To Win or to Die Part 25

"We'll do the same," said Dallas; and, the weather being brilliant and the air exhilarating to a degree, they set to work cutting pegs for driving down to make out their claim, Norton reminding them that they would have certain applications to make afterwards to the government agency, and then began to cut down small trees for building their shanty.

To their surprise and delight, four of the neighbours came, axe-armed, to help, so that the task was made comparatively easy.

At the end of a week a rough, strong, habitable home was made, door, window, shutter and bars included, two of their helpers having come provided with a pit-saw for cutting the bigger pine-trunks up into rough boards, which were to be paid for out of the first gold winnings the young men made.

Within another week they were out of debt, for, to their intense delight, the claim promised well, the shaft they had commenced and the banks of the little river yielding enough gold to set them working every minute they could see.

But the reality did not come up to the dazzling dream in which they had indulged, either in their case or that of the men they encountered.

There was the gold, and they won it from the soil; but it was only by hard labour and in small quant.i.ties, which were stored up in a leathern bag and placed in the bank--this being a hole formed under Abel's bed, covered first with a few short pieces of plank, and then with dry earth.

The store increased as the time went on, but then it decreased when an expedition had to be made to the settlement below to fetch more provisions, the country around supplying them with plenty of fuel and clear drinking water, but little else. Now and then there was the rumour of a moose being seen, and a party would turn out and shoot it, when there was feasting while it lasted; but these days were few.

Occasionally, too, either Dallas or Abel would stroll round with his gun and get a few ptarmigan or willow grouse. On lucky days, too, a brace of wild ducks would fall to their shot; but these excursions were rare, for there was the one great thirst to satisfy--that for the gold; and for the most part their existence during the brief summer was filled up by hard toil, digging and cradling the gold-bearing gravel, while they lived upon coa.r.s.e bacon, beans, and ill-made cakey bread, tormented horribly the while by the mosquitoes, which increased by myriads in the sunny time.

Then came the days when the wretched little insect pests began to grow rarer.

"We shall not be able to work as late as this much longer," said Dallas.

"No," replied Abel; "the days are getting horribly short, and the nights terribly long. The dark winter will be upon us directly, and we seem to get no farther."

"We may turn up trumps at any moment, old fellow," said Dallas cheerily.

"Yes, we may," said Abel gloomily.

"Don't take it like that," cried Dallas. "Here we are in the gold region, and every day we find nuggets."

"Weighing two or three grains apiece."

"Exactly; but at any moment we might at a turn of the shovel lay them bare weighing ounces or even pounds."

"Pigs might fly," said Abel.

"Bah! Where's your pluck? Work away."

"Oh, yes, I'll work," said Abel; "but with the dreary winter coming on one can't help feeling a bit depressed. I say, I'm very glad we never sent a message to old Tregelly and his mates to come and join us."

"Well, it would have turned out rather crusty," said Dallas, who was shovelling gravel into the cradle, while Abel stood over his ankle in the stream, rocking away and stopping from time to time to pick out some tiny speck of gold.

"We shall never make our fortunes at this," he said.

"Bah! Don't be in a hurry. At all events, we are in safety. No fear of dangerous visitors, and--Here, quick--the hut--your rifle, man!

Run!"

Abel sprang to the sh.o.r.e, to be seized by the arm, and they ran for their weapons and shelter.

None too soon, for a big burly figure had come into sight from among the pines, stopped short, and brought down his rifle, as he stood shading his eyes and scanning the retreating pair.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.

TREGELLY SEEKS HIS SONS.

"Ahoy, there! What cheer, O!" rang out in a big bluff voice familiar to both.

"Oh, I say, what curs we are!" cried Dallas. "It's old Tregelly."

"Yes; don't let him know we were scared."

Vain advice. The big Cornishman shouldered his rifle, bent forward, and dragged a sledge into sight, broke into a trot, and they met half-way.

"Hullo, my sons! Did you take me for an Injun?" cried Tregelly.

"We took you for that big, red-bearded ruffian," said Dallas huskily, as he shook hands.

"Thankye, my son; on'y don't do it again. I don't like the compliment.

But how are you?--how are you?"

"Oh, middling. We were just thinking about you."

"Were you, my sons?" cried the big Cornishman, smiling all over his broad face. "That's right. Well, I was thinking about you, and wondering whether I should find you, and here you are first go."

"But how did you find us?" cried Dallas, after shaking hands warmly.

"Went back to Yukon Town a fortni't ago, and the chap there at the hotel told me you were still up here, for one of you came down now and then to buy stores."

"Did you see the judge?"

"Oh, yes, he's there still."

"Made his pile?"

"No-o-o! Done pretty tidy, I believe."

"And what about Redbeard and Company? Heard anything of that firm?"

"Yes; heard that they'd been seen by somebody, my son. There'd been a poor fellow done for up the country, and some gold carried off. They got the credit of it; but give a dog a bad name and--you know the rest.

I should say they're all dead by now."

"But why didn't you send for us?" said Abel.

"Why didn't you send for me?"

"Well," said Dallas drily, "it was out of good fellows.h.i.+p. We were afraid it would be more than you could bear to get so rich. But where are your comrades?"

"Gone home," said Tregelly, in a tone of voice that the two young men took to mean, "Don't ask questions!"

"But you've found a lot?" said Dallas.