by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER XIX
A FORTUNE
On their return to Fort Bridger Harry and his companions pounded up thequartz that had been left there, and found that its average equalledthat of the piece they had tried at the mine. The gold was packed in abox and sent to Pete Hoskings. A letter came back in return from him,saying that five of his friends had put in five thousand dollars each,and that he should start with the stores and machinery as soon as thetrack was clear of snow. The season was an early one, and in the middleof April he arrived with four large waggons and twenty active-lookingyoung emigrants, and four miners, all of whom were known to Harry. Therewas a good deal of talk at Bridger about the expedition, and manyoffered to take service in it. But when Harry said that the lode theywere going to prospect was in the heart of the Ute country, and that hehimself had been twice attacked by the red-skins, the eagerness toaccompany him abated considerably.
The fact, too, that it was a vein that would have to be worked bymachinery, was in itself sufficient to deter solitary miners from tryingto follow it up. Scarce a miner but had located a score of claims indifferent parts of the country, and these being absolutely useless tothem, without capital to work them with, they would gladly have disposedof them for a few dollars. It was not, therefore, worth while to risk aperilous journey merely on the chance of being able to find another veinin the neighbourhood of that worked by Harry and the men who had goneinto it with him. There was, however, some surprise among the old handswhen Pete Hoskings arrived with the waggons.
"What! Have you cut the saloon, Pete, and are you going in for miningagain?" one of them said as he alighted from his horse.
Pete gave a portentous wink.
"I guess I know what I am doing, Joe Radley. I am looking after theinterests of a few speculators at Denver, who have an idea that they aregoing to get rich all of a sudden. I was sick of the city, and it justsuited me to take a run and to get out of the place for a few months."
"Do you think it is rich, Pete?"
"One never can say," Hoskings replied with a grin. "We are notgreenhorns any of us, and we know there is no saying how things aregoing to turn out. Straight Harry has had a run of bad luck for the lasttwo years, and I am glad to give him a shoulder up, you know. I reckonhe won't come badly off any way it turns out."
It was not much, but it was quite enough to send a rumour round the fortthat Pete Hoskings had been puffing up a wild-cat mine in Denver for thesake of getting Straight Harry appointed boss of the expedition to testit.
Everything was ready at Bridger, and they delayed but twenty-four hoursthere. The teams had arrived from Salt Lake City with the stores a weekbefore, and the eight waggons set off together. Pete, the threepartners, the two Indians, and the four miners were all mounted. Therewere eight other horses ridden by as many of the young fellows Pete hadbrought with him, the rest walked on foot. They marched directly for themine, as with such a force it was not necessary to make a detour overthe bad lands. At the first halting-place some long cases Pete hadbrought with him were opened, and a musket handed to each of theemigrants, together with a packet of ammunition.
"Now," Pete said, "if the Utes meddle with us we will give them fits.But I reckon they will know better than to interfere with us."
The rate of progress with the heavy waggons was necessarily very muchslower than that at which the party had travelled on their previousjourney, and it was not until the afternoon of the eighth day afterstarting, that they came down into the valley. A halt was made at theformer camping-place in the grove of trees, and the next morning Peteand the miners went up with Harry and his friends to choose a spot forthe fort, and to examine the lode. As soon as the earth was scraped awayfrom the spot from which the rock had been taken, exclamations ofastonishment broke from the miners. They had been told by Pete thatHarry had struck it rich, but all were astonished at the numerousparticles and flakes of gold that protruded from the rock. Pete hadforwarded early in the spring to Harry the list of the claimants to themine, and the latter and Tom had ridden over to Salt Lake City a fewdays before the waggons came up from there to register the claims at themining-office, and the first step was to stake out these claims upon thelode.
"It doesn't run like this far," Harry said to the miners, "and I reckonthat beyond our ground it doesn't run above two ounces to the ton, so Idon't think it is worth while your taking up claims beyond. Of course,you can do so if you like, and we will allow you an hour off every fewdays during the season to work your claims enough to keep possession,and of an evening you can do a bit of washing down below. You will findit good-pay dirt everywhere. At least we did as far as we tried it."
