CHAPTER EIGHT.
SHUTTING UP SHOP.
"I didn't believe we ever should start," said Chris, one morning atdaybreak.
"But you were wrong," said Ned, "and here's good-bye to the old place."
It was a month later, during which time the journey had been made to thenearest town, the stores and other necessaries purchased, and afterpreparations which had lasted till midnight, every one had declared thatthere was nothing else to be done, and all had lain down to sleep,Griggs included, he having decided to stay at the ranch for the lastnight, after bringing over his baggage and animals, and he had by agruesome kind of choice elected to sleep in the long shed.
"Where the poor old adventurer was put," he said, "and that will make medream about him and perhaps have some happy thoughts about the best wayto go."
There were not many farewells to bid, for the settlers at the nearestplantations were scattered widely about the district, and all for themost part too much worried about their own disappointments to pay muchheed to a few neighbours who were giving up and going to try theirfortune elsewhere, and for the most part were ready to sneer at therestless folk who were going prospecting where, according to their ownideas, they were not likely to do half so well.
Hence it was that as soon as it was light, and while Griggs with ahammer and spikes was nailing up the last windows and the door, forwhich pieces of board cut to the exact size lay ready, there was not astranger there to see them off.
It was a busy time. They had all breakfasted by the light of theout-door fire which had boiled their coffee, cooked their damper, andfrizzled their bacon, and now were all hard at work loading the dozenmules that had been purchased for the purpose of carrying their baggage,and in whose management every one had taken lessons from an oldmule-driver who had made many journeys into the Far West.
For there was much to learn. "Obstinate as a mule" is a good oldproverb, and the party had plenty of reason for learning its truth.They had heard too of the vicious nature of these same animals. Theywere used as beasts of burden, and they seemed to have made up theirminds to be a burden to every one there. The old Yankee, who had mademany a journey with mule teams, had taught them, and taught them well,all he could about the mysteries of lasso and lariat, and thediamond-hitch; but even after a fortnight's practice it was not easy tobind the loads well-balanced upon each mule's back without gettingkicked, and when this was done, the mules having been disappointed atnot being able to kick anybody, mostly made desperate attempts to kickat nothing, the result of which was the loosening of the ropes so thatthe loads rattled and in one case went flying.
This load had been tied on by the boys, who stood looking at one anotherand then at the mule, which, as soon as it was free, gave its ears a fewtwinkles, shook its shabby tail, and then began to graze quitecontentedly on some alfalfa grass, or lucerne.
"Come, boys, don't stand looking on," cried the doctor. "Try again, orwe shall be waiting for you. You must put your feet against the brute'sside and haul tight, as you were taught."
"We did, sir," cried Ned, who was hot and angry.
"Not tight enough, my lad. You'll soon do it better."
"Not with this one, father. It's such a beast."
"They all are, my boy," said the doctor, laughing at his son's perplexedcountenance.
"I mean such a wretch, father. It's so artful. When you've got theload on all right and balanced, and there's nothing to do but tightenthe lariat, the nasty, spiteful, cunning brute waits till you begin tohaul tight, and then fills itself full of wind and swells itself out.Then you pull till all is as tight as tight, and fasten off the knots."
"Well, that's right," said the doctor, who looked, like the rest,wonderfully business-like and ready for the journey, in leather Norfolkjacket, knickerbockers, and cowboy's hat.
"Yes, so we thought, sir," said Ned, "till I heard the brute sigh."
"Oh, poor thing, it was because it had such a heavy load."
"No, it wasn't, father; it was because it was breathing out all the windagain, and we didn't know what it meant till we found that the load wasall loose, and when we went up to tighten it the wretch wheeled roundand tried to kick us, and because it couldn't it kicked itself out ofits load."
"Never mind, don't waste time, Chris. I want to start. We'll haltsomewhere at mid-day for a rest, and set things right. After a fewdays' practice we shall get on better, and all these things will comeeasy."
"I hope they will," said Chris, as the doctor went off to where thecarefully-folded tent and its poles and stretchers were being secured toanother of the dozen mules which formed their team. "But look here,Ned, old chap, I'm not going to get in a passion now; I'm going to saveit up, and before long I'm going to show this gentleman which of us twois going to be master."
"Oh, nonsense! My father said that we were to break the mules in withgentle treatment. They are obstinate, he said, because they've becomeso used to being beaten."
"Old Dence told me that kindness is thrown away upon a mule. He saidyou must let go at 'em with your tongue and a good thick stick; but ifwhen you're using it you see one lay its ears down flat and draw itslips away from its teeth and laugh, it's because you don't hit hardenough. Well, this one did."
"Yes, I saw the brute grin," said Ned.
