To The West Part 59

For morning was close at hand, and Quong began piling up sticks on our little fire, from which soon after we could trace the black path of burnt needles away to where, as Gunson said, some branch must have touched the ground, as was the case in many directions near.

CHAPTER THIRTY.

WE MEET A STRANGER.

The pine-tree was still burning as we set off just after sunrise that morning, but a turn in the valley soon hid it from our sight. The weather was glorious again, and we made good progress, stopping that night at the snuggest settler's house we had yet come upon; but we could hear very little about Fort Elk. The man, who was living with his wife and son in that solitary place, had heard of the Fort that it was "somewheres up to the norrard." That was all he knew, but he gave us a good supper of roast deer flesh, and told us that if we looked out we could easily get more on our way, and when we were higher up we might perhaps get a mountain sheep. He was curious to know our object in making so long a journey, but saved Gunson from any difficulty in explanations by supposing that we meant to do something in skins, saying that he had heard that the company up there did a big trade with the Indians in furs.

We left him and his son the next morning many miles from his ranch, for he had insisted upon shouldering a rusty piece and showing us part of our way by a short cut which saved us from a journey through a canon, where the path, he said, was "powerful bad," and it did seem a change when he left us with instructions to keep due north till we struck the river again, where we should find another ranch. For in place of being low down in a gorge, made gloomy by the mighty rock-sides and the everlasting pines, we were out on open mountain sides, where the wind blew, and the sun beat down pretty fiercely.

We reached the ranch in due time, obtained shelter for the night, and went on the next day, finding the country more open. I was trudging along side by side with Esau, Quong was behind us, and Gunson out of sight among the rocks in front, when we were startled by a sharp crash, followed by an echoing roar.

"What's that?" said Esau, turning pale. "Here, stop!" he cried.

But I was already running forward, to come up to Gunson, reloading his rifle, and in answer to my inquiry--

"Don't know yet," he said; "I fired at a sheep up on that rocky slope.

There was one standing alone, and half a dozen behind him, but I only caught sight of their tails as they disappeared up that little valley.

The smoke kept me from seeing whether I hit one. Let's leave the packs here, and go up and see."

It was a hot and difficult climb, for the valley was again steep and contracted here, and when we reached the shelf where Gunson said the sheep had stood, there was nothing to be seen but a wild chaos of rocks and the narrow rift down which a stream bounded, and up by whose bed the sheep had rushed.

"Bad job," said Gunson, after a full half-hour's weary search. "That meat would have tided us on for days, and made us independent when we reached the next ranch, where the people would have been glad of the skin."

"Shall we climb up higher?" I said, in a disappointed tone.

"No; let's get back, and go on. Those two are having a comfortable rest," he added, as he pointed to where, far below, Esau and Quong were lying down by the packs.

"Hurrah!" I shouted just then, for right away down in a pool of the rushing stream I had caught sight of something sticking out just above the water.

"What is it?" cried Gunson, eagerly.

"The sheep under water. That's a leg sticking out."

"A piece of wood," he said, contemptuously. "No: you are right. It is the sheep."

We had a difficult climb down to the place, but did not heed that, for in a few minutes we had dragged out the prize, which Gunson soon lightened in a very business-like way, while I signalled to the others to come up.

Half an hour after we toiled down again, each bearing a quarter of the sheep, the beautiful head and skin being left as too heavy.

Our load was lightened at mid-day, and again at night, when we camped, and the rapid disappearance of that sheep during the next days was startling, for the fresh pure air and exercise created a tremendous appet.i.te which it was not always easy to satisfy.

But somehow in our most hungry times we generally managed to get hold of provisions, either from the Indians or some settler. Twice over Gunson shot a deer, but the scarcity of bird and quadruped was very striking.

There were plenty of berries, but they were not very satisfying food to hungry lads.

Esau proved a great help, though, twice during the many toilsome days which followed, by his discoveries in two streams, and I helped him to drive some delicious little trout into shallow water, where they were captured, to Quong's great delight.

How many days and weeks had pa.s.sed before we were busy by one of the small streams which ran down into the river I cannot now remember, for I have lost count. It seemed that we had been tramping on for a great while, and that it might have been last year when we left the sea.

It was long past midday, and the appearance of this little stream had attracted Gunson so that he determined to camp by it for the night; and leaving Quong and Esau to get a fire and make cakes with the last of our flour, he took the gun, and I a light pine pole, to see if we could not get something in the way of fish or game. I did not say anything, but I knew that Gunson meant to try the sands of the stream as well for gold.

After about an hour's walking, and stopping from time to time to wash a little of the gravel, and pause in likely places, I suddenly drew my companion's attention to something moving in an open glade dotted with small pines and bushes, where the stream ran slowly by through quite a lawn-like stretch.

He threw himself down and I followed his example, watching him as he crawled forward, taking advantage of every bush and rock, till he suddenly stopped, aimed, there was a puff of white smoke, and we both sprang up.

"No miss this time, Mayne," he said, as I reached him. "Look!"

Not above eighty yards away lay a beautiful little deer, quite motionless, and I forgot the destruction of the graceful little animal in the longing for a good supper that night.

"Too much to carry back, eh?" he said, as he finished reloading.

"Oh, no," I cried; "we must carry it somehow." And after the meat was dressed, we divided the load, making two packs of it in the halved skin, and then began to return, when a part of the stream tempted Gunson to make a fresh trial.

"Disappointing work," he said, as he waded in. "Sit down and rest, my lad, for a few minutes. I'll soon see."

But he found nothing, and I sat down in the little gully watching him, and thinking that the prize he sought to find ought to be very big to recompense him for the tremendous labour he went through. It was very still and peaceful; and, hot and tired as I was with walking, I was turning drowsy, when I heard a voice say loudly--

"I saw the smoke rise quite plainly somewhere here;" and, as I started up, a tall, grey-haired, severe-looking, elderly man, in leather hunting-shirt and leggings, and wearing a fur cap, stood before me, rifle in hand, while another man was coming up not a dozen yards away.

"Hallo!" the first exclaimed, as he glanced from me to my companion, saw the cut-up deer, and took in Gunson's occupation as it seemed to me in a sharp glance of his clear grey eyes. "I thought I was right. You fired half an hour ago?"

"Yes," said Gunson, quietly, "and hit."

"Who are you, stranger, and where are you for?" said the grey-haired man, in a firm, stern tone of voice, while his companion stood back leaning on a rifle too, as if waiting to be told to come up.

"English. Travelling and shooting," said Gunson, a little distantly.

"And prospecting," said the new-comer sharply. "Well, have you struck gold?"

"No," said Gunson. "Have you?"

"No; nor deer either. Not your luck to-day."

"Sorry for you, brother sportsman," said Gunson, rather sneeringly, I thought. "Well, where's your shanty? We shall be glad to share our game."

"Where are you making for?" said the stranger, looking at me.

"Fort Elk," I said; and I saw him raise his eyebrows. "Is it very much farther?"

"Not five English miles," he said, looking at me fixedly.

"Do you hear that, Gunson?" I cried. "Here, let's get back and tell Esau."

"Not alone then?" said the stranger.

"No, sir. I have a companion down by the river, and there is a Chinaman with us."

"Any more questions?" said Gunson, rather gruffly; "because if not, perhaps you'll put us on the trail for the nearest cut to the Fort."