Real Gold Part 6

Cyril made no reply, but walked straight away out of the garden and then down towards the harbour, while Perry watched him for a few minutes sadly, and then followed slowly, missed sight of him, and after quite a long search found him sitting on the edge of his wharf, where the sun beat down most fiercely, and staring straight out to sea. "Cil!" said Perry, after going close up, but without exciting the slightest notice of his presence.

There was no reply.

"Cil--don't be sulky with me."

"Not sulky," came with quite a snap.

"Well, angry then. It isn't my fault. I wish you could come."

"Didn't say it was your fault."

"Then why do you take it like that?"

Cyril turned upon him quite fiercely.

"What's the good of talking?" he cried. "You can't understand. You go sailing about with your father and seeing things everywhere. I never go even into the forest. It's horrible always shut up here with book-keeping and cla.s.sics. I wish sometimes I was only one of the Indians, like that one yonder."

Perry felt disposed to say, which one? for there was a second Indian close by; but wis.h.i.+ng to brighten his companion, and turn the current of his thoughts, he merely said:

"Well, I shouldn't wish to be a she Indian."

"Those are not shes--they're both men," said Cyril sharply.

Perry looked at the pair incredulously, for they certainly had a most feminine aspect, being broad of figure and face, plump-cheeked, and with thick long hair cut square across the forehead and allowed to hang down behind. Their eyes were dreamy-looking and oblique, their faces perfectly devoid of hair, and to add to their womanish look, they wore a loose kind of cotton garment, which hung down from their shoulders nearly to their ankles.

"I say, what are they doing?" said Perry, as he stared at the pair.

"Taking snuff. That's their way. They carry some in a little bag, and when they want to take any, they put the powder in that little siphon-like pipe, and hold it to their nose, and another one blows it up. That one sitting down's the guide father is getting for you.--Here, hi!"

The Indians looked round, nodded, finished the snuff-taking business, and then came deliberately toward the boys.

"They're Antis," said Cyril, as Perry watched the two sleepy-looking Indians curiously, and noted that they were both about his own height.

The men came close up, and stood there smiling, waiting to be spoken to; and as Perry had hoped, their presence took Cyril out of himself for the time.

"Been to see my father?" said Cyril in a mongrel kind of Spanish.

One of the Indians nodded.

"And his father too?"

The man replied that he was going now. So Cyril interpreted the few words.

"That's the worst of them; and it's so hard to make them understand exactly what you mean. He didn't know what I meant, and had not been-- What say?" For the Indian had muttered something which he repeated.

"Wants to know if I'm going too," said Cyril bitterly; and he shook his head at the Indian, when both smiled and looked pleased.

Cyril gave his teeth a grind. "You beggars," he cried in English, "looking glad because I'm disappointed.--And I've given that first chap many a good tuck out, and lots of tobacco dust for snuff, and paid him no end of times for birds he has shot with his blowpipe, besides buying b.u.t.terflies and eggs he has brought down out of the mountains. All right, though; I'll serve them out.--I say," cried the boy, and a complete change came over him, "can you speak Spanish?"

"I? No, not a word."

"That's a pity. You'll have to learn a few words, so as to be able to talk to these chaps. But you'll soon pick them up--some Indian, some Spanish, and some half-and-half. Wait a moment; I want to talk to this chap about--about your going."

He began to speak to the man in a low voice, and then grew more and more eager, while the Indian began by smiling and looking amused, but, directly after, shook his head, and seemed to be refusing something which Cyril was asking. Then Perry saw the lad put his hand in his pocket and give the Indian a good two-bladed pocket-knife, whose keenness he demonstrated to the great interest of the Indian, who tried it on one of the heavy posts by the wharf, and then transferred it to his pocket with a smile of satisfaction, nodding his head now to everything Cyril said.

Their conversation lasted for some time, and Perry began to grow impatient after he had satisfied his scrutiny of the two Indians'

appearance, and wondered why they should disfigure themselves by painting horizontal lines from their noses across their cheeks.

"There," cried Cyril, speaking rather excitedly, "it's all right now.

He says he'll take great care of you, and wait upon you as if you were his father, and always find the best places for sleeping, and mind you don't tumble down into any of the great gaps. But, I say, Perry, old chap, you do wish I was going, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Ah, well, I suppose I must give in and make the best of it, mustn't I?"

"I'm afraid so."

"And you can't write to me and tell me how you are getting on. There are no post-offices up there."

"No, I suppose not."

"You suppose not!" cried Cyril, laughing, and looking as if his bitter fit had quite pa.s.sed away.

"Why, you're going where you'll hardly see a soul, unless you meet a party coming down from the mines, or bringing bales of bark. There, I'm not going to look grumpy any more, but I did feel savage for a bit."

"That's right. Let's make the best of it while we're together, and do some more fis.h.i.+ng, or have a mule ride or two."

"No," said Cyril decisively, "that's all over now. Father told me this morning that I should have to work and help you make all your preparations, for there would be no end to do. Come along. They're going up to see your father now."

The two Indians were both moving off, and the boys followed to the house, where they were witnesses to the meeting, Captain Norton having followed shortly, and acting as interpreter between the parties.

"It is rather awkward," he said, "but I daresay you will soon pick up enough of their jargon to make them understand."

"Oh yes," said the colonel. "I could gather the man's meaning from the Spanish words he used."

"Then you will soon manage. Of course, if you had been a Spaniard, it would have been easy enough."

"I shall not worry about that part of the business," said the colonel, "so long as the man is willing, and will do his best. But we shall want two others to attend to the mules."

"He understands that. He is going to bring another trustworthy fellow.

He proposed doing so himself."

"And they can manage the mules?"

"Oh yes, you may trust them. This man, Diego, as we call him, has been in the habit of coming down from the mountains for years to trade and sell. I consider that I was very lucky in getting him for you. When will you start, shall I tell him?"

"On the sixth day from now."