INDIAN 
 
 ^ 
 
 o > . 
 

 BANCROFT 
 LIBRARY 
 
 0- 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 CALIF. FICTION 
 COLLECTION 
 NOT FOR USE 
 

 
 w 
 
 
 N.Y 
 
Indian and Scout 
 
BY CAPTAIN F. S. BRERETON 
 In crown 8vo, cloth extra. Illustrated. 
 
 The Great Aeroplane. A Thrilling Tale of Adventure. 6*. 
 Indian and Scout. A Tale of the Gold Rush to California. $ s - 
 A Hero of Sedan. A Tale of the Franco- Prussian War. 6s. 
 How Canada was Won. A Tale of Wolfe and Quebec. 6s. 
 With Wolseley to Kumasi. A Story of the First Ashanti War. 
 
 6s. 
 
 Roger the Bold. A Tale of the Conquest of Mexico. 6s. 
 A Knight of St. John. A Tale of the Siege of Malta. 6*. 
 With the Dyaks of Borneo. A Tale of the Head Hunters. 
 
 6*. 
 Foes of the Red Cockade. A Story of the French Revolution. 
 
 6s. 
 John Bargreave's Gold. A Tale of Adventure in the Caribbean. 
 
 Ss. 
 Roughriders of the Pampas. A Tale of Ranch Life in South 
 
 America. 5^. 
 Jones of the 64th. A Tale of the Battles of Assaye and Las- 
 
 waree. 5*. 
 With Roberts to Candahar. A Tale of the Third Afghan 
 
 War. $s. 
 
 A Hero of Lucknow. A Tale of the Indian Mutiny. 5*. 
 A Soldier of Japan. A Tale of the Russo-Japanese War. 5*. 
 In the Grip of the Mullah. A Tale of Adventure in Somali- 
 land. $s. 
 Under the Spangled Banner. A Tale of the Spanish-American 
 
 War. 5 s. 
 In the King's Service. A Tale of Cromwell's Invasion of 
 
 Ireland. 5-r. 
 
 A Gallant Grenadier. A Story of the Crimean War. 3*. 6d. 
 With Rifle and Bayonet. A Story of the Boer War. y. 6d. 
 One of the Fighting Scouts. A Tale of Guerrilla Warfare in 
 
 South Africa. y. 6d. 
 
 The Dragon of Pekin. A Story of the Boxer Revolt. y. 6d. 
 With Shield and Assegai. A Tale of the Zulu War. y. 6d. 
 
 LONDON : BLACKIE & SON, LIMITED, 50 OLD BAILEY, E.G. 
 
"JACK SWUNG HIS HEAD ROUND" 
 
Indian and Scout 
 
 A Tale of the Gold Rush 
 to California/ 
 
 BY 
 
 CAPTAIN F. S. BRERETON 
 
 Author ot " The Great Aeroplane " " A Hero of Sedan " 
 "John Bargreave's Gold" "How Canada was Won" 
 "Roughriders of the Pampas "&c.^ , , * 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY CYRUS CUNEO 
 
 H. M. CALDWELL COMPANY 
 NEW YORK BOSTON 
 
 Printed in Great Britain 
 
(-3 
 
 .. ^ . . ^. r i 
 
 *! ." . v !:* 
 
Contents 
 
 CHAP. Page 
 
 I. TUSKER JOE - - - . . ,- - -9 
 
 II. JACK KINGSLEY'S DILEMMA . V - - -21 
 
 III. A RUDE AWAKENING . - - - 35 
 
 IV. THE ROAD TO CALIFORNIA 52 
 
 V. ON THE RAILWAY 65 
 
 VI. A HOLD-UP 80 
 
 VII. FRIENDS AND HUNTERS ..*... 94 
 
 VIII. OUT ON THE PRAIRIE 109 
 
 IX. ONLY A YOUNGSTER ... . . . . 128 
 
 X. A BUFFALO HUNT --..... 146 
 
 XI. SURROUNDED BY INDIANS - - - - - - 165 
 
 XII. A TIGHT CORNER - - - - - - 179 
 
 XIII. DODGING THE ENEMY 192 
 
 XIV. AN ATTACK IN FORCE 205 
 
 XV. GIVING 'EM PEPPER 220 
 
 XVI. THE BASHFUL JACOB 239 
 
 XVII. BLACK BILL TO THE RESCUE 258 
 
 XVIII. THE GOLD RUSH 275 
 
 5 
 
VI 
 
 
 Contents 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 XIX. TOM MAKES A FIND 288 
 
 XX. AN AMBUSCADE 3 01 
 
 XXI. THE OUTWITTING OF TUSKER 3H 
 
 XXII. A DOUBLE RECOGNITION 3 2 7 
 
 XXIII. STEVE LEADS THE WAY 34 1 
 
 XXIV. A GREAT ACQUITTAL 360 
 
Illustrations 
 
 Page 
 
 "JACK SWUNG HIS HEAD ROUND" - - Frontispiece 154 
 
 TUSKER JOE'S CHALLENGE 10 
 
 "HE SAW THE RASCAL CRUMPLE INTO A HEAP" 89 
 
 "THE INDIAN CHIEF THREW UP HIS ARMS" ... 212 
 
 RUNNING A RISK 271 
 
 JACK FETCHES THE RlFLES - - - * . . 324 
 
CHAPTER I 
 
 Tusker Joe 
 
 " EF there was a man here as was a man, guess it'd be 
 some use waitin' and talkin'. But as thar ain't sich a 
 thing handy, why, I'll git. Once and fer all, aer thar a 
 one here as don't think I did it fair? Eh?" 
 
 The man who spoke swept his eyes round the narrow, 
 ugly room, and pulled the brim of his wideawake hat 
 down over his eyes just a trifle lower; whether to hide 
 the scowl in them, or the fear which lurked in his 
 dilated pupils, it would be difficult to say. Tusker Joe 
 was not anxious that his companions in the room, which 
 went by the name of saloon, should guess that he was 
 anything but self-composed and full of courage. But 
 to give the bare truth, Tusker Joe was by no means 
 easy in his mind. Even the smoking revolver in his 
 hand, in which four unused cartridges yet remained, 
 failed to reassure him. It was not only fear for his 
 own wretched life that haunted him. Tusker Joe had 
 a conscience at this day, and it smote him just then 
 harder than all else. Even as he swept his eyes round 
 the room he was struggling hard to drown that ready 
 conscience, to still the voice which whispered per- 
 sistently in his ear: "Murderer, murderer!" 
 
 " Yer don't speak," he went on, after a minute's awk- 
 
io Indian and Scout 
 
 ward silence, raising his voice till he almost shouted the 
 words, as if the sounds helped to encourage him and 
 drown that still, small whisper. "Then I takes it that 
 ye're all in agreement. It was fair done. Me alone 
 against them two, and they quarrelsome. I'd stop and 
 face the sheriff hisself with that. But what's the use? 
 A man has ter work nowadays, and a sheriff wastes 
 time. Yer can jest give him the facts for yerselves; 
 but, at the same time, yer can jest mind. Tusker Joe 
 ain't a playsome girl. He ain't a weaklin', likely ter 
 take sauce from no one. And lies he don't have at 
 no price, not at all. Ef there's a man here as feels 
 at this second as he don't agree that it war all fair 
 and square, jest let him speak up. That's what I say. 
 Let him open his mouth, here and now, before what's 
 left of us." 
 
 The man's voice was truculent now. His words 
 deafened those within the saloon, and there was no 
 excuse for not hearing them. But no answer came. 
 Not one of the three men seated at a table at one 
 end ventured to open his lips. Instead, all, as if by 
 common arrangement, kept their eyes fixed on the wall 
 opposite them, as if intent on counting the planks which 
 helped to make it, while their open palms lay exposed 
 on the table. 
 
 Right opposite Tusker Joe a solitary individual sat 
 awkwardly on a rough bench. He was a man of some 
 thirty years of age, with red hair and beard, and a weak 
 expression. The long, pointed chin, the narrow eyes 
 switching restlessly from side to side, even the diminu- 
 tive proportions of this fellow, spoke of indecision, of one 
 accustomed to follow and not to lead, of one inclined 
 
TUSKER JOE'S CHALLENGE ^ , , , 
 
Tusker Joe n 
 
 at all times to shirk difficulties. Red Sam, for that 
 was the name he went by in this mining camp, was 
 not even his own master. He was a hired labourer, 
 who had come to the mining camps not to test his own 
 luck, and to risk all he had in the hope that hard work 
 and a strenuous fight with Dame Fortune would bring 
 him the riches which many a man had won. Sam had 
 not the courage for such a venture. He preferred good 
 wages, and a certainty, to any risk. He was not quar- 
 relsome, nor over-talkative, and he did not frequent the 
 drinking saloon at Salem Falls more often than others. 
 He was just an average miner, content with his lot so 
 far, and indistinguishable from the others who worked 
 at the camp save in respect to his beard. He wore the 
 same gaudy shirt and neckerchief, high boots, a wide- 
 brimmed hat, and a belt big enough to circle a horse, 
 in the holster of which was a revolver. Tusker's eyes, 
 which during the last few moments had been searching 
 the cracked mirror opposite him, at the back of the 
 bar on which he leaned, suddenly lit upon Sam Red 
 Sam, the weakling whom all in that camp knew to be 
 harmless and the reverse of dangerous. And as they 
 did so, that still, small voice whispered with even greater 
 persistence in Tusker's ear: "Murderer, murderer!" till 
 the man became savage. He swung round again, his 
 eyes flashing, his pistol pointed. 
 
 "What's that?" he demanded menacingly. "Yer 
 didn't speak, I know, but yer looked what yer thought. 
 Draw!" 
 
 Sam was utterly disconcerted. Had he been able, he 
 would have straightway sunk beneath the rough boards 
 which formed the floor of the saloon. To retreat, to 
 
12 Indian and Scout 
 
 get away from such a terrible man and such an ugly 
 encounter, was all that he desired. But that pointed 
 pistol held him rooted to the spot. 
 
 "Me?" he stuttered, gripping the bench with both 
 hands. "Me think anything! Why " 
 
 He stared at Tusker with wide-open mouth, and eyes 
 which were dilated with terror. 
 
 "Yer looked it," retorted Tusker, his face scowling 
 horribly. "Ef I thought for one moment as yer'd for- 
 get, I'd put daylight clean through yer now. Clean 
 through yer, Sam." 
 
 The very idea of such a terrible happening almost 
 caused Red Sam to faint. He positively shivered, and 
 when his shifting eyes happened to pass to the far end 
 of the saloon, where were the men whom Tusker had 
 already fired upon, the shiver became a tremble. His 
 fingers twitched as he endeavoured to clutch the bench, 
 his hair stood erect beneath the wide-brimmed hat, which 
 gave this modest fellow such a desperate appearance at 
 ordinary times, while the end of his beard shook. 
 
 "Clean through yer," repeated Tusker grimly: the 
 sight of this harmless and trembling individual seem- 
 ing to appease the bully for the moment. "Through 
 yer and any others as dares ter think think, mind yer 
 that all warn't fair and square. For the last time, aer 
 thar a man here as has got a word ter say agin it." 
 
 Tall and broad, his face and neck and arms burned 
 to a brick red by exposure to the sun, Tusker Joe would 
 have at ordinary times been pronounced a handsome 
 fellow. His long, curling, black moustache set off 
 features which, though never pleasant, were regular and 
 distinctly prepossessing. His red mining shirt, cordu- 
 
Tusker Joe 13 
 
 roy breeches, and high boots made up, with the bril- 
 liant handkerchief round his throat and the draggled 
 and untidy hat upon his head, an appearance which was 
 picturesque, if nothing more; while the breadth of his 
 shoulders, and the size of his limbs, told of a man used 
 to labour, of a strong fellow, able to look well to him- 
 self. Unfortunately, however, there was something 
 about the face which detracted from the general air 
 of picturesqueness. Tusker Joe's features were marked 
 by heavy lines, some across a somewhat narrow fore- 
 head, and others about the corners of the eyes and 
 the mouth. Even at rest the features wore an air the 
 reverse of frank and straightforward. The eyes were 
 shifty, even more so than those of the weak Red Sam. 
 And now, when his passions were stirred, the face which 
 looked out from beneath the pulled-down brim of his 
 hat was seamed with other lines lines which told of 
 hate, of avarice, of fear, of a thousand passions flitting 
 through the man's mind. Bluff and brag at his best, 
 Tusker Joe was in those days too young a man to 
 carry off such a situation with absolute tranquillity. 
 True, he had been in saloon brawls before, and had 
 shot men; but he had never murdered. In those 
 rough days, down at the diggings, when men spent a 
 goodly part of their gains in the saloons, quarrels were 
 of frequent occurrence, and revolvers came readily to 
 the hand. Bullies arose, too, and for a while terrorized 
 even these lawless, gambling men. But sheer murder 
 was hardly attempted, for then even the miners arose 
 in anger, and when that was the case lynch law was 
 the order a short shrift was given to the guilty party, 
 and either he was riddled with bullets or, if a rope 
 
14 Indian and Scout 
 
 happened to be handy, he was strung to the nearest 
 tree. Often enough there was no suitable tree, and 
 then the bullets of the miners finished the matter. 
 
 Tusker Joe had turned from Red Sam by now, and 
 for one brief moment cast his eyes to that far end 
 where lay the men at whom he had fired. Even he 
 shuddered ever so little, and from contemplating them 
 turned to the rough bar again and leaned one arm upon 
 it. Then his eyes sought the cracked mirror which was 
 nailed to the boarded wall behind the bar, reflecting 
 from its golden-circled frame the whole of the saloon. 
 In the glass he could see the three men seated at the 
 table, their palms still prominently exposed. Not one 
 had moved so much as a finger. They sat riveted to 
 their chairs, their eyes fixed on the plank wall as before, 
 knowing that Tusker Joe's eyes were upon them, and 
 that to carry a hand to a pocket meant a shot from his 
 revolver in an instant. 
 
 "Cowed! Jest don't dare ter move a finger, the 
 skunks," growled the murderer beneath his breath. 
 "And thar ain't one of 'em as don't know Tusker 
 well enough ter guess what'll follow if they get ter 
 blabbin'. Blabbin'! What's that I said? Thar ain't 
 no need ter fear that. It was fair and square. Lord 
 Tom had no need fer ter call me a liar and a thief. 
 He knew that a man don't take sich words hereabouts, 
 and that bullets git flyin' when names are called. He 
 asked fer trouble, and, by thunder, he's had it! As fer 
 Jim, he'd a hand at his shooter, and ef he's gone under, 
 reckon it's his own fault. Yer don't catch me waitin' 
 fer a man ter shoot." 
 
 For some two minutes he stood at the bar. his unsee- 
 
Tusker Joe 15 
 
 ing eyes fixed upon the reflecting mirror, while his busy 
 brain invented excuse after excuse for the act of which 
 he had just been guilty. But, strive as he might to 
 gloss over this shooting affray, and to paint his own 
 side of the squabble in rosy colours, that still, small 
 voice returned with persistence. " Murderer 1 murderer!" 
 It echoed even louder in his ears, till the man was dis- 
 tracted and desperate. 
 
 " Here! fill it up, will yer?" he shouted, thrusting for- 
 ward an empty glass, and menacing the frightened negro 
 behind the bar with his revolver. "To the brim, and 
 slippy with it! Hur! Now, again! Hur! Thar's the 
 price fer it. Keep the change." 
 
 Gulping down two glasses of spirit within a few 
 seconds, he threw the glass to the floor, where it smashed 
 into a hundred pieces, and then tossed a dollar on to the 
 bar. By now a haunted look had come into the man's 
 face. The fingers which pulled the expended cartridges 
 from his weapon and replenished the chambers trembled 
 obviously, The man was become desperate. His con- 
 science was driving him hard. But with it all he was 
 cunning. He kept his eyes on the men at the table, 
 and then swung round to confront Red Sam, causing 
 that miserable individual to shiver more than ever. 
 Then, with never a glance to the far end of the room, he 
 backed to the door of the saloon, pulled it open with his 
 foot, and backed out. The door slammed to, and Tusker 
 was gone. Those who crossed to the window to watch 
 him saw the miner running down the street for his life, 
 and, conscious now that they were safe themselves, they 
 shook their fists at his retreating figure, and swore beneath 
 their breath. 
 
16 Indian and Scout 
 
 " I knew as it would come from him," exclaimed one 
 of them, proceeding to fill a pipe. "Tusker Joe is 
 bound ter break out somewhares, and become camp 
 bully and murderer. Up to date he ain't dared attempt 
 anything over much, but ter-day he's done it. He won't 
 never look back. Mark my words, mate, he'll get wusser 
 and wusser. He's the sort that goes on from one thing 
 ter another, and don't stop till the sheriff's got him, or 
 his mates has took the law up themselves, and has strung 
 him six foot up. It war all a plant." 
 
 " It war," agreed a second. " Tusker had made up his 
 mind fer a ruction, and Lord Tom war a fool to help 
 him. Ef he hadn't been green, as green as grass, he'd 
 have known what'd happen when he got ter callin' 
 names. He war too free with 'em, and had got no use 
 fer his own shooter. But I'm surprised at Jim. He's 
 been out this way nigh most of his life, and he must 
 have known. Seems he was took by surprise; fer he 
 could shoot, he could." 
 
 They nodded their heads at one another, and slowly 
 filled and lit their pipes, while they held their eyes to 
 the window, fearful that Tusker Joe might yet return. 
 Not that he would have terrorized them altogether. 
 When a man finds another holding a revolver levelled 
 at his head, and knows that the slightest movement or 
 protest will bring a bullet in his direction, he by force of 
 circumstances keeps very still. Even if he happens to 
 be a courageous man and many of these miners were 
 undoubtedly that common sense teaches him not so 
 much as to lift a finger. He swallows his chagrin, and 
 registers the vow to live for another day, when matters 
 may be more equal. Tusker Joe had got the drop on 
 
 (0179) 
 
Tusker Joe 17 
 
 his comrades in the saloon, to use a mining expression. 
 He had drawn his revolver at the very beginning of 
 the quarrel, and all knew that he was a dead shot. But 
 now he could have no advantage, and had he appeared 
 again, he would undoubtedly have met with strenuous 
 opposition. 
 
 " He's cleared, yer bet," said the third man after a 
 while. " Tusker knows as thar won't be no livin' fer 
 him here after this, and he's bound ter git. Suppose 
 it's a case fer the sheriff?" 
 
 "Yep; thar ain't nothin' more ter do. Guess the 
 verdict'll be murder. Thar's bound to be a howl in 
 Salem Falls, and men'll get ter swear that they'll shoot 
 Tusker on sight. Then it'll blow over. Tusker won't 
 be fool enough ter show up this side of the grave, and 
 things'll be forgotten. Suppose we git a move on." 
 
 The three stepped towards the door, Red Sam rising 
 at the same time and joining them, evidently with the 
 idea of obtaining some sort of protection from their 
 company. He lifted the latch, and was about to emerge, 
 when a sound came from the far end of the room, bring- 
 ing the four facing round in that direction. And this is 
 what they saw. 
 
 Close to the far wall was a second table a long 
 affair composed of rough boards, with a bench perched 
 just behind it, between the table and the wall. On this 
 bench a man was seated, with his hands sprawled out 
 on the table top, and his head resting on his hands. He 
 might have been asleep for all one could tell, as his 
 posture was the most natural one possible. Certainly 
 one would never have imagined that he was the victim 
 of a shooting affray. But Lord Tom was dead, without 
 
 (0179) 2 
 
is Indian and Scout 
 
 any doubt. Closer inspection of his body showed a hole 
 in his forehead, now reclining on his hands, while an 
 ugly dark pool was spreading out between his fingers. 
 At his feet lay a man as dead apparently as he. His 
 feet were pointed towards the centre of the saloon, while 
 his head and shoulders lay beneath the bench, almost 
 directly under his dead comrade. It seemed that he 
 had been holding a paper when the affray started, for 
 he had dragged that to the ground with him, and it now 
 covered his face and chest, while one arm peeped from 
 beneath it, exposing the hand to view, with a revolver 
 gripped in the latter. A moment before Jim had lain 
 an inert mass. Now, at the sound of departure of the 
 others, he stirred and called gently to them. Then the 
 hand which gripped the revolver loosed its hold, and 
 gently drew the paper from his face. 
 
 "Jest pull me out from under this here consarn," he 
 asked in the coolest possible voice. " Now set me up 
 on the table. Gently, boys! That ere chap's broken 
 my arm. Now, Peter, something wet ter drink, quick 
 as yer can." 
 
 They lifted him on to the table very gently; for these 
 miners, when all was said and done, were exceedingly 
 good and kind to one another when in distress. And 
 there they supported him, while the negro behind the 
 bar mixed some spirit and water and brought it. 
 
 "Huh! that'll make me wake up," said Jim, still cool 
 and collected. " So Lord Tom's dead ? I guessed it'd 
 come ter that when he got ter flingin' names about. 
 And Tusker's gone. Wall, there ain't nothin' more ter 
 do now but ter git well and started in again at the 
 diggin'. Guess he's took all. A fine pardner he's been, 
 
Tusker Joe 19 
 
 to be sure! He's seen me and Tom slavin' every day 
 and guess he's jest chuckled. He's bided his time, and 
 got clean off with all the stuff. Boys, we'd cleaned up 
 the claim only yesterday, and thar was enough to take 
 every mother's son of us back to New York, with some- 
 thing in hand ter start up business with. And Tusker's 
 got it all, and has rubbed poor Tom out." 
 
 He looked round at the miners, and each in turn 
 nodded his agreement. 
 
 " Rubbed him clean out, yer bet," said one. " It don't 
 take twice lookin' ter tell that. Tom's dead, and we'd 
 a notion yer was the same. Yer lay that still." 
 
 " And yer didn't move over sprightly," came from 
 the wounded man dryly. " I saw every little bit of the 
 theatricals, and thar wasn't a man as dared ter show 
 fight, small blame to yer. For me, he'd got the drop 
 before I'd a hand on my shooter, and jest sent his lead 
 through my arm. I wasn't askin' fer more. I knew a 
 move meant death, sure. And so I did same as you. 
 Lay still as a mouse, with the paper over my face, and 
 jest a small tear in it through which I could watch what 
 was happening. Mates, I'll tell yer somethin'. I've 
 been diggin' and minin' this five years. I've met bad 
 men and good, rough and honest, and downright 
 ruffians. But Tusker's jest a murderer. I gives him 
 notice, here and now, that I shoot on sight at the next 
 meetin'. If only for Lord Tom's sake, I shoot on sight. 
 Tusker's a thief and a murderer." 
 
 When the whole matter came to be discussed, it was 
 the decision of the inmates of the camp at Salem Falls 
 that' Tusker Joe was indeed a thief and a murderer. It 
 cropped uo in the evidence offered to the sheriff, who 
 
20 Indian and Scout 
 
 duly made an enquiry, that this man, some thirty years 
 of age only, had twice before entered into partnership 
 with other miners, and, having waited till the claims 
 panned out well, and earnings were collected, disappeared 
 with all that he could lay his hands on. And on this 
 occasion it was his intention to do the same. But Lord 
 Tom, a man of a different stamp to the miners, had 
 detected his intention, and in an unwary moment had 
 taxed him with the crime, and had not hesitated to call 
 him a thief. Then it was that Tusker had deliberately 
 shot his partner down, and done the same for Jim. It 
 was a clear case of murder. A warrant was issued for 
 the arrest of the man, and in a little while the event was 
 forgotten. But Jim did not forget, while in course of 
 time the news of Lord Tom's death filtered through to 
 New York State, where his widow was living. Mary 
 Kingsley did not forget. She mourned her husband for 
 many a long day, and then, like the sensible woman she 
 was, set herself to think of her son. And that son, 
 Jack Kingsley, is the lad who is the hero of this 
 story. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 Jack Kingsley's Dilemma 
 
 MARY KINGSLEY may be described as an eminently 
 unfortunate woman. Married at an early age, it was 
 not long before her husband fell out of employment, and 
 found himself hard put to it to make a living. That 
 was in or about the year 1848; and presently, when a 
 fever for gold digging in California spread over the 
 United States of America, Tom Kingsley became badly 
 bitten with the desire to try his own fortune. A town- 
 bred man, he fared but ill at first; but in a little while 
 his fortunes mended, so that he was able to send money 
 to his wife. Then had come a partnership, bringing 
 great profit at first, and later on the disaster with which 
 the reader is acquainted. 
 
 Five years after the death of Tom Kingsley, Mary 
 married again a man of uncertain temper, who quickly 
 began to look upon his stepson Jack as an encumbrance. 
 There were quarrels between himself and his wife with 
 regard to the boy, and very soon Jack himself came in 
 for ill-feeling and frequent chastisement. 
 
 " I don't think I shall put up with it much longer, 
 Mother," said Jack one day when there had been an 
 unusually stormy scene. " I learned last year that when 
 I was away from home, on a visit up the Hudson, you 
 

 22 Indian and Scout 
 
 and Father got on well together; but immediately I 
 returned there were quarrels, of which I was the cause. 
 I think he's jealous of your care for me." 
 
 " It seems so," admitted Mary with tears in her eyes. 
 " I've noticed the same, Jack. Phineas is a good and 
 kind husband when things do not disturb him, but when 
 he's upset, matters are well, unpleasant for all. If he 
 had had a son of his own perhaps things would have 
 been different; but he hasn't, and so one has to look 
 facts in the face. You know, boy, that your mother 
 would not have you leave. But " 
 
 "Just so, Mother," interrupted Jack. "There is 
 always a but in these affairs. I've talked it over with 
 Uncle up the Hudson, and he thinks I should cut from 
 home and strike out for myself. I'm old enough. I'm 
 seventeen and a half." 
 
 "And big enough, bless you!" cried Mary. "Ah, if 
 only the question had never arisen ! But I'm not a fool 
 anyway, Jack, and I'm looking facts in the face. I see 
 clearly that it would be better for you, better for me, 
 and happier altogether. Though I shall miss you, boy. 
 How I shall you do not know. What'll you do?" 
 
 Jack thought for a moment; and while he stands there, 
 his hands sunk deep in his pockets, let us take a good 
 look at him. Jack Kingsley was of that peculiarly fair 
 complexion which is generally, and too often wrongly, 
 associated with a hasty and hot temper. His hair was 
 distinctly red, not the lank red hair one often meets 
 with, but crisp red curls that clung closely to his head. 
 Indeed the colour suited his general complexion re- 
 markably well, and Jack was by no means a bad-look- 
 ing fellow. For the rest, he was a typical American; 
 
Jack Kingsley's Dilemma 23 
 
 well grown for his age, in fact quite tall, though a little 
 lanky, for he was too young to have filled out yet. Still 
 Jack was well covered with muscle, light and active on 
 his feet, with his head well set back on a pair of stout 
 shoulders. There was a deep white scar on his cheek, 
 which seemed to set off the good lines of his face as 
 a patch sets off that of a lady. That scar was the re- 
 sult of a determined struggle with an old school enemy, 
 whom Jack had fought three times in succession, suffer- 
 ing defeat on the first two occasions. Eyes which 
 looked at you frankly and steadily, a firm chin and 
 expressive lips, hiding a set of excellent teeth, made up 
 an appearance which was as decidedly attractive and 
 confidence - inspiring as Tusker Joe's had been the op- 
 posite. 
 
 "Yes, I'm old enough and big enough," said Jack, 
 with that easy assurance so common to young Ameri- 
 cans. " And I ain't afraid of work." 
 
 " A good thing too," echoed his mother. " Because 
 you will have to look to yourself. Your father hasn't 
 enough to be making you allowances, and you've 
 nothing else to look to. I'm not sorry either. A 
 young man should look at the world for himself. The 
 fact that he has to make his way should give him 
 greater determination. If Tom had lived it might have 
 been different. But that rogue who murdered him stole 
 all he possessed, including his papers. But there 
 I'll not bother you with the tale. What will you 
 do?" 
 
 " I've talked it over twenty times, Mother, and Uncle 
 has advised me to go west, down to the camps." 
 
 " To dig ! Gold prospecting ! " exclaimed Mary 
 
24 Indian and Scout 
 
 Kingsley with horror in her voice; for she thought of 
 her first husband. 
 
 " Perhaps. But only if other things fail. I'm told 
 that a smith is always wanted down there. There are 
 spades and picks to mend, ironwork to prepare, and, in 
 fact, lots of jobs for a handy man." 
 
 " But you don't " 
 
 Mary threw her hands up in consternation. She knew 
 that Jack had but recently left school, and had as yet no 
 knowledge of any trade. He had done a great deal of 
 amateur joinery at home; but then that was not smith's 
 work. 
 
 " I've tried it," said Jack sturdily. " Uncle sent me 
 to the forge near his house, and last holidays I did a 
 month on end. I can use a hammer now, and in a few 
 months shall be able to do ordinary jobs, as well as 
 shoeing horses. The older I get the stronger I shall 
 become, no doubt; and strength is what is wanted, once 
 one has the training and knowledge." 
 
 " But for the moment you are useless to all intents 
 and purposes," exclaimed Mary. 
 
 " I can earn my bread and butter and a trifle for 
 spending in leisure times," said George. " I stopped at 
 Hopeville as I came through from up the Hudson, and 
 James Orring, the smith, will take me at a dollar a week, 
 with board and lodging thrown in. If you're willing 
 I'll go at once." 
 
 It may be imagined that Mary was thrown into a 
 condition of unhappiness at her son's news. True, she 
 had begun to realize more and more that the best thing 
 for the boy was to leave home and strike out a career 
 for himself. But she had put the evil day as far from 
 
Jack Kingsley's Dilemma 25 
 
 her as possible, satisfied in her unselfishness to put up 
 with her husband's tempers if her son could be near her. 
 And now to hear that he was prepared to go at once, 
 that the day was actually at hand for him to cut adrift 
 from the nest which had held him all these years, was 
 a bitter blow. She shed tears, and then, like the sensible 
 woman she was, encouraged Jack to carry out his deter- 
 mination. 
 
 She busied herself for the next two days with his 
 clothes, and then bade farewell to him bravely. So, 
 in due course, our hero reached Hopeville, and took up 
 his residence with James Orring. 
 
 "You'll have to fetch and carry besides smithing," 
 said James, a blunt, kind-hearted fellow. " Labour's 
 hard to get hereabouts. Mighty hard, I tell you, and a 
 chap who wants wages has to earn them. But I'll not 
 be stingy. Show us that you're a willing fellow, and 
 the money'll be good and plenty." 
 
 For a month Jack laboured steadily in the forge, his 
 sleeves rolled to the elbow, and his leathern apron round 
 his waist. And, little by little, James allowed him to 
 undertake work at the anvil. 
 
 " He's shapin' well," he told his wife, " and since that's 
 the case I'm giving him jobs. It'll help to make him 
 know his powers, besides giving a body time for a 
 smoke in his own parlour. He ain't no trouble, that 
 lad." 
 
 Three months later Jack had become so good at the 
 work that James was able to enjoy even more leisure. 
 He began to take a holiday every now and again, and 
 left the little township with his wife in order to visit 
 friends. He felt he was justified in doing so, for his 
 
26 Indian and Scout 
 
 apprentice was wonderfully steady, and easily earned 
 the four dollars a week he was now receiving. 
 
 " We're off for the day and night," he said when he 
 came to the forge in the early morning, his white cuffs 
 and collar showing that he did not intend to work. 
 " You can manage any ordinary job that comes in. 
 But if it's something big, and you don't fancy tackling 
 it, why, it'll wait till to-morrow. Me and the missus is 
 off to see her sisters, way back of the forest, and we'll 
 be here again by noon to-morrow." 
 
 Jack nodded, and stopped hammering for a moment. 
 " There are plenty of small jobs to keep me going to- 
 day," he said. " I'll look to things. Go and enjoy your- 
 self." 
 
 Some two hours later he was disturbed at his work 
 by the arrival of a buggy. It was driven up to the door 
 of the forge, and a man whose clothing showed that he 
 came from a town descended briskly. 
 
 " Mornin'," he said. " Busy?" 
 
 " Moderate," answered Jack, for he was not anxious to 
 lose a job. 
 
 " Got time ter do a little bit for me?" 
 
 " Depends what it is," said Jack. " If it ain't big, 
 reckon I'll tackle it. But not now. I've a heap to get 
 on with." 
 
 " Special money fer special work," exclaimed the 
 stranger. " See here, I've broke the key of my front 
 door, and blest if I know how I'm ter git in again. I 
 could break a window, fer sure, but then that's more 
 expensive than getting another key. The puzzle is that 
 the business end is broken off in the lock, and I ain't 
 got it." 
 
Jack Kingsley's Dilemma 27 
 
 He held up the shank of a big key, one which might 
 have belonged to the lock of a large front door, and 
 handed it to Jack. The stem was broken and twisted 
 halfway up, and the most important item was missing. 
 Jack shook his head. 
 
 " I could forge an end to it easy," he said. " But then, 
 what'd be the use? It wouldn't open the lock unless 
 you knew all about the wards. It would be waste of 
 money." 
 
 " So it would, so it would, siree," agreed the stranger, 
 a man of some thirty-five years of age, to whom, some- 
 how or other, Jack took an instant dislike. " But I ain't 
 sich a fool as I look. I can give yer a plan." 
 
 " Exact?" asked Jack. 
 
 "To a T; a wax impression. Thar's care for you! 
 I'm fond of a bit of modelling in wax, and sometimes 
 try my hand at amateur sculpture. Guess it was one 
 of the first things I did ter take a wax impression of 
 that 'ere key. And it's comin' in useful. I'd forgot it 
 almost, and then remembered it was in the drawer." 
 
 He stopped suddenly and looked keenly at Jack ; for 
 this individual had overstepped himself. If he had 
 broken the key of his own front door, and so locked 
 himself out, how had he been able to get the impression 
 from the drawer? Jack was no duffer, to be sure, but 
 he had at the same time no cause for suspecting anyone 
 who came to offer work. Moreover, he was pondering 
 with all his youthful keenness how to set about the task. 
 
 " It's a longish job," he said, scratching his head. 
 
 " How much?" demanded the man quickly. 
 
 " I don't know for sure. Depends on how long it 
 takes. Besides, I've other work, which can't be left." 
 
28 Indian and Scout 
 
 "Ten dollars if it's ready in two hours," came from 
 the stranger, making Jack open his eyes. 
 
 "Right!" he said promptly. "I'll do it. Leave the 
 shank and the impression. I'll get at the job at once." 
 
 As a matter of fact it took our hero rather less than 
 two hours to complete the task, for he was a quick work- 
 man, and this was a straightforward matter. In a very 
 little while he had welded a piece of iron on to the 
 broken shank, and had shaped it roughly to form the 
 wards of the key. Then he placed it in the vice, and 
 used a hack saw and file till all was completed. 
 
 " And I wonder why he's in such a hurry, and ready 
 to pay such a figure for it," he wondered, as he put the 
 finishing strokes. "Ten dollars would pay for more 
 than window and key, and jimminy!" 
 
 He gave vent to a shrill whistle, and stood looking 
 out of the smoke-grimed window, his hand supported 
 on a file. He was thinking of the stranger, and for the 
 first time felt suspicious. What his suspicions were he 
 could not say for the life of him. They were entirely 
 intangible. But why did the man need that key? Was 
 it actually for his front door, and, if so, how did he ob- 
 tain the wax impression? Jack picked up the piece of 
 wax and examined it. 
 
 " Certainly not old," he said emphatically. This was 
 moulded perhaps yesterday, or the day before. I wonder 
 if " 
 
 "Got it ready, youngster?" came a voice from the 
 door, and looking there Jack saw the stranger. He had 
 not come in his buggy on this occasion, but afoot; and 
 as he spoke was gingerly stepping round the puddle and 
 soft mud which existed near the door. 
 
Jack Kingsley's Dilemma 29 
 
 "Ready, sure," exclaimed Jack, reddening. "And I 
 hope it'll do. You said it was for the front door?" 
 
 "Yes. Ye're right in one guess. It's the front door. 
 That's a good job, lad. Let's see if it'll stand the pres- 
 sure." 
 
 Placing the wards in the vice, the stranger tested the 
 strength of the key by twisting with all his might. 
 
 " A strong job too," he exclaimed. " Here's the ten 
 dollars. Four in notes, and the rest cash. Good day!" 
 
 He was gone almost before Jack had finished counting 
 the money, and, having stepped again gingerly across 
 the mud, disappeared along the road which led through 
 the town. He left our hero staring after him, and un- 
 consciously examining the wax impression which he still 
 held in his hand. 
 
 " It's queer," he said. " Wish James was back home 
 to discuss the matter. Now, if I was older, or had more 
 experience, I suppose I should get to thinking that that 
 fellow wanted the key for some other purpose. That it 
 was not his own front door he wished to open with it. 
 He told me a fib, I'm sure. He made a mistake when 
 he talked about the impression being in his drawer. 
 Well, there's the money, and James will be glad." 
 
 At six o'clock our hero shut the forge, took his tea 
 in the house closely adjacent, and, having washed him- 
 self and put on a suit of respectable clothes, he went 
 down into the town and out to the other side. He was 
 fond of a sharp walk after being cooped up in the forge 
 all day long, and often went off into the country. It 
 was dark when he had covered six miles, and by then 
 he was almost in the wilderness. The road had almost 
 ceased to exist, while there was forest land on every 
 
30 Indian and Scout 
 
 side. On the left, however, as he faced home again, the 
 country was divided by the Hudson River, beside which 
 the road wound, but elevated from its surface. Indeed, 
 it stood three hundred feet above the water. 
 
 " A fine place for a house," thought our hero, as his 
 eyes were attracted by lights ahead and to the left. 
 ''The man who selected that site had an eye to 
 beauty. They say he started without a dollar, and 
 made all he has by hard work. I wonder if I shall 
 ever be able to do anything like that. It doesn't seem 
 possible, and yet I dare say he thought the same. It 
 would be grand to have a big house overlooking the 
 Hudson, and give mother a home there." 
 
 Jack was not above the building of castles in the air, 
 and as he trudged along, his busy brain conjured up a 
 future for himself, a future in which hard work and care 
 would bring him riches and a rise in the world. For 
 America was the home of numbers and numbers of 
 men who had made wealth from nothing, aided by a 
 strong arm, a firm purpose, and continuous application. 
 Why should he, Jack Kingsley, not be able to follow in 
 their footsteps? What if he were to own a big forge 
 one of these days, and, leaving it to a manager, opened 
 others elsewhere. That would be doing business. That 
 would be rising in the world, and, if the thing were 
 managed properly, money would be gained and would 
 accumulate. 
 
 Jack was so entirely lost in the brilliant scenes he was 
 conjuring up that he was barely conscious of his sur- 
 roundings. He had strayed from the road now, and 
 was traversing a strip of moorland which ran between 
 it and the river. Then of a sudden something attracted 
 
Jack Kingsley's Dilemma 31 
 
 his attention. It was a dusky outline right ahead, which 
 presently took on the shape of a buggy. Jack halted 
 when he was within ten paces of the cart and listened. 
 He was no sneak at any time, but a familiar note caught 
 his ear. Someone was speaking, and, since he could 
 not settle the doubt in his mind at that distance, he 
 stepped even closer, making not a sound as his feet 
 trod the soft green carpet beneath them. 
 
 " Jest ten o'clock," he heard the voice say, while some- 
 one on the far side of the buggy struck a match, shielded 
 it with his hand, and evidently examined his watch with 
 the aid of the flame. 
 
 " Jest ten, and Jem Bowen's away down in New York 
 city. That's good." 
 
 " Fer us. Guess it ain't fer him," responded someone 
 else. " 'Cos, seeing as he ain't here, and don't have need 
 fer certain things, we'll make free with 'em. Did yer 
 get the key?" 
 
 "Yer bet," and Jack instantly recognized that this 
 was undoubtedly the voice of the man who had accosted 
 him at the forge. " I ain't lived a while fer nothing. 
 I've been down here for two weeks past lordin' it in 
 Hopeville, and getting ter know the ropes. Thar's a 
 young chap down at James Orring's forge as is a good 
 workman, and soft." 
 
 Jack flushed in the darkness at this allusion to him- 
 self, and stood undecided how to act. His idea of 
 common fairness bade him decamp at once, and no 
 doubt he would have done so had not the words he 
 had already heard, and others which followed imme- 
 diately, persuaded him that he ought to stay. 
 
 "Soft?" queried the other man with a giggle which 
 
32 Indian and Scout 
 
 roused Jack's indignation. "Perhaps he's made a mis- 
 take." 
 
 " No fear of that. He's more simple than soft. That's 
 jest what I meant. He's jest mighty keen on his work, 
 and don't give a thought to other matters. I guessed 
 he was the man fer us, so I cleared old man James 
 out with a call from his wife's sisters. Then I went 
 down ter the forge, and the young chap asked no ques- 
 tions. I jest stuffed him with a yarn, and he swallowed 
 it. At any rate, thar's the key. A fine job." 
 
 "And it's like the impression?" 
 
 An oath escaped the first man. He remembered now 
 for the first time that he had left the wax model behind 
 him. 
 
 "Tain't no matter after all," he said after a while. 
 " The model ain't no use to him, and ten to one he's 
 tossed it into the fire. At any rate I compared the 
 thing he made with the model, and I guess it was exact. 
 Thar ain't a doubt but what it'll fit." 
 
 "Then thar's no use in waitin'. The lights yonder 
 has been out fer the last three hours, save in the ser- 
 vants' quarters, and we know the old man who's in 
 charge is as deaf as any adder. The sooner we break 
 the place the better chance of getting clear. How's 
 that?" 
 
 "Sense! Nothing more and nothing less. Let's git 
 right now. Thar ain't no need ter exert ourselves. 
 We'll drive pretty close, and walk right in." 
 
 The two figures appeared from the far side of the 
 buggy, while Jack slid to the ground and crouched 
 behind a bush. He caught the whiff of someone's 
 pipe, and saw the red end of the barrel. Then the. 
 
Jack Kingsley's Dilemma 33 
 
 men sprang to their places, the whip cracked, and in a 
 moment the buggy was moving away. 
 
 "Ought he to follow? Should he cling to the back 
 of the buggy and give the alarm when they reached the 
 house? Should he leave the matter? It was no affair 
 of his." 
 
 The questions raced through Jack's mind, and for a 
 few seconds he was undecided. Care for his own safety 
 prompted him to pursue the easier course, to let matters 
 drift, and not interfere himself. Then his duty the 
 common duty we owe one another pulled him in the 
 other direction. He would go and give the alarm. But 
 those few seconds of indecision had altered the com- 
 plexion of affairs. The buggy was already some yards 
 away, and, though Jack ran, it rapidly increased its dis- 
 tance from him. Then the house to be burgled by these 
 rascals was a good mile and a half away, and before 
 he could arrive their purpose might be carried out. 
 
 " Not if I can stop them," said Jack stubbornly. " It's 
 clearly for me to do something. I'll put a spoke in their 
 wheel." 
 
 He took to his heels at once and cut straight across 
 towards the house, at that moment hidden from him by 
 a rise in the land. However, he soon sighted the light 
 which had been referred to, and within a little while was 
 at the gates which shut in the surroundings of the park 
 attached to the mansion. They were open, and the 
 buggy stood just within, the reins being secured to the 
 ironwork. Jack stepped boldly through into the park, 
 and ran along on the grass border. In a little while 
 he reached the drive, and, skirting that for to have 
 stepped into it would have been to make a noise 
 
 (C179) 3 
 
34 Indian and Scout 
 
 he presently came to the large front door. It was 
 open. 
 
 " And the thieves have gone in. I'll follow, and then 
 kick up a rumpus," he said. " They shall not get away 
 with any booty if I can avoid it," 
 
 He stepped across the threshold, and was within the 
 mansion immediately. Listening for a moment, he 
 heard sounds in the distance, and set off in that direc- 
 tion. 
 
 " Better catch them red-handed than not," he thought. 
 " Guess this'll be a surprise for 'em." 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 A Rude Awakening 
 
 " GUESS this'll be a surprise for 'em." 
 
 His heart throbbing a little faster than it was wont 
 to do, and his pulses beating tumultuously, Jack crept 
 along a passage, and presently came to a large door 
 which stood ajar. There was someone within the room 
 without a doubt; for he heard whispering voices, while, 
 though the place was not lighted, every now and again 
 a ray swept past the door, and penetrated through the 
 chink beneath it, as if one of the burglars had a lamp 
 and were flashing it to and fro. Then he heard the 
 chink of metal. 
 
 " Silver!" he heard someone exclaim. 
 
 "H h ush! You'll wake the house, booby! Silver 
 it is, and plenty of it. Easier ter take Jem Bowen's glint 
 than dig for gold in Californy. Put 'em in the sack. 
 Never mind bending the things. They'll all come out 
 the same in the melting-pot. Here, leave the job ter 
 me and get to the other cabinet." 
 
 The dulled sound of footsteps came to Jack's ear, 
 and every now and again a metallic sound, as the silver 
 articles were dropped into the sack. As for himself, 
 be had made no sound as he came along the passage, 
 for it was luxuriously carpeted. He stood at the door, 
 
 35 
 
36 Indian and Scout 
 
 hesitating again, eager to enter and face the men, and 
 yet doubting whether the right moment had yet arrived. 
 And our hero was to discover again to his cost that 
 indecision does not always pay. In fact, that the man 
 who can make up his mind on the spur of the moment, 
 in a flash as it were, and act upon it inflexibly, without 
 doubts, without a second's delay, is the man who more 
 often succeeds in this life than he who is dilatory. But 
 expedition in such matters is not to be expected from a 
 lad of Jack's age. It was only natural that he should 
 hesitate. After all, he was suddenly face to face with 
 a dilemma which might well have tried the discretion 
 and courage and steadiness of an elder man. He hesi- 
 tated. 
 
 " If 1 go now they will get clean away with that 
 silver. If I wait till they are fully engaged, and then 
 wake someone in the house, then they may well be 
 captured. Guess I'll wait. Helloo!" 
 
 Another dull footfall had come to his ears, and he 
 swung round to see who had caused it. A big man 
 was stealing up to him along the corridor, a man 
 dressed in nightshirt and trousers, bearing a small 
 lantern, and armed with a club. Jack was thoroughly 
 startled, and, to be honest, lost his head. He was 
 between two fires, and was likely to be singed by 
 both. 
 
 * S-s-s-sh!" he whispered, holding up his finger. "In 
 there. In there." 
 
 He pointed to the room at the door of which he 
 stood, and again held up his finger for silence. But 
 the man who was creeping down that passage had but 
 one idea in his mind. He had been awakened by a 
 
A Rude Awakening 37 
 
 sound, and from his position in one wing of the man- 
 sion had caught the flash of a light in one of the living 
 rooms. The instant he saw Jack he took him for a 
 burglar, and, now that he was within striking distance, 
 he disregarded our hero's signs, and, suddenly dashing 
 in, brought his club down with a furious swish. For- 
 tunately for Jack it missed the mark. But in another 
 moment they were locked in one another's arms, the 
 newcomer endeavouring to use his club, while Jack 
 gripped his arm with all his might. They fell to the 
 ground during the struggle, and continued the contest 
 there. 
 
 "Leave go!" shouted Jack at the top of his voice. 
 "Can't you tell I'm on the same errand as you are. 
 There are two men in there. Burglars! I've tracked 
 them." 
 
 Crash! The club, seized in the man's other hand, 
 came with a resounding bang against his head, and in 
 a second our hero was unconscious. At the same 
 moment the door of the room was torn open, and the 
 lamp, which had rolled to the floor of the passage, but 
 which was not extinguished, showed the two whom 
 Jack had followed. 
 
 "Hands up!" shouted the fellow who had so unex- 
 pectedly appeared upon the scene, and who had made 
 such a stupid error with respect to our hero. "Yer 
 won't! Then take the consequences!" 
 
 He was a sturdy fighter, this caretaker of the mansion 
 and in one brief half-second had broken the arm of one 
 of the men. Then he attacked the second, and no doubt 
 would have done him a like injury with his formidable 
 weapon had not the fellow drawn back. Something 
 
38 Indian and Scout 
 
 bright glinted in his hand; there was a sharp report, 
 which went echoing down the corridor, and instantly 
 his attacker fell to the ground. 
 
 "Wall! If that don't beat everything! Dead, is 
 he?" 
 
 The one with the broken arm bent over, supporting 
 his injured limb with the other, and looked at the 
 man who had been shot. 
 
 "As mutton," he said curtly; "and serve him right. 
 He's broken my arm." 
 
 " Who's the other? Seems he must have been fol- 
 lowing us, and this old fool took him for one of our 
 gang. Turn him over." 
 
 Together they rolled Jack over on to his back and 
 inspected his face. 
 
 "Gee!" cried the leader, the one who had come to the 
 forge that morning; "ef it ain't the youngster who made 
 the key for me. And I thought he was soft. Phew! 
 Wall, he's brought it on hisself. Get the sack, mate, 
 and let's be moving. We know the old man was alone 
 in the house, so thar's no hurry. But it won't do ter 
 wait. Someone else might be in the game. Get the 
 sack, and we'll drive." 
 
 Without a thought for the man they had shot, or for 
 poor Jack, they decamped from the mansion, leaving 
 the two victims lying on the floor. Ten minutes later 
 their buggy was whirling them away, so that no trace 
 was left of them when the morning came. And it was 
 not till then that the crime was discovered. A gardener 
 found the door open, and, being unable to make the 
 caretaker hear, entered the mansion. An hour later 
 Hopeville's solitary policeman was there. 
 
A Rude Awakening 39 
 
 "Hm! A burglary," he said knowingly; "and the 
 old man came in at the right moment. Is he dead?" 
 
 " Left for dead, but still breathing ever so gently," 
 answered the gardener. " I've sent for the doctor." 
 
 "And t'other fellow?" 
 
 " Head pretty nigh bashed in. Insensible, and likely 
 to remain so for a day," was the report. " Reckon 
 Davy caught him nicely. What'll you do?" 
 
 " Note the surroundings first. Then, when the doctor 
 arrives, get 'em to bed, Reckon the thief couldn't be 
 moved yet awhile." 
 
 It was an hour before surgical aid arrived, and very 
 soon afterwards Jack was put into a bed in one of the 
 attics, with a groom to watch him, and make sure that 
 he did not escape. As for Davy, he was carried to a 
 sofa, the movement nearly shaking the slender thread 
 of life still remaining out of his body. He rallied 
 slightly, opened his eyes, and in a feeble voice gave 
 an account of the burglary. Then he closed his eyes, 
 and died within ten minutes. 
 
 " Which makes the case worse for that young black- 
 guard upstairs," said the man of law. " To think that 
 James Orring's man should take to such ways. I've 
 sent along for him, so as to ask a few questions. Guess 
 he'll be mighty put about. It was only yesterday that 
 he passed me on the road, and got to talking about 
 
 young Jack Kingsley. It'll be a case of " He 
 
 jerked his head back, and indicated a hanging. 
 
 " Y-e-e-es," agreed the other doubtfully, " ef it's proved. 
 In the States a man ain't guilty, and don't hang in con- 
 sequence, till he's proved to have done murder." 
 
 "Proved! It's a clear case," exclaimed the police- 
 
40 Indian and Scout 
 
 man. "Clear as daylight. Here's the young black- 
 guard discovered on the premises, knocked silly by 
 Davy's club, and Davy himself dyin'. Ef that ain't 
 clear, what is?" 
 
 His familiarity with the law, the necessity for showing 
 greater knowledge than the gardener, caused the police- 
 man to sniff with indignation. To his legal mind Jack 
 was not only guilty of the offence, but was already con- 
 demned. Indeed, looking at the evidence clearly, things 
 wore a black aspect for him. Now that Davy was 
 dead there was no one to give evidence but himself, 
 and the poor fellow who had so recently died had 
 definitely stated that Jack was one of the burglars, 
 believing that to be the case himself. 
 
 Let the reader imagine our hero's feelings when at 
 length he regained consciousness, and was taken to the 
 station-house. 
 
 "Taken for one of the burglars, just because that 
 poor, stupid fellow made the mistake! Surely not," 
 he groaned. "That would be too cruel! I can prove 
 that I was not. I can describe what happened how 
 I met them on the heath and followed. I can speak 
 about the key, and " 
 
 He broke off with a groan, for as he reviewed the 
 matter he realized that he could but make a state- 
 ment of what had happened, but that there was no 
 one to bear it out. After all, facts were glaringly 
 against him. Indeed he realized that to the full when 
 he was brought up before the sheriff and judges. 
 
 " The prisoner states that he was at work in the forge 
 when a man entered and desired to have a key made," 
 counsel for the prosecution announced, when summing 
 
A Rude Awakening 41 
 
 up the case. "That may or may not be the case, 
 though we can believe that it happened, for there were 
 footmarks in the mud outside the smithy which cor- 
 respond with others on the lawn outside the mansion. 
 But we maintain that those marks were those of an 
 accomplice. The prisoner made the key to match a 
 wax impression supplied by this accomplice, and care- 
 lessly left the impression in the smithy. Now let us 
 follow the prisoner's movements. He shuts the smithy 
 and goes off in the evening, as he has done many 
 times before. But let us bear in mind an important 
 item of evidence. On ordinary days he would have 
 to be back by nine o'clock at the latest. But on this 
 particular evening he owns that he walked so far that 
 a return at that hour was impossible. With that we 
 place the fact that James Orring and his wife were 
 lured away from Hopeville for the night. Is that not 
 very suggestive of prisoner's complicity in this crime? 
 He lures his patron away, so that his absence shall 
 not be detected. And why should he walk farther on 
 this particular occasion? To meet the buggy with his 
 two accomplices. The tracks on the heather are clear 
 enough to show that three men were about the buggy. 
 It stands to reason that one man could not have been 
 spying, for he would certainly have been detected. 
 
 "And now we come to the mansion. Davy declares 
 that this man was one of the miscreants, though he did 
 not say who fired the shot. That is his dying deposi- 
 tion. Is it probable that he would have thrown him- 
 self upon a defenceless youth? Highly improbable. 
 Unbelievable. Contrary to common sense. And had 
 he done so, is it possible that he could still have per- 
 
42 Indian and Scout 
 
 severed in his error? No, a thousand times no! Davy, 
 at death's door, gave us his honest conviction." 
 
 Terribly black was the evidence, and it may be 
 imagined with what a sinking heart our unfortunate 
 hero listened to it all. There was no one to speak 
 for him, save honest James Orring, who sturdily main- 
 tained that his apprentice was innocent. 
 
 " Find the weapon with which he shot the man Davy," 
 he asked savagely, " and then talk of the lad's guilt A 
 steadier boy never worked in a forge. Him a burglar! 
 Not much! And ef he was, do yer think I shouldn't 
 have spotted it, with him under my eyes day and 
 night?" 
 
 Jack's case stirred the countryside, and filled the 
 columns of the paper. Discussion as to his guilt or 
 innocence waxed loud and furious, and was responsible 
 for many incidents. People took up the cudgels for 
 him in the saloons, and often enough that led to angry 
 words and to broken heads. Even the jury wavered. 
 Looking at Jack in the dock they were bound to con- 
 fess that a franker face never before was seen. The 
 prisoner faced his terrible position with a courage and 
 fortitude which were commendable, while his answers 
 were so direct, so evidently spontaneous and sincere, 
 that even with that damning evidence before them the 
 most experienced of the jury felt a qualm, hesitated 
 a little, and was inclined to give some benefit to the 
 prisoner. 
 
 " It'll be manslaughter," said James dolefully, " as he 
 discussed the matter with his wife. " They'll never hang 
 Jack, even though the evidence is so black against him. 
 He'll be given ten years, ten long years, in prison." 
 
A Rude Awakening 43 
 
 Mrs. Orring wept, and was joined by Jack's mother, 
 who had come to stay with them during the trial. 
 
 " Ten long years," she moaned. " He'll be an old man 
 by then. To think that a bonny fellow such as he must 
 be shut up for the finest years of his life, must be treated 
 like a wild beast. Oh, it is horrible!" 
 
 " He shan't! I tell yer he shan't!" cried James, bang- 
 ing his fist on the parlour table till the whole floor shook. 
 " Even though I war the victim of a hoax that cleared 
 me away for the time being, I ain't never had ought but 
 a friendly feelin' for young Jack, and I'm dead sartin 
 that he's as innocent as a babe. If them skunks who 
 were in it had the pluck of sparrows, they'd come 
 forward and declare theirselves. But they won't trust 
 'em! And they'll see this young chap nigh hanged and 
 put in prison, while they're free ter burglar other places. 
 Jack's up against it hot and strong, and I'm his friend. 
 I say again, he shan't go to prison." 
 
 His vehemence was remarkable, and stirred his 
 listeners. 
 
 "Not go to prison! You won't " commenced 
 
 Mrs. Orring. 
 
 "Silence, woman!" thundered James, his brows knit 
 close together, his eyes staring at the opposite wall. 
 "Ye've heard what I've had to say. Then silence! 
 Not another word! Don't breathe a syllable to a soul. 
 Good night!" 
 
 The usually pleasant and easy-going smith got up and 
 left the room abruptly, while the two women stared at 
 one another, half-laughing and half-weeping. 
 
 "This is how I look at it," said James, when he 
 was well away from the house. " I can't get to think 
 
44 Indian and Scout 
 
 in there with women round me, but here a man can 
 see things clearer. Jack's done. If he ain't hanged, 
 he'll be put away fer ten solid years. And how's he 
 ter prove his innocence when he's cooped up within 
 four walls? He can't, and thar's no one else to do it 
 fer him. And supposin' he goes fer the ten years, he's 
 branded as a felon, and won't have the spirit or the 
 energy ter try to clear himself when at last he gets 
 free. I don't, as a rule, get advisin' a man as is innocent 
 ter skip before his trial's finished. It makes things all 
 the blacker agin him. But here's a case where no good 
 can come with waitin'. He's branded, sure, and he'll 
 stay branded if he goes to prison. I'll go and see Pete." 
 
 Pete was an old friend of James's, and because of help 
 he had had at a critical time, from the owner of the 
 smithy, he always had an indulgent ear for James. 
 
 " Ef yer could get ter chat along with the policeman, 
 maybe I'd be able ter take a look at Jack," said James, 
 accosting his friend, and passing him a wink. " Not yet 
 awhile, though, 'cos I'm busy. But after tea. Jest about 
 sevin o'clock." 
 
 Pete looked up quickly, and a sharp glance shot from 
 his eyes. He was a man of sixty-five, perhaps, though 
 he looked older, and was already as white as snow as 
 to his hair and beard. But he was no fool, was Pete, 
 and his glance showed that he half-understood James. 
 
 "You aer thinkin' that boy's innocent?" he asked, as 
 he sucked at his pipe. 
 
 "Dead sartin," replied James. "Sit down arid have 
 a smoke. Try mine." 
 
 He handed out his tobacco skin, and Pete filled from 
 it gratefully. 
 
A Rude Awakening 45 
 
 "Up!" he remarked, as he pulled at the pipe; "and 
 you was thinkin' maybe that Jack " 
 
 "Yer know what I was thinkin', Pete," exclaimed 
 James bluntly. "Look ye here. Have yer ever been 
 dead down on yer luck, right clean hard up agin 
 it?" 
 
 Pete nodded, his ferrety little eyes watching the smoke 
 curl up from the bowl, and his whole expression denoting 
 satisfaction. 
 
 " I've been dead down on the rocks, with the pinnacles 
 comin' clear through," he admitted, as if the recollection 
 caused him enjoyment. " I've had fortune play me 
 so scurvily that I couldn't see a crust anywheres, and 
 hadn't but one friend ter turn to. Yes, James, I've 
 knowd what it is ter be clean up agin it." 
 
 ' And yer didn't want help?" 
 
 "Ye've struck it wrong. Every man wants help 
 some day. It may be only when he's old and tottery, 
 
 like me " he stopped to smile, and watch the smoke 
 
 again "jest like me," he repeated. "Sometimes he 
 don't want it even then. But there's others want it, 
 soon and plenty, when they're just cuttin' their teeth. 
 Guess Jack's one of 'em." 
 
 "And he's jest got one friend," said James slowly. 
 "That's me." 
 
 " Then you've struck it wrong agin. Jack's got two. 
 Jack's friend is my friend. I don't forget the time when 
 I was up agin it." 
 
 The shrewd, sharp look came again from the old man, 
 and James noted it. Taking his courage in both hands 
 he blurted out his news. 
 
 " I'm goin' to fetch him out of that ere jug of a prison," 
 
46 Indian and Scout 
 
 he said curtly. "Help me with the policeman, and 
 and " 
 
 "Why, bless us! what am I doin 1 ," cried Pete, sud- 
 denly taking his pipe from his mouth. " It's five o'clock 
 now, and I must be goin'. I've got a 'pointment with 
 the constable at sivin, jest to do a bit of talkin'. So 
 long, James." 
 
 " And bless you," thought the owner of the smithy, as 
 Pete departed. " Now ef I don't fix it, my name ain't 
 James Orring. First thing's an aliby." 
 
 He stood thinking for a few moments, and then 
 hastened back home. Tea was ready, and after that, 
 and a smoke, it wanted only a quarter to seven. 
 
 " Missus," said James suddenly, " I'm agoin' to bed. 
 I've a headache. Jest come in and put the light out, 
 will yer." 
 
 Mrs. Orring was not gifted with a brilliant wit, and 
 stood for a while regarding her husband with question- 
 ing eyes. For James certainly did not look to have 
 a headache. If ever a man looked in robust and ab- 
 solute health it was he. But Jack's mother saved the 
 situation. 
 
 " I think I should go and do as he says in a few 
 moments, dear," she whispered. "You see, to-morrow 
 you will be able to tell the people that James went 
 to bed, and that you left him there, sick with a head- 
 ache." 
 
 It dawned upon Mrs. Orring that this manoeuvre of 
 her husband's might have something to do with Jack, 
 and promptly she carried out his wishes. 
 
 "And jest sit right there in the front parlour," said 
 James, as the light was put out. " Then I shan't be dis- 
 
A Rude Awakening 47 
 
 turbed with the talking. Yer can come in and see how 
 my head's doin' when I call. Not before, 'cos I shall 
 likely be sleepin'." 
 
 He yawned, turned over, and drew the clothes well 
 across him, as if disposing himself for sleep. But within 
 a minute of Mrs. Orring's departure, James was out 
 of bed. To open the window and leap out was the 
 work of a moment. Then he went straight to the 
 smithy, procured a file and a hammer, and, covering 
 his face with a scarf, set ofF towards the prison, choosing 
 a path at the back of the houses. 
 
 " Better see as Pete's got the constable in tow," he said 
 to himself as he went. " Now's the time to work a 
 liberation, 'cos this jail ain't by noways strong. But 
 after the trial's over, and the verdict's given, guess Jack'll 
 be taken to a place as strong as could be wanted. Now 
 what in thunder aer we ter do with him when he's out." 
 
 The difficulty almost floored James, and for a time 
 he sat pondering. 
 
 "Got it!" he cried at last. "Thar's bound ter be a 
 hue and cry, and a dickens of a fuss ; and the country- 
 side'll be searched high and low. Guess I'll help ter 
 put 'em off the tracks." 
 
 Some ten minutes later he was close to the prison, 
 and had safely hidden himself in the angle of a house 
 from which he could watch the street. Hopeville boasted 
 of a town hall and a jail, both perched at the edge of a 
 square, which, now that the township was a dozen years 
 old, had become the fashionable promenade of the in- 
 habitants. It was lighted by some half-dozen swaying 
 oil lamps, and was provided with a few benches. On 
 one of these, some distance from the tiny prison, Pete 
 
48 Indian and Scout 
 
 was seated as James looked, smoking quietly, and en- 
 gaged in earnest conversation with the only constable 
 that Hopeville possessed. And if that conversation 
 could have been overheard, it would have appeared at 
 once that the artful Pete was playing on the constable's 
 vanity. 
 
 "Good for me! Good for Jack!" thought James. 
 "Now, I won't lose no time about it, and I'll go at it 
 like a man." 
 
 Being the only smith in the place, he was thoroughly 
 acquainted with the ins and outs of the prison, and 
 knew the solitary cell it boasted. James was no be- 
 liever in half- measures. He clambered on to a wall 
 at the back of the prison, made his way along it, and 
 gained a roof. The grilled window of the cell looked 
 on to this, and in a twinkling James was at it. 
 
 "Hist!" he called through the bars. "That you, 
 Jack!" 
 
 He had to repeat the summons before our hero put in 
 an appearance. 
 
 " What is it?" he asked sleepily. " You! James!" 
 
 "Fer sure. Look here, Jack! Ye' re innocent, and 
 we knows it." 
 
 Our hero nodded curtly. He had heard the same tale 
 from James before, and had blessed him for his support. 
 But the iron of this terrible time had seared his mind ; 
 his feelings were dulled; he felt that he was already 
 branded a thief and a murderer. 
 
 "And I've made up me mind ter give yer a chance. 
 Look here, lad ! Ef yer go to prison it'll be fer ten solid 
 years, and thar'll be no one ter clear you." 
 
 " Well," asked Jack, his eyes brightening a little. 
 
A Rude Awakening 49 
 
 " Ef yer bolts, people can't say more than they have 
 done. Yer ain't more guilty than yer wur afore, but 
 yer have a chance ter get hold of that chap and make 
 him clear yer. Savvy? Wall, yer can take yer liberty 
 or leave it. It's right here, outside the windy. Will 
 yer have it?" 
 
 Jack thought for a moment. He realized that to 
 leave was practically to declare his guilt. Then he 
 looked at the other side, the prison side: the impossi- 
 bility of being able to show his innocence the hope- 
 lessness of his future life. Rightly or wrongly he chose 
 liberty. 
 
 "I'll take it," he said breathlessly. " How'll you 
 manage the bars? I'll leave 'em to you, while I scribble 
 a note." 
 
 He went across to the far side of the cell, where light 
 entered the place in a thin stream from a candle placed 
 in a niche in the corridor outside. Pulling out a pocket- 
 book, he wrote boldly and in large letters : 
 
 " This is to declare solemnly, on my word of honour, 
 that I am entirely innocent, and that every word I have 
 uttered is true. I have to face death or imprisonment 
 under the brand of a felon, and without hope of justice 
 reaching me. On the far side of my prison bars I see 
 liberty: if 1 can gain it, the chance to clear my good 
 name and bring the right men to justice. I choose the 
 last, whether it stamps me guilty or not. I will return 
 when the time arrives, and will deliver myself up again 
 to the law." 
 
 He scrawled his name boldly beneath the words, and 
 left the sheet of paper on the tiny table. Meanwhile 
 James had stripped off his coat, had wrapped it into 
 
 (0179) 4 
 
50 Indian and Scout 
 
 a thick buffer, and, placing this against the bars, had 
 broken them with a few lusty blows from his hammer. 
 In a minute Jack was free, shaking himself like a dog 
 just emerged from the water. 
 
 "And now?" he asked. 
 
 "Jest come along with me, and doggo aer the order. 
 Do yer remember the store of scrap, back of the smithy? 
 Then ye' re goin' thar. Thar's a place pretty well built 
 all ready for yer. I'll look after things when ye're 
 hid, and send 'em off on the wrong scent. But doggo 
 it's got ter be. Yer must lie as quiet as any mouse." 
 
 James led him swiftly from the broken cell and took 
 him to the smithy. At the back, in the open, was a 
 mass of odds and ends of iron. Axletrees, plough-irons, 
 swingle-bars, rods and hoops, and old horseshoes galore. 
 The heap was piled high, and leaned against the side of 
 the smithy. But James was a tidy man, and for a long 
 while had insisted on piling his old horseshoes wall- 
 fashion, and in course of time quite a big wall had been 
 formed. 
 
 "Thar's room and plenty for yer," he whispered to 
 Jack, indicating the heap. " Get along in, while I sling 
 a few bars up agin it. And not a word till I give the 
 signal, not even if you're starvin'." 
 
 Jack crept into the hole, which, by the way, he had 
 never noticed before in the scrap heap, and James threw 
 a number of bars and hoops up against the opening. 
 
