mean a good deal."
+
+"It's more'n likely it means something. Where are they?"
+
+"Lying down off there to the right, almost near enough to be seen."
+
+"They can't be too close; wal, you can sleep and I'll take my turn."
+
+Thus warned by Captain Dawson, Vose Adams assumed the duties of
+sentinel with his senses on the alert. He had become so accustomed to
+the delicate duty, when aware that the slightest slip on his part
+meant death, that he was better fitted for the task than any member of
+the party, though the experience of Ruggles and the captain in the
+army had given them the ability to awake at any moment fixed upon
+before sinking into slumber, and they were sensitive to the least
+disturbance while enjoying refreshing rest.
+
+Adams believed what he had remarked more than once that the little
+company of mountain Indians would do their utmost to revenge
+themselves upon the men who had taken off their chief. He suspected
+that the five were prowling in the neighborhood, looking for some such
+opportunity, and that they would strike a blow before the rising of
+the morrow's sun.
+
+Nothing was to be hoped for in the way of a diversion, created by the
+intrusion of Colonel Briggs and his vagrant miners. Not that the
+Indians were not eager to strike at any members of the hated race, but
+the all-controlling motive was lacking in the case of the larger
+party.
+
+Although the moon was in the sky, only a small part of its light
+penetrated the canyon. Peering into the darkness, Vose dimly made out
+the forms of the four animals, who, having ceased their cropping of
+the grass, had lain down for the remainder of the night. They were so
+near that they could not be stampeded or stolen without the effort
+being known to the sentinel.
+
+It would have been the height of rashness to start a camp fire, for
+all the figures within its circle of illumination must have formed the
+best of targets for their stealthy foes. As it was, an enemy would
+have to steal from the gloom and approach near enough to touch them,
+before striking a blow or firing a shot.
+
+Vose Adams, with his Winchester in his right hand and held close to
+his side, took his seat on the ground, resting his back against the
+nearest boulder. As a rule, a sentinel can keep awake for an extended
+time only by motion and exercise, such as walking to and fro, but the
+trained hunter often takes the risk and there is little danger of his
+succumbing, especially after he has just finished a nap, as was the
+case with the guide.
+
+Thus seated, with the boulder rising several feet above his head,
+Adams's only reliance was upon his keenness of hearing and sight.
+
+He had not waited long when he saw proof of what the captain had told
+him: the animals were restless, or rather one of them was. The
+quadruped thus affected was Hercules, his own mule, who, although
+lying down, twice rose to his feet, shifted his position and lay down
+again. Then he sniffed as if the air contained an odor that was
+displeasing to him.
+
+"I wouldn't think much of it, if it was one of the horses," reflected
+his master, "but Hercules has brains; he knows more'n all the others
+together, and yet it may be it ain't that after all."
+
+One of the singular facts regarding cattle and other quadrupeds is
+that they are sometimes troubled with disquieting dreams, the same as
+ourselves. This trifling cause has resulted many a time in the
+stampeding of a drove numbering tens of thousands.
+
+"I've knowed Hercules to kick and snort in his sleep, and one time he
+come mighty near breakin' a leg of mine; howsumever, I don't think
+that's the trouble with him to-night. I 'spect it's Injins this
+time!"
+
+When Captain Dawson lay down to sleep and Vose Adams assumed his place
+as sentinel, the moon was near the zenith, but the contour of the
+canyon shut out its beams. While Vose was striving to pierce the gloom,
+over and about the four animals, he noted a flickering tremor against
+the vast wall which formed the other side of the canyon. A faint,
+fleecy veil of moonlight having been lifted over the mountain crests,
+was now flung downward and caught against and suspended upon the
+projecting rocks and crags. It was but a frosty shimmer, but the veil
+dangled lower and lower, pendant here and there until the fringe
+rested on the bottom of the gorge.
+
+The sleeping miners and horses were wrapped in deep shadow, but the
+tremulous, almost invisible veil still fluttered on the further side
+of the canyon. By and by, the shifting moon would whisk it up again
+and all would be gloom as before.
+
+The sentinel lay flat on his face and peered over the prone animals
+toward the faint light across the canyon, and, looking thus, he saw the
+outlines of a man moving among the horses and mule. A shadow could not
+have been more noiseless. Not the faintest rustle betrayed his
+footsteps.
+
+"Just what I expected," thought Vose; "I'll wager Hercules against a
+dozen of the best horses in Sacramento that that shadder is one of
+them five Injins we seen stealin' along the ledge this mornin'. All
+the same, I can't imagine what the mischief he is driving at."
+
+The guide's first impulse was to bring his rifle to his shoulder and
+let fly. The intruder was so near that it was impossible to miss him,
+but two causes operated to prevent this summary course: Vose wished
+first to learn the business of the intruder, and there was a single
+possibility in a hundred that he was neither an Indian nor an enemy.
+
+The latter doubt could be solved by challenging the prowler with a
+threat to fire, if instant satisfaction was refused, while the firing
+could be made so promptly that the stranger would have no chance of
+whisking out of reach. Vose decided to wait until he got some idea of
+the other's business.
