To The West Part 90

"Sent you to warn me?" interrupted Gunson.

"No," I said; "we had to break out of the Fort to-night and come. Mr Raydon is not good friends with me."

"Humph!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Gunson. "So you came to let me know?"

"To put you on your guard," I said. "Yes."

I saw him look at me fixedly for a few moments, and then in a half-morose way he nodded his head at me, saying--

"Thank you, my lad--thank you too, Dean."

"Warn't me," said Esau, sourly. "It was him. I only come too."

"Well, it is awkward," continued Gunson, after a few moments' thought, "for I have got to the spot now that I have been looking for all these years."

"Then you're finding lots of gold?" cried Esau, eagerly.

"I am finding a little gold," replied Gunson, quietly; "and Quong is too."

"Eh? Me findee gole?" cried Quong, looking up from the half-boiling kettle, and hastily-made cakes which he had thrust in the embers to bake. "Yes; findee lil bit, and put um in littlee bottle."

"But these men--will they attack you?" I said, anxiously.

"Yes, if they find that I have a good claim. More than two, you say?"

I told him all about the coming to the Fort, and how we had pa.s.sed them down below. Gunson looked very serious for a while; then with a smile he said quietly--

"Well, union is strength. Now you two lads have come, my force is doubled. You will stay with me now?"

"No," I said, firmly. "As soon as it is light I must go back to the Fort to our friends."

"But you have quarrelled with Mr Raydon, and after this night's business he will not have you back."

"No," cried Esau, eagerly. "Let's stop and wash gold."

"And leave your mother," I said, "for the sake of that."

"I wish you wouldn't be so nasty, Mayne Gordon," cried Esau. "Who's a-going to leave his mother? Ain't I trying to get a lot o' money so as to make her well off?"

"We cannot stay," I said. "I don't want Mr Raydon and my friends--"

"They have arrived then?"

"Yes," I said. "What would they think if I ran off like this?"

"Humph! you're a strange lad. You take French leave, and come to warn me. They fire at you, and hunt you with that great hound, and yet you are going back!"

"Yes," I said, "as soon as it is light; Esau too."

"And suppose old Raydon won't have us back?" cried Esau.

"But he will when he knows why I came."

"I am not so sure," said Gunson. "Well, I suppose you are right."

"No, no," cried Esau. "I meant to stop along with you. I shan't go.

If I do, it'll be to fetch mother."

I told Esau I did not believe him, and Gunson went on--

"It's awkward about those fellows, for at present might is right up here. The worst of it is, Quong can't fight."

"No fightee," said Quong, looking up sharply. "Melican man fightee.

Quong makee flesh tea, talkee ploper English. Makee flesh blead all hot. Hot closs bun."

"I should like to stay with you, Mr Gunson," I said; "and it is very tempting. But I must go back."

"And if Mr Raydon refuses to have you, my lads, come back, and I'll make you as welcome as I can."

"Flesh tea all leady," said Quong; and I was soon after gladly partaking of the simple meal, close to the spot where I had met with the terrible accident six months before.

Before we lay down for a few hours' rest, I wanted to tell him more about my trouble, and how Mr Raydon suspected me. I wanted to ask him too how he had found out about this spot. But Esau was lying close by me, and I suspected him of playing a double part. I felt sure just then that he had been Gunson's informant, so I had to put it all off till a more favourable opportunity; and while I was thinking this I dropped off fast asleep.

CHAPTER FORTY FOUR.

GREY'S MESSAGE.

"Flesh tea allee leady," cried a familiar voice in my ear; and I started up to see the sun peering over the edge of the mountains to light up the beautiful opalescent mists floating below. There was the scent of the bruised pine-boughs where I lay, and a more familiar one wafted from the fire--that of hot, newly-made bread.

"Yes, all right, I'm getting up," grunted Esau; and directly after we went down to the stream and had a good wash, finding Gunson waiting by the fire and watching the frizzling of some slices of bacon on our return.

"Good morning," he said. "Come and have your breakfast. Well," he continued, as we began, "what's it to be? Going back?"

"Yes," I said, "directly after breakfast."

"Oh!" cried Esau.

"I can't help it, Esau; we must. We are in honour bound."

"And we might make our fortunes."

"You leave me, then, to the mercy of those scoundrels down below?" said Gunson, drily.

"I am only a boy, sir," I said; "how can I fight for you? I'll beg Mr Raydon to send help to you though, directly."

"Yes; do, my lad. I shall be in rather a dangerous position. Say I beg of him to try and give me protection, for though I am fighting against him here, all this was sure to come, and I might as well grow rich as any one else."