 "Ter-morrow there'll be shoes and sichlike to sling," 
 he said. " So long, and don't forget it, it's doggo." 
 
 Running as fast as possible, James made for the river, 
 and in ten minutes had beaten in the boards of an old 
 dinghy which had once been Pete's, and which was now 
 
A Rude Awakening 51 
 
 old and useless. He cut the painter and let the wreck 
 drift. 
 
 " It'll be down ten foot and more in a jiffy," he said, 
 " and in a while it'll reach the bottom, or get broken up 
 and float away. Anyway, it'll give 'em a scent. They'll 
 turn to the river, or the far shore." 
 
 Satisfied with his labours he retreated to his house, 
 clambered in through the window of the bedroom, and 
 presently called loudly for his wife. 
 
 " Wuss," he said as she entered, sitting up and treating 
 her to a broad wink. " It's wuss, that head of mine. Feels 
 like a swollen pertater. Can't think. Can't even sleep. 
 What's the clock?" 
 
 "The time? Why, ten," answered Mrs. Orring. 
 "You've been asleep, sure." 
 
 "That's likely. I thought it war somewhere's in the 
 neighbourhood of sevin. Good night!" 
 
 James threw himself flat again, and grunted, while 
 Mrs. Orring retired. 
 
 " He's been fast asleep all this while, I do believe," 
 she said, addressing Jack's mother, and nodding sig- 
 nificantly. "Poor dear, I've left him to it!" 
 
 Having safely established his alibi, James Orring fell 
 into a deep slumber, and indeed was still snoring heavily 
 when the constable appeared and insisted on searching 
 the premises. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 The Road to California 
 
 JACK KINGSLEY'S escape from the jail at Hopeville 
 caused a huge sensation, and the hue and cry raised by 
 the constable and by the officials in charge of the case 
 extended into the country on every side. It was clear 
 that he had been aided by some outside individual, 
 and, as was perfectly natural, suspicion fell upon James 
 Orring. 
 
 " He's been the one all through that's stuck up for 
 the prisoner," reported the constable, at his wits' end to 
 provide a tale which would clear himself from blame, 
 "and I can't help thinking he's done it. But he's too 
 clever." 
 
 " How?" demanded the official who was interrogating 
 him. 
 
 " Just this way. James has witnesses to swear he was 
 at home from after tea till I went round to inspect and 
 search the premises. I went to his house the instant 
 I learned that the prisoner had escaped, and found 
 James fast asleep." 
 
 " Or kidding," suggested the official. 
 
 " No ; right down fast asleep, and no mistake. And 
 Mrs. Orring, whom I've known all my life, declared he'd 
 
 62 
 
The Road to California 53 
 
 gone to bed with a baddish headache soon after tea, and 
 had been there ever since. He'd wakened once, and had 
 called her." 
 
 " Is there anyone else whom you suspect of complicity 
 in the escape?" he was asked. 
 
 "Nary one. Jack Kingsley was a stranger, so ter 
 speak, and hadn't any friends. That's why I'll stake 
 my davy James was in it." 
 
 "Well? And have you any news as to the direction 
 he took?" 
 
 " Down stream," answered the constable emphatically. 
 " I searched James Orring's yard thoroughly, yer bet, 
 and then someone told me that a boat was missing. 
 Later on it was reported stranded on the far shore, with 
 the planks kicked in. So the prisoner is at large over 
 thar." 
 
 "Where we shall lay our hands on him," said the 
 official. " I will send his description to all the stations." 
 
 But a week passed and still there was no trace of the 
 prisoner. 
 
 " Yer must jest lie low and doggo a little longer," said 
 James one early morning, standing at the door of the 
 smithy, and speaking apparently to the air. "Find it 
 comfortable in thar?" 
 
 " Been in a worse spot," sang out Jack cheerily, for he 
 was still ensconced behind James's scrap heap. It's a 
 little cramping to the legs, that's all." 
 
 " And had enough to eat?" 
 
 "Heaps, thanks!" 
 
 " Then stick it out a bit longer. That 'ere Simpkins, 
 the constable, can't get it outer his mind that I war the 
 one to free yer. He's got a sorter idea you're here, and 
 
54 Indian and Scout 
 
 he comes slinking round most times of the day. So 
 don't yer show so much as a finger." 
 
 Jack, fortunately for him, obeyed these instructions to 
 the letter, never emerging from his retreat even at night- 
 time. For one evening the constable put in an unex- 
 pected appearance, coming from the back of the houses. 
 He found James Orring washing before a bucket placed 
 in the yard standing between the smithy and the house, 
 and his wife holding a towel in readiness for him. 
 
 " Why, it aer the constable!" said James in surprise, as 
 his face emerged from the pail and he stretched out for 
 the towel. "What in thunder aer he come along fer? 
 Say, Simpkins, will yer come and have a bit of tea with 
 us? I knows ye've been a trifle put out over this affair, 
 and have got it stuck into yer head that I'm the man 
 that's done it. Jest try to get the idea put clean aside, 
 and let bygones be bygones. Come and have a bit of 
 tea and a smoke afterwards." 
 
 But Simpkins was not to be beguiled. He strode 
 into the smithy, and afterwards carefully searched every 
 corner of the yard, climbing on to the top of the scrap 
 heap. Evidently he disbelieved James, and thought he 
 was being hoaxed. His attitude vexed Mrs. Orring till 
 her patience gave out. 
 
 "Look ye here, young man," she called out at last, 
 " ef yer want to come searching round here most hours 
 of the day and night, yer'd better by half come and take 
 up yer quarters here altogether, so as to save trouble. 
 Trade's not been that good that we'd sniff at a lodger, 
 and we'd make yer comfortable. Then yer could sit 
 right at the smithy door, and count the people what 
 comes during the day. Or yer could sit right thar in 
 
The Road to California 55 
 
 the parlour, and make sure as sure that we ain't feedin' 
 young Jack. More shame to yer to hound after him so! 
 A wee, young chap such as he." 
 
 James Orring laughed heartily, while Simpkins looked 
 confused, and reddened. He had a very great idea of 
 his own importance, and banter irritated him. More- 
 over, cases in Hopeville being few and far between, he 
 had made the utmost of this one of burglary and murder. 
 He had been so energetic, in fact, that he had won the 
 commendation of the sheriff. And now the escape of 
 his prisoner at the eleventh hour had brought ridicule 
 down on his head. People joked him in the street, and 
 his wounded dignity was ready to blaze out at anything. 
 If Mrs. Orring had been alone he would have given her 
 a piece of his mind. But James was there, looking par- 
 ticularly formidable, and laughing heartily, thereby show- 
 ing he cared not a fig for the constable. 
 
 " If I was you I'd jest git," said James. " This here 
 smithy ain't a healthy place for sech as you. Don't yer 
 take my missus serious. She don't want you ter stop 
 up here; not at all." 
 
 " I'm open to lay anything that you helped the prisoner 
 to escape, "blustered Simpkins; "and I believe that if I 
 searched high and low I'd find him." 
 
 " Then why not get to at it?" asked James with a 
 bantering smile. " One would have thought yer had 
 already done it pretty thoroughly." 
 
 "Then I haven't. I'd like to pull the smithy down 
 and see what's behind those bellows, or up in the loft 
 Besides, there's that heap of scrap. Fer all I know 
 you've hidden him there." 
 
 James Orring went off into a peal of gruff laughter 
 
56 Indian and Scout 
 
 while his wife turned away to hide her dismay. As for 
 Simpkins, he walked to the tumbled heap of iron rust- 
 ing against the smithy, and began to pull portions of it 
 away. 
 
 "Say, constable, you'll be the death of me," gasped 
 James, doubling up with laughing. " Why, if that ain't 
 Seth and Piggy Harten! Say, boys, what do yer think's 
 the latest? This here Simpkins guesses as Jack Kings- 
 ley's hidden up somewhars here, and he wants a man or 
 two ter pull the smithy about, tear down the bellows 
 and sichlike, and cart away that heap of scrap. He's 
 jest took on that heap. He believes as Jack's lyin' there 
 at the bottom." 
 
 It happened that Seth was not on the best of terms 
 with the constable, and at James's words he giggled 
 audibly, and turned a scornful face to Simpkins. 
 
 "You're jest about right," he cried. "Jack's 'way 
 down below that heap o' iron scrap, and yer'd best get 
 a horse or so to pull it about. Reckon he'll be no use as 
 a prisoner though." 
 
 Simpkins turned an enquiring look upon him. He 
 was a stubborn fellow, this constable, and all the banter 
 only made him more determined. 
 
 "Why no use?" he asked. 
 
 "'Cos he'll jest be as flat as a pancake. Jest like a 
 sheet, you bet. There's three ton o' iron there, man, 
 and it'd squeeze the life out of even a constable." 
 
 Seth went off laughing, while the constable again 
 reddened. Turning on his heel, he gave James one 
 quick, vindictive look, and then departed. 
 
 " He means mischief," said Mrs. Orring. " That man 
 suspects something, and he'll not be satisfied till he's 
 
The Road to California 57 
 
 rummaged the smithy and every corner. Jack'll be 
 found." 
 
 " Ef he's here," answered James cunningly; "ef he's 
 here, missus. Jest yer hop right in and tell Mrs. Kings- 
 ley as her son'll be at the back door a bit after sevin. 
 He'll be sayin' goodbye. Ef she's got a trifle for him, 
 she'd better have it ready." 
 
 It was already getting dusk, so that there was little 
 fear of being disturbed. James went promptly to Jack's 
 hiding place and dragged away the odds and ends of 
 iron he had thrown against the heap so as to hide the 
 opening. 
 
 "Yer can hop out right now," he said. "Now, ye've 
 got ter git, and precious slippy, else Simpkins'll have 
 yer. How aer yer off for brass?" 
 
 " I've saved fifty - eight dollars," answered Jack 
 promptly. 
 
 "And here's another fifty. On loan, lad. Yer can 
 pay me back some o' these days when things have 
 shaped a little differently. Now, what aer yer going 
 ter do?" 
 
 Jack had been thinking it over during his enforced 
 idleness in his retreat, and answered promptly. "I'll 
 make west to California," he said. " Once there I shall 
 be perfectly safe. It's the getting there that will be 
 difficult. There's this red head of mine to tell tales 
 everywhere." 
 
 " To be sure there is. But yer ain't no need ter fear. 
 Mrs. Orring and me thought of that. We've sent down 
 river for a bottle of hair dye, and guess it'll change yer 
 nicely. Come along into the smithy, and we'll try it 
 right now. So you'll make for Californy? And how?" 
 
58 Indian and Scout 
 
 "By road. If I tried the rail I should certainly be 
 detected. I'll make down by road somehow. Perhaps 
 I'll get a job on the way. If not, I'll walk at night and 
 hide up during the day." 
 
 "That's a cute idea; and say, youngster, when you 
 gets there jest send a line. We've took your mother's 
 address, and we can post on to her. Don't give no 
 proper address, and don't sign a name. Savvy? Now 
 fer the hair." 
 
 An hour later our hero was well outside the township 
 of Hopeville, on the road to California, hundreds and 
 hundreds of miles to the west. He was glad now to 
 have said farewell to his friends and to be alone; for he 
 felt that he could think better, that he could shape his 
 actions for the future, and decide what course to follow. 
 Uppermost in his mind, swamping all other considera- 
 tions, was the overwhelming desire to prove his inno- 
 cence. That was a task which he would never neglect 
 nor forget. But for the moment he must get clear away 
 from Hopeville, and be lost, as it were. 
 
 " In a year or so I'll be able to grow a beard," he said 
 to himself. " By then this matter will have been for- 
 gotten, and so long as I do not come to Hopeville I 
 shall be secure. Yes, I must get away, and wait till 
 my appearance is changed. For the present I have a 
 long walk before me." 
 
 All that night he trudged on in a westerly direction, 
 traversing a road which was hardly deserving of the 
 name. It was little better than a cart track. And the 
 following night found him some thirty miles from his 
 starting-point. He had met no one, and so far as he 
 knew no one had seen him, As the evening of the 
 
The Road to California 59 
 
 third day from Hopeville closed in he ate the remainder 
 of his provisions and took the road again; for he had 
 slept during the day hidden in a small wood. 
 
 "To-morrow I shall have to show myself," he said. 
 " I must buy food, or I shall be unable to stand the 
 walking. I'll try some farm. That will be better than 
 going to a town." 
 
 It was, indeed, the only sensible course to pursue 
 under the circumstances, for, had he but known of it, 
 the constable at Hopeville had supplied a description 
 of the runaway to all towns within a hundred miles, 
 while so greatly had the trial preyed upon Jack that, 
 in spite of the change in his complexion, he felt nervous 
 of discovery, as if the first woman or child who met him 
 would recognize him at once. It was a horrible feeling, 
 and not to be conquered till time had elapsed. 
 
 Jack had covered some five miles of his tramp that 
 night when his ear detected sounds in the distance. He 
 moved forward cautiously, and presently discovered a 
 cart and horse halted in the roadway. A man was 
 walking to and fro beside the cart, talking to himself 
 excitedly, and kicking the ground as if he were in a 
 temper. Our hero took as close a look at him as pos- 
 sible, for now and again the stranger crossed before the 
 beam of light thrown out from a solitary lantern. He 
 was ridiculously short, and ludicrously dressed. On his 
 head was a black wideawake, from beneath the brim of 
 which rolls of hair descended till they trailed on to his 
 shoulders. He wore a short frockcoat, the tails of 
 which came little lower than his waist, and served to 
 accentuate his lack of stature, while a massive chain 
 flashed across a rather ample waistcoat. The face was 
 
60 Indian and Scout 
 
 neither ugly nor handsome, while at the same time, in 
 spite of the temper in which this individual undoubtedly 
 was, it gave promise of kindliness. Jack took his courage 
 in both hands. 
 
 " Goody!" he said, striding up. " Anything amiss?" 
 
 The stranger started back at first, and looked not a 
 little frightened. Then he took the lamp and inspected 
 our hero carefully, while it was as much as the latter 
 could do to return his glances. That odious accusation, 
 the fact that he was an escaping criminal, had almost 
 robbed his youthful face of its refreshing frankness. 
 
 " My word ! Thought you was that villain George at 
 first," said the stranger. "Jest see here. I hired him 
 out to look after the hosses and act the professional 
 man. He took good wages too. And he's jest bolted. 
 Said as he'd follow, and hasn't Met him on the road?" 
 
 Jack shook his head. " Seen no one," he said. 
 
 " Wall, that jest proves it. He's done a bolt, and my 
 tin box has gone with him. Guess it's lucky I cleared 
 the cash last night. What might you be doin'?" 
 
 " Travelling west," said Jack. 
 
 " Business?" asked the stranger. 
 
 " N-n-no. Just travelling west," answered Jack. " I'm 
 making for the diggings." 
 
 "Oh!" exclaimed the little man. "Likely enough 
 you're goin' to meet friends there." 
 
 " I haven't any," said Jack, shaking his head, and 
 thinking rather bitterly of his position. 
 
 "Then you ain't in a hurry, and you ain't fixed for 
 a job. P'raps you've no need fer one." 
 
 Again Jack shook his head. He was not going to be 
 communicative to this little man, and yet at the same 
 
The Road to California 61 
 
 time he could not afford to throw away a chance of 
 help. If this stranger needed a man, why should he, 
 Jack, not accept the post? 
 
 " I'm ready for a job when I find one," he said quietly. 
 " But I'm bound for the west." 
 
 "And so am I, and I need someone to accompany 
 me. See here," cried the little man, " you're a fair 
 height, and would make up splendidly. " I'll tell you 
 what I'll do. I'll give you ten dollars a week and your 
 food to come with me. You'll have to feed and mind 
 the horses, and clean out the van. Then, when we set 
 up shop at the towns, you'll have to dress up fine and 
 come on the stage." 
 
 "Stage!" exclaimed Jack, somewhat bewildered. 
 
 " Jest so. I'll explain. I'm a travelling conjuror and 
 mesmerist. I have to have help. Wall, to be candid, 
 there are tricks that can't be worked without a second 
 man. You'll have a beard and moustache, and will 
 dress in a frockcoat, and all that, to look professional, 
 and you'll hang about till I call for one of the audience 
 to come on the stage. That'll be your chance. You'll 
 hop up, and the trick will go like fire. And for the job, 
 ten dollars a week, your grub, and lodging in the van. 
 It's as snug as any house." 
 
 It was a tempting offer, and Jack decided to accept it 
 at once. But he asked another question. 
 
 " How about California? I'm bound there, and must 
 go. I warn you I could not stay very long in your 
 service." 
 
 " And no need. I'm makin' west, and you and me'll 
 be strangers wherever we go. Leastwise, you will, for 
 I've been along the route before. Wall, now, you'll get 
 
62 Indian and Scout 
 
 known, and ef on the return run the same man appears, 
 and walks up on the stage, the people would spot some- 
 thing wrong and funny. You can leave at the end of 
 the trip, and I'll pick up another man." 
 
 "Then I accept," said Jack. 
 
 He had been thinking keenly all the while, and saw 
 in the offer now made him an excellent opportunity of 
 obtaining work and a disguise at the same time. One 
 thing, however, he did not like entirely. He asked him- 
 self whether he was to be a dupe, whether the post he 
 had accepted would entail behaviour likely to gull the 
 public. If that were so, he decided offhand that he 
 would leave this little man promptly; for, though his 
 position was critical, and arrest stared him in the face 
 at any moment, Jack was not the one to lend himself 
 to dishonesty, 
 
 " I'm innocent, Heaven knows," he thought, somewhat 
 bitterly, "and I have to clear myself of that crime for 
 which I was about to be condemned. But I will not 
 begin the task I have set myself by acting dishonestly 
 in any way." 
 
 "What name, please?" he asked. 
 
 " Amos Shirley, at your service from right now." 
 
 In the feeble light given by the solitary lamp the little 
 man pulled off his huge hat with a theatrical gesture, 
 and bobbed in Jack's direction. Indeed, looking at him 
 there, he was, without doubt, a comical little man, full of 
 his own importance, with plenty of humour and kindli- 
 ness, and, if the truth be told, given not a little to pom- 
 posity. 
 
 "Amos Shirley, conjuror, clairvoyant, mesmerist, 
 known up and down the country. And you?" 
 
The Road to California 63 
 
 "Tom Starling," answered Jack, reddening under 
 Amos's gaze, a fact which the little man noted, for he 
 coughed significantly. 
 
 " And I wish to say that I reserve the right of giving 
 a week's notice at any time, and also that while I will 
 help you willingly, and to the best of my ability, I will 
 not lend myself to any underhand tricks, any sort of 
 subterfuge, likely to gull your public." 
 
 Amos Shirley gave vent to a shrill whistle. 
 
 " Then the job's off," he said promptly, watching our 
 hero closely. For this conjuring business was no easy 
 one to manipulate, particularly with the intelligent 
 people to be met with in America. Amos had before 
 now discovered that an audience of miners, for instance, 
 not wholly convinced of the genuineness of a trick, 
 were apt to insist on embarrassing conditions, and were 
 not above pelting the conjuror, or even perforating the 
 stage with their bullets. He had, indeed, found before 
 now that miners and cowboys required clever humouring; 
 and while they were ready to pay liberally, and, indeed, 
 to throw dollar notes on the stage if pleased in some 
 particular, that they were at the same time a merry, 
 high-spirited lot, apt now and again to become play- 
 fully reckless, and attempt a counter attraction, which 
 chiefly took the form of showing how easily they 
 could shoot the front lights of the stage away, or 
 puncture the broad-brimmed hat of the conjuror with 
 their bullets without doing any real harm. 
 
 " I'm sorry," replied Jack. " Goody!" 
 
 " Hold on. Say now," said Amos, feeling that he 
 was about to lose a chance. " Who said there was 
 any gulling?" 
 
64 Indian and Scout 
 
 " No one," answered our hero. " At the same time 
 I gathered there might be some sort of wish on your 
 part. I'll help in every way when it's a case of con- 
 juring, for we all know that sleight of hand is required, 
 and general smartness. But in mesmerism, or anything 
 of that sort, I'll not take a hand." 
 
 " Gee! That's straight. Say now," cried Amos, " I'll 
 take you on those terms. You're a queer fish, you are, 
 sticking out about such a trifle. But we won't quarrel. 
 You will learn what's expected, and I've sufficient good 
 tricks to play without overstepping your decision. Let's 
 git along. Had any food?" 
 
 For five weeks in succession our hero travelled west 
 with Amos, and the two became excellent friends. He 
 found the work to his liking, and the post an excellent 
 passport. No one, unless well acquainted with Jack, 
 could have detected in Amos's helper the escaped 
 prisoner from Hopeville. The hair die disguised him well, 
 while the beard and moustache he donned, as soon as 
 the stage was erected before the travelling wagon, made 
 him even more secure. But it is always the unforeseen 
 that happens. One evening, when he had stepped on 
 to the stage, dressed in top hat, frockcoat, beard, and 
 moustache, to help his employer in some conjuring 
 trick, his eyes, roaming over the faces of the collected 
 audience, met one which was familiar. It was Simpkins, 
 the constable from Hopeville, sharp and alert, closely 
 inspecting his neighbours in the audience, and every 
 person within his vision. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 On the Railway 
 
 As the constable's eyes travelled round the audience 
 watching Amos Shirley's conjuring performance, and 
 finally alighted on the stage, Jack felt as if he would 
 have given anything if the rough boards beneath his feet 
 would open. He sat in a chair, holding in his hand a 
 handkerchief, in which his employer had, a moment 
 or so before, wrapped a silver dollar, before the eyes 
 of the gazer. 
 
 "You are sure it is there, ain't yer, friends?" said the 
 little man, stepping to the front of the stage, and wag- 
 ging his head in a peculiar way he had. " Did I hear 
 someone say it was not there? Yes, I guess so. 
 Then will you please to open the handkerchief, sir, 
 and show the audience whether it contains something 
 or nothing." 
 
 He tripped up to Jack, tapped the handkerchief with 
 his wand, and displayed to the eyes of all the dollar 
 he had placed there. 
 
 "And now to proceed with the feat," he cried, in his 
 most pompous manner. " We wrap the coin so, and 
 thar ain't no mistake about it. That dollar's thar solid. 
 Yer can hear the tap of the wand. It's thar, and in 
 
 (0179) 65 5 
 
66 Indian and Scout 
 
 a moment I'll transfer it to the audience. Now, one, 
 two, three. There she goes." 
 
 He waved the wand again, and then caught the 
 handkerchief from Jack's fingers. 
 
 " Say, did yer feel it fly?" he asked. 
 
 Simpkins's eyes were now on our hero, and for the 
 moment the latter felt as if the constable were a snake 
 whose gaze fascinated him. Jack was almost trembling. 
 In his mind's eye he saw the cell from which he had 
 so recently escaped, that sombre court in which the 
 trial had proceeded, and in the near distance the prison 
 to which he would be sent to spend ten solitary, hope- 
 less years of his life. He could only shake his head 
 to the question. 
 
 "Yer didn't feel it fly. But it's gone. Ye're sure 
 of that?" 
 
 Jack nodded his head vigorously, while for one brief 
 second he looked squarely into Simpkins's eyes. Did he 
 see suspicion there? Or was that only a morbid fancy? 
 The doubt was terrifying, and to speak the truth Jack 
 Kingsley was at that moment as near to acting foolishly 
 as ever in his life. The impulse was with him to leap to 
 his feet, to jump from the platform, and race away for 
 his life. For there was suspicion in Simpkins's eyes. 
 Every man he regarded while on this special journey 
 upon which the officials had sent him was a suspect, 
 the prisoner who had escaped from Hopeville. Even 
 the same man with the black beard and moustaches 
 who had clambered on to the stage at the call of the 
 conjuror might be the man he was searching for. And 
 in consequence the constable regarded him with a fixed 
 stare, and struck by something, the height perhaps, or 
 
On the Railway 67 
 
 some unconscious pose of Jack's, moved a trifle closer. 
 A moment later a movement on the part of Amos 
 arrested further advance. 
 
 " Ah, there is no mistake, my friends ! That coin is 
 gone, flown, as I said it would. And already I can see 
 it. Pardon me, sir, but you have it." 
 
 The wand pointed direct at Simpkins, much to the 
 latter's annoyance. He attempted to move away, but 
 the crowd wedged him in, and, moreover, all eyes were 
 on him. A chorus of laughter greeted his attempt. 
 
 " He never made a dollar easier in all his life," cried 
 one of the audience. "Stop him! That ain't his 
 money." 
 
 The sally drew another roar from the crowd, and 
 set Simpkins scowling. Amos, with all his showman's 
 instincts, made the most of the occasion. 
 
 " Say, sir," he called out, " if I may trouble yer. That 
 money ain't yours altogether, though yer happen to 
 have it on you. Would you jest mind stepping along 
 this way and handin' it over? I wouldn't trouble yer, 
 but then, if I was to come down myself, the gentlemen 
 here might think there was some faking, and that I'd 
 jest dropped the coin right where it is. Jest a moment, 
 sir, and thank ye." 
 
 Simpkins could not draw back, and, finding that his 
 scowls only made merriment for the crowd, he came 
 forward unwillingly, shaking his head all the while. 
 
 " Ye're mistook," he called out. " There's not a stray 
 dollar about me. Yer can hunt if yer like." 
 
 He mounted to the platform, and stood there awk- 
 wardly, within three feet of Jack, and directly facing 
 him. Would he stretch out his hand and take the 
 
68 Indian and Scout 
 
 prisoner? Did he actually recognize the young man 
 sitting there apparently so cool, and yet in reality 
 quaking? 
 
 " Excuse me," said Amos. " Yer said you hadn't 
 got that 'ere dollar, and I call the audience to witness 
 as yer added that yer hadn't a stray dollar anywheres. 
 But if that ain't a silver dollar, why " 
 
 "Good fer you! He's got it," came the same voice 
 from the crowd " Didn't I say he was fer walkin' off. 
 Hold on to it, siree. We're all able to swear as it's 
 yours." 
 
 The reader can imagine the confusion of the constable, 
 as Amos, standing on tiptoe, reached for his hat, and, 
 having removed it from Simpkins's head, showed a dollar 
 resting in it. And still more so, when, as if not yet 
 satisfied, the conjuror discovered a second in the lining 
 of the hat, a third in his handkerchief, and others else- 
 where, not to mention a variety of objects from his 
 pockets, such as silk neckcloths, a toy gun, and last 
 of all a live rabbit. Then indeed was the constable 
 overcome. He dashed from the stage and away from 
 the audience, followed by their shouts of merriment. 
 But he left his mark behind. Never before had Amos 
 found his assistant so unsympathetic. His carelessness 
 was remarkable, and more than one trick was almost 
 spoiled. For our unfortunate young hero was more than 
 perturbed. The chilling influence of the law was on 
 him, and, do what he could, he failed to drive from his 
 mind that ever-present dread that his disguise was 
 discovered. 
 
 " I shall have to bolt again," he thought, as he sat 
 in the chair facing the audience. "There is nothing 
 
On the Railway 69 
 
 else for it. Simpkins will be asking questions all 
 round, and the instant he hears from Amos that I 
 met him back east on the road, he'll know that I'm 
 his man. I must go the instant this business is over." 
 
 It seemed an eternity before the performance was 
 ended, and he was able to retire to the wagon. Then, 
 at once, he accosted his employer. 
 
 " I want to say something," he said quietly, " and I 
 hope you won't think badly of me. But I must leave 
 you at once. Never mind the reason. I must go right 
 now without another minute's delay. I know it will put 
 you out a little, for you will want someone else. But 
 I am willing to hand back half the wages you have paid 
 me." 
 
 Amos regarded his young helper with an expression 
 of surprise and concern. He had come to like his right- 
 hand man very much, and indeed treated him now more 
 as if he were his son. 
 
 "Gee!" he cried. "What's this? Leave right now, 
 but " 
 
 " I am sorry. It must be, though," said Jack. " Here's 
 the money. Half of what I have earned. Shake hands 
 and let me go." 
 
 There was a moment's pause while Amos regarded 
 him critically and with a kindly eye. 
 
 "Ye've acted straight and willing by me all through, 
 yer have, Tom," he said at last, "and if yer must go, 
 why yer must. But you'd better by half trust a man 
 who's to be trusted. I ain't a fool. I've seen all through 
 that yer had something hard on yer mind, and I've often 
 felt sorry for yer. It does a chap good sometimes to 
 find a real friend who won't give him away, and who'll 
 
70 Indian and Scout 
 
 be right alongside to lend him some advice. What's it 
 all about, lad? Yer can trust me as you could yer own 
 mother. What's the trouble? If it's bad I may be able 
 to advise, fer after all these years I'm a knowing old 
 bird. In any case I'm sound. Your secret stays with 
 me safe as if it was locked up in a bank." 
 
 He held out a friendly hand, and Jack gripped it, 
 gulping hard all the while at the lump which filled his 
 throat. He, too, had become much attached to Amos. 
 Indeed, they had been more like father and son. And 
 in his employer he had long since discovered a man who 
 lived on no bed of roses, but who had to work hard for 
 a living. But with it all he was a good fellow, by no 
 means grasping, ready always to lend a helping hand. 
 More than that, too, he was trustworthy, and sufficiently 
 a man of the world to be able to look at two sides of a 
 question. 
 
 " I'm an escaped prisoner," he said suddenly, blurting 
 out the words. " I was taken at Hopeville, and broke 
 out of my cell. The charge was one of burglary in 
 which a murder was concerned." 
 
 "Wall?" asked Amos coolly, still gripping his hand. 
 
 " I can't tell the whole tale here. I haven't time." 
 
 " And no need, neither," came the answer. " I've seen 
 it in the papers, and all about the escape. What else?" 
 
 " I swear I am innocent. As you know the whole 
 story, you will remember how I was taken. I swear 
 that I had followed those men to warn the people of 
 the house. James was the only one to believe me 
 James Orring of the smithy at Hopeville. I hadn't 
 another friend, save his wife and my mother. So I 
 made up my mind to bolt, for outside a prison I have 
 
On the Railway 71 
 
 a chance of finding those men and of clearing myself." 
 
 " Guess you have," came the reply. " Guess, too, that 
 yer did right, and Jim Orring aer a good man to help 
 yer." 
 
 There was a smile on his face now, and it increased as 
 Jack regarded him with a startled expression. 
 
 " Yer see," he explained, " Jim and me aer friends, and 
 have been since we were nippers together at Hopeville. 
 That 'ere place is where I war born, and reckon I know 
 every man, woman, and child thar. But I've been away 
 a heap, and have seen so many people that I begin to 
 forget. For instance, I didn't quite fix that 'ere Simp- 
 kins when first I set eyes on him. Jim Orring aer an 
 old friend, and now that you tell me he's yours too, 
 and that he was one of few to believe in you, I ain't 
 surprised he helped yer to break out. Yer needn't get 
 startled," he continued, for Jack showed his concern at 
 the last statement, for he was anxious that no harm 
 should come to the smith. " I've jest guessed the last 
 part, and reckon I'm dead right. It's the sort of hand- 
 some thing Jim would get to doin'. But you haven't any 
 need to admit that he helped yer. Don't say a word. 
 Wall, now, I suppose it is Simpkins that's disturbed 
 you?" 
 
 Jack nodded. He was so taken up with thoughts of 
 his escape that he could scarcely speak, and, in spite of 
 Amos's kindness, was anxious to flee. 
 
 " I recognized him after a bit," went on Amos, " but I 
 didn't connect him with you. I thought perhaps that 
 he meant trouble with me, for six months ago, back 
 there close to Hopeville, there was a ruction round my 
 stand one night. A rough in the audience wouldn't 
 
72 Indian and Scout 
 
 give me a fair show to get on with my performance. 
 Wall, it came to blows, and jest when I saw Simpkins 
 I thought he was here on that concern. Seems he ain't ; 
 but I took the pluck out of him anyway. Now, let's 
 think. He's a nasty fellow is Simpkins, suspicious, and 
 all that; and, as sure as eggs are eggs, he'll be round 
 here asking me where I've been, who's my man, and 
 where I got him ; for of course he knows I always have 
 a man to help in the show. Yes, Tom, guess ye've got 
 to git slippy. I won't stop yen Yer hop right off, and 
 jest put that money back in yer pocket. I'll get another 
 man easy, and no bother. Jest remember this, ef you're 
 in any trouble, Amos is the one to call on. He's along- 
 side of Jim. He believes that you're as innocent of that 
 'ere crime as any baby." 
 
 He gave Jack's hand a firm and kindly squeeze, and 
 put courage into him. Indeed, those few seconds did 
 a great deal for our hero. The fact that another man 
 believed in him put heart into the lad, braced him for 
 the work before him, and lifted a load from his mind. 
 He seemed at once to be able to look more clearly and 
 resolutely into the future. 
 
 " Thank you, sir," he answered gratefully. " Then I'll 
 go, and go all the happier for what you've said." 
 
 "And how'll yer move?" asked Amos curiously. 
 
 " I don't know one bit. I want to get out of the town, 
 and then I can think." 
 
 " Wall, I ain't going to ask more, but a nod's as good 
 as a wink they say. Supposin' you was to make fer the 
 station. We ain't at the end of the rail yet. It runs 
 on another hundred miles easy. Wall, supposin', I say^ 
 yer was to make for the station, and found a train likely 
 
On the Railway 73 
 
 to leave for the west. It ain't difficult to climb aboard 
 when she's under weigh. That means yer havn't booked, 
 and no one here'll be the wiser, specially Simpkins. 
 Twenty miles out you get down and buy a ticket. To- 
 morrer you'll be as safe as a house. Goodbye, lad, 
 I've been pleased to meet yer." 
 
 There were tears in Jack's eyes as he bade farewell to 
 his employer and sped from the wagon. Somehow or 
 other the fear of arrest, the consciousness, ever present 
 with him, that he was under the ban of the law, that he 
 was a criminal at large, had undermined his natural 
 resolution and courage. The feeling was so strange to 
 him, and in course of time had so mastered the lad, that 
 he began almost to feel as if he were actually guilty. 
 But a few moments' conversation with Amos had done 
 wonders. Jack's head was set well back on his shoulders 
 again. As he left the wagon he walked like a man 
 conscious of his own uprightness, ready and willing to 
 face the world frankly and courageously. 
 
 "I'll take his hint," he thought, as he threaded his 
 way through the streets. "But let me take one last 
 look to see that I am not followed." 
 
 He cast his eyes down the road, and saw at the end 
 the wagon which sheltered Amos. A man was walking 
 towards it from the far distance, and our hero watched 
 as he stopped at the wagon and finally entered. It was 
 Simpkins, the constable. 
 
 " And likely to hear a tale which will put him off the 
 scent," said Jack, now by no means dismayed. " Here's 
 the station. I'll get into a corner and wait till it's dark." 
 
 There were a number of men lounging about the place, 
 for the station was a sort of no-man's land where the 
 
74 Indian and Scout 
 
 idlers and curious gathered. There was no platform to 
 be seen. Only a wooden flooring under a barnlike roof, 
 while the train lying in the station was composed of 
 rough carriages, which bore no resemblance to the mag- 
 nificent vehicles now plying to and fro on American 
 railways. At the tail of the train was an open truck 
 with deep sides. Jack looked at it longingly. 
 
 " When does she start?" he asked one of the idlers. 
 
 " Sevin, sharp," was the curt answer. " Goin' west." 
 
 " Then she'll suit me, thought Jack. I'll go along the 
 line and look out for a spot from which I can board 
 her." 
 
 It was already getting dusk, and by the time he had 
 walked half a mile it was almost dark. He had tra- 
 versed a level stretch of rail till now, but was delighted 
 to find that he had reached a steep up gradient. 
 
 " It is a heavy train," he thought, " and will be sure to 
 slow down here. I must manage to get aboard." 
 
 He sat down and waited patiently, wondering the 
 while what Amos was doing, and what had happened 
 during his interview with Simpkins. If only he had 
 known it, that interview had been more than humorous. 
 For the astute little showman had been suddenly 
 afflicted with forgetfulness. He could hardly even 
 remember Simpkins, much less the fact that he was a 
 constable. As to his man, well, he might be wandering 
 in the town. In any case Simpkins might see him 
 when he cared to call. Yes, he was a good young chap, 
 had been with the van quite a time, but how long he 
 wasn't altogether certain. In fact, Amos threw abun- 
 dance of dust in the eyes of the constable. But he did 
 not smother his natural suspicions. 
 
On the Railway 75 
 
 " I believe the old hound knows a heap more than he 
 will say," growled Simpkins as he walked away. " And 
 I can't help thinking that thar was something about 
 that man on the stage which struck me as being 
 sort of familiar. Ef it was young Jack Kingsley, 
 whew!" 
 
 He whistled loudly, for he realized that re-arrest of 
 the prisoner would mean commendation for the con- 
 stable, and promotion to a certainty. The very thought 
 stimulated him in his efforts. He went straight off to 
 the station, and was just in time to inspect the train 
 about to leave, from the engine right back to the truck 
 trailing at the end. 
 
 " Not here," he said as he walked away, having seen 
 the train run out of the station. " He'll be in the town, 
 I expect. Now that I come to think about it, that 
 fellow on the stage was jest about the right size for the 
 prisoner, and, in spite of the beard he wore, about the 
 same age. Gee!" 
 
 There was something else which struck him, some- 
 thing again to do with the pose of the man he had 
 in his mind's eye. And now he remembered that he 
 had often and often watched Jack as he sat in the 
 court under trial. His pose there was precisely that 
 of the man he had so lately seen on the conjurer's 
 stage. In a flash it occurred to him that this must be 
 the prisoner he sought, and he went off at a run to 
 speak again with Amos. Meanwhile the train had run 
 from the town at a smart pace, which, however, dropped 
 as it ascended the rise. 
 
 " It will be a job to clamber aboard, all the same," 
 thought Jack, as he saw it coming. " I suppose it is 
 
76 Indian and Scout 
 
 doing seventeen miles an hour. But I have got to 
 get aboard somehow, if I have to dive for it." 
 
 He stood back from the rails, so that the engine lamps 
 should not show him to the drivers. But the instant 
 it thundered past he stepped briskly forward. Yes, the 
 long line of heavy vehicles was pounding along at a 
 smart pace, and, more than that, their height above the 
 rails was greater than he had reckoned for. He watched 
 the carriages like a cat, seeking for a handy rail. But 
 one after another they swung past till the last was near 
 at hand. It was a species of conductor's van, and the 
 step descended close to the ground. There was a strong 
 rail beside it, and to this Jack clutched as it came level 
 with him. In spite of the fact that he had begun 
 to run with the train, he was jerked off his feet; for 
 the vehicles were gathering pace every second. But 
 Jack was not to be easily beaten. He clung desperately 
 with one hand to the rail, while he gripped the step with 
 his other. Then he managed to swing his body till it 
 leaned on the step, and, later, to lift himself clean on 
 to it. 
 
 " So far so good," he thought. Now I make back for 
 the truck behind. I'll wait till I have gained my breath, 
 for there is no hurry, and no bridges likely to strike 
 me. The train does not stop for twenty miles, and, 
 as it has to ascend a long gradient, it takes a time 
 to do the work and cover the distance. Gee! That 
 dragging knocked my boots about." 
 
 Five minutes later he felt able to undertake the re- 
 mainder of the task before him, by no means an easy 
 one, namely to clamber along the outside of the coach, 
 and cross to the truck trailing behind the train. It was 
 
On the Railway 77 
 
 getting chilly on the step, and he felt that if he did not 
 move soon he would perhaps become too cramped. 
 Clambering to his feet, he gripped the rail overhead, 
 which ran horizontally to the back of the coach, and 
 felt his way along the footboard with his toes. Pre- 
 sently he discovered that, whereas the rail continued 
 to the end, the boards did not. They were cut off 
 abruptly. 
 
 " Which makes it a trifle more difficult," he thought. 
 " I shall have to swing my way along." 
 
 But to cling to a rail and swing one's way along it 
 when a train is tearing away at thirty-five miles an hour, 
 and swaying horribly, is no easy matter; for the wind 
 tears and grips at one dangerously. Jack found it re- 
 quired all his strength to maintain a grip, and presently 
 drew his legs up and felt desperately for some foothold. 
 
 " I'm still a couple of yards from the end," he thought 
 grimly, casting his eyes over his shoulder, " and I'm dead 
 sure I can't hold on like this all the way. I must try 
 ah, here's something!" 
 
 His toes lit upon a beading of the carriage work, and 
 the support he thus obtained helped him wonderfully. 
 Then, in the gloom above, he discerned a second rail, 
 and reaching up with one hand managed to grasp it and 
 haul himself a little higher, with his toes still on the 
 bead. And now his head was on a level with the 
 windows of the coach. 
 
 "Three men," he said to himself, withdrawing his 
 head, for a hasty glance told him that the coach was 
 occupied. " No, four. Whew!" 
 
 A second glance told him that 'there was a fourth 
 person; and once he had seen him our hero dropped 
 
78 Indian and Scout 
 
 down again, and gave vent to a low whistle. Surprises 
 seemed to be ever in store for him. The fourth in- 
 dividual he had seen was huddled in a corner of the 
 coach, and the glimpse Jack had caught of him showed 
 that he was bound hand and foot. 
 
 "Gee! Now what on earth is the meaning of that?" 
 he asked himself. " Three men sitting at the far end, 
 with a lantern at their feet, and the fourth a prisoner!" 
 
 It was not the most comfortable place in the world in 
 which to puzzle about such a knotty question, and, think 
 as he might, our hero could come no nearer a solution. 
 Obviously he must reach some point of safety and then 
 cogitate. 
 
 " I'll get along this beading somehow," he thought, 
 " and then take a look round. There's queer doings in 
 that coach." 
 
 Inch by inch he wormed his way along the coach, his 
 feet on the beading and his hands on the rail; and in 
 course of time he gained the end. Swinging round it, 
 as the vehicle gave a tremendous lurch, almost tearing 
 his grip away, he found himself close to the buffers. 
 A moment later he was seated on an iron step secured 
 to the coach. 
 
 " So far so good," he said to himself. " Now, up I go. 
 There's a lantern on top, and through it I'll be able 
 to see what's happening." 
 
 It required very little energy to reach the roof of the 
 coach, so that in a couple of minutes he was spread 
 out on it, the air sweeping past him in a perfect hurri- 
 cane. But he had a firm hold of the lantern, while 
 his face was pressed closely to it. And once more the 
 shrill, low whistle escaped him. For one of the three 
 
On the Railway 79 
 
 men below had moved. He had dragged the individual 
 who was bound, into a sitting position, and had placed 
 the lamp so that it threw its light full upon him. As 
 our hero stared down into the interior of the coach, the 
 man pulled a revolver from his belt and levelled it at the 
 head of the prisoner, while his two comrades approached 
 nearer, and, taking up their stands close at hand, began 
 to question the unfortunate man they had bound. 
 
 Jack ran his fingers over the lantern, and pulled gently 
 at the framing nearest him. It moved noiselessly, though 
 a little sound made no difference, for the roar of the 
 train drowned anything. Little by little he contrived to 
 open the lantern, till the window provided in it was 
 standing at right angles from the main framework. 
 Then he dragged himself forward, and slowly inserted 
 his head. In two minutes he was in such a position 
 that he could see the interior of the coach clearly, while 
 he was directly above the four men. More than that, 
 once his head was through the window the roar of the 
 wind ceased entirely, while the rumble of the train was 
 no greater than those below had to contend with. They 
 were shouting at the prisoner, and Jack opened his ears 
 wide to listen. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 A Hold-up 
 
 As Jack looked down into the coach with his head thrust 
 through the window of the lantern, the view he was able 
 to obtain of the contents was infinitely clearer than that 
 he had had when a dirty pane of glass intervened be- 
 tween him and the interior. Almost directly beneath 
 him was the man holding his revolver levelled, while 
 a little to the left, his back propped against the side 
 of the coach, was the prisoner. He was heavily- 
 moustached, and his clothes bore witness to the fact 
 that he was a railway employee. Farther off were the 
 other two, young men to look at, and from their general 
 appearance hardly the class of individuals to lend them- 
 selves to violence. But good looks are not always a 
 criterion of good manners. It was very clear that both 
 were unscrupulous ruffians. 
 
 " Now yer can jest listen here, conductor," one of them 
 was saying in loud tones, so that the roar of the train 
 should not drown his words, and with a menace in his 
 voice which there was no mistaking; "ye've got ter 
 weaken right now, and without any more bobbery, 
 or " 
 
 He wagged his head at the revolver, while the rascal 
 who held the weapon squinted along the sights. 
 
A Hold-up 81 
 
 " Or what?" demanded the prisoner, his voice calm, his 
 courage unshaken. 
 
 "Or get what yer deserve. Yer've heard tell of 
 us before, I guess; but if yer ain't, why, we're Bill 
 Buster's band, and that'll tell yer what to look out 
 for. Now all we want is an answer to a little question. 
 Whar's the strong box? Even if yer don't tell us, 
 and we have to put lead into your carcass, it won't 
 make much difference, 'cos, we'll have the whole train 
 easy, and then it ain't hard to find the box. By tellin' 
 us, yer jest make the thing easier and quicker. Now, 
 whar is it? Number three coach? Eh?" 
 
 " Go and find fer yerselves," came the bold answer. 
 " I ain't goin' to say. Look for yerselves. 
 
 Sturdily the prisoner faced his captors, and it seemed 
 that he would remain stubborn. But a revolver held at 
 the head of a defenceless man has a way of persuading; 
 for the threat these rascals had made was no idle one. 
 It was clear they would shoot tjie conductor without 
 the smallest compunction. 
 
 " Wall, a man has only one life, and so you'd better 
 have the answer," said the conductor at last, after a 
 painful pause. " Number four's the wagon." 
 
 " Good ! Thought you wasn't a fool," said the spokes- 
 man for the bandits. " Now for the amount. It war 
 clearin' day back thar, and the bank has sent all the 
 stuff it could spare. How much?" 
 
 " Guess it's not far short of twenty-five thousand 
 dollars," said the conductor grudgingly. " But thar 
 ain't nothin' definite on the way-bills. One jest gets 
 ter kind of hear." 
 
 "Twenty-five thousand," cried the leader of the men 
 
 (0179) 6 
 
82 Indian and Scout 
 
 below, a note of triumph in his voice. "And thar's 
 fifty-six passengers in all. Take 'em at ten dollars 
 a head, which is a small allowance; that means quite 
 five hundred dollars more. But they'll have a heap, 
 some of 'em. They're goin' down to buy farms, and 
 stock, and sich like. Now look ye here, conductor. 
 Ye're a sensible man, as yer've proved, and we ain't 
 got no grudge agin yer, so long as yer don't get up 
 ter no tricks, Ef yer do, my mate here'll have a talk 
 with yer slippy." 
 
 "Yer ain't got any cause ter bother," came the 
 answer. " Do I look as if I could do anything?" 
 
 The conductor cast his eyes down at the cords which 
 bound him hand and foot, and then laughed harshly. 
 
 " Reckon it'll mean a lost job to me," he said. " But 
 give me a smoke. One of yer may happen ter have 
 a weed." 
 
 One of the conspirators produced a cigar promptly, 
 bit off the end, and, having placed it in the conductor's 
 mouth, held a light to the weed. 
 
 " What I call a sensible man," said the leader of the 
 ruffians. " Now we can git ter thinking serious of this 
 affair. Number four's the wagon. Jim, ye'll make along 
 fer that, and stand up at the far end. Tom here'll drop 
 to the rails and run to the engine. I'll be with Jim 
 before the train's stopped. She'll begin to go steadier 
 soon, fer we're about at the foot of the long draw-up, 
 and the incline soon tells upon her. When she's going 
 slower you two can slip on to the footboards and make 
 along to the first coach. I'll jest bring her up with the 
 screw brake. That's clear? Then best have a look to 
 see how the boards lie." 
 
A Hold-up 83 
 
 From the manner in which the rascals set about their 
 work of raiding the train it was clear that they were 
 old hands. The two told off to go forward did not 
 trouble to wait till the pace had diminished. They 
 threw open the door of the coach and swung themselves 
 out on to the footboards. Then they moved along them 
 with an ease which put Jack's efforts to shame, and, 
 having reached the second coach, sat down on the 
 boards. By then the train was well on the incline, and 
 the pace was getting less. Half a mile farther on she 
 was making only twenty miles an hour. 
 
 "Jest the moment fer me," said the man who had 
 remained in the coach. " I'll give her the brake. Now 
 mind it that yer don't interfere, conductor. Ef yer do, 
 it'll mean a case of shootin'." 
 
 As cool as an icicle the man stepped across to the 
 big wheel which controlled the tail brake of the train, 
 and swung it round till it was hard on. Instantly the 
 screech of the slippers on the wheels could be heard, 
 while a line of fire sprang from the surface of the 
 rails. 
 
 " That'll do it in five minutes or less," said the man, 
 thrusting his head out of the open door. " No engine 
 will be able ter pull agin it. So long! and don't git 
 interferin'." 
 
 He, too, swung himself out of the coach, leaving the 
 prisoner alone, with Jack still staring in through the 
 lantern. And let the reader imagine for a moment the 
 struggle going on in our hero's mind. Once before, but 
 a short while ago, he had endeavoured to thwart a crime, 
 to come between robbers and their prey; and he him- 
 self had been accused of the crime he was attempting to 
 
84 Indian and Scout 
 
 put a stop to. The bitterness of that bitter experience 
 was still with him. It had clouded his young life, till he 
 could think of little else. And here he was face to face 
 with a similar experience, a crime about to be committed, 
 and he alone to stand between the passengers on the train 
 and the ruffians about to rob them. It was, indeed, a 
 struggle. Jack was not naturally indecisive. He could 
 make up his mind when he liked, and quickly too. But 
 it must be owned that he hesitated. Fear of another ter- 
 rible misunderstanding haunted him. Then he thought 
 of the passengers, of the man below, and of his responsi- 
 bility. In a moment he was clambering in through the 
 window in the lantern, and a second later dropped down 
 into the coach. 
 
 "My! What, another!" 
 
 The conductor had taken him for one of the gang, 
 and looked at him with scowling face. 
 
 "No," cried Jack emphatically. "I heard all they 
 said, and I've come to help you. There!" 
 
 He drew his knife and cut the cords, setting the man 
 free. 
 
 " Now," he said, " I've taken the first step. I'm willing 
 to do what you may suggest." 
 
 But but how on airth did yer get thar, up in the 
 lantern?" asked the conductor. " Aer you a passenger?" 
 
 " Yes and no," answered our hero boldly. " I climbed 
 aboard when the train was going, and got on the back 
 of this coach. But I'd seen you tied up when I looked 
 in through the window. I thought I'd help." 
 
 "And so ye've risked bein' shot by those villains. 
 Lad, ye've grit in you. Shake a paw. Now, what's 
 ter be done? The train's almost stopping. Ah, swing 
 
A Hold-up 85 
 
 that wheel back! My hands and arms are too numbed 
 to do it. That'll let the pace git up agin, and possibly 
 leave one of the men behind. Next thing is to make 
 along to the other coaches. Pull that er drawer open. 
 Thar's a couple of shooters thar, and they're ready 
 loaded." 
 
 Jack followed the man's orders swiftly, and felt the 
 train gathering way already. Then he brought the 
 revolvers. 
 
 "Get a grip of one yerself," said the conductor. 
 " Now jest rub these arms of mine. That's the way. 
 There's a bit more feelin' in 'em already. In a little 
 I'll have a grip, and then we'll give them rascals sauce. 
 Aer yer afraid?" 
 
 " No, I don't reckon I am," answered Jack. " I'll help 
 you." 
 
 " Then come along. Stick the shooter in your pocket 
 and grip the rail. But I forgot, yer've had experience 
 jest lately. One warnin' though before we move. Ef 
 yer get a sight of those fellers, shoot! Don't wait. 
 Shoot!" 
 
 Our hero nodded, and made up his mind to do as he 
 was told. He waited for the conductor to get on to the 
 footboard, and followed promptly. Very soon they had 
 gained the next coach. 
 
 " Next's Number four," shouted the conductor. " Let's 
 get on the roof. We can make along there easier, and 
 reach 'em better. Did yer hear that? They're at it." 
 
 The sharp sound of a pistol shot came to the ears 
 of the two, and after it a shrill cry. They scrambled 
 to the top of the coach as quickly as possible, and then 
 went on hands and knees, and made their way along 
 
86 Indian and Scout 
 
 it At the far end they descended by means of the 
 iron steps and rails, and again took to the footboards. 
 
 " Now get ready fer shootin'," shouted the conductor. 
 "Thar'll be a man posted at this end, and I'm going 
 to fire through the window at him. Jest be prepared 
 to hop right in and take a shot at the others." 
 
 Jack hung to the step, closely hugging the coach, and 
 watched the figure of the conductor as he scrambled 
 farther along. He saw him stand to his full height and 
 peer in through a window. His revolver was raised 
 swiftly, and then there came a sharp crack from the 
 inside of the coach. The conductor dropped from the 
 footboards without a sound, and Jack caught a fleeting 
 glimpse of his body bounding over the side track. He 
 was alone now, and the safety or otherwise of the pas- 
 sengers depended upon him. 
 
 " I'll do it," he said to himself, his blood afire, and all 
 hesitation gone. " If I break in through the door I shall 
 be dropped for a certainty. And if I attempt to shoot 
 through the window I shall meet with the conductor's 
 fate. I'll try the roof again." 
 
 He went scrambling up, and within a minute had 
 reached one of the round lanterns through which the 
 lamps were dropped. Lifting the lid, he found he had 
 a fair view of the interior, for there was no lamp in 
 this lantern, and in those days the apertures were very 
 large when compared with modern fittings. Directly 
 below him he detected a carpeted floor and one end 
 of a seat, while a pair of legs stretched over the carpet. 
 They evidently belonged to some unfortunate individual 
 who had been shot. 
 
 " Likely enough the one whose call we heard," thought 
 
A Hold-up 87 
 
 Jack. " Now, let me think. From his position he fell 
 on to his back. He didn't tumble face downwards and 
 then roll over. That means that the man who shot him 
 is somewhere underneath me. " I'll lean over and get a 
 better view." 
 
 He was in the act of thrusting his head into the wide 
 lantern, when sounds at the side of the track caught his 
 attention. Even in spite of the roar of the train he 
 heard shouts, while an instant later the darkness was 
 punctuated by red flashes. At the same time he be- 
 came aware of the disagreeable fact that the spluttering, 
 hissing sounds round about him were caused by bullets. 
 Then he grasped the significance of the situation. 
 
 " Gee!" he cried. " Then they are the friends of those 
 three rascals who boarded the cars. Now I see through 
 the whole business. They were to tie up the conductor, 
 and then put the brakes on. That would bring the 
 train to a halt on the incline, and those men out there 
 would ride up and support the robbery. Ah! They're 
 done nicely! We've run through them. We shall see 
 what's going to happen." 
 
 If Jack was elated one cannot blame him. But if he 
 thought he was going to master the difficult situation 
 without further trouble he was much mistaken. He 
 thrust his head into the lantern and took a careful 
 survey of the interior of the coach. Now he could 
 see the complete figure of the man lying on his back, 
 and saw that he was dead. There were four other 
 persons near him, crouching on the seat, and two were 
 ladies. Just a little farther back, almost beneath where 
 his own feet lay, a man stood with arms folded. He 
 was tall, sunburned for that Jack could see, since he 
 
88 Indian and Scout 
 
 was bareheaded and had a pair of fine flowing mous- 
 taches. His arms were crossed on his breast, and his 
 whole attitude was one of resolution. A further effort 
 on our hero's part showed him the muzzle of a revolver, 
 held within six inches of the tall man's head, and finally 
 of the figure of one of the robbers. 
 
 " Should he fire now? Was he to shoot the man 
 down in cold blood as it were, though to speak the 
 truth Jack's pulses were tingling. Was that fair play?" 
 
 Who will blame the young American that he hesi- 
 tated to take life? He waited a second, and that wait 
 nearly proved his undoing. The robber caught a glimpse 
 of him, and at once sent a stream of bullets through the 
 roof. They tore through the boards on every side, send- 
 ing the splinters flying, and drumming against the iron- 
 work of the lantern, and by the merest chance they 
 missed Jack. 
 
 " But he'll have me if I ain't extra smart," thought our 
 hero, determined more than ever now to get the best of 
 the man. "Ah, here's something to give me a hold! 
 I'll try through the window." 
 
 He gripped a short smokestack which projected 
 through the roof, and holding firmly with one hand 
 leaned over the side of the car. A window was directly 
 beneath, and well within his reach. Jack broke it with 
 the butt of his revolver without the smallest hesitation. 
 Then, quick as lightning, he returned to the lantern on 
 top. One glance told him that the man inside was 
 standing prepared to fire, either through the window 
 or through the lantern. 
 
 " I'll make him think of the lantern," thought Jack. 
 " It's my only chance now." 
 
"HE SAW THE RASCAL CRUMBLE INTCA A," ^*rX ,' 
 
A Hold-up 89 
 
 Stretched full length on the roof, with his head de- 
 pending downwards, he once more gripped the smoke- 
 stack, and leaned over the edge of the car. Then he 
 deliberately kicked the lantern with his feet, and con- 
 tinued to drum his toes against it. Now was the time. 
 He stretched over till he could obtain a clear view of 
 the interior of the coach through the window, and at 
 once caught sight of the robber standing in the same 
 position as before, his eye half-fixed on the lantern, and 
 half on the tall man standing so close to him. Up went 
 Jack's revolver, though aiming was out of the question 
 considering his inverted position. His finger went to 
 the trigger just as the rascal within caught sight of him. 
 And then Jack pressed unconsciously, while at the same 
 instant the cracked glass to his right was shivered into 
 thousands of fragments and a cloud of cutting dust was 
 blown into his face. 
 
 " Gee ! Got him ! But I do believe he's managed 
 to hit me. Seems mighty like it. Ugh! My 
 shoulder!" 
 
 As if in a dream he saw the rascal within the coach 
 crumple into a heap, and watched the tall man dart 
 forward and bend over him. Then a sharp, burning 
 pain shot through his own shoulder, and for one brief 
 instant made him feel faint. But it was no safe place 
 in which to encourage weakness, and with an effort Jack 
 braced himself to the task still before him. He scrambled 
 back on to the roof, slid to the end, and descended the 
 swaying steps. Then he clutched his way along the 
 footboard, and gained the door of the coach. It was 
 opened by the man he had seen standing with his arms 
 so resolutely folded. 
 
90 Indian and Scout 
 
 "Come right in! come right in!" he cried, extending 
 a hand. " Now, where are the others?" 
 
 Jack was winded with his exertions, but managed to 
 answer. " One was to have gone forward to the engine," 
 he said quickly, "and one was to make for this coach, 
 where the third would join him. Where they are now 
 I don't know. The conductor was tied hand and foot, 
 but I released him. But he was hit, and dropped from 
 the train. I think we ran through the men who were 
 waiting to help them." 
 
 "Then we've had a fine escape," came the answer. 
 "But we've got to take those men, and the sooner the 
 better. Get a pull on that cord, and then be ready to 
 shoot. They'll drop from the coaches the first chance 
 they have, and git for their lives." 
 
 Jack tugged at the alarm fitted just outside the window, 
 and presently the brakes began to grind and the train 
 to slow down. As it did so two figures dropped from it 
 and raced away, Jack and his companion firing at them, 
 while a number of passengers in other coaches did the 
 same. Then lamps were brought, and an inspection 
 made. 
 
 "Guess we're lucky, down right lucky!" exclaimed the 
 man whom Jack had spoken to. "Thar's one man 
 killed in this coach. He swung round when this rascal 
 entered, and put his hand to his shooter. That was 
 quite enough to bring a bullet his way. Reckon there 
 wasn't a move left in the rest of us. The fellow had it 
 all his own way. A chap can't grope for his shootin' 
 iron when a revolver's grinnin' at him. What's the 
 news elsewhere?" 
 
 "Much the same as yourn," came from a passenger. 
 
A Hold-up 91 
 
 " We were kind er dozing, and I'd jest begun ter wonder 
 why in thunder the chap behind had put on his brakes 
 so hard, specially when we were on a sharp incline, when 
 the door bursts open, and a young chap climbs in smart. 
 ' Hands up!' he says, just as quiet as may be, and 'hands 
 up!' it had ter be. We was cornered. That young chap 
 was Bill Buster, as he'd got to be called hereabouts, one 
 of the expertest leaders of railway breakers and thieves 
 that's ever been. What's the driver say?" 
 
 " I ain't heard nothing," came from the latter, who 
 stood inside the coach rubbing his dirty hands with a 
 piece of waste. " I wondered why the conductor had 
 put on his brakes, 'cos it ain't too easy a job to pull out 
 over the rise, particular when thar's a heavy train like 
 this. But he took 'em off quick, and so we was able to 
 pull along. Seems thar's been shootin'." 
 
 "Shootin'J Rather! And it ain't the fault of the 
 rascals as came aboard that thar wasn't more," said the 
 tall man. " We owe it to this here young stranger that 
 things ain't worse. How'd it all come about? Didn't 
 see you climb aboard way back there." 
 
 " Because I climbed aboard down the road," answered 
 Jack boldly, the old frankness in his eyes, his face flushed 
 with delight and triumph. For success had at last come 
 his way. Though he hesitated to interfere at first, fright- 
 ened by the cruel disappointment of that other experi- 
 ence, he had in the end undertaken what was clearly his 
 duty, as it would have been the duty of any other person 
 similarly placed. And success had come his way, though 
 in gaining it he had incurred danger. His head was 
 well set back on his shoulders, his eyes flashed, and Jack 
 Kingsley looked his old, bonny self as he answered; 
 
92 Indian and Scout 
 
 " I got aboard after she'd started, and managed to 
 reach the conductor's coach. When I took a peep 
 inside, there he was, tied up like a sack, with three 
 men sitting over him. That's one of the fellows." 
 
 He nodded towards the body lying on the floor, and 
 wondered vaguely whether it was his bullet which had 
 struck him, and, if so, where. Then, leaning against the 
 woodwork of the coach, he continued : 
 
 " So I climbed to the roof," he said, " and managed to 
 hear what was going on. You see, there's a large lan- 
 tern back there, and it has a window in it. I learned all 
 about the attack, and saw the robbers separate while the 
 last put on the brakes hard. Then I slipped in quick." 
 
 " Yes," came eagerly from the assembled passengers. 
 
 " There ain't much more," said Jack lamely. " The 
 conductor led the way along to coach Number four, and 
 I followed. He was shot. Guess he's way back there 
 on the track, and needs our help. I climbed right up 
 on to the roof, and and the gentlemen here knows the 
 rest." 
 
 "Gee! I do. This young chap never'll have a nearer 
 shave. There's many a grown man who would have 
 funked it," exclaimed the tall man, "funked it, I say. 
 But he bamboozled that fellow. How'd yer manage?" 
 
 Jack explained, lamely, that he had gripped the smoke- 
 stack and kicked the lantern with his feet. 
 
 "Smart! real smart!" exclaimed the tall passenger, 
 while a chorus of approval came from the others. " Say, 
 siree, who may yer be, and where aer yer goin'? Yer 
 ain't fer the plains?" 
 
 " I'm a smith," answered Jack limply, for his wound 
 was very painful, and the carriage excessively hot. 
 
A Hold-up 93 
 
 "A smith, and here, what's the matter with the lad? 
 Let him sit down. Did the rascal wing yer?" 
 
 The big man gripped our hero in his arms as if he 
 were a child, and laid him on the seat. Then he bent 
 over him and spoke softly. 
 
 " Whar's the hit?" he asked. " Ah, thar ain't no more 
 need ter ask!" 
 
 Suddenly his eyes had detected the dark stain trailing 
 down Jack's sleeve, while he noticed how limply the 
 arm hung. Then his whole attention was attracted to 
 our hero, for Jack marked the occasion of this success of 
 his by fainting. He fell back heavily on the seat, and 
 lay there as deathly pale as the man from whom he had 
 received the bullet. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 Friends and Hunters 
 
 "MY, now, you've given us quite a fright! Feel a bit 
 queerish? Eh?" 
 
 As if in a dream, Jack heard the words and struggled 
 to answer. But for some reason or other, which his dis- 
 ordered mind could not fathom, and which distressed 
 him greatly, the words would not come to his lips. 
 Moreover, he could not concentrate his wandering 
 thoughts on any one matter. Now he was in court, 
 under trial for robbery, and a moment later he was on 
 the stage with Amos, helping in some conjuring feat 
 which drew roars of applause from the assembled 
 audience. His thoughts even swept back to that 
 eventful ride on the railway; but they never reached 
 finality. The train ran on and on, while he clung to 
 the rail and the footboard, immovable, desperate, unable 
 to creep forward or back. 
 
 " Say, now, yer ain't feelin' quite so bad? A bit shook 
 up and so on? But better, ain't yer?" 
 
 Jack opened his eyes, and saw a bearded face leaning 
 over him. He shut them again promptly, as if the sight 
 had been too much for him, as well it might, for the 
 individual who had stared so closely at our hero was 
 not prepossessing, to say the least of it. He was gently 
 
 M 
 
Friends and Hunters 95 
 
 pushed aside by another individual, and a woman's 
 gentle voice spoke. 
 
 " Leave him to me a little," she said. " He is still 
 very weak, and not fully conscious. Leave him, please. 
 In a little while he will be better." 
 
 Jack felt a warm pressure on his hand, and sank once 
 more into oblivion. But it was a pleasant unconscious- 
 ness on this occasion. No longer was he distressed 
 with views of the court, with counsel for the prosecution 
 standing before the jury and encouraging them to find 
 this young fellow guilty. No longer did he cling des- 
 perately to the rail of the train. He sank into a dream- 
 less, comforting oblivion, which held him securely in 
 its tender grip for another half-hour. And then he 
 suddenly opened his eyes. 
 
 "Well, now," he exclaimed, somewhat feebly, for his 
 tongue seemed to be heavily loaded, "where on earth 
 am I? And what has been happening? Coming, sir, 
 coming." 
 
 Back wandered his mind to Amos, and he fancied he 
 heard the conjurer calling to him. 
 
 " Lie still and you'll feel better. Sip this," said some- 
 one, and at once, obedient to the command, too weak to 
 be over curious as to why it was given or by whom, our 
 hero sipped at the glass placed to his lips. And the 
 spirit there revived him wonderfully. It was as if a spur 
 were needed to stimulate his flagging energies. The 
 cordial given him seemed to have acted as a strong 
 fillip, and in a minute he was sitting up, pushing aside 
 an arm which endeavoured to hold him down. 
 
 " Here, what's this?" he asked indignantly. " I'm not 
 a baby ! I halloo ! Where am I ?" 
 
96 Indian and Scout 
 
 "Still in the train, recovering from the wound you 
 received," said the same gentle voice. " Now lie down 
 again." 
 
 But Jack was stubborn, and had a horror of illness or 
 of any show of weakness. He let his legs slide from the 
 long seat on which he had been lying, and sat bolt up- 
 right. He looked round in a dazed fashion, and then 
 gave a cry of recognition. 
 
 "Ah, the train!" he said. "Guess this is where that 
 robber lay. What happened?" 
 
 " A heap," said someone standing near at hand, and, 
 looking at him, our hero discovered the man who had 
 stood with folded arms whilst the robber's revolver was 
 pointed at him. "Jest a heap, young sir. But there 
 ain't no further call to fear the robber. Guess he's 
 rubbed out clean." 
 
 He pointed to the far end of the coach, where, under 
 a piece of sailcloth, rested something which had the form 
 of a body. Jack shuddered and turned away. 
 
 " And no need to blame yourself neither," came from 
 the man. "It was done in fair fight, and thar warn't 
 no favour. 'Sides, he managed to wing you. How's the 
 arm?" 
 
 " I had forgotten it," answered Jack, looking down and 
 discovering that his arm rested in a sling made from a 
 scarf. " It hurts just a little, but nothing to what it did 
 at first. Is the wound severe?" 
 