+
+He could still dimly discern the form, but it was so obscure that had
+it not been moving about, he would not have been able to distinguish
+it or make sure it was within his field of vision.
+
+While studying the phantom, the lower part of the veil of moonlight on
+the other side of the canyon was twitched up for a hundred feet.
+Lingering thus a minute, it was twitched still higher; then a third
+flirt snatched it out of the gorge. The shifting of the moon had left
+the canyon shrouded in darkness as before.
+
+Nothing could have attested more strikingly the marvelous stealth of
+the intruder than the fact that not one of the horses was awakened by
+him. The approach of the great Geronimo and several of his Apaches was
+betrayed under somewhat similar circumstances by the neighing of a
+horse that they awakened, apparently when making no noise at all.
+
+This prowler was a shadow in a world of shadows. If Hercules detected
+his presence, the man succeeded in soothing the fear of the hybrid.
+
+"_Halt or I'll fire!_"
+
+Vose Adams's voice was low, but in the tomb-like stillness a
+thunderclap could not have been more distinct. The hail, however,
+produced no response. The angered Vose drew his Winchester to a level,
+with his finger on the trigger, but when he ran his eye along the
+barrel, he failed to perceive any target. He lowered the muzzle a few
+inches and peered over the top. Nothing was discernible.
+
+"You're there somewhere and I'll find you!"
+
+Instead of rising erect, the sentinel advanced in a crouching posture,
+so that his head was no higher than if he were on his hands and
+knees.
+
+This clever strategy was thrown away. Within five seconds, he was at
+the side of Hercules, prepared and expecting to grapple with his
+enemy, who, to his exasperation, continued invisible. Vose did not
+require to have the matter explained to him, for he understood it.
+Upon being hailed, the intruder instead of throwing up his hands or
+starting to run, had also assumed a stooping position. It was as if he
+had quietly sunk below the surface of a sea of darkness through which
+he was wading, and swum with noiseless celerity to a point beyond
+reach.
+
+Vose was angered but took his defeat philosophically.
+
+"You was too smart for me that time; I never had it played finer on
+me, but I guess it's just as well; you've learned that we're on the
+lookout and you can't sneak into camp without _some_ risk of having a
+hole bored inter you."
+
+But Vose was not yet through with his nocturnal experiences. He held
+his seat for some fifteen or twenty minutes without seeing or hearing
+anything to cause the slightest misgiving. The horses still slept,
+and even the uneasy Hercules appeared to have become composed and to
+have made up his mind to slumber until morning.
+
+"I don't b'leve there'll be anything more to disturb me, onless some
+wild animal wants his supper----"
+
+The thought had hardly taken shape, when a shiver of affright ran
+through him, though the cause was so slight that it might have brought
+a smile, being nothing more than a pebble rolling down the ravine, up
+which the fugitives had passed the day before. The stone came slowly,
+loosening several similar obstructions, which joined with it, the
+rustling increasing and continuing until all reached the bottom and
+lay at rest a few feet from where he sat.
+
+Nothing could have been easier than for this to occur in the natural
+course of things, since hundreds of such instances were taking place
+at every hour of the day and night, but in the tense state of the
+sentinel's nerves, he was inclined to attribute it either to the
+Indian that had just visited camp and slunk away, or to one of his
+comrades trying to steal a march upon him.
+
+"I 'spose the next thing will be for him to climb over this boulder
+behind me and drop onto my head. Howsumever, if he does, he'll find me
+awake."
+
+Vose sat thus, depending almost wholly upon his sense of hearing to
+apprise him of the stealthy approach of an enemy, while the long
+silent hours gradually passed, without bringing additional cause for
+alarm.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+INSTINCT OR REASON
+
+
+As the night wore away without bringing any further evidence of the
+presence of enemies, the solicitude of Vose Adams was transferred to
+the two, who, hardly a mile distant, were awaiting with equal anxiety
+the coming of morning. They and he had agreed upon the plan to be
+pursued, but now, with the crisis at hand, the guide became
+apprehensive about the final issue.
+
+Suppose the couple should leave their hiding place to return to the
+main trail before their pursuers were out of the way? Mutual discovery
+was certain with the dreadful catastrophe that none dreaded more than
+he. But it would seem that Lieutenant Russell was too cautious to run
+the risk of so fatal a mistake. He would reconnoitre the ground and
+keep out of sight until the coast was clear, but the restless Adams
+was astir at the first streakings of light in the canyon.
+
+He first visited the animals. It was possible that the stealthy
+prowler of the night before had done them injury, but, so far as he
+could ascertain, nothing of the kind had occurred. Except for what he
+had seen and heard during the darkness, he would not have known that a
+visitor had been in camp.
+
+It was not fully light when the others rose from their primitive
+couches. Water was at hand, and after drinking and ablution, the group
+sat down to their morning meal, which disposed of the last remnant
+furnished by Vose Adams. While they were eating, he told of the
+occurrences of the night and was surprised that his companions made
+light of them. To them it was of less importance than to him.