They now fixed on the site for the fort. It was upon the top of thebank, some twenty yards above the lode, and it was settled there shouldbe a strong double palisade running down from it to the stream, so thatin case of siege they could fetch water without being exposed to thebullets of an enemy taking post higher up the creek. Among the men fromDenver were two or three experienced carpenters, and a blacksmith, forwhose use a portable forge had been brought in the waggons.
The party returned to breakfast, and as soon as this was over the teamswere put in and the waggons were brought up and unloaded, the storesbeing protected from wet by the canvas that formed the tilts. Some ofthe men accustomed to the use of the axe had been left in the valley tofell trees, and as soon as the waggons were unloaded they were sent downto bring up timber. All worked hard, and at the end of the week alog-hut fifty feet long and twenty-five feet wide had been erected. Thewalls were five feet high, and the roof was formed of the trunks ofyoung trees squared, and laid side by side.
As rain fell seldom in that region it was not considered necessary toplace shingles over them, as this could, in case of need, be done lateron. The door opened out into the passage between the palisades down tothe water, and the windows were all placed on the same side, loopholesbeing cut at short intervals round the other three sides. Anotherfortnight completed the preparations for work. The stamps were erected,with the water-wheel to work them; the stream dammed a hundred yards up,and a leat constructed to bring the water down to the wheel.
The waggons were formed up in a square. In this the horses were shutevery night, four of the men by turns keeping guard there. During thelast few days the miners had been at work blasting the quartz, and assoon as the stamps and machinery were in position they were ready tobegin. The men were all told off to various duties, some to carry therock down to the stamps, others to break it up into convenient sizes;two men fed the stamps, others attended to the concentrator andblankets, supervised by Harry. It was the duty of some to take thehorses down to the valley and guard them while they were feeding, andbring them back at night. Two men were to bake and cook, Pete Hoskingstaking this special department under his care. Jerry worked with theminers, and Tom was his uncle's assistant.
The stamps were to be kept going night and day, and each could crush aton in twenty-four hours. To their great satisfaction each of the menwas allowed one day a week to himself, during which he could prospectfor other lodes or wash gravel as he pleased. The old cradle was foundwhere it had been left, and as five of the men were off duty each day,they formed themselves into gangs and worked the cradle by turns, addingvery considerably to the liberal pay they received. The two Indianshunted, and seldom returned without game of some sort or other. As thequicksilver in the concentrator was squeezed by Harry or Tom, and theblankets washed by them, none but themselves knew what the returns were.They and their partners were, however, more than satisfied with theresult, for although the lode was found to pinch in as they got lower,it maintained for the first six weeks the extraordinary average of thatthey had first crushed.
At the end of that time the Indians reported that they had seen tracesof the Utes having visited the valley. The number of men who went downwith the horses was at once doubled, one or other of the Indians stayingdown with them, preceding them in the morning by half an hour to seethat the valley was clear. A week
later the horses were seen coming backagain a quarter of an hour after they had started. The men caught uptheir guns, which were always placed handy for them while at work, andran out to meet the returning party.
"What is it, Hunting Dog?"
"A large war-party," the Indian replied. "Three hundred or more."
The horses were driven into the inclosure, half the men took theirplaces among the waggons, and the others, clustered round the hut,prepared to enter it as soon as the Indians made their appearance.
The partners had already arranged what course to take if the Indiansshould come down on them, and were for all reasons most anxious thathostilities should if possible be avoided.
Presently the Indians were seen approaching at a gallop. As soon as theycaught sight of the log-house and the inclosure of waggons they reinedin their horses. The men had been ordered to show themselves, and thesight of some forty white men all armed with rifles brought the Indiansto a dead stand-still.
Pete Hoskings went forward a little and waved a white cloth, and thenHarry and the chief, leaving their rifles behind them stepped up to hisside and held their arms aloft. There was a short consultation among theIndians, and then two chiefs dismounted, handed their rifles and spearsto their men, and in turn advanced. Harry and Leaping Horse went forwarduntil they met the chiefs halfway between the two parties. Harry beganthe conversation.