 " Enough to cripple yer for a time, I guess, but not so 
 baddish. A young chap like you'll be able to swing the 
 arm within three weeks, and work with it in six. The 
 bullet jest went a bit high. Or low, was it, seeing as you 
 was kinder upside down? It clipped the bone, I reckon, 
 
Friends and Hunters 97 
 
 but thar ain't a break. Ye'll do nicely. Now, if yer 
 feel up to it, jest tell us how it all happened." 
 
 Jack felt wonderfully better already, though a little 
 bashful, for the coach was half-filled with passengers, all 
 of whom were looking at him and listening eagerly. He 
 stared back at them for a time, for the men here were in 
 many cases of a different class to those he was accus- 
 tomed to. They were sunburned, with but a few excep- 
 tions, and these latter were obviously commercial men, 
 travelling for some trade. The others looked more like 
 settlers, or cowboys, or even miners. They wore rough, 
 highly coloured shirts, broad belts, and riding-boots and 
 breeches. Each one carried a revolver, and some a 
 hunting-knife. 
 
 "Kinder surprised at the look of us, eh?" smiled the 
 tall man with the big moustaches. " Wall, we're ordinary 
 enough out this way. Yer don't get folks out in this 
 part dressin' as if they was in New York, not much. 
 We're ranchers, or miners, almost to a man. Now fer 
 that 'ere yarn." 
 
 Very quietly and modestly Jack told how he had 
 boarded the train, and recounted his subsequent actions. 
 
 " Reckon it was the only thing I could do," he wound 
 up lamely. " They'd have shot me as well as anyone else." 
 
 " I dunno," came hotly from one of the passengers. 
 " I dunno so much. Excuse me, young stranger, but 
 I'll ax a question. Yer was right aft thar, close to the 
 truck, warn't you? And yer could have boarded that 
 as easy as possible? Eh?" 
 
 Jack nodded, colouring visibly, for he began to wonder 
 whether he would have to declare to all present that that 
 was actually his intention. 
 
 (0179) 7 
 
98 Indian and Scout 
 
 " Then them skunks wouldn't have found you. They 
 was huntin' for the car what carries the gold. Yer 
 hadn't no call to enter the conductor's crib, none at all, 
 siree, and yet yer did. Yer cut him loose, and then 
 come along the footboard. There war something else 
 you could ha' done. Yer could ha' layed there snug, 
 and not cared a jot. Reckon ye've saved a pile for the 
 owners of that 'ere money." 
 
 There was a loud chorus of approval, and immediately 
 afterwards the tall man with the fine moustaches stepped 
 forward. 
 
 " That isn't all," he said slowly. " Ladies and gentle- 
 men, many of you know me. I'm Tom Horsfall, from 
 down Colorado way, and I've made this trip many a 
 time, and scores of others. I've been through the Indian 
 country, and have seen fighting. Then every mother's 
 son of us has used his gun to save the outfit we've been 
 along with, and to keep our own scalps. Reckon we 
 hadn't a show here. Those varmint were on to us too 
 quick, and a man has to weaken sometimes when he 
 hasn't had time to lift his gun. This young stranger 
 didn't save the gold alone. Guess he saved a goodish 
 few of us." 
 
 Once more there was a chorus of approval. 
 
 "Ye've put it neat and handy, Tom," sang out the 
 one who had spoken earlier. " He's saved lives as well 
 as money." 
 
 "And as a mark of our appreciation the passengers 
 on the train, as well as the staff, have made a collection. 
 I have much pleasure in handing you three hundred 
 dollars." 
 
 The big man smiled a comprehensive smile, which 
 
Friends and Hunters 99 
 
 took in all the company present, and Jack in particular. 
 He stepped up to our hero, and handed him a skin 
 purse which was heavy with dollars. 
 
 " Ye've earned it fair and handsome," he said. " Take 
 it, my lad." 
 
 To say that Jack was delighted and somewhat over- 
 come would be to describe his condition incorrectly. 
 Tears were in his eyes as he took the money, and he 
 attempted vainly to return thanks. But the big man 
 helped him out. 
 
 "Yer ain't no call to say a word," he said kindly. 
 " We all understand, and we don't want thanks. Now, 
 stranger, jest yer lie down again and sleep. We'll talk 
 later on." 
 
 " But the conductor?" asked Jack, suddenly remem- 
 bering the man he had released, and who had fallen 
 from the train. 
 
 " He's jest as comfortable as may be," came the 
 reassuring answer. " The bullet that ruffian fired went 
 slick through his wrist and made him let go. He's a 
 bit shook, and no wonder; but thar ain't anything 
 worse with him than a hole in his wrist, and that'll 
 mend as soon as your wound. Now, git down and 
 rest." 
 
 The order was peremptory now, and Jack obeyed 
 it. A delicious sense of comfort and security came 
 over him, and, better than all, the feeling that he had 
 friends. A while ago he was a hunted criminal, with 
 none to look to for help. Now, in the pocket of his 
 jacket, he had solid evidence of good friendship; for 
 the dollars chinked loudly when he moved, while all 
 who looked at him smiled or patted his hand, Mean- 
 
ioo Indian and Scout 
 
 while the train was proceeding, and when in the course 
 of seven hours Jack awoke, he found houses about him, 
 and lights flickering through the morning mist. The 
 passengers were descending from the cars, gripping their 
 luggage, and everything pointed to the fact that the end 
 of the journey was reached. 
 
 "The rails don't go any farther," said Tom Horsfall, 
 coming and sitting beside him. " From here those who 
 live farther afield have to go by caravan, and there they 
 are, hurrying away, as if they hadn't a moment to lose. 
 Where are you going, lad?" 
 
 Jack sat up suddenly and looked at his questioner. 
 From the very first he had taken a liking to Tom, 
 and knew intuitively that he was one who could be 
 trusted. Still, he reflected, he must not say too much. 
 The constable might even now be following." 
 
 " To California," he answered steadily. 
 
 " To dig?" 
 
 Jack nodded his head. " Partly that, partly to earn 
 money at the forge. I've done a course of smith's work, 
 and am fairly handy." 
 
 An exclamation of pleasure escaped Tom promptly. 
 
 "Do yer wan't a job?" he asked swiftly. "'Cos I've 
 one ter offer." 
 
 To do Jack full justice, he hesitated to accept the 
 post, and felt troubled. For common sense told him 
 that the place was offered because of what he had 
 done. It was, in a measure, a reward for his services. 
 But there was another aspect of the matter. When 
 he had accepted Amos's offer it was at a moment 
 when he was sorely pressed, and when, because of his 
 haste, he had little time to consider other matters. But 
 
Friends and Huiriters ! -I \ ' ! i / ' 
 
 Jack was honest to the core, and he had made up his 
 mind to work for himself at his trade rather than to 
 accept a post and leave his employer ignorant of his 
 past history. And here he was face to face with the 
 dilemma. He must either refuse what might turn out 
 to be just the thing for him, or he must declare 
 himself and hold nothing back. 
 
 " Yer ain't got no cause to fret about the arm," 
 said Tom, noticing his hesitation, "'cos we've a long 
 march before us. It'll be three months before we reach 
 Nevada, and another before we hit upon a spot at which 
 ter dig. Long before then ye'll be fit again, and it's 
 when we're at the diggin's that ye'll come in handy. 
 We've been lookin' out fer a smith, and, yer see, we're 
 off to Californy like you, so the thing seems kinder 
 ter fit." 
 
 " It isn't that," exclaimed Jack quickly. " I want to 
 say something. You don't know anything about me. 
 I might be anything at all." 
 
 "Now, look ye here," cried Tom hotly, "don't yer 
 jest take me fer a fool. No one out here knows 
 what his mates are, nor cares either. 'Tain't no busi- 
 ness of no one's. Reckon out thar at the diggin's 
 and on the plains yer kin meet men as was dukes in 
 Europe, others that's thieves, and crowds that has as 
 shady a history as yer could well think of. That 
 ain't no one's concern. But you! with that honest 
 face and frank look don't yer try ter get telling me 
 that you've got a history marked up against yer. 
 Yer may have met trouble, but I reckon it come from 
 someone else's fault; or it was a monkey trick that 
 any lad'll get up to. Don't tell me. I've been out 
 
Indian and Scout 
 
 these ways boy and man, and I ain't easily took 
 in." 
 
 " Listen a moment," said Jack quietly. " I am an 
 escaped prisoner, under trial quite recently for burglary, 
 and under suspicion of having killed a man." 
 
 If our hero expected Tom to give vent to a whistle of 
 astonishment, and to make some sort of demonstration, 
 he was disappointed. Tom sat down coolly, pulled out a 
 cigar, and bit the end off. 
 
 "Jest you fire ahead with the yarn, young 'un," he 
 said, between the puffs, as he held a match to the 
 weed. " Tell me jest as much as yer like, and jest 
 as little. I ain't no policeman, I'm a plain man; and 
 where I've worked, though thar's been a sheriff, he's 
 mostly lived a hundred or more miles away. Conse- 
 quence is, we've jedged matters fer ourselves. Reckon 
 we don't make many mistakes, neither. If a man's a 
 horse thief or a train robber, or something of that sort, 
 he has a fair show to clear himself. Ef he can't, he's 
 shot. What's the row been about?" 
 
 Jack told him frankly what his trouble was, and how 
 he had fled from the prison. Then he described his 
 work with Amos, and finally his dash for the train. 
 Tom listened coolly, taking deep pulls at his weed, and 
 filling the carriage with smoke. Not an observation 
 escaped him. But his brows were wrinkled, and his 
 eyes almost closed, seeming to point to the fact that 
 he was thinking deeply. He rose and went to the 
 window to toss the ash from his weed, and sauntered 
 back again. 
 
 "Do yer smoke, young 'un?" he asked curtly but not 
 unkindly. Then, as Jack shook his head, he went on. 
 
Friends and Hunters 103 
 
 " Ah, more's the pity jest now, for a smoke kinder helps 
 a man. He gets something between his teeth, and 
 grips tight at it. Ef he's got a plaguey business on 
 hand, somehow or other the thing between his teeth, 
 and the smoke bubbling up into the air, lets him get 
 down to the bottom of that 'ere business. Jest tell me. 
 Could you recognize that 'ere chap as came to the forge 
 for the key?" 
 
 " Anywhere!" exclaimed Jack emphatically. 
 
 " Then yer ain't no cause ter worry. And I'll tell yer 
 why. All the train robbers and sich like that works out 
 east has to make tracks sooner or later. Things gets 
 too hot for 'em, and they have to move or be nabbed. 
 Wall, this here fellow has made things hot. A murder's 
 a murder, and it don't help matters even if the papers 
 tell him that someone else is standing his trial for the 
 crime. The truth will out some day, and that some day 
 may be sooner rather than later; so the chap clears 
 from the east. And whar does he make for?" 
 
 Tom looked steadily at Jack, and, seeing that he 
 shook his head, went on promptly. " I'll tell yer. He 
 goes slick west, to the diggin's, whar thar's miners to 
 swindle, and gold trains ter hold up. That's whar the 
 ruffians get to; and seeing that that's the case, ye're 
 like ter meet this fellow out Californy way sooner than 
 in New York direction. That's a good solid reason for 
 yer to come west yerself, and though yer may have 
 thought, and rightly too, to throw off pursuit quicker 
 in that direction, ye've chosen at the same time the 
 one place in all the world whar you're likely ter get 
 evidence that'll clear yer. Do I believe you did 
 it?" 
 
104 Indian and Scout 
 
 Tom looked at Jack as he asked the question, and 
 then burst into a loud guffaw. 
 
 "Shucks!" he cried; " thar ain't no sense in the 
 noddles of them stay-at-homes. Anyone could see with 
 half an eye that sarcumstances was dead against yer, 
 and that before jedgment was given, your age, your 
 past life, everything should be taken into consideration. 
 But that jedge and jury seemed ter have made up their 
 minds, without even setting to work to learn if other 
 men had been handy, if a cart had been hired, or other 
 burglaries committed in them parts by two men. 
 Reckon that friend of yours you call James did well 
 ter advise yer ter skip. Once ye'd put your nose into 
 a prison, ye'd have been done. Ye'd never have 
 cleared yourself. Now ye've a goodish chance, and 
 I'll help yer. That job's still open, youngster. And, 
 by the way, what's the name?" 
 
 "Jack Kingsley. Tom Starling when I boarded the 
 train." 
 
 "Then Jack let it be. Thar ain't no call ter have 
 a second name. One's good enough, and heaps. Will 
 yer come?" 
 
 " Rather ! and ever so many thanks for helping me," 
 cried Jack, his lip a trifle tremulous, for such kindness 
 moved him. 
 
 "I ain't done nothing," came the prompt answer, 
 "nothing compared with what you've managed fer me. 
 Reckon that rascal near let lead into me. Jest remem- 
 ber this, lad. Ye're as good as any hereabouts, and 
 no call to hang your head. And thar ain't no fear 
 of arrest. Thar ain't a soul as'll know yer, save the 
 villain that did that burglary and left yer to face the 
 
Friends and Hunters 105 
 
 trial. Ef yer meet him ye'll have ter act, and afore 
 yer get to the diggin's ye'll have learned how. Now 
 jest a word about myself. I've been everything cow- 
 boy, rancher with my own ranch, storekeeper, and 
 miner. I ain't no wife nor chicks, and so a wandering 
 life suits me. And I've been lucky. Two years ago 
 come Christmas time I struck it rich and plenty way 
 west in Californy, and me and my mate cleared out 
 with a handsome banking account. We agreed to 
 separate till this time, and then ter go partners again 
 ef both of us wished ter have another turn. Wall, we're 
 both for the diggin's again, and we're going to do it big 
 this time. We've each put three thousand dollars into 
 the thing, and I've with me on the train an outfit that'll 
 wash gold of itself. It'll want a bit of fixin', and now 
 and again a little repair, without a doubt. A smith's 
 the man for that, and so you're jest rightly fitted. 
 Yer ain't got no tools, perhaps?" 
 
 " None," Jack admitted, and then with a smile, " you 
 see, I left so hurriedly. There wasn't time to bring 
 much away, and an anvil is rather heavy." 
 
 "And perlicemen have a way of skipping along 
 precious quick," laughed Tom. "But we'll fix the 
 whole matter. My mate meets me here at the rail 
 head, and we buy a wagon and some mules or hosses. 
 Then we set off across the plains, choosing some convoy 
 to go with, ef that's possible. Ef not, we'll have to risk 
 the Indians. In any case we shall have a long trail 
 before us, and ef you're fond of shootin' and huntin' 
 thar'll be heaps of both for yer. Why, ef that ain't 
 Steve!" 
 
 A short, spare man entered the car at this moment, 
 
io6 Indian and Scout 
 
 and stepped lightly towards Tom. There was the 
 merest smile of recognition on his face, while the eyes 
 lit up for a moment. They gripped hands for an in- 
 stant, and then Steve crossed to the window, and looked 
 out sharply, craning his head so as to see in either direc- 
 tion. Tom laughed heartily. 
 
 " Steve's the silentest man I ever chummed with," he 
 said. "And he can't get that ere backwoods trick 
 out of his mind. Don't matter where he is, he's lookin' 
 round, p'raps for enemies, p'raps for somethin' ter eat. 
 Lookin' round's become a sorter habit with him. 
 Howdy, Steve?" he shouted out. "Jest come and larn 
 to know our new hand. This here's Jack, smith to 
 our outfit." 
 
 The little man strode from the window, faced Jack 
 openly, and gripped his hand till our hero could have 
 shouted. He liked the look of Steve. He was the 
 very image of those hunters and scouts he had so often 
 read about; the silent, lean hunter who went his way 
 into the wilderness, and whose every hour called for 
 courage and determination. 
 
 " Howdy, stranger?" said Steve. " Kin yer shoot?" 
 
 " None," answered Jack promptly. 
 
 "Nor ride?" 
 
 " A very little." 
 
 "Then ye'll do. Most every tenderfoot that comes 
 this way is clean off the finest shot and the best ter 
 sit a horse that was ever seen. They git to teachin' 
 the old hands. Ef yer ain't used to neither, reckon 
 ye'll shape mighty soon. I ain't one who holds with 
 side. Deeds is worth a hull wagon load of boastin'." 
 
 "And words ain't much in your line," laughed Tom. 
 
Friends and Hunters 107 
 
 " I never heard Steve make a longer speech. He's 
 took well to yer, Jack. Now then, listen here, mate. 
 This Jack's begun his shootin' already. We got held 
 up back thar down the line, and he cleared us proper. 
 Jest cast yer eye up there at the roof." 
 
 Steve strode beneath the lantern, and rapidly sur- 
 veyed the punctures which the robber's bullets had 
 made. In a flash his eye took in the general disorder, 
 the broken window, the stained carpet, and the long 
 form lying beneath the sailcloth. 
 
 "It war warm while it lasted," he said, returning. 
 "Whar was you?" 
 
 Jack pointed aloft. "On the roof," he said quietly. 
 " He'd have had me there I expect. So I held on to 
 a smokestack, and shot him through the window." 
 
 Steve strode to the side of the car, and once more 
 surveyed the surroundings. He leaped to the ground, 
 and they saw him clambering along the footboard. 
 Then he returned as suddenly as he had gone. 
 
 " Ever pulled a trigger afore?" he asked bluntly. 
 
 " Never." 
 
 " And yer was upside down, so ter speak?" 
 
 " That's so," admitted Jack. 
 
 " I'm glad ye're comin'." 
 
 Steve was a character. He was as taciturn and as 
 silent as a man might well be. But honest to the core. 
 A stanch friend, a bitter enemy, for his had been a 
 rough life; and a man so sharp that nothing escaped 
 him. His last words were high commendation indeed, 
 and Jack, realizing that, reddened. 
 
 " We'll be startin' right away," said Steve, addressing 
 Tom. "A town ain't no fit place fer a scout. One 
 
io8 Indian and Scout 
 
 can't kinder breathe, with all the smoke and the houses. 
 I've palled with six boys as is goin' west." 
 
 The news was excellent, especially when Tom had 
 persuaded his partner to be a little more explicit. The 
 boys turned out to be old hunter friends of Steve's, 
 accustomed to the plains, and their addition to the 
 party would make it possible for Tom and Steve and 
 Jack to push on promptly, and not wait for a larger 
 party. For in those days the wide tracts of plain 
 separating the east from California were infested by 
 cut-throat Indians, and many was the massacre for 
 which they were responsible. Indeed, hundreds of un- 
 fortunate men and women, making their way across 
 to the goldfields, fell foul of these red demons, and 
 were slaughtered and scalped unmercifully. 
 
 " Then to-morrow we'll move," said Tom. " It won't 
 take more'n two hours ter buy up an anvil and sich 
 like things. Hosses ain't no difficulty. Thar's always 
 plenty of 'em. Now, Jack, let's be movin'. Ye'll 
 come right along with us to the camp, and start in 
 as our man from this moment." 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 Out on the Prairie 
 
 SHOULDERING their baggage, Tom and Steve led the 
 way from the station, and, having traversed some few 
 hundred yards, came to a single wagon, halted by the 
 roadside. It was a large affair, covered with a big 
 canvas tilt, and mounted on four strong wheels. A 
 single shaft protruded in front, to which the wheelers 
 of the team of horses could be attached. In fact, be- 
 yond a few minor particulars which followed the custom 
 in vogue in this part of America, the wagon was very 
 similar to those huge conveyances, sometimes called 
 the " ships of the velt", which are to be found in South 
 Africa. 
 
 " A tidy weight it is, too," said Tom, as Jack remarked 
 on the wagon when approaching. "But it's jest the 
 thing for the plains. Yer see, ter do any good way over 
 in Californy a man wants a heap of tools and sich like. 
 Wall, they're to be had from San Francisco, or Sacra- 
 mento; but, gee! ain't the prices tall! It pays hand- 
 some ter buy a wagon back here and fill it with stuff. 
 That's what we're doin'. Me and Steve's put a sight 
 of earnin's and savin's into the matter, and we'll have 
 ter strike it rich way over thar to git the money back. 
 Thar's something else. Ef bad weather comes on, we 
 
 109 
 
no Indian and Scout 
 
 kin shelter of a night under the tilt leastwise, we kin 
 at first. After a bit thar won't be the chance. Them 
 skunks of Indians '11 make us look out fer trouble, and 
 any man as has a care fer the haar on his head don't 
 get sleepin' too heavy once he's come into their country. 
 Guess them's our mates. Scouts Steve called 'em." 
 
 By now they were close to the wagon, and Jack 
 noticed that quite a little camp had been formed round 
 it. At a little distance some ten horses were grazing, 
 while one man mounted guard over them. Close at 
 hand a dozen more were tethered to pegs, and nibbled 
 the grass in a circle round their pegs. A fire was burn- 
 ing just outside the wagon, and over it a pot was sus- 
 pended on an iron tripod. Steve gave a shout, and 
 promptly five men, who were seated near the fire, rose 
 and lounged forward. 
 
 "Gee, now! Ef that ain't Seth, Tricky Seth, as we 
 called him," shouted out Tom, waving his hat above his 
 head. " Howdy, Seth? Didn't know yer was this way. 
 When last I set eyes on yer it was way down in New 
 Mexico. What's brought yer here?" 
 
 A short, heavily built man stepped forward from 
 amongst his comrades. He was so tanned by wind and 
 exposure that one might have been excused the mistake 
 if one had taken him for an Indian. His eyes were a 
 steely grey, his chin and upper lip covered with thick, 
 bushy hair, while the backs of his hands, and his arms, 
 which were exposed to the elbows, were also thickly clad 
 with the same material. He wore a wide-brimmed hat, 
 which decidedly had seen better days, a shirt which had 
 once been red, but which frequent washings and much 
 exposure to a hot sun had bleached to a mottled brown, 
 
Out on the Prairie m 
 
 while his nether limbs were clad in cowboy overalls 
 fringed with leather tassels. A picturesque fellow he 
 looked, and something more. His keen eyes, the reso- 
 lute set of his features, hardly needed the addition of 
 the huge belt he wore, in which reposed a big Colt, to 
 tell a stranger that Seth "Tricky Seth", as Tom had 
 called him was something more than picturesque. He 
 came forward with sparkling eyes and with hand out- 
 stretched. 
 
 " Why, so it war," he cried, speaking with a very pro- 
 nounced twang; "so it war. And I jest reckon I was 
 as s'prised as you to find myself up this way. But New 
 Mexico's that full of horse thieves and Injun skunks 
 that an honest man can't live. Fact is, I got into a 
 muss with a gang of robbers. I come up against 'em 
 accidental at first, and that got their danders up agin 
 me. They was fer shootin' right off whenever they seed 
 me." 
 
 " And that ain't healthy fer any man," burst in Tom, 
 " though I guess as Seth ain't easy ter frighten." 
 
 " Not as a general thing ; but this here case were 
 special. I stood it fer a while, yer bet, and by keepin' 
 out in the plains and mountains, trappin' and huntin" 
 managed ter hold 'em clear fer a bit. But it got precious 
 onreasonable ter have bullets flyin' whenever I went into 
 town ter sell the skins I'd been collectin'. What with 
 one meetin' and another I got a matter of three holes 
 drilled through me, and that warn't pleasant. I give 
 'em snufif in return, I jest did, but that don't help ter 
 mend holes in a fellow's carcass. So I corned away. 
 Then I struck along o' Steve, and hearin' yer was goin 1 
 partners, and was off to Californy, why, me and my 
 
ii2 Indian and Scout 
 
 mates here agreed ter go. We was thinkin' of earning 
 a bit by acting as sort of escort to other convoys makin' 
 across to the diggin's. But, bless yer, the crowds that's 
 goin' don't think of danger; they thinks of gold only." 
 
 "And believes they'll find it in handfuls, the poor 
 fools," cried Tom. "Thar's many a hundred as has 
 lost their scalps crossin' the plains," 
 
 "And many more'll meet with the same," agreed 
 Seth. " But they don't reckon to meet nothin'. It's 
 goin' ter be a picnic all the way across, that's what they 
 say and think, and so they don't want no escort. Me 
 and my mates fixed then that we'd try a little diggin' 
 ourselves, and as yer was goin', why, it seemed jest the 
 chance to make across together. Who's the stranger?" 
 
 Tom introduced Jack to Seth promptly, and then 
 handed him over to the latter, who made him acquainted 
 with his comrades. Nor was it long before all became 
 familiar with the story of his behaviour on the train. 
 
 " For a fust shot it war good, precious good," declared 
 Seth. " I've let off a gun in most positions, but never 
 upside down, as I reckon you was. So, without offence, 
 youngster, I should say as how that 'ere shot weren't 
 altogether of yer own doin'. There was a bit of flukin, 
 in it Howsomever, that ain't the point. Yer had the 
 grit to lean over and hold fast to the gun. That's whar 
 you came in. Yer held fast, and drew trigger jest at 
 the right moment. Reckon the gun did the rest. And 
 he managed to wing yer?" 
 
 Jack nodded. " He put a ball through my shoulder," 
 he said. " It hurt a bit, but someone seems to have 
 bandaged it, and it's quite easy now." 
 
 "Then yer ain't no cause to blush and 'low folks to 
 
Out on the Prairie 113 
 
 say as you're a green 'un," laughed Seth. " Reckon a 
 chap as has had daylight put through him has seen 
 something. But yer'll have to set to at shootin'. My 
 advice is to buy a hull heap of ammunition. Me and 
 my mates most always jest carry a dozen rounds. That's 
 heaps under ordinary sarcumstances ; but when yer get 
 to shootin' with a revolver, the ammunition melts away, 
 as it war. And a man ain't nothin' of a shot till he's 
 fired thousands of rounds. So buy up a supply, and set 
 to in earnest when we gets clear of the town." 
 
 Jack made a mental note of the advice given him, 
 and decided to invest some of his savings in a thoroughly 
 good revolver and gun and the necessary ammunition. 
 Nor had he any reason to fear the expenditure, for he 
 had saved a good deal when in Amos's employ, and had 
 hardly touched the money he had brought away from 
 Hopeville. In addition, that same evening, when Tom 
 and his friends were making their final preparations for 
 leaving camp at an early hour on the following day, two 
 officials of the bank to which the money on board the 
 train was consigned approached, and handed our hero 
 no less than fifteen hundred dollars. 
 
 " As a reward for saving our consignment," they said. 
 " We had a very much larger sum on board the train 
 than was supposed, and had those robbers succeeded 
 in mastering all the passengers, and in stopping the 
 coaches, our loss would have been a very severe 
 one." 
 
 They left the camp within a few minutes, expressing 
 
 the hope that Jack would soon recover from his wound. 
 
 But that young fellow was almost too elated to recollect 
 
 the fact that his shoulcier was damaged. He was more 
 
 (0179) g 
 
H4 Indian and Scout 
 
 than delighted at the gift, and at once fell to wondering 
 what he would do with such riches. 
 
 " I shall return James and Mother the sums they lent 
 me," he said, " and for the rest I suppose I'd better bank 
 it. I'll ask Tom." 
 
 " Yer can jest do one o' two things," replied the latter, 
 when Jack had spoken to him. " Ef yer bank it here 
 the money'll be safe, and yer can arrange to have a 
 draft on a bank way over near Sacramento. Then, once 
 we get to Californy, and yer've had time to look round, 
 yer can set up some sort of business for yerself. Buy 
 a plot in one of the towns that's springing up like mush- 
 rooms, and set up as a smith. That'd bring in dollars 
 quick, for there ain't many smiths handy, and ironwork 
 aer well paid. Five hundred dollars should see yer 
 started, with the rest and your savings while working 
 fer us safe in the bank in case of illness or failure. Not 
 that yer want ter think of failure. That are a word no 
 young man should allow has a place in the language. 
 Seems to me ef a youngster jest kind of pins ( success ' 
 up in front of him, and sets to to gain it by steady, hard 
 work, he's bound, sooner or later and the steadier he is 
 the sooner it'll be to find he's got to the thing he's 
 aimed at. But I was sayin' there's two things yer could 
 do with that money. I've mentioned one." 
 
 "And the other?" asked Jack eagerly. 
 
 "The other aer a proposition of my own mine and 
 Steve's ; and mind yer, ef it don't seem right and likely 
 to you, jest refuse, 'cos no offence'll be given. We've 
 put jest three thousand dollars apiece into this scheme 
 of ours, me and Steve have, and a goodish part of the 
 money has gone to buy the wagon and outfit Still, 
 
Out on the Prairie 115 
 
 thar's a tidy few dollars left, and that'll be workin' 
 capital for when we reach the diggin's. Wall, now, 
 more workin' capital are always useful. Yer can buy 
 up appliances that'll make the diggin' and windin' easier, 
 besides employing more hands, and so gettin' down to 
 the gold quicker. Ef yer like the proposition yer kin 
 buy a share in this consarn of ours, and come in as a 
 partner instead of a hired man. Yer'll stand to lose 
 along with us ; but ef we strike it rich, why, ye'll gain, 
 jest as we shall, in proportion to the amount ye've put 
 into the partnership. Now, jest yer get away by yerself 
 fer a while, or talk it over with Seth and his mates. 
 They're straight, and ef the consarn ain't worth it, or 
 the proposition ain't a fair one to you, they'll say so 
 for sure. Come back agin in an hour's time. I'm 
 goin' into the town jest to finish a little buying." 
 
 Jack needed very little time for consideration, for he 
 had already practically made up his mind. There was 
 something transparently honest and straightforward 
 about Tom and Steve, and he felt he could not do 
 better than throw in his lot with them. To be sure, 
 if their efforts to discover gold were not successful, he 
 would lose all the money he subscribed. But then, 
 they might meet with good fortune. 
 
 " I'll do it," he said to himself, and that, too, without 
 discussing the matter with Seth and his friends. " I'll 
 send along the money I borrowed from Mother and 
 James Orring, pay a thousand dollars to this partner- 
 ship, and bank the rest against a rainy day. Who 
 knows, I may be glad to have the use of it later 
 on." 
 
 His determination to become a partner in the little 
 
n6 Indian and Scout 
 
 firm of gold diggers delayed the departure of the party 
 for a few hours. 
 
 "Things has to be done fair and square," said Tom, 
 when Jack announced his decision. "We'll get into 
 town, as soon as it's light, and rouse up a lawyer. It'll 
 take him an hour to prepare a draft same as Steve 
 and I have. Then the sherirT'11 have to sign it, and 
 me and Steve too. When the document's ready, you'd 
 best hand it over to the bank, and give 'em instructions 
 to transfer it to their branch at Sacramento. They'll 
 send it via New York and Panama, and thar ain't a 
 doubt but that it'll reach. The lawyer'll make a second 
 copy, so that in any case you'll be able to refer to the 
 agreement if you want to." 
 
 " And we'd best put something into the draft that'll 
 fix it right ef one of us partners wants to clear," ex- 
 claimed Steve, who, though a silent man as a rule, was 
 not backward in making suggestions when his expe- 
 rience told him they were needed. "Seems to me it 
 might happen as one of us would want to leave fer 
 New York or somewheares else. Wall, his money's in 
 the firm, but he don't work no longer. And, sense work 
 aer the thing that's mainly wanted, why, ef he leaves, he 
 ain't no longer of any use." 
 
 " Agreed," cried Tom instantly. " I'm ready to stand 
 by that" 
 
 "And I also," added Jack. "We might put in a 
 clause giving the remaining partners the right to buy 
 up the share of the one leaving, and to do that they 
 might sell it to an outsider if they hadn't the money 
 themselves." 
 
 "Which'd be better than givin' the retirin' partner 
 
Out on the Prairie 117 
 
 the right of bringin' in someone as was his friend, and 
 who mightn't hit it off with t'others," said Tom. " Now, 
 that's a fair and square proposal, and ef we're all willin', 
 why, it won't take more'n a few minutes longer fer the 
 lawyer feller ter stick in them extry clauses. While he's 
 doin' the thing, we'll get to the doctor's and have thet 
 shoulder seen to, young 'un. When you was took bad 
 in the train, and lay thar as if you was dead, this 
 doctor man fixed the wound nicely for you. Lucky 
 he jest happened to be aboard. Wall, ter-morrer he'll 
 take another look, and we'll get him to fix us up 
 with bandages and sich like. Now it's time to be 
 turning in." 
 
 Jack Kingsley lay awake for some time on this his 
 first night with his new comrades. His surroundings 
 were so entirely different from those he was accus- 
 tomed to, while even the accent and the language of 
 the scouts was so strange, that his brain was too 
 full to allow of sleep. The stamp of the horses out- 
 side, and the gentle whisper of the breeze as it blew 
 against the canvas tilt, all served to keep him awake. 
 Then, too, his wound became distinctly painful, while 
 he himself felt burning hot and icy cold in turns. How- 
 ever, at length he fell into a troubled sleep which lasted 
 till the early morning. 
 
 " How aer yer?" asked Tom, who lay in a bunk on 
 the other side of the wagon. " Fit as ever, youngster?" 
 
 Jack rose from his blanket couch and shook himself. 
 After such a night he was not at all sure whether he 
 did feel as fit as he should do. But within ten minutes 
 he was laughing and joking merrily; the keen morning 
 air, the brilliant light of the rising sun, and the appe- 
 
ii8 Indian and Scout 
 
 tizing smell wafted from the steaming kettle all serving 
 to rouse his spirits. 
 
 " Ye'll do, yer will," cried Tom some few minutes 
 later, as he watched our hero. " Guess yer hadn't 
 the best o' nights. I sleeps light always, 'cos where 
 I've lived my days a man has to be easy waked, and 
 ready at a moment fer action. I heard yer a-heavin' 
 and a-tossin' in yer blankets, and I reckoned as the 
 shoulder war a trifle troublesome. But ye've took to 
 yer breakfast. I never seed a fellow eat heartier. Seems 
 as ef the air hereabouts agreed with yer." 
 
 " And as ef bein' shot war a thing as give him an 
 appetite," laughed Steve. "But we'd best be movin' 
 slippy into the town. I knows these lawyer fellers. 
 They're all jaw, and thar ain't no makin' them hurry. 
 Let's skip in thar right now, and the sooner we reach 
 the chap, the sooner we'll be able ter git altogether." 
 
 Leaving Seth and his mates to clear the camp and 
 make all preparations for their march, Tom and Steve 
 and Jack walked briskly into the town. A call was 
 made at once on a lawyer, and, having given him the 
 necessary particulars, they left him to prepare the agree- 
 ment which would make Jack a partner in the firm. 
 
 "And now fer an outfit fer you, youngster," said 
 Tom. "Ye're wantin' a rifle and a revolver. Wall, 
 ef yer go to a proper gunsmith, he'll fix yer up with 
 anythin', but it'll cost money. Thar's fellers in these 
 towns as buy weapons from hunters who aer in want 
 of money, or from miners returning east. They're the 
 men to go to." 
 
 He led the way past the better part of the town, and 
 dived into a smaller street built at right angles to the 
 
Out on the Prairie 119 
 
 one they had just left. Then he stopped at a little 
 shop, in the tiny window of which were displayed an 
 assortment of articles. 
 
 "Jest leave the tradin' to me," he said. "Likely 
 enough, ef yer was to try and fix the deal, the fellow 
 would ask double his price, for these men aer wonder- 
 ful cute at spottin' newcomers. Leave it ter me; I've 
 bought off him afore." 
 
 Tom indeed made an excellent bargainer, for within 
 half an hour Jack found himself possessed of a fine 
 rifle, and a revolver which appeared never to have been 
 used. Also, Tom bought for him a large quantity of 
 ammunition. 
 
 " The whole dirt cheap at a hundred dollars," he said 
 as they issued from the shop. " Now, all we've got 
 ter buy is an anvil and sich tools as ye'll want, 'cos 
 that'll be your work in the partnership, besides diggin'. 
 In a firm like ours each of the partners'll do what he 
 kin, and as much as he kin, to get things going and to 
 make dollars. Steve, thar, has the best eye fer locatin' 
 a likely corner fer gold as ever I came upon. But he 
 ain't no good with the pick and spade; he's built too 
 light. Last time we was partners, 'way in Californy, 
 guess me an a hired man did most all the diggin'. But 
 Steve did more'n his equal share of work for the firm, 
 'cos it was he who went nosin' round till he finally 
 hit upon the spot that panned out rich and gave us 
 gold in plenty. Ha! here's the general stores. They'll 
 likely enough have all we want." 
 
 They had, in fact, no difficulty in purchasing all the 
 tools Jack was likely to require, and arranged with 
 the storekeeper to have them sent to their camp at 
 
120 Indian and Scout 
 
 once. An anvil of moderate size, a bag of fuel, the 
 necessary tools, and a small portable forge were bought; 
 and, that done, the trio returned to the lawyer's. 
 
 " Ready, gentlemen," he said, meeting them with a 
 smile. " I know how impatient you scouts and miners 
 are, and I made a special effort to press on with the 
 document. It is here, and we can go across to the 
 sheriff right away. There the document can be duly 
 signed and sealed, the money can be paid over, and 
 the exchange duly witnessed." 
 
 Within an hour Jack found himself a member of the 
 firm, with Tom Horsfall and Steve as his partners, and, 
 as he left the sheriff's office, could not refrain from 
 silently contrasting his position then with what it had 
 been a few weeks formerly. Then everything seemed 
 to be against him, while a long imprisonment stared 
 him in the face. But two days ago he was a hunted 
 criminal, seeking to make good his escape; and now 
 so stimulating was the effect of the success his bold 
 action on the train had met with, and the few kind 
 words with which he had been greeted he feared to 
 face no man, no, not even Constable Simpkins. 
 
 " I feel for the first time as if I had taken a step 
 in the right direction," he said to himself, "the direc- 
 tion which will lead to the discovery of that ruffian 
 for whom I have suffered so much. I have met with 
 a stroke of amazing fortune, and have earned enough 
 money to give me a start. Well, I'll do my utmost 
 to turn it to good account. I'll slave to make this 
 partnership a success, and if it prove to be that, then 
 I'll use what money I gain in tracking that criminal. 
 For clear my name from this slur I will, even if it 
 
Out on the Prairie 121 
 
 costs me every dollar I possess, and takes years and 
 years to accomplish." 
 
 A visit to the doctor was made on the way back to 
 camp, and having had his shoulder dressed, and careful 
 instructions given for the future care of the wound, Jack 
 returned to the camp with his friends. 
 
 " We didn't rightly know when you'd be returning," 
 said Seth, "and so we didn't hook in the beasts. But 
 everything else is ready packed, and in ten minutes we'll 
 be movin'. That youngster had better climb into the 
 wagon. It won't do that shoulder of his'n any good 
 jolting on a mustang." 
 
 Let the reader imagine the party as they marched 
 from the town. In front of the wagon rode three horse- 
 men, such horsemen as are not to be met with in any 
 other country; for these hunters had the free-and-easy 
 seat which comes from long custom. They rode, in fact, 
 like others in different countries who use their legs so 
 seldom that walking is a labour, and who climb into 
 a saddle, even if they only wish to pass from one tent 
 to another. A fine picture Tom and Seth and Steve 
 made as they led the march. After them came the 
 wagon, its team blowing, for they were soft after a long 
 rest and plenty of feeding, while beside the beasts 
 walked a negro, wielding a long whip, which cracked 
 like a pistol shot when he flicked it. On the front sat 
 Jack, radiantly happy, while in rear rode five more scouts, 
 alert and watchful even here ; for such is the force of habit. 
 
 And so they turned their faces from the towns and 
 moved off into the plains those long flats of country 
 which stretched, with a break here and there, right away 
 to the mountains of Nevada. 
 
122 Indian and Scout 
 
 " And by the time we reaches 'em yer'll be a scout 
 same as we are," said Tom, riding his horse close beside 
 the wagon. " As soon as that 'ere shoulder aer better 
 yer'll be able to mount and ride same as us, and then 
 Steve'll set to with yer. Thar ain't another in Americky 
 like him to larn a youngster all the ways o' huntin', and 
 how to track and follow a trail. Yer've jest to sit thar 
 tight and get well, and out here on the plains, whar the 
 air's pure, a fellow mends in no time." 
 
 This proved to be the case. The air of the plains 
 is notoriously healthy, and very soon Jack was able 
 to use his arm. In three weeks he was mounted, and 
 then his real enjoyment of the trip began. Long before 
 that he had become bosom friends with his mates, and 
 found them more than kindly. Tom alone knew his 
 secret, but the remainder guessed that their new mate 
 was a fugitive from justice. 
 
 " And why?" asked one of them with a laugh, as they 
 sat round the camp fire one evening. "'Cos Jack aer 
 changed his colour. When he corned along to the camp 
 his haar war as black as a coal. Now it's carrots. If 
 that don't point ter something, my name ain't Jacob." 
 
 There was a hearty laugh, and then the conversation 
 was turned; for in those parts no man enquired too 
 closely into the past history of his mates. A man was 
 judged for himself. If he was a good and true friend 
 that was enough. So Jack settled down amongst them, 
 and quickly answered to the name of " Carrots ". 
 
 As to his companions on this long and venturesome 
 journey across the plains which stretched between the 
 point of their departure and California, they were with- 
 out a shadow of doubt far more interesting than those 
 
Out on the Prairie 123 
 
 one usually met. Already the group of hunters had 
 come upon parties of would-be miners journeying to the 
 land of gold, and Jack was forced to confess it was 
 brought home to him accidentally as it were, but forcibly 
 for all that that the men they had met were poor speci- 
 mens for the most part. Often enough the bands were 
 composed of clerks from the cities, of storekeepers who 
 had lost their all in their venture at trading, and some- 
 times, mixed up with these men of the towns, who, to say 
 the best of them, were by their previous lives and experi- 
 ence wholly unsuited to the new career at which they 
 aimed, were men from a higher sphere dentists, doctors, 
 soldiers, sailors, and even an actor or two. Poorly de- 
 veloped for the most part, the glaring sun beneath which 
 they marched, and the open-air life which their journey 
 forced them to lead, had given them a colour to which 
 many no doubt had been strangers before. But no amount 
 of exposure could give them experience of the plains 
 that experience which could be learned only after years 
 of travelling, and which was so essential to them. 
 
 " It makes a man ache, so it do," said Seth, after they 
 had bade farewell to one of these bands, which was 
 hopelessly delayed by the loss of their draught horses. 
 " Them poor critters would be better off back in the 
 towns instead of coming out here. In course they're 
 delayed. Chances are thar's some of 'em never had 
 ter do with a hoss till now, and they ain't a notion 
 when ter feed and water him, when ter work him fer 
 all he's worth, and when ter give him a rest. In course 
 out here a hoss mostly feeds hisself. The grass is that 
 good he'd get fat ef he warn't worked, and worked hard 
 too. But thar's sech a thing as resting the critters in 
 
124 Indian and Scout 
 
 the heat of the day, of grooming them occasionally, and 
 of giving 'em a feed of corn when thar's a settlement 
 handy. Them men we've jest left ain't no more notion 
 of a hoss than they have of an Injun, and the wust of it 
 are fer them that in the fust place the delay aren't all 
 they've got ter suffer, while in the second it are generally 
 a case of bein' clean and regular wiped out. Huh!" 
 
 Jack could not help but contrast his friends with these 
 unhappy and inexperienced men the party had come 
 upon. He looked about him as he jogged along, and 
 was fain to confess that there was essentially a business 
 air about his mates an air of the plains, an atmosphere 
 which spoke of independence, of courage, of that resource 
 without which no hunter or scout in those days could 
 have survived for long. Ahead of him rode the burly 
 Tom, the first man to befriend him. Jack could catch a 
 view of the tips of his long, flowing fair moustache blow- 
 ing back at either side of his cheeks. What a seat the 
 man had! He seemed to be a part of the animal he rode, 
 and yet there was no effort about his horsemanship. To 
 look at him he simply lounged in his saddle. Yet, as 
 many an incident had proved, Tom was not to be 
 easily shaken from his seat. A sudden start of his 
 animal, a plunge, a trip over some hidden hole produced 
 the same result. The burly Tom sat still at ease, the 
 picture of contentment. And beside him jogged Steve, 
 the wiry little man who has already been introduced to 
 the reader. Taciturn and silent as a general rule, this 
 little man, so fine drawn and lean, could on occasion be 
 almost garrulous. But his features seldom wore other 
 than a serious look. His keen eye was always watchful. 
 
 " Jest as I told yer," remarked Tom one day. " Steve 
 
Out on the Prairie 125 
 
 aer always lookin' round. He aer always expecting 
 something, and fer that reason thar ain't a scout as I'd 
 sooner ride with. Ef you're dull and sleepy yerself, 
 thar's Steve to watch fer yer." 
 
 Let the reader glance at those others who had banded 
 themselves with Jack and his mates. Seth, Tricky Seth, 
 a picture of good health and manliness: sunburned to 
 the last degree, scarred across the forehead as the result 
 of a toss from a horse when much younger, bearded and 
 moustached, and as handsome a man as one could meet 
 in a week's march. Yet how simple the man was! 
 In spite of his good looks, of his obvious power, of a 
 frame which was magnificently put together, this Seth 
 was like an overgrown boy jolly the day long, friendly 
 with all, however humble, and ready to lend a hand to 
 the first who needed help. There were no airs and 
 graces about this scout. 
 
 Then turn to Jacob. Heavy and dull of feature, more 
 taciturn than Steve even, if that were possible, this silent 
 scout seemed to be permanently occupied with his 
 thoughts. Of huge proportions, he moved as a general 
 rule with a sluggishness and a want of celerity which 
 were in distinct contrast with the sprightliness and alert- 
 ness of Steve. But the man knew the plains by heart. 
 He had been born, one might say, with a gun in his 
 hand; and where horses were concerned there was not 
 another to be found who could teach him. 
 
 " He aer got the appearance of a parson or a teacher," 
 laughed Tom, " but Jacob ain't always thinkin'. Reckon 
 he kin be lively when he likes ; and ef he took to runnin' 
 yer or me for a mile, guess we'd come in last by a goodish 
 bit, And ver should jest see him when he's got a grip 
 
126 Indian and Scout 
 
 of the ribbons. I've seen a hull heap of men runnin' 
 teams, and sometimes it's mules, and t'others it's hosses. 
 Wall, it don't make no sorter difference ter Jacob what 
 the beasts aer. Reckon ef they was buffalo he'd fix 'em 
 jest the same. It aer a treat to see him steering a team 
 across bad country, and when we comes ter settlements, 
 and he aer conducting the outfit, why, guess it makes 
 them city folks open their eyes. Jacob aer a man fer 
 hosses." 
 
 Then there was Black Bill, laughing and full of fun, 
 but a thorough man of the plains for all that. Dusky 
 of complexion, of medium height, Bill could hold his 
 own with anyone when it came to the management of 
 cattle, for he had spent some years in the stockyards. 
 And it was reported that even Steve himself had seen 
 no more of the Indians. Bill had experienced a deal of 
 fighting. 
 
 Of Tom Langham and David there is little to report. 
 The one was as lean as Steve, but lankier, and amongst 
 his friends was a reputed yarner. There were few who 
 could tell a fireside tale as Tom Langham could. David 
 was more of Jacob's stamp, with little to make him dis- 
 tinctive. And yet, put all these men together, with our 
 hero Jack accompanying them, and even a novice in 
 those parts, a city man, would have found something to 
 hold his attention. It was that subtle air of business 
 which these scouts carried with them wherever they 
 went, the air which warned ruffians of the road to leave 
 them severely alone, and made Indians cautious of 
 attacking them. No wonder that Jack considered him- 
 self lucky. He was in the very best of hands, and if 
 only his journey to California turned out as favourably 
 
Out on the Prairie 127 
 
 as the beginning augured, then he promised himself 
 success. Who could say? Perhaps in that country of 
 glorious skies, of sunrises and sunsets, he would dis- 
 cover more than gold. It might even happen, unlikely 
 though it seemed, that there amidst the miners he might 
 come upon that evidence for which he sought, that man 
 whose word alone could clear his character, could make 
 of him once again a respected citizen of that town from 
 which he had so lately fled. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 Only a Youngster 
 
 " WE'VE a longish day before us," said Tom one after- 
 noon, just after the sun had mounted to its central posi- 
 tion, and the heat was at its height. " Them pals of ours 
 has gone off huntin', fer it stands to reason we must 
 have fresh meat to keep us in good health. But, as I 
 was say in', we're here, you and I, in charge of the team 
 and the wagon; and sense we dursent sleep, for there 
 ain't never no sayin' when something won't turn up, why 
 we'd best settle down fer a jaw. I was thinking of that 
 business of ours in the train, when yer climbed on ter 
 the roof. I wonder what made yer think of that?" 
 
 Our hero was troubled by the question. When he 
 came to review his movements on that eventful evening, 
 and this particular one more especially, he found it hard 
 to say why he had clambered to the roof of the railway 
 coach. 
 
 " I suppose I saw in a flash that that man would 
 shoot me if I went along the footboards," he said. " I 
 had seen the conductor wounded and forced to let go, 
 so I suppose, without thinking, I realized that the roof 
 was the only place." 
 
 " Jest as I thought," remarked Tom, nodding his head, 
 and busying himself with his whip, which he seemed tP 
 
Only a Youngster 129 
 
 crack on every spare occasion. " That 'ere fight reminds 
 me of a time same as this, when I was jest a slip of a 
 youngster. It was down Mexico way, not in California, 
 whar we're goin', and thar was gold in the question, 
 same as thar was with you the other day. Yer see, 
 my uncle owned a team of beasts. In fact, he owned 
 several teams, and made a fine living by carting stores 
 down to the Mexican mines, and returning with gold. 
 He'd been extry lucky, too, and hadn't been held up 
 more than once. Then my father died, and Uncle 
 Jim took me under his wing. I used to march along- 
 side the team, help feed and water the beasts, and lend 
 a hand at anything that war wanted. I war jest about 
 thirteen years of age, I reckon." 
 
 "Young," remarked Jack. "But I suppose many 
 boys are to be found with the mule teams as young as 
 that?" 
 
 " Sometimes they're regular kids," came the laughing 
 rejoinder. " I mind one kid as war jest twelve, and 
 he'd already had a turn agin the Injuns. Boys in this 
 country don't get so much schoolin' as they might else- 
 where in England, fer instance though I've no doubt, 
 when America's settled, the youngsters will get all the 
 schoolin' they want, and more besides. And so it ain't 
 nothin' outer the ordinary to meet kids out on the 
 plains. Wall, I was a regular kid, and Uncle Jim and 
 I did many a march together. We'd been down to a 
 mine located well in the south, though I can't get hold 
 of the name at this moment. We'd dropped all our 
 goods thar hard tack, picks, and spades, and what 
 not, and had filled chuck-full with gold. Reckon there 
 was twenty-thousand dollars worth of dust on board 
 
 (0179) 9 
 
130 Indian and Scout 
 
 a fortune that wanted taking care of! And take good 
 care of it we did, Uncle sleeping by day, while I drove 
 the team. At night he'd fix his pipe in between his 
 teeth, and keep watch wherever we were camped, while 
 I turned into my blankets. It war jolly while it lasted, 
 and yer may bet that I war a proud kid, takin' care of 
 that 'ere team and all the gold by my solitary self durin' 
 the day." 
 
 "And then?" asked Jack eagerly. "You were held 
 up by a gang of robbers?" 
 
 "Hold hard," sang out Tom. "We ain't got thar 
 yet. Things was goin' smoothly enough, when Uncle 
 took ill. He war mighty queer. To this day I ain't 
 sure what ailed him. But I've a notion he'd got a kind 
 of heat stroke. Anyways, he war as hot as fire, and fer 
 a time wanderin' in his head. I remember it war some- 
 where's about this time of the day when he went queer, 
 and, sense I couldn't drive the team and look to him at 
 the same time, I formed camp jest beside the bank of a 
 river, whar the road ran down to the ford. I watered 
 the beasts, pegged them out to feed, and then set to 
 work putting cold cloths, wrung out of river water, on 
 Uncle's head. Reckon I kept at it all that day, and 
 right into the night, till I was that weary I was falling 
 asleep the instant I set down in the wagon. And in the 
 end I went right fast off beside Uncle, and lay there 
 snorin' till the sun was up, and it war nigh ten o'clock. 
 It war a shout that waked me." 
 
 Tom looked over his shoulder to see that Jack was 
 listening, and then threw the tail of his whip lightly 
 over his leaders, sending his team bounding forward. 
 
 " A shout," repeated Jack. " Yes." 
 
Only a Youngster 131 
 
 " From over the water," said Tom. " I lifted the tilt 
 of the wagon, and looked across the river. There was 
 four men, mounted, wavin' their arms. 
 
 " * Whar's the ford start?' one of them sang out, when 
 he seed me come clamberin' outer the wagon. 'Does 
 it run straight over thar from whar we're standin', or 
 whar in thunder does it begin?' 
 
 " Wall, I war that green I was jest on the point of 
 singing out that it cut clear down stream from whar 
 our wagon was located till you was in line with a tree 
 on the far side, and a kind of little bay on ours. Thar 
 was shallow water on top of a ledge running to that 
 point. Perhaps it war deep enough to come to the 
 floor of the wagon, and in bad weather it might be an 
 inch or two deeper. But it warn't never more that I 
 ever knowed. On either side the ledge shelved off 
 gradually, and in course the water got deeper and 
 deeper. From the point I jest mentioned one had to 
 swing the team right across stream, drive 'em fer ten 
 yards or so, and then swing their heads up stream again. 
 It war the stiffest ford as ever I crossed, and I can't 
 make no shape to guess how it war first located. But 
 thar it was, I'd been over it a dozen times, and was game 
 to take the team myself, with the load of gold dust, 
 Uncle, and all. I war sayin', I war jest on the point 
 of singing out directions to the strangers over the far 
 side, when Uncle jest pops the tip of his nose outer the 
 wagon. 
 
 " ' Hold on, Tom,' he says. ' Who aer they?' " 
 
 " I didn't know one bit. They was travellers I sup- 
 posed. But Uncle had been on that road for seven years, 
 and guess he knew everyone for miles up and down. 
 
132 Indian and Scout 
 
 " ' There's lour of them/ I said. ' Guess they're going 
 down to the mines.' " 
 
 " ' Guess they're bound for gold anyway,' he says. 
 ' Sing out as there's another ford six miles up stream,' 
 he says. 'That'll give us a breather. Don't tell them 
 on any account that they kin cross here.' " 
 
 "You may reckon I got wondering whether Uncle 
 were still wandering, and off his head. I looked at him 
 precious hard, and axed him ef he meant it. ' They kin 
 guess there's a ford here, and we know it,' I said, 'else 
 we shouldn't be camped by the entrance.' 
 
 " ' Let 'em guess it, then,' he kind of snapped. ' Better 
 they should think we was fools than we should tell 'em 
 the ford and have 'em takin' every dollar we've got on 
 board. Sonny, those four strangers aer a gang that's 
 been watchin' fer me more than once. I've give them 
 the slip three times already, and I'll do it agin this time 
 ef I'm able. Ah, thunder! I can't even stand.' 
 
 " He'd climbed to his feet inside the wagon, holding 
 0,1 to the tilt, and jest as I looked across the river again 
 I heard him fall with a bang. Then the man who'd 
 shouted from the far side sang out again: 'We're mak- 
 ing south,' he hailed. ' We've been directed to this here 
 ford, and sence you're meaning to cross yer must know 
 it. We was told it war tricky. Whar does it start, and 
 whar does one have to turn?' 
 
 " ' Bluff 'em,' calls Uncle from the wagon. ' Ef yer 
 don't, it'll be a case with both of us, youngster.' 
 
 " Wall, I war only a kid," said Tom, gathering his 
 reins in a bunch, " and I don't mind agreein' that I war 
 in a mortal funk. I'd heard of Uncle's escapes, in 
 course, and I knew that thar war men out on the road 
 
Only a Youngster 133 
 
 who'd take every dollar we had, and shoot us into the 
 bargain. In my fright I was nearly telling them the 
 ford. But Uncle war at the tilt again, glaring at me, 
 and calling to me not ter be a fool. And I reckon I 
 war more afraid of Uncle when he was in a rage than 
 I war of any other man under the sun. I warn't fer 
 telling a lie anyhow, but I 'low as all aer fair in love 
 and war, and thet was a case of war. So I plucked 
 up some sorter courage and called back to the men: 
 ' Uncle's ill,' I shouted. ' He's too ill to come out and 
 show the ford. But thar's another, six miles higher 
 up. Yer can't miss it when you get thar. It's easier 
 than this one.' 
 
 " Wall, that didn't please 'em. I could see the critters 
 putting their heads together, and perhaps they guessed 
 that Uncle could ha' told me, even if he war too ill 
 to shout to them. So they tried to scare me into telling 
 them. 
 
 " ' This here's a case of life and death,' sings out the 
 rascal as had shouted before. We're going south ter see 
 our mother. She's thet bad she ain't expected ter last 
 over long. So we're pushing down as fast as we can. 
 Ax yer uncle ter tell you the road.' 
 
 "'Ax him the name of his mother,' growls Uncle from 
 the wagon. 
 
 " Wall, thet did it," said Tom with a grin, looking into 
 Jack's face. " In course they seed that they was being 
 bluffed, and one of 'em made up his mind to find the 
 ford for himself. He rid down the bank, spurred his 
 horse on into the water, and was ten feet out in no time. 
 By then the water was jest washin' his boots. Reckon 
 he war on the ledge that carried the ford on the far side. 
 
134 Indian and Scout 
 
 " ' You kin come along, mates,' he sang out. ' Ef that 
 imp don't care ter ax his uncle, or ef his uncle's foxin' 
 ill, and won't say, why we'll get across all the same, 
 and make south all the sooner.' 
 
 " Guess he thought he was safely over," laughed Tom ; 
 " but he warn't. One of his mates joined him, while the 
 other two rode jest behind. Then suddenly, afore you 
 could have expected it, the two who were leading, 
 plunged into deep water. In course their horses started 
 swimmin', but the jerk, and being unused to thet sort of 
 thing perhaps, upset their riders, and reckon them two 
 had a fine sousing. They turned back to the bank, and 
 went climbing outer the water, shoutin' and cussin', and 
 sayin' what they'd do ter me ef they could only get 
 across. Then they turned their bosses' heads and rid 
 like mad fer the other ford! 
 
 " * Get them mules in quick,' sings out Uncle, squintin' 
 outer the wagon from beneath the tilt. * Them critters'll 
 be here afore yer kin look round, and ef we ain't slippy 
 they'll have us. Cut the ropes, lad, and let yer blankets 
 and sich things lie as they are. Ef we're alive we kin 
 come back fer 'em. Ef we're dead, guess we shan't 
 want 'em. Quick aer the word!' 
 
 "Yer could see as he war anxious, and in course I 
 set to ter fix the team into the wagon jest as slippy as 
 I could. But I war a boy, yer must remember, and 
 it aer a man's work ter tie a hull team into their places. 
 Then, what with thinkin' of them critters, and the 
 funk I war in, every trace I touched got hooked to 
 the wrong bar. There was Uncle, too, squintin' at 
 me from under the tilt, his face a fiery red, and his 
 dander burnin'. I wonder now thet I war able to fix 
 
Only a Youngster 135 
 
 'em all. But at last the mules were tied in and we 
 was ready. 
 
 " ' I'm to drive 'em over?" I axed the old man. ' Clean 
 slick across?' 
 
 "'You aer soft!" he sings out in a kind of shriek. 
 'That's what they want you to do. It's jest what we 
 ain't meanin' ter carry out. Kin yer guess why?' 
 
 " I couldn't," said Tom, making a grimace. " I war a 
 thick-headed kid, and the bustle had scared away all 
 the sense I ever had. 
 
 ""Cos them critters'll have divided,' shouted Uncle. 
 ' They know that I'm queer, and they guess a kid ain't 
 much ter be afraid of. Ef they'd happened to have 
 known this ford they would have ridden clean across, 
 took the gold, and riddled us with bullets. As it aer, 
 two of 'em will cross, the other two's hid up thar over 
 the far side of the river. They reckon they're bound ter 
 have us either way. Boy, aer you game ter fight 'em?' 
 
 " ' I'll try,' I says. ' What am I ter do?' 
 
 "'Send yer team into the water, and cut out along 
 the ford. When you've reached the point whar, in the 
 ordinary course, you'd swing 'em up stream, jest pull 
 'em in. It ain't over deep thar, and sense it's hot these 
 days the mules won't mind it. Hold the critters thar 
 till you see how things aer workin 1 . Ef the two men 
 who have crossed ride out to us, we must try and shoot 
 'em. Ef the others come riding out to join them, then 
 we've two things we kin do. One is ter send the team 
 along the road fer the other bank and chance the 
 shootin'. T'other is to drive 'em into deep water till 
 the cart is out of reach, cut the traces, and leave the 
 mules to swim ashore.' 
 
136 Indian and Scout 
 
 " Wall, that fairly staggered me," said Tom. " ' Drive 
 the wagon into deep water, Uncle?' I axed, and I reckon 
 my eyes was nearly starting from my head. 
 
 " * Yer've got it/ he answers, as if thar warn't nothing 
 outer the way in the order. ' This cart's heavy. It are 
 got enough dust aboard to keep it on the bottom till the 
 whole of the tilt is covered with water. I'd sooner sink 
 the hull thing, and myself too, ef that war necessary, 
 than see them critters get the gold. But we ain't goin' 
 ter do that. Drive the wagon off the road till the mules 
 are off their feet and swimmin 1 . By then we shall be 
 deep enough. Then cut 'em free and wait fer them 
 critters. Yer've got to shoot, young un.' 
 
 " We was in a bad muss anyway," said Tom, his face 
 assuming for the moment a stern aspect; "and what 
 with the bustle of puttin' in the mules, and headin' 
 them for the ford, I kind of forgot my fears. I was 
 that busy I hadn't time to think what might happen 
 when those villains reached us. So, somehow or other, 
 I grew out of the funk that had set my teeth chatterin' 
 and my fingers shakin', and, rememberin' that the team 
 was in my hands entirely, I made up my mind to bring 
 'em through. The leaders was enterin' the water before 
 yer could think, and before five minutes had passed, we 
 were well out in the centre. 
 
 " * Now pull 'em in,' says Uncle. ' Them critters'll be 
 here in ten minutes, and by then the mules will be 
 wantin' to move on. Yer'll have ter hold 'em tight, 
 lad. Jest remember that you are in charge of yer old 
 uncle and of the gold. Ef yer pull us through it'll be 
 the making of yer.' 
 
 " From being in a funk I got quite lively, and as proud 
 
Only a Youngster 137 
 
 as a peacock, and sat there at the front of the wagon, 
 same as I am here, holding the reins, and fingering my 
 shooter every now and again. I'd never let one off 
 before that, except sometimes Uncle would give me a 
 shot when we were well out on the plains. But I 'lowed 
 as I could try, and by the time them critters turned up 
 I'd fixed it that I would shoot every man of 'em sooner 
 than lose the wagon and Uncle. 
 
 "Wall, in course of time two of the men that we'd 
 first seen on the far side of the river came galloping up 
 along the bank we'd jest left. Reckon they and their 
 mates had been lying hid, waiting fer us ter get across, 
 and they set to howlin' when it war clear that we had 
 taken to the river ter get protection. The two who had 
 stayed up on the other bank came over a hill some four 
 hundred yards away, and thar ain't a doubt but that 
 they had been watchin'. Anyway, they knew the route 
 we'd taken. There warn't, neither, any more doubt as 
 to what their business was. One of the critters let his 
 shooter loose, and in a second, flick! goes a bullet 
 through the tilt of the wagon close behind my ear. 
 
 "'That ain't nothing' sings out Uncle. 'A bullet 
 don't hurt till it hits, and the range are long for 'em. 
 Hold them critters steady, lad, and ef I tell yer, whip 
 'em up and swing 'em fer the far shore. Thar's this in 
 our favour: we've only two a side to deal with. When 
 they was on the far bank there were four. Now we kin 
 be more even.' 
 
 "The two on our side rode their horses right down 
 into the water, and then we larned that we wasn't to 
 have it altogether our own way. Uncle had forgotten 
 that two of the critters had been watchin', and these 
 
138 Indian and Scout 
 
 two stood with their hosses' feet in the water and called 
 across to their friends, giving them directions how to 
 move so as to follow the ford. They meant business, 
 there warn't a doubt, fer in two seconds the men on 
 our side were edging their beasts slowly into the stream, 
 kinder feelin' the ridge beneath them, and making out 
 to where we were stood. It began to look ticklish, and 
 a lot wuss when the two varmint on the far side rid 
 their mounts farther into the river, and, as ef they'd 
 guessed that the ledge must make in a line to whar 
 we were, began to push on towards us. 
 
 " ' It aer a case of facin' the hull crowd or of sinking 
 the cargo,' sings out Uncle. 
 
 " Ef he'd been strong enough ter get to his feet I 
 reckon he would have faced the crowd alone, fer he 
 had fine courage; but he war as weak as a child, and 
 could only lie there raging at his helplessness. 
 
 "'Kin you tackle the lot alone, Tom?' he asked after 
 a bit, when them critters was close handy. 
 
 "I suppose I looked what I thought. There warn't 
 a chance that I could manage the team and fight them 
 four. 
 
 "'Then whip 'em up and run her into deep water,' 
 cries the old man. ' Ef the cart sinks fer good, then at 
 any rate they won't have had the gold. Ef she holds 
 the bottom we'll be able to get a rope on to her later on, 
 and an extry team will pull her out. Swing 'em over, 
 lad, and get ready to cut the critters loose. It wouldn't 
 do to leave them tied by the traces. They'd drown like 
 rats in a trap." 
 
 "Yer should ha' heard the row them fellers made 
 when the cart got moving suddenly," said Tom, laugh- 
 
Only a Youngster 139 
 
 ing loudly at the recollection. " I war a boy, yer must 
 recollect, and thim shouts fairly scared me fer a moment, 
 and kind of driv all my courage outer my elbows. I 
 mind the fact that, fer months after, when I happened to 
 dream a little, it war always about those men, and the 
 shout they gave used ter set me awake, sitting up in 
 my blankets and quaking. But thar was Uncle close 
 handy, and, though he was helpless, I feared him a 
 goodish deal more than the robbers who were riding 
 out into the stream. Also, and yer kin believe it, 
 seeing as you're young, I had a sort of feeling that 
 kept me going. I knew that I was responsible fer the 
 safety of Uncle and the gold. There wasn't another 
 soul handy to help me, and ef I went down through 
 funk then everything was lost. I may be right Gee! 
 I'm sure I am when a young chap knows that others 
 are relying on him, that he has a sort of duty before 
 him, why it's in his nature, it's human nature ef yer like, 
 fer him to buckle to, ter get savage and stubborn, and ter 
 swear to hisself that he's going ter get through with the 
 job and win out whatever happens. Anyway, that's 
 how I felt. I didn't give a how of chips for the thought 
 that I might be drowned. I jest picked up the reins 
 hard, flicked my whip-end over the leaders, and sent 
 'em forward. In two yards I should ha' swung them 
 to the right ef I wanted to follow the ford. Ef I swung 
 'em to the left they would drag the cart into deep water, 
 and pretty sudden too, fer the ledge carrying the road 
 over the river broke off on that side rather abruptly, and 
 thar was ten foot of depth within six yards of whar we 
 were standing. 
 
 "'Git at it, lad!' sings out Uncle. And git at it I 
 
Indian and Scout 
 
 did. I drove the mules clear to the left, and in a few 
 seconds the leaders was swimming. I made sure that 
 in another moment or two I should be in water up to 
 my neck. But jest then one of the robbers sent a bullet 
 in our direction. It missed me by a hair, and, flying on, 
 struck one of the wheelers. And thet 'ere bullet seemed 
 to finish the case fer us. It sent the mule it struck 
 plunging right and left, and scared the other beasts. 
 Instead of pulling the cart out into deep water, the 
 leader of our team swum round fer the place they knew 
 would give 'em footing. And once they had got it, 
 there they stood, sweating in spite of the water, ready 
 to break away at any moment, and refusing to answer 
 to the reins. It war a fix. Thar war the cart in 
 deeper water, to be sure, but still on the ledge, and 
 easily get-at-able by them robbers. 
 
