by Old Sleuth
CHAPTER III.
CREEDON'S KNOWLEDGE OF WOODCRAFT--THE REDMEN'SDEPARTURE--A LONG TRAIL--ON THE TRAMP--THESTRANGEST REFUGE IN THE WORLD--A BRIDGE OFRISKS.
Desmond crawled forward beyond the rent where Creedon had lodged, and hefound the space much wider as he progressed, and soon gained the openingwhere the rent terminated in which Brooks had lain all night. Desmondglanced in, and, lo, Brooks was inside awake, and had already discoveredthe presence of the Indians, and so far they were all right.
"Have you been able to notify Creedon?" asked Brooks.
"Yes."
"What does he say?"
"He bade me arouse you."
"I discovered the rascals as soon as I awoke."
"All right; lay low and I will learn what Creedon advises."
Desmond crawled back and said:
"Brooks is awake and wants to know what we shall do."
"There is only one thing to do: we will lay low, and if the rascals donot discover us all right; if they do discover us it will be bad forthem and all right with us again, that's all. And now you and Brooksjust keep out of sight and let me run the show."
Word was passed to Brooks, and Desmond with the tramp lay low. As itproved there was not much of a show to run, as the Indians moved awayafter a little, but Creedon did not permit his friends to go forth. Hesaid:
"You can never tell about these redskins; they might suspect we arearound, and their going away may be a little trick; they are up to thesetricks."
Hours passed, and Creedon still kept his friends in hiding, and it wasnear evening when he stole forth, saying he would take an observation.After a little he returned and said:
"It's all right; come out."
Creedon said he had discovered evidence that the redskins had reallygone away.
"Why couldn't you have found that out sooner?"
The woodsman laughed and said:
"They might have found me out then; as it was, according to the talesyou and Brooks tell, I took a desperate chance."
"Shall we get to work and have a meal?"
"Not much, young man, you will have to control your appetite for awhile.Remember, I am captain of this squadron. I'll lead you to a place,however, where we can build a fire and camp and eat without fear. I amposted around here; I know the safe places."
The party started on the march, and Desmond felt quite irritated; he hadgone nearly twenty-four hours without eating, and he said:
"I am ready to even fight for a meal."
Creedon laughed and said in reply:
"You may have a stomach full of fighting yet before we find the mine."
"I thought you had located it?"
"Yes, but it's a week's tramp from where we are at present, and we mayhave some lively times before we arrive at the place."
It was nine o'clock at night when the party arrived at one of the mostpeculiar natural retreats Desmond had ever seen. It was a cave, as wewill call it, in the side wall of a cliff rising from a gulch even morewild and rugged than the one where the party had camped the previousnight. Some mighty convulsion of the mountain had separated the wholefront of the cliff from the main rock, so that a space of at leasttwenty feet intervened, and between yawned a dark abyss that led down towhere no man had yet penetrated. Creedon led the way up along a ledge ofascent which lined the outer edge of the great mass of detached cliff.Once at the top he descended on the inner side. It was night, but he hadtaken advantage of a mask lantern which he carried with him, and whichhe said was the most useful article in his possession. He added:
"These lanterns may belong to the profession of detectives and burglars,but I've found them the most useful articles a cliff-climber can own.They are different from other lamps and torches; you can control the oneray of light and indicate your path without any trouble whatever."
This was true, as the guide demonstrated, and his party walked alongthe narrow ledge without any fear of being precipitated over; all itrequired was a good eye and a steady nerve, and they possessed thesenecessary qualifications.
The guide at length came to a halt, and said:
"You stand here and I'll get my bridge."
He proceeded along alone, but soon returned with two saplings, which hehad strung together, and of which he had made a rope ladder.
Desmond was greatly interested, and watched the guide as he threw hisladder across the intervening abyss, and then he said:
"It will take a little nerve to crawl over, but once over we are allsafe, and I've got a storehouse over there. I prepared this place with agreat deal of patience and labor. We can spend two or three days here. Iknow you will enjoy it, and we can take a good long rest. I will go overfirst and then hold the light so you two can follow."
Desmond glanced at Brooks, and asked:
"Will you risk it?"
"Yes, I will, lad; I am not the fellow I was about six months ago; I canclimb a steeple now."
The guide went over, creeping across. The saplings bent under his weightand made a downward curve, so that when he attempted so ascend on theopposite side it was a climb up, but with the ropes made of wovenprairie grass and sticks and boughs he easily ascended. He had carriedhis lantern with him, and he flashed its light across his bridge andasked, "Who will come next?"
"You go," said Desmond to Brooks.
