To The West Part 49

QUONG TAKES REFUGE.

Our way was the same as the bear's, for the simple reason that it was the only open level part we could find on that side of the valley. To our left, the rocks went up in huge, precipitous steps, and then went down to the right to where the river foamed along a couple of hundred feet below. And there, with the greatest regularity, were the great footprints which had deceived me, pretty close beside a little stream which trickled on along the level, till suddenly it turned to the right, and plunged down towards the river.

"Look!" said Gunson, pointing, and there were the footprints again, but turning off now to our right, while our way lay straight on.

"Then he's gone!" cried Esau, eagerly.

_Crash! Rush_! There was the sound of breaking twigs, as if some monstrous creature was forcing its way through the undergrowth to the right, and I heard another rush behind me as I stood there behind Gunson, too much paralysed to run, as I saw him drop on one knee and raise the rifle to his shoulder.

The rushing noise continued, but it grew more faint, and Gunson rose to his feet.

"We've frightened him as much as he has frightened us. Here, hi!

Hallo! where are you?" he cried, as he caught sight of two bundles lying on the ground where they had been dropped.

There was no answer.

"Here, Dean, come along," shouted Gunson again; and I shouted too.

"Ahoy!" came back from some distance away, and a good ten minutes elapsed before Esau reappeared, looking hot and white.

"Did you shoot him?" he said.

"How could I, when you ran away with the ammunition. Seen the bear?"

"No."

"Well, have you seen Quong?"

"No," said Esau, rather dolefully, and looking as if extremely dissatisfied with the part he had played.

"The bear can't have seized him?" I said, looking at Gunson.

"Impossible," he said. "It went the other way."

Just then I caught sight of something blue, and burst out laughing.

"What is it?" cried Gunson.

I pointed upward to where, about fifty feet from the ground, the little Chinaman was perched in a great spruce fir, clinging tightly to one of the horizontal boughs, with his feet on another, and as he peered anxiously down, looking like a human squirrel on the watch for foes.

"Here, come down," I cried. "It's all right now. Come down."

"Yes, come down, you little coward," shouted Esau, who brightened up directly he found that some one had cut a worse figure than he. "I say," he continued, with a forced laugh, "doesn't he look comic up there?"

"Yes," said Gunson, grimly, as he gazed fixedly at Esau, who turned uncomfortable directly, and made no remarks about Quong, as he walked to the foot of the tree, which was about a hundred yards away, and losing sight of its occupant now he was hidden by the intervening boughs.

"Come, Quong," I said, "get down, or we shall leave you behind."

"Gone?" he said in a weak voice.

"Yes; come along."

He descended slowly, and stood before us shaking the grey moss and dead fir-needles from his blue cotton garment.

"Big blown beace," he said. "Quong see him. Velly frighten."

He followed us to where the pack lay, slung it over his shoulder, and we once more tramped on, till a suitable spot was found for our camp--a regular niche in the side of the valley, with a small pine spreading its boughs overhead for shelter.

Here, in spite of the risk of bears, we decided to halt for the night, and a good fire was soon blazing; and as if regularly engaged as our servant, Quong set to work at once, and soon prepared our tea-supper, which was discussed as enjoyably as if we were in good quarters; and that night pa.s.sed away as I lay rolled up in my blanket, just as if I closed my eyes in the darkness and opened them directly to see the warm glow of the sun lighting up the east, and Quong busy baking cakes in the embers, the tea-kettle steaming away close at hand.

The weariness and low spirits had pa.s.sed away with the darkness, and after a splash in the stream close by, I felt ready for any amount of journeying.

As I came back from the stream I met Gunson coming towards me.

"Did you see anything?" he said, quietly.

"See anything? Only a squirrel."

"Look down there."

He gave his head a nod a little to the left, and I followed the direction of his eyes.

"Don't start; don't run," he said, quietly. "If the Chinaman knows of it he will make a stampede into the forest, and we shall lose him."

"But perhaps there is one close by," I said, nervously.

"Very likely; for there have been two promenading backwards and forwards about us all night. Look at their marks. These prints are a little smaller than those."

I had not noticed it till he pointed to the fact, and then I saw the foot-marks of two bears plainly enough.

"I'm beginning to think," continued Gunson, "that we have selected their lair for our camp; but as they have not interfered with us, I don't think they will if we leave them alone."

"But I can't eat my breakfast with those things about," I said.

"You have never tried yet, my lad. Try now. I will have the rifle and revolver ready to hand; but take not the slightest notice, and behave as if nothing was wrong."

"But--"

"Come, Gordon, I thought better of you," he said, smiling. "Where is your courage?"

"Come along," I said, making an effort to master the feeling of dread which had come over me; and I saw him smile as Esau came up with his arms full of dead wood for the fire, and directly after we were seated at our meal.

If I had been alone I should have left that spot, beautiful as it was, directly, and I have no hesitation in confessing that it was the most uncomfortable meal I ever ate. But I kept my fears to myself, and only once was caught by Gunson looking anxiously around at the slope clotted with tree, bush, and clump of mossy rock, when his smile made me turn to my tin mug of tea directly.

"I thought you would be the first ready," said Gunson, about half an hour later, when the sun was shining over the shoulder of one of the eastern mountains. "But look at Dean, how slow he is about shouldering the pack, and--what's the matter with Quong?"

For that little individual suddenly came up smiling, with his hand under his blouse.

As he came close up, he drew his tin plate from where it had been tucked up his breast.