by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER XVI.
A MINING EXPEDITION.
In a few minutes Hugh and Royce remounted and joined the two twoMexican gentlemen, and set out, with the party of vaqueros ridingbehind them.
"You came in with quite a strong force, Don Ramon," Hugh said smiling.
"It might have been necessary," the Mexican replied. "I could not tellwith whom I had to deal. Our guard do not care very much about riskingtheir skins, especially when it is a question of Texan cow-boys, whohave, if you will excuse my saying so, a terrible reputation, and canuse their pistols with a skill that is extraordinary. I could not guessthat I had to do with gentlemen."
"There is nothing that way about me, senor!" Royce said abruptly. "I ama cow-boy, or a teamster, or a miner, or anything that comes to hand,but nary a claim to be a gentleman."
"My friend is a good fellow, senor, in every way," Hugh said, "and ismy staunch and true friend. I myself am an Englishman who has come outto enjoy the hunting and the rough life of the plains of the West fora few years before settling down at home."
"And now, senor," the Mexican said with a bow, "will you let me beginto question you, for I am full of anxiety as to my unfortunate son? Ifeared before that he was lost to us; I fear now even more than before,for I am sure that he would never have parted with his horse, which hehad reared from a colt and was much attached to. These men from whomyou bought it, were they known in that locality?"
"No," Hugh replied. "Wherever they came from they did not belong tothat corner of Texas, for neither the judge nor the sheriff had everseen them before. Had they known that they were bad characters theywould have arrested them and held them until an owner was found forthe horse; but as they knew nothing against them they did not feeljustified in doing so."
"Will you describe them to me?" the Mexican said.
"They were men of between thirty and forty. From their attire theymight have been hunters. They were dressed a good deal like yourvaqueros: they wore chaperajos with red sashes around their waist, andflannel shirts. They had jackets with silver buttons, which you don'tsee much among our cow-boys on the plains, and broad, soft, felt hats.I should say that one was a half-breed--that is to say, half Mexican,half American. Both had black moustaches, and what I should callhang-dog faces."
"I have no doubt, from your description," Don Ramon said, "they weretwo men who joined the caravan a day or two before my son left it.These men said they were hunters, and I was told that my son engagedthem to accompany him while he was hunting, to act as guides, and showhim the best places for game. They were described to me by some of theparty that returned here, and I feared at the time that if evil hadbefallen him it was through them. Now that you tell me they sold youhis horse, I feel but too certain this was so."
"They seemed to have ridden fast and far. Their own horses and thebay were in fair condition, senor, but the pack-horse was very poor.The men were evidently in great haste to get away, and I should judgefrom this that if, as you fear, they murdered your son and his threeservants, they probably did it at the last camping place before theyarrived at M'Kinney. Had they done it when far out on the plains therewould have been no good reason why they should have been in so muchhaste; but if it had been but a short distance away they might havefeared that someone might find the bodies and organize a pursuit atonce."
"Why should they have delayed so long if their intention was murder?"the younger Mexican asked.
"That I cannot say, Don Carlos. They may have fallen in with otherhunters after leaving the caravan, and these may have kept with themall the time they were out on the plains, and they may have had noopportunity of carrying out their designs till the party separated;or again, your brother's attendants might have been suspicious ofthem, and may have kept up too vigilant a watch for them to ventureon an attack before. But this watch may have been relaxed when thejourney was just at an end, and it seemed to them that their fears wereunfounded."
"That is the most likely explanation," Don Ramon said. "They were threepicked men; two of them were hunters, the other my son's body-servant.It is likely enough that the hunters would have kept alternate watch atnight had they suspected these fellows. Those two were to have remainedin charge of the horses at the town where my son took rail, and toawait his return there; the other man was to accompany him to New York.My son had an ample supply of gold for his expenses, and I fear it wasthat rather than the horse that attracted the scoundrels."