+
+"So long as they do no more than prowl about the camp," remarked
+Captain Dawson, "we need feel no concern."
+
+"It seems to me," said Brush, "that if the fellow intended mischief,
+he would have done it, but he has left no traces of anything of the
+kind."
+
+"Which was because the right kind of chance didn't show itself," said
+Vose; "if we don't have a lively fight before this bus'ness is over,
+I'm much mistook, but it's time we was moving."
+
+The guide seemed to have forgotten his resentment of the night before
+and his friends were too considerate to refer to it. It took but a
+short time to make the animals ready, when the procession started up
+the gorge, Vose, as usual, leading, with the captain next, then Wade
+Ruggles, while the parson brought up the rear, that position naturally
+falling to him.
+
+Men and beasts were refreshed by their rest and food, and it required
+but a brief while to reach the top of the gorge, where, as will be
+remembered, it terminated. It was here that Vose Adams began his fine
+work, and he showed no more hesitancy in drawing a "long bow," than on
+the previous night, when pretending to account for his long absence.
+
+"The trail leads to the right," he said, with a glance at the ground,
+as if to refresh his memory.
+
+His first thrill of misgiving came when he saw the parson pause and
+look searchingly at the ground. Had he possessed one-half the skill of
+Vose in trailing, he would have discovered that the guide was
+misleading them, but he did not have that cleverness nor did any other
+member of the party. The glance of the parson was perfunctory and his
+brief pause was to regain his breath after the short but laborious
+climb of the steep slope. Vose was watching him closely and quickly
+saw the meaning of his action, for, whatever Brush may have observed
+on the ground in front of him, it was not the faint impressions left
+on the stones by the fugitives. Neither the captain nor Ruggles so
+much as looked at the earth, accepting the dictum of their guide
+without question.
+
+It was not deemed best to mount the animals, because of the roughness
+of the ground and the belief that they were close upon the parties for
+whom they were searching. Vose took care to turn so sharply to the
+right that they were speedily out of sight of the spot where he had
+parted from the fugitives. Everything was going promisingly when Wade
+Ruggles startled his companions by the exclamation:
+
+"Helloa! there's that dog Timon!"
+
+A hundred yards to the left rose a pile of rocks, the highest of which
+reached an altitude of two hundred feet or more. Upon the crest of one
+of the lower rocks, which had only a slight height, the immense dog
+stood in plain sight. It looked as if he had started to ascend the
+rocks, when he discovered the party and paused to learn their
+business.
+
+The picture was a striking one. The enormous size of the brute gave
+the impression at first that he was a wolf or some wild animal that
+had challenged the advance of the four men. This error would have been
+made had not each been so familiar with the creature. As he stood, his
+formidable head raised, his forequarters being slightly higher than
+the remainder of his body, his position was diagonal. He was surveying
+his acquaintances, who surveyed him in turn with equal curiosity.
+
+Vose Adams's heart sank. What was the meaning of this? As he viewed
+it, the presence of the dog could have no other significance than that
+the lieutenant and Nellie Dawson were close at hand. Timon was in
+their company and would not have strayed far, so that he had betrayed
+them. From some cause, which the guide could not comprehend,
+Lieutenant Russell had made a change of plan and placed himself almost
+in the path along which Vose was leading the pursuers, in the belief
+that the fugitives were at a safe distance.
+
+The four men looked at the dog for several moments in silence, when
+the captain spoke:
+
+"We must be very near them."
+
+"You're dead right," added Ruggles in the same undertone; "we've got
+'em cornered sooner than we expected."
+
+"They can't go far," said the parson, "without being stopped by the
+rocks, when we shall have them in the nicest trap that was ever set
+for any game."
+
+The reflection of Vose Adams was of a different nature.
+
+"If they make fools of themselves and upset all my plans, what can I
+do to help 'em? Why didn't they stay where they promised to stay, and
+why didn't they kill that blamed dog afore he played this trick on
+'em?"
+
+Timon stood for two or three minutes so immovable that he suggested a
+stone image of himself, carved out of the rock on which he was
+perched. Then he emitted a single husky bark and leaped lightly down
+from where he had been standing. It was no more than a dozen feet, and
+he alighted as gracefully as a panther. He trotted part way to the
+horsemen, who were closely watching his movements, stopped, barked
+again and wheeling, trotted forward over precisely the course Vose
+Adams was taking when checked by the appearance of the canine.
+
+The men looked at one another in astonishment. The action of the dog
+was unaccountable, but Captain Dawson's explanation sounded
+reasonable.
+
+"That shows we are on the right track and he has come to guide us to
+where they are awaiting him."
+
+There could be no doubt of it. The actions of the brute said as
+plainly as so many words: "Come with me and I will take you straight
+to the people you want to see."
+
+Instead of following Timon at once, the party kept watch of him. He
+trotted a dozen steps and then paused and looked back. Observing that
+he was not understood, he emitted several more barks, took a couple of
+steps and then repeated the performance. His object was so evident
+that Captain Dawson said:
+
+"That's as plain as the nose on your face; the animal is worth a dozen
+guides like you, Vose."
