The Silver Canyon Part 9

Just then Dr Lascelles crept up cautiously behind him, making him start and turn scarlet as a hand was laid upon his shoulder; for it seemed to him as if the Doctor had been able to read his thoughts.

"Why, Bart," he said, smiling, "you look as red as fire; you ought to look as pale as milk. Do you want to begin the fight?"

"No," said Bart, st.u.r.dily; "I hope we shan't have to fight at all, for it seems very horrid to have to shoot at a man."

"Ever so much more horrid for a man to shoot at you," said Joses in a hoa.r.s.e whisper as he crawled up behind them. "I'd sooner shoot twelve, than twelve should shoot me."

"Why have you left your post?" said the Doctor, looking at him sternly.

"Came to say, master, that I think young miss aren't safe. She will keep showing herself, and watching to see if you are all right, and that'll make the Indians, if they come, all aim at her."

"You are right, Joses," said the Doctor, hastily; and he went softly back to the waggon, while Joses went on in a grumbling whisper:

"I don't know what he wanted to bring her for. Course we all like her, Master Bart, but it scares me when I think of what it might lead to if we get hard pressed some of these days."

"Don't croak, Joses," whispered Bart; and then they were both silent and remained watching, for the chief held up his hand, pointing towards the rocks beyond, which they knew that their enemies were pa.s.sing, and whose tops they scanned lest at any moment some of the painted warriors might appear searching the valley with their keen dark eyes.

The hours pa.s.sed, and the rocks around them grew painfully heated by the ardent rays that beat down upon them. Not a breath of air reached the corner where such anxious guard was kept; and to add to the discomfort of the watchers, a terrible thirst attacked them.

Bart's lips seemed cracking and his throat parched and burning, but this was all borne in fort.i.tude; and as he saw the Indians on either side of him, bearing the inconveniences without a murmur, he forebore to complain.

Towards mid-day, when the heat was tremendous, and Bart was wondering why the chief or Dr Lascelles did not make some movement to see whether the strange Indians had gone, and at the same time was ready to declare to himself that the men sent out as scouts must have gone to sleep, he felt a couple of hands placed upon his shoulders from behind, pressing him down, and then a long brown sinewy arm was thrust forward, with the hand pointing to the edge of the ridge a quarter of a mile away.

Dr Lascelles had not returned, and Joses had some time before crept back to his own post, so that Bart was alone amongst their Indian friends.

He knew at once whose was the pointing arm, and following the indicated direction, he saw plainly enough first the head and shoulders of an Indian come into sight, then there was apparently a scramble and a leap, and he could see that the man was mounted. And then followed another and another, till there was a group of half a dozen mounted men, who had ridden up some ravine to the top from the plain beyond, and who were now searching and scanning the valley where the Doctor's encampment lay.

Now was the crucial time. The neigh of a horse, the sight of an uncautiously exposed head or hand, would have been sufficient to betray their whereabouts, and sooner or later the attack would have come.

But now it was that the clever strategy of the chief was seen, for he had chosen their retreat not merely for its strength, but for its concealment.

Bart glanced back towards the waggon, and wondered how it was that this prominent object had not been seen. Fortunately, however, its tilt was of the colour of the surrounding rocks, and it was pretty well hidden behind some projecting ma.s.ses.

For quite a quarter of an hour this group of mounted Indians remained full in view, and all the time Bart's sensations were that he must be seen as plainly as he could see his foes; but at last he saw them slowly disappear one by one over the other side of the ridge; and as soon as the last had gone the chief uttered a deep "Ugh!"

There was danger though yet, and he would not let a man stir till quite half an hour later, when his two scouts came in quickly, and said a few words in a low guttural tone.

"I should be for learning the language of these men if we were to stay with them, Bart," said the Doctor; "but they may leave us at any time, and the next party we meet may talk a different dialect."

The chief's acts were sufficient now to satisfy them that the present danger had pa.s.sed, and soon after he and his men mounted and rode off without a word.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

ROUGH CUSTOMERS.

There was nothing to tempt a stay where they were, so taking advantage of their being once more alone, a fresh start was made along the most open course that presented itself, and some miles were placed between them and the last camp before a halt was made for the night.