They were by this time approaching a large and handsome building,standing in extensive grounds. As they halted before it a number of_peons_ ran out and took the horses. Prince had quickened his pace ashe neared the house, and had given a joyful neigh as of recognition.When Hugh alighted, the horse, as usual, laid his muzzle on hisshoulder to receive a caress before turning away, and then, withoutwaiting for one of the _peons_ to take his rein, walked away towardsthe stables.
"I see he is fond of you, senor. You have been a kind master to him."
"I love horses," Hugh said, "and Prince, as I have called him, hasbeen my companion night and day for eighteen months. We have huntedtogether, and roped-in cattle, and fought Indians, and divided out lastcrust together."
Don Ramon led the way into the house, and then into a room where anelderly lady and two young ones were sitting. They rose as he entered.
"What news, Ramon?" the elderly lady asked.
"Such news as there is is bad, Maria. These caballeros, Don HughTunstall and--" (he hesitated and looked at Royce, with whose name hewas not acquainted). "Bill Royce, without any Don!" the cow-boy putin. The Mexican repeated the name--"have been good enough to ride overhere with me, in order that you, as well as I, might question them asto what they know of our son. Unhappily they know little. We were notmisinformed. Don Hugh has indeed our son's horse, but he bought it, ashe has proved to me, from two strangers, who tally exactly with thedescription we have received of the two hunters who left the caravanwith our son. I feared all along that these men were at the bottom ofwhatever might have befallen Estafan. I fear now that there is no doubtwhatever about it. Caballeros, this is my wife, Donna Maria Perales.These are my two daughters, Dolores and Nina."
For an hour Hugh and his companion remained answering the questions ofDonna Perales; then Hugh rose, feeling that the ladies would be glad tobe alone in their grief, for the confirmation of their fears respectingDon Estafan had brought their loss back to them freshly. Don Ramon andhis son accompanied them to the door.
"I pray you," the former said, "that if at any time you come upon thevillains you give them in custody. I and my son will make the journeyto appear against them, however far it may be."
"You need not trouble on that score," Royce said. "If we meet them, Iwarrant you we can manage their business without any bother of judgeor jury. They will have a cow-boy trial, and after the evidence Hughand I can give, you may be sure that a rope will very soon settle theiraffair."
"I must ask you, Don Ramon," Hugh said, "to lend me a horse back to thetown, and to send a vaquero with me to bring it back."
"But why, sir?" the Mexican asked in surprise. "You have your ownhorse."
"No, senor, Prince is not mine. He was your son's, and is yours. A manwho buys stolen property is liable to lose it if he meets the properowner, and when I bought Prince for half his value I knew that I wasrunning that risk."
"No, senor Englishman. I do not say that a man who has lost his horsehas not the right to reclaim it wherever he may find it. That is, ifhe happens to be in a place where the law is respected, or if not ifhe happens to be with the strongest party; but in the present case Icould not think of depriving you of the horse. It is evident that hehas found a good master, and that you stand in his affections just asmy son did; besides, if you will pardon my saying so, the horse is moreto you than it is to me. There are many thousands of horses runningwild on my estates, and although my son used to assert that there wasnot one which was equal to his horse, there are numbers that are butlittle inferior,
for our horses are famous. They are mustangs crossedwith pure Arab blood, which my grandfather had selected and sent overto him, regardless of cost. Pray, therefore, keep the bay. May itcarry you long and safely! It will be a real pleasure to my wife andmyself to know that poor Estafan's favourite horse is in such goodhands. I have also," he said courteously to Royce, "taken the libertyof ordering my _peons_ to change the saddle of the horse you rode toone more worthy of being a companion to the bay. It is of no use forone man to be well mounted if his comrade does not bestride a steed ofsimilar swiftness."
Hugh and Royce warmly thanked Don Ramon for his kindness. The horseswere brought round, and that of Royce fully bore out the commendationof the Mexican.
"We hope to see you again to-morrow," Don Ramon said as they mounted."You will always be welcome guests here."
"And you will not forget," Don Carlos said in a low tone, "if you evermeet those men."
"That has been a fortunate adventure," Royce said as they rode off. "Ihave often wondered whether we should ever fall upon the original ownerof your horse, and pictured to myself that we might have a bad time ofit if we did. It isn't everyone who would have accepted that receipt ofyours as proof."
