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diff --git a/old/50505.txt b/old/50505.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 234ebd0..0000000 --- a/old/50505.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6725 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Dick Kent in the Far North, by Milton Richards - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Dick Kent in the Far North - -Author: Milton Richards - -Release Date: November 20, 2015 [EBook #50505] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DICK KENT IN THE FAR NORTH *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Rick Morris -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Dick Kent - In the Far North - - - By MILTON RICHARDS - - - AUTHOR OF - "Dick Kent with the Mounted Police" - "Dick Kent with the Eskimos" - "Dick Kent, Fur Trader" - "Dick Kent and the Malemute Mail" - - - THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY - Akron, Ohio New York - - Copyright MCMXXVII - THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY - _Made in the United States of America_ - - - - - Contents - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I The Map in the Cave 3 - II A Messenger from Headquarters 15 - III Scarlet and Gold 24 - IV Dick Makes a Suggestion 33 - V Dick is Indiscreet 40 - VI In the House of the Messenger 50 - VII Flight Through the Woods 58 - VIII Tracks in the Snow 67 - IX The Council of War 79 - X Sandy Plays a Lone Hand 90 - XI Off for the Mine 98 - XII A Mysterious Ten Dollar Bill 110 - XIII The Raiding Party 119 - XIV A Fateful Crossing 128 - XV Within the Barricade 139 - XVI A Path Through the Rocks 148 - XVII Sandy Explores the Mine 159 - XVIII In the Toils of Henderson 167 - XIX Hours of Torture 175 - XX Henderson's Plans Miscarry 183 - XXI The Red Fury 190 - XXII In the Indian Village 201 - XXIII Guests of the Chief 209 - XXIV The Caribou Herd 221 - XXV Reunion 233 - XXVI Debts of Gratitude 243 - - - - - DICK KENT IN THE FAR NORTH - - - - - CHAPTER I - THE MAP IN THE CAVE - - -Three persons plodded along the snow-piled floor of a tiny canyon in the -heart of the northern Canadian wilderness. The broad snow-shoes on their -feet made their progress like that of so many huge crabs on a sea shore. -In the fore was a tall, well-knit young man, whose weather-tanned face -was that of Dick Kent, who for more than a year had sought and found -adventure in the vast land where the sole guardians of the peace are the -Royal North West Mounted Police. - -"It can't be very far from here," he turned and spoke, his breath -puffing out in white vapor. - -Sandy MacClaren strained his eyes ahead. His stocky frame, no less -hardened than that of his older chum, Dick Kent, seemed to bend forward -with a little more eagerness as he replied: - -"I hope we don't pass it by." - -The man in the rear laughed. He was Sandy's uncle, Walter MacClaren, an -old Scotchman, and factor at Fort Good Faith for the Hudson's Bay -Company. - -"I hardly think I could miss the cave," he spoke. "I spent too many -unpleasant hours in there without anything to eat." - -Dick Kent was about to respond to this, when he caught sight of what -they were seeking, the mouth of a large cave in the wall of the canyon. - -"There it is!" he cried, quickening his pace. - -"Now for the map!" exulted Sandy. - -All three removed their snowshoes at the mouth of the under-ground -passage, which seemed to have been formed by the erosion of water in -ages gone by, and, in moccasined feet, went along the dark corridor, -lighting candles which they had brought with them from Fort Good Faith, -not far south. - -"Remember it's the left branch when we get to the fork," Sandy called to -his chum. - -"Yes, I guess I won't forget that." - -Dick recalled a particularly exciting incident in that same cave, which -would indelibly impress upon his memory the correct passage to the -underground chamber, which was their destination. - -The three hurried on down the main passage until ahead, in the dim glow -of the candles, they could see where the main cavern branched. Almost -there, Dick in the lead, paused. - -"Wait," he whispered. - -Sandy and his uncle drew back. - -"I thought I heard a sound in the passage to the right," Dick said in a -low voice. - -They listened for a few seconds, but heard nothing. - -"Probably some animal who has come in here out of the cold," Sandy's -uncle observed. - -"It sounded like footsteps," Dick replied dubiously. "And you know we've -plenty of reason to believe we're not the only ones after what's in this -cave." - -Sandy agreed, but was anxious to go on, and since whatever sound had -been detected by Dick's sharp ears was not repeated, they continued down -the passage to the left. - -For several minutes they wound downward before they reached the widening -of the passage and abruptly entered an underground chamber which seemed -to have been fashioned by the tools of man. - -"At last," whispered Dick. - -There was no sign of life evident, except those a week or so old, as -they hurried to a particular portion of the rock wall and bent over it -with their candles. What the light revealed was a confusing tracing of -charcoal lines and crosses. It was the map of the location of the lost -gold mine, and had been the purpose of their visit. - -"I'll copy it on this sheet of paper I've brought, so it will be clear -to you boys," Sandy's uncle spoke, his voice sounding hollow in the -silent, damp place. - -He had just placed the paper on a smooth portion of the rock and touched -the pencil to it, when a sound brought them to their feet. Somewhere -along the passage they had come a stone had fallen. Someone was -following them! - -For the benefit of those readers who did not follow the adventures of -Dick Kent and his chum, Sandy MacClaren, in the first volume of this -series, a few explanations may clear up many obscure points. Several -months before, they had with the aid of the mounted police, rescued -Walter MacClaren from the control of Bear Henderson, an unprincipled -enemy of the Hudson's Bay Company, who had tried and failed to gain -control of all the far north trading posts. In the incidents leading to -the rescue they had met a particularly mysterious enemy, whom they -called the Scar-Faced Indian. - -At Fort Good Faith--when as a reward for their help during the Henderson -trouble, Sandy's uncle had consented to let them hunt for the lost -mine--the scar-faced Indian had been detected eavesdropping at the door -by Toma, a young Indian guide, who had accompanied the boys on many of -their adventures. Toma had sworn vengeance against Scar-Face, since he -believed his brother, Big John Toma, had been killed by the Indian. But, -with his usual elusiveness, Scar-Face had escaped Toma, and the boys -were left to wonder just what steps the Indian would take to thwart them -in their attempt to find the mine. - -The sound that had startled the three in the cavern chamber immediately -brought before the minds of Dick and Sandy a vision of the evil face of -the Indian. - -"Shall we go back and chase whoever it is out of the cave?" Sandy -queried tensely. - -"I wouldn't do anything like that," Dick shook his head. "If it's the -scar-faced Indian he'll have a trap set for us. We'll just watch the -entrance while your uncle copies the map. When that's done, all three of -us will be ready for trouble." - -Factor MacClaren considered Dick's plan wise and went ahead with his -work, while Dick and Sandy turned their attention to the entrance of the -chamber. - -Fearfully they waited, wondering just what might appear. It was very -nearly an hour before Walter MacClaren finished copying the map, yet no -one had come. Out of the corner of their eyes, Dick and Sandy watched -the factor erase the charcoal tracings on the rock and turn to them. - -"We're ready to go back to the fort now," he said. - -"If we ever get back," Sandy rejoined. - -"Oh, I don't think there's much danger with the three of us," Dick -encouraged. - -"Yes, but that scar-faced Indian is apt to have some one with him, and -if they jump down on our heads from one of the ledges in this cave, -we'll have small chance of getting away." - -"Well, we've got to hope for the best and be prepared to fight with all -there is in us," Dick responded grimly, gripping his rifle, a 45.70 -Winchester, and starting into the cavern. - -Tensely Sandy followed, the factor taking up the rear with the precious -map stuffed under his heavy bearskin overcoat. - -Slowly they progressed back along the dark passage, scanning the shadows -ahead and overhead for a sign of whatever had made the noise. A hundred -feet from the chamber, a pair of eyes glowed out of the darkness. Dick -raised his rifle, aiming at the gleaming points ahead. His sights came -into line squarely and he fired. - -The crack of his rifle was almost deafening. - -"I got him!" shouted Dick, hurrying forward. "A bear!" - -Sandy and his uncle had joined Dick over his kill. The large black body -quivered under the candle light. - -"I hated to do it," Dick was sorry. "Poor old fellow!" - -"He was probably wintering here somewhere," Sandy's uncle put in. "I -wonder if he made that rock fall which we heard." - -"Probably did," said Sandy. - -"Well, I hope so," the factor declared earnestly. "My old bones won't -stand much excitement. I'm not the tough customer I used to be when I -was your age." - -All three went on, a little more confident that no danger lay ahead. -Dick alone, had his suspicions of what lay before them, and he was about -to advise the factor to walk between him and Sandy, when of a sudden, -there sounded the fall of a body directly behind them. There came a -grunting shout and Sandy's candle was knocked from his hand, and the -cavern plunged in darkness. - -"Hey!" Dick whirled, his gun clubbed. The sound of scuffling was heard, -and blindly he plunged back. - -"Here he is," Sandy's muffled shout directed him. "He's got Uncle Walter -down, trying to take the map away from him." - -Sandy's voice died away with a sudden _umph!_ Dick's rearward leap was -stopped by a heavy body. The shock almost knocked the breath out of him, -but he clung on to the person he had collided with, feeling that it was -neither Sandy nor the factor. - -"Here, here! I've got him!" cried Dick, panting. Then he was overpowered -and thrown heavily down. The sound of retreating footsteps sounded along -the cavern in the darkness. Sandy's candle flared up under a match. - -"Are you all right, Dick?" was Sandy's question. - -Dick picked himself up and replied that he was. "Quick, find out if he -got the map from your uncle!" - -Factor MacClaren himself replied: "Luckily he didn't, though he thinks -he did. He got an old letter out of my inside breast pocket. The map is -safe. Wonder who it was?" - -"It must have been the scar-faced Indian," Dick guessed the identity of -their unknown assailant. "Say, he didn't work slow, did he?" - -"I'll say he didn't," rejoined Sandy, rubbing one eye, which was already -commencing to blacken from a blow received at the hands of the man in -the dark. - -"Let's hurry and get out of this hole and back to the fort," said Dick -hastily. - -All three hurried on and reached the blinding sunlight of the canyon -without further mishap. An hour later they were in the big log house of -the factor, gathered around the map, listening to Walter MacClaren's -directions regarding it. Toma, the young Indian guide who was to -accompany them on the trail to the lost mine, had joined them. His dark, -immobile face was over the table with the rest, when a tall, long-haired -man entered. They looked up. - -"Hello, Malemute," Dick greeted the newcomer. "What's the news?" - -"Reckon we're goin' to have company on this here trip," said the big -man. "A constable of the mounted from Fort Dunwoody has just come in -with instructions to capture a party of fur thieves, hidin' in the -territory you're goin' into." - -"Good! We may need him badly before we get through," Dick replied. - -Malemute Slade, an official scout for the mounted police, who through -the effort of the factor had been detailed to accompany the boys on -their trip northward, agreed with Dick, and ushered in a scarlet-coated, -brisk-looking officer, at sight of whom both Dick and Sandy emitted -exclamations of delight. It was no less than Corporal Richardson, an old -friend, whom they had aided when he was wounded on the trail from Fort -du Lac to Fort Dunwoody. - -Corporal Richardson was as pleased as they at this reunion, and, at -their invitation, joined them around the big table in the post living -room. - -That night, after a brain-taxing afternoon, following the factor's -instruction regarding the location of the lost mine, Dick lay wide awake -until very late, thinking over the happenings of the day. He had a bunk -curtained from the living room, not far from the entrance to MacClaren's -private sleeping room. He realized that Sandy's uncle had taken the map -with him, and half that kept him awake was a fear that another effort -might be made to steal it. Lying there, looking up into the impenetrable -darkness, it seemed that a hundred suspicious sounds were audible. But -at last he fell fitfully asleep. - -It seemed to Dick that he had slumbered for only a moment, when suddenly -he was wide awake, his skin prickling as if some unknown presence were -in the room. Quietly he lay there, listening in the darkness, forcing -the dullness of sleep from his senses. What had awakened him? - -Then his hand crept slowly to the head of his bunk where a rifle leaned. -Some one was fumbling at Factor MacClaren's door. As he strained his -eyes in the dark, he could distinguish a shadowy figure crouching there. - - - - - CHAPTER II - A MESSENGER FROM HEADQUARTERS - - -In the breathless interval that followed, Dick Kent was unable to decide -upon a definite course of action. The figure of the man still crouched -before Factor MacClaren's door but Dick, rifle in hand, felt that under -no circumstances could he bring himself to fire point-blank at the -shadowy form, even if the entire success of their expedition depended -upon it. He could hear the slight rattle of the door, and the faint -shuffle of the intruder's moccasined feet. Momentarily, he awaited the -crash that would follow the man's efforts to break in. - -The rifle lay like a dead weight in Dick's hands. The suspense and -excitement of the moment seemed unendurable. His limbs had commenced -under the strain to shake and quiver, as if afflicted by some deadly -malady. If he fired, he would kill the man, and if he cried out, as he -very much wanted to do, the man would probably kill him. It was the sort -of predicament with which Dick had no desire to cope, and yet here he -was, in spite of himself, at the very beginning of their adventures, -placed in a position that might have daunted a much older person. - -While he still hesitated, there fell suddenly across the deep quiet of -the room the smashing sound of the door breaking in, and through the -dark shadows Dick perceived, as he sat there, wide-eyed with -apprehension, the intruder thrown into Factor MacClaren's room with a -force that carried him half way to the sleeping man's bed. He knew -immediately what had happened. Shoulders hunched, the man had employed -what, in school circles, would have been called football tactics. From a -position about ten feet from the door, he had charged forward, breaking -through the heavy obstruction and gaining access to the room. - -He had picked himself up from the floor, as Dick sprang to the -assistance of the factor, shouting as he went. By the time Dick had -entered the chamber itself, a furious struggle was in progress--a wild -tossing and tumbling about of two scarcely distinguishable forms. A -chair crashed to the floor. Some heavy object whirled past Dick's head, -striking the wall with a thudding impact, before it dropped clattering -almost at his heels. No sooner had he started forward to give his -assistance to Factor MacClaren in the unequal struggle, when he was -thrown back again violently, as the two men, locked in each other's -arms, swayed into him. Dick sat down with a thump, the corner of the -heavy table cutting the back of his head. - -The fall had dazed him and his recovery was slow. From this point on -Dick was unaware of the events that followed in rapid succession. His -first really clear impression was that of a blinding glare of light in -his eyes, and the voice of Malemute Slade raised in alarm. - -"This boy's hurt a'right. Bad cut on the back of his head. Move back, -corporal, while I lift him up." - -The mounted police scout stooped forward and Dick felt himself being -raised bodily, swung up in the powerful arms of his friend. Then -Richardson spoke: - -"I'll attend to MacClaren's bruises while you put this lad to bed. We're -lucky in one way that no one was seriously hurt. Mighty lucky!" - -"Except for that map, I'd call this night's business more than lucky," -affirmed Malemute Slade. "But it's too blamed bad he got that. -MacClaren'll feel worse about the loss of the map than the trummeling he -got. Still as you say, corporal, we're all of us mighty fortunate that -nothin' worse happened. Ol' Scar-Face ain't usually so keerful 'bout -things." - -The scout continued talking to himself as he carried his bewildered -burden into the adjoining room. - -"So the map's gone," Dick quavered a moment later. "Are you sure, -Slade?" - -"You sit here an' keep your trap shut," Slade ordered, not as gruffly as -his manner indicated. "You're hurt, boy, an I'm goin' to fix you up. -I'll fetch some bandages right quick." - -"But the map----" Dick sat straight up, not in the least heeding Slade's -command. "Did he really get it? I tell you, I must know." - -"He sure did. Broke the window an' made good his escape. I don't want to -discourage nobody, but you an' Sandy had better say good-bye to your -chances of ever finding that mine. Jes' forget it." An interval of -silence ensued. The mounted police scout stroked Dick's hand. - -"Plucky little savage--you!" he grinned. "But you better forget it. -Sandy an' you can have lots of fun anyway. Couldn't keep you out of -mischief very long, I guess. Not you two, I reckon!" - -"I don't care so much about losing the map or our chance of finding the -mine," declared Dick manfully, smothering what sounded very much like a -sob, "but I hate to give up before we're really licked--especially by -that--that----" He paused, searching for the word that would most aptly -describe the person he had in mind, "by that tripe," he concluded. - -"Yeah, it does seem bad," Slade reflected. "'Course, we'll try to get -the map back again. I didn't mean to sit with our arms folded, or -anything like that. Scar-Face ain't through with us yet, an' the mounted -police'll have a nice string of crimes chalked up to his credit when we -do get him. But this here map is a different matter, if you can follow -me, son. They'll be sure to hide or destroy it when they are in danger -of being captured. It stands to reason that if they can't have the pesky -mine themselves, they won't let you have it." - -"You're right," admitted Dick. - -"'Course I am. An' now for those bandages. No sense in sittin' here -yapping like this anyway. We can't help ourselves by talking, can we? -The thing to do is get goin'--quick!" - -"You mean follow Scar-Face?" - -"Yep. That's exactly what I do mean. A light snow has fallen an' he -won't be so hard to track. Corporal Richardson an' I'll be on the trail -in less than an hour. How does that strike you?" - -"Splendid!" exclaimed Dick, unable to conceal his enthusiasm. "Sandy and -I will follow along in the morning. We'll catch up to you, won't we, -Slade?" - -The mounted police scout laughed as he strode away. When he had returned -a short time later with his first-aid emergency kit tucked under one -arm, a basin of water in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other, -he was still grinning broadly. - -For several minutes Slade was too busily occupied with his task of -dressing Dick's wound, to find time to talk. Having finished, however, -he sat down on the bed beside his young charge and playfully poked that -young man in the ribs. - -"So you an' Sandy are goin' to catch up to us," he chuckled. "Son, I -like your spirit. It's boys like you that grow up to be men like--well, -say like Corporal Richardson." - -"Or Malemute Slade," suggested Dick. - -A tiny scowl flickered between Slade's eyes. - -"No--not me. I'm nobody. I ain't ever had a chance. I can't even read or -write. A good mounted policeman has education, brains and nerve. I ain't -got nothin' except nerve." - -"And a heart as big as a house," added Dick. "Not to mention other -things like woodcraft and knowledge of birds and animals and men. You -know the location of most of the trails, lakes and portages in this -country. Corporal Richardson told me that you were a crack shot. He said -that you could shoot faster and hit oftener than any person he had ever -known. You're the best marksman in northwestern Canada." - -Malemute Slade flushed to the roots of his hair. - -"Look here," he began gruffly, "you keep your trap closed." - -"I know now why you laughed when I said Sandy and I would overtake you -and Corporal Richardson on the trail," grinned Dick. "What I meant, of -course, was that we'd follow along and join you later." - -"You'll stay right here until we get back," ordered Slade. "That's -final. There's goin' to be some trouble up the line. We're risking our -own lives--not yours." - -"He's right, Dick," broke in the heavy, though not unmusical voice of -Corporal Richardson. "Neither you nor Sandy can come along this time. -You must wait here until we return." - -Dick choked back his disappointment, looking up at the stalwart figure -of Corporal Richardson through a blur of tears. He turned his head and -stared miserably across at the room which had almost been wrecked in the -recent encounter between Factor MacClaren and the scar-faced Indian. A -whirl of conflicting thoughts flashed through his mind. - -"All right," he said dully, "but----" - -He was interrupted by the appearance of an Indian servant, upon the -heels of whom came a tall young man with flashing eyes, clad in a heavy -fur coat and parka. For a brief moment the young man stood, surveying -the three occupants of the room. Then, without further preliminary, he -advanced shyly toward Corporal Richardson, fumbling in the pocket of his -coat. - -"For ze mounted police," he said, presenting Richardson with a long -official-looking envelope. "Inspector Cameron he tell me take eet to -you. To be queek. To be very careful. I have been on the trail eight, -ten hours, monsieur." - -"Thank you," said Corporal Richardson simply. He tore open the envelope, -produced the letter and read its contents. Except for a slight pucker on -his brow, there was no change in his expression. - -"It will be necessary," he said, turning to Slade, "to change our plans -completely. I must ask you to go on alone in pursuit of the scar-faced -Indian. It will be my duty to proceed elsewhere. I'm sorry, Slade." - -"Don't you worry about that, Corporal. Orders is orders. I'll go alone." -A moment of silence, then: "When do you think I'd better start?" - -"Right away," answered Corporal Richardson. - -Dick grunted and rolled back into bed, thoroughly disgusted with the -whole world in general, but particularly with a certain body of men -known as the Royal North West Mounted Police. They had commanded him to -remain at the post, while glorious adventure stalked valiantly along the -snow-white trail just beyond. He and Sandy were not babies to be petted -and pampered in this manner. He'd show 'em. He---- - -With rebellion in his heart, Dick rolled over presently, thumped down -his pillow, and, in a very short time, fell fast asleep. - - - - - CHAPTER III - SCARLET AND GOLD - - -Dick awoke on the following morning to find Sandy stooping over him, -regarding him silently with eyes from which shone sympathy and deep -concern. As a matter of fact, Sandy was seriously alarmed over his -friend's appearance. Dick's bandaged head and somewhat pallid face gave -him the look of one who hovers close to death's door. There was an -unmistakable catch in the young Scotchman's voice as he leaned forward -still closer to the recumbent form and inquired solicitously: - -"Are you feeling any better, Dick?" - -"I'm feeling fine," came the surprising answer, "and I'm going to get up -in about three minutes and fight it out with Corporal Richardson. I have -no intention of being treated like a child." - -The angry wave of color that swept into Dick's cheeks, coupled with the -dark frown and resentful eyes, so astonished Sandy that he sat down on -the edge of the bed and gasped weakly: - -"You don't really mean that. Why, Dick, you're no match for Corporal -Richardson. Besides, it's a criminal offense to assault a mounted -policeman." - -"I'm not going to assault a mounted policeman," Dick petulantly -explained. "I think too much of Corporal Richardson for that. What I -intend to do is to find out why he intends to keep us here until -Malemute Slade returns. My contention is that as long as we obey the -laws and conduct ourselves like honest citizens, no person has the right -to interfere in our business." - -Sandy sat for a long time before answering. Here was a problem that -required a good deal of careful thought and attention. On the face of -it, Dick's grievance seemed pardonable, and yet common sense told him -that Corporal Richardson was fair and just, not at all the sort of -person to take advantage of his authority. If the mounted policeman -insisted upon Dick and him staying here, there must be a good reason for -it. - -"Didn't Corporal Richardson tell you why he wanted us to stay here?" -Sandy asked. - -"He and Malemute Slade thought we would be risking our lives if we -followed Scar-Face." - -"Well, perhaps they're right." - -Dick sat up and put one hand on his friend's shoulder. - -"Listen to me, Sandy. Listen to me and then, if you wish, form your own -opinion. The mounted police insist upon our remaining here at the post -because if we undertake to follow old Scar-Face we may be risking our -lives. They may be right. I haven't the least doubt but that we'll -encounter certain dangers. Possibly we'll be risking our lives but," -Dick paused and waved one hand dramatically, "what else have we been -doing except just that: Risking our lives every day, running into -dangers and difficulties with the consent of everybody, including the -mounted police. Now, suddenly, for no reason at all, we're asked to be -good little boys, to remain indoors for fear we may catch a bad cold. I -tell you, Sandy, it sounds fishy to me." - -"Dick, I think you'd make a great orator," said Sandy admiringly. - -"And a poor soldier," chimed in a voice. "Pardon me for eavesdropping, -gentlemen, but the fact is I couldn't help overhearing a part of your -conversation." - -Faces red with shame, the two boys turned in the direction of the -newcomer, Corporal Richardson himself, who stood just inside the door. -Dick could have bit out his tongue or, better still, hid his head under -the pillow while some friendly magician transported him--bed, blankets -and all--to some remote place, thousands and thousands of miles distant. -For the first time he realized what a fool he had been--a miserable -young fool with a wagging tongue in his head. He hadn't the courage to -look Corporal Richardson in the face. - -"You'd make a poor soldier," continued the corporal, calmly surveying -the two culprits. "You see, Dick, a soldier's first duty is obedience. -What do you suppose would happen to me if I questioned my superior's -commands, if I didn't do what I was told to do even if, deep down in my -heart, I believed or knew that my superior was in the wrong?" - -"You'd be placed under arrest," surmised Sandy. - -"Right! That's exactly what would happen to me. And I'd deserve the -punishment I got." - -Corporal Richardson ceased speaking for a moment, strode forward and -placed a kindly hand on Dick's bandaged head. - -"Now don't feel badly about this, Dick, and when I go out of the room I -want you to try and forget the reprimand. Dismiss the whole incident, -just as I propose to dismiss it. We're all friends, I owe you boys a -debt of gratitude. I admire you both very much. As a general thing, I'm -not usually one to hand out compliments or bestow praise, but I'll say -this: You and Sandy are as rough a pair of young vagabonds as it has -ever been my experience to meet." - -A roar of laughter greeted this amusing sally, and for a moment Dick -entirely forgot his discomfiture. - -"Seriously now," Corporal Richardson continued, "I want both of you to -understand my position in this matter. Remember this: It is one thing to -risk your life, but quite another to risk your life needlessly. That's -exactly what you'd be doing if you went out on the trail with Malemute -Slade. Your chance of stopping a bullet would be exceedingly good. -Scar-Face would lead you into a trap before you had gone thirty miles. I -tell you Henderson's gang of cut-throats and ruffians has become a -terrible menace to the entire western portion of this north country. -Conditions have never been worse since the Riel Rebellion. If things do -not improve shortly, I'm afraid the Royal Mounted will be compelled to -call in outside aid." - -"But what will happen to Malemute Slade?" questioned Sandy in awed -tones. - -"To be perfectly frank, I'll be worried about him and won't know a -single moment's peace until he returns. However, Slade can look after -himself much better than he could if you boys went with him. He's the -best scout in the mounted police service." - -"Do you think he has any chance of recovering the map?" Dick asked. - -Corporal Richardson shook his head. - -"I doubt it very much. I do not believe any of us will ever see the map -again. But that does not mean that you need give up hope altogether. -Your chance of finding the mine and eventually getting it into your -possession is almost as good now as it ever was." - -"What do you mean?" both boys shouted out in unison. - -"Henderson and his gang will be apt to find it, won't they? Well if they -do, we'll take it away from them. Could anything be simpler? It sounds -easy but, of course, it isn't. Just the same, I really do think the -thing could be managed." - -"A sort of roundabout way of gaining possession," laughed Dick. - -"Any way is a good way, especially in their case," grinned Sandy. "But -if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see Uncle Walter. He's covered with -bruises from head to foot. Painful, of course, but not serious. I can't -imagine how I managed to sleep through all that uproar last night." - -"I'm not at all surprised," rejoined Dick, who well knew his friend's -propensity in this regard, and never lost an opportunity of chiding him -about it. - -When Sandy had hurried away, Corporal Richardson turned to Dick. - -"We're friends, aren't we?" - -"You bet!" came the answer unhesitatingly. "Corporal, I owe you an -apology. I can see now what a fool I was." Impulsively he extended his -hand. - -"Now that that's settled," said Richardson, "I have a job for you. Do -you happen to remember the messenger, who came last night?" - -"Yes." - -"If you saw him again would you know him?" - -"Yes," stated Dick positively. - -"How did he impress you?" - -"Why, favorably, I guess." Dick wondered what the policeman was driving -at. - -"That was my first impression too," Corporal Richardson resumed, "but I -have since had occasion to alter it considerably. I don't mind telling -you that I nearly made a very fatal error of judgment. That -French-Canadian messenger was a fake, and he brought me a fake message, -supposed to be from Inspector Cameron. I was fooled last night and -permitted my man to escape. This morning a careful scrutiny of the -message proved that the signature affixed was a forgery. In other words, -the letter did not come from headquarters at all, although the -stationery upon which it had been penned must have been stolen from the -Inspector's office." - -"What did the letter say?" Dick asked. - -"It instructed me to proceed, not later than the morning of March -2nd--which is today--to a place called Little Run River and there place -a certain person under arrest for the theft of valuable furs." - -"But what would be the purpose of such a hoax?" Dick wanted to know. - -"Simply to get me out of the way. For some reason, not yet quite -apparent, my presence here at Fort Good Faith is not wanted. For some -reason, my presence here interferes with the carrying out of important -plans of certain unscrupulous persons; which, of course, makes it all -the more necessary why I should remain and why you should go on to Run -River in my place." - -Dick would not have jumped to his feet any quicker if he had been -pricked by a pin. - -"In your place!" he gasped. "Why, corporal, I don't understand! No one -could mistake me for you!" - -"When I get through with you," calmly smiled the mounted policeman, -"anyone will be very apt to be fooled by the resemblance. The main thing -is, you're about my height." - -At that moment Dick was too excited to grasp fully what the corporal was -telling him. Presently, however, he was enlightened. - -"For the first time in your life, Dick," declared Corporal Richardson, -still smiling, "you're going to don the uniform of his majesty's Royal -North West Mounted Police." - - - - - CHAPTER IV - DICK MAKES A SUGGESTION - - -A very serious but elated young man, no other than Dick himself, strode -into the room occupied by Corporal Richardson and proceeded to put on -the scarlet and gold uniform of the Royal North West Mounted Police. At -that particular moment his mind was in a whirl of conflicting emotions. -He still possessed a somewhat hazy idea of what was expected of him, -although he knew that when the time came Richardson would give him -complete and painstaking instructions. - -That he was embarking upon an important and mysterious errand, there -could be no doubt, and it thrilled him to know that the mounted -policeman had sufficient confidence in his ability to give him this -chance to be of real service. As he pulled on the blue breeches with the -wide yellow stripe and later the scarlet tunic, resplendent with braid -and shining brass buttons, he made a solemn resolution to be worthy of -the trust imposed in him. - -"Sandy will laugh when he sees me," he told