 " ' Give 'em the whip. Swing 'em over, Tom,' shouts 
 Uncle. " Them critters will get us here. Push the team 
 on! 1 
 
 "It war easy ter order, but hard ter carry out the work. 
 The mules were that scared they wouldn't budge one 
 way or the other. They jest stood thar, with the water 
 washing all round them, their ears thrown back, ready 
 ter do something extry silly the next second, but refusing 
 blank ter do what war expected of them. . And all the 
 while thar was them four robbers riding out, feelin' 
 their way carefully, and gettin' nearer. In fact, they 
 was at that moment within twenty paces, close enough 
 to make fair shooting. I know that, 'cos one of the 
 varmint lifted his shooter, took a careful aim at me 
 sittin' there on the box, and let off his gun. It war 
 lucky that them leaders give a jerk just then. It made 
 
Only a Youngster 141 
 
 me swing over to the right, while the bullet ripped past 
 my shoulder and cut a neat little hole in the tilt. 
 
 "'We're done,' I heard Uncle groan. Then the 
 corner of the tilt that he had been holding up, so as 
 to be able to look out, fell back into place, and by the 
 bump I heard I reckoned he'd fallen back in a faint. 
 Thar war I left all alone ter face them critters." 
 
 The very recollection of such a position made Tom 
 hot. He drew a huge, red handkerchief from his hat, 
 where he was in the habit of carrying it, and mopped 
 his forehead. 
 
 " It war a teaser," he said. 
 
 1 It was," admitted Jack. " What happened?' 
 
 " I expected to be shot any second. I gave a slash 
 at my leaders again, and did my best to move them. 
 But they wouldn't budge. Then one of them villains let 
 off his gun so close that I reckon the smoke and the 
 flash scared me, though why the bullet didn't hit me is 
 a puzzle I ain't going to try ter explain. I war scared 
 right enough, and the start I gave caused me to roll 
 from the seat where I was sitting splosh into the water. 
 Yer should ha' heard them critters yell again. Guess 
 they took it fer granted that the trouble was over, and 
 that the gold and the cart was theirs. But it warn't. I 
 had got something more to say in the business." 
 
 " How?" asked Jack, who was more than interested. 
 " You fell from your seat into the water." 
 
 " I did that. The cart war left on the edge of the 
 ledge, as I've already said, and the river was jest about 
 washing the floor boards. I floundered under the sur- 
 face for a bit, and then got my feet safe on ter the ledge. 
 But when I lifted my head to take a breath it came 
 
142 Indian and Scout 
 
 bump up agin the floor boards. I war clear under the 
 wagon, and, as luck would have it, there was jest enough 
 space there to allow me to breathe. Guess them four 
 critters thought I was drownded, fer they rid up to the 
 wagon laughing fit ter bust. 
 
 " * That 'ere shot cleared him out fine,' I heard one of 
 them shout. * Git to their heads, mate, and take them 
 along the ford. We ain't out of this muss yet. Joe, 
 ride ahead, and make sure ye're on the ledge. Now 
 that we've got the gold it won't do ter lose it. I'll keep 
 close handy to the cart. The old man'll want shootinV 
 
 " That's the sort of ruffians they was," explained Tom. 
 " They didn't think no more of shootin' a man then I 
 think of eatin' dinner. And it didn't make no differ- 
 ence to them whether it war a boy their bullets hit, or 
 a man. But I war under the wagon, and though I had 
 been scared I warn't done with, not by a heap. Yer 
 must understand that gold dust are heavy stuff to carry, 
 but it don't take up a heap of room, so thar was plenty 
 o' space left fer us in the wagon. Then, same as we 
 have here, some of the boards was kept loose on purpose. 
 Yer see, out on the plains, when ye've a load, yer often 
 want to carry odds and ends slung to the wagon. 
 Thar's a pail fer watering the mules, a cooking pot, 
 and sich like things. Sometimes they're jest slung to 
 hooks screwed into the bottom boards. But Uncle had 
 his own ideas of comfort and of doin' things, and I 
 reckon he ought to know what was right, seein' he'd 
 been on the road so long. His idea was to have a tray 
 slung under the centre of the wagon by means of four 
 short lengths of chain, and the bottom boards above 
 carried loose, so as you could haul up anything you 
 
Only a Youngster 143 
 
 wanted from the tray. Wall now, in course, seeing that 
 we had to cross the river, I had removed every stick 
 from that tray. It come bump up agin me as I 
 crouched below the wagon, and, as those men moved 
 the team along, I jest climbed on to the tray and rose 
 my head through the boards of the wagon. It war as 
 good as a play. There were them critters thinkin' that 
 I was floatin' down the river. And there was me, half 
 in the wagon, extry lively, wonderin' hard what ter do. 
 It war Uncle's shooter that decided the matter. He was 
 lying close handy to the opening, as pale as death, with 
 his revolver on the boards beside him. 
 
 * * Yer own's drenched by the river/ I said to myself, 
 feeling for the shooter I carried in my belt. 'His is 
 all right. Take it, and go fer them critters.' Wall, 
 I hopped clean into the wagon then, waited a bit till 
 we were getting close to the far bank, fer the robbers 
 war guiding the team all the while, and war going for- 
 ward as slow as ef it war to a funeral. Then I lifted 
 the edge of the tilt, took aim at the chap riding nearest, 
 and pulled the trigger. Reckon he war killed outright. 
 Anyway, he plumped into the water, and none of us 
 saw him agin. But you kin guess that thar war a 
 ruction. Them fellers thought that they had the thing 
 all to themselves, and then, all of a sudden, one of their 
 number was wiped out. They wasn't cowards, to say 
 the best of them, and the three who war left gave up 
 minding the mules and came ridin' their bosses back 
 to the wagon, sending a bullet or so to show that they 
 war coming. Yer don't think I waited for 'em, do yer?" 
 
 Tom asked the question with a knowing wag of his 
 head. 
 
144 Indian and Scout 
 
 " Not much," he proceeded, as Jack showed his doubt. 
 " I knew ef I stayed in the wagon they'd riddle me 
 before I could wink: same as you guessed that thet 
 fellow in the railway carriage would shoot yer ef yer 
 rose your head above the window. Thar was Uncle, 
 too. Ef I got shot where I was, he was certain ter 
 be found and an end made of him. I kinder guessed 
 the whole thing in a flash, and then dived through the 
 boards of the wagon, on to the tray below, and then 
 into the river. There was eight inches or more of air 
 space beneath the boards by then, fer the ledge was 
 rising, and ef a man had stood in the river and stooped, 
 so as to get a view, he could have seen me fer. certain. 
 But them critters was on horseback, and I reckon 
 they never gave a thought to the under part of the 
 wagon. Anyway, they rode up with every intention 
 of pulling the tilt aside and shooting me the moment 
 they could clap eyes on my figure. And I disappointed 
 'em. I jest waded to the edge of the wagon, fixed 
 myself inside one of the wheels, and when they was 
 within five feet of me let go with my pistol. It fixed 
 'em sure. They wasn't expecting anything from under- 
 neath the wagon, same as that critter in the train warn't 
 expecting nothing from the roof. My bullet must have 
 struck one of the hosses, and the mad plunging of the 
 beast didn't help matters for them. Then a second 
 bullet winged one of the men, and in a moment they 
 went flying. Gee! It makes me laugh now to think 
 of the muss they got into. The bank war on our left, 
 and a short cut to it took yer into deep water. They 
 war properly scared, and, like people in a similar con- 
 dition, they made fer safety by what seemed ter be the 
 
Only a Youngster 145 
 
 quickest route. In two seconds their bosses was 
 swimming, and before they managed to reach the bank 
 one at least of the villains had had a narrow squeak fer 
 his life. As fer me, I climbed on to the box, took up 
 the reins, and sent the mules flyin' to the bank. But 
 I didn't stay there. I turned 'em, and came back over 
 the water. Yer see, the three robbers was left on the 
 far side, and ef they wanted to attack again they had 
 to cross the ford there in full view, or had to gallop up 
 to the other ford. In any case it would give me time 
 to fix matters up a little, and pay some attention to 
 Uncle." 
 
 "You saved him," said Jack enthusiastically. "He 
 must have been proud of you. You were only a boy, 
 I must remember." 
 
 " He war a peppery feller," laughed Tom. "He came 
 to his senses five minutes later, and fer a time I guess 
 he thought the cart and the gold were taken. Then he 
 reckoned he'd had a baddish dream. It warn't till the 
 following day thet I told him." 
 
 "And then?" asked Jack. 
 
 "He war a regular father to me. He's an old man 
 now, living in New York State; but his home's mine, 
 and his money too ef I wanted it." 
 
 (0179) 10 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 A Buffalo Hunt 
 
 " THEM'S buffalo without a shadow o' doubt," said Steve, 
 one afternoon, six weeks after the little party had set 
 out on their long journey to California. " Ef yer shade 
 yer eyes and look close yer can see a dark line that 
 ain't never still. Them's buffalo." 
 
 The little hunter spoke with an assurance born of 
 long experience, and sat his horse with one hand above 
 his eyes, and the brim of his hat pulled low. Jack fol- 
 lowed suit; but though he could distinguish the dark 
 line away on the plain, he could make nothing more 
 of it. 
 
 "There is a line, right enough, Steve," he admitted, 
 " and as you say it's buffalo I'm bound to believe you ; 
 but I can't see a single animal." 
 
 " No more yer would ef yer was to stare for halt 
 a day," came the answer, "'cos they're packed as tight 
 as herrings in a barrel. But the cloud above the line 
 tells a hunter the right tale. That aer dust, and them 
 beasts is moving pretty rapid. How'd yer like ter try 
 a shot at 'em?" 
 
 Jack was all eagerness at once, for he had been prac- 
 tising diligently with his weapons during the days which 
 had passed, and wished now to show of what he was 
 capable. Indeed, the injury to his shoulder had in a 
 
 146 
 
A Buffalo Hunt 147 
 
 measure been for his good; for in place of mounting 
 a rough horse immediately on joining the party, and 
 thereby risking perhaps a heavy fall, he had been 
 obliged to take a mount which was known to be quiet 
 and well trained. And from the back of this animal 
 he had been able to use his weapons without fear of 
 a sudden movement which would have unseated him. 
 
 " I'd much rather have taken my chances like any 
 other newcomer," he had said to Tom one day, as they 
 jogged along; "but I'm bound to admit that this steady 
 practice in the saddle, and using my rifle and revolver, 
 have done much for me." 
 
 " Yer bet," was the answer. " Thar's a sight of green 
 'uns comes out this way, and thinks they're goin' to 
 show the boys right off how to ride. Wall, that leads 
 to falls in general, sometimes to broken necks. Thar 
 are some, I 'low, as comes through fine, and shows heaps 
 of grit. But others weakens, while not a few gets broken 
 up, legs or arms smashed, or somethin' of that sort. 
 From what I knows of yer, young 'un, it's natural yer'd 
 ha' liked to show yer grit like those others. But that 
 shoulder aren't to be played with. Yer've got ter take 
 it easy, and take care not to risk a fall. But yer've 
 got one big advantage." 
 
 "And what is that?" asked Jack, wondering. 
 
 " I'll tell yer. Most every man larns to shoot when 
 on his legs. There ain't nothin' to prevent yer doin' 
 the same. But with that quiet horse yer kin set to 
 with the guns on the trace, and there ain't nothin' like 
 the man as can shoot as quick and as straight when on 
 a movin' horse. 'Sides, you can practise both hands. 
 Twon't hurt the shoulder." 
 
148 Indian and Scout 
 
 And so, thanks to constant practice, Jack was now 
 by no means a duffer with rifle and revolver, while he 
 could shoot with the latter equally well with either 
 hand. 
 
 " Them buffalo are making east," said Steve, as he 
 watched the distant line, "and sense the wind's from 
 that quarter thar ain't nothin' to prevent us comin' up 
 behind 'em. Mind yer, none but a downright fool 
 would ever attempt to head 'em, 'cos thar ain't no 
 stoppin' buffalo on the move. Ef you was to build a 
 wall in front of 'em, they'd push it over. Thar's 
 thousands as a rule in the herds, and them as is in the 
 back lines don't know what's happenin' away in front. 
 And so they goes on pushin' and shovin', and squeezin' 
 the ones up in the front, till they're bound ter move 
 forward. Hundreds and hundreds of the beasts have 
 been known ter go head over ears over a cliff before 
 their mates behind got to reckon what was happenin'. 
 Guess we'll cut dead across. That'll bring us near level 
 with the last of the herd, and then it'll be a poor day ef 
 we don't manage to cut one of 'em out." 
 
 Slinging his rifle at Steve's bidding, Jack shook up his 
 horse, a more spirited one now than the animal he had 
 at first ridden, and cantered along beside the hunts- 
 man. 
 
 "A gun aer no use fer this job," sang out Steve. 
 "Thar ain't no fetchin' a buffalo down unless he's hit 
 heavy, and to do that yer've got ter ride in close. The 
 Injuns kill 'em with arrows, and I've seen their hunters 
 ride up behind a herd and stand on the back of the 
 beast they've chosen. Then, with an arrow drawn to the 
 head, the chances are it'll go clean through the buffalo's 
 
A Buffalo Hunt 149 
 
 heart. A shooter are the weapon for 'em, and when yer 
 fire, aim just behind the shoulder." 
 
 A sharp canter took them rapidly closer to the herd, 
 and very soon the dark line resolved itself into a mass 
 of moving beasts, over whom hung a cloud of yellow 
 dust. Steve turned his horse a little, and cantered 
 on till the tail of the herd was passing. 
 
 " Now's the time," he sang out. " Keep along beside 
 me till we're well behind 'em. Then ride forward 
 till ye're almost in the crowd. That'll allow yer to 
 select a beast and shoot him. Don't fire at more than 
 one. Guess two beasts altogether will keep us in food 
 fer a month. And jest one more warnin'. Keep clear 
 of their horns. They're the ugliest things fer diggin' 
 I ever hit across." 
 
 Gripping his reins firmly in his left hand, Jack followed 
 Steve until they were right behind the centre of the herd. 
 The beasts seemed to have scented their enemies ; for the 
 pace of those behind increased of a sudden, while those 
 in front, pressed on in spite of themselves, soon broke 
 into a fast gallop, which taxed the fleetness of the horses. 
 Watching the mass of struggling beasts, our hero soon 
 picked out a huge animal, floundering along in rear, and 
 when Steve shouted, he turned his horse and rode him 
 up beside the buffalo he had selected. And it seemed 
 at once as if the beast realized his intentions, for it 
 increased its pace, and, shouldering its way amongst 
 its fellows, soon placed a couple of rows of buffalo 
 between it and Jack. 
 
 " I've chosen him, and I'm going to bag him, whatever 
 happens," thought our hero, as he raced along. "I'll 
 follow in after the beast." 
 
150 Indian and Scout 
 
 Pressing his horse with both knees, and urging him 
 forward with voice and spur, he managed to wedge him- 
 self in the last line of moving buffalo. Another effort 
 and he passed right through it, and was almost within 
 shot of the animal he wanted. Then he heard a sharp 
 report on his right, followed by a shout, and, turning, saw 
 Steve riding hard towards him." 
 
 "YerVe got to be careful in thar," shouted the 
 hunter. " Mind their horns, and jest see that when 
 he falls the others don't come tumbling on ter yer. 
 Now, let him have it" 
 
 Steve was within a few feet of Jack now, for the 
 hunter felt anxious for the safety of his young friend. 
 
 " I never seed a new 'un with more grit," he was saying 
 to himself. " The most of 'em would be content to ride 
 up behind, and fire from a little distance. But Carrots 
 ain't like that. I've noticed he's a way of doin' a thing 
 proper or not at all. He's bound on making a point- 
 blank shot." 
 
 That, in fact, was Jack's intention, and, careless of the 
 tossing heads about him, of the horns turning this way 
 and that, and of the angry bellows, he pressed his horse 
 still more forward, till he was right up against the beast 
 he had selected. And there, jammed in the press, and 
 going hard all the while, our hero stood up in his stirrups, 
 watched for the right moment, and fired his weapon, 
 aiming just behind the moving shoulder. 
 
 " Pull out!" shouted Steve, " Pull out or they'll carry 
 yer along." 
 
 To retire from the position he had taken up was 
 not an easy task, as Jack soon found; for behind him 
 a solid wall of buffalo swung along, while the animal he 
 
A Buffalo Hunt 151 
 
 had fired at still galloped forward as if it had received 
 no wound. It seemed, indeed, as if our hero had failed. 
 But he was not the lad to give in easily. Food was 
 wanted for the camp, and this was the very first oppor- 
 tunity he had had of showing his prowess. Once more 
 he spurred up beside the beast and sent a second bullet 
 crashing into his body. And then there was a sudden 
 change in the situation. The buffalo dropped like a log, 
 while the animal immediately behind tripped, fell on his 
 nose, and in doing so knocked the legs of Jack's mount 
 from under him. In an instant there was a scene of dire 
 confusion. Jack went flying far ahead, over the ears of 
 his horse, while Steve, who was riding just behind him 
 by then, came a terrible cropper. Clouds of dust were 
 thrown into the air, and dimly seen through it were 
 struggling beasts, feet lashing here and there, and 
 frightened eyes. Never had Jack heard such a bel- 
 lowing. It seemed as if all the buffalo in that country 
 were round him, and then, as suddenly, they were gone. 
 The beasts who had fallen got to their feet and charged 
 madly by him, leaving him alone with the one he had 
 shot, stretched just a foot away from it, while farther 
 behind was his horse, looking at him, as if the poor beast 
 still wondered what had happened. As for Steve, he 
 lay very still, one boot remaining in his stirrup, while his 
 well-trained beast stood close beside him, grazing, as if 
 buffalo had never existed, and as if such a thing as a 
 catastrophe had never occurred. 
 
 Jack clambered to his feet and ran to Steve, to 
 find him conscious, and lying with eyes wide open. 
 
 "Jest lift my foot out of the stirrup," he said cheer- 
 fully, but in a voice little above a whisper. "We was 
 
152 Indian and Scout 
 
 goin' fast, I guess? and I wasn't lookin' for a fall. 
 Reckon my back's badly shook, 'cos I ain't got no 
 power over my legs. Pain? No. I ain't any, but 
 it's queer fer me to be lying here unable ter move." 
 
 Jack gently disengaged his foot from the stirrup, 
 and made his friend comfortable. Then he turned to 
 look about him, and at once an exclamation escaped 
 him. 
 
 "Look!" he cried. "They're returning. Something 
 seems to have caused the herd to swing round, and 
 they're chargin' back this way." 
 
 A flush came to the hunter's face as he heard the 
 news, and with an obvious effort he managed to turn 
 his head. Then he called to Jack, and spoke quietly. 
 
 "Yer'd best be going," he said earnestly. "That 
 mob's less than half a mile away, and ef they're coming 
 along as they was a few minutes ago, they'll be here 
 afore yer can look round. Ef they find yer still on 
 this spot yer best friend won't know yer when they're 
 gone. Best git, slippy. So long!" 
 
 "And you?" asked Jack, casting another glance to- 
 wards the herd, which, for some unexplained reason had 
 undoubtedly turned, and was charging back over the 
 ground it had so recently covered. "And what about 
 you, Steve?" he asked. "Would your best friend be 
 able to recognize you any better than mine would be?" 
 
 " Shucks ! Ye're talkin', and wastin' valuable time," 
 growled Steve. " Yer kin see it's a case with me. I'm 
 done fer, and I don't mind if no one can recognize 
 me. Ye git, and precious slippy. Yer ain't got too 
 much time ter clear even now." 
 
 "And desert you, the man who has been so friendly 
 
A Buffalo Hunt 153 
 
 to me," said Jack. " Never ! I'll do my best to carry 
 him off. Can you hold anything, Steve?" he asked, 
 kneeling beside the helpless hunter. 
 
 "Yer bet. Give us yer hand. Thar. So long!" 
 
 Steve gripped Jack's hand firmly, and then thrust him 
 away. "Didn't I tell yer to be goin'?" he cried angrily. 
 "The chances aer ye'll not do it even now. Them 
 beasts is coming quicker'n yer kin gallop. Aer yer 
 a fool?" 
 
 " Get a hold round my neck," cried Jack, bending 
 lower over him. "Quickly! You're only wasting my 
 time and yours by hesitating. There! Grip hard. 
 I'm going to get into my saddle." 
 
 "Yer ain't! Git as quick as yer kin, and leave me 
 to it. Ain't I warned yer? Jest quit foolin'?" 
 
 Steve blazed out at Jack as the latter again bent over 
 him, and with an emphatic shake of his head refused to 
 do as our hero suggested. For the little scout knew 
 what he was talking about. Already it was doubtful 
 whether either of them could escape that rushing herd, 
 even if well mounted. But if he in his unselfishness 
 was determined not to ruin Jack's chances of escape, 
 the latter was equally determined not to leave Steve 
 to be trampled into the dust by the charging buffalo. 
 He could never face his other friends if he returned 
 with such a tale of cowardice, and in spite of Steve's 
 obstinacy he made up his mind there and then that he 
 would save him, or stand and face the beasts by his side. 
 
 " Quit foolin' and git off!" shouted Steve again. " Yer 
 ain't got a moment to lose." 
 
 " And you won't take a grip of my neck and let me 
 lift you?" asked Jack. 
 
154 Indian and Scout 
 
 " I won't. I ain't goin' ter spoil the chances of one 
 fer the sake of savin' myself. Git, and have done with 
 the talkin'." 
 
 " Then you've yourself to thank. I'll do as I know to 
 be proper." 
 
 Jack stooped once more over the little hunter, and 
 with one big heave threw him over his shoulder. Then 
 he hurried with him to his horse, placed the injured man 
 in front of the saddle, and with a bound was up behind 
 him. Leaving Steve's mount to follow as it liked, he 
 dug his spurs into his own beast and sent it galloping 
 forward. Then began a desperate race, for already 
 the herd was within a hundred yards, sweeping along 
 over the plain in one dense mass, which stretched for 
 a quarter of a mile on either side. Indeed, it might 
 have been more; for in those days, before railways had 
 come, and the march of civilization had driven the 
 animals away, herds of twenty and more thousand buf- 
 falo were often to be encountered. Whatever its pro- 
 portions, this particular herd came thundering along, a 
 dense mass of dust flying in the air above it, while the 
 earth beneath trembled with the thud of so many hoofs. 
 It was as much as a horse could do to keep in front of 
 the maddened animals, and very soon Jack found his 
 own mount flagging. 
 
 " We're bound to go down before them if I can't find 
 my way to one side," he thought. "Let me see how 
 much ahead of them I am." 
 
 Gripping Steve firmly, so that he could not be shaken 
 off, and digging his knees into his mount, Jack swung 
 his head round and looked behind him. There was a 
 sea of tossing manes, of flashing eyes and terrible horns, 
 
A Buffalo Hunt 155 
 
 within twenty yards, and the thunder the animals made 
 would have drowned the ordinary voice. And on either 
 side the line stretched till it seemed to be interminable. 
 Then Jack looked ahead, and, seeing some trees growing 
 on a rising knoll away on the right, he swung his horse 
 in that direction, and applied his spurs again, calling 
 upon the noble animal to make one last effort. As for 
 Steve, our hero could feel him wriggling, and even heard 
 his voice as he endeavoured to expostulate with his 
 saviour. But the words came jerkily. The movement 
 of the horse shook the breath out of the little hunter's 
 body. 
 
 "We'll do it! Stick to the game!" shouted Jack, 
 stretching out one hand to pat his horse's neck. " Now, 
 a little more, and we shall be there." 
 
 But safety was not yet accomplished, and for some 
 minutes it seemed as if both he and Steve must go 
 down before the mob and be trampled to death, when 
 of a sudden there was another movement amongst the 
 herd. Imperceptibly at first, and then with a swing, 
 the leaders faced away from the rising knoll for which 
 Jack had been aiming, and, pressing their fellows on 
 the left farther to that side, galloped off on a line at 
 a tangent to that which had previously been followed. 
 This unforeseen movement at once gave the fugitives 
 an advantage, for those beasts directly behind them 
 and farther to the right were placed even farther be- 
 hind. 
 
 "Forward!" shouted Jack, applying his spurs again. 
 " We've just a chance still." 
 
 But it proved, before the matter was ended, to be a 
 close escape for both of them, for before the right-hand 
 
156 Indian and Scout 
 
 margin of the herd was reached many of the animals 
 were thundering along immediately in rear, while on 
 the very outskirts of the crowd some of the buffalo 
 had actually passed ahead of Jack. He watched his 
 opportunity and then suddenly swung his horse well 
 to one side, pulling him in a minute later amongst the 
 trees for which he had been aiming. And there, as he 
 dismounted and lifted Steve to the ground, he watched 
 as the whole herd rushed past him, watched for five 
 minutes as the thunder of their hoofs drummed on his 
 ear. Then he sat down to rest and wipe his forehead. 
 
 " That aer the nearest thing yer'll ever have, nor me 
 either," said Steve suddenly, when the noise had died 
 down. "Jack, jest pull in that critter and place him 
 well behind the bushes. There ain't a chance of our 
 bein' seen, for ye've chose a proper little hollow, and 
 no one could easily see us from outside on the plain. 
 Gee! That war a near thing, and I ain't so sure that 
 there ain't more to follow." 
 
 Despite his helplessness the little scout managed to 
 prop himself up against a tree, and lay there staring out 
 into the plain, while Jack followed out his instructions. 
 Taking the horse, he led him amidst the trees to a spot 
 where a dense mass of brushes grew, and left him there 
 to blow and regain his wind. As for Steve's mount, he 
 had fled for those trees at the very first, and, being un- 
 encumbered by a rider, had reached them well in advance. 
 Jack slipped his reins over the fork of a tree and returned 
 to Steve. 
 
 " I war sayin' we was mighty lucky," exclaimed the 
 scout, "and I war advisin' yer to keep well down and 
 hide the horses. Do yer know the reason?" 
 
A Buffalo Hunt 157 
 
 Jack shook his head. He was beginning to wonder 
 if the fall had in some manner upset Steve's reason as 
 well as damaging his back. 
 
 " Wall, I'll tell yer. What sent them varmints back 
 on their trail so onexpectedly?" he asked. " Yer don't 
 know, and can't guess. But I had a notion from the 
 very fust, and I reckoned that ef we got clear of the 
 herd we'd have somethin' else to face. It was Injuns, 
 Jack. Buffalo don't face about fer nothin'. I've seen 
 twenty and more hunters trying to turn a pack of 'em 
 smaller than this here by a heap. They've fired their 
 revolvers into the face of the herd, and shouted, and rid 
 across. But it ain't done nothin'. The beasts has come 
 along solid all the same. But when thar's a hundred 
 painted Injun varmints a-shriekin' in front and shootin' 
 their arrows, why, even buffalo'll turn then." 
 
 But " exclaimed Jack, his eyes wide open with 
 
 amazement. 
 
 " Yer didn't see any of 'em," cried Steve. " No more 
 yer did, nor me neither at first. The dust covered every- 
 thing. But jest you look thar." 
 
 He pointed after the herd, and, following that direc- 
 tion, Jack's eyes fell upon a number of horsemen who 
 must have swept by the spot where he and Steve lay, 
 directly in wake of the buffalo. 
 
 "Indians!" he cried in amazement. 
 
 " Them's the red-skinned varmints, and a fine time 
 they'll give us ef we drop into their hands. Aer yer 
 sure ye've hid up them hosses?" 
 
 "Certain. I couldn't make out what you meant by 
 giving such directions, and began to wonder whether 
 you were all right in your head. But I hid the 
 
158 Indian and Scout 
 
 horses right enough. No one would see them from 
 outside." 
 
 " Then we're right fer the moment," said Steve, " but 
 it'll be only fer the moment. Them varmint'll see the 
 beasts we killed, and'll know in a minute as white men 
 ha' done it, 'cos they're shot with bullets. That'll tell 
 'em we were behind the herd before it turned. They'll 
 be proper bothered after that, 'cos there ain't a trace 
 left now to follow. Every mark has been stamped out 
 of the ground. But that won't beat 'em. They'll send 
 out parties to ride round till they strike our tracks, and 
 a glance'll tell 'em whether we were goin' or com in'. 
 Wall, they'll see, in course, that we ain't rid away. Then 
 they'll set to ter find us. And as far as I can see thar 
 ain't another likely spot, barrin' these trees." 
 
 The outlook did indeed appear to be anything but 
 rosy; for, as Jack kneeled amidst the trees beside his 
 injured friend and looked out into the plain, he could 
 distinguish fully fifty Indians, all mounted, and slowly 
 returning from following the buffalo. Had he but known 
 the men were part of a tribe which had camped three 
 miles away in a hollow which hid them completely, and, 
 having ridden from a direction the opposite of that from 
 which Jack and his friends were making, neither party 
 had seen the other. It was the maddened herd of 
 buffalo which had first disturbed the Indians, and, find- 
 ing it probable that they would charge right across their 
 own camping-ground, they had turned out in force, and 
 by dint of much shouting had contrived to stem the 
 rush, and in the end to cause the whole herd to face 
 about And up to now they were still ignorant of the 
 presence of white people. A minute later, however, there 
 
A Buffalo Hunt 159 
 
 was a shout out on the plain, and a batch of the Indians 
 galloped across to the buffalo which Jack had shot. 
 
 "In course they seed it. I knew they would," growled 
 Steve. " It ain't likely that an Injun could miss a beast 
 like that. And ain't they jest talkin'! Guess they'll 
 know in less than a minute that they ain't the only 
 people hereabouts, and that thar's scalps within dis- 
 tance that's worth the taking." 
 
 At any other time Jack could have watched with 
 interest as the Indians gathered round the fallen buffalo 
 and inspected the carcass. For their movements were 
 picturesque, to say the least of it. But he had heard 
 enough already to prove to him that these bands still 
 roving the plains were just as implacable enemies of the 
 white men as their fathers had ever been, while he knew 
 it to be a fact that scores of unhappy people making 
 across the plains for California had been ruthlessly 
 slaughtered by the red man. If he had any doubt of 
 the Indians he was watching it was dispelled in an 
 instant. A fierce shout suddenly broke the silence. 
 
 "Didn't I say so?" cried Steve, a grim look on his 
 face. " Them varmint aer hit upon the truth, and they 
 know well that white men has been after them buffalo 
 within this last hour. Thar they go in two parties, 
 while that chap ridin' away by hisself is goin' to the 
 camp to bring along the others. Seems to me we shall 
 have the hull crowd of 'em about us afore many minutes. 
 Lad, seems almost a pity you troubled to bring me out." 
 
 The little scout smiled at Jack, and held out a hand. 
 
 " Yer ain't no tenderfoot," he said huskily. " I've 
 been round about the plains boy and man, and I've seen 
 a sight of gallant actions, but they was mostly the 
 
160 Indian and Scout 
 
 work of experienced men, not of young chaps new from 
 the towns. Jack, I've marked it up fer yer. Ef we 
 squeeze out of this, t'others shall know, and Steve won't 
 forget what he's owing. Now, lad, jest roll me over and 
 pull off my shirt. Thar's a bit of beef in my saddle 
 bag, and ef yer cut a hunk of fat from it it'll do to rub 
 into the back. Seems the spine's a bit shook up, and is 
 already better. Gee, ef I can't move a toe now!" 
 
 He smiled grimly as he pointed to one boot, and 
 showed our hero that he could move it. Then he lay 
 back against the tree and watched the enemy eagerly. 
 As for Jack, he rubbed Steve's back vigorously till the 
 scout declared that he was better. Then, seizing his 
 gun, he lay down to watch, wondering how long it 
 would take the Indians to find them, and whether, in 
 that event, he and Steve could hope to escape. 
 
 Nor was it long before his mind was filled with mis- 
 giving. As the shades of evening drew in, a party of 
 Indians came to a halt a mile from their hiding place, 
 and pointed eagerly in their direction. 
 
 " Didn't I say so," grov/led Steve, kneeling up, for his 
 strength was fast returning. " Them varmints are hit 
 on our trail, and'll be along in half a jiffy. Jack, thar 
 ain't no use denyin' it, you and me ain't got half a 
 show. Them critters is bound to take us." 
 
 Let the reader place himself for one brief moment 
 in the position in which our hero so suddenly and 
 unexpectedly found himself. There he was, young, full 
 of life and vigour, with his outlook upon the world 
 rendered wonderfully more attractive by the friendship 
 and companionship of Steve and his brother scouts, 
 face to face with a danger which the experienced Indian 
 
A Buffalo Hunt 161 
 
 fighter beside him assured him was great so great that 
 death must almost inevitably follow. The announce- 
 ment was enough to blanch the cheek of a man, let 
 alone a young fellow of his age. It was enough to 
 unnerve the boldest. Yet Jack did not quake, though, 
 to speak the truth, his heart set to work hammering 
 at his ribs as it never seemed to have done before. 
 He even feared that that rat-a-tat-tat in his ears, the 
 thud of his heart drumming so loudly within his breast, 
 would be heard by the enemy, would reach the Indians 
 and hasten the end at which Steve so bluntly hinted. 
 
 " Bound to take us," he repeated, whispering the 
 words. 
 
 "Ay, bound to. That is, as fer as I can see. I've 
 been in many a ruction with the critters, and I don't 
 say as I ain't never been as badly up agin it as I am 
 now. But, yer see, sarcumstances is that bad. It ain't 
 as if this here wood was a big one, and we could slip 
 away through the trees, giving them varmint their work 
 to follow. It ain't big. It's small, and, 'sides, thar's 
 these legs of mine. Gee! I've never felt the same 
 before. It ain't often Steve ain't able to get about and 
 lift his shooter. It seems queer too. Here's me, used 
 all my life to carryin' a gun, and findin' as it's saved 
 my life many a time. Wall, here I am, and I guess an 
 Injun kid could come right in and scalp me. It aer 
 enough to make a man swear." 
 
 " I will protect you. You have forgotten that I am 
 here." 
 
 Suddenly, it seemed to Jack, the thumping of his 
 heart stopped. A moment or two before the drumming 
 in his ears had been annoying, to say the least of it. 
 
 (0179) 11 
 
162 Indian and Scout 
 
 But now the trouble was gone. He looked steadily at 
 Steve, gripped his rifle, and then turned his attention 
 to the enemy. 
 
 "My!" Steve gave vent to the exclamation gently- 
 In the excitement of the moment, with his eyes fixed 
 on the deadly Indian enemy out on the plain, Jack's 
 recent heroism had escaped his memory. He forgot for 
 the moment that the lad had shown unusual grit, and 
 looked upon him as a city lad, brave perhaps, but as 
 helpless as he himself in such a dilemma. Then he 
 suddenly stole a sideways look at Jack, to find the lad 
 watching the enemy coolly, critically, noting every 
 movement. His face was sunburned and held a healthy 
 colour. There was no trace of nervousness about him, 
 and, to Steve's wonder, there was an entire absence of 
 excitement. Jack was cool, and wore a determined 
 appearance, a set of his chin which was strange to him 
 and to Steve. 
 
 "My!" exclaimed the hunter again. "Ef I don't 
 believe as ye're ready to tackle all them varmint single- 
 handed. Wall, it do do an old hunter like me good ter 
 see sech grit. I've knowed green 'uns face fire for the 
 fust time and seem ter like it. I've knowed old hands 
 get that fidgety when the bullets got whistling that they 
 wasn't able to set or to stand still. And agin I've seed 
 old 'uns and new 'uns get a sudden fit of funks, and then 
 their chances ain't worth buyin'. Reckon, Jack, yer 
 ain't the one to go under without a struggle. Ef them 
 critters want to give yer knocks, you aer goin' ter re- 
 turn 'em." 
 
 The idea tickled the humour of the little hunter, and 
 in spite of the dangerous proximity of the Indians^ in 
 
A Buffalo Hunt 163 
 
 spite of the death which was so perilously near, he 
 grinned, and once more gave expression to his amaze- 
 ment "My!" he whispered. "Ef that don't take it!" 
 
 " H-h-h-ush ! They're moving. What are they going 
 to do?" 
 
 Jack held out a hand and touched Steve, drawing his 
 attention to the enemy. And then, for five minutes, the 
 two lay as still as mice. Right before their eyes were 
 the Indians, and during those long minutes Jack had an 
 opportunity of inspecting them thoroughly, of watching 
 their behaviour in their natural haunts, for as yet the 
 band of men was unconscious of his and of Steve's 
 presence. At any other time he would have been filled 
 with admiration and with wonder, for before him were 
 men who, in their own particular way, were as fine, even 
 finer, horsemen than were the hunters. True, time was 
 when a horse was unknown to the Indian of the plain, 
 when he looked upon it as some fearful beast to be 
 carefully avoided. But once the animal had been im- 
 ported to the country he had been quick to realize its 
 utility. And now he rode, barebacked for the most 
 part, sitting his mount with that easy swing of the body 
 which shows a born horseman. It was fine to see the 
 band of redskins grouped about one another, to watch 
 as the younger men occasionally galloped from the 
 group, only to bring their mounts to the rightabout 
 with amazing swiftness. And then their ease of mount- 
 ing, the swiftness with which they slipped from the 
 backs of their horses and vaulted again to their seats 
 was a revelation not to be experienced even on a ranch. 
 
 "The critters!" exclaimed Steve. " Ef they could 
 shoot jest as well as they kin ride, then thar wouldn't 
 
164 Indian and Scout 
 
 always be so much chance fer us. But this ain't ter be 
 a case of shootin'. It's tracking that's wanted, and whar 
 that's the case thar ain't no one to touch an Injun 
 varmint. I tell yer, Jack, we're clear up agin it. We 
 ain't got half a show. As I looks at it, we can't get 
 away from this wood, while them critters can't manage 
 to miss us. Wall, that means jest one thing. They're 
 jest bound ter take us." 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 Surrounded by Indians 
 
 JACK and Steve lay in the narrow belt of trees for 
 another half-hour before either opened their lips again. 
 For the hunter had lifted a warning finger, and had 
 enjoined silence upon his companion. And as they 
 lay there, the band of Indians they had seen collected 
 outside on the plain was increased by the addition of 
 some two dozen more, who rode up from another 
 quarter. 
 
 " Guess they're a trifle bothered," said Steve at last, 
 making an effort and managing to kneel; for up till 
 then his lower limbs had been practically powerless. 
 " Yer see, the varmint they've sent riding round has 
 picked up our traces from the point where we left the 
 wagon this mornin', and they've followed 'em right 
 away to the point whar we struck the herd of buffalo. 
 They ain't seen no marks goin' back agin, and so they 
 concludes that we're hid up in this here belt of trees. 
 Wall, now, they ain't sartin." 
 
 "And why?" asked Jack, his voice lowered to a 
 whisper, while his eyes were glued upon the Indians. 
 For he was still a novice where these wild men of the 
 plains were concerned, and what he knew already had 
 
 165 
 
166 Indian and Scout 
 
 been picked up by listening to the scouts' tales at 
 night, as they sat round the fire. 
 
 "'Cos them buffalo aer done us a right down good 
 turn," said Steve. 
 
 "Them skunks out thar has theirselves to thank fer 
 that, for they turned the herd and sent it flying into 
 our faces. And them buffalo fairly smashed out every 
 trace we made coming into these trees. Wall, now, 
 supposin' we was still with the herd. Supposin' our 
 horses happened to have been extry fresh, and not tired 
 after a day of it, they'd likely as not have managed 
 to keep ahead of them chargin' beasts, and, ef they did, 
 we should be miles away by now, and still leadin' 'em. 
 That aer the difficulty. I 'low as it's a small one, and 
 won't take over long fixin'. But thar it is, and them 
 critters has to come right in here afore they're sartin 
 what's happened. That aer a movement clear agin their 
 principles." 
 
 "Why?" asked Jack, wondering at the statement; for 
 it seemed hardly probable that, when there were at least 
 thirty of the enemy to each one of themselves, they 
 would hesitate to rush the belt of trees and kill those 
 lying within. 
 
 " Why, I'll tell yer. Them varmint out thar aer the 
 cruellest and bravest men as ever stepped the airth. 
 Their trainin' teaches 'em to kill an enemy, and never 
 to go down theirselves ef they can help it. Ef a man's 
 killed, wall, guess to them redskins it's 'cos he's a fool, 
 and ain't been cute enough. That's why yer don't git 
 an Injun creepin' to a place like this when he may likely 
 enough get his skull cracked afore he's seen so much 
 as a haar of the enemy. See?" 
 
Surrounded by Indians 167 
 
 Jack did, and for a while pondered the matter. Some- 
 how or other, in spite of his knowledge that he and 
 Steve stood in very imminent danger of losing their 
 lives, he felt no trepidation, no fear for himself, but 
 only a great longing to beat the enemy out there on 
 the plain. As long as the white man fills his present 
 position in the world, and retains his wonderful inde- 
 pendence, he will, without doubt, face odds with deter- 
 mination and even some amount of pleasure. A strong 
 fight has always appealed to men of the British race, 
 and to those of America, for the truth of which state- 
 ment one hardly need turn to the roll of history 
 compiled by each of them. There are examples of 
 heroic struggles, where few were opposed to many, all 
 through the years that have passed, and some are so 
 notorious that one always carries them in one's memory. 
 With that fine record to stimulate him, Jack, too, looked 
 to the coming contest not with fear, but with a certain 
 amount of pleasure. His pulses were beating fast, all 
 his senses were keenly alert, and as he stared out at 
 the Indians his wits were working quickly in the endea- 
 vour to discover some scheme whereby he and Steve 
 might outwit them. 
 
 "Ef these plaguey legs of mine'll only continue to 
 improve we'll put up a fight that'll astonish them var- 
 mint," growled Steve at last. "Yer kin see, they're 
 havin' a palaver, and in a bit, no doubt, the chiefs'll 
 call upon the venturesome young men to investigate 
 this here place. It'll be nigh dark then, which should 
 give us a bit of a chance. Aer yer got yer knife, 
 lad?" 
 
 Jack's hand dropped on it, for since he had joined the 
 
168 Indian and Scout 
 
 scouts he had carried the same weapons as themselves. 
 And a large hunting-knife was part of his outfit. " It's 
 here, he said. " Right in my belt." 
 
 " Wall, ye'll want it. Them critters as comes has got 
 ter be silenced without so much as a sound, and ef yer've 
 any love fer yer own scalp ye'll put away all sorts of 
 skeary notions yer may have had. A man sarcumstanced 
 same as we aer ain't got a look in ef he's too thin- 
 skinned to fight fer his life as best he kin. To live 
 through to-night and keep our haar we've got to kill 
 some of them critters. And a huntin'-knife aer the only 
 weapon. Ef we was to use a revolver, shucks ! it'd give 
 the show away. They'd be on to us in a moment. 
 Jest look at them young bloods!" 
 
 Out in the open there was a good deal of commotion 
 at this moment, and voices, which before had been 
 inaudible, came to the ears of the two hiding amidst 
 the trees and underwood. It seemed that there was 
 an altercation amongst the Indians, for there was shout- 
 ing, while some of the men urged their horses into the 
 centre of the circle which had been formed, and brand- 
 ished their weapons. 
 
 "Didn't I say as much?" whispered Steve. "Them's 
 the young men of the tribe, and sense they ain't ac- 
 counted much till they've took a hull heap of scalps, 
 and has done something extry brave, why, in course 
 they're fer rushin' this place agin the advice of the older 
 and cautious ones. Ye'll see as they'll allow two or 
 three to try their hands." 
 
 " But why give them a chance?" asked Jack suddenly. 
 "While they're discussing the matter we might get on 
 to the horses and make a dash in the opposite direction." 
 
Surrounded by Indians 169 
 
 Steve's grim face showed for a moment a grin of 
 contempt. Then the lines softened as he regarded our 
 hero. 
 
 "YeVe got grit right enough, Carrots," he said, "but 
 yer ain't seen much of them varmint. Do yer think 
 as they ain't thought of a dash? Reckon an Injun 
 don't forget nothin'. There's men posted all round this 
 belt of trees, and mounted on the best bosses. 'Sides, 
 ef it did come to a rush, our mounts are that tired they'd 
 break up afore we'd galloped five miles. Then, too, 
 ye're forgettin' my condition. I've never had sich a 
 thing happen to me afore, though I've seen a sight of 
 men thrown heavily, and unable to move for weeks. 
 Yes, and some of 'em never got back the use of their 
 legs. With me it's jest temporary. Reckon the jerk 
 threw something outer gear for a while. But it's 
 mendin' fast, and in a few hours, perhaps, I'll be able 
 to mount and ride." 
 
 The same grim look came over the injured scout's 
 face, as much as to say that when those few hours had 
 passed circumstances would make further use of his 
 limbs out of the question. For Steve had not the 
 smallest doubt that nothing but a miracle could save 
 them. He became silent for some few moments, while 
 his weather-beaten face crinkled in all directions, show- 
 ing big lines across the forehead, which indicated the 
 fact that he was thinking deeply. Meanwhile the ex- 
 citement amongst the Indians grew even greater. To 
 Jack, as he watched them, it seemed at first as if they 
 would come to blows, and that they were quarrelling 
 seriously. Then the noise died down a little, while 
 five men slipped from their ponies. 
 
1 70 Indian and Scout 
 
 "Them's the lads as has been chosen to investigate 
 this here place," said Steve grimly, " and it won't be 
 long afore they're sticking their ugly, painted faces in 
 amongst the trees. Look ye here, Jack, I've been 
 thmkin' somethin'. Yer was rash to stay back there 
 and haul me away from the front of that 'ere herd 
 of buffalo, 'cos ef ye'd rid fer it ye'd have got clear 
 yerself, without a doubt, and could have reached our 
 mates with the start ye'd have had. It war a brave 
 act, and I don't say as I ain't grateful. I am precious 
 grateful, but I'm vexed to think as my poor life are 
 been saved jest fer a few minutes at the expense of 
 yours. Jack, you aer young. The world's dead ahead 
 of yer, and, ef I ain't makin' an error, ye've somethin' 
 real serious to live fer. But fer me, life ain't that rosy. 
 I don't say as I ain't grateful to Him as give it to me; 
 but I've had my day, and am ready to go when the 
 call comes. Yer see, I've lost wife and childer, and 
 when that's the case a man don't kinder stick so fast to 
 this world. But I war sayin' as ye've got somethin' 
 real good to live fer. And I are been thinkin' about 
 them 'ere red -skinned varmints. There aer jest a 
 chance as yer might escape. Ef them critters was 
 all engaged in watchin' the young bloods creepin' in 
 here, I 'low that a man on a fair horse might manage 
 to steal through the fellers hanging around outside, 
 and gallop to his friends. Now, my horse ain't had 
 the doin' that yours has. Yer jest wait a bit, and 
 when I tell yer, creep back and mount. When them 
 young critters aer close handy to these here trees, yer 
 slip out t'other side. It'll be dark then, and the chance 
 aer worth takin'." 
 
Surrounded by Indians 171 
 
 For the usually silent Steve the speech was an extra- 
 ordinarily long one, and once he had finished he let his 
 head drop back against the tree trunk with a sigh of 
 relief. For, after all, even though a man's outlook on 
 life may have faded a little, he still clings to it. And 
 to urge a comrade to escape, and leave one to certain 
 death at the hands of such miscreants, needed not a 
 little fortitude. Even as Steve faced the consequences 
 of his advice to Jack, he shuddered just a little. Some- 
 how or other it required greater courage to face a 
 lonely death, with no comrade at hand to bear him 
 company. 
 
 "Ain't yer got ready?" he asked, a minute later, 
 hearing no movement from Jack. "Them varmint aer 
 creepin' nearer, and the night aer fallin' fast. Reckon 
 ye'd best be movin'." 
 
 Then, as he turned his head to look at his com- 
 rade, a gasp of surprise escaped the hunter. For Jack 
 had not moved an inch. He lay there, hidden from 
 the enemy, behind a tree, his hunting-knife gripped 
 firmly in his hand. Even there, in the gloom cast by 
 the branches, it was possible to observe his face, and 
 Steve noticed for the first time in his life a look of 
 dogged determination. For till that day Jack had 
 shown his new comrades, with the exception of Tom, 
 his lighter side, his merry, good-hearted nature. He 
 was whistling or laughing or singing the day long, and 
 at night listening to their hunter yarns with an interest 
 there was no denying. Suddenly, as it were, he had 
 developed from a boy into a stern man. There was 
 no mistaking his expression. 
 
 "Why!" gasped Steve. "Yer ain't moved. Jack, ef 
 
172 Indian and Scout 
 
 yer don't get away to them bosses there won't be any 
 ridin' at all. Jest git, lad, and make no bones about the 
 matter." 
 
 "And leave you? Not much!" answered our hero 
 doggedly, just as he had done earlier on when Steve 
 ordered him to ride and leave him to be crushed by 
 the buffalo. " Look ye here, Steve, when I rode from 
 camp with you this mornin', reckon you was in com- 
 mand, 'cos I ain't no great idea of huntin'. But you're 
 hurt. You ain't no longer able to command, so I guess 
 I have to take the job over. I ain't goin' to move 
 away. You can take that as final." 
 
 " Yer ain't goin' !" 
 
 " H-h-hush! They'll hear us. Lie quiet!" commanded 
 Jack sternly. 
 
 " Jest give us a fist, lad. I ain't angry. A man knows 
 when he meets a real man, and I ain't quarrelin' with yer 
 for it. My! Ef we get outer this thar'll be somethin' 
 to tell the boys!" 
 
 Something suspiciously like a sob of relief escaped 
 Steve as he lay back against the tree, and none but 
 the most heartless would have scoffed at him. This 
 grim, courageous little hunter, who had lived his life 
 out on the plains or in the forests, and had become 
 innured to privation and exposure, was, after all, just 
 like any other man possessed of energy and determina- 
 tion. The feeling that he was useless, the very strange- 
 ness of being in such a condition, caused the most abject 
 depression of spirits, while the relief of finding that he 
 had a true comrade beside him was almost too much 
 for him. But the determination of the little man soon 
 conquered any passing weakness, and in a few moments 
 
Surrounded by Indians 173 
 
 he was himself again, the crafty scout, who had fought 
 the Indian enemy many a time. 
 
 "Gee! Ef I could get these here legs o' mine to 
 move sensible like," he whispered. " But look ye here, 
 Jack; get on yer knees behind the tree and wait for 
 'em. Don't so much as move an eyelid till them var- 
 mint is close. Then strike. It aer their lives or 
 ourn." 
 
 It was indeed a case of self-defence, of taking life 
 to save life, and though our hero's natural gentleness 
 caused him to shrink from the ordeal before him, yet 
 the fact that he found himself suddenly called upon to 
 defend a helpless comrade made him brace himself for 
 the contest, and set his lips firmly together, while a 
 quiet determination came over him to protect Steve, and 
 to come out of the conflict alive. No man likes to be 
 beaten. Jack did not differ from the average indi- 
 vidual. 
 
 " Separating" whispered Steve after a few moments. 
 " They reckon as they've got ter investigate every corner 
 of the place, so they're each of 'em taking a plot. 
 That'll suit us better than ef they came all together. 
 Five of the varmints. Ef I war fit and able to use 
 these here legs, and thar warn't a tarnal heap of their 
 brothers I'd tackle that lot single-handed, and afore 
 breakfast too. It ud jest kinder give me an ap- 
 petite." 
 
 As the moment for action arrived the little scout's 
 spirits revived wonderfully. He was a man who had 
 come through many a fight with the Indians, and had 
 learned never to give up the contest until he was 
 actually beaten. And now, with such a stanch com- 
 
174 Indian and Scout 
 
 rade as Jack beside him, he began to look upon their 
 chances as perhaps not altogether hopeless. 
 
 " I've knowed wonderful escapes," he said to himself. 
 " And I reckon a chap like this here Carrots ain't goin' 
 under so easy. After showin' grit same as he has done, 
 he desarves to pull through, and, by the 'tarnal, I'll help 
 him." 
 
 Stretched full length on the ground, with the branches 
 of trees overhanging them, and brushwood thickly scat- 
 tered about, Jack and his friend watched the approach 
 of the five young Indians in a grim silence. Where 
 they lay it was now almost dark, so that they could 
 barely see one another. But outside, in the open, it 
 was still possible to perceive objects, though the band 
 of Indians had now become blotted out by the falling 
 gloom. In the gathering dusk five figures could be 
 seen advancing on hands and knees, their eyes fixed 
 on the trees in front of them. Ten yards divided each 
 man from his comrade, and as they came nearer this 
 distance was increased. At length they reached the 
 very edge of the trees, and so that all should enter at 
 the same moment, the one who arrived first lay on his 
 face and signalled to the others. 
 
 "Yer hear the critters?" asked Steve in a tense 
 whisper, putting his lips to Jack's ears. "That 'ere 
 aer the bark of a fox, and it tells 'em all that they 
 can push on into the trees. Jest lie as ef yer was 
 dead. That chap out thar'll pass us to one side." 
 
 Dimly seen, some ten feet to the right, was one of 
 the Indians; but though Jack listened with all his ears 
 he heard no sound as the stealthy figure crept into the 
 underwooc}. For the first time he had an illustration of 
 
Surrounded by Indians 175 
 
 that cunning and cleverness of which he had read and 
 heard, and for which the Red Indian was famous. 
 Though he himself could hardly have advanced a foot 
 without causing a branch to swish heavily, or a twig to 
 snap, not a sound came from the several points where 
 he knew an enemy must be. So, more convinced than 
 ever that deathly silence was essential if he would not 
 be pounced upon before he was ready, he kneeled there 
 like a statue, his eyes peering eagerly into the dense 
 underwood. 
 
 Ah! A leaf rustled away to his right, and there was 
 a feeble sound, almost indistinguishable, which told of 
 a branch being set gently aside. And then silence, a 
 deadly, nerve-racking silence, which continued for nearly 
 five minutes. Five minutes! It felt like five hours to 
 Jack. And then a hand caught him by the shoulder. 
 
 "H-h-h-ush!" Steve hardly whispered the word. 
 "Jest to the right!" 
 
 The hand on his shoulder gripped him firmly and 
 turned Jack a little. Without needing to move his 
 legs, he twisted his body, and found himself looking 
 in a different direction. Then his ears caught a faint 
 sound. A mouse might have made more; a human 
 being could hardly have been expected to make so little. 
 It seemed impossible. A branch dangling just before 
 his face swayed in his direction, and the leaves rustled 
 against his forehead. Then they began to press upon 
 him, gently at first, and then more and more firmly. 
 Someone was trying to push the branch aside and 
 advance. Jack's fingers closed on the haft of his 
 hunting-knife like a vice. He braced his muscles for 
 the encounter, while he held his breath lest the mis- 
 
1 76 Indian and Scout 
 
 creant should hear him, and so gain an advantage. The 
 moment for action was imminent. It was with difficulty 
 that he could restrain himself; but for the hand still 
 gripping his shoulder, telling him that Steve was there, 
 advising him still to remain motionless, Jack would 
 have thrown further caution to the winds, and would 
 have flung himself upon the Indian. 
 
 Crash! Away in the centre of the little wood a 
 branch broke with the crisp sound of a pistol shot, 
 and instantly there came that familiar signal, the bark 
 of a fox. It was answered to right and left, and then 
 from a point but three feet from our hero. Instantly 
 the pressure on the branch pushing into his face was 
 relaxed. Those faint, stealthy sounds reached his ear 
 again, and presently subsided. 
 
 " Good fer yer," whispered Steve, placing his lips close 
 to Jack's ear again. " I felt yer kinder draw yerself 
 together fer the ruction, and I 'low it takes a heap of 
 grit to lay still when thar's one of them varmint close 
 handy. They've found the hosses, and by the way 
 they're palaverin' it seems to me as if they took it fer 
 granted that we'd slipped from the wood. Do yer hear 
 them calls? They're signalling to the men placed out- 
 side." 
 
 From the small wood in which they lay, and a little 
 later from the plain outside, came those mysterious 
 barkings, as if a regiment of foxes had suddenly ap- 
 peared upon the scene. Then voices were heard, as 
 the Indians called openly to one another. 
 
 " I think they've gone," said Jack at last, having heard 
 more sounds of breaking branches. " We shall be able 
 to leave perhaps in a little while." 
 
Surrounded by Indians 177 
 
 "P'raps," agreed Steve grudgingly. "But ef I know 
 them varmint they won't take their eyes off this place 
 even ef they think we've given 'em the slip. They'll 
 watch it like lynxes all night long, and in the morning 
 they'll know for sure, 'cos there won't be no tracks. 
 Guess they're leadin' away our hosses." 
 
 Listening intently, the dull sounds which came to 
 their ears told them without room for doubt that the 
 two horses were being taken from the wood. There 
 were then a few more calls out on the plain, and 
 afterwards silence again settled down. 
 
 "S-s-s-h!" whispered Steve, as Jack attempted to 
 move, for his limbs were a little cramped. " I'm thinkin' 
 there's a bit of a trick bein' played. Lie still fer yer 
 life, for I thought I heerd someone movin' not three 
 yards away." 
 
 He whispered ever so gently in Jack's ear, and again 
 his restraining hand fell upon our hero's shoulder. An 
 instant later it was dragged forcibly away, for someone 
 had gripped Jack by the arm, and with a sudden jerk 
 he was hauled in the opposite direction. A man closed 
 with him, grasping his hair with one hand, while the 
 other held a knife poised in the air. And, luckily for 
 Jack, his fingers closed upon the wrist ere a second 
 had passed, while his free hand sought for and finally 
 fell upon the man's neck. He gripped it as a terrier 
 takes a rat between his teeth, and then made frantic 
 efforts to upset his opponent, who lay above him. And 
 all the while, as the two struggled desperately in the 
 darkness of the undergrowth, there was silence; neither 
 uttered so much as a sigh, and the only sound to be 
 detected was the snap of breaking twigs and the hiss 
 
 (0179) 12 
 
178 Indian and Scout 
 
 of their laboured breathing. For Jack was in the grip 
 of one of the deadly Indians, and the struggle between 
 them could end only with the last breath of one or 
 other of them. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 A Tight Corner 
 
 "JACK, Jack. Aer yer there? aer yer there?" 
 
 The words came from Steve in an eager whisper, and, 
 though repeated time and again, received no answer. 
 Instead, the disabled hunter heard only the dull sound 
 of blows, the hiss of sharply-indrawn breaths, and the 
 snap of breaking twigs. He ground his teeth in his 
 vexation and anxiety, but as he could not rise to his 
 feet and walk, for his legs still refused to carry him, the 
 gallant little fellow rolled on to his side and dragged 
 himself towards the combatants. Very soon his eager 
 fingers fell upon one of them. 
 
 "Injun!" he exclaimed, running his hand down the 
 man's back and discovering the shoulders bare. " Then 
 it are time I lent a hand." 
 
 Swiftly his fingers sought for his own hunting-knife, 
 for Steve realized that the Indian was kneeling upon 
 Jack, who lay beneath him, and argued from that fact 
 that our hero was getting the worst of the conflict. 
 Dragging his weapon from its sheath, he raised himself 
 on one elbow, and made ready to strike. And to make 
 sure that he had made no error, and that his blade was 
 thrust in the right direction, he again groped for the 
 shoulders he had felt a moment before. There they 
 
 1T9 
 
i8o Indian and Scout 
 
 were, lean and muscular, and at once up went the knife, 
 while Steve braced himself for the stroke. But he never 
 delivered it; for of a sudden the straining muscles be- 
 neath his finger tips relaxed, the heaving, sinuous move- 
 ments of the Indian's shoulders ceased, while the man 
 seemed to become in one instant limp and helpless. 
 He subsided on to his opponent, and then rolled 
 heavily to the ground. The silence which followed 
 was broken by the laboured breathing of one man only. 
 
 "Jack, Jack," whispered Steve again, his note more 
 eager and anxious than before. 
 
 " Here," came the answer. " Here, safe and sound." 
 
 "Yer killed him?" 
 
 "Yes," gasped Jack. 
 
 "Gee! How?" 
 
 Jack sat beside his comrade for a minute and more 
 before he ventured upon an answer. All the while he 
 breathed deeply, in jerky spasms, as a man does who 
 has been sorely tried, and who has striven to the last 
 point of endurance. His whole frame was trembling 
 with the intensity of the struggle, while his fingers were 
 crooked and rigid with the strain of prolonged gripping. 
 Then, getting his breath again, and the use of his fingers 
 by gentle movements, he crept closer to Steve and whis- 
 pered his answer. 
 
 " I had luck," he said. " He took me by surprise at 
 first, and I wonder he didn't send his knife through me. 
 But he missed his stroke, and before he could make 
 another I had a grip of his wrist. At the same time 
 my other hand got a hold on to his neck." 
 
 "Gee!" The scout gave vent to a low exclamation. 
 "Yes?" he asked. 
 
A Tight Corner 181 
 
 " I knew that was my only chance, so I hung on like 
 a bull dog. He's dead, the life choked out of him." 
 
 " Sure? Sartin' he ain't foxin'. There never was any 
 ter play possum like an Injun. Ye're dead sure he's 
 done?" 
 
 Jack moved from the side of the hunter for one 
 moment, and ran his hand over his late antagonist. 
 There was not a doubt but that he was dead. The 
 chest was motionless, and not a breath left the lips. 
 
 "He'll never fight again," he said sternly, creeping 
 back to Steve. "Do you think they'll come to find 
 him?" 
 
 There was a low growl from the hunter. " Think!" he 
 whispered scornfully. " In course they will. But his 
 absence'll make 'em mighty careful. I've told yer an 
 Injun don't like to get beat. His game's always to 
 kill, and go scot free himself. But they'll search this 
 here group of trees till they find him, and then " 
 
 He ended suddenly, and propped himself up to listen ; 
 for there was no need to explain what would happen. 
 Even to Jack's inexperienced mind the ending was only 
 too obvious. The horses had been found, and now 
 themselves. Of that the Indians would have not the 
 smallest doubt once their comrade failed to return, and 
 failed also to answer their signals. 
 
 " Huh ! There they go barkin' As ef any fool couldn't 
 tell as it warn't a fox. That'll tell 'em right enough that 
 something's happened," whispered Steve, "It ain't o' 
 no use fer me to send 'em back the call, 'cos I can tell 
 yer no white man can manage it proper. Them Injuns 
 get practising when they're no higher than a dozen 
 dollars piled one on t'other, and there ain't a one as 
 
182 Indian and Scout 
 
 tries it later on as kin git quite at the right sound. 
 H-h-hish! Ain't that someone movin'?" 
 
 Intense silence fell upon them again, while Jack raised 
 himself on his knees, so as to prepare for a second 
 struggle. Yes, somewhere directly in front of him, and 
 perhaps four yards away, a twig had stirred, while the 
 gentle rustle of a leaf had reached him. He stooped, 
 pressed Steve's hand to show him that he was ready, 
 and then silently gripped a rifle which lay beside the 
 hunter. To raise himself to his feet was the work of 
 half a minute, for deathly silence was essential. But 
 once upon them, he stood in a tense attitude, bending 
 slightly, both hands gripping the barrel of his weapon, 
 while the stock was raised above his head. 
 
 Click! The tip of a brier, or of one of the smaller 
 branches of a bush, swished as it was released by some 
 unseen hand. In that intense silence it sounded to our 
 hero almost as loud as the report of a pistol. And it 
 told him as clearly as possible that this new antagonist 
 stealing up towards him was directly in front, and al- 
 ready somewhat nearer. He held his breath, and waited, 
 his eyes staring into the darkness. Click! The sound 
 was repeated. 
 
 And then, for one brief second, an uncanny sensation 
 came over him. For something touched his boot, and 
 that something ran nimbly up to his knees. Was it a 
 forest mouse, scared by the intruder creeping towards 
 Jack with murderous intent? Or was it the man himself? 
 
 Quick as a flash Jack decided the matter. A few 
 weeks before he would have waited a little longer to 
 make sure. But he had already had more than one 
 lesson teaching him that indecision is often fatal. Be- 
 
A Tight Corner 183 
 
 sides, he knew now what he had never guessed before. 
 He had already, this very evening, had an object lesson 
 of the craft and stealth of the Indian, and realized that 
 where a silent and unexpected attack was necessary 
 their skill was phenomenal. Knowing that, Jack struck 
 with all his strength. He struck blindly at the dark- 
 ness, till the heavy butt of his rifle was stayed in its 
 course by some unseen obstacle. Then he swung it up 
 again, and sent it crashing through the air till once more 
 its course was arrested. 
 
 " Gee ! That are a blow. H-h-hist ! " 
 
 It was Steve's voice, low and cautious, and with just 
 the faintest trace of exultation in the note. For Steve 
 was no craven, and even if he were powerless to defend 
 himself, he could yet appreciate that power in others. 
 And the hunter had been in so many engagements and 
 had come successfully out of them, that now that the 
 tables seemed turning a little in their favour, and the 
 outlook did not appear quite so bad as it had done a 
 little while ago, he could not help a feeling of exultation. 
 
 " Ef he ain't the boy, this here Carrots!" he murmured 
 to himself, as he peered up in the direction in which he 
 knew Jack stood. <l Ef he ain't showing an old hand 
 how these here things should be done. He jest cotched 
 that feller an almighty whack on the head, and guess 
 that's an end of him. Jack," he said a little louder. 
 
 " Well," came back the laconic answer. 
 
 " How'd yer come out of that 'ere business? Yer 
 ketched him a whop? Eh?" 
 
 " Dead/' said Jack curtly. " I felt his fingers on my 
 leg. He didn't know exactly where 1 was till then. I 
 struck out with the rifle, and " 
 
1 84 Indian and Scout 
 
 "Gee! Ef you ain't fine! But hist a moment. Them 
 varmint'll be somewhares about." 
 
 It seemed indeed more than likely that the Indians 
 who had entered the trees, and of whom three still 
 remained, would endeavour to follow their comrades. 
 Although Jack's rifle butt had slain the second man 
 in absolute silence, his struggle with the first had pro- 
 duced sufficient noise to attract attention, and without 
 a doubt the enemy were fully aware of the fact that the 
 men they sought were amongst the trees. No doubt 
 they were still uncertain of their exact position. But 
 that was a difficulty which these crafty men would soon 
 overcome. 
 
 " They'll send more of the young chaps in," whispered 
 Steve, " and this time they'll hunt in couples. Jack, lad, 
 ye've got ter do a bit more fightin' ef yer want ter keep 
 yer haar." 
 
 " You think they will soon find us, now they know we 
 are in the wood?" asked our hero suddenly, kneeling 
 close to his comrade. 
 
 " Think!" At any other time Jack would have roared 
 with laughing, for the little hunter's tones were full of 
 indignation and contempt. " It don't want no thinkin'. 
 A baby could tell yer that them critters would find 
 us, and quick, too. That ain't what's worryin'. It's 
 the fact that they'll come along in a bunch, and sence 
 there's you alone to fight, why, in course, it don't leave 
 us a dog's chance." 
 
 "And supposing they don't come along?" asked our 
 hero. "Supposing they decide to leave the matter for 
 a while." 
 
 "Tain't likely. But ef they do, the end's jest the 
 
A Tight Corner 185 
 
 same. They'll set a close watch right round the place, 
 and not one of them varmint'll close an eyelid till the 
 light comes. Droppin' asleep when he's watchin' is a 
 thing an Injun can't do. It's clean right up agin his 
 nature." 
 
 " Then, that being the case, we'll not wait here either 
 for them to attack us in a bunch or for them to find 
 us in the morning." 
 
 Jack spoke quietly, and cautiously raised himself on 
 to his feet. "I'm going to carry you to the edge of 
 the trees, Steve," he whispered. " I tell you, if they're 
 bound to find us in any case, so long as we stay where 
 we are, why, I ain't going to stay to be butchered, 
 and I ain't going to leave you, either. Just take a 
 grip round my neck, and hold tight if we meet anything. 
 That'll leave me with my hands free. Now." 
 