"No; I always felt that myself, Royce. Well, that sorrel of yours isa splendid animal, and really worthy to go with Prince. I often wishedyou had a mount as good as mine, for my sake as well as your own, forthere is no doubt of the truth of what he said. When two friends areriding together their pace is only that of the slowest horse."
"That is so," Royce agreed. "So there is some Arab blood in them. Ihave often talked over the bay in the camps. We all agreed we had neverseen so good a mustang. There are good mustangs, but they are never amatch for a really first-rate States horse, and yet we could not seeany signs of such a cross in Prince. He wur mustang, but there seemedmore whip-cord and wire about him than a mustang has. I have heard saythat the mustangs are the descendants of Spanish barbs, and that thebarbs were Moorish horses."
"Yes, that is so, Royce. The barb is related to the Arab, but is not, Ibelieve, of such pure blood; it is a coarser animal; and if Don Ramon'sgrandfather brought over some pure Arabs of first-rate strain theywould, no doubt, greatly improve the mustangs."
"Waal, Hugh, if we ever do meet those two murdering villains, I reckontheir chances of getting away from us ain't worth mentioning."
The reception on their return to the hotel was very different to thatthey had before experienced. They had been visitors at Don Ramon'shacienda, and Don Ramon was the richest proprietor in the district ofEl Paso. After they had finished supper that evening, and were enjoyingcoffee and cigars at a table placed with others in a garden behind thehotel, the two miners who had stood by them in the morning came up andtook seats beside them. "You had a pretty rough welcome this morningat El Paso," the big man said. "But, by the way, I do not know whatto call you. My own name is Sim. I am generally known as Surly Sim. Myfriend's name is Frank; I generally call him the doctor."
"My name is Bill," Royce said; "and out on the plain the boys call meStumpy, which don't need any explanation. My mate's name is Hugh, andhe has got the name of Lightning."
"Ah! and why is that, may I ask?" the white-haired little man said.
"Well, it is because of one of his accomplishments, doctor. He has gotthe knack of drawing a pistol that sharp, that almost before you seehis hand move you are looking down the tube of a pistol."
"A very useful accomplishment," the little man remarked, "alwayssupposing that it is not used too often, and that it is only used inself-defence. I am a peaceful man myself," he went on, "and have ahorror of the use of fire-arms."
His companion laughed.
"Now you know that that is so, Sim," the little man said earnestly.
"Waal, doctor, I don't go for to say that you are quarrelsome, and efanyone said so in my hearing I should tell him he wur a liar. But for apeaceable man, doctor, and I don't deny as you are peaceable, I don'tknow as thar is a man in the mining regions who has used his weaponoftener than you have."
"But always on the side of peace, Sim," the little man said earnestly."Please to remember always on the side of peace."
"Yes, in the same way that a New York policeman uses his club, doctor."
"Well, I can assure you I don't often use what you call myaccomplishment," Hugh said. "I practise it so that I may be able todefend my life if I am attacked, but except in a fight with a band ofComanches, I have only once had occasion to draw my pistol."
"And he weakened?" Sim asked.
"Yes, I had the drop of him. There was nothing else for him to do."
"And what are you doing at El Paso?"
"You are too abrupt, Sim, much too abrupt," the little man saiddeprecatingly.
"Not at all, doctor. If it is anything they don't want to tell theywon't tell it. If it isn't, we may be useful to them."
"We have no particular object in view," Hugh said. "I am an Englishman;but not a rich Englishman, who comes out to buy ranches, or tospeculate in mines. But I have come rather to pass three or four yearsin seeing life on the Western plains than to make money. I worked forsix months in M'Kinney, had three or four months' hunting, and thenworked six months as a cow-boy; and I thought that, for a change, Ishould like to come this way and see something of mining adventure inNew Mexico or Arizona. My mate here has been with me for nearly twoyears, and has thrown in his fortune with mine."