"Why do my red brothers wish to fight?" he asked. "We are doing them noharm. We are digging in the hills. Why should we not be friends?"
"The white men killed many of the Utes when they were here last year,"one of the chiefs replied. "Why do they come upon the Utes' land?"
"It was the fault of the Utes," Harry said. "The white men wished onlyto work in peace. The Utes tried to take their scalps, and the white menwere forced against their will to fight. No one can be blamed fordefending his life. We wish for peace, but, as the Utes can see, we arequite ready to defend ourselves. There are forty rifles loaded andready, and, as you may see, a strong house. We have no fear. Last timewe were but few, but the Utes found that it was not easy to kill us. Nowwe are many, and how many of the Utes would die before they took ourscalps? Nevertheless we wish for peace. The land is the land of theUtes, and although we are strong and could hold it if we chose, we donot wish to take it by force from our red brothers. We are ready to payfor the right to live and work quietly. Let the chiefs go back to theirfriends and talk together, and say how many blankets and how many gunsand what weight of ammunition and tobacco they will be content with.Then if they do not ask too much, the white men will, so long as theyremain here, pay that amount each year in order that they may live inpeace with the Utes."
The two Indians glanced at each other. "My white brother is wise," onesaid. "Why did he not tell the Utes so last year?"
"Because you never gave us time, chief. If you had done so we would havesaid the same to you then, and your young men would be with you now; butyou came as enemies upon us, and when the rifle is speaking the voice issilent."
"I will speak with my braves," the chief said gravely. And turning roundthey walked back to their party, while Harry and the chief returned tothe huts.
"What do you think, chief? Will it be peace?"
Leaping Horse nodded. "Too many rifles," he said. "The Utes will knowthey could never take block-house."
It was nearly two hours before the two Utes advanced as before, andHarry and the Seneca went out to meet them.
"My white brother's words are good," the chief said. "The Utes are greatwarriors, but they do not wish to fight against the white men who comeas friends. The chiefs have talked with their braves, and the hatchetswill be buried. This is what the Utes ask that the white men who havetaken their land shall pay them."
Harry had arranged that the chief, who spoke the Ute language moreperfectly than he did, should take charge of the bargaining. On the listbeing given Leaping Horse assumed an expression of stolid indifference.
"The land must be very dear in the Ute country," he said. "Do mybrothers suppose that the white men are mad that they ask such terms?Peace would be too dear if bought at such a price. They are willing todeal liberally with the Utes, but not to give as much as would buytwenty hills. They will give this." And he enumerated a list ofarticles, amounting to about one quarter of the Indians' demands.
The bargaining now went on in earnest, and finally it was settled that aquantity of goods, amounting to about half the Indians' first demand,should be accepted, and both parties returned to their friends wellsatisfied.
A certain amount of goods had been brought out with a view to such acontingency, and half the amount claimed was handed over to the Utes.They had, indeed, more than enough to satisfy the demands, but LeapingHorse had suggested to Harry that only a portion should be given, asotherwise the Indians might suppose that their wealth was boundless. Itwould be better to promise to deliver the rest in three months' time. Adozen of the principal men of the Utes came over. The goods wereexamined and accepted, the calumet of peace was smoked and a solemncovenant of friendship entered into, and by the next morning the Indianshad disappeared.
One end of the hut had been partitioned off for the use of the leadersof the party, and the gold obtained each day was carried by them thereand deposited in a strong iron box, of which several had been brought byPete Hoskings from Denver.
The day after the Indians left, a waggon, was sent off under the escortof eight mounted labourers to Bridger, and this continued to make thejourney backward and forward regularly with the boxes of gold, Jerry andPete Hoskings taking it by turns to command the escort. Harry and Petehad had a talk with the officer in command at Bridger on the eveningbefore they had started on the expedition.
"You think you are going to send in a large quantity of gold?" theofficer asked.
"If the mines are such as we think, Major, we may be sending down two orthree hundredweight a month."
"Of course, the gold will be perfectly safe as long as it is in thefort, but if it gets known how much there is, you will want a strongconvoy to take it across to the railway, and it would not be safe eventhen. Of course, the bulk is nothing. I should say at any rate you hadbetter get it in here with as little fuss as possible."