 Steve gaped at the words, and more at the tone of 
 them than anything. Little by little as the moments 
 had passed he had seen something in our hero which he 
 had never detected before. He was wont to look upon 
 Jack as a lad who, by accident perhaps, had been 
 enabled to come between a band of train robbers and 
 their victims. He did not deny that he had shown 
 pluck. But that this young fellow was a fire eater, that 
 he could on occasion become a stern, commanding man, 
 and could coolly face a difficulty such as this one, had 
 never occurred to him. More than that, Steve, with all 
 his age and experience, had always been the one to lead 
 and to guide, to give hints as to the manner of doing 
 this, and timely warnings and advice as to the methods 
 to be employed in some other sudden difficulty. Now, 
 suddenly to find the position reversed, to know that 
 
1 86 Indian and Scout 
 
 Jack was giving orders, and was about to act as seemed 
 best to himself, wholly regardless of his own inexperi- 
 ence, why, it took Steve's breath away. 
 
 "Gee! Ef he don't beat everything!" he murmured. 
 " He jest treats me as ef I war a kid, and and " 
 
 " Hold fast, and don't worry if I have to drop you 
 suddenly. I'll stand by you whatever happens. There ! 
 Up you come." 
 
 It was all done without hesitation, and in absolute 
 silence. No one could have admonished Jack for lack 
 of caution. His orders were whispered into Steve's ear, 
 and every movement was slow and gradual. He stood, 
 at length, to his full height, Steve gripping him round 
 the neck, while with one arm he held the scout's 
 useless legs suspended. The other hand gripped the 
 haft of his formidable hunting-knife. Then he began 
 a slow and stealthy progress towards the edge of the 
 wood. 
 
 " Take yer time, take yer time," whispered Steve. " It 
 would be fatal ter make so much as a sound." 
 
 Advancing inches only at a time, placing each foot 
 cautiously in front of the other, and carefully avoiding 
 branches which grew in the way, our hero at length 
 reached the very edge of the trees. Once there he set 
 down his burden for a few minutes, while he lay at 
 full length, and placing his ear to the ground listened 
 for sounds made by the enemy. 
 
 " Hist! Did yer hear that?" asked Steve, when some 
 minutes had passed. " Them chaps is startin' in at the 
 far side of the wood, and I should reckon as thar's 
 a heap of 'em. Do yer hear 'em?" 
 
 Jack fancied he had heard some sounds, but was not 
 
A Tight Corner 187 
 
 at all certain. But to Steve there was not the smallest 
 doubt. 
 
 " They're over yonder," he whispered, a note of con- 
 viction in his voice, " and I tell yer there's a good twenty 
 of 'em, else there wouldn't be so much noise. It stands 
 to reason that an Injun kin creep through a wood same 
 as this silenter than a snake. But ef he's got a crowd 
 of comrades with him, some of 'em's bound to be less 
 careful. Yer kin take it from me, them critters has 
 got it fixed in their minds that we're trying to make 
 out over in that direction." 
 
 " Then all the better. Let 'em continue to think that," 
 whispered Jack hoarsely. "We ain't going in that di- 
 rection, but just clear out here in front of us, and if we 
 meet one of their men, well " 
 
 He came to an abrupt halt, leaving Steve to guess his 
 meaning. But if ever determination were conveyed by 
 the tones of a whisper, why, Jack's showed without 
 a shadow of doubt that he was resolute. Indeed, those 
 two death struggles in the wood had hardened him. 
 A little while ago his thoughts had been entirely en- 
 gaged with the task of escaping the enemy and rescuing 
 his comrade. Now, however, added to that endeavour 
 was a stubborn resolution to punish these men who had 
 wantonly attacked him. He argued that if he with a 
 number of friends had come upon a couple of harmless 
 Indians, he would have shown them kindness, and would 
 not have instantly sought their lives. Why, therefore, 
 should these natives of the plain so diligently seek to 
 kill him and Steve? What right had they to interfere 
 with them? As they had dared to do so, why, they 
 must be made to pay the penalty. In one brief hour, in 
 
188 Indian and Scout 
 
 fact, Jack, who hitherto had had no great dislike of the 
 Indians, for the simple reason that he had never come 
 across them, was possessed of an intense hatred for 
 them, a burning animosity, a desire to come to hand 
 grips with them, and a fierce determination to fight 
 any who crossed his path. Nor in that was he different 
 to the old hunters of the plains, men like Steve and 
 Tom. 
 
 " I can see what they mean now," he thought, as 
 he and Steve lay on the outskirts of the wood. 
 " They've told me time and again how the people 
 crossing over to California, to the diggin's, have scoffed 
 at all fear of Indians, have imagined that they would 
 become friendly with them without meeting with un- 
 usual difficulties. But those who have lived to reach 
 the diggings have done so with a different under- 
 standing of the Indian. They know him by then to 
 be a fierce and relentless enemy, a man who will butcher 
 for the sake of butchering, and who will spare neither 
 a sick white man nor a woman nor a child." 
 
 "Jest listen to 'em!" suddenly whispered Steve, inter- 
 rupting Jack's thoughts. "Ef I ain't right I'll eat me 
 boots. Them critters think we're makin' for the far 
 side. They heard the ruction you had with them two 
 varmint, and though they guess that something bad's 
 happened to 'em, they aer wondering whether the noises 
 ain't caused by us. Yer see, it's right up agin Injun 
 nature and cunnin' ter make a sound. So, ef them 
 noises wasn't caused by fightin', they was caused by 
 us. Reckon a mouse couldn't get through on the far 
 side." 
 
 "But a man can on this. Get a grip of my neck 
 
A Tight Corner 189 
 
 again," commanded Jack. " Now, I'm going to strike 
 clear away into the open. If you hear or see any- 
 thing, jest give my neck a squeeze. That'll stop me, 
 and give me a warning." 
 
 It was lucky for our hero that he had such a crafty 
 fellow as the little hunter with him, even if he happened 
 to be helpless. But for Steve Jack would have blun- 
 dered into one of the Indian sentries. As it was, Steve 
 arrested him with a gentle squeeze of his arms within 
 five minutes of their setting out. 
 
 "S-s-sh!" he whispered. "I seed something direct 
 ahead, standin' up agin the white fringe of the clouds. 
 It's an Injun, sure. He'll be shoutin' in a jiffy." 
 
 " Then we will turn and make along till we can pass 
 him," suggested Jack. 
 
 " Yer might," came the cautious answer. "But I think 
 as you'd be sartin to run up agin another of the varmint. 
 Twenty yards is as much space as they'd dare allow be- 
 tween each man on a night same as this, and ef yer tried 
 to pass between them it means you'd be within ten 
 yards or so. That ain't enough. They'd be sartin ter 
 spot yer. Let's lie down a spell. There ain't no sayin' 
 what the critters aer doin'." 
 
 Jack took his advice promptly, for there was not a 
 doubt but that the utmost caution was necessary. Steve 
 might or might not have seen one of the Indian sentries, 
 but it would be madness to attempt a forward move- 
 ment till they were certain that the road was clear. So 
 for a long quarter of an hour the two lay stretched 
 side by side, the cunning little hunter with his ear glued 
 to the ground, while Jack peered into the darkness 
 ahead. Then, suddenly, a commotion was heard from 
 
190 Indian and Scout 
 
 the direction of the wood. A shrill call awoke the 
 echoes, while instantly following it came that well- 
 known signal, crisp and clearly, now from the centre 
 of the wood, later from one end, and immediately 
 afterwards from the far side. 
 
 "Them critters has lit upon the men as attacked 
 you," said Steve hoarsely. " Reckon when the hull 
 lot gets to know that two of their pals is dead 
 there'll be a bit of a bother. It'll make 'em downright 
 mad. But they ain't goin' ter take us, Jack. Some- 
 how, after all that's happened, I feel as ef we was 
 bound to come through, ef only to give me a chance 
 of talkin' ter the boys. But it ain't goin' ter be done 
 easy. Ye've got ter hist! That 'ere chap's movin'." 
 
 Keen and ever watchful, Steve detected a movement 
 in front instantly, and in a moment he had gripped 
 Jack by the arm, and was directing his attention in that 
 direction. 
 
 " He's riding this way. See him? Gee! ef he ain't 
 comin' right on top of us." 
 
 " Lie still. Leave him to me," said Jack, peering 
 ahead of him. " Do you think he'll see us easy as 
 we lie here?" 
 
 " Might mightn't," came the curt answer. " Jest 
 depends. Ef he's listenin' to them critters over thar 
 in the wood, why, maybe his eyes'll not happen to 
 spot us. But, as a gineral rule, there ain't no sayin' 
 what an Injun won't see. A needle ain't much too 
 small for the varmint. Ef he comes close, what'll 
 you do?" 
 
 " S-s-sh! He's coming quick. Lie still." 
 
 Pressing the hunter down with one hand, Jack lay 
 
A Tight Corner 191 
 
 himself full length, his body squeezed as close to the 
 ground as possible, and in that position he had no 
 difficulty in detecting a figure riding towards him. 
 The man was urging his horse on, for there came the 
 dull sound of a moccasined heel applied to the side 
 of the animal. And then followed the muffled thud of 
 the footfalls. Yes, the Indian was riding in a line 
 which would take him almost over the bodies of those 
 he sought, and in that event, even if he himself failed 
 to detect the two figures prone in the grass, the animal 
 would not miss them. Jack braced himself on hands 
 and knees, his feet drawn up beneath him as a panther 
 gathers its limbs preparatory to a spring, and there, 
 hardly daring to breathe, he waited, while the foot- 
 falls came nearer. A moment or two later the animal 
 was almost over him. Then it suddenly drew to one 
 side, shying so unexpectedly that the rider was almost 
 thrown. But, gripping the saddle with his knees, the 
 Indian retained his seat, and at the same moment pulled 
 at his reins, for he as yet had seen nothing. It was 
 an opportunity not to be missed, and promptly Jack 
 launched himself at the man. With one bound he was 
 beside him, then, quick as lightning, he gripped him by 
 arm and leg, and, tearing" him from his seat, threw him 
 heavily to the ground. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 Dodging the Enemy 
 
 THERE was an intense silence immediately after Jack 
 had thrown the Indian, broken only by his own deep 
 breathing. 
 
 " Dead?" asked Steve huskily, for the stress of the 
 fighting and their difficulties were beginning to tell 
 upon the little hunter. Ye've killed him eh? I 
 never knew an Injun downed so easy." 
 
 " Stunned, I think," whispered Jack sternly. " He's 
 still breathing a little." 
 
 " Foxin'?" You're dead sartin he ain't foxin'? I've 
 knowed one of the critters lie as if he was as dead as 
 meat, and then get his knife into the man as thought 
 he'd downed him. Aer yer sure? 'Cos if you ain't " 
 
 " Certain," came Jack's emphatic answer. " He fell on 
 his head with a terrible bang, and he'll not recover for a 
 time. Jest take a grip round my neck. We're going to 
 move." 
 
 They had spoken in low whispers only, for neither 
 had forgotten that in all probability there were Indian 
 sentries on either side of them. However, it did seem 
 now that fortune was to be kind to them; for at this 
 very moment the outcry which had broken out some 
 few minutes earlier from the direction of the wood was 
 again heard. 
 
 192 
 
Dodging the Enemy 193 
 
 Shrill, angry calls came through the darkness, and 
 were answered from a dozen different directions. Then, 
 immediately to the right of them there came a muffled 
 thump, followed by the dull sounds of a horse's footfalls. 
 
 "Warn't I right?" asked Steve. "Another of the 
 critters thar, and a second 'way to the left. Now's 
 your time, young 'un. Let's git as slippy as we can." 
 
 Jack needed no second invitation. He too had heard 
 the sounds on the right and those calls from the wood; 
 and, realizing that, though the distraction had come 
 just at the critical moment, and would call off the 
 attention of the circle of watchers from themselves, yet 
 it indicated probably a full discovery of that struggle 
 which had taken place amongst the trees, and with it 
 a knowledge that the fugitives had fled, he gripped 
 Steve firmly in his arms and swung him up on to the 
 back of the Indian pony; for the well-trained beast 
 had remained beside its fallen master. To sling his 
 rifle and leap up behind the hunter was the work of 
 a moment, and straightway he set the animal in motion. 
 But almost instantly he was faced by another difficulty. 
 
 "Where away?" he asked, for the darkness confused 
 him. 
 
 " Dead straight ahead fer a while," came the whispered 
 answer; "then slick ter the right, whar our camp lies. 
 Likely as not some of the boys is riding over ter meet 
 us, for they'll have reckoned by this that things aer 
 queer. Gently does it, Carrots. There ain't no use 
 hurryin'." 
 
 At a gentle walk, therefore, they rode away from the 
 small collection of trees which had proved their salva- 
 tion, and at the same time had very nearly seen their 
 
 (0179) 13 
 
194 Indian and Scout 
 
 ending. When the pony had covered a quarter of a 
 mile, or thereabouts, Jack turned it to the right, and, 
 setting the plucky little beast at a trot, went on into 
 the night. 
 
 "They'll follow?" he asked, after a while; for the cries 
 which they had heard for some time had ceased now for 
 the past five minutes. " I suppose they found those two 
 men and then had a palaver, as you call it?" 
 
 "Yer kin put it like that. Them critters has had a 
 hard nut to crack, 'cos, don't yer see, the trees and the 
 darkness bothered 'em. Yes, they found them two 
 critters you downed in the wood, and, in course, they 
 made sartin we was still there, in hidin', but shifted 
 from the old quarters. So they sent their best men 
 in ter ferret around, and in a while they found not a 
 soul save their own comrades." 
 
 " That is when we heard their cries, I suppose?" said 
 Jack. 
 
 " Right agin. That aer when they began ter shriek. 
 That ain't much like Injuns, and jest shows that their 
 dander's been properly up. They sets to, then, to have 
 a palaver, and Gee! That aer bad!" 
 
 Once more a chorus of shouts came from behind 
 them, and told Jack and his comrades that something 
 more had occurred to disturb the enemy and raise their 
 anger. 
 
 " It aer as clear as daylight," said Steve shortly. 
 " Them varmint was bothered when they found the wood 
 empty, and set to to cast all round, and question the 
 critters placed there to watch. They've jest dropped 
 on the feller as you pulled off this here hoss, and wall, 
 even on a dark night an Injun'U follow a trail," 
 
Dodging the Enemy 195 
 
 " How?" Jack was a practical fellow, and this night's 
 adventure had made him critical. He failed to see how 
 even the most astute tracker could follow a trail in the 
 darkness. But Steve soon enlightened him. 
 
 "Twont take 'em many minutes," he said, a note of 
 conviction in his voice. "Yer see, it don't matter to 
 them ef we get to know as they're follerin'. They has 
 it fer sure that we're gettin' away on one of their ponies, 
 and that he's got ter carry double weight. That tells 
 'em plain that they can easily catch us up once they're 
 on the trail. So they ain't likely to make no bones 
 about the matter. They'll strip the bark off some of 
 them pines and make torches. That'll light the way, 
 and show 'em what line we've took. Now, how aer we 
 to get top side of 'em?" 
 
 The little hunter lapsed into silence, while Jack dug 
 his heels into the pony and set him at a fast canter. 
 But it was clear that the animal could not keep up the 
 pace for long. He was not a big pony, indeed was 
 hardly up to Jack's weight. With Steve added he was 
 decidedly overweighted, and the next quarter of an hour 
 proved that fact without the shadow of doubt. The 
 Indian horse was blowing heavily by then, and going 
 slower. 
 
 "It stands ter reason he can't last," cried Steve sud- 
 denly. " Now I'll tell yer what we'll do. This last ten 
 minutes we've been riding down a slope, and there's a 
 rise behind us which hides them Injuns. We can't say 
 as they're on the trail yet, 'cos we can't see. Likely 
 enough they've got their torches by now, and are skir- 
 mishing round fer the trail. If that's so, they'll be after 
 us afore two minutes, But that 'ere rise hides us jest 
 
196 Indian and Scout 
 
 the same, and it'll give us one more chance. Jack, aer 
 yer willing ter do what I suggest?" 
 
 " Perfectly. Anything but leave you. I've taken 
 you in charge, and I don't leave you behind for any- 
 thing." 
 
 There was a ring in Jack's voice, a manly, elated tone, 
 which told the little hunter that his companion was 
 anything but disheartened. There was a suspicion of 
 raillery in the voice, and the tone tickled Steve im- 
 mensely. He leaned back against our hero and laughed 
 heartily, a laugh which shook him, but which, with all his 
 native caution, was as silent as a gentle whisper. 
 
 " Yer do fetch the band!" he smiled. " Ef I ain't beat 
 holler, and thet by a townsman. But 'tain't a time ter 
 play, leastwise not yet. Them varmint ain't done with 
 us by a long way. Now jest yer listen. A friend of 
 mine, an old hunter, war once up agin a difficulty same 
 almost as this. And he jest played a trick that cleared 
 the Injuns. It aer our one chance, and we'll take it. 
 The wind's in our faces, though I ain't so sartain that 
 it'll stay thar. Ef it don't, the trap we set'll catch us 
 instead of the Injuns. Jack, jest hop right down and 
 get a bunch of that 'ere grass." 
 
 Quick as lightning Jack slipped to the ground, and 
 did as Steve suggested. 
 
 " Now, set it afire, and slippy with it. When it's 
 blazin' properly, jest run along with it and fire the 
 grass in as many places as yer can. Don't wait a 
 second longer than you're obleeged ter." 
 
 There was a note of tense excitement in the hunter's 
 voice, and he watched eagerly as Jack struck a match 
 and fired a bundle of grass. Then he chuckled as a 
 
Dodging the Enemy 197 
 
 spout of flame burst from each patch of the long prairie 
 growth he touched. 
 
 " Ef anything'll save us, it's that," he said to himself; 
 " save us or cook us. That 'ere fire ain't ten yards wide 
 now, but you wait. In ten minutes it'll have spread to 
 a mile if the wind holds. Get at it, Jack. Hop along 
 as fer as yer like. The farther the better." 
 
 Long before this Jack had grasped Steve's meaning, 
 and had realized that in proposing to fire the grass he 
 hoped to stretch a curtain of flame between them and 
 the Indians. But never in all his life had he been so 
 utterly astounded at the result of his action. For it 
 was at the end of the hot weather, and the long rank 
 grass which just there covered the plains was as dry as 
 tinder. Indeed, more than once lately they had ob- 
 served prairie fires; but some irregularity of the ground, 
 a river, or some hilly and broken ground had in every 
 case limited the conflagration. But even those glimpses 
 of fires had given our hero no idea of their tremendous 
 spread, of the fearful rate at which the line of fire pro- 
 gressed, for distance had diminished everything. Now, 
 however, the thing was at his elbow, and he was struck 
 with awe. As if eager for the flames, the grass caught 
 in every direction, and then surged away with a seething 
 hissing sound, casting up but little smoke. It raced 
 from him on every hand. Patches which he had ignited 
 ten yards from one another were joined hand in hand 
 before he could think, so that in an incredibly short space 
 of time a wall of fire lay before him. He was terrified 
 at his handiwork. But Steve was jubilant. 
 
 " Hop on, and let's git," he said easily, as Jack returned 
 to him. " Ef the wind don't change there'll be a wall of 
 
198 Indian and Scout 
 
 fire round which them Injuns'll have to ride, and they 
 won't fancy the business over much. 'Sides, they'll have 
 to divide. There won't be any knowing whether we've 
 gone dead straight on or have turned to one or other 
 side. Gee! Ef this ain't a doin'." 
 
 " Supposing the wind does turn?" asked Jack, digging 
 his heels into the horse and setting it at a slow canter. 
 
 " Yer won't have much longer need ter worry. This 
 here trouble that you've got tucked out er sight at the 
 back of yer mind'll be done with, 'cos there won't be no 
 escapin'. This hoss couldn't do it, onless he had only 
 one to carry, and I've got the idea as you ain't goin' 
 ter quit with me till things aer quieted down a bit." 
 
 Jack heard the little scout chuckling as if it were a 
 good joke, and then felt his bony, strong fingers suddenly 
 fall upon his hand. 
 
 " I ain't pokin' fun at yer, lad," said Steve seriously, a 
 little jerk in his voice. " But I aer fair amused ter think 
 that a townsman aer done it, and aer been able to show 
 Steve somethin'. It jest fetches the wind out o' my 
 sails, as the mariners say. Yer see, bein' an old scout, 
 I kinder took you by the hand ter show yer a thing or 
 two. And kinder reckoned ef we got into a muss, as 
 ain't so unlikely hereabouts, I'd be able to protect yer. 
 But, gee! ef this ain't jist the opposite. Reckon ye've 
 saved my life ten times over, Jack. Ye've a right to 
 feel proud of yerself, for ye've done it cold. Do yer 
 foller?" 
 
 Jack did not, and intimated that fact 
 
 " All the same, there's no need to say another word," 
 he exclaimed grumpily, though his face was flushed with 
 pleasure, and he was tingling from head to foot. 
 
Dodging the Enemy 199 
 
 "But there aer. Every need. Yer ain't goin' ter 
 bully me as ef I war a kid. YeVe ordered me about 
 till I don't know as I'm right in me head. There are need 
 ter say more. Yer did it cold. I mean out thar by 
 the buffalo, when yer was warmed with the chase, yer 
 played a right plucky game, and it took some grit, 
 that did; but in thar between the trees, when we was 
 waitin' and watchin' fer the enemy, it war cold shivery 
 work, the kind of stuff that sets men's knees knockin' 
 tergether and their teeth chatterin'. I ain't exaggeratin'. 
 I've knowed brave men in sech a fix get shiverin' all 
 over. It aer their nerves, I suppose, and it's a skeary 
 feelin' that makes a brave man a coward. Now ye've 
 got the hang of what I mean. Yer played that other 
 game dead cold. I don't forget that I owe yer my life, 
 and that it war downright pluck as did it. So thar!" 
 
 Having said his say, Steve, who had become quite 
 garrulous when with Jack, lapsed into silence, and pre- 
 sently lay back against his young protector as if he 
 were utterly worn out. And so for an hour the horse 
 cantered on, bearing them in the direction of their 
 friends. As for the fire, it quickly assumed gigantic 
 proportions, and long before the hour had passed a 
 broad line of fire extended on either hand rushing 
 in the opposite direction. And instead of the wind 
 changing round, it got up as the night advanced, and 
 blew still harder, fanning those terrible flames. 
 
 Half an hour later, when their horse was almost ex- 
 hausted, and his pace had descended to a walk, Steve 
 suddenly sat up and shook himself as if he had but just 
 awakened. 
 
 "I seed somethin' over thar!" he exclaimed, pointing 
 
200 Indian and Scout 
 
 to the right. "And I guess as it ain't Injuns. Likely 
 enough it'll be Tom and the boys. Let's give 'em a 
 halloo." 
 
 But, before he could call out, a sharp hail came 
 through the darkness. 
 
 "Stand thar!" someone shouted. " Ef yer move we'll 
 
 put lead into yer Jest sing out and say whar yer 
 
 come from, and what's yer business." 
 
 "It aer Tom sure enough," cried Steve. "Hi, Tom!" 
 he called back at the top of his voice. 
 
 In less than a minute Tom and Jacob rode up, and at 
 once dismounted. 
 
 "A fine scare ye've given us!" exclaimed Tom, 
 striding to the side of the horse. " When it fell night 
 and yer didn't turn up, we didn't make so much of it. 
 'Cos we'd heard shots, and thought ye'd most likely 
 been gettin' meat. But when it got later and later, and 
 there warn't a sound, why, me and Jacob saddled up and 
 come back on the trail. What's kept yer?'* 
 
 A few words sufficed to tell them. 
 
 "Yer can take it for sartin as we've got ter fight it 
 out," said Steve in his cool voice. "Them critters has 
 had a knock as they can't forgit, and won't forgive. 
 Two of their young braves has been downed by this 
 here Jack, and a third aer got a headache that'll last 
 him past the mornin'. Wall, what'll yer do? Yer kin 
 put me on one side. I kin lie up in the wagon, and I 
 kin shoot. But I ain't no good fer riding." 
 
 It was obviously a case where conjunction of forces 
 was necessary, and at once Tom took Steve up in front 
 of his saddle, while Jack climbed up behind Jacob. 
 Then, leaving the Indian horse, they spurred away 
 
Dodging the Enemy 201 
 
 across the plain, and within an hour had found the 
 camp and their friends. 
 
 " They'll be here with the mornin' light, them critters," 
 said Tom, addressing all hands. " And ef we've got an 
 ounce of sense we'll be makin' ready fer 'em. Now it 
 seems to me as we'd better carry on a runnin' fight 
 'Cos ef we stay, and fix up a bit of a fort, them 
 varmint'll sit down to starve us out, ef it takes 'em a 
 month." 
 
 "That aer sense," agreed Jacob. "There never was 
 a critter ter sit down and wait like an Injun. He's got 
 the patience, yer see, and doin' nothin' kinder suits him. 
 He aer an idle dog when he's not fightin' and takin' 
 scalps. Wall, how's it ter be done, Tom?" 
 
 "Jest like this. I war in a muss same as this once 
 before, though there warn't so many of the varmint. 
 We fought 'em runnin', same as they do at sea when 
 thar's a naval battle. Guess that wagon aer big enough 
 to take the hull crowd, and, that being the case, we'll 
 pile into it. Jacob here'll drive the bosses. Our mounts'll 
 be tied up along by the wheelers, so as we kin get at 'em 
 slippy ef we want. Then we'll make a kind of cover 
 under the tilt, something that'll keep out their arrows 
 and bullets, and the same forward and aft. Ef we can't 
 make a handsome fight of it then, why we ain't fit ter 
 get through. Let's have a light. David and Jacob here 
 kin get to at the cover. Jest take some of them 'ere 
 empty sacks and nail 'em to the bottom boards. Then 
 string 'em up to the tilt hoops. When ye've kind of 
 made a long sack yer can fill it with grass. Ef it's 
 stuffed in well it'll stop a bullet, and the weight won't 
 be anythin' ter speak of. Make it jest a nice height ter 
 
202 Indian and Scout 
 
 cover a kneeling man. Jack, you kin jist sit down along 
 of Steve and get to at some food. Ye'll want it badly 
 by this. I'll make back along the track a little and keep 
 a watch, while ye other boys kin hitch the bosses in, 
 get the guns ready, and lay out ammunition. Thar 
 ain't no use in movin' yet. Better wait till daylight, ef 
 them critters'll allow us. 
 
 There was calmness and order and method about 
 these experienced scouts, and at once each man occu- 
 pied himself with the task allotted by Tom. As for 
 Jack, he was ravenous, and at once began to forage 
 for food for himself and Steve. 
 
 "You kin jist give my back another rub when we've 
 filled up inside," said Steve, " as Jack laid him down at 
 the tail of the wagon. " I kin move a hull foot now, 
 and bend the knee a little. That shows the works is 
 gettin' in gear again. But they've had a mighty shakin', 
 they have, and seems to me it war near bein' a bad 
 business altogether." 
 
 Four hours later, when the dawn began to break, the 
 little band of scouts was marching slowly and steadily 
 across the plain, Jacob plying the whip from the front 
 of the wagon, where a breastwork of boxes had been 
 built to protect him. On either hand rode Tom and 
 Seth and the others, their eyes searching the plain for 
 a sight of the enemy. But for a while nothing was seen 
 of them. Away behind them a black pall of smoke 
 covered the countryside as far as the eye could see, and 
 beyond, no eye could penetrate. 
 
 " But they're there, the skunks!" exclaimed Tom, as he 
 rode knee to knee with Jack. " Steve's had a sight more 
 experience on the plains than any man of us, and he 
 
Dodging the Enemy 203 
 
 allows as thar ain't a chance but that they'll follow. As 
 fer me, I feel sure as they won't dare to sit down and 
 take their lickin' humble. Yer see, it's a case of what 
 their people'll say when they returns home. Ef they 
 come with a tale of defeat they'll never hear the end of it, 
 and the squaws will jeer at them. They're dead bound 
 to go on with the chase, and they won't give it up till 
 they've got our scalps, or till we've given 'em a proper 
 hidin'. Say, Carrots, Steve aer talkin' a heap. Aer it 
 all true what he says? I know he ain't the one to make 
 a thing bigger than it aer, but he's had a bad shake, and 
 maybe he's a bit wandering. Aer it true as you stood 
 beside him through thick and thin?" 
 
 Jack modestly acknowledged that he had refused to 
 desert his comrade, and for a while he had to listen to 
 the praise of the man who had first befriended him. 
 Then, too, the other hunters rode their horses up for 
 Steve had called them one by one to the wagon, where 
 he lay at full length and eagerly shook Jack's hand. 
 
 " Yer ain't no longer a tenderfoot," said one of them. 
 " I allow as a youngster can do a brave thing once, and 
 save an old hunter's life. But it ain't often a youngster 
 from the towns gets his teeth into it, so to speak, and 
 when there's a chance of skipping from a hull heap of 
 Injuns, refuses point-blank, but sticks to his partner. 
 And Steve says as you got quite uppish. Treated him 
 like a kid, and that ef you hadn't done so both of you'd 
 have gone under. Shake, Jack, I'm glad I am along 
 with the party." 
 
 It may be imagined that our hero was covered with 
 confusion; for there was no conceit about Jack, and he 
 had no desire to receive thanks or praise from anyone. 
 
204 Indian and Scout 
 
 Still, all the same, his senses tingled, and it was a happy 
 young fellow who rode beside Tom. For Jack felt within 
 himself that he had acted as a man should. He felt now, 
 more than ever, that he could hold his head up and scoff 
 at those who had accused him of that crime for which he 
 would have been convicted had he stayed at Hopeville. 
 More than that, so helpful are kind words from those 
 who surround us, he began to look to the future hope- 
 fully. He felt as if the tide of misfortune had turned, 
 and that somewhere, sooner or later, he would be suc- 
 cessful in his search for that miscreant who had gone off 
 like a craven, and had left no word, not even a wish, to 
 clear the young fellow accused of the crime which he 
 himself had committed. 
 
 "Thar they aer, ridin' strong!" cried Tom, suddenly 
 pointing across to the left. "They've rid round the edge 
 of the fire, and by the way their cattle is goin' they've 
 had a longish way to come. Boys, it aer time to get into 
 the wagon. Jest get yer barrels filled, and then lay 
 doggo. There'll be time and enough to fire. What 
 we want is to coax them critters ter come within easy 
 distance, and then we'll give 'em pepper. 'Tain't no use 
 to play with 'em. We've got ter handle them roughish, 
 and, when they starts in shootin', jest remember we've 
 got ter give 'em pepper." 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 An Attack in Force 
 
 THE light was strong, and the pink tinge in the sky 
 away to the east was already giving place to a golden 
 hue, the forerunner of a scorching sun, as the Indians 
 came in sight. Turning in his saddle, Jack could see 
 them riding in a cluster, and coming at a sharp canter. 
 
 " Likely as not they've seed us ten minutes ago," said 
 Tom, taking a close view of the pursuers. "They're 
 right up agin that cloud of smoke, so that it aer not 
 so easy fer us to see them. But we're clear out on the 
 plain, and anyone could spot the tilt of the wagon miles 
 away. Wall, youngster, aer yer skeared?" 
 
 Jack laughed. Somehow, for no reason at all, so far 
 as he was aware, the thought of the coming conflict 
 gave him not so much as a qualm. Had the same 
 thing been about to occur three days ago he would 
 perhaps not have been so cheerful ; for it is uncertainties 
 which try men, doubt as to the future, and, where blows 
 are to be expected, a vague wondering as to how they 
 will bear themselves. But Jack had met danger already, 
 and met it manfully. In his heart he knew well that 
 he had earned the esteem of these hardened scouts, 
 and at the thought he threw up his head and laughed 
 again. 
 
 805 
 
206 Indian and Scout 
 
 "Jest like that, aer it?" smiled Tom. " Wall, I knows 
 how yer feel, and I ain't surprised. Yer ain't got no 
 call to fear any ruction in the future, 'cos ye've had an 
 innings, and that teaches a chap a heap. But it aer 
 time to climb into the wagon." 
 
 By now all the friends were gathered close beside 
 the huge vehicle save Jacob, who gripped the reins, 
 and Steve, who lay on the boards within. Not one of 
 the men appeared anything but absolutely cool. Indeed 
 they displayed a certain amount of cheerfulness which 
 would have helped to keep up the courage of any weak- 
 ling, had there been one amongst them. Slipping from 
 their saddles, they unbuckled girths and carried the 
 saddles to the back of the wagon, where one of their 
 number built them into a breastwork. The others at 
 the same time made the bridles fast to the headstall 
 of the wheelers drawing the wagon. Then, at a call 
 from Tom, they came clambering into the wagon. 
 
 "And jest you watch them legs of mine," sang out 
 Steve cheerily. "This here Jack's saved 'em fer me 
 with a bit of trouble, and it aer cost them varmint back 
 thar a hull heap, not ter speak of a bad headache that 
 one of 'em's got. Wall, jest keep yer big boots off me. 
 I don't want ter discourage a youngster, and I jest want 
 ter show Jack thar that them legs is goin' ter get useful 
 yet." 
 
 They placed the smiling little scout at the forward 
 end of the wagon, and at his urgent request piled a heap 
 of ammunition at his head. A biscuit box propped up 
 one elbow, while the sacking, with its thick padding of 
 grass, was pulled down a few inches. 
 
 "So that I kin 5ee ter shoot over," growled Steve, 
 
An Attack in Force 207 
 
 " I ain't fergot as them varmint aer had a bit of fun 
 outer me. Wall, I never did like owin'. I'm a-goin' ter 
 pay back prompt, and I'll give 'em full measure ef I can 
 work it." 
 
 By now the enemy were within three hundred yards 
 of the wagon, and, looking out, Jack saw that they were 
 riding slowly, while a number were bunched close to- 
 gether, and were carrying on a heated conversation. 
 Behind them rode the younger men, and it was clear 
 from the manner in which they broke from the throng 
 ever and again, and reluctantly rejoined it, that they were 
 eager to begin the attack. 
 
 " In course they'll divide," said Tom coolly. " And 
 some of their best men'll be told off to ride in and 
 shoot the hosses, or hamstring 'em if they kin get close 
 enough. Wall, Steve and me'll see to that, and two of 
 the others kin help. Jacob'll shake up the hosses every 
 time the critters make a rush, so as to give 'em harder 
 work ter do. You others'll get in a shot whenever yer 
 kin. It don't need tellin' that yer might jest as well not 
 shoot as miss. Ye've got ter kill every time, or damage 
 a man so bad as he can't move." 
 
 " They're dividing," sang out Jack a moment later. 
 
 " And by the look of 'em they're goin' ter play some 
 new kind of game. Keep yer eyes skinned, boys, and 
 whatever happens don't let the critters get too near to 
 the hosses. The guns they has ain't much good over a 
 hundred yards. Jest keep 'em that far off, and we shan't 
 come to any hurt." 
 
 Five minutes later it was apparent that this body of 
 Indians was led by a crafty individual; for, having 
 divided, instead of dashing forward and attacking the 
 
208 Indian and Scout 
 
 wagon on either side, the two bands, some thirty strong 
 in each case, cantered past the wagon till they were well 
 ahead. Then, to Jack's amazement, they spread them- 
 selves out on either side of the track which the wagon 
 would take if it continued the course it was then 
 following. 
 
 "They've set their mark on the hosses, boys," sang 
 out Tom at once. "Their game are as clear as day- 
 light. They're jest waitin' fer us to trail on between 
 them, when every man'll let fly with his popgun. Ef 
 they bring down the hosses we're stranded, and they 
 kin then set to work to tackle the wagon. Say, Jacob, 
 bring yer team up smart towards 'em, and, when yer 
 judges you're jest outer shot, wheel 'em sharp to the 
 left, and again to the right when you've run a couple 
 of hundred yards. That'll put all the varmint on one 
 side. Not a shot, boys, till I shout. Them critters ain't 
 got no notion what sort of guns we've got. We want 
 to coax 'em nearer, so as we kin give 'em pepper." 
 
 With the huge odds against them it was obvious that 
 it would be to the advantage of the little party of hunters 
 to inflict a severe lesson on the Indians at the very 
 onset of the conflict. And all realized that Tom's 
 scheme was best calculated to bring that about. Kneel- 
 ing behind the breastwork formed all round the wagon, 
 the scouts peered out from beneath the tilt, their wea- 
 pons ready to their hands. Jacob, sitting high on the 
 box, wielded the reins with a master hand. Leaning for- 
 ward so as to give his whip arm free play, he sent the 
 long lash cracking and swishing over the team. Then, 
 having brought them to a canter, he steered them direct 
 for the open space left between the two lines of Indian 
 
An Attack in Force 209 
 
 horsemen. There was a howl of rage as he swung the 
 team to the left, and a great galloping to and fro as he 
 swung to the right again, so placing the wagon to the 
 left of the Indians, but just out of gunshot. 
 
 " Them fellers is jest cryin' with rage," laughed Steve 
 as he peered out. " Guess they'll give up all thought of 
 the hosses in a little. It's clear agin Injun nature ter 
 trouble with hossflesh when there's white folks about 
 and scalps to be taken. But jest watch it, Tom. Some 
 of 'em will try a rush in, so as to put a bullet into the 
 team." 
 
 Indeed, in less than a minute one of the young braves 
 accompanying the enemy suddenly started from their 
 ranks and galloped madly towards the wagon. His 
 reins lay on the horse's neck, while already his gun 
 was at his shoulder. Tom instantly threw his own 
 weapon into position, paused for a moment, and then 
 drew the trigger. 
 
 " Jest the right height, I reckon," cried Steve. " Yer 
 hit him plumb, Tom, and it aer a lesson. But watch 
 it. There'll be more of 'em axing ter be killed." 
 
 It was not likely that an old Indian fighter like 
 Steve would be mistaken, and indeed the next few 
 minutes proved that, for other braves dashed from the 
 ranks, singly or in twos and threes. And on each occa- 
 sion Tom and his comrades defeated their object. None 
 of their bullets went astray. The men who were firing 
 were no hotheads, no untrained recruits. They aimed 
 steadily and coolly, and never missed. 
 
 " That aer checked them fer a little," said Tom, as the 
 Indians drew away and rode on a level with the wagon, 
 but some three hundred yards to the right. "They'll 
 
 (0179) 14 
 
210 Indian and Scout 
 
 get to and have a palaver fer a bit, and then they'll try 
 a rush. That aer what we've got ter fear. Thar's a 
 good fifty of the critters left, and ef they can get all 
 round us, why, some of 'em'll do fer the team while 
 we're busy with the others. Then there won't be 
 no stoppin' them. Yer know the game to play, 
 Jacob?" 
 
 The big hunter, perched high on his box, looked 
 round and grinned at Tom. 
 
 " Yer bet," he answered. " It's ter be a circus. Yer 
 kin calkilate on me ter do the right thing at the right 
 moment. I'll give the team an easy time till them 
 critters gets frisky agin." 
 
 For more than half an hour the little party proceeded 
 on their way, the team walking, while the Indians rode 
 their horses still at the same distance from the wagon. 
 For a while they had stopped, and there had been a 
 palaver. Then they had followed at a trot, and as soon 
 as they were level with the wagon had begun to walk 
 their animals. 
 
 "Yer kin see their new game," cried Tom after a 
 while. "Thar's roughish ground ahead. Yer kin see 
 rocks rising in the grass, and they calkilates ter charge 
 when we're fixed up amongst the boulders. Thar 
 wouldn't be the same chance of manoeuvring then, and 
 things wouldn't be so favourable by a heap. What do 
 yer think, Steve?" 
 
 " It don't want no thinkin'. Ef we push on into that 
 ere rough ground, we're doin' jest what them Injun 
 varmint aer axin' us ter do. That ain't reasonable, 
 and ain't the way of men sich as we aer. We're in 
 fer a muss with them critters, either here or down 
 
An Attack in Force 211 
 
 among the rocks. Wall, do it want decidin' what we 
 aer ter do?" 
 
 " Pull the team round, Jacob," sang out Tom promptly, 
 "and get yer irons ready, boys. Thar'll be a bit of 
 shouting. Gee! It fair makes me grin to think how 
 them critters'll be swearin'." 
 
 Once more Jacob's whip cracked over the team and 
 set them in rapid motion, a pace which the enemy 
 rapidly adopted. Indeed, it seemed as if the party at 
 whose capture or death they aimed was actually hasten- 
 ing to its own destruction. But the Indians had as 
 crafty a set of men to deal with as themselves. A 
 howl presently escaped them as Jacob swung his team 
 in a complete circle, and sent them heading back over 
 the wheelmarks they had just made. 
 
 " Jest watch it, boys," sang out Tom. " Human 
 natur can't stand that 'ere sort of thing, and Injun 
 natur in partic'ler. They've jest been bamboozled, and 
 ef there aer a thing that's sartin ter raise the dander 
 of them varmint, it aer bein' bamboozled. Jest keep 
 yer eyes skinned, and start in with the shootin' as 
 soon as they aer within easy range. Yer kin keep yer 
 shooters till they're up ter the wagon." 
 
 For five minutes perhaps the Indians rode beside the 
 wagon, keeping pace with it for the team had again 
 dropped to a walk and maintaining the same distance 
 from it. Then Steve suddenly drew the attention of 
 his comrades to a remarkable fact. 
 
 " Ain't they cute!" he cried. " They're givin' the idea 
 that they're jest ridin' along at the same distance. But 
 ef yer watch carefully, them critters is edgin' in all the 
 while. In a bit they'll be near enough to make a rush. 
 
Indian and Scout 
 
 Jest sit tight, boys, while I put in a sorter warnin' 
 shot" 
 
 He leaned well over his sights and squinted along the 
 barrel, aiming at an Indian who, by his gestures, and 
 the manner in which the others followed him, was un- 
 doubtedly the leader. Then the interior of the wagon 
 was filled with blinding smoke, while a thundering de- 
 tonation deafened the little party of white men. In- 
 stantly the Indian chief threw up his arms, fell back 
 on the quarters of his horse, and slid to the ground. 
 And at once there arose such a babel of shouts and 
 shrill yells of anger that anyone might well have been 
 alarmed. For it was contrary to Indian habit to give 
 way so openly to wrath. It seemed, indeed, as if the 
 conflict they had entered upon with these whites had 
 tried the temper of the enemy more than usual, and 
 if Jack had only known it his own unexpected success 
 against them, the manner in which he had slain two 
 of their most cunning young braves, had maddened the 
 others. They felt as if their reputation, even their 
 bravery, had received a sore check. Now, on top of 
 that, this solitary wagon was being manoeuvred in a 
 manner which outgeneralled all their schemes, for the 
 parties of diggers making across the plains upon whom 
 the Indians were wont to make attacks fell too easy 
 victims to their craft and cunning as a general rule. 
 
 "That aer the end of it," said Tom, turning to see 
 that all was ready. "Flesh and blood can't stand no 
 more of sich knocks, and them critters'll be coming." 
 
 The words had hardly left his lips when the whole 
 band of Indians swept their horses round to face the 
 wagon, and, digging their heels into the flanks of the 
 
"THE INDIAN CHIEF THREW UP HIS ARMS* 
 
An Attack in Force 213 
 
 animals, spurred them forward at a mad gallop. What 
 a picture they made too! In more or less close forma- 
 tion, their feathered headdress flying in the breeze, and 
 the trimmings of their overalls and moccasins fluttering, 
 they raced towards the wagon with eyes staring and 
 arms brandished over their heads. A perfect tumult 
 of noise proceeded from their ranks, while they had 
 hardly covered ten yards before their guns spoke out, 
 sending bullets hissing across the space which divided 
 them from the white men. 
 
 "Shake 'em up, Jacob!" cried Tom at the pitch of 
 his voice. 
 
 But the big, cool man handling the reins needed no 
 instructions. Already he was bending forward, while the 
 crack of his long lash broke the silence before the Indian 
 guns spoke. He called to the horses as only a practised 
 teamster could do, and at once the wagon swayed and 
 rocked and jerked. Then it gathered momentum, and 
 long ere the enemy had approached within a hundred 
 and fifty yards the big, lumbering contrivance was well 
 under way, dashing over the prairie at a pace which 
 caused the Indians at once to swing their horses for- 
 ward and gallop harder so as to come within reach 
 In fact, it was this sudden movement which proved 
 the safeguard of the little party of hunters. For other- 
 wise, had they been stationary, they would have had 
 fifty or more of the enemy about them at the same 
 moment, and so quickly, too, that there would have 
 been little time for the rifles to make an impression. 
 As it was, they had some breathing space, and much use 
 did they make of it. 
 
 "Leaders always, mates!" sang out Tom. "It aer 
 
214 Indian and Scout 
 
 always the best. It throws the others into a fix and 
 delays 'em." 
 
 Short, sharp, and precise the shots rang out from the 
 wagon, while the interior was presently filled with thick, 
 sulphurous smoke. But that made no difference to the 
 defenders, for the pace at which they were moving con- 
 stantly cleared the atmosphere. It was Steve who first 
 opened the duel. His weapon cracked sharply, and at 
 once one of the leading Indian horses fell with a crash, 
 throwing his rider. The animal following managed to 
 leap over his fallen comrade, but a second tripped, and 
 after him a third came to grief, leaving a pile of strug- 
 gling men and lashing hoofs on the grass. But such 
 an incident could not stop such large numbers. Spread- 
 ing a little, they came racing in towards the wagon, 
 while the heavy thuds outside told that bullets were 
 flying. But missiles were also passing in the oppo- 
 site direction, true to their mark, for each one of the 
 scouts was a master hand with a rifle. Even Jack 
 made good use of his weapon, and brought more than 
 one of the enemy rolling, while the negro who accom- 
 panied the party, to tend to the team and cook, helped 
 gallantly in the defence. 
 
 "Shooters!" shouted Tom at length, when the enemy 
 were within ten yards. " Me and Seth'll see that they 
 don't get nigh to the hosses. Ye other boys make 
 time with 'em at the sides, and jest see that the critters 
 don't climb in behind. Jack, post yerself thar, and give 
 'em fits ef they try it." 
 
 Dropping their empty weapons, each one of the de- 
 fenders gripped his revolver, and in some instances they 
 had two. As for Jack, he crawled to the back of the 
 
An Attack in Force 215 
 
 wagon, and, leaning over the saddles, waited for the 
 time for action. And it was not long in coming. With 
 a heave and a roll the wagon swung swarply to the left, 
 for Jacob was a cunning hand. And the sudden change 
 of direction threw the aim of the enemy out. A moment 
 or two before several had been within easy reach of the 
 wheelers of the team and had drawn their tomakawks; 
 but the swerve left them behind, while in the case of 
 one man on the far side, the wagon bumped into him 
 with terrific force, and threw him and his mount to the 
 ground. With a shout the others galloped up behind, 
 and in a second there was a sea of faces, of bobbing 
 heads, and of tossing manes presented to our hero. 
 
 " Take 'em cool ! " shouted Tom, who seemed to have 
 an eye for everything and everyone. 
 
 Jack levelled his weapon steadily, aimed at the fore- 
 most man, and sent a bullet crashing into his head. At 
 the same instant he was almost blinded by a spurt of 
 flame, while something hissed past his head, and, passing 
 through the length of the wagon, buried itself in the box 
 on which Jacob sat. 
 
 "Bully fer ye, Jack!" shouted Seth, springing to our 
 hero's side. " Yer bagged him fine, and he near plugged 
 yer. Get in at 'em." 
 
 It was short, sharp work at the back of the wagon on 
 that occasion, and when it was ended Jack remembered 
 nothing beyond that first shot, the fall of the Indian, 
 and the ball which had hissed past his own cheek. 
 Yet, there he was, standing beside the breastwork of 
 saddles, holding an empty and smoking revolver in his 
 hand, while directly in rear was a bunch of fallen men, 
 with their patient horses standing beside them. And all 
 
216 Indian and Scout 
 
 the while he had a dim perception that shots were ecno- 
 ing all round him. From either side of the wagon a 
 stream of bullets had hurtled, and even now men were 
 being added to that bunch upon which his eye was fixed. 
 
 "Yer kin take it slow and cool," sang out Tom at 
 last, his voice startling our hero. " Them critters has 
 had their pepper, and ef they're wise they'll sheer clear 
 off. Anyone the wuss?" 
 
 "Wuss. Yer don't call that wuss, do yer?" asked 
 Seth indignantly, displaying a wrist from which a stream 
 of red ran. " That ain't nothin'. Jest a pip what hap- 
 pened to come my way, and kinder seemed ter like me. 
 Boys, I aer been in many a muss, and gee! I ain't the 
 one as likes to come out without somethin' to remind me 
 of it. That aer a pinprick." 
 
 He coolly rammed cartridges into his empty revolver, 
 reloaded his gun, and then with the help of a fine set of 
 teeth and a neckerchief quickly bound up the wound. 
 
 Meanwhile Jack had looked carefully about him, for 
 the smoke had again cleared from the interior of the 
 wagon. One thing struck him with amazement. The 
 white tilt of the wagon, which had been rolled up so that 
 the defenders could see from beneath it, was no longer 
 the neat, nicely hung thing it had been. The curtain 
 was punctured in numerous places, while there was more 
 than one long slit. 
 
 "Jest ter remind us!" laughed Steve, seeing Jack's 
 attention was attracted to the rents. "Them critters 
 came close, and would ha' got to the hosses ef it hadn't 
 been that Jacob had the ribbons. But yer can see how 
 close they war. Reckon this here padding aer saved 
 some of us." 
 
An Attack in Force 217 
 
 It was clear, indeed, that but for the timely prepara- 
 tions of the scouts they would have fared badly, for 
 the enemy had actually battered the outside of the 
 wagon with their tomahawks, and had their weapons 
 been loaded when they arrived at such close quarters 
 no doubt they would have poured bullets into the 
 interior. But they had expended their shots on the 
 way, trusting to their terrible tomahawks for close hand- 
 to-hand work, an opportunity for which had never been 
 allowed them. 
 
 " It aer been a lesson," said Tom, after a while. 
 " These here bits of padding ha' saved our lives no end, 
 while the game of a runnin' fight aer bothered them 
 critters more than anything. Boys, the time aer come 
 to give 'em more pepper. It don't stand to reason that 
 we should sit in here and see 'em palaverin', and makin' 
 ready for more devilry. So I'm fer advising that Jacob 
 swings the beauties round agin, and takes us in amongst 
 them varmint. Ef we goes on, we shows we aer afraid. 
 Ef we turns in amongst them, we lets 'em see we're axin* 
 fer more. Get yer irons loaded." 
 
 For a few moments only the ring of ramrods was to 
 be heard, and the click of revolver locks. 
 
 "Guess we're ready," said Seth shortly, a wide grin 
 on his face. " Ef thar's a one here as don't fancy the 
 business, he'd best get down now. Thar aer room out 
 thar on the prairie." 
 
 A chorus of laughter greeted this sally, but was 
 silenced by Tom. 
 
 "Ef Seth thar, Tricky Seth as we calls him, ain't 
 specially careful," he sang out, "we'll hang him out in 
 front as a scarecrow fer them varmint ter shoot at. 
 
218 Indian and Scout 
 
 Jack, jest you come forward. It does a young 'un like 
 yer good to have a bit of experience. Jest come along 
 with me and keep a watch on the hosses. Now, Jacob, 
 boy, you kin fetch 'em round and give 'em their heads ; 
 and don't ferget to swing them ef the muss gets too 
 thick. That last turn of yours jest bamboozled the 
 critters more than anythin'." 
 
 Swinging the team round, Jacob set them towards 
 the Indians at a smart pace, while a shout came from 
 the scouts. 
 
 "Jest to tell 'em we're perky," smiled Tom. "Gee! 
 They're goin' ter stand up to it, so it'll be a fight. Boys, 
 you kin get in with the shootin' when ye're ready." 
 
 A short, sharp and extremely savage conflict followed, 
 during which the Indians crowded round the wagon, 
 while Jacob manoeuvred his team in such a manner that 
 they could never actually obtain a grip of the huge 
 conveyance. And all the while Tom and his com- 
 rades emptied their weapons into the enemy, knock- 
 ing numbers out of their saddles. Indeed, never before, 
 in all probability, had this particular tribe been so 
 severely handled, and, unable to face the punishment, 
 they turned swiftly and fled, leaving many of their com- 
 rades dotting the plain, while no fewer than seventeen 
 horses stood cropping the grass. 
 
 " Which shows that the varmint aer properly scared," 
 said Tom exultingly, when the enemy had broken and 
 fled. " An Injun likes to get away with his dead and 
 wounded ef he kin. Ef he kin't, and leaves, it's a sure 
 sign he's been mauled. Boys, thar are hosses out thar 
 that'll pay to keep. Let's get into our saddles." 
 
 Jacob pulled in his team with a jerk, while the hunters 
 
An Attack in Force 219 
 
 leaped from the wagon. Saddles were swiftly thrown 
 on the backs of the horses they had secured to their 
 own wheelers, and in a trice they were riding away. 
 It took but ten minutes to round up the Indian ponies, 
 which were secured together by passing the reins of one 
 through those of another, and so on, till all were secured. 
 " We can move along now," sang out Tom at length. 
 " Them critters is away over thar watchin', and they'll 
 be back to tend to their men as soon as we're gone. 
 We ain't got nothin' more to fear from 'em. We've 
 give 'em real pepper." 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 Giving 'em Pepper 
 
 IT was a jovial party which sat round the camp fire on 
 the evening following the defeat of the Indians, for even 
 the old and tried hunters could not help a feeling of 
 elation. 
 
 * It makes yer feel jest like a kid," said Steve, as he 
 blinked in the firelight, and looked across at Jack, who 
 was tending the buffalo steaks hissing over the embers. 
 " It ain't so many hours ago as me and Carrots was, as 
 yer might say, fair up agin it. I didn't look to come 
 out clear. And yet, here we aer, and I'm watchin' thim 
 steaks pretty close, which seems to show as thar ain't 
 nothing much wrong." 
 
 "And the back, mate?" asked Tom, striding across 
 towards him, and looking particularly big. 
 
 "Jest as well as ever," came the hearty answer. " I'm 
 that young and skittish, seems I could kick the carrots 
 off Jack's head. Hand over one of them steaks, young 
 'un. A man same as me don't oughter be kept waitin'." 
 
 " We was talkin' of pepper," began Jacob, one of the 
 hunters, when the meal was ended, and all were smoking 
 their pipes. " That 'ere word minds me of a time when 
 we give them red devils pepper same as we did to-day, 
 only 'twarn't in these here parts, and we wasn't fer 
 makin' gold in Californy." 
 
 220 
 
Giving 'em Pepper 221 
 
 " You kin get to at the yarn," sang out Seth promptly. 
 "Thar ain't one of us as feels he aer got any use for 
 a blanket yet awhile, and seein' it's fine and pleasant, 
 why jest wet yer throat, and then let's have it from 
 the beginnin'." 
 
 He leaned across to the hunter and handed him a 
 brimming pannikin, which he had just replenished from 
 the keg of spirit the party carried, and from the water 
 bag in which the precious fluid was stored. Jacob let 
 his head fall back promptly, raised the pannikin, and 
 for the moment the silence which had fallen on the camp 
 was broken by the gurgle of the fluid. 
 
 "Thanks, mate," gasped Jacob, getting his breath. 
 " We was talkin' of pepper." 
 
 "We war," admitted Steve, edging a trifle closer to 
 the fire. 
 
 " And we aer fair greedy fer the story," smiled Tom. 
 "You ain't got no call ter look up ter the sky. The 
 yarn ain't thar. Ye've got it stowed in yer head. 
 Give it a shake and out with it. Ef not, I'll send Car- 
 rots here ter see whether a little hammerin' won't help 
 you any." 
 
 There was a hearty laugh as Tom spoke, but the 
 words made not the smallest difference to Jacob. He 
 sat back on his elbows staring up at the sky, as if endea- 
 vouring to collect memories of past times. Jack took a 
 look at the big hunter, wondered whether he himself 
 would ever present such a decidedly manly appearance, 
 and then fell to admiring the heavens too. For they 
 were on the verge of California, and overhead hung a 
 cloudless vault, speckled with such bright, twinkling 
 stars that even the moon rays were paled. 
 
222 Indian and Scout 
 
 " It war a night same as this," began Jacob at 
 length, "jest fer all the world same as this. The stars 
 and moon that bright and clear yer could see to read 
 easy. Wall, I ain't here ter tell of the stars and sich- 
 like. I'm mindin' the time when I was workin' the 
 cattle fer a boss a goodish way south of this, in a 
 country that's even now more Injun than anythin'. He 
 was rough, war that 'ere boss, and we ended a long day 
 amongst the beasts with sharp and bitter words. I 'low 
 as a man as hires me has a right ter git the value of his 
 dollars outer me. But I don't cotton to no bossin'. I 
 don't see that 'cos a man employs a hand he has a right 
 ter bully him, ter shout names at him, and rile him every 
 hour of the day. That ain't in reason." 
 
 He looked round the assembled scouts, as if to 
 gather their views on the matter. 
 
 " Git on with it," shouted Steve shortly. 
 
 " Them's my views in a nutshell," cried Tom. " No 
 man ain't goin' ter be bullied." 
 
 "So I thought," continued Jacob. "And though it 
 war evenin', and dark to be expected precious soon, I 
 jest give the boss back some of the lip he'd been 
 throwin' at me, and at the same time told him I war 
 quittin'. We squared up the wages right off, and then 
 I climbed into my saddle and rid away from the farm. 
 I war mighty angry and hot." 
 
 " And likely as not didn't take no partic'lar direction," 
 sang out one of the listeners. 
 
 "Ye've got it right and early. I was that mad with 
 the boss I jest kicked the flanks of my hoss and rid right 
 off like a whirlwind. But a man finds a gallop across 
 the grass kinder clears his brain, and takes the anger 
 
Giving 'em Pepper 223 
 
 out of him. I soon got to rememberin' that I hadn't 
 touched a crust sense breakfast, and that war early 
 with the sun risin'. 
 
 "Ye're a fool, Jacob," I says to myself. "Ye've rid 
 off hot and hasty, like a child, and now ye've got ter 
 suffer. Whar's best to go?" 
 
 " The hoss could tell yer," cried Tom. 
 
 "Right agin!" agreed Jacob. "That hoss knew 
 better than me whar I was likely to find food. I've 
 seed the same thing many a time out on the plains. 
 Ef a man's lost, and don't know from Adam whar he 
 aer, it's better to give a free rein and leave it to the 
 mount. Suppose he scents somethin'. Anyway he 
 generally knows whar he's likely to get a feed for 
 himself and a drop of water. I jest give my critter 
 his head, and somewhar's about eleven that night we 
 come to a shanty with a wooden stockade right round 
 it." 
 
 " Same as settlers has in an Injun country," remarked 
 Steve. 
 
 "The very same, and seems they need them 'ere 
 stockades. Wall, thar the shanty was, outlined clear 
 in the light, lookin' that peaceful yer wouldn't ha' 
 thought a fly could ha' come to harm. But I hadn't 
 got within seventy yards when thar was a flash from 
 the house, high up under the roof, and then a loud 
 report." 
 
 " Injuns in already," ventured one of Jacob's com- 
 panions. 
 
 " Wrong, fer sure," growled Steve. " Ef Injuns had 
 been thar, they'd have burned the place within a few 
 minutes. A white's house aer pison to an Injun. It 
 
224 Indian and Scout 
 
 makes him fair mad. He can't keep his hands off it, 
 nor fire away from the roofin'." 
 
 " That comes of havin' Injun experience," said Jacob, 
 resuming, and sending a nod in Steve's direction. " It 
 warn't Injuns. All the same, when thar's bullets flyin', 
 reckon one don't sit still thinkin'. I was off my hoss 
 in a jiffy, gettin' cover under the stockade. Then I put 
 my hands to my mouth and sent the folks in the house, 
 whoever they might be, the shout we was used to give 
 in them parts. Heard it?" 
 
 He did not wait for an answer, but put his hands at 
 once to his lips, and sent forth a halloo which awoke the 
 echoes. 
 
 "Thar ain't no mistake about a call like that," said 
 Jacob, decision in his tones, "and the folks in that 
 shanty couldn't help but know that it was a white 
 man outside, one as was friendly." 
 
 " And so the shootin' stopped," suggested Tom. 
 
 " Wrong. A bit of a bullet kicked a stone at my feet 
 and sent me howlin'. Reckon a flint can hurt most 
 same as a bullet. Anyway, that 'ere stone give me 
 a blow that staggered me. And after it half a dozen 
 shots rang out from the shanty." 
 
 " What in thunder did it all mean?" asked one of the 
 men. 
 
 " And then there was a shout, an answerin' shout." 
 
 " Yes," said Steve, edging a trifle closer, " an answerin' 
 shout." 
 
 " A woman's shout. A shrill sort of a scream. A 
 thing you couldn't call a shout, but there ain't no other 
 name as I knows of." 
 
 Jacob looked round at his audience questioning^ 
 
Giving 'em Pepper 225 
 
 while each one of the party wore a different expression 
 on his face. 
 
 " Reckon you was wishin' you hadn't row'd with the 
 boss," grinned Tom. 
 
 " P'raps you had failed asleep on your hoss," cried 
 Seth, "and was sorter dreamin'." 
 
 Jacob snorted with indignation. "As ef that war 
 likely," he cried. "Didn't I say as I howled with pain 
 when the flint struck me? No. You're guessin'. The 
 shanty war there, standin' black in the moonlight, and 
 them shouts were real. They were shrill, and come from 
 a woman. They kind of scared me fer a minute." 
 
 " Yer bolted again?" asked Steve. 
 
 " I jest hooked the reins over the corner of a post 
 standin' outside the stockade, and clambered over." 
 
 " More bullets," suggested one of the men. 
 
 "Shots, yes, but not in my direction. Thar was 
 shoutin', a man's and a woman's, and then shootin'. 
 Then the door of the shanty war opened and I ran 
 in." 
 
 Jacob stopped for a moment at the most critical point 
 in his narrative, causing all his comrades to sit up 
 expectantly. 
 
 "Wall?" demanded Tom irritably, stuffing his pipe 
 with his finger. 
 
 " It was Injuns," asserted one of the men. " Yer was 
 taken by a bit of foolin'." 
 
 " It warn't," answered Jacob shortly and curtly. "It 
 war a madman." 
 
 "A madman! A madman!" The words were bandied 
 from one to another. The listeners looked askance at 
 one another, for madness out on the plains was in those 
 
 (0179) 15 
 
226 Indian and Scout 
 
 days exceptional, and in nearly every case ended in a 
 terrible tragedy. 
 
 "Man or woman?" asked Seth. "Seems cither's 
 likely." 
 
 " It war the man," said Jacob slowly. " It war the 
 man, a white man, same as you and me. Seems he'd 
 gone suddenly crazy at sight of me, and set to at 
 shootin'. It war his wife's voice I'd heard, her's and 
 her two boys. When I got in to the sorter parlour 
 place in the centre of the shanty, thar she war, with 
 the two young 'uns, holdin' on to the man fer their lives." 
 
 "Gee, that war strange!" muttered Steve. "P'raps 
 something outer the ordinary had scared him." 
 
 "Or he'd been thinkin' so long about Injuns, and 
 likely attacks, that the thing had kind of got on his 
 mind and unhinged it. I've heard tell of a similar 
 thing afore. A man gets fidgety, specially ef he ain't 
 used to Injuns and the plains, and ain't been brought 
 up to the life. His nerves git shook up, and one fine 
 day, when there ain't no real danger, he takes his own 
 shadow for an enemy, and blazes off with his gun. 
 Often enough it's someone he's most fond of that he 
 shoots." 
 
 Tom delivered himself of the statement calmly and 
 slowly. Then he carefully refilled his pipe, while his 
 comrades looked round at one another. Jacob, the 
 slow, ponderous Jacob, who so seldom launched into 
 a tale, had provided the camp with a subject, a riddle, 
 and all struggled to come to a solution. 
 
 " It war that, or near it," agreed Tricky Seth. 
 
 "Or he'd been ill, and was jumpin' mad in his 
 delirium/' suggested another, 
 
Giving 'em Pepper 227 
 
 " I dunno as you're right or wrong," came slowly from 
 Jacob. "Reckon he war ill, ill with grief and anxiety, 
 and reckon his nerves was fair shook up. He war mad, 
 stark, starin' crazy without a doubt, and we had to make 
 him fast so as he shouldn't do anyone a mischief." 
 
 " Yer ain't told us why," cried one of the men. " What 
 had come along to upset this here man so? Somethin' 
 outer the ordinary." 
 
 " Yer kin guess so. It war somethin' outer the 
 ordinary, and sense I started this here yarn by sayin' 
 that I knew of a time when we'd given the critters 
 real pepper, you can 'low as it war Injuns as war the 
 cause. Injuns had come along and upset this man till 
 he was worried clean off his head. Now I'll tell yer 
 how it happened. Allen Rivers war a new settler out 
 in them parts, a brave man fer all his madness. He'd 
 been warned time and agin to beware of the Injuns, 
 specially of Hawk Eye, a critter that was chief of a 
 tribe huntin' in that neighbourhood. And yer must 
 understand that although trouble with the redskins war 
 as a general thing to be expected, yet thar war times 
 when powder and lead and sichlike articles was runnin' 
 short in the wigwams, and the critters had need to come 
 in to the white man's settlements and be friendly. Allen 
 Rivers had set up a sorter store. He'd had visits from 
 the Injuns, and he'd done smart business with Hawk 
 Eye. The chief had been that smilin' that Allen had 
 taken him into the stockade, and once into the house, 
 and the Injun had been able to get a good look round. 
 Wall, Allen had two boys the youngsters that met me 
 on the doorstep twelve and fourteen years of age, and 
 proper plucked 'uns too; thar war his wife, as brave a 
 
228 Indian and Scout 
 
 woman as you could meet in a week's march, and besides 
 them three, a baby, a gal. Wall, now " 
 
 Jacob coughed. He was one of those slow men who 
 take a deal of rousing, and who seldom indulge in a 
 yarn, but, when once induced to speak, do so at their 
 own pace and leisure. The burly scout was exas- 
 peratingly slow in his utterance. 
 
 " Ye've got to the pith of it," sang out Steve. " Thar 
 war a baby." 
 
 "Thar war. A baby gal, and Injuns has a strange 
 sorter likin' fer baby gals as is the children of white 
 people. They thinks they bring 'em good luck; and 
 it seemed as Hawk Eye's own wife hadn't got no 
 children. No doubt the chief got to tellin' her of 
 Allen Rivers's shanty, of his wife and kids, and set her 
 wishin' fer the gal. Anyway, Hawk Eye had done 
 trade with Allen jest two days before I come there, 
 and seemed to have ridden back to his own place. But 
 that very mornin' the child was taken, taken from its 
 bark crib, which Mrs. Allen had jest set down outside 
 the door of the shanty. And though every one of 'em 
 searched fer all he could, and though Allen climbed 
 on to his horse and rid round and round, thar warn't 
 a trace of the kid, not a trace. But one of the boys 
 picked up a feather, and then they knew as it war 
 Hawk Eye and his people that had done it." 
 
 " I've knowed a similar thing," said Steve, interrupting. 
 " Them critters looks upon a white kid as likely to bring 
 'em victory in their fightin', and fortune in their huntin'. 
 You aer made no error. Push on with it, Jacob." 
 
 "Allen guessed that ef they'd taken the kid they 
 might be up to more mischief, and, bein' a nervous, 
 
Giving 'em Pepper 229 
 
 jerky sort of feller, blest ef he didn't go off his head. 
 That's whar we get to when I arrived. Allen warn't 
 no more good. He war, instead, a worry. Thar war 
 me and the two boys and Mrs. Rivers." 
 
 " With Injuns round about?" 
 
 "With the critters on the far side of the stockade," 
 agreed Jacob. " Seems I had missed 'em by a chance. 
 I was jest a quarter of an hour too early for 'em. But 
 I hadn't been in the shanty more'n a few minutes, and 
 had made Allen fast, when I seed a figure clamberin' 
 over the gate of the stockade. Remember, it war a 
 bright night, same as this, and dead agin the Injun's 
 chances. But they reckoned to take the place easy, and 
 wasn't over cautious." 
 
 " Yer give that feller pepper?" asked Seth. 
 