"There is adventure enough, and more than enough, in mining down tharin Arizona. The doctor and I have been at it for some years. We haven'tmade a penny, but we have saved our scalps, so we may be consideredlucky."
"I was told," Hugh went on, "that El Paso was the most central placeto come to. My idea was that I might find some party setting out on aprospecting expedition, and that I might be able to join it."
"It ain't a good time for prospecting expeditions," Sim said. "Evenon the Upper Gila the mining camps is all on guard, knowing that anyday the Apaches may be down on them, and it would want a man to bewonderful fond of gold for him to go out prospecting down in Arizona."
"I don't care much for gold," Hugh laughed, "though I don't say Ishould object to take my share if we hit on a rich lode. I should gofor the sake of the excitement, and to see the life."
"Well, at other times you might find any number of people here in ElPaso who would be glad enough to take you out on such an expedition,"the doctor said. "You ask the first man you meet, Mexican or white, andhe will tell you that he knows of a mine, and will take you to it ifyou will fit out an expedition."
"You are exceptions to the rule, doctor."
"No, I don't say that," the doctor replied, though his companion gavea growling protest.
"Oh, yes, we know of a mine!" he went on, not heeding the growl. "Atleast we believe we do, which is, I suppose, as much as anybody cansay; but we are like the rest, we say that it is better to stay at ElPaso and keep our scalps on, even if we are poor, than to go and throwaway our lives in looking for a mine. We have been out working for thelast six months on a mine in the Gila Valley on shares with six others.We weren't doing so badly; but the Mexicans who were working for us gotscared and wouldn't stay, so we have given it up and come down here.Some day or other when things settle down again, I suppose the minewill be worked, but it won't be by us. We are looking out for someonewho will buy our shares, but I don't suppose anyone will give fivedollars for them, and they would be right. The thing paid in our hands,but it wouldn't pay in Mexicans'. They are poor shiftless creatures,and have no idea of hard work. We should have given it up anyhow, evenwithout these Indian troubles, which don't make much difference, forthe Apaches are always ready to come down when they see a chance. It isalways war between them and the whites. But we were there six months,and six months are about the outside Sim and I ever stop anywhere."
"When you go prospecting, do you often get any hints from the Indiansas to where gold is to be found?"
"Never," Sim Howlett said. "The Injuns are too lazy to worktheirse
lves, and they know that when the whites get hold of gold theypour down in numbers. I believe they do know often where there arelodes. I don't see how they can be off knowing it, for a Red-skin isalways keeping his eyes on the move. Nothing escapes him, and it wouldbe strange if, wandering about as they do, and knowing every footof their country, they didn't notice gold when it is there to see.Besides, they have got tales handed down from father to son. In oldtimes they had gold ornaments and such like, but you never see themnow. They know well enough that such things would draw the whites.Sometimes a Red-skin will tell a white who has done him some greatservice where there is a lode, gold or silver or copper, but it don'thappen often. Besides, most times the place lies right in the heart oftheir country, and for all the good it is, it might as well be in themiddle of the sea. Of course, if it was gold, and the metal was foundin nuggets, and a horse-load or two could be got in a month, it mightbe done; but not when it comes to settling there and sinking shafts andmining; that can't be done until the Apaches are wiped out."
"But are there such places as that, Sim?"
"Waal, there may be, but I have never seen them. The doctor and me havestruck it rich many a time, but not as rich as that. Still, I reckonthere are places where the first comer might gather a big pile if theRed-skins would but let him alone for a month."
"I suppose you are absent some time on one of these expeditions? Doprospectors generally go on foot or horseback?"
