“我在这里毫无用处，卡里。我有什么好处？为什么，即使我们认识任何人可以帮助我找到一份职员工作，我也赚不到足够的钱来支付自己的食物。我还太年轻，还无法做到这一点。我宁愿走到桅杆前，也不愿在商店里占个位置。我太年轻了，甚至还不能入伍。我知道的和学校里的其他男孩一样多，而且据我目前所知，我当然没有天赋。我会开船，一个月前我获得了游泳奖，给我们上单棍和拳击课的中士说，他认为我是他最​​好的戴手套的学生，但所有这些东西放在一起并不会带来什么。我每周六便士。我不想离开，只要我能对你有一点点帮助，我就不会离开。但我能有什么用处吗？如果我留下来，我还有什么可期待的？我确信，如果我真的遇到某种情况，你知道父母不会喜欢看到我，并且似乎没有为未来提供任何机会，但如果我去的话，你会一直为我担心。在外面，我做什么并不重要，我赚到的任何东西我都可以寄回家给你。”

说话的人是一个十六岁的小伙子。他和比他大两岁的姐姐都穿着深沉的丧服，坐在南海城堡附近的长凳上，眺望对面的斯皮特海德，怀特岛在后面延伸。三天前，他们跟随母亲来到坟墓，把她安葬在两年前去世的父亲身边，父亲是一名海军中尉。这是他们第一次离开家，他们的四个姐妹还留在家里——珍妮特，她站在卡里和汤姆之间；布兰奇，十四岁；露西，十二岁；哈丽特，八岁。汤姆提议步行。

“出来呼吸一下新鲜空气吧，卡里，”他说道。 “你已经被关了一个月了。我们两个一起走吧；”卡里明白他想和她单独谈谈。事实上，他们有必要正视未来。自从韦德中尉去世后，他们的经济来源就非常拮据。他们的母亲作为他的遗孀领取了一笔小额养老金，自他去世以来，他们就靠着她在婚姻中给他带来的一千英镑不情愿地支取的汇票勉强维持生计，这笔钱在他生前没有动过。他们已经从他们微薄的资本中提取了两百英镑，现在只剩下余额了。早就安排好了，卡里和珍妮特一满十八岁就出去当家庭教师，但现在很明显，卡里必须留在家里照顾孩子们。

那天早上，两个女孩在一起谈话，并商定，由于珍妮特太年轻，无法担任家庭教师，即使是最卑微的职位，他们将努力开办一所小学校，因此，至少目前，让家保持完整。卡里可以教授音乐课，因为她已经是一名出色的钢琴家了，她的母亲是一位出色的演奏家，她对她的教导很好，而珍妮特已经足够先进，可以教年轻女孩了。她已向汤姆传达了他们的决定，汤姆表示衷心同意。

“房租一年只有二十英镑，”他说，“正如你所说，八百英镑每年可以带来三十二英镑的收入，既可以付房租，还可以剩下一些。如果你一开始招收的学生不多，这会有帮助，你可以从首都提取一点，直到学校足够大来支付你的所有费用。对我来说，我似乎无能为力，这太可怕了，但无论如何，我不想继续拖累你。如果父亲死后母亲只允许我出海的话，我现在就可以脱离你的手了，也许我还能帮上一点忙。既然如此，我来这里有什么可做的呢？”然后他指出朴茨茅斯的前景是多么无望。

凯利沉默了一两分钟，然后不再说话，坐在那儿眺望大海。

“当然，我们不应该希望你走进商店，汤姆，而且你所说的走进办公室也很正确。我们没有任何兴趣，你可能在这里做的那种文员工作也不会带来任何结果。我知道你在想什么——哈利叔叔的那封信；但你知道，母亲一想到这个就无法忍受，如果你走了，对我们来说就太可怕了。”

“卡里，如果我能看到任何能在这里帮助你的机会，我就不会想到去，而且我也不想像刚收到信时那样去。逃跑并把所有的重担都落在你和珍妮特的肩上，这似乎是一件懦弱的事情，尽管我知道这主要是由你承担的；但还有什么可做的呢？以前我想去并不是为了我自己，但我长大后也不知道这里有什么可做的。尽管如此，正如母亲所说，如果我离开，她会心碎，当然，这一切都暂时结束了，尽管我一直认为，如果当我十八岁或十九岁时，这将是一个可以依靠的东西，没有出现任何其他情况，在我看来，情况很可能就是这样。当然，如果要在入伍和入伍之间做出选择，我应该选择入伍：现在在我看来，这是唯一要做的事情。”

“汤姆，距离太远了，”女孩用深深痛苦的语气说道。 “你知道，当人们离开很远的地方时，他们似乎会忘记家里的事情并放弃写作。当那封信来的时候，我们已经十年没有收到叔叔的消息了。”

“不用担心我会忘记你，卡里。只要有机会，我就会给你写信。”

“但即使出去似乎也没有什么结果，汤姆。叔叔离开已经二十五年了，看上去根本没赚到什么钱。”

“哦，但是卡里，他在信中承认，这主要是他自己的错。他说他曾多次在采矿中赚到不少钱，但后来又把它扔掉了。但下次他发现一件好事时，他决心保留自己所做的一切，并回家靠它生活。如果我成功了，我不会把它扔掉，而是会把我能节省的每一分钱都寄回家。”

“但是叔叔不会指望你，汤姆，妈妈竟然不肯放你走。也许他已经离开了他写信的国家，你可能找不到他了。”

“我一定能找到他。”汤姆自信地说。 “那封信发出后，我也给他寄了一封，并说虽然母亲现在不会听到我要离开的消息，但如果我在这里无事可做的话，等我长大了，我可能会去找他，并问他给我寄几句话到邮局告诉我如何找到他。他回信说，如果我去科罗拉多州丹佛小镇的帝国沙龙打电话，我应该很可能会听到他的行踪，如果他离开很远，他有时会向那里发送一条带有指示的线路。 ”

“我看你已经下定决心要走了，汤姆，”卡里悲伤地说。

“不，我还没有下定决心，卡里。如果你们能找到任何让我赚钱的方法，我完全准备好在这里停下来，但我不能在这里无所事事地吃喝，而你们女孩们却在为我们大家工作。”

“汤姆，如果你只比你大三四岁，我就不会那么介意，虽然与你分开将是一个可怕的打击，但我看不出你能做得更好；但你才十六岁。”

“是的，但就我的年龄而言，我很强壮，块头很大；我和很多男人一样强壮。当然，我指的不是船工和船厂伙计，而是那些不干苦活的人。不管怎样，去美国的男人有很多都不比我强，当然我每个月都会变得更强。我每天可以轻松地走三十英里，而且我从来没有生过一天病。”

“这不是你的强项，汤姆；这不是你的强项。”我不会担心你崩溃；相反，我应该说，像叔叔所写的那样的生活一定是非常健康的。但你看起来太年轻了，要走这么远的路，而且你可能要走遍这么崎岖的地方，和这么粗野的人在一起，才能找到哈利叔叔。”

“我希望我会比男人容易相处得多，”汤姆自信地说。 “大家可能会和一个陌生人、不做事的成年人开玩笑，可能会与他发生争吵，但没有人可能会干涉一个男孩。不，我不认为这有什么问题，卡里，——唯一真正的困难是离开你这么远，而且可能要离开很长时间。”

“好吧，汤姆，”女孩又停顿了一下后说道，“这看起来很可怕，但我承认我看不出对你来说有什么更好的了。你在这里是不可能赚钱的，我相信我们宁愿认为你和叔叔一起采矿和打猎，也不愿坐在伦敦或朴茨茅斯某个黑暗的小办公室里当男职员。无论如何，这并不比出海更糟，毕竟你可能会像叔叔所说的那样，偶然发现一个富矿，然后带着一大笔钱回来。让我们回家吧。我现在很难忍受想起这件事，但我会告诉珍妮特，今晚孩子们上床睡觉后我会再谈论这件事。”

汤姆很聪明，没有表现出任何满意的表情。他默默地握紧凯里的手，当他们穿过公共空间时，他们谈论了他们开始工作招收学生的计划，没有说任何一句话，让她感受到他想到冒险生活时所感到的兴奋。在他面前的一片荒野中。他的血液里流淌着永不满足的进取精神，这种精神是盎格鲁-撒克逊人成为世界主导种族的主要因素。他的父亲和祖父都曾是皇家海军的军官，而他的一位叔祖父曾指挥过一艘在东海进行贸易的商船，并且从未从一次航行中回来过。毫无疑问，船上的所有人都被马来海盗屠杀殆尽，整艘船也被烧毁。他的叔叔哈利在他还是个小男孩的时候就离开了，去美国寻求财富，在他登陆美国几年后，他和第一批听到美国发现金矿消息而出发的人之一穿越了平原。加利福尼亚州。

汤姆本人最渴望的是成为一名水手。他的父亲没有足够的兴趣让他加入皇家海军，但打算为他获得一个商业服务学徒的职位。但他的突然去世让这个计划戛然而止，而一直反对的母亲也不会听说他出海的消息。但现在似乎向他敞开的生活在男孩眼里甚至比他所渴望的还要好。前往印度或中国往返的兴奋程度与西方淘金者和猎人相比根本算不了什么，那里有熊和印第安人，还有各种各样的冒险经历。不过，回到家后，他很快就平静下来。空荡荡的椅子、黑色的裙子和女孩们苍白的脸庞，强烈地唤起了失落感。

过了一会儿，他回到自己的房间，坐在那里重新思考，问自己离开妹妹是否公平，选择自己的生活是否不自私。在过去的几天里，他一遍又一遍地考虑这个问题，现在他得出了同样的结论，那就是，他留在家里对女孩们来说并没有什么好处，而且他还没有决定接受叔叔的要求。邀请，因为生活正是他所选择的，但因为他看不到任何东西可以为他提供平等的机会，让他能够永久地帮助家里的他们。

当他再次下楼时，卡里说道：

“其他人都出去了，汤姆；你最好去看看你的一些同学。你看上去憔悴不堪、疲惫不堪。你不能在这里帮助我，如果我知道你出去了，我会更高兴地干我的工作。”

汤姆点点头，戴上帽子就出去了。但他感到太不安，无法听从她的建议并拜访他的一些朋友，所以他穿过公共场所，躺在海滩上，然后又一遍又一遍，直到最后他睡着了，再也没有醒来。直到他看了一眼手表，发现该回去喝茶了。他感觉精神焕发，休息得更好，因为过去两周他确实睡得很少，卡里满意地点点头，因为她看到他的眼睛更明亮了，脸上疲劳和失眠的皱纹也不再那么明显了。

两个小时后，当年轻的女孩们上床睡觉时，卡里说：“现在我们将召开家庭委员会。汤姆，我已经把我们的谈话告诉了珍妮特，她完全站在你这边，只是遗憾她不是个男孩，不能和你出去。我们不需要再重复一遍，我们非常同意你的观点，你似乎没有希望在这里找到我们希望见到你的工作，或者会带来任何结果。只有两件事向你开放，一是出海，二是出去见哈利叔叔。你去当学徒的年纪已经很大了，但还不算太老，那个计划可以实行；尽管如此，我们都认为对方更好。如果你出海，你与我们的分离几乎和你去美国一样。但在你做出决定之前，我会读一下叔叔的信，今天下午我在其他一些文件中发现了这封信。”

她取出信，打开。

“‘我亲爱的杰克，恐怕距离我上次写信已经过去很长时间了；我不喜欢思考多久。我已经有好几次想这么做了，但你知道我一直讨厌写作，而且我一直在等着告诉你我终于找到了一些好东西。现在我只能告诉你，我一直在奔波，越来越老，但到目前为止，我还不能说我越来越富有。正如我在上次写信时告诉过你的那样，我有好几次赚大钱并致富，但不知何故，钱总是从我的指缝中溜走。有时我把它投入到看起来很好但结果毫无价值的东西上；有时我会像这里的人那样愚蠢地把它扔掉。我刚刚从犹特人的国家探矿回来，在那里我发现了两三件看起来不错的东西；其中之一是一流的，我认为是我来到这里以来见过的最好的东西。

“不幸的是，我目前无法对他们做任何事情，因为尤特人正在变得麻烦，带着一小群人回到那里将是一个人的生命值得的;所以这件事必须暂时搁置，我必须在另一个季度留意，直到尤特人再次安定下来。我将参加下周开始的山区狩猎聚会。自从我出道以来，我打猎的次数几乎和采矿的次数一样多，虽然没有赚到大钱，但这是一种相当稳定的生活。你们都过得怎么样？我希望有一天能带着几袋金粉顺便拜访您在南海的安静住所，并在您炉边的一个角落里结束我的日子；我知道无论有没有金袋，你都会给我的，老伙计。 ’”

“‘我想你的孩子此时已经十三岁或十四岁了。他太年轻了，不能来这里，但如果两三年后你在家里看不到他的空缺，就把他送到我这里来，我会让他成为一个男人；即使他没有靠淘金赚到大钱，在这个国家，年轻人也可以从事很多事情，只要他稳定，他就一定能成功。你可能认为我的例子对他来说不太可能有多大好处，但我应该做一个实例教训，而且说真的，我会尽我最大的努力让他走上正路。无论如何，和我相处三四年，他就能咬牙切齿，在这个世界上站稳脚跟。在那段时间结束时，他可以环顾四周，看看他会采取什么路线，不用说，我会尽我所能帮助他，虽然我没有为自己做任何好事，但我可能会做点好事为了他。

“‘首先，我对科罗拉多州、蒙大拿州和爱达荷州的每一个人都很了解；其次，在我的流浪中，我在偏僻的地方遇到了几十块土地，年轻人可以在那里建立牧场，饲养牛马，并从中获得好处。或者，如果他需要机械师，我可以带他去一些地方，在那里他可以建立木材锯木厂，全年都有水力发电，而且市场距离不远。当然，他还太年轻，但除非他愿意步你的后尘，成为一名水手，否则三四年后他可能会比向我出柜更糟糕。尽管生活很坎坷，但这是一个人的生活，一周的生活比在办公室里打羽毛笔一年的时间更有价值。遗憾的是你的家人都去找女孩了，因为如果有一个男孩决定去海边，你可能会饶过我另一个男孩。

“就这些。你知道妈妈回信说亲爱的爸爸已经走了，她绝对不能让你走这么远，过这么坎坷危险的生活。然而，汤姆，正如你写信给叔叔的那样，她的拒绝并不重要，而且他向你发送了如何找到他的指示，显然他不会对你的出现感到惊讶。首先，你确定你更喜欢这里而不是大海吗？”

“当然，凯瑞；我应该更喜欢它。但最重要的是，我可能很快就能从那里为你提供帮助，而我需要几年的时间才能在海上获得足够的报酬，使我能够做到这一点。”

“那就这么定了，汤姆。现在，我想，”她的声音有点颤抖，“你会想尽快离开吗？”

“我想是的，”汤姆回答道。 “如果我要走，我觉得走得越早越好；我在这里无能为力，在我离开之前我们都会焦躁不安。”

凯瑞点点头。 “我认为你是对的，汤姆；当我们想到你要离开的时候，我们就永远无法安定下来在这里工作。首先要做的就是从银行提取一些钱。你会得到一套衣服，支付去美国的旅费，还有一笔钱带你去西部，并一直留着你，直到你加入叔叔那里。”

“这就是我所讨厌的，”汤姆阴沉地说。 “当我想帮助你时，我必须先拿走你的一些钱，这似乎很残忍。”

“这也是没办法的事，”卡里高兴地说。 “一个人不能吝惜一条小鲱鱼去捕鲸，而且如果我们不得不让你去海边当学徒，并给你穿上衣服，那会花更多的钱。你现在不需要很多衣服了。你的钱已经足够用于航程和旅程了，我想，当你有叔叔为你提供必要的建议时，我想你最好在外面得到你想要的东西。我真的认为一些法兰绒衬衫和一套适合航行的粗糙西装将是主要的东西。”

“我当然应该这么认为，”汤姆同意道。 “一个人旅行时携带的行李越少越好，因为当我离开铁路时，我只想要我能随身携带或装在马匹上的东西。其他任何事情都只会造成麻烦。至于一套适合航行的粗糙套装，我穿上这些之前穿的衣服”（他看了一眼他的黑色套装）“就可以了。我当然要去掌舵。这样我就可以花四五英镑出去，而且我会像学徒一样过得很好。我知道我必须有一些钱，但我不会拿超过绝对必要的钱。据我所知，除了三四件法兰绒衬衫外，我一切都很好。我不认为需要别的东西，除了一个小箱子来装它们和我穿的衣服（我想我不会再穿了），以及其他一些东西。你知道我只允许你做一套黑色西装。我当时就想到了这一点，如果再得到更多的话，那就是浪费钱了。当然，我不知道我想要什么。我知道坐火车路途遥远，我可能要坚持一个月才能找到叔叔。我认为落地后五磅和二十磅就足够了。”

“我要提取五十英镑，”凯利肯定地说。 “正如你所说，你的衣服真的不花钱；十英镑将支付您前往利物浦的旅费和路费；当你着陆时，你的口袋里会剩下四十英镑。这是你至少可以做的，因为你可能会发现你必须买一匹马，虽然我相信它们在那里很便宜，但我想你买不到十英镑以下的一匹马；然后还有马鞍、缰绳、旅途的食物，以及各种各样的东西。我觉得四十磅还不够。”

“无论如何，我不会再有一分钱了，”汤姆说。 “如果我发现一匹马太贵，我可以步行。”

“而且你一定要确保不要被抢劫，”珍妮特第一次插话道。 “想象一下，你发现自己在这种地方没有钱。我会给你做一条腰带，系在你的东西下面，还有装钱的口袋。”

“我希望我不会那么傻，珍妮特，但无论如何我都会尽可能小心。我会对这条腰带感到非常高兴。不知道这些家伙会做什么，我当然不愿意把钱放在口袋里。但即使我被抢劫了，我想也不会像你想象的那么绝望。我希望一个男孩总能找到一些事情做来谋生，我应该尝试以某种方式工作，但因为这根本不会令人愉快，我会好好保管我的钱，你可以肯定。”

他们坐下来谈了一个小时，在会议散去之前，大家商定，他们应该早上在报纸上查找驶往美国的船只名单，并立即写下并记下一段话。

没有时间浪费。卡里觉得尽快走出离别的阴影对他们来说都是最好的。第二天早上，我们写信给两家轮船公司和两艘帆船的船主，询问统舱航程的价格，他们一致认为，如果差别不大，最好乘坐轮船来节省两周时间。

回复显示，差异确实微乎其微，收到邮件一周后，汤姆·韦德从朴茨茅斯出发前往利物浦。即使在最后一刻，他有点想改变自己的计划，但似乎很难让他的姐妹们独自一人。但凯利和珍妮特都确信他的计划是最好的，现在不会听到他动摇的消息。他们直到最后都保持着良好的精神状态，自信地谈论着自己计划的成功，以及一旦可以自由行动就应该如何着手实施这些计划。年纪较小的女孩们，虽然长辈们恳求她们不要因为哥哥的离开而悲伤，但她们却总是泪流满面，结果经常被派去办事而被赶走。汤姆也每天带他们出去几个小时，告诉他们他应该狩猎的野生动物的故事，他应该看到的印第安人的故事，以及他应该找到的隐藏的金库的故事，通常会以更轻松的方式带他们回家。开朗的心态。

告别终于结束了，汤姆竭尽全力保持着愉快的心情直到最后，他用手帕向站台上五个哭泣的人挥手致意，然后又回到座位上，尽情地发泄自己的情绪。自己的感受。坐在他旁边的两个女孩看着这个身强力壮的年轻人流下了眼泪，窃笑起来，但对面一个慈母般的女人很快把手放在了他的膝盖上。

“不要因为哭泣而感到羞耻，我的孩子，”她说。 “我有一个比你大好几岁的儿子，每次他出远门，我们都会一起痛哭一场。你要去远方吗？我猜她们是你的姐妹吧？我看你们都穿黑衣服了毫无疑问，你失去了一个亲爱的人？我的孩子，我们所有人迟早都会遇到这样的事。”

“我要去美国，”汤姆回答道，“可能很多年都不会回来。是的，她们是我的姐妹，最让我难过的是我不得不离开她们，因为我们都失去了父母。”

“亲爱的，亲爱的，这真是令人难过！难怪你们都心烦意乱。好吧，好吧，美国离我们并不远——他们告诉我，乘轮船只需十天的航程，而我的孩子则乘着一艘帆船远走他乡。我想他现在在中国；他五个月前启航，没想到不到一年就能回家。我有时会担心他，但我知道这样做是没有用的。当我向他告别时，他说的最后一句话是：“振作起来，妈妈”；我正在尝试这样做。”

老太太继续谈论她的儿子，汤姆听着她善意地试图把他从自己的烦恼中拉出来，渐渐感兴趣了，当他们到达温彻斯特时，她下了火车，汤姆已经摆脱了他的第一个孩子。沮丧。这是一段漫长的旅程，多次发生变化，他直到晚上六点才抵达利物浦，在路上已经行驶了近十二个小时。卡里的最后一条禁令是：“汤姆，当你到达利物浦时，乘坐出租车，然后直接开到码头。利物浦是一个很大的地方，你可能会迷路。如果我知道，无论如何，你会直接上船，我会更放心。”

汤姆认为这是不必要的开支，但当他看到如果他听从她的建议，卡里会对他感到更舒服时，他答应这样做，并且当他开车穿过街道时，并没有为此感到遗憾；因为，尽管削减了这次航行和随后的旅程中似乎不必要的所有东西，但行李箱太重了，无法舒适地携带很远的距离，尽管在他离开英国时准备好忍受任何程度的困难，但他觉得他应该不喜欢肩上扛着箱子走在拥挤的街道上。

出租车司机毫不费力地找到了 帕提亚，仍在盆地中。然而，汤姆刚好及时上船，因为人们已经扔掉了经线，十分钟后，她就穿过了码头大门，很快就在河中央抛锚了。汤姆在朴茨茅斯登上过太多的船只，感觉不到第一次航行的移民所常见的困惑。他见现在大家都忙得无暇顾及他，就把手提包放在船头的舷墙上，靠在栏杆上看着船驶出码头的过程。船头的统舱乘客不少，但现在船尾空无一人，因为舱内的乘客要到深夜或第二天凌晨才会上船。抛锚后，他拿起行李箱，问水手他该去哪里。

“出示你的票。啊!单身男士宿舍，右前方。”

在那里，他遇到了一位乘务员，乘务员看了他的票后说：“你会看到下面的铺位，可以乘坐任何空着的铺位。我建议你把行李箱放进去，并盖上盖子。早上人来人往，你可能会发现你的东西也不见了。您最好在整个航行过程中保持其锁定状态。我看到你有一根绳子绕着它。保持连接线；为了获取内容而需要解开的东西越多，任何人尝试这样做的机会就越小。”

这个地方挤满了床位，只有浅浅的托盘，每个托盘上都放着一个草垫、枕头和两条彩色毯子。它们分三层，一层一层地排列，排成三排，中间有一条狭窄的通道。根据扔进的袋子和包裹的数量，他发现上铺是最受欢迎的，但他得出的结论是下铺更可取。 “这里又热又闷，”他自言自语道，“而且我得说下铺会比上铺凉爽。”因此，他把行李箱放在靠近中央通道、靠近门的一个箱子里，然后上了甲板。

帕提亚 是一艘冠达号，虽然尺寸不及当今的大船，但却是一艘非常好的船只。票价比他乘坐帆船的票价要高一些，但除了节省时间之外，还有一个好处是，在轮船上，乘客不必提供自己的床上用品，因为他们必须在帆船上工作，食物也是在船上的厨房里为他们准备的。

抛锚后不久，第一顿饭就上桌了，包括一碗可可和一大块面包。半小时后，一艘补给船载着最后一批统舱乘客靠过来，汤姆有兴趣观察登船的各个群体——男人、女人和孩子。

“好吧，”他自言自语道，“我确实认为我比这些人中的大多数人更适合走出去，因为他们看起来像一群羊一样无助和困惑。我可怜那些有孩子的女人。我们的宿舍会非常拥挤，但还是有机会睡个好觉，而在挤满婴儿和儿童的地方那就太糟糕了。”

作为一个心地善良的小伙子，他立即开始尽其所能地提供帮助，自愿把孩子抱到下面，帮忙搬箱子和包裹。

在许多情况下，他的援助被欣然接受，但在某些情况下却遭到严厉拒绝，人们的态度清楚地表明了他们对他动机的怀疑。在卡里多次警告他不要对陌生人抱有任何信心之后，他对此并不感到惊讶，但他很满意，经过一个小时的努力，他让许多担心和焦虑的女人的事情变得容易一些。当他结束时，甲板上已经是黄昏了。

“谢谢你，小伙子，”当他们踏上甲板时，一名与他一起走上同伴梯子的男子说道。 “在我们振作起来的同时，你照顾了那三个孩子，这对我小姐来说是件好事，我看到你也帮助了其他人。我看得出你是对的人。没有多少年轻人会不遗余力地做一些这样的善事。我叫比尔·布朗；什么是你的？

“汤姆·韦德。我无事可做，很高兴能帮上一点忙。从来没有上过船的人在这样的人群中自然会感到困惑。”

“你出过海吗？”

“不是出海，但我住在朴茨茅斯，经常登上军舰和军舰，所以这对我来说并不奇怪。”

“你是自己一个人，还是有朋友陪你？”

“我一个人，”汤姆回答道。 “我要出去和叔叔一起去
状态。”

男子说道：“我以前也遇到过。” “我是一名木匠，在那里工作了六个月，六周后回家把其他人接过来。我有一个地方，我以前工作过的地方，一落地就要去。这对一个男人来说有很大的不同。”

“确实如此，”汤姆同意道。 “我知道，如果我出去除了手头的第一份工作之外没有任何固定的目标，我不应该像现在这样感到如此轻松和舒适。”

“我船上有两三个要出去报告这个地方的伙伴，还有我妻子村里的三个家庭。我不在的时候，她和孩子们一直和她的老人住在一起。所以我们是一个大团体，如果你想在航行中做任何事情，你只需要对我说一声。”

天气晴朗，汤姆·韦德发现这次航行比他预想的要愉快。舷窗一直开着，拥挤的舱室不像遇到恶劣天气时那么不舒服。队伍里有一些非常粗鲁的人，但大多数都是安静的人，第一个晚上之后，所有的谈话和嬉戏在灯光熄灭后都被严格压制。食物很丰富，虽然有些人对肉抱怨，但没有真正的抱怨理由。甲板上有一根绳子将统舱乘客与船尾乘客分开，由于船上的移民人数不超过一半，所以 帕提亚 可以携带，甲板上有足够的空间。

但很少有乘客晕船，女人们三五成群地坐着聊天、缝补衣服，而孩子们则在玩耍，男人们走来走去，或者聚集到前面抽烟，还有一些人给自己准备了报纸。或者坐在安静的角落里看书。汤姆就是其中之一，因为他在朴茨茅斯的二手书摊上买了几本关于美国的书，这让他不觉得这次航行单调。当不想读书时，他就和木匠布朗和他的伙伴们聊天，有时还让一群孩子围着他，给他们讲从现在放在南海房间书架上的书里收集的故事。然而，当航程结束时，他很高兴。不是因为他厌倦了，而是因为他渴望踏上西行之路。离船前，他与航程中的同伴们亲切地告别，上岸后在海关停留了几分钟，然后乘坐一辆在门口等候的公共汽车，径直驶向目的地。铁路西部线之一的车站。

从他起航前起床的信息中，他得知有好几艘这样的船，但它们的速度或票价差别很小，而且它们到丹佛的直达费率几乎相同。因此，他选择了芝加哥和小石城线，并不是因为它的优势更大，而是为了能够从轮船直接到达车站，而不必在竞争的线路之间做出选择。抵达后，他发现移民火车开往奥马哈，所有线路都在那里交汇，除此之外他必须乘坐普通火车继续前行。一列移民火车将于当天晚上六点出发。

“火车大约有四个人，”一位好心的官员对他说，“你最好到那时就到了，以便能找到一个角落的座位，因为我可以告诉你，这对一个人来说是至关重要的。”像这样的旅程。如果您想立即取票，您可以将您的行李箱直接登记到丹佛，这样您就不会再遇到任何麻烦了。”

“我们当然要在途中停下来吃饭吗？”

“是的;但如果你接受我的建议，你就会像大多数人一样，拿一个大篮子，里面放上面包、熟肉、奶酪和任何你喜欢的东西，然后你只需要出去买一杯停靠站喝茶。它的价格便宜很多，而且你可以在那些吃饭的人之前吃完，并且可以快速溜回车里并保留你的角落座位。移民列车上没有太多仪式，先到先得。”

“我们需要多长时间才能到达丹佛？”

“这将是整整一周的时间，但没有任何说法是一天。移民列车只是在货运列车和快速列车之间缓慢行驶，然后稍微调动一下，让快车通过。”

汤姆感谢了官员的建议，拿了票，登记了行李箱，然后出去在纽约的街道上闲逛，直到三点钟。他采纳了关于食物的建议，并在一个小篮子里放了足够三四天的食物。火车出发的站台已经挤满了相当多的移民，但当火车开过来时，他还是找到了一个角落的座位。车厢里挤满了乘客。它们从头到尾都是敞开的，中间有一条通道。当火车装满时，就会添加其他车厢，但直到所有座位都被占用为止。大多数乘客是男性，但也有相当数量的女性，还有更多的儿童；汤姆庆幸自己从周围人的谈话中得知，很多人都不会离开芝加哥，而且几乎所有人都会在那个地方和奥马哈之间的车站下车。

去芝加哥的旅程是汤姆经历过的最不愉快的经历。炎热、灰尘和封闭的环境似乎在诉说着每个人的脾气。孩子们总是坐立不安，小孩子和婴儿在哭泣，女人们责骂，男人们抱怨，偶尔还会争吵。晚上的情况比白天更糟糕。孩子们确实更安静，因为他们躺在通道的地板上，睡得相对舒适，但对于男人和女人来说，没有改变位置，没有休息的可能。座位靠背很低，除了靠窗的幸运座位外，没有任何地方可以让头部休息。但所有人都不安地小睡，把下巴向前靠在胸前，有时把头靠在邻居的肩膀上。汤姆没有保留他的角落座位，但在开始几个小时后就辞去了坐在他旁边的一位怀抱婴儿的疲惫妇女的座位。他本人，尽管身体强壮，却因疲劳和失眠而感到疲惫不堪。

芝加哥之外还有更多的空间，可以改变位置。除了奥马哈之外，情况要好得多。火车速度相当快，乘客人数相对较少。现在他通常可以自己坐下来，并且可以把脚抬起来了。大多数人也熟悉这个国家，他能够从他们的谈话中学到很多东西。他们当中只有很少的妇女和儿童，因为除了火车站附近之外，定居点非常稀少。这些人大多是矿工、牧场主或机械师，他们要去新兴的丹佛小镇，或者踏上穿越平原前往犹他州或加利福尼亚州的长途旅行。出发后的第八天，到达了丹佛。

在离开船之前，汤姆穿上了工作服和法兰绒衬衫，并以一小笔钱将他的黑色西装卖给了一位打算留在纽约的同伴。这多少减轻了他的行李箱的重量，但当他发现车站有车辆运送乘客上山前往丹佛时，他感到很高兴，丹佛距离大约三英里，海拔数百英尺。他太累了，没有时间去找帝国沙龙，而是在公共汽车停靠的旅馆里住了下来，洗了个澡，吃了一顿丰盛的饭菜，然后就直接上床睡觉了。

第二天一早吃完早饭，他就出发了。他毫不费力地找到了帝国沙龙的下落，从酒店的服务员那里得知，这是一个几乎全是矿工经常光顾的小地方。它的外观并不引人注目。它建于丹佛早期，建筑结构十分粗糙。酒馆很低，光秃秃的椽子被烟熏黑了，沙地上放着几张小桌子，房间的另一端有一家酒吧。后面的架子上放着一些黑色的瓶子，一个穿着衬衫袖子的男人正在洗杯子。两三个穿着彩色法兰绒衬衫、裤脚塞进高筒靴、长相粗犷的男人坐在桌边抽烟喝酒。

“我在这里等我的一封信，”汤姆对吧台后面的那个人说。 “我叫韦德。”

“老板出去了。”那人说道。 “他大约一个小时后就会到这里。
如果你有什么事，他会知道的。”

“谢谢。我一小时后再来。”汤姆回答道。男人淡淡地点了点头，继续忙自己的事。当汤姆回来时，酒保对坐在其中一张桌子旁与矿工们交谈的一个人说：“这就是我告诉过你的关于那封信的那个人。”

“坐下吧，”那人对汤姆说，“我马上就和你谈谈；”他继续低声与矿工们交谈。过了将近半个小时，他才得出结论。然后他站起来，穿过房间走到汤姆面前，伸出了手。

“震动吧，年轻人，”他说。 “也就是说，如果你是直男
哈利告诉我有一天可能会出现在这里。”

“我想我就是那个人，”汤姆微笑着说。 “我叔叔的名字是
哈利·韦德。”

“是的，那就是他的名字；尽管他总是被称为直男哈利。是的，我有一封信给你。跟我一起来。”他带路走进酒吧后面的一间小房间，这里既是他的卧室又是办公室，他示意汤姆在唯一的椅子上坐下；然后他走到橱柜前拿出一个锡罐，打开它，把六封信抖落在桌子上。

“那是你的，”他边说边挑选了一个。

信是写给汤姆的，只有几行内容。 “你若来我已西去。皮特·霍斯金斯会告诉你他所知道的关于我的一切，然后给你打电话。你慈爱的叔叔。=

“您是霍斯金斯先生吗？”他问房东。

“我是皮特·霍斯金斯，”那人说。 “在我的记忆中，我的名字里从来没有先生。”

“我叔叔告诉我，你可以引导我去找他，并帮我接通电话。”

“现在需要一个比我更可爱的家伙才能引导你去找他，”男人笑着说道。 “哈利三个月前就离开了这里，现在他可能在任何地方。他可能在矿井里挖掘，他可能在狩猎和诱捕，或者他可能已经被印第安人消灭了。我知道他打算去哪里，至少大体上是这样。他确实告诉我他打算留在那里，而且他可能已经这么做了。他说如果他搬走并且有机会他会给我发消息；但由于距离他所在的地方大约五百英里内没有邮局，所以他寄信的唯一机会是由一个猎人寄出，这个猎人碰巧要去定居点，而且他很可能会把它放进他的狩猎衬衫里，再也别想它了。所以他是否留在那里我也不好说。”

“而在哪里 那里？”汤姆问道。 “它位于科罗拉多河以西的群山之中，虽然科罗拉多河长约两千英里，但它并不多。然而，我可以让你更接近，因为他在地图上向我展示了他打算工作的国家的一部分。他说，从他开始工作起，他将在六个月内回到这里。如果你出现在这里，我要么告诉你到达那里的最佳方式，要么让你留在这里直到他回来。好吧，我可以立刻说，没有最好的办法；只有这样。只有一种方法，那就是骑上一匹小马去那里，但这是一种非常糟糕的方法。你唯一要做的就是沿着商队大道继续向西行驶。你必须穿过格林河——这是科罗拉多河上游的名字。布里杰堡是您的出发地，但您必须在那里等待，直到您看到有人向南行驶。至于你自己去的话，最好把那把柯尔特挂在头上，扣动扳机，这样可以省去一切麻烦​​。这是一个糟糕的国家，充满了糟糕的印第安人，没有多少人，即使是最年长的人，愿意冒着生命危险去直哈利已经去过的地方。

“我尽了一切努力阻止他这么做；但当他下定决心做一件事时，他就像骡子一样固执。我很了解他，因为我们在加利福尼亚州的浴霸上作为伙伴一起工作了一年多。我们已经有了很多钱，因为我已经有了妻子并且想要安定下来，所以我回到了东部。那时这个地方有几十栋房子；但我看到它可能会蓬勃发展，所以我安顿下来，开设了这家酒吧，并派人叫我的妻子到西边来找我。如果她还活着的话，我此时应该已经到了一个更大的地方了。但她到这里六个月后就去世了，然后我就不再关心大陆人了。我更喜欢在这里停下来，在那里我会见我的老朋友，可以做我喜欢做的事，而不是经营一家大酒店。它没什么好看的，但它很适合我，而且我很高兴知道，如果我喜欢的话，我可以买下这里最大的地方。我现在拿的钱不多，但在这个地方年轻的时候我拿了很多；我买了几块土地，你可能打赌它们值得拥有。好吧，这件事你可别轻举妄动。再过三个月你叔叔就会出现，如果他还活着的话；如果他根本不出现，我敢说我可以让你陷入困境。如果你继续下去，大约是十比一，你在找到他之前就会被剥头皮。你住在哪里？”

“在大酒店。昨晚公共汽车停在那里。”

“好吧，你在那里呆一个星期，考虑一下。你必须
了解科罗拉多河以西的国家。你最好来这里
去做。你可能在格兰德酒店住了一个月却找不到一个灵魂
可以告诉你任何值得知道的事情，但没有一天你
无法在这里遇到那些自己去过那里或曾经去过那里的人
从经历过的人那里听说过。”

“当地人现在友善吗？”汤姆问道。 “我叔叔在两年前写给我们的一封信中说，他应该推迟前往他想要勘探的国家的某个地区，直到印第安人安静下来。”

“这些该死的小动物从来不友善也不安静。红皮是皮森，你想拿走他就拿走吧。唯一的区别是，有时他们会走上战争道路，有时则不会；但你可以打赌，如果有机会，他们随时准备剥掉白人的头皮。”

“嗯，非常感谢你的建议，我一定会采纳的；也就是说，我不会在几天内做出决定，而是会来到这里与矿工们交谈并了解我能了解的情况。”

“你立刻就能听到，”房东说。他回到酒吧里，对正在和他说话的两个人说：“孩子们，这个小伙子是个英国人，他千里迢迢跑来加入直男哈里，他是他的叔叔。直哈利与本·古尔斯顿和萨姆·希克斯一起，他们正在科罗拉多河以西的某个地方勘探。他想加入他们。现在，你认为他找到他们并进入他们的篝火的机会有多大？”

男人们睁着眼睛看着汤姆。

“瓦尔，”其中一个慢吞吞地说，“我想，如果你步行出发，你到达北极的机会与你戴着头发到达直哈利的机会几乎相同。”

汤姆笑了。 “这不是欢呼，”他说。

“不是的。我并不是说平原上的老手可能无法做到这一点。他会知道哈利和他的伙伴们可能会探索什么样的地方，他会知道红皮人的生活方式以及如何在他们之间旅行而不留下痕迹或制造烟雾，但即使对他来说，这也会这是一项危险的工作，即使他们很了解这个国家，也没有多少人愿意冒险。但对于一个新手来说，开始从事这样的工作将是彻头彻尾的愚蠢。一个人要踏上这样的旅程，大约需要具备六点。他必须像皮革一样坚硬，能够连续几天不吃不喝，熟悉这个国家，睡觉时要张开耳朵睡觉，能够胜任每一个红皮肤的把戏，能够直接射击，至少在三百码处击中一个人，并用他的六发枪在二十码处击中一枚美元。如果你觉得你已经具备了所有这些资格，你想什么时候就可以开始，而你找到他的机会不会超过二十比一。”

“我没有他们中的任何人，”汤姆说。

“瓦尔，如果你知道这一点，那就很了不起了，年轻人。并不是每个新手都会承认这一点。你坚持认为自己什么都不会，同时尽力去学一些东西，到时候你就会做到。你看上去是个身材干净的小伙子，没有比异性恋哈利更好的老师了。你敢打赌，他不知道的事情，无论是关于探金还是狩猎野兽，都不值得知道。你叫什么名字，伙计？”

“汤姆·韦德。”

“瓦尔，我们喝一杯吧。皮特，你不像你那样能让陌生人保持干燥。”

“他还不符合我们的习惯，”房东边说边朝酒吧走去。

“这是到处都有的习俗，”矿工责备地说，“人们都站着给陌生人喝酒；好的波本威士忌不会伤害任何人。”

房东在柜台上放了一瓶酒和四个玻璃杯。每个矿工都为自己倒了一杯酒，然后把瓶子交给汤姆，汤姆效仿了他们的做法，霍斯金斯也这么做了。

“祝你好运，”矿工举起杯子说道。三个杯子都空了，但汤姆不得不中途停下来剧烈咳嗽。

“这是烈酒，”他抱歉地说，“我以前从来没有不加水就喝过烈酒。有时我在船上会喝一杯烈酒和水，但总是至少两份水兑一份烈酒。”

“我们在这里大多直接喝酒，”矿工说。 “但我并不是说这是最好的方式，特别是对于那些不习惯它的人来说，但如果你想在这个国家活得长久，你就必须学会这样做。”

“站着喝酒是这里的习俗，”皮特·霍斯金斯看到汤姆看起来有点困惑，解释道，“没有比拒绝和男人喝酒更糟糕的侮辱了。已经有数十人因此而被枪杀，是的，甚至数百人。我并不是说你不能把水放进去，但如果你拒绝喝水，你最好把手放在枪托上，因为你会想尽快把水拿出来，我可以告诉你。”

“无论如何，这种习俗有一个好处，”汤姆说，“它可以阻止任何不想喝酒的人进入酒吧。”

“是的，小伙子，”皮特·霍斯金斯由衷地说。 “我经营一家酒吧，并靠它赚钱，但尽管我对每一个希望有一天能出人头地的年轻人说的话，请完全远离他们。在乡村，你必须去酒吧才能吃一顿正餐，但每个人都在吃饭时喝茶或咖啡，吃完后一分钟也不会叫你留在这个地方。叫人喝酒已经毁掉了许多好人。一个人先叫，然后另一个人叫，没有人喜欢置身事外，虽然你可能只喝了一杯，但你可能会发现你必须喝一打才能出去。”

“嘿，皮特，你是一个彻头彻尾的禁酒传教士，”一名矿工笑道。

“我不会向像你这样经验丰富的老主人说教，杰里。我为那些可能从中受益的人保留我的讲道，比如这里的年轻人；但我对他和像他这样的人说，你们不要去酒吧。如果你不这样做，当你比现在五十岁的时候，你会发现自己没有货运代理，而全国各地都有很多空缺，适合任何聪明的年轻人，只要他们远离酒精。”

“谢谢你，”汤姆热情地说。 “我会听从你的建议，这很容易。除了晚餐时喝一杯啤酒和一大杯烈酒之外，也许三个月一次，当我登上一艘船时，我不想拒绝，但我从未碰过它，也不想这样做。 ”

“坚持下去，小伙子；坚持下去。你会发现很多诱惑，但你会坚决地抵制它们，除非你遇到一个铁石心肠、一心要惹事生非的人，否则你会发现，当你直截了当地对他们说：‘尽管如此，我还是很感激你，但我从来不碰酒。”

汤姆在旅馆待了四天，大部分时间都在酒吧里度过，在那里他遇到了许多矿工，他们都赞同第一个与他交谈的人所说的尊重国家，除了老爷爷之外，任何人都不能这样做。手在群山之间朝那里走去。

第四天晚上，他对皮特·霍斯金斯说：“我看到你的建议很好，如果我尝试自己去的话会很疯狂，但我不明白为什么我不应该骑马去布里杰堡；当然不是我一个人，而是和一支商队一起向西行进。对我来说，这样做并了解一些平原和露营的知识比在这里呆三个月要好得多。在布里杰堡，我将能够更多地了解这个国家，并可能参加一些狩猎队并通过这种方式获得经验。我可能会在山上找到其他探矿者，即使那里离我叔叔所在的地方不远，我也应该能学到一些东西，而当我加入他时，不应该是一个新手。”

“嗯，这很明智，”皮特·霍斯金斯说，“我不知道我能说什么反对它。你在这里肯定不会给自己带来任何好处，而且我并不是说酒店或酒吧是最适合你的地方。我会考虑一下，当你早上来的时候我会通知你；也许我可以为你的实现提供一点帮助。”

第二天早上，当汤姆去酒吧时，杰里·柯蒂斯（他在那里第一次见到的矿工之一）正坐着与皮特·霍斯金斯聊天。

“汤姆，昨晚我和你说话时，我脑子里就想到了杰瑞。”后者说道。 “我知道他正要再次向西出发，所以我想我会把这件事告诉他。他说他不反对你和他一起旅行到布里杰堡，也许他自己会在那里停留。没有人比他更了解这片平原，他能让你在一个月内学到的知识，比你跟随一支带着农民的商队向西行驶一年所学到的还要多。”

“我确实非常感激，”汤姆高兴地说。 “杰瑞，你真是太好了，我不会再添麻烦了。”

“我认为你根本不会造成任何麻烦，”矿工说。 “我从来不像有些男人那样热衷于独自旅行。我不太爱说话，但我不喜欢两三个月不张嘴，除非把食物和饮料放进嘴里。所以，如果你认为你会喜欢它，我会很高兴带你去。我很了解直男哈利，我看得出你是一个受教的人，不像我在这里遇到的许多年轻人那样坚持自己的观点，而是准备好承认有些事情，作为男人，他们已经尽了自己的全部努力。生命可能比他们知道的多一点。所以你可能会认为这是一笔划算的交易。现在，你的衣服有什么问题吗？”

“除了法兰绒衬衫和这些粗糙的衣服，我什么也没有得到。”

“就目前而言，他们已经足够好了。两件法兰绒衬衫，一件上一件脱下，对任何男人来说就足够了。两三双厚丝袜。它们非常特别，可以携带一条额外的马裤，以防遭遇暴风雨，但就我自己而言，我认为让你的东西在身上晾干也是好的。你需要一双高筒靴、一件水​​牛长袍和几条毯子，其中一条毯子中间有一个洞，可以让你的头穿过去；它就像斗篷一样，就像墨西哥人所说的斗篷。你不需要外套或背心；他们没有一点好处。您想要携带的所有物品都可以放入马鞍包中。买一条你能找到的最好的毯子。我会和你一起去并为你选择它们。您想要一件能让您在睡觉时保持温暖、在恶劣天气下挡雨的东西。普通的毯子并不比海绵好。

“那么，当然，你必须有一把六发枪和一支步枪。如果没有它们，任何理智的人都不会开始穿越平原。确实，这里和布里杰之间并没有太多对红皮肤的恐惧，但从来没有说过恶鼠什么时候会出现。你能射击吗？”

“不;我一生中从未开过步枪或手枪。”

“嗯，你最好带上充足的火药和球，边走边练习。如果一个人不会射击，那么他在这片平原上就没有任何用处。我有一匹小马；但你必须买一个、一个马鞍和固定装置。我们将再买一个来携带我们的赃物。不过这些事情你不用费心，我会解决所有问题的。”

“非常感谢。你认为这一切会达到多少？

“别介意它会带来什么，”皮特·霍斯金斯粗暴地说。 “我告诉你叔叔，如果你出现，我会陪你渡过难关。你必须得到的东西我会付钱，当直男哈利出现时我们会平价。如果他根本不出现，也没有什么坏处。这是我的事，与你无关。”

汤姆意识到，如果他提出任何异议，他就会冒犯霍斯金斯，而这个善意的提议确实让他松了口气。他的腰带里还有三十磅，但他已经在心里计算了杰里认为必不可少的东西的成本，发现一匹马和马鞍，半匹马，步枪，六发步枪的成本弹药、毯子、靴子和旅途所需的物资肯定不止这个数目，而且会让他没有任何资金维持生活，直到他遇到他的叔叔。

他是如此急切地想要继续下去，以至于他不会找任何借口，尽管他知道自己可能会发现自己处于非常困难的境地。因此，皮特坚持自己承担所有费用，这让他松了一口气。因为尽管他决心要走，但他却不安地意识到这是一个愚蠢的举动。为此，他表示热烈的感谢。

“好了，这件事已经说得够多了，”后者咆哮道。 “无论从哪一方面来说，钱对我来说都不算什么，如果我不能为我老伙计的侄子做这件小事，那我就很难受了。杰瑞，你打算什么时候开始？”

“越早越好。我已经在这里呆了四个月了，还没有动过任何一根筋，也就是说，不是一个真正值得工作的地方，我越早重新开始越好。今天是星期三。今天和明天都有足够的时间来处理所有事情，我们将在周五白天开始。汤姆，你不妨跟我一起去了解一些东西的价格。三英里外有一些印第安人扎营。我们将先走到那里并挑选几匹小马。我知道他们有一群这样的人，他们来这里就是为了卖东西的。他们昨天才到，所以我们要挑选他们。”

开始之前，杰瑞和房东进行了简短的交谈，然后杰瑞戴上了宽边帽。

“你见过红皮肤吗？”

“我在火车在这和奥马哈之间停靠的一些车站看到了一些。”

“这些人大多是因盗窃或酗酒而被赶出部落的印第安人，他们在车站闲逛，向新来的人出售莫卡辛鞋和他们的印第安人制作的其他东西。

“你将看到的这些家伙是纳瓦霍人，虽然不是这个部落的优秀样本，否则他们也不会来这里卖小马。尽管如此，它们与你所见过的还是非常不同的。”

步行一个小时，他们来到了一个山谷，印第安人就在那里扎营。有八间棚屋。一些妇女停下手中的工作，环顾四周，看着新来的人。他们的狗狂吠着跑了上去，但被三四个男孩扔出的一连串石头击退了，他们的目标如此明确，以至于他们尖叫着逃跑了。杰里漫步而行，根本不理睬那些狗和男孩，走向一群围坐在火边的男人。他们走近时，其中一人站了起来。

“欢迎我的白人兄弟，”他礼貌地说。 “火边有地方给他们，”他示意他们坐在他身边。一根烟斗由一根长而扁平的木杆组成，上面镶嵌着铜钉，还有一个用红色烟斗石制成的碗，现在被递给大家，每人都吸一小口。

“我哥哥会说纳瓦霍人的语言吗？”酋长用那种语言问道。

“我能和它相处，”杰瑞说，“就像我能和你的大多数人相处一样。”
印度方言。”

“这很好，”酋长说。 “我的兄弟很聪明；他一定是到处流浪了。”

“我在你们的山里一直是个小人物，酋长。你是从远方来的吗？”

“我们离开村庄时，月亮已经满了。”

“啊，那么你已经在路上呆了两个星期了。好吧，酋长，我是来这里做生意的。我想买几匹小马。”

酋长对站在附近的一个男孩说了一两句话，他和其他四五个人立即开始向山谷走去，几分钟后就带着一群印度小马回来了。

“他们并不坏，”杰瑞对汤姆说。

“他们看起来不怎么样，杰瑞。”

“印度小马看起来从来不怎么出众，但其中一匹小马却能让一匹东方马匹静止不动。”

杰瑞站起来，仔细检查了一些马，很快就挑出了两匹。首领一声令下，两个小伙子跳到他们背上，全速骑上他们，然后又掉头回到出发的地方。

“我的白人兄弟是马匹裁判员，”酋长说。 “他挑选了最好的。”

“还有三四个人也同样好。”杰瑞漫不经心地说。 “现在，酋长，那两匹马需要多少毯子，多少火药和铅，还有什么？”

酋长提出了自己的要求，杰瑞回答道：“酋长，你刚才说我是一个聪明人；不过看来你一定是把我当傻子了。”

激烈的争论持续了半个小时。杰瑞有两三次站起来，他们似乎要离开村子，但每次酋长都把他们叫回来。他们的手势和谈话如此生动，汤姆非常担心他们会打起来，但他们的声音很快就降低了，谈话又变得友好起来。最后杰瑞转向汤姆。

“协议达成了，”他说。 “但是他占了我的便宜，而且向他们收取了一笔高得离谱的费用。”然后，他用自己的语言对酋长说：

“明天中午你要把小马送到镇上。我将在距离岩石一侧半英里的那块大岩石处与他们会面，并带着贸易货物。”

“他们会在那里，”酋长说，“尽管我快要给你了。”

当他们走开时，汤姆说：

“所以你付出的代价比你预期的要多，杰瑞？”

“不，我已经讨价还价了；只是千万不能让酋长知道我是这么想的，否则明天马匹就不会出现了。我估计它们都是从其他部落偷来的。我得到的两只都是一流的动物，货物大约有十四磅。我将亲自骑其中一匹，并将我们的赃物放在我自己的小马身上。这是一笔非常好的生意。如果他们是诚实地得到的，他们绝不会以这个价格出售它们。”

购买一件水牛长袍、毯子、靴子和一把柯尔特左轮手枪只花了很短的时间，但购买步枪却是一件困难得多的事情。

“你总是可以信赖柯尔特，”矿工说，“但是步枪是不同的东西；它是一种武器。”由于你的生命可能常常取决于你的射击是否笔直，所以你必须非常小心。一把被誉为好武器的枪，其售价是新枪的四倍。”

丹佛只是一个小地方。没有正规的枪械商店，但镇上几乎每家商店都出售步枪和手枪。在这次任务中，杰瑞得到了皮特·霍斯金斯的协助，他知道有几个人准备扔掉他们的步枪。其中一些武器被带到该国并由这两个人进行了测试。他们的投篮在汤姆看来很精彩，但并没有让霍斯金斯满意。

“我希望这个年轻人能拥有一件一流的作品，”他说，“如果可以的话，我打算给他买一件。如果我们买不到更好的，有两个就可以了，但如果这个镇上有一个一流的，我就会拥有。”突然他惊呼道：“我一定是疯了，简直是傻了！为什么，我知道这把武器。你还记得侦察兵比利吗？

“我当然知道，每个人都认识他。我听说他之前就下楼了
我已经回到这里了。”

“是这样的，杰瑞。你知道，他在距离这里四五英里的山上有一个地方，当他不在的时候，他和他的印度妻子住在那里。他去世前一两天我出去看他。我问他是否有什么可以为他做的。他说不，他的老婆在那里会相处得很好。她大部分时间都是独自一人，当他倒下时，她也会继续摔跤。他有一大片花园，是她耕种的，然后把这些东西带到了镇上。他们总是能卖个好价钱。我不明白为什么更多的人不种植它们；你敢打赌，这比淘金要好。他存了几百美元，他说如果她生病了，或者冬天情况不好的话，这些钱可能会派上用场。嗯，你还记得他的枪吗？”

“当然——他的枪几乎和比利本人一样出名。他过去称之为铅垂中心。你不是说她没有卖掉吗？”

“她没有；至少如果她有的话我应该肯定会听到。我知道有几个参加葬礼的男孩想买它，也向她开出了高价。但她不会交易。今晚我会骑车去那里看看我能做些什么。如果她卖给任何人，她就会卖给我，因为她知道我是比利的好朋友，而且我给她带来了一些好处。几年前他不在的时候，她摔断了腿，幸运的是，第二天我有机会骑车过去。独自一人，没有人帮助，她会过得很糟糕。我派了一名外科医生到她那里，并请了一名红皮肤妇女去护理她。我毫不奇怪她不喜欢卖比利的作品，因为他因这件作品而出名，而且我确信金钱也做不到这一点；但也许我可以说服她这么做。”

第二天早上，当杰里的小马把马匹的价格装在小马身上时，双方就条款达成了一致，然后他们去了会面地点。

“早了二十分钟，”杰瑞一边说，一边看着手表，“红皮肤要到十二点才会到。红皮肤从来不会在他指定的会议时间之前五分钟或之后五分钟出现。它可能是在六个月前定下的，地点是一千英里之外，但就在那一刻，无论是之前还是之后，他都会在那里。白人会遵守约定；但很显然，他会在前一天晚上到达那里，扎营，睡觉，煮一两顿饭，但直到指定的时间，无论是日出、日落还是中午，他都不会寻找红皮肤。红皮肤没有太多美德，至少他们中没有多少美德，尽管我知道一些你可以像任何白人一样随时信任的人，但为了保留任命，他们舔舐创造物。

距离十二点还有几分钟，有人看见三个印第安人骑着马从山谷下来。他们悠闲地骑马，正是在汤姆和他的同伴面前勒住缰绳的时刻。杰瑞已经卸下了他的小马，并把背包里的东西摆了出来。首先，他开始检查这两匹小马，以确保它们是他选择的同一匹小马。

“没关系，”他说。 “他们几乎不会试图为此欺骗我们——他们知道我不会为此付出代价。长官，这是你的交换处。您会发现毯子质量很好。还有一桶火药、一块铅、十根烟草、一块布，以及所有其他商定的东西。”

首领仔细检查了一下，满意地点了点头。 “如果所有的苍白面孔都像你一样公平地对待红种人，他们之间就不会有那么多麻烦了，”他说。

“说得对，长官；无可否认，很多交易者，是的，我可以说大部分交易者都是流氓。但他们会像欺骗你一样欺骗我们，而且经常收留我们。如果你把一颗子弹射进一个欺骗了你的盗贼的头骨，我不会责怪你，因为我自己也非常愿意这样做。

不再浪费任何言语；骑着小马下山的小伙子们把货物捆成大捆，和他们的首领一起上了山谷，而杰里和汤姆则带着小马脖子上的编织皮革套索返回丹佛。接下来又买了一把墨西哥图案的马鞍，它有高高的鞍峰和鞍座、巨大的木框架、巨大的带子和沉重的马镫。杰瑞折叠了一块马毯，并在马背上尝试了不同的位置，直到马鞍完全贴合为止。

“这是你必须特别注意的事情，汤姆。如果马鞍坐得不对，马就会被擦伤，而当一匹马一旦被擦伤，在它康复之前，它就没有多大用处了，尽管印第安人在它们处于可怕状态时骑它们；但他们的马太多了，除非它们特别好，否则他们不会对它们有任何重视。你会看到马鞍很高，它和脊椎之间有很好的空间，肋骨上的压力也很均匀，所以如果毯子折叠得当，小马就不会被擦伤。印第安人不使用马鞍，而是骑在垫子上或折叠的毯子上，他们的小马总是会被擦伤。”

“马鞍非常重。”

“它很重，但几磅对马来说并没有多大影响，所以他可以舒服地携带它。马鞍如果不坚固就不行了，因为马可能一脚踩在坑里，头朝下掉下来，或者从悬崖上滚下来，马鞍如果不近的话就会被砸碎。像铸铁一样坚固。在平原上，一个人对马鞍的重视程度不亚于对马的重视程度，甚至更多。如果他的马死了，他会把马鞍放在头上，带着它好几天，而不是放弃它，因为他知道用不了多久他就会再次得到一匹马。他可以用几笔火药和球从他遇到的第一个友好的印第安人那里买一个，或者如果他没有什么可以交换的，或者如果他遇到了一群野马，他可以得到一个给他。折一条。”

“什么让马皱起来？”汤姆问道。

“嗯，这是一个需要稳定手的事情，因为你必须击中他的正确位置——再高一英寸，你就会错过他；再高一英寸，你就会打中他；再高一英寸，你就会打中他。”低半英寸，你就会杀了他。你必须将子弹穿过他的脖子，距离耳朵后面两到三英寸，就在脊柱上方。当然，如果你击中脊椎，你就会杀死他，而他除了在你食物匮乏的时候给你一两顿饭之外没有什么用处。但是，如果球穿过脊柱上方的颈部肌肉，那么冲击力就会把他击倒，就像你击中了他的心脏一样。这会让他昏迷不醒，你只需跑上去，把套索套在他脖子上，等他一站起来就准备骑上他，两三分钟内他就能做到，而且他也不会变得更糟。震惊；事实上，与用绳子抓住他相比，你可以更容易地把他困住。”

然后杰瑞将自己的马鞍调整到另一匹印第安马身上。

“你会骑车吗？”他问。

“不，我从来没有机会在家学习。”

“好吧，你最好马上去上课。这对于初学者来说是一个好方法；”他拿了一条毯子，紧紧地卷起来，把它绑在马鞍的顶部和襟翼上。

“在那儿，”他说。 “你用你的膝盖顶住它，而在高高的山峰和高高的马鞍上，你无论如何也很难被抛出去，也就是说，如果马不反抗的话；但在你上马之前我会试探他。我们将带领他们走出城镇，我们不想在街上表演马戏团；此外，如果你被卡住，你在那里摔倒的程度会比在路上摔得更轻。但首先我们会给他们喂玉米饲料。你看他们现在对我们很害怕。印度的马一开始总是害怕白人，就像白人的马害怕印第安人一样。玉米饲料对于让我们成为好朋友大有帮助，因为你可以肯定，他们一生中从来没有吃过超出他们自己能吃到的饲料。”

当玉米向它们递过来时，马们有些担心地把它掐死了，它们从筛子上退开，耳朵向后仰。但看到没有对它们造成伤害，它们立即更仔细地观察食物，最后吃了一口，然后开始狼吞虎咽地吃起来，它们的新主人一边吃一边拍着它们的脖子和它们说话。然后他们就被戴上马鞍和缰绳，然后被带出马厩，沿着街道走去。起初，他们对不习惯的景象和声音感到非常烦躁和疯狂，但他们的恐惧逐渐消退，当他们完全回到乡下时，他们就足够安静了。

“现在你牵着我的马，汤姆，我会试试你的。”

杰瑞骑上马，疾驰而去。十分钟后他回来了。

“他会的，”他下马时说道。 “他还很新鲜，需要训练。我不认为他被骑过六次，但只要有耐心和训练，他就会成为一头一流的野兽。当那些男孩骑着它们时，我可以看到它们都很快。我不奇怪酋长会问，对于一匹印度小马来说，什么是一个巨大的长期价格，尽管对于如此好的动物来说，它已经足够便宜了。他家里必须有两三匹不寻常的好马，否则他永远不会与它们分开，因为当一个印第安人得到一匹特别好的小马时，没有任何价格会诱惑他卖掉它，因为一个人在平原上的生活往往取决于他的马的速度和稳定性。现在我自己去驰骋一下，等我回来你就上马，我们一起静静地前行。

“他们之间没有太大区别，”他回来后说道。 “你的速度有点快。皮特让我给你找一匹我能找到的最好的马，我盯着你的马，我的目光直接落在他身上，因为他是马群中的最佳选择。但这也是一件好事，适合我和你的，因为他相当重，在长途旅行中比你的更能承载我。现在爬上你的马鞍。”