 Jacob nodded. " I dropped him same as a bird, and 
 that set 'em howlin'. The shot took 'em all by sur- 
 prise. They looked to have the gate of the stockade 
 open and to be in the shanty afore Allen and his wife 
 war properly awake. The critters set up a howl that 
 was enough to scare one, and then three of 'em came 
 clamberin' after the man I'd shot. 
 
 "'Jest get to them other windows, boys,' I sang out; 
 fer there were loopholes in the corners of the shutters 
 on all four sides of the shanty. ' Shoot down any man 
 as yer kin see, and ef ye're bothered, jest sing out. I'll 
 be with yer in a jiffy.' 
 
 " Countin' Mrs. Rivers thar was just four of us, and 
 for ten minutes we was kept precious busy. But them 
 lads could shoot, and their mother like 'em, so that, 
 presently, the critters crept off from the stockade, leavin' 
 seven of their braves chewin' the grass inside. Yer see, 
 
230 Indian and Scout 
 
 they'd stood out clear and easy as they climbed, and, the 
 range bein' a short one, thar warn't no missin'. 
 
 " ' Gone?' asks Mrs. Rivers, when there wasn't no more 
 of 'em to be seen. 
 
 "'Don't yer believe it, ma'am,' I answered. 'Thim 
 critters has got their eyes on the goods in this store, and 
 fer that reason they ain't likely to give up the business. 
 And now there's those braves down thar. We've killed 
 seven of 'em, and the others won't dare to go back to 
 their wigwams with sich a tale, and with nary a scalp to 
 show. They're bound to come agin, and we've got to 
 look precious lively. Thar ain't no sayin' whar they'll 
 come, but come they will, yer kin take my davy. Ef 
 I wasn't sure that the critters was outside, I'd suggest 
 that one of the youngsters tried to leg it away from the 
 shanty so as to fetch help. But they're outside, the 
 skunks, and on a night same as this the lad wouldn't 
 stand a ghostly.' 
 
 " Wall, mates, we got back to our loopholes, and kept 
 a pretty close watch fer a couple of hours without seein' 
 a sight of them Injuns. But they was thar, close out- 
 side. I heard 'em callin' to one another. Then suddenly 
 I cottoned to what the artful critters was doin'. The 
 moon was sinkin', but as bright as ever, and them Injuns 
 reckoned that one of the walls of the stockade was 
 castin' a biggish shadow on the yard inside. They war 
 busy diggin' their way in under it." 
 
 There was a murmur from the hunters assembled 
 round the fire. 
 
 " Jest like the critters," growled Steve. " I've knowed 
 'em do the same in similar cases. And the wust of the 
 business aer this: yer kin feel sure as that aer their 
 
Giving 'em Pepper 231 
 
 game, and sense the shadow's deepest in one partic'lar 
 spot, yer kin reckon to a foot or two whar they're 
 diggin'. But yer can't stop the varmint. Ef yer put 
 an eyelid over the stockade, there's a man ready with an 
 arrow, and ef you think to blaze at 'em through the 
 woodwork, why, it aer like loosin' off a gun into the air. 
 Even ef you hit a man, the others jest lie quiet, so yer 
 don't know what's happened. But maybe one of the 
 critters gets to the hole ye've made in the stockade, and 
 then it's your turn to look out fer bullets." 
 
 " Jest so. That's how we war situated," agreed Jacob. 
 " It war one of them tarnation bothers that tries a man's 
 nerves. I'd been in more than one ruction with the red- 
 skins afore that day, and I knew somethin' about the 
 critters. It war as clear as daylight that when they war 
 ready they'd let the earth on our side fall in, and then 
 the varmint would come rushin' fer the shanty. It war 
 an almighty fix. It jest made me give up thinkin'. 
 I got lookin' fer the first of them critters to come clam- 
 berin' in, and listenin' all the while to Mrs. Rivers prayin'. 
 Then one of them bright lads come out with a suggestion." 
 
 "Ah! That's like Carrots," ventured Tom. "Tain't 
 always the old hand that kin manage a fix of that sort. 
 What war his partic'lar idea? Blest ef I ain't mighty 
 bothered." 
 
 " I'll tell yer. It war a case with him of kill or cure, 
 as you'll agree as I get on with the story. And he 
 didn't come straight to me to ask what I thought of the 
 business. Joe war his name, and a kid chuck-full of 
 larnin'. Wall, seems he got rummagin' in the place 
 whar his father stored the stuff he traded with the 
 Injuns, and then slips outer the door. 
 
232 Indian and Scout 
 
 " ' Joe's gone out ter see what he kin do with 'em/ says 
 Hal, his brother, comin' across the shanty to where I was 
 watchin'. * Jest see you don't shoot him.' 
 
 "Yer kin guess I was mighty surprised. 'Gone out- 
 side!' I cried. 'Why, they'll shoot him quicker than 
 ever I shall. What for? What's he doin'?'" 
 
 " Hal hadn't a notion, and so, seein' as something 
 precious bad might come of it, I slipped out of the 
 shanty to join him. And when I came to the edge of 
 the stockade whar we reckoned the Injuns was diggin', 
 there warn't a doubt that they was there, on the far side 
 of the woodwork, precious near ready to break through 
 and finish the matter. Joe war there, lyin' on his face, 
 and sense I knew they'd hear me ef I even whispered, I 
 laid down beside him and learned what he was doin'. 
 He was diggin' fast with his fingers, tearin' the turf and 
 soil away bit by bit, and makin' not so much as a sound 
 to give the enemy a warnin'. Within four feet of him, 
 perhaps, there was Injuns workin' at the same game, 
 cuttin' the earth away with their knives and tomahawks, 
 and ef I was asked to guess their true position, I should 
 say as they were closer even than that, and in a little 
 while would be carving their way into the hole which 
 Joe war making. 
 
 " Two foot ahead of Joe there war a dark object, and 
 when I crept across to feel around it, and see what it 
 was, you kin guess I jest started. It war a powder keg, 
 same as we carry, already opened, and ready for firin'." 
 
 There was excitement now on the faces of the men 
 gathered round the camp fire. Excitement and some 
 curiosity. For difficulty and danger were everyday 
 affairs to these scouts, and a tale which demonstrated 
 
Giving 'em Pepper 233 
 
 the cunning of the Indians, and the bravery and resource 
 of those who were opposed to this deadly enemy, was 
 always sure of an attentive hearing. Tom drew in a 
 deep breath, while Steve grunted. 
 
 " Powder," he said, as if he were thinking deeply. 
 "That war a kill -or -cure remedy sure! Seems to me 
 that ef you could be sartin of gettin' the hull crowd of 
 the Injuns close together, yer might kill a heap and scare 
 the rest so badly as to make 'em ride away. But ef yer 
 failed, why, it stands to reason yer would blow a hole 
 through your stockade big enough to allow a hull tribe 
 of the critters to pass, and might jest as well be askin' 
 fer a funeral. Get along, Jacob. Yer make a man want 
 to be tellin' the story hisself, instead of waitin' fer you." 
 
 " It war a case of kill or cure," agreed the burly 
 scout, ignoring Steve's remarks, "but Joe warn't the 
 boy to spoil his plan for a bit of waitin'. He finished 
 that hole while I lay thar, and popped in his keg extry 
 careful. Then he rammed the earth round it with his 
 fists, laid his fuse, and sat listenin'. 
 
 " ' We'll wait till one of them strikes the keg with 
 his knife,' he whispered, fer the Injuns happened to 
 be making a tidy heap of noise, and so there warn't 
 no fear of their hearin'. 'That'll be the time ter 
 fire it.' 
 
 "'And jest yer remember to lie as flat as yer kin 
 when yer put down the match,' I answered. 'The 
 explosion of that powder will smash the stockade to 
 pieces, and I ain't so sure as it won't wreck the 
 shanty.' 
 
 " Wall, to come to the end of it, Joe waited there 
 listenin' like a terrier till there war the sharp click of 
 
234 Indian and Scout 
 
 a knife falling on the keg, and a grunt from one of 
 the Indians. That war enough for us. Joe and I crept 
 away from the place as quickly as we could, yer may 
 guess, and lay down agin at the far end of the trail, 
 which was jest outside the shanty. Then Joe lifted 
 his pistol, laid the muzzle along the train, and drew 
 his trigger as steady as if he warn't shootin' nothin' in 
 partic'lar. Them critters was smashed to pieces. That 
 is, eight or nine of them was killed by the explosion." 
 
 A chorus of exclamations came from the assembled 
 hunters. There was a sparkle about their eyes which 
 showed that they had listened to the narrative with 
 more than usual attention. 
 
 "Gee! That war a brave kid!" cried Seth. "A 
 right down plucked 'un! What happened? The hull 
 stockade war blown to matchwood, one would guess, 
 and perhaps the shanty with it? Git on! Fer a slow 
 'un ye're as bad as any I've ever met." 
 
 Jacob grinned. He was slow, and he knew it. At 
 the same time he was far too cool and burly an indi- 
 vidual to be intimidated. 
 
 " I never was a hustler," he said, " and I'm too old 
 now to begin. Ef Seth, thar, Tricky Seth, as he's 
 ginerally known, aer in a hurry, why, I'll quit talkin', 
 and he kin take the field. I'm always game to 
 listen." 
 
 "Get in at it, Jacob, man!" shouted Tom, shaking 
 his fist at the hunter. "That 'ere kid fired the trail 
 with his pistol, and the keg of powder blew the Injun 
 varmint to pieces. Wall " 
 
 " Wall, someone's asked about the stockade. It war 
 broke into tiny oieces. Joe and me was hoisted pretty 
 
Giving 'em Pepper 235 
 
 nigh on to the roof of the shanty, while the door of the 
 place was shook clear off its hinges. Old man Rivers, as 
 was as mad as any hatter a minute before, was blowed 
 back to his proper senses. Leastwise, all I knows is 
 that he was crazy afore the explosion, and afterwards, 
 when me and young Joe had picked ourselves up, and 
 had kinder cleared the dust and dirt away fer we was 
 properly covered Allen war smilin' all over, and talkin' 
 to his wife as ef he hadn't never been mad. And warn't 
 he proud of that ere kid ! " 
 
 "What about the Injuns?" demanded one of the 
 listeners eagerly; for, after all, the whole point in the 
 narrative depended upon them. Scouts, one and all, 
 could appreciate a gallant if desperate action, fer they 
 were brave men themselves; but their interest, once 
 the tale of daring and courage on the part of their own 
 race was told, was centred in the common enemy, 
 the Red Indian warrior, the fierce man of the plains 
 who had waged such ceaseless warfare with the white 
 invaders of his hunting-grounds, who had caused them 
 such cruel losses, and who, because of his terrible 
 cruelty because he killed not men alone, but women 
 and children was detested by hunters and prospectors 
 throughout the country. It was the attackers Seth and 
 his comrades longed to hear about. 
 
 "They was blowed to pieces," said Steve. "Wall, 
 what become of the rest? There was more than eight 
 or nine of the varmint." 
 
 " There was fifty, as we reckoned," said Jacob 
 solemnly, "and they was scared pretty nigh outer 
 their lives. Hawk Eye, him that had caused the whole 
 ruction, rid off as ef there was powder kegs exploding 
 
236 Indian and Scout 
 
 under his horse's heels all the way; and reckon they 
 got back to the wigwams fewer than when they left, 
 and with a yarn to give that would make the squaws 
 howl at 'em. They was beat, mates, badly beat, and 
 a slip of a boy did it. Old man Rivers had come 
 back to his senses properly, and guess he set to at 
 once to rig up his stockade again, and make all ready 
 against another attack. And ef he was a wise man 
 and I heard tell as his madness didn't ever occur 
 agin he never afterwards made the mistake of lettin' 
 a red-skinned varmint look into his store. Them 
 critters is never to be trusted. Ef they find ye're 
 rich, ye've kinder asked them to come in the first 
 time thar's an opportunity, and take yer scalp and 
 everything that's yours. Keep the varmint at arm's 
 length is my motto; or, better still, keep 'em always 
 well ahead of your gun, and see as ye've powder and 
 ball handy." 
 
 The burly hunter subsided into silence, reached for 
 the pannikin, and poured himself out a helping of 
 spirit. He filled up with water, tossed his head back 
 into characteristic position, and again the gurgle of 
 fluid was heard. For scouts were rough men; their 
 manners were not of the nicest. 
 
 As for his listeners, they began a very animated 
 discussion as to the merits of the yarn just nar- 
 rated, and the incident of which Jacob had been 
 a witness recalled many another incident, totally un- 
 like that recorded by him, but nevertheless showing 
 the courage and resource of the white man and the 
 determination of the common enemy. Then Steve 
 imposed silence upon the group by stirring the fire 
 
Giving 'em Pepper 237 
 
 vigorously with his boot and causing the sparks to fly 
 upwards. 
 
 " Mates," he said in his dry-as-dust style, " mates, 
 this here Jacob ha' given us a yarn that kinder stirs 
 a man, and we aer glad to hear as he had a hand in 
 beatin' them varmint. He was caught in a muss, so 
 to say, and, seein' he had rowed with his boss, and 
 got lost on the plains, why, seems he had hisself to 
 blame. Still, ef he hadn't arrived at old man Rivers's 
 shanty, them critters would ha' broke in, fer Jacob 
 shot down the first as climbed the stockade. He came 
 out of the muss nicely, and now that he ha' told us, he 
 has gone silent agin, same as he is generally. But he 
 ain't finished, not by a bit." 
 
 All looked across at the burly hunter. Jacob was 
 filling his pipe in a dogged sort of manner, and scowled 
 at Steve as he finished speaking. 
 
 " Thar ain't no more," he growled ; " leastwise, none 
 that I'm goin' ter tell. Besides, it's husky work talkin'. 
 I've finished. Reckon it's time we took to our blankets." 
 
 " Yer ain't said never a word about that 'ere kid 
 that Hawk Eye stole from the Rivers's," accused Steve, 
 pointing a finger at Jacob. 
 
 " And I ain't goin' ter," came the short, sturdy 
 answer. " I've done talkin' fer the night. Time we 
 was turnin' in." 
 
 There was a scowl on his face, and something more. 
 The big scout, usually so stolid and so transparently 
 straightforward, looked confused and almost ashamed 
 of himself. He made a grimace at Steve, and com- 
 menced to rise from his seat. But Tom put a heavy 
 hand on his shoulder, 
 
238 Indian and Scout 
 
 " Steve aer the lad fer spottin' things," he laughed. 
 " Let's have the rest of the yarn." 
 
 " I ain't goin' ter talk no more," came the surly 
 answer. 
 
 " Then I'll give the yarn, mates." 
 
 It was Bill Huskins who spoke, " Black Bill ", as he 
 was known, because of his dark complexion. He was 
 short and wiry, like Steve, a merry enough fellow, but 
 given to taciturnity and silence, as was customary 
 with scouts He grinned across at Jacob, ignored 
 his threatening gestures, and then put himself into a 
 position of ease, as if determined to tell his tale, what- 
 ever happened. 
 
 " I war along with that 'ere boss as had the words 
 with Jacob," he announced, " and seein' as Jacob thar', 
 ain't able ter speak, why, I'll get in with the yarn. 
 Thar's more to tell. A hull heap more. That 'ere 
 kid was took right off to Hawk Eye's wigwams, and 
 it stands to reason white folks wasn't goin' ter sit down 
 and put up with sich a thing. 'Sides, Mrs. Rivers swore 
 as she'd ride there all alone herself, ef there wasn't a 
 man ter do it. So in course we went, and here's what 
 happened." 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 The Bashful Jacob 
 
 IT was useless for the burly Jacob to frown and scowl, 
 and shake a threatening fist at Black Bill. The latter 
 took not the slightest notice, save that the reflection 
 from the camp fire, falling upon his dusky features, 
 showed a certain twinkling of the eye which was some- 
 what unusual. 
 
 "You, Bill Huskins, yer ain't no friend of mine ef 
 yer get to talkin'," growled Jacob at last, seeing that 
 grimaces made no difference, and had no effect upon 
 his comrade. " I gives yer fair warnin' that that tale 
 ain't to be repeated. These here mates of ours ain't got 
 no interest in it. 'Sides, it's time we war in our blankets." 
 
 " I dunno," exclaimed Tom warmly, holding his 
 fingers to the blaze. " I dunno so much about that, 
 Jacob. There's men here as would be glad to listen. 
 It might come to you or ter me ter marry one of these 
 here days, and then ef a kid of ours was snatched by 
 the red-skinned varmint, we'd get to and remember 
 a yarn, and maybe find something in it to help us. 
 Jest you sit still and chew a plug of 'bacca. Bill, fire 
 away. It aer only Jacob's 'tarnal bash fulness." 
 
 " My, you should ha' seen him when he rid up with 
 young Joe Rivers beside him," said Bill, nothing loath 
 
240 Indian and Scout 
 
 to tell the story, and grinning widely at the irate Jacob. 
 "Jest put yerselves in his place fer a few seconds. 
 Here was Jacob, not so old as he aer now by a goodish 
 bit, riding back to join an outfit he'd left jest a few 
 hours afore, and left too with words hot and fiery agin 
 the boss. There's only two ways of lookin' at a thing 
 like that. It aer right down cheek, or it aer murder 
 that brings a man back. I've seen men as was fired 
 from an outfit, and went away peaceful. But they got 
 to thinkin' that they war injured. They sat broodin' 
 over the matter, till their danders was properly up, and 
 then they rode back to face that 'ere boss and have 
 it out with him. Guess it looked as ef Jacob thar 
 had rid back fer a ruction, and old man Staples as 
 was our boss must have thought the same. Any way, 
 he sees Jacob comin', and then gets his hand down 
 close to his shooter. I war ridin' in from the opposite 
 direction, and when I caught a sight of Jacob, I slipped 
 outer my saddle and got round the end of the shanty. 
 Bullets gets flyin' on sich an occasion, and a man ain't 
 no use when he gets in their way. He can't easily stop 
 'em. They has a way of layin' him out" 
 
 There was a chorus of approval from the assembled 
 hunters, and even Jacob gave a nod. Indeed, his 
 growling and his grimaces had all been a part of his 
 dissembling. To the looker-on it seemed that there 
 must be something about this part of the yarn with 
 which he disagreed, something perhaps likely to lead 
 to his own embarrassment. But he could enjoy the 
 recollection of his action with regard to the boss with 
 whom he had exchanged heated words. 
 
 " It war cheek," he agreed. " Gee! Now that I comes 
 
The Bashful Jacob 241 
 
 to think of it, he'd have been in the right ef he had shot 
 me down without a word and without waitin'." 
 
 " He wasn't sich a bad feller," continued Bill. " Old 
 man Staples had a softish heart under as rough a skin 
 as ever I saw. He dropped his hand to the butt of his 
 gun, as I've said already, and kinder worked his way 
 along till he stood behind one of the big corner posts 
 of the stockade. Then he took a close look at Jacob 
 and at the boy. Yer should ha' seen our mate over 
 than He climbs outer his saddle extry slow. Guess 
 he was wonderin' how he was to get to at the matter. 
 Then he walked straight up to Staples. 
 
 "'Yer ain't got no cause to fear me, boss,' he says. 
 ' I ain't here to quarrel. As man to man I tell you 
 that you're over rough with your tongue, and that 
 there's few but blacks that could stand it. I'm here 
 to ask fer help.' 
 
 "That took Staples' breath away. 'Help!' he calls 
 out, as ef he was puzzled. ' A few hours ago you rid 
 away as hot as anything, and then I was the last man, 
 according to your own words, that you'd come to for 
 anything in the way of help. What's it mean?' 
 
 " ' It isn't fer me I want it,' says Jacob. ' It's fer the 
 kid's mother and father.' 
 
 " Wall, when the matter were put before old man 
 Staples and the boys, yer may reckon there wasn't 
 much jawin'." 
 
 Bill looked round the circle, and there came an 
 emphatic nod from each of the men. 
 
 " I'll give 'em all due credit," admitted Jacob warmly. 
 " Old man Staples and every one of the outfit was hot 
 to get to at Hawk Eye. Yer don't have to ask hunters- 
 
 (0179) 16 
 
242 Indian and Scout 
 
 and cattlemen twice when thar's a rescue to be tried, 
 specially when it's a kid that's been taken, and the 
 Injun critters has something ter do with the matter. 
 Reckon the chance of a fight with them varmint would 
 draw any man from the ranches." 
 
 " ' Yer kin count on every man jack of us,' sings out 
 Staples; 'and, Jacob, you and I'll agree to be friends fer 
 the time being. Shake hands,"' continued Bill. "'Thar's 
 seventeen of us here, and we'll call in at Romney's 
 ranch on the way across to Rivers's shanty, and pick 
 up his crowd. He's sure to have some twenty to thirty, 
 so we'll be nearly fifty when we're ready. Now, boys, 
 get to and pack grub and ammunition. We'll be off 
 in ten minutes.' 
 
 " It war quick work, mates," said Bill, looking round 
 for the approval of his fellows. " But men of an outfit 
 same as that aer pretty nigh always ready fer some- 
 thing. Thar was enough dried flesh in the camp to 
 feed fifty men fer more than a week, and of course we 
 had heaps of powder and lead. Men don't take to 
 ranching in an Indian country onless they have good 
 guns, and plenty of the proper stuff to put in 'em. And 
 so, within a quarter of an hour we war ridin' away, 
 nineteen of us in all, counting Jacob and Joe, and with 
 our mate thar and the boss he'd rowed with so lately 
 riding ahead, chattin' as ef thar'd never been a word 
 between them. That's how chaps of our sort act when 
 thar's trouble in the air, and someone is askin' fer help." 
 
 The dark -featured scout looked into the fire for a 
 while, and took a breathing spell, while his mates 
 nodded their approval. They knew thoroughly well 
 the truth of Bill's statement, Out on the wide plains 
 
The Bashful Jacob 243 
 
 of America men quarrelled just as they did in the cities. 
 Indeed their quarrels were rather more frequent than 
 amongst men working under different surroundings, and 
 often enough resulted in severe wounding, or in the 
 death of one of the contestants. But they could and 
 did sink the most pressing personal quarrels when duty 
 called, and to these rough men, inured to every sort 
 of hardship, there was no duty that appealed so forcibly 
 as one where the rescue of a fellow white was concerned. 
 A woman sought for their help. That in itself was 
 sufficient. That call was so strong that there was not 
 a man in the plains who could ignore it, and not one, 
 who, if he were coward enough to be deaf to such a call, 
 could continue to live in friendship with the hunters 
 and cattlemen. He would be branded as a craven, and 
 forced to ride from the country. Remember, in con- 
 sidering this, that these hunters of whom we write were 
 the descendants of men who had fought for and won 
 America, and that their sons to-day form a part of 
 that nation which is the wonder and envy of the world. 
 
 " At Romneys we was extry lucky," said Bill. " It 
 happened that he'd fitted out a big outfit, and there 
 war thirty -three men, counting Romney himself and 
 one son. At Rivers's shanty we picked up the other 
 boy, leaving Allen hisself to ride back ter Romney's with 
 his wife, for it warn't safe for them to remain behind 
 in a ruined stockade. Then we set to ter follow Hawk 
 Eye, and Jacob thar warn't long in lickin' up the trace. 
 My, this talkin' do tell on a feller. Just get to at it fer 
 a bit, Jacob boy. Yer ain't no need ter fear. I'll take 
 on agin when ye've got right into the business." 
 
 It was a clever manoeuvre on Bill's part. As he was 
 
244 Indian and Scout 
 
 telling his yarn he had kept an eye on the burly scout, 
 and noticed, with a grin of delight, that Jacob could not 
 restrain his own interest. Indeed it was only natural 
 that the narration of deeds which he had himself helped 
 to carry out should rouse any hunter, nor was it won- 
 derful that Jacob, forgetting his former behaviour, and 
 surliness, should at once comply with Bill's request. 
 
 " He's put it right, yer may take it, mates," he said 
 in his slow manner. " It warn't long afore we dropped 
 on Hawk Eye's traces, and then we set out to follow 
 slowly. In a general sorter way we knew that the 
 varmint had his camp thirty miles west of Rivers's 
 shanty, but, in course, he war often moving. An Injun 
 don't stay long in one country. As soon as beasts begin 
 to get few he moves, onless thar's other attractions." 
 
 " Sich as scalps," interrupted Steve. 
 
 " Or men and women to be murdered without a 
 chance of gettin' hurt yourself," added Jacob bitterly. 
 "That's what makes us chaps hate them critters wuss 
 than pisen. Ef they fought us alone, and with all 
 their cunning, we shouldn't want ter grumble, 'cos all's 
 square and fair in this sorter warfare; but when they 
 gits to killing women and children, then it makes a 
 man's blood boil. I reckon it aer bound to be warfare 
 between white and red man to the bitter end, till the red 
 varmint aer cleared outer existence. Wall, I was sayin', 
 we picked up Hawk Eye's trace, and rid after him easy. 
 Fer we knew he'd have moved. It stood to reason that 
 he would expect ter be followed, fer wheniver thim 
 critters has stolen a child before, us hunters and scouts 
 has never rested. It ain't likely neither." 
 
 " It ain't, ver bet," came emphatically from Tom. 
 
The Bashful Jacob 245 
 
 'The bosses on the ranches has a hard time ter get 
 men when thar's sich a case. A chap kin camp out 
 on the plains with his mates, and spend not a dollar. 
 He don't need ter work fer a time, and kin shoot all his 
 food. So, when them Injuns has done a thing same 
 as this, the boys give up work. They settle down to 
 life in the open, and they turn to huntin' the critters 
 till they're wiped out. Git on with it." 
 
 Jacob glared at Tom. He realized that he was slow, 
 but here was an excuse. Tom had deliberately inter- 
 rupted him. 
 
 " He warn't thar when we came to his camp," he said 
 deliberately. "And his ashes was stone cold, showing 
 that the squaws had stamped them out the instant he 
 arrived back. They may have left at once, thar warn't 
 no sayin', sence the ashes war cold. But me and old 
 man Staples put our heads together, and come to the 
 conclusion that they hadn't hustled. Yer see, Hawk 
 Eye had rid thirty miles hard, and his hosses must have 
 been done. Then it takes a time to pack up an Injun 
 village. Them critters don't leave their squaws and 
 children behind, same as we would ef we was fightin' 
 against white people. They know that their own red 
 brothers would slaughter the lot ef the fighting happened 
 to be against them. And they ain't never given us 
 whites a chance to show what we're made of. They 
 can't believe that we would leave women and children 
 alone, and even feed them ef need be. Howsomever, he 
 warn't there, so the next business was to find out whar 
 he'd gone to." 
 
 " Yer may put it down fer sure it's the mountains," 
 said Staples, who'd seen a heap of Injun fightin'. 
 
246 Indian and Scout 
 
 "Thar's other red tribes up thar in the gullies, and 
 ef Hawk Eye can set up a friendship with them, or 
 make 'em believe that we're comin' to attack the hull 
 lot, then in course we have got a precious lot of work 
 before us. What do you say?" 
 
 " I said I was with him. But we couldn't afford ter 
 make a mistake, and so we divided, thirty of us ridin' 
 slow towards the mountains, while twelve followed 
 Hawk Eye's trail across the prairie. It ran clear from 
 the village away from the mountains." 
 
 " It did," interrupted Bill, agreeing emphatically. " I 
 war one of them twelve, and I'll tell yer what happened 
 to us. We rid fifteen miles straight off over the plain 
 till we came ter a river. It war jest a bit of a thing, 
 twenty feet wide, and pretty shallow. On the far side 
 yer could see whar the Injuns had climbed out of the 
 water, fer the grass was all beaten down. Guess they 
 war travelling with all their horses, and the wigwam 
 poles war slung in their usual way, trailing behind. Wall, 
 there war the marks of the poles on the ground. They 
 ran on for a mile, then stopped altogether." 
 
 There was a chuckle from more than one of the scouts. 
 The trick played by the Indians was so simple that none 
 of them could possibly have been taken in. Each one 
 knew that it was an old Indian custom, when travelling, 
 to sling the wigwam poles to the horses, letting the ends 
 trail on the ground behind, and loading their belong- 
 ings, including their women and children, on the poles, 
 converting them, in fact, into a species of wheelless cart. 
 
 " They jest hooked up the poles, turned, and came 
 back to the river in course," said Tom with a significant 
 look. 
 
The Bashful Jacob 247 
 
 " They did that. The hull crowd of the critters rid 
 their horses fer five miles up the stream. Then they 
 took to the grass again, and their trail cut clear up fer 
 the mountains. We didn't need to follow too closely. 
 We knew that Jacob and his crowd would hit upon the 
 tracks higher up, and, sure enough, when we come up 
 with 'em that evenin' they was camped beside the trace. 
 Next day we rid on up a gully, still followin' the tracks, 
 and that second evenin' hit upon the spot Hawk Eye 
 had chosen. He war an artful cuss. Ef ever thar war 
 one, it war him. He warn't cornered, don't yer think 
 it. But he war thar, almost within shoutin' distance. 
 Now, Jacob, yer kin come in agin." 
 
 " Yer kin guess whar they was," said the latter shortly. 
 " Hawk Eye and his women and children had taken to 
 a cliff that was as steep as a wall, and higher than any 
 yer ever saw. He knew, in course, that we would follow, 
 though, accordin' to his nature, he'd played every sort of 
 cunning trick to throw us off the trace. And when we 
 got thar, he sat up on the face of his cliff grinnin' at us. 
 Guess he thought he war dead safe. Along with him 
 he had his women and children the hull tribe, in fact. 
 Yer could jest see the tips of their wigwams laid out 
 back of a flat place near the top of the cliff Above them 
 thar was jest red rock, with a broken edge at the top. 
 But don't get thinkin' we could come at them from that 
 direction. There was a hull crowd of the critters on the 
 sky line, letting us take a square look, jest to kind of 
 remind us that they war ready in case we war inclined 
 ter do a bit of climbing ourselves.' 
 
 " It war a tarnation tough job, it war," admitted Jacob, 
 scrubbing his bristly chin with the back of a hand which 
 
248 Indian and Scout 
 
 was huge, to say the least of it, and burned, by the sun 
 and exposure, to a dirty-brown colour." 
 
 " Yer was beat fer the moment, so to say," suggested 
 Steve, stirring himself and stretching his legs. " But yer 
 wasn't fer givin' in." 
 
 " We warn't," came stolidly from Jacob. " It stands to 
 reason we wasn't goin' back to the ranches with the kid 
 still in the Hawk Eye's wigwams. We'd kinder sworn 
 to get done with the job, and in course we war fer 
 stayin'. But there warn't a single sarcumstance as 
 seemed likely to help us. Yer could look round that 
 'ere gully, and thar you was same as before. Jest the 
 plains runnin' away from under your feet right out into 
 the open, a bit of a rocky hill to the right standin' all 
 alone, and then the cliff, the face of a mighty big 
 mountain. Yer might say as we could ha' ridden 
 round, mounted from the far side, and then come along 
 ter the Injun camp. But Hawk Eye knew what he was 
 doin'. 
 
 " ' Thar ain't no use thinkin' of the far side,' said old 
 man Staples when we asked him. ' It's too rough fer 
 bosses, and if we was to go afoot we should be dropped 
 upon by other tribes of the varmint. That 'ere Hawk 
 Eye climbed up that cliff. That's what we've got to 
 do, so the sooner we sets to work to find the path he 
 followed the nearer we aer ter rescuing the kid.' 
 
 " Wall, it war a teaser, and no mistake. Yer couldn't 
 get near enough to Hawk Eye's post to take a clear 
 look but yer was fired at by his critters, and, sence they 
 had guns in plenty, it war precious warm work, so 
 warm that old man Staples called us off. 
 
 " ' Best form a camp and get to watchin' the varmint,' 
 
The Bashful Jacob 249 
 
 he said. * My idea is that we take up a post on this 
 here hill. It'll show Hawk Eye that we ain't fer 
 leavin', and I've a sorter notion that when we git higher 
 we shall have a chance of seein' more, and perhaps of 
 gettin' a sight of the path used by the Indians.' 
 
 " It war sound advice, and in course we followed it. 
 We rid our hosses to the hill that stood all alone by 
 itself, within five hundred yards of the cliff, and then 
 me and Bill thar was sent ahead to locate a path easy 
 fer the hosses. We found it after a goodish bit, and 
 went up. It was steep, in course, too steep fer hosses as 
 a general rule. But them critters we rode out on the 
 ranches was as clever as cats, and hills didn't frighten 
 'em. This one war a goodish deal higher than ye'd have 
 thought, lookin' at it from below; and when we war on 
 top thar was Hawk Eye's camp as plain as possible. 
 Thar was grass, too, fer our hosses, and a spring throw- 
 ing water into a hollow, from which it trickled down 
 the side of the hill. 
 
 " ' Jest the likeliest place that ever was,' says Bill thar. 
 * I'll go down and call up the others.' 
 
 " It war nigh sundown before we was all located in 
 the camp, and in course we warn't able to eat and 
 smoke and sleep as ef we war in a friendly country. 
 There ain't never no knowing what an Injun'll be up 
 to, and so old man Staples war right when he posted 
 ten of us as a lookout, with ten more to relieve in two 
 hours' time, and so on, through the night. As to Hawk 
 Eye, he and his critters didn't seem to take no notice 
 of our movements. They let their fires die down soon 
 after sunset, and then thar warn't a sound from 'em. 
 But they wasn't sleepin'." 
 
250 Indian and Scout 
 
 "Yer bet!" came sharply from Tom. "I've lived in 
 this here country, man and boy, and most times thar's 
 been Injuns around. Wall, it aer pretty near always 
 war to the knife between them and whites. It ain't 
 that we don't want ter live peaceful with them. We 
 do. But they can't kinder see a white man anywhar 
 but they want to take his scalp. Seems we're nateral 
 enemies. Anyway, I guess that that 'ere Hawk Eye 
 and his braves wasn't fer bein' so quiet and harmless as 
 they seemed. We ain't forgot that Joe, with Jacob to 
 help him, had blowed some ten of them to pieces. Yer 
 ain't goin' ter kid me that Injuns could forgit or forgive 
 that." 
 
 There was an exclamation from most of the scouts. 
 It was an obvious point to them, one and all. Their 
 close acquaintance with Indians and their methods told 
 them, without shadow of doubt, that Hawk Eye would 
 neither forgive nor forget the injury he had suffered, but 
 would strive to the utmost of his power to retaliate. 
 
 "They was jest laughin' in their sleeves," proceeded 
 Jacob. " Seems that they was hopin' we would camp 
 somewhars near at hand, 'cos Hawk Eye and his braves 
 had been pretty busy. Back away over the top of the 
 mountain thar was a hollow which was big enough ter 
 shelter a hull nation of Injuns, and, ef only we could 
 ha' seen the critters, it war thar that Hawk Eye and 
 his braves was on the night we climbed ter the top of 
 our hill. Thar was a mighty palaver, it seems, and 
 when we woke in the mornin', and the light allowed 
 us to look out, thar was the result of all their talkin'. 
 Thar was three hundred red varmint skirmishin' about 
 round the hill, and Hawk Eye and his men scrambling 
 
The Bashful Jacob 251 
 
 down their cliff, whilst their womenfolk was dancing a 
 kinder war dance on the top. It war a fair surprise. 
 It jest took our breath away." 
 
 "Gee! That war serious," interjected Steve. "Hawk 
 Eye had patched up his quarrels with the other tribes, 
 I suppose, and had persuaded them to come in to wipe 
 the hull party of whites out. Wall, seein' as you and 
 Bill aer here, yer wasn't wiped out. Yer managed to 
 slip between the fingers of the critters. But it war a 
 tight fix. Injuns aer that cunnin', and they never want 
 sleep when thar's a scalp to be taken. Yer was flum- 
 moxed, Jacob." 
 
 " We war. We got extry silent eatin' breakfast, and 
 jest waited ter see what they would be doin'. But 
 we wasn't going ter be taken easy. Old man Staples 
 war a fine fellow, though I say it, and he soon fixed us 
 up with boulders and tree stumps, so that we had a 
 stockade all round us. Then we set to work to hunt 
 fer likely places where a man could climb, and filled 'em 
 with the biggest boulders we could find. 
 
 "'That ain't enough,' said Staples, when we'd done. 
 ' An Injun could crawl over them, and most likely he'd 
 have his knife into one of our boys before he knew it. 
 We'll lay a trap for them.'" 
 
 "A trap! A kind of ambush?" asked Seth. 
 
 " Ef yer likes ter call it that, yes. Reckon Staples 
 had got the idea from young Joe, and thought he'd give 
 Hawk Eye and his critters a second turn of powder 
 ef they was fools enough ter come and take it. So he 
 sets us ter work jest as dusk war fallin', and right behind 
 each one of the barriers we'd formed on the paths up 
 the side of our hill we dug a hole with our knives, or 
 
252 Indian and Scout 
 
 formed it with rocks. Then we put in a goodish charge 
 of powder perhaps four handfuls in each hole for 
 Romney's men had brought along a spare keg. Thar 
 was canes growing on that hill of ours, and it war Bill's 
 idea about the train. We let one of the canes down 
 into the centre of the hole with its charge of powder, 
 and filled in rocks all round, stamping them down. 
 Then it warn't difficult to fill the centre of the canes 
 with powder, and take a train from thar, under cover 
 of leaves, to where it was wanted. Last of all, we fixed 
 a shooter at each place, tied firm ter pegs driven into the 
 ground, and rigged twine across whar the critters was 
 likely to come, fixin' the ends to the triggers of the 
 shooters. It war a proper idea. 
 
 "Gee! It war," admitted Steve, his praise unstinted. 
 " I'm jest burnin' to hear what happened. That old man 
 Staples were shrewd." 
 
 " He war," admitted Jacob warmly, a fact to be com- 
 mented on, considering the fact that the two had had 
 a bitter quarrel. " That dodge of his saved us a heap 
 of worrying 'cos, though we set guards, in course, they 
 hadn't need to be extry careful, for them mines we'd laid 
 was pretty sure to keep out the Injuns." 
 
 " They attacked that night?" asked Tom. 
 
 " Wrong! They set to and had another palaver. Them 
 critters always makes me think of the time I war a boy, 
 and war sent to the settlement for some eddication. In 
 course I was often rowin' with other boys, same as most 
 lads do. Wall, ef my memory ain't serving me a bad 
 trick, we didn't so often get to with our fists right away 
 at the commencement of the ruction. Thar was giner- 
 ally a deal of jawin'. c Touch-me-agin-and-I'll-knock- 
 
The Bashful Jacob 253 
 
 yer-down' sort of thing. Then, when our blood was 
 hot enough, we'd set to at one another, and, gee! warn't 
 them scuffles warm!" 
 
 Jacob sat back at the recollection, opened an enor- 
 mous mouth, and laughed a laugh which was a bellow, 
 and which exposed a set of big strong teeth, blackened 
 by much smoking. A kick from Bill brought him to his 
 senses. 
 
 " We ain't talkin' of schools," he reminded Jacob. " Git 
 in at the business. Them critters had a palaver. Gee! 
 Ef you ain't slow enough fer a funeral. It's enough ter 
 make the boys swear." 
 
 There was indignation on Jacob's face for the moment. 
 Then his mouth broadened out into another smile. 
 "Yer do git impatient," he said in his sleepy way; 
 "but I ain't fer tantalizing anyone. Them critters had 
 another palaver. Reckon they smoked the pipe of peace 
 between themselves, arranged what was to be done with 
 the scalps they war going to take, and then dug up the 
 hatchet. They was round us as thick as bees on the 
 following morning, and we could see them climbing 
 down from Hawk Eye's camp on the cliff ledge. Then, 
 since it's dead clean up agin Injun nature to begin an 
 attack of that sort without a bit of talking, they sent 
 Hawk Eye and three other chiefs to parley with us. 
 
 " * You kin clear out, safe and sound, and without us 
 touchin' a haar of yer heads,' he says, ' so long as yer 
 leave the one as fired that train down at the shanty. We 
 don't want no struggling, so you'll hand over all guns 
 and knives too."' 
 
 There was a giggle from the circle of scouts, and 
 a derisive laugh from Seth. 
 
254 Indian and Scout 
 
 "My!" he cried gaily, "them varmint do take the 
 white man fer a fool! Yer agreed to them terms, in 
 course?" 
 
 " We warn't wantin' to have our scalps raised jest 
 then," came Jacob's slow and satirical reply. " An Injun 
 aer that ontrustworthy that it wouldn't ha' done to take 
 Hawk Eye's word at all. 'Sides, there war Mrs. Rivers. 
 Ef we left the camp and returned to our ranches with- 
 out the boy, and without the gal as Hawk Eye had 
 stolen, thar was the mother to face; and, I give you 
 my word, thar warn't one of us in that crowd as 
 wouldn't have been dead ashamed ter do so. In course 
 we refused. Old man Staples, as knew the Injuns like 
 a book, answered Hawk Eye with the same sorter 
 blarney. 
 
 "'You git right back to yer camp,' he says, 'and 
 bring along the kid. Then, ef she ain't been harmed, 
 and ef all them braves of yours down below has gone 
 off quietly to their wigwams, we'll git back to our homes 
 without hurtin' yer; but, ef thar's been damage done, 
 and ef yer ain't slippy about quittin', we'll make yer feel 
 sorry all your lives that yer was ever born.' 
 
 " That war Staples's style of talkin', and it fair tickled 
 the Injuns. It war the sort of thing they'd have said 
 theirselves, and so they could relish it. But it didn't 
 bring them no nearer to our scalps, and, sence sittin' down 
 below wouldn't help neither, they made up their minds 
 to have a turn at the job that very night. Wall, reckon 
 forty of the critters came creepin' up somewhares about 
 half-past two in the early mornin', and you kin guess 
 what happened. One of the parties found our barrier 
 before the others reached the boulders blocking the path 
 
The Bashful Jacob 255 
 
 they was following. Them strings worked as ef they 
 was part of a machine, and, I tell yer, the sparks flew. 
 The explosion didn't give Hawk Eye and his chiefs any 
 chance of larnin' what had happened, 'cos the critters 
 that came up agin the mine wasn't left to be axed any 
 questions. 
 
 " In course it made 'em even more careful, and when 
 another of the mines had exploded, and cleared out a 
 second party, the braves was called back, and them chiefs 
 got to at another palaver. And next mornin' the terms 
 they offered us was a little easier. We could go, so long 
 as we left only our shooters and knives. They'd dropped 
 wantin' the boy, yer see; fer in course it war Joe who 
 had fired the train down at his father's shanty. But 
 Staples let 'em see that we was even more determined 
 than before. ' You kin get back to yer friends,' he says, 
 'and tell 'em this: We want the gal you stole, and we 
 want a brave and a squaw from each tribe. We'll take 
 good care of them; but they'll be like hostages. Ye'll 
 have 'em back, safe and sound, once we've reached the 
 ranches.' 
 
 " That fairly roused the Injuns, mates, and within an 
 hour of Hawk Eye leaving us after the palaver the 
 best part of three hundred of the critters galloped up 
 to the hill, and started climbing it as fast as they was 
 able. And this time the daylight helped them, fer they 
 knew we'd laid mines, and was on the lookout for the 
 strings. Still, one or two of 'em was careless, and got 
 blowed sky high. The rest came on with a rush, and 
 for a time it war warmish. We was bunched together 
 behind our barricades, and, as 1 said right away at the 
 beginnin' of the yarn, we give them proper pepper. But 
 
256 Indian and Scout 
 
 they was too many, and it soon come to hand-to-hand 
 fightin'. Wall, we beat the critters, and, jest to finish 
 the yarn without more talkin', we got that kid, and took 
 her safe back to the mother. Blow'd if I ain't sleepy. 
 Time we was turned in. Good night, mates, I'm 
 goin'." 
 
 The ponderous Jacob showed astonishing celerity. It 
 was the first time that any had seen him rise so quickly 
 under similar circumstances, though, to be sure, the burly 
 fellow could move quickly enough when needed, as he 
 had already proved that day. 
 
 "Hold hard, sonny!" cried Tom, detaining him with 
 a. firm hand. "That's too short an ending. Yer was 
 surrounded. That's whar we got to. Let's have the 
 rest quietly, and not thrown in all in a hurry." 
 
 " I ain't goin 1 ter say no more. I'm off ter my 
 blanket," came the stolid answer. 
 
 "And that's jest whar I come in," cried Bill suddenly. 
 "Yer remember Jacob lad was fer moving earlier on. 
 That's when I began to help him. This time he's clean 
 shut up, so I'll have to take the yarn to the very end. 
 Jacob thar says it war hand-to-hand fightin'. In course, 
 when the business was over, and we had time to take a 
 look round, there was a goodish few of us as had been 
 wounded. Two of our chaps was killed, while I guess 
 we'd laid out thirty of the Injuns. But that ain't all. 
 It war gettin' dusk when them critters was driven off, 
 and you kin guess as it took a while to decide how 
 many of our mates had been hurt, and to tend to those 
 that needed it. It warn't fer half an hour, perhaps, that 
 old man Staples sings out fer Jacob. 
 
 "' Whar is the man!' he asks, kind of anxious, fer he 
 
The Bashful Jacob 257 
 
 seemed to have taken a sudden and violent fancy to 
 him. 'Whar is he?' 
 
 "And when we come to search high and low there 
 wasn't a sign of the critter. He war clean gone." 
 
 " Gone!" exclaimed one of the men. " Whar? What 
 fer?" 
 
 " Ha! That's what I'm a-comin' to," grinned Bill. " It 
 aer that part of the yarn as wild bosses couldn't drag 
 from Jacob. But he has got to hear it. Jest sit right 
 down on him, Tom, and hold him. Gee! Ef his bash- 
 fulness don't beat me altogether." 
 
 (0179) 17 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 Black Bill to the Rescue 
 
 "You kin fire away as soon as yer like. We've got 
 a hold of him, and ef he kicks we'll show who's 
 strongest." 
 
 Tom shouted the words, and at the same time sat 
 himself down heavily beside Jacob, while Seth placed 
 himself on the other side. The manoeuvre, coupled with 
 the frowns and grimaces of the stolid hunter, caused a 
 roar of laughter from those assembled round the fire. 
 Black Bill grinned, a grin of huge enjoyment, while 
 Steve increased the hilarity of the proceedings by 
 beckoning to Jack. 
 
 "Jest draw yer shooter" he said with a dry smile. 
 " He knows as yer ain't over practised, and ef he sees 
 you fingerin' the trigger pretty close to his head he'll 
 lay quiet, same as he's ordered. Now, the party's 
 ready; yer kin git in at it, mate." 
 
 Thus bidden, Bill at once proceeded with his yarn. 
 
 " Old Jacob war clean gone," he said, "and no amount 
 of hunting would find him. So we guessed that some of 
 them Injun varmint had collared him and dragged him 
 off in the scrimmage. ' All the same, mates,' said old 
 man Staples, ' we'll be extry careful when we're shootin' 
 to-night. Ef Jacob aer been hauled away he may be 
 able to give 'em the slip before they kin kill him.' 
 
 258 
 
Black Bill to the Rescue 259 
 
 " It war lucky he gave that warning. Somewhares 
 about midnight Jacob thar crawls back into the camp, 
 and precious nigh gets a bullet in him. In course the 
 hull crowd of us was anxious to know why he'd gone, 
 and how he come to be able to git back. But ye've 
 seen fer yerselves what a critter he is fer keepin' his 
 mouth shut when he's axed questions, and blessed ef 
 he'd say a word about his doin's. ' I want a man,' he 
 says, squatting down beside the fire, ' a man as ain't too 
 fond of this life. Who'll come?' Wall, I happened to 
 be right next to him," explained Bill, looking round at 
 the circle of friends apologetically, as if he were men- 
 tioning something he had need to be ashamed of. " In 
 course I said I war his man. I warn't over tired of life, 
 and not now, neither, but I kinder wanted to see what 
 he was up to. It war sheer curiosity." 
 
 There was a murmur from the scouts, and a general 
 shaking of heads. All knew very well that the words 
 were prompted by Bill's modesty. 
 
 "You was like the rest," said Tom deliberately, in a 
 manner there was no correcting. " Every one of them 
 boys was game to go. Yer knew the business was 
 likely ter be warmish, fer Jacob had as good as said 
 so. It warn't curiosity it war duty. Git on." 
 
 Bill would have gladly remonstrated with him. The 
 words were actually on his lips. Then he changed his 
 mind. It was obvious to him that his comrades had 
 already formed their own conclusions. 
 
 " Wall, curiosity or not, I war next him, and the fust 
 ter get a chance of speaking. It aer curious; though 
 there war some fifty boys in the crowd, and all had 
 heard Jacob sing out fer a man who wasn't too fond of 
 
260 Indian and Scout 
 
 his life, every man jack of the crowd found he war in 
 that position. They shouted to be his man. They was 
 too late, as I've told yer; fer, sense I war the first ter 
 offer, in course I was the one ter go. 
 
 " ( We'll take knives and shooters, and enough grub ter 
 last us a couple of days/ says Jacob, when the shouting 
 was done with; 'and then we'll wait for them critters 
 ter come along. They'll be here agin by two in the 
 mornin', and when we've let 'em see that we're lively, 
 and askin' for a ruction, why, they'll clear back ter their 
 wigwams. That'll be our time, Bill. We'll move away 
 with them. You, mates, can look to see us back most 
 at any time. All depends on sarcumstances.' 
 
 "That was all we could get outer him that night," 
 went on Bill. " He jest sat silent, eatin' his supper, 
 and thinking. Then he turns into his blanket and 
 sleeps. But at two in the mornin' he war up and lively 
 like the rest, and seems he was right about the Injuns. 
 They came creeping like snakes up the hill, and it 
 warn't till one of our mines went off, and gave the 
 alarm, that we guessed that they were near. Then we 
 took to shooting, and precious soon sent them critters 
 down to the plain agin. 
 
 "'Now's our time,' says Jacob. *Aer yer ready, 
 Bill?' 
 
 " ' You bet,' I says. ' What thin?' 
 
 " ' Got yer grub and thet shooter?' 
 
 " I jest nodded. 
 
 " ' Then slip these over yer boots, or, better still, take 
 'em off and put on these moccasins,' says Jacob, handin' 
 over a pair he'd likely enough taken from one of the 
 Injuns we'd wiped out ' Now. Ready?' 
 
Black Bill to the Rescue 261 
 
 "Wall, thar ain't over much talkin' from Jacob thar, 
 as ye've seen fer yerselves," went on Bill. " But blessed 
 ef I didn't feel inclined ter shake him before very long. 
 Did he talk to our mates afore we left the hill? Not 
 much! Did he open that 'ere huge mouth of his once 
 we was off? Nary a word could I git from him, till 
 I began ter get savage. 'Look ye here, Jacob lad,' I 
 says; 'you and I are pards on this here excursion, and 
 seems to me as things ain't equal. I'm your man, what- 
 ever happens, but thar's maybe sarcumstances as I 
 should understand. Yer might get wiped out, and 
 then whar should I be?' 
 
 " I could kinder hear the critter grinnin' to hisself in 
 the darkness, some hundred yards from our camp," said 
 Bill, looking round at his audience; "and, I tell yer, I 
 felt jest like kickin' him. But Jacob aer a trifle too big 
 fer me. 'Sides, he owned up as I war in the right. 
 
 "Til tell yer, curious!' he said, grinnin' still. 'We're 
 off to Hawk Eye's camp, to that ledge whar his wig- 
 wams aer pitched, and in course yer don't want to ask 
 fer what we're goin'. Thar's that kid ter be rescued. 
 I axed fer a man as was kinder done with his life, 'cos 
 I didn't see much chance of gettin' outer the business. 
 Still, I've been thar, and got back. Two may do the 
 same.' 
 
 "'You?' I asked, under my breath, fer yer must re- 
 member we had to be specially quiet. 'You've been 
 up thar on the ledge?' 
 
 " Wall, the critter allowed as he had. He'd followed 
 them Injuns out of our stockade after their first attack, 
 had kinder mixed hisself up with them, and had coolly 
 climbed with the varmint up to the ledge. Then he'd 
 
262 Indian and Scout 
 
 laid doggo in some hole he'd come across, had seen all 
 there was ter be seen, and had heard 'em plotting the 
 attack which had jest taken place. 
 
 "'What we're up to now,' he says, 'is to climb up 
 thar agin, and wait fer a second business same as 
 to-night. That'll be our time to snatch the kid and 
 come away. In course ye'll be wonderin' why I didn't 
 manage that whilst I war thar. But thar's a critter 
 on guard at the top of the track, and a second down 
 below. I knew I shouldn't have no chance ter get away 
 with the kid with them thar; fer I was bound ter raise 
 a ruction in their camp when I went fer the kid, and 
 by the time I got ter the track those two Injun varmint 
 would have others ter help 'em. So I says to myself 
 that I would git back to our camp, call fer a man as 
 was a man, and then return to the ledge. Even with 
 two the job'll be a skeary one. It ain't likely to be all 
 milk and cream.'" 
 
 Bill looked round his listening circle reflectively for 
 a few moments. No doubt he was passing in review 
 those incidents which had occurred now some years ago, 
 and, if the truth were only known, was recalling his own 
 impressions, his own feelings as the risk of the under- 
 taking became plainly apparent to him. His audience 
 regarded him closely with interest, and perhaps a little 
 impatience. Then Tom broke the silence, and gave 
 him encouragement. 
 
 "Gee! It war a teaser," he said. "Thar's some men 
 as I've met who would ha' backed out. Jacob thar was 
 kinder asking yer to a funeral." 
 
 Bill laughed. " It war ticklish," he admitted. " As 
 ter the funeral a man don't think of them 'ere things 
 
Black Bill to the Rescue 263 
 
 when he's warmed up. I was dead keen on gettin' the 
 kid. There warn't no more ter be said, so Jacob led the 
 way fer the cliff. In course there was Injuns about, but 
 it was dark, as I've said, and, 'sides, we'd come away 
 with our blankets, the same sort of thing as used by the 
 Injuns. With them over our heads, and the moccasins 
 on our feet, there wasn't much chance of being spotted. 
 In addition, it began ter rain, and when it rains even an 
 Injun critter likes ter have a covering. So guess they 
 made tracks fer their wigwams, and tried ter sleep off 
 the licking we had given them. Jacob and me found 
 the cliff path, and scrambled up it. It war steep, steeper 
 than a wall in parts, whar they had fixed poles and 
 cross pieces ter help them, sorter ladders, which leaned 
 right out, making yer climb like a fly. But we didn't 
 mind the steepness so long as the enemy wasn't any- 
 whar's about. And after a bit we reached the top. 
 Even thar thar wasn't a critter, fer I guess the rain 
 had driven him in. 
 
 " Them's the wigwams,' says Jacob, pointin' to some- 
 thin' that might have been one, or may have been a 
 piece of rock. Anyway, I took his word for it. ' We're 
 right on the edge of the ledge,' he whispers, 'and the 
 hole I located is dead straight back, as dead straight 
 as yer kin go. Jest remember that, ef you have ter 
 make a run for it. Now let's get under cover.' 
 
 " It was an old bear hole he'd found," explained Bill, 
 "a deep cleft in the rocks, twistin' and turnin' as it 
 went, and runnin' into the cliff for perhaps fifty feet. 
 Leastwise that's what I guessed by creepin' round and 
 feelin' with my fingers. Jacob jest went in as far as 
 he was able, and then rolled himself in his blanket. 
 
264 Indian and Scout 
 
 " ' Reckon a man don't want to set a watch,' he said. 
 'Thar's never an Injun as will dare to come in here. 
 Most likely they think it's haunted by a spirit, and, ef 
 not, then thar'll be a bear, though that ain't likely. 
 Take a sleep, Bill, and ter-morrer we'll be fresh and 
 lively.' 
 
 " It war a queer place ter rest in, and I don't mind 
 admitting ter you mates here as I was skeared. I 
 couldn't make up my mind ter sleep fer quite a bit, 
 but kept creeping to the opening ter look out. And 
 most times thar was nothing to see. Not a star even, 
 not a sight of the critters as would have torn us bit 
 by bit ter pieces ef they only could ha' known that 
 we was thar. But near to morning the clouds were 
 swept aside, and then one could see the outline of the 
 wigwams, not forty feet from us, with the dead ashes of 
 the fires they had been cookin' at the evening before 
 jest in front of their skin shanties. While not so far 
 away, seeming quite close in that 'ere sorter light, was 
 our camp, on top of the hill, whar our pals lay. Precious 
 little use they could ha' been ter us ef there had been a 
 call. It war skeary work!" 
 
 Bill passed his hand across his forehead, as if even the 
 recollection of his daring made him hot, while Steve and 
 his comrades drew in a succession of deep breaths. 
 
 " It war the riskiest thing as ever I heard of," said 
 the former slowly and seriously. " I 'low now that any 
 man called upon fer sich a job had a right ter back out. 
 It were downright the darndest bit of foolery as ever I 
 come across. Yer was kinder puttin' yer heads into 
 the open mouth of a hungry lion, and I'm fair surprised 
 to see yer here. It don't seem possible that them 
 
Black Bill to the Rescue 265 
 
 critters could ha' missed yer, and yet wall, I've knowed 
 pretty nigh as wonderful cases," he admitted after a 
 few moments' thought. "Them critters is queer folk. 
 They're superstitious, ef that's the right word fer it, and 
 I've known 'em back away from bear holes, not because 
 they was afeard of the beast, but because they thought 
 they would be meddlin' with some spirit. Gee! I 'low 
 as this here fix war a teaser." 
 
 " It war," came from many quarters. 
 
 " But this here big lump of a Jacob didn't seem to 
 think nothink of it," proceeded Bill, pointing a condemn- 
 ing finger at the huge scout, whereat the burly fellow 
 flushed a dusky red and fidgeted as if he had cause to 
 feel ashamed. " I war jest jumpin' with nerves when 
 the morning came, and them braves began ter sneak out 
 from their wigwams. It war warm and fine, and there 
 they stood, jest without a move, staring down at our 
 camp on the hill, while their women bustled ter find dry 
 wood, ter light the fires, and ter cook the grub for their 
 masters. 
 
 " ' It makes yer hungry,' says Jacob thar. * Jest fetch 
 out that 'ere dried meat of ours, and we'll have a square 
 meal. Them critters ain't fer talkin' till they have had 
 their fill.' 
 
 " We sat in that 'ere cave all day long, outer sight of 
 any of the braves, staring at them through a chink that 
 opened on their camp. And it gave me a better idea, 
 so to speak, of their ways of livin' and eatin' and speak- 
 in' than ever I had had before, or sence, fer the matter 
 of that. And we warn't long in seeing that they was 
 fairly mad with our pals. They sat thar on the ledge, 
 fifty of the chiefs of the various tribes, chewin' the ends 
 
266 Indian and Scout 
 
 of their pipes, and fairly glarin' sparks at our camp. 
 And one by one the chiefs got up on their hind legs 
 and palavered. One wanted ter get ter work right away, 
 another advised an attack in force that night, a sudden 
 retreat as ef they was scared, and then a return to the 
 business. Hawk Eye war cautious. Yer see, he'd been 
 having a fair gruelling, and he warn't so keen ter be 
 hit harder. 'The white man is strong/ he says, when 
 he gets to his feet, jest as ef we hadn't proved that al- 
 ready, 'but he can be beaten by craft together with 
 force. And when he are beaten, there are his farms, 
 his wives, and his children, all fer our taking.' 
 
 " Yer see," commented Bill, " Hawk Eye war an 
 artful critter. He could see as he had let the other 
 tribes into a hot business, and so he told 'em first of 
 all of the things they would gain, not forgetting the 
 scalps. And in course, jest like all Injuns, the very 
 talk of scalps made 'em forget most everything else. 
 Them critters has sich hate fer white men that the 
 mention of one aer like a red rag to 'em. Anyway, 
 they said they were ready to follow him, and he warn't 
 long in coming out with his plan. 
 
 "'We are many/ he says, 'and they are few. Yet 
 they are so strongly posted that my brothers are likely 
 to suffer heavily if we attack again. Let us lure them 
 into the open. Consider; what are they here for? To 
 rescue an infant whom we have taken, and whom the 
 squaw, who is my wife, will cling to as if it were her 
 own. They sit yonder on the hill waiting, knowing that 
 the child is here. Let us move from this post. Let us 
 leave a sufficient guard to hold the path to this ledge, 
 and then, as to-morrow morning breaks, we will muster 
 
Black Bill to the Rescue 267 
 
 on the plain, with men dressed to appear as squaws, 
 or boys will serve that purpose, with wigwam poles 
 slung, and appearing in every way as if we were leaving 
 this spot for another. Consider now, my brothers, what 
 will happen. It is the child these white men seek. They 
 will follow us, thinking the infant is with us. We will 
 appear to ride away, as if in fear. But once they are far 
 enough from the hill yonder we will turn, and then ' 
 
 " I give yer my word," said Bill impressively, " it fairly 
 made a man's blood curdle to hear the grunts them 
 critters give and the way their eyes flashed. In course 
 they was fer Hawk Eye's scheme right away, and for 
 the next few hours they sat talkin' it over, sharpenin' 
 their tomahawks, or simply looking down at our camp, 
 doin' nothing, not movin' so much as an eyelid, same 
 as only Injuns kin do. 
 
 " ' It aer a case of ter-night or never/ says Jacob, 
 as evening came along. 4 That wigwam thar,' and he 
 pointed to the nearest, 'aer Hawk Eye's, and though 
 we ain't never seen the kid, yet it stands ter reason she's 
 thar. We aer got to snatch it once it's really dark, and 
 then one of us has got ter get through. Bill, ye'll take 
 the kid, I'll follow close with my shooter. We may have 
 the luck ter get clear of the ledge without being dis- 
 covered and afore they've found that the kid's gone. Ef 
 we do, then all depends on her. She may howl. That 
 would be enough ter finish us.' 
 
 " Believe it or not, mates, jest before it got too dark 
 ter see, when the light from the fires was beginning to 
 get helpful, a squaw come out of the wigwam that was 
 Hawk Eye's, carryin' a kid. It war the white gal. We 
 was sure then that she was thar. Then the squaw walks 
 
268 Indian and Scout 
 
 up and down a bit, and at last goes back to the wigwam. 
 But she didn't stay in long. In five minutes she war 
 outside, tending the fire burning on the edge of the 
 ledge. 
 
 "'It aer the time,' says Jacob. 'Jest sit right here 
 and wait. Ef I'm seen, and thar ain't a chance fer me 
 to get away, I'll chuck the kid ter you ; yer can make a 
 run fer it.' 
 
 " He war gone afore I knew it, and I seed him creep- 
 ing along beside the rock. Reckon he reached the wig- 
 wam without a soul being the wiser, and after that, jest 
 when I was expecting to hear a hullabaloo, he turns up 
 at my elbow. 
 
 "'Here's the kid,' he says. 'Let's be gittin'. Take 
 it, Bill.' 
 
 " It warn't the time fer talkin'. Me and Jacob thar 
 gets our blankets over our heads and moves out, the 
 kid kinder tucked under one of my arms. And outside 
 that cleft it war plaguey light. I knew right off that 
 an Injun could see jest then as well almost as he would 
 in broad day, so it wasn't altogether a question of 
 whether the kid made a noise or not. And, in any case, 
 we wasn't long afore we come bang up agin trouble. 
 Thar was a critter standing guard at the top of the 
 path leading down from the ledge." 
 
 A series of sounds, almost of groans, came from the 
 scouts. Their sympathy was deeply centred in the 
 fortunes of the two comrades seated with them, and 
 in that of the comrades who were helping them to 
 rescue a child and help a distracted mother. 
 
 " There was a critter thar, war there?" growled Tom, 
 kicking the ground. " Yer didn't 'low 
 
Black Bill to the Rescue 269 
 
 " I ain't never seed the varmint as could stop me ef 
 I was minded ter move on," declared Bill sturdily, a 
 flush on his dark skin. " I give that 'ere critter what 
 for. He turned as we come up ter him, looked at us 
 close, and then whipped out his tomahawk. Afore he 
 could shout I give him one with my fist full in the 
 face." 
 
 " Ah!" There came an exclamation of relief from his 
 mates. 
 
 " He didn't stop fallin', I reckon, till he got to the 
 bottom of the cliff, and when he reached ground agin, 
 guess he warn't no more use to Hawk Eye. But he 
 jest made the critters down below extry lively." 
 
 "Thar was more down thar then?" asked Steve. 
 
 "Thar was a round dozen. They heard us comin', 
 in course, but couldn't rightly say who we was or what 
 had happened. Yer see, their mate might have come 
 by an accident, and fallen from the ledge in the dark- 
 ness. They wouldn't never have known till we dropped 
 amongst 'em ef it hadn't been fer the kid. She yowled." 
 
 Again there came a chorus of growls from the hunters. 
 They realized thoroughly what that meant. If the 
 rescued child called out, the cry would awaken every 
 Indian within hearing, while the chance of Bill and 
 Jacob reaching their friends again was almost destroyed. 
 
 " She yowled," repeated Bill solemnly, " while some- 
 one up above us on the ledge set to shoutin'. It war 
 a woman's voice, and we knew, in course, that it must 
 be Hawk Eye's squaw. Wall, within the minute the 
 hull lot of the critters was dancing, and we could hear 
 'em coming down the path above. 
 
 " ' Git behind me,' says Jacob thar, as ef he war boss 
 
270 Indian and Scout 
 
 of the business. ' When we're a few steps lower, jest 
 feel about with yer feet. Thar's a branch in the road 
 bearin' to the left and leadin' out on to smooth grass. 
 Yer make along it. I'll go by the other, and give yer 
 a start. There it aer. Move.' 
 
 " He aer a plaguey feller, he's that short-winded," 
 grumbled Bill. " He jest pushed me and the kid on 
 ter the second path and then went straight on; fer we 
 was near to the bottom of the cliff thar, and the road 
 was nearly level. And then what do yer think he did?" 
 
 " Set to at them varmint," suggested Seth fiercely. 
 
 " Run back and broke up them that was following," 
 came from another. 
 
 " I aer seed his game. Yer git on with it, lad," said 
 Steve. " It war a brave thing. No, Jacob, lad, you 
 ain't got no call ter shake yer fist, and look as ef you'd 
 like ter kill me. It war a brave thing. Ye'd have 
 done it fer nothing, though, ef the kid had given tongue 
 again." 
 
 " He would," came warmly from Bill. " Ye've hit it 
 fust time, Steve. Jacob goes down the path, makin' 
 as much clatter with his feet as he war able, and every 
 second or so calling out in a squeaky voice, same as 
 ef he war the kid. And in course it drawed every one 
 of the critters in them parts on ter him. I heard his 
 shooter going in less than a minute. It war warm 
 work while it lasted, and I tell yer it aer luck that he 
 come through alive." 
 
 "Luck!" shouted Jacob, suddenly rousing himself 
 and turning upon Bill like a tiger. Indeed it seemed 
 as if he were eager to draw the attention of his comrades 
 from himself to the dark-skinned scout who had been 
 
C179 
 
 RUNNING A RISK 
 
Black Bill to the Rescue 271 
 
 yarning. " It warn't luck," he shouted, pointing at Bill. 
 " It war him Bill, Black Bill, him as had the kid. Do 
 yer think he did as I told him? He war always a 
 stubborn, stiff-necked sorter feller. He didn't run. He 
 risked the child that we'd waited and watched fer, 
 slings her somehow over his shoulder in his blanket, and 
 comes right back to help me. It warn't luck that made 
 me get off from them critters. It war Bill." 
 
 Had the listeners not been so full of the yarn they 
 would have shouted with laughter; for the two scouts, 
 Bill and Jacob, glared at one another for some few 
 seconds as if they were mortal enemies. Then Bill 
 grinned, kicked the fire vigorously, sending a column of 
 sparks flying into the air, and lay back with an air of 
 resignation. 
 