Corporal Richardson, "and I -must say that I feel awkward and out of place." - -"It fits you remarkably well," smiled the corporal, "considering how -much heavier I am. I think I'm inclined to be proud of your appearance, -and perhaps just a little bit jealous." - -"When do you want me to start?" Dick asked. "In about an hour. But -first, there are a number of things I want to discuss with you. So, if -you'll just sit down in that chair over there and listen attentively, -I'm sure there'll be no question about the ultimate success of our -plan." - -"As I explained to you before," continued Corporal Richardson, "the -French-Canadian messenger, who came here last night with the forged -letter, is an agent or emissary of a band of crooks. Who these crooks -are, I'm not altogether sure. My belief is that they're the fur thieves -Malemute Slade and I have been trailing for the last three weeks." - -Sitting very still and rigid in his chair, Dick followed closely every -word spoken. Richardson's face had become serious, even stern in its -expression. - -"I've nothing very tangible to go on, of course, but during the past few -hours I've given a good deal of thought to this case. I'm convinced of -one thing. I'm positive that the fur thieves and Henderson's gang are -one and the same. I believe it was Henderson who sent the messenger last -night. Henderson is the author of this strategy or hoax, just as surely -as he is the person directly behind the effort to secure possession of -your lost gold mine." - -"You really think so?" Dick interrupted. - -"Yes." - -For a short interval the mounted policeman sat without speaking. The -room had become almost intolerably silent. Turning towards the window, -Dick looked out across a vast snow field, dotted here and there with the -dark green of spruce and jackpine. - -"And now," suddenly resumed Richardson, "we've come to the very serious -part of this whole business. I must confess to you that I'm worried -and--you may be surprised at this admission--afraid!" - -"Afraid!" Dick gasped. "Why, corporal, I can't believe that anything -would ever frighten you." - -"Something has," confessed Richardson, "and right now I'm frightened so -badly that I'm almost inclined to tell you to take off that uniform and -go and hunt up your friend, Sandy, for a game of cards." - -Dick started to laugh, but a second look at the brooding, troubled eyes -of the man opposite, choked his untimely mirth. - -"This is a serious moment for you, my boy, and I'll tell you why. The -message received last night was sent to me for a purpose. For reasons, -as yet not quite clear to us, my presence at Fort Good Faith constitutes -a hindrance to certain plans of Henderson. Henderson wants me to clear -out--to go away. Why?" - -"I'm sure I can't answer that question," said Dick. - -"Neither can I; but I've a pretty fair hunch. Fort Good Faith is on the -only direct, open, well-travelled trail, leading south to civilization. -Henderson, let us say, has a valuable shipment of stolen fur. He wants -to dispose of it. He's in a hurry to get it south before the spring -thaw. Every day that he is forced to wait, is time and money lost. He's -anxious to start right away, sending out his fur by dog teams, but he -can't do that because I'm here at Fort Good Faith and will be sure to -seize his shipment." - -"Whew!" whistled Dick. "How did you ever contrive to figure that all -out? It sounds very plausible." - -"Nevertheless," said Corporal Richardson, "it's entirely supposition and -may be absolutely wrong. I'm hoping that it's right, because if it -isn't, the only other motive that I can think of for inducing me to go -to Run River is a very sinister one." - -"What is it?" asked Dick. - -"A trap for me to fall into. Somewhere between here and Run River an -ambush--a slinking half-breed or Indian lying in wait to pop me off. A -score of mounted policemen have gone that way. It's an old trick. That's -why I'm shivering clear down to the bottom of my feet for fear that I -may be sending you out to your death. Before God, I wish I had detected -that forgery before I ordered Slade to set out in pursuit of the -scar-faced Indian." - -Dick caught at the side of his chair, his cheeks deathly pale. The room -seemed to be spinning around in a sort of dark haze, through which he -could see the distorted face of Corporal Richardson opposite. When he -had recovered somewhat, he observed that the mounted policeman had -sprung to his feet and was pacing abstractedly back and forth. - -"I can't--I can't do it, Dick," he was muttering. "It isn't fair. -No--there must be some other way." - -"But I want to go," Dick insisted. "I'll take good care of myself and -I'm sure nothing will happen. Anyhow, I'm convinced that your first -guess was right, that Henderson and the fur thieves are planning to send -that shipment." - -"And, on the other hand," pointed out Corporal Richardson, "both guesses -may be right. It would be a feather in Henderson's cap if he could -dispose of the furs and have me put out of the way at one and the same -time." - -For several moments the two stood, facing each other, both deep in -thought. Suddenly, Dick's face lighted and he clapped his hands together -gleefully. - -"Corporal Richardson, I think possibly I may have hit upon a rather -sensible plan," he cried out enthusiastically. "Why not follow the trail -to Run River only a short distance, then strike off in an entirely -different direction, make a wide detour, and come back here to the post. -Henderson will naturally suppose that I have gone on to Run River. If -your first supposition is correct, the dog teams with the fur will start -to move down this way at once. If your second guess is right, I won't -run into an ambush because I won't be travelling where they expect me to -go." - -"Good!" exclaimed Richardson. "Dick, you're a young man after my own -heart. Why in the Dickens didn't I think of that myself." - -"You've done well enough for one day as it is," Dick rejoined. "All I -hope is that you won't have any trouble capturing the men with the fur -shipments. Aren't they apt to put up a fight?" - -"I expect that," answered the corporal, "but I'll have Sandy, young Toma -and Mr. MacClaren to give me a hand if necessary." - -Breakfast, a few minutes more of preparation, and Dick and the mounted -policeman, the latter now clothed in ordinary civilian garb, slipped -quietly out of the room and hurried down a long hall in the direction of -the side entrance. As they went, the corporal was speaking in hushed -undertones: - -"It's just as well that Sandy doesn't see you before you go. We haven't -time now for explanations or further delays. Good luck, and God be with -you." - -They paused for a single hand-clasp before Dick turned to close the door -after him, which action Corporal Richardson prevented by sticking out -his foot. - -"Straight ahead until you cross the river, then take the first trail to -your right," he called out. "Be careful!" - -"Good-bye," said Dick without turning his head. - -His eyes were moist and a sticky lump reposed in his throat. Chin out, -arms swinging at his side, who, indeed, might detect anything amiss -here? The trail was ahead, a glimmering stretch of snow, dazzling in the -early morning light. Behind him were friends, comfort and a good fire. - -Dick plodded on. - - - - - CHAPTER V - DICK IS INDISCREET - - -Three hours after he had left Fort Good Faith, Dick Kent, still on the -Run River trail, had become conscious of an increasing nervousness. The -section of country through which he now passed was densely wooded, -rugged and broken, a treacherous, uninviting prospect. Dick estimated -that he had travelled about twelve miles from the post. To continue much -farther might prove to be a dangerous business. Even now, as he went -cautiously forward, he could almost persuade himself that behind every -clump of bushes, behind almost every tree, there crouched the leering, -skulking form of one of Henderson's men. - -If he followed his original plan, the thing to do presently was to -strike off, either to the right or left, and proceed on his way back by -a circuitous route. Tonight he would camp somewhere in the open, -building himself a shelter of spruce boughs. Tomorrow morning he would -set out again, moving slowly, making a wide detour, always bearing in -mind that he must not, under any circumstances, return to Fort Good -Faith before two days had elapsed. The fur thieves, both he and Corporal -Richardson had conjectured, would be sure not to delay more than two -days before commencing the trek southward with their valuable loot. So -Dick had a good deal of time to waste, before he might hope to rejoin -his friends. - -A hundred yards farther on, a turn in the trail brought Dick to a small -creek. Frozen, and covered deeply with snow, it traced its way through -the dark green of the forest. From where he stood, Dick thought that it -looked very much like a white snake, twisting through the trees. It -would be great fun, he decided, to leave the trail at this point and -follow the creek on a little voyage of exploration, later leaving it, if -he found that the general course of the stream ran too far in the wrong -direction. - -Also, by following the creek, there would be a certain advantage to -himself, well worth considering. It offered a smooth, hard trail to his -feet, with no obstruction from rocks, bramble and bush, as the case -would be if he chose to strike out in a more haphazardly course through -the forest. - -Turning to the left, Dick slid down the small embankment and commenced -leisurely to walk along the creek bottom. The snow-crust was so heavy -that he paused, kicked off his snowshoes and went forward again, -whistling happily. It was a great relief to leave the Run River trail. -He would have no fear now of a deadly ambuscade. His heart had ceased -its disconcerting flip-flops every time he went past a dark screen of -brush or a heavy clump of trees. It now functioned in a more healthy -manner. - -The weather was mild, a stream of warm sunshine lighting the open forest -spaces with a dazzling radiance. The glare of snow was hard on the eyes, -but by keeping in the shadow of the large trees, bordering the creek, -Dick contrived to overcome this difficulty. - -In another hour or two he would pause for his midday meal. The long walk -had given him an appetite. He was sorry that Sandy hadn't come along to -enjoy the fun. On a day like this it was good to be alive. He grinned as -a rabbit whisked across his path, boy-fashion stooping to pick up a -chunk of ice to hurl after it. As he straightened up, eyes on the trail -ahead, he was startled by the sight of a thin, white spiral of smoke -curling up from the trees, not more than two hundred yards distant. - -Dick stopped dead in his tracks, scarcely believing the reality of the -thing he saw. He was totally unprepared in the emergency and for a -moment stood, with bated breath, debating whether he ought to go on or -turn tail, like a frightened husky, and scamper for cover. - -Corporal Richardson had warned him to keep away from all human kind. -Before the experienced eyes of the average frontiersman Dick's -masquerade would be useless. And once the deception had been laid bare, -no one might tell how soon the news would reach Bear Henderson and his -gang of outlaws. - -To add to Dick's discomfiture, there emerged unexpectedly in plain view -ahead the figure of a man. Half way across the creek the man paused, -perceiving Dick, and one arm went up in a gesture of friendly -salutation. - -In chagrin, Dick bit his lips. His chance now to get away undetected had -been lost. In less than four hours from the time he had left Fort Good -Faith, he had committed a most unpardonable blunder. All very well for -spying eyes to follow his progress along the Run River trail, and Indian -messengers to report the news later to Henderson--that was playing the -game correctly; but to be discovered here, four miles off the prescribed -route, calmly throwing chunks of ice after scurrying rabbits, was an -entirely different matter. If word of it ever reached the suspicious -outlaw, Corporal Richardson's chances of capturing the fur thieves was -very slim indeed. - -"The only thing about me worthy of the name of a mounted policeman is -this uniform," Dick lamented to himself. "I've messed up everything. -I'll be ashamed to go back and look Corporal Richardson in the face. -Hang the luck!" - -With a snort of disgust, he strode forward again to meet the waiting -figure. There was no turning back now. The thing to do was to swallow -his disappointment and endeavor to make the best of it. - -In a few minutes more he had approached to within twenty feet of the -man. His moccasins crunched lightly over the snow, but the blinding -glare of sun in his eyes, together with the dazzling reflection of -millions of white crystals underfoot, made it difficult to see. He heard -a voice announce: - -"Ah, et eez ze Corporal Richardson himself. I bid you ze welcome, -monsieur. You come to ze house. You come----" - -The words trailed off suddenly, culminating in an exclamation of -surprise. Dick stopped. - -"My mistake. Et ees not ze good Corporal Richardson at all. Mon Dieu! A -boy!" - -A prickling sensation ran up and down Dick's spine. He could see more -clearly now, and one good look at the man in front of him was more than -sufficient. Who could mistake those snapping eyes, or that tall, lithe, -athletic figure? It was the messenger of the night before--the man who -had brought the forged letter to Corporal Richardson! - -During the first few minutes of bewilderment and surprise, Dick found it -impossible to think clearly, but as this feeling wore off, there flashed -through his mind the thought that perhaps this messenger of Henderson -had not yet discovered his true identity. The man had seen him only -once. Dick presented an entirely different appearance now than he had on -the evening before in the poorly lighted room at the post. - -"What ees your name, monsieur?" demanded the Frenchman. - -"Corporal Rand," Dick lied deliberately. "Recently from the mounted -police training school at Regina. This is the first time I've ever been -sent out on actual service. I arrived at Fort Good Faith a few hours ago -to relieve Corporal Richardson, but I discovered he had left under -instructions just a few minutes before for a place called Run River." - -The Frenchman, to judge from the relieved expression on his face, -actually believed the story. - -"And so you already start on ze friendly patrol?" he inquired politely. - -"No," answered the quaking young counterfeit, "at first that really -wasn't my intention. I had hoped to overtake Corporal Richardson before -he had gone very far, but I guess I wasn't swift enough. There is no -catching him!" - -The messenger grinned at this admission. He surveyed the lanky young -tenderfoot, bethought him of the prowess of Corporal Richardson on the -trail, and doubled up in a paroxysm of mirth. Dick joined willingly in -the laugh on himself. - -"Monsieur will become swift himself if he continue to stay in zis -countree," came the encouraging assertion. - -"Conditions here are much different than they were in the south," -explained Dick, "but I imagine that in time I'll get used to them." - -"True, monsieur, an' now you are veree tired, I expect." The messenger's -gestures were expressive. "So you will come with me to my house. You -will honor me, monsieur. You will stay an' rest an' forget about ze -hardness of ze trail. Baptiste La Lond ees a veree good friend to ze -mounted police." - -Dick guessed at the motive underlying the messenger's efforts at -hospitality. La Lond was afraid that Dick might decide to return at once -to Fort Good Faith. It would never do, of course, after getting rid of -one policeman, to have all their plans spoiled by the sudden advent of a -second. - -"I really must return to Fort Good Faith at once," stated Dick, by way -of a feeler. "I'll be stationed there for several days, I imagine." - -"No! No! No!" protested La Lond, throwing up his hands in protest. "Et -ees unthinkable. Monsieur is tired after ze hard trek. He must rest an' -eat at my house." He paused, a smile of eagerness lighting his face. The -dark eyes snapped. "An' now I will tell you ze beeg news, monsieur. -Tonight my veree good friend, Pierre Chapelle, ees hold a dance at hees -house. We will go. What you say, monsieur?" - -"I'll think about that later," Dick answered, deciding to play into the -other's hands. "I'll stay here for a while, if you insist. I really am -very tired." - -La Lond kept up a continuous chatter as he quickly led the way to the -house--a small cabin, nestling in the woods. His host threw open the -door to permit him to enter a tidy room, at one side of which Dick -perceived a young man of about his own age. - -"My brother, Phellep," explained the messenger, pushing his way in and -closing the door. "We live here together. Phellep, take monsieur's -coat." - -Phillip La Lond rose stiffly, a look of fear on his face. Evidently he -was not accustomed to entertaining members of the Royal Mounted and was -probably trying to figure out the reason for Dick's unexpected visit. - -But if Phillip experienced fear, he was not without company. Dick also -was afraid. It had just occurred to him that perhaps the wily messenger -had not been in the least deceived by the story, which he, Dick, had -related. Perhaps La Lond had recognized him at the very beginning and -was now planning some devilish method of getting rid of him. - -During the preparation of the midday meal and for several hours -afterward, Dick sat, shivering with apprehension. La Lond's continuous -flow of conversation fell on unheeding ears. The pressure of the -revolver in its holster at Dick's side was somewhat reassuring, yet what -match was he, a single inexperienced youth, against a seasoned criminal -like La Lond. He had probably made a serious mistake in coming here. No -doubt, he would be made to pay dearly for his blundering. But in any -event, it was up to him now to play the game in a way that would be a -credit to the faith imposed in him. - -And so with this grim resolve, Dick straightened in his chair, -endeavoring to conquer the quailing spirit within. La Lond was still -speaking: - -"Perhaps monsieur ees veree tired an' would like to lie down an' rest," -he inquired solicitously. "While you have your leetle nap, Phellep will -take ze run out to ze trap-line." - -"What you mean, you deceiving scoundrel," Dick thought to himself, "is -that you are sending Phillip over to Henderson's camp with the news of -my coming." Then aloud: - -"No, I'm not as tired as you think. Let's sit here and rest for a few -minutes more, then all three of us will go out to examine your traps." - -The appearance of animation and the smile of good fellowship suddenly -and inexplicably disappeared. In their place a dark frown settled over -the face of the messenger. For one brief moment he glared at Dick. - -"All right, eet will be as you wish," he snapped. Then his eyes met -Dick's in a look that could not possibly be misunderstood. - -Unconsciously, Dick stiffened in his chair as he read the challenge. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - IN THE HOUSE OF THE MESSENGER - - -It was a trying ordeal. Never before, in all Dick's experience, had time -seemed to pass so slowly as it did upon that fateful afternoon. The -messenger had thrown aside all further attempts at conversation. Head -bent forward, fingers locked, he feigned a drowsiness, which did not -fool Dick in the least. Phillip, on the other hand, had grown restless, -continually fidgeting about, or pacing up and down the room like a caged -lion. - -Occasionally Dick would catch a glimpse of a furtive, frightened glance -cast in his direction. The younger La Lond, less adept in the school of -deception, could not conceal his real feelings. - -"Have you many traps out this winter?" Dick inquired, looking across at -Phillip. - -The other mumbled something in reply and went on with his pacing. -Evidently, he had no desire to commit himself. In the cabin were no -evidences of traps or trapping, and Dick would have been willing to -swear on oath that the brothers La Lond not only did not possess such a -thing as a trap-line, but had other and more profitable ways of making a -living. - -To all appearances, the two brothers lived a life of ease and -indulgence. The room was nicely furnished, the cupboards were stocked -with food, two bottles of Hudson's Bay Company's rum peeped from behind -an inadequate curtain. But the thing which struck Dick's gaze most -forcibly of all, was a queer-looking object which stood near the -fireplace. It was a sort of rack, cleverly constructed out of wood, upon -which fairly bristled a miniature arsenal of guns, rifles, knives and -belts--the last bulging with cartridges. - -Time and time again, Dick's eyes returned to a fascinated scrutiny of -that rack. There were weapons enough here to supply a small army. Deadly -looking revolvers and automatics, shot-guns, 45 and 30-30 caliber -repeating rifles, with here and there a long-bladed knife to add -interest to the general effect. - -On the floor, close to the rack, were several packing cases, as yet -unopened, which probably contained a more complete supply of ammunition. -The brothers La Lond might boast of possessing a different weapon for -almost every day of the month. So complete were their requirements in -this respect, that Dick very quickly jumped to the conclusion that no -two men could possibly find use for them all. It was much more -reasonable to believe that others, beside the two brothers, had an -interest in them, and that this cabin was used as a meeting place--if -not for Henderson's gang itself--for another band equally as bad. - -"I'm about as safe here," Dick grimaced to himself, "as I would be -sitting on a case of nitroglycerine. The best thing for me is to get -away from here as quickly as possible." - -From under his lowered brows, Baptiste La Lond, still feigning sleep, -was secretly watching him. Dick felt the scrutiny through some intuitive -sense, and became more and more uncomfortable. Another worry was caused -by the younger La Lond, who, during his restless pacing to and fro, -often passed behind Dick's chair. It would be very easy, Dick thought, -for Phillip to spring forward and pinion his arms behind him. In fact, -chancing to look across at the former messenger he intercepted a signal, -a sly wink which might, had Dick been less on guard, easily have passed -unnoticed. Dick turned almost completely around, just as Phillip came -stealthily forward, preparing for a spring. - -"When are we going to visit the trap-line, Phillip?" Dick inquired -mockingly. - -Phillip stopped suddenly, his face red with anger and embarrassment. He -turned and beat a hasty retreat, glowering from his corner as Dick rose -and moved back his chair. - -Then, as never before, Dick realized fully the seriousness of his -position. Not for one moment could he relax his vigilance. His life -itself depended upon extreme caution and, when it became necessary, -swift action. But even by exercising the utmost care, sooner or later a -little slip on his part might give the treacherous brothers the -advantage they craved. - -Dick rose to his feet, finally, and addressed the still drowsing -messenger. - -"La Lond," he stated in a clear, steady voice, "I've decided to go at -once. I'm afraid it will be impossible for me to neglect my duty. It is -too late in the afternoon to go back to Fort Good Faith, but I think -I'll continue on my patrol, returning to the post late tomorrow -afternoon or the morning following." - -Baptiste, apparently, was sleeping with one ear open. Almost immediately -he sprang to an upright position. - -"No! No, monsieur!" he protested, waving his arms wildly about. "You -must not go, I beg of you. Stop here for a time longer, monsieur." - -But Dick shook his head. - -"I must go," he declared firmly. - -"But think, monsieur, eet will be veree late by ze time you get back to -Fort Good Faith." - -"I'll not go there tonight, as I just explained to you, and probably not -tomorrow. I must finish my patrol." - -La Lond's eyes blinked. - -"Where do you go then?" he asked, evidently much relieved. - -"That is a matter I have not yet decided," answered Dick. "I'm not very -well acquainted with the country hereabouts, and I've been wondering if -you'll be kind enough to direct me to the nearest dwelling." - -"Yes, certainly, monsieur, I will be veree glad." - -His sudden great eagerness to assist him did not escape Dick's -attention. He knew very well what Baptiste would say, and he had no -intention of following any suggestions of the bandit as to where he -should go. It was easy to guess where the wily messenger would send -him--to Henderson's camp probably, or, if not there, to the house of -some other crook in the outlaw's employ. - -"I have a friend who live seex miles from here," said La Lond. "Ze trail -ees veree easy to his house. You must go zere." - -"All right, I'll do as you say," agreed Dick, "but first you must be -very careful in directing me so that I do not get lost." - -"Et ees easy to tell, monsieur. You will not get lost," the messenger -shrugged his shoulders expressively. "Two mile down ze leetle creek to -ze first turn to ze right, zen four mile straight ahead to my friend's -house. Not possibly can you miss et, monsieur." - -"So that is where Henderson is camped," exulted Dick to himself. "The -information may be valuable to Corporal Richardson." - -"Thank you very much," he said to Baptiste. - -"Et ees nothing," La Lond blinked wickedly. - -Phillip had suddenly come to life again and was treading soft-footed -across the floor. From the corner of one eye, Dick watched him. Then -Baptiste shuffled farther to one side, probably with the intention of -preventing Dick from observing his brother's sly movements. Not to be -outdone in this clumsy fashion, Dick took a step in the opposite -direction, just in time to see Phillip approach the fireplace and the -rack of guns close by. - -"You will find ze place without difficulty," declared Baptiste in a loud -voice, attempting to attract attention to himself. "I tell you, -monsieur, my friend he ees veree good host. So joll-ee, so kind, -monsieur. You will not regret." - -Dick whipped his revolver from his holster and sprang back just in time. - -"Put down that gun," he shouted to Phillip. "Put it down, I say!" - -Phillip's weapon clattered to the floor, and his hands clawed at the -empty air above his head. At that particular moment he was a very much -frightened and surprised young man. His cheeks were white as the drifts -of snow outside. Baptiste turned, his face crimson with fury. - -"Fool! Fool!" he screamed, rushing forward and cuffing the shivering -culprit about the face and head. Then he turned apologetically to Dick. - -"Pardon, monsieur," he whimpered. "Mon Dieu! I am stricken! Ze boy ees -mad. Perhaps you notice et before, monsieur. I intend to tell you ze -truth when first you came, but there ees always ze shame an' ze pride. -You understand me, monsieur." - -"Yes, I understand you," Dick replied coldly. "Believe me, I'll know -exactly what to expect from you in future. One false move from either -one of you, and I won't hesitate about using this nice little plaything -here in my hands. Stand aside!" - -Baptiste obeyed quickly as Dick backed slowly to the door, opened it and -went quickly out. His pulses were pounding and his hand trembled as he -returned the gun to its holster. - -"Close shave!" he muttered to himself. "I guess I was pretty lucky that -time." - -At a dog trot, he hurried along the foot-path, leading to the creek. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - FLIGHT THROUGH THE WOODS - - -A very alert and still somewhat frightened young man in the person of -Dick Kent hurried across the small creek he had commenced following a -few hours before, and struck off through the heavy forest of spruce and -poplar, which lay between him and Fort Good Faith. - -In spite of the fact that travelling was now more difficult, Dick made -remarkably good time. The thought uppermost in his mind was to put as -many miles between him and the treacherous Baptiste as possible, to go -on with undiminished speed until darkness came to prevent further -progress. - -Pursuit would be almost certain, Dick reasoned. The two brothers, -smarting under their recent thwarted attempt to take Dick prisoner, -would be anxious to even the score. - -"They'll be wild," Dick grinned to himself, "and angry enough to boil me -in oil if ever I fall in their hands again." - -He chuckled as he visualized the picture of Baptiste and Phillip, -quarreling amongst themselves over the miscarriage of their plans. By -the time they had fought out the verbal battle and had got down to the -real business of recapturing their slippery guest, Dick hoped he would -have several miles to his credit, and would be able to retain the lead. - -He had been unwise in accepting the hospitality offered by Baptiste, yet -in so doing he had made several important discoveries. One was that the -cabin, occupied by the two brothers, afforded a meeting place for the -band of criminals, then infesting the country, and a second, that either -Henderson himself or other members of the band could be found in the -place to which Baptiste had directed him. - -Dick pondered over this information as he hurried on. He recalled what -Corporal Richardson had told him regarding the operations of a large -criminal organization there in the North, and he was quite sure the -mounted police would welcome any news of their movements or places of -abode. He remembered also what Richardson had said about the connection -between the fur thieves and Henderson's outlaws. The corporal believed -that they were one and the same--all under the leadership of Henderson. -If this supposition were correct, then the La Lond cabin was just as apt -to be a meeting place or rendezvous for the men who had stolen the map -of the lost mine, as for the fur thieves themselves. - -Sooner or later, reasoned Dick, the scar-faced Indian would show up at -one or the other of the two places of which he, Dick, had knowledge. -Probably right now the possessor of the map was somewhere in that very -neighborhood. Having escaped Malemute Slade, what would be more natural -than that he should immediately proceed to Henderson's camp to report -his good fortune. - -Dick paused abruptly at the thought, his pulses pounding with -excitement. In a high state of tension he strode forward, brushed the -snow from a small, broken stump, and sat down to think it all out. - -"I've a good notion to throw caution to the winds," he confided to -himself, gulping a handful of snow, "and go right back at once. They -won't be expecting me. Anyway, it'll be dark by the time I return to the -La Lond cabin. It will be comparatively safe then. I'll reconnoitre a -bit, find out if Baptiste and Phillip are still there, and, if they're -not, I'll slip over to Henderson's. I've just got a hunch that the -scar-faced Indian has returned." - -Dick had never been placed in a similar position, and found it very -difficult to decide. Reason told him that it would be the height of -folly to embark upon any such enterprise. But in Dick's veins was the -hot, adventurous blood of youth. Here was a chance in a thousand to win -back the ground which had been lost. He would find the scar-faced Indian -and endeavor to recover the map. - -He had risen to his feet for the express purpose of proceeding to carry -out his foolhardy plan, when quite unexpectedly there rang in his ears a -former statement of Corporal Richardson: - -"You'd make a mighty poor soldier, Dick.... A soldier's first duty is -obedience." - -Was this obedience? He had been warned to keep away from all human -habitation, to be careful not to expose himself needlessly--to shun men! -And now---- A slow flush of shame mounted to his forehead. Hang it all, -what an imbecile he was. So far he had obeyed none of the commands of -his superior. He had--or very nearly had--violated them all. At every -turn, instead of doing the right thing, he had done the wrong thing. He -was not worthy of Corporal Richardson's or any other man's trust. Even -Sandy, younger than he, nor half as strong physically, would never have -been guilty of such willful disobedience. - -It was a more sober and earnest young man who faced resolutely about and -continued the trek eastward towards Fort Good Faith. The silence of the -great forest lay about him. Shadows had lengthened, the sun had slipped -down out of sight, the cooler breath of evening stung color in his -cheeks and tickled his nostrils with tiny particles of frost. - -"I'll go on for an hour before stopping to make camp for the night," he -decided. - -He felt more tired now as he resumed his lonely and monotonous journey. -Crossing a narrow valley, thickly studded with clumps of red willow and -saskatoon, he commenced scrambling up a sharp incline, until finally he -reached a wide plateau. Here, except for an occasional stunted -jack-pine, there were no trees. Huge boulders and queer looking rocks, -most of them covered thickly with snow, gave a weird appearance to the -place. - -The wind had full sweep across the plateau. It was bitterly cold here, -so cold indeed that even the heavy fur jacket and parka, worn by the -mounted police, failed to keep out the insidious penetrating frost. Dick -beat his arms against his shivering body and stumbled on across that -desolate plain, anxiously scanning the darkening prospect ahead. He -hoped that he would come soon to the more friendly forest, where, when a -stop became necessary, he could gather wood and kindle a fire. But out -there ahead he could see nothing except a long and weary stretch of -country covered with snow and bristling with rocks, a land indescribably -lonely and terrible just then in the rapidly gathering darkness. - -Fully an hour passed before he had traversed the plateau and had come -again to the welcome woodland. Breathing a sigh of relief, he started -down the slope, faintly outlined in the gloom ahead. It was so steep -here that Dick had difficulty in keeping his balance. He slid, stumbled, -now and again reaching out for a young sapling to aid him in his -somewhat precipitous descent. He had almost reached the bottom when he -felt himself being thrown violently forward, falling in a crumpled heap -at the foot of a large spruce. A stab of pain in his right ankle, and -Dick momentarily lost consciousness. - -He realized presently what had happened. The thong of the snowshoe on -his right foot had become caught in a snag of brush and had tripped him. -His fall had been heavy, but Dick did not become aware of the full -extent of his injury until he attempted to rise. - -It was useless. His right ankle throbbed with a sickening pain. A bad -fracture or torn ligaments--he was not sure which--made it absolutely -impossible for him to put any weight at all upon that foot. - -A sudden, horrible fear overcame him. In the first moment of weakness, a -terror-stricken sob broke from his lips. Here he was absolutely -helpless, without wood, water or fire, without shelter of any kind, in -weather so bitterly cold that in a few hours time, lying there inactive, -he would be frozen as stiff as a block of ice. - -Not entirely to Dick's discredit, he cried like a child, one arm flung -out, the other pillowed under him. He lay there, his body shaking with -ill-suppressed grief. Face blanched with terror, he sat up finally -staring about him with tragic eyes. Everywhere around was deep and utter -silence. To all appearances, there was no life anywhere in that dead -waste of snow, in that land of bitter, penetrating cold. - -And then, suddenly, far away, he heard the familiar wolf-cry. Long and -mournful it was, and Dick shivered, remembering a former occasion when -he, Sandy and Corporal Richardson and Toma had very nearly given their -lives to a hungry pack in the vicinity of the Big Smoky. If there was -anything on earth which Dick feared, hated and despised, it was a wolf. -Whenever he heard the eerie cry of this species of human hunters in the -North, his hair fairly bristled from panic and indignation. In his -present predicament, it was the very thing required to put strength and -determination in his heart. Groaning in the effort, he rose dizzily to -his knees and commenced to scoop away the snow with his hands. - -By dint of hard work, he had soon cleared a fairly wide space around -him. The exercise had warmed his body and kept his mind from dwelling -too much on the seriousness of his plight. From a bush nearby, he -gathered an armful of twigs, and from a dead, fallen tree, just beyond -the big spruce, sufficient dry bark and moss to start his fire. In an -hour's time, considerably cheered and comforted, he was brewing tea over -a roaring blaze. - -"Things are not as bad as I thought," Dick was forced to admit to -himself a few minutes later as he gulped down a cup of hot tea and ate -sparingly from his supply of emergency rations. "As long as I can crawl -around on my hands and knees, I can manage somehow to gather enough wood -to keep myself from freezing. By eating very little and drinking plenty -of snow water, I can stay here for a week if necessary. After that----" - -What would happen after that, Dick did not dare even to conjecture. The -thought was too appalling. But surely his ankle would become strong -again before a week had elapsed. - -"It's only a bad sprain," he endeavored to reassure himself. "Perhaps -even by tomorrow I'll be able to hobble around." - -He settled back with a smile on his face and stretched out full length -before the blaze. Worn out, mentally and physically, he soon drowsed -lightly, only to be awakened by the wolf-cry again, a bloodcurdling -howl, which pierced the deep silence in the forest space around him. - -"Great Caesar!" sputtered Dick, sitting bolt upright and staring out -balefully in the intense darkness. "Troubles never come singly. If I had -my hands on the neck of that brute, I'd choke him into silence and -insensibility." - -For a brief space he stared, then abruptly his eyes opened wide in -astonishment. Out of the velvety blackness, beyond the circle of light -made by his campfire, there emerged two fur-coated figures carrying -rifles. Slowly, confidently, they came on--in their approach exercising -not even the slightest caution. - -Dick turned his head indifferently and gazed quietly into the fire. What -did he care for the brothers La Lond now? As well die at their hands as -to stay here to be eaten by wolves. He did not even look up as the -treacherous pair stepped forward within the narrow space he had cleared -with his own hands. - -"Dick!" shouted a familiar voice. - -In wonderment, almost in a stupor, Dick looked up into the smiling, -joyful faces of Sandy and Toma. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - TRACKS IN THE SNOW - - -"How," inquired Dick in bewilderment, "did you ever manage to find me -here?" - -Sandy sat down and put one arm around Dick's shoulders. - -"You miserable, deceiving old rascal," he threatened, "if I could have -got my hands on you this morning, when I discovered the scurvy trick you -and Corporal Richardson had played upon me, you'd never be able to walk -over another trail again. I really mean it, Dick. I think it was the -most unfriendly act you have ever committed. If I wasn't just naturally -patient and forgiving by nature, you and I would never have seen each -other again." - -"What would have happened to you?" grinned Dick. - -Before replying, Sandy winked broadly and good-humoredly at Toma. - -"I had a blamed good notion to go right out and join forces with the -Henderson gang. They need a lot of new blood now that Corporal -Richardson has taken so many of 'em into camp. Four dog teams and eight -men! Just think of it, Dick! He captured the whole outfit--lock, stock -and barrel--single-handed." - -"And the stolen fur?" Dick questioned breathlessly. - -"He got that too," answered Sandy, glad of the chance to tell the story. -"But first of all, I'm going to start at the beginning. Three hours -after you set out over the Run River trail, Toma and I, who were looking -out of the window and suspecting nothing, saw the four dog teams coming -into view. There is nothing unusual about a dog team up here in this -country, so we weren't much interested. I had just turned away from the -window to start another search for you and the corporal--somehow, I -hadn't gotten over the idea that you were skulking somewhere about the -place--when Toma poked me in the ribs. Dick, I wish you could have seen -it. It all happened so suddenly that no one knew just what was up." - -"Yes! Yes!" said Dick a little impatiently. "Go on, Sandy. What -happened?" - -"They were just opposite us, travelling along merrily, when a man -slipped out of the brush on the far side of the trail, holding something -in each hand. They must have been startled all right. Corporal -Richardson told me afterward that they were taken completely by -surprise. At any rate," Sandy went on, "the dog teams stopped and eight -men stepped forward with their arms in the air. It was a regular -hold-up." - -Sandy paused for breath. - -"Both Toma and I very naturally jumped to the conclusion that the person -who had committed the hold-up was a bandit, probably in the employ of -Henderson. So we grabbed our rifles and hurried out to help. We ran -straight over in the direction of the dog teams, firing our rifles as we -went and yelling like mad." - -"You see," explained Sandy, "we thought that the bandit would become -frightened and start running away. But," admitted the young Scotchman, a -little shamefacedly, "he didn't run. He stood right there like a statue, -keeping those men covered. All the time we kept getting closer and -closer, until finally Toma poked me in the ribs again and told me to -stop firing--that the bandit was Corporal Richardson himself." - -In spite of the discomfort and pain he endured, Dick roared with -laughter. - -"What did Corporal Richardson say?" he asked. - -Sandy smiled at the recollection. - -"When we came up, he stared at us coldly. - -"'If you two young fools have finished with your celebration,' he said, -'you'll please take charge of these dog teams while the rest of us -gentlemen retire to the post.' - -"That's all there is to tell you, I guess, except that Corporal -Richardson locked the men up in a big room at Fort Good Faith and that -we stored all the stolen fur in the company's warehouse. Afterwards, -when the corporal had cooled off and was a little more friendly towards -me, he told me where you had gone and about the plan you had employed to -deceive Henderson's spies." - -"I tell you, Dick," Sandy went on, "you can't imagine how much the -corporal likes you. He seemed worried stiff for fear that something -might happen to you. Finally, after we had bothered him a lot, he gave -us permission to go out and try to find you." - -"You found me all right," Dick was forced to admit, "but I don't see how -you ever managed to do it." - -"It was easy enough--for Toma. He found your tracks where you left the -Run River trail and we followed them up to a house." - -"The house of La Lond," said Dick. - -"I don't know whose house it was. It was almost dark when we got there. -My plan was to walk right up, knock at the door and ask for you, but -Toma thought differently." - -"Bad men him live there," interrupted Toma, moving closer to the fire. -"I know him Baptiste for bad fellow. Me see that man many times an' no -like at all. I 'fraid mebbe he kill you an' hide body. So I listen at -door. I find out something." - -"What did you find out?" asked Dick. - -"Me find out you been there an' go 'way again. Baptiste very mad an' -talk in loud voice. He say I kill him that fellow bye-'n'-bye. Drink -much rum an' shout all time. No have trouble to listen." - -Sandy started to speak but Dick motioned to him to be silent. He was -anxious to learn what the young Indian had found out, and wanted to hear -the story from the lips of Toma himself. - -"Did he mention the name of Henderson at all?" he inquired. - -Toma nodded. "Yes," he answered, "him talk about Henderson too. Him say -he go see Henderson pretty soon. Then get scouting party an' find you -where you hide in the woods. Talk like Henderson no live very far away." - -"That's exactly what I wanted to make sure of," Dick explained to Sandy, -"and I'm almost certain that I know where the outlaw's camp is." - -"Did you see the camp?" asked Sandy. - -Dick shook his head. "No, I didn't see it. Baptiste told me where it -was." - -"But why did he do that? I should think he'd want to keep its location a -secret." - -"He wanted me to go there and directed me to the place because he knew -that the moment I walked into the outlaw's camp Henderson would either -kill me at once or make me his prisoner." - -In a few words Dick related his experiences at the house of the Brothers -La Lond, of his escape, and, finally, of the accident that had befallen -him. - -"You're hurt!" cried Sandy, suddenly jumping up. "Why, Dick, you should -have told us before." - -The faces of Sandy and Toma were very grave as they stooped to untie his -moccasin and examine the injured foot. - -"Very bad sprain," said Toma, straightening up. "I help you fix him, so -after while you feel very much better. Sandy," he ordered, turning to -his still gaping companion, "you start build shelter right away. You, me -work all night mebbe to make nice warm place. Dick stay here with bad -foot one, two days, I think." - -In less than an hour, his foot properly attended to, Dick was resting -more easily. Around him a shelter was being hurriedly constructed. He -could hear Sandy and the young Indian guide walking back and forth, -gathering huge arm-loads of brush, spruce boughs and moss, occasionally -calling out to each other in bantering tones. The fire, which had been -replenished, blazed brightly in front of the opening of the shelter. Its -welcome heat succeeded in making Dick drowsy and presently he fell -asleep. - -When he awoke on the following morning, he rubbed his eyes in -astonishment. All about him was the green, circular wall of a large -tepee, so closely woven together with spruce boughs and moss that it was -impossible to see even the faintest shaft of light coming through from -the outside. The opening had been hung with a small blanket, but, what -astonished Dick more than anything else, was that the fire, which had -formerly been outside, was now inside the shelter. Smoke from an -arm-load of burning branches rose straight up, escaping through a vent -at the top of the tepee. - -The shelter was warm and cozy, fragrant with the smell of spruce. Over -the fire a small kettle of snow water was bubbling merrily. Dick threw -back the four-point Hudson's Bay blanket, which covered him, and clapped -his hands with delight. What a miracle Toma and Sandy had wrought during -the night! They had worked like Trojans to make things pleasant and -comfortable for him. - -He wondered where they were now. Except for the crackling of the fire -and the sound of the water boiling in the kettle, there was nothing -whatsoever to break the deep hush of that winter morning. He sat up and -endeavored to examine his ankle. It felt better, he thought. There was -no pain worth mentioning, and he was quite sure the swelling had gone -down. - -"I don't mind staying here in the least," he informed himself, twisting -around and making his way over to the inviting blaze. "It will be great -sport to live in a green wigwam like this with Sandy and Toma for -company." - -A dull tramping in the snow outside, caused him to raise his head and -turn his eyes toward the opening. The blanket was pushed aside and Sandy -appeared, crawling on hands and knees, trailing his rifle and a large -rabbit. Toma, who entered immediately behind, had two rabbits and a -ptarmigan. The eyes of the two youthful hunters glowed from the -excitement and pleasure of their successful foray. - -"We eat good breakfast," Toma announced, holding out the rabbits and -ptarmigan for Dick's inspection. - -"When did you wake up?" Sandy wanted to know. "Thought you'd sleep for -an hour yet." - -"It's wonderful!" Dick voiced his appreciation and nearly choked in the -effort. "You fellows are certainly two good pals. When I woke up I could -scarcely believe my eyes." - -"It took us nearly all night," said Sandy. "I don't suppose I could ever -have done it alone. Of course, I don't need to tell you that Toma was -the architect." - -"My people build 'em like that many times," Toma modestly explained. -"Plenty warm even when weather very cold. See many like that on Indian -trap-line." - -"How long were you away hunting?" Dick asked. - -"About an hour, I think. Game seems to be fairly plentiful around here. -And, O Dick!----" Sandy paused as he turned somewhat eagerly toward his -friend, "a mile from here, just across a narrow ravine, Toma came across -snowshoe tracks. He says they were made by a white man." - -"Baptiste or Phillip," guessed Dick, shivering a little. - -Toma shook his head. - -"Me no think so. Tracks at least two days old. Some white man he go by -here day before yesterday." - -"But how," sceptically inquired Dick, "do you know it was a white man? -Surely you're not able to tell that. Are the tracks so very much -different?" - -The Indian guide laughed as he nodded his head in the affirmative. - -"Easy to tell. White man no use 'em snow shoes same like Indian. Tracks -turn out. Indian tracks go straight ahead." - -"I think there's something in it," Sandy volunteered, "because after -Toma had told me, while we were still out there on the trail, I noticed -that Toma's tracks were different from mine." - -Although still a little sceptical, Dick was sufficiently well acquainted -with Toma and his ability and prowess, not to doubt that the Indian lad -might be correct in his surmise. Very rarely, indeed, did Toma err in -matters of this kind. A natural-born tracker and scout, versed in the -ways of the wilderness, he had often startled his two young friends by -his almost unlimited knowledge of wood-lore. - -"And that isn't all," Sandy's voice broke the lull in their -conversation. "We discovered something else besides those tracks. I -almost hate to tell you, Dick." - -"What was it?" his friend asked wonderingly. - -"Blood stains!" Sandy enlightened him. "The man's tracks were sprinkled -here and there with tiny red spots. He must have been hurt or wounded, -Dick. It makes me shiver to think about it." - -"Perhaps he was carrying some animal he had killed," suggested Dick. - -Again Toma shook his head. - -"No," he stated with conviction, "man hurt very bad. Him not go many -miles like that. Toma feel plenty sorry for that man." - -In alarm, Dick looked from one to the other of his two friends. A hurt -or wounded man out there on the trail alone--it made him feel weak and -sick himself. He recalled his own helplessness and horror on the -previous night, when he had fallen and sprained his ankle. - -"Isn't there something we can do?" he finally blurted out. "Just think -what it may mean, Sandy." - -Sandy did not answer. Neither did Toma. The three boys were looking at -each other now in a gloomy silence. - -"You mustn't forget your own condition, Dick," Sandy reminded him. "We -can't leave you here alone, can we?" - -"One of you could go after we've had breakfast. Why couldn't you, Toma?" -He turned appealingly to the Indian guide. "What do you say?" - -To Dick's surprise, Toma drew back and raised one arm in a gesture of -protest. - -"What you think poor Toma make crazy altogether?" he inquired. "Sandy -an' me both stay here to fight 'em Henderson's men when they come. What -good you think just one against two, three, four--mebbe six, ten men?" -he demanded hotly. - -It was, indeed, a poser. Dick sat with his head in his hands and Sandy -turned wearily away to commence the preparation of breakfast. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - THE COUNCIL OF WAR - - -Breakfast was over and three very sober young men sat down to what Sandy -described as a council of war. - -"We must make some sort of a plan right away," he stated. "First thing -we know Henderson will be here to catch us napping." - -Sandy's brow wrinkled at the very unpleasant thought. - -"Now my proposal is that each one of us make a suggestion. Then the -three of us will consider these suggestions one by one and try to pick -flaws in them. Maybe out of the three suggestions we can build some sort -of working plan." - -"All right, you're number one," smiled Dick. "What is your plan?" - -Sandy flushed with embarrassment. - -"Look here, Dick, not so fast. Give me a little time please. You know -blamed well that I haven't had an opportunity to think yet." - -"What about you, Toma?" - -The Indian guide stirred uneasily and licked his dry lips. From his look -of detachment, it was quite evident that he had been deeply engrossed in -his own thoughts for quite a long time. He stared blankly at Dick. - -"What you mean?" he asked. - -"We're trying to think of some way to fool Henderson," Dick patiently -explained. "What are we going to do, Toma? We can't sit here all day -just waiting for something to happen." - -"Only way I think of is for me go down trail in direction La Lond's -house. Bye-'n'-bye when Henderson come, I hide in bush and shoot rifle. -Henderson stop. He not know what to do. Mebbe he think man in bush is -you, Dick. He come after me an' I keep shoot all time, but all time me I -run very fast. No can catch. I keep lead him away more all time from -this camp." - -Dick and Sandy clapped their hands enthusiastically. - -"Very good," Dick complimented Toma. "Your plan's so original that I -don't think we can improve on it." - -"I can improve on it," boasted Sandy. "You see, Dick there is one weak -spot in his plan. Henderson will be sure to catch sight of Toma, no -matter how careful he is about hiding and shooting from cover. And once -he sees him, he'll know right away that it isn't you--because you're -wearing the uniform of the mounted police." - -"You right," admitted Toma. "I never thought of that." - -"And so you think that Henderson will realize right away that Toma isn't -the man he wants, and will keep right on coming?" asked Dick. - -"That's it," Sandy answered. "Toma may check him, but he won't stop him. -Henderson will very likely divide his force, sending part of his men -after Toma and the rest down here. It won't be very difficult for him to -follow the trail the three of us have made." - -"No, of course, it won't," agreed Dick. - -"There's only one way to make Toma's plan absolutely water-tight and -fool-proof," continued Sandy, "and it's as simple as A, B, C." - -"Prove it," challenged Dick. "I guess I don't understand you." - -"Easy enough," Sandy enlightened him. "Put your uniform on Toma. That -little trick will work just as well now as it did in the case of the fur -thieves." - -"Whew!" Dick whistled. "Honestly, Sandy, there are moments when you show -indications of real genius. At other times you're so hopelessly imbecile -that it makes me tremble to think what will become of you." - -"Easy there!" ordered the person both complimented and accused, throwing -a chip at Dick's head. "You and Toma are nearly the same size. The -uniform will fit well enough for our purposes. If there aren't any more -suggestions, we'd better get busy." - -In a few minutes more the uniform had again changed hands. Toma put it -on with a feeling of awe and reverence, that was only natural in one -who, since infancy, had been taught to respect and revere the men who -wore it. - -"You look fine, Toma," said Dick, "and I haven't the least doubt but -that you'll make a much better mounted policeman than I did." - -"I try be better," Toma stated simply, which assertion brought a laugh -from Sandy. - -"Before you go," smiled Dick, "I think we'd better have some sort of an -understanding. How far are you going down the trail before you stop to -wait for Henderson, and how long will you wait there if he doesn't come -along right away?" - -"I go down trail about four miles," answered the guide, "an' wait until -dark. Him no come at all if no come by dark, I think." - -"I don't think so either," Sandy cut in. "You'd better not stay out too -late, Toma. Return as quickly as you can after night comes." - -"Another thing," Dick spoke again, "I wouldn't fire at Henderson's men -until after they had fired at you. Show yourself from a safe distance -and let them do most of the shooting. Besides, you know as well as I do, -Toma, that a real mounted policeman never fires from ambush." - -With the words of his friends still ringing in his ears, Toma crawled -through the narrow opening and a moment later was gone. Dick and Sandy -sat motionless. - -"I'd like to be in his shoes," Sandy finally broke forth, "and I'm sorry -now that I didn't go along." - -"That would be foolish. Toma can look after himself." - -"But I feel like a fool sitting here and doing nothing." - -"Go out and hunt for some more rabbits," suggested Dick. "You don't need -to bother about me. I feel that I am perfectly safe here now. I have a -lot of confidence in Toma and the plan he and you so cleverly worked -out. Why don't you go, Sandy?" - -Sandy opened his clasp-knife and commenced to whittle on a stick. - -"I would, only I hate to leave you here alone. It would be pretty -lonesome for you just sitting or lying here with nothing to occupy your -mind." - -"I have plenty of things to think about," Dick replied. "So don't let -that worry you. Why don't you go?" he repeated. - -"If I do go, it won't be on a hunting trip." - -"Why?" - -Sandy threw down the stick and put away his hunting knife. He rose to -his feet. - -"Do you know, Dick, I keep thinking about that man out there--the one -who was hurt. Do you suppose that--that something has happened to him?" - -"I've been thinking about him too," Dick confessed. "It's terrible, -isn't it, Sandy?" He paused as he drew himself to a more upright -position. "But I imagine," he continued hopelessly, "that he's beyond -help now. Toma said that he wouldn't go very far." - -Sandy strode forward and put one hand on Dick's head. - -"Do you suppose, Dick----" he began, then paused abruptly. - -Smiling, Dick looked up. - -"I know what you are going to say, Sandy. You feel that it's our duty to -try and do something. But you are hesitating on my account. You'd like -to follow those tracks and see if you can find the man." Dick seized -Sandy's hand and gave it a re-assuring squeeze. "It's exactly what I -hoped you'd want to do. Hop to it, Sandy." - -"I'll return before dark," promised the other, his face lighting up with -pleasure. - -"Don't get lost," cautioned Dick. - -"Of course, I won't. I have a better sense of direction than I used to -have, and I'm a lot more careful too." - -Sandy stooped down and picked up his shoulder-pack. He was eager now and -worked hurriedly assembling his kit. - -"Take two or three days' rations with you," Dick ordered. "You never can -tell what will happen." - -Sandy complied willingly enough. He turned to bid Dick good-bye. - -"Don't worry about me," he said cheerfully. "I'll be all right. I'll -return safe and sound, depend on that." - -Then, almost before he realized it, Dick was alone. He sat staring at -the green, thatched walls of his little prison, disconsolately kicking, -with his uninjured foot, at the tangled mat of moss and dead leaves at -the side of his bed. Hours would pass before either of his two friends -would return. The day would drag itself along, seeming never to come to -an end. If there was only something he could do to make time slip away -more quickly. - -For an hour or more, he cleaned and polished his rifle, pausing now and -again to crawl over and put a stick of wood on the fire. By carefully -conserving the wood, which Toma and Sandy had gathered on the previous -night, there would be sufficient to last for quite a long time. - -A little later, putting down his rifle, his gaze fell upon the two -rabbits and ptarmigan Toma had brought in. The one rabbit, which Sandy -had killed, they had eaten for breakfast. Securing his hunting knife, -Dick worked his way across the tepee and commenced to skin and dress the -game they had been so fortunate in obtaining. - -Having completed this task, Dick went to the opening for snow, which he -melted in a kettle over the fire. It was necessary to make many of these -trips before he had sufficient water for drinking purposes and for the -rabbit-stew he had decided upon. Thus occupied, he contrived to keep -himself in a cheerful frame of mind. Staying here alone was not really -as monotonous as he had expected. - -After he had prepared a light lunch and had drunk several cups of tea, -he retired to his bunk and soon fell asleep. When he awoke, it was with -the consciousness of being chilly and uncomfortable. Turning his head, -he perceived, with a start, that the fire had gone out. It was now quite -dark inside the tepee, and looking up he was astonished to see several -stars peeping down at him through the smoke-vent. - -"I must have slept a long time," thought Dick, scrambling to a sitting -position and preparing to crawl over to rekindle the fire. - -In a few minutes a bright blaze sprang up under his hand and in a few -minutes more, piling on brush and sticks, he had driven the chill from -the room. He was in the act of placing the rabbit-stew over the fire, -when the blanket, covering the opening, was pushed unceremoniously aside -and Toma entered. - -"Hello, you old rascal!" shouted Dick. "This is luck. You made a quick -trip of it." - -Toma grinned broadly as he approached the fire and commenced to remove -his parka and coat. - -"Plan work fine," he informed him. "Me fool Henderson good an' plenty, I -guess. Make 'em run all through woods try and catch me. Shoot plenty of -rifles an' make big noise. Bye-'n'-bye I give 'em slip an' come back -here." - -"You're a trump!" exulted his hearer. "I knew you could do it." - -"Henderson him plenty sick by now," chuckled Toma. "Go home like mad -grizzly 'cause he no find mounted police." - -The Indian guide stood for a moment, warming his hands over the fire. - -"Where Sandy go?" he suddenly asked. - -Dick flushed slightly under the direct, searching scrutiny. The truth -was, he felt a little guilty about Sandy. After all, perhaps, he should -not have permitted his friend to go. - -"I'll tell you about it," said Dick, which he proceeded to do, wondering -what Toma would say. - -When Dick had concluded, the guide stood for several minutes silently -contemplating the leaping flames at his feet. His face was -expressionless--neither sober nor gay. - -"No like," he declared finally, shaking his head. "No like Sandy go away -alone. Him more young me an' you. Him little fellow. No stand much. -Mebbe get lost." - -"No," said Dick, endeavoring to reassure the young Indian and likewise -himself, "Sandy will be perfectly all right. We don't need to worry." - -But, as a matter of fact, both of them did worry. They ate supper in a -gloomy mood, straining their ears for the sound of a familiar step. The -hours passed, and still Sandy did not appear. When midnight came, Dick, -nearly frantic, raised his head from his pillow, deciding to sit up. - -"He no come yet," said Toma in a hushed voice. - -Somewhere, fairly close at hand, they heard the howling of a wolf. - -It was the only sound which, for many long hours, had broken the deep -silence of the forest. - - - - - CHAPTER X - SANDY PLAYS A LONE HAND - - -"Wake up! Wake up!" - -A light was shining in Dick's face and he was being shaken roughly by -the shoulders. Something had fallen near the bed--a dull clatter of some -sort. Then a voice raised slightly, then more voices, and, presently, as -Dick half-sat, half-reclined on his spruce couch, endeavoring to rub the -sleep from his eyes and collect his befuddled senses, he perceived what -seemed to be at first a miracle. - -The tepee was full of people. It seemed incredible, but true it was. The -narrow confines of the room, in which he had spent the previous -thirty-six hours, most of them alone, now fairly bustled with life. To -his great amazement, he saw Sandy, Toma, Corporal Richardson, Factor -MacClaren and two half-breeds, employed as servants at Fort Good Faith. -They were all standing or sitting about, everyone, apparently, talking -at once. - -Dick made another quick dab at his eyes to make sure that his vision had -not suddenly played him false. Was he suffering from some sort of a -delusion? Was he seeing and hearing things? What did it all mean? - -"That boy could sleep through an earthquake," Sandy's uncle declared, -detaching himself from the little group and walking over beside Dick. -"My boy," he inquired, placing a solicitous hand on Dick's head, "how -are you feeling? Sandy tells me that you have been quite seriously -hurt." - -For the third time, Dick rubbed at his eyes. - -"What has happened?" he cried in a hollow, unnatural voice. - -A general laugh followed this plaintive inquiry. - -"It means," Corporal Richardson enlightened him, "that everything is all -right, Dick. We've come to take you back to the post." - -"But how----" began Dick. - -"Sandy brought the news to us last night." - -Dick turned reproachful eyes in the direction of his chum. - -"I like your nerve," he said coldly, "and that's no joke either. You -said you'd come back before dark, and all the time you were scheming and -planning to sneak back to the post. I suppose it didn't matter to you -how much Toma and I worried." - -"No such thing," Sandy retorted hotly. "I wouldn't have gone back to the -post at all if I hadn't come across Malemute Slade. I thought he was -dying." - -"Malemute Slade!" Dick stared incredulously. - -"I think," Factor MacClaren broke in, "that you'd better let me -straighten out this tangle." - -"No, Uncle Walter," Sandy protested, "I can do that better myself." He -walked over and sat down on the bed beside Dick. - -"When I left here," he commenced, "you know what my intention was: to -follow the tracks of the man who had been hurt and, if possible, to find -him. Well, I had no difficulty in getting back to the place where Toma -and I had been. The trail wasn't very hard to follow. There were -blood-stains in the snow, and here and there, I could tell where the man -had sat down to rest. - -"I had been out on the trail--well, it couldn't have been much more than -an hour--when the tracks led me to an old dilapidated-looking cabin. -Right away, I had a feeling that the man would be there, and I had a -horrible suspicion that I would find him dead. - -"I knocked at the door," Sandy continued breathlessly, "but there was no -answer. So I went in. I couldn't see anything at first, it was so dark -inside. There was only one small window. But pretty soon my eyes became -accustomed to the light. There was a bunk, stove and two wooden benches -in the room. A man was lying in the bunk with some blankets pulled -around him. - -"The wounded man had started a fire, but it had gone out and it was -quite cold in the room. At first, I just stood there looking around, -almost too frightened to move. When I walked over to the bunk, I was -trembling all over. I had scarcely strength enough to pull down the -blankets, which were tucked around the man's head." - -Sandy paused and looked around him. His face was gray and drawn. -Evidently, the memory was not a very pleasant one. - -"The man," he resumed in a low voice, "was Malemute Slade." - -Dick jumped. - -"Sandy!" he cried in a stricken voice. "Don't tell me he's dead!" - -"Of course not," smiled the speaker. "We wouldn't all be so blamed -cheerful if he was. But when I found him, he was delirious, and I don't -mind telling you that I was nearly frightened stiff. - -"I was so excited, that I don't know exactly what I did. I remember -starting the fire and trying to bathe his wound in some warm snow-water. -He was wounded in his right arm, which was badly swollen and almost -black from infection." - -"Did Malemute Slade recognize you?" Dick asked. - -"No, he was too sick for that. But he kept asking for water, sometimes -sitting up and staring wildly about him. I gave him all the water he -would drink, and late in the afternoon his fever subsided and he fell in -a deep sleep. - -"You can bet," Sandy went on, "that I had been doing a lot of thinking. -I couldn't let him stay there like that. I was afraid he was going to -die. I decided that the best thing I could do was to go back to the fort -for help before it was too late. - -"Shortly before dark, I banked my fire and started out. I knew I -couldn't be very far from the Run River trail, probably not more than -two miles west of it. I found the trail, after a good deal of trouble, -and reached Fort Good Faith soon after midnight." - -"Where is Malemute Slade now?" Dick wanted to know. - -"He ought to be at the post by this time," Corporal Richardson replied. -"As soon as Sandy appeared and told us the news, I called for a little -party of volunteers and we started out. The cabin, where Malemute Slade -lay wounded, is between here and the Run River trail, so, of course, we -stopped there first, bundled him up and sent him back in a hurry. Then -we came on here for you, Dick. There is a dog team and sleigh waiting -for you outside." - -"I wonder how Slade happened to get wounded?" came Dick's next question. - -"I don't know," the corporal replied. "We won't be able to find that out -until Slade is sufficiently recovered to tell us. However, I know this: -It's a bullet wound, and the weapon his assailant used was fired at -close range. The hole in his arm is a large one. I'm afraid the bone is -shattered." - -"Will he get well again?" Dick asked. - -"Yes; I think so. With proper care and attention, he'll be around again -in a few weeks, although I doubt very much whether he'll be able to use -his right arm for a long, long time." - -"I'd like to get my hands on the man who shot him," Sandy stated -belligerently. - -Everybody laughed at this assertion except Toma, who had good cause to -remember a certain experience only a few months before, when he had been -somewhat roughly treated by the young Scotchman. - -"Well, there's no use of wasting any more time here," said Factor -MacClaren. "I suggest that we roll our friend, Dick, up in a nice little -bundle and proceed on our way. Averse to a sleigh-ride, Dick?" - -"Not at all." - -"You may change your mind before we reach the Run River trail," the -factor warned him. "It's pretty rough in places." - -"My foot's better, and I won't mind it at all," said Dick cheerfully. - -The sun had just slipped up over the horizon when the small cavalcade, -with Corporal Richardson in the lead, set out. In a short while, a -brilliant flood of sunshine lay over the land. Out of the west came a -warm chinook, stirring the spruce and pine branches over their heads. - -"Spring is coming," rejoiced Sandy, sniffing the air and prancing about -Dick's sleigh like a young colt. "Won't it be glorious, Dick, when the -grass and flowers start to grow?" - -"And the rivers and streams commence running again," Dick added. "We'll -go fishing then, won't we, Sandy?" - -"You bet!" - -Sandy appeared to be so happy, indeed, that it occurred to Dick -presently, watching him gamboling about, that there must be some other -explanation for his friend's high spirits than the mere fact that Spring -was approaching. - -"What's up, Sandy?" he inquired a moment later as the young man came -cavorting back to the sleigh. "Anyone would think that you'd just been -elected King of Scotland." - -"Nothing like that, Dick, on my word. I'm just feeling fine." - -"Sandy, you're lying to me." - -"Not I." - -"You might as well tell me," persisted Dick, "because I'll be sure to -find out anyway. I can tell by the way you act and by the expression on -your face that something out of the ordinary has happened. Out with it!" - -Sandy hesitated, then moved closer to his friend. - -"It's not exactly a secret, but we thought we wouldn't tell you until we -got back to the post. However, now that you've become so suspicious, I -don't see any harm in it. Are you prepared for a shock?" - -"Certainly. Go right ahead." - -Sandy looked about him to make sure that they were not overheard, then -leaned forward, as he walked beside the sleigh, and fairly hissed the -words in Dick's ear: - -"We've got back the map of the lost mine!" - -"No!" shouted Dick. - -"It's a fact. Corporal Richardson found it this morning on the body of -Malemute Slade." - -For a brief second, Dick stared incredulously, wonderingly at his -friend, then removed his parka and threw it high in the air. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - OFF FOR THE MINE - - -On a bright Spring morning, nearly a month after the recovery of the -map, a small but enthusiastic party of young prospectors left Fort Good -Faith, and started north on its exciting quest. In the lead went Toma, -the young Indian guide, and Dick Kent, now fully recovered from his -recent injury. Sandy MacClaren and two Indian packers, Lee and Pierre, -brought up the rear. - -Three pack-horses, carrying supplies, blankets and equipment, trudged -along behind the packers. They were heavily laden and, considering the -fact that they had but recently come off the winter range, were in -excellent condition. - -The route Dick and his friends followed was a narrow trail, which -threaded its way north by a little west through a practically unexplored -and uninhabited country. By following the trail, the party would, in a -few days, cross a low range of hills and emerge upon a trackless, broken -plain. This plain, according to the map, sloped away in a northwesterly -direction to Thunder River. - -Thunder River, although not the boys' final objective, was yet not very -far away from the location, presumed or real, of the lost mine. The map -was not very clear on this point. The small "X," indicating the position -of the mine, had been placed the fractional part of an inch on the west -side of Thunder River. Whether the distance between the river and the -mine was one mile or ten, there was no way of ascertaining. - -The boys conversed animatedly as they proceeded slowly along the trail. -The weather was mild. Here and there, were a few discolored patches of -snow. The ground was moist and cold, dotted with pools of water or -streaked with tiny rivulets that trickled audibly away to join other -streams in the steaming forest spaces beyond. - -At exactly twelve o'clock by Dick's watch, the party came to a halt for -its midday meal. After consulting the two packers, Dick had chosen a -small bluff, thickly covered with dry grass and almost devoid of trees, -as the best spot for the picketing out of the ponies. They could feed -and rest here for an hour. - -"I've an appetite myself," Sandy declared. He stood, watching the two -Indian boys, Pierre and Lee, remove the packs from the hungry little -steeds and stake them out near the top of the bluff. - -Dick and Toma had already started a fire. The latter was carrying an -armful of brush, considerably larger than himself, and Dick, squatting -on his haunches, hunting knife in hand, was carving thick slices of -steak from a hind-quarter of moose he had fetched from the unloaded -packs. He looked up at Sandy's approach. - -"Here you, old lazybones, get a stir on if you expect to eat with the -rest of us. Just now I require two frying-pans, salt, kettle and a -liberal supply of water from that creek over yonder. You'll find bannock -in the large canvas bag, tied with the yellow string." - -"I was just planning to put myself to work when you mentioned it," Sandy -retorted. "Gee, but I'm hungry. I know blamed well from the way I feel -that our four-months' supplies won't last us more than a week." - -He trotted away without waiting to hear what Dick's answer might be, and -in considerably less than half an hour the boys were seated around the -camp fire, eating their savory meal. At its conclusion, Dick stretched -himself out at full length, basking in the warm noonday sun. - -"Well, Sandy," he exulted, "we're away to a start at last. Aren't you -glad?" - -"You bet I am," came the hearty answer as the youngest member of the -expedition sprawled down beside his friend. "The only thing I'm sorry -about is that Uncle Walter couldn't come along with us. He's taking -inventory at the store, and it'll be several weeks before he'll be ready -to start." - -"A good thing in one way," commented Dick. "When he comes he'll bring -another string of packhorses and more supplies." - -"Corporal Richardson and Malemute Slade promised to pay us a visit too," -Sandy reminded him. "What were you three doing together last night?" he -suddenly demanded, sitting up and glowering down at the other. - -"You think I'm secretive and selfish, I suppose," Dick replied, "but -really there wasn't anything so very mysterious about our little -meeting. You could have come into the room where we were if you had -cared to. I motioned to you when you passed down the hallway, but you -pretended not to see. You're terribly stubborn at times, Sandy." - -"Not at all," Sandy protested. "But I feel like this: I wouldn't for the -world attempt to intrude where I'm not wanted. You and Corporal -Richardson and Malemute Slade went into that room without saying a word -to me. Not a word!" - -The aggrieved young man carefully broke off the brown stem of a withered -pea-vine and crumpled it between the palms of his hands. - -"As usual you weren't around when we wanted you," explained Dick. "I -looked everywhere. But as I said before, there was no particular secret -between us except--" Dick lowered his voice--"except that, at Corporal -Richardson's suggestion, we made a second copy of the map. He took the -copy and put it in the inside pocket of his coat. In a day or two, when -he returns to headquarters, he's going to hand it over to the Inspector -for safe-keeping. - -"You can see for yourself," Dick resumed, "that it was a wise -precaution. If the map we have with us should be lost or stolen, we'll -still be able to find the mine." - -"Yes," agreed Sandy, now fully recovered from his pique, "the plan was a -good one. The Inspector will give us the other copy if we lose ours. A -little delay, that's all." - -"Just the same, I hope we don't lose the map again. I'll be pleased if -nothing happens this time. I'd like to make good time getting over to -the mine." - -That Dick's wish gave every promise of being fulfilled, became more and -more apparent as the days passed. So far the little cavalcade had not -been molested. Through deep forests and across broad, seemingly endless -meadows they plodded hopefully, making very good progress. It seemed to -Dick that one rare and glorious day followed another. The sun shone -almost incessantly--a great, yellow, burning disc,--that had begun to -work miracles in the land, which only a few weeks before had been -gripped in the mighty hand of an implacable winter. - -Continuing north and west, the country through which they passed became -more rugged and difficult. The trail they had followed came to an end. -There was no track, no outstanding landmark of any kind to guide them. -For five dismal days, consulting their compass from time to time, the -three boys with their packers and ponies struggled on over the scarred -and battered face of a land of utter desolation. Gray, towering, -misshapen rocks, rising up on every side, seemed to offer them mute -defiance. - -"It's as if they dared us to go on," Sandy remarked. "I'm getting so I -hate the sight of them. I wonder, Dick, if we'll ever manage to get -through?" - -"Of course, we will," Dick replied cheerily enough, although at heart he -was troubled. They could get through all right, they themselves, but the -packhorses---- - -He looked around at the struggling little beasts, who were slipping and -sliding over the treacherous slate and granite formation underfoot. -Their hoofs had been worn smooth as glass. One of them had become lame -and part of its burden had been transferred to the other ponies and to -the weary, chafed shoulders of the boys. - -Since morning the two packers, Lee and Pierre, had shown the first -symptoms of open rebellion. Neither one could speak English, so their -complaints came to Dick and Sandy through the medium of Toma, who acted -as interpreter. - -"Them fellows say ponies die if no find grass pretty quick. Ponies so -weak now can hardly stand up." - -It was true. There was no grass, or so very little, that it provided but -scant nourishment for the plodding, overworked animals. The soil was not -productive. Indeed, so far as the boys could determine, there was no -vegetation at all in that bleak and unfriendly waste. Dick and Sandy -pitied the horses but were powerless to do anything. - -"Before long we'll come to a place where the grass grows," Dick stated, -attempting to cheer the packers. - -Toma conveyed this message to the glowering pair but without result. - -"They say no think so. Many, many miles yet before we reach 'em place -where grass grows." - -"The fools! The fools!" stormed Sandy, stamping his feet and glaring -about him. "What do they expect us to do: shoot the horses or -manufacture a lot of grass. The horses would surely starve if we turned -back now. Ask them what they want us to do, Toma?" - -"They say go on no good," Toma replied patiently, after he had put the -question. "Fellows say we must go back or pretty soon we all die. -Fellows say this bad medicine land." - -"Bad medicine or not, I'm going to take it," exploded Sandy. "You tell -them, Toma, that if they don't like our company or the place we're -going, they're at perfect liberty to quit, like the miserable cowards -they are, and return to the post." - -"No! No! Don't tell them that," Dick quickly interposed. "Ask them to -remain with us for a day or two longer. We'll be sure to find forage for -the ponies before long." - -The packers protested but finally consented to remain. The little party -pushed forward. On and on It went through the glaring sunlight that fell -across that indescribable waste, Lee and Pierre shaking their heads and -muttering to themselves. Just before nightfall, Dick and Toma, who were -well in advance of the others, led the way down to a deep gulch, a sort -of miniature canyon, that stretched away before them as far as the eye -could see. - -A few miles farther on, a tiny stream of pure, cold water gurgled down -from a cleft in the rocks. - -"Grass here!" Toma shouted. "Plenty grass here for many horses." - -Dick breathed a sigh of relief as he unslung his shoulder-pack. The -horses came up at a brisk trot. Sandy, foot-sore and weary, the last -person to reach the friendly oasis in that desert of rocks, grinned at -sight of the green velvety strip that carpeted the entire floor of the -gulch. - -"They'll gorge themselves and die of colic," he predicted. "Just look at -them, Dick!" - -Dick laughed as he looked, then stepped back quickly, every ounce of -blood gone from his face. A strange whirring sound through the air, and -something had whisked past his head, striking the ground not more than -ten feet behind him. One of the ponies had snorted in sudden fear, and -Lee, the packer, reached out, plucking the still quivering shaft from -the ground at his feet. - -Toma, ever on the alert, was the first to take the queer missile from -the packer's trembling grasp. - -"Look!" he said, holding it up. "An arrow!" - -An arrow it was--a yellow arrow with a long shaft and a sharp head. Dick -and Sandy regarded it for a moment in blank amazement. Then both of the -boys jumped as a sudden, deafening report rang out. - -Toma had fired his rifle. It lay now in the crook of his arm, and Toma -himself, one hand shading his eyes, scanned the rugged cliffs on the -opposite side of the ravine. - -"Did you see something?" Dick quavered. - -"Me not sure," Toma spoke calmly. "One time I thought see something -move. Mebbe only sun shining on rocks. Anyway," he paused, smiling a -little, "him fellow shoot arrow be frightened now at big noise an' run -away, I think." - -"I hope so," said Dick, endeavoring to control the tremor in his voice -and trying to appear unconcerned. - -Sandy's face was pale but he said nothing as he walked over to the -supply packs and commenced to haul them out in preparation for supper. - -On the following morning, when Dick awoke, there was no sign, no -indication anywhere of their mysterious enemy of the night before. In -the bright presence of a new day, it seemed scarcely possible that the -thing really could have happened. The fear and dread he had experienced -before retiring for the night, was gone. The bright rays of the sun were -friendly and reassuring. There was something peaceful and comforting in -the sight of the green strip of grass growing there in the ravine, and -in the sound of the water tumbling down from the rocks. - -Lighted-heartedly, he threw back his blankets and jumped up, only to -meet the troubled gaze of Toma, who sat, fully dressed, a few feet away, -his rifle in his lap. - -"What's the matter, Toma?" Dick cried jovially. "You look as if you'd -lost your best friend." - -The guide replied by pointing in the direction of the pack-horses. Dick -turned his head quickly. A few feet away, two of the ponies were -munching the grass, straining at their picket ropes. - -"Where's the other one?" he asked. - -"It go along with Lee and Pierre sometime last night," Toma answered -disconsolately. "Them fellows 'fraid like coyotes. Take supplies along -too--nearly half. What you think about that?" - -What Dick thought was best expressed in his sudden exclamation: - -"The miserable, cowardly thieves! Toma, I've a mind to go and fetch 'em -back." - -"No catch 'em now," pointed out the more practical Toma. "I no feel -sorry very much they go. But the supplies--I no like that." - -"You're right! Good riddance!" Dick walked over to the small stream of -running water and commenced washing his face and hands. "We'll make out -very well without them." - -"I hate wake Sandy," said Toma. "Him get so mad mebbe no stop talking." - -Dick laughed, not so very heartily, and went on with his task. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - A MYSTERIOUS TEN DOLLAR BILL - - -On the afternoon of the day following the disappearance of the two -packers, the ravine narrowed down to a mere gully, and the three boys, -leading the pack-horses, scrambled up the precipitous slope to find -themselves looking out across a broad and fertile meadow. - -Off in the northwest, a low-lying haze or ribbon of mist indicated the -presence of a body of water. - -"It's probably Thunder River," Dick surmised. "According to the map, -there's no other stream of any importance we have to cross. That means, -Sandy, that we must be very close to the end of our journey." - -Sandy raised one hand and clapped Dick on the back as he spoke. - -"I'm glad for all of us. But I must say, Dick, that this trip hasn't -been so unendurable after all. On the whole, I've rather enjoyed it." - -"With the exception of the arrow and the disappearance of those cowardly -packers, I've enjoyed it too," said Dick. - -"Queer about that arrow," mused Sandy, as they started off again. "You -know, Dick, I've been thinking a good deal about that ever since it -happened. It's so terribly mysterious. I wonder who shot it?" - -He paused for a moment as he hurried forward to keep abreast of his much -swifter companion. - -"Do you suppose," he resumed, "that the person who shot the arrow -intended to kill one of us, or merely wanted to give us a good fright?" - -"I hold to the former view," Dick answered a little grimly. "I don't -think there's the least doubt on that score. The arrow missed my head by -less than a foot, and nearly caught Lee in his right leg." - -"A good shot all right," Sandy mumbled, half to himself. "Whoever fired -it, was a marksman. He knew his business. It was an Indian, of course." - -"Yes, it must have been." - -Sandy raised his voice so that the guide, who was leading the -pack-ponies, could hear. - -"Toma, how does it happen that some of the Indians around here still use -a bow and arrow. I thought that all of them went to the trading posts -now to buy rifles. How do you account for it?" - -"Not all buy rifles," Toma enlightened him. "Once in a while far away -from trading post like this, you find wild people, mebbe not more than -once or twice see white men. These Indians very much afraid white man's -guns. No come very close to settlements or trade at post. These people -not many--only few tribes left." - -"Yes," said Dick, "I remember hearing something like that before. -Possibly, it was from Corporal Richardson." - -"Well, I know this much," Sandy broke in, "I'd much rather have them to -contend with than the outlaws under Henderson." - -"Mebbe have both very soon," predicted Toma. - -"Great Guns! I hope not!" Sandy's alarm was genuine. "I've had enough of -Henderson to last me all the rest of my days. I'm really beginning to -believe, though, that we've seen the last of him. At any rate, I don't -think he's going to bother us any more about the mine." - -"It has commenced to look that way," Dick agreed. "But I think we can -account for it. Corporal Richardson and Malemute Slade are keeping them -so busy, they haven't time to come up here to worry us." - -"Still," Sandy reflected, "I don't believe Henderson will give up so -easily. They know about the mine and will do everything possible to gain -control of it. The outlaws will be in a dangerous mood now after losing -the fur." - -Toma did not, as a general thing, enter into the discussions Dick and -Sandy so often indulged in. But he was an attentive listener at all -times, very rarely failing to understand what was being said. In the -present instance so interested had he become, that he quite forgot his -usual taciturnity. - -"What you think, Dick," he suddenly broke forth, "if I tell you -Henderson's men him close to us all the time since we left post? You -believe me crazy fool, eh?" - -Dick was so startled by the question that he stopped dead in his tracks -and stared curiously at the young Indian. - -"Why--why," he stammered, "I don't know. I don't know what to think. But -you're spoofing me, Toma. It isn't reasonable, of course." - -"I think," Toma was in deadly earnest, "that Henderson send men to -follow us when we left post. Right now, Henderson's men in hiding close -by. You see if Toma not speak you the truth." - -Sandy laughed in derision. - -"That's a good one! If Henderson is within fifty miles of us right now, -I'll undertake to eat our two pack-horses for supper." - -Toma flushed with embarrassment, but still held stubbornly to his -belief. Sandy's laughter and Dick's sceptical smile had not influenced -him in the least. - -"You see if Toma not speak the truth," he said doggedly. - -"What I want to know," Sandy taunted him, "is if a change in the weather -wouldn't make you feel better. Perhaps a little rain would freshen your -mind, Toma. This everlasting sunlight is getting the better of you." - -"If the outlaws have really been following us," inquired Dick, scowling -darkly at Sandy, "why haven't we heard from them before? Why haven't we -been attacked? If what you say is true, Toma, Henderson has decided to -be a good man instead of the rascal we have always known." - -"Henderson him bad, but very smart fellow," said the guide. "He shoot -you, me, Sandy, in one minute if he like. But he no like because if he -shoot us he mebbe lose mine." - -"You mean----" - -"Much more easy, much better for him to follow along 'till we find mine -ourselves. Then he take it away from us. More sense do thing like that -than kill you, me, Sandy, when not know for sure if we have map." - -Sandy's smile suddenly faded away. - -"By George, you're right! Toma, I'll take back everything I just -said--with some interest added." - -"Then, according to your belief," said Dick, "we have nothing to fear -until we have located the mine?" - -"No. Only men with arrows bother us now. Me pretty sure Henderson keep -out of sight. He no want us suspect anything when he get ready take -mine." - -"How long have you had this suspicion in your mind," quizzed Dick, "and -why didn't you tell us before?" - -"I think same as you an' Sandy until last night," came the startling -revelation. "Them fellow, Lee an' Pierre, go off like that make me -worry. First I think all same you an' Sandy. I say to me: 'Toma, them -fellow run away because this bad medicine land an' because they 'fraid -get killed Indian arrows.' - -"But more I think like that the more not sure I get all the time. Lee -an' Pierre have 'em more sense mebbe. Not so crazy fool after all. Both -them packers I know for long, long time. Lee pretty good fellow, but -Pierre get drunk, gamble--not so good like Lee." - -"What in Sam Hill are you driving at?" interrupted Sandy impatiently. "I -fail to see what they have to do with it. We were talking about -Henderson--not about the packers." - -"You understand pretty quick," said Toma, reaching in his pocket and -bringing forth a crisp ten-dollar bill. "I find that in the grass next -morning Lee an' Pierre run away." - -"One of them lost it," reasoned Sandy, "but I fail to see----" - -"I find the money an' pick it up," Toma went on, ignoring Sandy's -remark. "Then I forget all about it, because I get me so excited they -steal supplies an' run away. But bye-'n'-bye, I start think about that -money. I remember Pierre he say to me one day: 'Toma,' he say, 'me, Lee -like play poker some night but no got money.' He ask me lend him money -so him an' Lee play poker." - -"He must have lied to you," said Dick. - -Toma shook his head. - -"Me no think so. He no lie that time. Pierre an' Lee get money from -somewhere else." - -Dick jumped. - -"From Henderson!" he exclaimed. - -The Indian nodded in the affirmative. - -"Me pretty sure Henderson man come during night, wake up Lee an' Pierre -an' give money so they run away. In the dark, they drop money in grass -an' no find this one." - -Sandy turned mournful, accusing eyes upon Toma. Dejectedly, he kicked -the turf at his feet. - -"That's always the way," he lamented. "The minute I begin to feel happy -and contented, something like this comes along to upset me. I believe -Toma now. This business about the money has so thoroughly convinced me, -Dick, that I wouldn't be surprised if Henderson himself should step out -of that clump of bushes over yonder and tell us to throw up our hands." - -"We'll keep guard every night now," Dick decided. "Whatever happens, -we'll be ready for them." - -"Perhaps we ought to camp here and wait for Uncle Walter," Sandy -suggested. "I don't mind confessing to both of you that I'm scared -stiff. Between the Indians and their arrows and Henderson and his guns, -I predict that we're going to have a hot time of it." - -"I think we be all right 'till we get to mine," said Toma. "No use stop -here." - -"What do you propose, Dick?" - -"I don't know what to say," Dick confessed. "Three or four weeks is a -long time to wait for reinforcements. Even then we'll probably be -outnumbered. It's rather difficult to decide. Perhaps you'd like to give -up altogether, Sandy, and return to the post." - -Sandy's face flamed a bright crimson. - -"Are you trying to insult me--or what!" he demanded hotly. - -"Of course not. I mean it. It's no crime to run away if the job is too -big for us. I'm not doubting your courage." - -"I'll die and rot in my tracks before I go back to the post. If that's -what you're figuring on doing, go ahead." - -For a full minute the two boys stood, face to face, breathing heavily. -There was a gleam of defiance in Sandy's eyes, while Dick's face had -become overshadowed with anger. Toma dropped the end of the lead-rope -carefully on the ground and placed one foot on it. Then he straightened -up, putting a hand on the shoulder of each one of the young -belligerents. - -"No fight here," he grinned. "Dick, Sandy, you come with me. Toma show -you nice place where fight all time, day an' night. Mebbe you like that -better." - -Dick and Sandy glared at each other for a moment, then grinned -sheepishly. The matter was settled. They would go on to the mine. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - THE RAIDING PARTY - - -Thunder River at last! Like most northern streams it had cut its channel -deeply into the earth, through soil, rock and sandstone, and the result -now, after ages of this corrosive action, was a deep canyon at the -bottom of which roared and tumbled the mighty river. - -Spring floods, caused by melting snow and ice in the hills and mountains -to the west, had made a veritable torrent of the river, and Dick, Toma -and Sandy, looking down at the racing, foam-capped waters, were a little -dubious about crossing it. - -"We'll never get the horses over at any rate," Dick decided. "There's no -animal living that can swim against that current. It simply can't be -done." - -"No," agreed Sandy, "it can't. And I very much doubt whether we can get -across ourselves. It looks to me as if the strongest raft in the world -would be dashed to pieces against those rocks in a very few minutes. -What do you think, Toma?" - -For once, apparently, their guide was at a complete loss to know what to -say. He frowned as he looked down below. - -"I never see river so bad like that before," he admitted, shaking his -head. - -"If Toma thinks it's bad, it must be pretty bad indeed," laughed Dick. -"How are we going to cross it, I wonder?" - -"We no cross here," said Toma, "but mebbe we find better place somewhere -else." - -Acting upon this suggestion, they started out. They followed the river -for several miles, making their way along the comparatively level ground -that skirted the edge of the canyon. At the end of an hour, they paused -in dismay. - -"It seems to be getting worse instead of better," complained Sandy. -"It's hopeless. I don't believe we're going to get over." - -"We've got to do it somehow," Dick gritted his teeth. "Let's make camp -here, stake out the ponies and go after this thing systematically. Sandy -and I will return to the place we just came from and scout further up -the river, while you, Toma, go on in the other direction. We'll meet -back here sometime before evening." - -"All right," said Toma, "I think that good idea. We pretty sure find -some place not quite so bad. Then we build raft." - -"But what about the ponies?" Sandy wanted to know. - -"They'll be safe enough here." - -"I don't mean that, Dick. What are we going to do when we build the -raft? We can't take pack-horses along with us." - -"We can take the packs along," reasoned Dick, "and that's almost as -important. We'll turn the ponies loose and let them shift for -themselves." - -"But we can't carry all our supplies with us when we do get over. It's -impossible. We can't do it." - -"No," admitted Dick, very much perplexed. "We can't." - -"We make 'em cache for supplies," Toma suggested. "We carry 'em over to -mine, little at a time." - -"That's the only solution, I suppose," said Sandy, "but it's sure to be -a whale of a job. How'll you like to climb up those slippery rocks with -a hundred pounds on your back? Another thing, how far do you think it is -from the other side of the river to the mine?" - -Dick produced the map, while Sandy and Toma gathered around him. - -"It doesn't say how far it is," Dick stated, as he unfolded the now -soiled piece of paper. "But it isn't so very far because the cross, -indicating its position, is very close to the river." - -"That doesn't mean anything," Sandy turned away in disgust. "How do we -know at what point along the river the mine is? We may be fifteen or -twenty miles out of our course, for all you know. The place where we -cross may be miles and miles away from the mine." - -Dick placed an agitated finger on the map and bit his lips in vexation. -Sandy was right. How could they possibly find the mine unless they knew -at least approximately at what point along the river it was situated? -And then, suddenly, staring at the paper in his hand, he became aware of -something he had not noticed before. Across the upper portion of the -map, Thunder River was indicated by a line, a fairly straight line -throughout its entire length. A casual or fleeting look at the line -brought out nothing of importance, but a close and careful examination -showed that, midway between the source and mouth of the river, there was -a tiny loop or bow. Within this bow, on the opposite or upper side of -the line, was the "X," which showed the location of the mine. - -"I've got it!" Dick shouted. "There's an abrupt curve in the river at -only one place--opposite the mine. When we find that curve, we'll know -where to cross." - -Sandy took the map from his friend and inspected it closely, silently. - -"Yes, the curve is there," he was forced to admit. "And it ought to -simplify matters, too. The next thing on our program is to find it." - -"Why not do as I just proposed," said Dick. "While we're hunting for a -place to cross, we may find the bow." - -It seemed about the only thing to do under the circumstances. In a short -time the boys had staked out the ponies, and had picked up their rifles -in preparation for departure. Toma, who had been looking about, suddenly -exclaimed: - -"I have good idea. I climb big, tall tree over there an' mebbe I find -out where river makes turn. I go up see." - -He crossed over to the tree at a brisk trot and commenced climbing up. -It was a huge, towering spruce, and it was several minutes before he -reached the top. - -"Do you see anything?" shouted Sandy. - -Toma clung to the topmost branches, swaying there nearly seventy-five -feet above their heads, a dark blur against a background of blue sky. He -made no answer to Sandy's shouted inquiry, in fact refusing to divulge -any information until he had clambered down again and stood there on the -knoll beside them. - -"I find 'em curve all right," he announced gleefully, brushing away the -fragments of bark which clung to his clothing. "You laugh when I tell -you only two miles down river. I see very plain from top of tree. River -come out on this side nearly quarter-mile before it turn go back again." - -Sandy clapped his hands joyfully. - -"What luck! Toma, you old rascal." - -"I find out something else too," continued the guide, pleased at the -impression he was making. "In place where river turns, I see another big -ravine where river flow long time ago. Mebbe it just about place where -you find 'em mine." - -Waiting to hear no more, Sandy, overcome with a fever of excitement, -rushed over to the pack-horses again. - -"Let's hurry," he called, beginning to gather up their supplies. - -"Come on, Dick, get a move on! Toma, you'll have to pack these brutes -yourself. I never could throw a diamond hitch. Gee, but I'm excited." - -Dick had never seen Sandy quite like this before. His chum's face was -flushed; his eyes glowed brightly. - -"We'll get to the mine tonight," he exulted. "Throw on these packs, -Toma. If we can't cross the river any other way, I'm going to swim." - -The contagion had caught Dick, too. His own hands were trembling as he -stooped down to untie the picket-rope from the stake he had driven down -only a few minutes before. - -"This is great!" he mumbled to himself. "We're almost