杰瑞嘲笑汤姆难以将腿抬过高高的鼻梁。 “你现在必须练习将手放在马鞍上并跳入其中。半分钟的安装可能会导致逃跑和被擦掉之间的全部区别。当你看到五十码外的红皮人向你大喊大叫，而你的马也像你一样害怕地跳来跳去时，如果你必须把脚踩在马背上，那么想骑到它的背上可不是一件容易的事。首先是马镫。无论你是站着不动还是在奔跑，你都必须学会直接坐在座位上。怎么样，你现在感觉怎么样？”

“我经常感觉自己被困在马鞍上。”

“是的。”我会把马镫撑起一个洞，然后你的膝盖就会更紧地靠在毯子上。最好学会在没有它的情况下骑行，即使你确实被甩掉了几次，但从我们明天开始你就没有时间了。几天后，当你回到家坐在马鞍上时，我们会把毯子脱掉，你必须学会​​用膝盖和身体的平衡来支撑。现在我们将继续前进。”

缰绳一松，马匹就一起轻松地慢跑起来。

“这就是他们的节奏，”杰里说。 “除非是在很长的旅程中，当他带着马匹和行李时，红皮肤从不散步，马匹会以这种速度持续几个小时。没错。不要坐得那么僵硬；你希望你的双腿保持僵硬并保持稳定的抓地力，但你的臀部你希望尽可能松弛，只听从马的动作，就像你在船上当船只滚动时那样。那更好。啊!皮特来了。我走这条路是因为我知道他会沿着这条路回来——而且，天哪，他确实拿到了步枪！”

皮特看到了他们，并把枪举过头顶挥舞着。

“我明白了，”当他遇到他们时，他勒住马说道。 “这是一项艰苦的工作，因为她不想放弃它。我不得不和她谈了很长时间。我对她说，当她死后，这把枪必须归某人所有，而我想把它交给直人哈利的一个侄子，她对他很了解；但我想把枪交给她。一个年轻人可以安全地培养出像她丈夫一样的伟大猎人和印第安战士，而且他一定会为普拉姆中心赢得荣誉，并使这把枪在他手中变得像以前一样出名。在她丈夫的。这让她着迷。她说我对她很好，虽然她不能为了钱而放弃这把枪，但她会这么做，部分是为了取悦我，部分是因为她知道直男哈利是她丈夫的朋友，并且与他并肩作战，我所说的年轻勇敢的人很可能会为普拉姆中心赢得荣誉。她说，她的丈夫如果知道它得到如此好的照顾，一定会很高兴。于是她就把它交给了我。她不会听说要收钱的。事实上，我没有按它，因为我知道她会觉得这几乎是她丈夫的一部分。但我会用其他方式弥补她。在那里，汤姆；所有地区都有最好的射击铁。”

“真的非常感谢你，皮特。我将非常珍惜它，我只希望有一天我能够为它赢得荣誉，正如那位可怜的女人所说的那样。”

这支步枪的外观并没有什么特别之处。这是一件简单的作品，有一个小孔和重金属。

“它看起来不怎么样，”杰瑞说，“但你敢打赌，它是一朵雏菊。”

“我们会尝试一下，杰瑞。她给了我一袋子弹、一盒补丁和他的火药角。我们会看看它在我们手中会产生什么效果，我们都是不错的投手。”

他小心翼翼地给步枪上膛。

“你看到那块黑色的岩石从山坡上冒出来。我猜它距离我们大约有两百五十码，如果红皮肤的人从草地上爬向我们，那么它的头就有那么大。你先开枪还是我先开枪？”

“开火吧，皮特。”

霍斯金斯瞄准并开枪。

“你成功了，”杰瑞喊道。 “只是在顶部擦过它。”

他们走到岩石那儿。顶部有一个芯片。

“这是一记好球，皮特；特别是考虑到你缺乏练习。如果它是红皮肤的话，肯定会让他震惊的，因为我怀疑它是否太高了四分之一英寸左右，足以彻底杀死他。”

“杰瑞，这会把他的发髻剪掉，仅此而已。我怀疑它是否会触及他的皮肤。”

他们回到皮特开枪的地方，杰瑞倒在草地上，举起步枪。

“这不公平，杰瑞，”皮特抗议道。

“如果我向你开枪，那是不公平的，但我们只是在尝试步枪，如果那块石头是红皮肤，你可能会确定我应该躺下。”

他开枪了：当他们再次走向石头时，他们发现子弹击中了石头，距离石头中心点不到一英寸。

“那是一把步枪之类的东西。”杰瑞高兴地说。 “现在，汤姆，你可以尝试一下。”

当他们走向射击点时，杰里向小伙子展示了如何握住步枪，指导他如何使用后视镜，并向他展示了如何将前视准确对准后视镜的缺口。 “你必须看到珠子就好像它停在缺口中一样，并且你瞄准的物体必须正好显示在珠子的顶部上方。”他向他展示了如何装弹，然后让他像以前那样，趴在胸前，用左臂稳住步枪，肘部放在地上。 “你一定很舒服，”他说。 “如果你处于狭窄的位置，尝试射击是没有用的。现在，稳定瞄准，当两个瞄准器在岩石上成一直线时，稳定地扣动扳机。用力按压；虽然拉力大约只有两磅，但第一次拉动扳机时，扳机的坚硬感真是棒极了。你根本不用害怕踢。如果你把枪托紧紧地靠在肩膀上，你几乎感觉不到它，因为枪管里有足够的重量，而且它只携带了少量的火药。你不会想射击任何超出这个范围的东西，但有时当你想吃晚饭时，你可能不得不尝试四五百码。在这种情况下，您可以放入一包半的粉末。现在，你舒服吗？你不需要用左手那么用力地握住枪，枪只需放在你的拇指和手指之间即可。那更好。现在，稳定地瞄准，一旦瞄准就按下扳机。做得好！这是一个很好的尝试。你击中了石头右侧一两英寸的灰尘。如果是红皮肤，你就会打到他的肩膀。你会的，小伙子，当我们到达布里杰堡时，我想你会像十个猎人中有九个一样干净地杀死一头雄鹿。”

“汤姆，别在开火前等待太久，”皮特·霍斯金斯说。 “最好一开始就尝试拍摄得太快，而不是拍摄得太长。当你决定要射击时，将珠子瞄准目标并立即射击。当红皮肤人从树后往外看时，你可能想击中他的头，为此你必须在看到他的时候立即开火，否则他会再次出现。我见过的最好的镜头之一根本没有用来将枪举到肩膀上。他只是将棋子放入左手的空心处，一触碰就会开火。他似乎根本没有瞄准任何目标，但他的子弹就像缎子一样，击中了他想要击中的东西，即使它不比橙子大。他无法告诉自己他是怎么做到的。 “我看到了那个东西，然后我开枪了，皮特，”他会说； “枪似乎自动指向了正确的方向，我对此无话可说。”你看，射击是一个眼睛的问题。有些人可能一辈子都在射击，但他们永远不会比受人尊敬更重要，而另一些人第一次拿到枪时就射击得很好。缺乏勇气是一半男人射击失败的原因；那个目标太长了。好了，我们该上马回去了。我得看看晚饭都准备好了。我永远不能相信那个黑恶棍萨姆在我不在的时候会做正确的事。”

傍晚时分，旅途的准备工作就完成了。

“现在请注意，汤姆，”皮特·霍斯金斯在睡觉前说了最后一句话，“如果你没有找到你的叔叔，或者如果你听说他已经被消灭了，请务必立即回到这里。无论你是否适合打猎，坚持生活直到你长大四五岁并决定如何调整自己，这都会对你大有裨益，因为没有比这更好的了。无论你之后做什么，都比在平原上训练几年要好。我会为你找到一个好朋友，并陪你渡过难关，这既是为了我的老伙计，直男哈利，也是因为我自己也喜欢你了。”

“你为什么叫我叔叔直男哈利？”汤姆谢过之后问道
皮特兑现了他的承诺。 “他就这么正直吗？”

“不，小伙子，不；与此无关。比他更直立的男人还有很多。不过他的体型和杰瑞差不多，也许还高一点。不;他被称为直男哈利，因为他是一个正直的人，一个每个人都可以信任的小伙子。如果他说他要做一件事，他就会做；没有必要用任何文件来约束他。当他说出某件事时，你可以打赌。你可以凭他的诺言购买一座地雷：如果他说它很好，你就不用费心去远方去看它，你就知道它就在那里，而不是一个被骗的工作。有一次，当我们在腐竹上工作时，我们到达一个岩石断层的地方，矿脉立即从我们身边滑落。营地里的每个人都知道我们做得很好，我们只需要在底部堆起几块石头，任何人看到它都不会知道矿脉已经消失了。这是大多数人都会做的事情，而与我们一起工作的第三个人也完全赞成这么做。任何人都会愿意给我们五百盎司来买它。好吧，我什么也没说，如果有机会，矿井里的任何人几乎都会这么做，但哈利像山狮一样攻击我们的搭档。他说：“新泽西，你是一只卑鄙的臭鼬。” “你认为我会抢劫一个人，只是因为他会愚蠢到不看它就拿走一个地方吗？”我们已经在双方的索赔边缘工作了，我不认为里面还有一美元价值的黄金，现在它已经在底部逐渐消失了，如果有的话我不会再工作一天和一个提议诈骗的人在一起。因此，他一浮出水面，就告诉所有人，矿脉已经消失，索赔一文不值。那天晚上他和新泽西打了一场大拳头。另一个比哈利更大，更强壮，但他没有手枪，而哈利是神枪手。所以他告诉新泽西州他将与他对抗英国时尚，哈利给了他我所见过的男人最大的舔舐。你敢打赌，我自己也觉得自己很卑鄙，因为我想到了把这件事植掉。但由于我没有说话，哈利对此一无所知。如果他这样做了，我怀疑他是否会再次向我伸出手。是的，先生，他是个正直的人，没有人比哈利更受人喜爱了。哎呀，这个镇上有很多人和我一样认识他，如果他来找他们说：‘我发财了，如果你们肯拿出两万美元来，我就和你们一起去一半。 “把她打开，”他们二话不说就付清了现金；而且，我告诉你，密苏里河以西没有十个人可以说得那么多。

第二天一早，杰瑞和汤姆就出发了。他们沿着山脚向正北行驶，直到到达移民路线，因为铁路还没有延伸到瓦巴什，从那里向南延伸到丹佛。到达布里杰堡的旅程大约有五百英里，他们花了一个月的时间才完成这趟旅程，有时沿着普通的路线行驶，有时又分岔往北走，那里的猎物仍然很丰富。

“那是布里杰堡，汤姆。这不是一个值得一看的地方；但就像所有这些堡垒一样，它只是一个坚固的栅栏，中间有一堆供人们居住的木屋。好吧，你旅程的第一阶段已经结束了，你现在比离开丹佛时知道的更多了一些；虽然我已经教了你很多东西，但在你成为一名真正的好射手之前，你还需要再练习一年的射击铁杆。但你表现得很好，昨天你在奔跑中击倒那头雄鹿的方式非常好。你已经充分利用了你的机会，并且有一双稳健的手和一双慧眼。现在你已经可以骑上马了，如果你身后有一群红皮，你可以相信你会保住座位。你学会了扎营，学会在地上舒服地睡觉；你可以在火上卷一点鹿肉，也可以烤面包以及很多面包。六个月后，你就会成为一个优秀的普通人。我希望我们能去水牛城玩一玩。他们比以前变得越来越稀少，而且不喜欢穿越小路。我们不太可能在科罗拉多河以西看到它们中的许多人。对他们来说，地面变得太丘陵了，而且有太多坏地。”

“什么是荒地，杰瑞？”

“大自然在创造它们时，留下了大量的岩石，但土壤和草籽却很少。全国各地都有贫瘠的土地，但最糟糕的地方莫过于格林河和科罗拉多河两岸的土地。你可能在光秃秃的岩石上骑行五十英里，却看不到一片草叶，除非你进入一些山谷，你可能会因为脚下的水而渴死。”

“杰瑞，你这是什么意思？”

“那里的河流与其他地方的河流不同。他们不是在山脚下工作，而是直接穿过山脚。你在看似平原的地方骑行，突然来到一条宽约不到二十或三十英尺的裂缝，你往下看，如果你有足够的头脑的话，那里有两千英尺或更远的地方，你会看到一条河流在岩石间冒着泡沫。它不是一条河流，也不是另一条河流；每一条来自山上的小溪都切出自己的峡谷，沿着它的道路前进，直到遇到另外两三条溪流，然后它们一起继续前进，切割得越来越深，直到汇入格林河、科罗拉多河或大河的支流之一。盛大。

“格林河和科罗拉多河都是同一条河，只是上游称为格林河。它绵延约一千英里，穿过大峡谷。从来没有人踏过它们，我想也不会有人会这么做。人们不知道这条河从游戏开始到它流出南部平原上的一条大河的过程是怎样的。你看，土地如此恶劣，无法穿越，急流如此可怕，无法顺流而下。即使是印第安人，如果可以的话，也绝不会靠近峡谷。我相信他们认为整件事都是邪灵所为。”

“但你说有些山谷里有草？”

“是的;我自己也曾从犹他州的山上下来过一两次，那里的溪流并没有自己切出一条峡谷，而是以平常的方式表现了一段时间，形成了一个山谷。它们是非常好的地方——有很多草，有很多水，而且游戏永无止境。我在它们中间呆了几个月，得到了很多皮，当然主要是海狸，还有六只山狮和两只灰熊。你敢打赌，我没有把他们的皮带回家。它们太重了，如果它们不给我添麻烦的话，我也不应该给它们添麻烦。溪里也有好吃的鱼，我玩得很开心。红皮肤碰巧很友好，我和一个猎人在一起，他有一个红皮肤的妻子和十几匹小马。如果不是因为这个，我很快就不得不放弃了，因为如果你不能把兽皮带走，那么狩猎就没有意义。事实上，我做得很好，因为我在犹他州买了将近一千美元的皮肤。

“好了，我们到了堡垒了。我想我们不妨在外面扎营。如果你进去，你就得在这里拴马，把行李放在那里，然后在枪声中进来，以及各种各样的事情，这对一个习惯于为所欲为的人来说是很麻烦的。”

马匹很快就被设置了纠察线。 “我先进去看看谁在这里，汤姆。这些堡垒附近通常有很多游手好闲的印第安人，虽然把我们的陷阱留在平原上足够安全，但在这里不行。我们必须和他们待在一起，或者至少让他们在我们的视线范围内；此外，这两匹马对于任何碰巧想要动物的印第安人来说都是一种诱惑。”

“我愿意等待，杰瑞；如果我进去的话，我应该不认识堡垒里的任何人。我会负责生火和烧水壶，七点钟我会准备好晚饭。”

“到时候我一定会回来的；看来我走不了一刻钟了。”

确实，过了半个小时，汤姆就看到他带着一个高大的红皮肤回来了。

“这是我的一个朋友，汤姆。他是塞内卡人的酋长，但他的部落几乎被消灭了，他一生都是猎人，我们这些在平原上生活过很长时间的人很少有人不认识他。酋长，这是我告诉过你的直人哈利的侄子，他来这里和他叔叔会合。坐下，我们有一些鹿肉。汤姆在两百五十码外的奔跑中将一个人撞倒了，一枪如你所愿。做饭的时候我们可以一边抽烟一边聊天。”

酋长严肃地坐在火边。

“自从我上次在黄石公园附近见到你以来，你在做什么？”

“跳马一直在打猎。”印第安人轻轻地说道，他摆了摆手，表示他已经走过了一片广阔的田野。

“我猜是这样，”杰瑞插嘴道。

“并与拉帕霍人和纳瓦霍人作战。”

“那你去过南北吗？”

印度人点点头。 “两者都有很多麻烦；他们想要我们的头皮。但拉帕霍人的四间小屋没有主人，还有五名纳瓦霍寡妇。”

“那你不是一个人吗？”

“加里森和我一起在‘拉帕霍人’中；还有肖肖尼猎人，
当纳瓦霍人跟踪我们时，风就在我身边。”

“他们最好别打扰你，长官。你知道尤特人的国家吗？”

“跳马一直在那里。尤特人是狗。”

“和大多数其他人一样，他们是麻烦的坏人，”杰里同意道。 “我告诉过你，直男哈利就在他们国家的某个地方。汤姆急于加入他的行列，但这当然不可能。我想你还没有听说过他的任何消息吧？”

“一周前，跳马还和他在一起。”

“你是，队长！当我说我们不知道他在哪里时，你为什么不告诉我？”

“我的白人兄弟没有问。”酋长轻声说道。

“确实如此，长官，但你本可以不问就告诉我。”

印第安人没有回答，只是继续平静地抽着斧头烟斗，仿佛这句话暴露了对印第安人礼仪的无知，不值得回应。

汤姆现在开始谈话。

“你见到他的地方离这里远吗？”

“如果走得快的话，五天的路程。”

“他在打猎吗？”杰瑞问道。

“打猎，寻找黄金。”

“他和谁一起来的？”

“两个白人。其中之一是本·古尔斯顿。跳马在爱达荷州遇见了他。
另一个叫萨姆，是个大个子，留着红胡子。”

“是的，萨姆·希克斯；他几个月前才从加利福尼亚回来，所以你以前不太可能见过他。他们会留在你离开的地方吗？”

印度人摇摇头。 “他们要去更北的地方。”

“再往北一点！”杰瑞重复道。 “你不是说再往南吗？”

“跳马没有看错，他知道右手左手。”

“当然，当然，队长。”矿工抱歉地说。 “我只是以为这只是口误。那么如果他们再往北走，他们一定会朝这个方向回来。”

“马跃遇见他们的时候，他们正在大风河畔。”

“耶路撒冷！”矿工惊呼道。 “他们到底在那里做什么？哎呀，我们以为他们已经南下到科罗拉多河以西了。长官，当我和你谈论这件事的时候，我已经告诉过你了；相反，他们现在身处“拉帕霍人和肖肖尼人”的国家。

“他们去了南方，”印第安人轻声说道，“并且遇到了麻烦
尤特人不得不再次回来，然后他们就向北去了。”

「啊，原来如此。我想知道哈利没有向皮特·霍斯金斯传达他已经去了大风河的消息。我没听说那个地区有黄金，不过有些人认为，从西北的黄石谷穿过大山丘下来，可能会碰上金属。”

“去寻找一点金子，”酋长说，“多打猎；在那里呆不了太久，打算过一会儿再去南方。跃马跟他们走吧。”

“我懂了。尤特人袭击了他们，他们知道，如果他们停下来，迟早会失去头皮，所以他们来到这里，向北走一段时间，在山里打猎和淘金，然后在天气好的时候回去。尤特斯已经安静下来了。”

酋长点点头。

“好吧，好吧，这完全改变了事情。你把他们丢哪儿去了？”

“靠近布法罗湖。”

” “不知道。它藏在哪里？

“在一条从西边流入河流的小溪上，从弗里蒙特巴茨附近的一个山谷流过。他们沿着黑河而上，然后要么翻山越岭到达上黄石，要么向西走，越过格罗文特山脉到达怀俄明山脉，然后穿过汤普森山口，或者绕过山麓到达绿河。”

“瓦尔，酋长，我认为在所有这些丘陵和山脉中，人们找到它们的机会与在大松树林中找到一只花栗鼠的机会几乎相同。”

“找不到，”酋长说，“但可能会找到。如果他们跑得快，就别追赶他们；如果你在附近等待，狩猎海狸，寻找金银，那么如果拉帕霍人不抓捕并杀死他们，那么很容易就能找到他们。非常糟糕的地方。马跃是这么告诉他们的。白哥说他也这么认为；但其他人认为他们在某个地方找到了金子，所以他们继续前进。当然，他们有马。骑三匹马，三匹马驮海狸陷阱和食物。马跳回来卖皮了。他答应在这里会见一个朋友，否则他不会离开直哈利，直哈利是一个好人，也是跳马的朋友。在穷乡僻壤，三个人还不够。”

“你觉得我有机会找到他们吗？”汤姆急切地问道。

印第安人的脸上掠过一丝笑意。

“我弟弟还很年轻，”他说。 “有一天他会成为一名勇敢的战士和伟大的猎人，但他的眼睛还没有睁开。如果他尝试的话，他会把头皮留在‘拉帕霍斯’的小屋里晾干。”

“我就是这么告诉他的，长官。这将是纯粹的疯狂。”

印第安人没有回答，杰瑞就转移了话题。

“酋长，你不喝烈酒，不然我就去堡垒里拿一瓶。”

“跳马不是疯子，”印第安人轻蔑地说，“他应该用火水毒害他的大脑。”

“是的;我记得，酋长，你也跟我们一样，喝茶了。”

“茶很好，”印第安人说。 “这是白人带到平原上的最好的东西。”

“是的，长官，除了烟草。我们没有带来那个；但我想你很久以前就从西班牙人那里得到了它，尽管也许你在他们从南方来之前就知道了。”

肉已经煮熟了，汤姆把它从火上取下来，把用作烤肉叉的推杆上的碎片和一些面包一起交给其他人，从水壶里倒出茶，放上一袋茶。在他们面前放糖。直到吃完饭后，大家才很少说话。然后，印第安人和杰瑞不断地抽烟，而汤姆只拿了一根烟斗，因为他自从离开丹佛后才开始吸食烟草。不久，印第安人站了起来。

“早上我会再次见到我的白人朋友，”他说，没有再告别，转身严肃地走回堡垒。

“他是个好人，”印第安人离开后​​，杰瑞说道。 “这几天你一定要和他谈谈他在拉帕霍人和纳瓦霍人中的冒险经历，他们都是平原上最麻烦的流氓。印度人很少谈论他的冒险经历，但有时，当你能让他保持适当的幽默感时，你可能会听到这些经历。”

“他的英语说得非常流利，”汤姆说。

“是的;他在我们中间已经十年了。他受雇了两三年，为铁路工人提供肉类。但没有一个印第安人愿意在一个地方长时间打猎，他经常和猎人或淘金者结伴而行。他熟悉这个国家，而且是一流的射手；人们总是很高兴有他和他们在一起。平原上再也没有值得信赖的红皮肤了，他愿意为了那些他视为特别朋友的人赴汤蹈火。我应该说，他是唯一一个能带你去见你叔叔的人。”

“你认为他会吗？”汤姆急切地问道。

「啊，那是另外一回事了。我不知道他的计划是什么。如果他与另一方订婚，他就会去，因为他不会辜负他所承诺的任何人。如果他没有订婚，他也许会这样做。不是为了报酬，因为钱对他没什么用处。他的狩猎为他提供了他想要的一切。它给了他食物，有时他会带着一捆毛皮去最近的城镇，他从这些毛皮中得到的钱可以为他提供茶叶、烟草和弹药，以及他需要的衣服，但这些还不够。鹿皮是永远的衣服，他在任何一个印第安部落中打猎的时候，她都会为他兴奋不已。如果他是这些印第安堡垒中的一员，那就只是钱的问题了；但把它提供给他是绝对行不通的。他并没有忘记自己是一位酋长，尽管他已经离开老部落的残余势力很多年了。如果他真的这么做了，那也是为了你叔叔。我知道他们一起打猎，一起对抗阿帕奇人。我不会说，但如果我们以正确的方式对付他，而且他脑子里恰好没有其他计划，他可能不愿意对你下手。”

“如果他愿意的话我会很高兴，杰瑞。我一直很害怕去布里杰堡。我和你一起度过了如此美好的时光，你走后我会感到非常孤独。”

“是的，我敢说你会感到孤独。如果我没有看到有同路的同伴，我自己也会感到孤独。我们相处得很好，汤姆。当皮特·霍斯金斯第一次问我是否愿意带你走到这一步时，我想，虽然我非常喜欢你，但对一个人扮演校长的角色并不妨碍我。年轻的嫩足;但在我们离开丹佛之前，我必须喜欢这个想法，现在在我看来，我们在一起度过了一段难得的美好时光。”

“我们确实有，杰瑞；至少我有过。即使那个印第安人同意带我走，我也会非常想念你。”

杰瑞没有回答，只是坐着抽着烟斗，看着火。由于汤姆有时比较沉默寡言，所以他没有试图继续谈话；他搬出去，移开木桩，以便让马匹在晚上能吃到新鲜的草，然后他回到火边，裹上毯子，躺下，“晚安，杰里， ” 会议没有任何反应，他的同伴显然正沉浸在自己的思绪中。

“你今天不会继续下去了，杰瑞，是吗？”早上，汤姆一边说着，一边掀开毯子，坐了起来。太阳还没有升起，杰瑞已经把余烬搅动起来，放了一些肉在上面煮，把水壶放在了中间。

“不，我要在这里停留一两天，小伙子。我并不特别着急，也没有电话要继续。我还没有拿定主意。”

他们刚吃完早饭，跳马就从堡垒里下来了。

“汤姆在这里一直问我，酋长，是否有机会让你带他去见他的叔叔。我说，当然，我不知道你的计划是什么；但如果你面前没有什么特别的事情，也许你会愿意这样做，因为我知道你和直男哈利一起做过一些高大的狩猎和战斗。”

印度人面无表情。

“我的弟弟能日复一日、夜复一夜地骑行吗？他能在没有食物和水的情况下长时间骑行吗？他准备好冒着头皮被‘拉帕霍人’剥去的危险了吗？他能爬行躲藏吗？他能脱马步行吗？他能毫无畏惧地听到红皮人的战吼吗？”

“我并不是说我能做所有这些事情，酋长，”汤姆说；“我并没有说我能做所有这些事情，酋长。” “但我可以尽力而为。而且，无论如何，我想我可以保证，如果我们受到攻击，无论我感觉如何，你都看不到我害怕的迹象。我还只是个男孩，但我希望我不是一个胆小鬼。”

“你千里迢迢飘洋过海来寻找我的兄弟，直
哈利.如果你的内心脆弱，你就不会独自走这么远。
跳马又要回去和他的白兄弟会合了
带你去见他。”

汤姆觉得任何爆发的喜悦都会被这个严肃的印第安人厌恶地看待，他简单地回答道：“我全心全意地感谢你，酋长，我相信我的叔叔也会感激你的。”

酋长郑重地点了点头，然后，仿佛事情已经解决了，无需再多说什么，他转向杰瑞：

“我的白人朋友要去哪条路？”

“如果我知道的话，我就完蛋了。我本来打算越过犹他州，到山里去勘探，比如说向西一百英里；然后，当我和汤姆一起旅行时，我的心情变得复杂起来。我真想把他安全地交给哈利；但如果哈利下到尤特山去尝试一下我听他说过的一个地方，他认为自己在那里发了财，他可能不会介意让我去那里，所以我最后得出结论晚上最好让小伙子在这里等哈利回来。现在情况发生了变化；他们只是在打猎和勘探，可能会很高兴有我和他们在一起，我也可能在那里，就像在其他地方一样；所以当你回去的时候，我想我会成为其中的一员。”

“这将是资本，杰瑞，”汤姆说。 “有你和酋长的帮助，我们一定能渡过难关；有你和我们在一起会非常高兴。”

“你别搞错了，”矿工说，“我不应该比你更能找到它们。这些年我在山上没学不到什么，但在酋长身边我也不过是个小孩子而已。你不觉得这件事会变成一场马戏表演吗？我告诉你这将是一项艰苦的工作。那个国家现在已经没有十几个白人了，如果我们要带回我们的头皮，我们就得非常敏捷。这是一个强大而粗糙的国家。那里有山峰，很多，高一万英尺，有的高出两三千英尺。这里有河流、激流和峡谷。我并不是说食物短缺的可能性很大，如果不是一半的时候人们会害怕开枪，因为担心“塔纳尔印第安人会听到我们的声音”。距离第一场雪落下还有不到一个月的时间。总而言之，这是一项有风险的生意，看你想怎么看就怎么看。”

“好吧，杰瑞，如果事情真的那么糟糕，我认为你和酋长冒着生命危险仅仅为了我找到我的叔叔是不合适的。如果他还活着，他迟早会回到这里；或者如果他以其他方式返回丹佛，他会从皮特那里听到我在这里，并且会写信或来找我。”

“这不完全是你的事，小伙子，因为我正打算去；我很确定酋长会告诉你，他也是这样。你看，他试图说服你叔叔回头。我的看法是，虽然他必须来这里赴约，但他心里还是想再回去和你叔叔会合的。首长，我有没有引起你的注意呢？

酋长点点头。 “我的白人兄弟哈利处于危险之中，”他说。 “跳马不得不离开他；但今天就会开始回到他身边取代他的位置。猎犬会跟他一起去。”

“我也是这么想的，长官；如果我不这么认为，我就完蛋了。它是
我想猎狗你回来是为了见面的。”

“猎犬是我部落的，”他说； “他是我姐姐的儿子。他穿过平原来找我。他在自己的国家打过猎；这是他第一次以男人的身份站出来取代他的位置。跳马会教他成为一名战士。”

“那很好;越多越好，所以不要太多。好吧，酋长，你有什么建议？我们要带上我们的驮马一起穿吗？”

首领斩钉截铁地摇了摇头。 “必须快速行进，并且能够快速驰骋。我的白人兄弟只能带走他们能随身携带的东西。”

“好的，队长；我们不会让自己超负荷。我们只需要带上长袍和毯子、射击铁杆、一些茶和糖，以及几磅面粉。我们什么时候开始？”

“一个小时后，我们就骑马离开堡垒。”

“我们会做好准备的。十分钟就可以解决我们的问题，除了我必须进入堡垒并将我的小动物以及我们不需要的面粉和服装卖给那里的商人。

“那笔交易对我来说并不算坏，”杰瑞回来后说道。 “我卖掉那匹小马的价格比我买它的价格还高；因为红皮人最近一直远离堡垒，而路过的人们总是想要马匹来代替那些死在路上的人。其他东西的售价都比我们在丹佛卖的要高一些。马车在这些平原上行驶得非常高。此外，交易员抓住了机会，并将其考虑在内。”

“杰瑞，你这是什么意思？”

“瓦尔，我告诉他我们要去肖肖尼山脉，打算四处狩猎然后回来，也许经过黄石公园，然后经过熊河，我们会在贸易中把货物的价格拿出来。我们回来了。这对他来说就像是买彩票，因为如果我们根本不回来，他就永远不需要付钱，所以他可以承担风险并给我一个好价钱。我想他认为这些是他得到的礼物。他给了两张纸，一张给你，一张给我，说他欠我们两个人的钱；因此，如果我沉下去而你回来，你就可以画出正确的结果。”

他们立即开始收拾小马。两只动物的马鞍袋之间分了四磅茶叶、八磅糖和三十六块面粉。每个人都带了很多弹药、一条额外的马裤、一件法兰绒衬衫和一双长袜。他们剩下的衣服已经打包好，并被杰瑞带到商人那里，放在那里直到他们回来。

“这对于任何东西来说都足够轻了，”当东西被装进马鞍袋时，杰瑞说道。 “四到二十磅的幼虫和五磅的弹药使其每份重量达到九到二十磅，据我们所知，这对于可能持续三个月的旅行来说还不够。”

除了马鞍袋里的弹药外，每个人的肩上还扛着一个火药角和一袋子弹。左轮手枪挂在腰带上，步枪挂在身后。当杰瑞不在堡垒时，汤姆做了并烤了三个面包，将它们切碎并放入皮套中。

“现在我们准备好了，汤姆；印第安人一两分钟后就会出来。太阳刚刚升到最高点。”

两分钟后，酋长和他的同伴骑马从堡垒门口走了出来。杰瑞和汤姆骑上马，小跑过去迎接他们。当他们走近时，汤姆饶有兴趣地看着这个年轻的印第安人。他估计他大约十九岁，有着一张明亮而聪明的脸。他和他叔叔一样，穿着鹿皮衣服。但衬衫上有流苏和刺绣，他的火药号角的带子也是如此，毫无疑问，这是他离开村庄时某个印度少女送给他的礼物。没有互相问候；但酋长和杰瑞立刻并肩骑马向东北方向走去，汤姆站在年轻印第安人的身边。

“你好吗？”他伸出手说道。年轻的印第安人接过它，对摇晃作出反应，但他摇了摇头。

“啊，你还不会说英语吗？”猎犬再次摇头。 “真遗憾，”汤姆继续说道。 “如果我们能一起交谈那就太好了。”

酋长对杰瑞说了些什么，杰瑞在马鞍上转过身来。 “他叔叔说他可以说一些话。他到村子里来时教过他一点，但他没有练习过说这种语言。一段时间后他就会继续前进。”

所有车辆都安装良好，行驶速度很快。日落之前，他们在布里杰堡东北约五十英里处的一个移民使用的浅滩处渡过了格林河。顺便他们看到了一群鹿，两个印第安人就下马跟踪它们。其他人都看不见他们了，但当听到两声枪响时，杰瑞说：“我们会把马牵到他们那里，你可以确定他们有肉；”首领是个神枪手，他说他的侄子也有这方面的天赋。”正如他们所料，他们发现印第安人站在两只死鹿旁边。猎狗一刀划开肚子，取出内脏，然后把后腿绑在一起，把尸体甩到马鞍后面的马上，又重新上路了。

“我想你会前往弗里蒙特山丘，长官？”杰里说，他们沿河而上骑行了三四英里，以便能够获得生火所需的木材——而在移民小道两侧相当长的一段距离里，连一棵灌木都看不见——他们下了马，转身放马，生火，准备饭菜。

“是的。我们将翻过山口，在北岔口的一个小湖扎营，然后骑行穿过平原，涉过小风河，然后沿着圣人溪而行，晚上在布法罗扎营。湖。从那里我们必须追踪他们的踪迹。”

“那么我们应该从哪里开始寻找‘拉帕霍人’呢？”

“他们可能已经度过了下一次上涨；没有人能说。拉帕霍人就像随风飘荡的枯叶。他们南至移民小道，并多次袭击商队。今晚之后我们必须时刻留意他们，并且必须在天黑之前扑灭我们的火。”

汤姆注意到这个年轻的印第安人是多么仔细地挑选生火的木头。沿着河边仔细寻找浮木，并拒绝所有含有汁液的东西。他自己主动提出用绑在马鞍上的斧头砍一些木头，但猎狗摇了摇头。

“不好，不好，”他说。 “让烟堆冒烟；抽烟很不好。”

汤姆以为他要砍的灌木会散发出令人讨厌的烟雾，也许会给挂在上面的肉带来味道，但当印第安人补充道，“烟雾堆积，红皮看得很远”时，他明白猎犬已经在选择木材时非常小心，以避免产生任何可能吸引远处印第安人注意的烟雾。这是他第一次学到必须谨慎行事。当夜幕降临时，他环顾四周，半期待着看到一些蹲着的红皮肤。然而，同伴们粗心大意的举止让他放心了，因为他确信，如果有人担心出现意外，他们会保持警惕。

晚饭后，印第安人与杰瑞讨论了他们最有可能必须走的路线。这位矿工以前从未来过这个国家的这个地区；事实上，除了与印第安妇女结婚并被接纳进入其部落的捕猎者之外，很少有白人曾深入过这片落基山脉最荒凉的地区。关于那里有丰富的猎物和黄金的存在的模糊传闻存在，但只有一次大规模勘探的尝试。这件事发生在三年前，当时二十名加州矿工深入山区。他们没有人回来，但印第安人向定居点带来的报告大意是，在他们发现的金矿礁上工作时，他们遭到苏族战队的攻击并杀死了一名男子。

“我差点就成为了那群人中的一员，”那天晚上，当他们坐在篝火旁时，杰瑞向汤姆讲述了这个故事。 “当我离开山上一段时间后回到盐湖城时，我听说了他们的开始。我尽可能快地跟他们走，但当我到达最后一个定居点时，我发现他们十天前就走了，而且我不知道他们走的是哪条线，也不在乎越过山口。独自一人，我放弃了。这是一件非常幸运的事情，尽管我当时并不这么认为。”

“但是，当我叔叔的队伍知道当地人如此充满敌意时，他们为什么还要进入如此危险的国家呢？”

“那是一个很大的地方，差不多有东部所有州塞进去那么大，而且红皮也不厚。没有人知道有多少人，但一致认为他们不是一个大部落。那里不像平原，行进的队伍可以被几英里外的印第安侦察兵看到。到处都是破碎的地面、大炮、山谷和岩石。话又说回来，当我们到达风河的另一边时，他们告诉我那里有大片森林。是这样吗，队长，不是吗？”

酋长点点头。 “森林，”他说，“高处的岩石和荒地；一切都不好。冬天，山上到处都是雪。红皮不喜冷；太冷了，棚屋不好。”

“就是这样，你看，汤姆。我们这里海拔很高，所以在山上你很快就会高于林线。那里土地贫瘠，只有岩石，没有足够的草供马匹使用，冬天天气寒冷，印第安人无法住在他们的棚屋里。我估计他们的村庄就在隐蔽的山谷里，如果我们没有运气不好碰到其中一个，我们可能会徘徊很长一段时间才能遇到红皮肤。队长您就是这个意思吧？”

马跃哼哼一声，答应了。

“国内有什么游戏？”

“有马鹿，它们是大雄鹿，长着雷鸣般的大角，还有大角。他们是山羊；它们大多位于林线以上。马鹿和大角鹿是很好的食物，但它们的皮不值得剥掉。有海狸，成堆；尽管我认为数量远没有那么多，因为自从白人来到这里并开展贸易以来，红皮人发现他们可以买到海狸的好价钱，他们每年都将海狸的数量减少了数千只。年。尽管如此，毫无疑问还有很多剩余的，如果红皮们很友好的话，捕猎者会在那里做得一流。当然，有很多酒吧，但除非你碰巧有一个绝佳的机会，否则最好还是不要打扰酒吧，因为有可能受到严重伤害，而且还有重伤的可能性。皮肤，即使你从打斗中恢复过来，也没有什么好处。”

“有这个地区的地图吗？”

“没有任何帐户。它们都只是猜测。你可能会认为这只是一堆被推倒的山。这些地图是根据捕猎者带着毛皮进来的故事制作的。好吧，首先，他们只知道他们加入的部落住在哪里，其次，你可以打赌，他们不会像傻瓜那样告诉任何可以帮助其他人到达那里的事情；所以你可以说他们说的很少，而且他们所说的都是谎言。我想总有一天会有一支远征队准备直接穿越，惩罚这些狗屎红皮肤并打开这个国家；但要过很长一段时间，才能安全旅行，因为我认为，如果士兵们选择不挡路，他们可能会在山上行军数年，却永远看不到红皮肤。现在我想我们最好钻进毯子里。”

两个印第安人已经躺在火边了。汤姆还需要一段时间才能入睡。一想到他即将进入的那个狂野而未知的国家，那里有伟大的猎物，那里隐藏着黄金宝藏，那里有印第安人，还有那里的危险，他的想象力如此兴奋，尽管长途跋涉已经疲惫不堪，但两三个小时过去了。在他睡着之前。他被杰瑞粗暴地摇醒了。

“哎呀，你睡得像空心树上的猪一样，”矿工说。 “早上你通常都很有活力。”汤姆在冰冷的河水里泡了一泡，彻底醒了过来，等他回到伙伴们身边时，早餐已经准备好了。当他们向前行驶时，地面迅速上升。他们现在正沿着一条印第安人的小道走，这是印第安人骑着驮着海狸皮的小马下山时在贸易站换取弹药、毯子和烟草时留下的轻微标记的小路。这个国家极其贫瘠，只覆盖着一片片鼠尾草。随着他们继续前行，山势变得越来越崎岖，越过山脊就可以看到远处的山脊和山峰。

“我想这些都是荒地吧？”

“你敢打赌，汤姆，但在你完成之前，没有什么比你会看到的更糟糕的了。鼠尾草几乎到处都会生长，但有数千平方英里的岩石连鼠尾草都无法生存。”

山丘很快就分裂成了奇异的形状，而孤立的岩石和尖峰则高出一般水平。

“它们的颜色多么奇怪，”汤姆说，“只是规则的白色、红色、绿色和橙色带子；你会在所有这些峭壁上看到相同的标记，而且处于同一高度。”

“就是这样，汤姆。我们认为，这个国家，南方也一样，曾经是平坦的，雨水、河流和激流冲破它，把它冲垮，只剩下这些孤山、峭壁和尖塔，就像如果要展示地面的本质是无处不在的。但为什么不同种类的岩石有如此不同的颜色，我无法解释。我曾经和一个老聚会出去过一次，他们称之为科学探险家。我曾听他说过，这里曾经全都在水下，有时一种东西像泥土一样沉到水底，有时另一种东西，尽管所有的水从哪里来，我也说不清。他说后来地面被抬高了，我想那时水就流走了。我没有太注意他的谈话，因为他实在是学得太哽咽了，而且嘴边还挂着很多难听的名字，以至于他说的话根本听不懂。 ”

汤姆已经了解了一些地质学的基本知识，并且能够了解他所看到的这个陌生国家的形成过程。

“那是弗里蒙特山，”印第安人不久说道，指着前方一座高耸于其他山峰之上的平顶山丘。

“哎呀，我记得你说过今天要骑五十英里，杰瑞，而我们的路程不可能超过一半。”

“你认为那座山离我们有多远？”

“我想有三四英里。”

“已经二十多了，小伙子。在山上，空气如此清澈，你可以清楚地看到事物，但看不清下面的轮廓。”

“但在我看来，它离我很近，我可以辨认出有人在上面走来走去，”汤姆有点难以置信地说。

“我敢说，小伙子。但你会发现，当你再骑一个小时时，它似乎不会比现在更近。”

汤姆发现矿工并不是像他起初以为的那样和他开玩笑。骑行了一英里又一英里，那个地标似乎比以前更近了。不久，猎犬指着右边对酋长说了些什么。马跃立即勒住了马，并示意他的白色同伴也照做。

“什么事，队长？”杰瑞问道。

“马鹿，”他回答道。

“这是个好消息，”矿工说。 “如果我们能在这里储备鹿肉那就太幸运了。传球后我们射门越少越好。队长，我们一起去吧？”

“白兄弟们还是慢慢骑吧。”跳马说道。
“可能会吓到鹿。浪费时间可不好。”

汤姆感到相当失望，但当他和杰瑞慢慢地往前走时，矿工说：“小伙子，以后你会有很多机会的，不能再浪费时间胡闹了。红皮肤会做这件事。”

汤姆回头一看，看到两个印第安人策马奔走，直到接近一个低浪的顶峰。然后他们跳下马，弯腰向前走。不一会儿，他们就趴在地上，蠕动着，直到刚刚到达山顶。

“我认为雄鹿就在那儿的某个地方，”杰里说。 “年轻的红皮肤一定看到了鹿角。”

他们现在完全停下了小马，坐在那儿看着印第安人。虽然距离有半英里，但每一个动作都清晰可见，就好像他们只有一百码远一样。酋长用手臂撑起身体，然后跪下。过了一会儿，他又躺了下来，然后他们沿着山顶平行地爬行了几百码。然后他们停了下来，带着步枪再次向前爬行。

“现在他们看到了，”杰瑞惊呼道。

印第安人一动不动地躺了半分钟。随后，两股细小的烟雾蹿了出来。当枪声传到同伴耳中时，印第安人站了起来，向前冲去。

“来吧，”杰里说，“你可以肯定他们无论如何都打倒了一头雄鹿。牛群不可能离那个山顶很远，否则男孩就看不到上面的鹿角，而酋长也不太可能错过一百码外的一头马鹿。”

汤姆回头一看，发现印第安小马已经消失了。

“哎呀，猎犬回来找他们了。你可以肯定，他们很快就会再次与我们并肩作战。”

一刻钟后，两个印第安人骑马上来，马鞍后面的马背上拴着鹿的后躯，鹿的舌头则挂在山峰上。

“一枪就把他们俩都杀了，长官？”杰瑞问道； “我没有听到其他报告。”

“就在附近，”酋长说。 “没有可能会错过。”

“失去这么多肉似乎很遗憾，”汤姆说。

“印第安人很少会带走超过鹿后躯的东西，如果他们认为有机会很快得到更多，他们就不会带走。雄鹿后躯上的肉比其他部位的肉多得多。但不可否认的是，他们很浪费，红皮肤就是这样。即使他们有足够的肉，他们也会为了水牛的舌头而射杀它。”

当他们经过孤山的阴影时，时间还早，又走了两英里，来到了一个小湖，水从湖里流向北方。他们在这里卸下马鞍，准备扎营。

湖边没有可以发挥作用的灌木丛。因此，他们在一块大石头的背风面扎营。收集燃料时非常小心，燃烧时火焰清澈，没有冒出丝毫烟雾。

“死木在这空气中就像火绒一样干燥，”矿工说。 “当然，如果这些山上两三英里范围内有任何红皮肤，他们就会认出营地，但这不太可能；但是，任何游手好闲的印第安人，碰巧在十英里甚至十五英里外打猎，都会看到烟雾（如果有的话），当红皮肤看到烟雾时，如果他无法解释，他该死的必须开始寻找答案。是谁做的。”

马匹的处境很糟糕，因为除了到处都是发育不良的草之外，它们没有任何东西可以吃。

“明天会有很多草，”酋长在回答汤姆关于饲料不足的评论时说道。 “布法罗湖边的草地很好。”

第二天一早，他们骑马下山，进入大风河谷。他们并没有下到河边，而是绕过山脚，直到到达布法罗湖。

“那儿，”酋长指着一堆灰烬说，“我的白人兄弟的火。”下了车，他和猎犬在火堆周围仔细地搜寻着。不久，年轻的印第安人轻轻碰触酋长并指着地面。他们一起交谈，仍然仔细地检查地面，然​​后直线前进了大约五十码。然后他们回来了。

“印第安人在这里，”马跳说道，“一两天前。发现了火，就沿着白人的踪迹走了。”

“这是个坏消息，队长。”

“糟透了。”印第安人严肃地说。

“也许他不会追得太远，”汤姆建议道。

印度人没有回答。显然他认为这句话很愚蠢。

“汤姆，你对印第安人的自然风光还不太了解，”矿工说。 “当一个红皮肤的人在他认为是他的国家的地方发现白人的踪迹时，如果他需要花几周的时间，他就会跟随他们，直到他了解他们的一切，并且如果他经过他自己的村庄之一他会把这个消息告诉别人，然后一大群恶鼠就会跟他一起追踪。就像他们所做的那样，它们已经化为灰烬。如果这里的酋长在他们出发之前就停下来，就不会发生这种情况，因为他会看到他们将火的每一个迹象都扫进了湖里。我想知道他们自己没有想到这一点。留下这样的痕迹真是愚蠢至极的把戏。我预计他们会更加活跃，但他们认为他们几乎没有进入印度国家。”

“你认为红皮肤是昨天来的，还是前天，酋长？”

“跳马不能说。”印第安人回答道。 “地面非常坚硬，标记非常小。不下雨，步道保持长久新鲜。只找到标记两次。”他带他们来到一个地方，岩石间的浅尘埃上有一个轻微的脚印。

“这确实是莫卡辛鞋的标志，”杰瑞说。 “但也许其中一个白人，即使不是全部，都穿上了莫卡辛鞋踏上旅程。他们考虑攀登一些地方，无论如何，鹿皮鞋比靴子更适合在山间工作。”

“红皮脚。”印第安人轻声说道。

“好吧，既然你说是，那当然是。如果我看到三四个人排成一排，我自己就应该知道，但因为只有一个标记，所以我就难受了。”

“杰瑞，你怎么知道？”

“小伙子，白人总是把脚趾伸出来，而印第安人则直着脚走路。还有其他一些差异，红皮肤会立即看到，但这些差异超出了我的范围，因为我从未做过任何跟踪工作。”

印第安人没有说话，把他们带到了大约二十码外的另一个地方，并指出了另一个印象。这声音太小了，汤姆很难辨认出轮廓。

“是的，这就解决了，”杰瑞说。 “你看，小伙子，当只有一个标记时，我无法判断它是否被翻出来，因为这取决于那个人行走的方向。这个与另一个正好在一条线上，所以脚必须伸直。如果稍微调整一下，那条直接穿过第一个脚印的线就会向右移动五六码远。”

汤姆花了两三分钟才想明白了这一点，但最后他明白了同伴所说的话的大意。由于穿过一个脚趾和脚后跟的线沿着另一个脚趾的中心，因此脚每次都必须保持在一条直线上，而如果脚印是由一个将脚趾转出来的人留下的，那么脚印永远不会指向直线向更远的人。

“那么，队长您有什么建议吗？”杰瑞问道。

“必须扎营吃饭，”印第安人回答道，“马匹走得够远了。这里没有恐惧，红皮肤已经上路了。”

“你认为不止一个吗，长官？”

马跳道：“不知道。” “慢慢就知道了。”

汤姆现在注意到猎犬不见了。

“我们去哪里生火呢？”

酋长指着骨灰。

“就是这样，”杰瑞说。 “汤姆，如果有任何红皮肤出现，你看，就没有什么可以告诉他们不止一个队伍来过这里。”

这次酋长亲自去收集燃料，很快就燃起了熊熊的火焰。两个小时后，猎狗回来了。他和酋长认真地聊了一会儿，从贝壳袋子里拿出两片叶子，打开一看，里面有两小堆黑色的灰尘。杰瑞没有问任何问题，直到谈话结束，然后当猎狗切下一大块鹿肉，并将其放入滚烫的灰烬中时，他静静地坐下来等待它被煮熟，他说道：

“嗯，队长，有什么消息吗？”

“印第安人有一匹马，猎犬来到了一百码外他把马留在的地方。当他看到灰烬时，他就过来看看。随后，他沿着湖边松软的地面上平坦的小路前行。那边，”他指着山脚，“印第安人停了下来，开了两枪。”

“他到底是怎么知道的，长官？”

酋长指着那两片叶子。侦察员检查了粉末。 “瓦兹，”他说。 “汤姆，它们是一团皮革，已经干瘪、烧焦了。他向什么开枪，长官？”

“信号。又走了半英里，另外三名骑着马的红皮也加入了他的行列。他们停下来闲聊。然后其中一人骑马进入山中，其他人继续在小路上驰骋。”

“这很糟糕，长官。那个上山的家伙肯定是为了进村吧？”

酋长点点头。

“唯一令人欣慰的是，哈利已经有了一个良好的开端。从你离开他们到我们见到你之前已经过了一周，也就是三天前，所以如果红皮们昨天沿着这条路走，哈利还有十天的时间开始。”

马跃摇摇头。 “行得快则起步长，行慢则起步小。”

“我明白你的意思了。如果他们稳步向山谷推进，他们已经走了很长的距离，但如果他们停下来捕捉海狸或寻找黄金，他们可能就走不了多远了。我们不是最好继续前进吗，长官？”

“不行，马走三天路；今天好好休息，明天继续出发。如果今晚走得更远，明天就没啥好处了。这里很好扎营，大家休息吧。”

“嗯，毫无疑问你是对的，酋长，但是一想到我们坐在这里的时候那些‘黑皮肤的红皮人可能会攻击我们的朋友’就让人感到担忧。我唯一的希望是，已经打了很多印第安人战斗的哈利，在他继续前进的过程中，会尽可能隐藏他的踪迹，而他们要找到它会遇到很多麻烦。”

酋长点点头。 “我的白人兄弟哈利了解印第安人的生活方式。他不认为自己来到了这里的印度乡村，否则他也不会留下骨灰。但除此之外，他肯定会隐藏自己的踪迹，而“拉帕霍人”将不得不缓慢跟随。

“你认为他们是‘拉帕霍人’，酋长？”

“是的，这个‘拉帕霍国家’。肖肖尼人位于更北的地方，他们很友善。 Bannacks 和 Nez Percés 位于西北部，靠近 Snake River；苏族人更多地生活在北部和东部，在大山的另一边。 “拉帕霍人在这里。”

“哇，”杰瑞愤怒地说，“除非他们发现哈利睡着了，否则一些该死的臭鼬就会在他们抓到他的头皮之前被消灭掉。这是一个隐藏踪迹的好国家。有很多溪流从山上流下来，汇入大风，它们可以随心所欲地向上或向下流动，也可以降落在岩石地面上，所以追踪它们可不是一件容易的事。从这个国家的情况来看，这里似乎没有太多获得黄金的机会，而且我认为，他们会更多地考虑黄金而不是海狸皮，所以我认为他们会继续前进。”

“哈利说他应该尽快离开大风河谷。”马跳说道。 “那里有太多印度人。进入山的另一边。沿着Rivière de Noir 向上，翻过大山进入Sierra Shoshone，然后沿着Buffalo 穿过Jackson's Hole，然后到达Snake River。我告诉他杰克逊洞、班纳克斯和内兹佩尔塞斯有一堆坏印第安人。他说不要下到山谷里去，要留在山麓上。我告诉他，这趟旅程太糟糕了，但他和其他苍白的面孔认为可以做到，并且可能会找到很多金子。没有什么好的跳马谈话。”

“汤姆，我把你带进了这桩糟糕的事情。我认为我们不应该顺利离开，但我并没有因为这么快就陷入困境而焦躁不安。”

“你没有把我带到这里，杰瑞，所以你不必为此责怪自己。是我带你来的，是我决定跟跳马走之后，你才决定来的。”

“我想无论如何我都应该来，”杰里抱怨道。 “酋长直接说哈利和其他人去了哪里，我就决定加入他们。那是一个新国家，没有人说他们会袭击什么，虽然我不是一名普通的印度战士，当他们让我一个人呆着的时候，让他们一个人呆着，我不能说，因为我不喜欢与他们混战如果胜算相同的话，他们就可以了。”

“这是一个美妙的国家，”汤姆看着山谷中几乎垂直的悬崖，上面有规则的彩色标记、深深的裂缝、峭壁和尖峰，“值得不远千里前来观赏。”

“我这么说是因为这并不奇怪，但我在科罗拉多河上也看到过类似的情况，如果我们能安全地离开这里，我不在乎我是否再也见不到它了。我并不是这么说的，因为我反对山丘上覆盖着森林，因为那里有足够的野生动物，而且木材可以方便地建造木材，但这种国家看起来就像是一些涂了油漆的小伙子-罐子在上面留下了线条，现在不符合我的口味。在这里，小伙子；我旅行时从来不带钩子和线。很多时候，当你吃早餐和晚餐时，一支枪就会向你打倒二十只红色恶鼠。我希望你会在湖里找到鱼。许多高山湖泊都挤满了它们。你最好四处看看，捉几只虫子，没有更好的诱饵了。那些跳跃的虫子和任何虫子一样好。”他指着一只蚱蜢，这多少让汤姆松了口气，因为这个小伙子只是想知道应该去哪里寻找虫子，自从他登陆美国以来就没有见过一只。

矿工的衣服里有两条绳子和一个钩子，汤姆和猎狗抓了一些蚱蜢后就下到了湖边，而杰瑞和酋长在一起进行了长时间而认真的交谈。装了饵料的鱼钩刚被扔进水里，就被抓住了，一刻钟之内，十条漂亮的湖鳟鱼就躺在了岸边。汤姆非常高兴。他曾在船上捕鱼，但从未取得过多大成功，当他钓到五条平均每条四五磅的鱼时，他感到非常高兴。由于显然无法再钓到更多鱼，所以他们收紧了鱼线，猎狗把鱼剖开，把它们放在岩石上，岩石太热了，汤姆几乎无法把手放在上面。

看到年长的人在说话，汤姆没有回到他们身边，而是努力与年轻的印第安人保持对话，他发现现在只有他们一人，他很愿意说话，而且他懂的英语比他讲的要多得多。他的功劳。太阳一落山，火就被扑灭了，不久之后他们就躺下睡觉了。天亮前一小时，他们就上马了。猎狗沿着前一天走过的路线走在前面。天一亮，汤姆就一直盯着地面，但只有当印第安人时不时地指着岩石间沙子上的马蹄印时，他才能辨认出来。两个印第安人顺着路走，然而，没有丝毫困难，马匹疾驰起来。

“在我看来，它们不像马的脚印，”当他们经过一个痕迹异常清晰的地方时，汤姆对杰瑞说道。

“我想你以前从未见过没穿鞋的马的足迹，汤姆。对于一匹钉有蹄铁的马，你除了鞋子的痕迹之外什么也看不到，在这里你可以看到整个马蹄的印记。哈利在这里已经足够小心了，他已经把小马的鞋子脱掉了，因为在所有的痕迹中，我们没有看到任何由钉有蹄铁的马留下的痕迹。印第安人从不穿鞋，熨斗的痕迹足以告诉第一个经过的红皮肤，有一个白人走过那里。昨天下午你们钓鱼的时候，我和酋长把四匹马的蹄子脱了。我们把它们和钉子放在一边，以备离开这个狗屎国家时使用。”

骑行了两个小时，他们来到了一条小溪边。酋长举起手让他们停下来，同时下马检查脚印。然后他再次上马，跨过小溪，溪宽约十码，深二三英尺。他又向前走了一小段距离，跳下马鞍，把缰绳套在马脖子上，然后步行回到岸边。他沿着溪流逆流而上走了一小段距离，然后又顺流而下，弯下腰检查每一寸地面。然后他站起来，叫其他人过去。

“把你们的马留在我身边，”当他们加入他时，他说道。 “步道非常糟糕，全是岩石。”他对年轻的印第安人说话，年轻的印第安人一下马，立刻向前走去，像猎犬一样在地面上四分五裂寻找猎物，而酋长则沿着河岸仔细地搜寻。

“最好让他们自己处理，汤姆；他们知道自己在做什么。”

“我想他们是在寻找踪迹，杰瑞？”

“哎呀，小伙子。哈利穿过他走过的地方时，找到了一个好地方，因为你看这里的岩石像桌子的顶部一样光滑，风把上面的灰尘扫得一尘不染，就像东方女人的扫帚一样。 。如果马穿上了蹄铁，岩石上就会留下划痕，即使是最迟钝的印第安人也能跟得上，但一匹没穿蹄铁的马却不会在地面上留下这样的痕迹。我想跟随他们的红皮们和酋长一样感到困惑。没有人知道他们是否渡过了河并继续前行，或者他们是否根本没有渡过河，或者一直在河中上游或下游。”

半小时后，两个印第安人结束了对地面的检查。

“那么，首长，您对此有何看法？”杰瑞问他们什么时候在一起说过几句话。

“猎犬的眼睛很好。”酋长说。白人继续往前走，红人找不到踪迹，以为他们一直在河里，就上去寻找。来吧，我们继续前进。”

矿工和汤姆骑上马，但印第安人牵着他们的马前进了大约三百码。然后猎犬向下指了指，酋长弯下腰检查了这个地方。

“什么事，队长？”杰瑞问道；他和汤姆都下车跪了下来。他们什么也看不见。

“就是这样。”马跳指着一块高出地面半寸的岩石说道。

“如果我能看到任何东西，我就该死了。”

“那里有一根细小的毛发，”汤姆说道，他的脸离地面只有几英寸。 “这可能是猫的毛发；它的长度大约是，但厚得多。它是棕色的。”

“好的！”酋长把手放在汤姆的肩膀上说道。 “现在我们骑吧。”他跳上马鞍，其他人也效仿他，继续前行。

“好吧，酋长，”矿工说，“那根头发告诉你什么，因为我既不知道它的头也不知道尾？”

“白人在来这里的路上杀了一头鹿，他们把兽皮切开，为马制作鞋子，这样马就不会留下痕迹。其中一匹马踩到了一块小石头，一根毛从兽皮上露出来。”

“也许就是这样，酋长，”矿工想了想之后说道，“不过这也没什么大不了的。”

“够了。”马跳说道。 “我们现在知道他们正在采取的路线。当我们到达松软的地面时，小路就会变得更加平坦。”

“当其他人在河岸上找不到踪迹时，他们会怎么做？”

“直走，”酋长说。 “搜索下一条河的河岸，看看山谷的入口，以确保白人没有上去那里，遇到更多的部落，到处仔细搜索，最后找到踪迹。”

“好吧，无论如何，这应该给哈利一个好的开始。”

“不知道过了多久，”酋长严肃地说。 “没有降雨。六、八——也许只有两天开始。”

“但如果他们总是像在这里一样隐藏自己的踪迹，我根本不明白印第安人如何才能找到他们——特别是因为他们不知道自己要去哪里，就像我们一样。”

“寻找营地。步行的人可能会隐藏踪迹，但骑马的人一定能找到。”

“确实如此，”杰瑞摇摇头表示同意。 “印度人只用半只眼睛就能看到草被割掉或灌木丛叶子被剥落的地方。是的，恐怕是这样。在印第安人的眼中，马匹出没的营地是无法隐藏的。它肯定靠近一条溪流。首长，要去找他们吗？”

印度人摇摇头。 “浪费时间，”他说。 “我们直接前往
黑河区。”

“那么，你不认为它们会在那之前关闭吗？”

“马跃不这么认为。他们了解这里的印第安人。也许在第一个营地附近发现了印第安人的踪迹。无论如何，认识很多印度人。考虑直接推动。”

“这是最有可能的。不管怎样，只要坚持下去，我们就一定能离他们更近一些。在我看来，最大的危险是我们可能会追上正在追捕它们的红皮人。”

酋长点点头。

“汤姆，这是一个全力以赴的解决办法，”杰瑞继续说道。 “如果我们进展缓慢，我们可能来不及帮助哈利和其他人保住他们的头皮；如果我们走得快的话，我们可能会遇到这些‘黑色的红皮’，并且要付出巨大的努力来保持我们自己的状态。”

“我确信酋长会及时发现他们的踪迹，以防止我们遇到他们，杰瑞。看看他们的眼睛多好。哎呀，我可能找了一辈子都没有注意到岩石上有一根头发。”