+
+"Then why don't you foller him?" sulkily asked the latter.
+
+"That's what we shall do; come on."
+
+Observing that the captain left his horse standing, the parson
+inquired the reason.
+
+"They are of no use to us and will be only a bother; leave them here
+until we need them; I will follow the dog and you can take what order
+you choose, but," he added with unmistakable earnestness, "every one
+of you must keep in the background till I'm through."
+
+Timon held his motionless position until the four men had taken
+several steps toward him and there could be no error as to their
+intention. Vose Adams observed that he was following, without a hair's
+variation, the course he had in mind.
+
+"It serves 'em right," was his angry reflection; "when the leftenant
+spoke 'bout hunting up a new trail through the mountains, I oughter
+knowed he hain't no sense and was sure to make a mess of things. Now's
+he gone and sneaked off where these folks will stub their toes agin
+him; I'm 'sprised that the Queen didn't hammer a little sense into his
+head."
+
+The guide was in a torture of apprehension. The impending outcome was
+likely to betray the deception he had used, but it was not for that he
+cared. There could be no mistaking the deadly mood of Captain Dawson
+and the equally intense hatred of Ruggles and Brush. A meeting with
+Lieutenant Russell made a frightful tragedy inevitable, and no one
+could be more vividly aware of the fact than the young officer
+himself, for Vose had impressed it upon him, but the guide in his
+anguish of spirit, saw no possible escape from it. He stolidly
+followed, striving to brace himself for what must soon come.
+
+Meanwhile, the strange leadership continued. Timon seemed to be
+impatient, for occasionally he broke into a trot, abruptly pausing and
+looking back, as if to urge his followers to use more haste. Since
+they did not do so, he checked himself, when about to pass beyond
+sight and waited for them to draw near. He led them around boulders
+and masses of rocks, over ridges, down declivities, across one small
+stream, through a ravine and again among the precipitous piles of
+stone, until even the hardy men were well nigh exhausted. They had
+traveled fully a mile over a route that was of the most trying
+nature.
+
+It was about this time that an extraordinary suspicion began forming
+in the mind of Vose Adams. He hardly dared give credence to it, but it
+took greater hold upon him with every few rods of advance. Nothing in
+the world would have induced him to make known his suspicion, but it
+continued to grow.
+
+Suddenly Captain Dawson stopped. As he looked around his face was
+agitated.
+
+"Boys," said he, "there's something infernally strange about this."
+
+Vose Adams saw that his own suspicion had entered the mind of their
+leader, but the countenance of the guide was as blank as that of a
+child.
+
+"It's the worst tramp I ever had," remarked the parson, removing his
+hat and mopping his forehead.
+
+"If there's any harder work," added Ruggles, "count me out."
+
+Captain Dawson looked angrily at Vose.
+
+"Do you know the meaning of this?"
+
+Vose shook his head and prevaricated still further by adding:
+
+"Nor what you're driving at either."
+
+"That dog has misled us; instead of conducting us to the couple he has
+taken us away from them."
+
+It was true and every one of the four knew it. The suspicion of the
+guide had become certainty. Was it instinct or reason that controlled
+the animal? Who shall draw the line in explaining many of the actions
+of the brute creation?
+
+Vose Adams was silent a moment and then emitted a low whistle.
+
+"Hang me, if I don't b'leve you're right, captain. I've been told that
+that dog knowed more than a good many folks and there ain't no doubt
+of it now."
+
+The disgusted parson exclaimed:
+
+"Why didn't one of us think of that? The idea of all four being fooled
+by a dog!"
+
+"It wouldn't have been so bad if there had been two dogs," said
+Ruggles, who saw the grim humor of the thing, "but it is tough to have
+our eyes shet by only one."
+
+It was impossible for Vose Adams wholly to restrain all evidence of
+his pleasure. When in the depths of despair, he was awakened to the
+fact that the canine had performed one of the most brilliant exploits
+conceivable. He could not help smiling. The captain was in an ugly
+mood and in a threatening voice asked:
+
+"Did you have anything to do with this?"
+
+"Certainly; me and Timon fixed up the thing afore he left Dead Man's
+Gulch; it took us a good while; the dog didn't think it would work,
+but I stuck to it and finally he promised to have a try at it;
+certainly we fixed it up atween us."
+
+The guide did a clever thing in thus turning the fantastic belief of
+the captain into ridicule. Had he protested, he might have added to
+the suspicion against himself. It was further in his favor that it was
+known he had never had much to do with Timon. As already related, the
+brute had few friends among the miners and Vose Adams never sought his
+acquaintance.
+
+Nevertheless, it was impossible to brush out of sight one significant
+fact,--the long absence of Adams the day before. But for the last
+occurrence, nothing would have been thought of the former, but it was
+clear that Captain Dawson had begun to entertain doubts of the loyalty
+of his guide.
+
+"He'll never repeat his trick anyway," exclaimed the officer, facing
+about and bringing his rifle to his shoulder. But his intention of
+shooting Timon was frustrated, for the brute was nowhere in sight.
