To The West Part 80

"Yes; he is at the west valley, I met him going there."

"The west valley?" said Mr Raydon, starting and looking excitedly at the speaker. "What was he doing there?"

"Gone to join Mr Gunson and a party of men I suppose," said Grey, slowly.

"Mr Gunson? Back?" I said wonderingly, but with a chill of dread spreading through me as I spoke. "What is he doing there?"

"Busy with the others. They have set up camp, and are washing for gold."

I glanced at Mr Raydon, whose eyes were fixed on me, and I saw a furious look of anger gathering in his face, while Esau backed slowly toward the door.

"This is your doing, sir. Here, you--stop! don't sneak away like that, and leave your companion in the lurch."

"Wasn't going to sneak away," said Esau, surlily. "Go away then, you miserable coward. Well, Mayne Gordon, I hope you are satisfied. Is this your grat.i.tude?"

I fully expected these words, but I was not prepared to answer him, and in the rush of his indignant accusation my defence was swept down, and I could only stammer out--

"You are mistaken, sir."

"No," he cried, "I am not mistaken. I told you when you made that unlucky discovery I wished to keep all the wild gold-seeking scoundrels away from my peaceful happy valley; and in spite of all I have done to welcome you for my sister's sake, you give me evil for good."

"Indeed you are wrong, sir; I have not told a soul," I cried.

"Bah!" said Mr Raydon, furiously. "How can I think otherwise, when I see you holding half-secret meetings with that man Gunson, who returns in force to destroy this place? Well, my lad, I wish you joy of your share, but, mark my words, this gold-seeking is miserable gambling, the work of men who will not see that the real way to find gold is in genuine honest work. Take the gold-seekers all round, and they would have made more of the precious metal by planting corn than by this digging and washing in the river-beds."

"Then you will not believe me, sir?"

"I cannot, my lad, after what I have seen," he said. "Your conduct has not seemed to me manly and frank."

"I have tried to be, sir," I cried.

"And failed, boy. The temptation of the gold has proved to be too much for you."

I stood silent now, for I could not speak. I wanted to say a great deal, but there was a swelling in my throat--a hot feeling of indignation and misery combined kept me tongue-tied, and above all there was a guilty feeling that he was just.

"As for you," Mr Raydon continued, turning to Esau, "I shall not waste words upon you. Of course you agreed with your companion, but you would both have done better for yourselves as lads, and earned better positions in life, by being faithful to me, than by letting yourselves be led away by this miserable temptation."

"I ain't done nothing," said Esau; "I only--"

"That will do," cried Mr Raydon, fiercely, cutting him short. "Now go."

"All right, sir," said Esau; and now I found my tongue again.

"Yes, Esau, we had better go," I said, bitterly. "Mr Raydon will some day find out how unjust he has been to us."

"That will do," cried Mr Raydon, sternly. "No hypocrisy, sir. Once for all, I know that you gave Gunson either full particulars or hints, such as enabled him to bring a gang to this peaceful place."

"Well, if you won't let a fellow speak," began Esau.

"Silence, sir!" cried Mr Raydon, as I moved towards the door. "And you, Gordon, where are you going?"

"I don't know, sir," I said.

"Then I do. You are going to join that wild crew up at the gold-washings."

"I was going to see and tell Mr Gunson of what had happened, sir."

"Exactly. Then I forbid it. You shall not go."

"You ain't got no right to keep us here if we want to go," said Esau, who was now losing: his temper fast.

"Indeed!" said Mr Raydon.

"You won't believe in a fellow--I mean this fellow," continued Esau; "and you don't believe Mr Gordon, so I'm going straight up to Mr Gunson to see if he will, and I'll trouble you to hand over that gold we found that day."

"Esau!" I cried, angrily.

"Well, you won't speak out, so I must. Come on. Much obliged for all you've done in keeping us, sir, and good-bye."

"Grey," said Mr Raydon, sharply.

"Yes, sir."

"See that those lads do not leave the Fort till I give them permission.

When you go off duty Hanson is to take your post."

"What?" cried Esau, as I felt my cheeks burning with indignation, "ain't we to be allowed to go out?"

"Am I to put them in the block-house, sir?" said Grey.

"No; they can occupy the strangers' quarters, but they are not to pa.s.s the gates. That will do. Go!"

CHAPTER FORTY.

INOPPORTUNE ARRIVALS.

I hardly remember how I left Mr Raydon's office, but I do recollect seeing the bear's head grinning at me, and that of the moose gazing at me in its weak, sorrowful way. My head felt hot, and I was bitterly angry; so that when Grey went from us without speaking, after leading us to the strangers' quarters, it only wanted a few words from Esau to make me turn upon him fiercely.

"Look here," he said, "this ain't England, and there's no police and madgistrits about, so I'm not going to stand it. He ain't everybody.

I'm off."

"To the gold-washings?" I said. "Don't you think you've done mischief enough by betraying it to Mr Gunson?"

"Oh, come, I like that," cried Esau.

"That's pleasant, that is. Say it was me, eh? Why, you know you told him."