Lost in the Canon Part 24

Without attempting to enlighten Wah as to the nature of angels, of which it must be confessed he had only a vague conception himself, Ike said.

"We must let him sleep right straight 'long till de mornin'; den w'en he gits up an' rubs his eyes an' sees it's daylight, he'll be dat s'prised ho won't know w'at to say. Won't dat be a trick?"

"Him belly nice tlick," chuckled Wah. "Heap muchee fun. Let 'im sleep; you, me watchee till sun him come top-side galore. Ike, you gottee heap big head," and Wah patted the black boy's head in a way that showed affection and approval.

A generous master makes faithful servants. We do not know whether this is an adage or not, but it sounds as if it ought to be.

So weary was poor Sam that Ike and Wah s.h.i.+n might have slept through the night without his knowing it, but it did not require his watchful presence to make them dutiful.

They divided the night into two reliefs, each taking a half and doing his duty with the fine sense of pleasure that came from the knowledge that they were cheating Sam into a long and much needed rest.

Sam certainly was much surprised when he got up in the morning and saw the flush of day in the strip of sky far overhead and the light coming into the depths of the canon.

He was certainly much refreshed by his rest, and when he saw Ike smiling near by, he at once guessed what had been done.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" he asked.

Ike laughed and at once told him of "the trick" he and Wah s.h.i.+n had played.

Sam was much touched by this evidence of thoughtfulness and devotion, and he fastened it in his memory, that it might be easily recalled if the chance ever came to show his appreciation in another form than words.

This was the first morning that they were wholly without food since starting on their journey.

All were decidedly hungry, but not a word was said about eating. Even Ike, always ready to show he had an appet.i.te, felt that it would be somewhat personal to talk about "grub," but at heart he blamed himself for having eat so much the day before. It would have been the part of wisdom, he thought, to have put a little away for this morning.

"Wa'al, Mistah Sam, wat's to be did nex'?" asked Ike, as he looked down at the white line that marked the beginning of another series of unknown rapids about three hundred yards away.

"We must try it again, Ike," said Sam, bravely.

"Down de ribber?"

"Do you think we could go up?"

"Wa'al, not berry well, an' if we could dis chile wouldn't be in foh tryin' it again."

"Then we must go down."

"No cannee help oulsel's, if so we go flom dis," said Wah s.h.i.+n, with all the wisdom of Confucius.

Once more the few remaining things were placed as securely as was possible on the raft.

Again, and without the wondering of the day before, Ike and Wah s.h.i.+n imitated Sam by tying themselves to the raft.

With much of that feeling of desperation that stirs an officer who leads his men in a hopeless a.s.sault against a powerful enemy, Sam pushed the raft into the stream.

The current near the sh.o.r.e was slow, but as they got out further it became more rapid, until at length they shot down with the speed of a race-horse for the white line of foam that flashed between the grim walls like the teeth of some fierce monster set in lips of stone.

"Cling tight to the raft, boys!" cried Sam, as the logs began to groan and tremble. "Cling fast and keep cool! We are going through all right!"

The brave fellow did not have much faith in his own words, but they had an inspiriting effect on the others.

Into the warring rapids shot the raft, and in an instant all were drenched in the spray that dashed around them.

Sam could not see ten feet ahead.

His mind, like the waters and the raft, was in a wild whirl; yet, with the grip of a drowning man, he clung to the logs and tried to shout words of cheer to the others.

CHAPTER XX.-THE TRIAL BEGINS.

At the instigation of Collins and his partner, Si Brill, a number of men started off from Hurley's Gulch to see if they could find Sam Willett and his companions, or learn anything of their fate.

Neither the searchers nor those who sent them had any great faith in their mission, but the very fact that they tried shows that they were moved by a feeling of commendable humanity.

Three days pa.s.sed and the men came back saying they could not find Sam Willett, nor the others, and giving it as their opinion, that they had all been drowned.

In the meantime Frank s.h.i.+rley, who had much of that cunning and ingenuity for which men of his character are so often noted, sought to create the impression that Sam was alive, but that he had run away, in order not to be forced to appear against his father.

The night the searchers came back there was a great crowd in the bar of the princ.i.p.al saloon, and as s.h.i.+rley was treating, as usual, he was the center of attraction and virtually the chairman of the gathering.

A few of the men had just expressed sorrow for Sam's death, when s.h.i.+rley said:

"I'd be sorrier than any one if I knew the young fellow was dead, but I'm happy to say I don't believe he is."

"Of course, you've got reasons for your belief," said one.

"Yes; I always have good reasons for everything I do and say," said s.h.i.+rley, feeling the authority his free use of money had given him.

"Mebbe you'd tell us why you think so," said the man.

"I'll explain by asking you some questions," said s.h.i.+rley, licking his lips, as he always did while speaking.

"Fire ahead," said the man.

"You remember that Indian boy-what's his name?"

"Ulna," suggested the man.

"Yes, Ulna. Well, the day of the arrest of these two men, Willett and Tims, for the cruel murder of poor Tom Edwards, this Indian boy was sent to Gold Cave Camp to bring back the son of one of the prisoners and a certain paper. Isn't that so?" and s.h.i.+rley looked around for the approval of the a.s.sembly.

"Yes, that's so!" shouted a number.

"Now," continued Frank s.h.i.+rley, with the deliberation of a man who had carefully weighed what he was about to say, "I ask you gentlemen if this Ulna returned to Hurley's Gulch?"

"No!" exclaimed half the men in the place.