there. I can -hardly believe--" - -The pony, only a few feet away, reared suddenly on its hind legs, -screaming in pain. The stake snapped under Dick's hands and the rope -swished away in the grass as the stricken little beast leaped forward a -few feet, then fell headlong. - -Completely taken aback, Dick raised his head. Sandy and Toma had -flattened themselves out on the ground and were reaching for their -rifles. A series of sounds very much like small rocks thudding around -them, was followed soon after by a deep, resounding crash from the -direction of Toma and Sandy. A few more reports from Toma's gun, and the -deep, brooding hush of the wilderness became suddenly intensified--a -silence that seemed to wall them about, to encompass them. - -Three startled, white-faced youths crawled on hands and knees to the -protection of a large rock and squatted down in mute terror. By some -wonderful miracle, each had escaped injury. A score or more of -yellow-plumed shafts; the arrows of the invading party, projected here -and there above the green grass, like so many tiny sentinels of death. - -"A close call," breathed Dick, "and may God help us if they come back." - -"They were all in hiding over there on that ridge," Sandy volunteered -the information, pointing out the place with a finger that still shook. -"I didn't see one of them--not one! Did you, Toma?" - -"No." - -"Cracky! but how those arrows came," Sandy shivered. "Well, our pony's -gone." - -"We go too," said Toma, "unless we be more careful. Crazy, them fellows! -What harm we do them?" - -"No harm," answered Dick, "unless they feel we've no business here on -their hunting ground. We _are_ trespassing, when it comes right down to -it." - -"This bad medicine land," Toma asserted. "That's why free traders no -come here. Once in a while mebbe come but never go back." - -"Be quiet!" Sandy expostulated. "I'm feeling creepy enough now. Those -Indians steal up on us and disappear again like ghosts. It takes the -nerve right out of me." - -"Me too," said Dick, "but hereafter I, for one, intend to be ready for -them. At least, I don't purpose to be asleep when they come over for -their next raid. And I'm going to keep my eyes open as I never kept them -open before." - -"Well, we weren't exactly asleep," objected Sandy. - -"We might just as well have been. I'll bet that any one of their party -could have walked over here and taken a scalp before we would have -noticed him." - -Toma rose warily and went over to the packs. - -"I think no more danger now," he called. "We better hurry before dark -comes. Lots of work build raft over at river." - -"We'll have to make two trips down there," Dick suddenly remembered. -"We've only one pony now." - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - A FATEFUL CROSSING - - -The remainder of the afternoon was passed in getting their supplies to -the river. This task was accomplished with the greatest care possible. -Sandy led the pack-horse, while Dick and Toma went forward, rifles in -hand, ever on the alert. In dead silence, they scanned the woods to the -right and left for a possible sign of their recent enemy. - -One piece of good fortune came with the discovery of a safe crossing -place in the river. Toma had found it after a half hour of -reconnoitring, while Dick and Sandy awaited his return on the steep -slope, near the top of the canyon. - -"Mebbe we swim pony across in the morning," he confided, smiling for the -first time in several hours. "River wide an' very few rapids. Find 'em -plenty easy for raft." - -With Dick standing guard, the raft was built that same night, and, on -the following morning, supplies and equipment aboard, they were ready -for the crossing. - -"The thing to do first," said Sandy, scratching his head, "is to get our -little playmate, Sir Bucking Broncho, into the water. How do we go about -it, Toma?" - -Toma led the pony down to the water's edge and coaxed and cajoled the -little beast but to no avail. The horse sniffed, snorted, swung around -this way and that, but refused stubbornly to do more than wet his front -fetlocks at the brink of the running stream. He was a good pony, but he -was taking no chances. - -Dick laughed in spite of himself, although the delay was irksome. - -"I don't know as I blame him very much. The water does look cold and -it's a long way across. Perhaps, we'll have to leave him on this side -after all. Do you suppose the three of us could push him in?" - -The pack-horse not only refused to be pushed, but resented the liberty -taken. A glancing blow sent Sandy reeling back and deposited him, none -too gently, in the exact center of a willow copse, where he sat for a -moment with a surprised look on his face. The look of surprise changed -to one of anger as there came to his ears the loud guffaws of Dick and -Toma. - -"Laugh if you want to," said the aggrieved young man, rising and -brushing his clothing. "It may interest you to know that I'm through. -You fellows can do your pushing alone." - -The merriment subsided presently and Dick turned to Toma. - -"I guess we'll have to give up," he decided, wiping the tears of -laughter from his eyes. "Your friend, has plainly indicated his -intention of remaining on this side. Perhaps he doesn't like your -company, Sandy." - -"And perhaps he does," Sandy retorted promptly. "I'm blaming you, not -the pony. Any idiot ought to know that that's no way to treat a horse." - -"If you like, you can coax him over with a lump of sugar," Dick grinned. - -Sandy turned his back upon his tormenter. - -"Go ahead and don't mind me. Why don't you put your own vast -intelligence to work in some practical way? I wouldn't give up if I were -you." - -"I try once more," Toma suddenly announced. "I think this time I make -pony swim across. You, Dick, Sandy, stand on raft ready push off jes' so -soon as I get in water." - -"Get in water!" cried Dick in alarm. "Why you're not going to swim, are -you?" - -"Watch!--See!" - -Toma walked back, leading the horse. Thirty feet from the shore he -bolted to the pony's bare back, wheeled the animal abruptly about, and -came forward at a brisk trot. Dick and Sandy jumped aboard the raft, -poles in hand, ready to push off. At the river's edge the pony -hesitated, but a quick pressure from Toma's heels sent him plunging into -the water. A second later steed and rider struck out boldly for the -opposite shore. - -As the raft came abreast of the two swimmers, Toma released his hold of -the pony's mane and, lead-rope in hand, scrambled aboard. - -"Like clock work," exulted Sandy, slapping Toma's dripping shoulders. -"You're a wonder, Toma, and there's no mistake about that. Even Dick -would never have dared to pull a stunt like that." - -"You're right," Dick returned good-naturedly, "I never would." - -The crossing was made without mishap. As the craft glided up to the -rocky shore, Dick and Sandy cheered lustily. - -"Before we do anything more," said Dick a few minutes later, when they -had unloaded the raft, "I think we had better decide upon some definite -course of action. Unless this map and everything connected with it is a -hoax, we are now within a few miles of the mine." - -"Yes," said Sandy. - -"Well," Dick continued, "we are all very anxious to find it. From now on -our search must be painstaking and we musn't waste any more time than is -absolutely necessary." - -"Of course," Sandy agreed, "but where are we going to look first?" - -"That's a question we'd better decide right away. The place where we're -standing now," Dick made a sweeping gesture with his arm, "seems to form -one end of a more or less oval space, which lies between the river on -one side and the dry canyon or ravine on the other. - -"The mine," he went on slowly, "may be located in any one of a number of -likely places. It may be in the oval, stretching away behind us, or in -the ravine, or somewhere on the other side of the ravine. In which of -these places are we going to search first?" - -"The ravine," said Sandy. "I believe we'll be more apt to find the mine -there." - -"I think ravine too," Toma agreed with him. "What you say we make camp -here while we look for mine? No use take supplies an' pony along -everywhere we go." - -"That's a good suggestion. This will be our base, which we can always -come back to. Anyway, it won't take more than an hour or two to travel -through the ravine from one end to the other. If the mine's there, we'll -be sure to find it in a very short time." - -"There's one thing I don't like about this arrangement," Sandy pointed -out. "If we make our base here--which seems a pretty good idea--aren't -we running the chance of losing everything? In our absence the Indians -could easily slip down here and steal it all. Put us in a nice pickle, -wouldn't it?" - -"It would!" Dick declared most emphatically. "One of us will have to -remain here, that's all." - -"Which one of us?" - -The three boys looked at each other. It was quite apparent from the -expression on the face of each, that none of them wished to remain -behind. To go and look for the gold mine was much more interesting and -exciting. - -"I guess we'll have to draw straws," Dick grinned. - -"That's fair enough," Sandy broke off a twig as he spoke. - -He divided the twig in three small pieces--one shorter than the rest. He -turned his back as he arranged them in his hand. - -The unpleasant choice of remaining to guard the camp fell to Dick. For a -moment his face clouded with disappointment as he gazed at the tell-tale -straw. - -"O well," he comforted himself, "I'll have my chance later on." - -Sandy and Toma rose joyfully to their feet, slung on their -shoulder-packs and otherwise prepared for an immediate departure. - -"We'll be back before lunch time," Sandy sang out, as the two made their -way across the comparatively level piece of ground, and headed for the -ravine. - -"Good luck!" shouted Dick. - -A few moments later they had disappeared. - -"I hope they find it," Dick mused, turning away. "Sandy will be -overjoyed." - -He walked back to the packs, his thoughts in a whirl of excitement. A -few feet away the packhorse grazed contentedly. The camp, since the -departure of his two friends, had become strangely quiet. There was only -the sound of the river to break the heavy, all-pervading silence. - -Digging down in one of the packs, Dick brought forth presently a hook -and line and afterward, cutting a pole from a clump of bushes and -procuring a small piece of moose meat for bait, he turned his attention -to the river. - -Dick loved to fish and on this particular morning luck was with him. The -water swarmed with trout. In less than twenty minutes he had pulled out -a good two-days' supply of them. - -"It doesn't require a great amount of skill to do this," he informed -himself, throwing out his line for the last time. "If I had a hay fork, -I believe I could pitch 'em out by the ton. Great Caesar! What's that!" - -A quick splashing in the water on the opposite shore had drawn his -attention, caused him to straighten up in sudden alarm. - -"A moose!" he ejaculated, breathing his relief. "I thought maybe it was -something else." - -He stood perfectly still as the majestic swimmer came on. - -"I can't shoot him--I can't!" decided Dick, his admiring gaze on the -monarch of the northland forests, watching with bated breath as the -splendid beast continued its course across the murky, discolored stream. -"Anyway," he continued, "it wouldn't be fair to take an advantage like -that. Our larder is full of meat now." - -He actually turned his back a moment later as he rolled up his line, -picked up the fish he had caught and walked back to the packs. Yet he -swung about again when the moose plunged to shore, scarcely more than a -hundred feet away. Head raised high, the magnificent animal struck out -at a brisk trot and was soon lost to view. - -"I'm glad I didn't take a shot at him," Dick breathed thankfully. "He -was too wonderful." - -The morning wore on. It was eleven o'clock when Dick consulted his -watch, and only a few minutes after when Toma and Sandy appeared. -Haggard-eyed, faces gray with dust, they loped into camp and threw -themselves down, gasping for breath. - -"We've got to get out of here quick!" Sandy wheezed, turning a -terror-stricken gaze upon his chum. "I'm fagged out.... Crawled a -hundred yards on our bellies before we dared to get up and run.... We -haven't a moment to lose." - -"Why, Sandy, what do you mean?" - -"They're coming now!" - -Sandy staggered to his feet; Toma raced to get the pony. It was not -until the packs had been lifted and tied into place, that Dick was made -aware of the danger which threatened them. - -"Indian encampment over there in the ravine. Ran right into it. Dick, -I'm afraid they saw us." - -Dick's pulses quickened perceptibly as he received the disconcerting -news. - -"We'll cross the river. Better there. Don't bother with the pack-horse." - -"No, Toma thinks we'll be safer among those high rocks behind us." - -As Dick paused for a brief space undecided, Toma seized the lead rope, -motioning frantically. - -"I see 'em first fellow already. Look out!" - -He raced forward, pressed the lead-rope in Dick's hands, then fell back -to cover their retreat. His rifle roared intermittently as they made -their way up the slope. - -"Our chance is slim, but we may make it," Sandy breathed in his chum's -ear. "You see, Dick, there's the danger of being cut off. We may walk -straight into a trap." - -"You think they may climb up from their side of the ravine and head us -off." - -"Yes," shuddered Sandy. "It will be sure to happen if we don't hurry." - -"Encumbered as we are with this pony, I don't see how we can hurry. The -farther we go, the harder it's going to be. We'll never reach that high -point of rocks up there at this rate." - -"Let's wait here until Toma catches up with us. I think myself we're -risking our lives needlessly by taking the pony along. He's too much of -a hindrance." - -Toma came up and the situation was explained to him. - -"All right, we unload pony," he said tersely, suiting the action to the -word. "Sandy, you, Dick stand by ready with guns." - -The task took but a moment. They were off again at a dead run, while the -pack-horse stood gazing reproachfully after them. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - WITHIN THE BARRICADE - - -Toma poked out his head from behind a gray pile of rocks and looked -down. Far below him, at the bottom of the ravine, he beheld a sight -which caused his hands to clinch involuntarily and his heart to quicken -a beat or two in righteous indignation. - -In the Indian encampment, there was a very noticeable flurry and bustle -of excitement as a small party, headed by an exceedingly atrocious -individual, made its way into camp. With the exception of the leader, -Toma had never seen any of them before. Also, with the exception of the -leader, every man was weighted down with a load of what--even at that -distance--Toma recognized immediately as being the supplies he, Dick and -Sandy had discarded at the beginning of their hasty retreat. - -Even the pony, which brought up the procession, was the self same -pack-horse he had ridden into the river that morning. Their supplies and -their horse were gone, but it was not this loss alone which had been the -direct cause of Toma's anger. - -The young guide flashed one more look of resentment in the direction of -the encampment, then turned quickly and made his way back to Dick and -Sandy, who were crouched within a natural rock barricade, about one -hundred yards distant. - -"What did you find out?" Sandy demanded as Toma rejoined them. - -"Indians get our supply an' pony," came the prompt answer. - -"Well, that was to be expected," said Dick. "It can't be helped now. Did -you find out anything else?" - -"Yes." - -"What was it?" - -"Toma see scar-face Indian." - -"What!" exclaimed Dick and Sandy in one voice. - -"Scar-face Indian him there all right. Make himself big fellow. What you -think about that?" - -"It's an outrage!" stormed Dick. "No wonder we're having trouble. So -Henderson is at the bottom of this after all." - -"If scar-face Indian here, Henderson not very far away," speculated -Toma. - -"Old Scar-Face must have discovered the mine before this if it's located -in the ravine," Sandy suddenly spoke up. - -"It doesn't matter much now where the mine is," Dick stated -despondently. "We can't do anything anyway. Our cause is pretty nearly -hopeless." - -"Uncle Walter is coming," Sandy reminded him. "Don't forget that." - -"Two or three weeks from now. We may all be dead before then." - -"We can defend ourselves here for a day or two," said Sandy. "In the -meantime maybe something will turn up." - -"What about food and water?" - -"Dick!" exclaimed Sandy, moving over and placing one arm affectionately -about his chum, "You're not your usual self. It's not like you to give -up so easily." - -Dick received the gentle rebuke with calm indifference. He stared -soberly out across the desolate, sun-filled space without speaking. - -"Indians make night attack mebbe," Toma suddenly broke the silence. - -"Let 'em come," growled Dick. "We'll be ready. All I hope is that -Scar-Face leads the attacking party and that I can get a shot at him." - -"They'll probably be in no hurry about that attack," Sandy sagely -remarked. "They know we're up here somewhere and practically helpless. -It would be a whole lot simpler and easier to starve us out." - -"That sounds reasonable," said Dick. "We're trapped and they know it." - -"I tell you something," Toma rose and began pacing back and forth across -the narrow, confining space within the barricade. "We have good chance -now to make 'em Indians all look foolish. Place over -there"--pointing--"where look down camp. You, me, Sandy go over there -an' start shoot rifles. Kill 'em plenty men in very few minutes. We -drive 'em all bad fellows out of ravine." - -Dick and Sandy stared at each other aghast. - -"What you say?" inquired Toma. - -"Never!" shuddered Dick. - -"Murder!" shivered Sandy. - -"Why not?" the tone was plaintive. "Toma not understand." - -"You poor devil," Sandy commenced grimly, but checked himself. "What -quarrel have we with those people down there, Toma? It's not their -fault--it's Henderson's and the scar-face Indian's." - -"All right, I go shoot him--that fellow." - -Dick's sudden laugh relieved the tension. - -"We didn't come out here to kill anyone," Sandy attempted to explain. -"We came out here to find the mine. It's wrong to take any human life." - -Toma shrugged his shoulders. - -"You mean you sit here an' no shoot if attack come?" he asked in -amazement. "You sit here an' let bad fellow kill you without so much -raise up your rifle?" - -"If I'm cornered, I'll fight, of course. But not until then." - -The guide shook his head and subsided into a puzzled silence. - -"What we do then?" he asked presently. - -"What I'd like to do," Dick cut in sharply, "is to run away--get out of -this mess somehow." - -"How we swim river?" Toma wanted to know. "No chance build raft." - -"What about our own raft?" Sandy wondered. "Do you suppose they've -overlooked that?" - -"I'll give them more credit for brains than that," was Dick's opinion. -"I don't think we ought to consider it." - -He paused for a moment, his brow wrinkling in thought. - -"The only other way of escape is across the ravine, and I'm willing to -bet they have sentries posted every hundred yards." - -"Very probably," Sandy agreed, "but even at that there's a possibility -that we could make it. After dark there might be a chance. It's better -than staying here." - -"In our present hopeless position," said Dick calmly, "I'll try -anything." - -"What about you, Toma?" - -The young Indian drew himself up proudly. - -"I go too," he stated simply. - -"Well, then, it's decided." Sandy arose and gazed out across the rough, -broken strip of land to the south, conscious of a sinking feeling -within. - -To attempt to escape by way of the ravine was, as he well knew, a -desperate hazard. Their chance of getting through safely was slim -indeed--with every advantage in favor of their ruthless enemy. - -"It's the only thing we can do," he declared, turning again toward his -two companions and speaking in a low, trembling voice. - -Dick evaded Sandy's direct gaze and he, too, looked out upon that weird, -desolate view. The afternoon sun was very bright and the rocks, gray and -white and brown, were like blinding mirrors to his eyes. Somewhere, deep -down within his breast, he could feel the beginning of a sob--a choking, -helpless feeling difficult to express. - -"My throat's dry," said Sandy, "and I'd like to have a drink." - -"I go for water," volunteered Toma. - -Dick wheeled about quickly. - -"No! No! Don't be a fool, Toma. We'll have to stand it. You can't risk -your life now." - -In dull, aching monotony, the afternoon passed. The sun slipped down -through a bank of clouds to a flaming northwestern sky. Innumerable -shadows, spreading grotesquely about them, grew dark, then velvet-black, -merging finally into one complete inky blot. - -"There aren't a hundred stars out tonight," Dick whispered to his two -delighted companions. "Conditions couldn't be better." - -"It has clouded over," said Sandy. "Thank God for that." - -Out of the west had come a cool, moist breeze. If it rained, so much the -better. Since their departure from Fort Good Faith, three weeks -previous, the days and nights had succeeded each other with no hint of -rain, a seemingly endless procession of sunlit and starlit hours. - -"We ought to start pretty soon," said Dick, as he paced uneasily, -restlessly about. - -"I'm ready any time you fellows are," Sandy replied. - -Ten minutes passed. The wind seemed stronger now and was blowing more -from the south. Unable longer to endure the suspense, Toma plucked at -Dick's arm. - -"Come," he whispered. - -Slowly, cautiously, three figures worked their way up and over the rough -barricade of rocks and headed for the ravine. - -"Keep close together," cautioned Dick in a low voice. "Whatever happens, -we mustn't become separated." - -In a few minutes they had reached the edge of the ravine and prepared -for the perilous descent. They had to feel their way now. Every step -forward was tedious, conscious effort. The moisture-laden wind, -breathing over the warm rocks, had produced a wet, slippery surface -under foot. Careful as the three boys were, one of them slipped or fell -occasionally, producing a sound which caused them to pause in -consternation in the belief that the noise must have carried to the -sentries below. - -About half way down, a most disconcerting thing occurred. In attempting -to recover his balance, Sandy dropped his rifle. It slid out of reach as -he made a wild lunge for it, and a moment latter dropped twenty feet to -the ledge below. The loud metallic clatter resulting, broke across the -silence--so it seemed to Sandy--with a force and noise as terrifying as -that made by a derailed express train dropping over a cliff. - -The three boys stood huddled together in speechless dismay. Had they -been heard? Would the sentries know now for a certainty that an effort -was being made to escape? - -Sandy recovered his rifle and, following a whispered consultation, it -was decided to make their way along the slope of the ravine before -descending further. They had succeeded in covering a distance of perhaps -three hundred yards, when they paused again--this time in absolute -terror. - -Up along the ridge, not far from their previous barricade, there arose a -medley of demoniacal shrieks and yells that would easily have struck -fear in the bravest heart. So suddenly and unexpectedly had it come, -that the three boys, white-faced and trembling, shrank back against the -side of the ledge too frightened even to move. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - A PATH THROUGH THE ROCKS - - -Following the first shock of surprise and terror, Dick reached out and -clutched Sandy's arm. - -"Now is the time to cross the ravine," he whispered tersely. "Our best -chance. Come!" - -The remainder of the descent to the floor of the ravine was made at the -cost of bruised bodies and torn garments, but with a speed and dispatch -that made caution utterly impossible. Dick's shins and knuckles were -bleeding as he helped Sandy to his feet and spoke again in a low voice. - -"Are you there, Toma?" - -"Yes." - -"All right, we'll make a bee-line for it. Ready!" - -Three shadowy forms moved out to the level floor of the ravine, -hesitated a split-second, then bolted for the opposite side. - -Crash! - -The report thundered in Dick's ears. His own gun flamed into the night -with a loud, reverberating roar. Four or five wavering figures, who had -attempted to check their flight, fell back suddenly, making a path for -them. First Sandy, then Dick, then Toma--each in turn fired his rifle -into the air as he sprinted for the safety of the rocks. - -They were clambering up presently, side by side, in the first flurry of -a drenching Spring rain. The wind whipped about them, tearing fitfully -at their soiled and rent clothing. Somewhere, miles up the river valley, -a crooked flare of light lit up the sky. - -It was a smothering downpour long before they had reached the top. It -seemed now as if the earth was slipping under their feet. Water and -gravel! Curious little patches of sliding wet clay! In places, thick -mud, ankle deep, oozing out of crevices in the rocks! Yet they went on -somehow through a breath-taking torture of exhaustion, contriving -finally to pull themselves up over the edge of the canyon wall to the -firm, grass-grown space beyond. - -They had struggled to safety and were, for the present, at least, beyond -the fear of immediate pursuit. Something very much like a prayer -breathed from Dick's lips. Sandy had thrown himself to the ground, his -body shaking with sobs. With the exception of Toma, who, even in this -extremity, possessed the untamed, unbeaten spirit of the wild, the -little party had spent its last ounce of endurance and its last spark of -courage. - -Yet, they had made good their escape. They had come through the Indian -lines, less than a quarter of a mile from the main encampment. It was an -achievement worth while. Dick, recovering his breath, sat perfectly -still, thrilled and happy as he looked out into the storm. - -He was recalled from his abstraction by Toma's voice, almost at his ear. - -"We go pretty soon an' find dry place to sleep. What you think?" - -"Yes," he answered, "but let Sandy rest for a while. This warm rain -won't hurt us." - -The youngest member of the trio rolled over, propping himself up on one -elbow. - -"I'm all right now. I'm ready to go on. I'm so happy I can't think. If -there was ever a time to feel glad for the sparing of three no-account -lives, it's tonight." - -Not long afterward, they crawled into a dense thicket which, though far -from dry, afforded some protection from the steadily falling rain. - -"Wake me up early," Sandy muttered sleepily, as he snuggled down like a -young lynx and closed his eyes. - -Dick had started to follow his example, when he noticed that Toma still -sat like the graven statue of a Hindu god. - -"Aren't you going to lie down?" he asked. - -"No," came the rather startling answer, "Toma no sleepy tonight." - -Dick stared his unbelief. - -"How can that be?" he asked incredulously. "Toma, if it wasn't so blamed -dark, I could look into your face and convince myself you're lying." - -"No dare go sleep tonight." - -"Why?" - -"Forget to wake up. First thing we know Indian come. Just so soon get -light, Scar-Face send out party look everywhere. He try find us. We too -close encampment yet." - -"Why, you deceiving old rascal----" Dick choked, deeply impressed by the -other's unselfishness. "Do you mean to tell me you'd sit here all night -and keep watch alone?" - -"Yes," answered Toma, "I sit here so I wake you and Sandy before it get -light. Then we travel fast. When Indian start look for us we be many -miles away." - -"So you intend to sacrifice your own comfort for us?" - -"Toma no understand." - -Dick crawled over and put his arms about the statuesque figure. - -"Lie down, you miserable deceiver," he purred. "Lie down before I pull -out my hunting knife and scalp you. No wonder we hate you--Sandy and I." - -"Stinging rattlesnakes!" gasped a sleepy voice. "Have you gone suddenly -mad, Dick? What was that you just said to Toma?" - -Dick laughed. - -"Listen, Sandy, do you know what this lump of uselessness purposes to -do?" - -"No." - -"Stay up all night so he'll be sure to wake us before dawn." - -"But what's the big idea?" - -"He doesn't think we're safe here, so close to the Indian encampment. He -thinks Scar-Face'll send out a scouting party at daybreak." - -"I never thought of that. Of course, he will," Sandy had become -genuinely alarmed. - -"So Toma is going to watch while we two lazybones sleep," Dick -concluded. - -"Like fun he is." - -"I've come to the conclusion," Dick commented dryly, "that Toma is -taking too much responsibility upon himself. He's not satisfied with -doing most of the work; he must do most of the thinking too." - -"It's a terrible state of affairs," Sandy growled. "What will we do with -him?" - -"As duly appointed judge sitting on this case, I propose to make an -example of you, John Toma. Prisoner before the bar, with malice -aforethought, I do hereby sentence you to four hours of solitary -slumber." - -"Without benefit of clergy," supplemented Sandy. - -"Without benefit of clergy and with his boots on." - -"Moccasins, your honor," corrected the prosecuting attorney. - -"All right," Dick laughed, "without clergy and with moccasins tightly -strapped about his ankles. Take him to his cell, sheriff." - -"I no understand what you try say me," said the prisoner, a little -bewildered. - -"You're to sleep four hours without stopping while Dick and I keep -watch," Sandy explained. - -It was exactly three o'clock by Dick's watch when the three boys emerged -from the thicket to continue their interrupted flight. The rain had -ceased falling and a few stars peeped out from between dark clouds, -scudding before the wind. - -"We'll make a nice wet trail through the wet grass," Sandy grumbled -sleepily. "Almost anybody could follow us." - -"It may be more difficult than you think," Dick was of the opinion. "The -sun will be up in an hour, and it won't take long to dry things off." - -Their course away from the river--almost due west--led them across a -rolling plain in the direction of a high range of hills, beyond which -were the mountains. With the coming of daylight, they discerned the gray -outline of the nearest hill, not more than two miles away. - -The hill was steep and wide, more like a lofty plateau than a hill. -Trees and vegetation covered its lower portion, but towards its summit -the earth and rocks were perfectly bare. - -"We're going to have a good, stiff climb," Dick remarked. "Do you feel -equal to it, Sandy?" - -The person addressed shifted his pack over chafed and burning shoulders. - -"If I had something to eat, I could make it better." - -"No eat 'till we get to top," said Toma. "We hide better up there. -Indians see where we are if stop here." - -It took an hour of exhausting effort to make the ascent. Very much out -of breath, limbs shaking with weariness, they stumbled forward a few -paces, then threw off their shoulder-packs and proceeded to bring forth -the meagre store of food that remained to them. Dick divided a bannock -and a small chunk of bacon. - -"We'll have to eat the bacon raw," he declared, a slight quaver in his -voice. "There's no firewood here." - -"Or water either that I can see," added Sandy. "It's a good thing we -filled our water bottles on the way over." - -Towards the close of the inadequate, barely satisfying meal, Dick, who -had been gazing curiously about him, pointed to an opening in the rocks -a few yards away. - -"It looks as if a sort of path runs through there," he remarked. - -"Deer-run," suggested Sandy. - -"What would deer be doing up here?" Dick wanted to know. - -"Mebbe salt-lick somewhere," Toma bore out Sandy's conjecture. - -Investigation proved that there was a path, clearly defined and -well-beaten, a path which wound away towards the center of the plateau. -Following it for a while, the three weary explorers passed through a -narrow, broken defile and emerged at length to an opening amongst the -rocks. They paused in wonder. - -Immediately ahead sparkling like a jewel under the bright rays of the -morning sun, was a pool or small lake. A perpendicular wall of sandstone -rose sheer on one side, but on the other, a little to the right of where -the boys were standing, the shoreline was practically unbroken and -level, sloping slightly upward over a grass- and tree-grown space to -another wall of sandstone. The whole effect was that of a huge hole or -depression sunk into the earth: The small lake occupied one-half of this -depression and the green slope the remaining half. - -The boys stood for several minutes, struck with the beauty and novelty -of the scene. - -"I don't care whether that pond's a thousand feet deep and cold as a -cake of ice," Sandy suddenly decided. "I'm going to have a swim in it. A -cool plunge right now would make me feel like a million dollars." - -He laughed as he spoke, but a surprised grunt from Toma quickly drew his -attention to another quarter. As the guide pointed out the cause of his -startled ejaculation, both Dick and Sandy gasped in wonder. - -Twenty feet to their right, a heavy wooded cross reared its awesome -shape above a mound of earth and rocks. - -"A grave!" whispered Sandy. - -"I'm not sure it is a grave," said Dick a moment later, as they -approached to examine the cross. - -"Why not?" asked Sandy. - -"Because," Dick looked about carefully, "there's no indication of one. -The mound and pile of rocks support the cross." - -"If that's the case," argued Sandy, "what was it put here for? People -don't build crosses just for the fun they get out of it." - -"I realize that. But where's the grave?" - -"It's here somewhere. I feel sure of it." - -"There's no name carved on the cross," Dick pointed out. "And it isn't a -regular cross either. Look here," he indicated one of the arms. "The end -of this is pointed; the other isn't. It looks like a marker or sign of -some sort." - -Sandy stood perfectly still, head on one side, and examined the cross -speculatively. - -"Do you suppose----" he began. - -Dick jumped. - -"A marker for the mine! Good heavens! I never thought of that!" - -"It might be," said Sandy in an awed, breathless tone. - -"Yes, it might." - -"It points over there at that perpendicular wall on the other side of -the lake." - -"The mine couldn't be under water," protested Dick. - -"No, of course not. But it could easily be off somewhere in that general -direction." - -"Over on the other side of the cliff, you mean?" - -"Yes." - -"Tell you what," Dick had become heir to a strange excitement, "let's -continue following the path up out of this hole and see what we can see. -We'll skirt around to the back of the lake." - -"It certainly wouldn't do any harm." - -The path led away across the slope, swerved sharply to the left and came -to an abrupt stop at the foot of a wall of solid sandstone, more than -forty feet in height. Cut into the sandstone, to the boys' utter -amazement, was a rough flight of steps. - -"May wonders never cease!" gasped Sandy. "Who do you suppose did this?" - -"A path leading down to the water," cried Dick. "Sandy, we're closer -now. I'm convinced of it." - -"Dick, I'm shaking like a leaf." - -They went up the steps slowly, Sandy in the lead. Reaching the top, they -paused again, looking carefully about them. - -With a wildly beating heart, Dick noticed that the path still threaded -its way through a veritable graveyard of broken rocks and tomb-shaped -ridges of sandstone. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - SANDY EXPLORES THE MINE - - -Sandy's whoop of joy was the first intimation Dick had of the actual -discovery of the mine. Unable to suppress his excitement and eagerness, -the young Scotchman had loped down the path well in advance of his two -friends, and had reached the coveted goal at least five minutes before -Toma and Dick put in their belated appearance. - -Sandy was gibbering inanely as Dick stepped up and clapped him on the -back. They shook hands all around, and then even Toma so far forgot his -dignity and reserve as to join in an impromptu dance that would have -shamed a drink-crazed party of South Sea Islanders. Presently Dick held -up one hand. - -"Enough of this, Sandy. Let's cool off. We're actually here at last. But -we musn't take leave of our senses altogether, or play the part of -fools. I propose that we make a careful inspection of the mine." - -The mine proper consisted of a single shallow shaft cut down into the -rock and shale to a depth of about eight feet. Over the top of the shaft -stood a windlass, a huge cumbersome affair made out of spruce logs. - -"Our mine is more than half full of water," laughed Dick, looking down -into the shaft. "It'll take us a day or more to bail the thing out." - -Following a cursory look around, Dick led the way to a small log cabin, -which stood a short distance back from the mine. It was old and -considerably out of repair. The door had been nailed shut and the -windows sealed from the inside. A mud chimney, projecting through the -roof, had crumbled to decay; and a good deal of the chinking between the -logs of the house had dropped out, leaving gaping holes behind. - -"It's very nearly useless now," Sandy observed, shaking his head, "but I -have no doubt we could make it habitable." - -Dick and Toma attempted to pry open the door. They had no tools at their -disposal except a small hatchet, the guide always carried with him. By -using the blade as a wedge and then hammering upon it with a rock, they -contrived finally to force their way into the dark, musty interior. - -Even with the light streaming in from the open doorway, it was at first -very difficult to see very clearly to every part of the cabin. A mud -fire-place, a rough bench and table comprised the furnishings of the -room. Propped against the wall on one side were a few mining tools, -including a small pick, a coil of rope and a shovel. A large bucket -which, judging from its shape and general appearance, had been carved -out of a pine log, stood in one corner. - -Further examination on the part of the three boys proved unavailing. -Little more of interest was found until Toma, prowling about, discovered -a trap door, which had been cut through the scored logs in the floor. - -The trap was ponderous and heavy, stubbornly refusing to come up. It was -raised, at length, through the combined efforts of the excited trio, who -peered down into the dark hole, faces alight with interest. - -"Looks very much like a deep cellar," said Sandy, with a sharp intake of -breath. "But what was it used for?" - -Dick lit a match in an effort to see below. The tiny flame flared up for -a moment, then went out. A second, third and fourth match---- - -"No use!" impatiently Dick threw the box to the floor and sat down with -his feet dangling through the trap. "There's a draft coming up out of -here. Wish I had my old pocket light." - -"Move aside," ordered Sandy. "I'm going down." - -"It may be deep," objected Dick. "Let's get a pole and find out." - -He had risen to go outside for the pole, when Sandy pushed quickly -forward, swung out over the trap and let himself down to his full -length, holding on by his hands. - -"Don't let go!" warned Dick, swinging around abruptly. "You don't know -what's down there. Be careful, Sandy!" - -Sandy grinned up provokingly, like a young ape bent on mischief, -released his grip on the floor and disappeared forthwith. A low thud, -coming up from below, attested to the fact that he had reached bottom. -Toma's annoyed grunt and Dick's terrified exclamation, preceded a short -but oppressive silence. - -Was Sandy hurt? Pale and trembling, Dick stared into the black pit -beneath and attempted to call out. His breath seemed to rattle in his -throat. - -"Are you hurt?" he finally contrived to squeak. - -No answer. - -"Are you there, Sandy?" - -"Heigh ho up there!" came a firm and confident voice. "Throw down that -box of matches." - -Toma and Dick breathed a sigh of relief. The matches were dropped down. -In an incredibly short space, a small flame partially lit up the dank -interior and soon after began flickering and bobbing about like a large -firefly. - -"What luck?" Dick called out. - -Sandy, bent on exploration, was too busy to reply. Match after match -flared brightly, burned down to a stub, and was swallowed up in the inky -maw of the hole. - -"Can you pull me out of this?" Sandy asked finally, when Dick's patience -had been worn to a shred. "I figure I'm about fourteen feet down. Didn't -I see a coil of rope up there?" - -Sandy was pulled up through the trap a short time later, blinking as his -eyes met the glare of light from the doorway. In spite of his effort to -appear unconcerned, it was apparent that he was gripped in some strong -emotion. - -"What did you find, Sandy?" - -The eyes of the young Scotchman gleamed queerly. - -"There's gold down there," he exploded. "Loads of it! Sacks and sacks of -gold, Dick, piled up down there in moose-hide sacks, waiting to be -carried away!" - -For a brief interval Dick was incapable of speech. - -"Go-o-ld!" he stammered. - -"Yes, gold!--thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars worth, I -guess." - -Dick's eyes were popping. - -"So they hid it there." - -"Hid nothing!" Sandy was pacing back and forth in his excitement. "The -real mine's down there, I tell you. Right under our feet." - -"I can't believe it." - -"Go down and see for yourself," shrieked Sandy. "It's there,--it's -there, I tell you! Passages lead out three ways from that main hole or -shaft. I could see them." - -"And those moose-hide sacks?" - -"At one side of the shaft, directly under this room." - -"But where did they dump the rock and gravel that came out of those -passages?" Dick asked incredulously. "It didn't just disappear, did it? -Tons and tons of earth and rock must have been moved in order to get the -gold." - -"I can't explain it," Sandy admitted, somewhat defiantly. "All I know is -that it was moved somewhere. The real mine is down there." - -"We'll start exploring it at once," Dick decided. "I'll make some sort -of miner's lamp and we'll all go down. What do you say?" - -A fever of excitement had seized upon them. Hunger and weariness, the -fear of pursuit--everything was forgotten in the obsession of the -moment. Sandy moved about with an accustomed lightness in his step; Dick -had become over-eager and impatient. Of the three, Toma alone remained -unshaken and indifferent. - -"Why you so hurry go see mine?" he demanded of Dick, during a lull in -their preparations. "You think mine run away, eh?" - -"Why, no." - -"How you feel if Indian come pretty soon an' no ready for him?" - -"What's that?" - -"Indian pretty sure come bye-'n'-bye." - -"Well, what of it?" - -"Dick," admonished the guide, "you, Sandy no think today. No think at -all. Crazy like fool. What good is mine today if get killed tomorrow?" - -"Look here, old Trouble-Face," Sandy sang out, "you're a joy killer. I -don't think there's the least bit of danger." - -"Danger all time," stubbornly persisted Toma. - -Dick's eyes wandered back to the trap in the floor. He visualized the -moose-hide sacks, bulging with gold. He wondered if Sandy had not been -mistaken about those three passages. - -"The Indians won't come today," he decided. - -"Don't worry, Toma. Besides----" - -He paused to watch Sandy throw the coil of rope into the shaft and then -walk back and tie the end, still in his hands, to a large iron hook in -the wall--a hook that had, apparently, been put there for that express -purpose. - -He turned again to Toma. - -"Come on, let's go down. It'll take only a few minutes." - -To his surprise, the guide shrugged his shoulders and turned away. As -Dick lowered himself through the trap, Toma strode to the doorway and -stood looking out across the shimmering, sunlit vista of rocks and -sandstone. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - IN THE TOILS OF HENDERSON - - -Returning to the main shaft, following a tour of exploration through the -mine, Dick and Sandy were staggered by the discovery that during their -absence some one had removed the rope and had closed the trap. Darkness -enveloped them. The stream of light, which had poured through the wide -opening in the floor of the cabin, had been cut off. The shock of the -discovery for a moment unnerved the two young adventurers. The thing was -incredible--almost past belief! Sandy raised his candle aloft and stared -up through its flickering light. Dick smothered a cry, then stood -mopping his perspiring face, too dumbfounded for words. - -After the first shock of surprise, it occurred to Dick that Toma was -playing a joke upon them. Piqued and resentful because of his and -Sandy's refusal to postpone the exploration of the mine, their guide had -probably decided to teach them a lesson. No doubt, he wanted to frighten -them a little in his effort to revenge his wounded feelings. Such an -explanation seemed reasonable enough. It caused Dick to smile to himself -and presently to chuckle aloud: - -"Toma's done this, Sandy. The old boy's a little peeved because we -wouldn't listen to him. If we wait here a few minutes, he'll relent and -open the trap." - -They waited in silence. Sandy nudged Dick and laughed. In order to pass -the time quickly, they went over and commenced to examine the sacks of -gold, piled against one side of the shaft. - -Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes--and no sound from Toma! Dick sat down and -began mopping his face again. Sandy blew out his candle, grumbling to -himself. - -"A joke has its limits," he sputtered. "In about two more seconds----" - -Footfalls sounded overhead. A low rumble of voices, a clatter of -something on the floor--and the trap came open. Light streamed down, -lighting up the shaft. - -"Bear!" exclaimed an unfamiliar voice. "Better keep back. They're -armed!" - -"No, I tell yuh, we got their rifles. Fink," the tone was overbearing -and threatening, "get a move on an' throw down that rope." - -The rope came down with a dull thud. Then the voice: - -"Get out o' that. Scramble up that rope. You're both down there--we know -it." - -A string of blasphemous oaths accompanied the sharp command. Sandy -shrank back close to Dick. They were both shaking with terror. - -"Do yuh hear!" screamed Henderson, enraged at the delay. "Your game's -up, I tell yuh. I'm givin' yuh just five minutes to come outta that -hole." - -"I can't," moaned Sandy. "I can't, Dick!" - -With difficulty, Dick was gaining control of himself. - -"We must, Sandy," he quavered. "There's no help for it. They have the -upper hand now. Let me help you to your feet." - -Sandy could scarcely stand. He trembled, and raised a white, pathetic -face to the opening. - -"We're coming, Henderson," Dick called out, his voice ringing -tragically. - -Slowly, tremblingly, they went up. Dick's head, then his shoulders -projected through the opening. Strong, rough arms yanked him forward -with a force so violent that his jaws snapped. He was lying on the floor -now, Sandy beside him. The leering, uncouth faces above were faces -without pity. A circle of eyes, like those of hungry wolves, glared down -at them. Big, powerful--a tower of brute strength and wickedness--Bear -Henderson stormed through the group of men, cursing roundly. - -"Truss 'em up! Truss 'em up, you fools. Think we got all day to stand -around in. Flick--bring that rope!" - -The boys were bound hand and foot, then dragged across the floor and -kicked into a corner. Through a smother of dust, Dick perceived that the -party of outlaws were preparing to make a descent into the mine. Above -the din and confusion, came the hoarse, bellowed orders of Henderson. - -One by one, the moose-hide sacks, containing the gold stored in the -shaft, were lifted up through the trap. A perfect bedlam of cries and -shouts arose. Order was forgotten. Sweating men, their faces distorted -with greed and passion, clawed over the precious metal, snarling like -beasts. - -For a time it looked as if Henderson might lose control of the outlaws. -With one exception, every man cursed and fought around the moose-hide -sacks, turning deaf ears to their leader. This rebellion against -authority transformed Henderson from the brute he was to a glaring-eyed -madman. Never before in all his life had Dick seen anything to equal the -awful fury of the man, as he leaped here and there through that pack of -human wolves and beat them into submission. - -In less than five minutes, the man, called Flick, was the only one left -of the cowering band who dared to dispute its leader's authority. Flick -had backed away, nursing a cut over his right eye, blood trickling down -his face. His cheeks were livid. As Henderson rushed towards him, a -knife gleamed and whirred through the air, missing the outlaw by a scant -two inches. A short time later Baptiste La Lond, the only one of the -party who had shown little interest in the sacks of gold, proceeded to -remove the unconscious body of Flick. He accomplished this task by the -simple expedient of dragging it out by the heels, yanking it brutally -along the floor, through the doorway and thence outside. - -Immediately the room became more quiet. With a jerk of his head, -Henderson tossed back his mop of yellow hair and wiped his face with the -back of one hairy hand. - -"Any more o' yuh devils lookin' fer trouble--step out!" - -No one moved. Sulky faces, many of them battered almost to a pulp, were -cast down; shoulders drooped in dejection. Not even the breath of a -murmur stirred through their broken ranks. - -"Yuh got us licked, Bear, an' yuh know it," trembled one of the outlaws. -"We didn't mean no harm jes' lookin' at that gold. There ain't a nugget -missin'." - -"No, I suppose not," snarled their chief. "Couldn't see nothin', could -I? Empty yer pockets fer I knock yuh all down again!" - -Hastily, they complied. In spite of the torture of the rope that bound -him, Dick choked back a laugh as each one brought to light handful after -handful of the tell-tale nuggets and passed them over to their brutal -master. - -Returning from his gentle mission, Baptiste La Lond sauntered through -the door and made his way unhesitatingly over to the corner where Dick -and Sandy lay. - -"Ah, ze pretty mounted police boy," he chortled, prodding Dick with his -foot. "Where is ze fine uniform now?" - -Dick stared back in defiance, but made no answer. - -"Pardon, monsieur!" Mockingly, La Lond bowed low before him. Then he -turned to the outlaws with what he considered to be a humorous gesture. - -"Ze leetle boy ees feel sick now--so veree sick. He not feel lak talk -today." - -One or two of the outlaws guffawed loudly. - -"Come out o' that!" growled Henderson. "Leave that boy alone. We got -work to do." - -Baptiste cringed and slunk away from the corner. Turning upon his men, -Henderson raised his voice: "Listen tuh me, yuh yellow skunks--I'm boss -o' this party. If yuh don't believe it, jes' try some more o' your funny -tricks. None o' this gold ain't gonna be divided 'til we get back. The -police won't find much when they come. Do yuh understand?" - -"Yes," came the cowed answer. - -"All right!" The outlaw glared about him threateningly before he -proceeded: "Now, I'll tell yuh somethin': We got jes' five days to get -what we can outta this mine. I'm gonna strip it. These few sacks here -ain't all we're gonna get." - -"How do yuh figger yer gonna do it?" inquired the man who had previously -spoken. - -"Work!" boomed Henderson. "We're gonna work this mine four days an' four -nights like it's never been worked before. Not countin' them two boys -over there, there's ten o' us. Scar-Face'll bring up a few Indians an' -I'm gonna make them get busy too. I'm plannin' to run two shifts fer -each one o' the shafts. Any o' yuh got any objections?" he inquired -belligerently. - -"Ze more we get, monsieur, ze more we divide," Baptiste pointed out. - -"Sure! That's what I'm tryin' to tell yuh. Now, as I said before, the -police is comin'. One o' my Indian runners was here last night with the -news. We gotta work fast an' we gotta work sure. If there's any way o' -wreckin' the mine before we go, I'm gonna do it." - -"We ought to be able to stop the police, Bear," one of the men declared. - -"What for? There ain't no sense to it. If yuh devils is willin' to work, -we can clean up plenty in a few days." - -Greed and avarice was without doubt the only real bond that held the -outlaws together. Even the domineering force and brutality of Henderson -would have been inadequate to cope for any length of time with so -murderous a crew. At thought of the great wealth lying in store for -them, the sulky, glowering looks, that were cast in the direction of -their leader, faded. The tension slackened. In a very few minutes the -room was noisy again--the scene of bustling and excited activity. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - HOURS OF TORTURE - - -The afternoon and evening wore on. In their corner, Dick and Sandy -passed through an ordeal of suffering that had sapped even their rugged -endurance. They lay now with closed eyes, moaning in their sleep. The -lips of each were dry and cracked. Dust choked their nostrils. Ankles -and wrists throbbed and pained from the constant friction and pressure -of the rope with which the outlaws had bound them. - -It was not until the following morning that Henderson deigned to notice -them. Nor was it pity that prompted him to bellow out at the top of his -voice: - -"Baptiste, untie them two young swine an' put 'em to work. We need ever' -available man. You can take charge of the outfit that's workin' outside -on that new shaft." - -This was the sort of thing that Baptiste did well. He pounced down upon -the benumbed and thirst-crazed pair with a whoop of delight. He untied -their bonds and kicked them to their feet, grinning in derision as they -swayed there, totally unable to stand. He shook them roughly, leering -into their bloodshot eyes. - -"Ah, ze pretty boys," he crooned, "zey will wake up to come with their -veree good friend, Baptiste. What you think about that, eh?" - -"Stop it!" thundered Henderson, as he turned to go down through the -trap. "There ain't no time to fool. Them boys'll be all right in a few -minutes. Rub their legs. Go an' fetch 'em some grub." - -By the time Baptiste had returned, the blood had commenced to circulate -in Dick's and Sandy's swollen limbs, but it was nearly two hours before -they were able to stagger forth to join the party of Indian workers, who -were engaged at that particular moment in bailing water from the shaft -situated about one hundred yards from the cabin. - -In the group, very much to the boys' surprise, was Toma. Their guide -stood turning the handle of the windlass as they approached, and, except -for a faint flicker in his eyes, one might have thought that the tall, -lithe Indian lad looked upon the two newcomers for the first time in his -life. Impassively he went on with his work when Dick and Sandy took -their places with the rest and were given instructions by Baptiste. - -"I'll be here to watch you veree close," he warned them. "Et ees a good -thing for you ef you move veree quick when I say." - -Concluding this threatening speech, he pushed them roughly in the -direction of two wooden buckets, and bade them commence at once. Dick -was raging with suppressed anger; Sandy was furious. They picked up the -buckets, nevertheless, and walked back to the shaft. Greatly pleased -with himself, Baptiste sat down on a flat rock and puffed contentedly on -his pipe. - -In the very next moment, the boys were given their first opportunity to -look directly into the eyes of Toma, and were rewarded with a sly wink. -Pretending to brush the perspiration from his face, Toma's finger stole -to his lips. - -Either Dick or Sandy would have given a good deal just then to have been -able to speak to their guide. But they realized that this was -impossible. Baptiste's duty it was to see that the work progressed -rapidly and Henderson had given strict orders that there was to be no -talking. To disobey this ironclad rule would result in swift punishment, -either at the hands of La Lond or some other person equally as brutal. - -It did not take the boys long to discover that Baptiste was a hard -taskmaster. He was continually among them, exhorting them to redouble -their efforts and speed up the work, bullying and tormenting them in -every way possible. On one occasion he jabbed Toma in the ribs with the -muzzle of his revolver and threatened to throw him down the shaft if he -didn't step more lively. - -Toma blinked, but held his peace. In a few minutes his face was as -inscrutable as ever. - -The work party at the new shaft consisted of four persons besides Dick, -Toma and Sandy. These four were Indians recruited for the purpose from -the tribe with whom Scar-Face had aligned himself. They were all tall, -swarthy young men of about Dick's own age. They had entered upon their -duties with a good deal of enthusiasm, but at the end of an hour or two, -the uninteresting, monotonous work palled upon them. Shortly after -Dick's and Sandy's arrival, they had begun to regret their promises to -Scar-Face and slackened down on the job. - -This action on their part placed Baptiste in a rather peculiar position. -Neither could he speak their language, nor dare to employ the brutal -methods he did not hesitate to use in the case of the three prisoners. -Time and time again, he strode forward with grim purpose in his eyes, -only to check himself, growl out a burning oath and return sullenly to -his seat on the rock. A climax was reached finally when Henderson, on -his regular round of inspection, paused to peep down in the shaft. - -His sudden, violent verbal explosive caused every member of the work -party, including Baptiste, to jump. - -"This water ain't goin' down a danged inch," he snarled. "What's wrong?" - -"Ah, monsieur----" La Lond wrung his hands in desperation. "Ah, -monsieur, zer ees a veree great trouble. Ze Indians, ze Indians, -monsieur!" - -"Well, what about 'em?" - -"Zey will not hurry one leetle bit. Zey are veree slow, veree slow, -monsieur." - -Henderson flung himself away with a torrent of oaths. - -"Make 'em work!" he bellowed over his shoulder. "If there ain't more -done when I come back next time--look out! I'm holdin' yuh responsible, -La Lond. Get busy!" - -Baptiste proceeded to get busy with a vengeance. Smarting under the -rebuke, he advanced savagely upon his unsuspecting workmen, brandishing -his gun. Before his furious advance, three of the Indians scrambled back -to their buckets in alarm. The fourth, Dick observed, was not so easily -frightened. He stood his ground calmly, drew himself to his full height -and folded his arms. Dick's heart beat with admiration--but only for a -moment; for La Lond's hand went back, revolver clubbed, then forward -with a sickening thud. - -The blow had caught the Indian squarely on the side of the head, -knocking him flat. At sight of such inexcusable brutality, something -within Dick seemed to snap. Leaping across the space that separated him -from the outlaw, he struck out with all the force of his right arm. -Baptiste sat down with a grunt. - -He was still sitting there when Henderson, drawn by the commotion and -the loud screech from Sandy, came hurrying up. - -"What's wrong here?" he thundered. - -Baptiste was too dazed just then to make a very satisfactory reply. -Holding his chin in his hands, he mumbled incoherently. Dick looked up -squarely into the eyes of Henderson. - -"I struck Baptiste myself," he acknowledged. - -"What fer?" - -"Because he clubbed the Indian with his gun." - -"I'll settle with yuh later," Henderson scowled, making a sudden swipe -at Dick with his open hand. "Get back to work. Get back to work all o' -yuh. Hereafter, I'm runnin' this little show." - -It was several minutes before the Indian recovered consciousness and -staggered to his feet, his three comrades gathered about him. The four -of them glared at Baptiste, who stood cowering in front of Henderson. - -"Baptiste," roared the outlaw, "go and fetch Scar-Face. Tell him I want -to see him. Tell him that I want to see him blamed quick. Either these -Indians is gonna start to work or I'll know the reason why. Yuh shore -made a pretty mess o' things, ain't yuh?" - -"Et ees impossible, monsieur. Scar-Face has gone to ze Indian village." - -"Find some other breed then what can talk to these Nitchies. Get!" - -Baptiste had no sooner slunk out of sight, than the four Indians, -favoring Henderson with a few chilling glances, started off across the -rugged slope toward the footpath, supporting their injured companion. In -vain did Henderson call out, entreating them to return. The four figures -did not hesitate, did not once look back until they had gained the more -even ground on the slope beyond. Then one of them turned, waving his -arms defiantly in the air. - -A flood of abusive oaths broke forth from the lips of the exasperated -outlaw. - -"Go on! Go on!" he screeched after them. "Yuh, ain't no good anyway. Yuh -ain't no good fer nothin', yuh yellow scum!" - -With a final livid oath, he turned quickly and strode away in the -direction of the cabin. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - HENDERSON'S PLANS MISCARRY - - -"He doesn't seem to care whether we run away or not," observed Sandy, -when the outlaw had passed out of hearing. "Shall we make a try, Dick?" - -Dick shook his head. - -"We wouldn't go far. I'd rather stay here and take my chances." - -Toma dropped the handle of the windlass and walked over to his two -friends. His eyes were shining. - -"You think I play mean trick when I drop trap yesterday," he began. "I -think mebbe you feel mad at Toma." - -"No," protested Dick, "but tell us how it all happened. What did they -do, Toma?" - -"I stand look out door mebbe not more than ten minutes, when I see -plenty men come along ridge. No time to do much. Henderson close -already. No good shoot; no good run away. First thing I think about you -an' Sandy. I try shout down hole, but you no hear. Men come closer all -time. I run to door then back to hole. I shout once more, but you no -hear. Pretty soon I have good idea. I think mebbe I close trap and -scrape dust over it. Henderson him not find where you, Sandy are. By -time I pull up rope and close hole bad fellows just outside cabin. When -they come in, I give up. Fellows take our guns. Henderson speak out: - -"'Where other fellow go?' - -"I tell him lie. I say you, Sandy run away. He no believe that. He see -you, Sandy gun an' shoulder-pack. He ask me many, many times where you -go, but always I tell him same thing. Bye-'n'-bye one bad fellow pull -knife an' prick me three, four, five times so it hurt very much. He keep -on until I stand it no longer, so I tell him where you, Sandy go, an' -where he find 'em plenty sacks of gold." - -As proof of the truth of his story, Toma opened his shirt, exhibiting -his bare, scarred breast. Sandy turned away, a mist filming his eyes. -Here indeed was conclusive proof of the terrible ordeal through which -Toma had passed. - -"They'll pay for this all some day," Dick prophesied. "They can't keep -on doing these awful things and expect never to be punished for them." - -It was late that night before they were relieved from their arduous -labors and were permitted to eat or rest. Accompanied by one of the -outlaws, they were sent back to an opening among the rocks, where a camp -had been erected during the afternoon. At one side of the camp was a -large tepee, which served as a sort of mess-hall for the men, while on -the opposite side, flanked by rocks and somewhat sheltered by them, was -a level strip of ground which afforded ample room for sleeping. - -They ate supper in the tepee with several of the other men and when they -had finished their guide led them over to the space reserved for -sleeping quarters. - -"Yuh can roll out your blankets here," he said gruffly. "But yuh better -keep your traps closed if yuh don't want to get in trouble." - -Although it was not yet dark, Dick's watch showed that it was after -eleven o'clock. Northern twilight, brooding across the land, lent a -certain weirdness and eeriness to the camp. Here and there, beyond the -sleeping forms of Henderson's first shift, blinked the red embers of -several campfires. Around one of these were three outlaws, drinking from -a large bottle. Their coarse voices and loud disputes could be plainly -heard by the boys. As Dick lay watching them, unable to sleep, he -observed the approach of two other men, whose figures seemed somehow -vaguely familiar. Passing by, on their way over to the three tipplers, -he recognized them immediately. They were Lee and Pierre, the two -packers, who had deserted his own party less than a week before. - -Dick was on the verge of waking Sandy to inform him of this discovery, -when a third person, no other than Henderson himself, made his way -hastily forward and paused just a few feet away from where the three -boys lay. - -"Are yuh there, Brennan?" he called out. - -"Yep," one of the men answered from the campfire. - -"Come here!" - -Brennan lost no time in obeying the summons. - -"Yes, Bear, what is it?" - -"Scar-Face jes' got back to camp from the river," Henderson informed -him. "He tells me that we'd better watch out fer the Indians tonight. -They're gettin' dangerous. The hull outfit is buzzin' around like a -swarm of mad hornets. He thinks they're comin' over." - -"What fer?" - -Henderson cleared his throat. - -"All on account o' that Indian kid La Lond cracked over the head this -afternoon. He's the chief's son. - -Brennan laughed. Alcohol had given him unlimited courage--of a sort. -Just then he was worried more about the diminishing contents of the -bottle than the chance possibility of an attack by Indians. - -"Let 'em come," he declared drunkenly. "What do we care? You ain't -afraid of a few Nitchies with bows an' arrers, are yuh, Bear?" - -"There's close to two hundred of 'em, not countin' a few strays they may -be able to pick up. We ain't got fifteen men." - -"Well, what do yuh think we'd better do?" - -"I don't think--I know. That's what I came all the way over here fer. -Wake up all the men, except them three kids, an' give 'em rifles. Tell -'em to be ready an' waitin' in case the Indians decide to come over. I -gotta supply of guns an' ammunition over at the cabin, an' I'll look -after that end if you'll look after this." - -"I don't think there's no danger," argued Brennan. "Why don't you send -Scar-Face back to sorta quiet 'em down?" - -"Scar-Face has got a broken arrow in him already. He won't live 'til -mornin'." - -Brennan considered this startling news for a brief space. - -"All right, I'll do as you say, Bear." - -When Brennan and Henderson had left, Dick lay quietly, pondering over -the information. Were the Indians really planning an attack? Would they -dare to do such a thing, fearful as they were of the white man's guns? -He sat up, blankets tucked around him, and listened intently, half -expecting to hear the sound of the invaders prowling around in the rocks -above. Brennan had returned to his cronies and regaled them with the -conversation he had had with Henderson. Loud bursts of drunken laughter -followed the recital. - -"The ol' man's gettin' so he's afeared of his own shadow," chortled one -of them. "'Magine them Nitchies tryin' to attack us. It don't make -sense. Why I ain't a bit scairt to fight the hull blamed outfit alone. -Pah!" - -"He told me to wake up ever'body an' give 'em guns," giggled Brennan. - -Another roar of laughter greeted this remark. When it had subsided, -Pierre, amid wild shouts of approval, produced a second bottle from -somewhere about his person, took a long draught himself, and passed it -around. - -It was the beginning of a mad debauch. In disgust, Dick turned his head -and silently regarded the forms of his two sleeping companions. Should -he awaken them? For a moment he hesitated. He put out one hand toward -Sandy, gently touching the face of his chum, smoothing back the lock of -hair that had fallen over the tired forehead. - -An outlandish yowl sounded from the direction of the campfire. The noise -had disturbed Toma, for he stirred restlessly and finally sat up. - -"What I hear?" he demanded sleepily. - -"A few drunken fools----" began Dick. - -He did not complete the sentence. A concerted, nerve-wracking screech -broke across the area above them. Its echo trembled for a moment in the -still air, then suddenly the camp filled, as if by a miracle, with -scores of hideous forms, darting here and there through the gathering -darkness. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - THE RED FURY - - -It was an avenging red fury that swept down upon them. - -Huddled in his blankets, Dick beheld a sight that caused him to shrink -back in mute terror. The camp was alive with invaders. Hideous shouts -rose on all sides. Rifles crashed. Through the gray twilight, appearing -like scurrying phantoms from another world, the attacking party had -hurled itself upon the outlaws' encampment. - -Brennan and his four companions had been among the first to attempt -flight. In desperation, reeling drunkenly as they hurried along, they -struck out in the direction of the cabin three hundred yards away. As -they passed opposite the three boys, four grisly forms leaped out from -the rocks just ahead and darted towards them. Dick could hear the -courageous Brennan squeaking like a rat before he turned again to make -off. Without thought of the possible consequences, they had swung about -and raced wildly back, screaming at the top of their lungs. - -The din and commotion increased. Over at the mine a furious fusillade of -rifle shots attested to the fact that Henderson and the other outlaws, -who occupied the cabin, were resisting stubbornly every effort on the -part of the Indians to storm the stronghold. The shouting had become -deafening. Pine torches in the hands of scores of the besiegers began -fluttering across the slope, thence up to the cabin. In an incredibly -short space of time a dense cloud of smoke enveloped the low structure. -Wide tongues of flame leaped up, mounting quickly to every part of the -building. - -Since the beginning of the attack, the three boys had made no effort to -escape. Sandy, weak with terror, clung to Dick while Dick himself, -nearly as badly frightened, sat shivering close to Toma. On several -occasions Indians had passed within a few feet of them, but had gone on. -It occurred to Dick that the reason their presence had not yet been -discovered was because they had pitched their blankets at the very foot -of the cliff, where the shadows were deepest. This thought gave birth to -an inspiration. A ray of hope flashed into Dick's mind. Would it not be -possible, keeping within the dark shadow of the cliff, to creep along to -the far side of the encampment undetected, thence make their way up -through the sheltering rocks to the top of the plateau? It was perhaps a -forlorn hope, yet it offered possibilities. - -In a low whisper, Dick told of his plan. A moment later the three boys -crept stealthily forth with wildly beating hearts. Inch by inch, they -wormed their way over the uneven ground. It required a full half hour of -ceaseless, uninterrupted crawling to negotiate the eastern side of the -wide, natural opening among the rocks. Scarcely daring to breathe, they -commenced the ascent. It was darker now, but the glaring reflection from -the burning cabin fell across their path directly above. - -"They'll see us up there," Sandy panted. "We can't make it." - -"Our only chance," returned Dick. "Come on!" - -They reached the top of the plateau in a panic of fear. Had they been -seen? Dick put one shaking hand on Sandy's shoulder and pointed to a low -barrier of rocks. - -"Make for it!" he quavered, gulping at the lump in his throat. - -They broke into a run. Thirty, forty, fifty yards--they were tearing -along now at top speed, hurdling the low obstructions, darting around -the higher slabs of sandstone that stood in their road. Madly they raced -for another twenty yards--and stopped! - -They had run straight into the arms of two powerful Indians. It had been -impossible to see them coming. Dick checked himself so suddenly that he -nearly fell. Sandy emitted a startled, agonized shriek, while Toma, -unable to stop, plunged ahead, colliding with the foremost of their -adversaries and sent him reeling back with crushing force against a -rock. - -Dick and the second Indian came to grips a moment later. A -murderous-looking knife flashed down in a short half-circle, but Sandy -seized the hand that held it and clung grimly there until Dick had -contrived to tear himself away from the smothering embrace. He was -gasping for breath as he drew back. Encumbered with Sandy, the Indian -shook himself like a huge mastiff, but Dick's clinched fist drove -forward with telling effect. Seeing their temporary advantage, the boys -were away again in a rush, Toma--somewhat dazed by the -collision--bringing up the rear. - -As they raced farther and farther away from the encampment, hope mounted -in their breasts. - -"We'll get away yet," Dick puffed. "We'll make it, Sandy. Don't lose -heart." - -They crossed a narrow swale, still running at top speed, and, continuing -eastward, came at length to a small meadow which extended to one side of -the plateau. The thickening dusk had become darkness. Far behind them -they could hear only faintly the noise of the attack. The red glow of -the burning cabin had almost subsided. The three boys tumbled in the -grass and lay still. Their breath came in choking gasps. Perspiration -oozed out from every pore in their bodies. - -Pausing only for a short rest, they hurried on again, turning more to -the northward. Once or twice Dick or Sandy stopped to listen, fearful -lest the two Indians they had encountered might be following them. - -"I can't believe we've managed to get away so easily," Dick declared. - -"It doesn't seem possible," replied Sandy. "They'll be sure to follow -us." - -They struggled on. It was difficult now to pick their way without -stumbling into ruts and slipping over rocks. They had left the meadow -behind. On every hand, boulders, stones, tall jagged cliffs surrounded -them. Their brisk walk had changed to a mere snail's pace. - -"We no get on very fast," complained Toma at the end of another half -hour. "I think mebbe we made mistake come this way. Take all night to go -one, two miles." - -"Let's turn more to the left," suggested Dick. "That may lead us out of -here." - -Toma's keen sense of hearing was responsible for their next full stop a -few minutes later. Groping out with his two arms he caught Dick by the -sleeve and Sandy by the back of his coat. Frantically, he pulled them -back. - -"I think I hear someone." His whispered warning was scarcely audible. -"Don't move unless want to die. Somebody come." - -A small stone rattled down the sharp incline immediately ahead of them. -A guttural voice broke across the stillness. - -"Indians!" breathed Sandy. "Quick!" - -With alacrity, the three quaking refugees pivoted about. For a few paces -they hurried forward. Another stone rattled down almost at their feet. -In dismay, they came to a sudden halt. - -"Trapped!" gurgled Dick. - -His legs were growing limp under him. Fearfully, his eyes endeavored to -pierce the surrounding darkness. Was it illusion, or did he actually see -something? - -Vague shapes took human form. Dick had barely time to reach out and draw -his two companions closer to him, to squeeze Sandy's hand, and brace -himself for the final shock--when the blow fell. One long, piercing, -fiendish scream cut the silence. A wild scramble, hideous faces leering -out of the dark, the sensation of being pummelled, struck, thrown back; -the faint memory of a strangled sob--then complete oblivion! - -When he woke to consciousness, Dick was being bounced and jerked about -in a most unusual and disconcerting way. He tried to raise his arms -above his head, but the effort proved futile. His wrists were bound. -Across his chest and around his legs he could feel the pressure of -tightly drawn rope. By turning his head slightly and squinting down -along the curved surface of the object under him--to which he had been -tied--he discovered the cause of his trouble. - -He was strapped to a horse. The horse was slipping and sliding over -treacherous underfooting, and was one in a long string of similar pack -animals. The pack-train was advancing through the uncertain light of -early morning, moving very slowly to the accompaniment of hoarse, -guttural shouts. - -In a sudden flash, the memory of the events of the preceding night came -back. Up to a certain point he retained a vivid, clear-cut impression of -everything that had passed--the Indian attack at Henderson's encampment, -the flight across the plateau and finally the harrowing experience among -the rocks. What had happened afterwards he did not know. Had Sandy and -Toma been killed? Why had the Indians taken him prisoner? Where were -they going now, and what did they purpose to do with him, when they got -there? - -But whatever fate lay in store for him--it mattered little. Just then -Dick was not particularly concerned with worry over himself. His mental -images had taken a gruesome and awful shape. Before his eyes he could -see the bruised and lifeless bodies of his two chums--Sandy and Toma. A -burning sob escaped him. He turned his head again, gazing up in the -gray, shadowy vault of the sky. - -With the coming of the morning light Dick saw that the country around no -longer possessed the aspect of grim, forbidding desolation. The plateau -had been left far behind. They were now winding their way over a -beautiful rolling woodland, whose varied scenic effects were pleasing to -the eye. At one place the ponies forded a shallow creek and a little -farther on skirted the shore of a lovely lake. This lake was narrow and -long, sparkling like an emerald in the slanting rays of the morning sun. - -And then Dick perceived, with a sigh of relief, the Indian village. -Scores of brown tepees nestled among the trees on the north side of the -lake. Blue pinions of smoke floated lazily through the still air above -the pines. - -Dick could scarcely believe that the howling demons of the night before -could in any way be associated with this pastoral scene. A drowsy peace -lay over the village. Men and women sauntered here and there. Children -played in the white belt of sand that sloped gently away toward the -lake. - -The pack-train turned quickly to the right and threaded its way along a -narrow path through the trees and a few minutes later drew up in a -cleared space at one end of the village. Their approach had been -heralded by an ear-splitting yowling of dogs and the noisy clamor of a -small regiment of half-naked children. During the general excitement -following their arrival, Dick began to believe that his own existence -had been entirely overlooked. Did they intend to leave him strapped to -the pony all day? Was it some new brand of torture devised for his -particular case? - -He was still brooding, when three particularly ferocious-looking -warriors drew away from the noisy hubbub and approached. Without a -moment's hesitation, they proceeded to untie the moose-hide thongs and -drag him down from his perch. In an incredibly short time, he was lying -in the grass at their feet, the cynosure of hundreds of curious eyes. - -Dick sat up and rubbed his wrists and ankles. He wriggled his toes. He -made an unsuccessful effort to rise. His legs were as numb and useless -as those of a paralytic. - -Two of the Indians who had released him helped him to his feet and, thus -supported, he was taken through the gaping crowd to a tepee nearby. Here -he was given food and water, one of the Indians remaining behind to -guard him. - -"I suppose they'll keep me confined here for the rest of the day," -thought Dick. "They're probably holding a council of war right now to -decide what's to be done with me." - -As the hours passed, Dick's guard sat stoically watching him. There was -no expression in the calm, deeply-lined face. Except for an occasional -flutter of his eye-lids, one might have thought that the silent, -tranquil figure had been carved out of stone. - -When the numbness had left his legs, Dick rose to his feet, and, as the -inactivity was unendurable, he began pacing back and forth across the -narrow, confining space. The exercise succeeded in restoring his -sluggish circulation. He felt so much better that he wished he might be -permitted to go out and walk along the shore of the lake. The flap of -the tepee had been pulled back, revealing an inviting prospect of cool -blue water and green trees. - -From time to time, visitors came to glance in at the prisoner. -Occasionally these were women and children, but more often dark-visaged -warriors, clad in moose-hide jackets and trousers that had been -beautifully embroidered in some kind of brightly-dyed fiber thread. Dick -became greatly absorbed in noting the various designs. There were totem -poles, bears, caribou, and animals of all descriptions. One Indian had a -picture of the sun emblazoned across his wide chest. - -He was occupied on one occasion in admiring a particularly interesting -sample of this native handiwork when he was startled by an explosive -grunt. When he looked up quickly, it was to meet the gaze of a young -Indian, whom he had seen somewhere before. He was probably one of the -men who had conducted the pack-train, Dick thought. Then, suddenly, he -remembered. An involuntary cry of recognition escaped from his lips. It -was the son of the chief--the victim of Baptiste's brutal attack. - -Dick's heart was beating joyfully as he sprang forward to grasp the -outstretched hand. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - IN THE INDIAN VILLAGE - - -The young Indian's first act was to dismiss the guard and wave aside the -inquisitive group that had gathered outside the tepee. Then he turned -towards Dick, jabbering excitedly, his face wreathed with smiles. He -patted the prisoner on the back and laughed uproariously. - -His manner indicated plainly his surprise and joy at the unexpected -meeting. - -"This is a huge joke," he seemed to be trying to say. "Please don't -worry any more--O fair-skinned stranger. I am the chief's son. I have -unlimited authority. No one shall harm you." - -He went through an amusing pantomime for a few moments, then clutched -Dick by the arm and drew him quickly outside, making a sign for him to -follow. He led the way to a large tepee, kicked aside the flap and -motioned Dick to enter. - -The chief, sitting cross-legged just opposite the entrance, was startled -into sudden wakefulness by the unexpected interruption. He had, it was -quite apparent, been indulging in an early morning nap. His manner was -not especially cordial, Dick thought, yet this impression vanished a -moment later when, at the conclusion of his son's brief explanation, he -rose with great dignity, crossed over and placed a reassuring hand on -Dick's head. - -This ceremony over, the young Indian smiled, took his charge in tow -again and they were off--this time to the far end of the village. Tepee -after tepee they visited, going through the same monotonous performance. -Then Dick received a shock. The last tepee they had entered did not -contain the usual swarthy, dignified inmate. The atmosphere was wholly -different here. Dick drew back with a startled cry, while a feeling of -revulsion swept over him. Baptiste La Lond, a shivering white-faced -wreck, sat with his back propped against a small pile of firewood and, -close by, snoring as contentedly as if nothing had ever happened, -sprawled the huge bulk of Bear Henderson. - -"Ah, monsieur," whimpered the abject, cowering wretch, "so you too haf -suffered ze terrible misfortune. Veree soon we die. Zees barbarians haf -no heart. Zey thirst for our veree blood. O monsieur, I am stricken. I -feel ze so terrible, terrible position." - -"You look it!" Dick growled at him. - -Dick felt that he should have been sorry for the unhappy Frenchman, but -for various reasons he could not. Sympathy would have been wasted upon -him. To a certain extent both Henderson and this cringing outlaw -deserved the fate that most assuredly awaited them. - -The chief's son nudged his arm and they had turned away, when Baptiste -again broke forth: - -"Where ees ze rope?" - -"What rope?" - -"Why are you not bound, monsieur?" - -"They took the rope off," answered Dick noncommittally. - -"An' your two friends--are zey too without ze rope?" - -"I haven't seen either one of them since the attack. I think they are -dead," Dick choked. - -"Et ees not so, monsieur. With my own eyes I see them both. Zey come -along on ze same pack-train. Ze leetle fellow cry most ze way like beeg -baby. Somewhere, I tell you, zey are here." - -With that startling information ringing in his ears, Dick was led -outside. The young Indian scowlingly shook his head and pointed back at -the tepee which sheltered the outlaws. Still scowling, he plucked two -broad leaves from a weed growing at his feet, squatted on his haunches, -placed the two leaves on the ground in front of him and, with a cry of -rage, drove his long-bladed hunting knife through each in turn. - -It was not difficult to comprehend that sort of sign language, and Dick -signified that he understood. Well he knew that it was a mock -murder--with Henderson and La Lond as the victims. - -Watching his rescuer, suddenly Dick had an inspiration. Might it not be -possible to learn the whereabouts of Sandy and Toma through the medium -of this sign language. If Baptiste's statement had been correct, his two -chums were imprisoned somewhere in the village. If only he could make -the young Indian understand. - -With that purpose in view, Dick selected two smaller leaves growing on -the same weed. Speaking sharply to his new friend in order to make sure -that he had gained his strict attention, he stroked the leaves against -his face, coddled them in his hands, brushed them against his lips, and -in other ways attempted to show his love for them. That the leaves -represented two persons, the Indian knew, of course; but Dick's efforts -apparently had overshot their mark. He had hit the wrong target The -chief's son evidently believed, judging from the sudden savage scowl on -his face, that Dick was attempting to make known his friendship for the -two outlaws. - -Dick pointed to the outlaw's tent and then at the two leaves he still -held in the palm of his hand and shook his head vigorously. The scowl -disappeared. With a small twig, he drew in the sand a crude likeness of -two tepees. Within one of the tepees he placed the remnants of the -leaves which had been mutilated by the Indian's knife and in the other -the two leaves he had himself selected, first being, very careful to -wind long blades of grass around each of them. The blades of grass, he -hoped, would carry to the Indian's mind the suggestion he wished to -convey--rope wound around the ankles and wrists of his chums. - -There followed a few more explanatory gestures--and Dick gazed eagerly -across to his benefactor. Had the young Indian grasped the message? The -minutes seemed interminable as the two squatted there in the sand. - -To Dick's great disappointment, the chief's son shook his head as if in -doubt. Evidently he knew nothing of Sandy and Toma. However, he rose -quickly to his feet and with a grunt to his eager companion hurried away -through the trees, returning a few minutes afterward accompanied by -three men. As he approached Dick he smiled and gesticulated excitedly. - -"Come!" said one of the Indians. - -Dick started in surprise. - -"You speak English!" he shouted joyfully. - -"Come!" solemnly repeated the Indian. - -Motioning to Dick, the four struck off sharply to the right. They passed -a few tepees, the last at that end of the village, and plunged straight -on through a thicket of saskatoon, very much to Dick's bewilderment. At -the opposite side of the thicket a path, evidently used as a pack-trail, -threaded its way through a dense growth of underbrush. Where were they -taking him? A few hundred yards farther on, Dick stopped short, resolved -not to take another step until he had satisfied himself that the party -was not leading him astray. - -"Where are we going?" he demanded of the Indian who had spoken the one -word of English. - -There ensued an interval of silence, in which the four Indians stared at -Dick in mild disapproval. Then a wild chattering broke forth. They -surrounded their dazed and discomfited protege, gesticulating almost -savagely. Before their well-intended onslaught Dick shrank back in -dismay. - -Perceiving the uselessness of such tactics, the chief's son approached -the now thoroughly alarmed young man, smiling affably. He patted Dick's -arm reassuringly and pointed to the trail ahead. - -"Come!" he said in a soothing voice, imitating the Indian who spoke -English so fluently. - -"Good! You come!" cried the fluent one, his face distorted in what -probably was intended for a smile. - -"All right," grinned Dick. "I come." - -In high spirits they set out again. In less than twenty minutes they -came upon a wide natural clearing, dotted here and there with the tepees -of another Indian encampment. A few minutes later, Dick's heart pounding -in his throat, they entered the narrow opening of one of the tepees. - -"Dick!" immediately shrieked a voice. "You! You! _You!_----" - -With a cry that sounded like the screech of a calliope, Dick bounded -forward and caught his chum in his arms. - -"Sandy!" he almost blubbered. "Toma!--Everything's all right! Gee!--I've -found you--Don't worry--Gosh! I've been nearly crazy, thinking, -thinking----" - -Tears were welling in Sandy's eyes. - -"Did you drop from the clouds?" he inquired brokenly. "Say, Dick, we've -been through hell." - -"Don't worry any more," Dick comforted him. "We're all right now. These -Indians have come to release you. Just think of it, Sandy--we're free. -Free! Do you hear me, Sandy?" - -"Yes, I hear you. But why----" - -"The chief's son---- We owe our lives to him." - -"Why chief's son do that?" Toma demanded. "Mebbe they make you like -fool." - -Dick turned quickly and grasped the guides drooping shoulder in a -friendly grip. - -"Listen, Toma. Look at that young Indian standing over there," he -pointed as he spoke. "Ever see him before?" - -Toma blinked a number of times, then suddenly started. - -"Sure!" he broke forth excitedly. "I know him. Young Indian fellow -Baptiste strike 'em hard with revolver that day over at mine." - -"I'm beginning to see light," Sandy cut in quickly. "We owe our lives to -you, Dick. Because you knocked Baptiste down that day, after he'd struck -the chief's son, he---- he----" - -"Is showing his gratitude," Dick completed the sentence. - -Then the three boys looked up expectantly. With a slow, measured tread, -the subject of their discourse advanced with great solemnity and, -bending over each of the prisoners in turn, cut the moose-hide thongs -that bound them. - -"Hurrah!" shouted Sandy. Then facing about, turning his head slowly, he -looked up at Dick. "I was never happier--never quite so happy as I am -right now," he declared fervently. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - GUESTS OF THE CHIEF - - -There was much to think about, much to tell during the next few hours. -Over and over again, Sandy related the story of his capture, lingering -over certain details which lent themselves to dramatic exploitation. - -"I was certain that you were dead," he told Dick for the hundredth time. -"I saw them carry your body away and I could have sworn that there -wasn't a breath of life in it. If ever there was a corpse that -looked----" - -"Forget about it," Dick hastily interrupted. "I'm pretty much alive -now--and that's all that matters. When you come to think of it, we've -been more than fortunate. How we've managed to get out of this scrape -without suffering seriously is a mystery to me. We've lost a little -weight, a little sleep, a little skin and cuticle here and there, -but----" - -"And we've lost the mine," Sandy interrupted him. - -"To whom?" Dick demanded. - -"To Henderson or the Indians--I'm not sure which." - -"Do you mean to tell me that you don't know where Henderson is?" - -"Why should I? I haven't seen him, have I?" - -Dick reached over and laughingly shook his friend. - -"Wake up, Sandy. Of course, you have. Baptiste told me that you and -Toma, Henderson and he himself all came out here on the same pack-train. -He said that you cried all the time like a big baby." - -Sandy sprang to his feet, his face crimson with rage. - -"He's a liar! Maybe they came out with us all right, but if he says that -he's--he's mistaken. I didn't! I swear it, Dick. Toma will vouch for me. -I was a bit hysterical, of course and--and badly frightened. I might -have moaned once or twice. You know how it is. But that's -all--positively!" - -"Where Henderson an' Baptiste now?" Toma asked, smiling furtively. - -"Over at the other village. They're both trussed up, and there's a -sentry guarding them. I'd hate to be in their shoes." - -"Serves 'em right," growled Sandy. - -"So I don't see why we can't get complete and undisputed possession of -the mine. We've won out. Sandy. Just think of it--not a single obstacle -in the road." - -"And you think the Indians won't want it--won't molest us if we go back -there?" - -"Exactly." - -Dick gazed dreamily through the tepee opening. The late afternoon -sunlight fell radiantly across the earth. Through the trees at the far -side of the meadow he caught sight of the rippling, blue waters of the -lake. - -"Do you know," he spoke earnestly, "there's a certain thing I'd like to -do, if you fellows are willing." - -"What is it?" - -"Show our appreciation and gratitude to the Indians in some definite -way," responded Dick. "I guess we all realize the extent of our -indebtedness. We owe them everything--our lives, the mine, the right to -go and come unmolested. We've gained their friendship and their respect; -we have them on our side to help us. I'm confident that they'll prove to -be as loyal friends as anyone could expect." - -"I'd rather have them our friends than our enemies," shivered Sandy. - -"So would I. And I'm going to make a proposal. Let's divide our -ownership in the mine with them, all of us sharing equally in the -profits." - -"But they don't care for money," protested Sandy. "Gold! What does it -mean to them? Nothing! It would be a whole lot more sensible to stake -them to a winter's grub-stake. I think they'd appreciate it more." - -"That's exactly what I'm coming to," declared Dick. "My proposal is to -divide the property in this way: We'll own a half interest, the Indians -the other half. It will be necessary to appoint a guardian for the -Indians. This guardian will look after their interest and----" - -"Spend their money!" laughed Sandy. - -"Sure. Buy them the things they really need and can enjoy--food, guns, -knives, traps, clothing. As long as the mine continues to produce, -they'll never, never want for any of these things." - -"It sounds all right. It would work out all right, too, if only we could -find an honest, absolutely trustworthy guardian." - -"What about the Royal North West Mounted," suggested Dick. - -"By George! You have it. They'll be the guardians!" Sandy rose in his -enthusiasm and smote Toma a resounding whack. "What do you think of it, -old sober-face? We haven't heard from you yet." - -"I think 'em mighty fine idea," their guide responded quickly. - -The chief's son appeared at this juncture and smiled at them through the -opening. - -"Come," he requested gutturally. - -"I think he wants us to accompany him back to his own village," said -Dick, when they had hurried outside. - -This proved to be the case. Through the brilliant, warm sunshine of late -afternoon they followed the lithe young native along the path that led -back to the first and larger village. Arriving there, the boys were -escorted directly to the chief's tepee, where a large crowd had -gathered. The chief himself, now fully arrayed in resplendant regal -garb, awaited their coming. As the small party drew up before him, he -advanced solemnly, raised one arm in a commanding gesture and everyone -sat down, including the chief's son and the three boys. - -"What's the old beggar going to do now?" Sandy whispered. - -"I don't know," Dick scratched his head in perplexity. "It's probably a -meeting of some sort." - -Toma leaned over and nudged Dick in the ribs. - -"Indians make ready for big feast. Look!" - -A corpulent, kindly-looking squaw, closely followed by four Indian -girls, appeared suddenly in their midst, carrying huge trays or -platters, which were heaped high with what looked like roasted venison. -The first tray was placed on the ground in front of the chief, the next -before the boys, while the remaining three were deposited at different -points of vantage amongst the assembly. The hostess with her four comely -helpers disappeared, only to return a moment later, bearing other trays -piled with food. - -Altogether it was a novel experience. It was the first time that the -boys had ever attended a regal function of this kind, and they -thoroughly enjoyed it. At the conclusion of the feast, the crowd fell -back, forming itself in a wide circle. Within the unoccupied center -space strode three grotesquely-attired braves, carrying a short section -of a hollow log, over one end of which moose-hide had been tightly -stretched. - -The booming notes of the crude, home-made drum trembled forth its -invitation to the dance. A weird, unearthly yowling was struck up. -Warrior after warrior leaped into the cleared space and began spinning -about, to the accompaniment of a yip-yip-yihing that reminded Dick of -the howling of wolves. - -Through the long evening and late into the night the dance continued, -growing more hideous and noisy with each passing hour. So violently did -a number of the participants disport themselves that they dropped to the -ground in utter exhaustion, but leaping up again as soon as they had -recovered sufficiently to make such an effort possible. - -Dick and Sandy had grown weary of watching long before the dance broke -up, yet as guests of honor they hesitated about making known their wish -to retire for the night. - -"I'm so sleepy I can't hold my head up much longer," Sandy declared. -"But just look at Toma--he's enjoying every minute of it. I honestly -believe the old boy is anxious to get out there himself." - -Hearing the remark, the guide turned a flushed, excited face toward -Sandy and grinned good-naturedly. - -"You bet! I like go there myself. Mebbe sometime I show you how good I -make 'em like that dance." - -"I'll take your word for it," answered Sandy. - -Squaws and children kept adding fresh fuel to the three huge campfires -that had been kindled within the dancing space. In their bright glare -there came presently a group of Indians, attired in complete war -regalia, and closely following them, still another group, half-carrying, -half-dragging two pitiable, quaking forms. - -Dick's heart seemed to stand still when he had recognized the identity -of the two victims--no other than Henderson and Baptiste La Lond! With a -shaking finger, he pointed them out to Sandy and Toma. - -"Great Caesar! I hope the Indians are not going to torture them right -here in front of our eyes," Sandy exclaimed. - -The approach of the group of warriors had been the signal for the dance -to cease, although the drum still kept up a low, muffled roll. Dick -turned to Toma. - -"What do you think they're about to do, Toma?" he quavered. - -"Me not sure yet." - -"But will they kill them?" - -The guide shook his head. - -"Mebbe tomorrow morning--but not tonight. Tonight I think chief an' -brave fighting men hold big meeting to decide what they do. Pretty sure, -Baptiste, Henderson no get killed tonight." - -"Yes, it's a meeting," cried Sandy. "See--they're all sitting down. -Look, Dick, the chief is rising to his feet. Toma--run over and find out -what they're going to do." - -When Toma returned, nearly an hour later, the meeting had ended and the -two prisoners were being dragged back to their former prison. - -"I no find out very much," he greeted them. "Indians make different talk -from my people. I hear only few words I understand. I find out just -enough know that they take 'em Baptiste, Henderson long way off -tomorrow." - -"What did the chief do when he walked over and stood in front of them?" -asked Sandy. "From here it looked as if he had stooped over to cut or -untie their ropes." - -"I not understand that part," replied Toma. "Chief stoop down all right -but he no untie. He give Baptiste, Henderson each one little canoe small -like my hand. Then he walk away again an' pretty soon Indians take them -bad fellow back to tepee." - -"The canoes must signify something," mused Dick. "They're symbols of -some kind. It would be interesting to know." - -That night the boys slept in a large tepee that had been pitched near -the shore of the lake. It was late when they awoke. Dick scrambled out -of his rabbit-robe and hurried outside. A loud clamor, coming from the -center of the village, increased in volume as he stood there shading his -eyes with his hand. - -Toma and Sandy came bustling out a short time later and the three boys -stood watching the dense throng, milling about the space where the feast -and dance had taken place on the previous night. - -"Wonder what's up?" said Sandy. "They're making more noise than a house -full of huskies. I'll bet everybody forgot to go to bed last night." - -"Perhaps the village executioner is getting ready to sharpen his -hatchet," guessed Dick. - -"Ugh!" shivered Sandy. "I'd almost forgotten about that. It's one event -that I don't intend to witness. You fellows can go if you like--but -please count me out. My father went to a 'hanging' once in England, and -he used to wake up nights for months afterward and would lay there -thinking about it." - -The approach of the chief's son cut short any further comment on the -impending tragedy. The young Indian greeted them cordially, pointed to -the glistening waters of the lake, and proceeded to disrobe. With a -whoop of delight, Sandy commenced to follow his example. - -"Come on, Toma!" Dick cried. "We'll join them. I haven't had a decent -bath for--let's see--how long is it?" - -"For years!" jibed Sandy. "I reckon you're about the dirtiest prospector -that ever struck these parts." Dick repaid Sandy for the insult by -bouncing a small pebble off his defamer's head. A moment later they were -engaged in a friendly scuffle, when a warning shout from Toma drew their -attention. - -"Henderson!" - -Less than eighty yards behind them the outlaw, a heavy club in each -hand, battled his way through the crowd. His towering form plunged this -way and that in an effort to shake himself free of the two or three -swarthy figures that still clung to him. Like a madman he fought forward -fifteen or