The Silver Canyon Part 37

"Indian dog of Apache never forgives," he replied quietly. "They may come to-day--to-morrow--next moon. Who can tell when the Apache will come and strike? But he will come."

"There, Master Bart, hear that!" said Joses. "How about going down into the canyon to spear salmon now?"

"The young chief, Bart, can go and spear salmon in the river," said the Beaver, whose face lit up at the prospect of engaging in something more exciting than watching cattle and taking care that they did not stray too far. "The Beaver and his young men will take care the Apaches do not come without warning."

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

SPEARING SALMON UNDER DIFFICULTIES.

The undertaking of the chief was considered sufficient, and as a change of food would be very acceptable to the little mining colony, the Doctor made no difficulty about the matter, so the Beaver sent out scouts into the plain to give the earliest notice of the appearance of danger, and to supplement this, the Doctor posted Harry, their English follower, in the best position on the mountain, with the powerful gla.s.s, so that he might well sweep the plain, and give an earlier notice of the enemy's coming than even the Indians could supply.

The Beaver looked very hard at the telescope, and said that it was very great medicine, evidently feeling for it a high degree of respect. Then certain other arrangements having been made, including the choice of half-a-dozen of the Mexican greasers to carry the salmon that Bart said laughingly they had not yet caught, the fishing party, which included Bart, Joses, the Beaver, the interpreter, and six more Indians, all started for the patch of forest.

They were all well-armed, and, in addition to their weapons, the Indians had contrived some ingeniously formed three-p.r.o.nged spears, keen as lancets, and well barbed, ready for use in the war against the fish.

The deep rift leading down to the canyon was soon found, and this time Bart approached cautiously, lest there should be another of the rattle-tailed snakes lurking in a crevice of the rock; but this time they had nothing of the kind to encounter. A magnificent deer, though, sprang from a dense thicket, and Bart's rifle, like that of Joses, was at his shoulder on the instant.

"No, no!" cried the Beaver, eagerly; and they lowered the pieces.

"Ah!" cried Bart, in a disappointed tone, "I had, just got a good sight of him. I know I should not have missed."

"The Beaver's right, Master Bart," said Joses, quietly. "If we fired, the sound might travel to the Apaches, and bring 'em down upon us. Best not, my lad. We'll get the salmon without our guns."

They entered the "chimney," and, acquainted now with its peculiarities, the party descended much more quickly than on the previous occasion.

The way was clearer, too, the vines and tangled growth having been cleared at the first descent, when pieces of rock were removed, and others placed in clefts and cracks to facilitate the walking, so that, following the same plan again, there was a possibility of the slope becoming in time quite an easy means of communication between the canyon and the plain.

They reached the bottom in safety, and probably to make sure that there should be no such accident as that to the Doctor occur unseen, the chief took the precaution of planting the party on rocks out in the stream well in view one of the other, and just where the fish would pa.s.s. He then set a couple of his men to watch for danger, and the spearing began.

"Now, Master Bart," said Joses, "sling your rifle as I do, and let's see what you can do in spearing salmon."

"Hadn't we better leave our rifles ash.o.r.e there, under the trees?"

replied Bart.

"Yes, my lad, if you want to be taken at a disadvantage. Why, Master Bart, I should as soon think of leaving an arm or a leg ash.o.r.e as my rifle. No, my lad, there's no peace times out here; so no matter how inconvenient it may be, sling your piece, and be always prepared for the worst."

"Oh, all right, Joses," replied Bart, pettishly, and he slung his rifle.

"Oh, it's of no use for you to be huffy, my lad," growled Joses. "You never know when danger's coming. I knowed a young fellow once up in the great north plains. He'd been across the Alkali Desert in a bad time, and had been choked with the heated dust and worried with the nasty salty stuff that had filled his eyes and ears, so that when he got to a branch of one of the rivers up there that was bubbling over rocks and stones just as this may be, and--ah, stoopid! Missed him!" cried Joses, after making a tremendous stab at a salmon.

"Well, Joses?"