The tramp did not hesitate, but started to crawl over the oddlyconstructed bridge, and he did so as well as the guide had done. ThenDesmond crossed and the instant all hands were over the guide took uphis bridge stowed it away, and said:
"When we cross back it will be in the daytime, and much harder."
"Much harder in the daytime?"
"Yes."
"I should think it would be easier."
The guide laughed and said:
"It might appear so, but in the daytime you will realize just what youare doing. You will see the dark abyss beneath you, and when the bridgesways downward your heart will be in your throat, I tell you. At night,however, you do not know just what you are doing."
Desmond saw the truth of what the guide said, and observed that the manwas quite a philosopher.
"Now let me go in advance," said Creedon.
He led the way and soon turned into what he called Creedon Street. Itwas a broad opening with a solid flooring, and walls of rock on eitherside--the most singular and remarkable rock conformation that eitherBrooks or Desmond had ever seen. The guide walked right ahead boldly; heevidently knew that there were no rents down which they might plunge.
"Here is Creedon Hall," said the guide, as he turned into a broadopening and flashed his light around. The party were in a cave, and yetwe can hardly call it a cave; it appeared to be merely a huge underlinein the side of the cliff, as it was open, as the guide said, facingCreedon Street.
"I will soon have Creedon Hall illuminated for you," said the guide. Hesecured some wood, and as Desmond followed him he saw that he hadabundance of it, and the guide said:
"This wood, some of it, has been stowed here for over ten years, and wecan have a jolly fire in a few minutes, and no fear of attractingIndians or any one else. We are as safe here as though we were making agrate fire in a big hotel in New York."
Creedon made good his word, and soon Creedon Hall was brilliantlyilluminated, and Desmond was delighted. He exclaimed in his enthusiasm.
"This is just immense!"
"Well, it is."
Brooks also was delighted; he set to work to make the coffee and preparethe meal, and Creedon lay down on his blanket and lit his pipe, whileDesmond wandered around the cave, as he persisted in calling it. Hediscovered several outlets from Creedon Hall, and he made up his mindthat as soon as his friends were asleep he would steal the mask lanternand go on an exploring expedition. It was a jolly party that sat down tocoffee, cold dried meat, and crackers. Brooks had been very sparing ofhis crackers, and had at least five pounds of them at the time he andDesmond met the guide.
"When did you discover this place?" asked Desmond.
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"I did not discover the place; it was revealed to me by an old hunter, aMexican, and how he discovered it he would never tell. The old man had agreat many secrets, and I have sometimes thought that there was goldhidden here somewhere. I've spent days searching for it, but never couldfind anything of the value of a red cent."
"Where is the old Mexican now?"
"That's hard to tell, lad; he died about five years ago, and his bodywas carried to the ruins of an old Spanish church and there buried as hehad requested long before he died. He was a strange old man; hepossessed many secrets, but they died with him. It is possible he meantto reveal them some day, but death caught him and he went out with hismouth closed as far as his secrets were concerned. He was a sort ofmiser in secrets. I did think that some day the old man would revealsomething of value to me; he pretended to think a great deal of me. Isaved his life at a critical moment; he was actually bound to the stake,and I shot the rascal who was about to light the fire. They intended toburn him alive, and the arrival of myself and party was just in time."
"Do the Indians still burn their prisoners at the stake?"
"These were not Indians--they were his own countrymen. They had tried toforce a confession from him, and because he refused to reveal thewhereabouts of the gold they thought he had stored away somewhere, theywere set to murder him in anger and revenge."
"And you saved him?"
"I did."
"And he never revealed his secrets to you?"
"Only the secret of this cave. He often made strange remarks and hintedthat some day I would receive my reward. We roomed here together all ofone winter, but he died and never opened his mouth to reveal where hisgold was, if it is true that he had any. I believe he did, but it willnever do me any good, and I do want to make a fortune somehow, but Isuppose I never will. Yes, lad, there are thousands of skeletons ofgold-seekers hid away in caverns in these mountains, victims of the sameambition which is leading us to take such desperate chances."
Desmond was very greatly interested in the story of the old Mexican, andhe asked a number of questions.
"You never got the least inkling as to where his gold was hidden?"
"I don't know that he had any gold; it is only a suspicion on my part."
"He lived in this cave?"
"Yes."
"Did you ever search here?"
"Well, you bet I did."
"And did you explore?"
"You bet I did."
"And you never found anything?"
"I never did."
"Nor secured any indication?"
"Never."
"Possibly you did not look in the right place."
"That is dead certain," came the natural answer.