"If you will keep it here for awhile," Pete said, "we will think overafterwards how it is to be taken further."
The officer nodded. "It mayn't turn out as difficult a business as youthink," he said with a smile. "You are both old hands enough to knowthat mines very seldom turn out as rich as they are expected to do."
"We both know that," Pete Hoskings agreed. "I dunno as I ever did hearof a mine that turned out anything nigh as good as it ought to have donefrom samples, but I reckon that this is going to be an exception."
When within a few miles of the fort the escort always placed theirrifles in the waggon and rode on some distance ahead of it, only one ortwo with their leader remaining by it. The boxes, which were of no greatsize, were covered by a sack or two thrown down in the corner of thewaggon, and on its arrival in the fort it was taken first to the store,where a considerable quantity of provisions, flour, molasses, bacon, teaand sugar, currants and raisins, and other articles were purchased andplaced in it. This was the ostensible purpose of the journey to thefort. Late in the evening Jerry or Pete, whichever happened to be theleader, and one of the men, carried the boxes across to the Major'squarters and stored them in a cellar beneath it.
There was a real need of provisions at the mine, for the population ofthe valley rapidly increased as the season went on. The upper part ofthe bed of the stream had been staked out into claims, the miners andother men each taking up one, but below them the ground was of courseopen to all, and although not nearly so rich as the upper gravel it wasgood enough to pay fairly for working. A stout palisading now surroundedthe ground taken up by the machinery and the mine itself, and no oneexcept those engaged by the company were allowed to enter here.Considerable surprise was felt in the camp when the first two or threeminers came up an
d staked out claims on the stream.
"I wonder how they could have heard of it," Tom said to his uncle.
"The fact that we are remaining out here is enough to show that we aredoing something, anyhow. The men who go in are always strictly orderedto say no word about what our luck is, but the mere fact that they holdtheir tongues--and you may be sure they are questioned sharply--isenough to excite curiosity, and these men have come to find out and seewhat the country is like, and to prospect the hills round where we areworking. You will see a lot of them here before long."
As more came up it was determined to open a store. In the first place itfurnished an explanation for the waggon going down so often, and in thesecond the fact that they were ready to sell provisions at cost priceswould deter others from coming and setting up stores. There was noliquor kept on the mine, and Pete and Harry were very anxious that noplaces for its sale should be opened in the valley.
During the winter and spring Tom had received several letters from hissisters. They expressed themselves as very grateful for the money thathe and their uncle had sent on their return to Denver, but begged themto send no more, as the school was flourishing and they were perfectlyable to meet all their expenses. "It is very good of you, Tom," Carrysaid. "Of course, we are all very pleased to know that you have beenable to send the money, because it relieves our anxiety about you; butwe really don't want it, and it makes us afraid that you are stintingyourself. Besides, even if you are not, it would be much better for youto keep the money, as you may find some opportunity of using it to youradvantage, while here it would only lie in the bank and do no good. Itwould be different if we had nothing to fall back upon in case ofanything happening, such as some of us getting ill, or our having a caseof fever in the school, or anything of that sort, but as we have onlyused fifty pounds of mother's money we have plenty to go on with for avery long time; so that really we would very much rather you did notsend us any over. Now that we know your address and can write to you atFort Bridger, it seems to bring you close to us. But we have had twovery anxious times; especially the first, when we did not hear of youfor six months. The second time was not so bad, as you had told us thatit might be a long time before we should hear, and we were prepared forit, but I do hope it will never be so long again."
There had been some discussion as to whether the mine should be shutdown in winter, but it was soon decided that work should go onregularly. Six more stamps were ordered to be sent from the east, with asteam-engine powerful enough to work the whole battery, and in Septemberthis and other machinery had reached the mine. Fresh buildings had beenerected--a storehouse, a house for the officers, and a shed covering thewhole of the machinery and yard. By the time this was all ready and inplace the valley below was deserted, the gravel having been washed outto the bed-rock. No other lodes of sufficient richness to work had beendiscovered by the prospectors, and with winter at hand there was noinducement for them to stay longer there.