 "Gee, how he do talk!" he cried. "Ter hear Jacob, 
 yer would think as he war telling the yarn. Ef yer 
 don't mind, mate, I'll get through with it. It war luck 
 as saved him. I 'low as I went back to help him, 'cos 
 no partner could slink off and leave a mate ter them 
 red varmint. Thar warn't nothing in it but common 
 duty, same as every man owes ter his mate. With Jacob 
 thar it warn't the same. He'd no call ter take all the 
 risks on his own shoulders. But, howsomever, we was 
 both in the thick of it, them critters coming at us all 
 the while, and me and Jacob hopping from rock to rock, 
 keeping our faces to the braves, and setting our shooters 
 barking at them. Thar was a dozen of the Injuns down 
 thar, and precious soon we thinned their numbers. Then 
 Jacob shouted out fer me ter run with him, and sence it 
 warn't no longer a case of leaving a pal, why, in course I 
 runned." 
 
272 Indian and Scout 
 
 " Yer got back ter the camp without more fighting?" 
 asked Steve. 
 
 " None worth talkin' about," came the short answer. 
 " Thar was critters here and thar, doing their best 
 ter cut us off. But the darkness helped us, and what 
 with that and our shooters we came through ter the 
 bottom of the hill. And thar was Staples, with some of 
 the boys, ter help us. My! You should ha' seen that 
 old man shaking Jacob's hands! Them enemies! Gee! 
 I'd like to see the man as would ha' dared to mention it. 
 They was like brothers." 
 
 " And the Indians?" asked one of the hunters. " They 
 tried their little game in the morning? They did their 
 best to draw yer out into the plains?" 
 
 " Not they," came quickly from Bill. " They was 
 flummoxed by the loss of the kid. It seemed to have 
 turned their luck. They waited, I reckon, fer the next 
 day." 
 
 "And then?" 
 
 " We wasn't thar ter help 'em," grinned Bill. " Old 
 man Staples was worth a better trick. We kept our 
 fires going precious late that night, and when everything 
 in and about the Injun camp war quiet, we slipped down 
 the hill and out on ter the plain. It warn't till two hours 
 after dawn as they twigged what had happened, and 
 then every man of them rushed fer the bosses." 
 
 "Wall? "asked Steve. 
 
 " They wasn't so nigh and handy as Hawk Eye and 
 his men imagined. Jacob aer an artful feller. He and 
 a dozen of the others had rid round the end of the gully 
 where we reckoned the critters kept their ponies. They 
 was so sure that we was kept in our camp on top of the 
 
Black Bill to the Rescue 273 
 
 hill that they hadn't put more than ten of the braves to 
 guard them. Reckon Jacob and his mates went in with 
 their shooters, and before you could wink they had them 
 ponies runnin'." 
 
 " Then you got back to the ranches?" asked Tom, with 
 something like a sigh of relief. 
 
 " You may put it like that. Gee, how it did make 
 Jacob thar blush when Mrs. Rivers kissed him fer hand- 
 ing back the kid! Mate, you ain't got no call ter look 
 thunder and wuss at me. This yarn aer true. You 
 was axing, Tom, ef there was more business with thim 
 Injun critters. There war. Hawk Eye and his men 
 war that mad at the trick we'd played 'em that they 
 followed in full strength, and fer a time it war nearly a 
 case with us. Thar was seventy whites in all; fer we 
 had called up the other ranches, while Hawk Eye rode 
 with four hundred Injuns. But some of thim had had 
 a maulin', and we didn't sit down and let 'em forget it. 
 We sent 'em to the rightabout, and though I was four 
 years longer in thim parts, thar was never any further 
 trouble from the varmint." 
 
 " In fact, you gave them a thumping," suggested 
 Steve. 
 
 " It war pepper," answered Bill, smiling. " Wuss 
 almost than we give the Injuns to-day. Pepper aer 
 the only word fer it." 
 
 Sleepy after their day's exciting adventure, it was not 
 long before silence reigned round the camp fire where 
 Jacob and Bill had been yarning. On the following day 
 they pursued their way unmolested, and presently 
 climbed the mountain slopes of the Nevada range. 
 Thence they descended into California and reached 
 
 (0179) ' 18 
 
274 Indian and Scout 
 
 at last the goal for which they had been making. By 
 then Seth's wound was healed, while Steve was as active 
 as ever. . 
 
 " And here we begins ter think about minin'," he said. 
 "Thar ain't no more Injuns to disturb us, so it's gold 
 from this very instant. See here, Jack, I'll teach yer 
 how ter look and keep yer eyes skinned, so as ter light 
 on likely places." 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 The Gold Rush 
 
 THE gold rush to California was no new thing when 
 Jack and his friends crossed the craggy heights of 
 Nevada, and reached the green valleys to the west. 
 Indeed it was already some years since the first of 
 that long stream of eager individuals had pushed across 
 the plains with the object of discovering gold. Some 
 had made huge fortunes, many had made simply a 
 living, while not a few had failed miserably. 
 
 "And a tidy sight of the poor things has left their 
 bones out on them plains," said Tom, when discussing 
 the matter. " I mind the time when America went mad 
 about this here gold rush. Everyone was fer throwin' 
 up a good and steady job, and ample wages, ter get over 
 to Californy and try his luck. And in the minin' camps 
 yer could meet the hard-working navvy, the store clerk, 
 the doctor, the lawyer, and a host of others. There war 
 men who had lost their all way back east, and fer whom 
 the finding of gold meant everything. Mostly they was 
 disappointed, 'cos gold diggin' aer a gamble, and gamblin' 
 aer a game that ain't never safe ter play unless yer kin 
 afford ter lose. Even then it ain't good. A man was 
 meant ter take up a settled job, and put his back into it 
 
 276 
 
276 Indian and Scout 
 
 Gamblers hope ter make a pile and live easy on it fer 
 a time without troublin' to work. Wall, that ain't right. 
 Men like that ain't much good ter their country." 
 
 " Hear, hear!" called out Steve. 
 
 " Yer see," went on Tom, " me and Steve was hunters 
 first, and huntin' ain't a steady job, as it war. It in- 
 cludes makin' money as best we could, and it so hap- 
 pened that him and me was Californy way at the very 
 right moment. We struck up pals, and went into 
 partnership, and thar yer are. Wall, as I was sayin', 
 yer could meet most any sort of man at the diggin's. 
 The cut-throat and robber, as wasn't much good ter no 
 one. The foreigner, the English gentleman, sailors and 
 soldiers. Some came across the plains. A tidy few 
 crossed Panama, and took ship ter 'Frisco. And thar 
 they war, diggin' fer their lives, lookin' cross-eyed at 
 their neighbours, lest they should strike a pile fust. 
 This here Californy's chock-full of minin' camps that's 
 been abandoned and worked out. All them diggers 
 settled on the easiest and most likely spots, and yer 
 may take it that they've cleared the gold most every- 
 whar whar it war easy ter get at. It ain't no longer 
 any use comin' along and stakin' claims and workin' 
 'em. YeVe got ter prospect a heap, and then set up 
 a plant bigger than any of them first diggers had." 
 
 " And ye've got ter settle down ter hard work," burst 
 in Jacob. 
 
 "Ye have that," agreed Tom. "What do yer boys 
 thar think of doin'? Me and Steve and Jack thar aer 
 partners, as yer all know. We've lumped in a goodish 
 sight of money, and we've got sufficient plant ter tackle 
 any job. But we shall be wantin' labour." 
 
The Gold Rush 277 
 
 "And six men ain't too many," said Steve quickly, 
 lookin' across at Jacob. 
 
 Tom and Steve and Jack had talked the matter over on 
 the previous day, and it had been agreed amongst them 
 that they should invite the six scouts who had accom- 
 panied them across the plains to become their partners. 
 
 " Yer see," said Steve, when broaching the matter to 
 Tom and our hero, " tain't like takin' on men as we don't 
 know. Jacob and the other boys has proved themselves 
 real pals, and we kin trust 'em. It would pay us all ter 
 go on as we aer." 
 
 " Look here, boys," cried Tom, facing the six men, 
 "me and my mates has been having a jaw, and we 
 decided we'd get to and ax yer ter come in along 
 with us. We want help, willing help, and guess yer 
 want work. Wall, now, there's seventeen Indian hosses, 
 and away here in Californy horse flesh is mighty scarce 
 jest now, and hard ter get. Ef we sold 'em we should 
 make a fine lot of dollars, 'specially ef we didn't do a 
 deal in too great a hurry. I mean, we could sell one 
 here, another thar, and so on, gettin' good prices 
 all the time. Then, once we've located a spot as 
 seems likely, we kin get to and sell some of the team. 
 Our saddle hosses kin pull the cart later on, if it aer 
 needed ter get moved. Yer share of them seventeen 
 hosses would give yer a little bit to put into the 
 partnership. We'd pay yer so much wages ef yer 
 didn't like that arrangement. But seems to me yer 
 could each buy an interest. Then we all work fer 
 the common good. Ef it pans out rich, we share 
 according to the interest each man has. Ef we strike 
 a bad egg, wall " 
 
278 Indian and Scout 
 
 " Yer try and try agin," laughed Jacob. " Now, look 
 ye here, Tom, and you, Steve, and that 'ere Carrots. 
 We've took to yer proper. There ain't been a sore 
 word among us these past months. Wall, nat'ral like, 
 we've been wonderin' what we'd do once we struck 
 Californy. We aer here fer diggin', and sence ye're 
 the same, why, we kinder estimated as ye'd be axin' 
 us this question. We aer ready ter come in on these 
 terms, and we think the offer handsome. Rightly, 
 sence this here outfit aer yourn, them bosses we took 
 from the Injuns aer yourn also. But sence you'll 
 divide square, why, that aer a good sign that we'll 
 get on friendly in this new venture. Me and my 
 mates'll stand in ter win or lose. Seems ter me, seein' 
 as we have some dollars ter work on, and needn't there- 
 fore rush at the job, as we stand an uncommon good 
 chance." 
 
 It took but a little time to complete the arrange- 
 ments, and accordingly the little party halted outside 
 the first town they came to, where a lawyer drew up 
 the proper agreements. Meanwhile a purchaser had 
 been found for the Indian horses, which fetched a 
 good price, and the share that Jacob and his five 
 friends obtained allowed of their buying quite a re- 
 spectable interest in the firm, though they would not, 
 of course, have such a large interest as was held by 
 Tom and Steve and Jack. A couple of days later 
 they shook the dust of the town from their feet, and, 
 with their cart replenished with sugar, flour, and other 
 simple necessaries, took to the road again. 
 
 " There aer a gulch as me and Tom spotted last 
 time we was over here," said Steve that evening. 
 
The Gold Rush 279 
 
 "We allowed as we'd make fer it when we came here 
 agin, fer it promises somethin'. It aer been clean 
 worked out in the flats by diggers." 
 
 "But that don't say as there ain't gold left," added 
 Tom. "You, mates, haven't no experience of diggin', 
 it seems, and so I'll tell yer a bit about it. Reckon 
 gold aer been washin' outer the rocks of the moun- 
 tains hereabouts fer centuries. It has got floated along 
 in the streams, and where they run swift it hasn't 
 settled. But as soon as ever it has reached a spot where 
 the ground is flat, them 'ere specks of gold has come 
 down to the bottom. In course of ages, what with 
 dirt and gravel and sichlike, the bed of the river aer 
 got filled bung up, and the water aer made a different 
 course. Diggers has staked claims whar thar's been 
 some old river bed, and have dug the gold from the 
 gravel. They've took pretty well every ounce by now 
 from sich sort of places; but they ain't by a long 
 chalk got all the dust thar is in this country. Steve 
 and me struck a gulch that seemed likely, and we're 
 goin' thar to prospect." 
 
 It took the party another three weeks to find and 
 reach the gulch of which Steve had spoken, and, once 
 arrived, they set about prospecting in earnest for gold. 
 
 " Yer can see whar the old diggers came and dug 
 their claims," explained Steve to Jack. "Everywhar 
 down in the flats thar's holes and heaps of dirt. But 
 none of them seed what Tom and me did. This gulch 
 is narrow and flat; the sides come in suddenly, and 
 rise to somewheres about four hundred feet. And up 
 thar there's a big kind of tableland that runs back 
 fer miles. Wall, now, the stream that come into the 
 
280 Indian and Scout 
 
 gulch back in them early times aer moved, else the 
 miners wouldn't have been able ter stake their claims. 
 Yer can't see it now, but ef yer ride ten miles up the 
 gulch ye'll find it pouring over a cliff and crashin* 
 down ter the bottom. Do yer see what I'm drivin' at?" 
 
 Jack thought he did. " I suppose your idea is to 
 find the old stream, or the place where it once entered 
 the gulch. I should say that if the land up there is 
 flat, and the river shifted years and years ago to some 
 other place, it must be because the bed up there got 
 filled with gravel and stuff, and so deflected the course 
 of the water." 
 
 " Right! That aer the thing that happened, I guess. 
 Wall, now, we've got ter find the spot whar that 'ere 
 stream tumbled over the cliff, and ter do that we don't 
 need ter ride clear up the gulch and search all along. 
 Them old miners are done that. Their diggin's don't 
 go more than three miles up from here, and, as ye've 
 seen fer yerself, there ain't any down lower. So I 
 reckon that stream came over the cliff somewhars 
 along these three miles. It may have been down here, 
 or mebbe it war up thar. Thar ain't no sayin', and 
 it ain't of no use ter go by the fall of the land. Thar's 
 been earthquakes and queer ructions here in past days, 
 and the land aer altered." 
 
 It took a week's patient and careful scrutiny of the 
 gulch to discover the point where the stream must have 
 flowed into the gulch in past ages, and when the place 
 was found, to the amazement of all it was almost pre- 
 cisely where they had made their temporary camp. 
 
 " Which aer a good omen," observed Jacob. 
 
 "Thet water must have been comin' over fer a sight 
 
The Gold Rush 281 
 
 of years," said Tom, as he clambered with Jack up 
 the steep face of the cliff. "A chap might hunt and 
 hunt, and never have no notion that it war here it 
 come over. But a spade helps a deal in these matters, 
 and here we have a solid stretch of gravel, sixty yards 
 across, roughly, wedged in between a couple of rocky 
 walls. Do yer foller what happened?" 
 
 " I think I see clearly," said Jack. " There must 
 have been a deep slit in the rocks years ago, and the 
 water flowed along it and emptied into this gulch. I 
 suppose the water drained from mountains right over 
 there?" 
 
 " Thatf aer so," agreed Tom. " Thar's a big water- 
 shed back away at the top of the cliff, and thar must 
 have been a flood coming along this channel." 
 
 " Slowly, I think," said Jack, " else the channel would 
 have been continually washed clean. But it has filled 
 and filled, till, in the course of ages, the whole thing 
 has become blocked and the water has found a new 
 channel for itself." 
 
 " And aer left us here a pile of gravel, which may 
 or may not hold gold. Reckon, seein' that thim 
 diggin's down thar is extensive and deep dug, that 
 the miners in this camp made something of it. So 
 thar's every chance that gold did come down. Ef 
 it did, thar's a sight of it in this gravel. Not here, 
 perhaps, for the stream would quicken a bit, just whar 
 it was goin' ter fall; but a few yards back. Anyway, 
 we'll set to and test it." 
 
 That afternoon picks and spades were hard at work 
 on the wedge of gravel between its rocky walls. A 
 cradle made of sheet iron was filled and taken down 
 
282 Indian and Scout 
 
 to the stream which passed the camp down below, 
 and water was allowed to flow into it while Steve and 
 Tom rocked it. Thar were anxious faces peering into 
 the depths of the cradle, when at length the contents 
 had been sufficiently washed. The water was allowed 
 to drain away, big pieces of rock and stone were care- 
 fully removed, and finally a layer of sand was come 
 upon. It glistened in the sun." 
 
 "Hooroo!" shouted Tom. "That aer gold. Not a 
 heap of it, but gold ; and tidy rich, I should say, seein' 
 it comes from the face of the gravel. Now we'll take 
 another sample." 
 
 They worked till night fell, and again on the following 
 day. Choosing the very centre of the wedge of gravel, 
 they burrowed some three yards into it, testing samples 
 from time to time, and finding a richer deposit of gold 
 dust in the cradle the deeper they went. Then, with a 
 shout of satisfaction, Jacob unearthed a nugget the size 
 of a bean. 
 
 " There ain't no need ter go farther," said Tom, when 
 the night had fallen, and they were seated round the 
 camp fire. " Thar aer work here fer the crowd of us ter 
 take us a hull year. Now we has to engineer the business 
 properly, fer it stands ter reason nine men, nor ninety, 
 can't dig all that stuff away. It would take years. We 
 have ter make some other sorter arrangement, and fer 
 that we've the apparatus in the cart. What we'll do is 
 this. We'll tap the river 'way up thar. Me and Steve 
 measured it up yesterday: it aer jest twenty -eight 
 yards from the edge, and out of line of the old stream. 
 Perhaps it was formed only lately; but it carries heaps 
 of water and will give us all we want. We'll lead it 
 
The Gold Rush 283 
 
 down through a wooden sluice, take the water ter an 
 iron nozzle, and wash the dirt out into a wooden trough 
 below. Now, mates, we want wood first of all, and some 
 of us'll have ter get off ter the nearest sawmill ter buy 
 and fetch it. T'others can fix the camp while they're 
 gone, and get ter work diggin' the new channel up thar." 
 
 The whole plan of operations was quickly agreed 
 upon, and promptly, on the following morning, Jacob 
 and three of his mates unloaded the wagon, and went 
 off with a full team to the sawmill, some twenty miles 
 away. The others clambered to the top of the cliff, 
 and for three days laboured at digging a trench three 
 feet wide and as many deep. They brought it from 
 the bank of the stream mentioned by Tom which ran 
 across the height above within reach of the edge, to 
 the point where one of the rocky walls that had once 
 enclosed the stream cropped into the open. Then they 
 searched for a bed of clay, and finding some, puddled 
 it with water till it was thin enough for their purpose, 
 when they smeared it over the sides and bottom of the 
 channel they had dug. 
 
 " It'll dry hard by to-morrow," said Tom; "then we'll 
 give it another coat. It'll keep the water from washin' 
 stones down into the nozzle and blockin' it. Jack, 
 reckon the time's come fer yer anvil." 
 
 For the week following Jack found his hands filled. 
 Up at cockcrow in the morning, he donned his leathern 
 apron, and set his fire going. Then his hammer fell 
 and clinked musically as he forged stout iron bands, 
 which were to support the wooden framing his friends 
 were constructing. It cost a great deal of hard labour 
 to bring all their arrangements to a satisfactory com- 
 
284 Indian and Scout 
 
 pletion; but when the task was finished they had a 
 channel completed above, with a sluice by means of 
 which they could allow water to enter at will. Another 
 blocked the stream which they were tapping, just below 
 their channel, thus giving them an ample head of water. 
 The other end of the channel, where it ended at the 
 edge of the cliff, was completely boxed in with boards, 
 held together with heavy forgings, and from this point 
 the water poured down a long, square wooden pipe, 
 strengthened in the same manner. At the very end 
 the stream was led into a huge iron pipe, which got 
 smaller and smaller, till it eventually presented a six- 
 inch orifice, while the last six feet were capable of 
 some amount of movement, whereby the course of the 
 jet could be deflected. 
 
 " A man couldn't stand before it," said Tom, survey- 
 ing the jet when all was ready. " The force of water'll 
 be sich that ef we was ter close the jet it'd bust the 
 wooden pipe above. As it is, thar'll be a stream comin' 
 from that 'ere nozzle that'll eat into the gravel quicker 
 than the hull lot of us, and it'll wash piles of dirt down 
 into the catches we have made. Ter-morrer we start in 
 right away at the real business." 
 
 It had been no easy matter to arrange their catches 
 below the point where the water was to play upon the 
 cliff and gravel. But Steve was a knowing fellow, and 
 had insisted that the jet should be brought as low as 
 possible. 
 
 "So as ter undermine the rest of the stuff," he ex- 
 plained. "Then it'll fall in easy." 
 
 A wooden channel was erected below the spot where 
 the jet was to play, the width of which, great at first 
 
The Gold Rush 285 
 
 narrowed steadily, while the channel itself descended 
 at a sharp angle. Every ten feet along it bulkheads 
 were erected across, in wedge-shape pattern, the apex 
 of the wedge being presented upward. Finally the 
 channel ended in a basin, with an overflow to take 
 the water off. 
 
 " It's down below we shall get the dust," said Tom, 
 surveying the whole plant with no little pride. " Them 
 iron washing troughs will soon collect it for us, and 
 with much less diggin' than we should ha' had to do. 
 Up here, whar the channel's steeper, and nearer the 
 jet, we aer likely ter get nuggets. Reckon it'll pay us 
 ter go steady. We'll play the jet first thing in the 
 morning, till the channel and the partitions in it aer 
 pretty full. Then we'll shut off the water, and get to at 
 washing. There's a trough fer each of us, and one man 
 can do a heap, considerin' the arrangements we have 
 made." 
 
 The whole plant was, in fact, splendidly engineered. 
 In order to save labour, they had not only pressed the 
 water from the stream above into their service, with the 
 idea of making it dig by its force, and bring the gravel 
 away from between its rocky walls; but they had so 
 contrived matters that they could open a sluice at the 
 bottom of the huge wooden pipe which fed the water 
 to the jet, and could pass the contents down a narrow 
 channel, running beside the one constructed, to catch 
 the dirt. Suspended in this, one opposite each bulk- 
 head, was a long wooden trough, either end faced with 
 a plate of iron, in which Jack had bored numerous 
 holes, small at the bottom, and getting bigger towards 
 the top. 
 
286 Indian and Scout 
 
 " They're jest like the washing troughs used by 
 diggers," explained Tom, " and me and Steve's rocked 
 'em day in and day out. Yer see, the stuff one shovels 
 into them gets broken up by the rocking, while the 
 water carries the grit away. One pitches the big stuff 
 out with one's hands, while the sand and the gold 
 settles. Gee, ef after all this here preparation, we don't 
 make a pile, why, bust me, I'll take ter scoutin' agin!" 
 
 Let the reader imagine the excitement amongst this 
 little party on the following morning. Tom lit his pipe 
 to show his coolness and his utter disregard of results, 
 and clambered to the top of the cliff. But it was not 
 the same cool Tom who had commanded the movements 
 of the band when attacked by Indians. His hand was 
 trembling as he manoeuvred the sluice gate above, while 
 his anxiety to see the water shoot from the jet was that 
 of a little boy. 
 
 "Gee- whiz! Did you ever!" he exclaimed as the 
 water spurted from the jet, and, hitting the face of the 
 gravel, began to dig a path into it. " Ef that ain't better 
 than diggin' ! Though it has cost a sight of labour ter get 
 it all ready. Look how the dirt comes down. Reckon 
 it won't be long afore we have ter pipe farther along, 
 so as ter follow the grit." 
 
 That afternoon, when the bulkheads and the channel 
 in which they were placed were crammed with fallen 
 gravel, the sluice at the bottom of the wooden pipe was 
 opened, and the spurt of water from the jet ceased. 
 Then the various individuals of the party set to work 
 with their shovels, and, each selecting one of the troughs, 
 threw the stuff which had been washed down into it, 
 and rocked vigorously, while the stream played through 
 
The Gold Rush 287 
 
 the holes at the head of the trough, washed the dirt, 
 and trickled out at the farther end. The most excit- 
 ing time of all had arrived. Each one of the party 
 wondered if, when he had laboured for a while, and 
 had at length cleared away the debris, he would find 
 the bottom of his trough filled with common sand, or 
 whether amidst the yellow particles there would be 
 others, gleaming bright in the sunshine, the gold for 
 which he laboured and on which he had set his heart. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 Tom makes a Find 
 
 " GEE ! Come here, boys ! " 
 
 It was a shout from Tom that broke the trying 
 silence that had fallen upon Jack and his comrades 
 at their several troughs, and at the sound they flung 
 down their spades, or ceased rocking the cradles, and 
 hastened to the side of the hunter. Tom's face was 
 flushed a brick red, which extended under his sunburn 
 down over neck and chest and arms. The pipe gripped 
 between his teeth was wabbling and trembling strangely, 
 while this habitually cool man was actually shivering 
 i with excitement. 
 
 " Boys," he said in a thin voice, as if he were dazed, 
 " didn't we come here fer gold, ter find somethin' to pay 
 us fer all them weeks of travel, fer fightin' with the 
 Injuns, and fer all the labour we've put in here? Say, 
 ain't thet it?" 
 
 "Guess so," answered Steve laconically, while the 
 others nodded, some briskly, with a smile of expectation, 
 others with a grin; for Tom's obvious excitement was 
 catching, while others again jerked their heads in a 
 curiously spasmodic manner, and stood looking at the 
 scout awkwardly, as if ashamed to show too much 
 interest, and yet disclosing by the brightness of their 
 
Tom makes a Find 289 
 
 eyes the undoubted fact that they were eager for his 
 news. 
 
 " Wall!" asked Jacob. " You've struck it, eh? I ain't 
 had time ter look into my little lot, but others may have 
 done." 
 
 " And I ain't had time to get searchin' in amongst all 
 the stuff that's left in my cradle," cried Tom, blurting 
 the words out rapidly. " But yer kin see whar I am. 
 Top of the lot of yer, jest whar all the heavy stuff is 
 sure ter lie. Yer see, the fall is thet sharp that light 
 stuff and grit gets washed over the catch jest here. 
 Only big stones and sichlike gets caught. Wall, aer 
 that a stone?" 
 
 His face was all wrinkled with smiles, as Tom flung out 
 the hand which up till that moment he had held behind 
 him. In the open palm a dirty, discoloured object of 
 irregular shape was lying, and at a rough guess it was 
 nearly as large as a cricket ball. The scout turned 
 it over, and then moved his hand in a half-circle, bring- 
 ing the object beneath the eyes of each one of his 
 partners in turn. Then Steve stepped forward, and, 
 taking the mass, as if it were actually only a common 
 stone, threw it up some few inches into the air, and 
 repeated the process. Passing it to his mouth he then 
 tried his teeth on the surface, and finally, with a quick 
 stride, stepping to the side of the little stream which 
 delivered water to the washing troughs, he dipped the 
 object in it, rinsed it thoroughly, and then brought 
 it into the strong sunlight again. And now it had 
 changed its character. The mass was no longer soiled 
 and discoloured. It was of a dull, golden colour, deeply 
 scored here and there where the shape was most 
 
 (0179) 19 
 
290 Indian and Scout 
 
 irregular, and displaying a perfectly smooth, rounded 
 surface in other parts. In the very centre of this 
 rounded part, emerging half an inch from the golden 
 mass was a splinter of flint, firmly embedded in the 
 metal. 
 
 "Boys," said Steve coolly, though the little scout's 
 eyes were strangely bright, " I 'low as this aer the 
 evenin' when we kin have a picnic in the camp. We 
 ha' worked hard, and travelled far, and it aer gold 
 we've come fer. Wall, thar it is. Thar's a nugget, ef 
 ever I saw one, and it's tidy sartin it ain't the only one 
 as we shall drop upon. Ef thet's the case, me and you, 
 mates, will have somethin' ter take back with us ter repay 
 us fer all the labour. Thet bein' so, it aer clear thet it 
 aer Jacob's duty ter bring out thet bottle of spirits ter- 
 night. Abe, too, might get to pretty soon and cook us 
 a meal that'll lick anythin' we've touched this many a 
 month." 
 
 There was a roar of applause as the little scout 
 finished, and then all crowded round to examine the 
 nugget which Tom had discovered. 
 
 " It war the fust thing my fingers hit upon when I got 
 to search in the trough," said Tom, " and I wouldn't be 
 surprised ef I found more. Mates, supposin' we gets 
 back ter the business. That 'ere nugget ain't enough 
 in itself ter pay us back fer all the outlay we've put into 
 the plant, sayin' nothin' of the labour." 
 
 It was with a feeling of eager expectation- that all 
 went back to their troughs, and recommenced throwing 
 dirt into them and rocking. At the end of three 
 hours, when they ceased work for the night, it was 
 found that Tom's bulkhead had indeed caught the 
 
Tom makes a Find 291 
 
 richest harvest. There were a dozen nuggets to be 
 seen, though not of the same size as that which he 
 had first discovered. Three more, about the size of a 
 bean, were unearthed from the next two troughs, while 
 the washings of the troughs below were without nuggets. 
 But the harvest of gold dust was plentiful, so good, in- 
 deed, that it became obvious at once that if only such 
 fortune could continue for a week, the party would 
 pay all outgoings, the expenses of their return to New 
 York, if need be, and still leave a sum in reserve which, 
 when divided, would give each member of the firm a 
 handsome sum to bank. 
 
 " But we ain't goin' ter leave in a week," said Tom 
 with a grin of exultation, as he sat hugging the camp 
 fire that night and nursing a pannikin of spirits. " There's 
 dirt enough between them cliffs ter keep us going fer a 
 year, and I looks at it this way: Ef it's rich out here, at 
 the end of the stream, so to speak, it'll be richer still the 
 farther in we goes; 'cos the stream will have been more 
 sluggish. That will have allowed the gold ter settle, 
 and whar thar's been big rocks and boulders, with holes 
 and pockets in 'em, the chances aer we shall hit upon 
 more nuggets. Of course we shan't get all the gold thar 
 is, by a heap. Some'll be washed through the troughs, 
 and the catch tank we've made won't hold it all. But, 
 ef it's thar, as I ain't a doubt, why, we'll get enough and 
 ter spare of it." 
 
 As the days went on it became evident that the little 
 party had become possessed of a veritable gold mine, 
 for their takings at the end of each day were greater 
 than those on the first occasion. But they were not 
 all the while engaged in rocking the cradles. There 
 
292 Indian and Scout 
 
 was much hard work to be accomplished, and in this 
 Jack took a fair share. Indeed, he worked for hours 
 at his anvil, forging new iron bands to bind extensions 
 of their wooden waterway, or making various fittings 
 for other parts of the plant. There were spades and 
 picks to be repaired now and again, though not so often 
 as would have been the case had they not pressed water 
 into their service. 
 
 When he had a few idle moments, nothing delighted 
 him more than to clamber towards the point where 
 the gigantic nozzle was secured in its wooden cradle, 
 to watch the jet of water surging from it, and to see 
 the stream splay out as it leaped into the open, and 
 then dash itself into thousands and thousands of the 
 minutest drops as it struck the trembling gravel. There 
 was something wonderfully fascinating about the iri- 
 descent colours which played to and fro in the spray, as 
 the sun's rays flickered and poured upon it. There was 
 a note which was almost musical coming from the very 
 lip of the nozzle, while without cessation there was the 
 slither of loosened stones and dirt, the thud of heavier 
 pieces and of boulders, and, on occasion, when the jet 
 had undermined the gravel to some great extent, a 
 mighty, awe-inspiring commotion, as tons upon tons of 
 material came thundering down. 
 
 If he tired of the neighbourhood of the jet, of that 
 fascinating gush and gurgie of water, and of the rain- 
 bow colours which played about the spray so long 
 as the sun's rays fell, he had merely to step down a 
 few paces, and there was more to interest him. For, 
 from the point where the water played, a surging stream 
 tumbled and roared downhill in the huge channel pre- 
 
Tom makes a Find 293 
 
 pared for it a yellow, dirty flood, as if the water came 
 from a river after heavy falls of rain. Who would have 
 thought to look at that yellow stream that it contained 
 riches, riches long hidden in the gravel, scoured from 
 the rocks of past ages, and lying for many a century 
 undisturbed in the river bed? Riches, too, which man's 
 industry and courage and astuteness were now bringing 
 to light, and separating from its grosser surroundings. 
 
 " Though I don't know as it aer always fer the best," 
 soliloquized Steve one day, as he stood watching the 
 scene with Jack beside him. "This here hunt fer gold 
 don't always lead ter goodness. Thar's a sight of bad 
 blood made over it, either here, at the diggin's, or way 
 back in the settlements. In the first place, it seems ter 
 me that the scum of the earth collects whar the men aer 
 at work, lookin' ter make their fortunes thieves, and 
 gamblers, and sichlike hangin' about like a set of 
 jackals, ter take the stuff from the men who find it. 
 Thar's murders been committed, Jack." 
 
 " I know, to my cost," answered our hero after a while ; 
 for up till now he had never ventured to tell his com- 
 rades that his own father had lost his life at the diggings. 
 " A a relative of mine was shot in one of the saloons 
 out in California. He was murdered." 
 
 There was silence between them for a while, and then 
 Steve spoke. 
 
 "Ah!" he said, as if he had been thinking deeply and 
 looking back into the distance ; " them murders was fre- 
 quent some ten years ago. Out here in Californy thar 
 was the biggest set of blackguards round the camps that 
 was ever ter be met with. They ran saloons, and robbed 
 the men as went thar, robbed 'em not only by providin' 
 
294 Indian and Scout 
 
 spirits that were so bad that they pisoned a fellow, while 
 the price was that big it frightened yer, but robbed them 
 at cards and games of chance. Then thar was bands 
 that held up the gold trains makin' fer Sacramento and 
 other cities, to bank the riches thar. And thar was 
 scoundrels that looked like ordinary miners, and acted 
 the part, but all the while they was ready fer murder, 
 so long as they could steal the gold which others had 
 made. I could tell yer a yarn about one of that sort, 
 only jest now it wouldn't kinder suit this here place, 
 it's that peaceful ; and when I get to think of that 'ere 
 ruffian, and tell of his treachery, why, it brings a bad 
 taste inter the mouth, and one seems ter see quite differ- 
 ent. One of these days I'll tell yer about him, and, ef 
 yer like, yer can give me your yarn." 
 
 The very mention of such a matter sent Jack's 
 thoughts back to the time when he was but a little 
 fellow. He could remember his mother's grief when 
 his father left for the diggings, and the great hope 
 which he and his wife had that the trip he was about 
 to make would prove successful and help them out of 
 their troubles. He could cast his mind back, too, to 
 that fatal day when the news came that Tom Kingsley 
 had been killed in a brawl with his partner; that he 
 had, in fact, been murdered. But he was too young 
 at the time to feel the loss so greatly, though the tale 
 had never escaped his memory. And then his thoughts 
 wandered to his own troubles. 
 
 " They seem as far off almost as Father's death," he 
 said to himself. " I never thought, when I stood in the 
 prisoner's dock at Hopeville, that I should ever be happy 
 again. Yet I have had a thoroughly jolly time, and 
 
Tom makes a Find 295 
 
 I feel somehow as if the future would be clear, as if I 
 should get to the bottom of the matter." 
 
 To look at our hero no one would for a moment 
 have thought him capable of any criminal act. A tall, 
 stout, sunburned young fellow he looked, and as he 
 stood beside the stream there, his sleeves rolled to his 
 elbow, his wide-brimmed hat tilted back till his red 
 hair shone in the sun, one could not but admit that he 
 looked happy, that he carried himself as every young 
 fellow should, with that appearance of self-assurance 
 and happiness which is common to youth, and with a 
 steady look in his blue eyes and a fine poise of his head 
 which spoke of resolution, of a conscience clear of all 
 guilt. When he took himself to his anvil, and made 
 the sparks fly, why, even Tom would come along and 
 watch him. 
 
 "Gee!" he had exclaimed more than once. "He's as 
 mild-lookin' as milk. Who would ha' thought as that 
 'ere young chap could ha' took Steve in hand! But 
 Steve says himself as he felt like a chicken, and had 
 ter do as he war bid. That jest goes ter show that 
 it ain't always wise to judge by appearances. I mind 
 a young chap, with stoopy shoulders and a bit of fluff 
 on his lips, as looked as ef he couldn't do more than say 
 'boo!' to a goose. But when one of the rough chaps we 
 has now and agin out on the plains set in ter play larks 
 with him, why, that 'ere young fellow kinder shook off 
 his soft looks and went in and hammered the chap as 
 was playin' larks. Jack's one of them sort, only he 
 don't never look soft. And, gee! he can work, kin thet 
 young feller." 
 
 Our hero did indeed earn a fair share of the reward 
 
296 Indian and Scout 
 
 the party was gaining, and, being a jovial fellow, ready 
 to listen to all the yarns that were going, and not 
 anxious to pose as being better than his comrades, it 
 followed that he was immensely popular, particularly 
 when Steve, a well-known scout, had spoken so warmly 
 as to his grit and courage. 
 
 " There's jest one thing that ain't right about that 'ere 
 young Carrots," he had observed more than once in his 
 hard, dry-as-dust manner. " Jack aer got something up 
 agin him, and it has made a heap of play on his mind. 
 Reckon he got into a muss 'way back in the settle- 
 ments, and couldn't clear hisself. But he will. That 
 chap sticks to things he takes up, and ef he wants tei 
 clear hisself of that muss, why, guess he'll do it. Tom. 
 jest pass along that 'ere keg of 'bacca. Yer ain't the 
 only one as smokes." 
 
 Good friends they all were, though not often given to 
 much conversation. They worked at the cradles or at 
 repairing their plant from sunrise in the morning, and 
 only broke off at evening, save for a few moments which 
 were devoted to meals. It was when they had eaten 
 their supper, and pipes were going, that the natural 
 silence and taciturnity of the scout was broken before 
 the warmth of the camp fire. Then, as the darkness 
 got deeper, first Tom perhaps, then Steve, or Jacob, 
 or Abe, or one of the others, would tell some tale of 
 their experiences experiences which dealt for the most 
 part with Indians, with thieves, or with some hunting 
 expedition. 
 
 " Boys," said Tom one evening, having puffed clouds 
 of smoke from his lips, " we ha' been at this here place 
 jest a couple of months, and me and Steve has been 
 
Tom makes a Find 297 
 
 thinkin'. It aer time we weighed up that 'ere gold, and 
 sent it down to the town. Yer see, one never knows 
 when thieves won't come along, and, though they ain't 
 likely ter touch sich a strong party as we aer, still they 
 might get the stuff by a bit of cheek and daring. What 
 say, Jacob?" 
 
 " I'm with you, Tom. The bank's the best place fer 
 the gold, and the sooner we send it thar the better. 
 Supposin' we weigh out now." 
 
 It required a full hour to weigh carefully their gains, 
 and when the work was completed Jack understood, to 
 his amazement, that a sum was due to him which would 
 enable him to live in comfort for a dozen years. The 
 share of Jacob and the other hunters was less; but it 
 was by no means an inconsiderable sum, for the mine 
 had proved most rich. 
 
 " Now we have another proposition," said Tom, grin- 
 ning at the circle around him. " Thar's heaps of gold 
 fer us all in this here place. I believe that we ain't yet 
 a while struck the richest spot, so thar's likely enough 
 more ter come. Now me and Steve and Carrots thar ha' 
 had another jaw. We aer prepared ter let you six chaps 
 buy up even shares with us. Jack'll have to pay some- 
 thing, fer he ain't got quite an equal share with us, and 
 in course yer will have ter pay a heap more. But ye've 
 the stuff here, and when ye've paid thar'll be still a 
 goodish pile fer each man to bank. How do yer look 
 at the proposition?" 
 
 It required no discussion to induce the six scouts to 
 do as Tom had proposed. Indeed, the proposition was 
 extremely handsome. And when the terms were finally 
 fixed, Jack found himself with still more to his credit. 
 
298 Indian and Scout 
 
 "Now we'll fix about taking the stuff," said Tom. 
 "Steve here'll boss the party; and, sence we ain't got 
 no need fer an anvil jest now, why, Carrots had best 
 go with him. Reckon two more had better volunteer, 
 and that'll be sufficient." 
 
 The following day the gold was divided up and placed 
 in sacks, which were lashed across the backs of two of 
 the horses. Then the party set out from the camp, and 
 turned their faces towards the nearest town. 
 
 " Now we've got ter fix up some sort of arrangement 
 as ter watchin'," said Steve, once the mine was left 
 behind. " Thar's me, and Jack, and Abe, and old Tom 
 ter do the work ; and though I don't fear that anyone'll 
 attempt ter take this stuff from us, still they ain't all 
 gentlemen in these here parts, and it aer jest as well ter 
 be careful. See?" 
 
 "You bet!" exclaimed Abe. "When I was down in 
 the settlements last week, buying pork and flour and 
 sichlike, thar war a tale that a band of light-fingered 
 gentry was out and had held up more'n one convoy with 
 gold. That was up Sacramento way. But them thieves 
 shift their ground when things get warm, and always 
 when they hear that a party aer gettin' gold." 
 
 " Which they ain't done in our case," asserted Steve. 
 " Thar's not a one of us as has blabbed about the gold ; 
 and though men has come along and watched us fer a 
 time, they aer gone away again every time thinkin' us 
 fools fer our pains most likely. Still, there ain't never 
 no sayin'. Someone may have been watchin' and spy- 
 in'." 
 
 Had the little band of friends but known it, this was 
 a method employed by a party of rascals who had in- 
 
Tom makes a Find 299 
 
 Tested the goldfields for some little while. Separating, 
 and each dressed as a miner, the members of this band 
 had kept watch at the various diggings; and whenever 
 information had reached one that a convoy of gold was 
 to leave the particular place he was observing, a message 
 brought together all his comrades, and in many cases a 
 seizure of the gold resulted. One such individual had for 
 the past week lain at the top of the cliff, keeping watch 
 on Tom and his comrades ; and though he had never been 
 sure that they were gathering gold from the dirt washed 
 out of the cliff, still their obvious cheerfulness, their un- 
 tiring industry and labour, more than half convinced him. 
 And at length the preparations for Steve's departure 
 carried conviction to his mind. 
 
 "That's gold, sure, in them sacks they're putting on 
 the hosses," he said to himself. " Time I was movin'." 
 
 He retreated from the cliff stealthily, gained a spot 
 some two miles away, where he had secured his horse 
 beneath a tree, and, mounting rapidly, galloped off to 
 take the news to his comrades. 
 
 "You kin never be sure," repeated Steve; "and, thet 
 bein' the case, we'll march as ef we was in the enemy's 
 country, as ef Injun varmint was skirmishin' round us. 
 Jack and Tom'll ride beside the hosses, while me and 
 Abe'll scout about." 
 
 "While I suggest something likely to help," cried 
 Jack. " We've got three horses with us, two of which 
 carry the gold, while the third has our grub and blankets 
 strapped to his back. Now, if we change the loads, 
 and make the grub and blankets look as if they were 
 the gold, then, in case of a surprise, we might still 
 manage to beat any who happened to attack us." 
 
300 Indian and Scout 
 
 " Gee! That aer a bright idea!" cried Steve. " Carrots, 
 fer all yer quietness, you ha' got somethin' in yer. In 
 course we can swap the things around, and sence it don't 
 make no odds ef gold dust aer put in bags or in blankets, 
 supposin' we pack it in the blankets and fill the bags 
 that aer got the gold now with grub and other things." 
 
 The precaution was one which might be useful in case 
 of an attack, and in consequence a halt was made and 
 the change effected. Then they pressed on, Jack and 
 Tom riding beside the loaded animals, while the horse 
 which from outward appearance carried their swags by 
 which term miners generally understood their personal 
 belongings and food was meant bore in fact the wealth 
 of gold gathered from the mine. Nor was it long before 
 Jack and his friends had cause to congratulate them- 
 selves on their foresight; tbr they were to meet with 
 trouble before they completed their journey. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 An Ambuscade 
 
 FOUR days had elapsed since Jack and his comrades 
 had left the mine before anything happened to disturb 
 the even course of the journey. They had marched 
 at a footpace all the way, Steve and Abe riding well 
 ahead, as a rule, though at times they scouted out on 
 the flanks. Jack and Tom, one of the scouts who had 
 joined them at the very first, rode beside the horses, 
 their rifles loaded and held in readiness. Then sud- 
 denly, on the fourth day, just as the light was getting 
 a little uncertain, and the shades of evening were draw- 
 ing in, Steve came galloping back to the little convoy, 
 and Abe after him. 
 
 "What's amiss?" asked Jack, for it was a most un- 
 usual movement on the part of the scout. 
 
 "That's jest what I'm axin' myself," came the curt 
 answer. " I happened to be ridin' way up thar on the 
 spur of that 'ere hill, when I seed somethin' down in 
 the valley whar this road leads. The sun war jest right 
 bang in my eyes, so I couldn't make head nor tail of it; 
 but out here it's as well ter be careful, and ef ye've gold 
 travellin' along a road, and see something that aer 
 strange, why, a chap hops back ter the convoy quick. 
 Do yer see anything, Abe?" 
 
302 Indian and Scout 
 
 " Nary a thing. Thar's a spur that hides the road. 
 Thar ain't no need to be scared, even if thar's a party 
 comin' along; but I 'low as it aer wise ter be careful. Ef 
 folks want ter disturb us, they'll see as we're ready, and 
 thet goes a long way when thar's villains about." 
 
 A quarter of an hour later the little convoy rounded 
 the spur of the hill which shut out the view of the road 
 ahead of them. By now they were riding in close order, 
 Abe and Steve watching the hills on either side with 
 lynx-like eyes, for the road ran through a somewhat 
 narrow defile, and if an enemy were hidden amongst 
 the rocks he would be so near that his bullets would 
 reach the convoy while a rush would have been possible. 
 
 " Jest one of them ugly places," growled Steve, casting 
 his eyes restlessly from side to side. "Jest the sort of 
 plant that'd be fixed on by a set of ruffians ef they 
 wanted ter hold up a convoy. Now, I tell yer all, ef 
 thar's a shot fired, don't wait to reply ter it. Jest put 
 yer spurs in hard, and ride. Waitin'll jest play into the 
 hands of the varmint. Mind, I don't suggest as thar's 
 ter be trouble, but somehow or other I've got a kinder 
 feelin' as we're up agin somethin'. Why, ef thar ain't 
 a cart 'way ahead!" 
 
 The road in advance was now visible, and some four 
 hundred yards ahead a solitary cart was to be seen, a 
 four-wheeled affair, which, from the cant it had to one 
 side, had evidently met with some disaster. Beside it 
 lounged a figure, above whose head hung a blue cloud 
 of smoke, indicating that he was taking his ease, and 
 was puffing at his pipe. 
 
 " And nary a hoss in sight," exclaimed Steeve. " Wall, 
 that aer ter be explained by the fact that his chums has 
 
An Ambuscade 303 
 
 gone ahead ter fetch help. Boys, I 'low as thar ain't 
 anythin' here ter scare us; but jest you bear in mind 
 what I've said already. Thar ain't never no trusting 
 no one when ye've gold about. Ef ye're axed the 
 question, jest answer that we're bound fer the settle- 
 ments ter fill up with pork and flour and sichlike. 
 Wall, stranger, what's amiss?" he asked bluntly, as the 
 cavalcade came level with the stranded cart. " I see as 
 ye've smashed a wheel." 
 
 "That's so. And a big nuisance it aer," came the 
 answer, while the figure they had seen lounging beside 
 the wagon rose nonchalantly to his feet, pulled the pipe 
 from his mouth, and strolled towards them. The man 
 was tall, wiry, and sunburned to the last degree. A 
 ragged and unkempt beard almost entirely hid his 
 features, while his clothing was far from new, and 
 seemed to indicate that he had been travelling for a 
 considerable period. 
 
 "Jest a big nuisance," he repeated, placing his pipe 
 back between his lips so as to indulge in another draw. 
 " And I don't mind tellin' yer why," he went on, glanc- 
 ing first at Steve, then at Abe, and afterwards at Jack 
 and Tom in turn. Indeed, a pair of sharp eyes, almost 
 hidden beneath bushy brows, seemed to take in parti- 
 culars of the party within a second, while Jack caught 
 the stranger's glances directed upon the horses and their 
 loads. " I'll tell yer why," he proceeded, " and I see as 
 thar ain't no harm in doin' so. It ain't every sort of 
 man travellin' in this country that a chap can give his 
 confidence to ; but with you, gentlemen, one kin see as 
 things aer safe. That 'ere cart aer stuffed nigh full with 
 gold. Yer wouldn't think it, now, would yer? 'Cos, as 
 
304 Indian and Scout 
 
 a gineral rule, gold aer sent on hossback, same as ye're 
 doin'. This lot is piled into the cart so as to blind any 
 of them light-fingered gents as sometimes takes to the 
 road. Cartin' aer my business, and I don't object to 
 sich a valuable cargo so long as I ain't delayed; but I 
 'low that this here broken wheel has made me a trifle 
 fidgety. My mates has taken the hosses on to the 
 nearest settlement to buy up a new wheel, and, ef it 
 ain't axin too much, I'd be obleeged if yer could stand 
 by me till they come back agin. It aer too late fer 
 you to ride on far, for the light aer nearly gone. And 
 this here spot aer pretty pleasant." 
 
 Jack stared hard at the man, and, though his mind 
 was full of suspicions, considering Steve's warnings, he 
 was bound to admit that the tale was a plausible one; 
 that, despite the roughness of this stranger's appear- 
 ance, he seemed honest, perfectly frank, and at his ease. 
 Then, too, the admission he had made that his cart 
 contained gold was sufficient of itself to disarm all 
 thought of treachery. The man was in a quandary, 
 and in those rough days in California, despite the 
 scoundrels to be found in every part, there were still, 
 amongst the hundred -thousand and more of miners, 
 huge numbers who showed the utmost kindness to one 
 another. Indeed, the rough, blunt-spoken miner was 
 always ready to dip his hand into his pocket when a 
 subscription was required for a sick comrade, for a 
 widow, or for some other urgent cause. Jack was 
 therefore not surprised when Steve slipped from his 
 saddle and gripped the stranger's hand. 
 
 "Ef that's the case, why, in course, we'll help," he 
 sang out cheerily. "It ain't hard ter see as ye're in a 
 
An Ambuscade 305 
 
 fix, and sence it aer always a case out here of one man 
 helpin' another, why, here we stay till your pards return. 
 But I 'low as it ain't the sort of camp I should ha' 
 chosen. Them hills is too near fer my likin'. How long 
 is it sence your chums left fer the settlement?" 
 
 "Six or seven hours, I reckon. As thar ain't nothin' ter 
 detain them, they ought to be back right here in another 
 four; but thar ain't never no sayin'. Them boys ain't 
 seen a settlement fer the last three months, and it stands 
 to reason that they'll be tempted ter put in a time in one 
 or more of the saloons. But they won't forget. Thar's 
 this here gold ter remind 'em. Reckon they'll fetch 
 back here somewhere about the early mornin'. Got 
 much dust yerself?" 
 
 The ragged individual jerked his head towards the 
 horses which Tom and Jack were unloading at that 
 moment. Remembering Steve's caution, they took the 
 swags from the one horse and tossed them carelessly 
 into a heap, as if the blankets contained nothing of 
 value, while the bags which had hitherto contained 
 gold, and which were now crammed with food, with 
 spare shirts and socks, and other articles, were taken 
 from the horses with great care and stacked in a heap 
 aside. Nor did the stranger fail to notice the removal. 
 
 " Got much over thar?" he asked casually. 
 
 " A tidy bit. Nothin' onusual," answered Steve warily, 
 for this experienced little scout was always cautious. 
 Jack had learned long since that it took time to break 
 through the ice with which Steve surrounded himself, 
 and that, for some reason or other, it was a long while 
 before he gave his confidences to anybody. 
 
 "A tidy bit," he repeated in a confidential whisper. 
 (0179) 20 
 
306 Indian and Scout 
 
 "Jack," he sang out, "jest pile them bags a little closer 
 together, so as we kin see 'em. We should be in a 
 proper hole ef we was to lose that stuff. And what 
 sort of a load have yer got, mate?" he asked in his turn, 
 facing the stranger just as casually as the latter had 
 done, and commencing to fill his pipe. 
 
 " Jest about double that lot. Look than" 
 
 The tall, ungainly figure of the man was elevated 
 from the boulder on which he had been seated, and, 
 strolling towards the cart, he pulled the back boards 
 down, disclosing a pile of bags within. 
 
 " Ef you and me and your pals here was ter divide, 
 reckon we wouldn't want ter work after this," he said 
 with a grin. " But duty aer duty. That 'ere stuff aer 
 in my charge, and I see as you aer gentlemen." 
 
 "You kin put it like that," smiled Steve. "Now, 
 seems to me, as your pals is due almost any time, it 
 ain't no use fer us to unpack the swags. Perhaps you've 
 got a bit of food ter spare, and a glass and a bottle?" 
 
 The cautious Steve wished to avoid unpacking his 
 own store, for the very obvious reason that the food was 
 packed within the bags which appeared to contain gold. 
 And, for the very same reason, Jack and Tom, once they 
 had removed their belongings from the horses, had made 
 no effort to disturb them. 
 
 " Why, sure," came the hearty answer, " I'm jest 
 obleeged to you fer standin' by me, and it so happens 
 as I've a fine store, and good things with it." 
 
 There was a bustle in the little camp for the next 
 hour, for the stranger threw wood on the fire and soon 
 had it blazing merrily, while within a short while a 
 savoury steam arising from the kettle suspended over 
 
An Ambuscade 307 
 
 it tickled the palates of the travellers. Then reared up 
 on a couple of low boulders placed directly against the 
 flames were a couple of ramrods, and on these sizzled 
 two enormous buffalo steaks, toasting nicely in the heat, 
 and now and again sending the flames leaping skyward 
 as they dripped grease into the fire. 
 
 "It does a man good ter smell that," cried Steve, 
 glancing towards the fire, " and in ten minutes or less 
 reckon things'll be ready. Say, stranger, whar do yer 
 fetch the water from? I jest think I'll take a wash afore 
 I sit down." 
 
 " Over thar." The man pointed to a spot some forty 
 yards away, now almost hidden in the darkness. 
 
 " Then, ef you're comin', Jack, why come along." 
 
 Steve strolled off into the gloom, followed by our hero, 
 for he seemed to gather from some subtle note in Steve's 
 voice that the hunter desired him to do so. They walked 
 side by side to the stream, Steve whistling loudly and 
 cheerily. Then the little man kneeled and splashed 
 water over his face. 
 
 " Kin yer see the fire?" he asked in a low voice. "And 
 that 'ere scaramouch beside it?" 
 
 Jack, answered again in the affirmative. 
 
 " Wall, now, jest you listen ter me. Jack, this thing 
 ain't as right as it seems. Reckon thar's something 
 queer about that feller down thar, and I've more than 
 a notion that ef we was ter ax him ter 'low us ter look 
 into his bags, it's not gold they aer holding. Savvy?" 
 
 To be perfectly frank, Jack was astonished. To his 
 unsuspicious mind everything about the stranger down 
 below seemed to be open and above-board. His non- 
 chalance and apparent frankness had impressed our 
 
3o8 Indian and Scout 
 
 hero, while the open display of the gold bags, the broken 
 wheel, and the whole tale seemed so very likely and real 
 that he could find no room for doubt. But Jack was as 
 yet, with all his harsh misfortune with regard to the 
 robbery, but a child in experience, while Steve was a 
 man who had been in every part of America, who had 
 doubtless encountered many a rogue, and whose outlook 
 on life was broader by a great deal, and far more acute 
 than was our hero's. 
 
 "Yer don't. You've took that man fer a white man, 
 one as is in distress," grinned Steve, laughing almost 
 inaudibly. " Wall, when I was about your age I'd have 
 done the same, and taken my davy as he war honest. 
 And mind yer, I don't say now right off that he's a 
 scamp. I ain't dead sartin, but I'm sure enough ter jest 
 give you the wink, and to tell you ter pass it on to the 
 others, though I expect as Abe ha' got hold of the same 
 notion as me." 
 
 "But why? What is wrong?" asked Jack, somewhat 
 bewildered, for even now he could distinguish nothing 
 wrong, no false line in the tale told by the stranger. 
 
 "Why! Wall, look you here. It wouldn't do ter ax 
 him to 'low us to see his gold, 'cos then, ef he's square 
 and above-board, he'd get ter suspecting us. And ef he 
 ain't, as seems nearly sartin, why, it stands to reason 
 that he wants ter take us by surprise when his mates 
 comes along. That bein' so, we wants to have a surprise 
 fer them tucked up our sleeves. How do I see anythin' 
 wrong? Wall, look at the springs of that 'ere wagon. 
 They ain't down by near as much as they would be ef 
 them bags was filled with gold. They're chuck-full, 
 thar ain't a doubt, but the stuff in 'em ain't gold, or else 
 
An Ambuscade 309 
 
 the weight would be so big it would sink the springs, 
 and bring the frame of the cart down on to the axles. 
 Then, look at the broken wheel. Thar ain't a rut here- 
 abouts ter break it. Thar ain't weight in the cart suffi- 
 cient ter account fer a smash, so one has ter take it that 
 it was done of purpose. Savvy?" 
 
 Jack did. Now that the matter was put so concisely 
 and clearly before him he could see that there was a 
 bad smudge across the story told by this stranger. His 
 coolness and apparent honesty would have passed his 
 tale with the ordinary miner, for often enough he came 
 from the settlements. But with a scout it was a dif- 
 ferent matter. Steve had not lived his life for nothing. 
 The habit of close inspection, of constant care to guard 
 against danger and the ambushes of the enemy, had 
 made him discover a flaw in what appeared to be a 
 straightforward matter. 
 
 "Then you think we are to be attacked?" asked Jack, 
 his heart beating a little faster. 
 
 " I'm nigh dead sartin. That's why I brought you off 
 here. Ye've got ter act up to that man. Pretend yer 
 ain't smelt a rat, and let him think ye're as soft as may 
 be. But keep yer eyes open, and yer fist mighty near 
 yer shooter. Tell Tom the same, and be ready." 
 
 A few minutes later they sauntered back to the 
 camp, where the stranger announced that supper was 
 ready. 
 
 " Hot soup and a cut from them steaks won't do none 
 of us any harm!" he cried pleasantly. "By the time 
 we've had a smoke it'll be time ter turn in. Reckon my 
 mates aer likely ter stay a bit, and ought ter be hefe 
 about mornin'." 
 
310 Indian and Scout 
 
 They seated themselves about the fire, and were soon 
 engaged in eating as good a meal as Jack had seen for 
 many a long day; for at the mine they were, as a rule, 
 too busy to leave the place to seek for fresh meat. They 
 subsisted for the most part on corned beef and on salted 
 food. Then pipes were produced, and for an hour the 
 party chatted. 
 
 " My name's Ted," announced the stranger, " and I 
 'low as you have treated me handsome. Now, sence 
 I've had a rest here, and ye've been on the road all 
 day, I'm willin' ter take the watch to-night, fer, in course, 
 someone must see that things aer right. Ef you don't 
 like that suggestion, why we'll draw lots." 
 
 " Wall, I'm about dead beat," sang out Steve promptly, 
 beginning to yawn loudly. "Fact is, me and my 
 mates here has been hard at it at the mines for a long 
 while, and then we've been coming along steadily. Ef 
 ye're willing ter take the watch first, I'll turn in, and 
 yer kin be relieved after midnight. Then I'll come on, 
 and Abe here'll take it till the light comes." 
 
 The firelight flickering on the face of the stranger 
 showed no sign there of annoyance. It was the same 
 to him whether he took the night or the morning watch; 
 and for the life of him Jack could not help but think 
 that Steve was mistaken in his suspicions. 
 
 " The man seems absolutely honest," he said to him- 
 self, "but still there is something in what Steve says. 
 If that cart were really loaded with bags of gold, the 
 springs would certainly be down. As it is, the load 
 might consist of feathers. Yes, it will be as well to keep 
 a sharp eye open." 
 
 Borrowing the blankets of the men who, Ted, the 
 
An Ambuscade 311 
 
 stranger, said, had left with the horses to obtain a spare 
 wheel, Steve and his friends threw themselves down on 
 the ground near their own belongings. Near at hand 
 their horses were picketed to pegs driven deeply into 
 the earth, while their own heads reclined on the blankets 
 which contained their store of gold. The bags full of 
 their other belongings lay at a little distance, and the 
 firelight playing upon them showed that they were 
 secure. But it did not show the eyes of the stranger, 
 nor the fact that that individual had fixed them upon 
 the bags greedily. 
 
 " Listen here, mates," whispered Steve, as he lay down, 
 having first heard the man Ted stroll a little from the 
 camp. "Jack aer probably told yer that things don't 
 look square, Wall, I'll take a sleep now, and Jack kin 
 watch. Tom'll follow with a spell, then Abe, and finally 
 I'll take a turn. That'll bring us ter the mornin'. It's 
 then that the trouble'll come. And, boys, ef thar's a 
 rush, yer kin leave our loads to theirselves. This chap 
 Ted has had his eyes on the bags, and don't cotton that 
 there's been a bit of a change. Them bags of ours aer 
 heavy enough to mislead 'em, and ef they rush, why, 
 they're welcome to the swags. Good night!" 
 
 He rolled over on his side, tucked the blanket well 
 around him, and was fast asleep in less than five 
 minutes. Long habit had inured the scout to thoughts 
 of danger. He could sleep as well and as soundly, 
 knowing that blows would be struck on the morrow, 
 as he could when no danger was to be apprehended, 
 provided always that he was sure that he had friends 
 to aid him, who would remain watchful whilst he slept. 
 And by now Steve was assured of that. The long trip 
 
312 Indian and Scout 
 
 over the plains had proved the reliability of Abe and 
 Tom and Jack. 
 
 Then the deep breathing of Abe and Tom told that 
 they too had fallen into a peaceful slumber, leaving 
 Jack to guard them. Our hero lay with his face on 
 his hand, his head propped up a little, and his eyes 
 only half-opened, for the reflection of the fire might 
 have been seen in them had Ted happened to look 
 his way. He heard the steps of the solitary sentry 
 now and again, and watched him as he strolled round 
 the stranded cart. Occasionally he approached the fire, 
 and, lifting a smouldering stick, lit his pipe with it. 
 It was two hours later before he ventured farther. 
 Listening intently, he slid across the ground which 
 intervened between the cart and Jack and his friends, 
 bent over them for some few seconds, and then walked 
 to the heap of sacks. Jack watched him stealthily as 
 he inspected the piled-up bags, and then turned his 
 head to follow his further movements as he retreated 
 once more to the cart. Then Ted did a curious thing. 
 Jack saw him fumbling with something for the space 
 of a few seconds, he stepped towards the smouldering 
 embers, and the flickering light showed that his arm 
 was suspended over the heat. It seemed as if he were 
 warming his fingers. But no. An instant later a tongue 
 of brilliant flame shot up into the darkness, and as sud- 
 denly melted into smoke. 
 
 " A signal, without doubt," thought Jack. " Ah !" 
 
 From somewhere in the distance a faint echo came 
 
 to his ear a faint, eerie whistle. The signal had been 
 
 answered. There was no longer room for doubt that 
 
 this Ted was acting a part, that the broken-down cart 
 
An Ambuscade 313 
 
 was merely an adjunct to a plot destined, if he and his 
 friends were not very careful, to wipe them out of exist- 
 ence, and take from them all their hardly won gold. 
 
 " Gee," exclaimed Jack to himself, " if that isn't some- 
 thing! Time I woke Steve and the others. Time we 
 made some sort of an arrangement to meet the danger." 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 The Outwitting of Tusker 
 
 " LIE low, whatever yer do ! Now let's have the yarn," 
 whispered Steve as Jack awoke him with a gentle dig 
 in the ribs. "What aer it all about? Yer seem a bit 
 excited." 
 
 Our hero was, indeed, somewhat disturbed by what 
 had so recently happened, but not frightened. To do 
 him but justice, Jack had passed through such dangers 
 already that his nerves were hardened, and his courage 
 had been tried. However the thought of what was before 
 them, the cunning of this man Ted, served to thrill him 
 more than was usual, to stir his pulses. So it was in 
 a quiet and steady whisper that he imparted his news to 
 the hunter. 
 
 "Jest as I thought," answered Steve when he had 
 finished. " I kinder reckoned we'd got into a nest of 
 scorpions. This here feller was too free and easy, when 
 he oughter have been kind of stand-offish, considering 
 the gold he's supposed ter have, and that we aer four ter 
 his one. Jest kick Tom and Abe gently." 
 
 "What'll yer do?" asked the former hoarsely, when 
 Jack had roused him, stretching his neck so as to place 
 his mouth close to Steve's ear. "Seems to me as we 
 
 314 
 
The Outwitting of Tusker 315 
 
 might easily walk right away now. Thar's only this 
 man Ted to stop us, and reckon we could soon fix 
 him." 
 
 "Ef he was alone, which he ain't," came cautiously 
 from Steve. " Thar ain't a doubt but what we're 
 cornered. The men who aer in with this man here are 
 'way up there on the hillside. Likely enough they've 
 been thar ever since we reached the spot, and aer jest 
 waitin' fer the time ter attack us." 
 
 " But," argued Abe, " ef that's the case, why have they 
 waited? The risk fer them'll be the same now as earlier 
 in the evening, or, fer the matter of that, the same as it'll 
 be when the light comes." 
 
 "With jest this difference," urged Steve, still in the 
 same cautious whisper, "last evenin' they might have 
 been disturbed, for this road has a goodish number of 
 travellers on it. In the early dawn thar ain't likely to 
 be anyone, so they'll be able ter make their attack and 
 get away without a soul save us seeing them. And they 
 reckon ter wipe the hull crowd of us out, so as dead men'll 
 tell no tales. Gee, this aer a fix ! " 
 
 There was silence for some little while, as each one 
 of the party considered the matter. As they lay there, 
 with wide-open eyes, though they took care to make no 
 movement, they could see the bright gleam from Ted's 
 pipe every now and again, as that worthy leaned against 
 the side of the cart. That he had friends near at hand 
 was certain, since Jack had heard that whistle, and it 
 was equally sure that while Ted remained awake any 
 attempt on their part to steal away from the camp would 
 immediately be detected, and the aid of those comrades 
 called in. 
 
316 Indian and Scout 
 
 " It aer clear that we're in a hole, and has ter fight it 
 out with them critters," said Steve at last after a long 
 silence ; " and, sence that's the case, the thing aer ter fix 
 up some way in which ter meet 'em. Thar'll be eight 
 or nine of the varmint. These bands always run ter that 
 number, 'cos then they aer able ter break up opposition, 
 and, 'sides, it keeps people from following. Folks get 
 ter know that it aer useless to go after these bands of 
 robbers onless there's plenty of boys ter help ; and sence 
 men aer mostly busy at the diggin's, why, it follows that 
 it aer generally hard ter get the right number. It's only 
 when a band becomes that bad, and has murdered a hull 
 heap of miners and carters, that the sheriff can get a 
 strong enough force together, and by then fellers like 
 this has managed ter divide up the plunder and ter ride 
 ter some other part of the fields. This aer a tarnation 
 fix." 
 
 " Supposing," suggested Jack, " we were to " 
 
 He came to a sudden halt, for Ted had turned to 
 look at the supposed sleepers, as if he had detected a 
 noise. 
 
 "Yer was supposing" whispered Abe hoarsely, 
 some minutes later, when the stranger turned away 
 again. 
 
 "Jest let's have it, Carrots," added Steve. "Ye've 
 took me through a fix before now. You aer bright 
 enough ter find a way out of this." 
 
 " Not out of it. I can suggest a way in which we can 
 get cover and best the men when they come," answered 
 Jack. " There's the cart." 
 
 "Ay, thar's the cart," came from Steve wonderingly, 
 for he could see nothing useful there. 
 
The Outwitting of Tusker 317 
 
 "Wall?" demanded Abe. 
 
 " Ye've forgot that it's bung full of sacks," whispered 
 Tom, and, besides, one wheel's broken." 
 
 " He ain't forgot nothin'," said Steve sharply. " Car- 
 rots don't make mistakes like that. Out with it, 
 youngster." 
 
 " There is the cart," repeated Jack. " The sacks in it 
 are likely enough rilled with grass, considering how light 
 they evidently are. As for the wheel, it is an advantage 
 that it happens to be broken. I thought we would wait 
 till we are about to be attacked. Or, better still, seeing 
 that the attack is bound to come, I propose that we wait 
 only till the light gets stronger. Then we'll make for 
 the cart, while the man there will take to his heels. His 
 shouts will bring the others down upon us at a run, 
 but that will be better than having them ride up openly, 
 as if returning from the settlements with a new wheel. 
 That, of course, is their game. They think we shall 
 have swallowed their story, and that all they have 
 to do now is to ride into the camp and shoot us down 
 easily." 
 