骑过小溪约十五英里，穿过两条相似但较小的小溪后，酋长与杰里说了几句话后，向左转，沿着山脚走去。在一个狭窄山谷的入口处，他停了下来，仔细地检查了地面，然后带路爬上山谷，手里拿着步枪，准备跨过马鞍峰。他们过了河口，山谷就打开了，谷底长出了茂密的树林。他们一到庇护所下面就下了马。

马匹立即开始割草。猎狗手里拿着步枪，穿过树林向前走。

“杰瑞，我可以把马嘴里的碎片取出来吗？”汤姆问道。

“直到那个年轻的印第安人回来。上面不太可能有一个红皮肤村庄，因为如果有的话，我们应该在下面看到一条小路。也许还有一两间小屋，在他回来之前我们无能为力。”

半个小时后，猎犬再次穿过树林。他摇摇头，一言不发地松开了马带，摘下了缰绳。

“他没有看到他们的踪迹，所以我们可以生火并吃点东西。我开始觉得我非常想要一些东西。”

如此提醒，汤姆立刻感到自己饿极了。之前他们还吃了几口前一天煮好的肉，故意剩下的，但现在已经是下午三点了，他感觉肚子饿了。印第安人很快收集了干木头，四条鱼很快就在滚烫的灰烬上卷曲起来，而悬挂在火焰中的水壶开始唱歌。

“汤姆，我们已经走了将近四十英里，马匹必须休息几个小时。我们会在天黑之前以最快的速度前进，然后等到月亮升起；它将增加十。这不是一个可以在黑暗中骑行的国家。我们会在天亮前躲起来，直到第二天晚上才继续前行。当然，我们不会像白天那样走得那么快，但也不会有被伏击的危险。酋长据他所听到的推测，山谷那段印第安人的村庄很密集，白天根本不适合出行。”

“那么你已经放弃了寻找哈利踪迹的所有希望吗？”

“寻找他们只是浪费我们的时间。我们将继续前进，直到我们确信我们领先于他们。我们可能会偶然发现它们，但由于我们周围有这些红色恶鼠，我们无法寻找它们。这只会浪费我们的生命，没有机会做任何好事。我预计哈利和他的一行人也在夜间旅行；但他们不会像我们一样走得那么快，不靠视线。他们随身带着驮马，如果找到合适的藏身之处，他们很可能会休息一两天。”

他们在停下来后只走了几英里，因为印第安人声称他们可以看到前方两三个地方升起烟雾；尽管杰瑞和汤姆都无法辨别，但他们知道印第安人在这种事情上的眼光比他们敏锐得多。于是，他们又在山腰掉落的一堆岩石后面停了下来。猎犬趴在最高的巨石中间警戒，马匹也被绊住以防迷失。矿工和酋长点燃了烟斗，汤姆仰面躺下睡觉。黄昏前不久，传来鹿的叫声。

“有马鹿，酋长。我们不能向他们开枪；不过没关系，我们的肉够一周的了。”

酋长已经站了起来，手里拿着步枪。

“这是猎犬发出的信号，”他说道，“他在山谷里看到了一些东西。我的白人兄弟最好把马匹集中起来。”然后他就沿着岩石往上走。一两分钟后，他喊道，可以让马匹去喂食了，然后就悠闲地走到马跟前。 “见过印第安人——十个拉帕霍人。”

“他们走哪条路？”

“从大风河骑马穿过山谷。去那边的山间打猎。已经把肉装满马了，骑得慢点。没有听说过白人足迹。去村庄时，我们看到了烟雾。”

当杰瑞叫醒汤姆时，汤姆正在熟睡，并告诉他月亮正在升起，该出发了。

他们在首领的带领下开始散步。杰瑞跟在他后面，汤姆骑在他和猎狗之间，猎狗在后面。汤姆被警告说他在任何情况下都不能大声说话。 “如果你有什么话想说，并且觉得必须说出来，否则就说不出来，”杰瑞说，“就到我身边小声说吧。睁大眼睛，把步枪放在手边，我们随时可能会遇到聚会。他们可能会在追踪哈利的踪迹后返回自己的村庄，只要他们能追踪到它，或者可能是一个信使回来取食物，或者那些猎狗的家伙继续加入前面的人。无论如何，我们必须安静地旅行，就好像我们周围有耳朵一样。”

当他们经过印第安村庄所在的树林时，他们可以看到树叶上火光的倒影，并听到频繁的狗吠声和偶尔的喊叫声。又走了四分之一英里，酋长停下来，对猎犬说话，猎犬立即下马，向村庄滑行而去。

“去看看有多少人，”酋长向他解释道。
杰瑞。 “笑太多了，不好。”

“他的意思是那些人肯定又走了，汤姆。如果营地里有男人，孩子们就不会发出声音。”

他们距离树林只有几百码，印第安人很快就回来了。

“男人已经走了，”他说。 “那里只有妇女和男孩。”

“这里有多少间小屋？”酋长问道。猎狗举起双手，伸出手指，然后只举起一根手指。

“十一个，”杰瑞说。 “我预计他们都是小村庄，冬天来临时他们就把小屋搬到森林里。”

他们一上马，酋长就开始慢跑，他们就这样向前走了几个小时，偶尔会散步几分钟。

“我以为你说过我们今晚不应该超出散步范围，杰瑞，”汤姆在第一次这样的场合说道。

“我们是这么同意的，小伙子；但你可以肯定，酋长有充分的理由加快速度。我不知道那是什么，我也不会问。红皮肤讨厌被质疑。如果他想告诉我们，他会在没有被询问的情况下告诉我们。”

当酋长停下马坐下聆听时，一道微弱的光芒悄悄掠过天空。然而，没有任何声音打破夜的宁静。

“你觉得你听到了什么吗，队长？”

“马跃什么也没听见，但他停下来听。我的白人兄弟对‘拉帕霍人’狩猎回来后直接上路有什么看法？”

“我想，当他们得知一些白人经历过的消息时，他们可能会开始加入追寻踪迹的行列。首领你不也是这么想的吗？”

“只有三个白人，路上有很多印第安人；不急于跟随；狩猎结束后可能会吃一顿大餐，然后早上再继续。”

“所以他们可能会。你认为白人已经被追踪到，今天早上就会遭到攻击吗？”

“也许昨天遭到袭击。也许已经占据了强势地位，“拉帕霍人需要更多帮助来占据这一位置。”白步枪直射，也许是想让更多人饿死他们。”

他们再次向前疾驰。杰瑞并没有多想酋长的想法。在他看来，印第安人想要加入到掠夺头皮的行列，并从白人的物品中分一杯羹，这似乎是很自然的事，尽管他承认，他们不吃一顿饭就继续前行，这很奇怪。不久，酋长又勒住马，低着头坐着。汤姆听到猎狗牙齿间发出愤怒的咕噜声。他仔细听着，发现远处有微弱的声音。

“你听？”酋长对杰瑞说道。

“我听到了什么；但它可能是任何东西。数英里外山上的瀑布，听起来就是这样。”

“枪。”酋长简洁地说。

“你这么认为吗？”杰瑞疑惑地说。 “在我看来，里面没有任何枪支。这只是一种持续不断的低语。”

“山又在说话了。”酋长挥了挥手说道。 “到处都是山。他们互相说，生活在我们怀里的红人正在攻击苍白面孔的陌生人。”

“你觉得怎么样，猎狗？”汤姆低声对印第安人说道。

“枪响了，”他以绝对确信的语气回答道。

“瓦尔，首领，我不会反驳你的意见，”杰瑞说。 “你觉得还差多少？”

“两个小时后马匹就会带我们去那里，”酋长回答道。

“那么我们至少可以把它定为二十英里。我们走吧；不管是什么声音，在我们走得更远之前，我们都会对它有更多的了解。”

“别太快。”矿工催马前进，马跳说道。 “也许必须战斗，也许必须逃跑。好轮胎马太多了。”

一个多小时后，汤姆才听到声音特征有任何明显的变化，但最后他注意到，虽然声音看似连续，但实际上是脉动的；有时它几乎消失了，然后突然又膨胀起来，并且有几次振动紧密相连。杰瑞更习惯山里的枪声，在此之前就已经接受了酋长的意见。

“汤姆，果然是枪；酋长在这一点上没有说错。瓦尔，有一个安慰，他们并不感到惊讶。他们正在打一场漂亮的仗，我们可能会及时赶到，介入这场比赛。”

“我们要直接骑马去加入他们吗？”

“我想不会，小伙子。我们必须等到弄清楚哈利现在的处境，以及我们如何才能最好地帮助他，然后才能制定任何计划。”

声音变得更大更清晰。回声依然绵绵不绝，但枪声却清晰可闻。

“它就在那里，在右边，”杰里说。 “他们肯定已经渡过大风河了。”

“然后去了德诺瓦山谷，”酋长说。 “我们现在应该已经很接近了。”

“是的，根据你告诉我的距离，我认为距离不会太远。”

“最好立即渡过大风。他们现在看不到我们了。”

“我同意你的看法，酋长；让他们看到我们是不行的。如果他们这样做，我们的情况就会比哈利的情况更糟糕。我估计他已经被强力贴了，不然他早就被消灭了；如果他们在我们到达我们和哈利的队伍可以互相帮助的地方之前发现我们并监视我们的人数，那么我们就会发生这种情况。”

他们快速骑马来到河边。除了中间几码处需要马儿游泳外，水深不大，很快就到了对岸。他们骑马到了山脚下，然后继续前行。枪声越来越大，汤姆一想到自己可能很快就会与印第安人进行一场殊死的战斗，而他的队伍的胜算却很大，汤姆感到自己的心跳得很快。

不久，山丘急剧下降，到达了黑河谷的入口处，黑河谷此时是大风河的主要支流。在最后几分钟里，枪声已经基本消失，只偶尔听到枪声。

“到目前为止，他们已经击退了攻击，”杰里鼓励地对他说。 “现在我们必须保持低调，让酋长看看事情的进展。”

跳马在一条狭窄的大炮口下马，这条大炮一直延伸到他们旁边的悬崖上。一条小溪从中心流淌下来。

“再好不过了，”杰瑞说。 “这里是我们四个人可以对抗一群红皮肤几个小时的地方。反正有水，有水的地方大多都会有一点马饲料。我会牵着你的马，酋长，汤姆会牵着猎犬的马，如果你想让他和你一起去的话。

“你不用担心，小伙子，”当他们带着马匹沿着峡谷出发时，他看到汤姆看上去多么焦急，他继续说道。 “如果哈利和他的朋友们击退了第一次袭击，你可以打赌他们在一段时间内是安全的。很明显，红皮们已经离开了，并在等待下一步要如何尝试。你瞧，天刚破晓，他们就发动了进攻。这是他们最喜欢的时刻，我想哈利肯定已经在等他们了，而且他和他的伙伴们已经做好了准备。”

直到他们从入口处走了四分之一英里时，峡谷才显示出扩大的迹象，然后突然扩大了一百码的距离。

“两边都发生了大滑坡，”矿工环顾四周说道。 “这一定是很多年前发生的事了，因为冬天的洪水冲走了所有的痕迹，山坡上长满了青草和树木。马能找到足够的东西让它们在这里存活一两天，我希望这就是我们所想要的。”

“杰瑞，这将是一个很难离开的地方，因为悬崖从半山腰开始是垂直的。”

“这不太可能，因为如果不沿着它到达上端，我们就可以离开任何地方，那可能有五十英里远。我不知道它经过哪个国家，但红皮肤们肯定知道这一切。如果他们在这里跟踪我们，他们绝不会试图闯进去，而只会在河口和上端设置一个守卫，然后把我们饿死。这是一个躲藏的好地方，但却是一个很容易被抓住的坏地方。不过，我希望事情不会发展到这样的地步。是我们要攻击他们，而不是他们我们，这才是最重要的。红皮肤不可能知道这个街区还有其他白人，当我们向他们开火时，会引起一阵恐慌，如果我们这样做的话，我们就有机会加入其他白人的行列。选择。这当然必须取决于他们的立场。”

他们步行回到峡谷口，没等多久印第安人就回来了。

“来吧。”马跃简单说了一声，旋即转身快步而去。

杰瑞没有提出任何问题，但汤姆紧随印第安人的脚步。悬崖表面的落石和碎片中生长着灌木丛，因此他们能够以最快的速度从一块巨石跳到另一块巨石，而不用担心被人看见。跑了一刻钟，酋长爬上了悬崖表面的一个壁架，那里的地层比上面的地层更坚硬，抵抗了天气的影响，形成了一个大约十二英尺宽的架子。他双手双膝着地，贴着墙爬到一个地方，那里有一些矮小的灌木丛牢牢地抓住了他们。其他人跟着他，躺在灌木丛后面，透过他们往外看。

山谷有四五百码宽，溪流从山谷中心流过。靠近水边，一块陡峭的岩石突然升起。它大约有五十英尺高，顶部只有四五码宽。北面和西面的岩石太垂直，无法攀爬，但另一面已经崩塌，石头上覆盖着灌木丛。从他们的视线望去，他们可以看到六匹马躺在灌木丛中。他们显然被紧紧地绳子绑住了，很可能在攻击开始时就被带到了那里，并被扔到了他们可以到达的最高点，而这个地点被选择在灌木丛中，从下面的人看不到他们的确切位置。这块岩石距离他们所在的地方大约有两百五十码，他们的位置大约与岩石顶部齐平。大约二十名印第安人聚集在山谷上方几百码的地方，在山谷下方一段距离的地方也聚集着大约二十名印第安人。

“为什么恶鼠没有在这里取代他们的位置？”杰瑞低声对酋长说道。

“他们来到这里。看，”他指着离他几英尺远的一处血迹。 “印度的枪射程不远，”他说，“火力弱；白人的步枪扛在这里，红皮肤的人还不能射那么远。当他们发现这一点后，又离开了。”

“你觉得他们现在要做什么？”

“很快就会再次攻击。”

半个小时过去了，一声大喝就发出了信号，两支军队向那块岩石疾驰而去。他们显然已经体验过白人火力的准确性；没有一个印第安人现身，每个人都骑着小马的一侧，一只手臂搁在套在动物脖子上的绳子上，一条腿搭在背上。于是他们向前冲去，直到接近岩石脚下。再过一会儿，他们就会从马背上跳下来，跑到灌木丛中，但是，尽管他们隐藏在阵地守军的视线之外，但他们却暴露在壁架上的队伍的全部视野中，而他们距​​离他们并不远。两百多码。酋长先开枪，其他三支步枪几乎同时闪出。三名印第安人从马背上摔下来，另一名差点滑落，但他奋力用腿站稳了脚跟。印第安人发出一声惊愕和恐惧的叫喊。当两支乐队混在一起时，一些骑手暴露在岩石顶部的人面前，并开了三枪。又有两只拉帕霍人倒下了，整个队伍听从其中一位酋长的一声喊叫，全速奔下山谷。三个人一跃而起，挥舞着帽子，窗台上的一行人也跟着跳了起来。

“我明白了，是你，队长！”岩石上的一个人喊道。 “从早上起我就一直希望能听到你步枪的枪声，但我从来没有听到过比这更受欢迎的声音。我们肯定应该被消灭掉。你身边有谁？”

“我是杰里·柯蒂斯，哈利。我想到了《跳马》，尽管我
没想到会遇到这么糟糕的情况。这位年轻的印度人是
猎狗，我旁边的这个小伙子是你的侄子，汤姆·韦德。
我想你应该没想到会以这样的方式遇见他吧？”

当他说话的时候，所有人都重新装好了步枪。

“你最好去和酋长哈利讨论一下，并与他一起采取措施来摆脱这个困境。那些红皮肤的人吓坏了，但你可以打赌他们并没有走远；除了其他人之前射出的钱之外，他们现在已经损失了六块钱，而印度人自然不会容忍这样的损失。”他说话的时候一直看着岩石，转过身发出一声惊讶的感叹，因为酋长已经不在那里了。低头一看，他们发现他已经成功地从悬崖上爬了下来，两分钟后他就爬上了岩石。他在那里站了一会儿，与白人认真地交谈了一会儿，然后回到了窗台上。

“马匹的问题，”他说。

“哎呀，哎呀，我猜你就是在说这个。现在他们已经没有回头路了。”

酋长摇了摇头。 “‘拉帕霍人负责放哨，’他说，‘不能到晚上才去牵马。今天所有人都躺在这里，夜幕降临时穿过岩石，然后白人走上山谷，直到一小时路程外的树林里；可以从岩石上看到它们。钻进树林里，爬上山。跳马和猎犬过河，从河对岸经过拉帕霍斯，然后再过河，进入峡谷，赶马上去。白人在山里遇见他们。”

“这似乎是一个不错的计划，长官。也就是说，如果你能从峡谷的另一端出去的话。”

“卡农在高处，”酋长回答道。 “找个地方爬一下。”

“但他们今天可能会找到马。”

印度人点点头。 “也许会找到，也许不会。”

“为什么我们不立即到岩石那里去呢，酋长？”

“印度人用手指头数有多少。他们不知道我们只有四个人；他们心里很困扰，人从哪里来，可以是谁。红皮肤不像白人。有很多幻想。火从“拉帕霍”被杀的灌木丛中冒出；觉得药不好，就聚在一起聊聊。想想如果这里有男人，为什么不去摇滚呢。”

“如果你是对的，我不会感到惊讶，长官。他们更有可能认为我们是从上面下来的，而不是从下面下来的，因为他们肯定认为大风谷里没有其他白人，而我们不露面会给他们带来全面的恐慌。”

“杰里，局长说的坏药是什么意思？”汤姆问道。

“红皮肤充满了各种各样的想法。凡是他摸不着头脑的东西，都是坏药；他们认为这其中有某种魔力，而老尼克也已经涉足其中。当他们心中产生这样的想法时，即使是最勇敢的人也会失去勇气，就像一个孩子以为自己见到了鬼一样。对我们来说，整天保持低调是一个非常好的主意。红皮肤会推理出这一切，并会说，如果这些是白人杀死了我们的兄弟，为什么他们不去加入其他人，没有什么可以阻止他们。如果他们不是白人，那他们是谁？也许他们可以在我们看不到的情况下移动，并从其他地方拍摄。不，我想他们很可能会保持相当紧密的联系，不会冒险分散寻找踪迹，这样的话，酋长的计划就会顺利进行。当然，很大程度上取决于他们的首领。其中之一就是我们拍摄的，从这里你可以辨认出他的羽毛。如果他是老大，说不定他们就会干脆放弃；下一任酋长会把责任推到他身上，并可能会说服他们完全撤离。如果不是老大，那么他们肯定会再试一次。他不想带着他们中的一小部分人被杀、头皮被剥掉的消息带回他们的村庄。我预计今天下午你会看到他们中的一些人与哈利交谈。”

早晨平静地过去了，并不令人不快，因为他们躺在树荫下，但不到中午，太阳就爬上了他们身后的悬崖，猛烈地照下来，他们不得不把头埋在灌木丛下面以遮挡阳光。它们远离它的光线。当下，马跃说道：

“印度酋长来了，没人抬起头来。”

所有人都转移了位置，以便能够俯瞰山谷。一名印第安酋长举起双手，表明他没有携带武器，并在另一名同样没有武器的印第安人的陪同下步行前进。

“哈利要下去迎接他们，”杰瑞说。

汤姆热切地看着那个从岩石上下来、迎向印第安人的身影。他觉得奇怪的是，在长途跋涉来到他叔叔身边之后，他们竟然在彼此的视线中停留了几个小时却没有见面。距离太远，看不清他的面容，但从那人轻盈的步伐和轻松的摇摆中，他看出叔叔是一个比他预想的要活跃得多的人。他确实知道自己才四十岁，但不知怎的，他预料到艰苦的生活会让他变老，而他惊讶地发现，他的步态和身材却是年轻人的样子。

“他一个人下来见他们两个，不是很危险吗？
他们可能藏着武器。”

“你也许可以肯定，他们有武器，”杰里回答道。 “他们肯定有刀，而且很可能是战斧，但我希望哈利有他的六发枪。但无论他有没有，他的两个伙伴都拿着步枪站在那块岩石上，而我们就在这里。拉帕霍队很清楚，如果他们尝试任何一场比赛，他们的生命就不值一分钱。它们不是为了生意；而是为了生意。他们会发现他们是来说服哈利和他的伙伴们放弃的，他们很清楚自己还没有傻到这么做。但他们真正的想法是尝试找出我们是谁，我们从哪里来。”

谈话持续了几分钟。汤姆可以看到有人在问有关隐藏的队伍的问题，因为酋长指着窗台两三遍。谈话结束后，印第安人再次缓慢地走下山谷，头也不回，而英国人则回到了岩石上。

“我不认为他们从哈利那里得到了太多。”

“我想叔叔会说他们的语言？”

“不，我认为他不懂‘拉帕霍方言’。但平原西侧的部落大多能听懂彼此的谈话；据我所知，他能与犹特人相处得很好，他肯定能听懂‘拉帕霍人’的谈话。”

“跳马将沿着岩架前进，”几分钟后，酋长在与猎犬简短交谈后说道。 “拉帕霍一家会尽力找出谁在这里；在找到答案之前我不想攻击岩石。”

两个印第安人平躺在岩架上，爬着爬着，一点也没抬起来，直到到达了悬崖有些突出的地方。从这里他们可以看到山谷下方，他们一动不动地躺着，步枪放在他们面前。

“他们距离我们爬上窗台的灌木丛不超过五十码左右。那是红皮人可能会尝试爬上来的地方，因为在那里他们就看不见岩石了。”

“他们肯定不会在白天冒险沿着岩架过来，杰瑞。他们必须在叔叔和他的伙伴们的火力下前进，并且我们的步枪会在前面相遇。”

“不，只有一名，或者最多两名侦察兵。他们认为，从酋长躺着的地方，他们就能沿着岩架看到这里，并能够认出我们是什么。正是这件事的奇怪性让他们这些小时都保持沉默，我预计他们的首领会想证明我们只有几个人，而且我们肯定是人。我估计他们已经被派往村庄了，今晚这里还会有更多的恶鼠。印第安人从来不喜欢在黑暗中进攻；不过，如果他们对我们有信心，他们可能会尝试一下。他们知道自己可以在被发现之前到达岩石脚下，一旦进入灌木丛，他们就会认为自己可以轻松完成任务。”

一刻钟后，枪声响起，紧接着是印第安人的喊叫声。

“这是酋长的棋子，汤姆，我认为领先已经直线上升。”

接下来的两个小时里，寂静未曾打破，然后，Leaping
马像离开时一样安静地爬回来。

“那是什么，长官？”

“那是一只‘拉帕霍’，不会再侦察了，”酋长轻声说道。
“他爬上了灌木丛，但在他能够踏上窗台之前
马开枪了，他不会把任何故事带回他的部落。”

“他们不会再试一次了吗，长官？”

马跃摇摇头。 “首先拿走石头，”他说，“然后当他们拿到白人的头皮时，他们就会在这里监视我们。我会知道如果没有水我们就不能在这里呆太久。”

“你就在那里，酋长，没有什么问题；我的舌头现在就像一块皮革，天一黑我就会径直走到河边。我想和哈利谈谈，但现在我想喝一杯，更糟糕的是。如果我想到我们会被困在这里一整天，我就会带上我的水瓶了。”

时间过得很慢，尽管太阳一落到对面的山脉后面，空气就变得凉爽了。天色稍暗后，印第安人就沿着岩架爬得更远，不久就回来了，说他已经找到了白人可以降落的地方。杰瑞有两三次催促说天已经够黑了，酋长才同意搬走。然而最后，他站了起来，发出了猫头鹰般的叫声，一两分钟后，猎狗也加入了他们，猎狗一直坚守在自己的岗位上。酋长立即沿着岩架带路，直到到达岩石已经有些崩塌的地方。

“我们最好一次下去一个，”杰里说。 “因为如果出现滑倒或翻滚，可能会导致枪锤落下，我们希望拉帕霍队领先，而不是彼此领先。”

轮到汤姆的时候，他发现在半黑暗的地方很难下车，有两三次他几乎失去了立足点。当所有人都倒下后，他们就排成印第安人的队列，穿过山谷来到岩石上，酋长在接近岩石时发出了两声猫头鹰的叫声。三个人同时从山脚下的灌木丛中走了出来。

“我开始想知道你什么时候来，只是想在天黑之前把小马放下来，否则就得冒着折断腿的风险。嗯，我很高兴见到你，杰瑞；汤姆，你也是，虽然天太黑看不清你的样子。酋长一直在告诉我他是如何带你来的。现在没有时间说话，但我很高兴见到你，小伙子。”他热情地握着汤姆的手。 “现在，伙计们，让我们把马放下来吧。”

“我必须先找到水的踪迹，哈利，我和小伙子都快要窒息了；我预计印第安人也同样糟糕，尽管谈论此事不是他们的天性。”

“先下马吧。”酋长说道。 “天快黑了。”

“瓦尔，我想五分钟不会有太大区别，”杰里抱怨道，“所以就这样吧。”

“我在他们的蹄子上绑了一些兽皮，”哈利说，“这样可以尽量减少噪音。”

“不许大声喧哗。”首领急切地说道。 “红皮球探很快就会爬过来。”

马匹一匹接一匹地被击倒，哈利领着它们，其他人则尽可能安静地推开灌木丛。然后他们的货物被运下来并装在他们身上。

“杰瑞，你骑上我的马，”哈利·韦德低声说道，“我会和汤姆一起散步。我还没来得及跟他说一句话，也来不及询问家里人的情况。首领在哪儿？”

货物调整好后，跳马和他的同伴就偷偷溜走了。其他人把马牵到河边，让它们喝水，而杰瑞和汤姆则躺下喝了一大口水。矿工们的瓶子装满了，然后他们就开始了。

“幸运的是，河流在这里的岩石间发出如此轰鸣，”哈利说，“它会淹没马蹄声。”

他们快步走了半个小时，然后把马蹄上的皮脱下来，继续小跑，两个韦德抓住杰里的马镫皮，并肩奔跑。半小时后，他们进入了树林，下了马，立即开始上山。就在他们离了不远的地方，就听到远处传来一声叫喊。

“你想怎么喊就怎么喊，”杰里气喘吁吁地说，“你现在抓不到我们了。他们已经很久才发现我们失踪了。”

“他们看不出你的样子，”哈利说。 “从酋长的态度，以及和他一起的印第安人不断向你躺着的地方投来的目光，我可以看出他们感到困惑和惊慌。他们提出，如果我们投降，他们将允许我们毫发无伤地返回山谷。我说，当然，我更愿意待在原地。我们已经上了山谷，打算走得更远。我们不想干涉他们，如果他们不打扰我们，我们就应该不打扰他们；失去一些勇敢的人只能感谢他们自己。 “我们有很多朋友，”我说，“他们会保护我们，而胆敢干涉我们的印第安人将会受到很大的伤害。”

“‘你的朋友是白人吗？’酋长问道。 “它们有从山上飞下来的翅膀吗？”

“‘他们来了，这就够了，’我说。 “你看，当他们被通缉时，他们就在这里，如果再次被通缉，你就会听到他们的消息，你的勇士就会死去，而你将一无所获。你最好还是回你的小屋去吧，让我们安心离开。无论他们是谁，他们都可以开枪，正如你已经发现的那样，这是要付出代价的。他们对红皮人没有恶意，只要红皮人别打扰我们。他们只开了四枪；如果他们愿意的话，他们本可以杀死更多的人。”当酋长发现他无法从我这里得到更多信息时，他就走了。最后他像往常一样吹嘘自己，说他已经向我们提出了和平，如果战争来临，那将是我们的错。我笑了，说我们可以照顾自己，而且宁愿这样做，也不愿把自己托付给拉帕霍一家，因为我们已经让他们的一些妇女成为了寡妇。

“叔叔，你认为他们会信守诺言吗？”汤姆问道。

” “不是他们。有一些印第安部落的说法是可信的，但一般来说，言语对他们来说没有任何意义，如果我们把自己置于他们的权力之下，他们会立即用战斧砍倒我们，或者把我们打倒并在他们的地方折磨我们。村庄，情况会更糟。我毫不怀疑，酋长回到他们身边后，他们进行了一次长谈，天黑后过了一段时间，他们才鼓起足够的勇气爬上岩石，尽管我预计他们一定很快就接近岩石了我们离开后。我估计他们是一寸一寸往上爬的。当然，当他们到达拴马的地方时，他们就知道我们已经走了，我预计喊叫声是冲向山顶的信号。但我们不必再为他们操心了。他们可能会一直骑到森林脚下，但当他们发现我们已经安全到达时，他们就会放弃，直到早上。他们很清楚，在黑暗中开始在树林里搜寻是没有好处的。我们不妨在原地休息，直到月亮升起，因为我们在灌木丛中发出的噪音太大了，以至于他们可以听到我们在下面的声音。”

“现在告诉我，小伙子，关于你母亲和姐妹的事，还有你到底是怎么出来的。”

汤姆告诉叔叔他母亲去世的消息，以及他离开姐妹们出来与他团聚的原因。

“这是一件非常糟糕的事情，小伙子，我对自己承担了很多责任。当我收到你母亲的信，告诉我可怜的约翰去世的消息，并且她不会听到你出柜的消息时，我对自己说了一些非常难听的话。我在这里流浪了二十年，运气也不错，但我却拿不到五百美元，而且那里还有我哥哥的遗孀和孩子们，而我，他们最近的亲戚，却拿不到五百美元。帮助他们。我可以告诉你，这让我觉得自己是个很卑鄙的人。你母亲没有多说她的情况，但也没有必要。我知道约翰已经从海军退役，除了半薪之外，身无分文，而她作为他的遗孀的养老金肯定是一笔微薄的养老金。总而言之，我度过了一段非常糟糕的时光。然而，我发誓，我下一次发财致富时赚到的美元不应该被扔掉。我估计你不久就会出去；因为可以肯定的是，如果你是一个有精神的小伙子，你就不会呆在那里无所事事。你妈妈说，女儿们都是想当老师的，你不可能让她们为家里干活，而你却在家里闲逛。我知道在我那个时代，在那里做任何事都已经够难的了，而来这里牧场的年轻人告诉我，现在比以往任何时候都更难。我以为你会喜欢这种生活，到时候你会说服你妈妈让你来的。”

“我不应该让她同意，叔叔。我想去出海，但父亲去世后她就再也听不到了。她说我是她唯一的男孩，她不能放过我，我只好答应放弃这个念头。她仍然更反对你的计划，但当我写信给你时，我想她可能会同意。但不久之后，她的健康状况开始恶化，我意识到我必须放弃离开她的所有想法，而且当我离开学校时，必须接受任何提供的东西；直到她去世后，我才和女孩们商量，她们一致认为来到这里对我来说是最好的事情。”

“我最后一封信到达之前你就离开了？”

“是的;在你写了一封邀请我出去的信之后，我们就再也没有收到过信了。”

“不，我想你不可能拥有它。我三个月前从盐湖城出发之前写过这篇文章。我和另一个人发现了一块相当不错的东西。我们以一千美元的价格卖完了，我把我的那份寄给了你妈妈，告诉她自从收到她的信以来我一直运气不好，但我希望将来能做得更好，我想，无论如何，我我可以承诺每年送她一次，如果我运气好的话，她和她的女儿们都会从中受益。”

“叔叔，你真是太好了。”

“一点也不好，”哈利·韦德抱怨道。 “我一直表现得像个傻瓜；确实，当我收到你父亲的来信时（这种情况并不常见），他总是很高兴地写信，很少谈论他在金钱方面的状况。但我应该知道——我确实知道，如果我想到这一点的话——有一个妻子和六个孩子，靠中尉的半薪维持收支平衡一定是非常困难的，而我，经常扔掉两倍的钱。相当于他一周的狂欢所赚的一年养老金。当我听说他走了时，你很可能猜到我的感受。不过，小伙子，如果事情进展顺利，我会尽力弥补。现在，让我们和其他人一起吧。”

然而，其他人都裹着毯子睡得很熟，一决定停止就躺下了。杰里前一天晚上没有睡觉，而且已经有四五天没睡了，他甚至没有想过向其他人要食物，他们的马鞍上肯定有食物，尽管他已经二十四小时没有吃任何东西了。然而，汤姆不太习惯强制禁食，他感到饥饿。

“叔叔，今天我们没有吃什么，除了昨天烤剩下的面包皮，我想如果我不吃点东西我就睡不着。”

“上帝保佑我，我从来没想过这一点，汤姆。如果我有的话，今天早上我就会由酋长送食物过来。没有面包，但是有很多冷肉。昨天晚上我们做了很多菜，因为我们认为今天可能没有机会做饭了。”

“那么叔叔，你知道印第安人就在附近吗？”汤姆满足了胃口，喝了一口水，从他叔叔的酒瓶里装了一点威士忌，然后继续说下去。

“哎呀，小伙子；我们猜测我们一直被跟踪。我们已经竭尽全力让它们远离小道——尽可能多地在溪流中行驶，给小马的脚包住声音，并选择最坚硬的地面来行驶；但每天黎明前，我们中的一个人都会爬上山坡，有两次我们看到骑着马的印第安人沿着山谷走来走去。昨天早上，有十个人在轻松射击的范围内疾驰而来。我不认为他们认为我们离得这么近。他们突然勒马，聊了几句，然后骑马跟在我们后面。不需要他们的喊叫就能告诉我们他们的意图。我们把他们中的三个从马鞍上撞下来，然后把我们的马扔下来，躺在他们后面。

“他们一圈又一圈地飞奔，向我们射击，但我们又打掉了两个，然后他们就骑走了。我们对他们足够了解，确信他们不会放弃，而是会跟随我们，直到他们的部落中有足够多的人加入，再次攻击我们。我们走了很长一段路，希望在他们上来之前到达树林，但就在太阳落山的时候，我们看到他们走了过来，大约有十五人；我们刚好有时间爬上那块岩石。当他们骑马经过时，我们开了火，击落了其中的四个人。其他人骑马上山谷，以阻止我们继续前进。我们装满了水袋，把马牵到半山腰，就像你看到的那样，然后生火做饭。我们整晚都在值班，两个在下面，一个在上面。但一切都很安静，我们猜测他们正在等待其他人上来。

“天亮前大约一个小时，我们听到另一伙人来到我们下面。他们停在那里，没过多久，他们就开始从上到下爬上来，有一会儿我们拍摄得相当轻快。由于我们在高处，他们的胜算太大了，所以他们离开了。接下来的一个小时里，他们在召开会议时非常安静，除了我们和一群爬上对面壁架的人进行了一些射击；然后我们看到两支乐队都上来了，估计他们会向我们冲来。我们知道，如果他们是认真的，我们就必须下去，因为一旦进入岩石和灌木丛，就没有什么能阻止他们向上爬了。我们下定决心，结局已经不远了，尽管我想我们应该在他们消灭我们之前解决掉他们中的很多人。当你的四支步枪从壁架上发出声音时，我们以为是一群人回到了那里，因为我们确信我们已经把他们全部赶走了，但过了一会儿我们就发现事实并非如此。毫无疑问，印第安人发出了惊愕的叫喊声，当马匹转向时，我们看到其中三匹马倒下了。你可能会猜到，我们并没有停下来争论是谁，而是开始努力做好我们该做的事；但当红皮人骑马离开时，我们觉得这就像一个奇迹。

“那天晚上我们一直在谈论跳马，因为他答应回来和我们一起，而且我很了解他，可以打赌他会来。他离开我们只是为了与他的侄子有个约会，他的侄子将前往布里杰堡与他会合。如果只开了两枪，我们就应该把责任归咎于他，但我们只有四枪，我想我们谁也不会想到他，直到他站起来大喊。现在，小伙子，你最好去睡觉了。月亮一升起我们就会继续前进，两三点钟才会翻过我们身后的那座山。我会观察到那时，但我不认为他们今晚有机会跟踪我们；他们的处理方式相当粗暴，我认为他们不会跟随，直到他们解决了那个壁架的谜团。毫无疑问，他们一发现岩石是空的，就立即进行了搜查，黎明时分，他们将开始追踪踪迹。当他们摆脱了其中有什么不可思议的想法之后，这对他们来说就很容易了，然后我们将再次让他们追随我们，也追随酋长。我们要做的第一件事就是沿着山坡前进，直到到达峡谷边缘，跳马已经在那里追捕你们的小马了，然后沿着它到达峡谷的顶端。”

“我会看着，叔叔，如果你在一小时后叫醒我的话。睡个午觉就没事了，但我现在几乎睁不开眼睛了。”

然而，汤姆觉得他叔叔摇晃他时他还没有睡五分钟。其他人已经站了起来。月光透过树林照下来，他们小心翼翼地避开树枝，开始向上攀登。大家一言不发，因为所有人都知道声音在寂静的夜晚能传播多远。然而，当他们开始时，树顶上有一阵微风吹过，一个小时后，微风变得越来越大，树枝摇曳，树叶沙沙作响。

“我认为我们没有必要再闭嘴了，”其中一名男子说道。 “现在树木正在移动，如果它们只有一百码远，它们就听不到我们的声音。”

当日光开始出现时，所有人都很高兴，汤姆是因为当可以看到地面时攀登会容易得多，其他人是因为他们都渴望一根烟斗，但到目前为止还不敢点燃一根，因为火柴的闪光远处就可以看到。他们在上山时一直稳定地向右行驶，黎明后不久，他们突然发现自己站在了峡谷的边缘。

“杰瑞，你认为就是这个吗？”其中一名男子问道。

“这超出了我能说的范围，本。当我们到达山谷时，我没有看到山谷中有任何一个开口，但我们很可能在黑暗中错过了一个开口。从我们向右走的距离来看，这一定是我们停马的地方。不管怎样，不管是不是，我们都得跟着它上到山顶，在那儿等一会儿，看酋长来不来。”

“我想他会比我们先到，”哈利说。 “也就是说，如果他顺利绕过红皮并找到了马匹。他没有理由等待，我希望他会直接走，而且这个时候已经足够等我们了。”

党以最快的速度向前推进。地面崎岖不平，有时还很陡峭，步行者可以毫不费力地跟上马匹。

“你认为印第安人会效仿吗，叔叔？”汤姆问道。

“他们会跟随的，你可以用你的靴子打赌，汤姆；此时，他们已经揭开了谜团的真相。今天早上第一件事，他们中的一些人会爬到你所在的岩架上，沿着你的足迹一直走到你停放马匹的峡谷，然后发现你是从山谷上来的，而不是下山的。他们会发现有两个白人和两个红皮肤，并且两个红皮肤已经和马一起上了峡谷。一旦事情全部弄清楚，我们的头皮就会比以往更热，因为没有什么比被愚弄更让红皮肤讨厌的了。当然，他们会知道消灭七个人比消灭三个人要困难得多，而且我认为他们不会公开攻击我们；他们非常清楚，在公平的战斗中，他们擦掉的每一块白皮，都有可能导致两只（如果不是三只）红皮倒下。但他们会等待时机：红皮肤是这方面的好手；时间对他们来说不算什么，如果他们能最终抓住我们的话，他们不介意在我们身边待上几个星期。然而，当印度人加入我们时，我们会讨论这一切。我不认为今天有任何战斗的机会，但我们能否在没有另一次混战的情况下离开这些山脉是值得怀疑的。”

汤姆注意到，在与他交谈时，他叔叔放弃了大部分西方表达方式，而在与其他人交谈时，他却像他们一样自由地使用这些表达方式。现在他能够公正地审视他，发现他与自己对他的想法非常吻合。他和他的兄弟之间有很强的相似之处。他们身高差不多，但哈利更宽，体格更壮。由于长时间的风吹日晒，他的脸变成了深深的古铜色。他留着黄褐色的大胡子，而汤姆的父亲则把胡子刮得干干净净。水手比汤姆大五岁，但矿工看起来比汤姆记忆中的父亲年轻得多，因为后者在桑给巴尔车站长期发烧后从未彻底康复；他叔叔的大步和自由的举止与他父亲的步伐形成了鲜明的对比。两人都有一双锐利的灰色眼睛，同样的脸部轮廓，同样愉快的微笑。

“现在我可以清楚地看到你了，汤姆，”当他们停下来等待马匹向他们走来时，矿工说，“我可以看出你很像你的父亲，因为我第一次记得他。 ”

“我以为你很像他，叔叔。”

“以前我们很相似，但我想，不同的生活一定让我们都发生了很大的改变。四五年前他曾给我发过一张照片，一开始我不应该知道那是他。过了一会儿我就看到了相似之处，但他改变了很多。毫无疑问我已经改变了更多；我脸上的这些头发有很大的不同。你看，我们已经很久没有见面了。我离开英国时才二十岁，在那之前我已经有两三年没见过他了，因为当时他在地中海车站。好吧，马又来了，前面的地面看起来更平坦了，我们必须继续前进才能跟上它们。”他们现在已经完全超出了森林的范围，一片宽阔的裸露岩石高原在他们面前绵延数英里。

“他们在那儿，”杰里·柯蒂斯喊道。 “我开始感到害怕，因为‘拉帕霍人’已经抓住了它们。”

过了一两分钟，汤姆​​才看清远处的人影，因为他的眼睛不像他的同伴那样习惯于寻找移动的物体。

“他们骑得很快，”哈利·韦德说。 “我认为他们在踪迹中发现了一些印第安人。”

汤姆第一次看到的那团黑色小东西很快就变成了两个骑兵和两只没有骑手的动物。他们还有三四英里远，但二十分钟后，他们就到达了迎面而来的队伍。白人们挥舞着帽子，在他们骑马上来时欢呼雀跃。

“所以你已经成功地度过了难关，长官？”

“拉帕霍人是狗。他们害怕影子；他们的眼睛是闭着的。跳马站在他们的火边，看着他们向前走，他知道他的白人兄弟一定在拉帕霍人到达岩石之前就占领了森林。他发现马匹很安全，但峡谷很黑，有些地方很窄，路上有很多石头，所以他不得不停下来，直到月亮高高的时候。直到早晨，他才到达距离这里一个小时车程的峡谷顶端。半小时前，马跃走到了边缘，往下看。有十辆“拉帕霍”沿着小路快速骑行。我哥哥听说过其他人的消息吗？”

“没什么，”哈利说。 “我估计他们直到天亮才开始移动，当月亮升起时我们继续前行，他们一定比我们晚了整整两个小时。长官，你认为我们最好走哪条路？

“我哥哥想去哪里？”

“这并不重要。我应该说，我们最好沿着这个高原行驶，与林线保持大致相同的距离。我不认为拉帕霍人会冒险公开攻击我们。如果我们继续在这里，我们就可以越过分水岭，进入肖肖尼人的国家，要么沿着布法罗河而下，然后沿着蛇河而上，然后向南走，或者向东走，冲击一些流入大河的溪流。喇叭。”

酋长摇了摇头。

“太远了，坏印第安人太多了；今晚我们会聊得火热。”

“就是这样，队长。这是一个需要充分讨论的问题。无论如何，我们最好立即继续前进。”

汤姆很高兴发现自己又坐上了马鞍，一行人以稳定的速度骑行了几个小时，然后他们停下来，生火，做饭。汤姆注意到印第安人不再煞费苦心地收集干木棍，而是抢先拿到手上的干木棍。他把这件事告诉了杰瑞。

“他们知道试图在这里隐藏我们的踪迹是没有用的；两队印第安人将一上一下跟在后面，直到在酋长加入我们的地方汇合。从那里他们可以很容易地追踪我们。没有什么比让他们到我们这里来更适合我们的了，因为我们应该让他们生气，萨丁。这是个好地方。这条小溪从你在那边看到的雪峰流下来，我们已经得到了我们想要的一切，因为这片灌木丛会让我们继续射击。你看，我们前面还有一些更大的山丘，而我们在这里比在其中应该表现得更好。我预计我们会在这里扎营过夜。”

“那你认为印第安人不会接近吗？”

” “不是他们。你可以肯定，他们会派一两个间谍爬上去，但他们会更清楚不要进入我们的步枪射程范围内。”

“我非常高兴能再次用牙齿咬住鹿肉，”本·古尔斯顿说。 “我们来的时候有过两三次机会，但我们不敢开火，我们只是靠面包和培根过活。你在哪里杀死这些马鹿的？”

“在我们的第一个站点，弗里蒙特山口附近。我们有两个。”

“好吧，你还没吃多少，杰瑞，”萨姆·希克斯说。 “我认为四个人此时应该已经完成​​了两个季度的比赛。”

“我想我们应该完成其中一美元，萨姆；但我们当天就抓了一把鱼，在阳光下晒干，我想我们大部分都吃了。他们不会保留肉体。这和我们拍摄它的那天一样好，因为在干燥的空气中，肉的视野比在平原上更好。山姆，再给我一些茶。”

“朋友们，你觉得在这里露营怎么样？”哈利·韦德说道。 “酋长认为，如果我们继续前进，我们在这里会比我们应该做的更好。他确信红皮们不敢攻击我们。”

大家亲切地同意停下来，因为在完成了上周的工作之后，他们很高兴能休息一下。谁也不会想到，半小时后，这一小队人在小溪边洗衬衫或缝补衣服，却身处一个他们大多数人都不熟悉的国家的中心地带，并受到野蛮敌人的威胁。马匹割掉稀疏的草丛，嚼着灌木丛的嫩芽，步枪堆放在火边，两个印第安人坐在火边抽烟，认真地交谈，猎犬偶尔站起来，仔细地观察了很长一段时间。清楚的。当人们完成各自的工作后，他们又回到了火场。

“现在，酋长，”哈利说，“让我们听听你关于我们最好做什么的想法。我们都是登山老手，但我们认为您对登山的了解比我们多得多。你不喜欢我提出的计划。”

“没有人能做到。”酋长肯定地说。 “月下有雪，山无路可过。”

“确实如此，”杰瑞说。 “一位住在肖肖尼人中间的老捕猎者告诉我，一年中有九个月，他们被山口的积雪困在山谷里。”

“那怎么活？”酋长继续说道。 “只要我们留在这个国家，拉帕霍人就会监视我们。他们会告诉班纳克人和内兹佩尔塞人，他们也会跟踪我们。只要我们团结在一起，看着他们就不会来，他们害怕白人的步枪；但如果没有狩猎我们就无法生存，然后他们就会杀死一两个，直到全部被杀。晚上必须常守望，白天不能打猎。我们怎样生活？留下来有什么好处？如果我们阻止所有人被杀，那肯定会被杀。”

周围一片寂静。他们每个人都觉得印第安人的话是对的，但他们讨厌放弃寻找黄金的想法，或者如果失败了，就带着驮着海狸皮的马回家的想法。

哈利是第一个说话的。 “我担心这些恶鼠干扰了我们的计划，伙计们。如果我们有幸落入其中一个较高的山谷而不被注意到，我们本可以在那里狩猎和被困并寻找金子几个月而没有太多被发现的机会，但这一切都被打乱了。恐怕首领说的是真的。如果我们在一起，我们就会挨饿；如果我们分散去狩猎，我们就会遭到伏击和杀害。我讨厌放弃任何我下定决心的事情，但这一次我看不到出路。我们不是第一个来到这里却又不得不空着手回去的队伍，我们知道两年前来自加利福尼亚州的那支由二十名老矿工组成的队伍发生了什么，尽管他们中没有一个人回到过这里。讲故事。我们一开始就知道这只是一个机会，但牌局对我们不利。”

“确实如此，”本同意道。 “如果结果好的话，我们可能会打出漂亮的一击。结果并不好，而且我们每天都待在这里，就会有更多的害虫蜂拥而至，我说我们越早离开这个狗屎国家越好。”

“本，你可以算我一个，”萨姆·希克斯说。 “我们已经参加了比赛，但我们没有牵手，对他们红皮肤虚张声势是没有用的。我们毕竟没有浪费太多时间，而且我想我们都学到了一些东西。有一天，当铁路穿过时，山姆大叔将不得不派出一批军队来对付这些山上的红皮肤，并声称那里可能是一个采矿和诱捕的好地方，但目前我们这是一个该死的景象，我们失去头皮的可能性比得到皮肤的可能性更大。”

“那么，跳马，那你建议我们走哪条路呢？”

“直回峡谷，骑马下山，过河，上山对岸，过联合峰北面，下大风河上游。从那里到绿河的路很近。马跃从未去过那里，但听说过。从这里出发，需要一天的车程，前往格林河上游水域。”

“听起来不错，”杰里·柯蒂斯说。 “如果我们一旦能够攻击绿军，我们就应该完全离开‘拉帕霍国家’了。我认识两三个人，他们已经沿着绿地几乎到达了上游，那里有很好的狩猎场，旁边的溪流里有很多海狸。我不应该想到事情会发生得这么近，但我不怀疑酋长是对的。”

“联合峰，”酋长指着南面群山中耸立的峭壁说道。

“你确定吗，队长？”

印度人点点头。 “四十、五十英里远，”他说。 “马跃已经到了青河上游，看到了对岸的山峰。”

“那就这么定了，”哈利说。 “这是我们的方针，毫无疑问。如果我知道我们距离格林河不到六十或七十英里，我就不应该向对方求婚。你认为我们最好采用你提出的经典吗，酋长？”

印度人点点头。 “如果穿过森林下去可能会遭到伏击。从这里回到峡谷的开阔地。 '拉帕霍斯最前面。以为我们会走那条路，而不是以为我们会回去。取得良好的开端。一旦过河，沿着对岸山间的小溪走，那就是过去的路。如果‘拉帕霍人追随我们，我们就会与他们战斗。”

“是的，我们在那里对他们有利，因为他们必须在我们的火力下进攻，而且肯定有一些地方，六人可以抵挡五十人。很好，队长，事情就这么解决了。你认为我们什么时候开始比较好？”

“天黑的时候。”酋长回答道。 “不要浪费时间，每小时都会有更多的印度人来。让火保持良好燃烧，“拉帕霍人认为我们在这里扎营。”把马牵到稍远的地方，然后骑到火光之外。”

“你认为他们会监视我们吗？”

“一定要看。先向北骑行半小时，然后转身骑行至峡谷。如果间谍发现我们离开，请通知我们北上的朋友。太黑了，无法追寻踪迹。他们认为明天很容易就能抓住我们，并在早上继续追踪。但那时已经太晚了，我们在那之前就过河了。”

大家纷纷低声表示同意。一想到要不断地被监视，并在最意想不到的时候突然袭击，他们就感到焦躁不安，而一想到尽早采取行动，他们就感到愉快。

“叔叔，你不认为现在有间谍在监视我们吧？”

“不太近，汤姆；他们会更清楚这一点。如果我们上马下车，它们就能在几英里外看到我们，只有天黑的时候它们才会冒险爬上来，因为如果在白天看到它，它就没有任何机会爬上来。走吧，因为我们可以骑着他骑在马路上。”

“好吧，我想我们还是睡一觉吧，”萨姆·希克斯说。 “不管怎样，哈利，你躺下看一看，因为你昨晚看了。我们会比较谁还醒着。”

“跳马会看守的。”酋长轻声说道。 “不用担心
印度人，但最好还是看一下。”

知道红皮肤有几乎无限时间保持清醒的能力，其他人都没有想过拒绝这个提议，几分钟后所有人都睡着了。日落时分，他们再次站起来。又煮了一顿饭，吃完了，黄昏时，马匹聚集在五十码外，猎狗和汤姆在他们旁边就座。

“汤姆，睁大眼睛，把步枪放在手边，”他叔叔说。 ” “这很可能是一些年轻的勇敢者，渴望出名，可能会爬过去，意图踩踏小马，尽管我认为他不会尝试这样做，直到他认为我们大多数人都睡着了。不过，还是没有什么说法。”

手表没有受到干扰，很快天就变得很黑，再也看不到五十码外的物体了。汤姆开始感到紧张。在他看来，每一丛土地、每一丛小灌木都呈现出爬行的印第安人的形状，当他看到火堆周围的人影站起来并向他走来时，他感到一种极大的解脱。

“我很高兴你能来，叔叔，”他坦白地说。 “有几次我开始感到非常不舒服。在我看来，有些灌木丛动了。”

“我以为你也会有这种感觉，汤姆。不过，你的第一次值班时间应该很短，这样徒步遭遇伏击的可能性就不会太大。我知道如果你的眼睛欺骗了你，猎狗就在那里。下次你就不会那么紧张了；那种事情很快就会过去。”

在人们离开之前，一把新的灌木丛被扔进火里，在他们骑马离开很久之后，他们可以看到火焰越来越高。向北骑行了一刻钟后，他们改变了路线，绕道而行，将大火留在了右侧半英里处。星光足以让他们前行，四个小时后，走在前面的酋长停了下来。

“现在离峡谷不远了。听。”

一阵微弱的低语声传入他们的耳中，声音如此微弱，如果不是汤姆的注意力被吸引过来，他根本就不会注意到。

“那是什么声音？”他问。

“那是峡谷里的小溪，”他叔叔回答道。 “我们离头部还有多远，长官？”

“不远了，一定要慢点。”

他们继续散步，稍微改变路线，向东走。猎狗继续前行，一刻钟后，他们听到了他的信号，猫头鹰的叫声。它从更东边的一个地方出发，加快了他们的步伐，几分钟后，他们就来到了那个年轻的印第安人面前，他正站在陡峭山坡的边缘，在山脚下汤姆可以看到一条小溪。水。

“看起来非常陡峭，”杰里说。

“陡峭，但很光滑，”印第安人回答道。 “今天早上带着马来到这里。”

大家都下马了，汤姆走到马头边。 “那不行，汤姆。永远不要走在马前面，走在你看不到路的陡峭地方，总是把它赶在你前面。”

让马匹开始下降时遇到了一些麻烦，但不久之后，酋长的小马就做出了榜样。然后把后腿塞到它下面，直到它屁股坐下来，开始滑落，而其他动物，在耳朵向后直盯着黑暗，恐惧地哼着鼻子之后，半被说服，半被迫跟随它的脚步。例如，男人们跟着他们倒下了。下坡并不像黑暗中看起来那么陡峭，深度也不超过五十英尺。他们一到达底部，就再次上马，在酋长的带路下，他们沿着峡谷骑行。起初他们还能以相当的速度前进，但随着山坡越来越高、越来越陡，黑暗也变得越来越浓重，他们不得不在散布在谷底的巨石之间小心翼翼地选择前进的道路。有好几次，他们不得不下马才能让马匹免于重重的跌落，从进入峡谷到接近峡谷口，已经过去了四个小时。当他们进入最初停放马匹的小树林时，酋长说：“在这里生火，做饭。跳马和猎狗继续侦察，也许“拉帕霍人在山谷里放哨了。”

“很好，队长。距离我们出发已经过去了七个小时；我认为马匹休息一个小时会更好，我相信我们也会更好地吃东西。而且，一旦走出这个洞，我们可能就得走快了。”

“你不认为拉帕霍人会在入口处监视我们吗？”当印第安人离开时，汤姆问道。

“根本不可能，汤姆。尽管如此，他们可能会认为，如果我们给他们的搜索队一个机会，我们就必须再次沿着河边或穿过这个峡谷下来，他们可能已经离开了一支队伍，或者给他们的一些村庄发了消息，让他们在山谷里守卫。 ”。

一个多小时后，印第安人才回来。

“山谷里没有拉帕霍人，”酋长一边说，一边在火边坐下，不失时机地开始吃他们准备好的肉。 “最好快点走，必须在天亮之前过河上车；山坡上的印度村庄都发生了火灾。当光线到来时，“拉帕霍人找到踪迹，他们很快就会回来。”

“你可以用你的靴子打赌，他们会的，酋长，”萨姆·希克斯说。 “当他们发现我们又从峡谷下来时，他们会变得非常疯狂。一旦他们看到我们朝哪个方向走，他们中的一些人就会直奔这里，希望从山口切断我们，但当他们到达这里时，我们已经爬到了半山腰了。”

印第安人没有回答，但他和猎狗吃得很安稳，一吃完就站起来，说“该走了”就出去牵马了。

“我认为酋长不像山姆那样有信心我们能不战而逃，”汤姆对叔叔说。

“汤姆，从来没有人说过印第安人的想法是什么，即使他已经陷入白人的困境，就像跳马所做的那样。也许是他在对面山上看到的大火让他感到不安。在我们到达边上很远的地方之前天就会亮了，我们可能会被那里的一些恶鼠认出来。他们总是焦躁不安。当你走进一个印度村庄时，你会发现有些人在火边冒着烟。他们的耳朵非常敏锐，他们可以听到我们永远听不到的声音，即使是在一半的距离之外。几个平底锅碰在一起的叮当声，或者一块石头被马蹄滚动的声音，如果是那么微弱的话，就会让他们直接站起来，尤其是现在他们知道有一支战争队伍已经出局了。”

游行再次恢复。他们穿过峡谷最狭窄的部分，进入山谷，向河边走去。在这里浪费了一些时间，因为山姆·希克斯（Sam Hicks）牵着一匹驮马，被溪流冲下数百码，好不容易才着陆。马的负载发生了转移，必须重新包装。完成这件事后，他们沿着河流向下走了两英里，直到遇到一条从西南方向流入河流的小溪。

“你认为这就是我们必须遵循的潮流吗，酋长？”

“一定是他，这边很长一段时间都没有其他人进来；峰值的右线。”

他们在溪边出现，骑行了一英里后，发现自己进入了一个山峡。那不是峡谷，而是陡峭狭窄的山谷。他们小心翼翼地选择了一段路，然后两个印第安人同时停了下来。

“怎么了，队长？”坐在他们旁边的哈利低声说道。

“闻烟味。”

哈利嗅了嗅空气。

“我不能说我闻到了，长官，但如果你说你闻到了，那就解决了。
你认为它是从哪里来的？”

“上山谷；风轻，却是那样来的。这里是印度村庄。”

“好吧，如果它干扰了我们，对印第安村庄来说就更糟糕了，”哈利冷酷地说。 “有一件事是确定的，我们必须经历。也许大多数勇敢者都在山上。”

他们现在更加谨慎地继续前行。酋长给猎狗缰绳，步行向前走去。再往前一百码，山谷急转弯，然后变得相当宽阔，在山坡上高出溪流约五十英尺的一些树木中，可以看到火光。酋长看着天空；一道微弱的光亮破灭了，他没有停顿，继续带路。他们穿过印第安人营地下方，高出几码时，萨姆·希克斯牵头的小马发出尖锐的嘶鸣。

“该死的老耳朵！”汤姆听到杰瑞咆哮。哈利同时策马小跑，其他人也跟着踏上了山谷，因为他们知道隐藏已经没有任何用处了。确实，从上面传来回应的嘶鸣和急促的喊叫声，过了一会儿，当一个印第安人穿过树林跑过时，在月光下看到了他们，接着传来一声大声喊叫。

“我们现在就陷入困境了，汤姆；也就是说，如果村里有足够的人来攻击我们。”

马匹开始狂奔。他们刚走了五十码，就听到后面传来枪声，当球击中他的马鞍时，汤姆感到震惊。几乎同时，另一声枪声在他身边响起，印第安人的喊叫声在他们身后响起。不一会儿，跃马发出一声胜利的欢呼，从岩石上跳下，跳上了马。后面又开了四五枪，但没有击中。再往前一百码，他们就到了一直延伸到溪边的树林的庇护所。当他们走进去时，哈利回头看了一眼。他现在可以看到主山谷之外的山丘了。

“队长你看！”他惊呼道。 “上面的害虫在林线上方很远的地方发出信号。”

可以看到明亮的火舌，两根靠得很近，一根距离左边不远。

“叔叔，这是什么意思？”酋长发出一声惊讶又愤怒的短促感叹，汤姆问道。

“小伙子，这意味着红皮人比我们想象的还要敏锐。当他们的间谍给他们带来我们开始行动的消息时，他们一定已经来到了火场，并在我们离开一两个多小时之前立即拿着火把跟踪了我们的踪迹。毫无疑问，这是一项缓慢的工作，但他们一定已经发现了我们改变路线的地方，并确定我们正在前往峡谷的顶端。我预计他们中的大多数人都会立即沿着小路走得更远，然后径直朝峡谷的尽头骑行，当我们出来时，他们并没有落后我们半个小时。其他人骑马来到高原边缘，点燃了那些火。”

“但是叔叔，它们是什么意思？”

“它们是对所有我们已经回去的村庄的警告，你可以肯定这一点，虽然我不能说信息是什么，因为每个部落都有自己的信号，但它会让他们警惕山谷上上下下；类似地，这个信号已经在大风谷的某个地方重复出现了。射击将告诉他们我们正在走哪条路，如果拉帕霍人已经从峡谷中出来了，正如我认为的那样，他们不需要再浪费时间来寻找我们的踪迹。我估计半小时后我们就会有一百只左右的恶鼠跟着我们。我只希望这条线上不再有村庄。我不太关心那些跟踪我们的家伙，我们一定会找到可以站稳脚跟的地方，但如果我们发现路被挡住了，那就尴尬了。”

“但是如果前面没有人的话，叔叔，我想我们也许能够保持领先。我们的马匹已经非常优秀了。”

“汤姆，你和杰瑞或许可以，因为你拥有两匹一流的小马；但印第安人并没有什么问题，我们的小马也不和你在一起；此外，他们和驮马上周都在辛苦劳作，没有太多食物，许多拉帕霍马都骑着新鲜的马。我预计在到达山口之前我们需要进行一些非常高的攀爬工作，并且在到达那里之前我们必须进行战斗。”

地面陡峭地上升，并被落下的石头和巨石所阻碍，没过多久，驮马就开始表现出痛苦的迹象，而哈利和他的两个伙伴骑着的马则在短促地喘着气。从树林里出来后，峡谷几乎沿直线延伸了半英里多，就在他们到达这段路的尽头时，山谷深处传来一声叫喊。回头一看，他们看到八到十个骑着马的印第安人从低端的树林里钻了出来。

“这是一个信号，”哈利惊呼道，同时四支步枪快速连续射击。 “好吧，我们已经有了一些他们的开始，他们不会冒险攻击我们，直到更多的人出现。酋长，我们最好安静一点，否则我们的马就会垮掉。我预计我们很快就会找到一个可以表明立场的地方。”

