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diff --git a/old/51738-0.txt b/old/51738-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7570464..0000000 --- a/old/51738-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9950 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Julian Mortimer, by Harry Castlemon - - -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: Julian Mortimer - A Brave Boy's Struggle for Home and Fortune - - -Author: Harry Castlemon - - - -Release Date: April 12, 2016 [eBook #51738] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JULIAN MORTIMER*** - - -E-text prepared by Giovanni Fini, Melissa McDaniel, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 51738-h.htm or 51738-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/51738/51738-h/51738-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/51738/51738-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/julianmortimerbr00cast - - - - - -[Illustration: “Julian!” exclaimed the man, in a low but excited tone -of voice. “I am here!” replied the prisoner, so overjoyed that he could -scarcely speak.—Page 118. - _Julian Mortimer._] - - -JULIAN MORTIMER; - -A Brave Boy’s Struggle for Home and Fortune - -by - -HARRY CASTLEMON, - -Author of -The “Gunboat Series,” “The Boy Trapper,” “Sportsman’s Club Series,” -etc., etc. - -Illustrated. - - - - - - - -[Illustration] - -A. L. Burt Company, Publishers -New York - -Copyright, 1873, by Street & Smith. -Copyright, 1887, by A. L. Burt. -Copyright, 1901, by Charles S. Fosdick. - -JULIAN MORTIMER. - - - - -CONTENTS - - CHAPTER PAGE - - JULIAN MORTIMER - - I. THE WAGON TRAIN 5 - II. JULIAN HEARS SOMETHING 11 - III. A RIDE IN THE DARK 18 - IV. JULIAN FINDS A RELATIVE 30 - V. JULIAN’S HOME 38 - VI. JULIAN MEETS A STRANGER 46 - VII. THE FLIGHT 55 - VIII. CHASED BY A BLOOD-HOUND 63 - IX. GOOD FOR EVIL 71 - X. JULIAN HAS A VISITOR 80 - XI. JACK’S PLANS 89 - XII. ON BOARD THE FLATBOAT 97 - XIII. IN THE SMOKE-HOUSE 108 - XIV. SANDERS TELLS HIS STORY 118 - XV. THE JOURNEY COMMENCED 126 - XVI. SILAS ROPER, THE GUIDE 131 - XVII. ACROSS THE PLAINS 139 - XVIII. THE EMIGRANT AGAIN 147 - XIX. UNCLE REGINALD EXPLAINS 158 - XX. JULIAN GETS INTO BUSINESS 168 - XXI. WHITE-HORSE FRED 177 - XXII. THE SPECTERS OF THE CAVE 186 - XXIII. JULIAN MAKES A DISCOVERY 196 - XXIV. PEDRO MAKES ANOTHER 205 - XXV. HOW IT RESULTED 211 - XXVI. FRED’S STORY 221 - XXVII. FRED’S STORY, CONCLUDED 232 - XXVIII. THE ATTACK ON THE RANCHO 241 - - AN IDEA AND A FORTUNE BY OWEN HACKET. 249 - - THE GRANTHAM DIAMONDS BY RUSSELL STOCKTON. 265 - - - - - JULIAN MORTIMER; - - OR, - - A Brave Boy’s Struggle for Home and Fortune. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE WAGON TRAIN. - - -THE SUN was just sinking out of sight behind the western mountains, and -the shadows of twilight were beginning to creep through the valley, -when two horsemen, who had been picking their way along the rocky and -almost impassible road that ran through Bridger’s Pass, drew rein on -the summit of an elevation and looked about them. - -One of them was a trapper—he never would have been taken for anything -else—a man about forty years of age, and a giant in strength and -stature. The very small portion of his face that could be seen over -his thick, bushy whiskers was as brown as an Indian’s; and from under -the tattered fur cap that was slouched over his forehead, peeped forth -a pair of eyes as sharp as those of an eagle. He was dressed in a -complete suit of buckskin, rode a large cream-colored mustang, and -carried a heavy rifle across the horn of his saddle. Around his waist -he wore a leather belt, supporting a knife and tomahawk, and under his -left arm, suspended by thongs of buckskin, which crossed his breast, -hung a bullet-pouch and powder-horn. This man was Silas Roper—one of -the best guides that ever led a wagon train across the prairie. - -His companion was a youth about sixteen years of age, Julian Mortimer -by name, and the hero of our story. He presented a great contrast to -the burly trapper. He was slender and graceful, with a fair, almost -girlish face, and a mild blue eye, which gazed in wonder at the wild -scene spread out before it. It was plain that he had not been long on -the prairie, and a stranger would have declared that he was out of his -element; but those who were best acquainted with him would have told -a different story. He took to the mountains and woods as naturally as -though he had been born there, and Silas Roper predicted that he would -make his mark as a frontiersman before many years more had passed over -his head. There was plenty of strength in his slight figure, and one -might have looked the world over without finding a more determined and -courageous spirit. He was an excellent shot with the rifle, and managed -the fiery little charger on which he was mounted with an ease and grace -that showed him to be an accomplished horseman. - -The boy’s dress was an odd mixture of the simple style of the prairies -and the newest and most elaborate fashions of the Mexicans. He wore a -sombrero, a jacket of dark-blue cloth, profusely ornamented with gold -lace, buckskin trowsers, brown cloth leggings with green fringe, and -light shoes, the heels of which were armed with huge Mexican spurs. His -weapons consisted of a rifle, slung over his shoulder by a broad strap, -a hunting knife and a brace of revolvers, which he carried in his belt, -and a lasso, which was coiled upon the horn of his saddle. From his -left shoulder hung a small deerskin haversack, to which was attached -an ornamented powder-horn. The haversack contained bullets for his -rifle, cartridges for his revolvers, and flint, steel and tinder for -lighting a fire. Behind his saddle, neatly rolled up and held in its -place by two straps, was a poncho which did duty both as overcoat and -bed. He was mounted on a coal-black horse, which was very fleet, and so -ill-tempered that no one besides his master cared to approach him. - -The trapper and his young companion belonged to an emigrant train -which, a few weeks previous to the beginning of our story, had left St. -Joseph for Sacramento, and they had ridden in advance of the wagons -to select a camping ground for the night. This was a matter of no -ordinary importance at that particular time, for during the last two -days a band of Indians had been hovering upon the flanks of the train, -and the guide knew that they were awaiting a favorable opportunity to -swoop down upon it. Hitherto Silas had had an eye only to the comfort -of the emigrants, and in picking out his camping grounds had selected -places that were convenient to wood and water, and which afforded ample -pasturage for the stock belonging to the train; but now he was called -upon to provide for the safety of the people under his charge. - -The road, at the point where the horsemen had halted, wound around the -base of a rocky cliff, which arose for a hundred feet without a single -break or crevice, and was barely wide enough to admit the passage of a -single wagon. On the side opposite the cliff was a deep gorge, which -seemed to extend down into the very bowels of the earth. It was here -that the guide had decided to camp for the night. He carefully examined -the ground, and a smile of satisfaction lighted up his face. - -“This is the place we’ve been looking fur,” said he, dismounting from -his horse and tying the animal to a neighboring tree. “Now I will go -out an’ look around a little bit, an’ you can stay here till the wagons -come up. You won’t be afeared if I leave you alone, will you?” - -“Afraid?” repeated Julian. “Of course not. There’s nothing to be afraid -of.” - -“You may think differently afore you see the sun rise again,” replied -the guide. “Now, when the train comes up tell the fellers to take half -the wagons an’ block up the road, here at the end of the cliff, an’ to -put the others at the lower end. Then we’ll be protected on all sides. -The Injuns can’t come down the cliff to get at us, ’cause it’s too -steep; an’ they can’t cross the gully nuther. They’ll have to come -along the road; an’ when they try that we’ll get behind the wagons an’ -fight ’em the best we know how. It’s risky business, too,” added Silas, -pulling off his cap and digging his fingers into his head, “‘cause if -they are too many fur us we won’t have no chance on airth to run. We’ll -have to stay right here an’ die, the hul kit an’ bilin’ of us.” - -Julian, who had never seen an Indian in war-paint or heard the -whistle of a hostile bullet, was amazed at the trapper’s coolness -and indifference. The bare thought of a fight with the savages was -enough to cause him the most intense alarm, and yet here was Silas, -who had more than once been a prisoner in the hands of the Indians, -and who knew much better than Julian could imagine it, what the fate -of the emigrants would be if their enemies proved too strong for them, -apparently as much at his ease as though there had not been a hostile -warrior within a thousand miles. The boy wondered at his courage and -wished his friend could impart some of it to him, little dreaming how -soon he would have need of it. - -“Do you really think there is danger of an attack?” asked Julian, as -soon as he could speak. - -The trapper, who was in the act of untying a haunch of venison that -was fastened behind his saddle, turned and looked curiously at his -companion. - -“Youngster,” said he, “if you should diskiver a cloud as black as -midnight comin’ up over these mountains, an’ should see the lightnin’ a -playin’ around the edges, an’ hear the thunder a grumblin’, what would -you say?” - -“That we were going to have a storm,” replied Julian. - -“In course you would. An’ when I know that thar are Injins all around -us, an’ that they are takin’ mighty good care to keep themselves out of -sight, I tell myself that they’ll bar watchin’. When I see their trail, -an’ find out that thar are nigh onto three hundred braves in the party, -an’ that they haint got no women or plunder with ’em, I know that they -are on the war-path. An’ when they foller us fur two hul days, an’ -their spies watch us every night while we are makin’ our camp—like -that varlet over thar is watchin’ us now—I know that they are arter us -an’ nobody else. The signs are jest as plain to me as the signs of a -thunder storm are to you.” - -“Is there some one watching us now?” asked Julian, in great excitement. - -“Sartin thar is. I’ve seed that copper-colored face of his’n peepin’ -over that rock ever since we’ve been here. If he was within good -pluggin’ distance all the news he would carry back to his friends -wouldn’t do ’em much good, I reckon.” - -As the trapper spoke he pointed toward the opposite side of the gorge. -Julian looked in the direction indicated, closely scrutinizing every -rock and tree within the range of his vision, but nothing in the shape -of an Indian’s head could he see. His eyes were not as sharp as those -of the guide. - -“Never mind,” said Silas, “you’ll see plenty of ’em afore mornin’, an’ -they’ll be closer to you than you’ll care to have ’em. But you needn’t -be any ways oneasy. _They_ won’t hurt you. It’s white men that you’ve -got to look out fur.” - -“White men?” echoed Julian. - -“Sartin. Thar’s two persons in the world—an’ I can lay my hand on one -of ’em in less’n five minutes—who would be willin’ to give something -nice if they could get hold of you. I know a heap more about you than -you think I do.” - -“You have hinted something like this before, Silas, and I don’t know -what you mean. I wish you would explain yourself.” - -“I hain’t got no time now,” replied the guide, shouldering his rifle -and walking briskly up the road. “Keep your eyes open, an’ don’t go out -of the camp till I get back. Don’t forget what I told you about them -wagons nuther.” - -The trapper quickly disappeared around a bend in the road, and -Julian once more directed his gaze across the gully and tried in vain -to discover the hiding-place of the spy. He began to feel timid now -that he was alone. The thought that there were hostile Indians all -around him, and that one of their number was concealed almost within -rifle-shot of him, watching every move he made, was by no means an -agreeable one. His first impulse was to put spurs to his horse and make -the best of his way back to the train; and he probably would have done -so had he not at that moment become aware that the train was coming to -him. He heard the rumbling of the wheels and the voices of teamsters -below him, and the familiar sounds brought his courage back to him -again. He remained at his post until the foremost wagons came in sight, -and then proceeded to carry out the instructions Silas had given him. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -JULIAN HEARS SOMETHING. - - -IN HALF an hour the preparations for the night were all completed, -and Julian surveyed the camp with a smile of satisfaction. There were -twenty wagons in the train, and of these two barricades had been made, -one at the upper and the other at the lower end of the cliffs, as the -guide had directed. The vehicles had been drawn close together, and -were fastened to one another by chains so that they could not be easily -moved from their places. The space between the wheels was blocked up -with plows, harrows, stoves, bedsteads and chairs, thus rendering it a -matter of some difficulty for any one to effect an entrance into the -camp. - -While this work was being performed the shadows of twilight had -deepened into the gloom of night, and now all objects outside the -circle of light made by the camp-fires were concealed by Egyptian -darkness. Inside the barricades a scene was presented that was a -cheering one to men wearied with their day’s journey. A dozen fires -blazed along the base of the cliff, and beside them stalwart pioneers -reposed on their blankets, smoking their pipes and watching with -hungry eyes the preparations for supper that were going on around -them. Venison steaks were broiling on the coals, potatoes roasting in -the ashes, and coffee-pots simmered and sputtered, filling the camp -with the odor of their aromatic contents. Cattle and horses cropped -the herbage that grew along the edge of the gully, and noisy children, -all unconscious of the danger that threatened them, rolled about on -the grass, or relieved their cramped limbs by running races along the -road. But, although the camp wore an air of domesticity and security, -preparations for battle were everywhere visible. The saddles and -bridles had not been removed from the horses as usual, the emigrants -wore their revolvers about their waists, and kept their rifles within -easy reach. There were pale faces in that camp, and men who had all -their lives been familiar with danger started and trembled at the -rustle of every leaf. - -Julian Mortimer, from a neighboring wagon, on which he had perched -himself to await the return of the guide, watched the scene presented -to his gaze, as he had done every night since leaving St. Joseph, and -bemoaned his hard lot in life. - -“Among all these people,” he soliloquized, “there are none that I can -call relatives and friends, and not one even to speak a kind word to -me. How I envy those fellows,” he added, glancing at a couple of boys -about his own age who were seated at the nearest camp-fire conversing -with their parents. “They have a father to watch over them, a mother to -care for them, and brothers and sisters to love, but they do not seem -to appreciate their blessings, for they are continually quarreling with -one another, and no longer ago than this morning one of those boys flew -into a terrible rage because his mother asked him to chop some wood -to cook breakfast with. If he could be alone in the world for a few -days, as I have been almost ever since I can remember, he would know -how to value that mother when he got back to her. If the Indians attack -us to-night some of the emigrants will certainly be killed, and the -friends they have left behind them in the States will mourn over their -fate; but if I fall, there will be no one to drop a tear for me or say -he is sorry I am gone. There is nothing on earth that cares whether I -live or die, unless it is my horse. If the Indians kill me perhaps he -will miss me.” - -Julian’s soliloquy was suddenly interrupted by a light footstep behind -the wagon in which he was sitting. He turned quickly and discovered a -man stealing along the barricade and examining it closely, as if he -were looking for a place to get through it. Julian’s first thought -was to accost him, but there was something so stealthy in the man’s -actions that his curiosity was aroused, and checking the words that -arose on his lips he remained quiet in his concealment, and waited to -see what was going to happen. He had often seen the man during the -journey across the plains, and knew that he was one of the emigrants, -but why he should seek to leave the camp at that time and in so unusual -a manner, was something the boy could not understand. - -The man walked the whole length of the barricade, turning to look -at the emigrants now and then to make sure that none of them were -observing his movements, and finally disappeared under one of the -wagons. Julian heard him working his way through the obstructions that -had been placed between the wheels, and presently saw him appear again -on the outside of the barricade. - -Almost at the same instant the boy discovered another figure moving -rapidly but noiselessly down the road toward the camp. At first he -thought it was the guide, but when the man came within the circle of -light thrown out by the camp-fires he saw that he was a stranger. -He was evidently a mountain man, for he was dressed in buckskin and -carried a long rifle in the hollow of his arm, and the never-failing -knife and tomahawk in his belt; but he was the worst specimen of this -class of men that Julian had ever seen. His clothing was soiled and -ragged, his hair, which had evidently never been acquainted with a -comb, fell down upon his shoulders, and his face looked as though it -had received the very roughest usage, for it was terribly battered and -scarred. One glance at him was enough to frighten Julian, who, knowing -instinctively that the man was there for no good purpose, drew further -back into the shadow of the wagon-cover. - -The emigrant who had left the camp in so suspicious a manner, -discovered the stranger the moment he reached the outside of the -barricade, but he did not appear to be surprised to see him. On the -contrary, he acted as if he had been expecting him, for he placed one -foot on the nearest wagon-tongue, rested his elbow on his knee, and -when the trapper had approached within speaking distance, said in a -suppressed whisper: - -“How are you, Sanders?” - -The latter paid no more attention to the greeting than if he had not -been addressed at all. He advanced close to the wagon in which Julian -was concealed—so close that his brawny shoulders were almost within -reach of the boy’s hand—and peered through the barricade, taking in -at one swift glance all that was going on inside the camp. He next -looked up and down the road, fixing his eyes suspiciously on every tree -and rock near him that was large enough to conceal a foe, and having -satisfied himself that there was no one near him, he dropped the butt -of his rifle to the ground, and growled out: - -“Wal!” - -“Well,” replied the emigrant, “I have been to Missouri, and I have -returned, as you see.” - -“I reckon you’re satisfied now, hain’t you?” he asked. - -“I am. I am satisfied of four things: That the boy is alive and hearty; -that he remembers more of his early history than we thought he would; -that he has come out here to make trouble for us; and that he is at -this very moment with this wagon train.” - -As the emigrant said this he folded his arms and looked at his -companion to observe the effect these words would have upon him. He, no -doubt, expected that the trapper would be surprised, and the latter’s -actions indicated that he certainly was. He stepped back as suddenly -as if a blow had been aimed at him, and after regarding the emigrant -sharply for a moment, struck the butt of his rifle with his clenched -hand, and ejaculated: - -“Sho!” - -“It’s a fact,” replied his companion. - -“Wal, now, I wouldn’t be afeared to bet my ears agin a chaw of tobacker -that you’re fooled the worst kind,” said the trapper, who was very -much excited over what he had heard, and seemed quite unable to bring -himself to believe it. “The boy was young when he was tuk away from -here—not more’n eight years old—an’ do you ’spose he could remember -anything that happened or find his way across these yere prairies to -his hum agin? Don’t look reason’ble.” - -“It’s the truth, whether it looks reasonable or not. I have seen Julian -Mortimer, and talked with him, and consequently may be supposed to know -more about him and his plans than you who have not seen him for years. -What was that?” - -Julian, astonished to hear his own name pronounced by one whom he -believed to be a stranger to him, uttered an ejaculation under his -breath, and forgetting in his excitement how close the men were to him, -bent forward and began to listen more intently. - -The very slight rustling he occasioned among the folds of the canvas -cover of the wagon was sufficient to attract the attention of the -emigrant and his companion, who brought their conversation to a sudden -close, and looking about them suspiciously, waited for a repetition of -the sound. - -But Julian, frightened at what he had done, and trembling in every limb -when he saw the trapper turn his head and gaze earnestly toward the -wagon in which he was concealed, remained perfectly motionless and held -his breath in suspense. - -The men listened a moment, but hearing nothing to alarm them, Sanders -folded his arms over the muzzle of his rifle, intimating by a gesture -that he was ready to hear what else the emigrant had to say, and the -latter once more placed his foot on the wagon-tongue, and continued: - -“It is time we had an understanding on one point, Sanders. Are you -working for my cousin, Reginald, or for me?” - -“I’m workin’ fur you, in course,” replied the trapper. “I’ve done my -level best fur you. I had my way with one of the brats, an’ put him -whar he’ll never trouble nobody.” - -“Has he never troubled any one since that night? Has he never troubled -_you_?” asked the emigrant, in a significant tone. “Could you be hired -to spend an hour in Reginald’s rancho after dark?” - -“No, I couldn’t,” replied the trapper, in a subdued voice, glancing -nervously around, and drawing a little closer to his companion. “But -that thar boy is at the bottom of the lake, an’ I’d swar to it, -’cause I put him thar myself. What it is that walks about that rancho -every night, an’ makes such noises, an’ cuts up so, I don’t know. -You had oughter let me done as I pleased with the other; but you got -chicken-hearted all of a sudden, an’ didn’t want him rubbed out, an’ -so I stole him away from his hum for you, an’ you toted him off to the -States. If he comes back here an’ makes outlaws of you an’ your cousin, -it’s no business of mine. But I am on your side, an’ you know it.” - -“I don’t know anything of the kind. It is true that you did all this -for me, and that I paid you well for it; but I know that you have since -promised Reginald that you would find the boy and bring him back here. -Will you attack this train to-night?” - -“Sartin. That’s what we’ve been a follerin’ it fur. If you want to save -your bacon, you’d best be gettin’ out.” - -“I intend to do so; but I don’t want the boy to get out; do you -understand? You know where to find me in the morning, and if you will -bring me his jacket and leggins to prove that he is out of the way, -I will give you a thousand dollars. There are a good many boys with -the train, but you will have no trouble in picking out Julian, if -you remember how he looked eight years ago. You will know him by his -handsome face and straight, slender figure.” - -“I’ll find him,” said the trapper; “it’s a bargain, an’ thar’s my hand -onto it. Now I’ll jest walk around an’ take a squint at things, an’ you -had best pack up what plunder you want to save an’ cl’ar out; ’cause in -less’n an hour me an’ the Injuns will be down on this yere wagon train -like a turkey on a tater-bug.” - -The emigrant evidently thought it best to act on this suggestion, -for without wasting any time or words in leave-taking he made his way -carefully through the barricade into the camp. - -The trapper watched him until he disappeared from view, and then said, -as if talking to himself, but in a tone of voice loud enough for Julian -to hear: - -“A thousand dollars fur doin’ a job that you are afeared to do -yourself! I don’t mind shootin’ the boy, but I’d be the biggest kind of -a dunce to do it fur that money when another man offers me $5,000 for -him alive an’ well. If that youngster, Julian, is in this camp, I’ll -win that five thousand to-night, or my name ain’t Ned Sanders.” - -The trapper shouldered his rifle, and with a step that would not have -awakened a cricket, stole along the barricade, carefully examining -it at every point, and mentally calculating the chances for making -a successful attack upon it. When he had passed out of sight in the -darkness, Julian drew a long breath, and settled back in his place of -concealment to think over what he had heard. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -A RIDE IN THE DARK. - - -TO DESCRIBE the feelings with which Julian Mortimer listened to the -conversation we have just recorded were impossible. He knew now that he -had been greatly mistaken in some opinions he had hitherto entertained. -He had told himself but a few minutes before that there was no one on -earth who cared whether he lived or died; but scarcely had the thought -passed through his mind before he became aware that there were at -least two persons in the world who were deeply interested in that very -matter—so much so that one was willing to pay a ruffian a thousand -dollars to kill him, while the other had offered five times that amount -to have him delivered into his hands alive and well. It was no wonder -that the boy was overwhelmed with fear and bewilderment. - -“Whew!” he panted, pulling off his sombrero and wiping the big drops -of perspiration from his forehead, “this goes ahead of any thing I -ever heard of. I wonder if Silas had any reference to this when he -said that there were two men in the world who would be willing to give -something nice to get hold of me! I’m done for. If I am not killed by -the Indians, that villain, Sanders, will make a prisoner of me and -take me off to Reginald. Who is Reginald, and what have I done that he -should be so anxious to see me? I never knew before that I was worth -$5,000 to anybody. Who is that emigrant, and how does it come that I am -in his way? He says that he has talked with me and knows all about my -plans, but I am positive that I never spoke to him in my life. I never -saw him until I found him with this wagon train at St. Joseph. I have -had some thrilling adventures during the past few weeks, and I can see -very plainly that they are not yet ended.” - -Julian, trembling with anxiety and alarm, clambered out of the wagon, -and leaning on the muzzle of his rifle, looked down into the gorge, -thought over his situation, and tried to determine upon some plan of -action. His first impulse was to acquaint the emigrants with the fact -that one of their number had been holding converse with an enemy, and -have the traitor secured at once. His next was to provide for his own -safety by collecting the few articles of value he possessed and making -his way back to the prairie; but he was deterred from attempting to -carry out this plan by the fear that while he was fleeing from one -danger he might run into another. The savages had probably surrounded -the camp by this time, and he could not hope to pass through their -lines without being discovered. The best course he could pursue was to -wait until the guide returned. He would know just what ought to be done. - -Julian was so completely absorbed in his reverie that he forgot to keep -an eye on what was going on around him, and consequently he did not see -the two dark figures which came stealing along the road as noiselessly -as spirits. But the figures were there, and when they discovered Julian -they drew back into the bushes that lined the base of the cliff, and -held a whispered consultation. Presently one of them stepped out into -the road again and ran toward the camp. He did not attempt to escape -observation, but hurried along as though he had a perfect right to be -there. He seemed to be ignorant of the boy’s presence until he heard -his voice and saw the muzzle of his rifle looking straight into his -face. - -“Halt!” cried Julian, standing with his finger on the trigger, ready to -enforce his command if it were not instantly obeyed. “Who are you?” - -“A friend,” replied the man. “Don’t shoot!” - -“Come up here, friend, and let us have a look at you.” - -As the stranger approached Julian saw that he appeared to be very much -excited about something, and that he breathed heavily as if he had been -running long and rapidly. - -“If you are a friend what are you doing on the outside of the camp?” -asked the boy. - -“Why, we’ve been trappin’ here in the mountains, me an’ my pardner -have, an’ to-day the Injuns driv us out,” replied the stranger. “We -jest had to git up an’ dig out to save our har, an’ left all our -plunder in the hands of the redskins—spelter, hosses, traps, an’ every -thing except our rifles. While we were a makin’ tracks fur the prairie -we come plump agin somebody; an’ who do you ’spose it was? It was Silas -Roper. We used to be chums, me an’ him did, an’ have hunted and trapped -together many a day up in the Blackfoot country. We found him watchin’ -the camp of Ned Sanders an’ his band of rascals, an’ Silas said that if -he had just one more man he could kill or captur’ the last one of ’em. -He told me whar his wagon train was, an’ axed me would I come down an’ -get one of the fellers to lend a hand. He said that Julian Mortimer was -plucky an’ a good shot, an’ he’d like to have him. Mebbe you know him -an’ can tell me whar’ to find him.” - -“I can. I am Julian Mortimer,” replied the boy, proudly. - -“You!” The trapper seemed to be first surprised, and then disappointed. -He surveyed Julian from head to foot, and then continued: “Sho! I -expected to see a _man_. What could a little cub like you do with -Sanders and his gang?” - -“I am man enough to put a ball into one of them if I get a fair -chance,” replied Julian. “I know something about Sanders, and have -reasons for wishing him put where he will never see me again.” - -“Wall, you’re spunky if you are little, an’ spunk is the thing that -counts arter all. Mebbe you’ll do as well as any body. Will you go?” - -“Of course I will, if Silas sent for me.” - -“‘Nough said. Go easy now, an’ do jest as you see me do.” - -The trapper shouldered his rifle and started down the road at a rapid -run, with Julian close at his heels. - -When they passed the first bend in the road a man came out of the -bushes, where he had been concealed, and followed after them with -noiseless footsteps. Julian did not see him, and neither did he see the -dark forms that were hidden behind the trees and rocks on each side -of the path; he saw no one except his guide until he came suddenly -around the base of a cliff and found himself in front of a camp-fire, -beside which lay half-a-dozen rough-looking men stretched out on their -blankets. - -Julian stopped when this unexpected sight greeted his eyes, but his -guide kept on, and seating himself on the ground before the fire, -jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward the boy, and coolly announced: - -“Here he is, fellers. Leastwise, he says that’s his name.” - -Julian stood like one petrified. He looked at his guide, at the -trappers that were lying around, and then his gaze wandered toward an -object which he had not before noticed. It was Silas Roper, who stood -on the opposite side of the fire, with his back to a tree, to which he -was securely bound. - -One glance at him was enough for Julian, who now saw that he had been -duped. He understood the trick that had been played upon him as well -as though it had been explained in words, and wondered at his own -stupidity. If it had been true, as the strange trapper had told him, -that Silas was keeping guard over the camp of the outlaws, and needed -just one more man to enable him to effect their capture, would he have -sent for an inexperienced person like himself when there were at least -a score of old Indian-fighters among the emigrants? Julian told himself -that he ought to have known better. - -These thoughts passed through his mind in an instant of time, and in -his excitement and alarm, forgetting everything except that he was in -the presence of enemies, he faced about and took to his heels; but he -had not made many steps when the man who had followed him from the -camp, and who was none other than Sanders himself, suddenly appeared in -his path. - -“Not quite so fast!” said he, in savage tones. “You’re wuth a heap to -us, if you only knowed it, an’ we couldn’t think of partin’ with you so -soon.” - -As the trapper spoke, he twisted the boy’s rifle out of his grasp, -tore the belt which contained his revolvers and hunting-knife from his -waist, and then seized him by the collar and dragged him toward the -fire—Julian, who knew that it would be the height of folly to irritate -the ruffian, offering no resistance. - -“I call this a good night’s work,” continued Sanders, who seemed to be -highly elated. “We’ve been waitin’ fur both them fellers fur more’n -a year, an’ we’ve got ’em at last. This is Julian. I knowed him the -minute I sot my eyes onto him, and could have picked him out among a -million. He hain’t changed a bit in his face, but he’s grown a heap -taller an’ stouter, an’ p’raps is a leetle livelier on his legs than -he was when me an’ him run that foot-race eight year ago. Remember -that—don’t you, youngster?” - -“No, I don’t,” replied Julian. “I never ran a race with you in my life. -I never saw you until to-night.” - -“Didn’t! Wol, I’ve seed you a good many times durin’ the last two -months, an’ have talked with you, too; but I was dressed up like a -gentleman then, an’ mebbe that’s the reason you don’t recognize me now. -Dick thinks he knows more about you than anybody else, but I reckon he -don’t.” - -“Who is Dick?” asked the boy. - -“He’s the feller who was talkin’ to me to-night while you were settin’ -in that wagon listenin’ to us. I didn’t know you were about thar until -Dick had gone back into the camp, an’ then I seed you come down from -the wagon. I wanted to get you away from thar, ’cause I was afeared -that if you were in the camp durin’ the fight some of the Injuns might -send a ball or arrer into you, an’ that would have been bad fur me an’ -my mates, ’cause it would have tuk jest $5,000 out of our pockets. I -didn’t see no chance to slip up an’ make a pris’ner of you without -alarmin’ the emigrants, so I come back here an’ got one of my men, an’ -me an’ him made up that story we told you. It worked first-rate, didn’t -it.” - -[Illustration: JULIAN SUDDENLY FOUND HIMSELF A PRISONER IN THE -TRAPPERS’ CAMP.—See page 21.] - -“But you have not yet told me who Dick is,” said Julian, without -answering the outlaw’s question. “How did he become acquainted with me; -and what reason has he for wishing me put out of his way? I heard him -say that he would give you a thousand dollars if you would kill me.” - -“Them’s his very words. But you needn’t be no ways skeary, ’cause I -wouldn’t hurt a hair of your head—not while I can make more money -by takin’ good care of you. As fur the reasons Dick’s got fur havin’ -somethin’ agin you, that’s his business an’ not mine. Mebbe you’ll know -all about it one of these days. But I reckon we might as well be movin’ -now. What have you done with the critters, Tom?” - -The man who had guided Julian to the camp of the outlaws arose from -his seat, disappeared in the bushes, and presently returned leading -three horses. At a sign from his captors Julian mounted one of the -animals, Sanders sprang upon the back of another, and seizing Julian’s -horse by the bridle rode off into the darkness, followed by Tom, who -brought up the rear. The boy wondered what the outlaws were going to -do with him, and hoped that Sanders, who had shown himself to be quite -communicative, might see fit to enlighten him; but the trapper seemed -to have relapsed into a meditative mood, for he rode along with his -eyes fastened on the horn of his saddle, and for half an hour never -opened his lips except to swear at Julian’s horse, which showed a -disposition to lag behind, and to answer a challenge from the foremost -of a long line of Indians who passed them on the road. - -When Julian saw these warriors he thought of the emigrants, and knew -that the fight the guide had predicted was not far distant. It was -begun that very hour, and the signal for the attack was a single, -long-drawn war-whoop, which echoed and re-echoed among the cliffs until -it seemed to Julian as if the mountains were literally filled with -yelling savages. No sooner had it died away than a chorus of frightful -whoops arose from the direction of the camp, accompanied by the rapid -discharge of fire-arms and the defiant shouts of the emigrants, which -came to Julian’s ears with terrible distinctness. Although he knew -that he was at a safe distance from the scene of the conflict, and in -the power of men who would protect him from the savages, he could not -have been more terrified if he had been standing side by side with the -pioneers battling for his life. - -“What do you think of it, anyhow?” asked Sanders, noticing the boy’s -agitation. “Never heered sounds like them afore, I reckon.” - -“No,” replied Julian, in a trembling voice, “and I never want to hear -them again. It is some of your work. Silas says the Indians would not -be half as bad as they are, if it were not for white renegades like you -and your friends, who are continually spreading dissatisfaction among -them, and urging them on to the war-path.” - -“Wouldn’t!” exclaims Sanders. “I don’t reckon we’re any wuss than other -folks I’ve heern tell on. Thar are men in the world—an’ some of ’em -don’t live so very far from here, nuther—who walk with their noses in -the air, an’ think themselves better’n everybody else, an’ yet they are -bad enough to offer men like me an’ my mates money to put some of their -own kin out of the way. We’re jest about as good as the rest if we are -outlaws.” - -For the next two miles the route pursued by the trappers and their -prisoner lay through a deep ravine, where the darkness was so intense -that Julian could scarcely see his hand before him, and at every step -of the way the reports of fire-arms and the whoops and yells of the -combatants rang in his ears. There was a fierce battle going on at the -camp, and the boy wondered who would gain the victory. - -The question was answered in a few minutes, for when the three horsemen -emerged from the valley, and reached the summit of a high hill, over -which the road ran, Julian looked back and saw a bright flame, which -increased in volume every moment, shining over the tops of the trees. -Then he knew that the emigrants had failed in their attempts to beat -off their assailants. The savages had succeeded in setting fire to the -wagons which formed the barricade, and when that protection was swept -away, the battle would be changed to a massacre. The Indians would pour -into the camp in overwhelming numbers, and surrounded as the emigrants -were on every side, not one of them could hope to escape. - -“Thar’s another wagon train gone up,” said Sanders, with savage -exultation. “It’s a pity that every one of them can’t be sarved the -same way. Why don’t folks stay in the States whar they belong, instead -of coming out here whar they know they ain’t wanted? How would you like -to be in that camp, youngster?” - -“I don’t know that I should be in a much worse situation than I am -now,” replied Julian. “If I were with the emigrants I should probably -be killed, and I am not sure that I shall fare any better at the hands -of the man into whose power you intend to deliver me.” - -“That’s a fact,” said Sanders, reflectively. “If I was in your place, -an’ was tuk pris’ner, I believe I’d as soon be among the Injuns as in -the hands of Reginald Mortimer.” - -“Reginald Mortimer!” repeated Julian, in great amazement. - -“He’s the very feller whose name I spoke,” replied Sanders, turning -around in his saddle and facing his prisoner. - -Julian looked earnestly at the trapper for a few seconds and drew a -long breath of relief. - -“I begin to understand the matter,” said he. “I knew you were mistaken -as to my identity.” - -“Which?” exclaimed Sanders. - -“I mean that you have got hold of the wrong boy. Because my name -happens to be Mortimer, you think I am the one this man Reginald wants; -but when he sees me and knows my history, he will release me.” - -When Sanders heard this he threw back his head and burst into a loud -laugh, in which he was joined by Tom. Julian could not see that he had -said anything calculated to excite their mirth, but the outlaws could, -and they were highly amused—so much so that it was fully five minutes -before they recovered themselves sufficiently to speak. - -“Wal, you are a green one,” said Sanders, at length. “The minute -Reginald puts his eyes on you he will say that you are the very chap -he’s been a-lookin’ fur so long, an’ instead of releasin’ you he’ll -lock you up whar you’ll never see daylight again. Maybe he’ll do -something wuss—I don’t know.” - -“I wouldn’t put myself in your place and run the risk,” chimed in Tom. -“But I’d a heap sooner be rubbed out to onct than be shut up in that -rancho of his’n. Sich queer doin’s as they do have thar! The ole man -can’t keep a thing in his house.” - -“What is the reason?” asked Julian. - -“‘Cause it’s stole from him, that’s the reason—money, we’pons, -clothes, grub—everything. He can’t keep nothing.” - -“Why doesn’t he lock his doors?” - -“Haint every door in the rancho got mor’n a dozen bolts an’ chains onto -it, an’ don’t he keep three or four big dogs on the outside of the -house, an’ as many more inside? An’ haint he sot up night after night -with his pistols in his hands watchin’ fur the thieves? It don’t do no -’arthly good whatsomever. Things is missin’ all the while, an’ nobody -don’t know whar they go to. You see,” added Tom, sinking his voice -almost to a whisper, “thar’s some folks besides the ole man livin’ in -that ar rancho, an’ they don’t need doors an’ winders. They can go -through a keyhole, or a crack an inch wide, and even a solid stone wall -can’t stop ’em. I slept thar one night, an’ if I didn’t see——” - -“Hold your grip, Tom,” interrupted Sanders, hastily. “Somehow I don’t -like to hear that thing spoke of. That rancho is a bad place to stop -at, that’s a fact; an’ I’d as soon fight a fair stand-up battle with -the biggest grizzly in the mountains as to spend an hour thar arter -sundown. I wouldn’t be half so bad skeered.” - -After saying this Sanders relapsed into silence again, and so did Tom; -and Julian, who had heard just enough to excite his curiosity, tried in -vain to induce them to continue the conversation. He wanted to learn -something about Reginald Mortimer, and know what the trappers had seen -in his house that frightened them so badly; but they paid no heed to -his questions, and Julian was finally obliged to give it up in despair. - -How far he traveled that night he did not know. He was so nearly -overcome with fear and anxiety, and so completely absorbed in his -speculations concerning the future, that at times he was utterly -unconscious of what was going on around him. All he remembered was that -for five long hours Sanders kept his horse at a full gallop, leading -the way at reckless speed along yawning chasms and under beetling -cliffs which hung threateningly over the road, that he became so weary -that he reeled about in his saddle, and that finally, when it seemed to -him that he could no longer shake off the stupor that was pressing upon -him, Sanders suddenly drew rein and announced that they were at their -journey’s end. - -Julian looked up and found himself in an extensive valley, which -stretched away to the right and left as far as his eyes could reach. In -front of him was a high stone wall, over the top of which he could see -the roof of what appeared to be a commodious and comfortable house. The -building was evidently intended to serve as a fortification as well as -a dwelling, for the walls were thick and provided with loop-holes, and -the windows were protected by heavy iron-bound shutters. - -All was dark and silent within the rancho; but when Sanders pounded -upon the gate with the butt of his revolver, a chorus of hoarse growls -arose on the other side of the wall, and a pack of dogs greeted them -with furious and long-continued barking. Presently Julian heard a door -open and close in the rancho, and saw the light of a lantern shining -above the wall. Then came the rattling of chains and the grating -of heavy bolts, and a small wicket in the gate swung open and was -immediately filled by the bull’s-eye of a powerful dark lantern. The -person who handled the lantern, whoever he was, could obtain a good -view of the horsemen, but they could not see him, for he remained in -the shade. He consumed a good deal of time in making his observations, -and Sanders began to grow impatient. - -“Wal, Pedro,” he growled, “when you get through lookin’ at us you’ll -let us in, won’t you? We’ve got business with the ole man, an’ we’re -in a hurry. I don’t want to stay about this place no longer than I can -help,” he added, in an undertone. - -The sound of the outlaw’s voice must have satisfied the man as to the -identity of his visitors, for he closed the wicket, and after a short -delay opened the gate, and Sanders led the way into the rancho. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -JULIAN FINDS A RELATIVE. - - -HAD JULIAN been entering a prison, knowing that he was destined to -remain there for the term of his natural life, he could not have been -more terrified than he was when he found himself surrounded by the -gloomy walls of the rancho, and heard the ponderous gate clang behind -him. He was playing an involuntary part in a strange and mysterious -drama, and the uncertainty of what might be the next scene in which he -would be forced to assist, kept him in a terrible state of suspense. -But he was blessed with more than an ordinary share of courage, and -when the first momentary thrill of terror had passed away, he called -it all to his aid, and prepared to meet whatever was in store for -him with an undaunted front. He appeared to be much more at his ease -than the two trappers, for they had suddenly lost their swaggering, -confident air, and were gazing about them uneasily as though they were -apprehensive of discovering something they did not care to see. - -“He’s all grit, haint he?” whispered Sanders, who, as well as his -companion, seemed surprised at the captive’s coolness and indifference. -“He’s a genuine Mortimer.” - -“Mebbe he’ll look different afore he has been many hours inside these -yere walls,” replied Tom, in the same cautious whisper. “Wait till he -gets into the house an’ sees _him_, as I saw him one night.” - -“Well, if you’re going in you had better dismount, hadn’t you? Or do -you intend to ride your horses in? Who’s this you have here?” - -It was Pedro who spoke. He had lingered to fasten the gate, and now -came up and elevated his lantern to take a survey of the trappers and -their prisoner. When the rays from the bull’s-eye fell upon Julian’s -features he staggered back as if he had been shot, his face grew deadly -pale, and his whole frame trembled violently. - -“It isn’t—it isn’t——” - -Pedro tried to pronounce some name, but it seemed to stick in his -throat. - -“No, it isn’t _him_,” replied Sanders; “it’s the other.” - -“Not Julian?” exclaimed the Mexican, plainly much relieved. - -“Yes, Julian, an’ nobody else.” - -“Why, how came he here? Where did you find him?” - -“Now, Pedro, you haven’t offered us $5,000 to bring him to you safe an’ -sound, have you? Them’s questions we don’t answer for nobody except the -ole man. We want to see him, an’ purty quick, too.” - -Sanders dismounted from his horse, and at a sign from him Tom and -Julian did the same. Pedro led the way toward the door of the rancho, -shaking his head and ejaculating in both Spanish and English, and -turning around now and then to look sharply at Julian as if he had not -yet been able to make up his mind whether he was a solid flesh and -blood boy or only a spirit. He conducted the trappers and their captive -into the house, and after pausing to fasten the door, led them through -a long, wide hall, the walls of which were hung with old-fashioned -pictures and implements of the chase, and ushered them into an -elegantly furnished room; and after taking one more good look at -Julian, waved his hand toward a couple of chairs and asked the trappers -to be seated. - -“I will go and tell the governor who you are, and whom you have brought -with you,” said he. - -“Hold your horses!” exclaimed Sanders, suddenly, and in great -excitement. “You haint a-goin’ to take that light with you an’ leave us -here in the dark? I wouldn’t stay here fur all the money the ole man’s -got stowed away in that cave of his’n, if it’s $50,000.” - -“Fifty thousand!” sneered Pedro. “You have queer ideas of wealth. -Better say fifty million; and he don’t know where it is any more than -you do. He’ll find out now, however,” added the Mexican, with a hasty -glance at Julian. - -“Wal, put that lantern on the table if you’re goin’ out,” repeated -Sanders. - -Pedro muttered something about having any thing but an exalted opinion -of a man, who, after braving innumerable dangers, was afraid to remain -in a dark room for a moment or two, but he complied with the request. -He placed the lantern on the table and went out, leaving the trappers -and Julian to themselves. The latter sunk helplessly into the nearest -chair, while Sanders and his companion, after looking all about the -room to make sure that there was no fourth person present, moved up -closer together and stood regarding one another with an expression of -great amazement on their faces. - -“Fifty million!” whispered Sanders, who was the first to speak. “Do you -believe it?” - -“That’s a monstrous heap of money,” replied Tom—“more’n the hul State -of Californy is worth. But I’ve allers heern tell that old Reginald had -more yaller boys stowed away in this rancho than a wagon train could -haul away. If it’s a fact, we’ve made a mistake by——” - -He finished the sentence by jerking his thumb over his shoulder toward -Julian. - -“Sartin, we have,” replied Sanders. “We hadn’t oughter give him up for -no $5,000. Pedro told us that the ole man don’t know whar the money is -any more’n we do, but that he would find out all about it now; and when -he said that he looked at Julian. Did you notice?” - -Tom replied in the affirmative. - -“That means that the money is hid somewhars; but it can’t be that the -boy knows whar it is, ’cause he was so young when he was took away from -here. Thar’s a heap o’ things about this house an’ family that I would -like to have made clear to me. But I know one thing, an’ that is, we -can make up on the other feller what we lose on Julian; an’ besides, we -can watch our chance an’ steal the boy out agin when—what’s that? Did -you hear anything, youngster?” - -Sanders’ voice trembled as he asked this question, and facing suddenly -about he gazed first toward the farther end of the room, and then -toward Julian, who had started to his feet, and stood looking the very -picture of bewilderment. - -“I did,” replied the boy, in a scarcely audible whisper; “and I saw -something moving those curtains, too.” - -The walls of the room into which Julian and his captors had been -conducted, instead of being plastered or papered, were concealed by -crimson hangings which extended from the ceiling to the floor. These -were the curtains of which he had spoken. - -As he sat listening in a dreamy sort of way to the whispered -conversation of the trappers, he heard a grating noise on the other -side of the hangings resembling that which would be occasioned by a key -turning in a rusty lock. - -A bright, dazzling light blazed up for an instant and was extinguished, -and then the hangings were pushed aside and a pair of eyes appeared at -the opening and looked into the room. - -Julian saw a portion of the face to which they belonged and sprang -to his feet in great astonishment, for he thought he recognized the -features of the emigrant whose conversation with Sanders he had -overheard. But the face was withdrawn almost as soon as it appeared, -and Julian was not allowed a second look. - -“What did you see?” cried Sanders, his face ghastly pale, and the hand -which rested on the lock of his rifle trembling visibly. - -“I saw some one looking in here,” replied Julian, “and it was the same -man who offered you a thousand dollars to put me out of the way.” - -“Dick Mortimer!” Sanders almost shrieked. - -The expression of terror on his face gave way instantly to a look of -profound astonishment. He dropped the butt of his rifle heavily to the -floor, and Tom uttered a long-drawn whistle. - -The two men stared vacantly at one another for a moment, and then with -a common impulse sprang across the room and tore aside the hangings. - -There was no one there. Nothing was revealed except the solid stone -wall which formed that side of the room. Where could the emigrant have -gone? He certainly had not come into the room, and neither could he -have retreated through the wall. Julian stood transfixed. - -“I know I saw him there,” said he, as soon as he could speak. “It beats -me where he could have gone so suddenly.” - -“That’s nothing,” replied Sanders. “You’ll be beat wuss than this if -you stay in this rancho all night, I can tell you that.” - -But the trapper’s actions indicated that it was something, after -all, for as soon as he had satisfied himself that the emigrant had -disappeared, he dropped the hangings as if they had been coals of fire, -and snatching the lantern from the table retreated toward the door with -all possible haste, with Tom close at his heels. Nor was Julian far -behind the trappers when they reached the hall. - -He did not wonder now that they were impatient to transact their -business and leave the house. He would have been glad to leave it -himself. His captors had told him that there were some “queer doings” -in that rancho. Did they refer to scenes like this? Were people who, -like this emigrant, had no business there, in the habit of walking -about the house every night, and of vanishing after such a bewildering -fashion when discovered; and was he to be compelled to remain there a -witness to such proceedings. - -The boy trembled at the thought. He was not superstitious. He knew that -he had seen the face of a man peeping out from behind the hangings, and -he believed, too, that his sudden and mysterious disappearance could -be explained, and that there was nothing supernatural about it; but -nevertheless he resolved that as long as he was allowed the free use -of his feet he would not remain in a dark room in that house without -company. - -When the trappers retreated into the hall he went with them, and like -them, kept his back turned toward the room, and impatiently awaited -Pedro’s return. Nor was he obliged to wait long. - -In a few seconds he heard a door open and close, a light flashed into -the hall, and two men came hurrying toward him. One of them was Pedro, -and the other was a tall, foreign-looking gentleman, in dressing-gown -and slippers, who came along with a smile on his face, and his hand -outstretched, as if about to greet some friend from whom he had long -been separated. - -Upon reaching Julian’s side he threw his arms around him and clasped -him in a most affectionate embrace—to which the boy submitted without -uttering a word. He had not expected such a reception as this; and, if -one might judge by the expression on the faces of the trappers, they -had not expected it either. Their underjaws dropped down, they stared -at one another for a moment, and then Tom gave utterance to another -long-drawn whistle, and Sanders pounded the floor with the butt of his -rifle. - -“Julian! Julian! is it possible that you have returned at last?” cried -the gentleman, holding the boy off at arm’s length for a moment, and -then straining him to his breast once more. “Don’t you know your Uncle -Reginald?” - -“It’s him sure enough, ain’t it?” asked Sanders. - -“Of course it is he,” replied the owner of the rancho, still clinging -to Julian as if he never meant to let him go again. “I should have -recognized him if I had met him in Asia. No one but a Mortimer could -ever boast of such a face as that. Where did you find him? Julian, why -don’t you tell me that you are glad to see me?” - -“I say, guv’nor,” interrupted Sanders, “couldn’t he talk to you jest as -well arter we are gone? Me an’ my pardner are in a monstrous hurry. How -about them $5,000?” - -“I will place it in your hands this moment. Come with me.” - -Seizing Julian by the hand, Reginald Mortimer—for that was the -gentleman’s name—led the way along the hall, and into a room which the -prisoner saw was used as a sleeping apartment, for there was the bed -from which this man, who claimed to be his uncle, had just arisen. - -Conducting the boy to a seat on the sofa, and leaving the trappers to -stand or sit as suited their fancy, the gentleman produced a bunch of -keys from his desk and unlocked a strong box which was standing at the -head of his bed. - -When the lid was thrown back Julian opened his eyes and leaned forward -to obtain a nearer view of the contents of the box. - -Such a sight he had never seen before. The box was literally filled -with gold coin—some of it packed away in little drawers, and the rest -tied up in canvas bags. Two of these bags the owner lifted out of the -box and handed to the trappers, saying: - -“There is the money I promised to give you if you succeeded in -restoring Julian to me safe and sound. I give you my hearty thanks -beside, for you have rendered me a most important service. Pedro, show -Sanders and his friend to the best room in the house.” - -“Nary time, if _you_ please!” exclaimed the trapper, with a frightened -look. “We’ll feel a heap better, an’ sleep a sight easier, if we camp -in the mountains.” - -“But I want to talk to you about Julian. Where did you find him?” - -“We’ll tell you all about that when we bring the other feller to you.” - -“The other fellow?” - -“Yes; that is, if we can come to tarms.” - -“Whom do you mean?” - -“Silas Roper. Say another five thousand fur him, an’ we’ll have him -here to-morrow bright an’ arly.” - -“Silas Roper!” exclaimed the gentleman, gleefully. “Am I not in luck? -Certainly, I say it; bring him immediately.” - -“It’s a bargain. Come on, Tom.” - -“Well, go, if you must, and remember that although I am under -obligations to you now, I shall be vastly more your debtor when you -give that man into my hands. My plans are working splendidly.” - -When the door had closed behind the trappers Reginald Mortimer locked -his strong box and once more turned toward Julian. The latter, who -since his arrival at the rancho had moved like one in a dream, aroused -himself by a strong effort and looked squarely into the man’s face. He -gazed at him a moment, and then sprung to his feet with a cry of alarm -and ran toward the door. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -JULIAN’S HOME. - - -WE HAVE said that Julian Mortimer was the hero of our story, and in -order that you may understand what brought him to the mountains, and -how it came that several persons whom he believed he had never seen -before should take so deep an interest in him, we must go back and -relate some events that transpired previous to the beginning of our -story. - -On the banks of the Missouri River, about fifty miles below St. Joseph, -was a small clearing, in which stood a dilapidated cabin inhabited by -the family of John Bowles. It was a gloomy-looking place, and that was -not to be wondered at, for Jack, as he was familiarly called, was not -the man to waste any of his time or money in beautifying his home. -Both were much too precious for that. His time was spent in hunting -and trapping, and his money—what little he earned—was devoted to the -purchase of bad whisky, of which he was exceedingly fond. He was a -tall, heavy, broad-shouldered man, and looked the very impersonation of -laziness. His two boys, Jake and Tom, were chips of the old block, and -his wife was a sharp-featured, ill-tempered woman of wonderful strength -and daring, and it was said that in a fair rough-and-tumble fight—for -things came to that sometimes in the cabin of Mr. Bowles—she was more -than a match for her redoubtable husband. - -The neighboring settlers had but little to do with Jack. They remarked -that his family went clothed in rags from one year’s end to another; -that they were sometimes destitute of even the common necessities of -life; and that Jack hunted early and late and spent every cent he -made at the grocery at “The Corners.” But one stormy night a stranger -was seen to ride rapidly away from the cabin, and from that hour -things seemed to take a turn for the better with Jack Bowles. He and -his family appeared in brand new suits of clothing; the boys sported -silver-mounted rifles in place of the rusty single-barreled shot-guns -in which they had before taken so much delight; a neighbor, who knew -something of the use of carpenters’ tools, was employed to patch up -the cabin, and Jack gave up hunting and spent his days and nights in -lounging about the grocery, drinking whisky and showing large rolls of -bills and handfuls of gold and silver. The settlers noticed, too, that -the cabin had an inmate whom they had never seen before—a slender, -fair-haired boy about eight years of age, who seemed to be altogether -out of his element there. And they told one another also that Jack and -his wife had reasons for wishing to keep him out of sight as much as -possible, for whenever any one passed the clearing the boy would be -summoned into the house by the shrill voice of Mrs. Bowles, and the -door closed upon him. - -From this they naturally concluded that the boy and the money Jack -spent so freely were in some way connected; and, when hard pressed, -Jack acknowledged that such was the fact. He said that the boy’s -name was Julian Mortimer; that he had been brought to the cabin by a -stranger who wished to leave him there for a month or two while he went -on a business tour to New Orleans; and that he had paid a few weeks’ -board for him in advance. There was one thing, however, that Jack did -not see fit to disclose, and that was that the stranger had cautioned -him to keep strict watch over the boy, and under no circumstances -to allow him far out of his sight. For awhile the settlers wondered -greatly at this story; but it soon ceased to be the topic of -conversation, and finally even the circumstance of the stranger’s visit -was forgotten. - -Weeks grew into months, and months into years, and Julian Mortimer was -still an inmate of Jack Bowles’ cabin, which he had learned to call -home. The money that had been paid for his board had long ago been -squandered at The Corners, and Jack had been obliged to overhaul his -long-neglected implements of the chase, and resume his old occupation -of hunting and trapping. - -The cabin was in a worse condition now than it was before it was -repaired. It was built of rough, unhewn logs, and contained but one -room. It had no floor—the ground, which had been trampled upon until -it was as hard as a rock, answering that purpose. The only furniture -it could boast of were two miserable beds, and a three-legged pine -table that had been pushed against the wall to enable it to retain its -upright position. As for chairs, there were none; the places of these -useful articles being supplied with boxes and empty nail-kegs. There -were no windows in the cabin, all the light and air being admitted -through the door, which was allowed to stand open during the coldest -days in winter. - -A ladder on one side of the room led to the loft where Julian slept. It -was the most uncomfortable part of the house, for some of the boards -at the gable-end had fallen off, the shingles on the roof were loose, -and during a storm the rain and sleet rattled down on his hard pillow. -There was nothing inviting about Julian’s bed, for it was simply a pile -of husks, with a large gunny sack, a tattered blanket, and one or two -ragged coats spread over it. But he always went to that bed aching in -every muscle after his hard day’s work, and slept as soundly there, in -spite of the cold wind and rattling shingles, as if it had been a couch -of down. - -One end of the cabin was occupied by an immense fire-place, with -a stick chimney, which leaned away from the building as if about -to topple over. A fire was burning brightly on the hearth one cold -afternoon in March, and before it stood Mrs. Bowles, watching some -venison steaks that were broiling on the coals, and smoking a short -cob pipe, which was held firmly between her teeth. She was angry—that -was plain enough to be seen—and, indeed, it would have been difficult -to find her in any other mood. She thought she had good reasons for -showing her temper occasionally, for “that Julian,” as she called -the household drudge, was the plague of her life. More than half an -hour ago she had sent him out after firewood, and although she had -called him three times, and promised to dust his jacket for him the -moment he came within reach of her arm—a threat that never failed to -quicken the pace of her sons—he had not yet returned. She watched the -broiling steaks for a few minutes, listening the while for the sound of -footsteps, and then went to the door, removed the pipe from her mouth, -threw back her head and shrieked: - -“You, Julian! Have you gone clear to St. Joe arter that firewood?” - -This time her shrill tones reached the ears of a young fellow about -sixteen years of age, who was at work in the edge of the woods at a -short distance from the house. We ought rather to say that he _had_ -been at work, and was resting from his labor, leaning on his ax and -gazing thoughtfully at the ground when the woman’s sharp voice broke in -upon his reverie. - -“There it is again,” said he, with a long-drawn sigh, lifting his ax -and resuming his work. “It’s Julian! Julian! from morning until night. -Julian has to do everything that is done on the farm. I shouldn’t mind -the work so much if they would only give me some warm clothes and say -a kind word to me now and then; but they won’t do it. Look at that,” -he added, pausing, with his ax suspended in the air, and gazing down -at his boots, which were so sadly out of repair that they afforded his -feet but very little protection from the mud, and none whatever from -the sharp, biting air. “This coat is so thin that the wind blows right -through it; and as for this hat—well, perhaps it is better than none -at all, but not much. These are the only clothes I have in the world, -and they are the best I have owned since I came to this place eight -years ago. I have money enough to buy others, but I dare not do it, for -fear that they will be taken away from me and given to that lazy Jake -or Tom. And as for the treatment I receive—why, there isn’t a dog on -the place so badly abused. I suppose I shall get another beating now -for keeping Mrs. Bowles waiting for this firewood.” - -When Julian had finished his soliloquy and his chopping, he threw down -his ax, and shouldering one of the heavy back-logs he had cut, made his -way slowly toward the house. Mrs. Bowles was too busily engaged with -her preparations for supper to think of the rawhide which she had taken -from its accustomed nail behind the door and laid upon the table close -at her side, and Julian succeeded in transferring his pile of wood from -the edge of the clearing to the cabin without attracting her attention. -This done, his work for the night was over, and he was at liberty to -attend to a little business of his own. - -Drawing on a pair of tattered gloves he left the house, and walking -briskly past the corn-cribs, struck into the path that led through the -woods to The Corners, turning his head now and then to make sure that -there was no one observing his movements. Had he taken pains to look -closely at one of the corn-cribs as he went past it, he would have -discovered two pairs of eyes peering through an opening over the door; -and had he glanced behind him when he reached the cover of the woods, -he would have seen the door fly open and two figures spring out and run -swiftly along the path in pursuit of him. - -Julian had set out to visit his traps. Minks, foxes and raccoons were -abundant in the woods about the clearing, and he was very expert in -taking them. During the last two winters he had earned a sum of money -that was quite a respectable fortune in his eyes; and more than that, -he had purchased an excellent rifle, a supply of ammunition and a fine -young horse, which he intended should some day carry him miles and -miles out of the reach of Mrs. Bowles’ rawhide. - -The rifle, together with his money and stock of furs, was concealed -where no one would ever think of looking for it; but the horse was -claimed by Tom Bowles, Jack’s younger son, who took possession of the -animal as soon as Julian brought him home. But that was a matter that -did not trouble our hero. Of course he was denied the pleasure of -riding the horse—for Jake and Tom followed the example set them by -their parents, and tyrannized over Julian in every possible way—but -he knew where to find him when he wanted him; and when he was ready -to undertake the journey he had been planning and thinking about, he -intended to take possession of him without consulting Tom Bowles or any -one else. - -On the day that Julian first brought the horse home he created quite a -commotion in the Bowles family. When he told Jack, in the presence of -his wife and sons, that the animal was his own private property, and -that he had paid $75 in cash for him, the inquiry very naturally arose, -where did the money come from? That was a matter that Julian did not -care to talk about. If he replied that he had received it for the furs -he had trapped, he knew that Jack and his boys would hunt the woods -over until they found his dead-falls, and then rob and destroy them. - -He declined to enlighten them on this point, and that created on uproar -at once. Jack swore lustily; Mrs. Bowles flourished her rawhide; Tom -took charge of the horse and led him off to the stable; and Jake -threatened to black his eye for him. But Julian, who was not one of the -sort who are easily frightened, remained firm, and Jack and his boys -were compelled to change their tactics and resort to strategy. - -They told one another that they would keep a sharp eye on all Julian’s -movements, and follow him wherever he went; and if they did not find -out what he did in the woods while he was there, and what it was that -took him away from home so regularly every night and morning, they -would know the reason why. - -But even this plan failed, for Julian was always on the alert and could -not be caught napping. His ears, as sharp as an Indian’s, always told -him when he was followed. On such occasions he would stroll carelessly -about through the woods, as if he had no particular object in view, -and finally make his way home again and go to work. Then Tom and Jake -would be angrier than ever, and Julian was certain to suffer for his -watchfulness. - -On this particular evening, however, Julian was not as careful as -usual. The plans he had been so long maturing were almost ready to -carry into execution, and he was so completely wrapped up in his -glorious anticipations concerning the future that he did not hear the -light footsteps of Jake and Tom as they dodged through the bushes -behind him. - -He walked straight to the creek, and from the force of long habit, -paused on the bank to look about him. Having satisfied himself that -there was no one in sight, he sprung into the bed of the stream, and -looking under the overhanging roots of a beech where he had set one of -his traps, discovered a large mink caught by one of his hind feet. - -A blow on the head with a stick stilled the animal, and after resetting -and baiting the trap, Julian picked up his prize, and rejoicing in the -thought that the skin of the mink would bring $2 more to be added to -his little fortune, hurried on up the creek. - -For an hour Julian continued his walk, stopping now and then to bait -and set a trap that had been sprung by some animal too cunning to be -caught, or to take a fox, mink or raccoon out of another, and finally -he stopped at the foot of a precipitous cliff with $13 worth of furs -thrown over his shoulder—not a bad afternoon’s work for a trapper of -his years. - -He now became more cautious than ever in his movements. His first care -was to convince himself that there was no one following him; and in -order to set his fears on this score at rest, he dropped his game and -ran back along the bank of the creek, peering through the trees in -every direction, and passing so close to Tom and Jake, who had thrown -themselves behind a log to escape discovery, that he could have touched -them. But he saw no one, and believing himself to be alone in the -woods, he once more shouldered his game and made his way up the cliff -until he reached a thicket of bushes that grew near the summit. - -Here he paused, and began pulling away the leaves with his hands, -presently disclosing to view a small door which had been set into the -face of the cliff. The opening of the door revealed what appeared to be -the mouth of a cave, extending down into the ground. Julian threw in -his foxes and minks one after the other, and then crawled in himself -and closed the door after him. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -JULIAN MEETS A STRANGER. - - -JULIAN’S first move, after he had shut the door, was to strike a match, -and his second to light a candle which he took from a shelf close at -hand. As the light blazed up, he held it above his head and took a -survey of the cave, or, as he called it, his “store-house.” It was a -very small one—not more than six feet square—but it was large enough -to contain all Julian’s earthly possessions. All that could be seen -was a quantity of furs, some already cured and neatly baled up, and -others hanging against the walls stretched upon boards and frames to -dry; but there were other valuable articles stowed away there, and as -soon as Julian had glanced about the room to see that nothing had been -disturbed during his absence, he placed his candle on the floor and -proceeded to bring them to light. - -The walls, floor and ceiling of the room were composed of small -saplings, and two of these saplings concealed treasures that were of -more value to Julian than all his furs. One of them was in the floor, -and when it had been lifted out of its place by the edge of a hatchet, -some of the young trapper’s wealth, which would have made Jake and Tom -open their eyes in amazement could they have seen it, was disclosed to -view. - -It consisted of a silver-mounted rifle, inclosed in a strong canvas bag -to protect it from the damp and dirt, a hunting-knife, an ornamented -powder-horn and a fawn-skin bullet-pouch, both the latter filled with -ammunition. - -Julian looked at these articles long and lovingly. He had come by them -honestly—they were the first valuables he had ever owned, and he had -worked so hard for them! He took the rifle from its case, drew it up to -his shoulder and glanced along the clean brown barrel, as if drawing -a bead on an imaginary deer’s head, held it in a dozen different -positions to allow the light to shine on the silver mountings, and -finally returned it, with all the accouterments, to its hiding-place, -and went to look after his other treasures. He removed one of the -saplings that formed the ceiling, thrust his arm into the opening -and drew out a small tin box, which contained money to the amount of -$80—the proceeds of two winters’ work at trapping. Julian ran hastily -over the bills to make sure that they were all there, then put back -the box, returned the sapling to its place, and drawing his knife from -his pocket sat down to remove the skins from the animals he had just -captured. - -“I’m rich!” he exclaimed, looking about him with a smile of -satisfaction. “Counting in my money and what my horse, hunting rig -and hunting furs are worth, I have at least $250. I have purchased -everything I need, and some fine, frosty morning, when Mrs. Bowles -calls for ‘you, Julian,’ to get up and build the fire, he won’t -answer. He’ll be miles away, and be making quick tracks for the Rocky -Mountains. I only wish I was there now. There’s where I came from -when I was brought to Jack Bowles’ house. I just know it was, because -I can remember of hearing people talk of going over the mountains -to California, and I know, too, that there were gold diggings on my -father’s farm, or rancho, I believe he called it. I’m going to try to -find my father when I get there, and if I ever see him I shall know -him.” - -Julian’s thoughts ran on in this channel while he was busy with his -knife, and in half an hour the skins had all been stretched, and the -young trapper was ready to return to the miserable hovel he called -home. He extinguished his candle, crawled out of the cave, and after -concealing the door by piling leaves against it, hurried down the bluff -and into the woods, happy in the belief that no one was the wiser -for what he had done; but no sooner had he disappeared than Jake and -Tom Bowles came out of the bushes in which they had been hidden, and -clambered up the cliff toward Julian’s store-house. - -It was rapidly growing dark, and Julian, anxious to reach the cabin -before his absence was discovered, broke into a rapid run, which he -never slackened until he reached the road leading from The Corners to -the clearing. There he encountered a stranger, who, as he came out of -the bushes, accosted him with: - -“Hold on a minute, my lad. I believe I am a little out of my reckoning, -and perhaps you can set me right.” - -Julian stopped and looked at the man. He could not get so much as even -a glimpse of his face, for the broad felt hat he wore was pulled down -over his forehead, and his heavy muffler was drawn up so high that -nothing but his eyes could be seen; but the boy at once put him down -as a gentleman, for he was dressed in broadcloth, and wore fine boots -and fur gloves. Julian looked at his neat dress, and then at his own -tattered garments, and drew his coat about him and folded his arms over -it to hide it from the stranger’s gaze. - -“Is there a hotel about here?” continued the gentleman, approaching the -place where Julian was standing. - -“No, sir,” was the reply; “none nearer than The Corners, and that’s ten -miles away.” - -“Is there no dwelling-house near?” - -“There is a shanty about a mile distant belonging to Jack Bowles, but I -wouldn’t advise you to go there.” - -“Then I am on the right road after all,” said the stranger, with a -sigh of relief. “Jack Bowles! He’s just the man I want to see. I have -some important business with him. He can accommodate me with a bed and -supper, can he not?” - -“He can give you some corn bread and venison, but as for a _bed_, -that’s a thing he doesn’t keep in his house. If you happen to have half -a dollar in your pocket, however, he will stow you away somewhere. Jack -will do almost anything for half a dollar. Why, what’s the matter, -sir?” - -It was no wonder that Julian asked this question, for the gentleman, -who had now advanced quite near to him, took just one glance at his -face, and started back as if he had seen some frightful apparition. He -pushed his hat back from his forehead, pulled his muffler down from -his face, and stared at Julian as if he meant to look him through. The -boy was astonished at his behavior, and he would have been still more -astonished if he had been able to look far enough into the future to -see all that was to grow out of this meeting. - -“Boy!” exclaimed the gentleman, in a voice which his agitation rendered -almost indistinct, “who are you? What’s your name?” - -“Julian Mortimer,” replied our hero. - -“Julian! Julian Mortimer!” repeated the man, as if he could scarcely -believe his ears. “It cannot be possible. Why, boy, you’re just—ahem! -I mean—what a striking resemblance.” - -The stranger spoke these last words hurriedly, and then, as if -recollecting himself, hastily pulled his hat down over his forehead -again, and once more concealed his face with his muffler—all except -his eyes, which he kept fastened upon Julian. - -“No doubt you think I act very strangely,” he continued, after a -moment’s pause, “and perhaps I do, but the truth of the matter is, you -look so much like a young friend of mine—a relative, in fact—that for -a moment I was almost sure you were he. But, of course, you can’t be, -for he is dead—been dead eight years. If you are ready we will go on.” - -Julian was forced to be contented with this explanation, but he was not -quite satisfied with it. It was made in a bungling, hesitating manner, -as if the man were thinking about one thing and talking about another. -More than that, the excitement he had exhibited on the first meeting -with Julian seemed to increase the longer he looked at him; and now and -then he rubbed his gloved hands together as if he were meditating upon -something that afforded him infinite pleasure. He continued to watch -the boy out of the corner of his eye, and finally inquired: - -“Is this man Bowles, of whom you spoke, your father?” - -“No, sir,” replied Joe, emphatically. “I live with him, but he is no -relative of mine. My father, as I remember him, was a different sort of -man altogether.” - -“Eh!” ejaculated the stranger, with a start. “As you remember him? Ah! -he is dead, then?” - -“Not that I know of, sir. He was alive and well the last time I saw -him. I’ll see him again in a few weeks.” - -“Where is he?” - -“Out West. He owns a rancho near the mountains with a gold mine on it.” - -“Then why are you here?” - -“Because I can’t help myself. I didn’t come here of my own free will, -but was brought by one who will have good cause to remember me if I -meet him again when I become a man.” - -“Do you think you would know him if you should see him again?” asked -the stranger, looking sharply at Julian, and putting his hat lower over -his eyes. - -“I am quite sure I should. He stole me away from my home and brought -me here; but why he did it I can’t tell. I don’t intend to stay any -longer, if it would do him any good to know it. I’ve got a good horse -and rifle, and plenty of money, and I am going to leave here in a few -days and go back to the mountains where I belong, and I shall not ask -Jack Bowles’ consent, either.” - -“Do you think he would oppose it?” - -“I know he would. He would beat me half to death, or his wife would, -and lock me up in the smoke-house till I promised never to think of -such a thing again. I’m going to run away, and by the time he misses me -I shall be a long distance out of his reach.” - -The man listened attentively to all Julian had to say, and when the -latter ceased speaking he placed his hands behind his back, fastened -his eyes on the ground, and walked along as if he were in a brown -study. He did not look up until they reached the door of the cabin -where Jack Bowles, who had just finished his supper, stood smoking his -cob pipe. - -“Wal, who have ye got thar?” was his surly greeting. - -“A gentleman who wishes to find a place to stay all night,” replied -Julian. - -“Why don’t he toddle on and find it, then?” growled Jack. “I ain’t a -hinderin’ him, be I? He can’t stop here. I don’t keep a hotel to take -in every Tom, Dick and Harry that comes along. Wal, I be dog-gone!” - -Jack suddenly took his pipe from his mouth, and stepping hastily up to -the stranger, bent forward and peered into his face. Then something -that was intended for a smile of recognition overspread his own -countenance, and extending his hand with as cordial an air as he could -assume, he continued: - -“I allowed I had seed ye somewhar afore, Mr.—eh?” - -Jack paused before the name he had been about to pronounce escaped his -lips, interrupted by a hasty gesture from the stranger, who glanced -toward Julian and raised his hand warningly. - -“You are mistaken, my friend,” said he, blandly. “You have never seen -me before, but I hope the fact that I am a stranger to you will not -prevent you from extending your hospitality to me for the night.” - -Jack stared, took a few long, deliberate pulls at his pipe, looked -first at the eaves of the cabin, then down at the ground, and finally -turned to Julian for an explanation. - -“What’s he tryin’ to get through hisself?” he asked. - -“He wants something to eat and a bed to sleep in,” replied the boy. - -“Oh! Why didn’t he say so, then? Wal, stranger, I reckon we can hang -ye up somewhar,” added Jack, who had seen and comprehended the warning -gesture; “although, as I told ye afore, we don’t make a business of -takin’ in every tramp that comes along. Ye see, in a new country -like this it ain’t safe. Ole woman, make up another batch of them -corn-dodgers an’ fry a slice or two of that bar’s meat. Julian, what be -ye a standin’ thar gapin’ at? Cl’ar yerself. Come in, stranger—come -in an’ set down.” - -Julian moved around the corner of the cabin and remained out of sight -until he heard Mrs. Bowles laying the table for the guest, and then he -also entered. - -It was not a very sociable party he found in the house. Mrs. Bowles was -moving about preparing the corn-dodgers and bear meat; the visitor, -who had removed his overcoat and muffler, was comfortably seated on a -nail-keg in a dark corner of the room, and Jack Bowles sat in front -of the fire, his elbows resting on his knees and his hat pulled down -over his eyes, which were slowly moving over the stranger’s person and -scrutinizing his dress and ornaments. - -Julian noticed that his gaze rested long on the watch chain that hung -across the stranger’s vest, and on the diamond ring that glittered on -his finger, and the expression he saw on Jack’s face alarmed him and -made him wish most sincerely that he had never conducted the gentleman -to the cabin. - -No one spoke until supper was ready, and then the guest was invited -to “draw up and pitch in.” Julian tried to obtain a glimpse of his -features as he came out of his dark corner, but the man, as if guessing -his intention, kept his head turned away from him and took his seat at -the table with his back to the fire, so that his face still remained in -the shadow. - -While he was busy with his corn-dodgers and bear meat, Jake and Tom -came in. They glanced curiously at the guest, and Tom seated himself -beside the fire opposite Julian, whom he regarded with a triumphant -smile, while Jake went to one of the beds that stood in the room and -carefully hid something under the pillows. Julian afterward recalled -the movements of these two worthies, and wondered why his suspicions -had not been aroused. - -When the stranger had satisfied his appetite, the three boys, at a sign -from Mrs. Bowles, sat down and made a very light meal of that which was -left, and no sooner had they arisen from the table than they received -a second signal from Mr. Bowles, who pointed with his thumb over his -shoulder toward that part of the room in which the beds were situated. - -The boys all obeyed the order, but one of them, at least, had no -intention of going to sleep. It was Julian, who, as he slowly mounted -the ladder that led to the loft, told himself that he was in some way -connected with the stranger’s visit to the cabin, and that he would -learn something about the matter before morning, if there was any -way for him to accomplish his object. He stretched himself upon his -hard bed, and drawing one of the coats over his shoulders, waited -impatiently to see what was going to happen. - -For half an hour all was still; then some one began to move softly -about the cabin, a step was heard on the ladder, and a light flashed -upon the rafters over Julian’s head. - -Presently a hand grasping a tallow dip appeared above the edge of the -loft, closely followed by the grizzly head and broad shoulders of Jack -Bowles, who stopped when he reached the top of the ladder and gazed at -our hero long and earnestly. - -Julian was wide awake, and through his half-closed eyelids could see -every move Jack made, but the latter, believing him to be fast asleep, -descended the ladder and joined his guest. - -“My suspicions are confirmed,” soliloquized Julian. “They intend to -talk upon some subject that they don’t want me to know anything about. -I am going to learn something now. Perhaps I shall find out who I am -and where my father is, and why I was brought here. What if this man -should prove to be my father, who, for reasons of his own, does not -wish to reveal himself to me?” - -Julian, highly excited over this thought, rolled noiselessly off the -bed upon the floor, crept to the edge of the loft, and looked over into -the room below. Jack had just placed his candle on the table, and was -approaching his guest with outstretched hand. - -“Now, then, Mr. Mortimer,” said he, “the boy is out of the way fur the -night, an’ thar’s no use in settin’ back thar away from the fire. Draw -up an’ give us a shake.” - -“_Mr. Mortimer!_” was Julian’s mental ejaculation. - -His heart seemed to stop beating. He opened his eyes to their widest -extent and kept them fastened upon the stranger, who pulled his -nail-keg in front of the fire and seated himself upon it. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -THE FLIGHT. - - -WHEN THE gentleman came out of his dark corner, and the light of the -candle fell upon his features, Julian took a good look at him, and an -expression of great disappointment settled on his face. - -“Whoever he is, he is not my father,” said he, to himself, “for my -father had gray hair. This man is a stranger, and as it would be a mean -piece of business in me to stay here and listen to his conversation I -will crawl back to my pile of husks and go to sleep.” - -Acting upon this resolution Julian began a slow and cautious retreat; -but he had not gone far when a thought struck him, and he crept back to -the edge of the loft and looked over into the room again. - -“Jack called him _Mr. Mortimer_,” soliloquized the boy, “and I should -like to know who and what he is. The manner in which he acted when I -met him in the woods makes me believe that he has seen me before, and -that he knows something about me that he wishes to keep hidden from me. -I have a good deal at stake and it will do no harm to listen a while -anyhow.” - -It was a very handsome face that Julian’s eyes rested upon, and one -that he did not think he should ever forget. Although the man’s -language indicated that he was an American, his features had a decided -Spanish cast. His face was dark and wore a haughty expression, his hair -was long and waving, and like his mustache and goatee, was as black as -midnight. Julian looked at him attentively, and was surprised to see -that he shook hands with Mr. Bowles and his wife, as if they were old -acquaintances whom he was glad to meet once more. - -“It’s a long time since I’ve seed ye, Mr. Mortimer, but I allowed I -knowed ye as soon as I clapped my eyes onto ye,” said Jack, drawing his -nail-keg a little closer to the side of his guest. - -“And you came very near making a mess of it, too,” replied the latter, -with some impatience in his tones. “I believe that boy suspects me—he -looked at me as if he did—and I would not have him know who I am for -the world. You’re sure he is asleep?” - -“Sartin, ’cause I went up to look. We’ve kept him safe an’ sound fur -ye, ’cordin’ to orders, hain’t we?” - -“An’ now you have come to take him away from us—I jest know ye have,” -exclaimed Mrs. Bowles, raising the corner of her tattered apron to her -left eye. “I don’t know how I can let him go, ’cause my heart’s awfully -sot onto that poor, motherless boy.” - -“We’ve done our level best by him,” chimed in Jack. “Ye told us when ye -brought him here that he was a gentleman, an’ a gentleman’s son, an’ -we’ve treated him like one.” - -“When _he_ brought me here,” repeated Julian, to himself; and it was -only by a great exercise of will that he refrained from speaking the -words aloud. - -He became highly excited at once. Mr. Mortimer was the one who had -stolen him away from his home and delivered him up to the tender -mercies of Jack Bowles and his wife—the very man of all others he most -wished to see. He had been a long time coming, almost eight years, and -now that he had arrived, Julian found that he was destined to become -better acquainted with him than he cared to be. He watched the guest -more closely than ever, carefully scrutinizing his features in order to -fix them in his memory. He hoped to meet him some day under different -circumstances. - -“He haint never had no work to do, an’ we never struck him a lick in -our lives,” continued Jack. “We’ve treated him better’n our own boys. -He’s got a good hoss of his own, an’ I’ve been a feedin’ it outen my -corn ever since he owned it, an’ never axed him even to bring in an -armful of wood to pay for it. An’ my boys do say that he’s got a heap -of money laid up somewhars. If ye have come to take him away I reckon -ye’ll do the handsome thing by us.” - -“My friends,” interrupted the guest, as soon as he saw a chance to -speak, “I know all about Julian, for I have talked with him. I know -what he has got and what he intends to do. Have you ever told him -anything about his parentage?” - -“Nary word,” replied Jack. - -“Then I wonder how it is that he knows so much about it. He knows that -his home is near the mountains; that he was stolen away from it, and -that he has a father there. More than that he intends to go back there -very soon, and is laying his plans to run away from you.” - -“Wal, I never heered the beat in all my born days!” exclaimed Mrs. -Bowles, involuntarily extending her hand toward the rawhide which hung -on the nail behind the door. “I’ll give him the best kind of a whoppin’ -in the mornin’. I’ll beat him half to—— What should the poor, dear -boy want to run away from his best friends fur?” - -“The leetle brat—the ongrateful rascal!” said Mr. Bowles. “That’s -why he’s bought that ar hoss; an’ that’s why he’s been a huntin’ an’ -trappin’ so steady—to earn money to run away from us, is it? I’ll larn -him.” - -And Jack turned around on his nail-keg and looked so savagely toward -the loft, where Julian was supposed to be slumbering, that the -eavesdropper was greatly alarmed, and crouched closer to the floor and -trembled in every limb, as if he already felt the stinging blows of the -rawhide. - -“It seems that my visit was most opportune,” continued the stranger. -“If I had arrived a day or two later I might not have found Julian -here. He would probably have been on his way to the mountains; and -if he had by any accident succeeded in finding his old home, all my -plans, which I have spent long years in maturing, would have been -ruined. I came here to remove him from your care. It appears that -certain persons, who are very much interested in him, and who have -been searching for him high and low ever since I brought him here, have -by some means discovered his hiding-place, and it is necessary that I -should remove him farther out of their reach. I shall take him to South -America.” - -“What’s that? Is it fur from here?” asked Jack. - -“It is a long distance. I came down the river from St. Joseph in a -flatboat,” added the visitor. “I found that the captain is a man who -will do anything for money, and I have arranged with him to carry us to -New Orleans. It will take us a long time to accomplish the journey, but -we cannot be as easily followed as we could if we went by steamer. If -you will accompany me I will pay you well for your services. I can say -that the boy is a lunatic and that you are his keeper.” - -“‘Nough said!” exclaimed Jack. “I’m jest the man to watch him.” - -“But you must not watch him too closely,” said Mr. Mortimer earnestly. -“If he should accidentally fall overboard during the journey it would -not make any difference in your pay.” - -“In course not,” replied Jack, with a meaning glitter in his eye. “If -he gets one of them ar’ crazy spells onto him some dark night an’ jumps -into the river, why—then——” - -“Why then you ought to be handsomely rewarded for your faithful -services while in my employ, and discharged.” - -“Perzactly. Whar is this yere flatboat now?” - -“I left her about twenty miles up the river. I told the captain to -lay up for a few hours until I could have time to come down here and -transact my business with you. She will be along about noon to-morrow. -Have everything ready so that we can hail her, and step on board -without an instant’s delay.” - -“I don’t fur the life o’ me see how I can let him go—my heart is so -sot onto him,” sighed Mrs. Bowles, once more raising her apron to her -eyes. “He do save me a heap o’ steps, an’ he’s a monstrous good hand to -cut wood an’ build fires o’ frosty mornin’s.” - -“But he hain’t never had it to do,” interrupted Jack, who, for reasons -of his own, thought it best to impress upon the mind of his guest that -Julian’s life under his roof had been one continual round of ease and -enjoyment. “We allers makes our own boys roll out o’ mornin’s and cut -wood, an’ Julian can lay in his comfortable bed, as snug as a bug in a -rug, an’ snooze as long as he pleases. The reason we’ve tuk sich good -care of him is, ’cause we thought ye sot store by him. Ye’re some kin -to him, I reckon. Ye’re names is alike.” - -“That is a matter that does not interest you,” answered the guest -sharply. “I pay you to work for me, and not to ask questions.” - -“I didn’t mean no offense. But when I see a man like yerself totin’ a -boy about the country, an’ leavin’ him hid in a place like this fur -eight year, an’ then huntin’ him up agin, an runnin’ him off to some -other place, an’ hear ye say that if he falls into the river an’ gets -drownded ye won’t be no ways sorry fur it, I think there’s something -up, don’t I? Ye don’t do that fur nothing; an’ since the boy ain’t ole -enough to be a standin’ atween ye an’ a woman, I naterally conclude -that he stands atween ye an’ money. Howsomever, it hain’t no consarn of -mine. I know which side of my corn-dodger’s got the lasses onto it.” - -“Pap! I say pap!” suddenly cried a voice from one of the beds. “Ye -think yer sharp, ye an that feller do, but ye ain’t so sharp as ye -might be.” - -“Hush yer noise, boy, an’ speak when ye’re spoken to,” exclaimed Jack -angrily. “Ye needn’t be no ways oneasy, Mr. Mortimer,” he added, seeing -that his guest arose hastily to his feet and appeared to be greatly -excited to know that their conversation had been overheard. “We’re all -true blue here, an’ my boys has too much good sense to blab what they -hears—leastwise while they are paid to keep their mouths shet. Ye, -Jake, roll over an’ go to sleep.” - -“All right, pap,” said Jake, obeying the first part of the order. “If -ye wake up in the mornin’ an’ find that yer bird has flew ye needn’t -blame me, ’cause I told ye.” - -“Eh?” roared Jack, jumping up in great amazement. - -“O, he won’t be here, an’ ye can bet yer bottom dollar on it. He’s -heered every blessed word ye said.” - -“Who? Julian?” gasped the visitor. - -“Sartin. I seed his head a stickin’ over the hull time ye was a -talkin’.” - -Had a bomb-shell burst in the room the two men could not have been -more astonished. They stood motionless for a moment, and then, with a -muttered imprecation, Jack bounded across the floor and went swiftly up -the ladder that led to the loft, closely followed by his guest, whose -face was as pale as death, while Mrs. Bowles snatched the rawhide from -its nail, and rolling up her sleeves took her stand in front of the -fire-place, prepared for any emergency. - -Jack sprung into the loft when he reached the top of the ladder and ran -straight to the bed, expecting to lay his hands upon the eavesdropper; -but he was not there. With eager haste he threw aside the tattered -coats and blankets, and even kicked the corn-husks about, but no Julian -was hidden among them. Nor was he anywhere in the loft; for there was -no furniture there, and consequently no place of concealment large -enough to shelter a squirrel. - -“Dog-gone!” roared Jack, stamping about so furiously that the boards -which formed the floor of the loft creaked and bent, and seemed on the -point of breaking beneath his weight and letting him through into the -room below. - -“He’s gone, as sure as ye’re a foot high.” - -“He probably escaped through this hole,” said Mr. Mortimer, running to -the gable-end of the cabin where the boards had fallen off. “It isn’t -more than ten feet to the ground, and he could easily drop down without -injuring himself. He must be brought back at any cost.” - -“In course he must, an’ I know how to do it. I’ve got a hound that’ll -trail him. Ole woman, stick yer head outer that door an’ holler for -Nero.” - -While Mrs. Bowles was shouting out the hound’s name, awaking the echoes -far and near with her shrill voice, Jake and Tom were pulling on their -clothes with all possible haste. - -“Here’s a fine chance for a spec,” said the former, slyly pulling a -small tin box from under his pillow and putting it carefully into his -pocket. “Mebbe that feller in the store clothes will give something -to have Julian brought back. The ole man’ll never ketch him ’cause he -can’t run fast enough; an’ Julian’s too sharp to give a hound a chance -to foller him. We know jest the place he’ll make tracks fur, an’ if we -go thar we can gobble him.” - -“Ye Jake!” cried Mr. Bowles, hurrying down the ladder, “when I get -time, I’m a goin’ to give ye the best wallopin’ ye ever heern tell on.” - -“Ye needn’t mind,” replied Jake, in great alarm. - -“But I _will_ mind, I tell ye; an’ I hain’t a-goin’ to forget it, -nuther.” - -“I hain’t been a doin’ of nothing, pap.” - -“That’s jest what’s the matter. I’m goin’ to lick ye fur not doin’ -something—fur not tellin’ me that ye seed Julian a listenin’. Here he -comes! Here’s the feller that’ll bring the runaway back to us in less’n -five minutes.” - -At this moment the door was dashed violently open and in bounded Nero, -who seemed to know that there was work for him to do, and was impatient -to begin it. He was a magnificent brute—so large that when he sprang -up and placed his paws upon his master’s shoulders his head was on a -level with Jack’s. He showed a frightful array of teeth and growled -threateningly at the visitor, who constantly shifted his position in -order to keep Jack’s burly form between himself and the savage beast. - -“Thar’s the dog fur ye, Mr. Mortimer,” said Bowles, looking proudly at -his favorite. “He’ll ketch any thing ye tell him to, from a bar down -to a chicken. Hand me that rope, ole woman. I’ll have to hold him in -the leash, or he won’t leave enough of Julian to make it wuth while to -take that trip down the river. Now, then, hunt ’em up, ye rascal!” - -Having made one end of the rope fast to the hound’s collar, Mr. Bowles -wrapped the other about his hand and arm, snatched a blazing fire-brand -from the hearth, and hurried out of the door and around the house, to -examine the ground there, and ascertain if Julian had really escaped -from the opening in the gable-end. The hound struck the scent at once, -and uttering a loud bay dashed off into the darkness, dragging the -clumsy Jack after him. - -“Now’s your time,” whispered Tom, when the yelping of the dog and the -encouraging yells of his master began to grow fainter in the distance; -“speak to him.” - -“I say!” exclaimed Jake, addressing himself to Mr. Mortimer, who was -pacing nervously up and down the floor; “pap’ll never ketch him, but we -can, ’cause we know whar to look fur him.” - -“Then why don’t you do it?” demanded the guest, angrily. “I will give -you $10 apiece if you will bring him back to me.” - -“Wal, that’s business. We were jest waitin’ to hear ye say something of -that kind. Come on, Tom.” - -The two boys rushed out of the house, and running swiftly along the -path that led by the corn-cribs, were soon out of sight. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -CHASED BY A BLOOD-HOUND. - - -JULIAN did not remain long enough in his concealment to overhear all -the conversation we have recorded, for an action he witnessed on the -part of Jake Bowles, shortly after that worthy got into bed, turned -his thoughts from the stranger, and his plans into another channel. He -saw Jake thrust his arm under his pillow and draw out a small tin box, -which he opened, and after looking over his shoulder to make sure that -his father and mother were too much engaged with their visitor to pay -any attention to himself, he drew out of it a roll of bills. He ran his -fingers over them caressingly, held them above his head to allow the -firelight to shine upon them, and exhibited in various other ways the -delight he experienced in having them in his possession; after which he -returned them to the box, replaced it under his pillow, and settling -himself comfortably between the blankets, threw his arm over his head, -and as Julian thought, prepared to go to sleep. But Jake did not intend -to do anything of the kind, for he saw the top of the eavesdropper’s -head over the edge of the loft. - -“That’s my box,” thought our hero, his cheek growing suddenly pale, and -his heart beating against his ribs with a noise that frightened him. -“I’ve been robbed.” - -The knowledge of this disagreeable fact came upon him with a force so -stunning and bewildering, that for a few seconds he lay as motionless -upon the floor of the loft as if he had been stricken down by some -powerful hand. His secret was discovered after all his pains, and -by the very ones from whose knowledge he had wished most to keep it -hidden. - -“My horse went first,” thought Julian, striving hard to choke back the -tears that arose to his eyes, “and now everything else is gone; for, of -course, if they found the box they must have found my furs and my rifle -also. And I was always so careful never to go near my store-house until -I had satisfied myself that there was no one in sight. I shan’t give up -those things, and that’s all about it. Because I have never resisted -their tyranny, Jack and his boys think I am a coward, but now I will -show them what I am made of.” - -Very slowly and cautiously Julian drew back from the edge of the loft, -and retreated toward the opening in the gable-end of the cabin. So -stealthy was he in his movements that even the wakeful Jake did not -hear him as he crept across the floor, swung himself down from the -gable-end and dropped to the ground. - -The instant he landed on his feet he darted off at the top of his -speed, directing his steps toward the corn-cribs. - -“That much is done,” panted Julian, “but the work is yet to come. It -will be no trouble to saddle my horse and secure my rifle and furs, -but how am I to obtain possession of that money? It is mine, and I am -determined to have it. Here, Billy! Here, Billy!” - -Julian’s horse, which was standing under a dilapidated shed, raised -his head on hearing his name pronounced, and seeing his master open -one of the cribs, came up, expecting the ear of corn which the boy -never failed to have ready for him whenever he passed through the -stable-yard. Julian knew where Tom kept his saddle and bridle, and it -was but the work of a few seconds to place them on the horse. When this -had been done he climbed over the corn to the farther end of the crib, -and began tossing aside the ears, muttering as he did so: - -“This place is a regular repository for stolen goods. I have found more -than one article belonging to me stowed away here, and unless I am -very much mistaken—ah! I thought so. Here are my furs—all baled up -and ready for transportation, thanks to Tom and Jake—my rifle and my -hunting-knife. Now, if they had only left my money here I would be on -my way to St. Joseph in less than five minutes. I must have it if it -takes me a week to get it.” - -Julian hastily pulled the canvas cover off his rifle, and slung the -weapon over his shoulder by a broad strap that was attached to it, -buckled his hunting-knife about his waist, placed his furs, which Tom -and Jake had tied up in one bundle, close at hand, and once more began -throwing the corn aside, searching everywhere for his powder-horn and -bullet-pouch. While thus engaged his attention was attracted by a great -uproar which suddenly arose in the house. He listened, and could hear -the tramping of heavy feet and the sound of angry, excited voices, -with which were presently mingled the shrill tones of Mrs. Bowles, who -thrust her head out of the door and shouted for Nero. - -“The blood-hound!” gasped Julian. “I didn’t think Jack Bowles was as -bad as that. Oh! for just one load for my rifle! But why should Nero -harm me? He has known me as long as he has known any of the family. I -have often shared my meals with him, and perhaps if he overtakes me he -will recognize me.” - -Julian knew too much, however, of the nature of the fierce brute to -indulge long in this hope. - -Nero was the terror of the neighborhood, and when aroused he had been -known to defy Jack Bowles himself. Our hero was perfectly well aware -that the hound would trail him as he would a deer, and that if by any -chance he succeeded in overtaking him, he would pull him down and -throttle him without the least mercy. His heart beat a trifle faster -than usual when he thought of the probable results of a fight with the -terrible animal, and his hands trembled as he caught up his bundle of -furs and clambered over the corn toward the door. - -He had left Billy with his head in the crib, feasting on the corn -within his reach, and he believed that he would remain there until he -was ready to mount him; but when he came out of the door he saw him at -the farther end of the yard, prancing and playing about in high glee. - -The boy ran toward him, pronouncing his name in a low voice, but Billy, -instead of obeying the call, kicked up his heels and galloped away to -the other side of the yard. Just then Julian heard the door of the -cabin thrown open, and looking back saw the hound spring into the room -and fawn upon his master. - -“I’m caught,” thought our hero, in intense alarm. “I dare not wait to -secure my horse, and on foot I can never hope to escape from that dog. -I might as well give up now as any time.” - -The boy’s actions, however, did not indicate that he had the least idea -of surrendering himself without a struggle for his freedom. - -After one more unsuccessful attempt to capture his unruly steed, -he threw his pack of furs over his shoulder, leaped the fence that -inclosed the stable-yard, and striking the path that led to the woods, -ran for his life. He did not waste time in looking back, and there was -no need of it, for his ears kept him posted in all that was going on. -He knew when Jack and his dog came out of the cabin, and the cold sweat -started out from every pore in his body when Nero’s deep-toned bay, and -his master’s exultant yells, rang out on the still air, telling him -that the trail had been found and the pursuit commenced. - -Calling to his aid all the power he had thus far held in reserve, -Julian flew along the path with the speed of a frightened deer, and -with a few bounds reached the cover of the woods. - -Without in the least slackening his pace, he threw his bundle of furs -into the bushes on one side of the path, and pitched his rifle as far -as he could in the opposite direction. His second move was to pull off -his coat and wrap it around his left arm, and his third to draw his -hunting-knife from its sheath, and tie the thong of buckskin which was -attached to the handle around his wrist. His face all this while wore -an expression that would have astonished Jack Bowles could he have seen -it. - -Being now relieved of every encumbrance, Julian flew along with -redoubled speed, through darkness so intense that he could scarcely -see his hand before his face, leaping logs and ditches, and struggling -through thickets of briers and cane that at almost any other time would -have effectually checked his progress, all the while listening to -the baying of the hound, and wondering why the animal was so long in -overtaking him. - -When he had accomplished nearly half a mile, and the sounds of the -chase began to grow fainter, showing that his pursuers were losing -ground, he uttered an exclamation of delight, and slackened his pace. - -“I thought Nero’s music did not ring out as loud and clear as usual,” -said he to himself; “and now I know the reason. Jack is holding fast to -him, and the dog is choking himself to death trying to get away. Mr. -Bowles never saw the day that he could catch me in a fair race. I may -as well go slower and save my breath.” - -But, even as these thoughts were passing through Julian’s mind, he -heard a sound behind him that brought from him a cry of alarm, and -caused him to spring forward again with all the power he could command. -It was a yell of rage from Jack, accompanied by a loud, ringing bay, -such as Nero usually uttered when following a trail. The eager hound -had escaped from his master’s control. - -The fugitive shuddered at the thought, and would not permit himself to -believe it; but in a few seconds the fact became too apparent. Nero’s -bays sounded nearer and nearer, and presently Julian heard him crashing -through the bushes behind him. - -His lightness of foot could not save him now. The fight he so much -dreaded could not be avoided, and the sooner he was prepared for it the -better. - -To think, with Julian, was to act. He at once decided that the little -open glade he was then traversing should be the battle-ground. It was -almost entirely free from undergrowth, and moreover, the branches of -the trees overhead were not so thick as to entirely shut out the light -of the moon, which, just then, as if in sympathy with the fugitive, -made a feeble effort to shine through the clouds that obscured it. - -A few rapid steps brought him to the opposite side of the glade, and -to the foot of a huge poplar. Here he faced about, and taking his -stand with his back against the tree, so that the shock of the first -collision might not knock him off his feet, he wrapped his coat closer -about his arm, and fastened it there by tying the sleeves in a knot -with his teeth, grasped his hunting-knife with a firmer hold, and -calmly awaited the appearance of the blood-hound. Nor was the contest -long delayed. - -Stimulated by the freshness of the trail, Nero came on with long and -rapid bounds, and at last broke from a thicket on the opposite side of -the glade, and with a bay which rang in Julian’s ears like the knell of -death, moved swiftly toward his victim. - -The fugitive had barely time to settle his hat more firmly on his head -and brace himself for the shock, when the fierce animal arose in the -air and launched himself at his throat. The arm with the coat wrapped -around it was quickly interposed, and Nero’s ponderous jaws closed upon -it with a power that, for an instant, rendered Julian incapable of -action. He was borne back against the tree by the weight of the brute, -but rallied in a moment, and then began the most desperate struggle of -his life. - -The hound was as quick as a cat in his movements, and seemed endowed -with as many lives; for, although the boy’s long, keen blade found -lodgment in his body more than once, it appeared to make no impression -upon him. He clung to Julian’s arm with the tenacity of a bull-dog, -never once loosening or shifting his hold; and now and then, throwing -all his strength into the effort, he gave his antagonist a shake that -brought him to his knees. - -To make matters worse, Jack Bowles was not far behind. He was soon -near enough to shout directions to his hound. He heard the sounds of -the struggle, and believing that his favorite was gaining the mastery, -ordered him to let go his hold. - -[Illustration: “THEN BEGAN THE MOST DESPERATE STRUGGLE IN JULIAN’S -LIFE.”] - -“He is past minding, Jack,” shouted Julian, whose courage and -determination had never once flagged during all the doubtful contest; -“and when I am done with him he will be past hearing you.” - -Jack heard every word, and comprehended the situation as well as if -there had been light enough for him to see everything that was going -on. It was wonderful how quickly his tone changed. - -“Hi! hi!” he yelled, forcing his burly form through the bushes with all -the speed of which he was capable, “pull him down, Nero! Shake him to -death, ye rascal! Drop that ar we’pon, Julian, or I’ll larrup ye within -an inch of yer life. I wouldn’t have that dog hurt for $100.” - -“You ought to have thought of that before you put him on my trail,” -replied Julian. “There! Thank goodness that ends it.” - -The hound ceased the battle as suddenly as he begun it. He became limp -and lifeless all at once, and sank to the ground in a heap, dragging -Julian with him. But even in death his jaws would not relax their hold. -His long teeth had caught in the coat, and Julian could not release his -arm. - -Just then, Jack Bowles burst from the bushes, and came lumbering -across the glade. He saw Julian kneeling beside the hound and knew -instinctively what had happened. His astonishment and rage knew no -bounds. - -“Dog-gone!” he roared; “ye’ve done it now, boy. I wouldn’t be in yer -cowhide shoes fur no money. Hold on, thar! Come back here, or——” - -The oaths and threats with which Jack awoke the echoes of the forest -made Julian’s blood run cold, but they did not check his flight. - -Finding himself unable to obtain possession of his coat, he slipped his -arm out of it and fled, leaving the garment in the hound’s mouth. - -He was out of sight in a moment. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -GOOD FOR EVIL. - - -JULIAN, almost exhausted by his violent exertions, was in no condition -to continue his fight. He simply ran to the opposite side of the -poplar, in front of which the fight had taken place, and threw himself -flat between the roots, where he lay trembling with fear, and hardly -daring to breathe lest Jack should discover him. But that worthy was -too angry to see anything except his prostrate hound. He bent over the -animal for a moment, and then rushed frantically off in the direction -he supposed Julian had gone, stamping through the bushes like a mad man -and stopping now and then to listen for the sound of the fugitive’s -footsteps. He made a wide circuit through the woods, searching -everywhere for the object of his vengeance, and finally came back to -his favorite again. - -He seemed to be unable to bring himself to believe that he had seen -Nero alive for the last time. He placed him upon his feet, called him -by name, and even shook him to make him show some signs of life; and -when at last he had satisfied himself that the dog was really dead, he -jumped up and spurned him with his heavy boot. - -“Only think!” he exclaimed aloud; “a hound that could pull down a -four-pronged buck as easy as he could a chicken, that could stretch -a two-year-ole bar while ye was a thinkin’ about it, an’ chaw up a -full-grown wildcat every mornin’ afore breakfast, has met his match at -last in that leetle pale-face Julian, who doesn’t look as if he had -pluck enough to face a mouse. Nero, I am teetotally ashamed of ye. -Whar is that Julian? If I don’t ketch him I shall lose the money I was -goin’ to make by that trip to Orleans. But I’ll make more outen Mr. -Mortimer. I’ll have that watch an’ that ring, an’ everything he’s got -in his pockets afore daylight. I hain’t a goin’ to be swindled on all -sides, I bet ye.” - -When Jack had finished his soliloquy—every word of which Julian had -overheard—he once more began his search for the fugitive. The boy -remained quiet in his concealment until the sound of his footsteps -had died away, and then with a long breath of relief arose to his -feet and went to recover his coat. He found it where Jack had thrown -it after freeing it from the teeth of the hound. It had never been a -very valuable piece of property since it came into his possession, and -now it was in a worse condition than ever; but Julian, knowing that -he was destined for months to come to live entirely in the open air, -could not think of leaving it behind. He threw the garment over his -shoulder, and taking a last look at the hound, and shuddering as he -recalled the incidents of the fight, bent his steps through the woods -toward his store-house. He wanted to see what Tom and Jake had done to -it. Perhaps they had left something there worth saving. He was very -cautious in his movements, stealing along with a step that would not -have awakened a cricket and pausing every few feet to listen. But he -heard no suspicious sounds, and when he reached the cliff in which his -store-house was located he was satisfied that he had seen the last of -his enemies for that night at least. - -He found the ruins of his store-house lying all along the side of the -bluff, for the young robbers, not content with taking possession of -Julian’s valuables, had pulled out the saplings of which the house was -built and scattered them far and wide. As Julian stood looking at the -ruins of the cabin, thinking how hard he had worked to build it, and -wondering how Jake and Tom had ever discovered it, he heard a slight -rustling in the bushes by his side, and before he could turn to see -what occasioned it, he found himself lying flat on his back with a -heavy weight on his breast holding him down. At the same instant he -felt a strap passed around his wrist. - -Had his assailant conducted his operations in silence, Julian, who -believed that he had fallen into the clutches of Jack Bowles, and that -it would be folly to resist, would have suffered himself to be bound -without even a word of remonstrance, but his antagonist, having a -confederate close by, and believing that he was likely to have more on -his hands than he could well attend to, shouted lustily for help. - -“Here he is, Jake,” he yelled. “Hurry up. I’ll hold him an’ ye can tie -him. The $20 are our’n.” - -“Tom Bowles!” cried Julian. - -“Sartin; an’ ye’ll find it out as soon as we get ye fast. Don’t go to -bein’ sassy now, ’cause we won’t b’ar it. Tie that ar strap around his -arms, Jake.” - -“Perhaps Jake isn’t man enough to do it,” replied our hero; and the -sequel proved that he was not. - -Julian arose to his feet as easily and quickly as though there had been -no one there to prevent him, and seizing Tom by the collar, gave him a -trip and a push that sent him heels over head down the cliff. - -Without waiting to see what had become of him, Julian turned upon Jake, -and then began another fight, which, although by no means of so serious -a character as the one Julian had had a few minutes before, was quite -as furious and determined. Jake was older and larger and stronger than -Julian, but by no means as active. He was fighting for the $10 his -father’s guest had promised him if our hero was brought back to the -cabin a prisoner, and to retain possession of the $80 he carried in his -pocket. - -He knew that Julian was aware that he had the money about his person, -for the very first clutch he made was for Jake’s pocket, in which he -felt the box. His fingers closed upon it at once with a tenacity fully -equal to that with which our hero had clung to his arm. - -“Leave go, consarn ye,” yelled Jake, “or I’ll punch ye!” - -“Let go yourself,” replied Julian. “I earned it honestly—it is mine, -and I am going to have it if I have to fight you here till daylight.” - -“Help! Tom, help!” shouted Jake, doubling himself up and twisting about -in all sorts of shapes to break Julian’s hold. “Be ye a coward that ye -stand down there gapin’ that way?” - -Tom did not reply, and neither did he show any inclination to respond -to his brother’s appeals for assistance. He stood at the foot of the -bluff, holding his hands to his side, which had been pretty severely -bruised by his fall, and listening to the footsteps and ejaculations of -some one who was approaching through the bushes at a rapid run. - -“Ye know that I’ve got a’most a hundred dollars of his’n in my pocket!” -yelled Jake, indignant at the conduct of his brother. “Be ye goin’ to -stand thar an’ let him take it away from me?” - -“A’most a hundred dollars!” cried a familiar voice in tones of great -amazement. “Hang on to him, Jake, an’ I’ll say no more about the -whoppin’ I promised ye.” - -“O, won’t ye ketch it now, Julian!” shouted Tom, almost beside himself -with delight. “Pap’s a comin’!” - -Both the combatants heard the words, and the fight became desperate -indeed. Julian strove with greater determination than ever to force the -coveted box from Jake’s pocket, and the latter, encouraged by the hope -of speedy and powerful assistance, confidently continued the struggle -which he had more than once been on the point of abandoning. But -fortune favored the rightful owner of the money. An unlucky step on the -part of his antagonist precipitated them both into the excavation in -which the store-house had stood, and that ended the contest. - -A severe bump took all the courage out of Jake, who, setting up a howl -of pain, raised both hands to his head, while Julian, with a shout of -triumph, secured the box and sprung out of the cave. A burly form met -him on the brink, and strong fingers closed on his coat collar. - -“I’ve got ye at last!” exclaimed Jack Bowles, so overjoyed that he -could scarcely speak. “Give up them hundred dollars to onct, or I’ll -wallop ye till——” - -Julian did not hear what else Jack had to say, for he was not there. -Mr. Bowles stood holding at arm’s length a tattered coat, to the collar -of which he was clinging with all his strength; but the boy who had -been in the garment when he took hold of it was bounding swiftly down -the bluff. - -When Julian recovered his coat after his fight with the hound, he had -thrown it over his shoulders and secured it by a single button at the -throat. The button had given away under Jack’s hold, leaving the boy -at liberty to take himself off, which he did with a promptness and -celerity that struck Bowles and his sons motionless with astonishment. -By the time they had recovered themselves sufficiently to think of -pursuit Julian was out of hearing. - -“Hurrah for me!” soliloquized the fugitive, hugging his beloved box -close to his breast and stealing along through the woods as noiselessly -as a spirit. “I’ve got everything except my horse. As soon as Jack and -his boys have gone to bed I’ll catch him and bid good-by to Missouri. I -am all right now.” - -At no time during the next half-hour was Julian out of sight of the -ruins of his store-house, or out of hearing of the voices of Jack -Bowles and his boys. He sat on a log so near them that had it been -daylight he would certainly have been discovered, watching their -movements and listening attentively to every word they said. He heard -Jake relate the history of the box containing the $80, and learned for -the first time that he and his brother had followed him when he went -out to examine his traps, and thus discovered his secret. - -As Jack and his boys believed that Julian would make the best of his -way up the river now that he had recovered his money, they did not -attempt any vigorous pursuit. They ran a short distance through the -woods in the direction in which the fugitive had disappeared, and then -Jack, utterly discouraged and almost boiling over with fury, ordered -his sons to follow him toward home. - -“A’most a hundred dollars!” he repeated for the twentieth time. “Don’t -it beat all the world how that boy could make more money than the hul -of us put together? An’ ye say that he’s got a bundle of mink skins as -big as ye can shoulder that he stole outen the crib whar ye had hid -’em? They’ll bring him forty or fifty dollars more, consarn it all. -Why didn’t ye tell me about the money an’ the furs the fust thing when -ye brought ’em home, like ye had oughter done? I’m goin’ to foller him -to-morrow on hossback. If I don’t ketch him I shall owe ye two lickins, -an’ if they ain’t sich as ye’ll remember the longest day ye live, I’m a -Dutchman.” - -Jack and his boys walked slowly along the path that led from the -store-house to the clearing, and as soon as they were out of sight -in the darkness, Julian arose from his log and followed after them. -He kept within hearing of their voices all the while, and when -they reached the clearing he stood at the fence which inclosed the -stable-yard, and saw them enter the house. - -As soon as they had disappeared, he ran back to the place where he had -left his rifle and furs, which, as he had taken particular pains to -mark the locality, he was not long in finding. The rifle he slung over -his shoulder, and the furs, together with the box containing his money, -he concealed in a hollow log. - -This being done, he once more bent his steps toward the clearing, -resolved to make another attempt to secure his horse. The animal, which -was still running restlessly about the yard with the saddle and bridle -on, positively refused to permit himself to be captured, and Julian -finally went toward one of the cribs, intending to try the persuasive -effects of an ear of corn. As he drew near the door he stopped, almost -certain that he saw the figure of a man standing in the shadow of the -crib. A moment later he knew that his eyes had not deceived him, for -the man, finding himself discovered, came out in plain sight and walked -rapidly toward him. It was Mr. Mortimer. - -“I knew you would never go away and leave your horse,” said he, in a -tone of triumph. “I have been watching for you for the last half-hour. -I have a legal right to control your actions, my boy, and you will -save yourself some trouble by—Julian, stop! What do you mean?” - -The stranger lost his commanding, threatening air in an instant, and -coming to a sudden halt, raised both his hands before his face, and -turned away his head as if he had seen something frightful. The change -was brought about by an action on the part of Julian who, believing -that the man was near enough to him to prevent any attempt at escape, -cocked his rifle and leveled it full at Mr. Mortimer’s breast. He acted -on his first impulse. Had he taken a second thought he would probably -have made no move of this kind, for he knew that the weapon was empty. -But Mr. Mortimer did not, and he stopped and backed away from the boy -with much greater haste than he had used in approaching him. - -“What do you mean, you young outlaw?” repeated the man, his voice -trembling in spite of all his efforts to control it. - -“I mean that I am not going to allow myself to be taken on board a -flatboat and pushed overboard,” replied Julian, calmly; and seeing that -the empty rifle proved so valuable an assistant, he resolutely kept it -pointed toward the stranger’s breast. - -“Turn that weapon away!” cried Mr. Mortimer, after shifting his -position a dozen times to get out of range of the deadly muzzle. “I -will have you arrested the first thing in the morning.” - -“Very good,” answered Julian. “Then perhaps you will be called upon to -show by what authority you took me away from my home and brought me -here, and why you want me drowned in the river.” - -“I am your guardian, I tell you.” - -“I suppose I am at liberty to do as I please about believing that, am -I not? But admitting that you are, it does not give you the right to -abuse me, does it? Who made you my guardian?” - -Before Mr. Mortimer could answer this question the door of the cabin -opened, and Jack Bowles appeared on the threshold, and stood looking -out into the darkness. Julian’s guardian, if such he was, was about to -call out to him, but checked the words that arose to his lips when he -saw the muzzle of the rifle looking straight into his face. - -“Don’t speak above your breath,” said the boy, in low, earnest tones. -“I have just one more word to say to you, and then I am off. I suppose -you think I am the only one about here who has enemies, do you not? -Well, you are mistaken. Your life is in danger, if you only knew it.” - -“My life!” repeated Mr. Mortimer, as soon as he could speak. “From -whom?” - -“Jack Bowles. He is bound to have money, and he don’t care how he gets -it. As he and his boys have failed in their attempts to rob me, and -since he is likely to lose what you offered to pay him if he would -accompany you to New Orleans, he has determined to rob you to-night. I -heard him say so. If you go to sleep you will never see the sun rise -again. This is one act of kindness I have been able to do you in return -for the evil you have done me. Good night.” - -“Mr. Mortimer, be that you a standin’ out thar by the corn-crib?” -shouted Jack Bowles. - -The gentleman heard the question, but he was thinking too busily about -something else to reply. He stood motionless, watching Julian as he -sped swiftly through the stable-yard, and when he leaped the fence and -ran along the path that led toward the woods, Mr. Mortimer slowly and -reluctantly returned to the cabin. - -“Wasn’t thar nobody out thar with ye?” demanded Jack. - -“Yes,” was the scarcely audible reply; “Julian was there, but I could -not detain him, for he had a loaded rifle in his hands.” - -“Why didn’t ye holler?” asked Jack fiercely. “I’ve got a rifle, I -reckon.” - -“Would you call for help if you saw a weapon pointed straight at your -breast?” - -Jack made no answer. He stepped aside to allow his guest to pass, and -Mr. Mortimer entered and took his seat on one of the nail-kegs. He -glanced at his host, and saw that there was something about his person -that he had not before noticed. It was a broad leather belt, from which -protruded the buck-horn handle of a bowie-knife. Mr. Mortimer shuddered -as he looked at it, and wished himself away in the woods with Julian. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -JULIAN HAS A VISITOR. - - -IF WE were interested in the fortunes of Mr. Mortimer, we might put -in an interesting chapter here by relating the various incidents that -transpired in the cabin during the night; but as we have nothing to -do with his personal adventures only in so far as they are connected -with Julian’s, it will be enough to say that it was a night of terror -for him, and one that he never forgot; that, declining the pressing -invitation his host extended to him to occupy the bed which Mrs. Bowles -had arranged for his especial benefit, the guest took his seat in the -corner in which the billets of wood for the fire-place were piled, and -folding his arms and leaning his head against the wall, watched Jack -as closely as ever a cat watched a mouse; that Jack, seeing that the -gentleman’s suspicions had been aroused in some mysterious manner, -fumed inwardly, but believing that time and patience would accomplish -wonders, settled back on his nail-keg to wait until his guest, overcome -by weariness and want of sleep, should be compelled to seek repose; -that, as the night wore on, and Mr. Mortimer never once changed his -position or showed the least sign of drowsiness, Jack began to grow -uneasy, and sat fingering the handle of his knife, and occasionally -running his eyes over the gentleman’s person from head to foot, as if -mentally calculating the chances of a successful encounter with him; -that finally, resolved on trying strategy, Jack threw himself upon -the bed, and after snoring lustily for half an hour, suddenly opened -his eyes, which had never once been closed in sleep, only to find Mr. -Mortimer as watchful and seated as near the billets of wood as ever; -that then Jack’s patience was all exhausted, and he snored in earnest, -but the visitor never moved until daylight began to stream in through -the half-open door. - -No one, to have heard the hearty good-morning Jack wished his guest as -soon as he opened his eyes, would have believed that he had ever had -designs upon his life. Neither of them alluded to the matter in any -way, but Bowles noticed that his guest was always on the alert. - -About 10 o’clock in the forenoon a flatboat might have been seen moored -in front of the cabin. On the shore stood a party of three men, one of -whom was Jack Bowles, another Mr. Mortimer, and the third the captain -of the boat—a gentleman who looked enough like Jack to be his brother. -After saying this it is scarcely necessary to add that he carried the -face of a villain. - -A fourth man was pacing the bank a short distance from the party -mentioned, watching all their movements, listening eagerly to the few -words of their conversation that now and then caught his ear, and -noticing with some nervousness, which showed itself in the frequent -changing of his hands from the arm-holes of his vest to the pockets of -his coat, that they were looking at him rather suspiciously. - -This gentleman, whoever he was, had evidently bestowed considerable -pains upon his toilet; and the dignified manner in which he bore -himself, as well as the satisfied and admiring glances which he -occasionally cast down at his dress, indicated that he had a high -opinion of himself and his personal appearance. - -His garments were all of the finest broadcloth; but as some of them had -been made for larger, and others for smaller men than himself, they -fitted him oddly enough. His trowsers being too long, were rolled up -around the tops of a pair of heavy cowhide boots; and his coat-sleeves -being too short, revealed arms that were as brown and muscular as those -of a blacksmith. A heavy watch-chain hung across his vest, and the -fingers of both his hands were ornamented with enormous seal rings. -But little could be seen of his face, for it was almost entirely -concealed by thick, bushy whiskers, and by a large red handkerchief, -which was passed under his chin and tied over his head. - -“Who is he?” asked Mr. Mortimer, who became unaccountably nervous and -excited the instant his eyes rested on the stranger. - -“He gave no name,” replied the captain of the flatboat. “He came aboard -of us shortly after you left yesterday, and engaged passage for New -Orleans. He is going to the West Indies for his health.” - -“For his health!” echoed Mr. Mortimer. - -He turned and looked at the stranger again, taking in at a glance his -powerful shoulders, which, like those of Tom Hood’s coachman, were much -“too broad to be conceived by any narrow mind,” his quick, elastic -step, ruddy face, and brawny hands and arms, and asked himself if a -finer specimen of robust health could be found anywhere. - -“I know that man in spite of his disguise,” said he, at length, “and -I know what brought him here. He must not be allowed to accompany us, -captain. I will give you double his fare if you will order him to stay -ashore.” - -“It is too late,” replied the skipper. “He has paid his passage, and I -charged him a good round sum too.” - -“Well, return it to him, and tell him that as your cabin is to be -occupied by a dangerous lunatic and his keepers you cannot accommodate -him.” - -“I will talk to him, but I don’t know how much good it will do. He is -very impatient to start down the river, and, what appears strange to -me, he is anxious to go in my boat.” - -“It isn’t at all strange to me. His name is Sanders, and he was sent -out here to watch me, and by my cousin.” - -Mr. Mortimer, who in his excitement had spoken a little too hastily, -suddenly checked himself and looked savagely at the man whom he had -called Sanders. The latter, observing his close scrutiny, pulled his -handkerchief closer about his face and shifted his hands from his -pockets to the arm-holes of his vest. - -“Speaking of this crazy boy,” said the captain, “reminds me that you -have not yet told me when you will be ready to start with him. I have -engaged to deliver my cargo of hoop-poles by a certain time, and I can -wait for you but a few hours longer. You say that the boy has taken it -into his head that he is rich, that he has friends living out West, and -that he has escaped and concealed himself in the woods?” - -“Yes,” replied Jack. “He got away from us last night. Me an’ Mr. -Mortimer were jest goin’ to start after him on hossback when yer boat -come in sight. We’ll have him here afore sundown if thar’s men enough -in the county to hold him. Mebbe this feller has heerd of him. I’ll ask -him.” - -The person referred to was a settler, who was just returning from The -Corners, and who at that moment galloped up on his horse. He stopped -when he saw Jack preparing to speak to him, and in reply to his -question if he had seen or heard of Julian, said: - -“Yes; I saw him at The Corners not more than two hours ago. He traded -off $45 worth of mink skins and bought some powder and lead. He said -that he had made a camp on the bluffs over on Beaver Creek, and that he -was going to stay there a day or two. Anything the matter with him?” - -“He’s gone clean outen his head, that’s all,” replied Jack. - -“Crazy?” cried the settler. - -“Sartin. He stole a’most a hundred dollars of me last night an’ run -away. He wouldn’t a done that if he’d been in his right mind, would he?” - -Jack, having gained all the information he desired, gave Mr. Mortimer -a significant look, and the two walked rapidly toward the cabin, at -the door of which their horses were standing, saddled and bridled, and -springing upon their backs rode off across the clearing. - -“Did I do right in sayin’ what I did about Julian?” asked Jack, as soon -as he and his companion were out of hearing of the men on the bank. - -“Perfectly. I want everybody who is likely to meet him to know that -he is not in his right mind. You see, when we take him on board the -flatboat he may tell the captain or the crew that we are his enemies, -and that he knows we intend to do him some injury; but as we have -already told them that he is crazy they will pay no attention to what -he says. Don’t you understand?” - -“In course. But ye hain’t changed yer plans, have ye? Ye hain’t a-goin’ -to put him in a ’sylum, be ye?” - -“I never had any such intention. If he falls overboard you shall have -$200; but, of course, that is a matter that we keep to ourselves.” - -“I know jest what ye mean. Folks will think that we take Julian on -board the flatboat to carry him to Orleans; but we don’t. We take him -thar so as to drop him into the river, an’ get him outen yer way. Make -yer mind easy. Them two hundred is mine.” - -The settler, who was very much astonished at what Jack had told him, -and had half a mind to join in the pursuit, watched him and his -companion until they were out of sight, and then continued his ride; -but he had not gone far when when he was stopped by the odd-looking man -in broadcloth. - -“Stranger,” said the latter, in regular backwoods vernacular, “whar is -this yere Beaver Creek you was a speakin’ of?” - -“I don’t know that I could direct you so that you could find it,” was -the reply. - -“Who said I wanted to find it?” inquired the man. “I only axes you -which way it is from here, an’ how fur?” - -“Well,” returned the settler, facing about in his saddle, shutting one -eye and gazing at the woods through the half-closed lids of the other; -“it’s four miles right north of here if you go through the timber, and -eight miles if you go by the road.” - -The man in broadcloth walked off at once, and without stopping to thank -the settler for his information. As long as he remained within sight of -the cabin and flatboat he was very deliberate in his movements; but -the instant the woods concealed him from view, he broke into a rapid -run, threading his way through the thick bushes with a celerity that -was surprising. Up hill and down he went, never once slackening his -pace or deviating from the course the settler had given him, until at -last he saw a thin cloud of smoke arising through the trees in front -of him, and after climbing a precipitous cliff, found himself standing -face to face with Julian Mortimer. - -The boy, who being busy with his preparations for dinner, had not heard -the sound of his footsteps until he reached the top of the bluff, -jumped up with his gun in his hand, ready to fight or run, as occasion -might require. His first thought was that his enemies had tracked him -to his hiding-place; but finding that his visitor was a stranger, and -that he appeared to have no hostile intentions, he leaned on the muzzle -of his rifle and waited for him to make known his business. - -The man, whose breath was not even quickened by his long and rapid -run, gazed about him with an air of interest. He looked at the brush -shanty which Julian had erected to protect him from the weather, at the -comfortable bed of blankets and leaves which was arranged under the -sheltering roof, at the squirrels broiling before the fire, and then -his eyes wandered to our hero, at whom he gazed long and earnestly. The -boy did not look much now as he did when he escaped from Jack Bowles’ -cabin, for he was dressed in a suit of new and comfortable clothes, and -sported a wide-brimmed hat and a pair of high-top boots. - -“Julian,” exclaimed the stranger, at length. “It’s you sure enough, -hain’t it? I hain’t seed you fur more’n eight year, but I would know -you any whar.” - -“Would you?” asked Julian, throwing his rifle into the hollow of his -arm and resting his thumb on the hammer; “then have the goodness to -leave here at once. I am suspicious of every stranger who calls me by -name.” - -“An’ well you may be,” replied the man, earnestly, “‘cause most of ’em -are enemies to you. But I hain’t. I’m a friend, an’ I can prove it. -Do you know that Dick Mortimer an’ Jack Bowles are huntin’ the country -over to find you?” - -“Yes; but I wasn’t aware Mr. Mortimer’s name is Dick.” - -“Wal, it is. The flatboat’s come, an’ when they ketch you they’re goin’ -to take you to Orleans an’ lock you up fur a crazy boy.” - -“Why, they said last night that they were going to push me overboard -and drown me,” said Julian, as soon as he could speak. - -“Mebbe they be. I don’t know what they are goin’ to do—I’m only -tellin’ you what I heerd ’em say.” - -“Who are you, any how; and how does it come that you know my name?” - -“Why, boy, I’ve knowed you ever since you was knee high to a duck, an’ -your father afore you.” - -“You have?” cried Julian, greatly amazed. - -“In course. An’ your mother an’ your brother, too. They live out in the -mountains, an’ I come to take you to ’em. They’ll be monstrous glad to -see you, an’ they’re waitin’ fur you.” - -“Are they all alive?” - -“The last blessed one of ’em.” - -“I remember my father,” said Julian, gazing thoughtfully at the ground, -“and it seems to me that I have some recollection of my brother; but I -never knew anything about my mother. What brought you here?” - -“I come to your camp to tell you that Bowles and Mortimer are comin’ -arter you on hossback, an’ that if you want to save yourself you had -better dig out. An’ I come to Missouri ’cause your friends sent me here -arter you. I know the hul lot of ’em, I tell you, an’ if you will trust -yourself to me I will take you to ’em safe an’ sound.” - -Julian, astounded and bewildered by this proposition, dropped the butt -of his rifle to the ground, and looked sharply at the man, as if he -meant to read his very thoughts. Was he really the friend he professed -to be? Of one thing the boy was certain—and that was that he was not -an ally of Mr. Mortimer. If he had been he would not have warned him -that another attempt was about to be made to capture him. - -How gladly would he have given himself up to the man’s guidance if he -had only been sure that he was trustworthy! He would have followed him -all over the world, and braved all imaginable dangers, if he knew that -by so doing he would be restored to his home once more. _Home!_ How the -word thrilled him! - -“Who in the world am I?” Julian asked himself in great perplexity; -“and how does it happen that the moment I am ready to carry my plans -into execution, men whom I never remember to have seen before should -suddenly appear and exhibit so deep an interest in me? If I have such -good friends, who are so very anxious to see me, why did they leave me -here for eight long years to be beaten, and starved, and treated worse -than a dog? I can’t understand it at all.” - -“What do you say?” asked the stranger; “will you go? You had better be -in a hurry about making up your mind to something, ’cause I can hear -the trampin’ of hosses.” - -“Yes,” replied Julian, “I shall go; but I shall go alone.” - -“Wal, then,” continued the man, who was plainly very much disappointed -by this decision, “let me give you a word of advice: If you won’t trust -me, don’t trust nobody—do you hear? You’ll meet plenty of folks who -know you, an’ who will have something to say to you; but don’t listen -to ’em. Jine a wagon train at St. Joe, an’ when you reach Fort Kearney, -stop thar. You will then be within forty miles of your hum. You’d best -be gettin’ away from here, ’cause them fellers is comin’—I can hear -’em.” - -“How did they find out where I am?” asked Julian. - -“Why, some chap saw you tradin’ off your furs this mornin’ an’ buying’ -powder an’ lead, an’ he told ’em. Why don’t you run? Don’t you hear ’em -comin’?” - -Julian listened, and could at last distinguish the rapid strokes of -horses’ hoofs on the hard road. He knelt down behind a log that lay on -the edge of the bluff, and looking over the top of it, waited for the -horsemen to come in sight. - -The sound of the hoofs grew louder and louder, and in a few minutes Mr. -Mortimer came into view, and drawing rein at the foot of the bluff, -sprung out of his saddle. Jack Bowles was not with him; he was alone. - -“I am not afraid of him,” thought Julian. “I kept him at bay last -night with an empty rifle, and now I have a loaded one. He shall never -capture me.” - -Julian arose to his feet, and turned to look at the stranger. He was -not in sight. The boy had not heard even the rustle of a leaf to tell -him that he was in motion, and yet he had disappeared. He wished now -that he had paid more attention to the man’s warning; but his mind was -so fully occupied, and he was so deeply interested in what he had had -to say about the home and friends that were waiting for him away off in -the mountains, that he had hardly given a thought to the danger which -threatened him. He began to think of it now, however, for he heard Mr. -Mortimer ascending the bluff. - -“Hold on, down there!” cried Julian. “I am watching you.” - -“Ah! you are there, are you?” replied Mr. Mortimer. “I will soon be -there, too. If I had known that your rifle was empty, I should have -secured you last night.” - -“Who told you it was empty?” - -“We found your powder-horn and bullet-pouch in the corn-crib this -morning. Don’t attempt any resistance now. You are surrounded, and -cannot escape.” - -“Surrounded!” echoed Julian. - -He turned quickly, and sure enough there was an enemy in his rear, -who had mounted the bluff on the opposite side, and approached so -cautiously that the boy had not heard him. It was Jack Bowles. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -JACK’S PLANS. - - -THE EXPRESSION Julian saw on the face of his old enemy alarmed him -greatly. His countenance was distorted with fury, and the boy saw -enough in it to satisfy him that Jack intended to take ample revenge on -him for what he had done. With a cry of terror he turned and took to -his heels; but Bowles was already within reach of him, and before our -hero had made many steps, he fastened upon his collar with one hand, -and with the other twisted his rifle out of his grasp. - -“Let’s see ye slip outen yer coat an’ get away from me this time,” said -Jack, with savage exultation. “I’ve got a long account to settle with -ye, my lad. I’ll larn ye to go about the country stealin’ money an’ -killin’ honest folks’ huntin’ dogs. We’d best tie him, hadn’t we, Mr. -Mortimer, fur fear that he gets one of them ar crazy spells onto him?” - -“Certainly,” said that gentleman, who, having by this time reached the -top of the bluff, stepped forward to assist in securing the prisoner. - -“An’ sarch him, too,” added Jack. “He may have some dangerous we’pons -about him. Don’t go to makin’ a fuss now.” - -“I have no such intention,” replied Julian, who, knowing that he -was powerless, submitted to his captors, who bound his arms firmly -behind his back. “But I can tell you one thing, Jack—you and Richard -Mortimer. You are not going to take me down the river and put me into -an asylum.” - -Mr. Mortimer was profoundly astonished at these words. He looked -sharply at the prisoner for a moment and exclaimed: “Has Sanders been -here?” - -“Sanders?” repeated Julian. - -“Yes; a short, thick-set man, dressed in black, and wearing an -abundance of jewelry.” - -“I have no acquaintance with any such person.” - -“But you do not say that you have not seen him. You have talked with -him—I am certain of it—or you would not know that my name is Richard. -Sanders knows why I am here, and I know why he is here and who sent -him. We are both playing the same game, and we shall see who will win. -He shall never take passage on that flatboat.” - -As soon as Julian had been securely bound, Jack set himself to work to -overhaul his pockets, searching—not for concealed weapons, but for the -money belonging to the prisoner. A very short investigation, however, -served to satisfy him that the coveted treasure was not hidden about -Julian’s person, and with an expression of almost ungovernable fury on -his face he left him and began to search the camp. He picked up the -prisoner’s blankets, shook them thoroughly, threw aside the leaves -which the boy had scraped together to serve as a mattress, and looked -into every hollow stump and under every log on the bluff; but nothing -in the shape of a box or pocket-book could he find. - -“Whar is it?” he roared, unable to contain himself longer. - -“Where’s what?” asked Julian. - -“The money, ye rascal—the $145.” - -“I haven’t got as much as that.” - -“Wal, you’ve got _some_. Whar is it, I axes ye?” - -“It is concealed where you will never think of looking for it, and -there it shall stay.” - -“I’ll bet a hoss that it don’t stay thar,” shouted Jack, stamping the -ground and shaking his fists in his rage. “Mark my words. Afore I’m -done with ye, ye’ll come to this bluff an’ give me that money with yer -own hands.” - -“And mark _my_ words,” replied Julian calmly. “I shall do nothing of -the kind. I’ll die first. It is mine—you’ve no right to it, and you -shan’t have it.” - -“Never mind the money now, Bowles,” exclaimed Mr. Mortimer, who was -becoming impatient at the delay. “You will have plenty of time to hunt -for it after your return from New Orleans. We must begin our journey at -once.” - -Jack, reluctant to abandon the search, took another turn about the -camp, and after venting some of his spite by pulling down Julian’s -brush cabin and kicking over the squirrels that were broiling before -the fire, picked up the blankets and the rifle, and seizing the boy -roughly by the arm hurried him down the bluff. After placing him behind -Mr. Mortimer on his horse he disappeared in the woods and presently -returned, mounted on his own nag, and led the way toward the clearing. -He did not follow the road, as Julian hoped he would, but to avoid -meeting any of the settlers, held straight through the woods. He was -moody and sullen during the whole of the ride, and the deep scowl on -his forehead showed that he was thinking intently. - -“The minute Julian drops overboard from the flatboat, that minute I -shall have $200 put into my hands,” soliloquized Mr. Bowles. “That’s a -monstrous heap of money fur a poor man like me, but I’d like to have -them $145, too. Now how am I goin’ to get it? That’s what I’d like to -know. I’ll never find it unless Julian tells me whar it is, an’ if he’s -at the bottom of the river he _can’t_ tell me. Hain’t thar no way fur -me to push him overboard without drownin’ him?” - -Upon this question Jack pondered long and deeply, and by the time he -and his companions reached the clearing he must have found an answer to -it, and a satifactory one, too, for he brightened up and became lively -and talkative. - -The first person Julian saw when he reached the clearing was the -stranger in broadcloth, who was pacing up and down the bank. He did -not look up when the boy and his captors rode past him, but pulled the -handkerchief a little closer about his face, and sinking his chin lower -into the collar of his coat, kept his eyes fastened upon the ground. - -“If you are all ready to start, Jack,” said Mr. Mortimer, as they drew -rein in front of the door of the cabin, where Mrs. Bowles and her sons -were waiting to receive them, “we will go on board the flatboat at -once.” - -“Wal, I hain’t quite ready,” returned Jack. “I shall be away from home -a long time if we go to New Orleans, an’ Jake and Tom’ll have to look -out fur things while I am gone. I want to tell ’em what to do.” - -“Your wife can do that as well as you can,” replied Mr. Mortimer -impatiently. - -“An’ more’n that,” continued Jack, holding open his coat to let his -guest see that it was in a very dilapidated condition, “I’ve got to -have some clothes, if I’m goin’ to a country whar white folks live. I -don’t want to make ye ashamed of me.” - -“You have nothing to fear on that score. Your clothes will do well -enough.” - -“But I say they won’t. I was born and raised a gentleman, _I_ was, and -I guess I know what sort of riggin’ a gentleman had oughter wear when -he goes a visitin’.” - -“I don’t want to wait another minute. Don’t you know that we are in -danger as long as we remain here? Suppose some of the settlers should -find out what is going on?” - -“Oh, now, how be they goin’ to find it out? We hain’t a goin’ to tell -on ourselves, be we?” - -“But the captain wants to start immediately,” persisted Mr. Mortimer. - -“I can’t help that. I shan’t be ready for an hour or two—p’raps more; -’cause I’ve got to go to The Corners arter some good clothes.” - -“Then you may stay there, if you choose. I can get along without your -assistance.” - -“No ye can’t, an’ ye shan’t, nuther,” retorted Jack. - -“I shall go without you,” continued Mr. Mortimer, decidedly. “Then what -will become of the $200 I promised you?” - -Jack approached his guest and placed his lips close to his ear. - -“If ye go without me I’ll have the officers of the law on yer track in -less’n an hour,” said he, fiercely. “Then what will become of _ye_? I -can say, ye know, that ye offered me money to shove the boy overboard, -an’ p’raps ye’ll have to tell some things ye’d rather the world -wouldn’t know. Ye’ve got money, an’ ye can keep the boat here as long -as ye please.” Then aloud he added: “Ye an’ Julian can step into the -house, an’ sit down an’ talk to the ole woman, an’ me an’ the boys will -go to the stable an’ feed the hosses. I’ll be back as soon as I get my -business done.” - -Mr. Mortimer, finding that he was at the mercy of his confederate, -was obliged to await his pleasure. He conducted his prisoner into the -cabin, while Jack led the horses toward the stable, followed by Jake -and Tom. - -The boys assisted their father in removing the saddles and feeding the -animals, and when this had been done, Jack conducted them into one of -the cribs, and after closing and fastening the door, seated himself -upon the corn and proceeded to make his sons acquainted with certain -plans he had determined upon. - -He did not know that some one besides Jake and Tom was listening to -every word he said, but such was the fact. It was Sanders, who having -overheard enough of Jack’s conversation with Mr. Mortimer to excite -his curiosity, and seeing Bowles and his sons enter the crib and shut -themselves in, made a circuit through the woods, and came up within -hearing of their voices in time to learn as much of their scheme as he -cared to know. - -“I reckon Mr. Mortimer will get tired of waitin’ fur me,” said Jack, -“‘cause he hain’t no ways likely to see me agin afore dark. I’ve got -work fur ye to do, youngsters, an’ if ye do it as I tell ye to, there’s -money to be made by it. Listen, now, with all the ears you’ve got. -In the fust place, in order that ye may understand the hul matter, I -must tell ye that this Mr. Mortimer is the same feller who brought -Julian here years ago. He’s some kin to him—his pap, mebbe, fur all -I know—but he don’t want to own him, ’cause the boy somehow stands -atween him an’ a fortin’. He wants to put him whar he’ll never see -him agin, an’ so me an’ him have give out that he is crazy, an’ that -we’re goin’ to take him to Orleans an’ put him in a ’sylum. In course, -he hain’t no more outen his head than I be, but that’s no business of -mine. Mr. Mortimer’s goin’ to start down the river with him to-night, -an’ I’m goin’ along to take care of him.” - -Jack did not see fit to tell his boys that Mr. Mortimer had offered -him money to push Julian overboard, and that he had promised to do it. -That was a dangerous secret, and one that he did not care to trust to -anybody’s keeping. - -“I shall get $200 fur makin’ the trip,” continued Jack. “Now, I want -to earn them thar two hundred, but I don’t want Julian to be tuk to -New Orleans an’ shut up thar, ’cause if he is, we’ll lose jest $145 by -it—the hundred he stole from ye last night, Jake, an’ the forty-five -he made this mornin’ outen his mink skins. He’s hid the money, an’ I -want to get a chance to make him tell whar it is; an’ this is the way -I’m goin’ to work it. As soon as it comes dark, ye, Jake an’ Tom, must -get into the dug-out an’ drop down the river in it, as easy as ye can, -tie it to the starn of the flatboat, an’ then lay down on the bottom -an’ keep still thar. Be sure an’ make it fast with a short rope, so as -to keep outen the way of the sweeps. When ye’ve done that I will go -up to the house, an’ me an’ Mr. Mortimer an’ Julian will go on board -the flatboat, an’ she’ll put out into the river, draggin’ the dug-out -arter her. When Mr. Mortimer an’ most of the crew have gone to bed, -I’ll untie Julian an’ take him up fur a turn about the deck. I’ll give -him all the chance he wants to get away, an’ he will be sartin to use -it. He said that we shouldn’t never take him down the river; an’ bein’ -perfectly at home in the water, he won’t mind jumpin’ overboard and -swimmin’ ashore. As soon as I see him in the water I’ll whistle, an’ -ye must cut loose from the flatboat an’ pick him up. Be as easy as ye -can about it, an’ when ye onct get hold of him hang on, no matter -what happens; tie him hard an’ fast, an’ bring him hum an’ put him in -the smoke-house till I come. I’ll be along some time to-morrer, ’cause -when Mr. Mortimer finds out that Julian is overboard he’ll think he’s -drownded, an’ he’ll pay me off an’ discharge me. Arter I get hold of -Julian, it won’t take me long to make him tell whar he’s hid them -hundred an’ forty-five dollars. When I get that an’ the two hundred -I’ll be rich.” - -“But, pap, how much be me an’ Tom goin’ to git fur doin’ the job?” -asked Jake. - -“Ye’ll git enough to satisfy ye,” was the reply. “Jake shall have -Julian’s rifle fur his share. It’s a good one, an’ didn’t cost a cent -less’n $25. Tom shall have his blankets, which he can sell at The -Corners if he don’t want to keep ’em, an’ the clothes Julian’s got on. -Tom thinks a heap of good clothes, an’ that shows that he’s goin’ to be -a gentleman when he’s growed up. An’ more’n that, if I find Julian here -when I come hum, I’ll give each of ye $10; but if he _hain’t_ here, -ye shan’t have nothin’ but the dog-gondest wallopin’ ye ever heern -tell on, an’ ye’ll get that as sartin as ye’re a foot high. It’ll be -wusser’n all the rest I ever give ye biled down into one. Now, be ye -sure that ye know jest what ye’ve got to do?” - -Jake and Tom were not quite certain that they did, and so their father -repeated his instructions, and kept on repeating them until the boys -thoroughly understood them. - -Every part of the work they were expected to perform, as well as the -treatment Julian was to receive prior to Jack’s return, was discussed, -and the latter being satisfied at last that there was no danger of -failure, announced that it was his intention to pass the rest of the -afternoon in sleep. He instructed Jake to return to the house and -announce that his father had just set out for The Corners on horseback, -and then concealed himself among the corn at the farther end of the -crib, while his boys, after making sure that there was no one in sight, -opened the door and went out. No sooner had they entered the cabin -than Sanders left his position behind the crib, made another circuit -through the woods back to the bank of the river, and once more began -walking up and down, now and then shaking his head and chuckling to -himself as if he were thinking about something that afforded him great -satisfaction. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -ON BOARD THE FLATBOAT. - - -“PAP! I say, pap! be ye goin’ to sleep here till creation comes? It’s -pitch dark, an’ me an’ Tom have got the dug-out tied fast to the -flatboat, like ye told us, an’ the cap’n’s jest been in the house a -tellin’ of Mr. Mortimer that he ain’t a-goin’ to wait no longer. Get -up, consarn it all.” - -It was Jake Bowles who spoke, and while he was thus addressing his -slumbering parent he was shaking him most vigorously. Jack opened his -eyes at last, and after yawning and stretching his arms, and listening -to what his hopeful son had to say about the dug-out and the captain’s -impatience, he began to understand the matter. - -“All right,” he replied, drowsily. “Now, Jake, I want to be sartin’ -that ye know what ye’ve got to do. Let me hear ye go over what I said -to ye this mornin’.” - -Jake began and rehearsed his instructions, and went through with -them to his father’s entire satisfaction. When he had concluded Jack -inquired: - -“What did I say I’d give ye if ye brought Julian back here a prisoner?” - -“Oh, I hain’t forgot that, I bet ye,” replied Jake, quickly. “Ye said -ye’d give me his rifle an’ $10. Don’t _ye_ forget it, pap, when ye -comes back.” - -“I won’t. I’m a man what allers sticks to his word. Now let me see if -ye remember something else. What did I say I’d give ye an’ Tom if ye -let him get away from ye?” - -“A larrupin’.” - -“A little one or a big one?” - -“A big one—wusser than all the rest.” - -“I’m powerful glad to see that ye hain’t forgot it. I’ll allers keep my -promises, I told ye. Mind what ye are about, now.” - -Having thus cautioned his young ally, Jack staggered to his feet and -walked slowly toward the house, where he found Mr. Mortimer pacing the -floor in great excitement. The captain of the flatboat had just left -him, with the information that if Jack did not return in half an hour -he would be obliged to start without him, for he could wait no longer. - -“You have come at last, have you?” was Mr. Mortimer’s greeting. - -“Hain’t you got a pair of good eyes? In course, I have.” - -“I should say it was a high time. And you haven’t got your clothes, -either.” - -“Wal, that ain’t no fault of mine, is it? I forgot to ax ye fur some -money to git ’em with, an’ the storekeeper wouldn’t trust me. I’m all -ready now, if you are.” - -“Then take charge of Julian and bring him on board the boat at once. -Remember that I want him kept out of my sight as much as possible.” - -“I give ye the word of a gentleman that he shan’t never trouble ye no -more,” replied Jack significantly. - -Mr. Mortimer hurried out of the cabin, slamming the door after him. As -he sprung upon the deck of the flatboat he was met by the captain, who -was impatiently awaiting his appearance. - -“We are ready at last,” said the passenger, “and the sooner you get -under way the better it will suit me.” - -“Stand by the lines,” shouted the captain. - -“Where’s that man?” continued Mr. Mortimer. - -His companion pointed toward the bow of the boat. Mr. Mortimer looked -and saw Sanders pacing back and forth as wide awake as ever. - -“He must be made of iron,” said the skipper, “for he has kept up that -walk ever since we landed here this morning, and shows no sign of -giving out.” - -“There is nothing strange in that. He is working for money, and wants -to be where he can see everything that is going on. Have you told him -that he can not go down the river with us?” - -“Not yet.” - -“Then do it at once. Use every argument you can think of to induce him -to go ashore, and if you can not make him listen to reason call your -crew and put him off.” - -Mr. Mortimer descended the stairs leading into a little dismal -apartment in the stern of the boat that was dignified by the name of -“the cabin,” and the captain approached his passenger, and extending a -roll of bills, said: - -“I’m sorry to be obliged to say that I can’t take you to Orleans.” - -“Sho!” exclaimed Sanders. - -“It’s a fact. My cabin has been given up to a crazy boy and his -keepers, and I can’t accommodate you. Here’s the passage money you paid -me.” - -“I don’t want it. A bargain’s a bargain.” - -“I tell you that I can’t take you.” - -“O, I hain’t no ways particl’ar as to commodation. I can hang up -anywhar.” - -“But I don’t want you on board my boat, and you shan’t stay either. -Here’s your money. Take it and go ashore.” - -“Now jest listen to me a minute, cap’n, and I’ll tell you something,” -replied Sanders, approaching the skipper and speaking in a low, -confidential tone. The latter, believing that his passenger was about -to communicate some secret to him, leaned forward and caught the words: -“I shan’t stir a peg.” - -“Then I shall use force,” cried the captain in a rage. “I shall put you -off.” - -At the mention of the word “force” all the combativeness in the -stranger’s composition arose and showed itself. His eyes flashed -angrily, and doubling up one huge fist he brought it down into the palm -of his hand with a report like that of a pistol. - -“Look a here, cap’n,” said he, with a great deal of emphasis, “my name -is—Jones.” - -He had been on the point of pronouncing his own name—one that had more -than once struck terror to a braver heart than the captain of the -flatboat possessed—but recollected himself in time, and gave the first -one that came to his mind. - -“Yes, that’s my name,” he exclaimed, after a moment’s -pause—“Jones—_Tom_ Jones. I’m the peaceablest feller you ever seed -when I ain’t crossed, but when I _am_ I’m a leetle wusser than a hul -passel of wild-cats. I can see through a grindstun as fur as the next -man. I know why you don’t want me here, but I’m a-goin’ to stay, I can -tell you, an’ if you want to see bullets fly faster than you ever seed -’em fly afore, jest tell your crew to put me off.” - -As Sanders said this he placed his hands in the pockets of his coat, -and when he brought them into view again, he held in each one a navy -revolver. After flourishing them before the eyes of the captain he put -them away again, and locking his thumbs in the arm-holes of his vest, -resumed his walk up and down the deck. While this conversation was -going on the crew had been busy casting off the lines with which the -flatboat was made fast to the bank, and now one of them sung out: “All -gone, sir.” - -The captain turned, and seeing that Mr. Bowles and Julian had just -come on board, and knowing that it would be useless to make any more -attempts to rid himself of his objectionable passenger, gave orders to -get under way. - -“Haul in that gang-plank,” said he. “Get out the setting-poles and -shove off for’ard. Man the larboard sweeps, and pull her bow out.” - -While the crew were busy working the boat out into the river, Mr. -Bowles took occasion to stroll aft and look over into the water. It was -very dark, but still there was light enough for him to distinguish the -outlines of the dug-out dragging at the stern of the flatboat. So far -his plans were working smoothly. His only fear was that the canoe might -be discovered by the pilot; but, after all, there was little danger of -it, for that officer, beside being obliged to give his whole attention -to directing the course of the boat, occupied a position so far from -the stern that he could not look over into the water, even if he had -been disposed to do so. Jack took off his hat and flourished it about -his head, and instantly another hat was thrust over the side of the -dug-out, and being moved to and fro was pulled back out of sight. Jake -and Tom were on the alert, and Mr. Bowles, being satisfied of the fact, -returned to his prisoner and conducted him into the cabin. - -Julian took the seat pointed out to him, and looked around with -curiosity. The cabin was a very dingy apartment, and was dimly lighted -by a smoky lantern, which hung suspended from a beam overhead. It -contained a rusty cooking stove, a rough table, around which were -arranged four long benches to serve in lieu of chairs, and two sides -were occupied by bunks in which the crew slept. - -One of them, a little apart from the others, was provided with -curtains, which, being looped back, revealed a very comfortable-looking -bed, that was doubtless intended for Mr. Mortimer. The latter gentleman -had nothing to say to Mr. Bowles when he came in, but continued his -walk in silence. - -Jack took a turn about the cabin, and then seating himself in a chair -near his prisoner, folded his arms, rested his chin on his breast, and -closed his eyes as if preparing to go to sleep. - -Being heavily loaded and short-handed besides, considerable time was -consumed in working the flatboat out into the river; but at the end of -half an hour a gentle, gliding motion, accompanied by the “lapping” -sound of the waves against her sides, told Julian that she was fairly -under way. - -Presently the captain came below, followed by some of his crew. The men -looked curiously at the passengers, especially at Julian, who sat in -his chair with his hands tied behind his back, and without any ceremony -divested themselves of some of their outer clothing and tumbled into -bed. - -The captain, after pointing out to his passengers the beds he had -arranged for them, followed their example, and presently Mr. Mortimer -also sought his couch. - -Julian, almost worn down by fatigue and excitement, waited impatiently -for Jack to give the signal for retiring, but the latter had no -intention of doing anything of the kind. He waited until the sounds -which issued from the bunks told him that their occupants were all -asleep, and then he beckoned Julian to follow him to the deck. A -terrible fear seized upon the boy as he arose to obey. Was Jack about -to throw him overboard? - -He tottered up the stairs, and when he reached the deck, was astonished -beyond measure and immensely relieved by an unexpected proceeding on -the part of his keeper, who, instead of conducting him to the side and -pitching him into the water, began untying his hands. - -“What in the world does he mean, I wonder?” thought Julian. “Does he -expect me to remain on board this boat if he gives me the least chance -to leave it? If he takes his eyes off me for one instant I’ll astonish -him.” - -“What are you untying that crazy fellow for?” exclaimed the pilot, who -stood with his hand resting on one of the sweeps which served as the -rudders of the flatboat. “The cap’n says he’s dangerous.” - -“An’ so he is,” replied Jack—“in the day-time; but at night he’s as -gentle as a kitten. I’m goin’ to let him take a leetle exercise afore -he goes to bed. He’ll sleep the better fur it. Ye needn’t be afeared, -’cause I can manage him. Mind what ye’re about now,” he added in a low -tone, addressing himself to Julian. “I’ve got my eyes onto ye.” - -Jack walked aft to talk to the pilot, and Julian, delighted to find -himself once more at liberty, strolled leisurely about the boat. - -The crew on watch were huddled together in the waist, and at a little -distance from them, Sanders lay stretched out on the deck, apparently -fast asleep. Julian walked past the prostrate forms, and taking his -stand on the bow, gazed toward the shore. Half the width of the -Missouri River lay between him and his freedom. - -“I can easily do it,” said he to himself, “and I am going to try it. -Good-by, Jack. When I set my feet on solid ground once more I will put -a safe distance between you and me before I stop.” - -Julian seated himself on the side of the boat and looked down into the -dark, muddy water, now and then turning his eyes toward Jack and the -pilot. The former kept his back toward him and his gaze turned up the -river, as if he saw something there that interested him, and finally -the pilot, in response to some inquiry from Jack, faced about and -looked in the same direction. This was Julian’s opportunity, and he was -prompt to seize upon it. Placing his hands upon the side of the boat he -swung himself off and dropped into the river. - -His sudden immersion in the cold water almost took his breath away, and -for a moment he felt as if every drop of blood in his body had been -turned into ice; but quickly recovering himself he struck out lustily -for the shore. - -There were two persons on board who had witnessed the whole proceeding. -One was Sanders, who was wide awake, in spite of the terrific snores he -uttered, and the other was Jack Bowles. - -So delighted was Jack at the success that had thus far attended his -plans that he could scarcely refrain from shouting. - -Fearing that the pilot, if he had not also witnessed Julian’s act, -might soon notice his absence, he looked about for something to occupy -his attention, and found it. - -“I see a snag,” said he suddenly. “Look out, or ye’ll be afoul of it in -a minute.” - -“I see it, too,” replied the pilot. “I was so busy talking to you that -I forgot to attend to my business. Snag on the starboard bow!” he -shouted. “Man the sweeps, all hands!” - -The crew jumped at the word, and Jack sprung down from the pilot’s -bench and walked aft whistling. Jake and Tom, who were curled up -in the bottom of the dug-out, heard and obeyed the signal. They -straightened up at once, and while one seized a paddle the other cut -the painter with which the canoe was made fast to the flatboat, and in -a moment more they were out of sight. Jack stood on the stern of the -boat listening intently for fully five minutes, and then he was almost -certain that he heard a splashing in the water and a smothered cry for -help. - -“They’ve got him!” said he gleefully. “I was afeared they might miss -him in the dark. If they had, wouldn’t I have dusted their jackets fur -them, though? But they’re good boys, Jake an’ Tom are. The two hundred -dollars are mine, an’ the hundred an’ forty-five besides.” - -By this time the snag had been passed in safety, and the watch once -more huddled together in the waist to sleep until their services were -again required. Jack took his stand beside the pilot, and waited -for him to say something about Julian’s disappearance; but as he -did not refer to the matter, Mr. Bowles went below and tumbled into -bed, satisfied that no one beside himself was the wiser for what had -happened. - -Jack awoke long before daylight, but remained quiet in his bunk, -awaiting a favorable opportunity to carry out the rest of his plans. At -last the cook entered the cabin and began preparations for breakfast. -Shortly afterward some of the crew crawled out of their bunks, and -the captain also arose. When Jack saw him he began to bestir himself. -He got out upon the floor, and after dressing himself with great -deliberation, went to the bunk which had been set apart for Julian’s -use. The bed certainly looked as if it had been occupied, but there -was no one in it now. Jack started back with well-assumed surprise, -uttering an exclamation that attracted the attention of every one in -the cabin, and then rushing forward picked up something and examined it -attentively. It was the rope with which Julian had been bound. - -“Wal, if this yere don’t beat all natur’,” cried Jack. - -“Is he loose?” asked the captain in alarm. - -“That’s jest what’s the matter. He’s slipped his hands outen this rope -and hid hisself somewhars. Help me find him, fellers,” added Jack, in -great excitement, leading the way toward the deck; “but look out fur -yerselves, ’cause if any of ye had any we’pons he’s found ’em, an’ -he’ll use ’em, too.” - -A slight rustling among the bed-clothes behind the curtain which -concealed the bunk in which Mr. Mortimer lay, proved that that -gentleman was awake and listening to all that was going on. Jack heard -the noise and noticed the movements of the occupant of the bunk, but -the captain and his men did not. They were too busy with thoughts of -the dangerous lunatic, whom they must assist in securing, to hear or -see anything. They followed Jack to the deck, and during the next -quarter of an hour the greatest confusion prevailed on board the -flatboat. - -Mr. Bowles that morning earned the reputation of being a very -courageous man; for while he continually cautioned the crew to beware -of the fire-arms of which he was sure his escaped prisoner had obtained -possession, he exposed himself most recklessly, being everywhere -foremost in the search, and advancing boldly into the darkest corners -of the hold, where no one else dared to venture. Every part of the boat -was thoroughly searched, but no Julian was found; and Jack and the -captain, after talking the matter over, were obliged to come to the -conclusion that he had put an end to his life by jumping overboard. - -The next thing was to inform Mr. Mortimer—who Jack said was some -distant relative of the unfortunate youth—of the melancholy fact; but -that gentleman had already learned the particulars from one of the -crew, and had also made a most disagreeable discovery. Jack found him -on deck, and when his eyes rested on him he stopped and gazed at him in -surprise. - -Mr. Mortimer’s serious air might have been put on for the occasion, -Bowles told himself, but he never could have assumed that pale face. -Something was the matter with him. He listened in silence while Jack -and the captain told him of Julian’s mysterious disappearance, and when -they ceased speaking he walked off to an unoccupied part of the deck. - -The captain presently went down into his cabin and Jack joined Mr. -Mortimer. - -“Where is he?” asked the latter in a low whisper. - -“At the bottom of the river,” replied Jack in the same cautious tone. -“He was standin’ right there, jest this way,” he added, stepping close -to the side of the boat, “with his hands tied behind him, an’ I come up -an’ give him a leetle nudge with my shoulder an’ over he went. Nobody -didn’t see me do it, either.” - -“I don’t care to know how it was done,” interrupted Mr. Mortimer -hastily. “I only want to be sure that it _was_ done, and effectually.” - -“It sartinly was. He couldn’t swim fur with his hands tied, could he?” - -“No; but he might have been picked up. Have you seen Sanders this -morning?” - -“I hain’t,” replied Jack, looking about the deck, while an expression -of anxiety settled on his face. “He wouldn’t save him, would he?” - -“Of course he would, if he got the opportunity. If he could take that -boy to a certain man whose name I could mention he would make more -money by it than he ever saw. He is working against me.” - -“Wal, he didn’t pick him up. I was on deck fur ten minutes arter -Julian went overboard, an’ I didn’t see him at all. Mebbe he’s about -somewhars.” - -“No, he isn’t. He’s gone; and so is the yawl belonging to the flatboat.” - -Jack started, and folding his arms gazed thoughtfully over the side -into the water. Although he had not noticed the circumstance at the -time, he now remembered that on the preceding day Sanders had kept as -close as possible to him and Mr. Mortimer, and that he had more than -once paused in his walk as if he were listening to their conversation. - -Might he not by some means have become acquainted with his plans, -and set himself to work to defeat them? And if Julian was so valuable -to him, might he not have followed Jake and Tom in the yawl with the -intention of securing their prisoner? The thought was enough to put -Jack on nettles. - -“Whar’s them two hundred?” he asked, suddenly. - -Mr. Mortimer, putting his hand into his pocket, produced a roll of -bills, which he slyly handed to his confederate, and Jack continued: - -“I can’t be of no more use here, an’ you might as well tell the cap’n -to set me ashore.” - -“I will. I want to go myself. I am uneasy about that man Sanders. Here -comes the captain now.” - -“I shall have to land to do it,” said the skipper, after listening to -the request of his passenger, “for I have no boat to send you off in. -That strange-looking man in black has deserted us and stolen it. It was -worth $60, too.” - -“Say no more about that,” returned Mr. Mortimer. “Put us on dry land -and I will compensate you for the loss of your boat.” - -The captain gave the necessary orders to the pilot, called up his crew -to man the sweeps, and in a few seconds the bow of the flatboat was -turned toward the shore. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -IN THE SMOKE-HOUSE. - - -“IF ANY one on board that flatboat is crazy it is Jack Bowles. He might -have known that I wouldn’t stay there long after my hands were untied. -Didn’t I tell him that I would never go back to that camp and give him -my money with my own hands? I am free now, and if he ever captures me -again I shall deserve to be obliged to remain under his roof for the -rest of my days. The cabin can’t be more than ten miles away. I can -easily walk there in three hours, and it will be no trouble for me to -slip into the house and obtain possession of my rifle and blankets -without awakening Jake and Tom. Then I’ll catch my horse, go back to my -camp on the bluffs after my money, and by daylight I’ll be twenty miles -away.” - -While these thoughts were passing through Julian’s mind he was striking -out lustily for the shore. The flatboat was still in plain view, for -the current carried both her and him down the river at an almost equal -rate of speed. Julian kept close watch of her, expecting every moment -to hear an uproar on her deck, telling him that his absence had been -discovered. He little dreamed that his escape, which he had so easily -accomplished, had been brought about by the assistance of his dreaded -enemy, who was at that very moment creating a diversion in his favor; -and he little thought, too, that the pursuers he feared were not coming -from the flatboat, but from another quarter altogether. Had he looked -up the river occasionally, instead of keeping his gaze so steadily -directed across the stream, he would have discovered something. - -A dug-out was coming swiftly down the river, its prow being pointed -directly toward Julian. In the stern sat Tom Bowles vigorously plying -a paddle, which he used with so much skill that it made not the -slightest sound as it rose and fell in the water. Stretched out flat in -the bow was Jake Bowles, who kept his eyes fastened on Julian’s head, -now and then signaling to his brother with his hands, and showing him -what course to steer. Julian discovered his enemies before he had swam -a third of the distance to the shore, but then it was too late to make -even an attempt to avoid them. He heard a hissing sound, made by the -sharp bow of the dug-out as it cleft the water, and turned quickly, -only to find himself in the grasp of Jake Bowles, who seized his collar -with both hands and held fast to it. - -“I reckon ye thought ye was gone, didn’t ye?” he cried, in a triumphant -tone; “but ye hain’t, be ye? Yer ketched agin, an’ this time ye’ll stay -ketched, I bet ye. Balance the boat, Tom, an’ I’ll haul him in.” - -“I thought I left you at home, Jake Bowles!” exclaimed Julian. “How -came you here?” - -“I guess we’ve got as much right on this yere river as anybody, hain’t -we? We come arter ye, that’s how we come here, an’ we’ve got ye, too.” - -For a moment Julian was too astonished to move. The approach of his -enemies had been so noiseless, and their appearance was so sudden and -unexpected, that he was utterly bewildered. Not until Jack had dragged -him half-way into the dug-out did he begin to comprehend the situation. - -“Let go!” he exclaimed, “or I’ll capsize the boat.” - -“Nary let go,” replied Jake. “I owe you a good poundin’ fur stealin’ -them $100 from me, an’ fur knockin’ me into that hole last night, an’ -I’m goin’ to give it to ye afore I let ye go. Come in here.” - -“No, you come out here,” said Julian. “I’ll duck you sure if you don’t -let go my collar.” - -This was the second time the two boys had measured strength, and -although our hero was fighting at great disadvantage, he tested the -endurance and muscle of his antagonist most severely. He strove to the -utmost to drag Jake into the water; but the latter had wrapped his -legs around one of the thwarts and thrown his left arm over another, -and Julian could not break his hold. Nor could he overturn the boat, -for Tom watched the contest closely, and frustrated all Julian’s -attempts by throwing the weight of his body on the opposite side of the -dug-out. - -Jake, in the meantime exerted himself to drag his prisoner out of -the water; but finding that it was a task beyond his strength, he -held firmly to Julian’s collar, determined to wait until the latter, -exhausted by his furious struggles, should be obliged to surrender -himself. But Julian’s endurance seemed to have no limit. He resolutely -continued the contest, and all this while the canoe was floating down -the river side by side with the flatboat, which was scarcely more than -a hundred yards distant. - -“We’re fightin’ fur money now, _we_ are,” said Jake—“for the $145. -It’s no use fur ye to kick about so, ’cause we’ve got ye, an’ we’re -goin’ to hold fast to ye.” - -“You’ll not get the money, even if you succeed in making a prisoner of -me,” replied Julian, with as much spirit as ever. - -“We’ll see about that when we’ve got ye hum. I guess if ye go a few -days without eatin’ or sleepin’, an’ have the rawhide laid over yer -shoulders ten or twenty times every hour, ye’ll be glad to tell us all -we want to know. Come here, Tom, an’ hit him a clip with yer paddle. I -guess that’ll fetch him to his senses.” - -“Souse him under,” replied Tom; “that’s the way to make him give in.” - -Jake was prompt to act upon the suggestion. - -Julian resisted him desperately, but one or two severe blows on the -fingers with the edge of Tom’s paddle broke his hold on the side of the -canoe, and his head was forced under the water. Jake held him there a -few seconds, and then pulled him to the surface, and after giving him -time to draw a breath or two, and clear his eyes of the water, asked -him if he would abandon the struggle and allow himself to be drawn into -the boat. - -[Illustration: “JAKE BOWLES SEIZED JULIAN BY THE COLLAR AND HELD -FAST.”—[Page 109].] - -“No,” replied Julian, not in the least daunted; “I’ll never give up -while I have any strength left.” - -“Stick him under agin,” said Tom, and down went Julian’s head for the -second time. - -Jake held him under longer than before—as long as he dared, in -fact—and when he pulled him up again, Julian was incapable of any -serious resistance. He gasped for breath, and tried to lay hold of the -side of the canoe. - -Jake, quick to improve the opportunity thus presented, exerted all -his strength, while Tom kept the boat trimmed in order to prevent a -capsize, and finally succeeded in dragging his prisoner out of the -water. In less time than it takes to tell it he was secured beyond all -hope of escape, and the canoe was shooting swiftly up the river. - -It was fully half an hour before Julian moved or spoke. He lay so -quietly on the bottom of the dug-out that Jake and Tom began to be -alarmed, fearing that in their eagerness to take all the fight out of -their captive, they had gone too far, and taken the breath out of him. - -But Julian was fast recovering from the effects of his ducking, and -as soon as he was himself again the brothers speedily became aware of -the fact, for he began to try the strength of the ropes with which he -was confined. He thrashed about at an alarming rate, rocking the canoe -from side to side, until at last the water began to pour in over the -gunwales, and Jake and Tom were obliged to cease paddling and trim -their craft in order to keep it right side up. - -But they had done their work thoroughly, and Julian, finding his -efforts useless, ceased his struggles, and listened to the threats of -his captors, who tried by every means in their power to compel him to -tell where he had hidden his money. - -During the progress of the conversation he heard some things he did -not know before, and one was that his escape from the flatboat and his -recapture by Jake and Tom were a part of the scheme Mr. Bowles had set -on foot for the finding of the concealed treasure. He was astonished to -know that while he imagined he was working for his own interests he was -playing into the hands of his enemy, and told himself that Jack still -had the most difficult part of the undertaking before him. - -The prisoner suffered intensely during the journey up the river. The -night was cold, the wind keen and piercing, and seemed to cut through -his wet clothing like a knife. When at last the canoe reached the -landing he was so benumbed that he could scarcely speak. - -Having made the dug-out fast to a tree on the bank, Jake and Tom pulled -their captive ashore, and finding him unable to stand alone, took hold -of his arms and led him toward the house. - -Scarcely were they out of sight when a heavy yawl, rowed by a single -man, shot up to the landing and stopped alongside the canoe. The -occupant sprung out, and without waiting to secure his boat, crept -cautiously up the bank, and followed after Jake and Tom. - -When the brothers reached the cabin they pushed open the door and -entered, dragging their captive after them. Mrs. Bowles, who sat -nodding on one of the nail-kegs, started up as they came in, and Julian -knew from the first words she uttered that she was expecting them. - -“So ye’ve got him, have ye?” she exclaimed, gleefully. “This night’s -work will make rich folks outen us. An’ ye was goin’ to run away from -us, was ye—from me an’ Jack, who have allers treated ye like a son -ever since ye’ve been with us? An’ ye’ve got $145 hid away from us, -have ye? What business have ye got with so much money? Take him out -to the smoke-house an’ lock him up thar. I’m too sleepy to wollop him -to-night, but I’ll tend to him the fust thing in the mornin’.” - -Julian had expected a terrible beating as soon as he was brought into -the presence of Mrs. Bowles, and was much relieved to know that his -punishment was to be postponed for a few hours. It was the first time -he had ever known Jack’s wife to be too sleepy to use the rawhide. - -“An he ain’t got no business with them new suit of clothes, nuther,” -said Tom, who, while his brother was searching for a candle and the key -to the smoke-house, was taking some of his own ragged wearing apparel -down from the nails in one corner of the cabin. “He’s got to take ’em -off an’ give ’em to me. Pap said so.” - -“Ye shall have ’em, Tommy,” said his mother. “Ye’ve been a good boy an’ -ye desarve ’em.” - -“An’ I’m to have his rifle an’ $10 besides,” chimed in Jake, angling -for a word of commendation. - -“So ye are. Allers be good an’ ye’ll be sartin to prosper.” - -When Jake had found the candle and key, and Tom had selected the -garments he intended to give to Julian in exchange for his own, the two -boys led their captive out of the cabin to the smoke-house. - -The first business in order, after they had conducted Julian into his -prison, was to rob him of his clothes. Jake untied his hands and stood -close by his side, in order to seize him if he made any attempt to -escape, while Tom picked up a heavy club and stationed himself in front -of the door, ready to knock the prisoner down if he eluded his brother. -But Julian, shivering violently with the cold and utterly incapable -of any exertion, thought only of dry clothes and comfort and not of -escape. He felt much more at his ease after he had relieved himself -of his wet garments and put on those Tom had provided for him, and -told himself that if his captors would bring him the blankets Jack had -stolen from his camp on the bluff, he could obtain a night’s refreshing -sleep in spite of the cold and his bonds. But he soon found that they -did not intend to permit him to go to sleep at all; and during the next -few minutes he gained some idea of what was in store for him. - -As soon as the exchange had been made, and Julian had again been -bound, Tom dropped his club, and catching up a long rope which he had -brought with him from the house, mounted upon a box and made one end of -it fast to a beam overhead. At the same time Jake pushed his prisoner -under the beam, and seizing the other end of the rope tied it to his -hands. Julian was now confined so that he could neither sit, lie nor -walk about. He must remain upon his feet and stand in one place during -the rest of the night. - -“I don’t see any use in this,” said he, dismayed at the gloomy prospect -before him. “I can’t escape from this house as long as my hands are -tied.” - -“Wal, we can see use in it, if ye can’t,” replied Tom. “We’re doin’ -jest what pap told us to do.” - -“An’ we don’t do it ’cause we’re afeared of yer gettin’ away, nuther,” -said Jake. “Ye’ve got to stand right here without a wink of sleep or a -bite to eat till ye tell us whar that money is hid. Mebbe ye’ll tell us -now.” - -“No, I’ll not,” replied Julian promptly and decidedly. - -“All right. Ye’ll think different in the mornin’, I tell ye. The ole -woman will be here bright an’ arly, an’ if ye ain’t ready to open yer -mouth, she’ll give ye a dozen or two as hard as ever she can lay ’em -on. When pap comes home to-morrer he’ll take the job outen her hands. -Ye’ve got into a hard row of stumps, feller.” - -After carefully examining their captive’s bonds, and looking carefully -about the smoke-house to make sure that there was no opening in it from -which he could escape, even if he succeeded in freeing his hands, Jake -and Tom went out, locking the door after them. - -When the sound of their footsteps had died away, and Julian began to -ponder upon what they had said to him, and to realize how powerless he -was in the hands of his enemies, his courage for the first time gave -away utterly. He took a step forward and threw his weight upon the -rope, but it was firmly tied to the beam above and too strong to be -broken, and the movement only pulled his hands between his shoulders, -thus “tricing him up” most effectually. He had never dreamed that his -enemies would endeavor to torture his secret out of him in this way. -He had expected to be beaten, and he believed that he could endure -that; but was his fortitude proof against such a test as this? In -order to save himself suffering would it not be policy to give Jack -the information he demanded, and when his liberty was restored to him, -resume his old occupation of trapping until he could earn enough to -purchase an outfit for his proposed journey? He had worked hard for two -winters to accumulate the little property he now possessed, and should -he surrender it at the command of one who had not the smallest shadow -of a right to it? Julian passed an hour debating such points as these, -and at the end of that time his decision was made. - -“I’ll never do it,” said he to himself. “It belongs to me alone. Nobody -else has a claim upon it. The woods are as free to Jack Bowles as they -once were to me—much more so, in fact, for there is no one to dog -his steps, destroy his traps and steal his earnings—and if he wants -money let him work for it. That’s the way I got mine. He will find -that I am not to be starved or beaten into telling him where that box -is concealed. Jake and Tom are coming back again. I hope they have not -brought the rawhide with them.” - -The footsteps which had attracted Julian’s attention drew nearer and -nearer, and presently a cautious hand laid hold of the padlock with -which the door was secured. Julian listened to hear the bolt turned, -but soon found out that his visitor, whoever he was, did not intend to -effect an entrance with the assistance of a key; for after shaking the -lock to assure himself that it was fast in the staple, he placed his -shoulders against the door and tried to burst it open. The prisoner -heard him panting and puffing as he applied his strength to the stout -planks. He heard, too, the angry words he muttered when he found that -his efforts were useless, and caught the sound of his footsteps as he -moved around the smoke-house. - -Julian wondered greatly. Who was he? Was he some friend who, knowing -that he was confined there, had come with the hope of rescuing -him? There was scarcely a man in the settlement who would not have -hurried to his relief had it been known that he was in trouble, but -unfortunately no one was aware of his situation. Of course, then, the -visitor could not be a friend. Most likely he was some hungry prowler, -whose only object was to filch a ham or a side of bacon from the -smoke-house. - -In spite of the unpleasantness of his situation, Julian became -interested in the man’s movements. He walked around the building and -finally came back and tried the door again, but with no better success -than before. Then there was silence for a few minutes, during which the -man was, no doubt, thinking what was best to be done, and at length a -noise at one corner of the house told the prisoner that he had decided -upon a plan of operations. He was using the projecting ends of the logs -as a ladder, and mounting to the top of the building. His success was -certain now. The roof was covered with narrow oak boards, laid on like -shingles, and held in place by small nails; and it would be a matter of -no difficulty for him to pull a few of them off and drop down on the -inside of the smoke-house. That such was the visitor’s intention soon -became evident. He attacked the shingles at once, using extreme caution -in removing them from their fastenings, and in a few seconds an opening -had been made in the roof, that was immediately filled by the head -and shoulders of the man, who lighted a match and held it up to take -a survey of things below him. Julian had a good view of him. Could he -believe his eyes? He stared hard at his visitor, and uttered a cry of -delight. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -SANDERS TELLS HIS STORY. - - -JULIAN’S visitor was the man Sanders. He recognized him by the -handkerchief that was tied over his head. If he had come there to -release him would it not be sufficient proof that he was really the -friend he professed to be? - -“Julian!” exclaimed the man, in a low but excited tone of voice. - -“I am here!” replied the prisoner, so overjoyed that he could scarcely -speak plainly. - -“Wal, come out o’ that. You needn’t stay thar no longer.” - -“I can’t go up there—I am tied.” - -“Are you? Then I’ll soon be down to turn you loose.” - -After burning another match to make sure the way was clear below him, -Sanders crawled through the opening in the roof, and hanging by his -hands, dropped to the ground. A knife which he drew from his pocket -made quick work with the prisoner’s bonds, and in a few seconds he was -free. - -“How came you here?” Julian asked of his deliverer, after he had taken -a few turns around the smoke-house to relieve his cramped limbs. “I -left you ten miles down the river fast asleep on board the flatboat.” - -“Not much I wasn’t asleep,” replied Sanders, with a laugh. “I seed -every thing that happened. But we hain’t got no time to talk. Be thar -any men in the house?” - -“No. Jake and Tom are alone with their mother.” - -“Them boys? If I had known that, you wouldn’t have been brought in -here. Climb up on my shoulders now, and crawl out.” - -Not having entirely recovered from the effects of his long ride in -his wet clothes, Julian was not very strong or active, but after some -difficulty he succeeded in mounting upon Sanders’ broad shoulders, -and drawing himself up to the opening in the roof, he crawled through -and dropped to the ground. The man climbed up the logs and followed -him, and when he once more stood by Julian’s side he gave utterance, -with the first words he spoke, to the very thoughts that were passing -through the boy’s mind. - -“I reckon that if I do a few more things of this kind you will be -willin’ to b’lieve that I am any thing but an enemy to you, won’t you?” -he asked. - -“You have rendered me a most important service,” answered the boy, -guardedly, “and I am very grateful to you for it. I only wish I was as -well satisfied of your friendship, and the truth of some things you -told me this morning, as I am of the interest you somehow take in me. I -can not understand why you, who are an utter stranger to me, should put -yourself to so much trouble to assist me.” - -“I hain’t no stranger to you,” replied Sanders earnestly. “I tell you -I knowed you and your brother afore either of you could walk. You were -stole away from your home by Dick Mortimer. Your friends have just -found out whar you are, an’ sent me arter you. You’re goin’ to start -for the plains now, hain’t you?” - -“I am, and in less than five minutes.” - -“Wal, I’m goin’ the same way. You needn’t travel in my company unless -you’re a mind to, but I’d be powerful glad to have you. I can show you -the way to St. Joe anyhow, an’ as we go along I will tell you about the -folks you hain’t seed fur so many years.” - -Julian leaned against the smoke-house and thought over this -proposition. It was a very fair one, and he could not see that he would -place himself in any danger by accepting it. He was _almost_ ready to -put entire faith in his new acquaintance, and to believe everything -he had told him. He wanted to believe it, and if Sanders had made -his appearance a few hours before—prior to his meeting with Mr. -Mortimer—Julian would have placed unlimited confidence in him. But his -experience with Jack Bowles’ guest had made him timid and suspicious. - -Sanders did not ask him to give himself up to his guidance and control, -but seemed satisfied to wait until he was willing to do so of his free -will; and Julian told himself that that was a good sign. - -He at last decided that he would accept the offer of the man’s guidance -as far as St. Joseph, and that when he reached that point he would -decide upon his future movements. In the meantime he would watch his -companion closely, and leave him at the very first sign of treachery. -This determination he communicated to Sanders, who seemed to be -immensely delighted by it. - -“I am monstrous glad to hear you say it,” said he. “And I’ll tell you -what’s a fact: If you go with me as fur as St. Joe, you will go all the -rest of the way with me.” - -Julian did not quite like the tone in which these words were spoken, -for it made him feel that there was more in them than he could -understand; and had there been light enough for him to see the -expression the man’s face wore at that moment the opinion would have -been confirmed. - -“Whar you goin’ now?” asked Sanders, as Julian moved toward the cabin. - -“Jake and Tom have some of my property in their possession,” was the -reply; “a suit of clothes, a rifle and a pair of blankets. I must have -them before I start.” - -“‘Taint wuth while,” said Sanders. “You’ve got money; buy more.” - -“I may need the little I have for other purposes when I get out on the -plains.” - -“Sho! You’ll find more out thar than you ever dreamed of. You can walk -up a ravine a little way from your father’s rancho an’ pick up nuggets -of gold as big as you can tote.” - -“But I don’t know how long it will be, or what I shall be obliged to -pass through, before I get there,” replied Julian. “Another thing, -Jack Bowles and his boys shall not have the satisfaction of using -anything that belongs to me.” - -“Wal, go ahead, then, if you’re so sot onto it, an’ I’ll be close by to -lend a hand if you get into trouble.” - -While this conversation was being carried on Julian and his companion -were walking toward the cabin, and now they were close beside it. The -boy at once pushed open the door and entered, while Sanders took his -stand upon the steps where he could see all that went on. - -There was a roaring fire on the hearth, and by the aid of the light it -threw out Julian could distinguish every object in the cabin. - -Almost the first things his eyes rested upon were the clothes of which -he had been robbed, spread out on a couple of nail-kegs to dry. His -rifle stood beside the bed in which Jake and Tom lay fast asleep, and -his powder-horn and bullet-pouch hung from a nail over their heads. -Walking across the floor with his ordinary step, and without taking the -least pains to avoid arousing the occupants of the cabin, Julian took -the horn and pouch down from the nail, and while slinging them over his -shoulder discovered the other articles of which he was in search—his -blankets, which were snugly tucked around the shoulders of the sleeping -brothers. - -“You are very good to yourselves, are you not?” said Julian aloud. “You -leave me to freeze in the smoke-house, and make use of my property to -keep yourselves warm. You’ll sleep colder for the rest of the night.” - -As he said this he jerked the blankets off the bed. The movement awoke -Tom Bowles who started up in alarm, and was greatly amazed to see his -prisoner standing unbound beside his bed. - -“Ye Julian!” he exclaimed, as soon as he found his tongue. - -“That’s just what’s the matter!” replied our hero. - -“How come ye outen that ar smoke-house?” - -“I crawled out.” - -“Ye’ll crawl back agin mighty sudden, I tell ye,” replied Tom, seizing -his brother by the shoulder. “Wake up here, Jake.” - -“Hold on!” said Julian, lifting his recovered rifle over Tom’s head. -“No noise, now.” - -If Tom was alarmed by this movement on the part of Julian, he was still -more terrified when he saw a head and a pair of broad shoulders thrust -in at the door, and a clenched hand, which looked as though it might -have knocked down an ox, shaken threateningly at him. He understood the -gesture and took his hand off his brother’s shoulder. - -“Good-by, Tom,” said Julian, shouldering his rifle and gathering his -clothes and blankets under his arm. “I am sorry that I am in so great -a hurry, for I have several little accounts against you and Jake that -I should like to settle up before I go. Give my very kindest regards -to your father when he returns, and be sure and follow the excellent -advice your mother gave you a while ago in my hearing.” - -So saying Julian left the cabin, and Sanders slammed the door after -him. Followed by his ally, the boy walked toward the corn-cribs, and -while he was pulling off Tom’s tattered garments and putting on his -own, which were now dry and comfortable, he saw the door of the cabin -opened and the heads of Mrs. Bowles and her two sons thrust cautiously -out. But they did not speak to him or venture beyond the threshold. -They peered into the darkness a moment and then closed and fastened the -door; and that was the last Julian ever saw of them. - -Billy, proving more tractable than on a former occasion, was captured -and saddled without difficulty. In two hours more Julian’s camp on the -bluff was again occupied. The brush shanty which Jack Bowles had pulled -down had been restored to an upright position; a fire was burning -brightly before it; Billy was standing hitched to a tree close by; and -Julian, with his saddle under his head for a pillow, and the tin box -containing his money safely stowed away in his pocket, lay stretched -out on one of the blankets, while Sanders reclined upon the other -smoking his pipe. The man had been relating how he had hidden behind -the corn-crib and overheard Jack Bowles’ plans concerning Julian, and -thus been able to take measures to defeat them. He had been a witness -to everything that happened on board the flatboat. He had seen Julian -go overboard, and knowing that Jake and Tom were close by waiting to -pick him up, he had clambered down into the yawl, as soon as he saw an -opportunity to do so without attracting the attention of any one of the -flatboat’s crew, and pushed off to Julian’s assistance. His story was -followed by a long pause, which was broken by our hero, who said: - -“I am ready to hear what you have to tell me about my parents. You say -they are both alive?” - -“Both of ’em,” replied Sanders. - -“How does my father look?” - -“Jest as nateral as life—enough like you to be your brother, if it -wasn’t for his gray har an’ mustache. He’s a tall, broad-shouldered -man, has an eye like an eagle’s, an’ is the best hossman an’ rifle-shot -in the West. He’s awful rich, too; I don’t b’lieve he knows how much -he’s wuth. You see, your mother—an’ she’s a lady, you bet—is a -Spanish woman. Her father, long years ago,” Sanders went on hurriedly, -as if he did not intend to allow his listener any time to ask -questions, “took it into his ole head that he wanted to be away from -everybody, an’ so he located out thar in the mountains. He allers was -rich, but when he got out thar he found himself richer’n ever. Thar was -gold all around him. He couldn’t walk without steppin’ onto it, an’ he -picked it up by cart-loads. Your father, who was out thar sojerin’, -resigned his commission in the army an’ married his darter; an’ in -course when the ole man died he came into possession of all his gold -dust. But thar were some people about who didn’t want him to keep it. -The only kin folks your mother had after her father died were a brother -an’ cousin, an’ you see if everybody else had been out of the way, all -the money would have fell to her brother. They ain’t the honestest -fellers in the world, her kin folks ain’t, I must say. They’re the wust -sort of gamblers, bein’ monstrous fond of three-card monte, an’ they -are even suspicioned of doin’ things a heap sight wuss than that; an’ -since your father an’ his family wouldn’t die an’ leave them to take -charge of the money, they laid a plan to hurry up matters an’ divide -the plunder between them. But all the harm they done was to steal you -away from home, an’ that didn’t do ’em no good ’cause I’ve found you -agin.” - -“You say that Dick Mortimer is the man who kidnapped me?” asked Julian, -when Sanders paused. - -“Sartin, I do.” - -“And that he is a relative of my mother’s?” - -“Them’s my very words.” - -“Well, now, is he her brother or her cousin?” - -“He’s her brother.” - -“Her _own_ brother?” - -“In course.” - -“How can that be? My mother’s name wasn’t Mortimer before she was -married, was it?” - -“Eh?” exclaimed Sanders, somewhat disconcerted by this question. “Oh, -no; in course not. Her name was Cordova, an’ Dick’s her cousin.” - -“Then how does it come that his name is Mortimer?” - -“Eh? I’m blessed if I know. I guess it jest happened so. An’ your -brother’s alive an’ all right, too. Now he’s a _boy_, he is. You’re -mighty right. His name’s Fred. Won’t he make things lively for you -though when you get out thar? You hain’t goin’ to sleep, be you?” - -“Yes, I am,” replied Julian, rearranging his blanket and resting his -head on his hard pillow, “I have scarcely closed my eyes during the -past forty-eight hours, and I begin to feel the need of rest. We have a -long journey to make to-morrow, you know. Goodnight.” - -Sanders looked sharply at the boy, and settled back on his blanket, -muttering as he did so: - -“Did I tell him anything out of the way, I wonder? I am afraid I got -that brother an’ cousin business mixed up a trifle too much. I said -jest what Reginald told me to say as nigh as I could. If I can only -manage to keep him with me till we reach St. Joe, I am all right. It -will make a rich man of me.” - -“It is no use to waste time in listening to this fellow and building -hopes on what he says,” thought Julian, throwing his arm over his head, -and watching his companion through his half-closed eyes. “He repeated -his story as if he had learned it by heart, and some portions of it -didn’t hold together. I wish he would take off that handkerchief and -give me a fair view of his face. Who is he, and why did he come here? -My father never sent him, for, if he is alive and well, and knows where -I am, he would have come himself if he wanted to have me near him. He -is no friend of Dick Mortimer, for he is working against him. Is he up -to some trick of his own, or is he employed by somebody? I’ll not go -to sleep, for I am afraid of him. I can’t well avoid traveling in his -company as far as St. Joseph, but when I get there I will have no more -to do with him.” - -For a short while Julian was wakeful enough. His recent excitement and -adventures, and his speculations concerning the future, kept his brain -busy and banished sleep. But at last his thoughts became confused, his -eyelids grew heavy, and in a few minutes more he was in the land of -dreams. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -THE JOURNEY COMMENCED. - - -WHEN Julian opened his eyes again the sun was rising. He started up -with an exclamation which was repeated as soon as he was fairly awake. -His first thought was of his companion. He was gone. A glance about the -camp showed him that something else was also missing—his rifle, which -he had placed under the eaves of the cabin close at hand and ready -for use in case of emergency. A strange feeling came over Julian, and -it was some minutes before he could muster up courage enough to place -his hand upon the breast of his jacket in which he carried his box of -money. But he did it at last, and was immensely relieved to find that -his box was safe. He removed the lid, and saw that its contents had not -been disturbed. - -While he was trying to find some explanation for his companion’s -absence, and wondering why, if he had deserted him and stolen his -gun, he had not taken the money also, Sanders appeared in sight over -the brow of the bluff with Julian’s rifle on his shoulder and several -squirrels in his hand, which he had shot for their breakfast. The boy -said nothing about the fright his absence had occasioned him, but -assisted him in cooking and eating the squirrels, telling himself the -while that whatever else Sanders might be he was not a thief. It was -plain now that if he had any designs upon Julian, the time to carry -them into execution had not yet arrived. - -When the two had satisfied their appetites Billy was saddled, the fire -extinguished, and the journey toward St. Joseph commenced. Julian -rode the horse and Sanders walked by his side, striding along at an -astonishing rate and keeping Billy in a trot all the way. He proved -to be a very entertaining companion, and told stories of adventure in -the mountains and on the plains till Julian became interested in spite -of himself. Sanders, quick to notice the fact, again spoke of the home -among the gold mines to which he was ready to conduct Julian if the -latter would only trust to his guidance; but seeing very plainly that -the boy did not believe a word he said, he dropped the subject and did -not refer to it again. - -At noon they stopped at a farm-house, where both travelers and horse -were regaled with an excellent dinner, and about 10 o’clock that night -found themselves in a hotel in St. Joseph. Julian asked to be shown at -once to his room, and after he had locked himself in and barricaded the -door with the washstand and chairs, he drew a long breath of relief, -and for the first time since meeting Richard Mortimer believed himself -free from danger. The feeling of comfort and security he experienced -was certainly refreshing, but it would have been short-lived had he -known what his companion in the adjoining room was thinking about. - -That worthy was up and doing at a very early hour, and his first move, -after he had come out of his room and looked up and down the hall to -make sure that there was no one in sight, was to place his ear and -then his eye to the keyhole of Julian’s door. He heard and saw enough -to satisfy him that the boy had not yet arisen, and this point being -settled he went down stairs and out of the house. He hurried along the -streets, and after turning numerous corners found himself in front of -a small and very dingy public house, which, as the sign before the -door indicated, was called the “Hunter’s Home.” It was patronized -exclusively by frontiersmen, and some of the guests were already astir -and lounging about the doors. Sanders glanced at the groups as he -walked by them, and turning the nearest corner passed on out of sight. -No sooner had he disappeared than two men arose from the bench on which -they had been sitting, and strolling down the street and turning the -same corner, presently came up with Sanders, who was perched upon a -dry-goods box in front of a store. - -“I allowed it was you, Ned, but I didn’t know,” said one of them, -advancing and extending his hand, which Sanders shook cordially. -“You’re dressed up like a gentleman. What luck?” - -“I’ve got him.” - -“You have?” cried both the men in concert. - -“It’s a fact. He’s in a hotel not more’n a half a mile from -here—Julian Mortimer himself, an’ nobody else. I’ve had the wust kind -of a time a gettin’ him. Dick Mortimer was thar ahead of me.” - -“Sho!” - -“Yes. An’ we’re goin to have a wusser time, I am afraid, gettin’ him -out of the town to the prairy. He’s sharper’n two steel traps, that boy -is, an’ somehow he don’t like the looks of me. He knows a heap about -himself, an’ is too smart to swallow a single one of the lies I told -him. He’s goin’ to cut loose from me, I can see it in his eye; an’ -whatever we do must be done to once. He wants to jine a wagon train, if -he can find one.” - -“Wal, he can,” replied one of the men, “‘cause thar’s one goin’ out -to-day. Silas Roper’s goin’ along.” - -“Silas Roper!” replied Sanders savagely. “He’s allers in the way. He -musn’t see the boy, ’cause if he does our goose is cooked—done brown. -Come with me to the hotel, an’ as we go along I will think up some way -to manage this business.” - -Sanders jumped off the dry-goods box and walked rapidly away, closely -followed by his two companions. When they arrived within sight of the -hotel he stopped, for they saw Julian standing on the steps. Sanders’ -friends recognized him at once, and declared that they would have known -him if they had met him on the other side of the world. They held a -short, whispered conversation, after which the two men retreated into a -doorway out of sight, and Sanders kept on and accosted Julian. - -“You’re an ’arly bird, hain’t you?” said he, with an awkward attempt -to appear cordial and friendly. “So am I. I have been findin’ out -somethin’ about the wagon trains, an’ I am told that one went out -yesterday bound for the very place you want to go. It will pass within -a hundred yards of the door of your father’s rancho. I am goin’ to -start after it directly. Thar won’t be another goin’ out under a month, -an’ I can’t wait so long; fur I’ve no money to waste in payin’ board -bills.” - -“Neither have I,” said Julian. - -“Then you’d best go with me, hadn’t you? We can easy ketch the train by -day after to-morrow——” - -Sanders paused suddenly, finishing the sentence with something that -sounded very much like an oath. He gazed earnestly down the street -for a moment, and then turned and walked rapidly away, drawing his -handkerchief close about his face as he went. He did not slacken his -pace until he had left the hotel out of sight, and was joined by his -two companions, who had made an equally hasty retreat. The expression -on their faces indicated that they were terribly enraged about -something. - -“If they wasn’t worth so much money to us I would make way with both -of them in less time than it takes to say so!” exclaimed Sanders, in a -very savage tone of voice. “Did you ever hear tell of such luck? I’ve -done all that can be done at this end of the route, but I hain’t beat -yet. We’ll go to the mountains now, an’ have every thing fixed agin’ -the wagon train gets thar.” - -For some reason Sanders and his friends now seemed anxious to leave -the town with as little delay as possible. They made the best of their -way to the Hunter’s Home, which they entered hurriedly, and when they -again made their appearance on the street they were all on horseback -and carried rifles on their shoulders and revolvers and bowie-knives in -their belts. - -No one not well acquainted with him would have recognized Sanders as -the same man who had gone into the hotel but a few minutes before. His -broadcloth and jewelry had disappeared, also the handkerchief which -he had worn about his face, and he was dressed in a suit of buckskin, -which had evidently seen the hardest kind of service. If Julian could -have taken one glance at him now, he would not have felt the least -inclination to renew his short acquaintance with him, nor would he -have wondered that the man had been so careful to keep his features -concealed from view. Perhaps he would have asked himself why he did not -continually wear the handkerchief. - -His was the worst looking face that had ever been seen in the streets -of St. Joseph—one that any man except its owner would have been -ashamed of; and even _he_ had thought best to hide it for a while lest -it should bear testimony against him and defeat his plans. But as he -was now about to leave the country of civilized men and go among those -of his own kind, concealment was no longer necessary. He appeared in -his true character, that of villain and desperado. - -When Sanders and his companions were fairly out of the stable-yard, -they put spurs to their horses, and rode swiftly away. They stopped -that night long enough to ascertain that Julian was with the emigrants, -and to make a demonstration, the result of which shall be related -presently, and then resumed their rapid gallop, which they did not -slacken in one day, nor two; and even at the end of a week, mounted on -fresh horses, which they had stolen or obtained in exchange for their -own jaded animals, they were still riding toward the mountains as if -for dear life. In this way they gained considerably on the wagon train, -and by the time it appeared in sight of Bridger’s Pass, Sanders had -mustered assistance, and was ready to accomplish by force of arms what -he had failed to gain by strategy. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -SILAS ROPER, THE GUIDE. - - -SURPRISED at the abruptness with which Sanders had deserted him, and -at the unmistakable signs of rage and alarm he exhibited, Julian stood -looking after his retreating form until it disappeared from view, and -then directed his gaze down the street. - -He could see nothing there calculated to frighten Sanders or any body -else. There were but few men in sight, and these appeared to have no -hostile intentions toward any one, for they were going quietly about -their business, and did not seem to be aware that there were such -persons as Julian and his late companion in existence. - -Among them was a man who attracted the boy’s attention at once; and -he also seemed to be an object of interest to all in his immediate -vicinity, for every one who passed him turned to look back at him. He -was the nearest approach to a giant that Julian had ever seen. Sanders, -large and powerful as he was, would have looked like a boy beside him. -He was as straight as an arrow, and moved along as if he were set on -springs. He was dressed in a complete suit of buckskin, even to his -moccasins, and carried the never-failing knife and revolver about his -waist. But little could be seen of his face, for it was covered with -immense whiskers, which reached almost to his belt. He walked with his -hands in the pockets of his hunting-shirt, looking carelessly about -him, as if he had determined upon nothing in particular. - -Arriving at the steps where Julian stood, he seated himself upon them, -and drawing a pipe from a little pouch which hung at his belt, prepared -to fill up for a smoke. - -Julian watched all his movements with interest, and felt a strange kind -of awe in the man’s presence. He was certainly a trapper, and he must -be a daring one, too, unless his looks belied him, for he would have -been picked out among a thousand as a man who was not to be daunted by -any physical dangers. He must know all about life on the frontier, of -course, and perhaps he could give some information concerning the wagon -train of which Sanders had spoken. - -“Sir!” said Julian, as soon as this thought passed through his mind. - -“Wal!” returned the trapper, raising a pair of honest-looking brown -eyes, which seemed to invite the boy’s confidence. - -“Can you tell me whether or not a wagon train left this place yesterday -for the mountains?” asked Julian. - -“I can.” - -“I understood there was,” continued Julian, after waiting for the man -to say something else. - -“Then you understood what wasn’t so.” - -“Was there none left?” - -“No.” - -“What object could Sanders have had in view in telling me that -falsehood?” thought the boy. “When does the next one start?” - -“To-day.” - -“How soon?” - -“To onct.” - -“Where from?” - -“From a place ’bout a mile from here, right up this street.” - -“Could I go with it?” - -“I reckon. Want to go to Californy?” - -“No, sir; I am bound for the mountains.” - -“For the Peak?” - -“No, sir; for the _mountains_.” - -“Wal, wharabouts in the mountains?” - -“Whereabouts?” replied Julian. - -He gazed at the trapper a moment, and seating himself on the opposite -end of the steps, looked down at the ground in a brown study. The -question propounded to him excited a serious train of reflections in -his mind. He had always spoken and thought of “the mountains” without -having any very definite idea concerning them. He had imagined that -when he was once safe across the plains his troubles would all be over, -and that it would be a matter of no difficulty to find the home and -friends of which he was in search if they were still in existence; but -the trapper’s last words had opened his eyes and showed him the real -magnitude of his undertaking. “Whereabouts in the mountains?” - -This was a question that Julian could not answer. He remembered now to -have read somewhere that the Rocky Mountains covered an area of 980,000 -square miles. How could he hope to find his father in such a wilderness -as that? He might be in Mexico, or he might be in Oregon—Julian didn’t -know. After all he had endured and accomplished, the obstacles that lay -in his path were but just beginning to make themselves manifest. This -reflection for the moment utterly unnerved him, and tears began to fall -from his eyes. The trapper removed his pipe from his mouth long enough -to say: - -“Cryin’?” - -“I know it is unmanly,” replied Julian, “but I can’t help it. I have -been through some difficulties lately, but I can see that there are -worse ones before me. But I’ll never give up—never!” - -“Stick to that allers,” said the trapper, now beginning to show some -interest in what the boy had to say. “Never-give-up has carried many a -feller through the wust kind of scrapes. Got any friends out West?” - -“Yes, sir—or, rather, I had a few years ago; but I don’t know where to -find them. Did you ever hear of Major Mortimer?” - -“I b’lieve I’ve heerd his name spoke.” - -“Do you know where he lives?” - -“I can’t jest say I do exactly. Thar’s only two or three men who can -tell whar he is now, but I know whar he used to live.” - -“He is my father.” - -“_I know it._” - -“You do?” cried Julian. He looked at the man in utter bewilderment, and -arose hastily to his feet. “Good-day, sir,” said he. “I am obliged to -you for the information you gave me about that wagon train.” - -The trapper made no reply. He took his pipe out of his mouth and looked -after the boy as he jumped off the steps and hurried down the street, -and when he disappeared he arose, thrust his hands in his pockets and -sauntered after him. What would Julian have thought if he had known -that he was running away from the only friend he had east of the -mountains? - -“I will have nothing to do with any one who has ever seen or heard -of me,” soliloquized the boy, as he hurried along, looking into the -different stores he passed. “How does it come, I wonder, that so many -men whom I never saw before know me? I am going to depend upon myself -until I am satisfied that I am out of danger. If Sanders makes his -appearance again I will send him about his business. I will go out with -that wagon train, and perhaps before I reach the mountains I shall find -some man who doesn’t know me, and who can give me the information I -want. This is the place I am looking for.” - -He stopped in front of a store, where a boy about his own age was at -work taking down the shutters. It appeared to be a sort of variety -store, for clothing and furnishing goods were displayed in one of the -windows, and weapons and saddlery in the other. - -Julian entered, and when he came out again, a quarter of an hour -afterward, he had made as great a change in his appearance as Sanders -did during the short time he remained in the Hunter’s Home. He was -dressed in a full Mexican suit, which the polite and attentive clerk -had made him believe was just the thing to wear during a journey across -the plains, and in the saddle-bags, which he carried over his shoulder, -was another and a finer suit of the same description, as well as a -small supply of powder and lead, a brace of revolvers, and several -other articles of which he thought he might stand in need. On his arm -he carried a poncho—a rubber blanket with a hole in the center—which -was to be used in lieu of an umbrella in rainy weather. - -When he came out and bent his steps toward the hotel, a tall fellow in -buckskin, who was leaning against an awning on the opposite side of the -street, straightened up and followed after him. When he sat down to his -breakfast the same man walked through the hall, and looked in at the -dining-room; and when, after paying his bill at the hotel, he came out -with all his weapons and luggage, and sprung upon his horse, the man in -buckskin disappeared down a neighboring street, and presently came back -again, mounted on a large cream-colored mustang, and rode in pursuit of -Julian. - -Our hero found that the information the strange trapper had given him -concerning the wagon train was correct. The emigrants had been encamped -on a common a short distance from the hotel, and when Julian came up -with them they were all on the move. The road in advance of him was -dotted with white wagon-covers as far as his eyes could reach. It was a -novel and interesting sight to him, and he soon forgot his troubles in -watching what was going on around him. The day that he had thought of -and lived for so long had arrived at last, and he was fairly on his way -to the mountains. The road the emigrants intended to follow might not -lead him to his home, but what of that? It was enough for him to know -that it crossed the mountains somewhere. - -Billy, being in high mettle, insisted on going ahead, and his rider -allowing him a free rein, was carried at a swinging gallop along the -entire length of the train until he arrived at the foremost wagons. -The emigrants all seemed to be in excellent spirits, and Julian heard -them laughing and talking with one another as he dashed by. On the way -he passed several boys, who were racing their horses along the road, -now and then stopping to call back to their parents and friends in -the wagons. Their merriment had an effect upon Julian. It made him -contrast their situation with his own. In all that wagon train there -was no one to greet him, no one who knew how he longed for a word of -sympathy and encouragement from somebody, and no one who cared for him -or his affairs. - -“But I am free!” said the boy, who was not long in finding some crumbs -of comfort with which to solace himself. “I can go where I please, -and there is no Jack Bowles to dog my footsteps and beat me with his -rawhide. I can eat, sleep and walk about in perfect security, knowing -that there is no one to molest me. I am leaving behind me Richard -Mortimer, Sanders and all the rest of my secret enemies, and the -dangers and difficulties I have yet to encounter will be such as I know -how to meet. If I do not find my home and friends before my money is -gone, I have a good horse and rifle, and I know how to shoot and trap. -I shall be able to take care of myself.” - -There were several men riding in company in advance of the train, and -not wishing to intrude upon them, Julian fell in behind, and during -the whole of that forenoon never spoke a word to any one. When noon -came the wagons began to draw off into the woods one by one, and -in a quarter of an hour the entire train had come to a halt, and -preparations for dinner were actively going on. Julian, hungry and -lonely, would have been glad of an invitation to join one of the happy -parties that were scattered about among the trees, but no one noticed -him. He dismounted a little apart from the rest of the emigrants, and -after tying his horse to a tree, spread his poncho upon the ground, -and was about to begin an attack upon the small supply of crackers and -cheese stowed away in his saddle-bags, when some one spoke to him. - -“Wal, my lad, its grub time,” said a familiar voice. - -Julian looked up, and there, leaning upon a rifle that an ordinary man -could scarcely have raised to his shoulder, stood the tall trapper whom -he had met in the streets of St. Joseph. At the sight of him his old -fears were revived with redoubled force. - -“Here’s one enemy I haven’t left behind me,” thought Julian. “I must -still be on the lookout for treachery. I know it is dinner-time,” he -added, aloud; “and I am just about to take advantage of it.” - -“In what way? I don’t see that you have got anything to eat.” - -“I have, nevertheless,” replied the boy, laying his hand on his -saddle-bags. - -“Do you keep it in thar?” asked the trapper, with a laugh. “How long do -you think it’ll last you?” - -“A day or two; and when it is gone my rifle must supply my larder. -There must be an abundance of game on the plains.” - -“Humph! That shows how much you know ’bout prairie life. Sometimes -thar’s game an’ sometimes thar hain’t. An’ sometimes when we know -thar’s plenty of buffaler an’ antelope only a little ways off, we can’t -go out to shoot ’em fur fear of the Injuns. What’ll you do under them -sarcumstances?” - -Julian didn’t know. He would be obliged to go to bed hungry, he -supposed. - -“Yes, an’ you’ll go to bed hungry many a night afore you see the -mountains, if this is the way you’re goin’ to do business,” continued -the trapper. “We can do better’n this fur you. Come into our mess; we’d -be glad to have you.” - -Julian thanked the man for his kind offer, but took time to consider -before replying. The interest his new acquaintance seemed to take in -his welfare made him suspicious, and he wanted to keep as far away -from him as possible. But, after all, if the trapper had any designs -upon him, what difference would it make whether Julian remained at one -end of the wagon train or the other? It would certainly be better to -make sure of plenty to eat during the journey than to depend upon his -rifle; and, if he saw anything in the trapper’s actions to confirm his -suspicions, he could easily avoid being left alone with him. - -He arose and picked up his saddle-bags, and the trapper, who had waited -patiently for an answer to his invitation, shouldered his rifle and -led the way through the woods, presently stopping at one of the wagons, -beside which a party of three men were seated on the ground eating -their dinner. - -These looked curiously at Julian as he came up, and seemed to be -waiting for the trapper to tell why he had brought him there; but as he -did not appear to think that any explanation was necessary, they made -way for the boy, and waving their hands toward the plates containing -the corn-bread and bacon, went on with their conversation. - -The trapper soon satisfied his appetite, and mounting his horse, which -was grazing close by, rode off, leaving Julian alone with the three -men. He listened to their conversation, and soon learned that they were -from an Eastern State, that they had never been West before, and that -their destination was the gold mines of California. - -This silenced some of Julian’s fears, and finally, venturing to inquire -who the trapper was, he was told that his name was Silas Roper, and -that he was the chief man of the wagon train—the guide. The men were -enthusiastic in their praises of him, and if they told the truth, as -Julian hoped they did, Silas was one in whom he could well afford to -confide. - -Our hero then explained how he came to be brought into the mess, -following up the story with as much of his history as he was willing -the men should know, and their hearty words of sympathy and welcome -placed him at his ease at once, and almost made him believe that at -last he had found real friends. - -While the dinner was in progress a horseman came leisurely down the -road, gazing earnestly at every group of emigrants he passed, as if he -were searching for some one. When he reached the place where Julian and -the three men were seated, he drew rein with an exclamation of surprise -and satisfaction, and sat motionless in his saddle, staring at them -as if debating some point in his mind. Having at last decided upon -something he rode up to the party and accosted them. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -ACROSS THE PLAINS. - - -THE MOMENT Julian’s eyes rested upon the strange horseman he asked -himself where he had seen him before. There was something about him -that looked familiar. He was dressed in rough clothing, like the rest -of the emigrants, wore high-top boots and a broad felt hat. His hair -was cut close to his head, and his face, which was dark and haughty, -was clean shaven; although the blue shade about his chin and upper -lip showed that goatee and mustache had recently been growing there. -His voice sounded strangely familiar, too, although Julian could not -recollect where he had heard it before. - -The man announced that he was bound for San Francisco, and that having -been obliged to make his preparations for the journey in great haste, -in order to join that wagon train, he had had no opportunity to lay in -a supply of provisions. As their mess appeared to be small he would -be glad to join it, if the men had no objections, and was willing to -pay liberally for the privilege. Julian’s new friends had no objection -whatever. They liked good company, and if the stranger would agree to -pay his share of the provisions he might come in and welcome. And so -the matter was settled, and the new-comer became a member of Julian’s -mess. - -Our hero had never carried a lighter heart than he did during that -afternoon’s ride. He no longer felt that he was utterly forsaken in the -world. He had some one to talk to now—men who had never seen or heard -of him before, who did not even know his name, but who nevertheless -sympathized with him and took an interest in his affairs. And it was -because these new-found friends were strangers to him that Julian -felt safe in their company. He was still suspicious of the guide, -notwithstanding the high terms of praise in which he had been spoken of -by the members of his mess, and he disliked the appearance of the new -emigrant also. - -The latter seemed desirous of cultivating the boy’s acquaintance. He -addressed a good many of his remarks to him, and whenever he said -anything that he thought to be particularly interesting or witty, -he would look at Julian and wink. This was quite enough to excite -the boy’s suspicions; but he comforted himself with the thought that -neither the guide nor the emigrant would dare molest him in the -presence of the whole wagon train, and that he would take care never to -be left alone with them. - -The afternoon passed quickly away, and it was sunset almost before -Julian knew it. His day in the saddle had severely tested his -endurance, and he was glad indeed when the train came to a halt. Being -desirous of showing his new friends that he appreciated their kindness -to him, he assisted them in making the camp, unharnessing the mules, -providing the wood for fire, and bringing the water with which to fill -the camp-kettle. The guide, whom he had not seen during the whole of -the afternoon, made his appearance when supper was ready, and so did -the emigrant; but the latter did not approach the fire. He stopped at a -respectful distance, looked hard at Silas, whose back was turned toward -him, and then walked quickly out of sight. Julian, astonished at his -singular behavior, looked around at the other members of the mess to -see if any beside himself had observed it; but the men were too busy -with their corn-bread and bacon to pay any attention to what was going -on outside their own camp. - -Supper over, Silas and his companions stretched themselves on their -blankets to enjoy their pipes, while Julian busied himself in gathering -up the dishes and packing the remains of the supper away in the wagon. -This done, he went out for a stroll down the road; he wanted to see how -the camp looked by moonlight. - -The day’s journey, although it had been a hard and fatiguing one, -seemed to have had no effect upon the spirits of the emigrants, who -were as merry and laughed and sang as loudly as when they left St. -Joseph. They seemed to be supremely happy and contented, and Julian did -not wonder at it. They had everything their hearts could desire to make -them happy, and he had everything to make him miserable. If he had had -parents and brothers and sisters there he would have laughed too, and -felt as light of heart as the best of them. But there was not a soul -with whom he could claim relationship in less than a thousand miles, -and perhaps not in the world. Julian was falling into his melancholy -mood again, and he wanted to be alone; the sounds of merriment grated -harshly on his ears. He left the camp and hurried down the road. On he -went, regardless of the flight of time, through the woods in which the -wagons had halted, to the prairie that lay beyond, brooding over the -past and speculating on the future. - -How long his fit of abstraction continued he could not have told; -but when he came to himself the camp-fires were out of sight, and he -was standing on an extensive plain which stretched away before him -as far as his eyes could reach, without even a tree or bush to break -the monotony. He was alone; there was not a living thing within the -range of his vision. This was Julian’s first glimpse of the prairie, -and it was not without its effect upon him. He gazed in wonder. What -an immense region it was that lay between him and his home—all India -could be put into it twice, he had read somewhere—and until that -moment what a ridiculously faint conception he had had of it! What -would he not have given to have been able to tell what lay beyond it? -He listened but not a sound came to his ears. An unearthly silence -brooded over the vast expanse—a silence so deep that he could hear the -beating of his own heart. Julian was awed, almost frightened by it; and -turning quickly about he started for the camp at the top of his speed. - -Perhaps Julian would have been really frightened if he had known that -he was not so utterly alone as he imagined himself to be. There were -no less than four persons in sight of him all the while, and part of -the time, five. Three of them were Sanders and the men who had left St. -Joseph in his company. Having watched the train from a safe distance -all that day, they entered the camp as soon as it grew dark to satisfy -themselves that the boy of whom they were in search was among the -emigrants. They saw him as he strolled through the woods and followed, -hoping to find an opportunity to make a prisoner of him. The fourth -man, who watched every move Julian made during the time he remained -within sight of him, and who carried in his hand a revolver cocked -and ready for use, was the emigrant; and the fifth was Silas Roper. -The latter, unlike the others, who made use of every tuft of grass to -cover their bodies, walked erect down the road, keeping always within -rifle-range of Julian, whose form, being clad in dark garments, was -thrown out in bold relief against the gray background of the prairie. -The emigrant saw him, if Julian did not, and for some reasons of his -own thought it best to abandon his pursuit of the boy. He concealed -himself in the grass until the trapper had passed on, and then -scrambled to his feet and slunk away in the direction of the camp. - -Julian had not retraced his steps very far before he began to wish most -heartily that he had turned back long ago. There was some one following -him—following, too, for the purpose and with the determination of -overtaking him. His ears told him that such was the fact, and there -was no need that he should look back to make sure of it—he dared not -do it. He heard the sound of the pursuit very plainly—the stealthy, -cautious patter of moccasined feet on the hard road, which grew louder -and more distinct every instant. Who was his pursuer? The guide, beyond -a doubt, for he was the only man in the train who wore moccasins. Fear -lent Julian wings, and he made headway astonishingly; but there was -some one beside the clumsy Jack Bowles in pursuit of him now, and the -lightness of foot that had brought him off with flying colors in his -race with that worthy could not avail him. - -“It’s no use, Julian,” said a gruff voice behind him. “I’m a comin’, -an’ if I don’t overhaul you thar ain’t no snakes. You’re ketched, an’ -you might as well stop an’ give in.” - -But our hero was not one of the kind who give in. He strained every -nerve to escape, but his pursuer gained rapidly. He was close behind -him now—Julian could hear his heavy breathing; but just as he was -expecting to feel his strong grasp on his collar, a blinding sheet of -flame shot out of the gloom directly in advance of him, and something -whistled through the air close to his ear. In another minute Julian had -run squarely into the arms of Silas Roper, and his pursuer had faced -about and was making his way through the tall grass as if a legion of -wolves were close at his heels. - -“I reckon I throwed away that chunk of lead, didn’t I?” said Silas. -“You needn’t be skeered now. I know you ain’t hurt, ’cause I’ve had my -eyes on you all the while.” - -Julian, weak with terror and utterly bewildered to find the guide in -front, when he had all the while supposed him to be behind and in -pursuit of him, could not reply. But if he was surprised at this, he -was still more amazed at the manner in which Silas received him. He -did not show the least desire to do him an injury, but on the contrary -extended his arm around him protectingly, and supported him until he -had somewhat recovered himself. - -“You’re lively on your legs fur a little one,” continued the trapper, -“but you’re well nigh give out, ain’t you? If thar had been just a -trifle more light Sanders would have been past harmin’ you now.” - -“Who?” gasped Julian. - -“Sanders. You didn’t think to hear of him again so soon, did you?” - -“I never expected to hear from him again.” - -“Sho! Wal, you’ll hear and see more of him durin’ the next few weeks -than you’ll like, _I_ tell you. That was him a chasin’ you, ’cause I’ve -seed him often enough to know him,” added the trapper, leading the way -toward the camp, loading his rifle as he went. - -“You said you were watching me,” said Julian. “Why did you do it?” - -“‘Cause I’m a friend to you.” - -“I begin to believe you are,” replied the boy, casting all his -suspicions to the winds. “If I had been sure of it to-day when I first -saw you, I shouldn’t have run away from you; but I have seen so much -treachery lately that I distrust everybody.” - -“I can easy b’lieve that. I know purty near what Dick an’ Ned have been -up to.” - -“You told me this morning that you know who I am. Of course, then, you -know my father.” - -“Sartin I do.” - -“Is he alive?” - -“He is.” - -“And my mother?” - -“No, she’s dead—died when you was a little feller.” - -“And my brother?” - -“He’s all right.” - -“Can you take me to my father?” - -“I reckon not.” - -“What’s the reason?” - -“‘Cause I don’t know whar he is—that’s the reason. I’ll allers be a -friend to you, howsomever.” - -During the walk to the camp Julian asked innumerable questions about -his home and friends, but the information that we have just recorded -was all he could extort from the trapper. He taxed his ingenuity to -the utmost, and propounded his inquiries in a dozen different ways, -but Silas could neither be surprised or coaxed into revealing more -than he had already told. Nor did Julian ever hear anything more from -him, although he saw very plainly that the trapper knew all about -him, and could easily gratify his curiosity if he felt so inclined. -Day after day he renewed his endeavors to worm out some small item of -information, but all he could ascertain positively was that his father -and brother were alive and well, and with that he was obliged to be -content. Of another thing he was also pretty certain, and that was, -that he should not find his home—if he found it at all—the pleasant -and inviting place that Sanders had represented it to be. But in this -respect he was not much disappointed, for he had built no hopes upon -anything his false friend had told him. - -During the journey across the plains nothing worthy of record occurred -to vary the monotony of Julian’s life. He met with no more adventures, -for Sanders had disappeared, and although the boy was certain that -Silas could tell what had become of him, all his questioning failed to -elicit the desired information. The emigrant kept himself as much as -possible out of sight. The members of the mess expressed some surprise -at his abrupt desertion of them, and asked one another what could have -been the occasion of it; but no one knew, and in a day or two the -matter was forgotten. - -As the days progressed Julian’s friendship for and confidence in -his silent friend steadily increased. Silas on his part cherished -an unbounded affection for his young companion, and manifested it -by a thousand little acts of kindness. He beguiled many a weary -mile of their journey with stories of what he had seen and done, -and descriptions of life in the Far West, but said not a word about -Julian’s affairs unless he was asked. - -At last the Rocky Mountains began to loom up before them, and on the -same day Silas, who as usual was riding in advance of the train with -Julian, pointed out a hostile Indian on the summit of a distant swell. - -“How do you know he is hostile?” asked Julian. “Can you see the paint -on his face at this distance?” - -“No, but I know who’s been a smokin’ an a talkin’ with his tribe around -the council fires,” replied the trapper. “You think you’ve been through -a heap since you fust seed Dick Mortimer, and p’raps you have; but -you’ll go through a heap more if you live a week longer. You needn’t -be afeared of the Injuns, howsomever,” added Silas, seeing that the -boy’s cheek blanched, and that he cast anxious glances toward the -distant warrior. “They won’t harm you. If every man, woman and child -in the train is massacred, you’ll be kept safe, unless you are hurt by -accident.” - -“What makes you think so?” - -“I don’t think so, I know it; but I hain’t got time to talk about it -now, ’cause I must ride back an’ keep the wagons closer together.” - -This was always the way with the trapper after he had said something -that Julian was particularly anxious to have explained—he had no time -to say more on the subject just then, but must see to something that -demanded his immediate attention. - -Julian was greatly perplexed by what he had just heard. It sounded very -unreasonable, but he did not doubt the truth of it, for he had learned -to put implicit faith in the trapper’s word. - -In two days more Bridger’s Pass was reached, and the emigrants made -their camp for the last time. - -We have already related how Julian was enticed away from the wagon -train by the outlaws, who carried him on horseback to Reginald -Mortimer’s rancho, and that during the ride he heard the sounds of a -fierce battle going on between the Indians and the emigrants, and saw -the train consumed by fire. - -We have also told of his introduction to the man who called himself -his uncle, and described the reception that gentleman extended to him. -He was conducted into Mr. Mortimer’s sleeping-apartment, and saw the -outlaws receive a heavy reward for delivering him into the hands of the -owner of the rancho, after which Sanders and his companion took their -departure, and Julian was left alone with his new relative. - -Then for the first time he raised his eyes and took a fair look at the -man. Surely he had seen that face and figure somewhere. They were those -of Richard Mortimer. He had left him on board a flatboat more than a -thousand miles away, and here he was in the mountains where he least -expected to see him, ready now and able to carry out his plans against -Julian’s life. - -One glance at him was enough for our hero, who, with a cry of terror, -turned and ran toward the door. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -THE EMIGRANT AGAIN. - - -“STOP!” cried Reginald Mortimer, in great astonishment. “Come back -here!” - -Julian heard the command, but he did not heed it. He strove with -nervous haste to open the door, but the knob refused to turn for him. -He dashed himself against it with frantic violence; but the stout oak -planks had been intended to resist a stronger force than he could bring -to bear upon them, and they did not even tremble beneath his weight. - -Reginald Mortimer appeared to be utterly confounded by the boy’s -behavior. He watched his movements for a few seconds, and said: - -“Julian, you could not leave the rancho if you were to effect an -entrance into the hall. Shall I call Pedro, and tell him to let you -out?” - -It was now Julian’s turn to be astonished. He had expected violence, -but was not prepared for the accents of kindness. He looked timidly at -the man, and took his hand off the door-knob. - -“Come here and tell me all about it,” continued Reginald Mortimer in a -mild tone. “Why should a glance at me alarm you? Is there anything so -very frightful about me?” - -“No, sir; but you are the man who stole me away from my home and took -me to live with Jack Bowles.” - -The owner of the rancho opened his eyes, but said nothing. - -“And you came to his house not long ago and offered him money to drown -me in the Missouri River,” added Julian. - -Reginald Mortimer was profoundly astonished. After hesitating a moment, -as if undecided how to act, he extended his hand to Julian, and -leading him to a seat on the sofa, placed himself beside him. - -“My dear boy,” said he, kindly, “what delusion is this you are laboring -under? You have made a great mistake. That this house is your own, and -that you will some day have a better right here than I or any body -else, I admit. And that you were stolen away long years ago by some bad -man is equally true; but I knew nothing of it until after it was done, -and neither did I know where you were, for all my efforts to find you -were unavailing. I never heard of Jack Bowles before. I have not the -least idea where he lives, and neither do I know who the man was who -wanted to drown you in the river. It certainly was not I.” - -“Then it was some one who looks exactly like you,” said Julian. - -“There is but one person in the world who resembles me, that I am aware -of, and that is my cousin—your Uncle Richard. It could not have been -he, for he has tried as hard to find you, and is as much interested in -your welfare as I am. Besides, he went to Fort Stoughton two months ago -to shoot buffaloes, and has not yet returned. It could not have been -Sanders either, for he does not look at all like me. More than that, he -is a firm friend of our family, and has worked hard to find you—not -with any intention of doing you an injury, but in order to restore you -to your home and friends once more. You must be dreaming.” - -While Reginald Mortimer was speaking Julian was looking him sharply in -the face and thinking busily. He was not deceived by the man’s apparent -sincerity. Although greatly mystified he knew that he was not dreaming. -His thoughts wandered back to that memorable night on which he had -first seen Richard Mortimer at Jack Bowles’ cabin. He remembered how -closely he had scrutinized his features in order to impress them upon -his memory, and when he compared them with the features of the man who -was now seated at his side he told himself that any one not intimately -acquainted with the two gentlemen would have declared them to be one -and the same person. But something that just then occurred to him -satisfied him that they could not be. He thought he must be growing -very dull, or else he would have known long ago that the emigrant who -had joined the wagon train at St. Joseph, and watched all his movements -so closely during the journey across the plains, could be none other -than Richard Mortimer. He wondered that he had not thought of it -before, and especially that he had not recognized him when Sanders -pronounced his name in the reception-room. - -Another thing that suddenly became clear to him was that the trapper, -Sanders, was the same man who had rescued him from the smoke-house. - -Julian saw the reason for his pretended friendship now, and knew why it -was that the man had been so anxious to accompany him to the mountains. -He wanted to make $5,000 by delivering him into the hands of Reginald -Mortimer. But there were still a good many things that he could _not_ -understand, and he wondered if they would ever be made plain to him. - -“You are greatly in need of rest,” said Mr. Mortimer, laying his hand -gently on the boy’s shoulder. “You are completely exhausted. Go to bed -now, and I will talk these affairs over with you in the morning. I will -then explain everything. If you feel timid in this gloomy old house I -will tell Pedro to make you a bed here on the sofa.” - -“I would rather be alone, if you please,” replied Julian. “I have been -through a good deal to-night, and I want time to think it over. My mind -is greatly confused.” - -Reginald Mortimer lighted a candle, and after unfastening the ponderous -spring-lock which held the door and prevented Julian’s escape from the -room, he conducted him along the main hall for a short distance, and -turned into another that ran at right angles with it, finally ushering -him into his sleeping apartment. - -“This is your room,” said he. “You are master here, and if you will -take the trouble to look about you, you will find that I have neglected -nothing that I thought would add to your comfort. Now, if you will -dismiss your fears, if you have any, as I hope you will, for they are -certainly groundless—you can enjoy a refreshing sleep. You need not -hurry yourself in the morning, for I will wait breakfast for you. -Goodnight, and pleasant dreams.” - -Reginald Mortimer placed the candle upon the center-table and went out, -closing the door after him. Julian stood listening to the sound of his -retreating footsteps, and when it had died away, and he heard a door -open and close in some distant part of the house, he stepped carefully -across the floor and tried the lock. It was not fastened. - -“This looks as though there might be some truth in that man’s story,” -said he to himself. “The doors in this rancho—if that is what the -house is called—seem to have a way of locking themselves, and I fully -expected to find myself a prisoner. I’ll see that no one enters here -to-night. If Dick Mortimer is still prowling around he shall never -see the inside of this room. And Reginald doesn’t know that Dick is -about here at all. He thinks he is off on a shooting excursion at Fort -Stoughton, wherever that is. Dick evidently keeps his movements hidden -from his cousin, and that proves that he is up to something he doesn’t -want him to know.” - -Julian turned the key in the lock as he said this, put down the catch, -and seeing two strong bolts on the door, one above and the other below -the lock, he pushed them into their sockets. Not satisfied with this -he tilted one of the chairs against the door, and placing the back -under the lock, and bracing the hind legs firmly against the floor, -thus formed a barricade that could not have been easily forced from the -outside, even if the lock and bolts had been undone. - -This much being accomplished, Julian took his stand in the middle of -the floor and looked about him. His quarters were large and airy, and -contained a greater variety of elegant furniture than he had ever seen -before. The floor was covered with a soft carpet that gave out no -sound as he stepped across it. The walls were concealed by blue and -gold hangings, and in one corner stood a comfortable bed, which, with -its clean white spread and pillow-cases, presented a great contrast -to the miserable couch to which Julian had been accustomed for the -last eight years. Opposite the bed was a huge fire-place, and over -it was a mantel-piece of black walnut, on which stood an ornamental -clock. In the corner beside the fire-place was a small book-case, -containing a collection of works that would have delighted any boy -who was as fond of excitement and adventure as Julian. In spite of -the limited advantages he had enjoyed in his old home he had learned -to read and write, and having an all-devouring passion for books, he -had perused every thing that came in his way. On the opposite side of -the fire-place stood a finely carved wardrobe, and the first things -Julian’s eyes rested upon when he opened the doors was a double-barrel -shot-gun, a rifle, and a belt containing a revolver. - -“This is just what I’ve been looking for,” said he joyfully, as he drew -the elegant six-shooter from its holster. “If I am master of this room, -as that man says I am, I have a right to do as I choose. I choose to -say that I want to be alone here to-night. Dick Mortimer had better -keep his distance, and so had those strange people Sanders spoke of, -who can go through key-holes, and cracks an inch wide, and even solid -stone walls. If they trouble me I will see if a bullet can go through -_them_. Now, where is the ammunition?” - -That was a question easier asked than answered. The accouterments -belonging to the weapons were all in the wardrobe—the powder-horn and -bullet-pouch depending from the muzzle of the rifle, and the shot-bag -and flask hanging from the ramrod of the double-barrel; but they were -empty. Nor was there any ammunition in the room. Julian overhauled the -drawers in the lower part of the book-case, but they contained nothing -but writing and drawing materials. Then he searched all the drawers in -the bureau; but although they were filled to overflowing with all sorts -of trinkets and valuables dear to the heart of youth—nothing in the -shape of powder and lead could be found. - -With a sigh of regret Julian returned the useless revolver to its -holster, and throwing himself into a large easy-chair, which extended -its arms invitingly, stretched his feet out before him, thrust his -hands into his pockets and went off into a reverie. - -“What a change a few short weeks have made in my circumstances,” -thought he. “It seems only yesterday that I was living in a den that a -respectable dog would turn up his nose at, going about clothed in rags, -starving both summer and winter, and beaten and sworn at by every one -of the family. Now I find myself under the roof of a man who speaks -almost the first kind words to me that I ever remember of hearing, who -embraces me and tells me that he is my uncle, and leading me to a room -fitted up like a palace informs me that I am sole master of it. And I -need not get up in the morning at the first peep of day to cut firewood -and help Mrs. Bowles lay the table and cook corn-dodgers, but may -sleep as long as I please, and my breakfast will be kept waiting for -me. This man tells me, too, that I shall some day have a better right -here than he, who now claims to be the owner of the rancho. Isn’t it -enough to turn any one’s head? I will go to sleep now, and perhaps in -the morning some of these things, which now seem to be involved in such -impenetrable mystery, will be clearer to me.” - -Julian arose to his feet, and having turned down the quilts began to -divest himself of his jacket. Suddenly he paused and stood holding the -garment in his hand, and looking first at the candle on the table and -then at the hangings which concealed the walls. - -“I’ve heard and witnessed enough to-night to make a coward of almost -anybody except Silas Roper,” thought he, “but I believe I’ve got the -nerve to do it. I am going to see what is on the other side of those -curtains. If there is any way for that emigrant, or for those people -that Sanders spoke of to get in here, I want to know it. I shouldn’t -like to wake up in the night and find them prowling about my room. -Gracious!” - -Julian felt the cold chills creeping over him, and glanced quickly -about the apartment, half-expecting to see some frightful object -advancing upon him from some dark corner. - -At first he was half-inclined to pass the night in the easy-chair, and -never go to sleep at all; but dismissing the thought almost as soon as -it entered his mind, he snatched the candle from the table and hurrying -across the room raised the hangings. - -Nothing was to be seen but the huge blocks of stone which formed -the walls. On one side of the room there was no opening except the -fire-place, opposite to which was the door. The other two sides, as -Julian discovered when he raised the hangings, were provided with -windows. - -He placed his face close to the panes, but not even the twinkle of -a star could be seen through the gloom. Somewhat surprised thereat, -Julian deposited his candle on the floor, looped back the curtains and -carefully raised the window. It opened into what appeared to be a deep -recess in the wall. At the opposite side was a heavy iron-bound door, -just the size of the window, which swung inward as Julian drew the -bolt, and then he saw the stars shining down upon him, and the full -moon rising above the mountain tops. - -“This house was certainly intended for a fort,” thought the boy, gazing -in surprise at the massive walls around him, which seemed strong enough -to resist the heaviest artillery. “There isn’t a wooden partition in it -as far as I’ve seen. They are all of stone, and must be six or seven -feet thick. I can’t see the use of it.” - -This was a point upon which Julian was enlightened before he was many -hours older. He learned that the walls were not as solid as they -appeared; that there were long corridors and winding passage-ways -running through them, communicating with every room in the house, and -all leading to a gloomy cavern in the hill behind the building, with -which he was destined soon to become well acquainted. - -Julian held the shutters open and took a survey of the scene before -him. He saw the high stone wall which surrounded the house on all -sides, the ponderous gate which had opened a short time before to admit -him and the trappers, the well-beaten bridle-path leading across the -valley toward the mountains, and noted even the smallest object within -the range of his vision, but nothing looked familiar. - -The home of his boyhood was not so gloomy and desolate a place as this -in which he now found himself. There was no high wall to shut out all -view of the outer world, but there were flowers blooming before the -door, a pleasant grove close by, and people constantly coming and -going. And there was a jolly old gentleman, from whose side he was -scarcely ever separated, who used to take him on his knee and talk to -him for hours; and now and then a laughing, blue-eyed boy would make -his appearance after a long absence, spend a few days in romping with -him and then go off again. Where was that father and brother now? If -they were alive and well, as Silas had so often assured him, why were -they not living there in the rancho, if that was their home? Why should -they remain away and allow a stranger to take the management of their -affairs? - -“If I have a home and friends I must look further to find them, that -is plain enough to be seen,” soliloquized Julian, closing the shutter -and creeping back into the room. “But before I go I should like to know -what object this man has in view in bringing me here and claiming me -for his nephew. When I meet him in the morning I will call him Uncle -Reginald, and act as though I believed—— What are you doing here?” - -When Julian stepped down from the window-seat into the room he had just -left, he found that it had an occupant who had no business there. It -was not a spirit, either, for spirits do not need lanterns to guide -their footsteps, and revolvers to defend themselves, and this intruder -had both. One was held in his left hand by his side, and with the -muzzle of the other he was covering Julian’s head. It was the emigrant, -clean shaven and close cropped, as he was when the boy first saw him -with the wagon train. - -“What do you want here, Dick Mortimer?” cried Julian, recoiling before -the muzzle of the revolver. “Clear out!” - -“So you know me, do you?” inquired the man, with some surprise. “That -villain, Sanders, has been posting you. He has deserted me and gone -over to my cousin; but, fortunately, I shall have no further occasion -for his services. Put on your jacket and come with me; and mind you, no -noise!” - -“By what authority do you order me out of my own house?” demanded -Julian, scarcely knowing what he said. “I am master here, if you -please.” - -“Ah! Reginald has been posting you, too, has he?” exclaimed the -emigrant angrily. “You have learned more than I ever intended you -should know; but it can’t be helped now. This is my authority,” he -added, raising his revolver to a level with the boy’s head and placing -his finger on the trigger; “and you will do well to respect it. What -else did Reginald say to you? Did he tell you who you are, or give you -any information concerning your father?” - -“No; but I know that he is alive and well.” - -“Then Silas has been posting you. Do you know where he is?” - -“That’s my business. Have you a man with you waiting to earn that -$1,000, or do you intend to do the work yourself?” - -“You know that too, do you? No; you need stand in no fear of bodily -harm as long as you obey my commands. I have come to the conclusion -that I can use you to as good purpose as Reginald can. No more words -now. Put on that coat and come with me.” - -Julian mechanically obeyed. His bodily powers were so nearly exhausted, -and he was thrown into such a state of bewilderment and alarm by his -new adventure, that he suddenly seemed to become insensible to every -emotion. He could walk and talk, but he received no more impression -from the objects around him than if he had been in a dream. He no -longer shrunk away from the revolver which was kept pointed straight -at his head, nor was he surprised when the emigrant raised the -hangings at the foot of the bed and disclosed to view an opening in -the wall—that solid stone wall which Julian had so carefully examined -but a few minutes before. He clambered through without waiting for the -order, and followed his captor along a narrow passage-way and down a -flight of steps into a commodious underground apartment, which, judging -by its general appearance, was used as a cellar and store-house. Here -the emigrant spoke again, and the sound of his voice aroused Julian to -a sense of his situation. - -“Yes, yes,” said he, “I have changed my plans concerning you. Silas -Roper is the man I want now, and in order to get hold of him I must -hold fast to you. I have a comfortable little shooting-box up in the -mountains, and there you can stay and enjoy—— Great heavens!” - -The emigrant ceased speaking and started back as if he had been shot. -Julian looked up into his face and saw that it was white with terror, -and noticed, too, that he was trembling violently in every limb. His -eyes were staring fixedly toward the farther end of the cellar, and -following the direction of his gaze Julian discovered something that -made his heart beat a little faster than usual. - -It was not a frightful object his gaze rested upon—nothing but the -figure of a feeble and decrepit old man, who was walking across -the opposite end of the cellar. He moved along with tottering step -and form half-bent, his thin silvery hair streaming down over his -shoulders, and one withered hand grasping a staff upon which he leaned -heavily. He seemed ignorant of the presence of the emigrant and his -prisoner, and walked on without looking either to the right or left. -Suddenly, however, he turned and approached the foot of the stairs. -Julian could not see his eyes, which were fastened upon the ground, -but he obtained a fair view of his face. He could discover nothing -in it calculated to frighten any one, for its expression was mild -and benevolent, but the emigrant seemed unable to endure the sight -of it. He retreated as the old man advanced, growing more and more -terrified every moment, and finally with a shriek of dismay dashed the -lantern upon the floor, extinguishing the light and leaving the cellar -shrouded in darkness. Julian turned and made a feeble attempt to ascend -the stairs, but exhausted nature gave away at last. He felt himself -falling—falling—and then all was blank to him. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -UNCLE REGINALD EXPLAINS. - - -WHEN Julian’s consciousness returned it was broad daylight. The instant -his eyes were open the thrilling events of the night came back to -him, and he started up in alarm, expecting to find himself still in -the power of the dreaded emigrant. But, although he saw enough to -astonish him beyond measure, there was nothing to terrify him. His -persevering and relentless enemy was nowhere to be seen. He was snugly -tucked up in bed in the same room to which he had been conducted by -Reginald Mortimer, his clothes were lying in order on a chair close -at hand, the curtains were thrown back, the windows and shutters all -open, and heaven’s bright sunlight was streaming in. And what was very -surprising, there was the door locked and bolted and secured by the -chair, just as he had left it. - -“Can it be possible that those things never happened, and that Dick -Mortimer, with his lantern and revolver, the long, dark passage-way, -and the feeble old man who frightened him so terribly, were objects -that I saw only in my dreams?” exclaimed Julian. - -As this thought passed through his mind he sprung from the couch, -and running to the opposite side of the room pulled up the hangings, -fully expecting to find there the opening through which his captor -had conducted him into the passage-way. But the wall was as solid as -ever—not one of the huge blocks of stone was out of place. - -“If I dreamed _that_ I did not dream that I left these curtains all -down and the windows closed, did I?” Julian asked himself in deep -perplexity. “Somebody has certainly been in here while I was asleep, -and he didn’t come in through the door either. I’ve spent my last -night in this house. I didn’t hear any of those frightful sounds -Sanders heard the night he slept here, but I’ve seen enough. If I ever -get outside these walls I’ll not come back. What’s this?” - -After hastily throwing on his clothes Julian stepped to the table to -help himself to a glass of water from the pitcher that some thoughtful -hand had placed there, when his eyes fell upon a paper, folded in the -form of a letter, and addressed to himself. With eager haste he opened -it, and after some trouble, for the spelling was defective and the -writing almost illegible, he deciphered the following: - -“Have no fear. Watchful friends are near you, and no harm shall come to -you. Reginald Mortimer is your uncle. Treat him as such.” - -Julian read these mysterious words over and over again, and finally -carried the paper to the window and examined it on all sides, in -the hope of finding something more—something to tell him who these -watchful friends were, and where the missive came from. Being -disappointed in these hopes he put the letter carefully away in his -pocket and resumed his toilet. He was a long time about it, for he -frequently stopped and stood at the window gazing out at the mountains -on the other side of the valley, or walked up and down the room with -his eyes fastened on the carpet. His mind was busy all the while, and -by the time he was ready to leave the room he had thought over his -situation and determined upon a plan of action. Just then the little -clock on the mantel struck the hour of 10. - -“I am getting fashionable,” said Julian, who, remembering how carefully -Richard Mortimer was always dressed, and believing that Uncle Reginald, -as he had determined to call him, might be equally particular, stopped -to take another look at himself in the mirror before quitting the room. - -It was a very handsome face and figure that the polished surface of -the glass reflected. A finely embroidered shirt with wide collar and -neck-tie, a closely fitting jacket of dark-blue cloth, black velvet -trousers, brown cloth leggings with green fringe, light shoes, and a -long crimson sash worn about the waist, completed an attire that set -off his slender, well-knit frame to the very best advantage. One could -scarcely recognize in him the half-starved ragamuffin whose daily duty -it had been to keep Mrs. Bowles supplied with back-logs and fore-sticks. - -Having satisfied himself that he was presentable, Julian undid the -numerous fastenings of the door, smiling the while to think how -inefficient they had proved to keep out the intruders of whom he stood -so much in fear, and was about to pass out into the hall when the sound -of voices reached his ears. He paused and listened, his attention being -attracted by the mention of the name of one in whom he was now more -than ever interested. - -“Wal, I don’t reckon we could help it, could we?” growled a voice which -the boy knew belonged to the trapper Sanders. “Me an’ my pardner ain’t -the men to let $5,000 slip through our fingers without doin’ our level -best to hang onto it, be sure?” - -“A couple of blockheads, I say!” replied the voice of Reginald -Mortimer, in angry, excited tones. “Two desperadoes like you and Tom to -allow a single man like Silas Roper to get the better of you. Go and -hide yourself. How did it happen?” - -“Why we was a bringin’ him down here this mornin’ on hossback, me and -Tom was,” replied Sanders, “an’ the first thing we knowed he slipped -his hands out o’ his bonds, which we thought we had made hard an’ fast, -an’ afore we could say ‘Gen’ral Jackson’ with our mouths open, he -jerked Tom’s gun out o’ his hands, knocked him from his saddle as clean -as a whistle, an’ sent the ball into me.” - -“Hurrah for Silas?” thought Julian, gleefully. “He has escaped. Now, if -there is any way in which he can assist me he will not fail to do it.” - -“He was out o’ sight an’ hearin’ afore we could raise a finger to stop -him,” continued Sanders. “I guess my broken arm an’ Tom’s bloody head -is proof enough of what I say, hain’t it? We couldn’t help it.” - -“Perhaps you did the best you could,” replied Reginald Mortimer in -a milder tone. “That Silas Roper is a match for any two men in the -mountains. Come into this room and let Pedro dress your wounds.” - -“Nary time,” said Sanders emphatically. “I’ve had jest the wust luck -in the world ever since I had anything to do with you an’ your house, -an’ now I’m goin’ to cut you. I came here to tell you that, an’ I ain’t -never comin’ nigh you again. Let us out o’ here.” - -“You will come whenever I choose to send for you,” said Mr. Mortimer -fiercely. - -“Oh, if it comes to _that_ cap’n, in course we will,” replied Sanders, -dropping his angry, confident tone very suddenly. “We’re bound to obey -orders, but don’t ask nary one of us to come here agin. We’d a heap -sooner you’d send us out to steal hosses and rob miners.” - -“Silence!” said Mr. Mortimer in a hoarse whisper. “Do you not know that -the very walls in this house have ears? You _must_ capture Silas Roper; -and I will give you the money I promised you whenever you deliver him -into my hands. He is about here, and he will remain in the vicinity as -long as I hold fast to this stool-pigeon.” - -Uncle Reginald and the trappers passed through the door into the yard, -and Julian strolled along the hall, and not knowing where else to go, -entered the reception-room. While he was walking about with his hands -in his pocket, he was thinking over some portions of the conversation -to which he had just listened. - -“Captain?” he repeated. “What is Uncle Reginald captain of? Steal -horses and rob miners! Silas told me that the mountains were full of -men engaged in that kind of business, and I wonder if this new relative -of mine is in any way connected with them! He must be; and he must -be their leader, too, for Sanders acknowledged that he was bound to -obey his orders. Good gracious! What sort of a place have I got into, -anyhow?” - -While Julian, appalled by this new discovery he had made, was pacing -restlessly up and down the floor, Uncle Reginald hurried in. The scowl -on his forehead indicated that he was in a bad humor about something, -but it cleared away instantly when he discovered Julian, and advancing -with outstretched hand he greeted him in the most cordial manner. - -“I hope you rested well after the fatigues and excitements of -yesterday,” said he with a friendly smile. “You look as if you had. -Breakfast is waiting, and while we are discussing it we will have a -social chat.” - -The boy, making some satisfactory reply, returned his uncle’s smile -and the hearty pressure of his hand, and accompanied him toward the -breakfast-room, which was located at the farther end of the hall. He -glanced over the well-filled table as he took the chair pointed out -to him, and told himself that if this breakfast was a fair sample of -Uncle Reginald’s style of living he would never go hungry while he -remained under his roof. Corn bread, salt meat and buttermilk did not -constitute the substantial part of the repast as they invariably did in -the cabin of Jack Bowles. There were juicy venison steaks, hot muffins, -wheat bread, eggs, boiled and fried, toast and potatoes in abundance, -and also coffee and chocolate, which Pedro, who waited upon the table, -drew from a silver urn which stood on the sideboard. More than that, -the cloth was spotless, the dishes clean and white and the table was -altogether so nicely arranged, and looked so inviting, that Julian grew -hungry the moment his eyes rested upon it. - -When Pedro had supplied the wants of his master and his guests, he -retired, and the two were left alone. - -“Well, Julian,” said Uncle Reginald in a cheery voice, “do you feel -inclined for a gallop on a swift horse this morning? I have some -business that will occupy my attention until dinner, and if you in the -meantime wish to amuse yourself in that way, there is a very fine filly -in the stable which I purchased expressly for you, and which I hope -will supply the place of the horse you lost last night.” - -“You must have been expecting me,” said the boy. - -“Certainly. I have been looking for you every day for the last two -months; and as this introduces the subject which I know you are -impatient to talk about, I will now make the explanation I promised -you. In the first place, do you know that last night you slept in your -old home for the first time in eight years? You were born in this -house, and every thing in and about it—money, horses, cattle and gold -diggings—will come into your undisputed possession the moment you are -twenty-one years old. It is a fact. You are by no means the pauper you -have always supposed yourself to be.” - -Julian dropped his knife and fork, and settling back in his chair -looked the astonishment he could not express in words. He gazed -earnestly at his uncle, and then ran his eyes around the room as if he -were trying to make an estimate of the value of his possessions from -the few articles he saw about him. - -“It is the truth, every word of it,” repeated Reginald Mortimer. “It -is all yours, and it is a property worth having, I assure you. Your -father, who was my brother, is dead, and so is your brother Frederick. -I am your guardian, and stand ready to surrender your patrimony to you -whenever you are competent to take charge of it. I assumed control of -your father’s affairs immediately after his death. At that time you -were eight years old and your brother nine. Fred died, and shortly -afterward you were stolen away by some one, who, as I this morning -learned from Sanders, who told me all about it, took you off to -Missouri and left you there with one Jack Bowles. For eight years I -made every effort to find you, and I have at last succeeded. I do not -intend that you shall be separated from me any more.” - -“Well,” said Julian, when his uncle paused. - -“Well, that’s all.” - -“_All!_” echoed the boy. “Am I to learn no more of my history than this -brief outline? Do you not know who it was who stole me away?” - -“I haven’t the slightest idea.” - -“Or what he stole me away for?” - -“Why, of course your property had something to do with it, but just -what I can’t tell.” - -Julian, who had settled into an easy position in his arm-chair -with the expectation of hearing something exciting about himself, -straightened up, and with an expression of great disappointment on his -face, resumed his toast and coffee. He wanted to hear more, and he was -satisfied from his uncle’s manner that he could tell him more if he -felt so inclined; but it was plain that he did not, for his next words -related to another subject. - -“I hope you are now convinced that the fears to which you last night -gave way were entirely groundless,” said Mr. Mortimer. “I shall -endeavor by every means in my power to make your life here a pleasant -one. I have been very lonely and I want you to cheer me. I want you -to feel that you are one of the family, that you have a right to be -here, and that you are at liberty to go and come whenever it suits your -fancy. You shall have the best horse in the stable, a pack of hounds, -a servant to wait on you, and live like a gentleman. There is a fort -about two miles distant. Some of the officers have their families with -them, and among them are several boys about your own age. Whenever you -want company, bring them up here. They will find enough to interest -them.” - -“Perhaps they would also find some things they would not care to see,” -said Julian, thinking of his recent adventure with the emigrant. - -“What do you mean?” - -“Why, some of those strange people who go about of nights making such -unearthly noises.” - -“That sounds just like Sanders,” exclaimed Uncle Reginald impatiently. -“Julian, I hope you are a boy of too much good sense to pay the least -attention to any thing that low, ignorant fellow may say to you. There -isn’t a word of truth in it.” - -“Nor about the secret passage-ways that run all through the house?” - -“Not a particle. It is all moonshine.” - -“Or about the old man who lives in the cellar?” - -“All the veriest nonsense in the world.” - -“Or about your missing things?” - -“Why, as to that, I have missed some things, that’s a fact, but I know -where they went. Pedro took them. He is a great rascal.” - -“Why do you not discharge him if he is a thief?” - -“Because servants are not so easily procured in this wilderness. More -than that, he is a valuable fellow in spite of his faults—understands -all my ways, and knows just how I want every thing done. You will stay -with me?” - -“Certainly, sir. I have not seen so much of the comforts of a home that -I can afford to throw them away as soon as they are offered to me. -Beside, I want to see the bottom of this mystery.” - -“What mystery? Well, perhaps it does seem a little strange that I, a -man whom you never remember to have seen before, should claim you as a -nephew, and tell you that I hold in my hands a valuable property which -is all your own, but it is nevertheless true.” - -“And there are other things that seem strange to me,” continued Julian. -“One of them is that you can live here unmolested, as you evidently do, -while peaceable emigrants are butchered at your very doors.” - -“That is also easily explained. In the first place, that wagon train -was quite a lengthy step from my door when it was attacked—about forty -miles. In the next, there is a fort and a regiment of soldiers almost -within call of me. I have twenty-five herdsmen in the valley, and at -the very first sign of a war-party they would come flocking into the -house, which could withstand the assault of all the Indians on the -plains. Now, if you have finished your breakfast, and are ready for -your ride, I will show you your horse.” - -If Julian had given utterance to the thoughts that were passing -through his mind, he would have told his uncle that he was not quite -ready for his ride. There were other questions that he would like to -have had answered. He wanted to know what sort of an organisation it -was of which his uncle was captain; why he was so much interested in -Silas Roper that he was willing to give $5,000 for his apprehension; -if he knew that his cousin, Richard Mortimer, instead of being at -Fort Stoughton hunting buffaloes, was prowling about somewhere in the -immediate neighborhood, and that he had twice visited the rancho the -night before. He wanted to know which of the two men who claimed to -be his guardian was so in reality; how Uncle Reginald had found out -that he was hidden in the wilds of Missouri; why, since he was so very -anxious to find him, he had sent the trapper after him instead of going -himself; and why Sanders had deserted him so suddenly when Silas Roper -made his appearance in the streets of St. Joseph. He wanted to know who -Silas Roper was; how he had learned so much about himself; and what -Uncle Reginald meant when he said that the guide would not leave the -vicinity of the rancho as long as the “stool-pigeon” was there. These -and other questions had Julian intended to propound to his uncle; but -the abruptness with which all the topics upon which he most wished to -converse were dismissed, satisfied him that it would be a useless waste -of time, and that his relative did not intend to enlighten him any -further than he saw fit. Julian would have been glad of an opportunity -to talk to one of those “watchful friends” spoken of in the note. He -had a great deal to say to him. - -“Romez, bring out Snowdrop.” - -It was his uncle who spoke, and the sound of his voice aroused Julian -from his reverie. They had now reached the stables—which were built -under the same roof with the house and surrounded by the same wall—and -were standing in front of the door. - -The Mexican hostler to whom the order was addressed disappeared in -the stable, and in a few minutes came out again, leading a beautiful -snow-white mare, saddled and bridled. - -Julian looked at her with delight, and declared that he had never seen -a finer animal. She was very showy, and pranced about as if impatient -to exhibit her mettle. - -“I did not care to ride at first, but I do now,” said Julian. “I will -be ready as soon as I get my rifle and revolver. But I must have some -ammunition.” - -“Pedro will supply you,” replied Uncle Reginald. “Go to him for -everything you want.” - -It was but the work of a few minutes to run to his room, throw his -rifle and accouterments over his shoulder, buckle his revolver about -his waist and return to Pedro for the powder and lead. He was out again -almost as soon as he went in, and vaulting into the saddle he bade his -uncle good-by and rode at a full gallop out of the gate. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -JULIAN GETS INTO BUSINESS. - - -IF THERE is anything better calculated than another to put one at -peace with himself and all the world, it is a brisk gallop on a good -horse of a fine summer’s morning. It is a specific for melancholy. -When Julian was safe outside the gloomy walls of the rancho, and felt -himself being borne through the air with the speed of a bird on the -wing, his spirits rose wonderfully, and in the exuberance of his glee -he swung his sombrero about his head, and gave utterance to a yell -almost as loud and unearthly as any he had heard uttered by the savages -the night before. The spirited mare responded to the yell with a fresh -burst of speed, and her rider, giving her a free rein, was carried at a -rapid rate through the valley in which his uncle’s rancho was located, -through the willows that skirted the base of the mountain, and finally -found himself in a rocky defile which wound about among the cliffs. -Here the mare voluntarily slackened her pace to a walk, and Julian -wiped his flushed face with his handkerchief and looked about him. -He could see nothing but rocks. They hemmed him in on all sides, and -towered above his head until their tops seemed to pierce the clouds. - -“I don’t know why I ever allowed myself to be brought in here,” thought -the boy, “or why the horse should leave a level path to follow so -miserable a road as this. Perhaps Uncle Reginald purchased her of some -miner or settler up here in the mountains, and she thinks she is on -her way home. At any rate she seems to know where she is going, and so -long as she doesn’t lose me I don’t care where she carries me. I hope I -shall find some one to talk to. Since uncle will not tell me anything -about myself, I must learn what I want to know from other sources. -Halloo!” - -This exclamation was called forth by an unexpected sight that greeted -his eyes. As he came suddenly around an abrupt bend in the path, he -found before him a long, low, narrow cabin, built snugly under a -beetling cliff which hung threateningly over the gorge. Two well-beaten -paths appeared at this point; one leading to the doors of the building, -and the other running on down the gorge. The mare, which seemed -perfectly familiar with the locality, quickened her pace at once, and -before Julian could gather up the reins to check her, she had turned -into the first mentioned path, and galloping up to one of the doors -stopped as if waiting for her rider to dismount. After looking all -about him, without discovering any one, Julian began to take a survey -of the premises. - -There were two doors in the house, both opening out on the path. A -short examination of the ground in front of the one at which his horse -had stopped, showed him that it led into a stable; while the other, no -doubt, opened into the living-room, for there was a rough bench beside -it for the accommodation of loungers. While Julian was wondering by -whom and for what purpose the house had been erected in that remote and -lonely spot, his attention was attracted by the movements of his horse, -which, after pricking up her ears and looking intently at the door in -front of her, as if expecting the arrival of some one, began pawing the -ground impatiently. - -“She thinks there ought to be somebody here,” thought Julian. “And -there certainly is something in the stable,” he added, after listening -a moment, “for I can hear the stamping of horses. Halloo! the house!” - -Julian waited for a reply, and listened for some movement in the -cabin which would tell him that his call had been heard; but the only -response he received was the echo of his own voice thrown back from the -cliffs. This satisfied him that the owner of the premises was absent; -and picking up his reins, he was on the point of turning back toward -the valley, when, by the merest accident, he discovered something that -he might have seen before if he had made good use of his eyes. It was -a small window close under the eaves of the house, which was filled by -the muzzle of a revolver and a pair of gleaming eyes looking straight -at him. - -Too astonished to speak, the boy sat in his saddle wondering what was -going to happen now, and presently saw the six-shooter disappear and -the eyes approach closer to the opening. A moment afterward a shaggy -head, crowned by a broad-brimmed hat, was thrust slowly out, and a -masculine face, that was by no means handsome or prepossessing, was -exposed to his view. - -“It’s you after all, hain’t it?” growled a deep voice, in no very -amiable tones. - -“Yes,” replied Julian, “it is I. But I heartily wish it was somebody -else,” he added, mentally. - -“Why in tarnation didn’t you whistle? I didn’t know you in them new -clothes, and I might have put a ball into you just as easy as not. I’ll -be out in a jiffy.” - -As the man said this he drew in his head and closed the window. Julian -was glad indeed when his villainous face disappeared, and trembled when -he reflected that perhaps that revolver had been leveled at his head, -and those evil eyes fastened upon him ever since he arrived within -sight of the cabin, and he had never suspected it. He saw at once that -he had placed himself in a dangerous position. One of two things was -certain. The owner of the rancho was either hiding from pursuit, or -else he was engaged in some unlawful business. If he were an honest man -he would not act so strangely. - -“But how does it happen that he recognizes me?” Julian asked himself. -“Does he know who I am, or does he take me for somebody else? If he -knows that I am Julian Mortimer, he may be a man of the Sanders stamp -who has been hired to put me out of Dick’s way. If he thinks that I am -an acquaintance of his, or an accomplice, he will certainly discover -his mistake as soon as he has a fair view of my face, and then what -will he do to me? I think I had better not wait for him.” - -As quick as thought Julian wheeled his mare and touched her with his -spurs; but the animal, knowing probably that good care and plenty of -corn awaited her entry into the stable which she regarded as her home, -responded very reluctantly. Before she had made many bounds the door -of the stable was jerked open, and a voice called out in surprised and -indignant tones: - -“Halt! halt! I say, on the instant, or you’re a dead man!” - -Julian knew that the speaker was in earnest, for his command was -followed by the click of the lock of his revolver; but he would have -kept on in spite of his fear of the bullets had not his horse, which -doubtless recognized the voice, came to a sudden stand-still. Julian -looked back and saw that the man’s pistol was pointed straight at his -breast. - -“If you ain’t a _little_ ahead of all the fools I ever saw in all my -born days my name ain’t Bob Smirker, and never was,” exclaimed the -owner of the rancho fiercely. “That’s the second time I have come -within an inch of shooting you. Come back here now, and let’s have no -more fooling.” - -Julian, not daring to attempt to continue his retreat on his unwilling -steed, was compelled to obey. Calling all his courage to his aid, he -turned about and rode back to the cabin. Smirker looked sharply at him -as he came up, but Julian met his gaze without flinching, and even -succeeded in calling a smile to his face. Believing that he had nothing -to gain by deception, he began to explain who he was and how he came to -be there; but the man interrupted him, and Julian was afterward glad -that he had done so. - -“I hope I am not intruding, sir,” he began. “I was out for a breath of -fresh air——” - -“Oh, hush your nonsense!” cried the owner of the rancho angrily. -“You’re always ’out for a breath of fresh air’ when you are doing -something you’ve no business to do. That was what you said to me on -the day you found my secret passage-way which leads down from the top -of the cliff. I didn’t want anybody but myself to know about that -passage-way, and when I found that you had discovered it I was mad -enough to shoot you. You’re eternally up to some foolishness, and it’s -the greatest wonder in the world you haven’t been killed a thousand -times. Everybody says so. Now, Fred, if you should come here every hour -in the day for the next ten years, don’t ever ride up without giving -the signal, and don’t try to run away when I open the door. This ain’t -boy’s play we’re at, as you would soon find out if them soldiers or -some of the settlers should get hold of you. You hadn’t ought to done -it, ’cause I didn’t know you in that Mexican rig. Come in. I’ve got -something for you.” - -While the man was speaking he was looking squarely into Julian’s -face, and the latter was waiting in an agony of suspense to see what -he would do when he discovered that he had mistaken the identity of -his visitor. But Smirker did not seem to think he had made a mistake. -Having delivered his lecture and thus worked off a little of his -indignation, he returned his revolver to his belt and led the way into -the stable, closely followed by Julian’s horse, which moved after him -without waiting for the word from her rider. Julian drew a long breath -of relief, and told himself that the danger for the present was past. -The difficulty now was to personate the boy whom Smirker believed him -to be. - -While his companion lingered to fasten the door, Julian dismounted and -ran his eye about the stable, which was lighted by a lantern suspended -from one of the beams. It was much larger than it appeared on the -outside, showing that it extended under the cliff. It was provided with -stalls for a dozen horses, three of which had occupants. The mare being -left to herself, walked into one of the stalls and immediately began -munching some corn which had doubtless been placed there for her. - -“Now, then,” said Smirker, when he had fastened the door, “where is it? -Hand it out here.” - -“Where is what?” asked the boy. - -“Why, you know. Didn’t you bring it?” - -“No,” replied Julian, who of course had not the slightest idea what the -man meant. - -“Didn’t they say anything about it?” asked Smirker, who appeared to be -very much disappointed as well as angry. - -“Not a word.” - -“Well, now, this way of doing business don’t suit me, and you may tell -’em that I said so. I run just as much risk here as them that steals -the swag—every bit; ’cause how do I know but them soldiers will be -down on me when I ain’t looking for them? Looks like they wanted to -swindle me out of my share. But, after all, they ain’t ahead of me -much, ’cause I—you won’t blow on me, Fred?” - -“Of course not,” replied Julian. - -“I’ve got a little plunder here that I’m going to keep till they come -down with the yellow boys they owe me.” - -“What sort of plunder?” - -“Why, nuggets and gold-dust—twenty-five hundred dollars’ worth. You -see, I was down in the mines the other day, and heard of a man who had -struck a lead and was going home that very day. But he didn’t go.” - -“Why not?” asked the boy, when Smirker paused. - -“‘Cause I knocked him on the head—that’s why. I’ve got the gold hid -away safe. Do you want to go back now, or will you stay awhile? I am -lonesome here all by myself.” - -“I had better go now,” replied Julian, who was eager to escape from the -man’s presence at the earliest possible moment. “I am in something of a -hurry.” - -Smirker struck up a lively whistle, and taking a bridle down from a pin -beside the door, went into one of the stalls and brought out a horse -which looked enough like Snowdrop to have been her brother. He was the -same color, the same size, and just as stylish and spirited. Julian -knew that he was expected to ride this horse away and leave his own -steed in the care of the man; and, although he did not quite like the -arrangement, he consoled himself with the thought that if he never saw -Snowdrop again he would lose nothing by the exchange. - -“You ride good horses, Fred,” said Smirker, as he put Julian’s saddle -on the horse he had just brought out, “but you had better take my -advice and get others of a different color. White horses don’t do for -such business as this, ’cause they show too plain of nights; and any -one who happens to pass you on the road will remember of having seen -you. There are plenty of better horses in the world, and the one I am -going to send with you is one of them.” - -Smirker having by this time saddled and bridled the white nag, went -into a second stall and brought out a large bay horse which he walked -up and down the stable for Julian’s inspection. The moment the boy’s -eyes rested on him he became reconciled to the loss of his mare, and -even eager to part with her, if by so doing he could gain possession of -this magnificent animal. If his speed and endurance were equal to his -beauty, he was certainly a horse worth having. - -“He’s lightning on wheels,” declared Smirker, as he slipped a bridle -over the bay’s head, “and perhaps he will give you as much as you -want to do to lead him. He came from Fort Stoughton, and was stolen -from the major, who had just brought him from the States. There you -are,” he added, waving his hand toward the horses, intimating by the -gesture that Julian was at liberty to take charge of them as soon as he -pleased. “I wish you a pleasant journey. You have been very lucky so -far, and I hope your good fortune will continue.” - -The boy was prompt to take advantage of the permission thus given him -to leave the cabin. He quickly mounted the white horse, inquiring as he -did so: - -“Any word to send to anybody?” - -“Yes, there is,” replied Smirker, “and I came near forgetting it. You -can tell the fellows below that the captain’s cub has got back at last.” - -“What cub?” - -“Why, Julian; the one he’s been looking for so long. We’ll finger some -of that money and find out where that hidden gold mine is now.” - -“Does this—this _cub_ know where it is?” - -“No, but Silas Roper does. Sanders was here this morning and told me -the whole secret.” - -“The captain hasn’t got hold of Silas, has he?” - -“Not yet, but he will have him before long. It is a little the queerest -thing I ever heard of, this plan of the captain’s is,” continued -Smirker, placing one hand on the horn of Julian’s saddle, and settling -into an easy position against the side of the horse as if he had a long -story to tell, “and it shows what a head he’s got on his shoulders, and -what education will do for a man. You see—but in the first place you -know that he is no more of a Mortimer than I am?” - -Julian, not daring to trust himself to speak, nodded his head, pulled -out his handkerchief ostensibly for the purpose of wiping his forehead, -but really to conceal the sudden pallor which he knew overspread his -face, and the man went on: - -“The captain’s playing a deep game, and he’s going to succeed in it, -too. He’s making a decoy duck of Julian—using him to keep Silas Roper -about here until he can catch him; and when he once gets hold of him -and finds out where the money and the nuggets are, he’ll make short -work with both of them.” - -What else Smirker was about to say Julian never knew, for an unexpected -interruption occurred at that moment. A shrill whistle, sounding from -some point close at hand, echoed through the gorge. It produced a -strange effect upon Julian’s companion, for he turned as pale as death, -and the hand which he placed upon the butt of his revolver trembled -visibly. He stood motionless until the whistle was repeated, and then -hurried across the floor and mounting a short ladder that leaned -against the wall of the stable, opened the window before spoken of. - -No sooner had he looked out than he sprung to the ground again, and -with a volley of oaths that made Julian’s blood run cold, strode up to -him and seized him by the collar. - -“Look here, my cub,” he hissed, between his clenched teeth, “I -suspected you all along. There ain’t two White-horse Freds in this -country, and I know it. Who are you? Speak quick!” - -As he said this he pulled his revolver from his belt and leveled it at -Julian’s head. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -WHITE-HORSE FRED. - - -JULIAN, who had been congratulating himself upon the ease with which -he was about to extricate himself from his perilous situation, was -dismayed at this turn of events. He comprehended the matter perfectly. -White-horse Fred, so called probably from the color of the animals he -rode, was a member of a band of horse thieves and robbers, and it was -his business to assist in moving the plunder from one point to another. -The man Smirker belonged to the same organization, and it was his duty -to receive and care for the booty until such time as the authorized -agents of the band called for it. He had probably been on the lookout -for his confederate when Julian arrived. - -“But why didn’t he know that I wasn’t White-horse Fred as soon as he -looked into my face?” thought the boy, so nearly overcome with terror -that he did not hear the words that had been addressed to him. “And how -does it happen that I was riding Fred’s horse? How did my uncle come by -him? I can’t understand it?” - -“Speak quick!” repeated Smirker, savagely, “and don’t try to draw no -weapons. Who are you?” - -He pulled back the hammer of his pistol with the thumb of his right -hand as he spoke, and shifting his left from Julian’s collar to the -butt of the revolver which the boy was on the point of pulling from his -belt. - -“Who should I be?” returned Julian boldly. “If I’ve no business here -how came I by that horse I brought you? That’s what I’d like to know.” - -“And if that fellow out there ain’t White-horse Fred how did he give -Fred’s whistle so exact, and how did he come by Fred’s clothes? That’s -what _I’d_ like to know.” - -It was plain, both from Smirker’s tone and manner, that he began to -believe that he had been a little too hasty. He let go Julian’s pistol, -lowered the hammer of his own weapon, and stood gazing at our hero with -an expression of great bewilderment on his face. - -“Wouldn’t it be a good plan to ask him?” suggested Julian. - -Smirker thought it would. He jerked open the door of the stable, and -Julian, who was on the point of dashing his spurs into his horse and -riding over the robber and making good his escape, found his way -blocked up by a dashing young fellow, who rode gayly into the stable, -but stopped short on discovering Julian, and checked the words of -greeting that arose to his lips. For fully a minute no one spoke. The -two boys sat on their horses staring at one another, and Smirker, after -closing and locking the door, took his stand between them, looking -first at the new-comer and then at Julian, apparently unable to come to -any decision concerning them. - -The strange equestrian was a youth about Julian’s age and size, only -a little more robust, and had the two been dressed alike it would -have been a matter of some difficulty for any one to tell them apart. -Julian looked as if he had just come out of a lady’s bandbox, while the -new-comer seemed to have bestowed but little care upon his toilet that -morning. His dress consisted of a red flannel shirt, open at the throat -and worn without a coat, coarse trowsers, which were thrust into a pair -of high-top boots, and a broad-brimmed hat. A belt encircled his waist, -supporting a knife on one side and a revolver on the other. He rode a -small Indian pony, which, judging by its appearance, had been driven -long and rapidly. - -“Now, then,” said Smirker, who was the first to recover the use of his -tongue, “one of you two fellows has got himself in the worst kind of a -scrape—one that he will never get out of alive. Which is White-horse -Fred?” - -Julian had shown a tolerably bold front as long as a hope of escape -remained, but now that he found the door of the stable locked upon him, -and himself completely at the mercy of the two robbers, his courage -gave way utterly, and he could not have made an intelligent reply to -Smirker’s question even if he had had anything to say. - -The new-comer was the genuine White-horse Fred—there could be no doubt -about that, for he had given the signal when he approached the cabin, -and more than that, Smirker had recognized him by the clothes he wore. - -Giving himself up for lost, Julian waited almost impatiently for the -strange horseman to speak, believing that the opening of his lips would -be the signal for his own death. What, then, was his amazement when he -heard the boy exclaim: - -“White-horse Fred! If there is any one here that goes by that name, it -must be you or that young gentleman over there.” - -“Then you ain’t him!” said Smirker, growing more and more perplexed. - -“No. Do I look like him!” - -“You sartinly do, and act like him. What were you whistling out there -for?” - -“Oh, just to hear the echo.” - -“And what made you come in here?” - -“Because you opened the door.” - -“You talk like White-horse Fred, too. But if you hain’t him you’re -where you’ve got no business to be, and you’ll never get away, nuther.” - -Smirker raised his revolver and pointed it at the boy’s breast. -Julian, faint with terror, turned away his head and held his breath in -suspense; but the stranger never flinched so much as a hair’s breadth. - -“Don’t do anything rash,” said he calmly. “I have told you who I am -_not_, and now you had better ask me who I _am_.” - -“I don’t care who you are. You’re a dead man.” - -“And you will be another in less than an hour,” replied the boy, -without the least sign of alarm. “My Uncle Reginald Mortimer’s servant -is close behind me. He will know that I came in here, and if I don’t go -out again he will also know what has become of me.” - -Smirker lowered his revolver, and falling back a step or two, stared -blankly at the speaker, and then at our hero. The astonishment his face -exhibited was fully reflected in Julian’s. The latter’s terror had all -given way to surprise. He forgot Smirker and his revolver, the danger -of his situation, and every thing else except the last few words the -stranger had uttered: “My Uncle Reginald Mortimer.” Who was this fellow -who was going about claiming Julian’s relative as his own? - -“You have concluded not to shoot me, haven’t you?” asked the boy, whose -coolness and courage were wonderful to behold. - -“Who are you?” demanded Smirker. - -“My name is Julian Mortimer. I am a stranger here, having but just -arrived from the States. I came out this morning to take a ride, and it -seems I have got into a place where I am not wanted. I beg pardon for -my intrusion, and will thank you to open that door and let me out.” - -“Julian Mortimer!” exclaimed Smirker. - -“_Julian Mortimer!_” echoed the owner of that name, in a scarcely -audible voice. - -If our hero had been surprised before, he was doubly so now. He could -scarcely believe that he had heard aright. If this stranger was Julian -Mortimer, who in the world was _he_, Julian asked himself. Were there -two boys of that name in existence, and was Uncle Reginald the guardian -of both, and holding in his hands a valuable property to be surrendered -to them when they reached their majority? - -He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was not dreaming, and looked hard at -the stranger, who seemed not a little astonished at the sensation he -had created. - -As for Smirker, he was as nearly beside himself as a sane man could -well be; and, what was very singular, he seemed all of a sudden to have -discovered some reason for wishing to keep as far away from Julian as -possible, for he backed into one of the stables and stood eying him -like a caged hyena. - -“Well, what of it?” said the stranger. “Perhaps you don’t believe what -I told you. If it is necessary that I should furnish proof, I can do -so. Open the door and let me out.” - -“You spoke that name just in time,” said Smirker fiercely, “for in -a minute more you would have been done for. If you are really the -captain’s cub, you are worth too much to us to be put out of the way -yet awhile. But not much I won’t let you out-doors. Your story may be -true, and it may not. I am going to keep you here till I can send to -headquarters and find out.” - -“All right,” replied the boy, swinging himself from his saddle and -gazing about the stable as if everything he saw in it was full of -interest to him. “I am easily suited. I’d as soon stay here an hour or -two as not. I never was in a house like this before. What makes you -call ’em all _ranchos_?” - -“Look a here,” added Smirker, turning to our hero. “If this fellow is -Julian Mortimer, who are you?” - -“Are you not yet satisfied that I am White-horse Fred?” asked Julian in -reply. “Perhaps you want me to prove it.” - -Julian’s terror had all passed away now, and he was in his right mind -again. There was still a chance of escape. Although he had not the -remotest idea who the new-comer was, he had heard and seen enough -to satisfy him that he was a stranger in that wilderness as well as -himself, and that he was not White-horse Fred, consequently he ran no -risk in continuing to personate the character he had been compelled to -assume. Indeed, it was the only thing he could do. He was impatient to -be off, too, for the real White-horse Fred might arrive at any moment, -and then something would certainly happen. - -“There’s a mystery at the bottom of this, and I’ll bet a horse on it,” -said Smirker, shaking his fists in the air, and striding up and down -the stable. “I know you are White-horse Fred,” he added, addressing -himself to our hero, “but—but—what’s the rest of your name? Fred -what?” - -“Fred nothing. That’s all the name I’ve got. I never had any other.” - -“Well, you have got another, and if it is the one I think it is, I -don’t see how in the world you come to be riding about here. You had -ought to be at the bottom of the lake. I’ll see the fellows below this -very night, and have a new runner put on this route, or I’ll give up -the station. I ain’t a going to have no such fellow as you coming about -me. You can’t get out of here any too sudden.” - -This speech was all Greek to Julian, except the last sentence. That he -understood perfectly, and was quite ready to act upon the suggestion -it contained. The moment Smirker opened the door of the stable he -dashed the spurs into his horse, which sprung forward like an arrow -from a bow, and tore down the path with the speed of the wind, the bay -following. In a few seconds he was out of sight. - -Scarcely waiting for Julian to get fairly out of the stable, Smirker -slammed the door and locked it, and turning fiercely upon his new -prisoner disarmed him by jerking off the belt which contained his -knife and revolver. Having thus put it out of the boy’s power to do -any mischief, Smirker suddenly seemed to become unconscious of his -presence. He had much to think about, and for the next quarter of an -hour he gave himself up entirely to his reflections, never once casting -a single glance toward his companion. He paced up and down the stable -with long strides, shaking his head and muttering, and trying in vain -to find some explanation for the strange, and to him bewildering, -incidents that had just occurred. They were more than bewildering—they -were absolutely terrifying, as the expression on his face and his whole -bearing and manner abundantly proved. He walked with a very unsteady -step, his burly frame trembled like an oak in a storm, and now and -then he raised his hand to dash away the perspiration which stood on -his forehead like drops of rain. - -The prisoner was as cool and collected as ever. Being left to himself, -he strolled carelessly about the stable, examining every object in it, -and occasionally directing his gaze toward the open door leading from -the stable into the living-room of the cabin. Finally he leaned against -one of the stalls, and when Smirker’s back was turned hastily pulled -something from his pocket and tossed it into the manger—something that -gave out a ringing, metallic sound as it fell. The noise, slight as it -was, caught the man’s ear and aroused him from his reverie. He turned -and confronted his prisoner at once. - -“What you doing there?” he demanded. - -“Nothing at all,” was the reply. “I am waiting as patiently as I -can for you to explain why you have robbed me of my weapons, and -are keeping me here. I assure you that my Uncle Reginald will have -something to say to you about this before you are many hours older.” - -“What you doing there?” repeated Smirker fiercely; “I heard something -chink.” - -“Perhaps it was my persuaders,” said the boy, lifting his boot and -exhibiting a huge Mexican spur, ornamented with little silver bells, -which tinkled musically as he moved his feet about. - -“P’raps it was, and p’raps most likely it wasn’t. Haven’t I lived long -enough to tell the difference between the rattling of spurs and the -jingling of money? I have, I bet you. I’ll soon find out what you’ve -been up to.” - -Smirker walked into the stall in front of which the boy was standing, -and then for the first time the prisoner began to show signs of -anxiety. He closely watched the man’s movements, and cast frequent and -impatient glances toward the door of the living-room, as if he were -expecting and earnestly desiring the arrival of some one. - -Smirker was in the stall but a few moments, and when he came out he -carried in his hand a small canvas bag, at the sight of which the -prisoner turned white with terror. Taking his stand under the lantern, -Smirker untied the string with which the bag was fastened; but no -sooner did his eyes fall upon its contents than he dropped it as if it -had been a coal of fire, and his face grew livid with rage and alarm. - -“Betrayed!” he roared, stamping his feet furiously upon the ground, and -flourishing his fists in the air. “And, fool that I was, I might have -known it! I suspected it from the beginning.” - -“What’s the matter?” asked the boy, and his voice was as firm and -steady as ever. - -“What’s the matter?” shrieked Smirker, driven almost insane by his -intense passion. “Do you stand there and ask me what’s the matter? It’s -the last question you will ever ask me, for you are as good as a dead -man already. Didn’t I say that there was something at the bottom of -all this? _You_ are White-horse Fred—that bag proves it. It contains -nuggets, and gold-dust, and money—my share of the swag which I have -received and sent to the fellows below. I expected to get it from that -other boy, and asked him for it; but of course he couldn’t give it to -me, being an imposter. And I allowed him to go off scot free, and even -told him some secrets that nobody outside the band ought to know. How -long will it take him to ride to the fort and tell what he has seen and -heard, and lead a squad of soldiers back here? And you helped him out -in it—you, a sworn member of the band! Now, you shall tell me what you -mean by acting as you have done. Speak in a hurry, or I’ll choke it out -of you!” - -Smirker, howling out these words with a fierceness and energy which -showed that he was terribly in earnest, advanced toward his prisoner -in a low, crouching attitude, something like that a wild beast would -assume when about to spring upon its prey. - -The boy’s face was very pale, but he bravely stood his ground. Knowing -that escape was impossible, he was prepared to fight desperately for -his life. - -“Will you tell me?” asked the robber, creeping forward with a slow, -cat-like motion. - -“I have nothing to tell,” replied the boy, “except this: I have friends -close at hand, and they ought to be here now.” - -“Then I will have this business over before they arrive.” - -“Come on, and I will show you what a Mortimer is made of.” - -Before the words of defiance had fairly left the boy’s lips, Smirker -bounded forward, and the two closed in a death struggle. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -THE SPECTERS OF THE CAVE. - - -THE FIGHT was of longer duration and was much more desperate than one -would suppose it could have been, considering the immense advantage -which Smirker possessed over his wiry antagonist in weight and muscle; -but of course it could end in but one way. White-horse Fred, bruised -and exhausted, was borne to the ground at last, with the man’s knee on -his breast and his brawny hand at his throat. - -“Now let’s hear from you,” hissed Smirker. “Who was that fellow who -came here and passed himself off for you, and why did you help him out -in it? Speak, before I choke the life out of you.” - -If Fred could have obeyed his reply would have been as defiant as ever; -but the powerful grasp on his throat rendered articulation impossible. - -“You won’t tell me?” demanded Smirker; “then take the reward of your -treachery.” - -The robber’s hand glided around his side to his belt, and when it came -in sight again it brought with it a gleaming bowie-knife, which was -raised in the air above the prisoner’s breast; but just as it was on -the point of descending it was arrested as effectually as though the -arm which wielded it had been turned into stone. - -“Hold hard, thar!” - -The words, uttered by a strange voice and spoken in a tone of stern -command, rang through the stable with startling distinctness. Smirker -raised his eyes and there, standing in the door to which Fred had -so often directed his gaze, was a gigantic figure clad in buckskin, -holding in his hands a long, heavy rifle, the muzzle of which was -pointed straight at the robber’s head. - -“Silas Roper!” gasped Fred’s antagonist. - -“‘Tain’t nobody else, as you’ll find out mighty sudden if you move an -eyelid,” was the reply. “Drop that we’pon an’ get up from thar.” - -The command was no sooner uttered than it was obeyed by the trembling -Smirker, who threw down his knife and slunk away like a whipped cur -before the stalwart trapper, as he came striding into the stable, and -retreating toward the nearest stall, held both his hands above his head -in token of surrender. - -“None of that ar, now,” said Silas, as he bent over the prostrate form -of the boy. “Keep out in plain sight whar I can have an eye on you. Are -you bad hurt, Fred? If you are, that feller’s signed his death-warrant.” - -“No! no!” moaned the boy faintly. “Don’t touch him.” - -Smirker was amazed to hear the one who had so narrowly escaped death at -his hands interceding for him. It relieved him of all fear of bodily -injury, and he straightway began to recover his composure; but he drew -a step or two nearer to Fred’s side, thinking it best to keep as far as -possible out of the reach of the giant, whom he knew had good cause to -be at enmity with him. - -“I shall be all right as soon as I have had time to recover the breath -he choked out of me,” continued the latter. “Oh, Silas, I am so glad to -see you! But why didn’t you come just a few minutes sooner. I have seen -_him_. He was in this very stable.” - -“Him!” repeated the trapper. “Who? Not Julian?” - -“Yes, Julian. I didn’t think I should know him when I met him, but I -did. I wanted to throw my arms around him and tell him that he was my -brother, but Smirker was in the way. I am terribly disappointed in him, -Silas. He is from the States, you know, and I expected to see a boy who -hadn’t courage enough to face a sheep. But he’ll do.” - -“Why, how come he here?” asked Silas in great astonishment. - -“I haven’t the least idea. Make Smirker tell. He’ll do anything you ask -him.” - -“How was it?” demanded the trapper, turning to the owner of the cabin. -“Tell nothing but the truth.” - -Smirker was too completely cowed by the presence of the giant, with -whose powers he had more than once been made fully acquainted, to -fabricate a falsehood even if he had anything to gain by it. Not daring -to disobey, or even to hesitate, he began, and in a faltering voice -told the story of Julian’s visit to his cabin just as we have related -it. He also described what had taken place after Fred’s arrival, but -added that Silas must ask the boy to explain that, for it was something -he could not comprehend. - -“I can soon make it plain to you,” said White-horse Fred, now taking up -the story. “You can’t imagine how surprised I was to find Julian here, -and if Smirker had possessed any control over himself I should not have -known what to do. But the way he looked and acted gave me a clew, and -I saw through the whole thing as clearly as if it had been explained -to me in words. Uncle Reginald, you know, happened to ride by old -Antoine’s cabin the other day while I was absent, and seeing one of my -horses, Snowdrop, there, suddenly conceived a violent passion for her -and took possession of her without saying so much as ‘by your leave.’ -I wondered what he intended to do with her and now I have found out. -He gave her to my brother. Julian this morning thought he would take a -ride and look over the country, and not knowing that the horse belonged -to a band of robbers, gave her a loose rein and she brought him here. -Finding that he had got himself into trouble, he acted upon some hint -that Smirker gave him and passed himself off for me; and if _I_ had not -arrived just as I did, he would have got away without being suspected. -To help him out of the difficulty, I told Smirker that my name was -Julian Mortimer, and the blockhead believed it.” - -“Thar ain’t nothing so very strange in that,” observed Silas. “No man -on airth could tell you two apart if you was dressed alike.” - -“But we were not. Smirker has seen me in these clothes a hundred times, -I suppose, and I should think he ought to have recognized me. Now that -I think of it, I ran something of a risk, didn’t I? Suppose that when I -said that my name was Julian Mortimer, my brother had lost his courage -and revealed himself? Wouldn’t I have been in a scrape? I depended -entirely upon his presence of mind to carry me through, and I didn’t -lose by it. But wasn’t he astonished, though? I thought he would tumble -out of his saddle. But he behaved pretty well, considering that he is -from the States.” - -“Why didn’t you want to tell me who he was?” asked Smirker, who had -listened attentively to the story. - -“I would have been smart to do that, wouldn’t I?” returned White-horse -Fred. “Suppose I had told you, and you had succeeded in making an end -of me before Silas came, what would you have done? You would have -gone straight to Uncle Reginald and told him what had happened, and -he would—Well, it’s enough for you to know that he would have made -trouble for Julian. Silas, if you had only come a few minutes sooner he -would have been with us now. I am uneasy about him. He will get into -difficulty when he gets home, now you see if he doesn’t.” - -“I couldn’t come no sooner,” replied the trapper; “‘cause I had -more trouble than I thought I’d have crawlin’ down that long, dark -passage-way that leads from the top of the cliff. What’s the matter -with you?” - -This question was addressed to Smirker, who suddenly began to exhibit -a greater degree of terror than the circumstances seemed to warrant. -The show of courage he had maintained ever since he found that Fred was -disposed to stand between him and the vengeance of the trapper vanished -as quickly as it had appeared; and scarcely able to retain an upright -position, he was obliged to lean against the wall for support. - -“You needn’t be no ways skeery,” said Silas, who seemed to feel some -compassion for the trembling wretch. “We’ve got plenty agin you, but if -you behave yourself, nobody’s goin’ to hurt you. All we ask of you is -to tell us something we want to know; an’ if you will do that, we’ll -turn you loose, an’ you can dig out of this country as soon as you -please.” - -“I’ll tell you anything,” replied Smirker quickly. “But first I’d like -to have you tell me something. When I was going to pitch into you,” he -added, turning to White-horse Fred, “you told me to come on, and you -would show me what a _Mortimer_ was made of, didn’t you?” - -“I did,” replied the boy. “I knew, of course, that you were too much -for me, but I wasn’t going to surrender. That’s something I don’t know -how to do.” - -“And you have said two or three times that Julian is four brother, -hain’t you?” Smirker went on. - -“I have, and he is.” - -“Then you must be the son of old Major Mortimer?” - -“I am proud to say that I am.” - -“Well, now if you _are_, what business you got walking about on top of -the ground? That’s what I’d like to know. You had ought to be at the -bottom of the lake that lies behind your father’s rancho. Sanders put -you there, ’cause I seen him do it with my own eyes.” - -“I know he did, and my body is there yet,” replied White-horse Fred. - -“Eh?” exclaimed Smirker, drawing away from the boy toward the trapper. - -“Don’t you know that a Mortimer can’t be killed?” asked Fred, who, -having recovered from the effects of his struggle with the robber, was -his jolly, reckless self once more. “And have you not yet learned that -the members of our family have the power of throwing the shield of -their protection around their servants? It’s a fact. You remember old -Juan, do you not? Dick Mortimer shot him twice with his own hands, and -you knocked him on the head with the butt of your rifle; and then you -both picked him up and threw him over a cliff, didn’t you?” - -“There ain’t no use in saying we didn’t,” replied Smirker. “But I was -hired to help in that work.” - -“Oh, of course. Men always have some excuse for doing wrong. Well, -that old fellow’s body may be at the bottom of that gorge now, but I -don’t believe it is. There is something that looks wonderfully like him -walking about above ground this very day. If you want to see it we can -show it to you.” - -“You needn’t put yourselves to no trouble,” whined Smirker. “Ask me all -the questions you want to and turn me loose.” - -“The old chap walks around of nights, too,” continued White-horse -Fred, in a tone of voice that made the cold chills creep all over his -listener, “assisting his friends in every possible way and executing -all sorts of vengeance on his enemies. How would you feel if you should -wake up about midnight and see him coming toward you just this way?” - -Fred threw himself into a crouching posture, similar to that which -Smirker had assumed a few minutes before, drew his head down between -his shoulders, distorted his features, opened his eyes and mouth to -their widest extent, spread out his fingers like the claws of a wild -beast, and crept slowly toward the robber. - -“Don’t!” cried Smirker. - -“We’re goin’ to take you right whar he was seed last,” said Silas, who -believing that time enough had been wasted, thought it best to bring -Fred’s pleasantries to an end; “and if you don’t tell us what we want -to know we’ll show him to you as sure as you’re a hoss-thief. Put the -saddles on the critters, Fred, while I tie this feller.” - -“I will tell you what you want to know now,” said Smirker, who -continued to exhibit the most abject terror. - -“Yes; but you see we want to take you to a place whar we can keep you -safe till we find out whether or not you tell us the truth.” - -As Silas spoke he detached a halter from one of the bridles hanging -on the wall, and with it securely bound the arms of his prisoner, who -remonstrated earnestly against the proceeding, but never once thought -of resistance. - -By the time this was done Fred had saddled the two horses in the -stable, one of which was Snowdrop, and the other an animal belonging to -Smirker, replaced the belt containing the revolver and knife about his -waist, and also secured possession of the bag containing the nuggets -and gold-dust. Silas then mounted Smirker’s horse, and bending down -from his saddle and placing his arm about his prisoner, raised him to a -seat behind him as easily as if he had been a child. - -In a few minutes more the trio were riding down the gully at a brisk -trot. Silas and his young companion held their weapons ready for -instant use, and kept a good lookout on all sides of them. If they -chanced to meet any of the band of which their prisoner was a member, -they might be called upon to fight for possession of him. But they -accomplished the descent of the gorge, crossed the valley, and entered -the woods on the opposite side without meeting any one, and finally -found themselves in the vicinity of the rancho. Here they became very -cautious in their movements, White-horse Fred leading the way at a -slow walk, and frequently stopping to look about and listen. Presently -he dismounted in a dense thicket, and having tied his nag to one of -the bushes, seated himself on the ground, his example being followed -by the trapper. For fully half an hour they and their prisoner sat -motionless in their place of concealment, and at the end of that time -Silas Roper’s quick ear caught the sound of a stealthy footfall. -He communicated the fact to Fred in a whisper, and the latter was -instantly on the alert. He crept away through the bushes, and presently -came back again. - -“It’s Dick,” said he, in a low tone; “and after Julian again I’ll -warrant. Isn’t he persevering? He is coming down the hill. Do you think -I could get ahead of him?” - -“I reckon you might if you’re right lively,” replied the guide. “But be -careful of what you do. One mistake would spile everything.” - -The active Fred was out of sight almost before Silas had ceased -speaking. Threading his way rapidly but noiselessly through the woods, -he reached the bottom of a wide and deep ravine, which he crossed with -a few swift bounds. Arriving at the base of a hill on the opposite -side, he pushed aside a thick cluster of bushes, disclosing to view a -dark opening, which seemed to extend far down into the regions below. -Into this he dived like a squirrel going into his hole, and in a second -more was out of sight. - -The bushes which concealed the opening had scarcely sprung back to -their places when Richard Mortimer appeared in sight, moving down the -ravine with slow and cautious steps, and pausing every few feet to -look about him. When he reached the mouth of the cave he backed into -the bushes, and concealing himself among them, stood for a long time -listening and gazing up and down the ravine. Being satisfied at last -that his movements were unobserved, he drew back into the opening, and -hurried along a narrow passage-way, which led first to the store-room -before spoken of, and thence through the hill to Reginald Mortimer’s -rancho. - -“I am now going to make amends for the cowardice I exhibited last -night,” soliloquized Richard Mortimer. “I am heartily ashamed of what -I did, and I shall never again allow myself to be frightened from my -purpose by so shallow an artifice. It couldn’t have been old Juan’s -ghost I saw, for there are no such things. Neither could it have been -the old man himself, for he was put out of the way long years ago, and -as I was present when the deed was committed, and even assisted in it, -I know that the work was thoroughly done. The apparition certainly -looked exactly like him, and if it comes in my way to-night I am going -to find out what it is. My Derringers are freshly loaded, and I will -see what impression the bullets in them will make upon it.” - -The passage-way was as dark as midnight, but Richard Mortimer, being -perfectly familiar with all its windings, walked rapidly through it, -and turning an abrupt bend, found himself at the place where the -passage opened into the store-room. Although he had braced his nerves, -called all his courage to his aid, and was fully prepared to encounter -something here, he could not repress the thrill of horror that ran -through him, or the exclamation of astonishment that escaped his lips -the moment he emerged from the passage-way. - -A pale green light, whose source was invisible, and through which -objects could but be dimly seen as through a mist, was streaming -through the cellar. To Richard Mortimer’s excited imagination it seemed -to proceed from the bodies of two persons who were slowly approaching -him from the opposite end of the apartment—one a very aged man, and -the other a youth who looked remarkably like White-horse Fred. They -were walking side by side, gazing into each other’s faces, and appeared -to be conversing earnestly, for their hands were constantly employed in -gesticulating, and their lips moved, although no sound came forth. The -light, which gave a strange and unearthly appearance to their features, -seemed to move as they moved; and, instead of diffusing itself about -the room, was confined to a narrow space in the immediate vicinity of -the figures. Richard Mortimer gazed, and as he gazed felt his courage -oozing out at the ends of his fingers. His first impulse was to turn -and take to his heels, but the weakness was only momentary. Recovering -himself by a strong effort, he advanced boldly into the store-room, -but its mysterious occupants took no notice of him. He drew one of his -Derringers from his pocket, and leveled it at the old man’s breast. - -“I have just one bullet apiece for you, my friends,” said he, his voice -trembling in spite of his efforts to control it, “and unless you stop -that pantomime and speak to me, I will bring this farce to an end in a -way that you probably have not expected.” - -He paused, but no answer was returned, nor was there the least change -in the expression of the countenances of the two figures to show that -his words had been heard. They continued to approach the place where he -was standing, talking earnestly and gesticulating. - -They were now quite near to him—so near that Richard Mortimer -retreated a step or two, and as he did so his finger pressed the -trigger. There was a bright flash, a stunning report, and when the -smoke, which for a few seconds obscured his vision, cleared away so -that he could see the effect of his shot, he dropped his empty weapon -and staggered back as if he were about to fall. There stood the old man -erect and unharmed, still talking with his companion, and neither of -them seemed to have heard the report of the pistol. - -To draw the other and discharge it was but the work of an instant, -but it had no visible effect upon the objects of his vengeance, who -continued to advance, the light keeping pace with them, and their faces -appearing to assume a more ghostly and unearthly look the nearer they -approached. - -And now Richard Mortimer discovered something that had hitherto escaped -his notice—a tiny stream of blood which was trickling down the old -man’s temple, and two holes in the breast of his buckskin jacket. -White-horse Fred was as wet as if he had just come out of the lake, -and the water dripped from his garments as he moved along. The sight -reminded Richard Mortimer of one memorable night when scenes of horror -and bloodshed had been enacted at the rancho, and drove away every -particle of his courage. With a wild shriek of terror he turned and -fled like the wind. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -JULIAN MAKES A DISCOVERY. - - -OUR HERO rode away from the cabin which had been the scene of his -recent thrilling adventure in an ecstasy of bewilderment and alarm. -He could not find a satisfactory explanation for a single one of the -strange incidents that had happened there—they were all shrouded in -a mystery which he could not penetrate. Of one thing, however, he was -certain, and that was that that gallant young fellow, whoever he was, -who had so narrowly escaped death at Smirker’s hands, should not remain -long a prisoner. He would have him out of that cabin if there was any -way by which his release could be effected, and find out what he meant -by claiming to be Julian Mortimer. Perhaps that “watchful friend,” who -had addressed that note to him and visited his room the night before -while he was asleep, could tell him what ought to be done under the -circumstances, if he could only obtain an interview with him. This he -would use his best endeavors to accomplish by returning at once to his -uncle’s rancho, and remaining awake all night. If his mysterious friend -should come into his room before morning he would be sure to see him. - -Julian’s new horse was quite as swift as Snowdrop, and showed the same -willingness to go ahead. He flew down the rocky path at break-neck -speed, the bay quietly following. For two hours he continued that -mad gallop, and at the end of that time suddenly slackened his pace -to a walk. This aroused Julian, who straightened up and looked about -him, expecting to see his uncle’s rancho close before him; but not a -building of any description was in sight. His horse was toiling up a -steep mountain path, which led through a wilderness of trees and rocks -that Julian did not remember to have seen before. He knew that he had -not passed that way in the morning. He had been so completely absorbed -in his reflections that he had not thought of directing his steed, but -trusted to the animal to carry him back to his uncle’s rancho. But -now he remembered, with a thrill of terror, that he was not riding -Snowdrop, but a horse belonging to a robber—one, too, which was in the -habit of making frequent and perhaps daily journeys between certain -points. The animal seemed to know where he was going, but Julian did -not. He had not seen the valley since he left Smirker’s cabin, and that -proved that the horse, without attracting his attention, had turned -into another path, and was carrying him deeper into the mountains. -But to what place? To another robber station beyond a doubt. Julian -shuddered at the thought. - -To add to his alarm, night was rapidly coming on, the sky was overcast -with clouds of inky blackness, the lightning was playing about the -mountain tops, and the hoarse mutterings of a storm could be heard -in the distance. What was to be done under such circumstances? He -could never retrace his steps and find his way back to the valley in -the dark. He knew by the experience he had already had with Snowdrop -that the animals White-horse Fred rode, having become accustomed to -a particular line of duty, objected to having their usual manner of -proceeding interrupted; and if the nag on which he was now mounted -should show the same disinclination to turn back that Snowdrop had -exhibited to leave Smirker’s cabin, what could he do? He would be -obliged to depend entirely on himself, and he would become hopelessly -bewildered before he had gone a hundred yards. To camp beside the path -and wait for daylight would be equally hazardous, for the crash of -fallen timbers in the distance told him that the swiftly approaching -storm was sweeping every movable thing before it. He must go on—he had -no alternative. - -“There’s some consolation in knowing that I can’t get into a much worse -scrape than that which I have just got out of,” thought Julian. “If I -don’t succeed in passing myself off as White-horse Fred, I will reveal -myself and trust to luck. In that event the robbers will only make a -prisoner of me, for I am worth too much to them to be harmed. Smirker -said so, although I haven’t the least idea what he meant by it.” - -Having settled this point, Julian put spurs to his horse, which, having -by this time gained the summit of the hill, set off at the top of his -speed. The gloom of night settled rapidly over the mountains, growing -more and more intense every instant, and finally even the nearest -objects were shut out from his view, save when the occasional flashes -of lightning burst from the thick blackness overhead. To increase his -uneasiness, he became aware that the path over which he was being -carried with all the speed his horse could command ran along the brink -of a deep precipice. Trusting entirely to the white nag, and leaving -the bay to take care of himself, Julian clung with a death-grip to the -horn of his saddle, closing his eyes when the lightning illuminated -the scene, that he might not see the dangers before him, and then -when darkness once more settled over the mountains holding his breath -in suspense, momentarily expecting to find himself whirling headlong -to destruction. But the sure-footed animal, having carried the real -White-horse Fred along that same chasm on many a night like this, was -too familiar with the way to run into any dangers. - -Nearer and nearer came the storm, a roar like that of a thousand -express trains filling the canyon behind him, the lightning flashing -incessantly, the thunder booming and echoing among the cliffs like -rapid discharges of heavy artillery, the crash of falling timber -sounding louder and plainer every instant, and faster and faster flew -the white horse with his terrified rider. He sped along like a bird on -the wing, never once abating his speed even in the roughest and most -difficult places, and finally, to Julian’s immense relief, carried him -into a thickly wooded ravine, and after making several abrupt turns and -plunging through a dense thicket of bushes, came to a sudden halt. On -the instant the boy placed his hand to his mouth and gave a perfect -imitation of White-horse Fred’s whistle. - -“Ay! ay!” came the response through the darkness, the voice sounding -close at hand. - -“Whew!” panted Julian, drawing his handkerchief across his dripping -forehead. “Wasn’t it lucky that I had my wits about me? I heard a -window close, and a bolt rattle as it was pushed into its socket; and -that proves that some one heard my approach and was on the lookout. -If I hadn’t given the signal just as I did I might have been shot. -Wouldn’t I give something to know what I have got to go through with -now?” - -Julian could not see even the faintest outline of a house before him, -but nevertheless there was one there. The sound of voices and the -tramping of heavy feet on a stone floor came faintly to his ears, -followed by the grating of bolts and locks; and presently a door swung -open close at his side—so close that if he had thrust out his hand he -could have touched it—a flood of light streamed out into the darkness, -and a man with a lantern appeared on the threshold. Julian’s horse at -once moved forward, carrying his rider into a stable similar to the one -adjoining Smirker’s cabin, and the bay followed closely at his heels. -Scarcely had they reached the shelter of the friendly roof when the -storm burst forth in all its fury. - -Julian rolled off his horse rather than dismounted, and the hostler, -after closing and fastening the door, held up his lantern and peered -sharply into his face. - -“Why, boy!” he exclaimed in great amazement. - -“It is all up with me now,” thought Julian. “I am discovered at last.” - -“Well, sir!” continued the man, after a pause. “I have seen something -to-night I never expected to see in my life—White-horse Fred -frightened.” - -“I guess you would be frightened if you were in my place,” returned -Julian, greatly relieved. - -“The soldiers haven’t been after you, have they?” - -The boy replied in the negative. - -“Oh, it’s the storm, then. It’s awful, that’s a fact. I never heard -such thunder or such a roaring of wind. You got here just in time, -didn’t you? Listen to that rain. The water in the gullies will be -breast high to a horse in five minutes. Where did this fellow come -from?” asked the hostler, leading the bay into one of the stalls. - -“From Fort Stoughton. He was stolen from the major.” - -“Is this all you’ve got? Haven’t you brought any dust or nuggets?” - -“No. That was all Smirker had to give me.” - -“The fellows up there are getting lazy. They never send anything but -horses lately. What do you know that is interesting or exciting?” - -“Nothing. Smirker told me to tell you that the captain’s cub had got -back.” - -“Glory!” exclaimed the man, looking over his shoulder at Julian, and -bringing his horny palms together with a noise like the report of a -pistol. - -“I don’t know what he meant by it,” added Julian, hoping that the -man would finish the story Smirker had been relating to him when -White-horse Fred arrived. - -“Of course you don’t, but I do; and it is the best piece of news I ever -heard.” - -“Why is it?” - -“That is a secret known only to a few of us whom the captain is willing -to trust. But, of course, as you are a faithful member of the band, you -will one day share in the benefits of it. I’d like to tell you, but I’m -sworn to tell nobody. Your supper is waiting.” - -That was something Julian was glad to hear. Uncle Reginald had kept -him in such a state of excitement that morning that he had eaten very -little breakfast, and he was as hungry as a wolf. Fortunately there was -but one door leading out of the stable beside the one at which he had -come in, and he knew which way to go to find the living room of the -cabin. - -Being satisfied now that he could pass himself off anywhere for -White-horse Fred, he boldly pushed open the door and found himself -in the presence of two rough-looking men, who were stretched out on -benches, with their saddles under their heads for pillows. - -At one end of the room was a table, made of unplaned boards, upon -which was a goodly supply of corn-bread and bacon, a tin plate with a -fork beside it, and a quart cup, which a villainous-looking Mexican, -who entered from another door just as Julian came in from the stable, -was filling with very black-looking coffee. The men on the benches -greeted him with rude cordiality, the Mexican bowed to him, and Julian, -assuming an air of carelessness and indifference that he was very far -from feeling, threw his sombrero into one corner of the room and seated -himself at the table. - -The nervousness and timidity he felt on first entering the room very -soon began to wear away. The men, after making some coarse jests -concerning his new clothes, entered into a lively conversation with -him, and asked a multitude of questions about persons and places which -Julian had never seen or heard of. From some remarks they let fall he -found out why they were so inquisitive. They were obliged to remain in -that cabin month in and month out, scarcely over stirring beyond the -threshold; they never saw any new faces except those of the captain and -the two agents who brought the stolen property there and took it away -again; and they knew nothing of what was going on in the outside world -except what their visitors told them. Julian gratified their curiosity -by relating a very few things that had happened that day in Smirker’s -cabin, and a good many things that had not happened. He repeated every -word that had been told him about the “captain’s cub,” in the hope -that the men would tell him the rest of the story, but in this he was -disappointed. They expressed unbounded delight at the intelligence, but -said, somewhat fiercely, that Smirker ought to have held his tongue. - -But little was said after this. The men having listened to all Julian -had to tell them, rearranged their blankets and prepared to go to -sleep; and the boy, being left to himself, gave his whole attention to -the corn-bread and bacon. When he finished his supper and arose from -the table, the robbers were both snoring lustily. - -“What’s the next thing on the programme, I wonder?” soliloquized -Julian, who, not knowing what else to do, walked about the room looking -at the weapons which hung upon the wall. “I am afraid to make a move -in any direction for fear I shall act so unlike White-horse Fred that -somebody will suspect me. I’ll stroll around a little and see what sort -of a place I have got into.” - -The Mexican who had served up the supper came in at this moment to -clear away the dishes, and when he went out again, Julian walked to the -door through which he disappeared, and stood there looking about him, -and wondering if it would be safe to venture beyond it. It led into a -long, narrow hall, at the opposite end of which was a second door that -communicated with the kitchen. This door was open, and the sounds that -issued from the room told him that the Mexican was engaged in washing -the supper dishes. - -After a moment’s pause Julian kept slowly on, intending to take a peep -into the kitchen; but when he had gone about half-way through the hall, -he saw another door at his left hand, which he had not before noticed. -It was open, and led into a room which presented a great contrast to -the one Julian had just left. - -[Illustration: “HE SAT BY THE TABLE, WITH HIS HEAD RESTING UPON HIS -HAND.”] - -It was nicely furnished, carpeted, provided with a comfortable bed, and -there were ornaments on the mantel over the fire-place, and pictures -hanging upon the walls. In the middle of the floor was a table with the -remains of a supper upon it, and beside it sat a tall, military-looking -gentleman dressed in a faded suit of black. He sat with his head -resting upon his hand, and his eyes fastened upon the floor; and there -was something in his face, which was turned partly toward him, that -attracted the boy’s attention and excited his sympathy at once. He knew -instinctively that the man was in trouble. A second glance showed him -that he was a prisoner—that he was in double irons. - -Who was he, and what had he done to incur the displeasure of the -robbers that they should keep him so closely confined? If Julian had -been able to answer this question, and had known the full value of the -discovery he had just made, he would have been astonished and excited -beyond measure. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -PEDRO MAKES ANOTHER. - - -THE PRISONER raised his head with a weary, languid air when Julian -stopped before his door, but no sooner did his eyes rest full upon -the boy than his whole appearance changed as if by magic. The look of -utter dejection faded from his face, and was succeeded by an expression -in which excitement and hope were strangely blended. Placing his -finger upon his lips with a warning gesture, he arose to his feet, and -then Julian saw that he was even more securely confined than he had -supposed, being chained to the floor. - -The prisoner, who was considerably past the prime of life, was a man of -very commanding appearance, and in his youthful days must have been a -model of strength and agility; but now his frame was emaciated to the -last degree, his cheeks were pale and sunken, and his eyes, which were -fastened eagerly upon the boy, had a wild, defiant look in them. - -As he arose slowly and tremblingly to his feet, he beckoned to Julian -impatiently, almost fiercely, to enter the room, at the same time -drawing a letter from his pocket and tossing it toward him. It fell -upon the carpet just inside the door, and Julian, filled with wonder, -stepped forward and picked it up. An instant afterward he would have -given everything he ever hoped to possess if he could have recalled the -action. - -The rattling of dishes in the kitchen suddenly ceased, and the Mexican -cook came into the hall, humming a tune and snapping his fingers as if -he felt at peace with himself and all the world, and Julian knew, as -well as if it had been told him, that he was coming into that room. - -The anxiety and alarm he exhibited were fully shared by the prisoner, -whose face was the color of ashes. He could not have been more fully -alive to the dangers of the boy’s situation if he had been in the same -peril himself. After looking all around the room, searching for some -avenue of escape or place of concealment, he pointed with a quick -movement behind the door, and sinking back into his chair rested his -head upon his hand. Julian understood the gesture and was quick to obey -it. He dodged behind the door like a flash of light, and a moment later -the Mexican came into the room. - -“Have you finished your supper?” he demanded roughly. - -“No,” replied the prisoner. “Come in again in a few minutes.” - -“Now, I want you to hurry up; do you understand that? I am not going to -wait all night for those dishes.” - -The Mexican went out again and stood looking up and down the hall. -Once he started toward the living-room, and the movement gave Julian -new cause for alarm. What if he should go in there and discover his -absence? What would the robbers do to him if they should find him -concealed in the room with their prisoner? The fears these questions -conjured up were speedily set at rest, however, for the man turned -about and went into the kitchen again; and when the rattling of the -dishes told Julian that he had resumed his work, he thrust the letter -into his pocket, slipped from behind the door, and with noiseless steps -retraced his way to the living-room. He arrived there just in time to -escape danger from a new source, for the door of the stable opened and -the hostler entered. He found the boy seated beside the table, with -his arms folded and his head resting upon them. He had assumed this -position in order to conceal his face, which he knew was as pale as -that of the dead. - -“Wake up here, Fred!” cried the man, striking Julian on the shoulder -with his open hand. “You’ve no business to go to sleep. You know it’s -against orders for anybody except us four fellows to stay in this -rancho all night. The storm is over, and you can start back now.” - -“Start back!” thought Julian, raising his head and rubbing his eyes as -if he were very sleepy. “Must I ride along that dreadful chasm again -to-night? Where will that horse take me? Back to Smirker’s, probably.” - -“You will have a pleasanter time going than you did coming,” continued -the hostler. “The moon is shining brightly.” - -“Any messages?” asked Julian. - -“None that I think of. Be down again to-morrow?” - -The boy, replying in the affirmative, accompanied the hostler to the -stable, and in a few minutes more heard the heavy door locked behind -him, and was flying along the zigzag path that led from the rancho to -the chasm. - -The ride proved to be much more to his liking than the one he had taken -a few hours before. The moon lighted up every object within the range -of his vision, and he had a fair view of the dangers through which he -had passed. The horse carried him along the chasm in safety, and when -that was passed Julian threw the reins loose on the animal’s neck and -gave himself up to his reflections. Of course the prisoner occupied all -his thoughts. He pulled the letter from his pocket and looked at it on -all sides. There was something written on it—probably the address of -the person to whom it was to be delivered; but Julian, with the aid -of no better light than that afforded by the moon, could not make it -out. He had two prisoners to assist now, he told himself—Smirker’s -captive and the old gentleman who had given him the letter. The former, -as we know, was no longer in need of help; but the other was, and -in Julian he had a friend worth having. He had others, too, shrewd, -active, daring men, who had labored unceasingly for years to discover -his whereabouts and effect his release, but without the least hope of -success. Silas Roper would have given the best years of his life to -have known what Julian knew. - -It seemed to our hero that the ride would never come to an end. He made -no attempt to guide his horse, but kept a good lookout on both sides -in the hope of seeing some familiar landmark. He did not intend to be -carried back to Smirker’s cabin if he could prevent it. An hour later -he emerged from a deep ravine into a broad, level valley, and then he -knew where he was. His horse showed a desire to carry him up a narrow -path which led to a high hill beyond; but Julian insisted on having his -own way, and by the help of his spurs soon induced the animal to yield -to his guidance. The five miles that lay between him and his uncle’s -rancho were quickly accomplished, and when Julian drew rein in front of -the gate he felt as if a mountain had suddenly been removed from his -shoulders. - -“I never expected to see this place again,” thought he, as he pounded -upon the gate with the handle of his hunting-knife. “Uncle Reginald -told me this morning that he wanted me to feel that I had a right to go -and come when I pleased, and I guess he will think I haven’t been slow -to take advantage of his permission. It must be long after midnight, -but I can’t go to sleep, for I don’t want to miss seeing that watchful -friend of mine, if he comes about.” - -The furious blows Julian showered upon the gate brought the dogs out in -full chorus, and in a few minutes Pedro also appeared with his lantern. -He must have known who it was demanding admittance, for he did not stop -to look through the wicket, but opened the gate at once, and Julian -rode in. - -“I am sorry to be obliged to disturb you at this hour,” said the boy, -as he dismounted in front of the door of the rancho, “but I couldn’t -help it.” - -“I was up and waiting for you,” was the reply. “Your uncle has given me -orders to hold myself in readiness to attend to you at any hour of the -day or night; so you see—well—I—_Carrajo_!” - -The Mexican, who had taken Julian’s bridle from his hand, ceased -speaking very suddenly, raised his lantern, and after surveying the -horse all over, opened his eyes to their widest extent, and broke -out into a volley of Spanish oaths and ejaculations indicative of the -greatest astonishment. He had made an alarming discovery. - -“Well, what is it?” asked Julian. “Do you see anything strange?” - -“No,” answered the man hastily. “Take this lantern to light you to your -room, and I will put your horse in the stable.” - -“Is anything new going to happen, I wonder?” thought Julian, as he took -the proffered lantern and made his way along the hall to the sleeping -apartment. “Pedro has found something to surprise him, and I can’t -imagine what it can be. I guess Uncle Reginald would be surprised, too, -if he knew where I have been and what I have seen since he last saw me.” - -Never before had a room looked so cozy and comfortable, or a bed so -inviting, as Julian’s did that night. He was almost exhausted by his -long ride and the excitement through which he had passed, but he had a -matter of importance before him, and he could not think of retiring. -His first move was to light the candle that stood on the table and -extinguish the lantern, and his second to draw his easy-chair beside -the table and take the mysterious letter from his pocket. It was soiled -and crumpled, and Julian thought it must have been written a long time, -and that the gentleman had carried it constantly about his person, -waiting for an opportunity to give it to some one. The words written on -the outside were: - - “_To any good Christian into whose hands this letter may come._” - -“That means me,” thought the boy. “That poor gentleman is in great -trouble, I know, and I am Christian enough to help him out of it if I -can.” - -He opened the letter, little dreaming what a surprise was in store -for him, and looked at the signature to see who the writer was. He -looked, and the blood went rushing back upon his heart, leaving his -face ghastly pale. He rubbed his eyes, held the letter closer to the -candle, and slowly read aloud the words: - - “Yours, in dire distress, SAMUEL MORTIMER, - - “Late Major of the Army of the United States.” - -“It is from my father!” gasped Julian, sinking helplessly back into his -chair. - -“Is it? Then give it to me,” said a stern voice close at his elbow. - -A hand suddenly appeared from behind his chair, and clutching the -letter, attempted to snatch it from his grasp, but the boy’s fingers -closed upon it with a most determined grip. Thinking of the emigrant, -he started up with a cry of alarm to find himself confronted by Uncle -Reginald, whose face was as black as a thunder-cloud. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -HOW IT RESULTED. - - -WHEN PEDRO took charge of Julian’s horse he did not lead him directly -to the stable, but to the back part of the house, where he left him -until he could run into the kitchen and procure another lantern. -When he came out again he made a thorough examination of the animal, -and having at last satisfied himself that he made no mistake, he ran -into the house and pounded loudly upon the door of Uncle Reginald’s -bed-room. The summons quickly brought that gentleman to his feet, -and when the numerous bolts and locks had been undone, Pedro pushed -open the door and entered without ceremony. The excitement and alarm -depicted upon his features must have been contagious, for no sooner did -Mr. Mortimer glance at his face than his own assumed a very anxious -look. - -“Did Julian ride Snowdrop away this morning, or did I dream it?” asked -Pedro, before he was fairly inside the door. - -“You did not dream it,” was the reply. “He did. Why do you ask the -question?” - -“Because here’s the very mischief to pay. I told you just how it would -be if you turned that boy loose to run about the country like a wild -colt. I shouldn’t be surprised if your little game was brought to an -end in less than twenty-four hours.” - -“What do you mean?” cried Uncle Reginald in alarm. “Speak out plainly.” - -“I mean that if Julian rode Snowdrop away he has brought Bob -back—that’s what I mean.” - -Pedro’s employer was utterly confounded by this intelligence. His -under jaw dropped down, and he looked at his companion without saying a -word. - -“It is the truth?” continued the Mexican. “Now where did he leave -Snowdrop, and where did he get Bob? Either at Smirker’s or at the -_other place_; and if he has been _there_, it proves something.” - -“It does, indeed,” cried Reginald Mortimer, turning white to the lips. -“It proves that some of my trusted men have turned against me; for -he could never have gained admittance to either place except through -treachery. I must talk to him, and see if he has learned anything he -ought not to know.” - -Uncle Reginald threw on his clothes with all possible haste, and -hurried along the hall to Julian’s room. The door opened when he turned -the knob, and entering without attracting the boy’s attention, he -found him in the act of reading a letter. When Uncle Reginald saw the -letter all his worst suspicions were confirmed. He knew where Julian -had been, and he knew, too, by whom the missive had been written, and -what it contained. Approaching the boy’s chair with a cat-like tread, -he leaned over his shoulder and made an attempt to take the paper out -of his hand; but Julian detected the move in time to defeat it. He -sprung to his feet, and for a moment the two stood holding the letter -between them, and glaring at one another like wild beasts at bay. Uncle -Reginald was astonished at the look of defiance and determination he -saw in the eyes that were fastened upon him. It taught him something of -the spirit of the youth with whom he had to deal. - -“Julian,” said he, in a tone of voice which he intended should frighten -the boy into obedience to his commands, “I have a good deal to say to -you; but, in the first place, give me that letter.” - -“I would as readily give you my life,” was the prompt reply. - -“Let go, I tell you,” said Uncle Reginald, in a still sterner voice, -making a vain effort to unclasp the sinewy fingers that were closed -upon the letter. - -“Let go yourself. It is from my father. I have more right to it than -you have, and I will not let go. - -“I am your guardian, Julian, and have the right to control you, as you -will quickly learn to your cost, if you do not obey me.” - -“I don’t care if you are the King of the Sandwich Islands, you shan’t -have this letter. I don’t believe you are my guardian. You have done -nothing but tell me one falsehood after another ever since I have been -here. You said my father was dead, and he isn’t. He is alive, and I -have seen him—seen him, too, in prison and chained to the floor. You -say you are my uncle, and you are not. You have no more right to the -name you bear than your Mexican servant has—not a bit.” - -“Who told you all this?” asked Uncle Reginald, making a strong effort -to keep back the tempest of passion which was almost ready to break -forth. - -“Your man Smirker. I am going to have him arrested as soon as I can go -to the fort. He killed a miner and stole his money; he told me so.” - -“He told you so!” repeated Reginald Mortimer. - -“Yes. He mistook me for a rascally accomplice of his—White-horse Fred.” - -“Did Smirker introduce you into Hale’s rancho—I mean the place where -you saw this prisoner?” - -“No. The horse he gave me in exchange for mine introduced me there.” - -“Well, go on. What else do you know?” - -“I know you had better let go this letter instantly; for if you -don’t——” - -Julian finished the sentence by placing his hand upon the butt of his -revolver; but before he could draw it from his belt Reginald Mortimer -released his hold upon the letter, and bounding forward, seized the boy -by the throat, and attempted to throw him to the floor. - -Julian was neither surprised nor frightened. He retained his presence -of mind. His first thought was not of defense but of the letter; and -having secured that by thrusting it into his bosom he was ready for -the struggle. How the contest would have ended if he had been left to -himself it is hard to tell; but help was close at hand. The hangings -at the foot of the bed were thrust cautiously aside, and a pair of -eyes appeared and looked into the room. They watched the combatants a -moment and then disappeared, and shortly afterward the hangings were -again raised and three figures sprung from behind them. The foremost -was Silas Roper; close at his heels followed the strange horseman whom -Julian had met at Smirker’s cabin; and the rear was brought up by the -feeble old man, who, by simply walking across the cellar the night -before, had saved our hero from being carried away captive by Richard -Mortimer. - -At this moment the door through which Uncle Reginald had entered was -cautiously opened, and another head was thrust into the room. It was -the head of Pedro, the Mexican, who, after just one glance at what was -going on inside the apartment, drew back out of sight. - -“The jig is danced at last,” said he to himself, as he ran along the -hall, “and those of us who are found in these parts in the morning will -be called upon to settle with the fiddler. It is nothing more than I -expected, but I know how to block this little game.” - -Pedro went straight to the stable, led out the horse Julian had brought -there a short time before, and springing upon his back, rode off toward -the mountains. - -Silas and his friends had come into that room on business, and their -actions indicated that they were disposed to waste no time in carrying -it out. The trapper walked straight up to Reginald Mortimer, and -seizing him by the collar and tearing his hand from the boy’s throat, -threw him at full length on the floor. Julian staggered to his feet as -soon as he was relieved of the weight of his antagonist, to find a pair -of strong arms clasped about his neck, and to hear himself addressed in -terms of endearment, to which he listened like one in a dream. Then he -felt himself forced into a chair, and knew that Silas came up and shook -hands with him, and that he was followed by the feeble old man, who -said something that was doubtless intended for a welcome; but Julian’s -mind was in such a whirl of excitement that he could not understand a -word he uttered. - -“What’s the matter with you, anyhow?” asked White-horse Fred, bringing -his hand down upon Julian’s shoulder with a force that fairly made the -boy’s teeth rattle. “Can’t you say you are glad to see me, or are you -above owning a brother who belongs to a band of robbers?” - -“Let me collect my thoughts a little, and then I will talk to you,” -replied Julian. “I can’t quite understand all this.” - -“And there’s another as much in the dark as you are,” said Fred, -pointing to Reginald Mortimer. “You perhaps imagine you are dreaming, -and I know he wishes he was, don’t you, captain? There are two of us -here whom you never expected to see in the flesh again; are there not? -Take your time, Julian, and think the matter over, and while you are -about it I will look around and pack up a few articles that may be of -use to you, for we are going to find new quarters for you now.” - -Julian settled back in a chair and gazed long and earnestly at all -the persons in the room—at the old Mexican who stood at his side -leaning upon his staff; at Silas, sitting upon the bed and smiling -complacently at him as if he enjoyed his bewilderment; at Reginald -Mortimer, lying bound and helpless on the floor, and who, like Julian, -was almost overwhelmed with astonishment; and then at his brother, -who was skipping about the room, overhauling the bureau, wardrobe and -book-case, now and then depositing some articles which he took from -them upon a blanket he had spread on the floor. - -“_My brother!_” said Julian aloud. “How strangely it sounds.” - -“Doesn’t it!” replied Fred, pausing in his work and looking over his -shoulder at Julian. “But it is the truth. I don’t know what you think -about it, but I am delighted to claim the relationship. A brother is -something worth having out here in this wilderness, I tell you.” - -“What is your name?” asked Julian. - -“Fred—White-horse Fred, if it suits you better—sworn agent for a -band of outlaws and rascals of which our worthy uncle here is the -acknowledged leader. Any objections to my company?” - -“Then you are not dead?” - -“Do I look like it?” - -“And you are not _Julian_ Mortimer?” - -“By no means. How could I be when you are that lucky individual?” - -“Then why did you tell Smirker so?” - -“To help you out of a scrape,” replied Fred, picking up the bundle he -had made and throwing it over his shoulder. “But I say, Julian,” he -added, a shade of anxiety overspreading his merry countenance, “of -course you are not aware of the fact, but you have jeopardized the life -of one who is very dear to both of us by getting into this fuss with -Uncle Reginald.” - -“How?” asked Julian. - -“Why, our father has been a prisoner in the hands of the band of -which I am a member for eight years, and if anything happens to the -captain—Uncle Reginald—his jailors have orders to shoot him as soon -as word comes to their ears.” - -“The news is on the way to them now,” said the robber chief, with -savage emphasis, “and he will be shot before daylight. Pedro is already -on his road to the mountains.” - -“Who sent him?” demanded White-horse Fred. - -“I expect he sent himself,” cried Julian, starting from his chair in -great excitement. “I saw him put his head in at the door just as you -came in. We must be off at once.” - -“But where will we go, and what shall we do?” asked Fred. “We don’t -know where father is; if we did, we should have released him before -this time.” - -“Well, I know where he is, and I have seen him. More than that, I’ve -got a letter from him.” - -“Hold hard thar!” exclaimed Silas, as Julian drew the letter from his -pocket, and moved nearer the candle. “Don’t read a word of it here, for -thar’s no knowin’ how many pairs of ears thar may be listenin’ to it. -Come with us, an’ we will talk this matter over.” - -Julian had never seen three persons more excited than the trapper and -his companions were over the announcement he had just made. It did not -take the form of words, but showed itself in their countenances, and -in their hurried, nervous actions. They prepared to leave the room at -once. Silas raised the captive robber to his shoulder as if he had been -a sack of flour, while the old Mexican skipped before him like a boy of -sixteen, and held up the hangings which concealed the entrance to the -secret passage-way. White-horse Fred, who had looked into the muzzle of -Smirker’s revolver without flinching or even changing color, was pale -enough now, and the hand with which he extended Julian’s sombrero to -him now trembled like a leaf. They left the room without saying a word, -and followed Silas, who led the way along the passage to the cellar, -where they found a man with a lantern waiting for them. It was Romez, -the hostler. He was greatly astonished to see the trapper carrying -Reginald Mortimer on his shoulder, but without asking any questions he -turned and mounted a ladder which rested against the wall of the cellar. - -While Julian was going up he had leisure to make an examination of -the store-house. It was a natural cave in the mountain, and seemed to -have no roof—at least there was none that could be seen. The wall -against which the ladder was placed arose for the height of thirty -feet, as smooth and perpendicular as if it had been fashioned by the -hand of man, and terminated in a broad, level platform. When the -parties stepped upon this platform they paused until Romez had drawn up -the ladder, and then mounted to a second ledge of rock higher up the -cavern. This ladder was also drawn up, and the journey resumed along -a narrow, slippery path, that finally ended in a dark opening, which -proved to be the mouth of a smaller cave. - -The interior of this cavern presented a scene which filled Julian -with astonishment. Almost the first object his eyes rested upon was -Smirker’s burly form stretched out on a little pallet in one corner. -He was securely bound, and did not look much now like the reckless -desperado he had appeared when Julian first met him in his cabin. But -the presence of this man did not occasion him so much astonishment as -the sight of the gold that was scattered about the room. He saw it -there in all shapes—in dust, nuggets, quartz and coin. It was stowed -away in chests, tied up in little bags, and packed upon shelves and -piled in corners as if it had been merchandise of some description. -Julian had never dreamed that all the gold mines of California could -produce as much of the precious metal as he saw collected in that one -small room. The cave was also used as a receptacle for various odds and -ends—rifles, revolvers, muskets, hunting-knives, saddles and bridles. -As Julian glanced about him he told himself that he knew now what had -become of some of the articles Uncle Reginald had missed from his -rancho. - -“During your travels to-day did you hear Smirker or anybody else say -anything about some hidden treasure which he hoped to handle some day?” -asked White-horse Fred. - -Julian replied that he did. - -“Well, here it is. This is the cause of all our trouble. If it hadn’t -been for these yellow boys we might have been a united, happy family -to-day.” - -“I don’t reckon it’ll be very long afore we’re all together agin like -we used to be,” said Silas, as he deposited his prisoner upon the -pallet beside the other. “If the major is where we can get at him we’ll -have him out this very night. How did you find him, Julian?” - -“Smirker gave me a horse in exchange for mine that took me straight to -his prison,” replied the boy. And then he went on to relate, in a few -rapid words, how his curiosity had led him to walk about the rancho, -and that while on his way to the kitchen he had found the prisoner. He -described, too, how narrowly he had escaped discovery by the Mexican -when he came in to remove the supper dishes, and told what had passed -between Uncle Reginald and himself prior to the arrival of Silas and -his friends. - -“You are a lucky fellow, Julian,” said White-horse Fred, when he had -finished his story. “I have been making regular daily journeys to that -rancho for more than a year, and never saw or heard anything to lead me -to suspect that affairs were not all right there. I used to wonder why -there were four men at that station and only one, or at the most two, -at the others, and have thought it strange that they should always be -so particular to hurry me away. No matter how bad the weather was they -wouldn’t let me stay all night. But what is to be done, Silas? Pedro -has gone to the mountains to warn Hale and his crowd, and if he gets -there before we do, the discovery Julian has made will be of no value -to us.” - -“‘Tain’t wuth while to do anything in a hurry,” replied the trapper. -“Let’s hear what’s in that letter.” - -Julian drew the letter from his pocket, and taking his stand near the -lantern, began reading it aloud. - -We do not reproduce it because its contents have no bearing upon our -story. It was just such a letter as any one of us would have tried to -write had we been placed in Major Mortimer’s situation. It described -some events that happened long years before, and which we shall -presently hear from the lips of White-horse Fred, and pleaded for -assistance in language that would have wrung tears of pity from any but -a savage. - -Julian’s cheeks were wet long before he ceased reading, and once he -stopped and turned toward the robber chief as if he had half a mind -to take an ample revenge on him. The old Mexican wept like a child, -and gave vent to his indignation by pounding on the floor with his -staff; while Silas and White-horse Fred stood, with clinched hands and -compressed lips, gazing at Julian with eyes that would grow dim in -spite of them. - -A dead silence succeeded the reading of the letter, which was finally -broken by the trapper, who, after a short consultation with the two -boys, determined upon a plan of action. This he explained in a few -words, and preparations were at once made to carry it into effect. - -Leaving the old Mexican to watch the prisoners, the rest of the party -descended to the cellar and thence made their way into the stables. -Julian mounted Snowdrop and Fred went in pursuit of her mate, but he -was gone. - -“Good luck attends us on all sides to-night!” said he gleefully. “Here -were a dozen horses in the stable, and instead of taking a fresh one -that blockhead Pedro selected an animal which has already traveled -forty miles to-night. So much the better for us. We’ll overtake him -before he has gone five miles.” - -The party mounted in haste, and galloping out of the gate directed -their course down the valley. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -FRED’S STORY. - - -WHITE-HORSE FRED and his long-lost but now recovered brother were boys -who were not much given to sentiment; but although they did not go into -ecstasies over one another, they were none the less delighted at their -reunion. They kept as close together as possible, and clung to each -other’s hands as they galloped along, as if afraid that something might -again come between them to separate them. - -“Well, old fellow,” said Fred at length, “it didn’t take you long to -raise a row after you got here, did it. Uncle Reginald little dreamed, -when he was working so hard to find you in order to further his own -ends, how completely you would kick over his kettle of fish in less -than twenty-four hours after your arrival. We’ll keep those white -horses as long as we live, won’t we? They are the best friends we’ve -ever had.” - -“I believe that now,” replied Julian; “but I didn’t think so when they -were roaming about among the mountains with me and carrying me to -robber dens. But, Fred, you are not a horse-thief?” - -“I never stole a horse, or anything else, if that is what you mean; but -I have been a member of the band for more than a year. I’ve had charge -of a good many dollars’ worth of stolen property first and last, and if -I had happened to fall into the hands of the settlers while I had it in -my possession, I’d have been gone up sure.” - -“Why, Fred, what made you do it.” - -“I had an object in view—one that justified even worse things than -that. It will not retard our speed in the least if we talk as we go -along, so I will tell my story first—I know you are dying to hear -it—and then I will listen to yours. Where shall I begin?” - -“At the beginning, of course. Tell me who I am, how I came to be an -inmate of Jack Bowles’ cabin, and all about it. I have lived among -mysteries for the last few weeks, and I want every one of them -explained.” - -“And yet there isn’t a single mystery connected with your history, or -mine, either,” replied White-horse Fred. “I can make everything plain -to you in ten minutes. In the first place, that old rancho back there -is our home. It was built by Grandfather Cordova, our mother’s father, -who came out here in early times. When I tell you that it was intended -as a fort as well as a dwelling, you will know how those secret -passage-ways came to be there. Such a building was necessary in those -days, for it was hardly safe for white men about——” - -“Safe!” interrupted Julian. “It isn’t safe now.” - -“Oh, things have changed wonderfully since that house was built, and -even during my recollection. We call ourselves a quiet, orderly, -well-disposed set of people; but when grandfather first came out here -he saw some excitements, I tell you. He was a native of Mexico, and -brought with him a small colony of his own people. The Indians were so -troublesome that the government was obliged to keep a strong body of -troops here, and father was one of their officers. He commanded the -fort; and Silas, who was in more than one battle with him, says he was -a fighter worth looking at. He had not been out here very long before -he fell in love with and married our mother, Inez Cordova, threw up his -commission, and went to digging gold and raising cattle. Everything -went on smoothly until grandfather and mother died, and then the -trouble began. In one night our family was completely broken up by a -couple of adventurers, who ought certainly to have had some mercy on us -if they had no affection for us, for they were our mother’s brother and -cousin. - -“So far your story corresponds with the one Sanders told me,” said -Julian. - -“Can’t you remember anything about those happy days?” continued -White-horse Fred. “I can, but then I am almost two years older than -you are. I can remember that Juan—the old fellow who came into your -room with us to-night—and his two boys, Romez and Antoine, were great -favorites of mine. Juan was father’s _major domo_—he had charge of -everything in the house. Romez was the hostler, and Antoine was the -chief herdsman. They were life-long servants of our family, and they -and a few others have since proved themselves as true as steel. When I -became old enough to be trusted alone with a horse, I used to ride out -to Antoine’s hut, which was located in the lower end of the valley, and -spend weeks at a time with him, assisting in herding the cattle and -learning to throw the lasso. Father would occasionally ride out there -to see that I was all right, and now and then I would come home to -spend a day with you.” - -“I can remember those visits,” observed Julian. - -“At that time, in spite of the gloom thrown over it by the death of -our mother, which occurred when you were about three years old, our -house was not the desolate place it is now. The officers of the fort -used to visit there regularly to talk over army matters with father, -eat Juan’s excellent dinners, and enjoy the splendid shooting the -mountains afforded. Father did considerable trading with the trappers -and friendly Indians; the house was always full, and there was always -something interesting going on there. Somehow the story got abroad that -father was immensely rich. Well, he was wealthy, but he didn’t have as -much money as most people supposed he did.” - -“How much was he worth, anyhow?” asked Julian. - -“Perhaps a couple of million, and the most of that once belonged to -grandfather.” - -“Why, I heard Pedro tell Sanders that he had fifty millions stowed away -somewhere.” - -“Ah, nonsense! Pedro has about as clear ideas of wealth as he has of -the moon; and that’s something he knows nothing at all about. The story -got wind from this simple circumstance: Father was one day walking up -a little ravine a short distance from the house, prospecting, when he -found a pretty good-sized nugget. The next day he picked up another, -and a week or two afterward he found a third. He told some of the -officers of it, and they spread it around. There were a few miners -here then, and they at once crowded into the ravine and turned up -every inch of it; but not another nugget was brought to light. That, -however, did not serve to convince them that there was not a gold mine -of wonderful richness hidden about there somewhere. They industriously -circulated the report, and finally the story, together with the news of -grandfather’s death and mother’s, reached the ears of a couple of men -in San Francisco, who at once laid their plans to possess themselves -of father’s wealth. They were Reginald and Richard Cordova, mother’s -brother and cousin. - -“They were graceless scamps, those same fellows—professional gamblers, -who had been cast off by grandfather on account of their profligate -habits. As our parents had never mentioned their names, no one out here -knew that there were such men in existence. They came to the mountains, -and, as bad luck would have it, the first man whose acquaintance they -made was Ned Sanders. They pumped him carefully, and found that he -was just the fellow they wanted, for he knew a good deal about our -family, and would do anything for money. They unfolded their plans to -him, which were to murder father and his boys, and claiming to be his -brothers, seize upon his property. Sanders entered heartily into their -scheme, but he proposed a slight change of programme. - -“‘I’ve got better idees nor them,’ said he. ‘The ole major’s got a heap -of money laid up somewhar, but it ain’t a drop in the bucket to what -we’d finger if we could only find that hidden gold mine of his’n. We’ll -make way with the boys, ’cause they won’t be of no use to us; but we -won’t harm the major. In course he won’t want to tell us whar the gold -mine is, and we can’t scare him into it, nuther, ’cause he’s one of -them kind of fellers that don’t scare wuth a cent; but we can force it -out o’ him in another way. We’ll make a pris’ner of him, and shut him -up away from his horses, an’ his hounds, an’ his cattle, an’ keep him -shut up till he is willin’ to tell us what we want to know.’ - -“Just see the heathenish ingenuity Sanders exhibited!” exclaimed -White-horse Fred angrily. “Knowing full well that father could not be -frightened into revealing his secret, he resolved to torture it out -of him; and he decided, too, upon the only method that could by any -possibility prove successful. Being a man of active habits, it would -be but little short of death for him to be shut out from the world and -deprived of occupation. Liberty and something to do were as necessary -to his existence as the food he ate. - -“Sanders also told the plotters that Major Mortimer and his boys were -not the only ones with whom they would have to deal. There were some -firm friends of the family who must be got rid of, or they would -make trouble. First, there was Silas Roper. During a battle with the -Indians, father had saved his life at the risk of his own, and Silas -was so grateful for it that he gave up hunting and trapping and turned -herdsman in order that he might always be near father. It wouldn’t be -a safe piece of business to attempt to harm the major or any of his -family while Silas was about. And there was old Juan and half a dozen -others, who had been employed in the family in grandfather’s life-time. -They could never be induced to lend their aid to so villainous a -scheme, and they must be killed. In order to cope with so many -men—Silas was a small army in himself—it would be necessary to have -more help, and this Sanders agreed to furnish. - -“The plan was thoroughly discussed, and a time set for carrying it -into execution. When the night arrived, Sanders appeared with three -choice spirits, named Smirker, Hale and Lutz. They began operations by -effecting an entrance into the rancho through the cellar. Father was -surprised in his bed, and bound hand and foot; three of the obnoxious -Mexicans were murdered in their sleep; but old Juan, taking the alarm, -fled from the house. He was seen, however, pursued, and overtaken on -the brink of a deep gully, a short distance away. He was stabbed, shot -twice, beaten on the head with the butt of a rifle, and finally thrown -over the cliff; but he is to-night hale and hearty, in spite of his -wounds and his ninety-five years. - -“The next in order was Silas Roper. They surrounded his cabin, broke -open the door, and there their operations in that quarter ceased. The -trapper, who says he always keeps himself in trim for a fight, assumed -the offensive at once, and whipped out his assailants with an ease that -must have astonished them. Lutz, who was the first to enter the cabin, -was shot dead in his tracks; Reginald received a blow over the head -that laid him aside for a week or two; Sanders got another, and so did -Smirker; and Silas escaped without a scratch. - -“The next thing was to go back to the house after you and me. I -remember as well how I felt when I awoke and found the outlaws in my -room as if the incidents I am trying to describe had happened only -yesterday. I remember, too, of seeing you jump out of bed, and draw -a bee-line for the door. You got out, but Sanders ran after you and -brought you back.” - -“That must have been what he referred to when he told me that he and I -once ran a foot-race,” said Julian. - -“I can recall the thoughts that passed through my mind when Sanders and -Smirker, accompanied by Richard, were taking us down to the lake to -throw us in. I remember of falling through the air and sinking in the -water, but beyond that all is blank to me. After I was thrown in, an -idea suddenly occurred to Richard, and he concluded to make a change -in his programme, and save you alive for some future emergency. A time -might arrive when an heir to the hidden gold mine—in the existence of -which he and his cousin firmly believed—would be a convenient thing to -have about. There were a good many ways in which he might be used. So -Richard, after seeing his cousin disposed of in some remote place where -he would not be likely to be discovered, and giving Sanders some very -minute instructions, took you and started off to Missouri. - -“In the meantime, old Juan had recovered his consciousness. When he was -thrown into the gorge he did not fall to the bottom, but lodged on a -leaning tree about four feet below the brink of the cliff. When he came -to himself he crawled down to the lake to bathe his wounds, but stopped -just before he reached the bank, for he saw Richard and the two outlaws -coming down with us. He saw them throw me into the water, and when they -went away with you he jumped in and rescued me. - -“In the morning those of the servants who had not been molested, -and who had slept soundly in spite of all the noise and confusion, -awoke to find the rancho almost deserted. The owner and his family -had disappeared, and some of their own number were lying dead in -their beds. They went at once in search of the commanding officer of -the fort, who came up, but could make nothing of our disappearance. -At the end of a week or two, as nothing was seen or heard of us, he -concluded that we also had been foully dealt with, and thought it high -time that some one was put there to attend to things. He asked the -servants if they knew whether or not father had any relatives near, -and Sanders, who happened to be present, said he had heard him speak -of two brothers, Reginald and Richard Mortimer, who were living in San -Francisco. The officer decided to send a letter to them, and Sanders -agreed to carry it. He made a great show of starting off, but rode only -about five miles through the mountains to a miserable little hut where -Reginald was waiting for him. - -“Two months afterward Uncle Reginald was acknowledged by the officers, -the settlers, and the servants as the lawful master of the rancho, and -father was languishing in the prison into which he had been thrown, -with the assurance that he should never come out of it until he told -where his wealth was concealed. He denied all knowledge of the gold -mine, but said that he had some money stowed away in a safe place, and -that he would die in confinement before he would tell where it was.” - -“Why didn’t Silas and Juan go to the commander of the fort and tell -him what had happened?” asked Julian. - -“I was just coming to that. They met the next morning in our -treasure-house, which you visited to-night, to talk the matter over. -They had both seen enough to satisfy them that father had been carried -away as a prisoner, and they had no difficulty in guessing at the -object his captors had in view. If they told the commander of the fort -he would send his cavalry scouting about among the mountains, and -that would alarm the robbers, and perhaps lead them to murder father. -The first thing to be done was to find out where he was confined, -and it would be time enough to call in the help of the troops when -that had been ascertained. But with all their efforts—and they did -everything men could do—they failed to gain the slightest clew to his -whereabouts. He had disappeared as completely as though he had never -existed at all. They spent years in the search, but until you told them -what you had seen to-night they knew no more about the matter than they -did when father was first captured. - -“About four years ago I thought I was getting old enough and shrewd -enough to take a part in the search myself; but Silas and Juan -would not permit it. They said that as long as I kept out of sight -everybody would believe me dead, but that if I showed my face I would -be recognized at once, and Reginald would send some one after me who -would make sure work of me. But at last I could endure the inactivity -no longer; and once, when Silas was away in the mountains, I came out -of the cave in which I had spent the best part of four years of my -life, and began to look about to find something to do. Most of father’s -servants were gone, and their places were supplied with new ones; -but there were some of the old ones left, and among them were Romez, -Antoine and Ithuriel. The latter had been promoted by Richard Mortimer, -as he called himself, to the position of body-servant; Romez held his -old position as hostler, and Antoine was still a herdsman. I lived with -the latter for two years, assisting him in his duties, and waiting -impatiently for something to turn up. I was careful to keep out of -sight of Reginald and Richard, but mingled freely with the rest of the -people about the rancho, and even with the soldiers and settlers, and -no one knew me. I paid regular nightly visits to old Juan, who lived -in the cave where father’s money was hidden, and once while on my way -there something happened that suggested to me a plan of action. - -“There are two passage-ways that lead to the cellar—one from the house -and the other from the outside of the hill. I always went in through -the latter, and I went very slowly and cautiously too, for fear of -finding some one in there whom I did not care to see. One night I did -find some persons there—Reginald and Richard, who were examining the -walls of the cellar by the aid of a lantern. Old Juan said they used to -spend a good deal of time there looking for the concealed treasure. - -“I was so surprised to see them that I did not think of retreat, and -after I had time to collect my thoughts I did not feel any inclination -to turn back. Although I had often seen the men at a distance, this -was the first time since that memorable night that I had ever been so -near to them, and I wanted to take a good look at them. Silas and Juan -had often told me in the most emphatic language never to attempt to -harm one of them, even if I got the opportunity—and knowing that they -had father’s welfare at heart, and that they were wiser than myself, I -had promised to obey. But I could not resist the temptation to draw my -rifle to my shoulder and cover both their heads with the sight—they -were standing closely together and squarely in line, so that one -bullet would have passed through them both—telling myself the while -how easily I could shoot them, and how richly they deserved it. While -I stood in this position Reginald turned toward me. Finding that I -was discovered, I did not lower my rifle, but kept it at my shoulder, -determined that if he offered to molest me I would resist him to the -best of my ability. But I soon found that I had nothing to fear. He -stood for a moment gazing at me with eyes that seemed almost ready to -start from their sockets, and said in a husky voice: - -“Merciful heavens! Dick, look there!” - -Dick looked, and one look was enough. He pronounced my name with -a shriek, and dropping his lantern, fled from the cellar, closely -followed by his cousin. At first I was greatly astonished at their -behavior, but after thinking the matter over, I began to understand -it. Reginald and Richard are very ignorant men, in spite of their fine -flow of language, and of course they are superstitious. They believe -in signs and omens, and apparitions, and knowing that they had put me -at the bottom of the lake, they could not comprehend how I came to be -standing there alive and unharmed. This, as I have said, suggested to -me a plan of action. I knew all about those secret passage-ways, and I -made use of them to keep those two guilty men in a constant state of -alarm. I gave up herding cattle and spent all my time loitering about -the house, listening to the conversations between Reginald and his -followers, and showing myself whenever I saw an opportunity to frighten -somebody. I tied a piece of thick green cloth over the bull’s-eye of a -dark lantern, and carrying this in my hand I used to wander about the -passage-ways of nights, uttering the most unearthly shrieks and howls. -I paid regular visits to Reginald’s sleeping-room and Dick’s, and took -possession of everything I could carry away, such as money, weapons, -clothing and furniture. Old Juan undertook to watch the cellar. He -showed himself every time Reginald, Richard, or Pedro went in there, -and finally frightened Richard so badly that he left the house and went -to live in a little cabin he built in the mountains. - -“One night I went into a room to see what I could pick up, and whom -should I find there but Ned Sanders and an outlaw friend of his fast -asleep in bed. I took possession of their weapons, carried them into -the passage-way out of their reach, and then placing my lantern in one -corner, and taking my stand in the middle of the room where the light -would fall squarely on my face, began to groan awfully. I was not long -in arousing them, and when their eyes were fairly open they were not -long in leaving the room either. I never found an opportunity to appear -to Sanders after that, for he shunned the rancho as if it had been a -grizzly bear’s den.” - -“I spent a good many months in this way, and at last finding that I -could learn nothing about father, I went to herding cattle again. In -the meantime Uncle Reginald and Sanders had organized a band of robbers -and horse-thieves; and this, as I afterward learned, was the occasion -of a fierce quarrel between the cousins, who came to blows over it. -Richard didn’t want anything to do with such an organization, believing -that it would endanger the success of their plans, but Reginald carried -his point. Richard never forgave his cousin for that, and being -determined to be revenged upon him he has been working for the last two -years to obtain possession of all father’s money, intending as soon as -he gets it to decamp and leave Reginald in the lurch.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -FRED’S STORY, CONCLUDED. - - -“BELIEVING that some of the members of this band of robbers knew where -father was,” continued White-horse Fred, “I watched for an opportunity -to join it, and finally succeeded in my object. I became one of the -runners, or couriers; that is, it was my duty to convey orders and -the stolen property from one point to another. It was a subordinate -position, although I ran just as much risk as Sanders, or any other -member of the band who did the stealing, and I knew that as long as I -held it I could not hope to learn much of the secret business of the -organization; consequently I worked hard for promotion, and, if I am -to believe what I have been told, I did some reckless things. At any -rate, it wasn’t long before the name of White-horse Fred became pretty -well known about here. I have been chased and shot at by soldiers -and settlers more times than I can remember, and I have been in the -fort when the officers were talking about me and laying plans for my -capture.” - -“Why didn’t they recognize you?” asked Julian. - -“I didn’t say that _I_ was well known, did I? I said my _name_ was. The -officers didn’t know who I was—that’s the reason they didn’t recognize -me. There were only five men who knew me by the name I bore—Smirker, -and the four fellows at Hale’s rancho. No one dreamed that White-horse -Fred and the apparition who kept Uncle Reginald’s rancho in such an -uproar were one and the same person, and I had emphatic orders from -Silas and Juan never to reveal myself. Everybody had heard of the queer -doings at Uncle Reginald’s, and it was whispered about among the -robbers that Fred Mortimer and old Juan had risen from their graves to -torment their murderers. I was in hopes that we would soon frighten -Reginald away; but he had come there after father’s money, and he was -determined he would not go until he got it. - -“All this while—my story has now covered the space of more than seven -years—Reginald was keeping father closely confined in some hidden -prison, hoping to break his spirit and force him to tell where his -money was concealed. But father remained firm, and Reginald became -tired of waiting at last, and so did Sanders. The latter finally -thought up another plan by which to obtain possession of the treasure, -and when he had matured it he went to Reginald to talk it over. - -“Old Juan, who was always on the watch, saw him go into the rancho, and -believing that he had some private business to transact that it might -be well for him to overhear, he went into the passage-way, opened the -secret door that led into Reginald’s sleeping-room, and set himself to -listen. We afterward learned that there was another listener to that -conversation, and it was Richard. He and Reginald were now at open -enmity. He never made his appearance at the rancho in the day-time, but -loitered about there of nights, searching everywhere for the money, -and taking notes of all that was going on—and I ought to say right -here that Richard and Sanders, who had hitherto been fast friends, had -a falling out. Richard, for some reasons of his own, did not want his -cousin to know that you were alive. Sanders and Smirker were the only -ones beside himself who were acquainted with the secret, and as soon as -they found out that he wanted it kept from Reginald’s knowledge they -demanded yellow boys as the price of their silence. Richard supplied -their wants as long as he could, but at last his funds were exhausted -and he could obtain no more. Sanders had been expecting this, and -having pumped Richard’s pockets dry, he deserted him and went over to -Reginald. - -“‘Capen,’ said Sanders, when he and Reginald had locked themselves in -the bed-room in which their private interviews were always held, ‘I’m -gettin’ monstrous tired of waitin’ fur a sight o’ them big nuggets. The -old major’s never goin’ to give in—he’ll die fust.’ - -“‘I am afraid so,’ replied Reginald; ‘but what can I do more than I -have done? It is a very easy thing to deprive a man of his liberty, -but it’s quite a different matter to make him open his mouth when he’s -determined he won’t. If we had only been smart enough to keep the boys -alive, we could have worked on his feelings through them. But he knows -they are dead, and that’s what makes him so desperate.’ - -“‘I know nary one of ’em hain’t dead,’ replied Sanders. ‘I mean, you -see——’ - -“‘Yes, I know what you mean. You mean that they are both dead, -but that one of them has come back and walks around nights,’ said -Reginald, looking all about the room as if he expected to see something -frightful. ‘But you haven’t seen the other—Julian—have you.’ - -“‘No; but I know he’s alive. Oh, it’s a fact,’ added Sanders, seeing -by the expression on Reginald’s face that he was hardly prepared to -believe this. ‘He wasn’t never hurt at all. Fred was flung into the -lake and drownded—an’ I don’t see why in creation he don’t stay -thar—but Julian wasn’t.’ - -“And with this preface, Sanders went on to tell what Richard had done -with you, and why he had saved you alive. He said that from some -remarks Richard had accidentally let fall he had learned pretty nearly -where you could be found, and added that for a suitable consideration -he would produce you. - -“‘An’ when we get him out here, capen, we’ll have two strings to our -bow,’ continued Sanders. ‘I don’t go in very strong fur attemptin’ to -work on the feelin’s of the major—leastways not till we have tried -something else—’cause he’s awfully hard-headed, an’ when he onct makes -up his mind to a thing he’s as sot as one of the Rocky Mountains. -Thar’s one other man in the world who knows whar the nuggets is hid, -an’ if we can get hold of him, I b’lieve we can make _him_ open his -mouth. It’s Silas Roper. You see, him an’ old Juan used to do purty -much as they pleased here in the major’s time, an’ they knowed all -about his private business matters. Juan would be the best one to work -on, ’cause he hain’t got Silas’s grit, but he hain’t come back here in -sich shape that we can manage him.’ - -“‘But we don’t know where Silas is,’ said Reginald. - -“‘Never mind. He’s about here somewhar, an I’ll bet a hoss onto it. An’ -I’ll bet on another thing, too: As soon as Silas finds out that we’ve -got Julian here he’ll come out of his hidin’-place, an’ we can captur’ -him. Understand my plan, don’t you?’ - -“Reginald did understand it, and gave it his hearty approval. He spent -an hour talking the matter over with Sanders, giving him some very -minute instructions, so that there could be no possible chance for -failure, and brought the interview to an end by telling him a long list -of lies to be repeated to you, and furnishing him money to bear his -expenses to the States.” - -“I have often wondered what object Sanders could have had in -misrepresenting things as he did,” remarked Julian. - -“I can tell you. Reginald thought it very probable that you had been -left in some thickly settled part of the country, and he was afraid -that Sanders, if left to himself, might attempt to carry you away -by force. By doing that he might have aroused the settlers and the -officers of the law in the neighborhood, and thus defeated his plans. -If he had once succeeded in getting you out on the prairie away from -everybody, he would have thrown off his mask and appeared in his true -character very quickly. - -“Sanders started for the States that very night, and so did Richard. -The latter was determined that if he could not possess father’s money -nobody should, and he hoped to reach your hiding-place in advance -of Sanders, and dispose of you so effectually that you never could -be found. Old Juan told Silas about it when he came in from the -mountains, and he also started for the States, intending to wait -for you at St. Joe, and to take charge of you if Sanders brought you -there. He succeeded in getting hold of you at last, and brought you to -the mountains. Richard, finding himself outwitted, joined your train -in disguise, hoping to find an opportunity to shoot you during the -journey, while Sanders came on ahead and raised a band of Indians to -attack the train. He had been promised $5,000 if he would deliver you -into Reginald’s hands, and that money he was determined to have. Our -affairs have been pretty well mixed up for the last eight years, but -this night will see them straightened out again.” - -“I certainly hope so. But, Fred, why didn’t Silas, when he found me, -tell me that he was a friend, and that he would assist me?” - -“He did tell you that. If he had told you more, would you have believed -him? Hadn’t Sanders deceived you and made you suspicious of everybody? -When you and Silas were sitting on the steps of the hotel in St. Joe, -and he told you that he knew who you were, didn’t you jump up and run -away from him? The old fellow isn’t much given to talking anyhow. He -believes in actions rather than words. You know that he was captured by -Sanders and some of his band on the night the train was attacked, and -that he escaped from them the next morning.” - -“What would Reginald have done to him if he had been brought to the -rancho?” - -“He would have tried to force him to tell where father’s money was -hidden, and if he had refused, as he certainly would have done, that -would have been the last of Silas. Then Reginald would have used you to -frighten father, telling him that he had you in his power, and that if -he didn’t tell where that money was he would do something dreadful to -you.” - -“What was Reginald’s object in treating me so kindly? Why didn’t he -keep me a close prisoner?” - -“Why, he wanted to make Silas Roper show himself, so that he could be -captured. That could never be done by shutting you up. The best way -was to give you full swing, and allow you to roam about as much as -you pleased, for then Silas would be sure to see you, and you would -sooner or later get into the habit of meeting him regularly; and when -that state of affairs had been brought about, it would be but little -trouble for Sanders and some of his band to surprise and capture Silas. -In order to make you contented and willing to stay with him, Reginald -provided you with every comfort, and told you that story about your -being the sole heir to the property. He thought that would serve as -well as bolts and bars to keep you about the rancho, for no boy in full -possession of his senses would be likely to run away while he believed -that he had a million or two in prospect. - -“I was out riding my route on the night you arrived, but old Juan -was on the watch as usual, and he knew when you were brought into -the rancho. He frightened Richard, and made him abandon the idea of -carrying you off to the mountains; and when you fell down in a swoon, -he and Romez took you back to your room and put you to bed. It was -Juan who wrote the note you received, and opened your windows the next -morning before you awoke.” - -“I shall never forget how surprised I was to find that some one had -been in there,” observed Julian. - -“When I visited Juan the next morning I found Silas with him. They told -me what had happened the night before, adding that you had just gone -out riding on Snowdrop. I was very much disappointed, for I had hoped -to meet you as soon as you arrived. You see, to explain how you came -by that mare, I make my home with Antoine, the herdsman. When I return -from Hale’s I generally go there and leave my horse, and then set off -to visit old Juan. Yesterday morning when I went home I found Snowdrop -missing, and Antoine told me that Reginald had taken her. He gave her -to you, and that one move on his part did us more good than eight -years’ hard work has done. - -“I had an encouraging piece of news for Silas. Smirker had told me -that he knew where father was confined, and the trapper and I, after -talking the matter over, decided to arrest him, and force the secret -from him. On the same day he told me this he communicated to me another -piece of news, and that was that he had two holes to his burrow, and a -way of escape to be made use of in case of an attack from the soldiers -or settlers; and thinking that if we concluded to make a raid on him -when Silas came home, it might be well enough to know where that other -hole to his burrow was, I spent one whole day in looking for it. I -discovered it at last, and when I came down through it and burst into -his cabin, Smirker was so angry that he had half a mind to shoot me.” - -“He told me about that,” said Julian. “But did he never suspect your -identity?” - -“Never until this morning; and then he did not suspect me at first, -but you. He was one of those who threw me into the lake, and when -he learned that I wouldn’t stay there, and that I had come back to -Reginald’s rancho, and was cutting up dreadful shines, he became badly -frightened. He often talked to me about it, and acknowledged that he -was afraid that the “haunt,” as he called it, might take it into his -head to visit his cabin. When he saw us together this morning, and -found out that one of us was a Mortimer, he knew the other must be -also, for he says we look exactly alike, and so does Silas. Hale and -his crowd must also see a very strong resemblance, or else you never -could have passed yourself off for me in that rancho, where they are -constantly on the lookout for treachery. Smirker believed that you -were White-horse Fred, and also that you were Fred Mortimer, and the -discovery he thought he had made alarmed him greatly. He breathed much -more freely after you had gone out, and so did I. - -“For myself I should have felt no fears, had it not been for one thing. -I had with me a bag containing nuggets, dust and money, which I was to -deliver to Smirker; if he searched me and found that bag in my pocket, -he would know that I had deceived him—that I was the real White-horse -Fred—and my life wouldn’t be worth a moment’s purchase. I tried to -dispose of the bag, but he detected me in the act, and the result was -just what I expected. He called me a traitor, told me that my time had -come, and was on the very point of making his words good when Silas -appeared. He came down the secret passage-way that leads from the top -of the cliff, and arrived just in time. - -“We tied Smirker, put him on a horse, and started to carry him to our -cave. As it was rather early—we make it a point never to go in and -out of the cellar during the day-time—we dismounted to wait until it -should grow dark. While we were sitting in our place of concealment, -Richard came down the ravine, and I knew that he was about to make -another attempt to capture you. I hurried down the mountain, reached -the cellar before him, held a short consultation with Juan, called -Romez out of the stable to assist us, and by the time Richard arrived -we had a nice little surprise in store for him. I poured a bucket of -water over my head—that was to make me look as if I had just come out -of the lake, you know—and Juan, who had on the same clothes he wore on -the night he was thrown over the cliff, made himself hideous by putting -a little red paint on his forehead. Romez perched himself upon the top -of the cellar wall with my dark-lantern in his hand, which, by the aid -of green cloth and a wide band of birch bark around the bull’s-eye, was -so arranged that it would reflect only a narrow streak of green light; -and when Richard came in Juan and I were walking across the cellar with -the light shining full in our faces. He had come prepared for just such -an emergency as this, and drawing his Derringers from his pocket, he -fired them both at Juan; but finding that the old fellow didn’t fall as -he expected he would, he threw down his weapons and took to his heels. -I’ve got them now,” added White-horse Fred, drawing the Derringers from -his boots. “I may have a chance to try them on Joe Hale to-night, and -if I do he’ll _drop_. There are bullets in them this time.” - -“Were there no bullets in them before?” - -“Not when they were fired at Juan. You see, Richard is too much of a -gentleman to do anything for himself that he can make another do for -him. He thinks Ithuriel, his servant, can be trusted to any extent, -but, as it happens, he is one of the best friends we have, and it -is through him that we have learned so much about Richard and his -doings. Richard told him to load his Derringers very carefully, adding -that he wanted them to shoot something that had appeared to him the -night before. Ithuriel, knowing very well what that something was, -charged the pistols heavily with powder, but put in no bullets. He -came straight down to Juan, and told him what he had done, and so when -Richard pointed his pistols at us, we were not afraid of them. I guess -now I have told—— Halloo! There he is. Come on, Julian.” - -Fred, bringing his story to a sudden close, put spurs to his horse, and -dashed away at the top of his speed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -THE ATTACK ON THE RANCHO. - - -JULIAN was not long in discovering the cause of his brother’s -excitement. It was a white horse which was moving along the mountain -path a short distance in advance. He ran heavily as if almost ready to -drop with fatigue, and carried on his back a man dressed in Mexican -costume. The horse was Bob, and his rider was Pedro. - -A race ensued at once. Bob was as fleet as the wind, but he was wearied -with his night’s travel, and the pursuers, mounted on their fresh -horses and led by Silas Roper, who coiled up his lasso as he went, -gained rapidly. The white horse disappeared in a thickly wooded ravine; -but Silas and his party soon came up with him standing motionless in -the path, and Pedro was seen darting into the bushes which lined the -base of the cliff. An order to halt, followed by the whistle of a lasso -and the ominous click of three revolver locks, brought him to the -path again, where he stood holding his hands above his head in token -of surrender. Silas and Romez dismounted, bound the prisoner hand and -foot, and after concealing him behind a log that lay at the base of the -cliff, the party resumed its journey as if nothing had happened, Fred -leading the white horse. As this incident had been confidently looked -for, it brought no comments from any one except White-horse Fred, who -said, as he resumed his place by his brother’s side: - -“If Pedro had had half the sense I have given him credit for, he would -have known that an iron nag couldn’t stand sixty miles in a full gallop -over such roads as these. I hope Bob will recover a little of his wind -before we reach Hale’s, for I want to use him then. When we caught -sight of Pedro,” he added, “I was about to remark that I had finished -what I had to say, and would listen to you. Now, tell me all about -yourself. I know you have seen some exciting times.” - -Julian’s story was quite as interesting to Fred as the latter’s story -had been to Julian. It took him fully half an hour to complete it, -and by that time they were in the vicinity of Hale’s rancho. When -they reached the chasm which had been such a terror to Julian, they -dismounted, and after a short consultation had been held, and Fred had -exchanged his red shirt and coarse trowsers for his brother’s natty -Mexican suit, he placed himself at the head of the party, and conducted -them on foot to Major Mortimer’s prison. As noiselessly as spirits they -approached the building and drew up around the door. Not a whisper was -uttered, for their plans had been thoroughly discussed, and each one -knew just what he was expected to do. - -Having seen his companions stationed to his satisfaction, Fred crept -back along the path again, and disappeared in the darkness. He was -gone nearly half an hour, and then the sound of horse’s hoofs on the -hard path told his impatient friends that he was returning. Louder -and louder grew the clatter of the hoofs, and presently Julian knew -that it had been heard by the robbers, for there was a movement in the -cabin, and a small window beside the door, close under the eaves, was -slowly and cautiously opened. In a few seconds the horse and his rider -appeared dodging about among the thick bushes that grew on each side of -the path, and drew up before the door. Fred’s whistle met with a prompt -response. - -“Ay! ay!” exclaimed the man at the window. “What’s the matter now? -Anything wrong?” - -“I should say there was,” replied Fred in a voice that trembled with -excitement. “The soldiers have sprung a trap and caught every soul of -us in it except the captain and me. There isn’t a gentleman of the road -left down our way—not one.” - -The robber expressed his surprise at this piece of news by a volley of -oaths and exclamations that made Julian wonder. - -He opened the slide of a dark lantern, and allowing its rays to shine -out of the window upon the young horseman, said: - -“How can that be possible? Things were all right this morning—the -captain said so.” - -“Well, if you could see him now he would tell you that things are all -wrong,” replied Fred. - -“Where is he?” - -“He is hiding at Smirker’s. He sent me down here with a note,” replied -White-horse Fred, showing the letter that Julian had received from his -father. “It’s an order, and an important one, too, I guess, for he told -me to give it into the hands of no one but Joe Hale.” - -“Now I’ll be blessed if there isn’t something mighty queer about all -this,” said the robber after a little reflection. “You had better come -in and give an account of yourself.” - -“I am perfectly willing to do that. Open the door, and be quick about -it too, for I am in a hurry to get through here. I tell you I am not -going to stay in this country after what I have seen. I am off for -’Frisco this very night.” - -The robber was in no hurry to open the door. He thrust his lantern out -of the window and took a good look at White-horse Fred and the animal -on which he was mounted; but he could see nothing wrong about them. - -The horse, which was covered with foam, stood with his head down and -his sides heaving plainly, very nearly exhausted. A single glance at -him and at his rider’s pale face was enough to satisfy the robber that -there was more truth in the boy’s story than he had at first believed. - -“I guess you _have_ seen some strange things, Fred,” said he. “You’re -as white as a sheet.” - -The boy had nothing to say in reply, but told himself that any one -would have shown some nervousness in his circumstances. His father’s -life depended upon the movements of that man who was leaning out of the -window talking to him. If he opened the door all might be well; but if -he carried on all the conversation through the window, and kept the -door closed, their expedition would end in failure, and Major Mortimer -would be a doomed man. It was no wonder that Fred’s face was pale. - -The appearance of the horse and his rider went a long way toward -allaying the robber’s suspicions; but ever on the lookout for -treachery, he thought it best to examine the ground in front of the -rancho before opening the door. He thrust his head and shoulders out of -the window and held his lantern down beside the wall. There was some -one there, but the robber was not allowed time to see who it was. - -Silas Roper was crouching close beside the door, directly under the -window, and he knew by the sudden gleam of surprise and intelligence -which shot across the man’s face that he had been discovered. Fred knew -it too, and gave up all hope; but not so Silas. He was fully equal to -the emergency. Crouching lower, for an instant, like a tiger gathering -himself for a spring, he bounded into the air with the quickness of -thought, and seizing the robber, pulled him bodily from the window to -the ground, stifling his cry for help by a strong grasp on his throat. - -“Never mind us,” whispered the trapper, as his companions sprung -forward to assist in securing the prisoner. “I’ll take care of this -fellow, an’ do you open that door while you’ve got the chance.” - -Julian saw the necessity of prompt action, and so did Romez. -White-horse Fred had told his companions that there was but one man on -guard at a time at Hale’s rancho, and now that he had been secured, the -next thing was to make good their entry into the building before the -other robbers were aroused. - -Romez took his stand under the window, and Julian, mounting upon his -shoulders, dropped down on the inside of the stable. The locks and -bolts with which the door was secured were quickly but noiselessly -undone, and Silas and his two companions rushed in and followed Julian, -who, with his revolver in one hand and the lantern in the other, led -the way to the living-room. - -Hale and his companion were found fast asleep on the benches, and were -pounced upon and secured by Silas and Romez before they had time to -think of their weapons, which were lying close at hand. - -White-horse Fred, having seized an ax as he passed through the stable, -kept close behind his brother, who led him straight to his father’s -prison. - -“This is the door!” cried Julian, scarcely able to speak, so great was -his excitement and delight—“down with it! Come here, Mexican!” he -added, leveling his revolver at the cook, who, having been aroused by -the noise, at that moment came out of the kitchen; “you’re a prisoner.” - -If the man was too sleepy to comprehend the fact just then, he became -fully sensible of it a few seconds later, for Silas and Romez came -bounding through the hall and seized and tied him in the twinkling of -an eye. - -Fred, meanwhile, was showering furious blows upon the door, and when -he had loosened the hinges, Silas placed his broad back against it and -with one push sent it flying into the middle of the room. Fred and -Julian rushed into the apartment side by side, expecting to find their -father waiting with open arms to receive them, but stopped suddenly and -recoiled with horror before the sight that met their gaze. - -The major was sitting limp and motionless in his chair, his chin -resting on his breast, and his hands—which had been relieved of the -irons, probably to allow him to retire to rest—hanging by his side. -His face was paler now than when Julian saw it a few hours before, and -at the sight of it he cried out in dismay that they had come too late. - -“No, we hain’t nuther!” exclaimed Silas, raising the insensible form -of his beloved commander tenderly in his arms. “Thar ain’t nothing the -matter with him—all he wants is air.” - -Silas carried the major into the living-room and laid him upon a pile -of blankets which Fred and Julian had spread upon the floor. There -he left him to the care of the boys while he and Romez proceeded to -complete the work that had been so well begun. Their first care was -to ransack the building and satisfy themselves that no one else was -confined there, and their second to dispose of their prisoners so that -they could be found again when wanted. They could not take the robbers -with them when they returned to the valley, for they had other work -to do, and must ride rapidly. It would not be safe to leave them in -the rancho, for they might be discovered and released by some of their -friends. They must be gagged to insure their silence, and hidden away -in the woods where no one would ever think of looking for them. - -When they returned to the living-room after performing their work, they -found the major standing erect and holding his boys clasped in his -arms. Rough men that they were, they were touched by the sight. They -remained respectfully apart, watching the happy group and listening -to their conversation, now and then glancing at one another, and -drawing their hands hastily across their eyes; but when they went up to -greet the major they were the every-day Silas and Romez, as calm and -indifferent, apparently, as they had been a few moments before while -dealing with the horse-thieves. - -Romez took off his sombrero, and said, “How do!” in his imperfect -English, while Silas gave the major a military salute, and informed him -that he was powerful glad to feel his grip once more. The emotion was -all exhibited by the rescued man, who clung to the faithful fellows who -had labored so long and perseveringly for his release as if he never -wanted to let them go again. - -The major’s unexpected restoration to his family and to liberty had a -wonderful effect upon him. His buoyancy of spirits, his strength and -energy, returned at once; and during the ride homeward, he led the way -at such a rate of speed that continued conversation was quite out -of the question. He rode the bay horse which Julian had brought from -Smirker’s cabin, and which the boy regarded as his own special charge. -He knew where the animal came from, and he hoped at no distant day to -be able to restore him to his rightful owner. - -After crossing the valley the party made a wide circuit through the -mountains on the opposite side, arriving just at daylight in front of a -small cabin. The door was forced without ceremony, and one of the two -men who were surprised in their beds was secured before he was fairly -awake. The new prisoner was Richard Cordova, and his companion, who -armed himself and joined the major’s party, was Ithuriel, his servant. -In a little less than five hours Silas and his three companions had -ridden more than fifty miles over rough mountain roads, captured eight -desperate fellows, and that, too, without having once been called upon -to use any weapon more formidable than the ax, with which White-horse -Fred had cut down the door of his father’s prison. When Julian thought -of it, he told himself that the trapper was indeed a man of action. - -The major and his party rode at once to the fort, and his appearance -there among the officers, with several of whom he had once been -intimately acquainted, produced a great commotion. The commander -listened in amazement to his story, and acting upon the information -which Silas was able to give him, at once dispatched his cavalry to the -mountains in pursuit of the robbers who were yet at large. The history -of the wrongs of the major and his family spread like wild-fire, and -everybody who heard it was astonished and enraged. The trappers about -the fort, and the sutlers and miners flew to arms to assist in hunting -down the outlaws, and during the week following Julian and his brother -found ample opportunity to gratify their love of excitement. The -avengers did their work quickly and well, and the summary manner in -which the captured desperadoes were disposed of served as a warning to -other lawless spirits in that section for all time to come. - -At the end of a fortnight the fighting was all over, the excitement -had somewhat abated, the settlers and miners had resumed their various -avocations, and the major and his boys were once more in peaceable -possession of their home, which soon began to wear its old familiar -look again. The high stone wall which surrounded the rancho was leveled -to the ground, and flowers planted where it stood. The officers of the -fort visited there regularly as of old, and the rooms which had so long -been silent and deserted echoed to the sound of laughter and music. - -Everybody looked upon Fred and his brother as heroes. The almost -inexhaustible fund of stories the former had collected during his -connection with the robber band, as well as the adventures he met with -while in the performance of his perilous duties, were listened to -with interest by all the visitors at the rancho, and none were more -delighted with them than the officers who tried so hard to capture him. -He and his brother for a few weeks led a life of quiet ease, for the -keen and rational enjoyment of which they had been fully prepared by -their recent perils and excitements. The time never hung heavily on -their hands. They had much to talk about, and when weary of fighting -their battles over again, there were their horses, hounds, guns and -fishing-rods always at their command. We might relate many interesting -incidents that happened in that valley before the boys bade good-by to -their father and their mountain home to become students in an Eastern -academy, but “A Brave Boy’s Struggles for Home and Fortune” are ended, -and our story must end with them. - -The few who had remained faithful to their employer during his exile -were not forgotten. The major and his boys showed them every kindness -and attention in their power, and among all those who had claims upon -their gratitude and esteem none commanded a larger share than Silas -Roper, the guide. - - - - - AN IDEA AND A FORTUNE. - - BY OWEN HACKET. - - -WITH their backs toward Placer Notch two young men of about twenty-one, -burdened with prospectors’ kits, came silently down the trail. The -well-worn way ran beside the murky stream that for the twenty-five -years had run through the sluices of the Placer Notch Mining Company’s -claim, which, singularly, included in their four acres the only paying -claims that had ever been staked in McGowan’s Pass. - -As the young prospectors neared Sol Brunt’s supply depot at the foot of -the pass, the latter broke the silence and said moodily: - -“I wish I had known three months ago as much as I know now.” - -“Three months ago, Tom, we both knew what we had to expect; that was -all talked over.” - -“Well, it’s one thing to see hardship and failure at a distance, but -it’s another thing to go through them. I didn’t know then, as I do now, -what real hardship was. I thought I did. Handy man on a farm seemed -about as near slavery as we could find in a free country.” - -“Our experience is not unusual, Tom. We may succeed yet—we may not. I -am going to stick it out another month and so are you——” - -“I’m not so sure of that,” interrupted Tom. - -“Yes you will, if I know you, Tom, and I guess I do. You like to have -your little growl now and then, and I’m glad you do; it makes me argue -on the bright side, and to see the pleasant features and the hopeful -prospects.” - -“It’s a pity hopes don’t sell in the market, Phil; you’d be pretty well -off if they did.” - -“Come, now! none of your sarcasm, old man. I tell you we are going to -stick this for a month yet. We have no money, it is true; but we can -work our way, and we are free and are seeing the world. That beats -eighteen hours a day on farm work.” - -The trail here ran close to the edge of the stream and about a foot -above it. Phil Gormley the hopeful, happened to step on a loose stone; -it gave way and down went his right leg into the water. - -“I like that!” he exclaimed in vexation, as he pulled his foot out -with much difficulty. He regarded his shoe with surprise on seeing it -covered to the top with soft mud. He sat down on a log and squeezed the -water out of his trousers leg, gazing all the while at the muddy shoe -in a reverie that attracted Tom Danvers’ attention. - -“What’s up?” he asked. - -“I was trying to account for such deep mud in the bed of a mountain -stream. I am certain this mud is the year’s deposit of the dirt that -is separated from the gold in the sluices above at Placer Notch.” - -“Well, what of it?” - -“It simply flashes across me that this silt must be very rich in the -waste gold that is washed out with the dirt from the sluices.” - -“Are you thinking of staking out a mud claim?” - -“Not quite as bad as that. A man might scoop mud out and wash it till -doomsday without getting enough to keep his pipe alight from year to -year. But just fancy how many millions must have passed down this -stream! You heard what the miner said up in the Notch—twenty per cent -of the gold product was washed away from the sluices. If they have -panned out fifty million dollars there, that would make ten million -swept away into the big river below, with more constantly going the -same way.” - -“That’s all very well in theory, but what does it amount to any way? We -can’t get hold of any of these millions.” - -“No, of course not. But this I do believe: if any one could afford to -turn this stream into a reservoir and wait ten years he would have -enough gold silt to tackle in a wholesale sort of way that would pay. -It would be only a question of devising a cheap system of washing the -silt from the gold more thoroughly than they do at the mines. I’d take -the contract to invent the process, too. But come! We won’t waste any -more time over it. No one is going to wait ten years to get his good -money back.” - -They took up their journey again, and had not walked five minutes when -a turn in the trail and the stream brought them in sight of the tidy -establishment of Sol Brunt. Sol was one of those who came into the -hills with the rush when gold was discovered, but had seen fit to find -his fortune in trade while others tramped the hills for paying claims. -Those who thus went into business invariably had a sure fortune before -them. Sol’s place had grown up from a shanty store to a tidy house -that in time had received additions, making it a very considerable -establishment. The trail had been much used in the past, but besides -what he made out of the casual traffic over it, he supplied all the -Placer Notch wants by contract, and turned a pretty penny out of it, -too. - -No man had ever come into sight of Sol Brunt’s while the sun was up and -failed to find the Star Spangled Banner flying at the staff head. - -Sol’s tidy wife came out to meet the boys, closely followed by the -trader himself. - -Phil was spokesman. - -“Mr. Brunt this is my partner, Tom Danvers; my name is Phil Gormley. -We’ve been in the hills three months and haven’t found a grain, but we -don’t give up just yet. We have no money between us, but we have been -hoping you could give us enough work this week to pay for board and -lodging and some stores to give us a lift to the next range.” - -“Well, boys, I’m right glad to see you,” said Sol, and Mrs. Brunt -looked at them with pitying eyes. “As to the lodging and the things, -I’ll just take verbal acknowledgement of the debt when you leave. Young -fellows who talk as you do usually get along and pay their debts too. -As to the work, I want a little help on my hay this week, and I don’t -mind reducing your little bill in that way.” - -“Just the thing for us,” exclaimed Tom Danvers. “You’ll find we’re -experts in that line.” - -“So much the better then, my boy,” responded their genial host. - -The shadows were falling in the valley as the sun sank behind the -mountain tops, and Mrs. Brunt went inside. Her reappearance was -heralded by savory odors from the kitchen, and after a refreshing -splash in cool water from a mountain rill the boys sat down with their -hosts to a bountiful supper. Then chairs were brought to the doorway, -where in the gloom they watched the rising and falling light of Sol’s -pipe while he spun countless yarns of mining life which were, in truth, -largely interspersed with mining death, mostly tragic in character. - -Before bidding the boys good night, Sol delicately offered to give them -some advice, which the boys eagerly accepted. - -“I like pluck,” said Sol, “and I don’t want to discourage it; but I do -hate to see it turned into an empty sluice. You’ve prospected all over -the pass here and found nothing. Thousands have done the same before -you. What is true of Placer Notch is pretty generally true of all the -hills. In the early days the country swarmed with men, and almost every -acre was gone over many times. What wasn’t found is not worth looking -for. I don’t say the richest pay dirt ever discovered may not yet be -turned up, but to waste your best years on a gamble is not the thing -for boys with grit in them. Go into some business; it will pay you -better if you have to start on three dollars a week; with a head and a -backbone you may get to be of some account in a line where every minute -sees something to be accomplished.” - -As the boys were preparing for bed, Tom remarked: - -“It looks like prospectors without a prospect.” - -“What Mr. Brunt said as to our chances is probably true, judging from -our experience so far; but I wish to prove it to my own satisfaction -before I accept it,” replied Phil. “Whatever my judgment may tell me, -I can’t help feeling that there is rich pay earth _somewhere_ in the -hills.” - -“Well, I think you’d better stop right here and tackle the mud yonder.” - -“Perhaps I will when the month is up,” replied Phil good-naturedly. -“Good night!” - - * * * * * - -“Good morning, Mrs. Brunt! We’ve had a splendid sleep and are ready to -pitch in with the pitchfork,” exclaimed Phil the next morning when the -boys came downstairs bright and early. - -“I’m glad to hear it,” responded Mrs. Brunt heartily. “You’ve been -sleeping on the best mattress within fifty miles, and that accounts for -it. Perhaps you’d like to look around a little before breakfast. You’ll -find Mr. Brunt milking the cow down by the pond. Just follow the trail -and you’ll find him.” - -The boys gladly acted on the suggestion, and sauntered over a rustic -bridge that spanned the stream. The trail led them into a thick grove -of firs filled with the murmurs of the babbling waters, which here -flowed over a sharp descent. A sudden turn in the path brought them to -the edge of the grove where a splendid prospect burst upon their view. - -One feature of it made Phil Gormley stop and clutch Tom by the arm! - -The mountain pass widened suddenly at this point in the form of a -semicircle on each side, while a quarter of a mile away the flanking -mountains swept so close together again that there was only a very -narrow outlet between two opposing spurs. A great basin was thus -formed of over a quarter of a mile across—how deep, they could not -tell, because a great sheet of still water filled the hollow. Beyond, -from spur to spur, ran a chain of spile heads, which showed that -man, not nature, had made this lake. Over the dam the water lazily -trickled, forming the continuation of the stream they had followed from -Placer Notch. It was not necessary for Tom to ask the cause of Phil’s -agitation. Their conversation of the day before had flashed across him -as the artificial lake burst into view. Just below them was Sol, seated -on a rock and milking his single cow, in a strip of meadow that fringed -the sheet of water. - -Phil’s face was flushed and his eyes were very bright, but he made a -visible effort to calm himself as he approached. - -The boys and their host passed cordial morning greetings, and then Phil -said carelessly: - -“Such a fine sheet of water is something of a surprise in such a spot. -Did you build the dam, Mr. Brunt?” - -“Not I,” replied the storekeeper. “There’s a story to that. They say a -mining inspector named John Martin, who took in Placer Notch on his -circuit twenty-five years ago, saw this hollow when he first passed by -and got the idea into his head that if he could trap the muddy water -that ran off from the sluices and thus collect the tailings, in the -course of time the mass of mud in the bottom would pan out rich from -the gold that was constantly going to waste. He located this place in -the land office, and had the dam built. Before he could take title -he disappeared while on his rounds, and was never again heard of. I -finally got the title myself, for it struck me that perhaps some day if -the country around here grew up and there was any use for it, I could -use the pond for water power: or I could drain it off and plant on the -bottom, which ought to be the richest kind of soil. There’s thirty feet -of mud on that bottom, I calculate.” - -“He must have had a tremendous job to build a dam that would make a -pond over thirty feet deep,” commented Tom. - -“No; it wasn’t such a big job. Luck was with him and started the work. -Just before Martin began, a landslide filled up the narrow space -between the two mountains where they come together. You can see this -from the other side of the dam. There wasn’t much left to be done; he -drove some logs and did some filling in; the stream gradually filled up -the hollow, and when the water rose as high as the dam it began to run -off down the pass just as it used to, leaving a deposit on the bottom -of the basin that has been rising ever since.” - -“But, Mr. Brunt,” asked Phil indifferently, “haven’t you ever thought -of following up the inspector’s idea of separating the gold that is in -the bottom?” - -“I can’t say I have—not seriously. There must be a great deal of the -dust there, but the proportion is so small that I guess it wouldn’t be -worth while to waste any money on such a scheme.” - -Hearing this, Tom cast a sly glance at Phil as if to say, “What did _I_ -tell you?” but he saw that Phil was driving at something and he had -sense enough to say nothing. - -The milking was done, and they all went back to breakfast, where they -were met by Mrs. Brunt, whose round face was all aglow from the labors -of cooking. Then they went down to the strip of meadow again and made -an onslaught on the hay-field, in which Tom, who tackled that part not -yet mowed, cut such a swath as made old Sol stare. They finished early -in the day, and as they turned back to the store the owner surveyed the -stack he and Phil had built with the greatest satisfaction imaginable, -remarking that the two had accomplished in less than a day what would -have taken him the best part of a week. - -Phil had indeed worked hard during the day; he had thought hard also. -Ideas had been chasing through his head in numbers. How rich in gold -was the deposit? How could he test it? How could it be separated in -bulk at a cost low enough to pay? Ah, that was the vital question of -the whole matter! And yet if that were solved other questions would -follow. How to promote or float the scheme? Whom to apply to? How to -proportion the profits? Yes, Phil had been thinking very hard, indeed, -and thinking to such purpose as to be fully prepared to talk to the -point. The subject of the pay bottom was not referred to again during -the day; but when they had taken their places in the doorway, as on -the previous evening, while the merry rattle of the plates and the -“clink” of the knives and forks and spoons betokened dish washing in -the kitchen, Phil began to speak his little piece. - -“I want to talk to you seriously, Mr. Brunt, about a matter that I have -had in mind since yesterday. As we came down from the Notch I noticed -the muddy bed of the stream, and remarked to Tom here, that I believed -if that sediment could be coraled there would be money in it. I found -this morning that another great mind—and Phil laughed at his own -conceit—had run in the same channel, and had built twenty-five years -ago what I had proposed yesterday as a good thing. - -“Now, Mr. Brunt, if I can show you that your idle pond is exceedingly -valuable in gold, I want to know if you will share equally with me any -profits that I may show you the way to get out of it?” - -Sol chuckled good-naturedly, but incredulously, and said: - -“Aye, aye, my boy! You can have half the profits and more too.” - -“It is agreed seriously?” persisted Phil. - -“All right, my boy—only understand I put up no money.” - -“That leads me right to the next point. Providing, as before, I could -prove value here, a third man or syndicate, or something meaning -capital, would have to be brought in. Speaking in a general way, will -you agree to give the use of this bottom and your adjoining land -on a basis of, say, one-third of the profits to each of the three -concerned—you, for your mine; myself, for the process I _know_ I can -invent, and the third man for his money to float the enterprise.” - -Phil was conscious all the while that he was furnishing Mr. Brunt with -more amusement than matter for earnest thought, but having obtained a -really serious promise of the donation of land on the basis referred -to—always providing of course, it could be proved by actual test that -the gold could be separated at a profit—Phil took Sol inside, where -in the lamplight he told all his ideas and schemes, his theory of the -separating process and a score of other points, while Tom could only -stare open mouthed and wonder where his chum had learned all this about -stock companies and spiral wheels and hydraulics. - -By-and-by the dubious smile vanished from the face of Sol Brunt, -and he not only listened seriously and admiringly to Phil, but also -supplemented his proposals with suggestions, corrections and advice -that his mature experience stamped as very valuable. But Sol’s part in -the discussion was taken only on the hypothesis that the twenty per -cent of waste gold that was doubtless in the silt could be got at, and -it was arranged that the next day a test should begin by hand. If the -test panned out, machinery would step in and do in one hour what manual -labor would take days to accomplish; and, as Phil shrewdly pointed -out, one of Sol’s own original ideas would supply by natural means one -of the necessities for the mechanical process—power—which otherwise -would be a huge item of running expenses. - -Accordingly, next morning the boys sallied out, accompanied by Sol, -to overlook their operations. They carried with them a barrel, buckets -to carry the silt and a scale to weigh it. They set up a barrel and -half filled it with water, then into it they dumped several bucketfuls -of silt. With staves they stirred the mixture so violently that each -particle of fine silt must have been separated from the others. When -at last they stopped they were dripping with perspiration. They gave -the muddy water a few minutes to partly settle and allow the grains of -gold, if any there were, to make their way to the bottom of the barrel; -then by tipping the barrel carefully the water was drained off, leaving -only a few inches of residue at the bottom of which was a thin layer of -mud—and gold?—that was the question. It was not time to answer yet. -In went half a barrelful of water and more buckets of silt. This was -agitated as before and the water again drawn off. - -When this had been repeated several times it was noticed that the layer -of mud on the bottom was a foot deep. Thereupon two washings of this -were had in the same way without adding new silt, until the deposit at -the bottom had been partly drained off. Then more silt was stirred in, -and so they labored nearly all day, until Sol called time, saying there -was no use of wearing themselves out. - -The next day the work was continued until afternoon when they had at -the bottom of the barrel the residue of about two hundred and fifty -pounds of silt; in this residue, only some six inches thick, was to -be found nearly every grain of gold that the successive lots of silt -had contained. It was time for the test. They broke the barrel, and -carefully scraped and washed every grain of the muddy residue into -the largest porcelain basin that Sol’s store contained, and in this -more limited way made many successive washings until at last at the -bottom of the white basin there gleamed nothing but a fine golden -sand sparking in the sunlight. There _was_ gold in the mud, that was -certain. How much and in what proportion was the next question? They -thoroughly dried the golden sediment and called Sol’s fine apothecary’s -scales into requisition. The dust weighed just five penny-weights. - -Phil had no sooner ascertained the weight than he began figuring -excitedly on a scrap of paper. This is what he was figuring on: “A -layer of mud, quarter mile square and average thickness of thirty -feet—how many tons of silt are there?” - -His recollection of tables of weights and measures was perfect and he -could therefore calculate this approximately, as can any schoolboy. -He figured about three hundred and sixty thousand tons. Then he -calculated: “Five penny-weights of gold to about two hundred and fifty -pounds of silt, makes, say forty dollars per ton and——” - -“Mr. Brunt,” said Phil, looking up and with difficulty restraining -his excitement, “I figure there is at this moment in that pond nearly -FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS’ worth of dust!” - - * * * * * - -Months had passed; Phil and Tom had come to Cheyenne City with a -letter from Sol Brunt to the president of the Placer Notch Mining -Company—Mr. Van Amrandt—introducing Phil’s scheme and authorizing -Phil to represent him in the preliminary discussion of the whole matter. - -Phil had impressed Mr. Van Amrandt most favorably as a young man whose -youthful enthusiasm was held in check by a thoughtfulness and judgment -beyond his years. But time had passed; the president had been very busy -with other matters, or there had always been some other reason to keep -things at a stand-still for a long while. Finally the president went so -far as to have the superintendent of the “P. N.” mine go down to Sol’s -place and assay a quantity of the silt. Phil and Tom had been enabled -to bide a winter’s delay as far as actual needs went, through the -kindness of the president who had given them both subordinate clerical -positions in the company’s office; there Phil was looked upon rather -suspiciously by his fellow clerks as a sort of upstart who, by some -hook or crook, could procure long interviews with the president and -engineer, and come out of their respective offices looking as if he had -been discussing questions of tremendous importance, as, in fact, he had. - -One afternoon in March the door of Mr. Van Amrandt’s private office -opened and the president himself stood on the threshold with a paper in -his hand. - -“I say, Gormley, come here, will you?” and he retired again to his desk. - -Phil rose and entered the private room. - -“Shut the door and sit down. I have here the report of Jasper who has -been assaying up at Brunt’s “duck pond.” He reports forty-one dollars -to the ton—a little better than your own estimate.” - -Phil’s heart beat away at a tremendous rate all this while, and when -the result of the assay was announced it seemed to stop altogether. The -president continued in a most matter-of-fact tone: - -“I have just told the engineer to go over those plans of yours which he -has approved in a general way and, in connection with yourself, perfect -the details of your device.” - -Phil seemed to hear this from a great distance, and Mr. Van Amrandt -seemed to be far off and in a sort of mist. He could not move or speak -or even think—he could only comprehend the joyful news. - -“By the time the designs are perfected I shall have procured the -necessary appropriation from the directors for the machinery. They -have terrible tales to tell of the weather up in the Notch it seems, -Gormley; only last week there was a heavy fall of snow which the -superintendent says is swelling the streams greatly as it melts. To -return to the subject, though, I have just sent Jasper’s messenger -back with a message to Brunt, asking him to come into town to sign a -conveyance of his claim to the company; then we will issue the new -stock to Brunt and yourself on the basis we spoke of last month.” - -By this time Phil had regained his self-possession. He rose and began: - -“Mr. Van Amrandt, I thank you very——” when the door opened and Sol -Brunt appeared on the threshold. He advanced dejectedly and said: - -“The dam burst yesterday! Twenty streams from the sides of the hollow -are tearing into the basin, and what silt is left by to-morrow I will -sell you for a ten dollar note!” - -The clerks outside were startled by the sound of a heavy fall. - -Phil Gormley had given way under the blow. - - * * * * * - -A fortune lost! you will say. Yes; part of the fourteen millions was -washed away, part was covered by the debris of land slides which the -unusual freshet of that spring caused. What remained amounted to -nothing in comparison. That was five years ago. The Placer Notch Mining -Company has been reorganized since—just a few weeks ago, in fact, and -this whole matter was only brought back to my mind at this time by the -receipt of a letter from a friend of mine, who announced that he has -just been put in on the reorganization as secretary of the company. I -refer, of course, to Phil Gormley. He lost his lucky fortune, but he is -working out a better one, because it is coming slowly and with honest -difficulty. But it was his idea of working the “duck pond” that planted -this slow-growing tree of fortune, for it was that which took him to -the company’s office. - -Out here on my quiet farm I do not hear many echoes from the busy -outside world, but none could give me greater pleasure than does such -news of my dear friend Phil—for I am no other than Doubting Thomas -Danvers. - - - - - THE GRANTHAM DIAMONDS - - BY RUSSELL STOCKTON. - - -HOW it did snow, to be sure! The flakes, and very small ones they were, -came down in slanting drives or bewildering spirals, to be taken up -again from the earth in fierce gusts and whisked along in blinding -drifts. - -John, the austere-looking butler, was putting the finishing touches on -a tempting spread in the dining-room of the Grantham mansion. There was -a salad and a dish of nuts; there was a generous plate of cake and a -heaping pile of gorgeous red apples; but it would never do not to have -something hot on such a cold night as this, so, alongside of a silver -chafing dish was a fine English cheese and two eggs, which of course -meant rarebits, and a tea urn with six dainty and varied tea cups and -saucers, which of course meant girls. - -The antique hall clock blinked like an old man at the dancing flames -in the great fire-place and slowly sounded eight o’clock. Almost at -once there came the merry jingle of sleigh bells, then a few shrill -shrieks, a ring, and then a fierce stamping of small feet on the -veranda. - -Almost before John’s dignity could carry him to the hall door, Miss -Maud Grantham ran swiftly down the stairs, followed, partly on the -stairs, but mainly on the bannisters, by little Bobbie Grantham. Four -rosy and very pretty faces came in with the snow gust at the door; -there was much embracing and such a chattering, Maud failed to get a -word in edgeways, and so resorted to the exorcism of holding aloft the -yellow sheet of paper she held in her hand so that every eye could see -it. The effect was instantaneous: a hush fell on the quartet at the -sight of that dreadful messenger—a telegram. - -“Now don’t be afraid, girls! It’s nothing very terrible,” and she -handed the sheet to Sadie Stillwell, who read aloud: - - “HUDSON, N. Y., Nov. 28, 1891. - - “To C. V. Grantham, Yonkers, N. Y.—Train stalled. Don’t expect us - till morning. - - WES.” - -If the girls looked relieved for a moment they certainly showed regret -the next, especially Minnie Trumbull; but she said nothing. Ella -Bromley, on the contrary, exclaimed in great vexation: - -“What a shame! For two whole days I’ve been promising myself _such_ a -time teasing that scamp Dick almost to death. I think it’s too bad.” - -“Never mind,” replied Sadie; “you will have four days in which to work -out your horrible purpose. Why, is not slow torture better than killing -him off in one night?” - -“Why, girls! How can you stand there joking,” spoke up Grace Waldron, -“while those poor boys are slowly freezing to death in the middle of a -snow bank?” - -“Nonsense!” replied Maud. “Where there’s a telegraph office there must -be a station and a stove. It is too bad, indeed, that Wes and Dick must -miss the little surprise party. But come along! I’ve done everything to -help out for a jolly time. There’s the supper—I’ve had that all fixed, -and I’ve told John we wouldn’t want him, so he’s gone off to bed, I -suppose. Then mamma and papa have gone to the Bruces’ _musicale_, so -there isn’t a soul in the house to disturb. Isn’t that just delightful?” - -With a deafening din of joyous exclamations they followed Maud Grantham -into the music room, and there all the evening they played games, -and gossiped, and danced and sang, totally unsuspicious of the grave -proceedings that were taking place within sound of their voices. - -While this festive event was in progress Wesley and Richard Grantham, -the sons of a wealthy New York banker, were really speeding on toward -their home by the Eastern express. About four o’clock in the afternoon -they had run into a snow drift just after drawing away from the station -at Hudson. Things had looked for a time as if they were to be held in -that town over night: so, when the train had backed to the station -they had sent the telegram to their father. But when they saw a crowd -of laborers file off with spades and shovels toward the deep drift, -they had followed and watched the work, done in the faint light of -many lamps; and they had of course chafed and grumbled, as well they -might at being delayed on the eve of a school holiday and almost at -the threshold of their luxurious home, quite oblivious of the fortunate -outcome of the delay. - -The fierce winds that had swept the drift in place had helped to clear -it away, and by six o’clock, when it had long been dark, the laborers -had shoveled it nearly all off. The train moved out and plunged into -the shallow layer of snow that remained, sweeping it up into the air in -great feathery plumes, and the obstruction was vanquished. - -“See that group, Dick! What a picture! Did you notice the beautiful -effect of the tiny lights on the snow and how weird those grim -Italians——” - -“How about a good hot cup of coffee and the burning logs in the -fireplace—there’s a picture for you!” scoffed young Dick, who had not -yet cultivated that eye for the picturesque that his elder brother -affected, and little more was said during the remainder of the ride. - -It was about ten o’clock when they slowed up at Yonkers. The boys -tumbled out of the train and halted to turn up coat collars and pull -mufflers more closely around their throats. - -“Not a carriage in sight? Well, I like this! It would seem as if -everything was contriving to keep us away from home on the eve of -Thanksgiving,” growled Dick. - -“We can certainly appreciate our good home all the more. Perhaps we can -give thanks more heartily for it to-morrow.” - -“Oh, bother!” was Dick’s reply. He was an impatient youth, certainly. -“Who’d expect a fellow to feel thankful when he had to climb a little -St. Bernard in a storm like this. Here goes for footing it, if you’re -ready!” - -They grasped their traps and plunged into the inky darkness, and in a -moment were at the foot of the steep hill. The wind was cutting and the -snow blinding. Even if they had not kept their heads well down against -the blast they could not have seen an arm’s length before them—only a -dimly white sheet under their feet. - -Dick, plunging ahead knee deep in the snow suddenly felt a terrific -shock; for an instant he knew nothing; then he came to the realization -that he was lying on his back in a snow bank with Wesley bending close -over him and calling his name anxiously. He sat upright at once and -confusedly asked: - -“What was that, Wes? I did not see a thing.” - -“It seemed to be a man running down the hill. After he collided with -you he just brushed me. Look! there he is now!” - -Wes was pointing toward the station, where the train, for some reason -delayed, was just beginning to move out. What Wes saw through the -falling snow was the figure of a tall man dash into the circle of the -station’s dim light and leap on the platform of the last car, just -passing away. It all occurred in an instant and Dick looked too late to -see the hurrying figure. - -“Did you recognize him, Wes?” - -“No, of course not. The snow blurs everything at such a distance.” - -“Worse luck! I wish he’d missed that train. I’d go right back and -interview him—yes I would! I think I’m hurt, Wes; that fellow’s elbow -or shoulder struck me over the eye.” - -“Just a moment and I will light one of those fusees. It is fortunate -I bought them from that ragged Italian—nothing else would hold an -instant in this gale.” - -After some fumbling in pockets with gloved hands the box of vesuvians -was found. Wesley struck one and by its sputtering light examined as -best he could Dick’s eye. There was only a slight abrasion, apparently, -but as Dick complained of a smarting in the eyeball a handkerchief was -tied over the injured orb. - -“Now how are we ever to find our traps? They must have gone in every -direction. Oh, I’d just like to——” Dick shook his fist at the -darkness in the direction of the departed train and then began to tramp -around in the snow to find his things. First, Wesley put his foot into -Dick’s hat which had rolled some distance off; then Dick kicked his -bundle of canes and umbrellas and, lastly, he tumbled flat over his -large hand satchel. He felt around it and then broke out again: - -“I _am_ a stupid. I never strapped this confounded bag in the car and -the lock has slipped. The thing is perfectly empty, Wes!” - -“Let us see what we can do with the aid of these fusees, Dick. They are -a good example of ‘bread upon the waters,’ aren’t they.” - -“Hang it! I’m thinking of bread in a better place just now. Come! give -me some of those things, too. If we don’t get along soon I shall freeze -stiff.” - -They burned one after another of the vesuvians and gathered up all -sorts of miscellaneous things in the way of clothing and boxes and -little packages and what not, and at last they concluded it was useless -to look further, as every inch of ground had been gone over for quite -some distance. The things were jammed in pell mell and the bag was -strapped this time: then they again began the ascent, cold to their -very bones. - -It was a toilsome tramp up the hill in knee-deep snow, with sometimes -a soft drift into which the travelers would plunge and flounder around -till they could finally extricate themselves. But at last the warm -lights of the brilliantly illuminated mansions on the Crescent began to -light the way and cheer them on, and, in a very few minutes the great -Grantham house came into sight, all dark excepting the music room. -There the windows were a blaze of light, and, when the boys reached the -terrace, the sound of a piano almost drowned in girlish laughter, vied -with the whistling and wheezing of the wind. - -“Methinks there is a ‘sound of revelry by night,’” quoted Dick. “Wonder -what’s up.” - -The boys tiptoed along the veranda and peeped in on the bright scene. - -“Great Scott, Wes! you’re in luck; there’s Minnie Trumbull at the -piano,” and he nudged his elder brother in a knowing way; for Minnie, -be it known, was a rather serious girl who read deep books, painted in -water colors and played the piano brilliantly, and it was toward her -that Wes usually gravitated when he was at home. - -“I am very sorry for you, Dick, for I see Ella Bromley there, dancing -with our sister, and I know you are in for a quarrel;” at which Dick -looked a little conscious, for when Dick was at home he wanted nothing -better than to quarrel with Ella, just for the pleasure of making up. - -At this moment a shrill shriek pierced the air. One of the girls had -discovered two faces glaring in at the window: one had a bandaged eye -and “Tramps!” was the idea that for an instant filled every mind. But -the boys pressed their faces closer to the glass; there was a general -recognition and an impetuous rush to the hall door. - -Handshaking, questioning, explanation, a great pulling off of coats -helped by willing hands—such a hearty welcome home made up for all -their trials and misfortunes on the way. - -“Maud, if you’ll ring for John to carry these things upstairs, Dick -and I will go to _our_ rooms for a few minutes to get into presentable -shape,” said Wes. - -“I’m sorry, boys, but you’ll have to carry the things yourself, for I -sent all the servants off to bed hours ago.” - -“Well! it seems we’ve got another climb, after all, Wes,” and the boys -disappeared above. - -Just as every one was sitting down to the supper table Mr. and Mrs. -Grantham came in and another round of loving greeting ensued. When -the parents retired upstairs the fun around the supper-table became -furious. At its height Mr. Grantham came to the threshold of the room -and said: - -“Boys, I shall have to take you away for a few minutes.” - -The words were said pleasantly enough, but Sadie was sensitive enough -to notice something in her father’s tone that placed her in dread. She -followed the boys and asked fearfully: - -“What is the matter, father—something, I know!” - -“Simply this: there has been a cunning thief in the house, and he -seems to have taken off some of your mother’s jewels. Don’t alarm your -friends, but let them go as soon as they wish to.” - -When the trio reached Mrs. Grantham’s bed-room a glance showed that -something strange had been going on. The drawers of the bureau had -been pulled out and rummaged; the escritoire had been treated in the -same way. The shelves of the closets showed signs of confusion, and -finally a cedar chest had been pried open. In this the robber had found -Mrs. Grantham’s jewel case. Singularly enough he had left some of its -contents behind, but he had taken the priceless necklace of large -diamonds, the great solitaire earrings and two costly finger rings. - -“Dick go up to John’s room and ask him to dress and step down here,” -directed the master. - -Dick departed, to return in a moment with the exciting news that John -was not in his room and his bed was quite undisturbed. It was one of -the butler’s nights on duty! Sadie, who arrived a few minutes later, -having dismissed her friends, was sent to interrogate each of the -female servants. They had seen nothing of the butler. Some of them had -heard him go downstairs about nine o’clock, come back and go down again -about ten: but they had thought nothing of that. - -“Everything points to John Simmons as the thief,” said Mr. Grantham. -“But it is so difficult to realize a common burglar in this man, so -dignified, so steady, so——” - -“Wesley Grantham! didn’t you get some idea of that brute who ran over -me?” interrupted Dick excitedly. - -“No; only that he was very tall—just as John was. It is likely, I -think, that it was he who was in such a hurry to catch the train for -New York.” - -“Your eye seems to be very much inflamed, Richard,” said Mr. Grantham. -“Go to your room and bathe it and then go right to bed. Wesley and I -will go into the library and write out a description of this fellow -to send to the chief of police early in the morning. Go now, my boy; -nothing further can be done to-night.” - -Young Dick departed and Wesley sat down to write out a minute pen -picture of John Simmons, butler. If their sight could have pierced -the wall they would have seen Dick unpacking the disorderly hand -satchel that had been burst open on the road. They would have seen him -arranging its contents in and on his bureau. Among these things were -several small boxes—one for his scarf pins and trinkets, another for -his engraved cards, and so on. But one that came to his hands seemed to -interest him particularly: the others he had indifferently put in their -proper places—this one, about four inches long by three wide, covered -with ivory white enameled paper, he examined thoughtfully, opened -and—— - -“Are you quite through with your description of the thief?” asked Dick -at the doorway. There was a singular gleam in his eyes, and he seemed -to labor under some suppressed excitement. - -“All but the eyes. We can’t seem to decide whether they were gray or -blue.” - -“The person who has those jewels has dark brown eyes—almost black,” -answered Dick. - -“Why, my son, what a poor memory you have! John was fair and -florid—the English complexion, with fairly light eyes. But put it down -gray. It really doesn’t——” - -“But it is not John who has those diamonds,” insisted Dick. He would -have liked to keep his discovery back longer to puzzle his auditors, -but he simply couldn’t. He stepped to the library table, and, taking -a hand from behind his back, placed a white enameled jeweler’s box on -the cloth in the fierce glare of the lamp. His father looking at him in -surprise, said under his breath. - -“What can be the matter with the boy?” - -Wesley mechanically opened the box and both he and his father jumped to -their feet in surprise, for the sharp gleam of many diamonds dazzled -their eyes! - -Mr. Grantham reached for the little box and pulled out, first, a -necklace of twelve large pendant diamonds; to this hung one big -solitaire diamond earring; the other lay in the box, and with it were a -cluster diamond ring and another of rubies, sapphires and diamonds. - -“I do not understand,” said Mr. Grantham uncertainly; even the man of -affairs was dazed by the sudden and peculiar entrance of these gems, -supposed to be in the pocket of a thief in New York City. - -“I guess you’re surprised. Fancy how I felt when I found them in my -satchel.” - -“Your satchel? Who could have put them there!” - -“I myself. This is the only explanation I can think of. It must have -been the thief—John, supposedly—who was rushing to catch the train. -Perhaps he saw the gleam of the head-light up the road from one of the -upper windows. He may have bundled on his wraps, thrust the box into -his overcoat pocket or somewhere and started out to sprint for the -train. - -“When he struck my manly form the shock that heeled me over must have -knocked this box out of his pocket or wherever it was, and I gathered -it in with the things spilled out of my bag in the snow.” - -“I think you have found the solution Dick. Your injured eye is not a -_very_ large price for sixteen thousand dollars worth of gems,” was the -comment of Wes. - -“Wonderful! wonderful!” exclaimed Mr. Grantham. “I must go at once and -tell your mother. She is quite prostrated at this loss.” He started -off, but Dick stopped him by calling: - -“Father! What reward did I hear you say you had offered for the finding -of these shiners?” - -“Ha! ha!” laughed the banker. “I don’t think you heard me state the -figure, Dick. But didn’t you say something about a sloop yacht the -other day—eh?” - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber’s note: - -—Obvious errors were corrected. - -—A Table of Contents was not in the original work; one has been - produced and added by the transcriber. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JULIAN MORTIMER*** - - -******* This file should be named 51738-0.txt or 51738-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/1/7/3/51738 - - -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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