Only two or three of the men at the mine wished to leave when theirengagement for the season terminated. All had been well paid, and had inaddition made money at gold-washing. Their food had been excellent, andtheir comforts attended to in all ways. Accordingly, with theseexceptions all were ready to renew their engagements.
An arrangement was made with the Major at Fort Bridger for an escortunder a subaltern officer to proceed with two waggons with the treasureto Denver. Pete Hoskings and Jerry were to remain as managers of themine throughout the winter. Harry and Tom had made up their minds to goto England and to return in the spring. The ore was now very much poorerthan it had been at first. The lode had pinched out below and they hadworked some distance along it. The falling off, however, was onlyrelative; the mine was still an extraordinarily rich one, although itcontained little more than a tenth of the gold that had been extractedfrom the first hundred and fifty tons crushed.
None but Harry, Pete Hoskings, Jerry, and Tom had any idea of the amountof gold extracted in less than six months, although the miners were wellaware that the amount must be very large. It was so indeed, for afterrepaying the amount expended in preliminary expenses, together with thenew machinery, the wages of the men, provisions, and all outgoings, theycalculated the treasure sent down to be worth one hundred andtwenty-eight thousand pounds, while the mine if sold would fetch atleast double that sum. After a hearty farewell to Pete and Jerry, Harryand Tom with the two Indians rode with the last waggon down to Bridger.The iron boxes had all been sewn up in deer-skins when they were sentdown, and at night they were placed in the waggons by Harry and hiscompanions. Over them were placed the provisions for the journey, as itwas just as well that even the soldiers should not suspect the amount oftreasure they were escorting.
They encountered some severe snow-storms by the way, but reached Denverwithout incident. The place had wonderfully changed since Tom hadarrived there more than two years before. It had trebled in size; broadstreets and handsome houses had been erected, and the town had spread inall directions. They drove straight to the bank, to which Pete Hoskingshad sent down a letter a fortnight before they had started, and theboxes were taken out of the waggon and carried down into the vaults ofthe bank. A handsome present was made to each of the soldiers of theescort, a brace of revolvers was given by Harry to the subaltern, andthe handsomest watch and chain that could be purchased in Denver wassent by him to the Major, with an inscription expressing the thanks ofthe company to him for his kindness.
"Well, Tom, I am thankful that that is off my mind," Harry said. "I havehad a good many troubles in the course of my life, but this is the firsttime that money has ever been a care to me. Well, we are rich men, Tom,and we shall be richer, for the mine will run another two or three yearsbefore it finishes up the lode as far as we have traced it, and as wehave now filed claims for a quarter of a mile farther back, it may begood for aught I know for another ten years. Not so good as it has beenthis year, but good enough to give handsome profits. Have you calculatedwhat our share is?"
"No, uncle. I know it must be a lot, but I have never thought about whateach share will be."
"Well, to begin with, a third of it goes to Pete Hoskings and hisfriends, that leaves eighty-five thousand. The remainder is divided intoseven shares; I was to have two, the Indians three between them, youone, and Jerry one. His share is then about twelve thousand, whichleaves seventy-three thousand between you and me. Of course, we shalldivide equally."
"No, indeed, uncle; that would be ridiculous. I have been of very littleuse through it all, and I certainly ought not to have as much as Jerry.You and the chief discovered it, and it was entirely owing to you thatany of the rest of us have a share of the profits, and of course yourarrangement with the two Indians is only because the chief is so fond ofyou."
"Partly that, Tom; but chiefly because it is in accordance with red-skincustoms. They are hunters, fighters, and guides, but they are notminers, and they never go in for shares in an enterprise of this sort.It went very much against the grain for Leaping Horse to take that threeor four hundred pounds that came to him at the end of the lastexpedition, and he would be seriously offended if I were to press uponhim more than his ordinary payment now; he would say that he has beensimply hunting this year, that he has run no risks, and has had nothingto do with the mine. To-morrow morning we will go out to see what thereis in the way of horse-flesh in Denver, and will buy him and Hunting Dogthe two best horses in the town, whatever they may cost, with saddles,bridles, new blankets, and so on. If I can get anything special in theway of rifles I shall get a couple of them, and if not I shall get themin New York, and send them to him at Bridger. These are presents hewould value infinitely more than all the gold we have stowed away in thebank to-day. He is going back to his tribe for the winter, and he andHunting Dog will be at the mine before us next spring."