塞内卡环顾四周的马匹。 “你、山姆、本和驮马继续前进，直到到达可以战斗的地方。我们四人在这里等候；有好马，可以骑。我们在这里暂时阻止他们。”

“那就最好了。我不喜欢被排除在外，但我们很快就会尽自己的一份力量。”

不需要更多的言语。哈利和他的两个伙伴骑得比以前慢了，而两个印第安人杰瑞和汤姆下了马，把马留在了转弯处，然后回来在四块大石头后面占据了位置。印第安人注意到了他们归来的身影，突然勒起马匹，聚集在一起商议。

“汤姆，拔出你的子弹，”杰瑞说，“再投进半发火药；我估计你的那块在一次有力的冲锋帮助下会向他们射出一颗子弹。允许比顶部稍高一点以获得额外的高度。这是一个很好的大目标，你应该能够在其中射出一颗子弹。”

汤姆按照指示进行操作，然后将枪管放在巨石顶部，稳定瞄准并开火。一群印第安人顿时一阵骚动。一匹马高高地立在空中，差点把骑手撞倒，然后他们全都以最快的速度策马而去，在山谷下方两三百码处停了下来。塞内卡夫妇发出一声赞同的咕哝声。

“汤姆，这是一个很好的击球，尽管我希望你击中的是其中一只红皮而不是他的小动物。尽管如此，这还是会给他们一个很好的教训，让他们变得非常兴奋。他们不会在意在能移动五百码的棋子的射程内露出丑陋的头。”

一刻钟过去了，印第安人没有任何动静。然后一大群骑兵从下面的树林里出现，受到他们满意的叫喊声的欢迎。

“肯定有将近五十个，”杰里说。 “我认为这是一群从山上下来的人。顺便说一句，他们一定还带了很多其他人。现在好戏要开始了。”

经过五分钟的协商，大约二十名印第安人下了马，分成两队登上山谷的斜坡，开始前进，利用每一块石头和灌木丛，因此偶尔会瞥见他们的一个人。获得了尸体。

“他们会向我们发起小规模冲突，”杰里说，“直到他们离我们足够近，如果我们把头伸出岩石上方开火，我们就会感到很热。一旦他们能做到这一点，其他人就会发起进攻。我想他们现在相距不超过四百码，汤姆。那是在你的范围之内，所以你不妨开始向他们表明我们已经醒了。如果你能击倒其中一个，就会限制他们的步伐。”

汤姆刚刚注意到三个印第安人跑到一丛灌木后面，他现在举起步枪，瞄准一侧一英尺的地方。半分钟后，灌木丛中出现了一名印第安人，并开始向前奔跑。汤姆扣动了扳机。印第安人跑了几步，然后脸朝下摔倒了。

“太棒了，铅垂中心！”杰瑞喊道。 “我们说过，步枪的功劳要归功于你，汤姆，而侦察兵比利本人也做得再好不过了。”

“年轻的白人是伟大的猎人，”酋长赞许地说。
“眼睛很好，手很稳。”

这堂课收到了效果。印第安人的前进不再迅速，而是极其谨慎，只是偶尔能瞥见一个昏暗的身影从一块岩石走到另一块岩石。当他们来到三百码以内时，两个印第安人和杰里也开枪了。其中一个被酋长的一枪击中，但其他人都没有击中目标。汤姆确实没有再开枪，印第安人的动作如此之快，以致于他还没来得及瞄准他们，他们就已经消失了。

“现在就走。”酋长说道。 “‘拉帕霍斯很快就会开火；跑得快点。”

距离避难所只有几码远。当他们冲过中间的空间时，两三支印度步枪响起，但其余的袭击者忙于掩护自己并寻找下一个位置，无暇留意防守者，而匆忙的- 射击全部未命中。过了一会儿，一行人骑上马，向峡谷而去，耳边回响着印第安人的叫喊声。

“无论如何，我们已经多了半个小时了，”当他们飞奔上峡谷时，杰里说，“我估计，当我们追上他们的时候，我们会发现他们藏在某个地方，红皮们会迷惑不解，想把我们赶走。” 。如果他们被逼入绝境，恶鼠会奋力反抗，但当白人手里有几根枪管指着他们时，他们就不擅长前进，现在他们已经得到了教训，我们可以射击了。 ”

峡谷继续变窄。小溪已经变成了一条小溪，而他们就在高高的山坡上。

“我开始担心没有地方可以表明立场。”说到这里，他被一声愤怒的咆哮打断，一只大熊突然从一块岩石后面站了起来。

“你可能会感谢你的星星，因为我们太忙了，没有时间照顾你，”当他们骑马经过距离它几码远时，杰瑞说道。 “那是一只灰熊，汤姆；那是一只灰熊。”他是一头笨拙的野兽，如果你没有带射击铁，独自遇到他，你就会发现他。他也是个大块头，他的皮在定居点里可以值钱。啊，他们在那里。”

山沟突然向西拐了个弯，在山坡高处，他们看到三个同伴带着五匹马正在攀爬陡峭的岩石。

“他们是怎么上去的？”杰瑞惊呼道。

“发现了印第安人的踪迹，”酋长说。 “让我的兄弟们擦亮眼睛。”

他们现在慢慢地骑行，检查陡峭山坡的每一英尺。这时，前方的猎犬发出了一声惊呼。两块巨石之间有一条跑道，显然已经用过很多次了。

“让猎狗先走。”酋长说道。 “跳马将追随白人。”

“我认为这是跨越山口的伟大印第安人小道，”杰瑞对走在他前面的汤姆说道。 “我听说，从弗里蒙特巴特斯到这座山峰（他们称之为联合峰）之间，没有翻越山脉的路，红皮人下山去猎杀水牛时必须经过这座山。绿河.哈利发现了它，这真是一个奇迹。”

“跳马叫他睁大眼睛。”酋长在后面说道。 “他知道印第安人的小道通向这个山谷。”

“吉-鲁萨利姆！但这是一条陡峭的路，”杰瑞随即说道。 “如果我能猜出红皮肤是如何发现它的，我就完蛋了。我想他们一定是追踪到了一些猎物，然后跟踪看看它去了哪里。”

这条小路蜿蜒曲折，美妙极了。有时，它沿着狭窄的壁架水平移动，然后有一些陡峭的攀登，他们必须牵着马；然后它又绕回来，有时甚至下降一段距离以避开突出的峭壁。

“啊！你愿意吗，你这个恶棍？杰瑞惊呼一声，一声枪响从下面的山谷中响起，一颗子弹击中了他头顶一两英尺内的一块岩石。枪声响起后，下面传来一声大声叫喊，一群骑马的印第安人沿着峡谷的角落全速驰骋。

“快点，猎犬，绕过下一个拐角，因为我们是这里的常客目标。”

几码远的地方，小路拐了个弯，他们就看不见了。
印第安人，但在二十颗子弹从下面呼啸而来之前。

“我认为，恶鼠骑得太快了，无法直接射击。直接就轮到我们了。”

话音刚落，酋长就叫他们下马。他们把缰绳套在马脖子上，然后下到他们刚刚离开的壁架上，躺在上面。

“汤姆，在你开枪之前，把你的左轮手枪拿出来，”杰瑞说。 “在你有时间再次给步枪装弹之前，他们就会离开。”

印第安人在他们下方约四百英尺处，正在兴奋地交谈，显然在犹豫是否要继续追踪。四支步枪几乎同时爆响。两个印第安人摔倒了，两匹马的摔倒表明他们被击中了。转眼间，所有的人都冲下山谷了，随后跳马和白人携带的左轮手枪发出了一颗又一颗子弹。任何像精确瞄准这样的事情都是不可能的，也没有看到印第安人倒下，但很可能有一些子弹在拥挤的骑兵中发挥了作用。

“安静点。”马跃站起身说道。 “‘拉帕霍人不再追随。一个人拿着这个”——他摸了摸左轮手枪——“把整个部落都留在这儿。”

半小时后，他们加入了停在跑道顶端的队伍。

“我们被排除在外真是太糟糕了，”本说。 “我希望你已经给了一些鼠粮。”

“只有五六个人，”杰瑞遗憾地回答道，“算上射向村庄的那一匹跃马。汤姆在这里开了一枪，在四百码外击中了他的踪迹——这是我见过的最干净的一枪。他又占了一个首领。然后我们在下面消灭了两个人；我认为其他一些人正在夺走我们的一些领先地位。瓦尔，我想无论如何我们终于摆脱了他们。我想他们没有其他路可以到这里来，长官？”

“跳马只听说过一条踪迹。”

“你可以打赌，你的生命不会再有别的了，”哈利说道。 “如果有其他办法的话，他们绝不会走这样一条崎岖不平的路。”

“在这里扎营，”酋长说。 “路途遥远，天气太冷。
在小路的尽头保持警惕。”

“这是一个非常好的计划。听说那山口海拔九千多尺，根本不可能在那里扎营。再说了，我一直在看着天空，不太喜欢它的样子。往北边看看。”

确实，有明显的迹象表明天气即将发生变化。前一天，每座山峰和锯齿状的山峰在晴朗的空气中都显得格外鲜明。现在所有更高的山峰都被白云遮住了。

“下雪了，”印第安人严肃地说。 “冬天来了。”

“我也是这么想的，长官。无论如何，我们知道自己在哪里，沿着小路不远处就有可以采集的灌木丛。即使我们被关在这里，我们也能应付一两天。这些初雪持续的时间并不长，但在更高的地方遭遇暴风雪，那景象比与红皮人战斗还要糟糕。”

从他们现在站在峡谷边缘的地方开始，地面陡峭地倾斜了数百英尺，然后陡峭的峭壁升起，形成了完整的墙壁；但从他们从另一边看到的这个国家的角度来看，他们知道在这堵墙后面矗立着一系列高耸的山峰。印第安人的小道靠近峡谷边缘。酋长认真地环顾四周。

“没有露营的好地方，”他说。 “风从山上吹下来，马匹抵挡不住。堆雪从那里滚落下来。”他指着上方。 “把所有东西都搬到下面去。”

“好吧，如果你认为我们最好继续前进，那就让我们继续吧，长官。”

印第安人摇摇头，再次指着云彩。 “看，”他说。 “暴风雨很快就会来临。”

即使在最后两三分钟，变化也是显而易见的。云层的上缘似乎突然被击碎了。长长的飘带像危险信号旗一样展开。大量的云朵似乎被扯开了，飞快地飞了一小段距离。有的稍微下沉，又漂回来，重新成为山头的一部分，有的则向南飞驰。

“没时间，”酋长认真地重复道。 “必须赶紧寻找营地。”他用印第安语对猎狗说话，两人站在地面突出的地方，仔细检查他们爬过的峡谷。酋长指了指前方，猎犬开始沿着印第安小道奔跑。又走了几百码，他停了下来，低头看了看，又走了几步，然后就消失在了视线中。三四分钟后，他回来并举起了双臂。

“来吧，”酋长说，拉着马缰绳，牵着马沿着小路走去。其他人也效仿他的做法，确实很高兴能行动起来。五分钟前，他们爬上悬崖，浑身大汗。现在他们意识到突然出现的异常的气温变化，每个人都从马鞍后面抓起一条毯子，把它裹在他身上。很快，他们就来到了猎犬站立的地方，低头看去。下面大约三十英尺处，悬崖表面有一道裂缝，一堵岩石墙高出峡谷边缘四五英尺。它的一端接触到岩石的表面，另一端距离岩石有十到十二英尺，两者之间的空间呈长楔形，完全被树木和灌木丛填满。一条壁架从猎狗所站的地方一直延伸到裂缝口。

“吉-鲁萨利姆，长官！”本惊呼道。 “这种空气正好适合我们——即使我们寻找一年，我们也找不到更好的空气了。但我认为在消灭这些生物之前我们必须先清理一下这个地方。”

一匹驮马身上被夺走了两把斧子。

“不要砍掉更大的东西，本，”当他的两个伙伴走下壁架时，哈利说道，“他们的头会稍微保护我们免受雪的侵袭；但它们的头可以让我们免受雪的侵袭。”只清理足够的灌木丛，为马和我们腾出空间，并留下那些站在入口处的人作为屏风。当你这样做的时候，我们会在下雪之前尽可能多地收集木头和草。”

马匹留在原地，而男人们则沿着峡谷顶部分散开来，当本大喊他们准备好了的时候，一大堆灌木丛和一堆粗草已经被收集起来。然后，马匹被一匹接着一匹地牵下来，卸下马鞍，排成两行，马匹后面还有一大堆被砍掉的灌木丛。

“如果这不是我遇到过的最好的避难所，我就完蛋了，”杰里说。 “如果我们把它特别建造的话，我们不可能找到更好的，”其他人真诚地同意。

他们占据的地方约有十二平方英尺。两侧都是垂直的岩石墙。远处是马匹；而在入口处，三到四英尺高的灌木丛仍然矗立着。他们的头顶上伸展着一片树叶。已经收集了足够的干木头来生火。

“别搞得太大了。杰瑞，我们不想烧毁我们的屋顶。”哈利·韦德说道。 “嗯，我想我们这里的燃料足够一周了，因为有你砍下来的东西和我们带来的东西，还有马匹后面剩下的东西；有了树叶和草，小马应该能够坚持到燃料耗尽为止。我们缺肉，但面粉充足；至于水，我们可以融化雪。”

岩壁两侧都铺有水牛地毯，他们在这些地毯上坐下来点燃烟斗。

“我一直非常想抽烟，”杰瑞说。 “自从我们在那个峡谷停下来之后，我就没有了。你好，来了！”

当他说话的时候，一阵猛烈的风吹动了头顶上的树叶，把之前悄悄升起的烟雾吹到了凹处周围。过了一会儿，一切又恢复了平静。然后又来了一阵更强的阵风，上升并聚集力量，并充满了细小的雪粒。浓浓的黑暗降临，哈利又往火上扔了一些木头来生火。尽管外面的风很大，避难所里的空气却几乎没有流动，只有头顶上的树叶发出轻微的沙沙声。外面的雪花越飞越厚，但似乎没有从树叶间落下来。

“如果我能弄清楚这一点，我就完蛋了，”萨姆·希克斯说。 “我们这里安静得就像在一座石屋里一样，让人以为头顶上有一个镀铜的屋顶。看起来不太自然。”

其他人也都抬头望去，神情既疑惑又惊讶，又不乏不安。哈利走到入口处，眺望灌木丛的围墙。 “看这里，山姆，”他说。

“为什么，哈利，在我看来，雪好像是下起来的，而不是下起来的，”矿工走到他身边时说道。

“就是这样。你看，我们正处在山谷的拐角处，正顺着山谷往下看，直视着风眼。它冲上山谷，途中遇到了这堵陡峭的墙壁，然后被后面的风推着去某个地方，所以它几乎是笔直地被驱动到这里，越过我们身后的山顶。所以你会看到雪被带到了上面而不是落下，而我们外面的这块岩石将它射到了我们上面所走的路上。只要风一直向北，我想我们就不会被这里的雪困扰了。”

这个解释似乎令人满意，人们普遍感到如释重负。

“我记得读到过，”当其他人重新入座时，汤姆说道，“人们可以站在悬崖边上，面对大风，却感觉不到任何风。因为吹到悬崖上的风会以如此大的力量冲上来，形成一堵墙。当然，风很快就会再次减弱，在距离你不远的地方，你就能感受到像其他地方一样强烈的大风。但就在边缘，空气完全静止了。”

矿工们看着汤姆，好像他们认为他是在拿他们开玩笑。但他叔叔说：

“是的，我完全可以相信这一点。你看，它有点像瀑布；你可以站在它的正下方，因为力将它向外射出，我认为这里也是同样的情况。”首领郑重地点点头。当外面的暴风雨如此猛烈地肆虐时，他也对他们避难所里的平静感到惊讶，但哈利对湍急的水流的描述比他第一次的解释更启发了他。

“但是水不是风，哈利，”本说。

“它在很多方面都像水，本。你看不到它，但你同样能感觉到它。如果你站在一棵树后面或拐角处，它就会从你身边冲过，你就会陷入一种漩涡，就像一条河流在你身边流过一样。风的作用与水的作用相同。如果它是一条大河，以与风相同的速度沿着山谷流淌，它就会冲上岩石一段距离，然后扫过一圈，冲上山谷；但风虽小而不大，却能直冲山上，直过山顶。”

“瓦尔，如果你说可以的话，我想也可以。无论如何，这对我们来说是一件好事，我不在乎这种情况会持续多久。我估计，天亮之前，那些树枝就会因为积雪的重量而折断。现在我发现我们想度过一个安静的夜晚。”

“我不会回答这个问题，本；我不会回答这个问题。”现在还很早，不知道明天早上之前风会怎样。不管怎样，现在我们有时间，不妨把那些我们砍下来的那捆灌木丛，堆起来，让这些灌木丛的遮蔽物加厚一点，减轻一点。如果我们这样做，并在里面挂几条毯子，即使有风，它也会给我们一个很好的庇护所，并有助于保持温暖。因为虽然我们这里没有风或雪，但我们还是很冷。”

“你敢打赌，”杰瑞同意道。 “这是一场普通的暴风雪。虽然我不会说，因为坐在火边太冷了，但我们不会花任何钱让这个地方暖和一点。”

于是，他们把收集来的木捆搬了出来，用这些木料加厚了灌木丛，并加高到了五英尺。当把它和几条毯子挂在里面时，大家一致认为，即使暴风雨持续一个月，他们也能舒适地度过。

他们先准备了一些面包，将其放入烤锅中的余烬中，然后煮了最后一块鹿肉，并用鹿皮中的水泡了一些茶。吃完饭后，他们用水牛长袍和毯子盖住自己，点燃烟斗。不过，大家却很少说话，因为暴风雨的噪音太大了，必须把声音提高到几乎是喊叫的程度才能听到，没过多久他们就都睡着了。

几个小时里，避难所里没有任何动静，除了一匹马不耐烦地用爪子刨地，或者猎狗站起来两三次把新的木棍放在火上的时候。当汤姆醒来时，他觉得时间应该快到早上了。他拿出手表，借着火光，惊讶地发现现在还不到十点。风的呼啸声似乎和以前一样大，他又把毯子拉到肩上，很快就睡着了。当他再次醒来时，感觉脸上冰冷，坐起身来，看到毯子和地面上都覆盖着一层厚厚的细雪。除了火的余烬之外，还有微弱的光芒，他知道黎明即将来临。他的动作惊扰了躺在他旁边的叔叔。他坐了起来，立刻叫醒了其他人。

“醒醒吧，伙计们，”他说。 “我们已经睡了大约十八个小时，天已经亮了。”

一分钟之内，所有人都骚动起来。首先把毯子上的雪抖掉，然后哈利拿着铲子清理了地板。杰瑞拿起最大的锅，对汤姆说：“你把那个马桶带来。”然后从灌木丛中留下的一个小缝隙中钻了出去。风势已经小了很多，但风依然强劲。雪已经飘到了入口处，在那里形成了一道陡峭的河堤。他们用这个把锅和水桶装满，把雪压下去。汤姆很高兴再次回到避难所，因为外面非常寒冷。火已经烧得很旺，锅和煎锅放在上面，随着里面的东西融化，不断地补充雪。 “我们必须坚持下去，”哈利说，“马皮上不能留下一滴水，马匹必须有水。”

一旦足够融化，就将其倒入水壶中。捕猎者的仓库里有一些培根，因为他们计算出，除非离开大风谷，进入远处的森林，否则他们无法狩猎。煎锅现在可以正常工作了，而桶则放置在离火足够近的地方，可以解冻里面的东西，而不会有受伤的危险。吃完早餐不到一个小时，雪就融化了，可以给每匹马喝半桶水。每个桶里都搅拌了几磅面粉，以帮助从叶子和给每只动物的少量草中获取营养。

“无论如何，这将是一次跨越山口的长途旅行，”哈利说道。 “现在我们正在寻找定居点，我们不需要节省面粉；事实上，我们越轻越好。”

这一天过得并不像前一天那么愉快，因为空气中充满了细雪，这些细雪从入口处吹进来，在头顶的树叶之间蔓延。积雪时不时地轰然落下，碰巧落在雪上的人会发出严厉的语言，战友们会大笑起来。聚会确实是一场欢乐的聚会。他们远征的目标完全失败了，但他们毫发无伤地逃脱了印第安人的追击，并对印第安人造成了一些损害。他们在如此暴风雨中找到如此舒适的避难所的运气远远抵消了他们对失败的失望。

“叔叔，你经常被雪困吗？”

“你敢打赌，汤姆；三年前，我和这里的首领几乎被消灭了。我在尤特山中勘探，而跳马则为我们俩打猎。那是在隆冬。山谷和山顶的积雪很深，但山坡上有很多裸露的岩石，所以我能够继续我的工作。至于狩猎，寒冷将大角兽从它们夏季觅食的高处驱赶下来，酋长经常会向它们开枪。我可以告诉你，它们很好吃。

“我们不太害怕红皮人，因为他们不喜欢寒冷，冬天会把住处搬到最隐蔽的山谷里，主要吃干肉。当他们想要改变时，他们总是可以在树林里找到一只熊或一只鹿。我们在山谷里的一片松树林里露营，非常舒适。有一天，我发现了我所经历过的最丰富的矿脉。我的口袋里装满了石英碎片，里面粘着厚厚的金子，你可以打赌我兴高采烈地去了营地。还没到那儿四分之一英里，我就看见跃马小跑过来迎接我。它不想告诉人们出了什么问题。他一上来就说“尤特斯”。 “有很多人吗，长官？”我问。他两次举起张开的双手。

“‘有二十个，’我说； '那太糟糕了。他们有多远？他说他看到他们翻过山谷另一边的一个山峰。 “那么我们必须开始，”我说，“这是毫无疑问的。” “恶鼠在这里做什么？” “战队，”酋长说。 “印第安猎人肯定发现了我们的踪迹，并将消息带回了小屋。”他遇见我的地方就在许多滚落的岩石之中。已经两周没有下雪了，当然，红皮们到处都能看到我们进出营地的足迹。那次我们步行，尽管我们有一匹驮马来驮我们的衣服。当然，他们会在营地得到这些和一切。我并没有太在意损失，问题是如何保住我们的头皮？他一加入我身边，我们就坐在一块岩石后面。就在这时，我们营地的方向传来一声叫喊，我们知道红皮们发现了。 “他们不可能在这里追踪你的踪迹，酋长，对吗？”他摇摇头。 “到处都有踪迹，不知道哪条是最后一条。”我们可以看到营地所在的小树林，当然他们也可以看到岩石，而且如果我们跑上山，他们就会像松鼠一样跳起来追赶我们。所以没有什么可做的，只能安静地躺到天黑。我们钻进巨石中间，躺在可以透过缝隙看到树林的地方。

“‘我没有看到他们的踪迹，’我说。 “你可能以为他们会出去寻找我们。”

“‘不进行搜查，’酋长说。 “我们的样子不太好，不知道我们去了哪里。躲进树林里。认为我们回来了，然后抓住我们。”

“结果是这样。看不到他们的任何踪迹，在第一声叫喊之后，一切都安静得像死了一样。几个小时后天就黑了，我们就出发了。你可以肯定，我们已经讨论过了。无可否认，我们已经被逼到了绝境。我们在那里没有一盎司面粉，也没有一口肉。酋长一看到红皮就抓起了几块水牛地毯。这只是给了我们一个机会，但仅此而已。到了早上，红皮们就会知道我们要么看到了他们，要么追上了他们的踪迹，就会分散到全国各地寻找我们。我们同意，我们必须分开一段距离，但要保持彼此的视线。他们会注意到这些小路都是单一的，如果他们在直接离开营地时遇到两条小路，就会肯定知道是我们在逃跑。

“你可能会认为，我们在那里的两周内制作了这么多曲目，他们不会知道哪些是第一天制作的，哪些是最后一天制作的，但事实并非如此。首先，雪堆得很硬，脚印很轻微。然后，即使在常年结冰的情况下，雪也会蒸发，脚印也会逐渐消失；除此之外，大多数日子里风都吹得很小，虽然积雪对积雪影响不大，但还是会吹起细小的灰尘，如果脚印没有完全被覆盖，里面就有足够的积雪了。来显示哪些是旧的，哪些是新的。我们都知道他们不会犯太大的错误，而且他们很肯定会沿着我早上出去时留下的小路，沿着酋长通往岩石的小路，然后跟着我回来。到同一个地方会猜测我们已经在那里缓存直到天黑了。

“我自己也可以做到；人们可以像阅读一本印刷书一样阅读这样的踪迹。最糟糕的是，如果没有留下标志，就无法离开山谷。在光秃秃的山坡上和岩石间，我们可以安全地行驶，但上面到处都是雪，无论我们做什么，我们的踪迹都无法隐藏。我们一致认为，唯一的办法就是尽快穿过雪地，只要有机会，只要我们碰到木头，就留在裸露的岩石上，有时以一种方式，有时以另一种方式双倍移动，以便给红色——为了追踪我们的踪迹，我们还有很多工作要做。我们走了一整夜，一直走到第二天下午早些时候。然后我们躺下睡到日落，然后又走了一整晚。我们没有看到任何比赛。如果我们有的话，我们就应该开枪，因为我们知道红皮队肯定落后很远。当我们早上停下来时，我们离我们出发的营地并不远，因为如果我们直接退回定居点，我们肯定会被抓住，因为尤特人肯定会派出一支队伍那样才能看到我们必须经过的山谷。我们在树丛中躺下，睡了几个小时，然后出发去打猎，因为我们已经两天没有吃东西了，我开始觉得我必须吃饭了。

“我们没走多远，就遇到了黑熊的足迹。我们都确信这条小路已经行驶了几个小时了。我们跟着它走了两英里，发现它爬到了一块岩石滑坡上。他们是几年前从悬崖上下来的，因为他们中间长着灌木丛。一般来说，如果你离开黑熊，黑熊总是不会打扰你，而且他充其量也没有多少战斗力。于是我们就上楼去了，心想我们一定能吃到我们的熊排，不用费多大的劲就可以拿到它。我在前面，刚刚爬上一块大石头，这时，熊从前面的灌木丛中向我咆哮着。我估计它在某个地方有幼崽，我刚来得及从臀部开枪，然后他就扑到了我身上，对我的肩膀打了一拳，把肉撕到肘部。

“但这还不是最糟糕的，因为这一击使我跌倒了边缘，我跌落到七八英尺深的尖锐岩石中。我听到酋长的步枪响了，过了一段时间我才看到或听到更多的声音。当我醒来时，我发现他已经把我抱到滑梯底部并把我放在那里。当我睁开眼睛时，他正在砍一些棍子。 “跳马，你找到那只熊了吗？”

“‘熊死了，’他说。 “我哥哥受了重伤。”

“‘哦，别介意受伤，’我说，‘这样我们就能抓住他了。队长你在做什么？你不会在这里生火吧？

“‘我哥哥的腿断了，’他说。 “我正在砍一些棍子以保持笔直。”

“正如你可能猜到的那样，这让我回过神来。在山上摔断腿在任何时候都是不好的，但是当在隆冬的时候，你身后跟着一群红皮肤，那就意味着你必须下山了。我坐起来，看着我的腿。果然，左边的一根像管子一样折断了，大约在膝盖和脚踝之间。 “哎呀，长官，”我说，“如果你在我躺在那儿的时候用子弹射穿我的头的话，情况会更好。”我应该对此一无所知。

“‘犹特人还没有抓到我的白人兄弟。’

“‘不，’我说，‘但用不了多久他们就会抓到我；也许是今天下午，也许是明天早上。”局长没有说话，继续忙着自己的工作。当他找到五六根大约三英尺长的棍子，多的大约一英尺长的棍子，并将它们切割成每个都有一个平坦的一面时，他脱下了鹿皮衬衫，在它的底部剪了一条丁字裤。一英寸宽，五六码长。然后他跪下来，把骨头放在正确的位置，然后在我能提供的帮助下，给他戴上夹板，用长的和短的交替地包扎得很紧。长的膝盖以上和以下都被他包扎起来，整条腿都僵硬了。做完我就觉得头晕了，马跳说：‘要吃的吗？我的白人兄弟会安静地躺着，跳马很快就会给他拿一些。

“他开始干活，很快就生起了火，然后爬上岩石，带着熊的火腿和大约一半的兽皮又下来了。没过多久，他就煮了一些切片，我可以告诉你，当我们吃完时，我感觉好多了。我们彼此没有说太多话，但我一直在思考，当我们结束时，我说：‘现在，酋长，我知道你会想和我在一起，但我不会有它。你和我一样清楚，尤特人最迟明天就会到这里，我摆脱他们的机会并不比我飞行的机会更大。如果你就此打住，那就等于是白白浪费了你的头皮，对我没有一点好处，而且还会让我很烦恼。现在，在你开始之前，我会让你把我放在那些石头中间的某个地方，在那里我可以好好地战斗。你应该在我身边生火，并在我伸手可及的地方放一堆木头和几磅熊肉。我会用步枪尽可能长时间地阻挡他们，然后用我的柯尔特进行五次射击。最后一桶我自己留着；我不会让尤特人在结束我之前折磨我几个小时来取乐。然后你立即前往定居点；一旦他们抓住了我，他们就不会那么热衷于追随你了。下次你去丹佛附近时，你可以去告诉皮特·霍斯金斯这一切是如何发生的。

“‘我的白人兄弟因疼痛而虚弱，’酋长轻声说道； '他在胡言乱语。他知道跳马会和他的朋友在一起。他会去找地方。他没有听我说的话，拿起步枪，朝陡峭的山谷走去。他离开了半个多小时才回来。 “跳马找到了一个地方，”他说，“他和他的兄弟可以好好地打一架。”直接哈利骑到他朋友的背上。很显然，和他说话没有任何用处。他把我扶起来，然后把我放在他的背上，就好像我是一袋煤一样，然后和我一起走了，大步走得很快，就好像我不在那里一样。当他发现一条狭窄的峡谷时，可能已经有半英里了，这条峡谷只不过是从山谷中几乎笔直升起的岩石上的一个裂缝。它并没有进去很远，因为有一个滑梯，它被一堆四十或五十英尺高的岩石和泥土挡住了。即使对于酋长来说，让我超越他们也是一项艰巨的任务。积雪厚厚地飘落到峡谷里，即使对于一个肩上除了步枪之外什么都没有的人来说，攀爬这里也是一个令人讨厌的地方。然而，他把我安全地扶了起来，并把我放在山顶上。出发前，他把我的水牛袍披在我的肩上，把我裹起来，说：‘跳马去拿步枪和熊肉’，然后他就直接出发了，留下我一个人在那里。”

“即使对我来说，”哈利在重新装满烟斗并点着烟斗后继续说道，“酋长回来似乎也没有多久。他带来了沉重的负担，因为除了步枪和熊肉之外，他的背上还背着一大捆灌木丛。放下后，他在岩石中寻找，不久就开始挖两个大石块之间的雪和土，没过多久，他用战斧挖出了一个足够我们两个人躺进去的洞。舒适地。他把熊皮放在里面，然后把我抱到里面，帮我进去，然后把长袍盖在我身上。和一个你不想躺着的舒适的地方。

“它距离岩石堆顶部大约十英尺，当然也在上面，所以当红皮一出现时，他就可以帮助我到达顶部。我毫不怀疑我们两个人就能阻止尤特人。我们有步枪，酋长和我一样带着左轮手枪。当他们瞥见我们所在的地方后，我不认为他们会冒险进入峡谷，因为他们在到达土丘之前就会损失十几个人。酋长不在的时候，我环顾四周，发现在一百码左右的高处，峡谷就到了尽头，两边都在逼近，所以不用担心我们会从那里受到攻击。我担心的是，印第安人可能会爬到上面射击我们，尽管他们是否可以取决于上面地面的性质，当然，我看不到岩石边缘之外的东西。

“但是，即使他们白天起不来，他们也可以在晚上爬上来杀死我们，或者他们可以在峡谷口扎营，饿死我们，因为我们没有机会爬到两侧，即使我的腿没事。我对酋长感到非常抱歉。他刚刚就这样放弃了自己的生命，而在我看来，最终的结果也一定是一样的。即使现在，如果他愿意的话，他也可以逃脱，但我很清楚，和他说话没有任何好处。于是我躺在那里，只是听着上方他步枪的枪声。他会打倒第一个进来的人萨丁，之后会有足够的时间让我站到他身边，因为他们在采取任何行动之前肯定会进行长时间的交谈。我没想到他们会等到下午晚些时候，希望他们下山之前天就黑了。自从下雪以来，一直有一阵大风席卷而来，虽然雪已经沿着两侧漂得很深，但底部大部分都是光秃秃的。我注意到酋长仔细地选择了路线，并猜测，因为他们没有理由认为我们就在附近，所以他们可能要到早上才会继续走这条路。当然，他们会发现我们的火和死熊，或者他剩下的一切，他们会以为我们只是停下来吃了一顿饭，然后又继续前进了。他们会在火堆旁看到我们很早就离开了。直到天黑之前我都没有听到酋长的消息。然后他来到我身边。

“‘跳马将出去侦察，’他说。 “如果乌特斯不尽快来，就会回到这里；如果他们来了，他会在谷口监视，直到看到尤特人入睡为止。 “好吧，酋长，”我说。 “无论如何，你还是穿上这件长袍吧；在这个洞里睡一个就足够了，我会像海狸一样舒服地裹在我的洞里。你的狩猎衬衫已经不见了一半，你会发现站在那里非常冷。

“一个小时后他又回来了。 “尤特来了，”他说。 “刚刚生了火，准备做饭。今晚不来。跳马给他的兄弟带来了好消息。没有星星。

“这确实是个好消息，”我说。 “如果确实如此，但今晚下雪，我们可能会硬着头皮返回定居点。”

“‘跳马能感觉到空气中的雪，’他说。 “如果早上之前下雪，那很好；如果没有，尤特人会告诉他们的孩子英国人和塞内卡人的头皮损失了多少人的生命。

“酋长躺在我旁边。我没睡多少觉，因为我的腿很疼。他时不时地爬出来，每次回来时都说：“没有雪。”我开始担心当它到来时就为时已晚了。天亮之前不久，他爬进去说道：“伟大的马尼图送来了雪。”我弟弟可以安心睡觉了。”一个小时后，我稍微站起身来向外看。现在天已经亮了。空气中飘满了细雪，酋长挖出来的土地已经被厚厚的覆盖了。我能看到的就这么多，尽管酋长最后一次进来时，把那根柴草也拉了进来。当时我想知道他为什么这么做，但现在我明白了。一旦雪再下一点，我们洞的入口就会被完全遮住。一个小时又一个小时过去了，我们连往外看都变得不可能了，因为积雪厚厚地落在灌木丛的叶子末端，向外，我们完全被困在了里面。雪整天都在下，从天色渐渐暗淡的情况来看，到了两点钟，只有微弱的暮光降临了。

“‘你认为我们会被关在这里多久，长官？’我问。

“‘别着急，’他回答道。 “山谷里有树，犹特人可以在那里扎营，一直呆到暴风雨结束。在我弟弟能走路之前，出去是没有用的。等到雪停了；然后停留两三天，让尤特斯有时间离开。有熊肉吃；这里温暖，融化雪。”这确实是事实，因为我感觉它非常热。夜幕降临前，酋长将推弹杆的末端推入雪地，沿着洞口向外张望。

“‘雪下得很大，’他说。 “天黑时如果愿意的话可以出去。”

“接下来的五天没有太多可说的。雪一直下个不停，每天晚上天黑后，酋长都会到外面抽一会儿烟斗，而我则坐在入口处抽着烟斗，很高兴能呼吸一点新鲜空气。他一进来，柴草就被拉回原处，我们又被关了二十四小时。吃了一段时间的生熊肉、喝了雪水，人会感到很累，你敢打赌，当酋长从窥视孔向外望去时，说雪已经停了，阳光明媚，我一定很高兴。大约那天中午，他突然说：“我听到了声音。”

“过了一段时间我才听到任何声音，但我很快就认出了它们，尽管雪把它们遮住了很多。他们看起来并不遥远，一两分钟后他们就停了下来。我们又在那里躺了两天，然后就连酋长也认为他们应该离开了。我自己的想法是，他们是在雪停后的第一个下午开始的。

“‘天一黑，跳马就会出去侦察。’他说道。 '去峡谷口。如果尤特人在树林里，他会看到他们的火并再次回来。不太可能再来这里找到他的踪迹。”

“这就是我这两天一直在说的，因为当他们中的一些人站起来并确信沟壑里没有人之后，他们就不太可能再次穿过雪地了。当酋长离开一个小时后回来时，他告诉我犹特人都走了。 “火冷，”他说； '走了好几个小时了。跳马从他们的壁炉里带来了一些干柴。现在可以生火了。”你可能猜到，不久之后我们的书房前就生起了火，直到那天晚上我才知道熊排到底有多好吃。

“第二天早上，酋长取下了夹板，重新包扎了我的腿，这次贴上了一条长长的熊皮，我们在那里等的时候，他已经把它弄得完全柔软了。在此之后，他又戴上夹板，自从那只熊把我从岩石上撞下来以来，这是我第一次感到轻松。我们在那里又呆了两周，到最后骨头似乎已经恢复得很好了。不过，我用一根末端有叉子的直树枝给自己做了一根坚固的拐杖，那是酋长为我剪的，我还在叉子上绑了一团熊皮，以便于使用。然后我们开始了，一开始是短途旅行，但随着我习惯了拐杖，时间一天比一天长，一周结束后我就可以把它扔到一边了。

“我们从来没有看到过印第安人小道一直延伸到定居点的迹象，当我们到达那里时，我已经准备好再次开始旅程了。酋长在下山的路上发现了很多猎物，从那以后我的腿再也没有感到过刺痛。所以你看这件事不是一个比较情况。从那时起，我和酋长就一直一起打猎，兄弟这个词不仅仅是我们之间的一种交谈方式；”他向塞内卡人伸出了手，塞内卡人郑重地把手伸了进去。

“那场战争很艰难，哈利，没有什么可指责的错误。你有没有发现他们是否可以登上山顶来击落你？”

“是的，酋长在尤特人离开后的第二天就去了。那里很平坦，他们本可以坐在边缘向我们开火，然后在我们没有表演的情况下消灭我们。”

“从尤特人坠落那天起，你就再也没有去过你所袭击的那个地方吗，哈利？”杰瑞问道。 “我听你谈到过一个你所知道的地方，就在犹他州山边荒地的边缘。是那个吗？”

哈利点点头。 “从那以后我就再也没有去过那里。第二年春天，我和一个队伍去了内华达州，去年，犹特人一直走在战争道路上。我本来打算今年秋天去的，但尤特人太热闹了，所以我就到了这里。但我打算明年春天去，不管他们是否安静，抓住机会，看看它是否只是表面上的好，当你进去后就逐渐消失，或者它是否是一个真正的坚固矿脉。本和山姆，当然还有酋长，会和我一起去，还有汤姆，现在他出来了，如果你愿意来，我们都会很高兴。”

“你可以算我一个，”杰瑞说，“我感谢你的提议。我的霉运已经有一段时间了，我想现在是时候结束了。你打算如何分享？”

“我们已经解决了。我和酋长作为发现者各拿两股。你们四人每人一份。”

“这很公平，哈利。这些都是采矿术语，在你几乎被磨灭后，如果你和酋长各拿了三股，我们就没有什么可抱怨的了。犹特人是一群坏人。我认为他们本质上是坏的，但是摩门教徒让他们变得更糟。毫无疑问是他们派他们去攻击商队的。他们从一开始就看到，如果这是向西的主要路线，就会有很多人过来，而且可能有很多人在那里定居，外邦人（他们对我们其他人的称呼）将会变得对他们来说太强大了。他们最害怕的是，在山上发现大量的金银，这很快就会阻止摩门教的生意。他们很明智地告诉红皮肤，如果人们进来并发现了金子，就会有很多人来，狩猎就会全部泡汤。毫无疑问，在针对商队的一些袭击中，假印第安人和真印第安人混在一起。红皮肤已经够糟糕的了，但他们是那些欺骗自己肤色、利用印第安人杀害白人的恶棍身边的好人。这就是我希望看到这条铁路一直延伸到另一边的原因之一。这对比赛来说是不利的，我估计几年后最后​​一头水牛就会被消灭，但我会原谅它，这样它只会破坏他们自称的圣徒队，尽管我认为大约有如果你搜索所有的创造物，你在他们中间几乎找不到圣人。”

“你说得对，杰瑞，”萨姆·希克斯说。 “有一次他们几乎把我消灭了，如果山姆大叔与他们战斗，你可以打赌我会参与其中，而且不会要求任何报酬。”

“这是怎么发生的，萨姆？”杰瑞问道。 “我不知道，因为我曾经听你讲过这个故事。”

“瓦尔，我去了更东边的地方，一直在和部队一起侦察，他们一直在给那里的红皮人上一课，让他们最好停止掠夺向西行进的商队。 。我们已经完成了工作，我驾驶着一辆大篷车朝这边驶来。都是平常的人群，东部农民到西部定居，矿工等等。其中有两辆马车，它们大多与其他马车保持尽可能远的距离。他们手下有两个穿着商店服装的家伙，一副道貌岸然的样子。有一个老人和几个老妇人，还有两三个男孩和一些女孩。他们与其他人没有太多交谈，但据传他们不会去比盐湖城更远的地方，所以我们很容易就把他们视为摩门教徒。没有任何法律规定可以在没有某种借口的情况下枪杀摩门教徒，而且由于人们保持沉默，不干涉任何人，所以没有对他们说太多话。在像这样穿越平原的旅程中，人们有自己的事情要做，在行军和扎营时都有很多事情要做，所以没有人会担心别人的事情。

“我也没有接到电话，但有一天晚上，我碰巧在他们的马车附近出去，看到他们中间有两三个容光焕发的女仆，一想到他们将被交给一些人，我就很恼火。富有的老长老和大约十几个其他妻子，我过去常常觉得，向这些由他们负责的外表光滑的恶棍注入一些铅会是一种满足。我没想到女孩们知道等待着她们的是什么。我认识他们摩门教徒，他们出去寻找他们所谓的皈依者，宣讲很多关于先知的信息，以及很多关于他们在犹他州会得到的舒适感。这么多的土地免费，这么多的帮助来建立他们，以及诸如此类的事情，但对于一夫多妻制和他们被移交给某个年龄足以成为他们的父亲的男人的机会却很少，而且他们没有任何说在这件事上。然而，我看不出我可以干涉，如果我想干涉，我也干涉不了；因为所有这些女人都相信她们所学到的东西，如果我是一个陌生人，而且是一个长相难看的人，告诉她们相反的事情，她们就不会相信我所说的一句话。于是我们继续前行，直到距盐湖城不到四五天的路程，然后一天早上，正当队伍正在搭便车时，两个人骑马进入了营地。

“因为我们现在在犹他州，对此并没有什么奇怪的，但我认为它们是我很长一段时间遇到的两个看起来很严厉的咒骂。问了一两个问题后，他们骑向摩门教的马车，并没有先处理其余的牛，而是把牛牵了出来，然后他们停在了后面。瓦尔，我想我应该等一下，看看他们接下来会发生什么。这并不是我的错，但我知道如果我下午出发的话我可以赶上货车，所以我得出的结论是我会等待；于是我坐在火边抽烟。当商队出发后，摩门教徒又把他们的牛拴起来。他们离我坐的地方不是很远，我可以看到其中一个黑衣人指着我，正在和刚刚袭击他们的两个小伙子交谈。说完，那人走到我坐的地方。

“‘要在这里露营吗？’他说。

“‘瓦尔，’我说，‘我不知道，因为我还没有下定决心。或许
我会的，也许我不会。

“‘我允许你继续前进会更好。’

“‘我同意，’我说，‘你还是处理好你自己的事情吧。’

“‘听着，’他说，‘我听说你一直在监视那些马车。’

“‘那么，’我说，‘无论谁告诉你这件事，他都是一个彻头彻尾的骗子，而你是从我这里告诉他的。’

“我把手放在我的柯尔特车的屁股上，那家伙变得虚弱了。

“‘瓦尔，’他说，‘我已经警告过你了，仅此而已。’

“‘好吧，’我说，‘我不在乎你的警告；无论如何，我宁愿被装扮成红皮肤的白臭鼬击落，也不愿参与愚弄许多内心深处的女性。

“他在这方面咒骂得很厉害，但我看得出来，他并不是真正的勇气，然后他就上了马车。当他到达那里时，大家议论纷纷，但摩门教徒一定知道我是一名侦察兵，在路上带了很多肉到营地，而且路过的那个小伙子一定看到了我的步枪躺在那里。在我身边很方便，我想他们允许我最好一个人呆着。过了一会儿，马车启动了，正如我所预料的那样，它们走上了侧谷，而不是沿着商队路线前进。那家伙把我的皮屑弄碎了，坐了一会儿后，我决定去追他们。我没有什么特别的动机，只是出于固执。我不会因为被欺骗而选择我选择的地方。这是一个自由的国家，我和他们一样有权利登上那个山谷。”

“我本以为你应该有更多的常识，萨姆·希克斯，”杰里责备地说，“而不是混入一个你毫无常识的行业。如果其中一个女人请求你帮助她，或者如果你认为她是按照自己的意愿被带走的，那么你或任何其他男人都有权参与这场游戏；但事实上，你们的战争只是在拿自己的生命开玩笑，来干扰他们自己国家的摩门教徒。”

“是的，杰瑞，我对此无话可说。这只不过是一种咒骂，从那以后我已经问自己四十一次了，到底是什么让我做出了这样的自责。在那个家伙过来吓唬我之前，我并不是没有想过跟着马车走，但不知怎的，我觉得他敢于让我这样做。我觉得自己根本不是刚才那两个家伙的对手，至于那些满脸油腻的黑衣小伙子，我倒是没把他们算进去。我没想过把她们赶走，也没想过如果她们丢下我不管，她们会惹上什么麻烦。只是我有权进入那个山谷或任何其他地方，而且我不会被欺骗而退出。于是我拿起我的射击铁，把毯子绑在肩上，开始了。当我转入山谷时，他们可能在一英里外正在交战。我并不渴望战斗，所以我没有跟在中间，只是沿着山脚走，他们看起来不太可能看到我。我没有靠近他们，只是时不时地瞥见他们。

据我所知，他们中只有一名骑兵，我估计另一名骑兵已经在前面了；也许是在寻找露营地，或者前往摩门教农场之一，告诉他们在那里准备好东西。就我所估计的而言，我想做的就是天一黑就去侦察她们，听听她们的谈话，并试图确定妇女战争是否愿意进行。然后我想我应该径直走到他们的火边，然后像他们试图吓唬我一样吓唬那四个人。瓦尔，他们一直持续到下午晚些时候，才解开牛群，扎营。我等了一会儿，现在我的战争已经冷却下来，可以合理地看待事情了，我承认自己是一个被指责的傻瓜，我已经下定决心要收回踪迹并离开当我沿着山谷走下去时，我听到一些马匹从营地里快速下来的声音。

“然后我就强烈地想到我是个‘贪婪的傻瓜’，你敢打赌。其中一个家伙骑着马，打倒了一些监管者，就像我们过去在采矿营地里称呼他们的那样，但我相信摩门教徒称他们为“毁灭天使”，尽管他们身上几乎没有天使。我现在希望他们白天没有看到我，乐队正直往马车营地走去。但由于我并没有刻意隐藏自己，我猜想他们一定已经发现了我。战斗几乎是黑暗的，当我躲在灌木丛后面时，我几乎看不到他们骑马前进。他们下了大约两百码，然后停了下来，我能听到他们中的一些人下马的声音。

“‘你确定我们已经走得够远了吗？’一个说。

“'是的;我可以发誓，当我们在露营前看到他时，他的高度比这还要高。”

“‘如果你们两个不是最坏的混蛋，’一个男人愤怒地说，‘一旦发现他在跟踪你，你们就会躲起来，并在他走过来时开枪射杀他。’

“‘我告诉过你了，’另一个声音说道，‘这个人是一名印度战士，而且是一个致命的枪手。假设我们错过了他。

“‘如果你等到他靠近你才开枪，你就不可能打中他；那么你可以把他扔到灌木丛中，这样事情就结束了，我们应该可以节省二十英里的路程。现在，请仔细寻找他，搜索每一个灌木丛。在我们和上面约翰逊的队伍之间，我们一定能抓住他。

“我没有看到这一点，尽管我确实希望后面的岩石不要那么‘陡峭’。我本可以在白天爬上去，尽管即便如此，这也是一项艰巨的工作，但由于没有足够的光线来看到壁架的位置以及从一个壁架到另一个壁架的最佳位置，所以我没有做这件事不在乎。我正想穿越到山谷的另一边，这时一些骑兵飞奔回来。

“‘以法莲弟兄，你停在这里，睁大你的耳朵，也睁大你的眼睛。海勒姆，你在五十码高的地方停下来，其他人也保持同样的距离。当岩石中的人与你并肩而行时，以法莲，继续骑马，站在队伍的另一端。你也做同样的事，海勒姆，依次进行；我会上下骑行。

“很明显，他们是认真的，我正在犹豫是否要抓住机会躲起来，还是逃向悬崖，这时我看到一道光从营地里跳下来，我知道那是一个骑在马背上拿着火把的小伙子。当他走上前来时，之前说话的那个人问道：“威廉姆斯兄弟，你有多少把火把？”

“‘有十几个。’

“‘给我六个，然后把另外六个带到下面的人那里。是的，我会点燃你的一根。

“你可能猜到这让我安心了。我必须立即行动，所以我开始向悬崖脚下爬去。当我到达那里时，六支火把在下面一百码处燃烧，携带火把的人正在搜索每一个灌木丛，撬开每块岩石。沿着山谷中部，另外六支火把相距五十码正在燃烧。有一个优点，火把是松木的，发出的光很漂亮，但不如涂了柏油的绳子那么亮。但这对我来说已经足够了，能够看清悬崖的表面，而且我看到了一个突破口，无论如何我都可以站起来。雪融化的时候，一股急流从这里倾泻而下，我一到底部，就直接往上爬。它的脚下堆满了岩石，我在没有被发现的情况下爬到了岩石的顶部。

“我还没爬到十几英尺高的地方，我的脚就让一块巨石滚了下来，然后巨石就摔了下来。下面传来喊叫声，但我没有停下来听他们说什么，而是以二四十的步态架起了激流的河床。枪声响起，一声又一声，但我现在已经在他们火把的光芒之上了。在一百英尺高的地方，我停了下来，因为岩石就在我面前升起，而这里的水是从上面瀑布式落下的。你敢打赌，这使它成为一个紧张的地方。那里没有战争，因为我可以看到我可以相处，而且在我到达一个之前我应该​​先走下去一点。他们继续从下面开火，但我很确定他们看不到我，因为我能听到子弹高高地击中阻止我的岩石表面。

“你可能会打赌，我再次下山时很小心，而且我慢慢来，因为我可以看到那些拿着火把的人已经停在下面的岩石堆脚下，我预计他们并不太关心开始骑兵们继续开火，希望听到我的身体滚下来的声音。此外，他们一定知道他们用火把在我身上留下了非常明确的印记。最后我来到了窗台上。它与一个狭窄的地方作战，有几码的路程，我不得不面朝岩石，张开双臂，当我知道他们随时可能发现我时，他们的子弹呼啸而来，一点也不令人愉快。几码后，壁架变宽了，上面有足够的空间让我躺下。我爬了好一会儿，然后背靠着岩石坐下来计算这件事。所有的火炬战争都聚集在我上升的地方。又有四个人骑马从营地下来，还有五六个人拿着火把步行沿着山谷奔跑。他们一直在高处的灌木丛中寻找我，当他们听到射击声时，他们就开始射击其他人。领头的人喊着让那些人跟着我爬上去，但那些人似乎没有看到。

“'什么用途？'我听到一个人说； “他肯定早就已经充满子弹了。”我们明天早上就会上去找到他的尸体。”

“‘但是假设他没有死，你这个傻瓜。’

“好吧，如果他没死的话，当我们拿着火把上去时，他就会一个接一个地把我们干掉。”

“‘那么，把你的火把熄灭吧。来吧，你要是害怕的话，我就先走了。”说着，他跳下了马。

“你可以打赌，我的手指痒痒地想向他开枪。但这是不应该做的；我不知道壁架有多远，也不知道是否有办法离开它，而现在我一旦离开了他们的视线，如果让他们知道我躺在哪里，那就等于是在丢掉我的生命。于是我又站起来，又走了一段路。我来到一个地方，岩石已经碎裂，足以让我爬到下一个壁架上，经过多次爬上爬下，我在大约两个小时内到达了山顶，然后翻越了山丘第二天早上八点钟，来到了商队小道上。我一直躲到晚上，以防他们来追我，第二天早上，当他们准备出发时，我来到了商队。”

“你比你应得的更好地摆脱了困境，”哈利说。 “我不相信有人会玩这种愚蠢的把戏，无缘无故地干涉自己国家的摩门教徒。战争比幼稚更糟糕。”

另外两名矿工大力表示同意，萨姆说：“瓦尔，你在这件事上对我的评价不会比我对自己的评价更卑鄙了。我一直不明白我为什么这么做，你可能打赌我不经常讲这个故事。这是一场彻头彻尾的愚蠢战争，正如哈利所说，我并不值得像我那样摆脱它。尽管如此，这并没有让我对摩门教徒产生任何爱。当一个人被开了大约两百枪时，这会让他感觉更友善，就好像他一有机会就会报复其中的一些，你可能会打赌我是故意的。”

“吉-鲁萨利姆！”

这声惊呼是由于一大堆雪落到火上而引起的，而火上的水壶刚刚开始沸腾。悬挂它的三脚架被打翻了。整个地方充满了蒸汽，一行人都跳了起来，以免被烫伤。

“也许再等几分钟，”杰瑞抱怨道，“那​​我们就该舒服地喝茶了。现在火已经灭了，水也溅了出来，我们还得去取更多的雪。那是最后融化的一批。”

“这都是一天的工作，杰瑞，”哈利高兴地说，“我们也应该有事可做。如果你们其他人再次清理壁炉，我会把雪搬进来。雪确实很麻烦，但我们一致认为没有办法解决，我们要感谢我们的星星，情况并没有更糟。”

没过多久，火又烧起来了，但水烧开、泡茶还需要一段时间，被水壶里的水浸湿的面包还需要一段时间才能吃。这时天已经黑了。吃完饭后，大家都回去过夜了。汤姆正要睡觉，突然被跳狗惊醒，他突然脱下水牛长袍，跳了起来，手里拿着步枪。

“希斯特！”他低声说道。 “有东西来了！”

男人们都拿起步枪，聚精会神地听着。不久，他们听到外面雪地上有轻轻的脚步声，然后是一阵吸鼻的声音。

“酒吧！”印度人说道。

过了一会儿，一个巨大的脑袋从入口处的灌木丛中抬起来。五声步枪响起，两名印第安人保留了火力。报告之后，外面传来沉闷的重重摔倒声。

“等一下，”当其他人准备冲出去时，哈利尖锐地说，“让我们确定他已经死了。”

“他已经死够了，”杰瑞说。 “我想即使是一只灰熊也无法在头上中了五颗子弹的情况下走开。”

哈利看着屏幕。 “是的，他已经死够了；不管怎样，他看起来就是这样。瓦尔，这真是运气。”众人纷纷走上平台。

“叔叔，是灰熊吗？”汤姆兴奋地问道。

“他是一只灰熊，毫无疑问。你不想看到他的颜色就知道这一点。看看他的尺寸。”

“哎呀，他像牛一样大。”

“哎呀，小伙子，还有一头大牛。你进去生火，我们去切足够的肉做晚饭。”

他们半小时前才吃过一顿饭，这件事已经白费了。熊肉片很快就卷起来了，一顿丰盛的饭菜就这样吃下去，好像自从前一天以来没有吃过任何食物一样。男人们兴高采烈。事实上，他们没有肉，这对他们可能被关起来大约一个星期来说是最大的缺点，因为对于几乎完全靠肉生活的人来说，烤得不好的面包只是一种糟糕的饮食。

“是什么把熊带到这里来的？”汤姆问道。

“一开始可能是好奇，然后是饥饿，”他叔叔回答道。 “我猜想，当他看到树叶间的光芒时，他正在沿着上面的小路走，然后毫无疑问他闻到了面包的味道，也许还闻到了我们和马的味道，然后下来看看他能得到什么。

“好奇心是一个严重的错误，汤姆。今晚你已经上了两节课了。请记住，在世界的这个地区，最安全的计划始终是严格关注自己的事情。”

此刻所有关于睡眠的想法都被驱散了。他们的烟斗又被点燃了，他们躺下之前已经是午夜了。早上，这头熊的剥皮和切开有些困难，关节被留在外面冻透。雪还在不停地下着，但风却已经几乎停了。他们突然出击，砍下五六根长杆，费了好大劲才把这些杆子从悬崖上方固定到突出的岩石上，把熊皮推到杆子上，把它绑在那里，它的体积足以覆盖悬崖上方的空间。火灾和他们居住房间的很大一部分。

早餐后，雪又为马融化了，一天的工作就这样完成了，他们心满意足地坐在火边。

“你不认为，酋长，”哈利问道，“有任何机会
“拉帕霍人想上来看看吗？”

“印第安人住在小屋里，不喜欢寒冷；他们认为我们已经超越了。如果天气好的话，他们也许会来找我们的枪和背包。当我们经过时，他们认为我们肯定会死于暴风雪。当雪停了，我们就不再生火；但现在通往山谷的道路都被雪封堵了。”

“是的，我认为在太阳离开轨道之前没有人会尝试攀爬它；当我们到达时，那是一个非常糟糕的地方，”哈利说。 “我并不是说步行的人无法上山；而是说，步行的人无法上山。”但正如你所说，在天气稍微放晴之前，红皮们不太可能尝试，尽管我并不是说如果他们知道我们在靠近山顶的地方扎营，他们就不会尝试。”

“What noise is that?” Tom asked. “I have heard it several times before, but not so loud as that.”

“Snow-slide,” Leaping Horse said. “Snow come down from mountains; break off trees, roll rocks down. Bad place all along here.”

“Yes. I saw that you looked up at the hills behind there before you looked over the edge here, chief,” Ben Gulston said, “and I reckoned that you had snow-slides in your mind. I thought myself that it was like enough the snow might come tumbling over the edge of that high wall and then come scooting down over where we war, and there would have been no sort of show for us if we had been camped whar the trail goes along.”

“Leaping Horse has heard from his red brothers with whom he has spoken that trail from top of valley very bad when snow falls. Many Indians stopping too long at fort, to trade goods, have been swept away by snow-slides when caught in storm here.”

“I thought it looked a bad place,” Harry remarked. “There ain’t no fooling with a snow-slide anyway. I have come across bones once or twice lying scattered about in snug-looking valleys—bones of horses and men, and it was easy to see they had been killed by a snow-slide coming down on them. Rocks were heaped about among them, some of the bones were smashed. They had been hunting or trapping, and sheltered up in a valley when the storm came on and the slide had fallen on them, and there they had laid till the sun melted the snow in summer, when the coyotes and the vultures would soon clean the bones.” He broke off suddenly; there was a dull sound, and at the same moment a distinct vibration of the ground, then a rustling murmur mingled with a rumbling as of a waggon passing over a rocky ground.

“There is another one,” Jerry exclaimed, “and it is somewhere just above us. Keep your backs to the wall, boys.”

Louder and louder grew the sound; the tremor of the earth increased, the horses neighed with fright, the men stood with their backs against the rock next to the hill. Suddenly the light was darkened as a vast mass of snow mingled with rocks of all sizes leapt like a torrent over the edge of the cliff, the impetus carrying it over the outer wall of their shelter and down into the ravine. There was a mighty sound of the crashing of trees, mingled with a thumping and rolling of the rocks as they clashed against the side of the ravine and went leaping down into the valley. The ground shook with a continuous tremor, and then the light returned as suddenly as it had been cut off, and a few seconds later a dead stillness succeeded the deafening roar from below. The passage of the avalanche overhead had lasted but a minute, though to the men standing below it the time had seemed vastly longer. Instinctively they had pressed themselves against the rock, almost holding their breath, and expecting momentarily that one of the boulders in its passage would strike the top of the outside wall and fall in fragments among them. The silence that followed was unbroken for some seconds, and then Sam Hicks stepped a pace forward.

“Jee-rusalem!” he said, “that was a close call. I don’t know how you felt, boys, but it seemed as if all the sand had gone out of me, and I weakened so that my knees have not done shaking yet.”

The men, accustomed as they were to danger, were all equally affected. Tom felt relieved to see that the others all looked pale and shaken, for he was conscious that he had been in a terrible fright, and that his legs would scarcely support his weight.

“I am glad to hear you say so, Sam, for I was in an awful funk; but I should not have said so if you hadn’t spoken.”

“You needn’t be ashamed of that, Tom,” his uncle put in. “You showed plenty of pluck when we were in trouble with the red-skins, but I am sure there was not one of us that did not weaken when that snow-slide shot over us; and none of us need be ashamed to say so. A man with good grit will brace up, keep his head cool and his fingers steady on the trigger to the last, though he knows that he has come to the end of his journey and has got to go down; but it is when there is nothing to do, no fight to be made, when you are as helpless as a child and have no sort of show, that the grit runs out of your boots. I have fought red-skins and Mexicans a score of times; I have been in a dozen shooting scrapes in saloons at the diggings; but I don’t know that I ever felt so scared as I did just now. Ben, there is a jar of whisky in our outfit; we agreed we would not touch it unless one of us got hurt or ill, but I think a drop of medicine all round now wouldn’t be out of place.”

There was a general assent. “But before we take it,” he went on, “we will take off our hats and say ‘Thank God’ for having taken us safe through this thing. If He had put this shelter here for us express, He could not have planted it better for us, and the least we can do is to thank Him for having pulled us through it safe.”