+Unreasonable as it might sound, it looked as if he suspected how
+things would turn out and took the occasion to place himself beyond
+danger from the indignant men.
+
+"In the army we shoot spies and traitors," remarked the captain, so
+angered by his repeated disappointments that he could not govern his
+feelings. In giving expression to the remark, the officer made a
+serious mistake, which he saw the moment the words left his lips. He
+was suspicious of Vose Adams, but he should have concealed all
+evidence of it, until the proof appeared. When that took place, he
+would shoot the man with no more hesitation that he would have shot
+the dog. But he had now put Vose on his guard and the difficulty of
+detecting him was increased tenfold.
+
+As if to obliterate the memory of his words, the captain said in the
+most matter of fact tone he could assume:
+
+"The mistake we made has taken us from the right spot; they must have
+been near the rocks where Timon showed himself."
+
+"No doubt," said the parson, "and were watching us."
+
+"The one thing to do is to retrace our steps; perhaps the two may be
+fools enough," bitterly added the captain, "to wait for us, since that
+seems to be the only way by which we shall ever come up with them."
+
+A single short bark startled them. The captain wheeled like a flash
+with his gun at his shoulder. But Timon was too cunning to show
+himself. It is not improbable that he meant the expression for a note
+of triumph over his inimitable exploit, while such a wonderful dog was
+too wise to run any risk of punishment from his indignant victims.
+
+The hunter is sustained against fatigue by the excitement of the
+chase; and, despite the severe labor of following the canine guide,
+all four men stood it far better than the return to the spot where the
+pursuit began. Angered, chagrined and in desperate mood, even the grim
+leader was forced occasionally to stop and rest. Nearly two hours
+passed before they descried the familiar pile of rocks in their
+front.
+
+"That's the spot," he said, "but what good can it do us? It's a wonder
+if they have not run off with our horses; it would be a fitting climax
+to this folly."
+
+It was the secret wish of Adams, from the moment of discovering the
+cleverness of Timon, that this very thing should be done. If
+Lieutenant Russell took such a precaution, it could not fail to be
+effective. Returning to the main trail after his pursuers were out of
+the way, he would have an open path through the mountains to
+Sacramento. If the lameness of Nellie's pony continued, her saddle
+could be transferred to one of the other horses, and, leading or
+driving the remainder of the animals, the four men would soon find
+their task a hopeless one.
+
+But the young officer was restrained from such action by a certain
+chivalry that governed all his actions. He could not consent to take
+so unfair an advantage of an enemy, even though the fate of one dearer
+than his own life was at stake. And yet it must be confessed that the
+lieutenant drew it very fine. His course did not win the respect of
+his enemies, who were inclined to attribute it to stupidity, rather
+than courtesy.
+
+But no time was to be lost in deciding their line of action.
+
+"I think we'd better make a hunt among them rocks," suggested Wade
+Ruggles.
+
+The others studied them with as much interest as if it were the first
+time they had been seen. If the couple had taken refuge among the
+caverns and crevices of this immense pile of stone, they must have
+left their animals on the ground below where they could be readily
+discovered.
+
+"We may as well have a look," remarked the captain; "what do you
+think, Vose?"
+
+"I don't think anything; don't ask me any questions."
+
+He never looked more angry. He had not forgotten the slur of the
+captain and had spirit enough to resent it. Dawson was too proud to
+apologize and he could not do so, when his suspicion of the fellow's
+loyalty was as strong as ever. On the contrary, having made his
+blunder, the officer drove the arrow home.
+
+"I am sorry you didn't take that resolution in the first place; it
+would have been better for all of us, though not so good for those we
+are looking for."
+
+The captain and Ruggles now turned to the right, while the other two
+took the opposite direction. They were thus enabled, after more hard
+work, practically to pass around the mass of rocks, returning to their
+starting point, without having discovered any traces of man, woman or
+their animals. On the journey, Adams and the parson exchanged few
+words, but it was different with the other couple.
+
+"What do you think of his long absence yesterday?" asked the captain.
+
+"It has a bad look,--worse than I thought when he come back."
+
+"Why so?"
+
+"I take it with the action of that dog. You didn't fail to notice that
+Timon took us along the exact route that Vose was leadin' us over and
+we found out that it was the wrong one."
+
+"And you believe he purposely misled us?"
+
+"It's almost sartin."
+
+"Suppose it _was_ certain, Wade?"
+
+"I'd shoot him quicker'n lightning."
+
+"So would I."
+
+"But you see we can't be sartin just yit; if Vose is in that kind of
+bus'ness, he'll give himself away purty soon."
+
+"I agree with you and we'll watch him."
+
+Thus was the momentous bargain made.
+
+When the four came together once more, the parson remarked:
+
+"It's my belief that after we were well out of the way, the two went
+down the gorge to the main trail and are now making haste to
+Sacramento."