In the morning Harry was two hours at the bank, where he saw the goldweighed out, and received a receipt for the value, which came to withina hundred pounds of what they had calculated, as t
he dust had been verycarefully weighed each time it was sent off. In accordance with thearrangement he had made with Pete Hoskings and Jerry the amount of theirrespective shares was placed to their credit at the bank. Drawing athousand pounds in cash, he received a draft for the rest upon a firm atNew York, where he would be able to exchange it for one on London. Hethen inquired at the hotel as to who was considered to possess the besthorses in the town, and as money was no object to him, he succeeded inpersuading the owners to sell two splendid animals; these with thesaddles were sent to the hotel. He then bought two finely finishedSharpe's rifles of long range, and two brace of silver-mountedrevolvers.
"Now, Tom," he said, "I shall give one of these outfits to the chief andyou give the other to Hunting Dog; he has been your special chum sincewe started, and the presents will come better from you than from me. Iexpect them here in half an hour; I told them I should be busy all themorning."
The two Indians were delighted with their presents, even the chief beingmoved out of his usual impassive demeanour. "My white brothers are toogood. Leaping Horse knows that Straight Harry is his friend; he does notwant presents to show him that; but he will value them because he loveshis white brothers, even more than for themselves." As for Hunting Dog,he was for a long time incredulous that the splendid horse, the rifleand pistols could really be for him, and he was so exuberant in hisdelight that it was not until Leaping Horse frowned at him severely thathe subsided into silent admiration of the gifts.
"Here are papers, chief, that you and Hunting Dog had better keep: theyare the receipts for the two horses, and two forms that I have hadwitnessed by a lawyer, saying that we have given you the horses in tokenof our gratitude for the services that you have rendered; possibly youmay find them useful. You may fall in with rough fellows who may make apretence that the horses have been stolen. Oh, yes! I know that you canhold your own; still, it may avoid trouble."
They had now no further use for their horses, so these were sold for afew pounds. They purchased a stock of clothes sufficient only for theirjourney to England.
"You may as well put your revolver in your pocket, Tom," Harry said asthey prepared to start the next day. "I have sewn up the draft in thelining of my coat, but sometimes a train gets held up and robbed, and aswe have six hundred pounds in gold and notes in our wallets, I certainlyshould not give it up without a fight."
The Indians accompanied them to the station. "Now, chief, you take myadvice and look out for a nice wife before next spring. You are fortynow, and it is high time you thought of settling down."
"Leaping Horse will think over it," the Seneca said gravely. "It may bethat in the spring he will have a wigwam in the valley."
A few minutes later the train started east, and five days later theyreached New York. A steamer left the next day for England, and in thisthey secured two first-class berths; and although Tom had managed verywell on his way out, he thoroughly enjoyed the vastly superior comfortof the homeward trip. They went straight through to Southampton, for, asHarry said, they could run up to London and get their clothes any day;and he saw that Tom was in a fever of excitement to get home. Harrietcame to the door of the little house at Southsea when they knocked. Shelooked surprised at seeing two gentlemen standing there. In the twoyears and a half that had passed since Tom had left he had alteredgreatly. He had gone through much toil and hardship, and the bronze ofthe previous summer's sun was not yet off his cheeks; he had grown fouror five inches, and the man's work that he had been doing had madealmost a man of him.
"Don't you know me, Harriet?" Tom said.
The girl at once recognized the voice, and with a loud cry of delightthrew her arms round his neck. The cry brought Carry out from theparlour. "Why, Harriet," she exclaimed, "have you gone mad?"
"Don't you see it's Tom?" Harriet said, turning round, laughing andcrying together.
"It is Tom, sure enough, Carry; you need not look so incredulous; andthis is Uncle Harry."