The men all took off their hats, and stood silent for a minute or two with bent heads. When they had replaced their hats Ben Gulston went to the corner where the pack-saddles and packs were piled, took out a small keg, and poured out some whisky for each of the white men. The others drank it straight; Tom mixed some water with his, and felt a good deal better after drinking it. Ben did not offer it to the Indians, neither of whom would touch spirits on any occasion.

“It is a good friend and a bad enemy,” Harry said as he tossed off his portion. “As a rule there ain’t no doubt that one is better without it; but there is no better medicine to carry about with you. I have seen many a life saved by a bottle of whisky. Taken after the bite of a rattlesnake, it is as good a thing as there is. In case of fever, and when a man is just tired out after a twenty-four hours’ tramp, a drop of it will put new life into him for a bit. But I don’t say as it hasn’t killed a sight more than it has cured. It is at the bottom of pretty nigh every shooting scrape in the camps, and has been the ruin of hundreds of good men who would have done well if they could but have kept from it.”

“But you ain’t a temperance man yourself, Harry?”

“No, Sam; but then, thank God, I am master of the liquor, and not the liquor of me. I can take a glass, or perhaps two, without wanting more. Though I have made a fool of myself in many ways since I have come out here, no man can say he ever saw me drunk; if liquor were to get the better of me once, I would swear off for the rest of my life. Don’t you ever take to it, Tom; that is, not to get so as to like to go on drinking it. In our life we often have to go for months without it, and a man has got to be very careful when he goes down to the settlements, else it would be sure to get over him.”

“I don’t care for it at all, uncle.”

“See you don’t get to care for it, Tom. There are plenty start as you do, and before they have been out here long they do get to like it, and from that day they are never any good. It is a big temptation. A man has been hunting or trapping, or fossicking for gold in the hills for months, and he comes down to a fort or town and he meets a lot of mates. One says ‘Have a drink?’ and another asks you, and it is mighty hard to be always saying ‘no’; and there ain’t much to do in these places but to drink or to gamble. A man here ain’t so much to be blamed as folks who live in comfortable houses, and have got wives and families and decent places of amusement, and books and all that sort of thing, if they take to drink or gambling. I have not any right to preach, for if I don’t drink I do gamble; that is, I have done; though I swore off that when I got the letter telling me that your father had gone. Then I thought what a fool I had made of myself for years. Why, if I had kept all the gold I had dug I could go home now and live comfortably for the rest of my life, and have a home for my nieces, as I ought to have. However, I have done with it now. And I am mighty glad it was the cards and not drink that took my dust, for it is a great deal easier to give up cards than it is to give up liquor when you have once taken to it. Now let us talk of something else; I vote we take a turn up on to the trail, and see what the snow-slide has done.”

Throwing the buffalo robes round their shoulders the party went outside. The air was too thick with snow to enable them to perceive from the platform the destruction it had wrought in the valley below, but upon ascending the path to the level above, the track of the avalanche was plainly marked indeed. For the width of a hundred yards, the white mantle of snow, that covered the slope up to the point where the wall of cliff rose abruptly, had been cleared away as if with a mighty broom. Every rock and boulder lying upon it had been swept off, and the surface of the bare rock lay flat, and unbroken by even a tuft of grass. They walked along the edge until they looked down upon their shelter. The bear’s hide was still in its place, sloping like a pent-house roof, from its upper side two or three inches below the edge of the rock, to the other wall three feet lower. It was, however, stripped of its hair, as cleanly as if it had been shorn off with a razor, by the friction of the snow that had shot down along it.

“That is the blamedest odd thing I ever saw,” Sam Hicks said. “I wonder the weight of the snow didn’t break it in.”

“I expect it just shot over it, Sam,” Harry said. “It must have been travelling so mighty fast that the whole mass jumped across, only just rubbing the skin. Of course the boulders and stones must have gone clean over. That shows what a narrow escape we have had; for if that outer rock had been a foot or so higher, the skin would have caved in, and our place would have been filled chock up with snow in a moment. Waal, we may as well turn in again, for I feel cold to the bones already.”

On the evening of the fifth day the snow ceased falling, and next morning the sky was clear and bright. Preparations were at once made for a start. A batch of bread had been baked on the previous evening. Some buckets of hot gruel were given to the horses, a meal was hastily eaten, the horses saddled and the packs arranged, and before the sun had been up half an hour they were on their way. The usual stillness of the mountains was broken by a variety of sounds. From the valley at their feet came up sharp reports, as a limb of a tree, or sometimes the tree itself, broke beneath the weight of the snow. A dull rumbling sound, echoing from hill to hill, told of the falls of avalanches. Scarcely had the echoes of one ceased, than they began again in a fresh quarter. The journey was toilsome in the extreme, for the horses’ hoofs sank deep in the freshly-fallen snow, rendering their progress exceedingly slow.

“If we had been sure that this weather would hold, chief, it would have been better to have waited a few days before making our start, for by that time the snow would have been hard enough to travel on.”

The chief shook his head. “Winter coming for good,” he said, waving his hand towards the range of snowy summits to the north. “Clouds there still; if stop, not able to cross pass till next summer.”

“That is so; we agreed as to that yesterday, and that if we don’t get over now the chances are we shall never get over at all. Yet, it is a pity we can’t wait a few days for a crust to form on the snow.”

Twice in the course of the next hour avalanches came down from the hills above them; the first sweeping down into the valley a quarter of a mile behind them, the next but two or three hundred yards ahead of them. Scarcely a word was spoken from end to end of the line. They travelled in Indian file, and each horse stepped in the footprints of its predecessor. Every few hundred yards they changed places, for the labour of the first horse was very much heavier than of those following. At the end of an hour the men drew together for a consultation. There was a wide break in the line of cliffs, and a valley ran nearly due south.

“What do you think, chief? This confounded snow has covered up all signs of the trail, and we have got to find our own way. There is no doubt this valley below is running a deal too much to the west, and that the trail must strike off somewhere south. It looks to me as if that were a likely valley through the cliff. There is no hiding the fact that if we take the wrong turn we are all gone coons.”

“Leaping Horse knows no more than his brother,” the chief said gravely. “He knows the pass is on the western side of the great peak. The great peak lies there,” and he pointed a little to the west of the break in the hills up which they were looking.

“It may be that we must cross the hills into another valley, or perhaps this will turn west presently.”

“I tell you what, Harry,” Sam Hicks said, “my opinion is, that our best plan by a long chalk will be to go back to our last place and to stop there for a bit. We have got b’ar’s flesh enough for another fortnight, and we may kill some more game afore that is done. Ef this is but a spell of snow it may melt enough in another ten days for us to make out the trail and follow it. Ef, as the chief thinks, we have got winter right down on us, we must wait till the snow crust hardens ef it is a month or double. Anything is better than going on like this. What with this soft snow and these ‘tarnal snow-slides, there ain’t no more chance of our getting over that pass in one day’s journey, than there air in our flying right down to Salt Lake City. Ef the worst comes to the worst, I tell yer I would rather go back and take our chance of following the Big Wind River down, and fighting the red-skins, than I would of crossing over these dog-goned hills.”

The other three men were of the same opinion.

“Well, what do you say, chief?” Harry asked the Indian.

“Leaping Horse thinks that the trail will not be found until next summer,” the chief replied quietly. “Heap of hills in front and heap of snow. If snow-storm catch us in the hills no find way anywhere. Leaping Horse is ready to do whatever his white brother thinks.”

“Well, I am with the others,” Harry said. “I don’t like the look of those clouds. They are quiet enough now, but they may begin to shift any time, and, as you say, if we are caught in a snow-storm on the hills there is an end of us. I think Sam is right. Even if we have to rustle all through the winter in that hut there, I would rather face it than keep on.”

That settled it. The horses’ heads were turned, and they retraced their steps until they reached the shelter. The bear’s-skin had been left where it was, the fire was soon set going, and there was a general feeling of satisfaction as they laid out the robes and blankets again.

“Look here, boys,” Harry said, “this is not going to be a holiday time, you bet. We have got to make this place a sight snugger than it is now, for, I tell you, when the winter sets in in earnest, it will be cold enough here to freeze a buffalo solid in an hour. We have got to set to work to make a roof all over this place, and we have got to hunt to lay in a big stock of meat. We have got to get a big store of food for the horses, for we must be mighty careful with our flour now. We can wait a fortnight to see how things go, but if it is clear then that we have got to fight it out here through the winter, we must shoot the pack-ponies at once, and I reckon the others will all have to go later. However, we will give them a chance as long as we can.”

“Take them down into the valley,” the chief said. “All Indian horses.”

“Ah, I didn’t think of that, chief. Yes, they are accustomed to rustle for their living, and they may make a shift to hold on down there. I don’t think there is much fear of Indians coming up.”

“No Indians,” Leaping Horse said. “Indians go away when winter set in. Some go to forest, some go to lodges right down valley. No stop up here in mountains. When winter comes plenty game—big-horn, wapiti.”

“Ah, that is a more cheerful look-out, chief. If we can get plenty of meat we can manage without flour, and can go down and give the ponies a pail of hot gruel once a week, which will help them to keep life together. The first thing, I take it, is to cut some poles for the roof. I am afraid we shall have to go down to the bottom for them.”

“Waal, we needn’t begin that till to-morrow,” Sam Hicks said. “If we had them, we have got no skins to cover them.”

“Cut brushwood,” Indian said. “First put plenty of brushwood on poles, then put skins over.”

“Yes, that is the plan, chief. Well, if we get down there we shall have to take our shovels and clear the snow off some of the narrow ledges. If we do that we can lead one of the horses down to pack the poles up here.”

The chief went out on to the platform. “No use clear snow now. Clouds moving. In two hours snow fall again.”

The others joined him outside. “I reckon you are right, chief,” Jerry said. “It is mighty lucky we didn’t go on. It can’t be much worse here than it was before.”

At three in the afternoon it began to snow heavily again. There was less wind than there had been on the previous occasion, and the snow drifted through the entrance less than before. Just as they were turning in for the night an ominous crack was heard above. All leapt from their blankets, and looking up they could see by the light of the fire that the poles supporting the skin were all bent in a curve downwards.

“Jee-rusalem!” Sam Hicks exclaimed, “the whole outfit will be coming down on us.”

“That it will, Sam. You see, there is no wind as there was before, and one of our jobs will be keeping the roof clear of snow. Turn out, boys; we must get rid of it somehow.”

They at once set to work to lash two poles, some eight feet long, to the handles of the shovels, and as soon as this was done they all turned out. On reaching the edge of the ravine above the roof, they first cleared away the snow down to the rock so as to have firm standing, and then proceeded to shovel the snow off the surface of the skin. It was easier work than they expected, for as soon as it was touched it slid down the incline, and in a very few minutes the whole was cleared off.

“I think that is good until morning now,” Harry said. “As long as the snow lasts we shall have to do it every few hours. Directly we get a spell of fine weather we must put some more poles under it to strengthen it.”

For six days the snow continued to fall without intermission. At daybreak, at mid-day, and the last thing before they turned in at night the snow was cleared off the hide. With this exception they did not stir out of the shelter. They had also each day to clear out the inner portion of the fissure, as the snow now frequently broke through the trees in masses, startling the horses, and keeping them in a state of restlessness. The sixth day it stopped snowing, and the next morning the sky was bright and clear. The whole party at once started out, two of them taking shovels, and the rest brooms that they had made during the long hours of their confinement. By the middle of the day they had cleared the path down into the valley, and on their way back to dinner each carried up a large bundle of faggots.

The meal was cooked and eaten hastily, and the whole of the horses were then led down into the valley. Here a couple of dozen stout poles for the roof were cut by the whites, the two Indians at once going up the valley in search of game. In half an hour two rifle-shots were heard, and presently Hunting Dog ran in with the news that they had killed two wapiti. Jerry and Sam Hicks at once went off with him, leading two horses, and presently returned with the dead deer fastened across their backs.

“They are very like pictures I have seen of moose,” Tom said to his uncle as he examined the great stags.

“New-comers often call them moose, Tom; but there is a difference between them, though what the difference is I cannot tell you, for I have never hunted moose. I believe the wapiti are peculiar to the West. They often go in great herds of three or four hundreds together.”

“The chief says there are a great many of them up the valley,” Jerry put in. “They made off when he fired, but I could see their foot-tracks myself all about. He says they have been driven down here by the storm for shelter. He has gone round with the lad to head them back.”

“That is good news, Jerry. The meat we have got already will last some time, but it is as well to lay in a good stock, and we want the skins badly to make our roof. You had better lead these horses to the foot of the path, and then we will all take our post behind trees across the valley.”

An hour later they heard the reports of two rifles a long way up the valley, and all stood in readiness. A few minutes later there was a dull trampling sound, and almost directly afterwards a herd of wapiti came along at a heavy trot, ploughing their way but slowly through the snow.

“Don’t use your revolvers, boys,” Harry had said, “except to finish off a stag you have wounded with your rifle. The chance is all against your bringing them down, and the poor brutes would only get away to die.”

One after another the rifles rang out. Tom and his uncle both had the satisfaction of seeing the stags they had aimed at, plunge forward before they had gone many yards farther, and roll over dead. The other three had each hit the animal they aimed at, but as these kept on their course they dashed out in pursuit, firing their Colts, which in their hands were as deadly weapons as a rifle, and the three stags all fell, although one got nearly half a mile down the valley before he succumbed. A carcass was hoisted on to each of the horses’ backs, and the loaded animals were then led up the track.

“Shall I wait until the Indians come back, uncle, and tell them why you have gone up?”

“There is no occasion for that, Tom; they would hear the shots, and will have guessed what has happened.”

The poles were divided among the men and carried up to the top of the path, and laid down just above the shelter. Harry and Sam Hicks at once proceeded to cut them up into proper lengths, while the others skinned and cut up the deer. A number of thongs were cut from one of the hides for lashing cross-poles across those that were to act as ridge-poles. The bear’s-skin was removed and additional poles placed at that spot, and all working together the framework of the roof was completed by nightfall. The Indians had returned soon after the party began their work, and taking their horses down fetched up the deer they had killed.

In the morning the roof was completed, hides being stretched over the framework and securely lashed to it with thongs. The whole of the trees and brushwood were then chopped down close to the ground so as to leave a level floor. The foliage was given to the horses, and the wood cut up and piled for fuel. The chief reported that at the upper end of the valley there was a thick pine-wood, which would give good shelter to the horses. Near it were plenty of bushes, and a level tract which had been a beaver meadow, and was thickly covered with grass, as he could see where the wapiti had scratched away the snow to get at it. This was excellent news, for the question of how the horses could be fed through the winter had troubled them much more than that of their own maintenance. The joints of venison were hung up on a pole outside what they now called their hut, one or two hams being suspended from the rafters over the fire, to be smoked.

“We shall have to rig up a b’ar-trap outside,” Ben said, “or we shall be having them here after the meat; and a b’ar’s ham now and then will make a change. Wapiti flesh ain’t bad, but we should get dog-goned tired of it arter a bit.”

“You may bet we shall, Ben,” Jerry agreed; “but I reckon that we shall be able to get a lot of game through the winter. That valley down there is just the place for them to shelter in, and I hope we shall get a big-horn now and then. It will be a difficult thing to make a b’ar-trap outside. A grizzly wants a pretty strong pen to keep him in, and though the horses might drag up some big beams from below, there ain’t no fastening them in this rock.”

“No; I don’t think we can make that sort of trap,” Harry said. “We must contrive something else. We need not do all our work at once; we have got plenty of time before us. We want three or four more skins to finish our hut.”

“You mean to fill up the entrance?”

“Yes; we will sew them together, and make a curtain to hang from the edge of the roof to the ground. I tell you it is going to be mighty cold here, and besides, it will keep the snow from drifting in.”

“I wish to goodness we could make a chimney,” Tom said. “The smoke went up through the leaves all right, but my eyes are watering now, and if you fill up the end with skins it will be something awful.”

“You will get accustomed to it, Tom; but, of course, we must make a hole at the top when we fill up the entrance. What do you think is the next thing to be done, chief?”

“Get wood,” the chief said emphatically. “Must fill all the end of hut with wood.”

“That will be a big job, chief, but there is no doubt we must lay in a great store of it. Well, there is plenty of timber down in the valley, and with ten horses we can bring up a tidy lot every day.”

“Let us cut quick before snow comes again.”

“We will begin to-morrow morning, chief. I agree with you, the sooner the better.”

Accordingly the next morning they went down to the valley. They had but two axes, and Jerry and Sam Hicks, who had both done a good deal of wood-cutting, undertook this portion of the work. The others took the horses up to the beaver meadow, where they at once began scraping at the snow, and were soon munching away at the rich grass.

“Why do you call it a beaver meadow, uncle? I don’t see any beavers.”

“They have gone long ago, perhaps a hundred years. As we know, this valley is occupied by the Indians in summer, and they would soon clear out the beavers. But it is called a beaver meadow because it was made by them. They set to work and dammed up the stream, and gradually all this flat became a lake. Well, in time, you know, leaves from the woods above, and soil and dead wood and other things brought down by the stream, gradually filled up the bottom. Then the beavers were killed, and their dams went to ruin and the water drained off, and in a short time grass began to grow. There are hundreds, ay, and thousands of beaver meadows among the hills, and on the little streams that run into the big rivers, and nowhere is the grass so rich. You will often see an Indian village by one of these meadows. They grow their roots and plant their corn there. The horses will do first-rate here through the winter if the snow don’t get too deep for them, and, anyhow, we can help them out with a bucket of gruel occasionally.”

“It will be awfully cold for them, though.”

“It will be coldish, no doubt, but Indian ponies are accustomed to it.”

“I should think, uncle, it would not take much trouble to make them a sort of shed up among the trees there.”

Sam laughed, and even the chief smiled.

“It would not be a bad plan, Tom,” his uncle said; “not so much for the sake of the warmth, though there is no doubt that the warmer they are the less they can do with to eat, but if they have a place to go to they are less likely to wander away, and we shall not have the trouble of hunting for them. Well, we will think it over.”

Following the valley up, they found that it extended some ten miles farther, for the last two of which it was but a narrow cañon a few yards wide. They shot a black bear and four small deer, and returned carrying the skins, the hind-quarters of the deer, and the bear’s hams.

“We seem to have got meat enough for anything,” Tom remonstrated when they shot the deer.

“Seven men will get through a lot of meat, Tom, when they have nothing else to go with it; and we may be weeks before we can put our heads out of our hut. Besides, the skins will be useful. We shall want deer-skin shirts, trousers, and socks and caps; and the skin of these deer is softer and more pliable than that of the wapiti. I don’t want to kill more than I can help, lad, for I hate taking life without there is a necessity for it, but we can do with a lot more skins before we are stocked.”

When, driving the horses before them, they returned to the woodcutters, they found they had cut down and chopped into logs a number of trees; and Tom was quite astonished at the great pile of firewood that had been got ready by them in the course of a day’s work. The logs were made up into bundles, each weighing about eighty pounds. These were tied together with the horses’ lariats, and then secured, one on each side of the saddle, two of the horses carrying the meat. Harry took the bridle of his horse and started up the path, the others following at once.

“That is a good day’s work,” Harry said as the logs were piled at the inner end of the hut. “That is about half a ton of wood. If we have but a week of open weather we shall have a good store in our cellar.”

The work continued steadily for a week. The horses were each day taken to feed at the meadow, the two wood-choppers continued their work, while the rest of the party hunted. The Indians had on the second day gone down the valley, and returned with the report that the Indian lodges had all disappeared and that the valley was entirely deserted. Eight more wapiti were killed during the week, and fourteen smaller deer. Of an evening they occupied themselves in sewing the skins together with thongs of leather, the holes being made with their knives; and a curtain at the mouth of the hut was completed and hung. Four wide slabs of wood had been cut. These had been bound together with thongs so as to form a sort of chimney four feet high, and with a good deal of difficulty this was secured by props in its position over a hole cut through the skins, above the fire.

“The first avalanche will carry it away, Tom.”

“Yes, uncle; but we have had one avalanche here, and it seems to me the chances are strongly against our having another in exactly the same place.”

The skins of the smaller deer were carefully scraped with knives on the inner side, smeared with bears’ fat, and then rubbed and kneaded until they were perfectly soft.

The erection of Tom’s shed for the horses did not take long. The whole party, with the exception of the two Indians,—who, as usual, went hunting,—proceeded to the pine-wood above the beaver meadow. After a little search six trees were found conveniently situated with regard to each other. The axemen cut down three young firs. One was lashed by the others between the two central trees, to form a ridge-pole eight feet from the ground; the others against the other trees, at a height of three feet, to support the lower ends of the roof. They were but ten feet apart, so that the roof might have a considerable pitch. Numbers of other young trees were felled and fixed, six inches apart, from the ridge down to the eaves. On these the branches of the young fir-trees were thickly laid, and light poles were lashed lengthways over them to keep them in their places.

As the poles of the roof had been cut long enough to extend down to the ground, no side walls were necessary. The ends were formed of poles lashed across to the side trees, but extending down only to within four feet six of the ground, so as to allow the horses to pass under, and were, like the roof, thickly covered with boughs. The lower ends were left open for a width of four feet in the middle, uprights being driven into the ground and the sides completed as before.

“What do you want a doorway at both ends for?” Tom asked. “It would have been easier and quicker to have shut one end up altogether, and it would be a good deal warmer.”

“So it would, Tom; but if a grizzly were to appear at the door, what would the horses do? They would be caught in a trap.”

“Do you think they are likely to come, uncle?”

“The likeliest thing in the world, Tom. Horses can smell bear a good distance off, and if they heard one either coming down or going up the valley, they would bolt through the opposite door. They will do first-rate here; they will stand pretty close together, and the warmth of their bodies will heat the place up. They won’t know themselves, they will be so comfortable. It has only taken us a day’s work to make the shed; and though we laughed at your idea at first, I think now that the day has been well spent in getting them up such a good shelter. Jerry has got the big pail boiling over his fire, and we will put in a few handfuls of the flour we brought down. Bring the horses in from the meadow, and we will give them each a drink of gruel in the shed. They will soon learn that it is to be their home.”

For two more days the open weather continued, and the horses took up three loads of wood each afternoon, as they had done the previous week. Then, as there were signs of change, they were given a good feed at their shed; the saddles were taken off and hung up on some cross-poles over their heads.

The party had scarcely returned to the hut when the snow began to fall. They were, however, weather-proof, and felt the immense additional comfort of the changes they had made. Their stock of firewood was now a very large one. At each journey the horses had brought up about fifteen hundredweight; and as the work had gone on for nine days, they had, they calculated, something like fourteen tons of firewood neatly stacked. They had also a stock of poles in case the roof should require strengthening. A certain amount of light found its way in at the edges of the curtain across the entrance, but they depended principally upon the fire-light. The smoke, however, was a serious grievance, and even the men were forced occasionally to go outside into the open air to allay the smarting of their eyes.

“Don’t you think, uncle, we might do something to dry the wood?”

“I can’t see that we can do more than we are doing, Tom. We always keep a dozen logs lying round the fire to dry a bit before they are put on.”

“I should think we might make a sort of stage about four feet above the fire and keep some logs up there. We might pile them so that the hot air and smoke could go up through them. They would dry a great deal faster there than merely lying down on the ground.”

“I think the idea is a very good one, Tom; but we shall have to make the frame pretty strong, for if it happened to come down it might break some of our legs.”

The men all agreed that the idea was a capital one, and after some consultation they set to to carry it out. Two strong poles were first chosen. These were cut carefully to the right length, and were jambed between the rocks at a height of seven feet above the floor and five feet apart. They were driven in and wedged so tightly that they could each bear the weight of two men swinging upon them without moving. Then four upright poles were lashed to them, five feet apart, and these were connected with cross-poles.

“That is strong enough for anything,” Jerry said when the structure had been so far completed. “If a horse were to run against one of the poles he would hardly bring the thing down.”

Four other short poles were now lashed to the uprights three feet below the upper framework, and were crossed by others so as to form a gridiron. On this, the logs were laid in tiers crossing each other, sufficient space being left between them to allow for the passage of the hot air.

“That is a splendid contrivance,” Harry said when they took their seats on the buffalo robes round the fire and looked up admiringly at their work. “The logs will get as dry as chips, and in future we sha’n’t be bothered with the smoke. Besides, it will do to stand the pail and pots full of snow there, and keep a supply of water, without putting them down into the fire and running the risk of an upset.”

They had occupation now in manufacturing a suit of clothes a-piece from the deer-skins. As the work required to be neater than that which sufficed for the making of the curtain, pointed sticks hardened in the fire were used for making the holes, and the thongs that served as thread were cut as finely as possible; this being done by the Indians, who turned them out no thicker than pack-thread.

There was no occasion for hurry, and there was much laughing and joking over the work. Their hunting-shirts and breeches served as patterns from which to cut out the skins; and as each strove to outvie the others, the garments when completed were very fair specimens of work. The hunting-shirts were made with hoods that, when pulled over the head, covered the whole face except the eyes, nose, and mouth. As they had plenty of skin, the hoods and shirts were made double, so that there was hair both inside and out. They were made to come down half-way to the knee, being kept close at the waists by their belts. The leggings were made of single thickness only, as they would be worn over their breeches; they were long and reached down below the ankle. The Indians made fresh moccasins for the whole party; they were made higher than usual, so as to come up over the bottom of the leggings. In addition each was provided with long strips of hide, which were to be wound round and round the leggings, from the knee to below the ankle, covering tightly the tops of the moccasins, and so preventing the snow from finding its way in there. Gloves were then manufactured, the fingers being in one and the thumb only being free.

The work occupied them a fortnight, broken only by one day’s spell of fine weather, which they utilized by going down into the valley, taking with them their kettles and pail, together with a few pounds of flour. They found the horses out in the meadow, and these, as soon as they saw them, came trotting to meet them with loud whinnies of pleasure. A fire was lit near the shed, the snow melted, and an allowance of warm gruel given to each horse. At Tom’s suggestion a few fir-boughs were hung from the bar over each entrance. These would swing aside as the horses entered, and would keep out a good deal of wind. When at the end of a fortnight the sky cleared, the chief said that he thought that there would be but little more snow.

“If storm come, sure to bring snow, but not last long. Winter now set in; soon snow harden. Now make snowshoes.”

The hunters had all been accustomed to use these in winter. They had found the last expedition through the deep snow a very toilsome one, and they embraced the idea eagerly. Some of the poles were split into eight feet lengths. These were wetted and hung over the fire, the process being repeated until the wood was sufficiently softened to be bent into the required shape. This was done by the chief. Two cross-pieces were added, to stiffen them and keep them in the right shape when they dried; and the wood was then trimmed up and scraped by the men. When it had dried and hardened, the work of filling up the frame with a closely-stretched network of leather was undertaken. This part of the work occupied three or four days. The straps were attached to go across the toe and round the heel, and they were then ready to set off.

The weather was now intensely cold, but as there was but little wind it was not greatly felt; at the same time they were glad of their furs when they ventured outside the hut. On the first day after their snow-shoes were finished, the rest of the party started off to visit the horses, Hunting Dog remaining behind to give Tom instructions in the use of the snow-shoes, and to help him when he fell down.

Tom found it difficult work at first, the toe of the shoe frequently catching in the snow, and pitching him head foremost into it, and he would have had great difficulty in extricating himself, had not the young Indian been at hand. Before the day was over, however, he could get on fairly well; and after two or three more days’ practice had made such progress that he was considered capable of accompanying the rest.

The wood-drying apparatus had succeeded excellently. The wood was now dried so thoroughly before being put on to the fire that there was no annoyance from the smoke inside the hut, and scarce any could be perceived coming from the chimney. Upon Harry’s remarking upon this with satisfaction the first time they went out after using the dry wood, Tom said:

“What does it matter? There are no Indians in the valley.”

“That is so, Tom; but as soon as the weather sets in clear, the red-skins will be hunting again. Winter is their best time for laying in their stock of pelts for trading. At other times the game is all high up in the mountains, and it is very difficult to get within range of it. In the winter the animals come down to the shelter of the forests and valleys, and they can be shot in numbers; especially as the Indians in their snow-shoes can get along almost as quickly as the wapiti can plough through the snow. At present the red-skins think that we must have been overtaken by that first storm and have all gone under; but as soon as they begin to venture out of their lodges to hunt, a column of smoke here would be sure to catch their eyes, and then we should be having them up the valley to a certainty. The first thing they would do would be to find our horses and drive them off, and the next thing would be to set themselves to work to catch us.”

“But we could hold the path against them, uncle.”

“Yes; but we should have to keep watch every day, which would be a serious trouble. Besides, there must be other places they could get up. No doubt their regular trail comes up here, because it is the straightest way to the pass, and possibly there may be no other point at which loaded animals could mount anywhere about here. But there must be plenty of places where Indians could climb, and even if it took them a detour of fifty miles they would manage it. As long as there is no smoke we may hope they will not discover us here, though any hunting party might come upon the horses. That is what has bothered me all along; but the chief and I have talked it over a dozen times, and can see no way of avoiding the risk.

“We can’t keep the horses up here because we can’t feed them; and even if we were to bring ourselves to leave this comfortable place and to build a hut down in the valley, we might be surprised and rubbed out by the red-skins. Of course we might bring them up here every night and take them down again in the morning, but it would be a troublesome business. We have agreed that we won’t do much more shooting down in the valley, and that in coming and going to the horses we will keep along close to the foot of the cliffs this side, so that if two or three Indians do come up they won’t see any tracks on the snow, unless they happen to come close up to the cliff. Of course if they go up as far as the beaver flat they will light upon the horses. There is no help for that; but the chief and I agreed last night that in future two of us shall always stay up here, and shall take it by turns to keep watch. It won’t be necessary to stand outside. If the curtain is pulled aside three or four inches one can see right down the valley, and any Indians coming up could be made out. If the party is a strong one a gun would be fired as a signal to those away hunting, and some damp wood thrown on the fire. They might possibly push on up the valley to have a look at the place, but the two up here with their rifles would soon stop them. After that, of course, the horses would have to be brought up here at night, and a watch kept by night as well as by day.”

Two or three mornings later they found on going out that two joints of venison had been carried off, and footprints in the snow showed that it had been done by a grizzly bear. This turned their attention again to the construction of a trap, which had not been thought of since the day it was first mentioned. A young tree of four or five inches in diameter was cut below and brought up. The butt was cut in the shape of a wedge, and this was driven strongly into a fissure in the rock. A rope with a running noose had been fastened to the tree, and this was bent down by the united strength of four men, and fixed to a catch fastened in the ground, the noose being kept open by two sticks placed across it.

A foot beyond the noose a joint of venison was hung, the rope passing over a pole and then down to the catch, so that upon the joint being pulled the catch would be loosened, when the tree would fly up and the noose catch anything that might be through it.

A week later they were disturbed by an outburst of violent growling. Seizing their rifles they rushed out. A huge bear was caught by one of his paws. The animal’s weight was too great for it to be lifted from the ground, but it was standing upright with its paw above its head, making furious efforts to free itself. A volley of bullets at once put an end to its life. The tree was bent down again and the noose loosed, and they at once returned to their rugs, leaving the bear where it fell. Four times during the winter did they thus capture intruders, providing themselves with an ample supply of bear’s flesh, while the skins would sell well down at the settlements.

Otherwise sport was not very good. No more wapiti came up, but black and white tail deer were occasionally shot, and five or six big-horn sheep also fell to their rifles. One day on approaching the beaver meadow the chief pointed to some deep footprints. No explanation was needed. All knew that they were made by a big grizzly, and that the animal was going up the valley. No horses were in view on the flat, and grasping their rifles they hurried towards the wood. Just as they reached it the horses came galloping to meet them, whinnying and snorting.

“They have been scared by the critter,” Jerry said. “Do you see their coats are staring. Gosh, look at this pack-pony—the bear has had his paw on him!”

The animal’s hind-quarters were indeed badly torn.

“I wonder how it got away,” Harry said. “When a grizzly once gets hold, it don’t often leave go.”

“There is something in front of the hut,” Tom exclaimed.

“It’s the grizzly, sure enough,” Harry said. “It is a rum place for it to go to sleep.”

They advanced, holding their rifles in readiness to fire, when Leaping
Horse said:

“Bear dead.”

“What can have killed him?” Harry asked doubtfully.

“Horses kill him,” the chief replied. They hurried up to the spot. The bear was indeed dead, and there were signs of a desperate struggle. There was blood on the snow from a point near the door of the hut to where the animal was lying ten yards away. Round it the snow was all trampled deeply. The bear’s head was battered out of all shape; its jaw was broken, and one of its eyes driven out. The Indians examined the ground closely.

“Well, what do you make of it, chief?” Harry asked.

“Bear walk round hut, come in other end. Horses not able to get out in time. Pack-horse last, bear catch him by hind-quarters. Horse drag him a little way and then fall. Then other horses come back, form ring round bear and kick him. Look at prints of fore-feet deep in snow. That is where they kick; they break bear’s jaw, break his ribs, keep on kick till he dead.”

“I suppose that is how it came about, chief. I should not have thought they would have done it.”

The Seneca nodded. “When wild horses with young foals attacked by bear or mountain-lion, they form circle with colts in the middle, stand heads in and kick. Bears and mountain-lion afraid to attack them.”

“Waal, I should hardly have believed if I had not seen it,” Sam Hicks said, “that horses would come back to attack a grizzly.”

“Not come back,” the chief said, “if not for friend. Friend cry out loud, then horses come back, fight bear and kill him.”

“Well, it was mighty plucky of them,” Harry said. “I am afraid this pony won’t get over it; he is terribly torn.”

The chief examined the horse’s wounds again. “Get over it,” he said.
“Cold stop wounds bleeding, get some fat and put in.”

“I reckon you will find plenty inside the grizzly,” Jerry said. The chief shook his head.

“Bear’s fat bad; other horses smell him, perhaps keep away from him, perhaps kick him. Leaping Horse will bring fat from the big-horn he shot yesterday.”

The animal lay where it had fallen, a mile up the valley. They went up and tied the great sheep’s feet together, and putting a pole through them brought it down to the hut. Partly skinning it, they obtained some fat and melted this in a kettle over the fire. Sam Hicks had remained behind at the fire, the horses all standing near him, excited at the prospect of their usual meal. As soon as the fat was melted it was poured into the horse’s wounds. The mess of gruel was then prepared and given to the animals. The bear was skinned and the hams cut off, then by a united effort it was dragged some distance from the hut, and the carcass of the big-horn, the bear’s flesh and hide, were afterwards carried up to the hut.

Early in February the cold reached its extreme point, and in spite of keeping up a good fire they had long before this been compelled to build up the entrance with a wall of firewood, the interstices being stuffed with moss; the hut was lighted by lamps of bear and deer fat melted down and poured into tin drinking-cups, the wicks being composed of strips of birch bark. A watch was regularly kept all day, two always remaining in the hut, one keeping watch through a small slip cut in the curtain before the narrow orifice in the log wall, that served as a door, the other looking after the fire, keeping up a good supply of melted snow, and preparing dinner ready for the return of the hunters at sunset. Of an evening they told stories, and their stock of yarns of their own adventures and of those they had heard from others, seemed to Tom inexhaustible.

Hunting Dog had made rapid advances with his English, and he and Tom had become great friends, always hunting together, or when their turn came, remaining together on guard. The cold was now so intense that the hunting party was seldom out for more than two or three hours. Regularly twice a week the horses were given their ration of hot gruel, and although they had fallen away greatly in flesh they maintained their health, and were capable of work if called upon to do it. It was one day in the middle of February, that Hunting Dog, who was standing at the peep-hole, exclaimed:

“‘Rappahoes!”

Tom sprang up from the side of the fire, and running to the entrance pulled aside the curtain and looked out. Six Indians on snow-shoes were coming up the valley. He ran out on to the platform and fired his ride. As the sound of the report reached the Indians’ ears they stopped suddenly.

“Shall I throw some green wood on the fire, Hunting Dog?”

“No need,” the Indian replied. “The others only gone an hour, not farther than horses’ hut; hear gun plain enough. Perhaps ‘Rappahoes go back.”

The Indians remained for some time in consultation.

“Not know where gun fired,” Hunting Dog said. “Soon see hut, then know.”

After a time the red-skins continued their way up the valley, but instead of coming on carelessly in the centre they separated, and going to the other side crept along among the fallen boulders there, where they would have escaped observation had it not been for their figures showing against the white snow.

“Must fire now,” the young Indian said, “then Leaping Horse know
‘Rappahoes coming up.”

They went out on to the platform and opened fire. They knew that their chance of hitting one of the Indians was small indeed; the other side of the valley was a quarter of a mile away, and the height at which they were standing rendered it difficult to judge the elevation necessary for their rifles. However, they fired as fast as they could load.

The Indians made no reply, for their guns would not carry anything like the distance. They occasionally gathered when they came upon a boulder of rock sufficiently large to give shelter to them all, and then moved on again one at a time. When opposite the lower end of the pathway they again held a consultation.

“No go further,” Hunting Dog said. “Afraid we come down path and stop them. See, Leaping Horse among rocks.”

It was some time before Tom could detect the Indian, so stealthily did he move from rock to rock.

“其他人在哪里？”

“No see, somewhere in bushes. Leaping Horse go on to scout; not know how many ‘Rappahoes.”

Presently they saw the chief raise his head behind a rock within a hundred yards of that behind which the ‘Rappahoes were sheltering.

“He see them now,” Hunting Dog said. “See, he going to fire.” There was a puff of smoke and a sharp report, and almost simultaneously rose an Indian yell, and the war-cry of the Seneca. Then five Indians leapt out from behind the rock and made down the valley at full speed, while from a clump of trees two hundred yards above the spot from which the chief had fired the four white men hurried out rifle in hand. The chief waited until they joined him, for the bend in the valley prevented him from seeing that the ‘Rappahoes were making straight down it, and it would have been imprudent to have ventured out until his white allies came up.

“They have gone right down,” Tom shouted at the top of his voice. Harry waved his arm to show that he heard the words, and then the five men ran to the corner. The Indians were already a quarter of a mile away, and were just entering the wood below. The whites were about to fire, when the chief stopped them. “No use fire,” he said. “Stand back behind rocks; no good let ‘Rappahoes count our rifles.”

“That is true enough, chief,” Harry said, as they all sprang among the rocks. “All they know at present is, that there are two up on the top there and one down here. If we were sure that we could wipe them all out it would be worth following and making a running fight of it, but there would be no chance of that, and it is better to let them go without learning more about us. Well, I should say the first thing is to get up the horses.”

酋长点点头。

“Get up,” he said, “but no fear ‘Rappahoes come back to-night. Many hours’ journey down to villages, then great council. Next night scouts come up valley, look all about for sign, and then go back and tell friends.”

“I dare say you are right, chief. Anyhow, I shall feel a great deal more comfortable when we have got the critters up.”

It was late in the afternoon before they reached the hut. Some hours were spent in collecting tufts of grass in places sheltered from the snow, and in cutting off great bundles of young fir-branches and the heads of evergreen bushes, and the horses arrived almost hidden under the load of grass and foliage they carried. Little was said until some hot tea had been drunk and the bear steaks in readiness were disposed of, for although they had worked hard and kept themselves comparatively warm down in the valley, they had as they moved slowly up the path with the horses become chilled to the bone.

“Now then, chief,” Harry said, when they had lighted their pipes with the mixture of tobacco and willow bark that they had taken to, as soon as they found that they were likely to be imprisoned all the winter, “we must hold a council. We have been longer than I expected without disturbance by these varmint, but it has come now, and the question is what are we to do? We have agreed all along that there is no getting over the pass till the spring comes.”

“Too cold,” the chief said, “deep drift snow. Indians all say no can pass over hills in winter.”

“That air a fact,” Jerry said. “Down in the valley there it is all right, but up here the cold pretty near takes one’s breath away. We ain’t sure about the way. We couldn’t get over the pass in one day’s tramp, and we should be all stiff before morning. There would be no taking the horses, and there is a hundred miles to be done over the snow before we reach the fort. It ain’t to be thought of. I would a sight rather go down the valley and fight the hull tribe.”

“I agree with you, Jerry. We might, with luck, get down the valley, but I don’t think there is a possibility of our crossing the pass till the winter breaks.”

“No can go down valley,” Leaping Horse said; “they find trail on snow, sure.”

“That is so, chief, and in that case it is evident that we have got to fight it out here.”

“Good place to stop,” the Seneca said; “no good place to fight.”

This was self-evident. An enemy on the rock above would be able to fire down through the roof, without their having a chance of making an effectual reply.

“The only way I can see,” Harry said after a long pause, “is to build a sort of fort up above. If we put it just at the top of this pathway, we should have them whether they came up by the trail from below or climbed up anywhere else and came along above. It need not be a very big place, only just big enough for us all to fire over. We might make a sort of shelter in it with a fire, and keep guard there by turns.” The chief nodded, and there was a general exclamation of assent from the others.

“The worst of it is,” Jerry said, “the ground is so ‘tarnal hard that there will be no driving posts into it. We have cut down all the trees near the bottom of the pass, and it would be a risky thing to go up higher, when we might have the red-skins come whooping up the valley at any time.”

“Why not make a snow fort?” Tom suggested. “There is four feet of snow up there, and with the shovels we could make a wall ten feet high in a very short time.”

“So we might, Tom; that is a capital idea. The difficulty is, the snow does not bind in this bitter cold as it does in England.”

“If it was hammered down it would, I should think, uncle. You know the Esquimaux make snow houses, and it is as cold there as it is here. The snow at the top is light enough, but I should think as it gets down it would be hard enough to cut out in blocks. We have plenty of water, and if we pour it over each layer of blocks it would freeze into solid ice directly. When we finish it we might pour more water down over the outside, and it would make a regular wall of ice that no one could climb up.”

“Hooray! Bully for you, Tom!” Jerry shouted, while similar exclamations of approval broke from all the others, while the chief said gravely, “My young brother has the head of a man; he is able to teach warriors.”

“You shall be engineer-in-chief, Tom,” Harry said. “It is certain we may sleep quietly to-night; at daybreak to-morrow we will begin the job.”

The first thing in the morning a semicircular line was traced out at the top of their pathway. It was thirty feet across, for, as Tom said, the walls ought to be at least four feet thick; and six feet would be better, as they would want a parapet at least two feet thick to fire over. It was agreed that the whites should use the two shovels by turns. The Indians were unaccustomed to the work, and were to undertake that of scouting along the hillside, and of watching by turns at night. The frying-pan was brought into requisition, a wooden handle being made for it. The hard upper crust was removed with the shovels, and the layer beneath this was sufficiently soft for the instrument to be used as a shovel. Below that it hardened, and could be cut out in great blocks. The loose snow was thrown inside of the line traced out.

As fast as the blocks were cut out they were carried and piled regularly to form the face. Tom’s share of the work was to keep on melting snow, and to bring it up and pour between and over the blocks. As fast as a line of these were made the loose snow was thrown in behind it and trampled down hard. Except for meals there was no rest. The chief said that as there was little chance of the ‘Rappahoes coming up so soon, Hunting Dog had better stay behind and help, and he lent his aid in carrying the blocks of snow on a rough stretcher they made for the purpose. By the time it became dark the wall had risen to a height of three feet above the general level of the snow, and was already sufficient to form an excellent breastwork.

At the end farthest from the side from which the Indians were likely to come, a gap was left between it and the edge of the ravine three feet wide, in order that if necessary the horses could pass out. When it became dark the chief returned. He had gone many miles along towards the main valley, but had seen no sign of any Indians. After supper was over he took one of the wapiti skins and his buffalo robe, went up to the “fort,” as they had already called it, and laid the deer-skin down on the slope of snow behind the wall, wrapped the buffalo robe round him, and lay down upon it. Hunting Dog then threw another robe over him, projecting a foot beyond his head, so that he could from time to time raise it and look out over the snow. The night was a dark one, but any object moving across the unbroken white surface could be seen at a considerable distance.

“I feel sure I should go to sleep,” Tom said, “if I were to lie down like that.”

“I have no doubt you would, Tom, but there is no fear with the chief. An Indian never sleeps on the watch, or if he does sleep, it is like a dog: he seems to hear as well as if he were awake, and every minute or two his eyes open and he takes a look round. I would rather have an Indian sentry than half a dozen white ones, unless it is in the open, where there is no tree to lean against, and a man must keep moving.”

Hunting Dog threw himself down as soon as he returned to the hut, and was almost instantly asleep. Three hours later he rose and went out, and Leaping Horse a minute or two later returned.

“All quiet,” he said; and then after smoking for a short time also lay down.

The hut was quiet at an unusually early hour, for the men had done a very hard day’s work, and felt the strain after the long weeks of inactivity. At daybreak they were up and about, but could remain out but a few minutes, for the cold was so intense that they felt unable to face it until they had taken some hot tea and eaten something. Half an hour sufficed for this early breakfast. Hunting Dog was again left behind by the chief when he started.

“Two eyes enough,” the latter said. “Hunting Dog more use here.”

The wall of blocks was raised three more feet during the day, as it was agreed to devote all their efforts to this, and to defer the work of thickening it until the next day, for the snow had now been cleared so far from its foot that it could no longer be thrown inside. Though but six feet above the snow level, it was at least three feet more above the level of the rock, and its face was a solid sheet of ice, Tom having, during the two days, made innumerable journeys backwards and forwards with snow-water.

“Another couple of feet and it will be high enough for anything,” Harry said. “I don’t believe that the Indians will venture to attack us, but it is just as well to have it so high that they can’t help each other up to the top. If they knew how strong it is, I am sure they would not attack, and would leave us alone altogether, but if a hundred of them creep up in the dark and make a rush, they will do their best to try to climb it. Anyhow we sha’n’t need to make the bank behind very high. If it goes to within four feet and a half of the top, so that we can stand and fire over the wall, that is all that is wanted.”

Leaping Horse returned at dusk as before. He uttered a warm approval of the work when he had examined it.

“Good fort,” he said, “better than palisades. Indian no climb over it.
No opening to fire through, good as wall of town house.”

“I think they will be puzzled when they get here, chief.”

“Must watch well to-night,” the chief said. “Indian scout sure to come.
Two men keep on watch; two better than one.”

“That is so, chief; we will change every hour. But it will be mighty cold. I don’t see why we shouldn’t rig up a shelter against the wall, and have a bit of a fire there. Then the two on watch can take it by turns every few minutes to come in and get a warm.”

With poles and skins a lean-to was speedily constructed against the wall. The snow was hammered down, and a hearth made of half a dozen logs packed closely together. Some brands were brought up from the fire in the hut, and the skins across the end of the lean-to dropped, so that the air within could get warm while they were at supper.

“Hunting Dog and Tom shall take the first watch,” Harry said; “Sam and I will take the next, Jerry and Ben the third, then you, chief, can take the next.”

“Leaping Horse watch by himself,” the Seneca said; “his eyes will be open.”

“Very well, chief. I know you are as good as any two of us, so that will give us each one hour out and three hours in bed.”

Wrapping buffalo robes round them, Tom and the young Indian went up to the fort. Tom drew aside one of the skins and looked into the shelter. The hearth was in a glow, and two logs lying on it were burning well. The night was very still, except for the occasional rumble of some distant snow-slide. For a few minutes they stood looking over the wall, but keeping far back, so that only their heads were above its level.

“Tom go in by the fire,” the Indian said. “All white, no need for four eyes.”

“Very well, I will go in first; but mind, you have got to go in afterwards. I sha’n’t go in if you don’t.”

After waiting for a few minutes in the shelter Tom went out again, and Hunting Dog took his place. It was his first war-path, and nothing would have persuaded him to retire from the watch had he not felt sure that even white men’s eyes could not fail to detect any dark object moving on the surface of the snow. But although all white the surface was not level; here and there were sudden elevations marking rises in the rock beneath. Still it seemed impossible to Tom that anyone could approach unseen.

In spite of the protection of the buffalo robe it was intensely cold outside, and he was glad each time when his turn came for a warm by the fire. The changes, too, made the time pass quickly, and he was quite surprised when his uncle and Sam came out to relieve them. The other two men and the chief were still smoking by the fire. There was tea in the kettle, and they evidently did not mean to lie down until after their first watch. Every few minutes the chief got up and went out to the platform, and stood listening there intently for a short time. Just before it was time to change the guard again he said when he returned:

“Indian down in valley.”

“Have you heard them, chief?”

“Leaping Horse heard a dead stick crack.”

“That might have been a deer,” Ben suggested.

The chief shook his head. “‘Rappahoe; heard gun strike tree.”

“Then I reckon they will be up in our watch,” Ben said. “Well, we shall be ready for them.”

“Perhaps come, perhaps not come; perhaps scout up valley first see if some of us there, and look for horses. Perhaps some come up path; but crawl up slow, not know whether look-out there.”

“Well, I don’t envy them if they have got much crawling to do to-night; it is cold enough to freeze one’s breath.”

“‘Rappahoe not like cold,” the chief said, “but wants scalp bad; that makes his blood warm.”

“I will let some of it out,” Jerry said wrathfully, “if I get a chance to lay a bead on one of them. Don’t you be afeard, chief; we will look out sharp enough, you bet. Waal, I reckon it is about our time to turn out, Ben.”

“Jerry tells me that you have heard noises below, chief,” Harry said when he came in. “We heard nothing, but it ain’t easy to hear well with these hoods over one’s head.”

“Hoods bad for hear,” the chief assented. “Leaping Horse heard plain,
Indians down below.”

“Well, it is only what we expected, chief. Anyhow, we are ready for them when they come.”

Tom lay down now, and knew nothing more till Hunting Dog touched him.

“Time to go and watch,” he said.

“Has everything been quiet?”

The Indian nodded. “No come yet.”

Leaping Horse remained at his post after they came out to relieve him. Tom made no comment. Harry had impressed upon him the necessity for absolute silence.

“If they hear voices they will never come near us,” he had said, “and we would rather they came than stopped away. The sooner we get this job over the better.”

The chief stood with his head slightly bent forward and the hood of his hunting-shirt thrown back, listening attentively. Then he touched Hunting Dog, and stooping low down whispered something in his ear, and then both stood again listening. Tom, too, threw back his hood, but he could hear nothing whatever, and was soon glad to pull it forward over his ears again. He strained his eyes in the direction towards which they were listening, which was apparently towards the edge of the ravine where the Indian trail came up from below. All seemed to him to be white and bare.

Presently the chief’s rifle went up to his shoulder; there was a sharp crack, a dark figure leapt up from the snow fifty yards away and then fell headlong down again. It seemed to Tom almost magical. His eyes had been fixed in that direction for the last five minutes, and he could have sworn that the surface of the snow was unbroken. A minute later the other four men came running up.

“What is it, chief?” Harry whispered.

Leaping Horse pointed to the dark figure stretched out on the snow.

“So you have got the varmint. Good! Do you think there are any more of them about?”

“More there sure,” the chief said, pointing to the path up from below. “Perhaps more there,” and he pointed to a broad black line from the foot of the cliffs to the edge of the ravine, where, three days before, an avalanche from the hills above had swept the rock clear of snow.

“They must have made sure that we were all asleep, or that fellow would never have shown himself on the snow,” Harry said.

“He did not show himself, uncle. How he got there I don’t know; but I was looking at the spot when the chief fired, and I saw no signs of him whatever. How he hid himself I don’t know. If it had been anywhere else I should have said he must have had a white sheet over him.”

“It certainly was not that whatever it was, Tom. However, we shall see in the morning. Well, we may as well turn in again. Will they try again, do you think, chief?”

“Not try to-night, too cold; if any there, will hide up till daybreak.
Now they know we are awake, will not venture on snow.”

Half an hour later a great fire was lighted out of gunshot range lower down the valley, and three or four figures could be seen round it.

“Too cold,” Hunting Dog said to Tom. “All gone down to get warm.”

The watches were relieved regularly through the night, but there was no further alarm until just after daylight had broken, when Sam Hicks suddenly discharged his rifle. The others all turned out at once. He had fired at a bush just at the point where the trail came up from below, and he declared that he had seen a slight movement there, and that some pieces of the snow had dropped from the leaves.

“We will make sure that there is no one there,” Harry said, “and then we will turn out and have a look. It is like enough that one of the red-skins from below came up the path to have a look at us this morning.”

He took a steady aim and fired.

“Fetch up an axe, Tom; we will cut that bush away at once. It is lucky that Sam caught sight of the red-skin. If he had not done so he might have got a bullet in his own head, for when the red-skin had finished taking a view of the fort he would certainly have picked off Sam or myself before he went down. It is a weak point, that from here one can’t command the path. If they come in force we shall have to keep watch on the platform too. From there you can get a sight of two or three of its turnings.”

They went out together, and as they passed, stopped to look at the body of the Indian the chief had shot. He was a young brave of two-or three-and-twenty, and the manner of his advance so far unperceived was now evident. Favoured by a slight fall in the ground, he had crawled forward, scooping a trench wide enough for his body a foot in depth, pushing the snow always forward, so that it formed a sort of bank in front of him and screened him from the sight of those on watch. The chief’s keen eye had perceived a slight movement of the snow, and after watching a moment had fired at the point where he judged anyone concealed by it must be. He had calculated accurately. The ball had struck on the shoulder close to the neck, and had passed down through the body. The Indian had brought no rifle with him, but had knife and tomahawk in his belt.

“Poor young fellow,” Harry said. “He wanted to win a name for himself by a deed of desperate bravery. It has cost him his life, but as he would have taken ours if he had had a chance it is of no use regretting it.”

They now went on to the bush.

“You were right, Sam,” he went on, as they saw the impression on the snow made by a figure lying down behind it. “There was an Indian here sure enough, and here is the mark of the stock of his rifle, and no doubt he would have picked off one of us if you had not scared him. I don’t expect you hit him; there are no signs of blood.”

“Fire too high,” the chief said, pointing to a twig that had been freshly cut off two feet from the ground. “Always shoot low at man behind bush. Man cannot float in air.”

There was a general laugh at Sam, who replied: “I did not suppose he could, chief. I just fired where I saw the snow fall, without thinking about it one way or the other. I was an all-fired fool, but I shall know better next time.”

The bush was cut down, and also two or three others that grew along by the edge of the ravine. On their way back to the hut Harry stopped by the dead Indian.

“Fetch me a shovel, Tom,” he said, “I will dig a hole in the snow; it ain’t a pleasant object to be looking at anyway.”

Tom fetched the shovel, Harry dug down in the snow till he reached the rock, then he and Jerry laid the body in it and filled in the snow again. The chief looked on.

“Bears get him,” he said when they had finished.

“That is like enough, chief, but we have done the best we can for him.
There is no digging into the rock.”

“I thought the Indians always scalped enemies they shot?” Tom afterwards said to his uncle.

“So they do, Tom; but you see the chief is a sort of civilized Indian. He has consorted for years with whites, and he knows that we don’t like it. I don’t say he wouldn’t do it if he were on the war-path by himself, but with us he doesn’t, at any rate not openly. I have no doubt it went against his grain to see the red-skin buried with his hair on, for the scalp would have been a creditable one, as it would not have been got without a clear eye and good judgment in shooting. I have no doubt he has got some scalps about him now, though he don’t show them; but they will be hung up some day if he ever settles down in a wigwam of his own.

“Well, chief, and what do you think,” he asked Leaping Horse, as, after returning to the hut, they sat down to breakfast, “will they come or won’t they?”

“I think they no come,” the chief said. “Scout behind bush will tell them fort too strong to take; must cross snow, and many fall before they get to it. Very hard to climb. No like cold, Leaping Horse thinks they will stop in wigwams.”

“No fools either,” Jerry agreed; “a man would be worse than a natural if he were to go fooling about in this weather, and run a pretty good big risk of getting shot and nothing much to gain by it. They know we have left their country now, and ain’t likely to come back again either to hunt there or to dig gold, and that all we want is to get away as soon as we can. I allow that the chief is right, and that we sha’n’t hear no more of them, anyhow not for some time.”

The chief nodded. “If come again, not come now. Wait a moon, then think perhaps we sleep sound and try again; but more likely not try.”

“Much more likely,” Harry assented. “Unless they can do it by a surprise. Indians are not fond of attacking; they know we shoot straighter than they do and have better rifles. You remember that time when you and I and Jersey Dick kept off a party of Navahoes from sunrise till sunset down near the Emigrant trail? It was lucky for us that a post-rider who was passing along heard the firing, and took the news to a fort, and that the officer there brought out fifty troopers just as the sun went down, or we should have been rubbed out that night sure.”

塞内卡点点头。

“How was it, Harry?” Sam Hicks asked.

“It was just the usual thing, Sam. We had left the trail two days before, and were hunting on our own account when the Navahoes came down. We had just time to throw the three horses and lie down behind them. They were within two hundred yards when I began and fetched the chief, who was leading them, out of his saddle. Leaping Horse brought down another one and Jersey Dick held his fire, and instead of keeping straight on they began to straggle round. And they kept at that all day. Sometimes they would get in pretty close, but each time they did the chief brought down a horse, and when his rider, who was of course hanging on the other side of him, got up to run, I fetched him down. Dick wasn’t much of a shot, so we would not let him fire. It discourages red-skins mightily when they see that there is never a shot thrown away, and that it is sure death whenever one draws a trigger. So at last they got careful and held off, knowing as they would get us at night, when they could have crawled up on foot and made a rush when they got close to us.

“The worst of it was we hadn’t struck water the evening before, and it was just one of the hottest days on the plains, and we were pretty nigh mad with thirst before evening. I believe when the soldiers rode up I was about as glad to get a drink from one of their bottles as I was that the Navahoes bolted when they saw them coming. No, the red-skins ain’t any good for an open attack; they would have lost fewer men by riding straight at us than they did by fooling round, but they could not bring themselves to do it, and I reckon that is what it will be here. They may, as the chief says, try, say six weeks on, when the frost begins to break, in hopes that we may have given up keeping watch: but if they find us awake they will never try an open attack, for they could not reckon on taking the place without losing a score of men in doing so. If the snow was off the ground it would be different. Then of a dark night they could crawl up close and make a rush.”

After breakfast the chief and Hunting Dog went out scouting. When they returned they brought news that three Indians had come over the snow along the side of the hills, that three others had come up the valley, and that in a wood half a mile below where they had seen the fire, there had been a large party encamped.

“I reckoned that would be about it, chief. Three fellows came along over the hill, in case we should be keeping guard at the top of the path, and they had a big force somewhere down below, so that if the scouts reported that there was nothing to prevent them falling on us they would come up before morning and wipe us out. I suppose they have all ridden off?”

“All gone. Leaping Horse and Hunting Dog followed right down valley. No stop anywhere, gone back to lodges.”

“Then in that case, Harry, we had best get the critters down to their shed again. They have eaten all that stuff they brought up three days ago, I gave them the last of it this morning. The Indians know that we keep a pretty sharp look-out during the day and there ain’t no fear of their coming up here when it is light.”

As the chief was also of opinion that there was no danger, the horses were taken down the path into the valley, where on having their bridles unbuckled they at once trotted off of their own accord towards the beaver meadow.

For the next six weeks a watch was kept regularly, but by only one man at a time. The horses were driven down to the valley every morning and brought up again before sunset. There was little hunting now, for they had as many skins as they could carry comfortably, and a supply of frozen meat sufficient to last well into the spring. In March the weather became perceptibly warmer, and the snow in the valley began to melt where the full power of the sun at mid-day fell upon it. Day by day the crashes of distant avalanches became more frequent, and they began to look forward to the time when they should be able to proceed on their journey.

One night towards the end of the month Tom was on watch, when he heard a rustling sound far up beyond the wall of cliff in front of him. It grew louder and rose to a roar, and then a white mass came pouring down over the cliff. Leaping from the wall he dashed down the path to the hut. It needed no word to call the men to their feet, for a deep rumbling filled the air and the rock seemed to quiver. The horses struggled to break their head-ropes and snorted with fright.

“Your backs to the wall!” Harry shouted, and as all leapt across at his order there was a crash overhead. The roof above them fell in and a mass of snow followed; a minute later a deep silence followed the deafening roar.

“Anyone hurt?” Harry shouted, and the replies came in muffled tones. Tom was jambed against the rock by the snow; he was nearest to the entrance, his uncle was next to him.

“I am all right at present, uncle, but I feel half smothered.”

“All right, lad; I am pretty free, and I will soon clear you a bit.”

The snow was pushed away from before Tom’s face, his left arm was cleared, and then his uncle with a vigorous pull brought him back close to him. Here he was comparatively free, for a part of the roof had fallen close to the wall and had partially kept off the snow. Then Harry turned, and with some difficulty managed to get Jerry, who was next to him, freed from the snow.

“Now, Jerry, you work along that way and get at the others. Tom and I will try to burrow a way out.”

It was a difficult task. Once through the passage in the log wall they pushed to the left towards the edge of the platform, taking it by turns to go first until the snow became lighter; then by a vigorous effort Harry rose to his feet, sending a mass of snow tumbling over the edge of the platform. As soon as Tom had joined him they set to work with hands and knives, and soon cleared a passage back to the entrance. Just as they did so Jerry crawled out from within.

“Are they all right, Jerry?”

“Yes, the others are coming; only about twelve feet of the roof caved in, and the two Indians and Sam soon got in among the horses. I had a lot of trouble with Ben; he had been knocked down, and I thought that he was gone when I got him out; but he is all right now, though he can’t walk yet. The Indians and Sam have got the shovels, and are working away to clear a passage along by the wall; there is no getting Ben out through that rabbit-hole you have made.”

“Thank God we are all right,” Harry said; “it does not matter a bit, now that we know no one is badly hurt. We will begin at this end, but we sha’n’t be able to do much until we get the shovels, the snow will fall in as fast as we get it out.”

They soon found that they could do nothing in this way.

“We will try to tunnel again,” Harry said, “it is not more than ten feet along. If we get in and hump ourselves, we shall soon get it big enough to drag Ben out, then the others can follow, and we can set to work with the spades to clear the place.”

