Down the Slope

by James Otis

  CHAPTER XXII

  UNEXPECTED NEWS

  Fred was opposed to leaving Blacktown without seeing Sam; but Bill,smarting under the sense of having brought about his own defeat,insisted upon an immediate departure.

  "It ain't likely we could get into the jail now the day is so far spent,an' if we did, what would be the use? There's nothing that could be saidto cheer the boy."

  "I promised."

  "You can keep it the next time we come," and Bill put an end to thediscussion by starting toward the mountain.

  Fred followed with a heavy heart, and the two trudged on in silenceuntil they were within a short distance of the newly-discovered coalvein, when Bill exclaimed in surprise:

  "I'm blest if there isn't Joe! What's up now, I wonder?"

  This question was soon answered. The approaching miner cried while yetsome distance away:

  "What are you comin' back so soon for?"

  "There was no reason why we should stay longer," and without sparinghimself in the slightest, Bill explained what a blunder had beencommitted.

  "Well, you'd better go to Blacktown agin, or else take the train for NewYork."

  "Why?"

  "The cashier has been swearin' out a warrant for Fred's arrest, an'it'll be served the minute he gets back."

  "A warrant for me?" Fred cried in alarm. "What have I done?"

  "The fool thinks you know where the money is, an' that you made thearrangements with Sam, before he left, to get away with it."

  "Mr. Wright won't allow such a thing."

  "The letter he wrote seems to have made the cashier's neck stiffer thanit was yesterday, an' I don't reckon it would do much good to depend onany officer of the company."

  "I'll give that feller a piece of my mind," Bill cried angrily, and Joereplied:

  "Don't do it yet a while. He told Donovan this noon that you'd gone withFred to put the cash in a safe place, so it may be that the constablewould like to see you by this time."

  "Why, where does he think it was?"

  "Buried on the mountain somewhere, an' if he sends men out to see if anydiggin' has been done lately, the vein will surely be found."

  "I'll go back any way!" Bill cried after a short pause. "Such as himshan't call me a thief."

  "Now, look here, matey, what will be the good of gettin' yourself injail? I've told Fred's mother jest how the matter stands, an' shebelieves as I do, that it'll be better to hang off a while in the hopesomething will turn up."

  "An' have the constables chasin' us all over the country."

  "It ain't certain they'll do that."

  "But it may never be known positively who took the money," Fred added.

  "If you're both so anxious to go to jail, wait till it is proved Sam isa thief, an' then show up to the constable. Things can't be worse forholdin' on a few days."

  "'Cordin' to your own figgerin' there's a chance the coal will befound."

  "I'll take care of that business while you an' Fred keep out of sight.With what I had, an' what could be borrowed, I've got two hundred an'twenty dollars. You shall take the odd money, an' the balance I'llplank down as a first payment on the land."

  "Do you know who owns it?"

  "A farmer who lived five or six miles the other side of Blacktown."

  "That's correct, an' the sooner you see him the better."

  "Will you agree to keep away from Farley's?"

  "Yes," Bill said slowly, as if angry with himself for making thepromise. "Fred an' me'll sneak 'round 'till the trade's made for thisside the mountain, an' then figger up what it's best to do."

  "Where can I see you to-morrow?"

  "Right here. We'll stay in the woods a night or two."

  "Have you got anything to eat?"

  "No; but it's an easy matter to buy all we want."

  "Take this money in case it is necessary to leave on the jump, an' I'llgo on."

  Handing his mate the twenty dollars, Joe went at a sharp gait towardBlacktown, and Bill said, with a shrug of the shoulders:

  "So we're both thieves 'cordin' to the cashier's ideas; but wait 'tillwe get the land secured, an' I'll give that young man a lesson such aswon't be very pleasant."

  "Do you really mean to sleep in the woods?"

  "Why not? It's warm weather, an' we'll be pretty nigh as well off thereas at home."

  "Then we'd better be looking for a good place. If mother hadn't sentword that I was to stay away, I'd go to Farley's this minute an' letthem arrest me, for it seems as if we act guilty by running off."

  "That's jest my idee, lad; but we'll obey orders a day or two."

  A short distance to the right was a thickly-wooded grove, and here thetwo soon found what would serve very well as a camp.

  A small cleared space, almost entirely screened from view by bushes,afforded all the protection which might be needed, and Bill threwhimself on the ground.