There were a few minutes of wild joy, then they calmed down andassembled in the sitting-room.
"It is lucky the girls have all gone home to dinner," Carry said, "orthey would certainly have carried the news to their friends that we wereall mad. It is a half-holiday too, nothing could be more fortunate. Nowwe want to hear everything. Tom's letters were so short andunsatisfactory, uncle, that he told us next to nothing, except that youhad found a mine, and that you were both working there, and that it wassatisfactory."
"Well, my dears, that is the pith of the thing," Harry said. "The firstthing for you to do is to send round notes to the mothers of thesechildren saying that from unforeseen circumstances you have retired fromthe profession, and that the school has finally closed from thisafternoon."
There was a general exclamation from the girls:
"What do you mean, uncle?"
"I mean what I say, girls. Tom and I have made our fortunes, and thereis no occasion for you to go on teaching any longer. We have not yetmade any plans for the future, but at any rate the first step is, thatthere is to be no more teaching."
"But are you quite, quite sure, uncle?" Carry said doubtfully. "We aregetting on very nicely now, and it would be a pity to lose theconnection."
Harry and Tom both laughed.
"Well, my girl," the former said, "that is of course a point to bethought of. But as Tom and I have over thirty-five thousand poundsapiece, and the mine will bring us in a good round sum for some years tocome, I think we can afford to run the risk of the connection going."
After that it was a long while before they settled down to talk quietlyagain.
A week later they all went up to London for a month, while what Harrycalled "outfits" were purchased for the girls, as well as for him andTom, and all the sights of London visited. Before their story came to anend, the grand consultation as to future plans had been held, and ahandsome house purchased at Blackheath.
Tom did not return to Utah in the spring; his uncle strongly advised himnot to do so.
"I shall go back myself, Tom; partly because I should feel like a fishout of water with nothing to do here, partly because I promised thechief to go back for a bit every year. I am beginning to feel dullalready, and am looking forward to the trip across the water, but itwill certainly be better for you to stay at home. You left school early,you see, and it would be a good thing for you to get a man to come andread with you for two or three hours a day for the next year or two. Wehave settled that the three younger girls are to go to school; and Idon't see why you, Carry, and Janet, should not go, in the first place,for two or three months on to the Continent. They have had a dull lifesince you have been away, and the trip will be a treat for them, andperhaps do you some good also. It will be time enough to settle down toreading when you come back."
The mine returned large profits that year, the increased amount stampedmaking up to some extent for the falling off in the value of the ore,and the shares of the various proprietors were more than half what theyhad been at the end of the first season's work. The third year it felloff considerably. There was a further decrease the year after, and thefifth year it barely paid its expenses, and it was decided to abandonit. Harry Wade went over every season for many years, but spent only thefirst at the mine. After that he went hunting expeditions with LeapingHorse, who, to his amusement, had met him at his first return to themine with a pretty squaw, and Hunting Dog had also brought a wife withhim. Two wigwams were erected that year near the mine, but after thatthey returned to their tribe, of which Leaping Horse became the leadingchief.
Tom's sisters all in due time married, each being presented on herwedding-day with a cheque for ten thousand pounds, as a joint presentfrom her uncle and brother.
Tom himself did not remain a bachelor, but six years after his return toEngland took a wife to himself, and the house at Blackheath was none toolarge for his family. Harry Wade's home is with Tom, and he is stillhale and hearty. Up to the last few years he paid occasional visits toAmerica, and stayed for a while with his
red brother Leaping Horse, whenthey lamented together over the disappearance of game and the extinctionof the buffalo. Hunting Dog had, at Harry's urgent advice, settled downin the ways of civilization, taking up a ranche and breeding cattle, ofwhich he now owns a large herd. Jerry Curtis and Pete Hoskings made ajourney together to Europe after the closing of the mine. They stayedfor a month at Blackheath, and ten years later Tom received a lawyer'sletter from Denver saying that Peter Hoskings was dead, and that he hadleft his large house and other property in Denver to Mr. Thomas Wade'schildren. Jerry still lives at the age of seventy-five in that city.