After a good deal of effort they succeeded in enlarging the hole, and then got Ben through it, one crawling backwards and pulling him while the other shoved at his legs.

“How do you feel, Ben?” Harry asked him when they laid him down outside.

“I dunno, Harry; I am afraid my back is badly hurt. I don’t seem to feel my legs at all. I expect they are numbed from the weight of snow on them.”

“I will crawl into our store and fetch out the keg.”

“I reckon a drop of whisky will do me good if anything will,” Ben said. “I was crushed pretty near flat, and if my head hadn’t been against the wall I should have been smothered. Are you all right, young Tom?”

“Yes, I am not hurt at all. The snow squeezed me against the rock, and I could not move an inch, but uncle managed to get me a little free and then pulled me out of it.”

Harry soon came back with the whisky, and was followed by the Indians and Sam, who found that they could do nothing with the snow, which fell in as fast as they cleared it. Their first step was to dig out a buffalo robe to wrap Ben in. His voice was stronger after he had drank some spirit, and he said that he felt better already. The others at once set to work with the shovels. They first cleared the platform along by the wall to the entrance, and then attacked the snow which filled the space between the two rock walls to the top.

Two of them worked with poles, loosening the snow above, and bringing it down in masses, while those with shovels cast it out on to the platform, going out occasionally to throw it over into the ravine. Hunting Dog made his way up over the snow to the top of the path, and called down to say that the fort was entirely swept away, and the chief told him to take up his post at once at the top of the path leading from below.

“He need not have told us that the fort was gone,” Jerry grumbled. “If it had been made of cast-iron it would not have stood. The sooner we get our rifles out the better.”

This could not be done for a time, for the loosening of the snow above had caused that below to slip, and the passage along by the wall had fallen in. The Indians, however, who had slept beyond the part filled by snow, had brought their pieces out with them, and could have defended the path alone. Several times those at work were buried by falls of snow, and had to be dragged out by the others. By daylight a considerable gap had been made in the snow, and they were able to get into the space beyond the fall. A number of logs, and a joint of meat that had been taken in the day before to thaw, were brought out, and a fire was soon blazing on the platform.

“I wonder why the snow did not shoot over as it did before?” Ben, who was now able to sit up, remarked.

“I reckon it is the fort did it,” Harry said. “Of course it went, but it may have checked the rush of the snow for a moment, and those thick walls couldn’t have got the same way on as the rest of the snow had.”

“But the fort wasn’t over the roof, uncle,” Tom remarked.

“No, but it may have blocked the slide a little, and thrown some of it sideways; you see it is only this end that gave, while it shot right over the rest of the roof just as before.”

“It is mighty lucky it did not break in all along,” Sam Hicks said, “for it would have left us without horses if it had; and it would have been mighty rough on us to have lost them, just as we are going to want them, after our taking such pains with them all through the winter.”

The chief took Hunting Dog’s place as soon as he had finished his meal, and remained on watch all day. The men worked without ceasing, but it was not until sunset that the snow was completely cleared away.

“I reckon that we shall have to be starting before long,” Jerry said as they sat round the fire in what they before called their store-room, having driven the horses as far in as possible to make room. “We could have held out before as long as we liked, but it is different now. The rock’s cleared now for a hundred yards on each side of us, our fort’s gone, and there is nothing to prevent the redskins from crawling close up the first dark night and making a rush. They are like enough to be sending scouts up the valley occasionally, and it won’t be long before they hear that our fort has gone and the ground cleared of snow.”

Leaping Horse nodded. “Two men must watch at top of path,” he said.

“That is right enough, chief; but we know three of them came along the hills before, and it is like enough they will all come that way next time. They are safe to reckon that we shall hold the path.”

“It is very unfortunate,” Harry said; “in another month, we should have been able to travel. Anyhow, it seems to me that we have got to try now; it would never do to be caught in here by the red-skins. If we are to go, the sooner the better. All our meat has been carried over the edge. This is about the time we expected the Indians back, and it would be dangerous to scatter hunting. It is a big risk, too, taking the horses down to the meadow. No, I think we can manage to get over the pass. The snow gets softer every day when the sun is on it; but it freezes at night. We have the moon, too, so we shall be able to travel then; and even if we take three or four days getting over the divide we can sleep in the daytime.”

“We must get a little more meat anyhow before we start,” Jerry said. “This joint ain’t more than enough for another square meal for us, and though I reckon the bighorns will be coming up to the hills again now, it won’t do to risk that.”

“We have the pack-horses, Jerry.”

“Yes, I did not think of them. Horseflesh ain’t so bad on a pinch; but I don’t want to lose our skins.”

“Better our skins than our hair,” Sam laughed.

“That is right enough, Sam, but I would like to save both.”

“Perhaps there is some of the meat under the snow,” Tom suggested. “It hung near the wall, and the snow must have come straight down on it from above, as it did in here.”

“That is so, Tom; we will have a look the first thing in the morning. I am so tired now I would not dig for it if it were gold.”

As soon as it was light the next morning they began to clear the snow from the rest of the platform, and found to their great satisfaction four bear hams. The rest of the meat had been swept over the edge. The two Indians had not shared in the work, having started away early without saying where they were going. They returned to breakfast, each carrying a hind-quarter of venison, which they had found in the snow below.

It was agreed that a start should be made that evening. By sunset the horses were loaded, and half an hour later they moved away. Ben Gulston had to be assisted on to his horse, for although in other respects recovered, it was found that he had so severely strained his back across the loins that he was scarcely able to walk a foot. The moon was shining brightly, and as soon as they were on the snow they could see as plainly as if it were day. All were in high spirits that they had left the spot where for six months they had been prisoners. They had difficulty in restraining themselves from shouting and singing, but the chief before starting had warned them of the necessity for travelling silently. “Snow-slides very bad now; shouting might set them going.”

The others looked rather incredulous, but Harry said:

“I know he is right, boys; for I have heard that in the Alps the guides always forbid talking when they are crossing places exposed to avalanches. At any rate we may as well give the snow as little chance as may be of going for us.”

They travelled in Indian file from habit rather than necessity, for the snow was firm and hard, and the horses made their way over it without difficulty. There had been some debate as to the way they should go; but they determined at last to take the valley through the cliff wall, and to strike to the right whenever they came upon a likely spot for crossing. Two such attempts were made in vain, the upper slopes of snow being found too steep for the horses to climb; but at the third, which was made just after morning broke, they succeeded in getting up the hill to their right, and, after great difficulty, descended into another valley. This they had little doubt was the one that led to the pass, for from the hill they could see the great peak along whose foot the trail ran.

It was ten o’clock before they got down into the valley. The snow was beginning to be soft on the surface, and the horses were tired out. They therefore halted, made a fire with two or three of the logs they had brought with them for the purpose, boiled water and had breakfast, and gave half a bucket of gruel to each of the animals. Then wrapping themselves in their buffalo robes they lay down and slept till late in the afternoon. The journey was resumed at sunset, and before morning they had crossed the divide; and when the sun rose obtained a view over the country far to the south.

In the evening they camped on the banks of the Green River, here a stream of but small size, except when the melting snow swelled its waters into a torrent. At the spot where they halted a rivulet ran into the stream from a thickly-wooded little valley. It was frozen, but breaking the ice with their axes they found that water was flowing underneath. They had observed that there was a marked difference in temperature on this side of the mountains, upon which the strength of the southern sun had already in many places cleared away the snow.

“It is a comfort to be able to sit by a fire without the thought that red-skins maybe crawling up towards you,” Sam Hicks said heartily, “and to sleep without being turned out to stand watch in the cold.

“You say the country ahead is bad, chief?”

“Bad lands both sides of Green River. Deep canons and bare rock.”

“Well, we need not follow it; it don’t make any difference to us whether we get down to the fort in a fortnight or six weeks.”

“None at all,” Harry said. “We have agreed that when summer fairly sets in we will try that place I hit on just as the Utes came down on us. It is the richest place I have ever seen, and if the Indians will but let us alone for a month we ought to bring back a big lot of dust; and if we do, we can sell our share in it for a big sum, and take down enough men to thrash the Utes out of their boots if they interfere with us. By our reckoning it is the end of March now, though we don’t at all agree as to the day; but at any rate, it is there or thereabouts. That gives us a good six weeks, and if we start in the middle of May it will be time enough. So I propose that we strike more to the west, or to the east, whichever you think is the best, chief, and try and pick up a few more pelts so as to lay in a fresh stock of goods for our next trip.”

“Bad hills everywhere,” the chief said; “better go west, plenty of game there.”

“No fear of Indians?”

“Indians there peaceable; make good trade with whites. Ten years ago fight, but lose many men and not get much plunder. Trappers here good friends with them. Traders bring up powder and cloth and beads. Indians no give trouble.”

For the next six weeks, therefore, they travelled slowly, camping sometimes for two or three days on a stream, and then making a long march until they again came to water. The beaver traps had been left behind, but they were fortunate enough to come upon several beaver villages, and by exercising patience they were able to shoot a good many, getting in all some fifty skins. Tom used to go out in the evening and lie down to watch the beavers at work, but he would not take a gun.

“I could not shoot them down in cold blood, uncle. It is almost like looking at a village of human beings at work. One can shoot a man who is wanting to shoot you, without feeling much about it, but to fire at a man labouring in the fields is murder. Of course, if we wanted the flesh for food it would be different.”

“I did not see you refuse that beaver-tail soup we had last night, Tom.”

“No, and it was very good, uncle; but I would very much rather have gone without it than shoot the beaver the tail belonged to.”

“Well, Tom, as we have all got guns, and as none of us have any scruples that way, there is no occasion whatever for you to draw a trigger on them. They take some shooting, for if you hit them in the water they sink directly, and you have got to kill them dead when they are on land, otherwise they make for the water at once and dive into their houses and die there.”

They killed a good many other animals besides the beaver, including several wolverines, and by the time they got down to the fort in the middle of May they had had to give up riding and pack all the animals with the skins they had obtained. None of these were of any great value, but the whole brought enough to buy them a fresh outfit of clothes, a fresh stock of provisions and powder, and to give them a hundred dollars each.

The evening after the sale was effected Tom wrote home to his sisters, giving them a brief account of what had taken place since the letter he had posted to them before starting for the mountains, but saying very little of their adventures with Indians. “I am afraid you have been in a great fright about me,” he said, “but you must never fidget when you don’t get letters. We may often be for a long time away from any place where we can post them, or, as they call it here, mail them, though I certainly do not expect to be snowed up again for a whole winter. Owing to the Indians being hostile we did not do nearly so well as we expected, for we could not go down to hunt in the valleys. So after getting a fresh outfit for our next journey our share is only a hundred dollars each. I did not want to take a share, for of course I was not of much use to them, though I have learnt a lot in the last six months, and can shoot now as well as any of them, except the two Indians.

“However, they all insisted on my having the same share as the rest. Uncle wanted me to take his hundred dollars and send them home to you with mine, but I told him that I would not do so, for I know you have money enough to go on with, even if your school has turned out a failure. So I think it would be as well for us to keep our money in hand for the present. There is never any saying what may happen; we may lose our horses and kit, and it would be very awkward if we hadn’t the money to replace them. As soon as we get more we will send it off, as you know I always intended to do. I have still some left of what I brought out with me, but that and the two hundred dollars would not be more than enough to buy an entirely new outfit for us both.

“I hope you got the five hundred dollars uncle sent you. He told me he sent it off from Denver, and it ought to have got home a few weeks after I left. It is horrid to think that there may be letters from you lying at Denver, but it serves me right for being so stupid as not to put in the short note I wrote you from here before I started, that you had better direct to me at Fort Bridger, as I shall almost be sure to come back to it before I go to Denver. I like uncle awfully; it seems to me that he is just what I expected he would be. I suppose they all put in equal shares, but the other men quite look upon him as their leader. Sometimes when he is talking to me he speaks just as people do at home. When he talks to the men he uses the same queer words they do. He is taller than father was, and more strongly built. What I like in him is, he is always the same. Sometimes the others used to get grumbly when we were shut up so long, but it never seemed to make any difference in him.

“I told you when I wrote from Denver that he was called ‘Straight Harry,’ because he always acted straightforwardly, and now I know him I can quite understand their calling him so. One feels somehow that one could rely upon his always being the same, whatever happened. Leaping Horse is a first-rate fellow, and so is Hunting Dog, though of course he does not know nearly as much as the chief does, but he knows a lot. The other three are all nice fellows, too, so we were a very jolly party. They know a tremendous lot of stories about hunting and red-skins and that sort of thing. Some of them would make all you girls’ hairs stand on end. We are going to start off in two or three days to hunt up a gold mine uncle found three years ago. The Indians are going, too; they will hunt while the rest of us work. It will be quite a different journey to the last, and I expect it will be just as hot this time as it was cold last. We may be away for four months, and perhaps we may not come back till the snow sets in, so don’t expect a letter till you see it.”

This was by far the longest letter Tom had ever written, and it took him several hours to get through. He had the room to himself, for the others were talking over their adventures with old friends they had met at the fort. His uncle returned about ten o’clock.

“Where are the others?” Tom asked.

“In the saloon; but they are not drinking, that is, not drinking much. I told them that if they were to get drunk one of them would be sure to blab as to where we were going, or at any rate to say enough to excite suspicion among some of the old miners, that we knew of a good thing, and in that case we should get a lot of men following us, and it would interfere with our plans altogether. A party as small as ours may live for months without a red-skin happening to light on us, but if there were many more they would be certain to find us. There would be too much noise going on, too much shooting and driving backward and forward with food and necessaries. We want it kept dark till we thoroughly prove the place. So I made them all take an oath this morning that they would keep their heads cool, and I told them that if one of them got drunk, or said a word about our going after gold, I would not take him with us. I have given out that we are going on another hunting party, and of course our having brought in such a lot of skins will make them think that we have hit on a place where game is abundant and are going back there for the summer.”

Two more pack-ponies had been added to the outfit. They might be away for five or six months, and were determined to take a good supply of flour this time, for all were tired of the diet of meat only, on which they had existed for the last six months, having devoted by far the greater part of the flour to the horses.

When they started next day they turned their faces north, as if they intended to hunt in the mountains where they had wintered. They made but a short march, camped on a stream, and long before daybreak started again, travelling for some hours to the west and then striking directly south. For two days they travelled rapidly, Tom going out every morning with the Indians hunting, while the others kept with the pack-horses. Ben had now quite recovered from the strain which had crippled him for the first three weeks of their march down to Fort Bridger. They were now fairly among the Ute hills, and at their third camping-place Harry said:

“We must do no more shooting now till we get to our valley. We have got a supply of deer-flesh for a week at least, and we must be careful in future. We heard at the fort that several miners have been cut off and killed by the Utes during the winter, and that they are more set than ever against white men entering their country. Everyone says those rascally Saints are at the bottom of it. We must hide our trail as much as we can. We are just at the edge of the bad lands, and will travel on them for the next two days. The red-skins don’t go out that way much, there being nothing either to hunt or to plunder, so there is little fear of their coming on our trail on the bare rocks, especially as none of the horses are shod. On the third day we shall strike right up into their mountains.”

“Are you sure that you will know the place again, Harry?”

“I reckon I could find it, but I should not feel quite certain about it if I had not the chief with me. There is no fear of his going wrong. When a red-skin has once been to a place he can find his way straight back to it again, even if he were a thousand miles off.”

“You said when we were talking of it among the hills, uncle,” Tom said, as he rode beside him the next morning, “that Leaping Horse and you each took two shares. I wonder what he will do with his if it turns out well.”

“He won’t do anything with it, Tom. The chief and I are like brothers. He does not want gold, he has no use for it; and, besides, as a rule, Indians never have anything to do with mining. He and Hunting Dog really come as hunters, and he has an understanding with me that when the expedition is over I shall pay them the same as they would earn from any English sportsman who might engage them as guides and hunters, and that I shall take their shares in whatever we may make. I need not say that if it turns out as well as we expect, the Indians will get as many blankets and as much ammunition as will last them their lives. You can’t get a red-skin to dig. Even the chief, who has been with us for years, would consider it degrading to do work of that kind; and if you see an Indian at mining work, you may be sure that he is one of the fellows who has left his tribe and settled down to loaf and drink in the settlements, and is just doing a spell to get himself enough fire-water to make himself drunk on.

“The Seneca would be just as willing to come and hunt for us for nothing. He would get his food and the skins, which would pay for his tobacco and ammunition, and, occasionally, a new suit of leggings and hunting-shirt, made by an Indian woman, and with this he would be happy and contented. He doesn’t mind taking money in return for skins, and he and Hunting Dog had their full share in the division at the fort. When I last talked to him about this business, he said, ‘Leaping Horse doesn’t want money. Of what use is it to him? He has got a bagful hidden at home, which he has been paid when he was scouting with the army, and for the skins of beasts he has shot. It is enough to buy many horses and blankets, and all that a chief can want. He is going with his friend to hunt, and to fight by his side if the Utes come; he wants none of the gold.’ I explained the matter to him, and he said carelessly: ‘Leaping Horse will take the two shares, but it will be for his brother, and that he may send it to the girls, the sisters of his friend Tom, of whom he spoke one night by the fire.’

“Hunting Dog is like Leaping Horse, he will take no gold. I have told the three men how matters stand. Of course, it makes no difference to them whether the Indians keep their share or hand it over to me, but at the same time I thought they ought to know how we stood. They said it was no business of theirs; that as I was the discoverer I had a right to sell the whole thing if I chose, and that they thought I had done the friendly thing by them in letting them in as partners. So you see it is all right and square. It is like enough, too, that we shall find some other lodes, and of course there they will come in on even terms with us. So they are pleased with the look-out, and know well enough it is likely to be the best strike they ever made in their lives.”

They kept near the edge of the bad lands, as had they gone farther out they would have been obliged to make long detours to get round the head of the cañons made by rivers running down into the Colorado. They had filled their water-skins at the last stream where they had camped, and had taken with them enough dried wood for their fires. These they lit each night in a hollow, as from the upper slopes of the Ute hills a view could be obtained for a great distance over the flat rocky plateau. Tom was heartily glad when the two days’ journey was over. Not a living creature had met their eyes; there was no grass on which beasts could exist, no earth in which prairie-dogs could burrow; even birds shunned the bare waste of rock.

“It is a desolate country,” he said, as they sat round the fire; “it would be enough to give one the horrors if one were alone. It is hot now, and in the height of summer the heat and glare from the rock must be awful.”

“It is, Tom; many and many a man has died of thirst in the bad lands. And what makes it more terrible is, that they can perhaps see water a thousand feet below them and yet die from the want of it.”

“When we were camped on the Green River, uncle, you said that no one had ever followed it down.”

“That is so, lad. One knows whereabouts it goes, as men driven by thirst have followed cañons down to it; and in some places it runs for many miles across low land before it plunges into another cañon. Then it cuts its way for two or three hundred miles, perhaps, through the hills, with walls two or three thousand feet high. No one, so far as I know, has gone down these big cañons, but it is certain there are rapids and whirlpools and rocks in them. Two or three parties have gone down through some of the shorter cañons to escape Indians, and most of them have never been heard of again, but one or two have got down some distance and managed to escape.

“No one has followed the course by land. They could not do so unless they carried all their provisions, and drink and food for their animals, and even then the expedition would take months, perhaps years to do; for every spring from the hills runs down a cañon to the river, sometimes fifty miles, sometimes a hundred long, and each time the party came upon one of these they would have to work up to the mountains to get round it. It is over a thousand miles in a straight line from the place where the Green River first enters a cañon to where the Colorado issues out on to the plains, and it may be quite twice that distance if one could follow all its windings. Some day when the country fills up attempts will no doubt be made to find out something about it; but it will be a big job whenever it is tried, and may cost a lot of lives before the cañons are all explored.”

In the morning they started westward for the hills. The greatest care was observed on the march. They took advantage of every depression, and when obliged to pass over level ground moved at a distance apart, as a clump or string of moving animals would be made out at a distance from which a solitary one would be unnoticed. By noon they had left the bare rock, and were travelling up a valley clothed with grass and dotted with clumps of trees. In the first of these they halted.

“We will stay here until it begins to get dusk,” Harry said, “and then move on as fast as we can go. If we don’t lose our way we shall be there before morning.”

There was no moon, but the stars shone brilliantly, and the mountains, with their summits still covered with snow, could be seen ahead. The chief went on in front. Sometimes they proceeded up valleys, sometimes crossed shoulders and spurs running down from the hills. They moved in Indian file, and at times proceeded at a brisk pace, at other times more slowly; but there was no halt or sign of hesitation on the part of their leader. At last, just as morning was breaking, the chief led them into a clump of trees. He moved a little distance in, and then reined in his horse and dismounted.

“Does my brother remember that?” he said to Harry, pointing to something on the ground.

“Jee-hoshaphat!” Harry exclaimed; “if that ain’t my old pack-saddle! This is the very spot where we camped, boys. Well, chief, you are certainly a wonder. I doubt whether I could have found my way here in the daytime. Half a dozen times to-night it seemed to me that you were going in the wrong direction altogether, and yet you bring us as straight to the spot as if all the time you had been following a main road.”

“Bully for the chief!” Jerry said warmly. “I am blamed if that ain’t a fust-rate piece of tracking. Waal, here we are at our journey’s end. Can we make a fire?”

“Make small fire, but must put screen round.”

“Very well; we will leave the fire to you, and we will unpack the critters. There is a bundle of dry wood left, so we sha’n’t have the bother of looking for it now.”

Before lighting the fire the two Indians stretched some blankets some six feet above it, to prevent the light falling upon the foliage; then by their directions Sam cut a dozen short poles, and fixed them in a circle round the fire. Half a dozen more blankets were fastened to the poles, forming a wall round the fire, which the chief then lighted. The nights were, at that height above the sea-level, cool enough to make the heat pleasant, and there was just room for the seven men to sit between the blanket wall and the fire.

“Do you mean this to be our permanent camp, Harry?”

“What do you think, Leaping Horse?”

“Wait till me go up gold valley,” the Seneca said. “If can’t find a good place there better stay here; if go backwards and forwards every day make trail Indian squaw would notice.”

“That is so, chief; but by what Harry says it is a mere gully, and the horses will have to range.”

“Horses must feed,” the chief said. “If we find a place up there, make hut, take saddles and outfit there. Tie up horses here, and let them loose to feed at night. No regular track then. But talk after sleep.”

“It will be broad daylight by the time that we have finished our meal,” Jerry said, “and I reckon none of us will be wanting to sleep till we have got a sight of Harry’s bonanza.”

As soon as they had finished their meal, the mining implements, which had been carefully hidden among the rest of their goods when they started from the fort, were brought out. Among these were a dozen light pick-heads and half a dozen handles, as many shovels, a flat iron plate for crushing ore upon, and a short hammer, with a face six inches in diameter, as a pounder; also a supply of long nails, to be used in fastening together troughs, cradles, or any other woodwork that might be required; three or four deep tin dishes, a bottle of mercury, a saw, and a few other tools. Three of the pick-heads were now fastened to their handles, and taking these, a couple of shovels, two of the tin basins, a sledge hammer, and some steel wedges, and the peculiar wooden platter, in shape somewhat resembling a small shield with an indentation in the middle, called a vanner, and universally used by prospectors, the five whites and Leaping Horse started from their camp for the spot where Harry had found the lode. It lay about a mile up a narrow valley, running into the larger one. A rivulet trickled down its centre.

“I reckoned on that,” Harry said. “Of course it was frozen when we were here, but I could see that there was water in summer. You see this hollow runs right up into that wood, and there is sure to be water in it for the next three months anyhow.”

They had gone but a short distance up when they stopped at a spot where the streamlet widened out into a pool.

“Let us try here,” Jerry said, “and see if there is any sign.”

Half a shovelful of sand was placed in the vanner with a small quantity of water, and while Harry and Sam proceeded to wash some gravel roughly in the pans, Tom stood watching Jerry’s operations. He gave a gentle motion to the vanner that caused its contents to revolve, the coarser particles being thrown towards the edges while the finer remained in the centre. The water was poured away and the rougher particles of gravel and sand swept off by the hand; fresh water was then added, and the process repeated again and again, until at last no more than a spoonful of fine sand remained in the centre. A sideway action of the vanner caused this to slope gradually down towards the edge. At the very bottom three tiny bits of yellow metal were seen. They were no bigger than pins’ heads. It seemed to Tom that this was a miserably small return for five minutes’ labour, but the others seemed well satisfied, and were still more pleased when, on the two pans being cleaned out, several little pieces of gold were found, one of which was nearly as large as a small pea.

“That is good enough,” Ben said; “it will run a lot richer when we get down on to the rock.”

At two other places on their way up they tried the experiments, with increasingly good results.

“There is some tall work to be done here with washing,” Harry said. “Now come on to the vein. I only saw one of them, but there must be a lot more or you would not find so much metal in the sand. However, the one I saw is good enough for anything.” They went on again to a point where the rock cropped boldly out on both sides of the valley; Harry led them a few paces up the side, and pointed to some white patches in the rock. “That is where I chipped it off, lads, three years ago.”

The face of the lode, discoloured by age and weather, differed but little from the rock surrounding it; but where it had been broken off it was a whitish yellow, thickly studded with little bits of dull yellow metal sticking out of it. Tom was not greatly impressed; but he saw from the faces of his companions that they were at once surprised and delighted.

“By gosh, Harry, you have done it this time!” Sam Hicks exclaimed. “You have struck it rich, and no mistake. I thought from the way you talked of it it must be something out of the way, but I am blamed if I thought it was like this.”

“Stand back, you chaps,” Jerry said, lifting the heavy sledge hammer; “let me get a drive at it. Here is a crack. Put one of them wedges in, Ben.”

The wedge was placed in the fissure, and Ben held it while Jerry gave a few light blows to get it firmly fixed.

“That will do, Ben; take away your hand and let me drive at it.” Swinging the hammer round his head Jerry brought it down with tremendous force on the head of the wedge. Again and again the heavy hammer rose and fell, with the accuracy of a machine, upon the right spot, until the wedge, which was nine inches long, was buried in the crevice.

“Now another one, Ben. Give me a longer one this time.”

This time Ben held the wedge until it was half buried, having perfect confidence in Jerry’s skill. It was not until the fourth wedge had been driven in that a fragment of rock weighing four or five hundredweight suddenly broke out from the face. All bent eagerly over it, and the miners gave a shout of joy. The inner surface, which was white, but slightly stained with yellow, with blurs of slate colour here and there, was thickly studded with gold. It stuck out above the surface in thin, leafy plates with ragged edges, with here and there larger spongy masses.

“I reckon that is good enough,” Jerry said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Ef there is but enough of it, it is the biggest thing that ever was struck. There ain’t no saying how rich it is, but I will bet my boots it’s over five hundred ounces to the ton. It ain’t in nature that it is going to run far like that, but it is good enough for anything. Well, what is the next thing, Harry?”

“We will break it up,” Harry said, “and carry it down with us to the camp. If the Utes came down on us tomorrow, and we could get off with it, that would be plenty to show if we want to make a sale.”

It took them a long time to break up the rock, for the quartz was hard, and was so bound together by the leafy gold running through it that each of the four men had several spells with the hammer before it was broken up into fragments weighing some twenty pounds apiece. As soon as this was done the men collected earth, filled up the hole in the face of the rock, and planted several large tufts of grass in it, and poured four or five tins of water over them; then they smeared with mud the patches where Harry had before broken pieces off.

“What is all that for, Jerry?” Tom asked.

“It is to hide up the traces, lad. We may have to bolt away from here to-morrow morning for anything we know, and before we come back again someone else may come along, and though we shall locate our claims at the mining register, there would be a lot of trouble if anyone else had taken possession, and was working the vein when we got back.”

“It is not likely that anyone else would come along here, Jerry.”

“Waal, I reckon that is so, but one ain’t going to trust to chance when one has struck on such a place as this.”

The Seneca had been the only unmoved person in the party.

“What do you think of that, chief?” Harry asked him.

“If my white brother is pleased Leaping Horse is glad,” he replied. “But the Indian does not care for gold. What can he do with it? He has a good gun, he does not want twenty. He does not want many hunting suits. If he were to buy as many horses as would fill the valley he could not ride them all, and he would soon tire of sitting in his lodge and being waited upon by many wives. He has enough for his needs now. When he is old it will be time to rest.”

“Well, that is philosophy, chief, and I don’t say you are wrong from your way of looking at it. But that gold means a lot to us. It means going home to our people. It means living in comfort for the rest of our lives. It means making our friends happy.”

“Leaping Horse is glad,” the chief said gravely. “But he cannot forget that to him it means that the white brother, with whom he has so long hunted and camped and fought bad Indians, will go away across the great salt water, and Leaping Horse will see him no more.”

“That is so, chief,” Harry said, grasping the Indian’s hand warmly, “and I was a selfish brute not to think of it before. There is one thing I will promise you. Every year or so I will come out here and do a couple of months’ hunting with you. The journey is long, but it is quickly made now, and I know that after knocking about for twenty years I shall never be content if I don’t take a run out on the plains for a bit every summer. I will give you my word, Leaping Horse, that as long as I have health and strength I will come out regularly, and that you shall see your white brother’s friendship is as strong as your own.”

The Seneca’s grave face lit up with pleasure. “My white brother is very good,” he said. “He has taken away the thorn out of the heart of Leaping Horse. His Indian brother is all glad now.”

The quartz was placed in sacks they had brought with them to carry down samples, and they at once returned to the camp, where, after smoking a pipe, they lay down to sleep; but it was some time before all went off, so excited were they at the thought of the fortune that seemed before them.

In the afternoon they took one of the pieces of stone, weighing, by a spring balance, twenty pounds, and with the flat plate and the crushing-hammer went to the stream. The rock was first broken with the sledge into pieces the size of a walnut. These were pulverized on the iron plate and the result carefully washed, and when the work was finished the gold was weighed in the miner’s scales, and turned the four-ounce weight.

“That is nearly five hundred ounces to the ton,” Harry said, “but of course it is not going to run like that. I reckon it is a rich pocket; there may be a ton of the stuff, and there may be fifty. Now let’s go up and have a quiet look for the lode, and see if we can trace it. We ought to see it on the rock the other side.”

A careful search showed them the quartz vein on the face of the rock some fifty feet higher up the valley, and this showed them the direction of the run of the lode. It was here, however, only six inches wide instead of being two feet, as at the spot where it was first found. Some pieces were broken off: there was gold embedded in it, but it was evident that it was nothing like so rich as on the other side. A piece of ten pounds was pounded up, it returned only a little over a pennyweight of gold.

“About twelve ounces to the ton,” Harry said. “Not bad, but a mighty falling off from the other. To-morrow morning we will follow the lode on the other side and see if we can strike an outcrop.”

The next day they found the lode cropping up through the rock some thirty yards from their great find. It was about nine inches wide. They dug it out with their picks to a depth of two feet so as to get a fair sample. This when crushed gave a return at the rate of twenty ounces.

“That is rich enough again, and would pay splendidly if worked by machinery. Of course the question is, how far it holds on as rich as we found it at the face, and how it keeps on in depth? But that is just what we can’t find. We want drills and powder, as picks are no sort of good on this hard quartz. Supposing it goes off gradually from the face to this point, there would be millions of dollars in it, even supposing it pinched in below, which there is no reason in the world to suppose. We may as well take a few of these chunks of rock, they will show that the gold holds fairly a good way back anyhow.”

A few pieces were put aside and the rest thrown into the hole again, which was stamped down and filled up with dust. The party then went back to dinner, and a consultation was held as to what was next to be done.

“Of course we must stake out our claims at once,” Harry said. “In the first place there are our own eight claims—two for each of the discoverers and one each for the others. Hunting Dog will not have a share, but will be paid the regular rate as a hunter. Then we will take twenty claims in the names of men we know. They wouldn’t hold water if it were a well-known place, and everyone scrambling to get a claim on the lode; but as there is no one to cut in, and no one will know the place till we have sold it and a company sends up to take possession and work it, it ain’t likely to be disputed. The question is, What shall we do now? Shall we make back to the settlements, or try washing a bit?”

“Try washing, I should say,” Jerry said. “You may be some time before you can sell the place. Anyone buying will know that they will have to send up a force big enough to fight the Utes, and besides they will want someone to come up here to examine it before they close the bargain. I vote we stick here and work the gravel for a bit so as to take enough away to keep us till next spring. I reckon we shall find plenty of stuff in it as we go down, and if that is so we can’t do better than stick to it as long as there is water in the creek.”

“I agree with you there, Jerry; but it will never do to risk losing those first samples. I am ready to stay here through the summer, but I vote we sew them up in deer-hide, and put two or three thicknesses of skin on them so as to prevent accidents. Two of us had best go with them to the fort and ask the Major to let us stow them away in his magazine, then, if we have to bolt, we sha’n’t be weighted down with them. Besides, we might not have time for packing them on the horses, and altogether it would be best to get them away at once, then come what might we should have proofs of the value of the mine.”

This proposal was cordially agreed to, and it was settled that on the following morning Harry himself should, with Hunting Dog and two pack-horses, start for the fort, following the same route they came, while the rest should set to work to construct a cradle, and troughs for leading the water to it.

A couple of trees were felled in the middle of the clump in which they were still encamped. They were first roughly squared and then sawn into planks, the three men taking it by turns to use the saw. The question of shifting the camp up to the spot where they intended to work was discussed the night before Harry started, but it was agreed at last that it would be better to remain where they were.

“If Utes come, sure to find traces,” the chief said. “Many horses in valley make tracks as plain as noonday. Gold valley bad place for fight.”

“That is so,” Jerry agreed. “We should not have a show there. Even if we made a log-house, and it would be a dog-goned trouble to carry up the logs,—we might be shut up in it, and the red-skins would only have to lie round and shoot us down if we came out. I reckon we had best stay here after all, Harry. We could keep them outside the range of our rifles anyhow by day.”

“I don’t see that that would be much good to us, Jerry; for if they came by day they would not find us here. Still I don’t know that it ain’t best for us to stay here; it would give us a lot of trouble to build a place. I reckon two of us had better stay here all the day with the horses. If the red-skins come, they can fire a couple of shots, and we shall hear them up at the washing-place. The red-skins would be safe to draw off for a bit to talk it over before they attacked, as they would not know how many there were among the trees. That would give the rest time to come down.”

It took three days’ hard work to saw the planks and make the cradle, and troughs sufficiently long to lead the water down into it from the stream higher up. These were roughly but strongly made, the joints being smeared with clay to prevent the water from running through. A dam was then made to keep back the water above the spot where they intended to begin, which was about fifty yards below the quartz vein, and from this dam the trough was taken along on strong trestles to the cradle.

The horses were brought into the camp at daybreak every morning and tied up to the trees, and were let out again at nightfall. Tom remained in camp, the chief being with him. The latter, however, was, during the time Harry was away, twice absent for a day on hunting excursions lower down the valley, which was there thickly wooded. The first time, he returned with the hams and a considerable portion of the rest of the flesh of a bear. The second time, he brought up the carcass of a deer.

“How far does the valley run?” Tom asked.

“Valley last ten miles. Sides get steep and high, then cañon begin.”

“That will run right down to the Colorado?”

The chief nodded. “Leaping Horse go no farther. Cañon must go down to the river.”

“How far is it before the sides of the valley get too steep to climb?”

“Two miles from here. Men could climb another mile or two, horses not.”

“Is there much game down there, chief?”

塞内卡点点头。

“That is a comfort, we sha’n’t be likely to run out of fresh meat.”

The chief was very careful in choosing the wood for the fire, so that in the daytime no smoke should be seen rising from the trees. When the dead wood in the clump of trees was exhausted he rode down the valley each day, and returned in an hour with a large faggot fastened behind him on the horse. He always started before daybreak, so as to reduce the risk of being seen from the hills. On the sixth day the men began their work at the gravel. The bottle of mercury was emptied into the cradle, the bottom of which had been made with the greatest care, so as to prevent any loss from leakage. Two of the men brought up the gravel in buckets and pans, until the cradle was half full. Then water was let in, and the third man rocked the machine and kept on removing the coarse stuff that worked up to the top, while the others continued bringing up fresh gravel.

“Well, what luck?” Tom asked, when they returned in the evening.

“We have not cleaned up yet; we shall let it run for three or four days before we do. We are only on the surface yet, and the stuff wouldn’t pay for the trouble of washing out.”

On the eighth day after their departure Harry and Hunting Dog returned.

“Well, boys, it is all stowed away safely,” he said. “I know the Major well, and he let me have a big chest, which he locked up, after I had put the bags in, and had it stowed away in the magazine; so there is no fear of its being touched. Any signs of the red-skins?”

“Nary a sign. We have none of us been up the valley beyond this, so that unless they come right down here, they would find no trail. The horses are always driven down the valley at night.”

“How is the work going on, Jerry?”

“We began washing two days ago; to-morrow night we shall clean up. We all think it is going to turn out pretty good, for we have seen gold in the sand several times as we have carried it up in the pails.”

The next day Tom went up with the others, the Indians remaining in camp. Two men now worked at the cradle, while the other three brought up the sand and gravel. Towards evening they began the work of cleaning up. No more stuff was brought up to the machine, but the water was still run into it. As fast as the shaking brought the rough gravel to the top it was removed, until only a foot of sand remained at the bottom. The water was now stopped and the sand dug out, and carefully washed in the pans by hand. At the bottom of each pan there remained after all the sand had been removed a certain amount of gold-dust, the quantity increasing as the bottom was approached. The last two panfuls contained a considerable amount.

“It does not look much,” Tom said when the whole was collected together.

“It is heavy stuff, lad,” Harry replied. “What do you think there is,
Jerry? About twelve ounces, I should fancy.”

“All that, Harry; nigher fourteen, I should think.”

The pan was now put at the bottom of the cradle, a plug pulled out, and the quicksilver run into it. A portion of this was poured on wash-leather, the ends of which were held up by the men so as to form a bag. Harry took the leather, and holding it over another pan twisted it round and round. As the pressure on the quicksilver increased it ran through the pores of the leather in tiny streams, until at last a lump of pasty metal remained. This was squeezed again and again, until not a single globule of quicksilver passed through the leather. The ball, which was of the consistency of half-dried mortar was then taken out, and the process repeated again and again until the whole of the quicksilver had been passed through the leather. Six lumps of amalgam about the size of small hens’ eggs remained.

“Is that good, uncle?” Tom asked.

“Very fair, lad; wonderfully good indeed, considering we have not got down far yet. I should say we shall get a pound and a half of gold out of it.”

“But how does the gold get into it, uncle?”

“There is what is called an affinity between quicksilver and gold. The moment gold touches quicksilver it is absorbed by it, just as a drop of water is taken up by a lump of salt. It thickens the quicksilver, and as it is squeezed through the leather the quicksilver is as it were strained out, and what remains behind becomes thicker and thicker, until, as you see, it is almost solid. It is no good to use more pressure, for if you do a certain amount of the gold would be squeezed through the leather. You see, as the stuff in the cradle is shaken, the gold being heavier than the sand finds its way down to the bottom, and every particle that comes in contact with the quicksilver is swallowed up by it.”

“And how do you get the quicksilver out of those lumps?”

“We put them in one of those clay crucibles you saw, with a pinch of borax, cover them up, and put them in a heap of glowing embers. That evaporates the quicksilver, and leaves the gold behind in the shape of a button.” This was done that evening, and when the buttons were placed in the scales they just turned the two-pound weight.

“Well, boys, that is good enough for anything,” Harry said. “That, with the dust, makes a pound a day, which is as good as the very best stuff in the early days of California.”

They worked steadily for the next seven weeks. Contrary to their expectations the gravel was but little richer lower down than they had found it at the end of the first wash-up, but continued about equally good, and the result averaged about a pound weight of gold a day. This was put into little bags of deer-skin, each containing five pounds’ weight, and these bags were distributed among the saddle-bags, so that in case of sudden disturbance there would be no risk of their being left behind. The Indians took it by turns to hunt; at other times they remained on guard in camp, Tom only staying when one of them was away. One day when the mining party stopped work, and sat down to eat some bread and cold meat,—which they had from the first brought up, so as to save them the loss of time entailed by going to the camp and back,—the report of a gun came upon their ears. All started to their feet and seized their rifles, and then stood listening intently. A minute later two more shots were heard at close intervals.

“Red-skins for sure!” Jerry exclaimed. “I thought as how our luck were too good to last.” They started at a run down the little valley, and only paused when they reached its mouth. Harry then advanced cautiously until he could obtain a view of the main valley. He paused for a minute and then rejoined his companions.

“There are fifty of them,” he said, “if there is one. They are Utes in their war-paint. They are a bit up the valley. I think if we make a rush we can get to the trees before they can cut us off.”

“We must try anyhow,” Sam Hicks said, “else they will get the two Indians and our horses and saddles and all. Just let us get breath for a moment, and then we will start.”

“Keep close together as you run,” Harry said, “and then if they do come up we can get back to back and make a fight of it.” After a short pause they started. They had not gone twenty yards when a loud yell proclaimed that the Indians had seen them. They had, however, but three hundred yards to run, while the Utes were double that distance from the clump.

When the miners were within fifty yards of the trees two rifle-shots rang out, and two of the Utes, who were somewhat ahead of the rest; fell from their horses, while the rest swerved off, seeing that there was no hope of cutting the party off. A few more yards and the miners were among the trees.

“So the Utes have found us out, chief,” Harry said as he joined Leaping
Horse, who had just reloaded his ride.

“Must have tracked us. They are a war-party,” the Seneca replied.
“Hunter must have found tracks and taken news back to the villages.”

“Well, we have got to fight for it, that is clear enough,” Harry said. “Anyhow, now they see there are seven of us they are not likely to attack until it gets dark, so we have time to think over what had best be done. We had just begun our meal when we heard your shot, and the best thing we can do is to have a good feed at once. We may be too busy later on.”

The chief said a word to the young Indian, and, leaving him on the watch, accompanied the others to the fire. They had scarcely sat down when Hunting Dog came up.

“More Utes,” he said briefly, pointing across the valley.

They at once went to the outer line of trees. On the brow of the rise opposite were a party of horsemen between twenty and thirty strong.

“That shows they have learnt all about our position,” Harry said. “Those fellows have been lying in wait somewhere over the hill to cut us off if we took to our horses on seeing the main body. Let us have a look the other side.”

Crossing the clump of trees, they saw on the brow there another party of
Utes.

“I reckon they must have crossed that valley we were working in just after we got through,” Jerry said. “It is mighty lucky they did not come down on us while we were washing, for they could have wiped us all out before we had time to get hold of our guns. Well, Harry, we are in a pretty tight fix, with fifty of them up the valley and five-and-twenty or so on each side of us. We shall have to be dog-goned smart if we are to get out of this scrape.”

“Hand me your rifle, Tom,” his uncle said, “it carries farther than mine, and I will give those fellows a hint that they had best move off a bit.”

Steadying his piece against a tree, he took a careful aim and fired. One of the Indians swerved in his saddle, and then fell forward on the neck of his horse, which turned and galloped off with the rest.

“Now we will have our meal and take council, chief,” Harry said as he turned away. “If we have got to fight there is no occasion to fight hungry.”

The fire was made up; there was no need to be careful now. Strips of deer’s flesh were hung over it, and the meal was soon ready. But little was said while it was being eaten, then they all lighted their pipes and each put a pannikin of hot tea beside him.

“Now, chief,” Harry said, “have you arrived at any way out of this? It is worse than it was the last time we got caught in this valley.”

The chief shook his head. “No good fight here,” he said; “when night come they creep up all round.”

“Yes, I see that we have got to bolt, but the question is, how? If we were to ride they would ride us down, that is certain. Jerry and Tom might possibly get away, though that ain’t likely. Their critters are good, but nothing downright extraordinary, and the chances are that some of the Utes have got faster horses than theirs. As for the rest of us, they would have us before we had ridden an hour.”

“That ain’t to be thought of,” Jerry said. “It seems to me our best chance would be to leave the critters behind, and to crawl out the moment it gets dark, and try and get beyond them.”

“They will close in as soon as it gets dark, Jerry. They will know well enough that that is the time we shall be moving. I reckon we should not have a chance worth a cent of getting through. What do you say, chief?”

Leaping Horse nodded in assent.

“Well, then,” Sam Hicks said, “I vote we mount our horses and go right at them. I would rather do that and get rubbed out in a fair fight than lie here until they crawl up and finish us.”

No one answered, and for some minutes they smoked on without a word being spoken, then Harry said:

“There is only one chance for us that I can see, and that is to mount now and to ride right down the valley. The chief says that in some places it is not more than fifty yards wide, with steep cliffs on each side, and we could make a much better fight there, for they could only attack us in front. There would be nothing for them then but to dismount and close in upon us from tree to tree, and we could make a running fight of it until we come to the mouth of the cañon. There must be places there, that we ought to be able to hold with our seven rifles against the lot of them.”

“Bully for you, Harry! I reckon that would give us a chance anyhow. That is, if we ain’t cut off before we get to the wood.”

“Let us have a look round and see what they are doing,” Harry said. “Ah! here comes Hunting Dog. He will tell us all about it.”

“Utes on hills all gone up and joined the others,” the young Indian said as he came up.

“It could not be better news!” Harry exclaimed. “I reckon they have moved away to tempt us to make a start for the fort, for they know if we go that way they will have us all, sure. They have not reckoned on our riding down the valley, for they will be sure we must have found out long ago that there ain’t any way out of it. Well, we had best lose no time. There is some meat ready, Hunting Dog, and you had best fill up while we get ready for a start.”

The blankets and buffalo rugs were wrapped up and strapped behind the saddles, as soon as these were placed behind the horses. They had only a small quantity of meat left, as the chief was going out hunting the next morning, but they fastened this, and eighty pounds of flour that still remained, on to one of the pack-horses. They filled their powder-horns from the keg, and each put three or four dozen bullets into his holsters, together with all the cartridges for their pistols; the rest of the ammunition was packed on another horse. When all was completed they mounted.

“We may get a couple of hundred yards more start before we are seen,” Harry said. “Anyhow, we have got five hundred yards, and may reckon on making the two miles to where the valley narrows before they catch us.”

The instant, however, they emerged from the wood, two loud yells were heard from Indians who had been left lying down on watch at the top of the slopes on either side. Sam, who was the worst shot of the party, had volunteered to lead the string of pack-horses, while Ben was ready to urge them on behind.

“You may want to stop some of the leading varmint, and I should not be much good at that game, so I will keep straight on without paying any attention to them.”

A loud answering yell rose from the Indians up the valley.

“We shall gain fifty yards or so before they are fairly in the saddle,” Harry said as they went off at the top of their speed, the horses seeming to know that the loud war-cry boded danger. They had gone half a mile before they looked round. The Indians were riding in a confused mass, and were some distance past the grove the miners had left, but they still appeared as far behind as they had been when they started. Another mile and the mass had broken up; the best-mounted Indians had left the rest some distance behind, and considerably decreased the gap between them and the fugitives. Another five minutes and the latter reached the wood, that began just where the valley narrowed and the cliffs rose almost perpendicularly on each side. As soon as they did so they leapt from their horses, and each posting himself behind a tree opened fire at their pursuers, the nearest of whom were but two hundred yards away. Four fell to the first seven shots; the others turned and galloped back to the main body, who halted at once.

“They won’t try a charge,” Harry said; “it isn’t in Indian nature to come across the open with the muzzles of seven rifles pointed at them. They will palaver now; they know they have got us in a trap, and they will wait till night. Now, chief, I reckon that you and I and Hunting Dog had best stay here, so that if they try, as they are pretty sure to do, to find out whether we are here still, we can give them a hint to keep off. The other four had better ride straight down the cañon, and go on for a bit, to find out the best place for making a stand, and as soon as it is dark we will go forward and join them. There will be no occasion for us to hurry. I reckon the skunks will crawl up here soon after it is dark; but they won’t go much farther, for we might hide up somewhere and they might miss us. In the morning they will come down on foot, sheltering behind the trees as much as they can, till at last they locate us.”

The chief nodded his approval of the plan, and Tom and the three miners at once started, taking the pack-horses with them. On the way down they came upon a bear. Ben was about to fire, but Jerry said: “Best leave him alone, Ben; we are only three miles down, and these cliffs would echo the sound and the red-skins would hear it and know that some of us had gone down the valley, and might make a rush at once.” In an hour and a half they came down to a spot where the valley, after widening out a good bit, suddenly terminated, and the stream entered a deep cañon in the face of the wall of rock that closed it in.

“I reckon all this part of the valley was a lake once,” Jerry said. “When it got pretty well full it began to run over where this cañon is and gradually cut its way out down to the Colorado. I wonder how far it is to the river.”

They had gone but a hundred yards down the cañon when they came to a place where a recent fall of rocks blocked it up. Through these the stream, which was but a small one, made its way.

“There is a grist of water comes down here when the snow melts in the spring,” Ben remarked. “You can see that the rocks are worn fifty feet up. Waal, I reckon this place is good enough for us, Jerry.”

“I reckon so, too,” the latter agreed. “It will be a job to get our horses over; but we have got to do it anyhow, if we have to carry them.” The animals, however, managed to scramble up the rocks that filled the cañon to the height of some thirty feet. The distance between the rock walls was not more than this in width.

“We could hold this place for a year,” Ben said, “if they didn’t take to chucking rocks down from above.”

“Yes, that is the only danger,” Jerry agreed; “but the betting is they could not get nigh enough to the edge to look down. Still, they might do it if the ground is level above; anyhow, we should not show much at this depth, for it is pretty dark down here, and the rocks must be seven or eight hundred feet high.”

It was, indeed, but a narrow strip of sky that they saw as they looked up, and although still broad daylight in the valley they had left, it was almost dark at the bottom of the deep gorge, and became pitch dark as soon as the light above faded.

“The first job in the morning,” Jerry said, “will be to explore this place down below. I expect there are places where it widens out. If it does, and there are trees and anything like grass, the horses can get a bite of food; if not, they will mighty soon go under, that is if we don’t come upon any game, for if we don’t we sha’n’t be able to spare them flour.”

“It is almost a pity we did not leave them in the valley to take their chance,” Tom said.

“Don’t you make any mistake,” Jerry said. “In the first place they may come in useful to us yet, and even if we never get astride of them again they may come in mighty handy for food. I don’t say as we mayn’t get a bear if there are openings in the cañon, or terraces where they can come down, but if there ain’t it is just horse-meat we have got to depend on. Look here, boys, it is ‘tarnal dark here; I can’t see my own hand. I vote we get a light. There is a lot of drift-wood jammed in among the stones where we climbed up, that will do to start a fire, and I saw a lot more just at the mouth of this gap. We know the red-skins ain’t near yet, so I vote we grope our way up and bring some down. It will be a first-rate thing, too, to make a bit of fire half-way between here and the mouth; that would put a stop to their crawling up, as they are like enough to try to do, to make out whereabouts we are. Of course we shall have to damp our own fire down if they come, else we should show up agin the light if we went up on the rock.”

The others agreed at once, for it was dull work sitting there in the black darkness. All had matches, and a piece of dry fir was soon found. This was lighted, and served as a torch with which to climb over the rocks. Jammed in between these on the upper side was a large quantity of drift-wood. This was pulled out, made into bundles, and carried over the rock barrier, and a fire was soon blazing there. Then taking a brand and two axes they went up to the mouth of the gorge, cut up the arms of some trees that had been brought down by the last floods and left there as the water sank. The greater part of these were taken down to their camping-place; the rest, with plenty of small wood to light them, were piled halfway between the barrier and the mouth of the cañon, and were soon blazing brightly.

They were returning to their camping-place, when Ben exclaimed that he heard the sound of horses’ hoofs. All stopped to listen.

“There are not more than three of them,” Ben said, “and they are coming along at a canter. I don’t expect we shall hear anything of the red-skins until tomorrow morning.”

They heard the horses enter the cañon, then Jerry shouted: “Are you all right, Harry?”

“Yes; the red-skins were all quiet when we came away. Why, where are you?” he shouted again when he came up to the fire.

“A hundred yards farther on I will show you a light.”

Two or three blazing brands were brought up. Harry and the Indians had dismounted at the first fire, and now led their horses up to the stone barrier.

“What on arth have you lit that other fire for, Jerry?” Harry asked as he stopped at the foot of the barrier.

“Because we shall sleep a dog-goned sight better with it there. As like as not they may send on two or three young warriors to scout. It is as black as a wolf’s mouth, and we might have sat listening all night, and then should not have heard them. But with that fire there they dare not come on, for they would know they could not pass it without getting a bullet in them.”

“Well, it is a very good idea, Jerry; I could not think what was up when I got there and did not see anybody. I see you have another fire over the other side. I could make it out clear enough as we came on.”

“It will burn down a bit presently,” Jerry said. “I should not try to get those horses up here now, Harry. It was a bad place to come up in daylight, and like enough they would break their legs if they tried it now. They will do just as well there as they would on this side, and you can get them over as soon as the day breaks.”

“I would rather get them over, Jerry; but I see it is a pretty rough place.”

Leaving the horses, Harry and the Indians climbed over the barrier, and were soon seated with the others round their fire, over which the meat was already frizzling.

“So the Indians kept quiet all the afternoon, Harry?”

“As quiet as is their nature. Two or three times some of them rode down, and galloped backwards and forwards in front of us to make out if we were there. Each time we let them fool about for a good long spell, and then when they got a bit careless sent them a ball or two to let them know we were still there. Hunting Dog went with the three horses half a mile down the valley soon after you had gone, so that they might not hear us ride off.

“As soon as it began to get dusk we started. We had to come pretty slow, for it got so dark under the trees we could not make out the trunks, and had to let the horses pick their own way. But we knew there was no hurry, for they would not follow till morning, though of course their scouts would creep up as soon as it was dark, and wouldn’t be long before they found out that we had left.”

“I reckon they will all come and camp in the wood and wait for daylight before they move, though I don’t say two or three scouts may not crawl down to try and find out where we are. They will move pretty slow, for they will have to pick their way, and will know well enough that if a twig cracks it will bring bullets among them. I reckon they won’t get here under four or five hours. It is sartin they won’t try to pass that fire above. As soon as they see us they will take word back to the others, and we shall have the whole lot down here by morning.”

“We shall have to get the horses over, the first thing. Two of us had best go down, as soon as it is light enough to ride without risking our necks, to see what the cañon is like below.”

“Yes, that is most important, Jerry; there may be some break where the red-skins could get down, and so catch us between two fires.”

“I don’t care a red cent for the Utes,” Jerry said. “We can lick them out of their boots in this cañon. What we have been thinking of, is whether there is some place where the horses can get enough to keep them alive while we are shut up here. If there is game, so much the better; if there ain’t, we have got to take to horseflesh.”

“How long do you suppose that the Indians are likely to wait when they find that they can’t get at us?” Tom asked.

“There ain’t no sort of saying,” his uncle replied. “I reckon no one ever found out yet how long a red-skin’s patience will last. Time ain’t nothing to them. They will follow up this cañon both sides till they are sartin that there ain’t no place where a man can climb up. If there ain’t, they will just squat in that valley. Like enough they will send for their lodges and squaws and fix themselves there till winter comes, and even then they might not go. They have got wood and water. Some of them will hunt and bring in meat, which they will dry for the winter; and they are just as likely to stay here as to go up to their villages.”

A vigilant watch was kept up all night, two of them being always on guard at the top of the barrier. As soon as morning broke, the three horses were got over, and half an hour later Harry and Sam Hicks rode off down the cañon, while the others took their places on guard, keeping themselves well behind the rocks, between which they looked out. They had not long to wait, for an Indian was seen to dart rapidly across the mouth of the cañon. Two rifles cracked out, but the Indian’s appearance and disappearance was so sudden and quick that they had no reason to believe that they had hit him.

“They will know now that we are here, and are pretty wide awake,” Ben said. “You may be sure that he caught sight of these rocks.”

A minute or two later several rifles flashed from among the fallen stones at the mouth of the gorge.

“Keep your eyes open,” Jerry said, “and when you see the slightest movement, fire. But don’t do it unless you feel certain that you make out a head or a limb. We’ve got to show the Utes that it is sartin death to try and crawl up here.”

Almost immediately afterwards a head appeared above the stones, the chief’s rifle cracked, and at the same instant the head disappeared.

“Do you think you got him, chief?”

“Think so, not sure. Leaping Horse does not often miss his mark at two hundred yards.”

Almost directly afterwards Tom fired. An Indian sprang to his feet and bounded away.

“What did you fire at, Tom?”

“I think it was his arm and shoulder,” Tom replied. “I was not sure about it, but I certainly saw something move.”

“I fancy you must have hit him, or he would not have got up. Waal, now I reckon we are going to have quiet for a bit. They must have had a good look at the place while they were lying there, and must have seen that it air too strong for them. I don’t say they mayn’t come on again tonight—that they may do, but I think it air more likely they won’t try it. They would know that we should be on the watch, and with seven rifles and Colts we should account for a grist of them afore they got over. What do you say, chief?”

“Not come now,” the Indian said positively. “Send men first along top see if can get down. Not like come at night; the cañons of the Colorado very bad medicine, red-skins no like come into them. If no way where we can get up, then Utes sit down to starve us.”

“That will be a longish job, chief. A horse a week will keep us for three months.”

“If no food for horse, horse die one week.”

“So they will, chief. We must wait till Harry comes back, then we shall know what our chances are.”

It was six hours before Harry and Sam returned. There was a shout of satisfaction from the men when they saw that they had on their saddles the hind-quarters of a bear.

“Waal, what is the news, Harry?”

“It ain’t altogether good, Ben. It goes down like this for about twelve miles, then it widens out sudden. It gets into a crumbly rock which has got worn away, and there is a place maybe about fifty yards wide and half a mile long, with sloping sides going up a long way, and then cliff all round. The bottom is all stones; there are a few tufts of coarse grass growing between them. On the slopes there are some bushes, and on a ledge high up we made out a bear. We had two or three shots at him, and at last brought him down. There may be more among the bushes; there was plenty of cover for them.”

“There was no place where there was a chance of getting up, Harry?”

“Nary a place. I don’t say as there may not be, but we couldn’t see one.”

“But the bear must have got down.”

“No. He would come down here in the dry season looking for water-holes, and finding the place to his liking he must have concluded to settle there. It is just the place a bear would choose, for he might reckon pretty confident that there weren’t no chance of his being disturbed. Well, we went on beyond that, and two miles lower the cañon opened again, and five minutes took us down on to the bank of the Colorado. There was no great room between the river and the cliff, but there were some good-sized trees there, and plenty of bush growing up some distance. We caught sight of another bear, but as we did not want him we left him alone.”

“Waal, let us have some b’ar-meat first of all,” Jerry said. “We finished our meat last night, and bread don’t make much of a meal, I reckon. Anyhow we can all do with another, and after we have done we will have a talk. We know what to expect now, and can figure it up better than we could before.”

“Well, boys,” Harry Wade began after they had smoked for some time in silence, “we have got to look at this matter squarely. So far we have got out of a mighty tight place better than we expected. Yesterday it seemed to us that there weren’t much chance of our carrying our hair away, but now we are out of that scrape. But we are in another pretty nigh as bad, though there ain’t much chance of the red-skins getting at us.”

“That air so, Harry. We are in a pretty tight hole, you bet. They ain’t likely to get our scalps for some time, but there ain’t no denying that our chance of carrying them off is dog-goned small.”

“You bet there ain’t, Jerry,” Sam Hicks said. “Them pizon varmint will camp outside here; for they know they have got us in a trap. They mayn’t attack us at present, but we have got to watch night and day. Any dark night they may take it into their heads to come up, and there won’t be nothing to prevent them, for the rustling of the stream among the rocks would cover any little noise they might make. The first we should know of it would be the yell of the varmint at the foot of this barrier, and afore we could get to the top the two on guard would be tomahawked, and they would be down on us like a pack of wolves. I would a’most as soon put down my rifle and walk straight out now and let them shoot me, if I knew they would do it without any of their devilish tortures, as go on night after night, expecting to be woke up with their war-yell in my ears.

“Of course they will be always keeping a watch there at the mouth of the cañon,—a couple of boys are enough for that,—for they will know that if we ride out on our horses we must go right up the valley, and it is a nasty place to gallop through in the dark; besides, some of them will no doubt be placed higher up to cut us off, and if we got through, which ain’t likely, they could ride us down in a few hours. If we crept out on foot and got fairly among the trees we should be no better off, for they would take up our trail in the morning and hunt us down. I tell you fairly, boys, I don’t see any way out of it. I reckon it will come to our having to ride out together, and to wipe out as many of the Utes as possible afore we go down. What do you say, chief?”

“Leaping Horse agrees with his white brother, Straight Harry, whose mind he knows.”

“Waal, go on then, Harry,” Sam said. “I thought that you had made an end of it or I wouldn’t have opened out. I don’t see no way out of it at present, but if you do I am ready to fall in with it whatever it is.”

“I see but one way out of it, boys. It is a mighty risky thing, but it can’t be more risky than stopping here, and there is just a chance. I spoke to the chief last night, and he owned that it didn’t seem to him there was a chance in that or any other way. However, he said that if I went he would go with me. My proposal is this, that we take to the river and try and get through the cañons.”

There was a deep silence among the men. The proposal took them by surprise. No man had ever accomplished the journey. Though two parties similarly attacked by Indians had attempted to raft down some of the cañons higher up; one party perished to a man, one survivor of the other party escaped to tell the tale; but as to the cañons below, through which they would have to pass, no man had ever explored them. The Indians regarded the river with deep awe, and believed the cañons to be peopled with demons. The enterprise was so stupendous and the dangers to be met with so terrible, that ready as the western hunters were to encounter dangers, no one had ever attempted to investigate the windings and turnings of the river that for two thousand miles made its way through terrific precipices, and ran its course some three thousand feet below the surrounding country, until it emerged on to the plains of Mexico.