  "I reckon we can go without supper," he said, with forced cheerfulness,"an' there'll be no bother about lockin' the doors."

  "It won't be long before I'm asleep. Walking around so much has tired memore than a full day's work in the breaker."

  "Don't keep awake on my account. The sooner your eyes are closed thesooner you'll forget that there's a chance of bein' sent to jail."

  With his head pillowed on some dry leaves Fred had no difficulty insummoning slumber; but Bill tossed to and fro on the hard bed withoutthe slightest desire for sleep.

  The boy was dreaming of the frightful hours spent in the short slopeafter the explosion, when he was awakened by the pressure of a hand onhis mouth.

  It was dark, save for the twinkling stars, and silent, except when theleaves were swayed by the gentle wind.

  "Don't speak," Bill whispered as he removed his hand. "I can see thelight of a fire over there to the right, an' it's well for us to knowwho are campin' so near."

  "What do you want me to do?"

  "Follow me. We'll creep up far enough to see what's goin' on, an' thencome back, unless there's reason for changin' our lodgings."

  "I'll keep close behind you," and Fred rose to his feet, Bill partingthe bushes with both hands to avoid the slightest noise.

  The glow of flames could be seen a long distance away, evidently on theopposite edge of the grove, and the two approached it as rapidly as wasconsistent with silence.

  Soon the hum of voices was heard, and after a short time Bill stoppedsuddenly, gripped Fred by the hand, and pointed ahead.

  Around a camp-fire, over which pieces of meat were being cooked, sat GusDobson and the friend who had caused him to distrust Fred and Skip.

  "There may be a chance for us to find out a good deal of what we want toknow," Bill whispered, and once more he advanced, moving with the utmostcaution.

  It was possible for the spies to creep within five yards of theencampment, thanks to the bushes, and when this had been accomplishedthe boys were eating supper.

  "I don't believe in stayin' here too long," Gus was saying when Fred andBill were near enough to distinguish the conversation.

  "Nobody 'd think of huntin' for us in this place," his companionreplied, "an' it ain't safe to take the cars yet a while, for them boysfrom Farley's have got men to back 'em."

  "S'pposen they have? How can anybody find us if we walk up the track tothe next station?"

  "It's easy enough to send word all around, an' then we'd be nabbed theminute we showed our noses in a town."

  "It will be jest as bad if they come here huntin' for us."

  "You're a reg'lar fool, Gus Dobson. So long as we can keep the stuffwhere it is, what'll be gained by arrestin' us? We've got to take itwith us when we leave, an' then whoever catches us will have the thingdown fine."

  "But we can't stay here forever."

  "A couple of weeks won't hurt us, an' by that time folks will give uplookin' so sharp. They'll think we got away."

  "We're too near Farley's."

  "Then make a move. We can keep on a dozen miles or so through the woods,an'
bury the stuff agin."

  "I wanter get to New York."

  "There's plenty of time for that, an' it'll be nothing more'n fun tocamp out two or three weeks."

  Gus made no reply, and after supper had been eaten his companion laydown beside the fire, saying as he did so:

  "I'm goin' to sleep; you can figger the thing out between now andmornin', and say what you're willin' to do."

  "It'll have to be as you say, I s'pose," Gus replied, sulkily; "but wemust leave here."

  "All right, we'll start to-morrow, an' when a good place is found, putup a reg'lar camp."

  As he said this the boy rolled over as if to end the conversation, andGus laid down beside him.

  Bill waited until the heavy breathing of both told that they wereasleep, and then, with a motion to Fred, he began to retreat.

  Not until he was an hundred yards from the camp-fire did the miner halt,and said in a low whisper:

  "It was a mighty good thing for us that warrant had been sworn out foryou. If the cashier had waited a day or so we'd gone home without anidee of where them young scoundrels were."

  "It seems certain they've got the money."

  "Not a doubt of it."

  "Why don't we jump right in on them? Perhaps they'd tell where it wasburied."

  "If they didn't we'd be worse off than before, for either one is smartenough to know nothin' can be done to 'em while the cash is hid. Theonly way for us is to keep an eye on the little villains, 'till they getready for a move. Then we'll do our work."

  "It'll be pretty hard to watch in the daytime without being seenourselves."

  "We must manage to do it somehow, for this is, perhaps, our last chanceto help Sam."