twenty yards, then went down suddenly before a concerted rush -that literally tramped him in the sand under the infuriated feet of the -mob. - -"He was a fool to try it," said Sandy. "How in the dickens did he ever -manage to free himself of the rope in the first place? Whew! He's a -regular human tornado!" - -"They were getting ready to take the prisoners away somewhere, by the -looks of it. Probably he was untied for a moment, and he saw his -chance," Dick replied. - -"He'll never have another one," Sandy prophesied. "I'll bet they'll -watch him so closely from now on, they'll all need glasses for their -worn-out eyes. I hope he didn't kill any of them." - -A splash in the water near at hand recalled their forgotten swim, and -the two boys looked up just as the chief's son came blowing to the -surface a few feet from shore. - -"He's a cool one," admired Dick. "He didn't pay any more attention to -the struggle back there just now than he would to a dog fight." - -Sandy kicked off his moccasins and socks and paused to wriggle his toes -in the sand. - -"I'm very anxious to know what they intend to do with Baptiste and -Henderson. Toma, don't you suppose you could find out. You said last -night that you could understand a few words of what they said at the -meeting. Why don't you try to question the chief's son?" - -"Bye-'n'-bye I speak to him," promised Toma. "But why you worry so much -'bout them?" - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - THE CARIBOU HERD - - -A belated breakfast followed the swim. Greatly refreshed, both in mind -and body, Dick and Sandy repaired to the shade of an ancient spruce to -discuss the plans for the day. Toma, who had struck up a close -friendship with the young Indian, had betaken himself to the village in -an effort to gather the information that Sandy's morbid curiosity seemed -to require. - -"We ought to go back to the mine as soon as possible," said Dick. "I'm -anxious to see how things are, and especially to find out about the -moose-hide sacks. I doubt very much whether they're still stored in the -main shaft. The chances are that Henderson and his men attempted to take -them with them when they were driven from the mine." - -"I hope we'll be able to find them," Sandy responded. "If they're not -buried under the charred remains of the cabin that must now be littering -the main shaft, we may have to search the entire north side of the -plateau." - -"Another reason why we ought to hasten back to the mine," Dick pointed -out, "is because your Uncle Walter and the mounted police are scheduled -to arrive there in the next day or two." - -"But what makes you think that?" asked Sandy. - -"Henderson himself said so. One of his Indian runners came in with the -news the night before we were captured by the outlaws. That was the -reason why Henderson was in such a hurry to strip the mine, as he called -it, and make his 'get-away'." - -Sandy nodded and lapsed into a short silence. - -"You're right, Dick. We ought to hurry back," he finally broke forth. -"If Uncle Walter and Corporal Richardson arrive at the mine during our -absence, they'll be terribly alarmed. Everything there is in an awful -mess. The cabin's burned. Here and there, they'll come across signs of -the Indian attack. They may possibly find a few dead bodies of the -outlaws. You can guess what they'll think has become of us." - -"Yes," shuddered Dick, "I know what they'll think. It wouldn't occur to -them that we'd been taken by the Indians." - -"Why not return today?" suggested Sandy. - -"We'll try to, Sandy. I only wish that there was some way that we could -talk to the chief's son and explain matters to him. If we hurry away he -may think that we don't appreciate his kindness." - -Sandy gazed thoughtfully at his chum for a few moments, then rose -decisively to his feet. - -"Well, it can't be helped. Let's go over to the village and see if we -can find Toma. He's right in his element now. It would tickle him pink -if we would decide to remain here for the rest of the summer." - -Dick laughed as he swung into step beside his friend. - -"You're wrong there. Toma may enjoy a day or two of this, but the -novelty would soon wear off. He's on the job day and night. Besides, -he's troubled with a secret ambition." - -"What is it?" - -"He hopes some day to become a mounted police scout like Malemute Slade. -It's about all he lives for. He'll be the proudest mortal in seven -kingdoms and fourteen republics if they ever decide to give him a -chance." - -"And he'd make good, too," said Sandy. - -"I know it. In some respects he's almost as clever as Malemute Slade -right now. Corporal Richardson and Inspector Cameron are keeping an eye -on him. It's hard to get good scouts for the mounted." - -The subject of this short but complimentary appraisement came suddenly -in view, accompanied by the chief's son. Both were smiling in great good -humor as they approached. - -"I make 'em pretty good talk," Toma proudly announced. "I find out where -Indian take Baptiste an' Henderson. Where you think?" - -"I can't imagine," replied Dick. - -"Thunder River." - -"Thunder River!" exclaimed Sandy. "What for?" - -"I suppose," said Dick, "they intend to drown them or else throw them -over a cliff." - -"No," said Toma, shaking his head, "Indian do better thing than that. -Big men an' chief decide about that last night. You remember 'bout -little canoes chief gave to Baptiste and Henderson?" - -"Yes, I remember you mentioned it." - -"When he give 'em Baptiste, Henderson little canoes he mean by that a -certain thing. He mean they take voyage on river. He send 'em down -river." - -"How kind of the dear old chief," said Sandy sarcastically. - -"Not so kind you think," retorted Toma. "Indians take Baptiste, -Henderson to bad place in river. Put each one in different canoe, then -push canoe away from shore. No paddle! Nothing! God swim along under the -water----" - -"What!" shouted Dick and Sandy in unison. "What did you say?" - -"God swim along under the water," calmly repeated Toma, "an' if he see -man in canoe very bad he tip it over. Mebbe man not very bad, so he no -tip." - -"What makes you think that God swims in the water?" Dick inquired, -suppressing a smile. - -"Indians see him many times--they tell me that." - -"A river manitou," said Sandy, winking slyly at Dick. "I've heard of him -before. Do you suppose he'll permit Henderson and Baptiste to pass -safely through the rapids?" - -"No can tell." Toma shook his head gravely. "Sometimes bad fellow from -tribe get through, but not very often. This afternoon we find out about -Baptiste, Henderson. You see for yourself. Indian get ready go Thunder -River pretty soon. Chief's son he like it we go along." - -"But we ought to return to the mine, Toma. Factor MacClaren and the -mounted police are almost due now, and we'd hate to miss them." - -The guide's face clouded with disappointment. From his expression and -actions it was evident that he looked forward to the ordeal at the river -with considerable anticipation. - -"Chief's son feel bad you no go," he declared disconsolately. - -"It can't be helped," Sandy interjected. "You must explain to him -somehow. Tell him we'd like to stay and would gladly go with him to the -river if we weren't expecting the arrival of friends at the mine." - -Toma performed the unpleasant task with his usual willingness. He had -some difficulty, however. At the first attempt the chief's son stared -blankly at the perspiring interpreter, unable to translate the confusing -jumble of words, signs and gestures the guide showered upon him. Toma -had nearly exhausted his supply of ideas before he succeeded in making -himself understood. Dawning comprehension showed itself in the quickly -brightening features, then suddenly a smile rewarded Toma for his -efforts. - -With a good-natured grunt he turned, motioning to the boys to follow, -and led the way to a small clearing in the woods, where a herd of Indian -ponies, picketed in the long grass, raised their heads and snorted in -affright. - -Dick and Sandy paused in wonder. - -"Can you beat that!" gleefully shouted the latter. "He's going to lend -us ponies, Dick. If that isn't the last word in kindness and generosity, -I'll eat Toma for dinner." - -"If that is really his intention, we'll get back to the mine in a -hurry," chuckled Dick. - -"You bet!" grinned Toma. "We ride fast. What you say if Toma tell him -thank you." - -"You can fall on his neck and kiss him if you like," said Sandy, jumping -about and clapping his hands in delight. "By George, he's a true sport -if there ever was one. Just for this I'm going to give him my jack-knife -and pocket mirror." - -The suggestion seemed a good one and the three boys turned out their -pockets and took inventory of the contents. Sandy handed over the mirror -and knife with an elaborate bow; Dick parted with his pocket-compass -without a single sigh of regret, while Toma's contribution consisted of -a much-prized mouth-organ, two steel fish-hooks and a string of glass -beads. - -The young Indian was so overcome by this liberality that his hands shook -as he examined each object in turn. The harmonica especially enthralled -him. He listened to Toma's expert piping on this, the most favored of -all musical instruments among the Indians in the North, with eyes that -grew bright with pleasure, and broke forth at the conclusion of the -short concert with an awed expression of approval. - -Less than an hour later, loaded down with fresh meat and fish, a gift -from the Indians, and with the shouts and plaudits of a large crowd that -had gathered to see them off, the young adventurers turned the heads of -their ponies southward and cantered away. The chief's son accompanied -them for several miles before he waved his final farewell. As the horse -and rider disappeared in a turn of the forest path, Dick heaved a sigh -of regret. - -"I hated to see him go," he confided to Sandy, "I wonder if he'll ever -come over and visit us at the mine." - -"I sincerely hope so." - -"He come all right," Toma assured them. "He tell me mebbe he ride over -tomorrow to see how we get along." - -A few miles farther on the forest thinned out and presently they rode -forth across an open prairie. To the south lay the plateau. Far to the -westward, a chain of purple-belted hills extended back to meet the -rugged slope of Dominion Range. In this direction, above the horizon's -broken rim, they could discern plainly many snowy mountain peaks. - -"It take about three hours to get back to mine," guessed Toma. - -Dick, gazing away in the direction of the plateau, nodded his head. - -"Yes, it shouldn't take much longer than that." - -He paused, squinting in the bright morning sunlight. - -"I wonder if my eyes are deceiving me," he suddenly broke forth. "What -are those dark spots a little west and south of here? Looks to me like a -band of horsemen." - -"Unless it's a whole tribe of Indians on the march--it couldn't be -that," Sandy interposed, reining up his pony. "If I didn't know better, -I'd say it was a big herd of cattle." - -"Caribou!" trilled Toma, becoming suddenly tremendously excited, and -almost falling off his mount as he craned his neck in order to get a -better view. "Pretty soon you see something mebbe you never forget. Only -one time before I watch 'em big caribou herd." - -Dick and Sandy had often been told about but had never witnessed one of -the most interesting and marvelous sights to be seen in the far North--a -migrating herd of caribou! Almost as numerous as the bison or American -buffalo that once roamed over the western plains of the United States, -twice a year--south in the autumn, north in the spring--these sleek, -antlered beasts, that very much resemble the reindeer of northeastern -Europe, formed themselves into vast herds and started forth on the -inevitable trek to new grazing grounds. - -Dick's breath caught with excitement as he followed their slow, -unhurried course. On and on they came in a dense, black wave, pouring -out over the prairie in one long, seemingly endless column. Their -thundering hooves shook the earth. Had the boys possessed rifles and -been less kind-hearted, they might easily have slaughtered hundreds of -the mild-eyed, forward-surging animals without leaving a single gap in -the line. - -"In all my life I've never seen anything so wonderful!" Sandy gasped. - -"Neither have I," admired Dick. "I can believe now the story that -Malemute Slade told me one time. He and a mounted policeman, named -Corporal Casserley, were proceeding north through the first heavy snow -of early winter when they met a huge herd of caribou travelling south. -For three hours they stood shivering in the cold, waiting for the herd -to go by. Finally, they were forced to build a campfire and erect a -shelter. It was not until noon of the following day that the last of the -herd passed and Slade and Casserley were permitted to proceed on their -journey." - -"I'd hate to ride out in the path of the caribou," Sandy declared, as he -turned his pony's head. "It might cause them to stampede." - -"It would be very apt to," Dick replied. "Personally, I haven't any -desire to be trampled under their hooves. In preference to being chopped -into mince-meat, I think I'll steer my course more to the east and avoid -them." - -"I think like that too," smiled Toma. "What you say we hurry along now -an' get back to mine. Pretty soon we get hungry an' no like to stop an' -build campfire then. Much better we travel fast an' cook 'em big dinner -soon we get there." - -"And I want to get there before Uncle Walter arrives," remembered Sandy. - -"I don't think we'll find them at the mine," said Dick. "They'll be in -exactly the same boat that we were. They won't know where the mine is. -During the last hour or two I've been turning things over in my mind, -and I've just about come to the conclusion that our best plan is to go -right on past the plateau to Thunder River, where we made the crossing. -I'm sure we'll meet them sooner by doing that." - -"Of course we will. Funny I never thought about it But that means, Dick, -that we have a longer ride ahead of us than we first expected. Even by -forced travelling, we won't reach the river much before night." - -"Yes, that's true." - -"And we'll have to stop to graze the ponies, not to mention preparing -our own lunch." - -"Yes." - -"Then, let's hurry!" - -With a last look at caribou, they dug their heels into their impatient -mounts and sped southward, whooping like three cowboys. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - REUNION - - -Sandy sat with his chin in his hands, his brooding, disconsolate eyes -fixed on the opposite shore of Thunder River. - -"They aren't coming tonight," he finally exploded. "Not a sign of them. -We've been sitting here for hours just wasting our time. I'm beginning -to believe that Henderson lied about that Indian messenger. If Uncle -Walter and the mounted police were really coming, they ought to be here -now." - -"Don't be so impatient, Sandy," Dick laughed. "If you keep on worrying -like that, you'll be a nervous wreck by the time they do get here. Of -course, they're coming. If not tonight--tomorrow or the next day. I see -no reason to doubt Henderson's statement." - -"Tomorrow or the next day!" groaned the other. "Mighty cheering, aren't -you? If I actually thought they wouldn't arrive before then, I'd cross -the river and go on to meet them." - -"You foolish fellow if you do that," stated Toma, throwing a handful of -pebbles into the swiftly-flowing stream. "You easy pass by each other by -mistake an' not know thing about it. Bye-'n'-bye you find you hit trail -for Fort Good Faith an' factor an' mounted police same time hit trail -close to mine. How you like that?" - -"I wouldn't like it," responded Sandy, "and I haven't the least -intention of pulling a crazy stunt like that. What I would do if I -crossed, would be to search for them along the river. You remember the -trouble we had in finding a place where the current wasn't too swift for -a raft. It is only natural to suppose that they may be having the same -trouble." - -"True enough," agreed Dick. "But eventually they'd be forced to come -down here. It's the only safe crossing." - -"I'm not so sure about that." - -"Another thing, you can't cross over without a raft," Dick went on. "It -would be more difficult to build a raft on this side of the river than -on the other. The trees are all on the other side." - -"There's plenty of driftwood," Sandy pointed out. - -"I think mebbe it good idea if we do build raft," Toma suddenly spoke -up. "It save time for mounted police. First thing they have to do when -they come is make ready chop down trees. Mebbe pretty tired an' no like -do that. Factor MacClaren him be glad when he find raft all ready--only -wait for him to cross." - -"You said a mouthful!" approved Sandy. "We can have one ready in two or -three hours. Then we'll slip over to the other side and wait until they -come." - -Dick acquiesced willingly, not only because the suggestion seemed a good -one, but also because the work entailed would cause them to forget the -slow, monotonous passing of time. Sandy became cheerful again almost -immediately. He and Toma hurried away to select the logs from the large -piles of driftwood, while Dick sauntered over to the three ponies and -returned a moment later with an axe and a coil of rope. - -When twilight descended, their task was nearly completed. Toma and Dick -were tying the last log in place when a fervid, reverberating halloo -sounded across the canyon. Dropping everything, the three boys darted to -their feet. - -"Yih! Yip!" screamed Sandy. "Who's there?" - -"Mounted police!" came the answering shout. "Is that you, Sandy?" - -Sandy's hysterical reply took the form of a screech that might have been -heard for miles. Dick's own contributing whoop was scarcely less -powerful. - -"Coming over?" Sandy's question stirred up another battery of echoes. - -"No raft! Everybody safe?" - -"Yes, we're all here. Wait just a few minutes. Own raft almost finished. -Stand by, we'll soon be there." - -Twenty minutes later they had made the crossing in safety and were -joyfully helped ashore by the three men, Corporal Richardson, Factor -MacClaren and Malemute Slade. Vocal confusion ensued. Everybody talked -at once. With a strangled cry, Sandy threw himself in the outspread arms -of Walter MacClaren. Malemute Slade and Corporal Richardson took turns -in pounding Dick and Toma on the back. - -"Thank God, we got here in time," Corporal Richardson declared -fervently. "We hardly expected to find you alive." - -"Why not?" asked Dick. - -"Why not!" Corporal Richardson repeated Dick's question sharply. "Why -not! Because every member of Henderson's murderous gang followed you out -here. They're here--right in this vicinity now. We've been right on the -jump ever since we heard the news." - -"What news?" - -"Why--the news that they had followed you." - -"If you ain't seen 'em, you're liable to before long," Malemute Slade -hinted darkly. "Did you fellers find the mine?" - -"Yes, we found it," answered Dick. - -"Any good?" - -"It's a peach!" - -"Funny Henderson didn't take it away from you." - -"Why, he did," shouted Sandy. "He took it away from us the very same day -we found it." - -"Well, that sure is tough luck. Never mind," Malemute Slade patted -Sandy's arm comfortingly, "mebbe we can get it back fer yuh. Mebbe -we----" - -"But we've already got it back," Dick interrupted him. - -"Got it back? What do yuh mean? See here, young feller--you're not -spoofin' me. I think not!" - -Bit by bit the story came out. Sandy, Dick and even Toma took turns in -the telling. Eagerly, the three men gathered around them and listened, -often interrupting the narrator to ply him with questions. Often -Corporal Richardson, unable to follow the broken thread of the story's -sequence, threw up his hands in despair: - -"Hold on there, Dick! Not so fast! Wait a moment, Sandy, you forgot to -tell us what happened before that. Toma, why don't you speak in Cree. -We'll understand you better. You're too excited to talk 'em English -tonight." - -It was so late when the tale was concluded, that by common consent the -party decided not to cross the river that night. - -"It will be perfectly safe to leave the ponies on the other side," said -Dick. "There's plenty of grass where we have them picketed. I don't -believe anything will come to disturb them." - -"We have our own pack-horses on this side," laughed Factor MacClaren. -"We left them in charge of three half-breeds up there on the level -ground above the canyon. I thought it would be better not to make the -descent with the horses until we had looked around a bit." - -"Did you have much difficulty in following our trail?" Dick enquired. - -"No, not very much. Malemute Slade is a good tracker and we found many -of your campfires. Once we picked up an old pair of moccasins that we -thought had been discarded by Sandy. They were small--about the size he -usually wears." - -The camp was astir early on the following morning. When Dick and Sandy -tumbled out of the blankets they had borrowed from Factor MacClaren, a -pan of bacon sizzled over the fire and the odor of strong black coffee -blended with the smell of spruce and balsam. Malemute Slade and Corporal -Richardson nodded a cheery greeting as the two young adventurers, still -rubbing their eyes, stumbled down to the river for an icy-cold plunge. - -Shivering for a moment in anticipation, Dick raised his arms above his -head, darted for a few paces over the smooth white sand and shot -straight out into the gurgling current. Sandy hit the water almost -simultaneously. As the two boys came blowing to the surface, Dick made a -playful swipe at his chum's head. Instinctively Sandy ducked. - -"I'll race you down to that big rock, you big, overgrown puppy," he -called out mockingly. "I'm in my natural element now. Try to catch me!" - -They plowed through the water. An expert swimmer, Sandy won the race by -a wide margin. He was sitting on the rock, feet dangling above the -surface of the stream, when Dick came puffing up. But instead of the -look of triumph on his face that Dick had expected, Sandy's countenance -was distorted painfully. - -"Why, Sandy--what's the matter? Did you get cramps?" - -The other did not reply. He was staring at Dick now with eyes that were -wide with horror. He slipped from the rock in a sort of panic and struck -out for shore. Hastily, Dick followed him. - -Wading out, Dick approached the trembling figure. - -"You're frightened," he declared. "Or are you sick, Sandy? Was the water -too cold for you?" - -"Dick--I saw it! A body floated past! A man!" - -"A what----" gasped Dick. - -"I was crawling on the rock. I could see it plainly. I tried to call -out." - -Sandy's voice choked. He reached out and gripped Dick by the arm. His -lips were blue from fright and cold. - -"_It was Henderson!_" he whispered. - -Perceiving that something was wrong, Malemute Slade and Corporal -Richardson hurried over. - -"The boy's sick!" exclaimed Slade. He turned his head: "MacClaren, fetch -a blanket. Hurry!" - -A moment later they were chafing his limbs, and had wrapped him up in -heavy folds of the thick, woollen blanket. - -"You boys ought to know better than this," Corporal Richardson scolded -them. "Thunder River is a glacier-fed stream and its water is like ice. -Don't go swimming in it again. No wonder Sandy got cramps." - -"He didn't," Dick protested. "He's frightened. He said that he saw the -body of a man floating past. He thinks it was Henderson." - -"Bosh!" declared the policeman, pointing over at the river. "The current -is full of driftwood. A water-logged stump a short distance away might -easily be mistaken for the body of a man. What Sandy thought he saw and -what he actually saw--are two different things. Besides, Sandy is -nervous and unstrung as a result of his experiences over at the mine." - -"I did see it, I tell you!" - -"There! There!" soothed Factor MacClaren. "You'll be all right in a -moment. Please forget about it. We're having breakfast now, Sandy. Toma -is pouring the coffee this very minute." - -With the possible exception of Dick and Malemute Slade, no one believed -that Sandy had seen anything out of the ordinary, notwithstanding the -young Scotch lad's angry protestations. In the hurry and bustle of the -morning, the incident was soon forgotten. Sandy himself soon recovered -his usual cheerfulness, assisting Dick and Toma in the work of rafting -the supplies of the police party to the opposite side of the river. - -The trek over to the mine commenced early in the afternoon. On this -occasion it was an imposing cavalcade that wound its way up through the -rocks to the wide plain that stretched away to the westward. In advance, -went the three half-breed packers with the ponies; behind them, Corporal -Richardson and Malemute Slade, while Factor MacClaren and the three -boys, chatting animatedly, brought up the rear. - -"We feel a lot different than the last time we went over this route to -the plateau," Dick remarked. "It was raining and we slept part of the -night in that thicket you see just ahead." - -"You must have had a terrible experience," said the factor. "I doubt -very much whether I could have endured the nervous tension had I been -with you. Looking at it from a selfish viewpoint, I can see now how very -fortunate I was that that pesky inventory prevented me from coming -along. I might not have been as lucky as the three of you were." - -"It wasn't good luck at all, Uncle Walter," grinned Sandy. - -"Well, what was it?" - -"Courage and good management," declared Sandy, as he winked slyly at -Dick. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - DEBTS OF GRATITUDE - - -Malemute Slade kicked a branch of burning wood into the center of the -roaring campfire and turned eagerly to address the scarlet-coated figure -of Corporal Richardson. - -"It couldn't o' come out any better if we'd done the thing ourselves," -he drawled complaisantly. "I guess there ain't anybody what can deny -that. Here's the mine--an' there's Dick an' Sandy an' that young scamp -of a Toma--all as safe an' happy an' contented as if nothin' had ever -happened." - -As he spoke, Slade pointed to the ruins of the log cabin, around which -the three boys had gathered. In the center of the charred and littered -space, one could make out, even at that distance, a gaping hole -partially filled with debris. But no one, unless he had made a more -thorough investigation, might have guessed that the hole, instead of -being the cellar or basement of the ruined cabin was, in reality, the -main shaft leading to a very valuable gold mine. - -The ruined cabin was the one and only grim reminder of a night of -tragedy. Slade eyed it contemplatively as he continued in his drawling -tone: - -"It kind o' makes me shudder when I think o' what might have happened if -Dick hadn't fought Baptiste, when the Frenchie knocked down the Indian -kid. It's the only thing that saved 'em. Them Indians is as friendly now -as the friendliest Cree in the settlements along the Peace. The chief's -son was over here 'bout an hour ago to pay his respects to the boys an' -to promise 'em that they needn't worry 'bout bein' molested. That's what -I call gratitude." - -"When the boys told their story I could hardly believe it," Corporal -Richardson spoke reminiscently; "I can imagine how they felt when the -Indian attack took place. Sandy said that the three of them were so -struck with terror, that for a long time they didn't move a foot away -from their bed-rolls. The attack was nearly over before they plucked up -sufficient courage to make an attempt to escape." - -Malemute Slade drew out his pipe and grinned across at the mounted -policeman. - -"At any rate, them Indians has saved you an' me a whole lot o' trouble. -I don't imagine we'll ever hear from Henderson again. His band is pretty -well broke up. I sometimes wonder how many o' them outlaws escaped." - -"No one knows except the Indians, and I doubt very much whether they do. -The outlaws left everything behind, including those precious moose-hide -sacks, and a large quantity of supplies and provisions. The boys have -food enough to last them for seven or eight months." - -He broke off suddenly, as a familiar figure emerged from a small canvas -tent in the space to the right and came over to join them. Advancing, -Factor MacClaren waved an arm cheerily. - -"I'm getting things in order over at my private hotel," he laughingly -called out. "At my age, gentlemen, personal comfort means everything. It -is as necessary and important to my well-being as excitement and -adventure is to those three young scallawags over there at the mine. -There they are puttering about, entirely oblivious of the fact that it's -fully three-quarters of an hour past our regular lunch time." - -"I'll call 'em," said Malemute Slade, placing two fingers in his mouth. -"Now watch 'em race!" - -At the shrill summons, three jostling forms scrambled over the rocks -near the site of the former cabin, and sped forward for a few yards, -neck and neck. Then the race became a hard fought contest in which Dick, -panting and out of breath, won by a narrow margin from Toma. Sandy was -grumbling as he came up. - -"They had to push me, of course. I'm protesting this race on the grounds -that two of the contestants presumed to take unfair advantage." - -"I'll look into it," laughingly promised Corporal Richardson. Then he -turned to the victor. "Dick, how are operations progressing at the -mine?" - -"Fine!" panted Dick. "We'll clear the shaft before night. Once we're -able to get into the mine, work'll go along more quickly." - -"There's one thing I don't understand," Sandy's uncle declared, as he -pulled a grub-sack closer to the fire. "Your mine hasn't a dump. What -becomes of the rock and shale?" - -"We asked ourselves that very same question," replied Dick, "but we -discovered the answer the first time we descended into the mine. We have -water pressure to carry away everything except the pure ore itself." - -"But I don't understand," puzzled the factor. "What do you mean by water -pressure?" - -"There's an underground river which flows below the mine," explained -Dick. "One of the passageways slopes down to a wide opening, through -which one can hear the sound of rushing water. The former owners of the -mine dumped all of the refuse here and it was quickly carried away. -Sandy and I have figured out that the source of the river is the deep -lake, near the wooden cross, two miles to the east of us. You remember -seeing it." - -"Yes," answered the factor. - -"You boys are rich now," congratulated Corporal Richardson. "What are -you going to do with all your wealth?" - -"Well, we have some pressing obligations," hinted Dick. - -"What are they?" - -"Our first debt is to the Indians. We've decided to give them half -ownership in the mine. Papers will be made out in the regular way and a -guardian appointed." - -"Who will be the guardian?" asked Factor MacClaren. - -"The Royal North West Mounted." - -"But they may not care to accept such a responsibility," smiled the -corporal. - -"O they're all pretty decent fellows," teased Sandy. "I don't think -we'll have very much difficulty on that score." - -Corporal Richardson laughed. - -"Are yuh really serious 'bout this, Dick?" demanded Malemute Slade. "Yuh -don't mean you'd give half the mine to them Indians?" - -"We don't mean anything else," Dick spoke very quietly. "They spared our -lives. We wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for them. When we went to -school back in the States, our history books told us how white men have -been taking land and valuable resources away from the Indians for the -past three hundred years. Here's one case where the Indian is going to -receive what's coming to him." - -"Here! Here!" shouted the factor. "Good boy, Dick! If you and Sandy and -Toma can manage to carry out your plan successfully we'll all be proud -of you." - -Dick flushed with embarrassment, then hurried on: - -"The debt to the Indians is not the only one. There are three persons, -all of them white men, who are entitled to share in our good fortune. -These men are Factor MacClaren, Corporal Richardson and Malemute Slade." - -The right hand of the mounted policeman stole over to Dick's shoulder. - -"We appreciate your kindness, Dick, but I'm afraid that you'll have to -wipe out a part of that debt. As members of the force, we--Malemute -Slade and myself--have no right to accept anything at all. We've already -been paid for any service we may have rendered you. It is a part of our -regular duty." - -"If that's the case, will you and Malemute Slade accept our thanks for -all you've done for us," blurted out Sandy. - -"Gladly! It is nothing at all. We wish you every success in your new -undertaking." - -"Thank you," said Dick and Sandy in unison. - -A short silence ensued. Presently Sandy walked over to the grub-sack and -stooped down to untie the string. - -"I'm hungry as a bear," he grumbled. "It's getting so there's no system -around this camp. Who's cook?" - -"I suppose," said Corporal Richardson with a sly twinkle in his eye, -"that when the ghost of Scar-Face or Henderson or Baptiste La Lond comes -back here to visit you, he won't recognize your thriving mining town as -the place of his former misfortunes." - -"You bet he won't!" emphatically declared Sandy. - -Dick laughed--a cheery, boyish laugh--as he picked up a frying pan and a -slab of bacon, opened his hunting knife and then squatted down in front -of the fire. - - - THE END - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original--this e-text is public - domain in the country of publication. - ---Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and - dialect unchanged. - ---Replaced the otherwise unknown Sandy MacPherson by Sandy MacClaren. - ---Added a Table of Contents based on chapter headings. - ---In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the - HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.) - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Dick Kent in the Far North, by Milton Richards - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DICK KENT IN THE FAR NORTH *** - -***** This file should be named 50505.txt or 50505.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/5/0/50505/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Rick Morris -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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