"Well, just you wait. I'm going to save up this fellow's dose, and heshall have it some day with interest."
"He told me," said Ned, "that you couldn't drive mules without using badlanguage. He did--lots."
"Yes, I heard him," said Chris.
"I told my father, and he was angry and said it was all nonsense. Allyou had to do was to shout at the brutes loudly, and as if you were in arage. Then he laughed, and told me what to do."
"What was that?" said Chris, rather breathlessly, for he was busyarranging the mule's load.
"He said I was to stamp and yell, and begin to decline a Latin noun tothe mules."
"Oh, bother the Latin nouns!" said Chris pettishly. "Who's to think ofcases when you're driving a mule? Here, come on and help. And I say, Inearly forgot."
"Forgot what? I dare say we've forgotten lots of things."
"But we mustn't forget this. We're loading the leading mule, and it'sthe one that wears that bell round its neck. Where is it?"
"The bell? Last time I saw it was when father hung it on one of thegun-pegs over the fire-place."
"Oh!" exclaimed Chris, "and old Griggs is just finishing nailing up thedoor."
"Then he'll have to un-nail it again," said Ned grumpily. "Hi, Griggs!"
There were two or three echoing raps with the hammer, and then a coupleof finishing blows, before the American cried--
"Hallo, there!"
"You're nailing up the mule's bell."
"Who says so?" and there was the commencement of the driving in ofanother nail.
"I do," cried Ned. "You must open the door again."
_Rap, rap, rap, rap, bang, bang, bang_, as another nail went home.
"Can't be done."
"But we must have that strap and bell."
"Come and fetch it then. It's hanging on the hitching-up hook at theend of the house."
"Oh!" sighed Ned in a voice full of relief, and he ran to the placespecified, to lift down the bell and the collar-strap, to come backringing it loudly.
"Hoi! Hallo, there! Steady!" cried Wilton excitedly. "Don't do that."
Ned gagged the bell at once by thrusting his left hand in its mouth andholding the clapper; but the little peal he had rung had done its workof setting all the mules in motion, bringing them all up close to theringer, who found himself in the midst of a knot of squealing andkicking brutes, who diversified their vicious play by runningopen-mouthed at one another to bite.
But they were all loaded at length, there was a final look round, andthen a move was made for the long shed, whose big door gaped wide, andas their footsteps were heard there was a shrill neigh from within andthe sound of impatient stamping.
"This looks like a start at last, doctor," said Griggs, who came uplast.
"Yes, at last," said the doctor.
"Got the map all right, sir?"
"Yes, in my saddle-bag. You said you had done everything that fell toyour share."
"Everything but locking up this door, sir, and here are the keys," criedthe American, holding up a leather bag, in which he jingled the hammerand a few of the big nails within.
"That's right," cried the doctor. "Now then," he shouted, "every onetighten his mustang's girths a hole or two, and sling his rifle acrosshis back before mounting. Got your revolvers, boys?"
"Yes, father--yes, sir!" came in response, and the next minutehalf-a-dozen rough-looking wiry cobs were being unhitched and led outthrough the low doorway, to stand champing their big bits, fidgeting tobe mounted and given their heads for a canter.
"Every one see that his bag and blanket are all right," cried thedoctor; and then Griggs' voice was heard.
"Some one take my nag's rein," he said. "Will you, Squire Chris?"
For answer the boy reached out and took hold of the strap, casting hiseye over the sturdy little steed, which seemed too small to carry sotall a man as its rider.
Chris noted that there was the long hide lasso-rope curled up andhanging in its place by the saddle-bow, and that the saddle-bags were intheir places, carefully strapped on, so that a tin bucket, which wasalso hung behind, should rest on one and not prove a nuisance to horseor rider.
Ned was close to his companion, and he said--
"I say, it would have been much better if we had kept to our old ideaand had, say, three light mule-carts. What a lot of these odds and endswe could have stowed out of the way."
"I said so to old Griggs," replied Chris, and then he was silent.
"Well, what did he say?"
"Only grinned at first."
"Well, what then?"
"He said it would have taken so long and been so expensive, because weshould have had to send an army of men on first to make a road all theway we were going."
"Which means he was laughing at you."
"Grinning, I call it. But I suppose he's right, because when you cometo think of it, there'll be no track, and a lot of our travelling willbe in and out among the mountains. There, that's the last door," saidChris with a sigh, as there was a loud bang following the creaking ofhinges that had been rarely used. Directly after, Griggs' hammer cameinto play, making the horses restive and back away from the noise to thefull extent of their reins.
"Yes," said Ned, with a sigh, "the last door. I say, Chris, now it hascome to it, don't you feel a bit sorry to go away from the old place?"
"Horribly," said the boy in a low, husky voice. "What fun we used tohave!"
