To The West Part 99

"Here, what's the matter?" said Esau gruffly, still half asleep. "Time to get up? Hullo, mother! Oh, oh! I recollect now. I was dreaming about old Quong. I say! Oh, my feet--my feet!"

"There, there, there, my dear; they'll soon be better," said Mrs Dean, bending over him; and the sight of those two, with Esau's pettish ill-humour, quite drove away the rest of my gloom for the time. For as Mrs Dean bent over her son, he pushed her away.

"Don't, mother; I do wish you wouldn't."

"Wouldn't what, my dear?"

"Talk to me, and pull me about like that."

"Hush! not so loud, my dear. You'll wake Mr Gunson."

"Bother Mr Gunson! There you go again. Can't you see I'm growed up now?"

"Yes, of course, Esau."

"No you can't, or you wouldn't talk to me like that. You always seem to treat me as if I was two years old; you'll be wanting to rock me to sleep some night."

"Esau, my dear, how can you?"

"Well, so you will. Pet, pet, pet, every time you get near me."

"Esau, my darling," cried Mrs Dean, excitedly. "What are you going to do?"

"Get up."

"With your feet like that?"

"Well, they'll be just the same if I lie here, and I'm not going to be ill."

"But you will be, dear, if you walk about."

"Then I shall be ill. I'm not going to lie here for you to feed me with a spoon, and keep on laying your hand on my head."

"Now, Esau, when did I try to feed you with a spoon?"

"I mean mettyphorically," grumbled Esau. "You always seem to think I'm a baby. Ah, if you begin to cry, I'll dance about and make my feet worse."

Mrs Dean wiped her eyes furtively, and Esau put his arm round her and gave her a hearty kiss, which made her beam again.

"Well," he said, turning to me with a very grim look, "not much fun in getting gold, is there? I say, who'd have thought of our coming back again like this? What 'll Mr Raydon say to us this morning?"

I felt half startled at the idea of meeting him again, but my attention was taken up by a low muttering from Mr Gunson, and I went with Mrs Dean to his side, and stood watching her bathe his head till he sighed gently, and seemed to calm down.

"Poor old chap!" said Esau; "he got a nasty one, that he did. I say, wonder how much gold him and old teapot had found?"

"Oh, never mind that now."

"But I do," said Esau; "and so would he mind if he could think and talk.

Wonder where he hid it all? Let's ask Quong, because it oughtn't to be lost."

I made no answer, but stood watching the injured man, while Esau preferred sitting down and nursing first one foot and then the other, but always obstinately refusing to lot his mother touch them. "I say,"

he said, after a pause. "Well."

"What's old Raydon going to say to us? It was very jolly of him to come and help us as he did, but he looked pickled thunder at me and you here.

He won't let us stay. We shall have to start off again."

"I suppose so," I said drearily, with my old troubles coming back; and we relapsed into silence, till there was a soft light step at the door, and Quong entered and looked sharply at the plain rough bed-place where Mr Gunson lay.

"Come over see how d'ye do," he said quickly. "Cap Gunson no go long die self?"

"No, no," I cried; "he will get well."

"Yes; get well, ploper quite well, and go wash gole. Makee flesh blead--flesh tea?"

"No, not yet," said Mrs Dean, who looked askant at the fresh-comer, and as if she did not approve of him.

"Allee light. Wait. Good fi' makee blead cakee."

"I say, Quong," whispered Esau, "did you two find much gold?"

Quong gave him a quaint laughing look. "You waitee littee bit. Allee same ask Mas Gunson. You sabbee?"

"But he can't tell us. I say, do you know where he hid what you got?"

"No; no sabbee. Mas Gunson know allee same. You wait."

Just then I heard a cough in the enclosure, and drew back a little uneasily as the door opened, and Mr Raydon entered.

"Good morning, my lads," he said, gravely and coldly. "Ah, Quong, you here? Well, nurse, how is your patient?"

"He seems very nicely, sir, and I don't think there is much fever."

"Does he seem in great pain?"

"Only at times, sir, and then I bathe his temples."

Quong looked sharply from one to the other, and began to fumble about under his blue cotton blouse till he produced from some hidden pocket a tiny thin bottle, less than my little finger, and gave it to Mr Raydon.

"Velly good," he said, eagerly. "You sabbee? Touch velly little dlop allee long Cap Gunson head. No makee hurt then."

"Ah, yes," said Mr Raydon, taking the bottle. "I have seen this before;" and as Gunson just then uttered an uneasy moan, the cork was taken out, and a very tiny drop spread with a finger lightly about his temples.

"Makee seep," said Quong, smiling. "Velly good."

The essence certainly produced the required effect, and Quong showed his yellow teeth.

"Not muchee," he said. "Velly lit dlop. Velly ofen? No, no."

"I understand," said Mr Raydon, handing back the bottle.