CHAPTER TEN.
ON THE WAY.
Ned was ready to laugh at his scare when riding forward in the sunshineof a brilliant morning. He had been awakened by Griggs with a cheeryhail, to find the cool damp air of morning impregnated with theagreeable odour of coffee fuming away over the embers of a cracklingfire which showed up the browsing animals here and there in thedarkness. Then came a hearty breakfast, over which the day'sproceedings were discussed, and the doctor's decision accepted that theycould not do better than strike right away in the direction of the hillseen the previous afternoon, making that their observatory for decidingfuture proceedings.
"Our plan of campaign is simple enough," he said; "we must avoid alltraces of civilisation, and keep to the wilds. The rest lies withchance and good fortune."
It was only beginning to get light when all set to loading up the mules,to find it nearly as hard a task as before; but it was mastered, a sharplookout given round to make sure that nothing was left behind, and thenthe order was given, "Forward!" Griggs led off once more, with thebiting mule's bell jingling, and the low brush, wet with dew, giving outa peculiar rustling as it was trampled down or passed through, thedirection of the hill being determined by compass, the result of theirleader's observation taken the day before.
But soon after the darkness grew grey, there was a faint band visible inthe heavens which gradually broadened, trees started into view to rightand left, and after progressing some distance in silence, Chris and Ned,who had taken up their positions on starting right and left of Griggs,began to find their tongues and make remarks about the faint streaks oforange colour which lit up the zenith. Soon after it was as if thecoming light of day was illumining them as well as the landscape, andthey ended by asking questions and then talking loudly about what hadpassed in the night.
Griggs was ready enough to reply in a bantering, boyish spirit inresponse to one of Chris's questions.
"Yes," he said; "your dad roused me up out of about the most delicioussleep I ever remember to have had. Oh, it's just grand sleeping out inthe open. You have so much room to breathe."
"Why, you slept in the house place the same as we did," cried Ned. "Isaw where you lay down."
"Likely enough, but you didn't see me get up again. It was too hot andstuffy in there, with things creeping into your hair and ears. I soongot up and shook them off so as to go and pick a place near where thedoctor was watching, so that he should know where to find me. Then Ilay down on one of nature's own spring mattresses, made by spreading ablanket over the sage-brush, and the next minute I was asleep."
"But suppose there had been a rattler under where you lay down?" criedNed.
"Well, then he'd have just had time to take one bite at the blanket andfill his teeth full of wool before I'd squeezed him flat. I weigh nighupon twelve stone, horseman's weight, and that would have taken all themusic out of his tail if he'd been there. But don't you make anymistake about those gentlemen; they've an ugly way of biting if they'reobliged, but from what I know, the first thing a rattler does when hehears feet coming is to take himself away somewhere so that no one shalltread on his music."
It was then that Chris annoyed his companion by relating the nightalarm, though Ned was ready enough to join in the laugh against himself.
"Say," said Griggs suddenly, as they passed a clump of trees standinglike an island upon a little elevation above the monotonous plain whichhad succeeded the oasis where the fruit-farm lay in the solitude, and hepointed off to his left.
"Say what? Can you see anything?" asked Chris.
"Yes; ain't that the hill we've got to make 'smorning?"
"Yes; of course," cried Chris, shading his eyes from the level sunbeams.
"Then we're leaving it too much to the left."
The opinion was endorsed before anything had been done, by an order fromtheir leader, who had been using his glass, and now shouted from therear that they should bear off to the left and then make straight forthe elevation dimly-seen like a low cloud in their front.
"Our boss is going to keep us all up to the mark, and no mistake," saidGriggs, "only I hope he's going to play fair with us."
"Why, of course he will," cried Chris indignantly.
"I don't know," said the American, with a curious smile about thecorners of his lips and a twinkle in his eye. "I don't think he wasquite square in the night."
"Why not?"
"Well, you see, he had to rouse me up to relieve him about midnight,when I was in such a beautiful sleep that it was a sin to break it, andwhat does he do but snap it in two about an hour before he ought."
"I don't believe he would," cried Chris.
"No, you don't, because he's your father. He ain't my father, and so Ibelieve he did."
"But did you look at your watch?"
"Nay, but I felt as if his must have been an hour too fast if he lookedat it and found it twelve o'clock. Say, we might as well let watchestake their chance now, and trust to the sun. He don't want any windingup, and we shall have plenty to do without seeing to keys and that sortof thing."
"I shall keep mine wound up," said Chris decisively.
"So shall I," cried Ned. "We don't want to turn savages because we aregoing into the wilds."
"Just as you like, squires, but you'll do more good, I say, by beingsure to wind up your revolvers and setting your rifles ready to strikeone or two when they're wanted. I say, we must talk to the boss abouthaving some shooting if we see a chance."
"There's one then for the shot-barrel," cried Chris excitedly, as hepointed to a hare--a jack-rabbit, as they called it--just startled bytheir animals' feet, and bounding away as hard as he could go.
"Nay, we're not going to waste powder and shot upon those things. Idon't like that bitter sort of meat."
"They are bitter," observed Ned. "My father says it's because they eatso many of the artemisia shoots."