Well! no, it wasn't well. He thought he must have a good swim, and so he took off his clothes, laid his rifle up against the trunk of a big pine-tree, and in he went, and began splashing about in the beautiful cool clear water, which seemed to soften his skin, and melt off quite a nasty salt crust that had made him itchy and almost mad for days.

Well, this was so good that he swam farther and farther, till he swam right across to where the stream ran fast right under the steep rock, not so big as this, but still so big and steep that a man could not have climbed up it at the best of times, and--"Got him, my lad?" he exclaimed, as he saw Bart make a vigorous thrust with his spear.

"Yes, I have him," cried Bart, excitedly, as he struggled with the vigorous fish, a large one of fourteen or fifteen pounds' weight, one which he successfully drew upon the rocks, and after gloating over its silvery beauty, carried to the sh.o.r.e, returning just in time to see Joses strike down his fish-spear, and drag out a fish a little larger than the first one caught.

"That's a fine one, Master Bart," growled Joses, as he set off to step from stone to stone to the bank, while Bart, eager and excited, stood with poised spear, gazing intently down into the clear depths for the next beauty that should come within his reach.

Just then one came up stream, saw the danger impending, and went off like a flash through the water, turning slightly on his side and showing his great silvery scales.

"Too late for him, Joses," cried Bart.

"Ah, you must be sharp with them, my lad, I can tell you," cried his companion. "Well, as I was telling of you, the rock on the opposite side of the river rose up like a wall, and there was just a shelf of stone big enough for a man to land on before he tried to swim back.

Those stones, too, were right in the sunshine, and the wall behind them was just the same, and they'd be nice and warm."

"How do you know, Joses?"

"How do I know? because I've swum across that river often, and it's very cold--so cold that you're glad to get out and have a good warm on the rocks before you try to swim back. Got him again?"

"Yes," replied Bart, who had made a successful thrust. "Only a small one though."

"Not so bad, my lad; not so bad. He's a good eight or nine pounds.

Well, as I was telling you, this young man got out on the bit of a shelf, and was warming himself, when his eyes nearly jumped out of his head, for he saw half-a-dozen Injuns come from among the pine-trees, and one of them, when he saw that young man there, ran loping towards where the gun stood, caught it up, and took a quick aim at him. Now, then-- Ah, I've got you this time," cried Joses, spearing the largest fish yet caught, dragging it out of the water, and taking it ash.o.r.e.

"Fine one, Joses?" cried Bart.

"Yes; he's a pretty good one. Ah, you missed him again. It wants a sharp poke, my lad. Well, now then," he added, as Bart, recovered himself after an ineffectual thrust, "what ought that young man to have done, Master Bart?"

"Taken a header into the river, dived, and swum for his life."

"Right, boy; but he was so scared and surprised that he sat there staring at the Injun, and gave him a chance to fire at him, being so near that the shot whistled by his ear and flattened on the rock behind, and fell on the shelf where he was sitting."

"That woke him up, I suppose?" said Bart.

"It just did, my lad; and before the Indians knew where he was, he went plop into the river and disappeared, and the Injun ran down to catch him as he came up again."

"And," said Bart, quickly, "they didn't catch sight of his head when he came above the water, because he swam up with the eddy into a dark pool among some rocks, and squatted there, with only his nose above the water, till they thought he was drowned, and went, and then he crept out."

"Why, how did you know?" growled Joses.

"Because you've told me half-a-dozen times before. I recollect now,"

said Bart, "only you began it in a different way, so that I thought it was a new story; and you were that young man, Joses."

"Course I was," growled the other; "but hang me if I tell you a story again."

"Never mind, Joses; here's another," cried Bart, laughing.

"And here's a bigger one, Master Bart," said Joses, chuckling.

"What splendid sport!" cried Bart, as he followed Joses ash.o.r.e with his prize, and added it to the silvery heap.

"Ay, it ain't amiss. We shall give them a reg'lar treat in the camp, that we shall."

"Look, Joses, the Beaver's got a monster. He has let it go. What's he bounding ash.o.r.e for like that?"

"Quick, Master Bart--danger!" cried Joses, excitedly, as a warning cry rang along the river. "Look out! This way!"