“That was why I was so anxious to reach the river,” Harry went on after a pause. “I wanted to see whether there were some trees, by which we could construct a raft, near its bank. Had there not been, I should have proposed to follow it up or down, as far as we could make our way, in hopes of lighting on some trees. However, as it is they are just handy for us. I don’t say as we shall get through, boys, but there is just a chance of it. I don’t see any other plan that would give us a show.”

Jerry was the first to speak.

“Waal, Harry, you can count me in. One might as well be drowned in a rapid or carried over a fall as killed, or, wuss, taken and tortured by the red-skins.”

“That is so, Jerry,” Sam Hicks agreed. While Ben said: “Waal, if we git through it will be something to talk about all our lives. In course there ain’t no taking the horses?”

“That is out of the question, Ben. We shall not have much time to spare, for the Utes may take it into their heads to attack us any night; and, besides, we have no means of making a big raft. We might tie two or three trunks together with the lariats and spike a few cross-pieces on them, we might even make two such rafts; that is the outside. They will carry us and our stores, but as for the horses, we must either leave them down in the hollow for the Indians to find, or put a bullet through their heads. I expect the latter will be the best thing for them, poor beasts.”

“No want trees,” the chief said. “Got horses’ skins; make canoes.”

“You are right, chief,” Harry exclaimed; “I never thought of that. That would be the very thing. Canoes will go down the rapids where the strongest rafts would be dashed to pieces, and if we come to a bad fall we can make a shift to carry them round.”

The others were no less pleased with the suggestion, and the doubtful expression of their faces as they assented to the scheme now changed to one of hopefulness, and they discussed the plan eagerly. It was agreed that not a moment should be lost in setting to work to carry it out, and that they should forthwith retreat to the mouth of the lower cañon; for all entertained a secret misgiving that the Utes might make their attack that night, and felt that if that attack were made in earnest it would succeed. It was certain they would be able to find some point at which the lower gorge could be held; and at any rate a day would be gained, for at whatever hour of the night the Indians came up they would not venture farther until daybreak, and there would probably be a long palaver before they would enter the lower cañon.

Tom had not spoken. He recognized the justice of Harry’s reasoning, but had difficulty in keeping his tears back at the thought of his horse being killed. For well-nigh a year it had carried him well; he had tended and cared for it; it would come to his call and rub its muzzle against his cheek. He thought that had he been alone he would have risked anything rather than part with it.

“Don’t you like the plan, Tom?” Harry said to him, as, having packed and saddled the horses, they rode together down the cañon. “I don’t suppose the passage is so terrible after all.”

“I am not thinking of the passage at all, uncle,” Tom said almost indignantly; “it will be a grand piece of adventure; but I don’t like—I hate—the thought of my horse being killed. It is like killing a dear friend to save one’s self.”

“It is a wrench, lad,” Harry said kindly; “I can quite understand your feelings, and don’t like the thought myself. But I see that it has got to be done, and after all it will be better to kill the poor brutes than to let them fall into the hands of the Indians, who don’t know what mercy to their beasts means, and will ride them till they drop dead without the least compunction.”

“I know it is better, uncle, ever so much better—but it is horrible all the same. Anyhow, don’t ask me to do it, for I could not.”

“I will see to that, Tom. You shall be one of the guards of the cañon. You would not be of much use in making the canoes, and you won’t have to know anything about it till you go down and get on board.”

Tom nodded his thanks; his heart was too full for him to speak, and he felt that if he said a word he should break down altogether. They rode rapidly along, passed through the little valley where the bear had been killed, without stopping, and went down the lower cañon, carefully examining it to fix upon the most suitable point for defence. There had been no recent fall, and though at some points great boulders lay thickly, there was no one place that offered special facilities for defence.

“Look here, boys,” Harry said, reining up his horse at a point within two hundred yards of the lower end, “we can’t do better than fix ourselves here. An hour’s work will get up a wall that will puzzle the red-skins to get over, and there is the advantage that a shot fired here by the guard will bring our whole force up in a couple of minutes. I vote we ride the horses down to the river and let them pick up what they can, and then come back here and build the wall. It will be getting dark in an hour’s time, and we may as well finish that job at once. Ben and Sam, you may as well pick out a couple of young fir-trees and bring them down at once, then there will be no time lost. Five of us will be enough for the wall. Keep your eyes open. Likely enough there is a bear or two about, and it would be a great thing for us to lay in a stock of meat before we start.”

As soon as they issued from the gorge the horses were unsaddled and the stores taken off the pack-animals. As they were doing this Harry said a few words in a low tone to Sam. He then carefully examined the trees, and picked out two young firs. Sam and Ben took their axes, and the other five went up the gorge again, and were soon hard at work collecting boulders and piling them in a wall.

“There is a gun, uncle,” Tom exclaimed presently.

“Well, I hope they have got sight of a bear, we shall want a stock of meat badly.”

A dozen shots were fired, but Tom thought no more of it as he proceeded with his work. The bottom of the cañon was but fifteen feet wide, and by the time it was dark they had a solid wall across it nearly six feet high, with places for them to stand on to fire over.

“Now then, Tom, you may as well take post here at once. I will send Sam or Ben up to watch with you. I don’t think there is a shadow of chance of their coming to-night, but there is never any answering for red-skins. I would leave Hunting Dog with you, but we shall want him to help make the framework for the canoes; the Indians are a deal handier than we are in making lashings. I will send your supper up here, lad, and your buffalo robes. Then you can take it by turns to watch and sleep. I reckon we shall be at work all night; we have got to get the job finished as quick as we can.”

A quarter of an hour later Sam Hicks came up.

“Have you got the trees down, Sam?”

“Lor’ bless you, it didn’t take a minute to do that. We got them down and split them up, then lit a fire and got the meat over it and the kettle, and mixed the dough.”

“Did you kill another bear? We heard you firing.”

“No; the critter was too high up, and I ain’t much good at shooting. Perhaps they will get sight of him tomorrow, and Harry and the chief will bring him down if he is within range of their shooting-irons. It is ‘tarnal dark up here.”

In twenty minutes two lights were seen approaching, and Harry and Hunting Dog came up carrying pine-wood torches. Each had a great faggot of wood fastened on his back, and Harry also carried the frying-pan, on which were a pile of meat and two great hunks of bread, while Hunting Dog brought two tin pannikins of hot tea.

“That will make it more cheerful for you,” Harry said, as he unfastened the rope that tied the faggot to his shoulders. “Now, Hunting Dog, get a good fire as soon as you can, and then come down again to us.”

The fire was soon blazing merrily, and Tom and Sam sat down to enjoy their meal.

“Don’t you think one of us ought to keep watch, Sam?”

“Not a bit of it,” Sam said. “The red-skins will never dare to enter that cañon until after dark, and if they started now and made their way straight on, they would not be here for another three or four hours. I would bet my boots they don’t come at all tonight; even if they were not scared at us, they would be scared at coming near the river in the dark. No, we will just take our meal comfortable and smoke a pipe, and then I will take first watch and you shall take a sleep. We ain’t closed an eye since the night before last.”

Tom, indeed, was nearly asleep before he had finished his pipe, and felt that he really must get a nap. So saying to Sam, “Be sure and wake me in two hours,” he rolled himself in his robe and instantly fell asleep.

It seemed to him that he had only just gone off when Sam roused him. He leapt to his feet, however, rifle in hand. “Anything the matter, Sam?”

“Everything quiet,” the miner replied.

“What did you wake me for then? I have not been asleep five minutes.”

“According to my reckoning, mate, you have been asleep better’n five hours. It was about half-past eight when you went off, and I reckon it is two now, and will begin to get light in another hour. I would not have waked you till daybreak, but I found myself dropping off.”

“I am awfully sorry,” Tom began.

“Don’t you trouble, young un. By the time you have been as long in the West as I have you won’t think anything of two nights’ watch. Now you keep a sharp lookout. I don’t think there is much chance of their coming, but I don’t want to be woke up with a red-skin coming right down on the top of me.”

“I see you have let the fire out, Sam,” Tom said, with a little shiver.

“I put it out hours ago,” Sam said, as he prepared to lie down. “It would never have done to keep it all night, for a red-skin would see my head over the top of the wall, while I should not get a sight of him till he was within arm’s-length.”

Tom took up his post, and gazed earnestly into the darkness beyond the wall. He felt that his sense of vision would be of no use whatever, and therefore threw all his faculties into that of listening. Slight as was the chance of the Indians coming, he yet felt somewhat nervous, and it was a satisfaction to him to see beyond the mouth of the cañon the glow of the fire, by which, as he knew, the others were hard at work.

In an hour the morning began to break, and as soon as he could see well up the cañon he relighted the fire, jumping up to take a look over the wall every minute or so. It was not long before he saw his uncle approaching with a kettle.

“I saw your smoke, Tom, and guessed that you would be glad of a mug of hot tea. You have seen no signs of Indians, I suppose?”

“We have heard nothing, uncle. As to seeing, up to half an hour ago there was no possibility of making out anything. But I have not even been listening; Sam went on guard directly we had finished supper, and I asked him to call me in two hours, but he did not wake me until two o’clock.”

“He is a good fellow,” Harry said. “Well, don’t wake him now. I can’t leave you the kettle, for we have to keep boiling water going, but you can put his tin into the ashes and warm it up when he wakes. Here are a couple of pieces of bread.”

“Why do you have to keep the kettle boiling, uncle?”

“To bend the wood with. The piece we are working on is kept damp with boiling water. We hold it for a time over the fire, pouring a little water on as fast as it evaporates; that softens the wood, and we can bend it much more evenly than we could if we did it by force. Besides, when it is fastened into its position it remains, when it is dry, in that shape, and throws no strain on to anything.”

“Are you getting on well?”

“Capitally. We should have done both the frames by now, but we were obliged to make them very strong so as to resist the bumps they are sure to get against rocks. When they are finished you might almost let them drop off the top of a house, they will be so strong and elastic. If the Indians will but give us time we shall make a first-rate job of them.”

Three hours later Harry came up again with the kettle and some cooked meat. Sam had just woke up, and was quite angry with Tom for not rousing him before. “The others have been working all night,” he said, “and here have I been asleep for five hours; a nice sort of mate they will think me.”

“Well, but you were watching five hours, Sam; and I would a deal rather work all night than stand here for two hours in the dark, wondering all the time whether the Indians are crawling up, and expecting at any moment to hear a rush against the wall.”

“I am going to take your place, Sam, when you have finished your breakfast,” Harry said, as he came up. “If the Utes found out last night that we had gone, their scouts may be coming down before long. My rifle shoots a bit straighter than yours does.”

“It ain’t the rifle, Harry,” Sam said good-temperedly; “it is the eye that is wrong, not the shooting-iron. I never had much practice with these long guns, but when it comes to a six-shooter, I reckon I can do my share as well as most. But they won’t give me a chance with it.”

“I hope they won’t, Sam. I am sure they won’t as long as there is light, and I hope that before it gets dark they will conclude to leave us alone.”

A vigilant watch was kept now.

“I think I saw a head look out from that corner,” Tom exclaimed suddenly, two hours after Sam had left them.

“I am quite sure I did, Tom. We must wait until he shows himself a bit more. I reckon it is a good three hundred yards off, and a man’s head is a precious small mark at that distance. Stand a bit higher and lay your rifle on the wall. Don’t fire if he only puts his head out. They know we can shoot, so there is not any occasion to give them another lesson. I don’t hold to killing, unless you have got to do it. Let him have a good look at us.

“When he goes back and tells the tribe that there is a three hundred yards’ straight passage without shelter, and a strong wall across the end of it, and two white men with rifles ready to shoot, I reckon they will know a good deal better than to try to come up it, as long as there is light. Besides, they won’t think there is any occasion to hurry, for they won’t count on our taking to the river, and will know that we shall be keeping watch at night. So it may very well be that they will reckon on wearing us out, and that we may not hear of them for a week. There is the fellow’s head again!”

The head remained visible round the corner of the rock for two or three minutes.

“He knows all about it now, Tom. You won’t see any more of him to-day. I will go down and lend them a hand below.”

Tom asked no questions about the horses; he had thought of them a score of times as he stood on guard, and the thought had occurred to him that it was possible the shots he had heard while they were building the wall on the previous afternoon, had been the death shots of the horses. It did not occur to him when Sam was telling the story about the bear, that this was a got-up tale, but when he came to think it over, he thought it probable that it was so. Sam himself was not much of a shot, but Ben, although inferior to Harry or either of the two Indians, shot as well as Jerry, and would hardly have missed a bear three or four times running. Each time the thought of the horses occurred to him he resolutely put it aside, and concentrated his mind upon the probable perils of the passage down the cañons and the wonderful gorges they would traverse, and the adventures and excitement they were sure to pass through. He thought how fortunate it was they had taken the precaution of sending their specimens of quartz back to the fort; for were they in the canoes, the fruits of the journey would be irrevocably lost were these to upset; for now the Indians had twice discovered the presence of whites in the valley they would be sure to watch it closely, and it would not be possible to go up to the mine again unless in strong force.

The day passed quietly. Harry brought up Tom’s meals, and late in the afternoon all hands came up, and the wall of stones was raised four feet, making it almost impregnable against a sudden attack. The two Indians took post there with Tom, and watched alternately all night. The Utes, however, remained perfectly quiet. They probably felt sure that the fugitives must sooner or later be forced to surrender, and were disinclined to face the loss that must occur before so strong a position, defended by seven men armed with rifles and revolvers, could be carried.

At three o’clock on the following afternoon Hunting Dog came up. “Tom go down and get dinner,” he said, “Hunting Dog will watch.”

Tom took his rifle and started down the cañon.

“Come on, lad,” his uncle shouted. “We are pretty near ready for a start, and have all had our dinner; so be quick about it. We want to get well away from here before night.”

Tom went to the fire and ate his meal. As he sat down he saw that the stores, blankets, and robes had all been carried away. When he finished, his uncle led him down to the river. Two canoes were floating in the water, and the other men were standing beside them.

“There, Tom, what do you think of them?”

“They are splendid, uncle; it seems impossible that you can have built them in two days.”

“Five hands can do a lot of canoe-building in forty-eight hours’ work,
Tom.”

The canoes were indeed models of strength if not of beauty. They were each about twenty feet long and five feet wide. Two strong pieces of pine two inches square ran along the top of each side, and one of the same width but an inch deeper formed the keel. The ribs, an inch wide and three-quarters of an inch thick, were placed at intervals of eighteen inches apart. The canoes were almost flat-bottomed. The ribs lay across the keel, which was cut away to allow them to lie flush in it, a strong nail being driven in at the point of junction—these being the only nails used in the boat’s construction. The ribs ran straight out to almost the full width of the canoe, and were then turned sharp up, the ends being lashed with thongs of hide to the upper stringers.

Outside the ribs were lashed longitudinal wattles of tough wood about an inch wide. They were placed an inch apart, extending over the bottom and halfway up the side. Over all was stretched the skin, five horses’ hides having been used for each boat. They were very strongly sewed together by a double row of thongs, the overlaps having, before being sewed, been smeared with melted fat. Cross-pieces of wood at the top kept the upper framework in its place. The hair of the skin was outward, the inner glistened with the fat that had been rubbed into it.

“They are strong indeed,” Tom said. “They ought to stand anything, uncle.”

“Yes, I think they would stand a blow against any rock if it hadn’t a cutting edge. They would just bound off as a basket would. Of course they are very heavy for canoes; but as they won’t have to carry more than the weight of four men each, they will draw little over a couple of inches or so of water.

“That is why we made them so wide. We could not get strength without weight; and as there is no saying what shallows there may be, and how close in some places rocks may come up to the surface, we were obliged to build them wide to get light draught. You see we have made ten paddles, so as to have a spare one or two in case of breakage. We have two spare hides, so that we shall have the means of repairing damages.”

Tom said nothing about the horses. Manufactured into a boat, as the skins were, there was not much to remind him of them; but he pressed his uncle’s hand and said, “Thank you very much, uncle; I don’t mind so much now, but I should not like to have seen them before.”

“That is all right, Tom; it was a case of necessity. Sam and Ben shot them directly we got here.”

The stores were all laid by the boats, being divided between them so that the cargoes were in all respects duplicates of each other. Before Tom came down some had already been placed in each boat, with a blanket thrown over them.

“You have got the gold, I suppose, uncle?”

“You may bet that we did not leave that behind. There is half in each boat, and the bags are lashed to the timbers, so that if there is an upset they cannot get lost.”

“How are we going?”

“We have settled that you and I and the two Indians shall go together, and the rest in the other boat. The Indians know nothing of canoeing, and won’t be of very much use. I know you were accustomed to boats, and I did some rowing when I was a young man. I wish we had a couple of Canadian Indians with us, or of half-breeds; they are up to this sort of work, and with one in the stern of each canoe it would be a much less risky business going down the rapids. However, no doubt we shall get handy with the paddles before long.”

When everything was ready Harry fired his rifle, and in a couple of minutes Hunting Dog came running down. The others had already taken their seats. He stepped into Harry’s boat, and they at once pushed off.

The river was running smoothly here, and Harry said, “Directly we get down a little way we will turn the boat’s head up stream and practise for a bit. It would never do to get down into rough water before we can use the paddles fairly.”

Tom sat in the bow of his boat, Hunting Dog was next to him, then came the chief, and Harry sat in the stern. A paddle is a much easier implement to manage for a beginner than is an oar, and it was not long before they found that they could propel the boats at a fair rate. In a short time they had passed the end of the shelf at the mouth of the cañon, and the cliffs on that side rose as abruptly as they did on the other. The river was some eighty yards wide.

“We will turn here,” Harry said, “and paddle up. We sha’n’t do more than keep abreast of these rocks now, for the stream runs fast though it is so smooth.”

They found, indeed, that they had to work hard to hold their position.

“Now, Tom,” Harry sang out, “it is you and I do the steering, you know. When you want the head to go to the right you must work your paddle out from the boat, when you want to go to the left you must dip it in the water rather farther out and draw it towards the boat. Of course when you have got the paddle the other side you must do just the contrary. You must sing out right or left according as you see rocks ahead, and I shall steer with my paddle behind. I have a good deal more power over the boat than you have, and you must depend upon me for the steering, unless there is occasion for a smart swerve.”

At first the two boats shot backwards and forwards across the stream in a very erratic way, but after an hour’s practice the steersmen found the amount of force required. An hour later Harry thought that they were competent to make a start, and turning they shot rapidly past the cliffs. In a couple of miles there was a break in the rocks to the left.

“We will land there,” Harry said. “There are trees near the water and bushes farther up. We will make a camp there. There is no saying how far we may have to go before we get another opportunity. We have done with the Utes for good, and can get a sound night’s sleep. If you, chief, will start with Hunting Dog as soon as we land, we will get the things ashore and light the fire. Maybe you will be able to get a bear for us.”

They did not trouble to haul up the canoes, but fastened them by the head-ropes, which were made from lariats, to trees on the shore. Daylight was beginning to fade as they lighted the fire. No time was lost before mixing the dough, and it was in readiness by the time that there were sufficient glowing embers to stand the pot in. The kettle was filled and hung on a tripod over the fire. In a short time the Indians returned empty-handed.

“No find bear,” the chief said, “getting too dark to hunt. To-morrow morning try.”

Harry got up and went to the boats, and returned directly with a joint of meat. Tom looked up in surprise.

“It is not from yours, Tom,” Jerry said as he saw him looking at it. “We took the hind-quarters of the four pack-ponies, but left the others alone. It was no use bringing more, for it would not keep.”

“So it is horseflesh!” Tom rather shrank from the idea of eating it, and nothing would have induced him to touch it had he thought that it came from his own favourite. Some steaks were cut and placed in the frying-pan, while strips were hung over the fire for those who preferred the meat in that way. Tom felt strongly inclined to refuse altogether, but when he saw that the others took their meat as a matter of course, and proceeded to eat with a good appetite, he did not like to do so. He hesitated, however, before tasting it; but Harry said with a laugh, “Fire away, Tom. You can hardly tell it from beef, and they say that in Paris lots of horseflesh is sold as beef.”

Thus encouraged, Tom took a mouthful, and found it by no means bad, for from their long stay in the valley the animals were all in excellent condition, and he acknowledged to himself that he would not have known the flesh from beef.

“I call it mighty good for a change.” Terry said. “Out on the plains, where one can get buffalo, one would not take horse for choice, but as we have been eating deer and bear meat for about a year, horse-meat ain’t bad by no means. What! You won’t take another bit, Tom?”

“Not to-night, Jerry; next time I shall be all right. But it is my first trial, you know, and though I can’t say it is not good, it gives me a queer feeling, so I will stick to the bread.”

“Well, boys,” Harry said presently, “we have made a first-rate start, and have got out of a big scrape, easier than I ever looked for. We could not have got two better canoes for our work if we had had them brought special from Canada, and it seems to me that they ought to go down pretty near anywhere without much damage. We shall get real handy with our paddles in two or three days, and I hope we sha’n’t meet with any big rapids until we have got into the way of managing them well.”

“You bet, Harry, we have got out well,” said Jerry. “I tell you it looked downright ugly, and I wouldn’t have given a continental for our chances. As for the rapids, I guess we shall generally find rocks one side or the other where we can make our way along, and we can let down the canoes by the ropes. Anyhow, we need not get skeery over them. After getting out of that valley with our hair on, the thought of them does not trouble me a cent.”

The two Indians were off long before daylight, and just as the others were having a wash at the edge of the river they heard the crack of a rifle some distance up the cliff.

“Bear!” Jerry exclaimed; “and I reckon they have got it, else we should have heard another shot directly afterwards. That will set us up in food for some time. Get the fire made up, Tom, you won’t have to eat horse steak for breakfast unless you like.”

The Indians returned half an hour later laden with as much bear-flesh as they could carry.

“I vote we stop here for two days,” Harry said. “We have got a lot of meat now, but it won’t keep for twenty-four hours in this heat, so I vote we cut it up and dry it as the Indians do buffalo-meat; it will keep any time. Besides, we deserve a couple of days’ rest, and we can practise paddling while the meat dries. We got on very well yesterday, but I do want us to get quite at home in the boats before we get to a bad bit.”

The proposal was agreed to, and as soon as breakfast was over the whole of the meat was cut up into thin slices and hung up on cords fastened from tree to tree.

“It ought to take three days to do it properly, and four is better,” Harry said. “Still, as we have cut it very thin, I should think two days in this hot sun ought to be enough.”

“Are there any fish in the river, uncle?”

“I have no doubt there are, Tom, grists of them, but we have got no hooks.”

“Jerry has got some, he told me he never travelled without them, and we caught a lot of fish with them up in the mountains just after we started before. I don’t know about line, but one might unravel one of the ropes.”

“I think you might do better than that, Tom. The next small animal we shoot we might make some lines from the gut. They needn’t be above five or six feet long. Beyond that we could cut a strip of thirty or forty feet long from one of the hides. However, we can do nothing at present in that way. Now let us get into the canoes and have a couple of hours’ paddling. After dinner we will have another good spell at the work.”

By evening there was a marked improvement in the paddling over that of the previous day, and after having had another day’s practice all felt confident that they should get on very well. By nightfall on the second day, the meat was found to be thoroughly dried, and was taken down and packed in bundles, and the next morning they started as soon as it was light. It was agreed that the boats should follow each other at a distance of a hundred yards, so that the leader could signal to the one behind if serious difficulties were made out ahead, and so enable it to row to the bank in time. Were both drawn together into the suck of a dangerous rapid they might find themselves without either boats or stores, whereas if only one of the boats was broken up, there would be the other to fall back upon. Harry’s boat was to take the lead on the first day, and Tom, as he knelt in the bows, felt his heart beat with excitement at the thought of the unknown that lay before them, and that they were about to make their way down passes probably unpenetrated by man. Passing between what had seemed to them the entrance to a narrow cañon, they were surprised to rind the river widen out. On their right a great sweep of hills bent round like a vast amphitheatre, the resemblance being heightened by the ledges running in regular lines along it, the cliff being far from perpendicular.

“I should think one could climb up there,” Tom said, half-turning round to his uncle.

“It looks like it, Tom, but there is no saying; some of those steps may be a good deal steeper than they look. However, I have no doubt one could find places where it would be possible to climb if there were any use in doing so, but as we should only find ourselves up on bad lands we should gain nothing by it.”

“I don’t mean we should want to climb up now, uncle; but it seemed a sort of satisfaction to know that there are places where one could climb in case we got the boats smashed up.”

“If we had to make our way up, lad, it would be much better to go by one of the lateral canons like the one we came down by. I can see at least half a dozen of them going up there. We should certainly find water, and we might find game, but up on the plateau we should find neither one nor the other.”

On the left-hand bank of the river the cliffs fell still farther back in wide terraces, that rose one behind the other up to a perpendicular cliff half a mile back from the river. There was a shade of green here and there, and the chief pointed far up the hill and exclaimed “Deer!”

“That is good,” Harry said. “There are sure to be more of these places, and I should think we are not likely to starve anyhow. We can’t spare time to stop now; we want to have a long day’s paddle to see what it is going to be like, and we have got meat enough for the present. If we happen to see a deer within rifle-shot, so that we can get at him without much loss of time, we will stop, for after all fresh meat is better eating than dry.”

“I should think it would be, uncle,” Tom said. “From the look of the stuff I should think it would be quite as tough as shoe leather and as tasteless.”

“It needs a set of sharp teeth, Tom, but if you are hard set I have no doubt you will be able to get through it, and at any rate it constitutes the chief food of the Indians between the Missouri and the Rockies.”

For the next three hours they paddled along on the quiet surface of the river. The other canoe had drawn up, since it was evident that here at least there was no reason why they should keep apart.

“I didn’t expect we should find it as quiet as this, Harry,” Jerry Curtis said. “It is a regular water-party, and I should not mind how long I was at it if it were all like this.”

“We shall have rough water enough presently, Jerry, and I expect we shall look back on this as the pleasantest part of the trip. It seems to me that the hills close in more towards the end of this sweep. It has made a regular horseshoe.”

“I reckon it depends upon the nature of the rock,” Ben put in.

“That is it, you may be sure, Ben. Wherever it is soft rock, in time it crumbles away like this; where it is hard the weather don’t affect it much, and we get straight cliffs. I expect it is there we shall find the rapids worst. Well, we shall soon make a trial of them, I fancy. It looks like a wall ahead, but the road must go through somewhere.”

A quarter of an hour later Harry said: “You had better drop back now, Jerry, there is the gap right ahead. If you see me hold up my paddle you row ashore. When we come to a bad rapid we had better all get out, and make our way down on the rocks as far as we can, to see what it is like. It will never do to go at it blind. Of course we may find places where the water comes to the wall faces on both sides, and then there is nothing to do but to take our chance, but I don’t propose to run any risks that I can avoid.”

There was a perceptible increase in the rate of the current as they neared the gorge, and when they came within a short distance of it Harry gave the signal to the boat behind, and both canoes made for the shore. As they stepped out on to the rocks the chief pointed to a ledge far above them. “There will be time for Hunting Dog to shoot a deer,” he said, “while we go down to see cañon.”

Tom in vain endeavoured to make out the object at which the Indian was pointing. Hunting Dog had evidently noticed it before landing, and upon Harry giving a nod of assent, started off with his rifle. The others waited until Jerry and his companions joined them, and then started along the rocks that had fallen at the foot of the cliffs. They were soon able to obtain a far better view of the gorge than they had done from the canoe. The river ran for a bit in a smooth glassy flood, but a short distance down, it began to form into waves, and beyond that they could see a mass of white foam and breakers. They made their way along the rocks for nearly two miles. It seemed well-nigh impossible to Tom that the boats could go down without being swamped, for the waves were eight or ten feet high, with steep sides capped with white. At last the gorge widened again, and although the cliff to the right rose perpendicularly, on the other side it became less steep, and seemed lower down to assume the same character as that above the gorge.

“It looks pretty bad,” Harry said, speaking for almost the first time since they had started, for the roar of the water against the rocks, echoed and re-echoed by the cliffs, rendered conversation an impossibility. “It looks bad, but as far as I can see there are no rocks that come up near the surface, and the canoes ought to go through the broken water safely enough.”

“It is an all-fired nasty-looking place,” Jerry said; “but I have heard men who had been in the north talk about rapids they had gone through, and from what they said about them they must have been worse than this. We have got to keep as near the side as we can; the waves ain’t as high there as they are in the middle, and we have got to keep the boat’s head straight, and to paddle all we know. If we do that, I reckon the canoes will go through.”

They retraced their steps up the gorge. Hunting Dog was standing by the boat with the dead deer at his feet. Jerry picked it up. “I had better take this, I reckon, Harry. You have got one man more than we have;” and he and his two companions went on to their boat.

“Now, what do you think, Tom?” his uncle said. “Can you trust your head to keep cool? It will need a lot of nerve, I can tell you, and if her head swerves in the slightest she will swing round, and over she will go, and it would want some tall swimming to get out of that race. You paddle as well as the chief,—better, I think,—but the chief’s nerves are like iron. He has not been practising steering as you have, but as there seem to be no rocks about, that won’t matter so much. I ought to be able to keep her straight, if you three paddle hard. It may need a turn of the paddle now and then in the bow, but that we can’t tell. So it shall be just as you like, lad. If you think your nerves can stand it you take your usual place, but if you have doubts about it, it were best to let the chief go there.”

“I think I could stand it, uncle, for I have been out in wherries in some precious rough seas at Spithead; but I think it would be best for the chief to take my place this time, and then I shall see how I feel.”

Harry said a few words to the chief in his own language, and Leaping Horse without a word stepped into the bow, while Tom took the seat behind him.

“We sha’n’t be long going down,” Harry said, “I reckon the stream is running ten miles an hour, and as we shall be paddling, it will take us through in ten minutes. We had all better sit farther aft, so as to take her bow right out of water. She will go through it ever so much easier so.”

They shifted their seats until daylight could be seen under the keel a foot from the bow.

“I think that is about the right trim,” Harry said. “Now paddle all.”

The boat shot off from the shore. A minute later it darted into the gorge, the Indian setting a long sweeping stroke. There were two or three long heaves, and then they dashed into the race. Tom held his breath at the first wall of water, but, buoyant and lightly laden as the canoe was, with fully a foot of free board, she rose like a feather over it, and darted down into the hollow beyond. Tom kept his eyes fixed on the back of the chief’s head, clinched his teeth tightly, and paddled away with all his strength. He felt that were he to look round he should turn giddy at the turmoil of water. Once or twice he was vaguely conscious of Harry’s shouts, “Keep her head inshore!” or “A little farther out!” but like a man rowing a race he heeded the words but little. His faculties were concentrated on his work, but he could see a slight swerve of the Indian’s body when he was obeying an order.

He was not conscious of any change of motion, either in the boat or in the water round, when Harry shouted, “Easy all!” and even then it was the chief’s ceasing to paddle rather than Harry’s shout which caused him to stop. Then he looked round and saw that the race was passed, and that the canoe was floating in comparatively quiet water.

“She is a daisy!” Harry shouted; “we could not do better if we had been all Canadian half-breeds, chief. Now, we had better set to and bale her out as quickly as we can.”

Tom now for the first time perceived that he was kneeling in water, and that the boat was nearly half-full.

Their tea pannikins had been laid by their sides in readiness, and Hunting Dog touched him and passed forward his tin and the chief’s, both of which had been swept aft. The Seneca at once began to throw out the water, but Tom for a minute or two was unable to follow his example. He felt as weak as a child. A nervous quivering ran through his body, and his hand trembled so that he could not grasp the handle of the tin.

“Feel bad, Tom?” his uncle asked cheerily from behind. “Brace up, lad; it was a pretty warm ten minutes, and I am not surprised you feel it. Now it is over I am a little shaky myself.”

“I shall be all right presently, uncle.” A look at the chief’s back did more to steady Tom’s nerves than his own efforts. While he himself was panting heavily, and was bathed in perspiration, the chief’s breath came so quietly that he could scarce see his shoulders rise and fall, as he baled out the water with perfect unconcern. With an effort the boy took hold of his dipper, and by the time the boat was empty his nerves were gaining their steadiness, though his breath still came quickly. As he laid down his tin he looked round.

“Heap water,” Hunting Dog said with a smile; “run like herd of buffalo.”

The other boat lay twenty yards behind them, and was also engaged in baling.

“All right now, Tom?”

“All right, uncle; but it is lucky you put the chief in the bows. I should have made a mess of it; for from the time we got into the waves it seemed nothing but confusion, and though I heard your voice I did not seem to understand what you said.”

“It was a trial to the nerves, Tom, but we shall all get accustomed to it before we get through. Well, thank God, we have made our first run safely. Now paddle on, we will stop at the first likely place and have a meal.”

A mile farther they saw a pile of drift-wood on the left bank, and Harry at once headed the canoe to it, and drawing the boat carefully alongside they got out. A minute later the other canoe joined them.

“Jee-hoshaphat, Harry!” Jerry exclaimed as he stepped out; “that was worse nor a cyclone. I would rather sit on the back of the worst kind of bucker than jump over those waves again. If we are going to have much of this I should say let us find our way back and ask the Utes to finish us off.”

“It was a rough bit, Jerry; but it might have been a deal worse if there had been rocks in the stream. All we had to do was to keep her straight and paddle.”

“And a pretty big all, too,” Jerry grumbled. “I felt skeered pretty nigh out of my wits, and the other two allow they were just as bad. If it hadn’t been for your boat ahead I reckon we should never have gone through it, but as long as you kept on straight, there didn’t seem any reason why we shouldn’t. I tell you I feel so shaky that if there were a grizzly twenty yards off I am blamed if I could keep the muzzle of my rifle on it.”

Tom had been feeling a good deal ashamed of his nervousness, and was much relieved at hearing that these seasoned men had felt somewhat the same as he had done.

“What do you say, boys,” Harry asked when breakfast had been cooked and eaten, “if we stop here for to-day? Likely enough we may get some game, and if not it won’t matter, for the deer will last us a couple of days.”

“You bet,” Ben Gulston said; “I think we have had enough of the water for to-day. I don’t feel quite sure now I ain’t going round and round, and I don’t think any of us will feel right till we have had a night’s sleep. Besides, all the rugs and blankets are wet and want spreading out in the sun for a bit, and the flour will want overhauling.”

“That settles it, Ben; let us get all the outfit out of the boats at once.”

After the things had been laid out to dry the two Indians went off in search of game; but none of the others felt any inclination to move, and they spent the rest of the day lying about smoking and dozing. The Indians brought back a big-horn, and the next morning the canoes dropped down the stream again. For some miles the river flowed quietly along a wide valley. At the end of that time it made an abrupt turn and entered the heart of the mountains. As before, Harry’s canoe went in advance. The cañon was here a deep gloomy chasm, with almost perpendicular sides, and for some distance the river ran swiftly and smoothly, then white water was seen ahead, so the two boats rowed in to the rocks at the foot of the precipice, and the occupants proceeded to explore the pass ahead. It was of a different character to the last. Black rocks rose everywhere above the surface, and among these the river flowed with extraordinary force and rapidity, foaming and roaring.

All agreed that it was madness to think of descending here, and that a portage was necessary. The contents of the boats were lifted out, and then one of them was carried down over the rocks by the united strength of the party. They had gone half a mile when they came to a spot where they could go no farther, as the water rushed along against the rock wall itself. Some fifty yards further down they could see that the ledge again began.

“We must go and fetch the other boat,” Harry shouted above the din of the water, “and let them down one by one. There is no other way to do it.”

The second boat was brought down, and another journey was made to bring down the stores. The lariats were then tied together.

“Let us sit down and smoke a pipe before we do anything more,” Jerry said. “Three times up and down them rocks is worse nor thirty miles on a level.”

All were glad to adopt this suggestion, and for half an hour they sat watching the rushing waters. As they did so they discussed how they had better divide their forces, and agreed that Harry’s boat should, as before, go down first. Three men would be required to let the boat down, and it would need at least four to check the second boat when it came abreast of them. Although all felt certain that a single line of the plaited hide would be sufficient, they determined to use two lines to ensure themselves against risk.

“I should let them run out fast at first, Jerry, only keeping enough strain on them to keep her head well up stream. Begin to check her gradually, and let her down only inch by inch. When you see we are close to the rocks, hold her there while we get her alongside, and don’t leave go till we lift her from the water. Directly we are out, fasten the ropes to the bow of your canoe, then launch her carefully; and whatever you do, don’t let go of the rope. Launch her stern first close to the wall, then two get in and get well towards the stern, while the other holds the rope until the last moment. Then those two in the boat must begin to paddle as hard as they can, while the last man jumps in and snatches up his paddle. Keep her head close to the wall, for if the current catches it and takes her round she would capsize in a moment against those rocks. Paddle all you know; we shall haul in the rope as fast as you come down. When you come abreast two of us will check her, and the others will be on the rocks to catch hold of her side as she swings in.”

The first canoe was launched stern foremost, the four men took their seats in her and began to paddle against, the stream with all their strength, while Jerry and his companions let the lines run through their fingers. The boat glanced along by the side of the wall. The men above put on more and more strain, giving a turn of the ropes round a smooth water-worn rock they had before picked out as suitable for the purpose. The water surged against the bow of the canoe, lifting it higher and higher as the full strain of the rope came upon it. The chief was kneeling in the stern facing the rocks below, and as the canoe came abreast of them he brought her in alongside. Harry held up his paddle, the men above gave another turn of the ropes round the rock, and the canoe remained stationary. Hunting Dog sprang out on to the rocks, and taking hold of the blade of the chief’s paddle, brought the canoe in so close that the others were able to step ashore without difficulty. The baggage was taken out, and the canoe lifted from the water, turned upside down, and laid on the rocks.

Harry held up his hand to show that they were ready, having before he did so chosen a stone round which to wind the lariats. The other boat was then launched. Sam and Ben took their places astern and began to paddle against the stream. As they were in the back-water below the ledge of rock they were able to keep her stationary while Jerry took his place and got out his paddle. When all were ready, they paddled her out from the back-water. As soon as the current caught her she flew past the cliff like an arrow, although the three men were now paddling at the top of their speed. Harry and the chief pulled in the rope hand over hand, while Hunting Dog and Tom went a short way down the rocks.

“Don’t check her too suddenly, chief,” Harry shouted. “Let the rope run out easy at first and bring the strain on gradually.”

“The ropes will hold,” the chief said. “One stop buffalo in gallop, two stop boat.”

“Yes, but you would pull the head out of the canoe; chief, if you stopped her too suddenly.”

The chief nodded. He had not thought of that. In spite of the efforts of the oarsmen the canoe’s head was swerving across the stream just as she came abreast of them. A moment later she felt the check of the rope.

“Easy, chief, easy!” Harry shouted, as the water shot up high over the bow of the canoe. “Wait till she gets a bit lower or we shall capsize her.”

The check of the bow had caused the stern to swerve out, and when they again checked her she was several lengths below them with her head inclined to shore. More and more strain was put on the ropes, until they were as taut as iron bars. A moment later Tom and Hunting Dog seized two paddles held out to them, and the boat came gently in alongside.

“Gosh!” Ben exclaimed, as he stepped ashore, “it has taken as much out of me as working a windlass for a day. I am blamed if I did not think the hull boat was coming to pieces. I thought it was all over with us for sure, Harry; when she first felt the rope, the water came in right over the side.”

“It was touch and go, Ben; but there was a rock just outside you, and if we had not checked her a bit her head would have gone across it, and if it had, I would not have given a red cent for your lives.”

All day they toiled on foot, and by nightfall had made but four miles. Then they camped for the night among the rocks. The next four days were passed in similar labour. Two or three times they had to cross the torrent in order to get on to fallen rocks on the other side to that which they were following. These passages demanded the greatest caution. In each case there were rocks showing above water in the middle of the channel. One of these was chosen as most suited to their purpose, and by means of the ropes a canoe was sheered out to it. Its occupants then took their places on the rock, and in turn dropped the other boat down to the next suitable point, the process being repeated, step by step, until the opposite bank was reached.

At the end of the fourth day the geological formation changed. The rock was softer, and the stream had worn a more even path for itself, and they decided to take to the boats again. There was no occasion for paddling now, it was only when a swell on the surface marked some hidden danger below that a stroke or two of the paddle was needed to sweep them clear of it. For four hours they were carried along at the rate of fully twelve miles an hour, and at the end of that time they shot out from between the overhanging walls into a comparatively broad valley. With a shout of delight they headed the boats for shore, and leapt out on to a flat rock a few inches above the water.

“If we could go on at that pace right down we should not be long before we were out of the mountains,” Tom said.

“We could do with a bit slower, Tom; that is too fast to be pleasant. Just about half that would do—six miles an hour. Twelve hours a day would take us out of the cañons in a fortnight or so. We might do that safely, but we could not calculate on having such good luck as we have had to-day, when going along at twelve miles an hour. The pace for the last four days has been just as much too slow as this is too fast. Four miles a day working from morning till night is heart-breaking. In spite of our run to-day, we cannot have made much over a hundred miles since we started. Well, there is one comfort, we are in no great hurry. We have got just the boats for the work, and so far as we can see, we are likely to find plenty of food. A job like this isn’t to be reckoned child’s play. So far I consider we have had good luck; I shall be well content if it averages as well all the way down. The fear is we may get to falls where we can neither carry nor let the boats down. In that case we should have to get out of the canon somewhere, pack as much flour as we could carry, and make our way across country, though how far we might have to travel there is no knowing. I hope it mayn’t come to that; but at any rate I would rather go through even worse places than that cañon above than have to quit the boats.”

“Right you are, Harry,” Jerry agreed. “I would rather tote the canoe on my back all the way down to Mexico, than have to try and make my way over the bad lands to the hills. Besides, when we get a bit farther we shall be in the Navahoe country, and the Utes ain’t a sarcumstance to them. The Ute ain’t much of a fighter anyway. He will kill white men he finds up in his hills, ’cause he don’t want white men there, but he has to be five or six to one before he will attack him. The Navahoe kills the white man ’cause he is a white man, and ’cause he likes killing. He is a fighter, and don’t you forget it. If it had been Navahoes instead of Utes that had caught us up in the hills, you may bet your bottom dollar our scalps would be drying in their lodges now.”

“That is so, Jerry,” Ben put in. “Besides, the Navahoes and the Apaches have got no fear of white men. They have been raiding Mexico for hundreds of years, and man to man they can whip Mexikins out of their boots. I don’t say as they haven’t a considerable respect for western hunters; they have had a good many lessons that these can out-shoot them and out-fight them; still they ain’t scared of them as plain Indians are. They are a bad lot, look at them which way you will, and I don’t want to have to tramp across their country noways. It was pretty hard work carrying that boat along them rocks, but I would rather have to do so, right down to the plains, then get into a muss with the Navahoes.”

“How far does the Navahoe country come this way?”

“There ain’t no fence, Tom, I expect. They reckon as it’s their country just as far as they like to come. They don’t come up as far north as this, but where they ends and where the Utes begin no one knows but themselves; and I reckon it shifts according as the Navahoes are busy with the Mexicans in the south, or have got a quiet spell, and take it into their heads to hunt this way.”

For many days they continued their journey, sometimes floating quietly along a comparatively wide valley, sometimes carrying their boats past dangerous rapids, sometimes rushing along at great speed on the black, deep water, occasionally meeting with falls where everything had to be taken out of the canoes, and the boats themselves allowed to shoot over the falls with long ropes attached, by which they were drawn to shore lower down. It was seldom that they were without meat, as several big-horns and two bears were shot by the Indians. They had no doubt that they could have caught fish, but as a rule they were too tired when they arrived at their halting-place to do more than cook and eat their suppers before they lay down to rest.

“I reckon it won’t be very long before we come upon a Mexican village,” Harry said one day, after they had been six weeks on their downward course. “I have heard there is one above the Grand Cañon.”

The scenery had varied greatly. In some of the valleys groves of trees bordered the river; sometimes not even a tuft of grass was to be seen. Occasionally the cliffs ran in an even line for many miles, showing that the country beyond was a level plateau, at other times rugged peaks and pinnacles resembling ruined castles, lighthouses, and churches could be seen. Frequently the cliffs rose three or four thousand feet in an almost unbroken line, but more often there were rounded terraces, where it would have been easy to ascend to the upper level. Everywhere the various strata were of different colours: soft grays and browns, orange, vermilion, purple, green, and yellow. They soon learned that when they passed through soft strata, the river ran quietly; where the rocks were hard there were falls and rapids; where the strata lay horizontal the stream ran smoothly, though often with great rapidity; where they dipped up stream there were dangerous rapids and falls.

Since the start the river had been largely swollen by the junctions of other streams, and was much wider and deeper than it had been where they embarked; and even where the rapids were fiercest they generally found comparatively quiet water close to the bank on one side or the other. Twice they had had upsets, both the boats having been capsized by striking upon rocks but an inch or two below the surface of the water. Little harm was done, for the guns and all other valuable articles were lashed to the sides of the boats, while strips of hide, zigzagged across the ends of the canoes at short distances apart, prevented the blankets and rugs and other bulky articles from dropping out when the boat capsized.

Since the river had become wider and the dangers less frequent, the boats always kept near each other. Upsets were therefore only the occasion for a hearty laugh; for it took but a few minutes to right the canoe, bale it out, and proceed on their way. Occasionally they had unpleasant visitors at their camp, and altogether they killed ten or twelve rattle-snakes. In some of the valleys they found the remains of the dwellings of a people far anterior to the present Indian races. Some of these ruins appeared to have been communal houses. At other points they saw cliff-dwellings in the face of the rock, with rough sculptures and hieroglyphics. The canons varied in length from ten to a hundred and fifty miles, the comparatively flat country between them varying equally in point of appearance and in the nature of the rocks. As they got lower they once or twice saw roughly-made rafts, composed of three or four logs of wood, showing where Indians had crossed the river. The journey so far had been much more pleasant than they had expected, for as the river grew wider the dangers were fewer and farther apart, and more easily avoided; and they looked forward to the descent of the Grand Cañon, from which they knew they could not be far distant, without much fear that it would prove impracticable.

Passing from a short cañon, the boats emerged into a valley with flat shores for some distance from the river. On the right was a wide side cañon, which might afford a passage up into the hills. Half a mile lower down there were trees and signs of cultivation; and a light smoke rose among them. At this, the first sign of human life they had seen since they took to the boats, all hands paddled rapidly. They were approaching the shore, when Leaping Horse said to Harry: “No go close. Stop in river and see, perhaps bad Indians. Leaping Horse not like smoke.”

Harry called to the other canoe, and they bore out into the stream again. The chief stood up in the boat, and after gazing at the shore silently for a moment said:

“Village burnt. Burnt little time ago, post still burning.” As he resumed his seat Harry stood up in turn.

“That is so, chief. There have only been five or six huts; whether
Indian or white, one can’t tell now.”

Just at this moment an Indian appeared on the bank. As his eye fell on the boats he started. A moment later he raised a war-yell.

“Navahoe,” the chief said. “Navahoe war-party come down, kill people and burn village. Must row hard.”

The yell had been answered from the wood, and in two or three minutes as many score of Indians appeared on the banks. They shouted to the boats to come to shore, and as no attention was paid, some of them at once opened fire. The river was about a quarter of a mile wide, and although the shots splashed round them the boats were not long in reaching the farther bank, but not unharmed, for Ben had dropped his paddle and fallen back in the boat.

“Is he badly hurt?” Harry asked anxiously, as the canoes drew alongside each other near the bank, and Sam turned round to look at his comrade.

“He has finished his journey,” Sam said in a hoarse voice. “He has gone down, and a better mate and a truer heart I never met. The ball has hit him in the middle of the forehead. It were to be, I guess, for it could only have been a chance shot at that distance.”

Exclamations of sorrow and fury broke from the others, and for a few minutes there was no thought of the Indians, whose bullets were still falling in the water, for the most part short of the boats. A sharp tap on the side of Harry’s canoe, followed by a jet of water, roused them.

“We mustn’t stop here,” Harry said, as Hunting Dog plugged the hole with a piece of dried meat, “or poor Ben won’t be the only one.”

“Let us have a shot first,” Jerry said. “Young Tom, do you take a shot with Plumb-centre. It is about four hundred and fifty yards as near as I can reckon, and she will carry pretty true that distance.”

“We will give them a shot all round,” Harry said, as he took up his rifle.

Six shots were discharged almost at the same moment. One of the Indians was seen to fall, the rest bounded away to a short distance from the bank. Then Hunting Dog at a word from the chief stepped into the other canoe. Keeping close under the bank they paddled down. The Indians had ceased firing, and had disappeared at a run.

“What are they up to now, chief?”

“Going down to mouth of cañon, river sure to be narrow; get there before us.”

“Wait, Jerry,” Harry shouted to the other boat, which was some twenty yards ahead. “The chief thinks they have gone to cut us off at the head of the cañon, which is likely enough. I don’t suppose it is fifty yards wide there, and they will riddle us if we try to get through in daylight. We had better stop and have a meal and talk it over.”

The boats were rowed ashore, and the men landed and proceeded to light a fire as unconcernedly as if no danger threatened them. Ben’s death had cast a heavy gloom over them, and but few words were spoken, until the meal was cooked and eaten.

“It is a dog-goned bad business,” Jerry said. “I don’t say at night as we mayn’t get past them without being hit, but to go rushing into one of those cañons in the dark would be as bad as standing their fire, if not wuss. The question is—could we leave the boats and strike across?”

“We could not strike across this side anyhow,” Harry said. “There are no settlements west of the Colorado. We know nothing of the country, and it is a hundred to one we should all die of thirst even if we could carry enough grub to last us. If we land at all it must be on the other side, and then we could not reckon on striking a settlement short of two hundred miles, and two hundred miles across a country like this would be almost certain death.”

“As the Navahoes must have ridden down, Harry, there must be water. I reckon they came down that cañon opposite.”

“Navahoe on track in morning,” the chief said quietly. “When they see we not go down river look for boat, find where we land and take up trail. Cañon very plain road. Some go up there straight, take all our scalps.”

No one spoke for a moment or two. What the Seneca said was so evident to them that it was useless to argue. “Well, chief, what do you advise yourself?” Harry asked at length.

“Not possible go on foot, Harry. Country all rocks and cañons; cannot get through, cannot get water. Trouble with Navahoes too. Only chance get down in boat to-night. Keep close under this bank; perhaps Indians not see us, night dark.”

“Do you think they can cross over to this side?”

“Yes, got canoe. Two canoes in village, Leaping Horse saw them on bank.
When it gets dark, cross over.”

“We will get a start of them,” Harry said. “Directly it is dark we can be off too. The shore is everywhere higher than our heads as we sit in the canoes, and we can paddle in the shadow without being seen by them on the other side, while they won’t venture to cross till it is pitch dark. As the stream runs something like three miles an hour, I reckon that they are hardly likely to catch us. As for the rapids, they don’t often begin until you are some little distance in. At any rate we shall not have to go far, for the red-skins will not dare to enter the cañon, so we can tie up till morning as soon as we are a short distance in. We have got to run the gauntlet of their fire, but after all that is better than taking our chances by leaving the boats. If we lie down when we get near them they may not see us at all; but if they do, a very few strokes will send us past them. At any rate there seems less risk in that plan than in any other.”

The others agreed.

“Now, boys, let us dig a grave,” he went on, as soon as the point was settled. “It is a sort of clay here and we can manage it, and it is not likely we shall find any place, when we are once in the cañon, where we can do it.” They had neither picks nor shovels with them, for their mining tools had been left at the spot where they were at work, but with their axes and knives they dug a shallow grave, laid Ben’s body in it, covered it up, and then rolled a number of boulders over it.

Ben’s death affected Tom greatly. They had lived together and gone through many perils and risks for nearly a year, and none had shown more unflagging good-humour throughout than the man who had been killed. That the boats might upset and all might perish together, was a thought that had often occurred to him as they made their way down the river, but that one should be cut off like this had never once been contemplated by him. Their lives from the hour they met on the Big Wind River had seemed bound up together, and this sudden loss of one of the party affected him greatly. The others went about their work silently and sadly, but they had been so accustomed to see life lost in sudden frays, and in one or other of the many dangers that miners and hunters are exposed to, that it did not affect them to the same extent as it did Tom.

Except two or three men who remained on watch on the opposite bank, though carefully keeping out of rifle-range, they saw no signs of the Navahoes during the day. As soon as it became so dark that they were sure their movements could not be seen from the other side, they silently took their places in the boats, and pushed off into the current. For a quarter of an hour they lay in the canoes, then at a signal from Harry knelt up, took their paddles and began to row very quietly and cautiously, the necessity for dropping their paddles noiselessly into the water and for avoiding any splashing having been impressed on all before starting.

“There is no occasion for haste,” Harry said. “Long and gentle strokes of the paddle will take us down as fast as we need go. If those fellows do cross over, as I expect they will, they will find it difficult to travel over the rocks in the dark as fast as we are going now, and there is no fear whatever of their catching us if we go on steadily.”

After an hour’s rowing they could make out a dark mass rising like a wall in front of them, and Harry passed the word back to the other canoe, which was just behind them, that they should now cease paddling, only giving a stroke occasionally to keep the head of the canoe straight, and to prevent the boat from drifting out from under the shelter of the bank, in the stillness of the night they could hear a low roaring, and knew that it was caused by a rapid in the canon ahead. Higher and higher rose the wall of rock, blotting out the stars in front of them till the darkness seemed to spread half-way over the sky.

They could see that the boat was passing the shore more rapidly, as the river accelerated its course before rushing into the gorge. Suddenly there was a shout on the right, so close that Tom was startled, then there was a rifle-shot, and a moment later a wild outburst of yells and a dozen other shots. At the first shout the paddles dipped into the water, and at racing speed the boats shot along. Eight or ten more rifle-shots were fired, each farther behind them.

“Anyone hurt?” Harry asked.

There was a general negative.

“I don’t believe they really saw us,” Harry said. “The first fellow may have caught sight of us, but I expect the others fired merely at random. Now let us row in and fasten up, for judging from that roaring there must be a big rapid close ahead.”

The boats were soon fastened up against the rocks, and the chief stepped ashore, saying:

“Leaping Horse and Hunting Dog will watch. Navahoes may come down here.
Don’t think they will be brave enough to enter cañon, too dark to see.
Still, better watch.”

“Just as you like, chief,” Harry said, “but I have no belief that they will come down here in the dark; it would be as much as they would dare do in broad daylight. Besides, these rocks are steepish climbing anyway, and I should not like myself to try to get over them, when it is so dark that I can’t see my own hand, except by putting it up between my eyes and the stars.”

“If it was not for that,” Jerry said, “I would crawl along to the mouth and see if I couldn’t get a shot at them varmint on the other side.”

“You would not find them there, Jerry. You may be sure that when they saw us go through they would know it was of no use waiting there any longer. They would flatter themselves that they had hit some of us, and even if they hadn’t, it would not seem to matter a cent to them, as the evil spirit of the canon would surely swallow us up.”

“Well, they have been wrong in their first supposition, uncle,” Tom said, “and I hope they will be equally wrong in the second.”

“I hope so, Tom. Now we may as well go to sleep. As soon as there is any light we must explore as far as we can go, for by the noise ahead it must be either a fall or a desperately bad rapid.”

When daylight broke, the whites found Hunting Dog sitting with his rifle across his knees on a rock above them.

“Where is the chief?” Harry asked him.

“Leaping Horse went up the rocks to see if Navahoes have gone.”

“Very well. Tell him when he comes back we have gone down to have a look at the rapid. Tom, you may as well stay here. There is plenty of drift-wood among those rocks, and we will breakfast before we start down. I reckon we shall not have much time for anything of that sort after we are once off.”

Tom was by no means sorry to be saved a heavy climb. He collected some wood and broke it up into suitable pieces, but at the suggestion of Hunting Dog waited for the chief’s return before lighting it. The chief came down in a few minutes. “Navahoes all gone,” he said briefly.

“Then I can light a fire, chief?”

Leaping Horse nodded, and Tom took out the tightly-fitting tin box in which he kept his matches. Each of the party carried a box, and to secure against the possibility of the matches being injured by the water in case of a capsize, the boxes were kept in deer’s bladders tightly tied at the mouth. The fire was just alight when the others returned.

“It is better ahead than we expected,” Harry said; “the noise was caused by the echo from the smooth faces of the rocks. It is lucky we hauled in here last night, for these rocks end fifty yards on, and as far as we can see down, the water washes the foot of the wall on both sides. We were able to climb up from them on to a narrow ledge, parallel with the water, and went on to the next turn, but there was no change in the character of the river. So we shall make a fair start anyway.”

More wood was put on the fire, and in a quarter of an hour the kettle was boiling and slices of meat cooked. Half an hour later they took their places in the canoes and started. The cañon was similar to the one they had last passed; the walls were steep and high, but with irregular shelves running along them. Above these were steep slopes, running up to the foot of smooth perpendicular cliffs of limestone. The stream was very rapid, and they calculated that in the first half-hour they must have run six miles. Here the walls receded to a distance, and ledges of rock and hills of considerable heights intervened between the river and the cliffs. They checked the pace of their canoes just as they reached this opening, for a deep roar told of danger ahead. Fortunately there were rocks where they were able to disembark, and a short way below they found that a natural dam extended across the river.

“There has been an eruption of trap here,” Harry said, looking at the black rock on either side. “There has been a fissure, I suppose, and the lava was squeezed up through it. You see the river has cut a path for itself some hundreds of feet deep. It must have taken countless ages, Tom, to have done the work.”

Over this dam the water flowed swiftly and smoothly, and then shot down in a fall six feet high. Below for a distance of two or three hundred yards was a furious rapid, the water running among black rocks. With considerable difficulty they made a portage of the boats and stores to the lower end of the rapid. This transit occupied several hours, and they then proceeded on their way. Five more miles were passed; several times the boats were brought to the bank in order that falls ahead might be examined. These proved to be not too high to shoot, and the boats paddled over them. When they had first taken to the river they would never have dreamt of shooting such falls, but they had now become so expert in the management of the boats, and so confident in their buoyancy, that the dangers which would then have appalled them were now faced without uneasiness.

They now came to a long rapid, presenting so many dangers that they deemed it advisable to let down the boats by lines. Again embarking they found that the wall of rocks closed in and they entered a narrow gorge, through which the river ran with great swiftness, touching the walls on each side. Great care was needed to prevent the boats being dashed against the rock, but they succeeded in keeping them fairly in the middle of the stream. After travelling four miles through this gorge it opened somewhat, and on one side was a strip of sand.

“We will land there,” Harry said. “It looks to me like granite ahead, and if it is we are in for bad times, sure.”

The boats were soon pulled up, and they proceeded to examine the cliffs below. Hitherto the danger had been in almost exact proportion to the hardness of the rock, and as they were entering a far harder rock than they had before encountered, greater difficulties than those they had surmounted were to be expected.

They could not see a long distance down, but what they saw was enough to justify their worst anticipations. The cañon was narrower than any they had traversed, and the current extremely swift. There seemed but few broken rocks in the channel, but on either side the walls jutted out in sharp angles far into the river, with crags and pinnacles.

“Waal, it is of no use looking at it,” Jerry said after a pause. “It is certain we can’t get along the sides, so there is nothing to do but to go straight at it; and the sooner it is over the better.”

Accordingly they returned to the boats, and soon darted at the speed of an arrow into the race. Bad as it was at starting it speedily became worse: ledges, pinnacles, and towers of rock rose above the surface of the stream breaking it into falls and whirlpools. Every moment it seemed to Tom that the boat must inevitably be dashed to pieces against one of these obstructions, for the light boats were whirled about like a feather on the torrent, and the paddlers could do but little to guide their course. The very strength of the torrent, however, saved them from destruction, the whirl from the rocks sweeping the boat’s head aside when within a few feet of them, and driving it past the danger before they had time to realize that they had escaped wreck. Half an hour of this, and a side cañon came in. Down this a vast quantity of boulders had been swept, forming a dam across the river, but they managed to paddle into an eddy at the side, and to make a portage of the boats to the water below the dam, over which there was a fall of from thirty to forty feet high. Three more similar dams were met with. Over one the canoes were carried, but on the others there was a break in the boulder wall, and they were able to shoot the falls.

After three days of incessant labour, they heard, soon after starting from their last halting-place, a roar even louder and more menacing than they had yet experienced. Cautiously they got as close as possible to the side, and paddling against the stream were able to effect a landing just above the rapid. On examining it they found that it was nearly half a mile long, and in this distance the water made a fall of some eighty feet, the stream being broken everywhere with ledges and jagged rocks, among which the waves lashed themselves into a white foam. It seemed madness to attempt such a descent, and they agreed that at any rate they would halt for the day. The rocks through which the cañon ran were fully a thousand feet high, but they decided that, great as the labour might be, it would be better to make a portage, if possible, rather than descend the cataract.

“There is a gulch here running up on to the hill,” Tom said. “Hunting Dog and I will start at once and see if it is possible to get up it, and if so how far it is to a place where we can get down again.”

Harry assented; Leaping Horse without a word joined the explorers, and they set off up the gulch. It was found that the ravine was steep, but not too steep to climb. When they were nearly at the top Hunting Dog pointed to the hillside above them, and they saw a big-horn standing at the edge of the rock. The three fired their rifles simultaneously, and the wild sheep made a spring into the air and then came tumbling down the side of the ravine. As fresh meat was beginning to run short this was a stroke of good fortune, and after reloading their guns they proceeded up the ravine until they reached the crest of the hill. The soil was disintegrated granite, and tufts of short grass grew here and there. After walking about a mile, parallel to the course of the river, they found that the ground descended again, and without much difficulty made their way down until they reached the foot of a little valley; following this they were soon standing by the side of the river. Above, its surface was as closely studded with rocks as was the upper cataract; below, there was another fall that looked impracticable, except that it seemed possible to pass along on the rocks by the side. It was getting dark by the time they rejoined their comrades.

“Your report is not a very cheerful one,” Harry said, “but at any rate there seems nothing else to be done than to make the portage. The meat you have got for us will re-stock our larder, and as it is up there we sha’n’t have the trouble of carrying it over.”