"Eh? What shoots?" cried Griggs.
"Artemisia--this stuff we're riding through."
"Oh, the sage-brush! Well, p'r'aps it is, but I allus thought it wasfrom swallowing so much alkali dust. Regular soda plain, this."
"What are we likely to find farther on, Griggs?" said Chris, after thatgentleman had been remonstrating a little with the bell-mule for tryingto bite Ned's mustang, the said remonstrating being performed with thebutt of his rifle, which had to be applied hard upon the viciousanimal's head.
"What are we likely to find to shoot?" replied Griggs, with a satisfiedgrunt, for the mule was plodding steadily on again. "Well, Indians."
"But we can't eat them," cried Chris, laughing.
"No, my lad; I should say buck Indian would be as tough as his ownteepee [skin lodge, hut, or tent]. Matter o' taste, though, I s'pose.No cannibal that I ever heard of in our family."
"No nonsense, Griggs," said Ned. "What are we really likely to find?"
"The gold if we're lucky," said the American dryly.
"I mean, what are we likely to shoot for the pot?"
"All depends how far south we get, and whether we come into woods andmountains. If we strike them we may drop upon a flock of gobblers nowand then."
"What! Turkeys?"
"Yes."
"Splendid!" cried the boys in a breath. "But do you really think weshall find them?"
"Like enough; if we're far enough away from settlements and Indians."
"But if we don't find turkeys, what then?" asked Chris.
"I dunno. We're going into the wildest parts we can find, places thathaven't been hunted over. We might come upon buffalo or a deer now andthen. All depends upon our getting into quite lonely spots. But thereyou are," continued the speaker, pointing with his piece, and thenadministering another punch to the mule, who was beginning to smileprevious to making a bite.
"What are you pointing at?" asked Ned.
"Can't you see those birds skimming along just over the brush, my lads?"
"No," said Ned.
"Yes," cried Chr
is. "I see them--partridges."
"Something of that kind. Prairie hens, or cocks. They're good to eatsometimes."
"Of course; we've often had them."
"Here, I must cut a good thick cudgel first chance on purpose for thislovely playful insect here. We ought to christen him Mosquito. He'salways trying for a bite out of something--hungry beggar. I say, dessayhe wouldn't mind trying a bit of Indian."
"Give him another punch with your rifle."
"No!" cried Griggs emphatically. "Never again. I did that idioticthing twice over before I thought what a fool I was towards myself, andteaching you two lads at the same time."
"How? What do you mean?"
"Doing what is sure to mean an accident some day. Can't you see, oneholds by the barrel and reaches down the butt?"
"Of course."
"Well, some day that means jarring the rifle off and sending its chargeinto you who hold the barrel. Never try such a thing, whatever you do.It's the work of an idiot, my lads. A man that does such a thingoughtn't to be trusted with a gun."
"Then we ought to take Mr Nathaniel Griggs' rifle away from him, Ned,"said Chris, with mock seriousness.
"Ah, you may laugh, my lads, but I deserve it," said the Americanseriously. "It gave me a cold shudder just now when I thought of what amad thing I had done. There's more fooling about with guns than peoplethink. Every now and then a donkey comes into a room, sees a gun, picksit up, and presents it, saying to some one, `I'll shoot you,' and pullsthe trigger, bringing some poor fellow down. If ever you see any oneaim at a person with a gun, knock him over, and save accident. A poorboy or girl is shot, and then the idiot says, `Oh, I didn't know it wasloaded!' It oughtn't to have been, but at such times guns generallyare. I don't know how many accidents of that kind I've heard of. We'realways going to be carrying our pieces on this journey, and never oughtto have one out of our hands, so we should be the more careful. I don'twant to be buried out here in the desert, nor yet go home again withouta head. What would be the use of the gold to me then?" he added, with adry chuckle.
"Ah, what indeed?" said Chris seriously. "But don't talk about it. Isay, when you were keeping watch in the night, did you hear or seeanything?"
"Didn't see much, but I seemed to hear a good deal that was a bitstrange."
"What?" asked Chris eagerly.
"Oh, I don't know; creepy sounds in the black darkness under the trees,and splashings in the big pool, just as if it was full of six-footalligators waiting for something or some one to eat."
"I heard that," said Chris; "but it was only fish."
"Like enough, my lad. I never heard of any 'gators in these parts.Hallo! That was something.--Nearly had me off."
"A snake!" cried Chris, for Griggs' mustang had suddenly plunged,bounding sidewise with a jerk to its rider which nearly sent him out ofhis saddle.
"Rattler, I expect; nearly trod on him. Isn't bitten, or he wouldn't goon so quietly," added the American, turning in his saddle to look backat the trampled track they had made through the brush, but nothing wasto be seen.
"Oughtn't we to ride back and warn the others?" said Chris.
"No need, my lad; that gentleman, if he was a rattler, has gone to earthfast enough, and won't show himself till we're gone. Yes, I don't thinkmy nag was touched. I shouldn't like that. Deal rather Master Skeeterhere got it. A bite would make him smile and look more handsome than hedoes now."
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