+
+The exact line of action that had been agreed upon! Vose Adams was
+firmly convinced that this was the very thing that had taken place and
+the utmost he could do was to prevent the horsemen from acting on that
+theory until the fugitives were given opportunity to pass beyond
+reach.
+
+Except for the words of Captain Dawson, the guide would have striven
+to delay the pursuit, but he dared not attempt it after the warning.
+Ignoring the captain, he said to Felix Brush:
+
+"It's more'n likely you're right, parson; that would have been the
+most nat'ral thing for them to do and it's no use of our standing here
+and talking, when every minute counts."
+
+"We can quickly learn the truth; it isn't far to the gorge, where they
+must have left traces; leave the horses here, for we can soon return
+for them if it proves necessary."
+
+Forgetting their fatigue, the four walked back over their own trail.
+The forenoon was well advanced, and, by this time, the fugitives were
+probably a good way off. Adams was relieved because of this action,
+for it promised more delay.
+
+Reaching the beginning of the gorge, all began an examination of the
+ground, for the imprints of the horses' feet were plainly seen. To the
+amazement of every one, each hoof pointed upward, that is away from
+the canyon. There was no evidence that any quadruped had descended the
+slope. All had gone up. Vose Adams was in despair.
+
+"They have let their only chance go by," he bitterly reflected; "it's
+too late now to save them!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+AT BAY
+
+
+Lieutenant Russell held a long consultation with Nellie Dawson, after
+the departure of Vose Adams. His first intention had been to press
+their flight with all possible vigor, and, as will be recalled, Adams
+carried away that belief with him.
+
+"My view of matters has undergone a change," he said after a time to
+his companion, who looked up in his face for an explanation.
+
+"Instead of waiting until we reach Sacramento for a meeting with your
+father, I believe it will be much better to have it as soon as
+possible."
+
+"Why?" she asked, though curious to say, she had been wavering for
+some time in her belief.
+
+"It will add to rather than lessen his anger, if he is obliged to
+follow us that far, and the fact that he is in a city instead of the
+mountains will not decrease his determination to do me injury."
+
+"What about those who are with him?"
+
+"Your father is the only one to be considered. My proposal is that we
+wait here till to-morrow morning until they come up; what is your
+opinion?"
+
+"I believe you are right; let us do so; I don't think father will cast
+me off when I go to him."
+
+The plan was carried out, though the young man felt more misgiving
+than his companion suspected. He remained on guard a part of the
+night, sharing the duty with Timon, whose almost human intelligence
+made him as reliable as a trained scout himself.
+
+Straight to the spot came the pursuers soon after daylight, when the
+horses were saddled and bridled. Nellie was in a state of feverish
+expectancy. When she caught sight of her father, leading the others,
+she joyfully uttered his name and ran toward him with outstretched
+arms.
+
+"Father, my own father, are you not glad to see your Nellie?"
+
+Still holding his Winchester half-raised, he glanced sternly at her
+and replied:
+
+"Come no nearer; you are no daughter of mine!"
+
+She stopped as if shot, and with hands still outstretched stood
+motionless, with her eyes fixed yearningly upon him. She was like a
+marble statue, without the breath of life in her body. All were
+silent. Even Timon looked from one to another without moving. The
+whole thing was beyond his comprehension.
+
+Then the dreadful truth seemed to force itself upon the consciousness
+of the girl, who staggered backward to the nearest boulder, upon which
+she sank and covered her face with her hands. She did not weep, for
+her grief was too deep.
+
+And who shall picture the sorrow that wrenched the heart strings of
+the parent? There was a strange look on his face and his massive frame
+trembled. But he quickly recovered his self-poise, and looking away
+from his child, fixed his eyes upon Lieutenant Russell.
+
+"It is with _you_ that I have to settle."
+
+"I am ready."
+
+The young officer was standing beside his pony, with one arm resting
+on the saddle, across which his rifle was supported, while the other
+hand lay idly on his hip, and his body was borne upon one foot. His
+pose was one of negligence, as if he and his animal had taken position
+before the camera, and the world contained no such thing as hatred and
+enmity. He looked calmly into the angered countenance, while he waited
+for the next words of the man who was impatient to send a bullet
+through his heart.
+
+Wade Ruggles and Felix Brush would have been glad of the privilege of
+doing this, but they felt that for the time they were out of it. The
+right of calling Lieutenant Russell to account lay with the father of
+Nellie. They had nothing to do or say until that tragedy was ended,
+and they stood apart, silent, grim and watchful of everything.
+
+The coolness of the young man disconcerted the captain for the
+moment. Feeling it unnecessary to hold his weapon, he lowered the
+point, but, never once removing his eyes from the face of the other,
+said:
+
+"I will give you the same chance as myself for your life; though you
+do not deserve to live, it shall never be said I took any advantage
+over you. Each of us has a revolver and knows how to use it; you may
+pace off the distance for yourself, but make it short."
+
+"Captain, I decline to fight you," replied Lieutenant Russell, without
+a change of pose and in his usual voice.
+
+"Why?" demanded the other.