"We shan't do no good, Master Bart," said Joses, as they two kept watch for the first part of the night. "The master thinks we shall, but I don't, and Juan don't, and Sam and Harry don't."

"But why not?"

"Why not, Master Bart? How can you 'spect it, when you've got a young woman and a waggon and a tent along with you. Them's all three things as stop you from getting over the ground. I don't call this an exploring party; I call it just a-going out a-pleasuring when it's all pain."

"You always would grumble, Joses; no matter where we were, or what we were doing, you would have your grumble. I suppose it does you good."

"Why, of course it does," said Joses, with a low chuckling laugh. "If I wasn't to grumble, that would all be in my mind making me sour, so I gets rid of it as soon as I can."

That night pa.s.sed without adventure, and, starting at daybreak the next morning, they found a fine open stretch of plain before them, beyond which, blue and purple in the distance, rose the mountains, and these were looked upon as their temporary destination, for Dr Lascelles was of opinion that here he might discover something to reward his toils.

The day was so hot and the journey so arduous, that upon getting to the farther side of the plain, with the ground growing terribly broken and rugged as they approached the mountain slopes, a suitable spot was selected, and the country being apparently quite free from danger, the tent was set up, and the quarters made snug for two or three days' rest, so that the Doctor might make a good search about the mountain chasms and ravines, and see if there were any prospect of success.

The place reached was very rugged, but it had an indescribable charm from the varied tints of the rocks and the clumps of bushes, with here and there a low scrubby tree, some of which proved to be laden with wild plums.

"Why, those are wild grapes too, are they not?" said Bart, pointing to some cl.u.s.tering vines which hung over the rocks laden with purpling berries.

"That they be," said Joses; "and as sour as sour, I'll bet. But I say, Master Bart, hear that?"

"What! that piping noise?" replied Bart. "I was wondering what it could be."

"I'll tell you, lad," said Joses, chuckling. "That's young wild turkeys calling to one another, and if we don't have a few to roast it shan't be our fault."

The Doctor was told of the find, and after all had been made snug, it was resolved to take guns and rifles, and search for something likely to prove an agreeable change.

"For we may as well enjoy ourselves, Bart, and supply Madam Maude here with a few good things for our pic-nic pot."

The heat of the evening and the exertion of the long day's journey made the party rather reluctant to stir after their meal, but at last guns were taken, and in the hope of securing a few of the wild turkeys, a start was made; but after a stroll in different directions, Joses began to shake his head, and to say that it would be no use till daybreak, for the turkeys had gone to roost.

Walking, too, was difficult, and there were so many thorns, that, out of kindness to his child, the Doctor proposed that they should return to the tent; signals were made to the men at a distance, and thoroughly enjoying the cool, delicious air of approaching eve, they had nearly reached the tent, when about a hundred yards of the roughest ground had to be traversed--a part that seemed as if giants had been hurling down huge ma.s.ses of the mountain to form a new chaos, among whose mighty boulders, awkward thorns, huge p.r.i.c.kly cacti, and wild plums, grew in profusion.

"What a place to turn into a wild garden, Bart!" said the Doctor, suddenly.

"I had been thinking so," cried Maude, eagerly. "What a place to build a house!"

"And feed cattle, eh?" said the Doctor. "Very pretty to look at, my child, but I'm afraid that unless we could live by our guns, we should starve."

"Hough--hough--hough!" came from beyond a rugged piece of rock.

"O father!" cried Maude, clinging to his arm.

"Don't hold me, child," he said fiercely, "leave my arm free;" and starting forward, gun in hand, he made for the place from whence the hideous half-roaring, half-grunting noise had came.

Before he had gone a dozen steps the sound was repeated, but away to their right. Then came the sharp reports of two guns, and, evidently seeing something hidden from her father and Bart, Maude sprang forward while they followed.

"Don't go, Missy, don't go," shouted Juan, and his cry was echoed by Harry; but she did not seem to hear them, and was the first to arrive at where a huge bear lay upon its flank, feebly clawing at the rock with fore and hind paw, it having received a couple of shots in vital parts.

"Pray keep back, Maude," cried Bart, running to her side.