"They in general takes a critter a piece, and two others to carry gruband a pick and shovel; sometimes they go two together, but more oftenone goes by hisself. In course where two men knows each other and cantrust each other, two is kind of handier than one. We shouldn't liketo work alone, should we, doc? But then, you see, we have been twelveyears together. Sometimes a man finds his own outfit. Sometimes hegoes to a trader in a town; and if he is known to be a good miner anda straight man, the storekeeper will give him a sack of flour and aside of bacon, and such other things as are required, and then they gopartners in what is found. Sometimes this goes on for months, sometimesfor years; sometimes the trader loses his money, sometimes he makes afortune. You see there are plenty of places as ain't in what you maycall the Indian country, but somehow or other it do seem as if theRed-skins had just been put down where the best places is, so as toprevent the gold being dug. In Arizona some big finds have been made,but nobody's any the richer for them. The Red-skins is always on thelook-out. Often an exploring party never comes back. Sometimes oneor two come back with the news that the others have all been wipedout; but what with the awful country and the want of water, and thesartainty of having to fight, and of sooner or later being surprisedand scalped, there ain't many men as cares about following the thingup."
"I suppose you know of such places, Sim?"
"Waal, maybe we do," the miner said cautiously. "Maybe we do; eh,doctor?"
The little man did not reply, but sat looking searchingly at Hugh. Whenhe did speak it was not in direct answer to the question.
"I like your face, young fellow," he said. "It reminds me of one I haveseen somewhere, though I can't say where. You look to me as if you weredownright honest."
"I hope I am," Hugh said with a laugh.
"You may bet your boots on that," Bill Royce said. "He is as straighta man as you will find in Texas."
"And you are out here," the other went on, "part for pleasure, partjust to see life, and part, I suppose, to make money if you see achance?"
"I have never thought much of making money," Hugh replied, "although Ishould certainly have no objection if I saw a chance; but I have neverthought of doing more than keeping myself."
"And he has been with you, you say, nigh two years?" and he nodded atRoyce. "And you can speak for him as he does for you?"
"That I can," Hugh said warmly. "We have worked together and huntedtogether, we have been mates in the same outfit, and we have fought theComanches together, and I can answer for him as for myself. He gave uphis work and went with me, not because there was any chance of makingmore money that way than any other, but because we liked each other."
"Well, Sim," the little man said, "it seems to me that these two wouldmake good mates for that job of ours."
"Waal, doctor, you know I leave these things to you. I kinder feelsthat way myself towards them, and anyhow I don't see as there can't beno harm in setting it afore them, seeing as there ain't no need to givethem the indications. But I reckon there is too many about here to talkon a matter like that. Waal, it comes to this," he went on, turning toHugh, "if you air disposed to make a jint expedition with us, and ain'tafeard neither of roughing it nor of Red-skins, you meet us to-morrowthree miles outside the town on the South Road, and we will talk to youstraight."
"That is just what would suit me," Hugh said; "and you, Royce?"
"It is all the same to me, Lightning. If you are for an expedition youknow you can count me in."
"Good night, then," Sim Howlett said, rising. "We have sat here quitelong enough talking together if we mean to do anything. I reckon thereis a score of these Mexikins have been saying to themselves aforenow, What can those two miners and them cow-boys be a-talking togetherabout? and when a Mexikin begins to wonder, he begins to try and findout; so we are off. Three miles out on the South Road at nine o'clockto-morrow morning. About half a mile past a village you will see astone cross by the road. There is a path turns off by it, you followthat, and you will come across us afore you have gone two hundredyards."
"What do you think of it, Royce?" Hugh asked when they were alone.
"Don't think nothing of it one way or the other. Most of them minershave got some tale or other. However they seem to me straight men."
"I feel sure they are," Hugh said. "The big one looks an honest fellow.I don't so much understand the little one, but evidently he is the headof the party. He is a curious little fellow with his white hair andgentle voice. He doesn't look strong enough for such a life as theylead, but I suppose he is able to do his share or they would neverhave been working twelve years together. At any rate I came here to seesomething of life among the mines, and this seems as good a chance aswe are likely to have."
The next morning they breakfasted at seven, and at half-past eightsaddled their horses and rode out. They found their two companionsof the previous night at the appointed place. As the miners saw themapproaching they turned off the path and preceded them to a Mexicanhut, and there waited for them to come up.