The next day was a laborious one. One by one the canoes were carried over, but the operation took them from daybreak till dark. The next morning another journey was made to bring over the rugs and stores, and they were able in addition to these to carry down the carcass of the sheep, after first skinning it and cutting off the head with its great horns. Nothing was done for the rest of the day beyond trying whether another portage could be made. This was found to be impracticable, and there was nothing for them but to attempt the descent. They breakfasted as soon as day broke, carried the boats down over the boulder dam with which the rapids commenced, and put them into the water. For some little distance they were able to let them down by ropes, then the rocks at the foot of the cliffs came to an end. Fortunately the seven lariats furnished them with a considerable length of line, and in addition to these the two Indians had on their way down plaited a considerable length of rope, with thongs cut from the skins of the animals they had killed.

The total available amount of rope was now divided into two lengths, the ends being fastened to each canoe. One of the boats with its crew on board was lowered to a point where the men were able to get a foothold on a ledge. As soon as they had done so the other boat dropped down to them, and the ropes were played out until they were in turn enabled to get a footing on a similar ledge or jutting rock, sometimes so narrow that but one man was able to stand. So alternately the boats were let down. Sometimes when no foothold could be obtained on the rock wall, the pinnacles and ledges in the stream were utilized. All the work had to be done by gesture, for the thunder of the waters was so tremendous that the loudest shout could not be heard a few yards away. Hour passed after hour. Their progress was extremely slow, as each step had to be closely considered and carried out with the greatest care.

At last a terrible accident happened. Harry, Leaping Horse, and Tom were on a ledge. Below them was a fall of three feet, and in the foaming stream below it, rose several jagged rocks. Jerry’s canoe was got safely down the fall, but in spite of the efforts of the rowers was carried against the outer side of one of these rocks. They made a great effort to turn the boat’s head into the eddy behind it, but as the line touched the rock its sharp edge severed the rope like a knife, and the boat shot away down the rapid. Those on the ledge watched it with breathless anxiety. Two or three dangers were safely passed, then to their horror they saw the head of the canoe rise suddenly as it ran up a sunken ledge just under the water. An instant later the stern swept round, bringing her broadside on to the stream, and she at once capsized.

“Quick!” Harry exclaimed, “we must go to their rescue. Keep close to the wall, chief, till we see signs of them. It is safest close in.”

In an instant they were in their places, and as they released the canoe she shot in a moment over the fall. For a short distance they kept her close to the side, but a projecting ledge threw the current sharply outwards, and the canoe shot out into the full force of the rapid. The chief knelt up in the bow paddle in hand, keeping a vigilant eye for rocks and ledges ahead, and often with a sharp stroke of the paddle, seconded by the effort of Harry in the stern, sweeping her aside just when Tom thought her destruction inevitable. Now she went headlong down a fall, then was caught by an eddy, and was whirled round and round three or four times before the efforts of the paddlers could take her beyond its influence. Suddenly a cry came to their ears. Just as they approached a rocky ledge some thirty feet long, and showing a saw-like edge a foot above the water, the chief gave a shout and struck his paddle into the water.

“Behind the rock, Tom, behind the rock!” Harry exclaimed as he swept the stern round. Tom paddled with all his might, and the canoe headed up stream. Quickly as the movement was done, the boat was some twelve yards below the rock as she came round with her nose just in the lower edge of the eddy behind it, while from either side the current closed in on her. Straining every nerve the three paddlers worked as for life. At first Tom thought that the glancing waters would sweep her down, but inch by inch they gained, and drove the boat forward from the grasp of the current into the back eddy, until suddenly, as if released from a vice, she sprang forward. Never in his life had Tom exerted himself so greatly. His eyes were fixed on the rock in front of him, where Hunting Dog was clinging with one hand, while with the other he supported Jerry’s head above water. He gave a shout of joy as the chief swept the head of the canoe round, just as it touched the rock, and laid her broadside to it.

“Stick your paddle between two points of the rock, Tom,” Harry shouted, “while the chief and I get them in. Sit well over on the other side of the boat.”

With considerable difficulty Jerry, who was insensible, was lifted into the boat. As soon as he was laid down Hunting Dog made his way hand over hand on the gunwale until close to the stern, where he swung himself into the boat without difficulty.

“Have you seen Sam?” Harry asked.

The young Indian shook his head. “Sam one side of the boat,” he said, “Jerry and Hunting Dog the other. Boat went down that chute between those rocks above. Only just room for it. Jerry was knocked off by rock. Hunting Dog was near the stern, there was room for him. He caught Jerry’s hunting-shirt, but could not hold on to boat. When came down here made jump at corner of rock. Could not hold on, but current swept him into eddy. Then swam here and held on, and kept calling. Knew his brothers would come down soon.”

“Here is a spare paddle,” Harry said, as he pulled one out from below the network, “there is not a moment to lose. Keep your eyes open, chief.” Again the boat moved down the stream. With four paddles going the steersman had somewhat more control over her, but as she flew down the seething water, glanced past rocks and sprang over falls, Tom expected her to capsize every moment. At last he saw below them a stretch of quiet water, and two or three minutes later they were floating upon it, and as if by a common impulse all ceased rowing.

“Thanks be to God for having preserved us,” Harry said reverently. “We are half-full of water; another five minutes of that work and it would have been all over with us. Do you see any signs of the canoe, chief?”

The chief pointed to a ledge of rock extending out into the stream.
“Canoe there,” he said. They paddled across to it. After what the young
Indian had said they had no hopes of finding Sam with it, but Harry gave
a deep sigh as he stepped out on to the ledge.

“Another gone,” he said. “How many of us will get through this place alive? Let us carry Jerry ashore.”

There was a patch of sand swept up by the eddy below the rock, and here
Jerry was taken out and laid down. He moaned as they lifted him.

“Easy with him,” Harry said. “Steady with that arm. I think he has a shoulder broken, as well as this knock on the head that has stunned him.”

As soon as he was laid down Harry cut open his shirt on the shoulder. “Broken,” he said shortly. “Now, chief, I know that you are a good hand at this sort of thing. How had this better be bandaged?”

“Want something soft first.”

Tom ran to the canoe, brought out the little canvas sack in which he carried his spare flannel shirt, and brought it to the chief. The latter tore off a piece of stuff and rolled it into a wad. “Want two pieces of wood,” he said, holding his hands about a foot apart to show the length he required. Harry fetched a spare paddle, and split a strip off each side of the blade. The chief nodded as he took them. “Good,” he said. He tore off two more strips of flannel and wrapped them round the splints, then with Harry’s aid he placed the shoulder in its natural position, laid the wad of flannel on the top of it, and over this put the two splints. The whole was kept in its place by flannel bandages, and the arm was fastened firmly across the body, so that it could not be moved. Then the little keg of brandy was brought out of the canoe, a spoonful poured into the pannikin, with half as much water, and allowed to trickle between Jerry’s lips, while a wad of wet flannel was placed on his head.

“There is nothing more we can do for him at present,” Harry said. “Now we will right the other boat, and get all the things out to dry.”

Three or four pounds of flour were found to be completely soaked with water, but the main store was safe, as the bag was sewn up in bear-skin. This was only opened occasionally to take out two or three days’ supply, and then carefully closed again. On landing, Hunting Dog had at once started in search of drift-wood, and by this time a fire was blazing. A piece of bear’s fat was placed in the frying-pan, and the wetted flour was at once fried into thin cakes, which were tough and tasteless; but the supply was too precious to allow of an ounce being wasted. Some slices of the flesh of the big-horn were cooked.

“What is my white brother going to do?” the chief asked Harry.

“There is nothing to do that I can see, chief, but to keep on pegging away. We agreed that it would be almost impossible to find our way over these barren mountains. That is not to be thought of, now that one of our number cannot walk. There is no choice left, we have got to go on.”

“Leaping Horse understand that,” the chief said. “He meant would you take both canoes? One is big enough to take five.”

“Quite big enough, chief, but it would be deeper in the water, and the heavier it is the harder it will bump against any rock it meets; the lighter they are the better. You see, this other canoe, which I dare say struck a dozen times on its way down, shows no sign of damage except the two rents in the skin, that we can mend in a few minutes. Another thing is, two boats are absolutely necessary for this work of letting down by ropes, of which we may expect plenty more. If we had only one, we should be obliged to run every rapid. The only extra trouble that it will give us is at the portages. I think we had better stay here for two or three days, so as to give Jerry a chance of coming round. No doubt we could carry him over the portages just as we can carry the boats, but after such a knock on the head as he has had, it is best that he should be kept quiet for a bit. If his skull is not cracked he won’t be long in getting round. He is as hard as nails, and will pull round in the tenth of the time it would take a man in the towns to get over such a knock. It is a pity the halt is not in a better place. There is not a shadow of a chance of finding game among these crags and bare rocks.”

From time to time fresh water was applied to the wad of flannel round
Jerry’s head.

“Is there any chance, do you think, of finding poor Sam’s body?”

The chief shook his head. “No shores where it could be washed up, rocks tear it to pieces; or if it get in an eddy, might be there for weeks. No see Sam any more.”

The fire was kept blazing all night, and they took it by turns to sit beside Jerry and to pour occasionally a little brandy and water between his lips. As the men were moving about preparing breakfast the next morning Jerry suddenly opened his eyes. He looked at Tom, who was sitting beside him.

“Time to get up?” he asked. “Why did you not wake me?” And he made an effort to move. Tom put his hand on him.

“Lie still, Jerry. You have had a knock on the head, but you are all right now.”

The miner lay quiet. His eyes wandered confusedly over the figures of the others, who had, when they heard his voice, gathered round him.

“What in thunder is the matter with me?” he asked. “What is this thing on my head? What is the matter with my arm, I don’t seem able to move it?”

“It is the knock you have had, Jerry,” Harry said cheerfully. “You have got a bump upon your head half as big as a cocoa-nut, and you have damaged your shoulder. You have got a wet flannel on your head, and the chief has bandaged your arm. I expect your head will be all right in a day or two, but I reckon you won’t be able to use your arm for a bit.”

Jerry lay quiet without speaking for a few minutes, then he said: “Oh, I remember now; we were capsized. I had hold of the canoe, and I remember seeing a rock just ahead. I suppose I knocked against it.”

“That was it, mate. Hunting Dog let go his hold and caught you, and managed to get into an eddy and cling to the rocks till we came down and took you on board.”

Jerry held out his hand to the Indian. “Thankee,” he said. “I owe you one, Hunting Dog. If I ever get the chance you can reckon on me sure, whatever it is. But where is Sam? Why ain’t he here?”

“Sam has gone under, mate,” Harry replied. “That chute you went down was only just wide enough for the boat to go through, and no doubt he was knocked off it at the same time as you were; but as the Indian was on your side, he saw nothing of Sam. I reckon he sank at once, just as you would have done if Hunting Dog hadn’t been behind you.”

Jerry made no reply, but as he lay still, with his eyes closed, some big tears made their way through the lids and rolled down his bronzed face. The others thought it best to leave him by himself, and continued their preparations for breakfast.

“When are you going to make a start again?” Jerry asked, after drinking a pannikin of tea.

“We are not going on to-day; perhaps not to-morrow. It will depend on how you get on.”

“I shall be a nuisance to you anyway,” the miner said, “and it would be a dog-goned sight the best way to leave me here; but I know you won’t do that, so it ain’t no use my asking you. I expect I shall be all right to-morrow except for this shoulder, but just now my head is buzzing as if there was a swarm of wild bees inside.”

“You will be all the better when you have had a good sleep; I reckon we could all do a bit that way. Young Tom and Hunting Dog are going to try a bit of fishing with those hooks of yours. We talked about it when we started, you know, but we have not done anything until now. We want a change of food badly. We may be a month going down this cañon for anything I know, and if it keeps on like this there ain’t a chance of seeing a head of game. It ought to be a good place for fish at the foot of the rapids—that is, if there are any fish here, and I reckon there should be any amount of them. If they do catch some, we will wait here till we can dry a good stock. We have nothing now but the dried flesh and some of the big-horn. There ain’t above twenty pounds of flour left, and we could clear up all there is in the boat in a week. So you need not worry that you are keeping us.”

Half an hour later Hunting Dog and Tom put out in one of the canoes, and paddling to the foot of the rapids let the lines drop overboard, the hooks being baited with meat. It was not many minutes before the Indian felt a sharp pull. There was no occasion to play the fish, for the line was strong enough to hold a shark, and a trout of six pounds weight was soon laid in the bottom of the boat.

“My turn now,” Tom said; and the Indian with a smile took the paddle from his hand, and kept the boat up stream while Tom attended to the lines. Fish after fish was brought up in rapid succession, and when about mid-day a call from below told them that it was time for dinner, they had some thirty fish averaging five pounds’ weight at the bottom of the boat.

There was a shout of satisfaction from Harry as he looked down into the canoe, and even the chief gave vent to a grunt that testified his pleasure.

“Hand me up four of them, Tom; I did not know how much I wanted a change of food till my eyes lit on those beauties. We saw you pulling them out, but I did not expect it was going to be as good as this.”

The fish were speedily split open, and laid on ramrods over the fire.

“I reckon you will want another one for me,” Jerry, who had been asleep since they started, remarked. “I don’t know that I am good for one as big as those, but I reckon I can pick a bit anyhow.”

A small fish was put on with the others, and as soon as they were grilled, all set to at what seemed to Tom the best meal he had ever eaten in his life. He thought when he handed them to Harry that two would have been amply sufficient for them all, but he found no difficulty whatever in disposing of a whole one single-handed.

“Now, Tom, the chief and I will take our turn while you and Hunting Dog prepare your catch. He will show you how to do it, it is simple enough. Cut off the heads, split and clean them, run a skewer through to keep them flat, and then lay them on that rock in the sun to dry. Or wait, I will rig up a line between two of the rocks for you to hang them on. There is not much wind, but what there is will dry them better than if they were laid flat.”

Jerry went off to sleep again as soon as the meal was finished, and the bandages round his head re-wetted. The paddle from which the strips had been cut furnished wood for the skewers, and in the course of half an hour the fish were all hanging on a line. Twenty two more were brought in at sunset. Some of these, after being treated like the others, were hung in the smoke of the fire, while the rest were suspended like the first batch.

The next morning Jerry was able to move about, and the fishing went on all day, and by night a quantity, considered sufficient, had been brought ashore.

“There are over four hundred pounds altogether,” Harry said, “though by the time they are dried they won’t be more than half that weight. Two pounds of dried fish a man is enough to keep him going, and they will last us twenty days at that rate, and it will be hard luck if we don’t find something to help it out as we go down.”

They stopped another day to allow the drying to be completed. The fish were taken down and packed on board that evening, and at daylight they were afloat again. For the next ten days their labours were continuous. They passed several rapids as bad as the one that had cost them so dear; but as they gained experience they became more skilful in letting down the boats. Some days only two or three miles were gained, on others they made as much as twelve. At last they got out of the granite; beyond this the task was much easier, and on the fifteenth day after leaving their fishing-ground, they emerged from the cañon.

By this time Jerry had perfectly recovered, and was with great difficulty persuaded to keep his arm bandaged. He had chafed terribly at first at his helplessness, and at being unable to take any share in the heavy labours of the others; but after the rapids were passed he was more contented, and sat quietly at the bottom of the boat smoking, while Harry and Tom paddled, the two Indians forming the crew of the other canoe. The diet of fish had been varied by bear’s flesh, Leaping Horse having shot a large brown bear soon after they got through the rapids. A shout of joy was raised by the three whites as they issued from the gorge into a quiet valley, through which the river ran, a broad tranquil stream. Even the Indians were stirred to wave their paddles above their heads and to give a ringing whoop as their companions cheered. The boats were headed for the shore, and the camp was formed near a large clump of bushes.

Their joy at their deliverance from the dangers of the cañon was dashed only by the thought of the loss of their two comrades. The next day three short cañons were passed through, but these presented no difficulties, and in the afternoon they reached the mouth of the Rio Virgen, and continuing their journey arrived five days later at Fort Mojarve. This was a rising settlement, for it was here that the traders’ route between Los Angeles and Santa Fé crossed the Colorado. Their appearance passed almost unnoticed, for a large caravan had arrived that afternoon and was starting east the next morning.

“We had best hold our tongues about it altogether,” Harry said, as soon as he heard that the caravan was going on the next morning. “In the first place they won’t believe us, and that would be likely to lead to trouble; and in the next place we should be worried out of our lives with questions. Besides, we have got to get a fresh outfit, for we are pretty near in rags, and to buy horses, food, and kit. We can leave the boats on the shore, no one is likely to come near them.”

“I will stop and look after them,” Tom said. “There are the saddles, buffalo-robes, blankets, and ammunition. This shirt is in rags, and the last moccasins Hunting Dog made me are pretty nearly cut to pieces by the rocks. I would rather stay here and look after the boats than go into the village; besides, it will save you the trouble of carrying all these bags of gold about with you.”

Harry nodded, cut two of the little bags free from their lashings and dropped them into his pocket, and then went up to the Fort with Jerry and the Indians. Tom cut the other bags loose and put them on the ground beside him, threw a buffalo-robe over them, and then sat for some hours watching the quiet river and thinking over all they had gone through. It was almost dark when the others returned.

“It has taken us some time, Tom,” his uncle said as they threw some bundles down beside him; “the stores and clothes were easy enough, but we had a lot of trouble to find horses. However, we did not mind much what we paid for them, and the traders were ready to sell a few at the prices we offered. So we have got five riding horses and two pack-ponies, which will be enough for us. That bundle is your lot, riding breeches and boots, three pairs of stockings, two flannel shirts, a Mexican hat, and a silk neck handkerchief. We may as well change at once and go up to the village.”

The change was soon effected. Harry and Jerry Curtis had clothes similar to those they had bought for Tom, while the Indians wore over their shirts new deer-skin embroidered hunting-shirts, and had fringed Mexican leggings instead of breeches and boots. They, too, had procured Mexican sombreros. Taking their rifles and pistols, and hiding their stock of ammunition, the gold, and their buffalo-robes and blankets, they went up to the village. It was by this time quite dark: the houses were all lit up, and the drinking-shops crowded with the teamsters, who seemed bent on making a night of it, this being the last village through which they would pass until their arrival at Santa Fé.

They slept as usual, wrapped up in their buffalo-robes by the side of the boats, as all agreed that this was preferable to a close room in a Mexican house.

They were all a-foot as soon as daylight broke, and went up and breakfasted at a fonda, Tom enjoying the Mexican cookery after the simple diet he had been accustomed to. Then they went to the stable where the horses, which were strong serviceable-looking animals, had been placed, and put on their saddles and bridles.

The pack-horses were then laden with flour, tea, sugar, bacon, and other necessaries. By the time all was ready the caravan was just starting. Harry had spoken the afternoon before to two of its leaders, and said that he and four companions would be glad to ride with them to Santa Fé. Permission was readily granted, the traders being pleased at the accession of five well-armed men; for although Indian raids were comparatively rare along this trail, there was still a certain amount of danger involved in the journey. Some hours were occupied in crossing the river in two heavy ferry-boats, and the process would have been still longer had not half the waggons been sent across on the previous afternoon.

The long journey was made without incident, and no Indians were met with. A few deer were shot, but as it was now late in the autumn the scanty herbage on the plains was all withered up, and the game had for the most part moved away into deep valleys where they could obtain food.

The tale of their passage of the cañons was told more than once, but although it was listened to with interest, Harry perceived that it was not really believed. That they had been hunting, had been attacked by Indians, had made canoes and passed through some of the cañons was credible enough, but that they should have traversed the whole of the lower course of the Colorado, seemed to the traders, who were all men experienced in the country, simply incredible. The party stopped at Santa Fé a few days, and then started north, travelling through the Mexican villages, and finally striking across to Denver. At Santa Fé they had converted the contents of their bags into money, which had been equally shared among them. The Indians were not willing to accept more than the recognized monthly pay, but Harry would not hear of it.

“This has been no ordinary business, Leaping Horse,” he said warmly; “we have all been as brothers together, and for weeks have looked death in the face every hour, and we must share all round alike in the gold we have brought back. Gold is just as useful to an Indian as it is to a white man, and when you add this to the hoard you spoke of, you will have enough to buy as many horses and blankets as you can use all your lifetime, and to settle down in your wigwam and take a wife to yourself whenever you choose. I fancy from what you said, Hunting Dog has his eye on one of the maidens of your tribe. Well, he can buy her father’s favour now. The time is coming, chief, when the Indians of the plains will have to take to white men’s ways. The buffaloes are fast dying out, and in a few years it will be impossible to live by hunting, and the Indians will have to keep cattle and build houses and live as we do. With his money Hunting Dog could buy a tidy ranche with a few hundred head of cattle. Of course, he can hunt as much as he likes so long as there is any game left, but he will find that as his cattle increase, he will have plenty to look after at home.”

“We will take the gold if my brother wishes it,” the chief replied gravely. “He is wise, and though now it seems to Leaping Horse that red-skins have no need of gold, it may be that some day he and Hunting Dog may be glad that they have done as their brother wished.”

“Thank you, Leaping Horse. It will make my heart glad when I may be far away from you across the great salt water to know that there will always be comfort in my brother’s wigwam.”

On arriving at Denver they went straight to the Empire. As they entered the saloon Pete Hoskings looked hard at them.

“Straight Harry, by thunder!” he shouted; “and Jerry Curtis, and young Tom; though I would not have known him if he hadn’t been with the others. Well, this air a good sight for the eyes, and to-morrow Christmas-day. I had begun to be afeard that something had gone wrong with you, I looked for news from you nigh three months ago. I got the message you sent me in the spring, and I have asked every old hand who came along east since the end of August, if there had been any news of you, and I began to fear that you had been rubbed out by the Utes.”

“We have had a near escape of it, Pete; but it is a long story. Can you put us all up? You know Leaping Horse, don’t you? The other is his nephew.”

“I should think I do know Leaping Horse,” Pete said warmly, and went across and shook the Indian’s hand heartily.

“I was looking at you three, and did not notice who you had with you. In that letter the chap brought me, you said that the chief was going with you, and Sam Hicks and Ben Gulston. I did not know them so well; that is, I never worked with them, though they have stopped here many a time.”

“They have gone under, Pete. Sam was drowned in the Colorado, Ben shot by the Navahoes. We have all had some close calls, I can tell you. Well now, can you put us up?”

“You need not ask such a question as that, Harry,” Pete said in an aggrieved tone, “when you know very well that if the place was chock-full, I would clear the crowd out to make room for you. There are three beds in the room over this that will do for you three; and there is a room beside it as Leaping Horse and his nephew can have, though I reckon they won’t care to sleep on the beds.”

“No more shall we, Pete. We have been fifteen months and more sleeping in the open, and we would rather have our buffalo-robes and blankets than the softest bed in the world.”

“You must have had a cold time of it the last three months up in those
Ute hills, where you said you were going.”

“We left there five months ago, Pete. We have been down as low as Fort
Mojarve, and then crossed with a caravan of traders to Santa Fé.”

Pete began pouring out the liquor.

“Oh, you won’t take one, chief, nor the young brave. Yes; I remember you do not touch the fire-water, and you may be sure I won’t press you. Well, luck to you all, and right glad I am to see you again. Ah! here is my bartender. Now we will get a good fire lit in another room and hurry up supper, and then we will talk it all over. You have put your horses up, I suppose?”

“Yes; we knew you had no accommodation that way, Pete.”

The room into which Pete now led them was not his own sanctum, but one used occasionally when a party of miners coming in from the hills wanted to have a feast by themselves, or when customers wished to talk over private business. There was a table capable of seating some twelve people, a great stove, and some benches. A negro soon lighted a large fire; then, aided by a boy, laid the table, and it was not long before they sat down to a good meal. When it was over, Pete said:

“Lend me a hand, Jerry, to push this table aside, then we will bring the benches round the stove and hear all about it. I told the bar-tender that I am not to be disturbed, and that if anyone wants to see me he is to say that he has got to wait till to-morrow, for that I am engaged on important business. Here are brandy and whisky, and tobacco and cigars, and coffee for the chief and his nephew.”

“I think you may say for all of us, Pete,” Harry said. “After being a year without spirits, Jerry, Tom, and I have agreed to keep without them. We wouldn’t say no to you when you asked us to take a drink, and we have not sworn off, but Jerry and I have agreed that we have both been all the better without them, and mean to keep to it; and as for Tom, he prefers coffee.”

“Do as you please,” Pete said; “I am always glad to hear men say no. I have made a lot of money out of it, but I have seen so many fellows ruined by it that I am always pleased to see a man give up drink.”

“There is one thing, Pete,” Tom said, “before we begin. We left our bundles of robes and blankets in the next room, if you don’t mind I would a deal rather spread them out here—and I am sure the chief and Hunting Dog would—and squat down on them, instead of sitting on these benches. It is a long story uncle will have to tell you.”

“We will fetch ours too,” Harry agreed. “Benches are all well enough for sitting at the table to eat one’s dinner, but why a man should sit on them when he can sit on the ground is more than I can make out.”

Pete nodded. “I will have my rocking-chair in,” he said, “and then we shall be fixed up for the evening.”

The arrangements were soon made; pipes were lighted; the landlord sat in his chair at some little distance back from the front of the stove; Tom and the two Indians sat on their rugs on one side; Harry and Jerry Curtis completed the semicircle on the other.

“Well, in the first place, Pete,” Harry began, “you will be glad to hear that we have struck it rich—the biggest thing I have ever seen. It is up in the Ute country. We have staked out a claim for you next our own. There are about five hundred pounds of samples lying at Fort Bridger, and a bit of the rock we crushed, panned out five hundred ounces to the ton.”

“You don’t say!” Pete exclaimed. “If there is much of that stuff, Harry, you have got a bonanza.”

“There is a good bit of it anyhow, Pete. It is a true vein, and though it is not all like that, it keeps good enough. Fifty feet back we found it run twenty ounces. That is on the surface, we can’t say how it goes down in depth. Where we struck it on the face it was about fourteen feet high, and the lode kept its width for that depth anyhow.”

“That air good enough,” the landlord said. “Now, what do you reckon on doing?”

“The place is among the hills, Pete, and the Utes are hostile, and went very nigh rubbing us all out. We reckon it ought to be worked by a party of thirty men at least. They ought to be well armed, and must build a sort of fort. I don’t think the Utes would venture to attack them if they were of that strength. There is a little stream runs close to the vein, and if it were dammed up it would drive a couple of stamps, which, with a concentrator and tables and blankets, would be quite enough for such stuff as that. I reckon fifteen men will be quite enough to work, and to hold the fort. The other fifteen men would include three or four hunters, and the rest would go backwards and forwards to Bridger for supplies, and to take the gold down. They would be seven or eight days away at a time; and if there should be trouble with the red-skins they would always be back before those at the fort were really pressed. But we should not be alone long, the news that a rich thing had been struck would bring scores of miners up in no time.

“We have taken up our own ten claims, which will include, of course, the rich part. Then we have taken up the next eight or ten claims for our friends. As I said, we put yours next to ours. We have not registered them yet, but that will be the first job; and of course you and the others will each have to put a man on your claims to hold them. The lode shows on the other side of the creek, though not so rich; still plenty good enough to work. But as we shall practically get all the water, the lode cannot be worked by anyone but ourselves. Still the gravel is rich all down the creek, as rich as anything I have seen in California, and will be sure to be taken up by miners as soon as we are at work. So there will be no real danger of trouble from the Indians then. What we propose is this. We don’t what to sell out, we think it is good enough to hold, but we want to get a company to find the money for getting up the machinery, building a strong block-house with a palisade, laying in stores, and working the place. Jerry, Tom, and I would of course be in command, at any rate for the first year or so, when the rich stuff was being worked.”

“How much money do you think it will want, and what share do you think of giving, Harry?”

“Well, I should say fifty thousand dollars, though I believe half that would be enough. Not a penny would be required after the first ton of rock goes through the stamps. But we should have to take the stamps and ironwork from the railway terminus to Bridger, and then down. We might calculate on a month or six weeks in getting up the fort, making the leat and water-wheel, putting up the machinery, and laying down the flumes. Say two months from the time we leave Bridger to the time we begin to work. There would be the pay of the men all that time, the cost of transporting stores, and all that sort of thing; so it would be better to say fifty thousand dollars. What share ought we to offer for that?”

“Well, if you could bring that five hundredweight of stuff here and get it crushed up, and it turns out as good as you say, I could get you the money in twenty-four hours. I would not mind going half of it myself, and I should say that a quarter share would be more than good enough.”

“Well, we thought of a third, Pete.”

“Well, if you say a third you may consider that part of the business is done. You won’t be able to apply for claims in the names of Sam and Ben, and if you did it would be no good, because they could not assign them over to the company. There are eight claims without them, and the one you have put down in my name is nine. Well, I can get say eleven men in this place, who will give you an assignment of their claims for five dollars apiece. That is done every day. I just say to them, I am registering a share in your name in the Tom Cat Mine, write an assignment to me of it and I am good for five dollars’ worth of liquor, take it out as you like. The thing is as easy as falling off a log. Well, what are you thinking of doing next?”

“We shall buy a light waggon and team to-morrow or next day and drive straight over to Bridger, then we shall go to Salt Lake City and register our claims at the mining-office there. We need not give the locality very precisely. Indeed, we could not describe it ourselves so that anyone could find it, and nobody would go looking for it before spring comes and the snow clears. Besides, there are scores of wild-cat claims registered every year. Until they turn out good no one thinks anything of them. When we have got that done we will go back to Bridger, and fetch the rock over here. We will write to-morrow to Pittsburg for the mining outfit, for all the ironwork of the stamps, the concentrator, and everything required, with axes, picks, and shovels, blasting tools and powder, to be sent as far as they have got the railway.”

“But they will want the money with the order, Harry,” Pete said in a tone of surprise.

“They will have the money. We washed the gravel for a couple of months before the Utes lit on us, and after buying horses and a fresh outfit for us all at Fort Mojarve, we have between us got something like five thousand dollars in gold and greenbacks.”

“Jee-hoshaphat!” Pete exclaimed; “that was good indeed for two months’ work. Well, look here, there is no hurry for a few days about your starting back to Bridger. Here we are now, nearly at the end of December. It will take you a month to get there, say another fortnight to go on to Salt Lake City and register your claim and get back to Bridger, then it would be a month getting back here again; that would take you to the middle of March. Well, you see it would be pretty nigh the end of April before you were back at Bridger, then you would have to get your waggons and your men, and that would be too late altogether.

“You have got to pick your miners carefully, I can tell you; and it is not a job to be done in a hurry. When they see what gold there is in the rock they will soon set to work washing the gravel, and the day they do they will chuck up your work altogether. I will tell you what I would rather do, and that is, pick up green hands from the east. There are scores of them here now; men who have come as far as this, and can’t start west till the snows melt. You need not think anything more about the money. You tell me what you crushed is a fair sample of that five hundred pounds, and that is quite good enough for me, and the gravel being so rich is another proof of what the lode was when the stream cut through it. I can put the twenty-five thousand dollars down, and there are plenty of men here who will take my word for the affair and plank their money down too. If there weren’t I would put a mortgage on my houses, so that matter is done. To-morrow I will get the men whose names you are to give in for a claim each; it will be time in another two months to begin to look about for some steady chaps from the east, farmers’ sons and such like. That is, if you think that plan is a good one. I mean to see this thing through, and I shall go with you myself, and we three can do the blasting.”

“We shall be wanted to look after the stamps and pans,” Harry said. “We had best get three or four old hands for the rock.”

“Yes, that is best,” Pete said. “Between us it is hard if we can’t lay our hands upon men we can trust, and who will give us their word to stay with us if we offer them six dollars a day.”

“We might offer them ten dollars,” Harry said, “without hurting ourselves; but we can say six dollars to begin with, and put some more on afterwards.”

“There is old Mat Morgan,” Jerry put in. “I don’t know whether he is about here now. I would trust him. He is getting old for prospecting among the hills now, but he is as good a miner as ever swung a sledge-hammer, and as straight as they make them.”

“Yes, he is a good man,” Pete agreed. And after some talk they settled upon three others, all of whom, Pete said, were either in the town or would be coming in shortly.

“Now, you stop here for a week or two, or a month if you like, Harry, then you can go to Salt Lake City as you propose, and then go back to Bridger. If as you pass through you send me five-and-twenty pounds of that rock by express, it will make it easier for me to arrange the money affair. When you get back you might crush the rest up and send me word what it has panned out, then later on you can go down again to Salt Lake City and buy the waggons and flour and bacon, and take them back to Bridger. When March comes in, I will start from here with some waggons. We want them to take the machinery, and powder and tools, and the tea and coffee and things like that, of which we will make a list, on to Bridger, with the four men we pick out, if I can get them all; if not, some others in their place, and a score of young emigrants. I shall have no difficulty in picking out sober, steady chaps, for in a place like this I can find out about their habits before I engage them. However, there will be plenty of time to settle all those points. Now, let us hear all about your adventures. I have not heard about you since Tom left, except that he wrote me a short letter from Bridger saying that you had passed the winter up among the mountains by the Big Wind River. That you had had troubles with the Indians, and hadn’t been able to do much trapping or looking for gold.”

“Well, we will tell it between us,” Harry said, “for it is a long yarn.”

It was, indeed, past midnight before the story was all told. Long before it was finished the two Indians had taken up their rugs and gone up to their room, and although the other three had taken by turns to tell the tale of their adventures, they were all hoarse with speaking by the time they got through. Pete had often stopped them to ask question at various points where the narrators had been inclined to cut the story short.

“That beats all,” he said, when they brought it to an end. “Only to think that you have gone down the Grand Cañon. I would not have minded being with you when you were fighting the ‘Rappahoes or the Utes, but I would not try going down the cañons for all the gold in California. Well, look here, boys, I know that what you tell me is gospel truth, and all the men who know you well, will believe every word you say, but I would not tell the tale to strangers, for they would look on you as the all-firedest liars in creation.”

“We have learnt that already, Pete,” Harry laughed, “and we mean to keep it to ourselves, at any rate till we have got the mine at work. People may not believe the story of a man in a red shirt, and, mind you, I have heard a good many powerful lies told round a miner’s fire, but when it is known we have got a wonderfully rich gold mine, I fancy it will be different. The men would say, if fellows are sharp enough to find a bonanza, it stands to reason they may be sharp enough to find their way down a cañon. Now, let us be off to bed, for the heat of the stove has made me so sleepy that for the last hour I have hardly been able to keep my eyes open, and have scarcely heard a word of what Jerry and Tom have been saying.”

They only remained a few days at Denver. After the life they had been leading they were very speedily tired of that of the town, and at the end of a week they started on horseback, with a light waggon drawn by a good team, to carry their stores for the journey and to serve as a sleeping-place. There had been no question about the Indians accompanying them, this was regarded as a matter of course. It was by no means a pleasant journey. They had frequent snow-storms and biting wind, and had sometimes to work for hours to get the waggon out of deep snow, which had filled up gullies and converted them into traps. After a stay of three days at Fort Bridger to rest the animals, they went on to Utah, having forwarded the sample of quartz to Pete Hoskings.

A fortnight was spent at Salt Lake City. Waggons, bullocks, and stores were purchased, and Harry arranged with some teamsters to bring the waggons out to Fort Bridger as soon as the snow cleared from the ground.

On their return to Fort Bridger Harry and his companions pounded up the quartz that had been left there, and found that its average equalled that of the piece they had tried at the mine. The gold was packed in a box and sent to Pete Hoskings. A letter came back in return from him, saying that five of his friends had put in five thousand dollars each, and that he should start with the stores and machinery as soon as the track was clear of snow. The season was an early one, and in the middle of April he arrived with four large waggons and twenty active-looking young emigrants, and four miners, all of whom were known to Harry. There was a good deal of talk at Bridger about the expedition, and many offered to take service in it. But when Harry said that the lode they were going to prospect was in the heart of the Ute country, and that he himself had been twice attacked by the red-skins, the eagerness to accompany him abated considerably.

The fact, too, that it was a vein that would have to be worked by machinery, was in itself sufficient to deter solitary miners from trying to follow it up. Scarce a miner but had located a score of claims in different parts of the country, and these being absolutely useless to them, without capital to work them with, they would gladly have disposed of them for a few dollars. It was not, therefore, worth while to risk a perilous journey merely on the chance of being able to find another vein in the neighbourhood of that worked by Harry and the men who had gone into it with him. There was, however, some surprise among the old hands when Pete Hoskings arrived with the waggons.

“What! Have you cut the saloon, Pete, and are you going in for mining again?” one of them said as he alighted from his horse.

Pete gave a portentous wink.

“I guess I know what I am doing, Joe Radley. I am looking after the interests of a few speculators at Denver, who have an idea that they are going to get rich all of a sudden. I was sick of the city, and it just suited me to take a run and to get out of the place for a few months.”

“Do you think it is rich, Pete?”

“One never can say,” Hoskings replied with a grin. “We are not greenhorns any of us, and we know there is no saying how things are going to turn out. Straight Harry has had a run of bad luck for the last two years, and I am glad to give him a shoulder up, you know. I reckon he won’t come badly off any way it turns out.”

It was not much, but it was quite enough to send a rumour round the fort that Pete Hoskings had been puffing up a wild-cat mine in Denver for the sake of getting Straight Harry appointed boss of the expedition to test it.

Everything was ready at Bridger, and they delayed but twenty-four hours there. The teams had arrived from Salt Lake City with the stores a week before, and the eight waggons set off together. Pete, the three partners, the two Indians, and the four miners were all mounted. There were eight other horses ridden by as many of the young fellows Pete had brought with him, the rest walked on foot. They marched directly for the mine, as with such a force it was not necessary to make a detour over the bad lands. At the first halting-place some long cases Pete had brought with him were opened, and a musket handed to each of the emigrants, together with a packet of ammunition.

“Now,” Pete said, “if the Utes meddle with us we will give them fits.
But I reckon they will know better than to interfere with us.”

The rate of progress with the heavy waggons was necessarily very much slower than that at which the party had travelled on their previous journey, and it was not until the afternoon of the eighth day after starting, that they came down into the valley. A halt was made at the former camping-place in the grove of trees, and the next morning Pete and the miners went up with Harry and his friends to choose a spot for the fort, and to examine the lode. As soon as the earth was scraped away from the spot from which the rock had been taken, exclamations of astonishment broke from the miners. They had been told by Pete that Harry had struck it rich, but all were astonished at the numerous particles and flakes of gold that protruded from the rock. Pete had forwarded early in the spring to Harry the list of the claimants to the mine, and the latter and Tom had ridden over to Salt Lake City a few days before the waggons came up from there to register the claims at the mining-office, and the first step was to stake out these claims upon the lode.

“It doesn’t run like this far,” Harry said to the miners, “and I reckon that beyond our ground it doesn’t run above two ounces to the ton, so I don’t think it is worth while your taking up claims beyond. Of course, you can do so if you like, and we will allow you an hour off every few days during the season to work your claims enough to keep possession, and of an evening you can do a bit of washing down below. You will find it good-pay dirt everywhere. At least we did as far as we tried it.”

They now fixed on the site for the fort. It was upon the top of the bank, some twenty yards above the lode, and it was settled there should be a strong double palisade running down from it to the stream, so that in case of siege they could fetch water without being exposed to the bullets of an enemy taking post higher up the creek. Among the men from Denver were two or three experienced carpenters, and a blacksmith, for whose use a portable forge had been brought in the waggons.

The party returned to breakfast, and as soon as this was over the teams were put in and the waggons were brought up and unloaded, the stores being protected from wet by the canvas that formed the tilts. Some of the men accustomed to the use of the axe had been left in the valley to fell trees, and as soon as the waggons were unloaded they were sent down to bring up timber. All worked hard, and at the end of the week a log-hut fifty feet long and twenty-five feet wide had been erected. The walls were five feet high, and the roof was formed of the trunks of young trees squared, and laid side by side.

As rain fell seldom in that region it was not considered necessary to place shingles over them, as this could, in case of need, be done later on. The door opened out into the passage between the palisades down to the water, and the windows were all placed on the same side, loopholes being cut at short intervals round the other three sides. Another fortnight completed the preparations for work. The stamps were erected, with the water-wheel to work them; the stream dammed a hundred yards up, and a leat constructed to bring the water down to the wheel.

The waggons were formed up in a square. In this the horses were shut every night, four of the men by turns keeping guard there. During the last few days the miners had been at work blasting the quartz, and as soon as the stamps and machinery were in position they were ready to begin. The men were all told off to various duties, some to carry the rock down to the stamps, others to break it up into convenient sizes; two men fed the stamps, others attended to the concentrator and blankets, supervised by Harry. It was the duty of some to take the horses down to the valley and guard them while they were feeding, and bring them back at night. Two men were to bake and cook, Pete Hoskings taking this special department under his care. Jerry worked with the miners, and Tom was his uncle’s assistant.

The stamps were to be kept going night and day, and each could crush a ton in twenty-four hours. To their great satisfaction each of the men was allowed one day a week to himself, during which he could prospect for other lodes or wash gravel as he pleased. The old cradle was found where it had been left, and as five of the men were off duty each day, they formed themselves into gangs and worked the cradle by turns, adding very considerably to the liberal pay they received. The two Indians hunted, and seldom returned without game of some sort or other. As the quicksilver in the concentrator was squeezed by Harry or Tom, and the blankets washed by them, none but themselves knew what the returns were. They and their partners were, however, more than satisfied with the result, for although the lode was found to pinch in as they got lower, it maintained for the first six weeks the extraordinary average of that they had first crushed.

At the end of that time the Indians reported that they had seen traces of the Utes having visited the valley. The number of men who went down with the horses was at once doubled, one or other of the Indians staying down with them, preceding them in the morning by half an hour to see that the valley was clear. A week later the horses were seen coming back again a quarter of an hour after they had started. The men caught up their guns, which were always placed handy for them while at work, and ran out to meet the returning party.

“What is it, Hunting Dog?”

“A large war-party,” the Indian replied. “Three hundred or more.”

The horses were driven into the inclosure, half the men took their places among the waggons, and the others, clustered round the hut, prepared to enter it as soon as the Indians made their appearance.

The partners had already arranged what course to take if the Indians should come down on them, and were for all reasons most anxious that hostilities should if possible be avoided.

Presently the Indians were seen approaching at a gallop. As soon as they caught sight of the log-house and the inclosure of waggons they reined in their horses. The men had been ordered to show themselves, and the sight of some forty white men all armed with rifles brought the Indians to a dead stand-still.

Pete Hoskings went forward a little and waved a white cloth, and then Harry and the chief, leaving their rifles behind them stepped up to his side and held their arms aloft. There was a short consultation among the Indians, and then two chiefs dismounted, handed their rifles and spears to their men, and in turn advanced. Harry and Leaping Horse went forward until they met the chiefs halfway between the two parties. Harry began the conversation.

“Why do my red brothers wish to fight?” he asked. “We are doing them no harm. We are digging in the hills. Why should we not be friends?”

“The white men killed many of the Utes when they were here last year,” one of the chiefs replied. “Why do they come upon the Utes’ land?”

“It was the fault of the Utes,” Harry said. “The white men wished only to work in peace. The Utes tried to take their scalps, and the white men were forced against their will to fight. No one can be blamed for defending his life. We wish for peace, but, as the Utes can see, we are quite ready to defend ourselves. There are forty rifles loaded and ready, and, as you may see, a strong house. We have no fear. Last time we were but few, but the Utes found that it was not easy to kill us. Now we are many, and how many of the Utes would die before they took our scalps? Nevertheless we wish for peace. The land is the land of the Utes, and although we are strong and could hold it if we chose, we do not wish to take it by force from our red brothers. We are ready to pay for the right to live and work quietly. Let the chiefs go back to their friends and talk together, and say how many blankets and how many guns and what weight of ammunition and tobacco they will be content with. Then if they do not ask too much, the white men will, so long as they remain here, pay that amount each year in order that they may live in peace with the Utes.”

The two Indians glanced at each other. “My white brother is wise,” one said. “Why did he not tell the Utes so last year?”

“Because you never gave us time, chief. If you had done so we would have said the same to you then, and your young men would be with you now; but you came as enemies upon us, and when the rifle is speaking the voice is silent.”

“I will speak with my braves,” the chief said gravely. And turning round they walked back to their party, while Harry and the chief returned to the huts.

“What do you think, chief? Will it be peace?”

Leaping Horse nodded. “Too many rifles,” he said. “The Utes will know they could never take block-house.”

It was nearly two hours before the two Utes advanced as before, and
Harry and the Seneca went out to meet them.

“My white brother’s words are good,” the chief said. “The Utes are great warriors, but they do not wish to fight against the white men who come as friends. The chiefs have talked with their braves, and the hatchets will be buried. This is what the Utes ask that the white men who have taken their land shall pay them.”

Harry had arranged that the chief, who spoke the Ute language more perfectly than he did, should take charge of the bargaining. On the list being given Leaping Horse assumed an expression of stolid indifference.

“The land must be very dear in the Ute country,” he said. “Do my brothers suppose that the white men are mad that they ask such terms? Peace would be too dear if bought at such a price. They are willing to deal liberally with the Utes, but not to give as much as would buy twenty hills. They will give this.” And he enumerated a list of articles, amounting to about one quarter of the Indians’ demands.

The bargaining now went on in earnest, and finally it was settled that a quantity of goods, amounting to about half the Indians’ first demand, should be accepted, and both parties returned to their friends well satisfied.

A certain amount of goods had been brought out with a view to such a contingency, and half the amount claimed was handed over to the Utes. They had, indeed, more than enough to satisfy the demands, but Leaping Horse had suggested to Harry that only a portion should be given, as otherwise the Indians might suppose that their wealth was boundless. It would be better to promise to deliver the rest in three months’ time. A dozen of the principal men of the Utes came over. The goods were examined and accepted, the calumet of peace was smoked and a solemn covenant of friendship entered into, and by the next morning the Indians had disappeared.

One end of the hut had been partitioned off for the use of the leaders of the party, and the gold obtained each day was carried by them there and deposited in a strong iron box, of which several had been brought by Pete Hoskings from Denver.

The day after the Indians left, a waggon, was sent off under the escort of eight mounted labourers to Bridger, and this continued to make the journey backward and forward regularly with the boxes of gold, Jerry and Pete Hoskings taking it by turns to command the escort. Harry and Pete had had a talk with the officer in command at Bridger on the evening before they had started on the expedition.

“You think you are going to send in a large quantity of gold?” the officer asked.

“If the mines are such as we think, Major, we may be sending down two or three hundredweight a month.”

“Of course, the gold will be perfectly safe as long as it is in the fort, but if it gets known how much there is, you will want a strong convoy to take it across to the railway, and it would not be safe even then. Of course, the bulk is nothing. I should say at any rate you had better get it in here with as little fuss as possible.”

“If you will keep it here for awhile,” Pete said, “we will think over afterwards how it is to be taken further.”

The officer nodded. “It mayn’t turn out as difficult a business as you think,” he said with a smile. “You are both old hands enough to know that mines very seldom turn out as rich as they are expected to do.”

“We both know that,” Pete Hoskings agreed. “I dunno as I ever did hear of a mine that turned out anything nigh as good as it ought to have done from samples, but I reckon that this is going to be an exception.”

When within a few miles of the fort the escort always placed their rifles in the waggon and rode on some distance ahead of it, only one or two with their leader remaining by it. The boxes, which were of no great size, were covered by a sack or two thrown down in the corner of the waggon, and on its arrival in the fort it was taken first to the store, where a considerable quantity of provisions, flour, molasses, bacon, tea and sugar, currants and raisins, and other articles were purchased and placed in it. This was the ostensible purpose of the journey to the fort. Late in the evening Jerry or Pete, whichever happened to be the leader, and one of the men, carried the boxes across to the Major’s quarters and stored them in a cellar beneath it.

There was a real need of provisions at the mine, for the population of the valley rapidly increased as the season went on. The upper part of the bed of the stream had been staked out into claims, the miners and other men each taking up one, but below them the ground was of course open to all, and although not nearly so rich as the upper gravel it was good enough to pay fairly for working. A stout palisading now surrounded the ground taken up by the machinery and the mine itself, and no one except those engaged by the company were allowed to enter here. Considerable surprise was felt in the camp when the first two or three miners came up and staked out claims on the stream.

“I wonder how they could have heard of it,” Tom said to his uncle.

“The fact that we are remaining out here is enough to show that we are doing something, anyhow. The men who go in are always strictly ordered to say no word about what our luck is, but the mere fact that they hold their tongues—and you may be sure they are questioned sharply—is enough to excite curiosity, and these men have come to find out and see what the country is like, and to prospect the hills round where we are working. You will see a lot of them here before long.”

As more came up it was determined to open a store. In the first place it furnished an explanation for the waggon going down so often, and in the second the fact that they were ready to sell provisions at cost prices would deter others from coming and setting up stores. There was no liquor kept on the mine, and Pete and Harry were very anxious that no places for its sale should be opened in the valley.

During the winter and spring Tom had received several letters from his sisters. They expressed themselves as very grateful for the money that he and their uncle had sent on their return to Denver, but begged them to send no more, as the school was flourishing and they were perfectly able to meet all their expenses. “It is very good of you, Tom,” Carry said. “Of course, we are all very pleased to know that you have been able to send the money, because it relieves our anxiety about you; but we really don’t want it, and it makes us afraid that you are stinting yourself. Besides, even if you are not, it would be much better for you to keep the money, as you may find some opportunity of using it to your advantage, while here it would only lie in the bank and do no good. It would be different if we had nothing to fall back upon in case of anything happening, such as some of us getting ill, or our having a case of fever in the school, or anything of that sort, but as we have only used fifty pounds of mother’s money we have plenty to go on with for a very long time; so that really we would very much rather you did not send us any over. Now that we know your address and can write to you at Fort Bridger, it seems to bring you close to us. But we have had two very anxious times; especially the first, when we did not hear of you for six months. The second time was not so bad, as you had told us that it might be a long time before we should hear, and we were prepared for it, but I do hope it will never be so long again.”

There had been some discussion as to whether the mine should be shut down in winter, but it was soon decided that work should go on regularly. Six more stamps were ordered to be sent from the east, with a steam-engine powerful enough to work the whole battery, and in September this and other machinery had reached the mine. Fresh buildings had been erected—a storehouse, a house for the officers, and a shed covering the whole of the machinery and yard. By the time this was all ready and in place the valley below was deserted, the gravel having been washed out to the bed-rock. No other lodes of sufficient richness to work had been discovered by the prospectors, and with winter at hand there was no inducement for them to stay longer there.

Only two or three of the men at the mine wished to leave when their engagement for the season terminated. All had been well paid, and had in addition made money at gold-washing. Their food had been excellent, and their comforts attended to in all ways. Accordingly, with these exceptions all were ready to renew their engagements.

An arrangement was made with the Major at Fort Bridger for an escort under a subaltern officer to proceed with two waggons with the treasure to Denver. Pete Hoskings and Jerry were to remain as managers of the mine throughout the winter. Harry and Tom had made up their minds to go to England and to return in the spring. The ore was now very much poorer than it had been at first. The lode had pinched out below and they had worked some distance along it. The falling off, however, was only relative; the mine was still an extraordinarily rich one, although it contained little more than a tenth of the gold that had been extracted from the first hundred and fifty tons crushed.

None but Harry, Pete Hoskings, Jerry, and Tom had any idea of the amount of gold extracted in less than six months, although the miners were well aware that the amount must be very large. It was so indeed, for after repaying the amount expended in preliminary expenses, together with the new machinery, the wages of the men, provisions, and all outgoings, they calculated the treasure sent down to be worth one hundred and twenty-eight thousand pounds, while the mine if sold would fetch at least double that sum. After a hearty farewell to Pete and Jerry, Harry and Tom with the two Indians rode with the last waggon down to Bridger. The iron boxes had all been sewn up in deer-skins when they were sent down, and at night they were placed in the waggons by Harry and his companions. Over them were placed the provisions for the journey, as it was just as well that even the soldiers should not suspect the amount of treasure they were escorting.

They encountered some severe snow-storms by the way, but reached Denver without incident. The place had wonderfully changed since Tom had arrived there more than two years before. It had trebled in size; broad streets and handsome houses had been erected, and the town had spread in all directions. They drove straight to the bank, to which Pete Hoskings had sent down a letter a fortnight before they had started, and the boxes were taken out of the waggon and carried down into the vaults of the bank. A handsome present was made to each of the soldiers of the escort, a brace of revolvers was given by Harry to the subaltern, and the handsomest watch and chain that could be purchased in Denver was sent by him to the Major, with an inscription expressing the thanks of the company to him for his kindness.

“Well, Tom, I am thankful that that is off my mind,” Harry said. “I have had a good many troubles in the course of my life, but this is the first time that money has ever been a care to me. Well, we are rich men, Tom, and we shall be richer, for the mine will run another two or three years before it finishes up the lode as far as we have traced it, and as we have now filed claims for a quarter of a mile farther back, it may be good for aught I know for another ten years. Not so good as it has been this year, but good enough to give handsome profits. Have you calculated what our share is?”

“No, uncle. I know it must be a lot, but I have never thought about what each share will be.”

“Well, to begin with, a third of it goes to Pete Hoskings and his friends, that leaves eighty-five thousand. The remainder is divided into seven shares; I was to have two, the Indians three between them, you one, and Jerry one. His share is then about twelve thousand, which leaves seventy-three thousand between you and me. Of course, we shall divide equally.”

“No, indeed, uncle; that would be ridiculous. I have been of very little use through it all, and I certainly ought not to have as much as Jerry. You and the chief discovered it, and it was entirely owing to you that any of the rest of us have a share of the profits, and of course your arrangement with the two Indians is only because the chief is so fond of you.”

“Partly that, Tom; but chiefly because it is in accordance with red-skin customs. They are hunters, fighters, and guides, but they are not miners, and they never go in for shares in an enterprise of this sort. It went very much against the grain for Leaping Horse to take that three or four hundred pounds that came to him at the end of the last expedition, and he would be seriously offended if I were to press upon him more than his ordinary payment now; he would say that he has been simply hunting this year, that he has run no risks, and has had nothing to do with the mine. To-morrow morning we will go out to see what there is in the way of horse-flesh in Denver, and will buy him and Hunting Dog the two best horses in the town, whatever they may cost, with saddles, bridles, new blankets, and so on. If I can get anything special in the way of rifles I shall get a couple of them, and if not I shall get them in New York, and send them to him at Bridger. These are presents he would value infinitely more than all the gold we have stowed away in the bank to-day. He is going back to his tribe for the winter, and he and Hunting Dog will be at the mine before us next spring.”

In the morning Harry was two hours at the bank, where he saw the gold weighed out, and received a receipt for the value, which came to within a hundred pounds of what they had calculated, as the dust had been very carefully weighed each time it was sent off. In accordance with the arrangement he had made with Pete Hoskings and Jerry the amount of their respective shares was placed to their credit at the bank. Drawing a thousand pounds in cash, he received a draft for the rest upon a firm at New York, where he would be able to exchange it for one on London. He then inquired at the hotel as to who was considered to possess the best horses in the town, and as money was no object to him, he succeeded in persuading the owners to sell two splendid animals; these with the saddles were sent to the hotel. He then bought two finely finished Sharpe’s rifles of long range, and two brace of silver-mounted revolvers.

“Now, Tom,” he said, “I shall give one of these outfits to the chief and you give the other to Hunting Dog; he has been your special chum since we started, and the presents will come better from you than from me. I expect them here in half an hour; I told them I should be busy all the morning.”

The two Indians were delighted with their presents, even the chief being moved out of his usual impassive demeanour. “My white brothers are too good. Leaping Horse knows that Straight Harry is his friend; he does not want presents to show him that; but he will value them because he loves his white brothers, even more than for themselves.” As for Hunting Dog, he was for a long time incredulous that the splendid horse, the rifle and pistols could really be for him, and he was so exuberant in his delight that it was not until Leaping Horse frowned at him severely that he subsided into silent admiration of the gifts.

“Here are papers, chief, that you and Hunting Dog had better keep: they are the receipts for the two horses, and two forms that I have had witnessed by a lawyer, saying that we have given you the horses in token of our gratitude for the services that you have rendered; possibly you may find them useful. You may fall in with rough fellows who may make a pretence that the horses have been stolen. Oh, yes! I know that you can hold your own; still, it may avoid trouble.”

They had now no further use for their horses, so these were sold for a few pounds. They purchased a stock of clothes sufficient only for their journey to England.

“You may as well put your revolver in your pocket, Tom,” Harry said as they prepared to start the next day. “I have sewn up the draft in the lining of my coat, but sometimes a train gets held up and robbed, and as we have six hundred pounds in gold and notes in our wallets, I certainly should not give it up without a fight.”

The Indians accompanied them to the station. “Now, chief, you take my advice and look out for a nice wife before next spring. You are forty now, and it is high time you thought of settling down.”

“Leaping Horse will think over it,” the Seneca said gravely. “It may be that in the spring he will have a wigwam in the valley.”

A few minutes later the train started east, and five days later they reached New York. A steamer left the next day for England, and in this they secured two first-class berths; and although Tom had managed very well on his way out, he thoroughly enjoyed the vastly superior comfort of the homeward trip. They went straight through to Southampton, for, as Harry said, they could run up to London and get their clothes any day; and he saw that Tom was in a fever of excitement to get home. Harriet came to the door of the little house at Southsea when they knocked. She looked surprised at seeing two gentlemen standing there. In the two years and a half that had passed since Tom had left he had altered greatly. He had gone through much toil and hardship, and the bronze of the previous summer’s sun was not yet off his cheeks; he had grown four or five inches, and the man’s work that he had been doing had made almost a man of him.

“Don’t you know me, Harriet?” Tom said.

The girl at once recognized the voice, and with a loud cry of delight threw her arms round his neck. The cry brought Carry out from the parlour. “Why, Harriet,” she exclaimed, “have you gone mad?”

“Don’t you see it’s Tom?” Harriet said, turning round, laughing and crying together.

“It is Tom, sure enough, Carry; you need not look so incredulous; and this is Uncle Harry.”

There were a few minutes of wild joy, then they calmed down and assembled in the sitting-room.

“It is lucky the girls have all gone home to dinner,” Carry said, “or they would certainly have carried the news to their friends that we were all mad. It is a half-holiday too, nothing could be more fortunate. Now we want to hear everything. Tom’s letters were so short and unsatisfactory, uncle, that he told us next to nothing, except that you had found a mine, and that you were both working there, and that it was satisfactory.”

“Well, my dears, that is the pith of the thing,” Harry said. “The first thing for you to do is to send round notes to the mothers of these children saying that from unforeseen circumstances you have retired from the profession, and that the school has finally closed from this afternoon.”

There was a general exclamation from the girls:

“What do you mean, uncle?”

“I mean what I say, girls. Tom and I have made our fortunes, and there is no occasion for you to go on teaching any longer. We have not yet made any plans for the future, but at any rate the first step is, that there is to be no more teaching.”

“But are you quite, quite sure, uncle?” Carry said doubtfully. “We are getting on very nicely now, and it would be a pity to lose the connection.”

Harry and Tom both laughed.

“Well, my girl,” the former said, “that is of course a point to be thought of. But as Tom and I have over thirty-five thousand pounds apiece, and the mine will bring us in a good round sum for some years to come, I think we can afford to run the risk of the connection going.”

After that it was a long while before they settled down to talk quietly again.

A week later they all went up to London for a month, while what Harry called “outfits” were purchased for the girls, as well as for him and Tom, and all the sights of London visited. Before their story came to an end, the grand consultation as to future plans had been held, and a handsome house purchased at Blackheath.

Tom did not return to Utah in the spring; his uncle strongly advised him not to do so.

“I shall go back myself, Tom; partly because I should feel like a fish out of water with nothing to do here, partly because I promised the chief to go back for a bit every year. I am beginning to feel dull already, and am looking forward to the trip across the water, but it will certainly be better for you to stay at home. You left school early, you see, and it would be a good thing for you to get a man to come and read with you for two or three hours a day for the next year or two. We have settled that the three younger girls are to go to school; and I don’t see why you, Carry, and Janet, should not go, in the first place, for two or three months on to the Continent. They have had a dull life since you have been away, and the trip will be a treat for them, and perhaps do you some good also. It will be time enough to settle down to reading when you come back.”

The mine returned large profits that year, the increased amount stamped making up to some extent for the falling off in the value of the ore, and the shares of the various proprietors were more than half what they had been at the end of the first season’s work. The third year it fell off considerably. There was a further decrease the year after, and the fifth year it barely paid its expenses, and it was decided to abandon it. Harry Wade went over every season for many years, but spent only the first at the mine. After that he went hunting expeditions with Leaping Horse, who, to his amusement, had met him at his first return to the mine with a pretty squaw, and Hunting Dog had also brought a wife with him. Two wigwams were erected that year near the mine, but after that they returned to their tribe, of which Leaping Horse became the leading chief.

Tom’s sisters all in due time married, each being presented on her wedding-day with a cheque for ten thousand pounds, as a joint present from her uncle and brother.

Tom himself did not remain a bachelor, but six years after his return to England took a wife to himself, and the house at Blackheath was none too large for his family. Harry Wade’s home is with Tom, and he is still hale and hearty. Up to the last few years he paid occasional visits to America, and stayed for a while with his red brother Leaping Horse, when they lamented together over the disappearance of game and the extinction of the buffalo. Hunting Dog had, at Harry’s urgent advice, settled down in the ways of civilization, taking up a ranche and breeding cattle, of which he now owns a large herd. Jerry Curtis and Pete Hoskings made a journey together to Europe after the closing of the mine. They stayed for a month at Blackheath, and ten years later Tom received a lawyer’s letter from Denver saying that Peter Hoskings was dead, and that he had left his large house and other property in Denver to Mr. Thomas Wade’s children. Jerry still lives at the age of seventy-five in that city.