+
+"You have saved my life on the battle field; we have been comrades; we
+have drank from the same canteen; shoot me if you wish; I will keep
+the position I now hold and you may stand where you are; you have your
+Winchester in your hands; you have but to raise it and it will be all
+over in a twinkling, but nothing that you can say or do will induce me
+to harm one of your gray hairs."
+
+This reply was unexpected to all, but it served if possible to
+intensify the wrath of Captain Dawson. He shook with tempestuous rage,
+and it was several seconds before he could command his voice. Ruggles,
+Brush and Adams did not stir or whisper a word to one another. The
+white-faced Nellie remained seated on the boulder, but she lowered her
+hands and stared at the two, as if she could not comprehend it all.
+Once she made a motion to rise, but sank back and stared with a
+fixidity of gaze that went to the hearts of the three spectators.
+
+"You are a sneaking scoundrel to use those words," said Captain
+Dawson, when able to command his voice; "all the past is wiped out
+except that of the last two days; I shall shoot you for stealing my
+child from me."
+
+The lieutenant looked calmly into the countenance of the man, and,
+lowering his tones almost to a whisper, that was perfectly audible to
+all, replied:
+
+"I am at your disposal."
+
+From the moment Captain Dawson learned of the flight of his child, he
+had been eager for but one thing,--the opportunity to draw bead on the
+miscreant, without giving him an instant to prepare for death. That
+opportunity was his but he hesitated. Something that he could not
+explain, but which incensed him, held his hand motionless.
+
+But perhaps the end would have been the same, when he rallied from the
+momentary struggle, had not his daughter awakened from the daze that
+had held her mute and motionless. Like Pocahontas, she sprang forward,
+with arms again outstretched, and with a faint shriek, flung them
+about the form of her lover.
+
+"Shoot father, if you will, but you shall kill me too!"
+
+Felix Brush shivered and turning away his head, muttered in a broken
+voice:
+
+"My God, Wade! I can't stand this!"
+
+Ruggles attempted to reply, but the words choked in his throat. Still
+he and Adams kept their eyes upon the three before them. Ruggles was
+on the point of interfering when Nellie Dawson averted the necessity.
+
+Lieutenant Russell was disconcerted. His lip quivered, and, with
+infinite tenderness, he sought to loosen the arms that entwined him,
+but she would not permit it.
+
+"No, no, no! He shall not part us! Let him slay us both! Do not
+repulse me! I will die with you!"
+
+The situation of Captain Dawson was awful. He was scarcely himself.
+The dainty form of his child could not fully shield the athletic
+figure of Lieutenant Russell, strive as much as she might, and the
+opening for the threatened shot was as clear as ever. Whether he would
+have persisted in his intention can never be known, for at that
+juncture the startling incidents were succeeded by one still more
+startling and unexpected.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+NO BRAVER DEED EVER WAS DONE
+
+
+The hearts of two of the party were wrung as never before. Wade
+Ruggles and Felix Brush saw with noonday clearness the dreadful
+mistake they had made in the past in hoping to win the heart of the
+maiden who had declared that if her beloved was to die she would die
+with him. It was contrary to nature and the laws of God, and it was
+characteristic of each that he felt a thrill of gratitude over the
+belief that no person suspected his secret. Both would have died
+rather than allow it ever to become known.
+
+With this awakening came a transformation of feeling toward the
+couple. They sympathized with Lieutenant Russell, but more than all,
+they pitied her whose soul was distraught with grief. They had never
+before seen her in the agony of distress and neither could stand it.
+
+"Brush," whispered Ruggles, "this must stop."
+
+"_Hold!_" called Brush in a loud voice, striding commandingly forward
+with his arm upraised; "I have something to say!"
+
+There was a majesty and an impressiveness of mien like that of the
+Hebrew prophet who hushed the tempest. Captain Dawson, without moving
+body or limb, turned and glared at the intruder; Ruggles kept his
+position; Nellie Dawson, with arms still clasping the neck of her
+betrothed, looked over her shoulder at her old friend; Lieutenant
+Russell reached up so as to hold the wrists of the girl, while still
+retaining his grip upon his rifle and fixed his eyes upon the tall,
+gaunt figure that halted between him and Captain Dawson and a little
+to one side of him.
+
+"Lieutenant Frederic Russell, do you love Nellie Dawson?" was the
+astounding question that fell from the lips of Brush.
+
+"Aye, more than my life," was the prompt response.
+
+"And you have started for Sacramento with the purpose of making her
+your wife?"
+
+"That was my resolve with the help of heaven."
+
+"And, Nellie, you agreed to this?"
+
+"Yes, yes; we shall not be parted in life or death."
+
+"Such being your feelings," continued Felix Brush, in the same loud,
+clear tones, "I pronounce you man and wife, and whom God hath joined
+together let not man put asunder!"
+
+It was a thunderclap. No one moved or spoke for a full minute. Felix
+Brush was the only one who seemed to retain command of his senses.
+Stepping forward, with a strange smile on his seamed countenance, he
+extended his hand to the groom.
+
+"Allow me to congratulate you, lieutenant; and, Nellie, I don't think
+you will deny me my fee."