"Good morning!" the doctor said as they dismounted; "there is no fearof our being overheard here. The Mexican who lives here has often beenup with us among the hills, and started for the town a quarter of anhour ago, when we told him we had a rendezvous here. Now, if you willhitch your horses up and sit down on these maize stalks we can talkcomfortably. A year ago, when Sim and I were working in a gulch amongthe mountains, we heard a call in the distance. We went to see what itwas, and found a man who had dropped down, just worn out and famished,after he had given the cry that fetched us. He had been shot in four orfive places, and we saw at once that his journey was nearly over.
"We carried him to our fire and brought him round, and did all we couldfor him for three weeks; then he died. He told us he had been one of aparty of six who had been prospecting in the hills west of the LowerGila. One of them had learned, from an Indian he had helped in someway, of a place where the bed of a stream was full of gold. They foundit; but the next morning they were attacked by the Apaches, who had,I expect, been following them all the time. Two of them were killed atonce, the others got upon their horses and rode for it. Three of themwere shot down, but this man was well mounted and got off, though theychased him for three days. He lost his way; his horse fell dead, but hestruggled on until he saw the smoke of our fire and made us out to bewhites.
"Before he died he told us how the place could be found. He said therewas no doubt about the gold, and he had three or four nuggets in hispockets, weighing two or three pounds each. He said he had had lotsof bigger ones, but had chuck
ed them all away to lighten his horse.Well, it is a long journey. It will take us all a month, I reckon,to get there. We cannot go straight--the Apaches would have us to acertainty--but must go north into the Moquis country, and then downagain from that side. We have been minded to try it ever since, butluck has been bad with us, and, besides, two men wouldn't be enough forsuch a journey.
"It ain't every one Sim and I would care about going with, but we haveboth taken a fancy to you. We saw you stand up straight before thatcrowd of Mexicans; besides, we know it wants good grit for that cow-boylife. Now this is the offer we make. We have got two horses, and wecan buy two pack-horses, but we can't go further than that. You havegot two out-and-out horses; we saw you ride in yesterday afternoon. Youwill want another pack-horse, and you will have to provide the outfit:say two bags of flour, two sides of bacon, ten pounds of tea, and acouple of gallons of spirits; then there will be sugar and some otherthings.
"We shall also want a small tent. Now if you like to join us on theseterms you can. There is plenty of gold for us all. But mind you, itwill be no child's play. The journey from the Moquis country there willbe terrible; and there is the chance, and a pretty big chance it is, Itell you, of a fight with the Red-skins. We may never find the place.We have got pretty good indications, but it is not an easy matter tofind a place among those mountains. Still, there it is. If you getthere and back you will each have a horse-load of gold; if you don'tyou will leave your bones there. What do you say to it?"
Hugh looked at Royce. "I reckon we kin take our chances if you kin,"the latter said. "At any rate, mates, you will find as we can take ourshare in whatever comes."
"Then that is agreed," the doctor said. "Now about preparations. Itwill never do for you to be buying the things here; for if we wereseen to start off together we should be followed, sure enough; itwould be guessed at once we had told you of something good. We mustnot be seen together again. We will get our pack-horses and load up,and go as if we were undertaking a job on our own account, and camp upsomewhere twenty miles away, and stop there a week. After we have goneyou can get your outfit and move off and join us. Sim and I have beentalking over whether it will be a good thing to take Jose--that is theman here--with us, instead of buying baggage horses. He has got fourbeasts. He could ride one himself, and the other three, with the oneyou have, would make up the number. Jose can be trusted; besides, weshould not tell him where we were going, but we should have to say itwould be a long journey and a dangerous one. He is a widower, with onechild, and these horses are his only possession, and I think he wouldwant their value put down before he started, say seventy-five dollarsa-piece for them and their saddles, that is three hundred dollars.You wouldn't buy them for less. So as far as money goes it would cometo the same thing. You will get it back again if Jose and the animalscome back; but if we all do come back, three hundred dollars would benothing one way or the other. Then comes the point, would it be worthwhile to take him? There would be one more mouth to feed, but that doesnot go for much; there would be one more rifle in case we had to fight,and Jose has plenty of courage. I have seen him in a fix before now. Hewould look after the beasts and leave our hands free; and his pay wouldcost us nothing, for if we got there he would help us gather and washthe gold."
