The Silver Canyon: A Tale of the Western Plains

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

  PREPARATIONS FOR SAFETY.

  The descent was almost more arduous than the ascent, but there was nodanger save such as might result from a slip or wrench through placing afoot in one of the awkward cracks, and once more down in the plain,where the camp was as busy as an ant hill, the Doctor called theprincipal Englishmen about his waggon, and formed a sort of council, ashe proceeded to lay his plans before them.

  The first was--as they were ready to defy the Indians, and to fight fortheir position there, to make the mountain their fortress, and in spiteof the laborious nature of the ascent, it was determined that the tentsshould be set up on the top, while further steps were taken to enlargethe interior of the opening as soon as the narrow entrance was passed,so as to allow of a party of men standing ready to defend the wayagainst Indians who might force themselves in.

  This was decided on at once, and men told off to do the work.

  Then it was proposed to build three or four stout walls across thesloping path, all but just room enough for a man to glide by. Thesewould be admirable means of defence to fight behind, if the enemy forcedtheir way in past the first entry, and with these and a larger andstronger barrier at the top of the slope by the first turn, it wasconsidered by the Doctor that with ordinary bravery the place would beimpregnable.

  So far so good; but then there were the horses and cattle, the former inthe cavern-like stable, the latter in their stonewalled corral orenclosure.

  Here was a difficulty, for now, however strong their defence might be,they were isolated, and it would be awkward in case of attack to havetwo small parties of men detailed for the guarding of these places,which the Indians would be sure to attack in force, in place of throwingtheir lives away against the well-defended mountain path.

  "Couldn't we contrive a gallery along the face of the mountain, rightalong above the ravine and the stables, sir?" said Bart. "I think somestones might be loosened out, and a broad ledge made, too high for theIndians to climb up, and with a good wall of stones along the edge wecould easily defend the horses."

  "A good idea, Bart, if it can be carried out," said the Doctor. "Let'sgo and see!"

  Inspection proved that this could easily be done so as to protect thehorses, but not the corral, unless its position were altered and it wereplaced close alongside of the cavern stable.

  After so much trouble had been taken in rearing this wall it seemed agreat pity, but the men willingly set to work, while some loosenedstones from above, and levered them down with bars, these fallen stonescoming in handy for building up the wall.

  Fineness of finish was not counted; nothing but a strong barrier whichthe cattle could not leap or throw down, if an attempt was made to scarethem into a stampede, was all that was required, and so in a few daysnot only was this new corral strongly constructed, and the ledgeprojected fifty feet above it in the side of the mountain had beenexcavated, and edged with a strong wall of rock.

  There was but little room, only advantage was taken of holes in therock, which were enlarged here and there so as to form a kind ofrifle-pit, in which there was plenty of space for a man to creep andkneel down to load and fire at any enemy who should have determined tocarry off the cattle. In fine, they had at last a strong place ofdefence, only to be reached from a spot about a hundred feet up thesloping way to the summit of the mountain; and the road to and from thebastion, as the Doctor called it, was quite free from observation in theplain, if the defenders crept along on hands and knees.

  Beneath the entrance to this narrow gallery a very strong wall was builtnearly across the slope; and at Bart's suggestion a couple of hugestones were loosened in the wall just above, and a couple of crowbarswere left there ready to lower these still further, so that they wouldslip down into the narrow opening left in case of emergency, and thuscompletely keep the Indians out.

  All these matters took a great deal of time, but the knowledge of thedanger from the prowling bands of Indians always on the war-path on theplains, and also that of the large treasure in silver that was withintheir reach, made the men work like slaves.

  Water had been found in a spring right at the top of the mountain, andafter contriving a basin in the rock that it should fill, it wasprovided with an outlet, and literally led along a channel of silverdown to where it could trickle along a rift, and then down by the sideof the sloping paths to a rock basin dug and blasted out close to theentrance in the plain.

  This was a good arrangement, for the water was deliciously pure, andgave an ample supply to the camp, and even to the cattle when necessary,a second overflow carrying the fount within the corral, where adrinking-place was made, so that they were thus independent of the lakeupon the plain, or the necessity for contriving a way down to the riverin the canyon. Attention had then to be given to the food supply, andthis matter was mentioned to the Beaver.

  For Bart had suggested that no doubt the Indians would find buffalo forthem, instead of passing their time playing the part of mountain scoutsand herdsmen when the cattle were driven to feed down in the richpastures by the lake.