"Yes," said Ned, "before everything got to be so dull because thingsfailed so and made my father so low-spirited."
"He wasn't so low-spirited as my father was; but I s'pose there wasn'tmuch difference," replied Chris, to the accompaniment of Griggs' hammerand the fidgeting of his nag. "Quiet, will you, stupid! He isn't goingto hurt you."
"I say, how jolly grumpy it used to make Mr Wilton."
"Hah!" ejaculated Chris. "A year ago he was always ready for a bit offun, fishing, snaking, squirrel-hunting, or seeking honey. But there,no wonder; he felt like father, that it was all lose, lose, lose, andthat it was unfair not to be at work."
"And it took all the fun out of our games."
"Yes, no more games now, Neddy. Father said last night when we werealone that we must bid good-bye to being boys with the place--leave allthat here, and begin to think of being and acting like men."
"Yes, and my father said something like that to me, Chris; and somehownow it has come to making the start I don't feel as if I want to be aman yet. It was so jolly to be a boy here in the dear old place. Oh,bother the old gold! I wish that poor old chap hadn't come here todie."
"So do I," said Chris, and his voice sounded very husky now as he gazedround him at the many familiar objects. "I say, look how my apple-treehas grown!"
"Yes, and my pear," said Ned quickly. "It has beaten your old apple allto bits."
"Well, of course it has," said Chris roughly. "Pears do run up tall andstraight and weak. Apples grow stout and strong and slow."
"They've done well enough."
"Yes; but then see what pains we took to water and manure them. Nothingelse has done well."
"No, nothing. As father says, it has all been like slow ruin coming on;but I like the dear old place all the same, because we helped to make itout of the wilderness into a great garden. Oh, Chris, I wish we weren'tgoing."
"So do I, but it's of no use to go on wishing. We should have felt muchmore miserable when we were starting to go back to England, not knowingwhat we were going to do. We should have had to go, and this is goingto be like a great roving holiday, seeing something fresh and new everyday."
"So it will be. There, I begin to feel better now. I say, look at thesun rising--isn't it glorious!"
"Always is," said Chris cheerily. "How different it makes things look!I always feel better when the sun shines. There, good-bye, old place,if we never see you again."
"But I say, Chris, we might come back some day, you know."
"Not likely."
"Why? We might find the gold, and then come back here to live. Itwouldn't matter then about the peaches and grapes and things failing."
"No; father wouldn't want the money then," said Chris thoughtfully. "Ishould like to come back, after all, but--"
_Bing_!--Bing!--Bang!
"That's done it, sir," cried Griggs, his voice ringing out cheerily inthe morning air. "I'll tuck the hammer and nails in my pouch. They maycome in useful. No, I can't; it's full. I'll tuck the hammer handlethrough my belt. Either of you youngsters got room for a few nails inyour pocket?"
"I have, Griggs," cried Chris quickly, and, with something to do, thepain of the farewell to the beautiful scene came to an end.
"Ready?" cried the doctor sharply.
"Aye, aye!" came back, and the horses shuffled and spread their legs.
"Mount!" cried the doctor, and every one sprang to his saddle amidst thestamping of the mustangs' feet. "Lead on, Griggs," cried the doctor.
The American pressed his cob's sides and trotted to where the leadingmule stood browsing, ready to raise its head, shaking the bellviolently, and make a vicious snap at the horse's neck with its baredteeth.
But Griggs was ready for it, and threw out one of his long legs, the toeof his boot catching the mule in the cheek and spoiling the aim.
"Look here, my fine fellow," he cried, "don't you try that game again,or I'll fix a spike to the end of a stout hickory ready for lancingthose gums of yours. I'm afraid you've got toothache, or you wouldn'tbe so ready to bite. Now then, ring up. Get on."
"Forward!" snouted the doctor; and as the mule led the way under theAmerican's direction the whole heavily-laden team filed after, settlingdown steadily enough, the horsemen bringing up the rear, looking like alittle detachment of irregular cavalry as they wound along the tracksthrough the blighted plantation, straight away for the uncultivatedwilds.
"Good-bye to five years' labour," said the doctor, turning in his saddlefor a last look.
"Five years' disappointment," said Wilton sadly.
"Five years of buried hopes," said Bourne slowly; but the boys weresilent, neither daring to trust his voice.
"And now," cried the doctor, "for five years of unburied hope andlooking forward to the future. Here, boys, you ought to give a cheer.Who'll lead?"
No one: the moments were too sad, for there seemed to be a thick blackveil hanging before them right in front, and neither dared to think ofwhat might be to come.
Onward, onward into the future, with the wilderness unseen waiting toswallow up the adventurers in the unknown way--the perils to beencountered happily hidden from them as yet.
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