"What is the drawback then?" Hugh asked.
"The drawback is, that if we have to ride for it he might hinder us."
"There ain't much in that, doc.," Sim Howlett put in. "Our horses arepretty good though they ain't much to look at, but the horses our mateshere have got would leave them standing, and I don't know that Jose'sbest is much slower than ours; besides, when you are working amongthose mountains speed goes for nothing. A horse accustomed to themwould pick his way among the rocks faster'n a race-horse. Ef we areattacked there running won't be much good to us. Ef we get fairly outfrom the hills with the gold and the 'Paches are on our trail, why, wethen must trust to cunning, and our mates here can ride clear away."
"We sha'n't do that, Sim," Hugh said. "If we throw in our lot with youwe shall share it to the end, whatever it is."
"Waal, that is all right, lad; but there are times when stopping tofight is just throwing away your life without doing no good. The doctorhere and me ain't men to desart mates; but when a time comes where itain't no sort of good in the world to fight, and when those mates mustget rubbed out whether you stick by them or not, then it is downrightonreasonable for anyone as can get clear off to throw away his lifefoolish."
"Well, anyhow, Sim," Hugh said, "it seems to me that it will be best totake Jose and his horses with us. It will, as you say, leave our handsfree, and it will make the journey much more pleasant, and will add oneto our strength. Well, that would cost, you say, three hundred dollars;how much will the rest of the outfit cost?"
"Three hundred at the outside," the doctor said. "We have beenreckoning it up. Of course we have all got kits, and it's only gruband ammunition we have got to buy, and two or three more shovels, andsome pans for washing the sand, and another pick or two, and a coupleof crowbars. Three hundred dollars will get as much grub as the fourpack-horses will carry, and make a good proper outfit for us. Will yourmoney run to that?"
"Hardly," Hugh said, "that's just about what we have got between us.We had each six months' pay to draw when we left the ranche, and Ihad some before. I think we are about twenty dollars short of the sixhundred."
"That is plenty," the doctor said. "If you put in four hundred, Simand I can chip in another two hundred, as we sha'n't have to buypack-horses; so we have plenty between us. We shall see Jose to-nightand talk it over with him, and if he agrees he will come to you andbring a document for you to sign, saying that if he does not return insix months, the three hundred dollars are to be paid over for the useof his child; then he will go with you to a priest and put the paperand the money in his hands; then you can hand him over your pack-horse,he will take charge of it; then, if you will give us a hundred dollars,we engage to get the outfit all provided. When it is all done we willlet you know what day you are to meet us, and where. You see we areasking you to trust us right through."
"That is all right," Hugh said. "We are trusting you with our lives,and the dollars don't go for much in comparison."
"That is so," Sim Howlett said. "Waal, there is nothing more to saynow. You had best ride back to the town and give yourself no moretrouble about it. You will hear from us in a few days, or it maybe aweek. We shall buy half the things and send them on by Jose, and thenget the others and follow ourselves. It would set them talking hereif we was to start with four loads. There is some pretty bad men aboutthis place, you bet."
"Well, we sha'n't have much for them to plunder us of," Hugh said.
"Four laden horses wouldn't be a bad haul, but it ain't that I amafraid of. If there wur a suspicion as we was going out to work a richthing, there is plenty of men here would get up a party to track us,and fall on us either there or on our way back. There are two or threebands of brigands upon the mountains, and they are getting worse. Therehave been several haciendas burned and their people killed not manymiles from El Paso. Parties have been got up several times to hunt themdown, but they never find them; and there is people here as believethat the officers of the _guarda_ are in their pay. They have comeacross us more than once when we have been prospecting. But they don'tinterfere with men like us, because, firstly, we haven't got anythingworth taking, anyway nothing worth risking half a dozen lives to get;and in the next place, ef it got known they had touched any of ourlot, the miners would all join and hunt them down, and they know rightenough that would be a different thing altogether to having to dealwith the Mexikins."
Five minutes later Hugh and Royce were on their way back to El Paso.