+
+With which he bent over and tenderly kissed her.
+
+"O, Mr. Brush, are we really married?" she asked in a faint, wild
+voice.
+
+"As legally as if it were done by the archbishop of Canterbury and
+if--"
+
+But he got no further, for her arms were transferred from the neck of
+her husband to those of the parson, whom she smothered with her
+caresses.
+
+"Bless your heart! You are the nicest, best, sweetest, loveliest man
+that ever lived,--excepting Fred and father--"
+
+"And _me_," added Wade Ruggles, stepping forward.
+
+"Yes, and you, you great big angel," she replied, bestowing an equally
+warm embrace upon him.
+
+The two rugged fellows had won the greatest victory that can be
+achieved by man, for they had conquered themselves. When the great
+light broke in upon their consciousness, each resolved to let the dead
+past bury its dead and to face the future like the manly heroes they
+were.
+
+And no braver deed ever was done.
+
+Poor Captain Dawson! For a time he believed he was dreaming. Then,
+when he grasped the meaning of it all, his Winchester dropped from
+his nerveless grasp and he staggered and would have fallen, had not
+Lieutenant Russell leaped forward and caught him in his arms. He
+helped him to the boulder from which Nellie had risen and then he
+collapsed utterly. The soldier who had faced unmoved the hell blast of
+battle had fainted for the first time in his life.
+
+Nellie ran to the brook a few paces away, and catching some of the
+water in the hollow of her hand darted back and flung it into his
+face.
+
+"There, dear father; it is all right; rouse yourself; O, Mr. Brush,
+suppose he is dead!" she exclaimed, turning terrifiedly toward him.
+
+"He is as likely to die as you are, and you don't look just now as if
+you mean to put on wings and fly away."
+
+In a few minutes the veteran revived and looked confusedly around him.
+He seemed unable to comprehend what it all meant and his gaze wandered
+in a dazed way from one countenance to another without speaking.
+Nellie was still caressing him, while Lieutenant Russell stood back a
+couple of steps, looking pityingly into the face of the man who had
+suffered so much.
+
+Felix Brush was the hero of the occasion. Turning to the group, he
+said:
+
+"Leftenant, you and Nellie and Ruggles and Vose move off for a short
+distance and leave him with me for a little while."
+
+Understanding his purpose the three withdrew, and the two men were
+left alone. The captain instantly roused himself.
+
+"What does all this mean, Brush?"
+
+"It means that you and Ruggles and I have been the three infernalist
+fools that ever pretended to have sense."
+
+"How?"
+
+"How? In every way conceivable. Wade and I, as we told you, saw that
+those two were in love with each other; instead of persuading you to
+consent, we have helped you to prevent it. I must say, captain, that
+though Wade and I played the idiot, I think the championship belongs
+to you."
+
+"I begin to suspect it."
+
+"There's no doubt of it."
+
+"But, you see, parson, I had never thought of anything like this."
+
+"Which goes to prove the truth of what I have just said. If you hadn't
+been blind you would have seen it."
+
+"I got the belief into my head that his intentions were not honorable
+toward Nellie."
+
+"You never made a greater mistake; Lieutenant Russell is the soul of
+honor; heaven intended him for the husband of Nellie, and we were
+flying in the face of Providence when we tried to prevent it."
+
+"I suppose it is all right; but how is it possible for a man to make
+such a consummate ass of himself?"
+
+"You have just given a demonstration of how it is done, Wade and I
+adding material help in the demonstration."
+
+The captain looked to the ground in deep thought. When he raised his
+eyes there was an odd twinkle in them.
+
+"I say, parson, wasn't that a rather cheeky performance of yours, when
+you made them man and wife?"
+
+"The circumstances warranted it. There's no saying what might have
+happened, if it had been deferred for only a few minutes."
+
+"True," replied the veteran thoughtfully; "it begins to look as if the
+hand of Providence was in it."
+
+"It is in everything that occurs in this life. It was in your coming
+to New Constantinople; in the blessed influence of your child upon
+that barbarous community; in the impulse that led you to bring
+Lieutenant Russell to us, and now comes the crowning Providence of all
+in their marriage."
+
+"Parson, you ain't such a poor preacher after all."
+
+"Perhaps I can preach a little, but my practice has been away off,
+though I hope to get back one of these days to where I was, but--"
+
+He suddenly turned and beckoned to his friends to join them. They
+came smilingly forward, for they suspected what it meant.
+
+Captain Dawson rose to his feet, and, without speaking extended his
+single arm toward his child. With a glad cry she flew into his embrace
+and pillowed her head on his breast. No one spoke, but there was not a
+dry eye among the spectators, while the silent embrace lasted.
+
+Finally the daughter was released and then the captain reached his
+hand toward his son-in-law, who eagerly stepped forward and grasped
+it.
+
+"Yes, lieutenant, we have drunk from the same canteen," he said, "and
+now let's all go home."
+
+And it was accordingly so done.
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's A Waif of the Mountains, by Edward S. Ellis
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