 " Put in a nutshell. That 'ere Carrots has his haar on 
 right enough," growled Steve. 
 
 " Wall, thar's the cart," reminded Tom. 
 
 " We make use of it much as we did of the other when 
 the Indians attacked us. The bags will form good pro- 
 tection, while the cart is within nice range of our gold. 
 If we four can't manage then to " 
 
 A low chuckle burst from Steve, while Jack felt Abe's 
 strong fingers close firmly round his wrist. 
 
 " H-h-h-hush ! That critter's lookin'. Ef he so much 
 as moves a toe I'll put lead into him," 
 
3i8 Indian and Scout 
 
 It was Tom's excited whisper, while that individual 
 went rigid to his finger tips, as the man who watched by 
 the cart turned and stared at the sleepers. Jack felt the 
 scout's arm steal stealthily over him, and heard the 
 gentle click of his firelock, as his strong thumb drew it 
 back into cocking position. And there the arm rested, 
 while all four lay as if dead, as if turned to stone, motion- 
 less, almost without breathing. 
 
 But whatever suspicions Ted may have had, he quickly 
 became reassured ; for, to speak the truth, Steve and his 
 friends had played their parts admirably. Though 
 warned from the first of Steve's suspicions, they had 
 treated the stranger with frankness equal to his own, 
 and had entirely disarmed his suspicions. He imagined 
 that the party of four for whom the trap had been set so 
 craftily had been entirely taken in, and that they would 
 fall an easy prey. He turned away from the sleepers, 
 and, no doubt in accordance with a prearranged plan, 
 once more strolled to the embers, dropped some powder 
 into them, and sent his signal flashing into the sky. 
 Then, for the second time, from a closer point it seemed 
 on this occasion, a distant whistle echoed along the 
 road. 
 
 "The critters!" Jack heard the little scout exclaim. 
 " Wall, mates, it'll be light in two hours or less, so we 
 shan't have long to wait ; and sence that skunk thar ain't 
 axed ter be relieved yet, why, we'll let him stay on 
 watch. Time enough to clear him out when the mornin 1 
 light comes." 
 
 To the little scout those two hours may have passed 
 easily enough, for his sangfroid was wonderful, and his 
 accustomed coolness not easily to be disturbed, Abe 
 
The Outwitting of Tusker 319 
 
 seemed to find comfort in a cube of strong and par- 
 ticularly evil-smelling tobacco, which he thrust between 
 his strong brown teeth and chewed slowly, and with 
 evident relish. As for Tom, he was one of that large 
 band of Anglo-Saxons to whom fighting comes naturally, 
 to whom the crack of weapons and the hiss of bullets is 
 better music than even the latest instrument can supply. 
 He lay awake longing for the hour for movement, his 
 lynx-like eyes fixed on the watcher by the wagon. But 
 Jack, despite the excitement of the moment, was neither 
 elated nor expectant. He was just an ordinary young 
 fellow, subject to the common weaknesses of mankind. 
 And like them, too, he was possessed of the same needs. 
 He had been keeping watch for long now, and, finding 
 others to help him, soon began to drowse. His eyes 
 closed, his head dropped back on his hand, and in a 
 little while he was fast asleep. Thus he remained for 
 more than two hours, till the light in the eastern sky was 
 already sweeping the gloom and darkness from the land, 
 and until the road in front and behind the little camp 
 was commencing to become visible. It was a sharp 
 kick from Steve and an exclamation from Tom which 
 aroused him. He sprang to his feet a few seconds after 
 the others, and at once became conscious of the fact that 
 horses were approaching at a gallop. 
 
 "To the cart, boys!" shouted Steve, leading the way. 
 "That ere skunk slipped away so sudden that I didn't 
 notice, and ef it hadn't been fer Abe hearin' the bosses, 
 we might be lying thar still. In we go." 
 
 There was little time for preparation, for Ted, the 
 rascal who had told his crafty story, had stolen a 
 march on the watchers. They had seen him leaning 
 
320 Indian and Scout 
 
 against the cart as if half-asleep. Then he had sauntered 
 to and fro, as if becoming weary of his vigil. At last 
 the cunning rascal had stepped behind the cart, and, 
 once out of sight, had stolen off along the grass track at 
 the side of the road. Within five minutes, before Steve 
 or Abe had guessed that the man was gone, the rat-a-tat- 
 tat of galloping hoofs had come to their ears. 
 
 " Pile the bags up on all sides. Don't pitch them out," 
 commanded Steve quickly, his voice hardly raised above 
 a whisper. "Quick, boys, fer we ain't got too much 
 time. Now, git down and stay thar till they're right in 
 the camp. Then, I guess, we'll be doin' some talkin'. 
 Jack, that ere red nob of yours'll be spotted precious 
 quick. Jest keep down below the bags." 
 
 Quick as a flash the four leaped into the stranded 
 cart, to find that it was by no means filled full with bags 
 as it appeared to be. They were piled at the back and 
 round the two sides, and, as Jack had guessed, were 
 stuffed with grass. It wanted, therefore, very little work 
 on the part of the little band of four to erect their de- 
 fences. Indeed, the task was already done for them. 
 Promptly they dropped to the floor of the wagon, while 
 within a few seconds ten mounted men burst from the 
 misty cloud which still clung to the earth and enveloped 
 the surroundings of the wagon, and galloped down upon 
 it like a whirlwind. A minute later they drew rein 
 where Steve and his friends had been sleeping, while ex- 
 clamations of amazement, of dismay, and of anger burst 
 from them. Jack, squeezing into a corner of the cart, 
 obtained a view of the robbers through a crevice between 
 the boards, and noticed that all were well mounted, 
 that their leader and two others wore black masks 
 
The Outwitting of Tusker 321 
 
 across their faces, and that Ted, the rascal who had 
 asked for aid on the previous evening, rode beside the 
 leader. 
 
 "Not here! Why, what's happened?" he heard the 
 latter exclaim in angry tones. " There were four, and 
 now " 
 
 " A minute ago they lay there, dead asleep, I could ha' 
 sworn. Now ef that don't beat everything!" cried Ted. 
 "Blessed ef I can understand it. Unless. Hi, boys!" 
 he shouted at the top of his voice, " They've took ter 
 the wagon." 
 
 At once the horses were swung round, while the leader 
 of the band swung his arm up, as if about to protect his 
 face. But there was a weapon in the hand, and an 
 instant later a sharp report awakened the echoes of the 
 valley, while the missile struck the tailboard of the 
 wagon, perforated it as if it were made of paper, and 
 encountering the bags of grass, passed right through the 
 nearest, and was only arrested when it had penetrated 
 the second as far as the far layer of canvas. Jack felt 
 the blow, for his hand rested against the bag, and a 
 second later his finger tips came in contact with the 
 rounded form arrested by the obstacle. 
 
 " Three of you load up the gold bags," shouted the 
 leader, in a voice which seemed to come familiarly to 
 Jack's ear. " The rest surround the wagon. Thar ain't 
 no need ter parley. We know our business. Shoot 
 every one of them down." 
 
 He swung the arm up again, as if about to send a 
 second bullet crashing into the cart. But the action was 
 arrested by the sudden interposition of Steve. A low 
 growl had come from the little scout as he heard the 
 
 (0179) 21 
 
322 Indian and Scout 
 
 commands of the brigand outside, and, to the astonish- 
 ment of his friends, he was seen to stand to his full 
 height, in view of the enemy. Then his weapon cracked, 
 and within the same instant the man wearing the mask, 
 who was evidently the leader, toppled from his saddle 
 and fell to the ground. 
 
 "Joe Templeton, as I live. Joe Templeton at last!" 
 shouted Steve, as if he had suddenly lost his senses. 
 " I warned yer last time we met, and yer knew well 
 what ter expect. Scum like you has ter come ter 
 the mark sooner or later, and come yer have. Joe 
 Templeton, you aer up agin Steve this time, Steve 
 the hunter and scout, Steve the miner, whom you 
 robbed." 
 
 There was a pause in the affray, while attackers and 
 attacked stared at Steve as if they could not believe 
 their senses, and then at the leader of the band, who 
 lay grovelling upon the road. Then, with a sharp cry 
 Ted, the stranger who had watched in the camp all 
 night, swung himself from his horse and rushed towards 
 the wagon. 
 
 "Down!" cried Jack, seizing Steve, who seemed to be 
 filled with some unusual excitement. "Down! They 
 are coming." 
 
 But the little miner hardly seemed to hear him. 
 Gripping one of the bags with his left hand, he leaned 
 against the pile, his eye fixed upon the enemy. And 
 then such a stream of bullets shot from his weapon that 
 the rascals recoiled. 
 
 " See here ! " shouted Steve, as if careless of the bullets. 
 ' Now that that man Joe aer down, and Ted with him, 
 there ain't no call fer others to be hurt. Quit touchin' 
 
The Outwitting of Tusker 323 
 
 those bags and git. I'll give yer one chance. Ef yer 
 don't take it, I swear we'll hunt every mother's son of 
 yer down." 
 
 Crack! From a point just behind where the enemy 
 had gathered there came the snap of a revolver, and 
 Steve's left arm dropped helpless to his side. But he 
 never winced or showed that he was hurt. Instead his 
 fingers wrapped themselves round the butt of his second 
 revolver, and the man who had just fired measured his 
 length on the road before Jack could follow what was 
 happening. Then began a fusillade which rivalled an 
 Indian attack for fierceness. Maddened by the sudden 
 and unlooked-for change in their fortunes the brigands 
 poured their shots into the wagon, and would un- 
 doubtedly have slain Steve, had Abe not dragged him 
 down behind the shelter of the bags. 
 
 "Aer yer crazy, Steve?" he growled. "Aer yer gone 
 suddenly stark starin' mad. Git down, and stay thar. 
 Boys, jest lift a bag above yer heads, and fire from 
 under it." 
 
 But for that precaution there is no doubt that Jack 
 and his friends would have suffered heavily. But the 
 bags protected them wonderfully, and so sharp was their 
 own shooting that presently the six men who now re- 
 mained alive retired from the wagon. 
 
 " But they ain't gone," said Steve, cool and calm 
 again after his unusual excitement. " Ef they had rifles 
 with 'em they'd make it that hot this cart wouldn't 
 hold us. Lucky they ain't spotted the guns we left 
 amongst the blankets. Gee! ef we had 'em here we'd 
 make 'em hop." 
 
 " Then we'll have 'em." 
 
324 Indian and Scout 
 
 Jack was no laggard when brave acts were required, 
 as he had proved to the satisfaction of his comrades. 
 At Steve's words, he once more showed the stuff of 
 which he was made. The brigands had retired some 
 hundred yards, but still remained within long pistol- 
 shot. Careless of that, our hero leaped from the cart, 
 walked across to the blankets that marked the spot 
 where he and his comrades had slept, and sauntered 
 back with their rifles, a storm of bullets whistling about 
 his ears as he did so. 
 
 "Now, ef that ain't madness!" cried Steve angrily. 
 "Ef that ain't askin' fer a bullet!" 
 
 "And copyin' bad examples set by them as is old 
 enough and ugly enough ter know better," growled Abe. 
 " It's jest the answer ter yer own doin's, Steve, and Jack 
 aer earned the thanks of all. Gee! As ef yer didn't 
 ought ter know better." 
 
 He turned scornfully upon the little scout. Then 
 a smile stole across his features, and stretching out a 
 hand he gripped Steve's. 
 
 " Reckon ye'd some special call," he said simply. 
 
 There was a grim look on the little man's face as 
 he took Abe's hand, a look which seemed to betoken 
 that the cause for his sudden excitement and for his 
 rashness was something beyond him, something he 
 could hardly dare to think about. 
 
 "'Cause!" he said, in hollow tones, moistening his 
 lips with his tongue, as if the words dried them. 
 
 " 'Cause But this ain't the time to tell of Joe and 
 
 his doin's. Reckon Jack aer done a fine thing ter help 
 us. Jest get to with them rifles. Ah, them critters is 
 try in' another rush!" 
 
JACK FETCHES THE RIFLES 
 

The Outwitting of Tusker 325 
 
 The news was true. From the place to which they 
 had retired the band of brigands suddenly broke into 
 single elements, and came galloping towards the cart. 
 As they came they sent a storm of bullets seething 
 about it, chipping and perforating the woodwork, thud- 
 ding into the bags, and hissing harmlessly overhead, 
 Two minutes later they were within easy shot, when 
 Jack and his comrades returned their fire, protecting 
 their heads in the same manner; and so careful was 
 their aim that two more of the enemy measured their 
 full length on the ground. There were shouts of anger 
 from those who remained. One galloped his horse 
 recklessly right up to the cart, and was there shot 
 dead by Jack's pistol, then the remainder turned tail 
 and galloped away for their lives. And as they went 
 another accompanied them. Unnoticed in the turmoil, 
 the leader, who had fallen to Steve's shot, and who 
 was undoubtedly sorely wounded, scrambled painfully 
 to his feet and caught a horse belonging to a fallen 
 comrade. He clambered unsteadily into the saddle, his 
 mask falling from his face as he did so; and then, 
 mustering all his failing strength, he stood up in his 
 stirrups and shook his fist at the cart just as his 
 comrades turned to fly. 
 
 "Steve," he shouted, "this is to warn you! I will 
 kill you when the time comes." 
 
 Turning his horse, he clapped spurs to the flanks and 
 galloped away. As he went a cry came from one 
 of the inmates of the wagon. Jack rose to his feet 
 shaking with excitement. He seemed to have caught 
 it from Steve, so closely did it follow upon the attack 
 which the little scout had displayed. Bending over 
 
326 Indian and Scout 
 
 the bags, shaking his fist furiously, he followed the 
 movements of the escaping leader with staring eyes. 
 
 "The robber!" he shouted, tears almost in his voice. 
 "The man for whom I have suffered. The robber! 
 Stop him! I must take him back to Hopeville to tell 
 his tale! It is he who should have been tried for that 
 burglary!" 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 A Double Recognition 
 
 UTTERLY oblivious of his surroundings, of the friends 
 who crowded in the cart at his side, Jack stood pressing 
 forward against the bulwark of grass-stuffed sacks, his 
 fingers clutching at the canvas, his attitude and ex- 
 pression betokening the greatest excitement. He was 
 pale to the lips, save that a bright, hectic spot burned 
 in each cheek, while, strangest thing of all, tears coursed 
 from his eyes and dribbled down on his chin. 
 
 "Come back!" he shouted. "Come back! We will 
 not fire ! Come back and act like a man, if it be for the 
 very last time." 
 
 But he might have shouted his words to the winds, 
 for all the effect they may have had. Joe, the rascally 
 leader of the brigands for that seemed to be his name, 
 since Steve had so called him paid no attention to the 
 calls. Crouched low in the saddle, wobbling danger- 
 ously from side to side on account of his weakness, he 
 struck his mount savagely with the spur, and went 
 tearing away after his comrades. 
 
 " And nothin'll stop the varmint till we put hand on 
 him, and then he'll be up to tricks till the sheriff and 
 his men has placed a rope about his neck and has swung 
 him," growled Steve. " Come, lad," he went on in sooth- 
 
328 Indian and Scout 
 
 ing tones, laying a restraining hand on Jack's shoulder. 
 " Seems to me that you, too, ha' had cause ter hate that 
 thar varmint. Wall, I thought as how I'd finished with 
 him, same as he thought ter have done fer me, this many 
 a year gone by. But I ain't sorry that the bullet didn't 
 kill him, for by what you've said ye're in want of Joe's 
 evidence. But don't count too much on it, Carrots. 
 That 'ere man aer the cussedest, the wickedest, that ever 
 lived in these parts, and that's the true thought of every 
 man as has come ter really know him. Sit down. Let's 
 have a smoke. Time enough ter git followin'. Tusker 
 Joe aer hard hit, and reckon we'll take him." 
 
 "Tusker Joe! Tusker Joe!" Jack searched his 
 memory. At the back of a mind, fully engaged with 
 his own particular troubles, there loomed a certain re- 
 collection of that name. "Tusker Joe!" 
 
 "Ah!" In a flash it all came back to him. "You 
 called him that?" he asked, turning on Steve and facing 
 him eagerly. Tell me, was he ever a miner? Did he 
 work in these parts some few years ago, and was he 
 notorious for anything in particular?" 
 
 " Jest get a grip of that 'ere pipe and pull at it," said 
 Steve soothingly, coolly filling Jack's pipe and placing 
 it between his lips. "Thar's the coal ter light it," he 
 went on, stooping over the fire, and snatching a glowing 
 ember with his fingers. " Now, boys, thar's hosses 
 round about, and bags of gold. Let's get things tidied 
 up, then we'll talk. Meanwhile me and Jack'll sit down. 
 Me, because I'm wantin' a little bandagin', and Tom 
 here'll do it fer me; and Carrots, 'cos he's shook up 
 badly about some matter, and a man don't get the 
 better of such troubles when he's all of a shake. We're 
 
A Double Recognition 329 
 
 jest agoin' ter have a dram apiece from the keg, and 
 reckon, when you're finished clearin' things up, him and 
 me'll be ready to talk, and fix what's to happen in the 
 future." 
 
 As cool as any icicle, the little scout calmly filled 
 and lit his own pipe, and then went for the small keg 
 in which the party kept their supply of spirit. For, 
 though abstemious himself, and conscious of the fact 
 that Jack touched nothing of an alcoholic nature, Steve 
 saw that something was necessary at the moment 
 to help to pull his young comrade together. Jack, 
 indeed, was far more agitated than he had ever been 
 in his whole life. Not even when first accused of 
 that burglary, and weighed down with the desperate 
 feeling of his own innocence and helplessness, had he 
 shown so much emotion. But it is often a fact that 
 while a man can face danger and difficulty, can endure 
 hardship, wrongful accusation, and even unmerited im- 
 prisonment and punishment, with a certain amount of 
 stoicism, yet, when relief suddenly comes in sight, when 
 there suddenly and unexpectedly appears upon the 
 scene that something for which he has longed oh, so 
 much and so continuously! his stoicism and fortitude 
 evaporate, the revulsion of feeling overwhelms him, and 
 in a moment he is changed from a strong man, nobly 
 supporting his burdens, to a child, helplessly weak. 
 
 So it was with our hero. A cloud seemed to have 
 risen suddenly in front of his eyes, a cloud which 
 upset his vision, which turned him giddy, and mas- 
 tered every fibre in his active body. He sat down 
 trembling, obediently drank the contents of the pannikin 
 which Steve offered him, and then mechanically sucked 
 
330 Indian and Scout 
 
 at his pipe. As for Steve, he doled out a dram for 
 himself, and, having drained the tin, lay down to rest 
 and watch his young friend. Meanwhile Tom and 
 Abe collected five horses left by the brigands, laid the 
 bodies of those killed side by side, and inspected their 
 own belongings. 
 
 " It tots up handsome," exclaimed Abe at length, 
 rejoining Steve and Jack. " We started in with our 
 own hosses and the animals. Now we've got five fresh 
 mounts that'll fetch a nice sum; six revolvers that 
 belonged ter them varmint; and, as if that warn't 
 enough, thar's two bags of real gold dust in thar 
 amongst them bags stuffed with grass. Reckon they 
 was laid thar to open and show, in case you was too 
 suspicious." 
 
 Steve went off into a roar of laughter at the news, for 
 he was wonderfully light-hearted now that his excite- 
 ment had died down. 
 
 " I never knew a band of rascals so taken in and 
 knocked about," he cried. " And ter think as they've 
 left us gold dust ter add to our own, instead of takin' 
 ours! Wall, I did think ter ax that 'ere Ted ef it was 
 real gold as he had in them bags, and ef he'd mind my 
 squinting at it. But then, when I come to think it out, 
 I seed that ter do that would be ter raise suspicions. 
 He'd get thinking that I wasn't satisfied with his yarn. 
 That would ha' made him more wideawake, instead of 
 so cocksure that all was panning out as he wished. 
 Then, guess we shouldn't have managed ter get ter that 
 cart, and " 
 
 " We should ha' been thar," said Tom grimly, point- 
 ing to the bodies laid reverently side by side. 
 
A Double Recognition 331 
 
 "And now we've got ter fix what ter do," cried 
 Steve, becoming matter of fact. " Thar's the gold to be 
 thought of, thar's the chaps as has gone down, and 
 in course there's bound ter be an enquiry. And, last 
 of all, thar's them as got away. Wall?" 
 
 He turned to Abe, as if seeking an inspiration from 
 him. The big, bony scout, reddened with exposure 
 to the sun, and looking the strong, courageous man he 
 was, spoke out without hesitation. His life, like that 
 of his comrades, allowed of no hesitation. Decisions 
 had to be come to on the spot, without delay; for often 
 enough a life was concerned. 
 
 " Huh ! There ain't two ways about it," he exclaimed 
 gruffly. "The nearest settlement is jest three hours' 
 ride from here, and sense ye're wounded ye'll be the one 
 ter sit right here and keep guard. Me and Tom and 
 Carrots'll push on quick, and place the gold in the 
 bank. We'll warn the sheriff, too, and by evenin' we'll 
 be back along with yer, bringing a tidy few of the boys 
 that we'll pick up. It stands to reason that others has 
 suffered from these varmint wuss than we have, and 
 when they hear that the band has had a knock, they'll 
 be out ter make an end of 'em. Wall, then, we'll get on 
 their tracks by evenin', and ter-morrow night those of 
 'em as is wounded, and I've a notion that aer the case 
 with all that's left, will ha' been surrounded and took. 
 That's whar you and Jack comes in." 
 
 There was common sense in the arrangement, and at 
 once preparations for departure were made. Tom set 
 to work to prepare breakfast, for none had touched food 
 so far, and as soon as that was finished the three friends 
 would leave Steve behind and make for the settlements 
 
33 2 Indian and Scout 
 
 "And afore yer go we've got ter discuss this other 
 matter," said Steve, nursing his wounded arm, which 
 Jack had bandaged for him. "Thar aer this feller 
 Tusker Joe. Now, I don't want ter ax fer any con- 
 fidences, but Carrots here ha' said enough ter let us 
 know somethin' of what's been on his mind. I've 
 said afore now that thar was a man somewhars in 
 America as would shoot me on sight, and fer whom 
 I'd do the same ef I catched him. Wall, seems that 
 that same man aer the one fer whom Jack ha' been 
 searching. That so?" 
 
 He turned bluntly to our hero with his question. 
 
 "You have hit the right nail on the head," he an- 
 swered simply. " That man, Tusker Joe, has indeed 
 had a great deal to do with my life. I will tell you 
 all about it. But first let us have Steve's tale." 
 
 It was an eager trio which bent towards the little 
 scout to listen, and sorely was their patience tried 
 as Steve filled his pipe nonchalantly, and, staring at 
 the ground, took ample time to refresh his memory. 
 
 "Wall, you shall have it," he said, "and short and 
 to the point. It's a dozen years ago, maybe a little 
 more, when I came over the mountains ter try my 
 luck in the diggin's. And luck came my way right 
 from the beginnin'. I struck it rich, and seemed ter 
 have a fortune in my hand, when a fever took me, 
 and what with nussing, and sichlike, what I'd earned 
 precious near went altogether. But thar was enough 
 ter make a second start, and soon I was peggin' a claim 
 down in another gully that had got a reputation fer 
 richness. Thar was five hundred miners thar, and 
 one of 'em was Tusker Joe. He'd come fresh that 
 
A Double Recognition 333 
 
 way, so he said, was lookin' fer a partner, and, havin' 
 a bit of gold with him, was ready and willin' ter pay 
 fer a share." 
 
 "The same tale!" cried Jack, interrupting the little 
 scout. "But go along, Steve, I have heard the tale 
 before. Tusker Joe practised the very same method 
 in another part. I can almost tell you what happened." 
 
 "Then you can tell of the most ruffianly thing as 
 ever a man did. Mates, if a man pals up with another, 
 and they become partners, it don't say as thar won't 
 be quarrels. Rows do occur. I've seen 'em, and seen 
 shootin' follow. But partners don't murder one another. 
 They don't go behind the back of a man whose hand 
 they've shook friendly an hour before, and let off a 
 gun right at 'em. That are the work of an utter 
 scoundrel." 
 
 There was indignation in Steve's voice, and the words 
 he uttered brought sympathetic grunts of agreement 
 from Tom and Abe. 
 
 " Reckon a chap like that aer one of the worst men 
 that's ter be found," cried Abe. "This Tusker Joe, 
 he war the man? Eh? He did the shootin'?" 
 
 Steve nodded curtly. 
 
 " We'd struck it rich. Leastwise, I had, fer he pre- 
 tended ter be ill, and didn't work. Thar was a store of 
 gold dust that was worth the havin'. Wall, this here 
 critter, all friendly as one would think, stepped down 
 to our claim one evenin' when it war almost dark, 
 and when all the other miners had gone back to their 
 shanties. 
 
 " How's luck?" he asks, setting down. 
 
 " Same as afore," I answered. " This here claim's 
 
334 Indian and Scout 
 
 rich. It'll pan out handsome fer us, and then it'll sell 
 when we're tired of it." 
 
 " Good," he says, " and then, all of a sudden, I knew 
 nothing more." 
 
 " Shot?" demanded Tom in a whisper. 
 
 " From behind," answered Steve, flicking the ash from 
 the bowl of his pipe. "See thar. That's where the 
 bullet caught me." 
 
 He turned his head and pointed to a long, white 
 streak behind the right ear. 
 
 " Enough ter kill a man," he proceeded, " but Steve 
 aer a hard nut." 
 
 The very thought made the little scout chuckle. 
 "A hard nut," he repeated. "Tusker reckoned he'd 
 wiped me out, but he hadn't, and, what's more, he didn't 
 have another chance, fer some miners happened ter be 
 passing. But he cleared from that 'ere camp with 
 every ounce of dust we'd gained, and with my bag of 
 dollars into the bargain. Gentlemen, when a man 
 gets treated like that he takes an oath, and when the 
 time comes round, as come it must, he 'lows as he has 
 a sorter right ter shoot on sight the ruffian what's left 
 him fer dead. Ter kinder execute him. That aer the 
 long and the short of the story." 
 
 The pipe went to the mouth, the cheeks caved in 
 a little as he sucked, and then a cloud of smoke emerged 
 from the hunter's lips. 
 
 " I aer acted up ter that oath," he said quietly. 
 " Reckon no one can blame me." 
 
 "Not the sheriff hisself," growled Abe. "Even ef 
 this Tusker chap hadn't been one of the band as 
 attacked us, and ye'd hit up face ter face with him 
 
A Double Recognition 335 
 
 in the settlements, yer had a right, accordin' ter minin' 
 law, ter shoot him down without warnin'. Steve, it aer 
 clear that it war meant fer you ter get the best of this 
 here Tusker. Reckon his chances of gettin' off ain't 
 worth a how of chips." 
 
 " I will follow him till my horse drops, or until he 
 shoots me." 
 
 It was Jack who had spoken, and as his three com- 
 rades turned to look at him, they saw on the face of 
 the young fellow who had worked so well and so 
 cheerily with them such decision and determination 
 that all but Steve were astonished. 
 
 " You ain't seen Carrots like that afore," explained 
 Steve, "but I have. I mind the time when he treated 
 me as ef I war a kid, and started in with his orders 
 Jack aer got some better reason than I have fer follow- 
 ing Tusker. Out with it, lad." 
 
 " Then listen." Briefly, bluntly, Jack told the tale of 
 his own father's death, how a man named Tusker Joe 
 had entered into partnership with him at the mines, 
 had picked a quarrel with him when gold dust in 
 considerable quantity had been obtained, and, having 
 shot him down in a saloon after the pretence of a 
 quarrel, had decamped with all the gold. 
 
 " Then you ha' got good reason fer following this here 
 scoundrel of a Tusker," cried Abe. " Reckon when a 
 man's father aer shot down like that, the son has got ter 
 have a say with his murderer. I ain't one as believes in 
 revenge. Thar's One above" the sunburned scout 
 swept his hat from his head for a moment and paused 
 "thar's One above as sees ter sech matters as that as a 
 general rule. But ef a father's killed in cold blood, it 
 
336 Indian and Scout 
 
 aer plainly the duty of his son ter find the murderer and 
 hand him over to justice. Jack, give us yer fist I'm 
 proud ter know as ye've been a good son." 
 
 Each in turn gripped his hand, for rough scouts such 
 as these were could and did appreciate fine qualities in 
 other people. Already Jack's willingness to work, his un- 
 failing good temper and his common sense, had won their 
 esteem, while the tale of his behaviour when Steve was 
 incapacitated had not failed to leave its impression on 
 them. Believing that he had come to California with 
 one object in view, and that to discover his father's 
 murderer, they felt he was a man they could honour, 
 though in years he had not reached man's estate. But 
 Jack quickly undeceived them. 
 
 "Stop!" he cried peremptorily. "You are mistaken. 
 I did not come to California to discover my father's 
 murderer. It was another man I was thinking of. I 
 came this way to escape the law; for, my friends, I am 
 a runaway prisoner." 
 
 In a few words he told them of the misfortune which 
 had befallen him, how he had been put on his trial, and 
 how, despairing of obtaining evidence which would acquit 
 him, he had bolted from the prison, with the object first 
 of making himself secure from the officers of the law, 
 and, when that was securely accomplished, with the firm 
 determination of hunting for that man who had come 
 to the smithy in Hopeville, and for whom he had forged 
 that fatal key. 
 
 " Gentlemen," he cried, " that is the man I have been 
 searching for, with the feeling all this while that some 
 day or other I should drop across him. It was to clear 
 myself from the accusation wrongly put upon me that 
 
A Double Recognition 337 
 
 I came to California, and at last I have seen the man. 
 Strange though it may seem to you almost unbeliev- 
 able yet it is the truth indeed. That ruffian who 
 murdered my father is the identical man who, a few 
 years later, induced me to forge a key, and for whose 
 crime I was placed in the dock. I have double reason 
 to follow and take him." 
 
 "Thunder!" shouted Steve. 
 
 "Ef that don't walk right away with the prize!" 
 growled Abe, his teeth closing with a sharp click on 
 the stem of his pipe. 
 
 "And ye've got as good cause, better still, ter shoot 
 the ruffian when next yer set eyes on him," exclaimed 
 Tom. " Jack, it aer clear as it aer fer you ter deal with 
 this here Tusker Joe. Steve has a call, and he's already 
 had an innings. Reckon it aer fer him ter stand back 
 a while and let yer have a turn." 
 
 " No. I would not harm a hair of his head," responded 
 Jack solemnly. " Listen here, mates. If I got to shoot- 
 ing this man, where, then, should I be able to obtain 
 evidence of my own innocence? I should destroy it 
 myself, and with that evidence goes all hope of my 
 ever clearing myself, or of my being able at any time 
 to return to Hopeville and the State of New York." 
 
 " Right! Right to a ' T '," cried Steve. " The lad aer 
 dead on it when he says that, and I'll tell yer. Ef we 
 meets that man, or any of the others yer hope ter bring 
 back with yer from the settlements, then thar ain't ter 
 be any shootin'. He's got ter be taken alive. And afore 
 any sheriff kin hang him he aer got ter come out with 
 a confession. Mates, in these parts it's lynch law. Ef 
 a man robs another way back in settled parts he gets 
 
 (0179) 22 
 
338 Indian and Scout 
 
 imprisonment. Ef he does the same in Californy, 
 amongst the diggin's, or away on the plains, he gets 
 short shrift trial out in the open, jedgment by the 
 sheriff, ef there happens ter be one, and ef thar don't, 
 then by his mates ; and in the last case, ef he's declared 
 guilty, he's shot out of hand or strung up ter a tree. 
 That's what'll happen ter Tusker. But, first of all, he's 
 got ter make that confession." 
 
 "And the sooner we follow him and his mates the 
 better," cried Abe. "Let's git. So long, Steve! we'll 
 be back aginst evenin'." 
 
 They strapped their bags of gold on the horses, and, 
 leading the captured animals, set off at a brisk trot, 
 leaving Steve comfortably seated before the fire. Some 
 three hours later they reached the township for which 
 they had been aiming, and promptly proceeded to the 
 bank, where the gold was carefully weighed out before 
 their eyes, its value appraised, and a receipt given for it. 
 Then Abe led the way to the sheriff's residence. 
 
 " We've come on business," he said in his blunt, direct 
 fashion. "We come up agin Tusker Joe and his band 
 last night, and nigh dropped into a muss. They'd set 
 a trap for us, and thought ter take us nicely. But they 
 hadn't ter do with miners only on this occasion. We're 
 all hunters and scouts, leastwise with the exception of 
 Jack here. We seed thar was something queer, and 
 when they opened with their game we was ready, so 
 it's Tusker and his men as fell inter the muss. Thar's 
 five killed, and t'others is hurt I should say. Tusker's 
 nigh killed." 
 
 "Then you have broken up the band. Gee! That 
 aer good," said the sheriff, who had been a miner before 
 
A Double Recognition 339 
 
 he attained to his present position. "That Tusker's 
 been the terror of the camps fer the last three months. 
 They'd heard of him before out in these parts, and, ef tales 
 aer true, he ought to ha' been had up fer murder. But 
 once he reached the diggin's, whether he was wanted 
 fer murder or not, he soon got wanted fer other crimes. 
 He and his gang has held up a sight of gold convoys, 
 and they have killed a goodish few men. Whar have 
 they gone?" 
 
 "That's a question thar ain't no answering, boss," 
 said Abe promptly; "but we're game ter follow, and 
 I'll tell yer why." 
 
 Promptly he proceeded to tell the sheriff of Steve's 
 acquaintance with Tusker Joe, of the murder of Jack's 
 father, and, finally, of the burglary which the rascal had 
 committed, and for which our hero had very nearly suf- 
 fered condemnation to a long term of imprisonment. 
 
 " It aer clear that the man has ter be caught," added 
 Abe, " and that fer the sake of Jack here he has got ter 
 be taken alive." 
 
 "Jest hop in and take a cup of coffee, gentlemen," 
 said the sheriff. "The news you bring is the best I 
 have had for many a long day, for this Tusker has 
 been the terror of the roads. I'll go and see a few of 
 my friends, and I think I shall be able to persuade some 
 of them to ride with us." 
 
 An hour later no fewer than fifteen men set off from 
 the township with Jack and his friends, the sheriff and 
 Abe riding at their head. The delay in the departure 
 had enabled Tom to find a buyer for the horses, so that, 
 beyond Steve's injury, the little party was substantially 
 better off after their affray with the brigands than they 
 
340 Indian and Scout 
 
 were before. That evening, as the shades were lengthen- 
 ing, they rode up to the stranded cart, to discover Steve 
 smoking his pipe placidly and warming himself in front 
 of the fire. 
 
 " Not a soul has passed the camp all day," he reported, 
 " so I set to ter get on the tracks of them 'ere fellers. Ef 
 it's the same to you all, gentlemen, we'll have a feed and 
 then push on. The moon'll be up by nine, and thar 
 ain't any reason why we shouldn't make the most of the 
 light. Tusker won't be expecting such haste, most like, 
 and so thar'll be a better chance of taking him." 
 
 Accordingly the party slipped from their saddles, 
 slackened their girths, and, having watered the horses, 
 sat down to a substantial meal. Two hours later they 
 mounted again, and, led by Steve, who carried his in- 
 jured arm in a sling, they trotted beneath the rays of 
 the moon down the straggling road, and, some three 
 miles along it, turned on to the grass border, and struck 
 across towards the mountains which cut across the sky- 
 line. 
 
 "Somewhars up thar you'll find Tusker Joe, the 
 murderer, and his mates," said Steve solemnly, pointing 
 to the mountains. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 Steve Leads the Way 
 
 WEIRDLY strange were the shadows cast by the moon- 
 light upon the earth as the party of miners and hunters 
 turned from the road towards the mountains. The huge 
 gleaming and silvery orb hung in a cloudless sky, typical 
 of gorgeous California, and cast her beams from a point 
 behind the party, so that the shadows of the horses 
 danced in front of the men, thin, and angular, and mis- 
 shapen, and stretching so far in advance that the lines 
 of the horses they rode, actually so pleasant to look 
 upon, were transfigured and made hideous and absurd. 
 Above these same shadows were those of the men, 
 jogging this way and that, topped by a sombrero, and 
 often enough by a sharp-cut shadow, denoting the rifle 
 the man carried. 
 
 " The gun that's got ter do with Tusker," said Steve as 
 Jack trotted along beside him. " I believe ef it warn't 
 fer men of his breed, and fer the saloons and the bad 
 spirit that's sold in 'em, thar wouldn't be no need fer 
 weapons out here, save, in course, fer use agin them 
 Injun varmints. Fer California ain't free of them alto- 
 gether, and ef it war, and we was unarmed, the critters 
 would be pourin' over the ranges in their thousands, 
 huntin' fer scalps. Boys, jest take a word o' warnin' 
 
 341 
 
342 Indian and Scout 
 
 from one as has been on games same as this afore. 
 Don't ride in a bunch. Scatter, and spread yerselves 
 out. Then, ef there's a man 'way up thar with his gun 
 ter his shoulder, the chances aer he'll miss. Savvy?" 
 
 The men did savvy. The band who were riding out 
 to capture the last of the gang of ruffians who had 
 terrorized that part of the goldfields, and between them 
 had committed many murders, was composed of in- 
 dividuals with an abundance of experience, For, as 
 Steve had said earlier on, California was infested by 
 brigands and ruffians of the worst description, who preyed 
 upon the miners, and against whom the strictest mea- 
 sures were necessary. There were constant alarms, gold 
 convoys were often held up, and not infrequently the 
 sheriff was compelled to call upon the citizens of some 
 little place to ride with him with the object of extermi- 
 nating some of the ruffians. So it happened that there 
 were always men to be found who had accompanied 
 such expeditions, and who, therefore, knew what precau- 
 tions to take, and how necessary it was to use cunning 
 and care when approaching the enemy. 
 
 "Jest wait a bit," cried Steve after a while, when 
 the party had traversed some three miles of the grass- 
 grown plain and were already on the foothills. "It ain't 
 so easy ter slide from yer saddle when ye've an arm in 
 a sling. But I kin do it if the hoss aer still. Now then, 
 mates, ef one of yer'll lead that hoss I'll shift along on 
 foot and follow the trail. Thar ain't no difficulty here- 
 abouts, fer a child could see their marks. But we're 
 comin' ter rocky parts, and then it'll be a conundrum." 
 
 Half an hour later the climb had become steeper, 
 though not too much so for the horses. But what Steve 
 
Steve Leads the Way 343 
 
 had mentioned had already occurred. They were on 
 rocky ground, though some herbage appeared amidst 
 the boulders. But as yet the little scout, his eye fixed 
 upon the trail, went steadily upward and onward, never 
 hesitating for the particle of a second. 
 
 "They know as well as I do thet any chap could 
 follow so far," he said after a while. "Thar ain't no 
 finding a road free of grass and soft places hereabouts. 
 But up thar it'll be different. Then we shall have ter 
 nose round a bit, and even then we're pretty safe ter be 
 bothered." 
 
 It was not until they had traversed another mile, and 
 were approaching very steep ground, that Steve raised 
 his hand, and brought the whole party to a halt. 
 
 " Jest as I expected," he cried, dropping on hands and 
 knees, and managing to scramble along in spite of his 
 damaged arm. " Them artful critters rode this far, and 
 then halted ter look around and choose a safe line. There 
 ain't a blade of grass above us, and, in course, they've 
 gone right on. But they may ha' turned ter the right or 
 ter the left, and this here mountain aer long enough ter 
 give 'em shelter and a hidin' place whichever way they 
 go. Mates, jest stand fer a bit. Thar may be a trace, 
 and it'd be best not ter override it. Abe, slip outer yer 
 saddle and take a look round." 
 
 It was ten minutes before either of the scouts ven- 
 tured to speak, meanwhile the remainder of the party dis- 
 mounted, and, hitching their reins over their shoulders, 
 filled their pipes and lit them. Steve and Abe, often 
 on hands and knees, covered the ground in circles, and 
 seemed as if they would continue in the same occupa- 
 tion, till of a sudden a cry came from Abe. 
 
344 Indian and Scout 
 
 "Helloo!" he shouted. "Jest hop along up here. 
 Here's somethin'." 
 
 It proved to be a dark stain on a patch of whitish 
 pebbles, and both he and Steve pronounced it without 
 a moment's hesitation to be a blood stain. 
 
 "That 'ere Tusker," declared Steve with a grunt. 
 " He was feelin' queerish, most like, and called a halt. 
 He rolled out of his saddle and lay jest here till one of 
 his mates come and picked him up. Yer can see thar 
 was more than one. Them stones is kicked about. 
 This aer a find! I 'low as I war bothered back thar. 
 Them critters seemed ter have clean slipped off into 
 air." 
 
 " Reckon they took this line ter the right," answered 
 Abe, "and I've a sorter notion that we'll be able ter 
 follow, fer seems ter me as there's more of them stains. 
 Maybe one of the bosses is hurt, and aer leavin' a trail 
 as he goes." 
 
 In a little while Jack and his friends did indeed have 
 displayed before them an example which many might 
 take to heart. He and the little band of pursuers had 
 arrived at a part where, if the enemy were cunning, as 
 they undoubtedly were, they ought to be able to dis- 
 appear without leaving so much as a track, a broken 
 blade of grass, or a hoof-print to guide those who fol- 
 lowed. Yet, with all their caution, a clear trail was 
 left, though they knew nothing of it. For one of the 
 horses, shot in the leg perhaps, imprinted a blood- 
 stained hoof every yard of the way they had followed, 
 making pursuit to men like Steve and Abe a simple 
 matter. It was an indication of the fact that, while 
 circumstances may for a while be favourable to evil- 
 
Steve Leads the Way 345 
 
 do*rs, sooner or later there comes some unforeseen event 
 whkh trips them up. 
 
 " Tve know'd a thing same as this afore," said Steve. 
 "It war after one of them Injun raids 'way over them 
 mountains, when the critters had come out on the war- 
 path without so much as a warnin'. Wall, they killed 
 and scalped every man, woman, and child as they could 
 drop on, and fired the settlers' farms over fifty miles. 
 George Trueman, he war a settler, and it seems he'd 
 been 'way over the border ter see a man as was lookin' 
 ter buy cattle. He corned back ter find the farm a mass 
 of blackened cinders, his cattle gone, and the box as he 
 kept his dollars in taken clear away. Trueman war 
 wild. He war fixed up ter get married, and though he 
 could put up with the burnin' of the farm, the loss of the 
 money would pretty nigh ruin him. Yer kin guess what 
 happened." 
 
 " Followed the critters, I suppose," suggested Abe. 
 
 " Sure. Got a band o' men together, same as we aer, 
 and sets off. Wall, I war one of the band, and pretty 
 soon I gets on ter a trail like this, made by a hoss that 
 war wounded, but not so bad as he couldn't go. That 
 trail ran on fer thirty mile, till you'd have thought the 
 hoss would ha' fallen dead, and in the end we dropped 
 into them critters, and George recovered the money." 
 
 " While this time we recover the man," laughed Abe. 
 "Jest you hop into yer saddle agin, Steve. Ye'll ride 
 easy thar, and it don't do that arm no good walkin' in 
 these rough places. Reckon I kin follow the trail." 
 
 Thanks to the spots of blood, sometimes scattered 
 sparsely on the stones, and at others imprinted in the 
 form of a hoof Abe was able to stride along without 
 
34 6 Indian and Scout 
 
 a halt. For an hour he led the party without turning 
 aside. Then suddenly he faced up the mountain, and 
 began to clamber. 
 
 "Them critters brought their hosses up," he cried 
 over his shoulder, " so guess yer kin do the same But 
 the goin' aer bad, and ye'd best be skeary, and look 
 out fer holes." 
 
 The place was, in fact, difficult for horses, and it 
 needed much care on the part of the riders to take 
 them up such a steep and rough place. However, it 
 was not long before the ground sloped a little less 
 steeply, and then became almost flat. Abe led the 
 way across this without a falter, and very soon Jack 
 became aware of the fact that he and his friends were 
 actually descending. 
 
 " A kinder hollow," explained Steve. " Precious soon 
 things'll be happeninV 
 
 Scarcely five minutes had elapsed, in fact, before the 
 nerves of these hardy miners and hunters were some- 
 what startled by a loud report. A single shot rang out 
 from some point in advance, and high up above them, 
 while one of the horses squealed, plunged heavily, and 
 then stood shivering and shaking. 
 
 "Wall, of all the critters!" cried one of the miners, 
 slipping from the injured animal's back. " I didn't 
 think as a man could see us down here in the hollow, 
 let alone train a gun on us. Reckon it war lucky we 
 war all spread out. Gently, lass. Yer ain't badly hurt. 
 This here aer no wuss than a pinprick. The ball 
 catched her two inches from her withers, on the very 
 edge of the neck. It ain't worth mentioning old gal." 
 
 He patted his mount soothingly, and soon had her in 
 
Steve Leads the Way 347 
 
 a happier frame of mind. Then, dropping the reins on 
 her neck, he left her to herself, and within less than half 
 a minute she was seeking for grass tufts amongst the 
 boulders. Meanwhile the other men had dismounted, 
 while Steve and Abe discussed matters with the sheriff. 
 
 Bang ! From a point some seventy yards above the 
 heads of the party, and a considerable distance away, 
 there rang out another report, while a splotch of flame 
 leaped from the mountain side. But it was gone in a 
 moment; and when Jack fixed his eyes in that direction 
 it was to see merely brown rocks and boulders tumbled 
 haphazard on the mountain side, and all bathed in the 
 rays of the moon, rays which gave a ghostly, eerie ap- 
 pearance to the surroundings. As for the bullet which 
 had been discharged, it hummed through the air, strik- 
 ing a rock at our hero's feet with a resounding clang, 
 and afterwards glissading off into space, where the 
 ricochetting object set up a piercing scream that 
 added to the uncanny effect produced by the moon- 
 beams. 
 
 " And no one hurt. That's luck!" sang out the sheriff. 
 " Now, gentlemen, it aer clear that them fellers way up 
 thar ha' got the drop on us. Down here the moon 
 throws our shadows, and, even ef they can't see us, a 
 shadow is close enough ter aim at, and is bound to bring 
 a bullet precious near before long. Leave the hosses 
 and make fer the hill. Thar ain't no use waitin'." 
 
 " None," agreed Steve promptly. " Ef we stay down 
 here, sooner or later, as Mr. Sheriff says, some of us'll be 
 gettin' in the way of a bullet, and that ain't sense. But, 
 seems to me, we might spare three or four who aer good 
 shots ter lie down amongst these boulders and give them 
 
34 8 Indian and Scout 
 
 critters a shot whenever they show whar they aer lo- 
 cated. Thet'll keep 'em from payin' us too much atten- 
 tion." 
 
 The trusty little scout was not the one to neglect or 
 to forget a precaution at such a moment, and his advice 
 was hailed with eagerness. It was dangerous work this 
 pursuit of criminals, and more often than not men were 
 killed; for the rascals who infested the goldfields knew 
 what capture meant. It ended, in nearly every instance, 
 in a hasty trial and summary execution. Consequently 
 there was no thought of giving in. The contest was 
 always one almost to the death. 
 
 "Supposin' Steve stays right here," sang out Abe. 
 " He ain't no good fer climbing with that arm of his, 
 and, sence it's his left, he'll be able ter hold a gun with 
 his right and rest it on a boulder. Lively does it, mates. 
 Ef we stay jawin', them critters'll soon be gettin' the 
 range of some of us." 
 
 As he finished speaking, as if to impress his words 
 upon the band of pursuers, four shots rang out from the 
 mountain side above them, and again was heard the thud 
 of bullets, while splinters of stone were scattered broad- 
 cast. 
 
 " Wall, get to it, Steve," called out the sheriff, " and 
 you too, Bill Hendy and Frank Gorman. Let 'em see 
 as you know how ter pepper 'em with lead, and keep 
 at it with your guns till we're pretty close and handy. 
 Thar ain't any fear of your shootin' into us, 'cos the 
 moon's that bright yer can see easy. So long! Make 
 it hot for them scoundrels." 
 
 Promptly Steve and the two men detailed for the 
 work dropped on their faces amidst the boulders, and, 
 
Steve Leads the Way 349 
 
 each selecting a large rock which was high enough to 
 give him shelter from bullets fired from above, proceeded 
 to unsling his rifle. Nor was it long before the oppor- 
 tunity came to them to fire. Once more the same red 
 splotch of flame spurted from the mountain side. It was 
 answered almost instantly by three shots from below, 
 and within the space of half a minute by an echoing 
 scream from above. Then a dark, ill -defined figure 
 started up from the mountain side, and for a moment 
 a man stood erect, his shadow cast on the brown earth 
 and rocks behind him. One arm was raised above his 
 head, and the rays of the moon showed that the hand 
 gripped a rifle. Thus he stood for a few seconds, as 
 if staring down into the hollow where Steve and his 
 mates lay. Then, pitching forward suddenly, he fell 
 headlong, bringing an avalanche of smaller stones and 
 boulders chasing after him. 
 
 "Fetched him," said Steve coolly. "Thar ain't no 
 sayin' whose shot it war. Reckon me and these two 
 mates of mine ha' had occasion to fire in similar sar- 
 cumstances afore. I give him a range jest a foot below 
 the flame of his rifle, and I guess it fetched him. Ah! 
 There's another of them." 
 
 One after another the shots rang out from the moun- 
 tain side, while Steve and his friends replied as rapidly 
 as they could. While they did so, Jack and the others 
 raced from the hollow and, using hands and feet, clam- 
 bered up the steep slope. Not a sound came from their 
 ranks, for all their breath was required for the task 
 before them. They never paused to look above them, 
 nor noticed when the defenders of the position stood 
 out from their lair and discharged their rifles at them. 
 
350 Indian and Scout 
 
 They clambered steadily and quickly upward, leaving 
 the three friends below to look to their defence, and to 
 pour in such a fire that the rascals would not dare to 
 expose themselves. 
 
 " There they are! Close in on them!" 
 
 In his eagerness to come upon the ruffianly Tusker 
 Joe, and capture him, Jack forged ahead of the others. 
 He was younger than they and more agile, and, without 
 being aware of the fact, had rapidly outstripped them. 
 And now he suddenly came upon the lurking place of 
 the enemy. Clambering round a boulder of unusual 
 proportions, he came to a level spot, a narrow pathway 
 which ran on either hand till it was lost on the face of 
 the steep slope. Here, some six yards to his left, four 
 men were crouching, one of them being in the act of 
 firing down at the hollow as he looked. 
 
 " Rush them! Down with them!" Jack shouted. " But 
 don't shoot Tusker." 
 
 Careless of the consequences, blinded to his own danger 
 by the excitement of the moment, and urged to strenuous 
 exertion by the ever-present thought that here, almost 
 in his own hands, was the evidence for which he sought, 
 Jack raced along the ledge, dashed into the centre of the 
 group of men, and became engaged at once in a desperate 
 struggle. A man seemed to rise up before him, and in 
 a moment they were locked together in an embrace 
 which nothing but the death or disablement of one or 
 other would terminate. They stood on the very edge 
 of the ledge, the steep slope running away precipitously 
 below them, and swayed to and fro, swayed so far over 
 the edge that it looked as if they must lose their footing 
 and fall. 
 
Steve Leads the Way 351 
 
 As they staggered this way and that, others of the 
 gang of desperadoes clubbed their rifles and made 
 every effort to bring the butts crashing on to Jack's 
 head. But always some frantic twist or turn of the 
 combatants, some violent change of position on his 
 part, upset their aim and caused them to fail in their 
 object. 
 
 Meanwhile Steve and his two friends below had ceased 
 firing, and stood watching the contest with staring eyes. 
 For the little scout the moments dragged heavily. The 
 struggle he witnessed up there on the mountain side was 
 more than momentous. It stirred him to the deepest 
 depths, for he had more than a friendly feeling for our 
 hero. 
 
 " Back him up!" he bellowed, placing his hands to his 
 mouth. " Can't yer see we can't help him. Git to and 
 rush them, or they'll kill him. Gosh! Ef only I war 
 there. I'd " 
 
 He came to a sudden stop and stood rooted to the 
 spot, his heart in his mouth, a sudden and unusual feel- 
 ing of depression about him. For help had not yet 
 reached our hero. The brilliant rays of the moon 
 showed the other members of the band of pursuers 
 almost within reach of the ledge, but not quite there. 
 It showed also the figures of five men struggling furiously 
 on the mountain side, and one of those from his height 
 and build was undoubtedly our hero. The mob of men 
 seemed to be thrusting him from the ledge, and as Steve 
 stared he saw Jack striking out valiantly with his fists, 
 for the man who had gripped him had suddenly let 
 go his hold. Then there was a shout, and one of the 
 rascals attacking him leaped forward and wound his 
 
352 Indian and Scout 
 
 arms round Jack's body. Steve shut his eyes and shud- 
 dered. 
 
 " Gone," he thought. " They'll throw him down." 
 
 But no. When he looked again the position of affairs 
 had not altered. Jack was there, on the very edge, of 
 the ledge, staggering to and fro in the arms of the ruf- 
 fian who had gripped him. While the others had of a 
 sudden turned their attention to the pursuers who were 
 now within striking distance. There came on a sudden 
 the sharp, distinctive snap of a pistol, and then a shout 
 from Steve which awoke the echoes. For Jack had dis- 
 appeared. A second before he and his antagonist had 
 been poised on the edge of the ledge. Now they were 
 gone, there came only the clatter and rattle of boulders 
 and stones which came rolling and leaping down the 
 mountain side. 
 
 "Killed!" groaned Steve. "Thar ain't a doubt but 
 that they've done for him." 
 
 " Not they. Jest let's go and look for him," sang out 
 Bill Hendy. " I've knowed a man fall heavier and 
 farther by far than that, and have nary a scratch 
 ter show fer it. 'Sides, he's young, and young 
 bones take a deal of breakin'. He warn't shot, that 
 I'll swear. It war the sheriff's shot as ended the 
 struggle." 
 
 His mind full of doubt and misgiving, and yet, with 
 his accustomed courage, still hopeful that Jack would 
 prove to have escaped, Steve led the way up the moun- 
 tain side till he reached a spot some forty feet below the 
 ledge on which the brigands had taken refuge. And 
 there they found our hero, wedged in between two 
 boulders, breathing very shallowly, and quite uncon- 
 
Steve Leads the Way 353 
 
 scious. Beneath him lay the body of the man who 
 had held him so firmly in his embrace. 
 
 " Dead?" asked Steve, hardly daring to ask or to 
 touch our hero. 
 
 " No more nor you nor me," came the hearty answer. 
 "Jest knocked silly, which ain't ter be wondered at, 
 seem' as he's fell nigh fifty feet. Reckon this here 
 fellow saved the fall for him. He's dead. Dead as 
 mutton." 
 
 " Not a bone broken, or I am much mistaken," ex- 
 claimed Steve, running his hands over Jack's limbs, for 
 in his eagerness and anxiety the little scout had slipped 
 his wounded arm from the sling. "Stunned. Then 
 he'll take no harm. He'll sleep well to-night, and to- 
 morrow he'll eat as good a breakfast as ever he did. 
 Wall, mates, what's the tale?" 
 
 The contest was entirely over by now, and, within five 
 feet of the spot where Jack lay, one of the miners was 
 seated on a rock stolidly smoking, while a companion 
 bandaged up an ugly wound in his thigh. 
 
 "Jest a snap shot, like," he explained pleasantly to 
 Steve as he sucked at his pipe. "Thought he was 
 downed and done fer. But he warn't, the critter! He 
 sits up sudden and let's fly, then dropped back as 
 dead as t' others." 
 
 "Then you finished 'em?" asked Steve. 
 
 "There was five beside Tusker Joe," explained the 
 sheriff, coming up at the moment. " I got in a shot at 
 the man who had collared young Jack, and I dessay 
 you saw 'em both come tumbling. Then two more was 
 shot and wounded afore yer could count the seconds. 
 But they got clear away in the scuffle. A fourth fell 
 
 (0179) 23 
 
354 Indian and Scout 
 
 to a ball fired from one of you three as we was mount- 
 ing the hill, while the fifth got hit by a ricochet. Any- 
 way, when we arrived, there he war lyin' insensible beside 
 Tusker." 
 
 "And him? He's dead too?" asked Steve, anxiety 
 in his voice. 
 
 "Jest livin'. Played out after ridin' so far after sich 
 a wound. He'll go ef we ain't careful." 
 
 " And with his life all chance of Jack gettin' his evi- 
 dence," cried Steve. " See here, Sheriff, it means a hull 
 lot fer this young friend of mine, and seein' what's hap- 
 pened I feel I kin count on you and the other mates ter 
 help. We'll send along fer a surgeon, and meanwhile 
 rig up a cover fer Tusker and the other man. Ef tryin'll 
 do it, we'll save the man who killed Jack's father and 
 then led the young chap hisself into sech a scrape. I 
 can kinder count on you?" 
 
 "Yer kin," was the emphatic answer. "You and 
 your special mates have saved us a hull heap. Tusker 
 and his gang were a real terror, and we and other folks 
 are grateful. In course we'll stay. As soon as the 
 mornin' comes we'll fix up a shanty, and meanwhile I'll 
 send one of the men back to the settlement." 
 
 They were a practical lot, those miners and scouts, 
 and in a little while one of them was speeding from the 
 spot mounted on the best horse and leading another. 
 Meanwhile Jack was laid on some piled-up blankets, 
 where he quickly recovered consciousness, for he was 
 merely stunned by the fall. 
 
 "You aer jest ter lie thar as ef you was properly 
 dead," smiled Steve. "That'll bring yer round sooner 
 than anything. Thar's some coffee in my haversack, 
 
Steve Leads the Way 355 
 
 and in a while, when thar's been time to get a fire 
 goin', we'll brew some of it extry strong. It'll clear 
 yer head. A good sound sleep after that aer all that's 
 wanted." 
 
 The little scout had picked up a fund of information 
 in a practical school. His was the class of knowledge 
 which, combined with a vast amount of experience and 
 with common sense beyond the ordinary, is of real ser- 
 vice in such cases as Jack's. It was not with him a 
 little dangerous knowledge, as is sometimes the case. 
 
 " We aer got ter be particular careful with this here 
 Tusker," he said, when Jack was securely tucked in his 
 blanket. " His life are more valuable I guess than even 
 Jack's, and thet's say in' something, fer the lad thar aer 
 a bright one. Let's jest have a look at the man." 
 
 They carried the wounded and unconscious robber 
 into the shadow cast by a rock, and there Steve care- 
 fully inspected his wound. 
 
 " Plumb in the chest," he said, as he opened the shirt, 
 and rolled Tusker over. "It aer clear that the bullet 
 has broke through into the lung, and as fer as I can see 
 it don't make much odds whether it's gone right through 
 or remained inside. But we'll make sure." 
 
 By dint of the greatest care he and the man who was 
 helping him rolled Tusker over still farther, only to dis- 
 cover that the ball which had struck him in the chest 
 had wounded the lung, but had failed to emerge. It 
 seemed, indeed, at first sight, as if there was little left 
 for such inexperienced surgeons to do save to place the 
 man in a comfortable position, shield him from the sun, 
 and await his return to consciousness. But Steve was 
 a knowing little fellow. 
 
356 Indian and Scout 
 
 " I tell yer his life's extry valuable," he said, standing 
 up beside his patient, " and we are got to move ef we 
 want to save it. Not that he aer likely ter pull through. 
 Reckon this aer Tusker's last call. Now, mate, lend a 
 hand. We'll put some sort of a dressing on the wound, 
 and then, seeing as he's still losing blood, we'll have 
 ter make shift ter stop it. Yer see, it ain't the bleeding 
 from the outside wound that matters. It's what's coming 
 from the lung." 
 
 This important fact had not escaped Steve and his 
 comrade. There was a deathly pallor about the robber 
 chief which showed that he was desperately hurt, and 
 that the haemorrhage had already been severe. Then, 
 too, the corners of his mouth were discoloured, while 
 a few red drops hung on his chin. 
 
 " It stands ter reason," said Steve, speaking as if he 
 were arguing the matter out with himself, " that nature 
 aer doing her best ter help Tusker. He aer scarcely 
 breathing, fer the simple reason thet ef he was moving 
 his chest same as you and me, and with it his lung, why 
 the movement of the one that's wounded would make 
 the loss of blood even wuss. Thet bein' so, we'll take 
 a lesson from nature. Lend a hand. Reckon we'll roll 
 him on ter the side that's damaged. The weight of his 
 body will hold the ribs still, and so rest the wounded 
 lung." 
 
 Very carefully and tenderly did they set to work. 
 An old but clean piece of linen was folded to form 
 a dressing, and was saturated with clean, cold water. 
 This was firmly secured to the wound in the chest by 
 another strip of linen. Then a long pad was made with 
 the help of a handkerchief, and some soft grass, and, 
 
Steve Leads the Way 357 
 
 having laid their pad over the dressing and its Dandage, 
 and round the chest, Steve cleverly passed a saddle 
 girth under his patient, brought it round over the pad, 
 and pulled it taut, till it seemed that he would arrest 
 all movement of the ribs. Then the patient was gently 
 rolleji on to his wounded side again. 
 
 " Thet aer takin' a lesson from Mother Nature," said 
 Steve, surveying Tusker with some satisfaction. "He 
 is still losing blood from the lung, as you kin see from 
 what's coming from his lips. But that 'ere girth, and 
 layin' him on his side, will quieten the movements of 
 his chest, and jest give him a chance. Gee! I never 
 worked harder to save a man. I feel as anxious about 
 him as ef he war my father, and, I kin tell yer, it means 
 a hull heap ter young Jack thar ef Tusker pulls round." 
 
 No two nurses could have tended a patient with 
 greater care and devotion than Steve and his fellow 
 worker showed. They sat down in turn beside Tusker 
 Joe, moistening his lips with water every now and again, 
 whisking the flies away when they would have settled 
 on his face, and holding themselves always in readiness 
 to turn him if the position in which he was placed 
 should appear to be harmful. But it quickly became 
 apparent that Steve's common sense and his most valu- 
 able habit of close observation were to be rewarded. 
 Nature, indeed, responded to the treatment, and before 
 long it was clear that Tusker's condition, though still 
 desperate, was slightly improved. The pallor of his 
 face was not now so marked, while there was little if 
 any bleeding from the lung. 
 
 " He ain't likely ter die of loss of blood now, I reckon," 
 said Steve, surveying him critically. " It aer the shock 
 
358 Indian and Scout 
 
 of the wound that's going ter kill Tusker. Jest set down 
 beside him, mate, while I have a look at Jack." 
 
 Late that evening the man who had ridden off to the 
 settlement with a note from the sheriff returned, and 
 with him a young surgeon. By then Jack had awakened, 
 and, but for a slight headache and a good deal of stiff- 
 ness, was himself again. Therefore there was no need 
 for him to have attention. The surgeon at once went 
 to Tusker's side, and for half an hour devoted all his 
 skill to him. 
 
 " If he lives I shall be surprised," he said at last, when 
 he had done all that was possible. " I calculate that 
 the ball was travelling in such a direction that it must 
 have perforated the upper part of the lung a part, in 
 fact, of vital importance, seeing the size of the vessels 
 there. In any case, the man who looked to him at first 
 and bandaged him deserves a medal. It was the only 
 treatment to adopt. I couldn't have done more myself. 
 You can see for yourselves that, beyond replacing the 
 dressing with one of suitable material, I have made no 
 alteration." 
 
 Steve went red at such commendation. "Yer don't 
 live out on the plains fer nothing, mister," he growled. 
 "Still, I'm glad we did the right thing." 
 
 " You can take my word for it that you did," was the 
 hearty answer. "All that I can suggest now refers to 
 nourishment and covering." 
 
 The night which followed was an anxious one in the 
 camp. Jack could scarcely sleep for worrying, while 
 Steve was on his feet continually, hovering about the 
 wounded man; for it was by no means certain that 
 Tusker would live even long enough to regain con- 
 
Steve Leads the Way 359 
 
 sciousness, and, if he were to regain his senses, who 
 could say whether he could or would provide that evi- 
 dence which was of such vital importance to Jack, 
 and alone could clear him of the accusation for which 
 he had been tried, and so nearly imprisoned. It was 
 yet to be seen if our hero would ever clear his name, 
 or be able to return to Hopeville in safety, and there 
 prove, beyond a question of doubt, that he was entirely 
 guiltless. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 A Great Acquittal 
 
 LET the reader imagine with what anxiety Jack and 
 his friends watched the struggle between life and death 
 taking place in the case of Tusker Joe. There were 
 days and days when the man lay an inert mass, uncon- 
 scious, and too weak to move. Days when it appeared 
 as if each minute would prove his last. Then, when all 
 seemed lost, the brigand's extraordinary vitality gave 
 him strength to rally. He turned the corner, mended 
 slowly, and was at length strong enough to speak. 
 
 " And now we kin move him ter the settlement," said 
 the sheriff, who had been in almost daily attendance. 
 He had, in fact, been a stanch friend to Jack and his 
 mates, and had sent tents and provisions to them. 
 " Once we have him and his comrade in the settlement, 
 we'll get a couple of lawyers to come along with us, and 
 we'll hold a sorter court, with witnesses ter take note of 
 everything. In course he may refuse to speak. But 
 Tusker aer on the long road. He's mended so far, but 
 that hurt aer goin' ter prove fatal." 
 
 That, indeed, had been the opinion of the surgeon, 
 who also had made more than one trip out to the tem- 
 porary camp beside the mountain, where the last of the 
 brigands had been run to earth. 
 
A Great Acquittal 361 
 
 "Shot through the chest," he declared grimly, "and 
 may or may not make a recovery; but in any case it 
 will be but temporary. My experience teaches me that 
 the man's days are numbered." 
 
 However, Tusker improved to such an extent that it 
 became possible to move him. He was taken in a cart 
 to the settlement, his wounded mate riding with him. 
 As for the latter, he was even more grievously hurt, 
 and his life still hung in the balance. 
 
 "We might wait here a month and he be still the 
 same," said the surgeon. "We will risk moving him. 
 There is no other alternative." 
 
 All this while Jack had been careful to keep away 
 from the injured men. He had ridden back to the 
 mine to report to Tom and the others what had hap- 
 pened, and had found them industriously delving and 
 washing dirt in the cradles. They declared to him that 
 the yield was, if anything, improving, and that there 
 seemed to be a wealth of the shining metal still to be 
 regained. 
 
 "There ain't a doubt but what we've hit it rich," 
 declared Tom the evening Jack arrived, "and ef we 
 get the stuff ter the bank without meeting with any of 
 the gentry as tried ter waylay you, we'll all have fortunes 
 to our name. So you've got that man at last, Carrots? 
 Don't you be downhearted. That Tusker will out with 
 his evidence, and ye'll be cleared. They'll shout them- 
 selve hoarse when yer get back to Hopeville. Mean- 
 while me and the mates go on, and shares are divided 
 same as before, so you, and Steve, and Tom, and Abe'll 
 lose nothing. That's doin' things fair and square, same 
 as we've always done." 
 
362 Indian and Scout 
 
 When Jack got back to the settlement, where Tusker 
 was being cared for, Steve greeted him eagerly. 
 
 " He'll talk, he will!" he cried. " I've been in ter see 
 the man, and, I tell yer, he's changed. He reckons he's 
 got the last call, and ain't much longer fer this world. 
 He jest begged me ter overlook old days, and forgive 
 him for what he's done. That bein' his mood, seems 
 ter me as you'd best see him." 
 
 That very evening, in fact, the surgeon having been 
 consulted, Jack was ushered into the little wooden 
 shanty where the wounded brigand lay. He was 
 propped up in bed, and our hero was shocked at 
 his appearance. The man was desperately thin and 
 cadaverous, while there were heavy lines under his 
 eyes. 
 
 " Tusker," said Steve solemnly, " I've brought a young 
 friend of mine ter see you, and afore yer take a look at 
 him, or git talkin', I'd like to give you his history. Aer 
 you game ter listen?" 
 
 The wounded man motioned Steve to a chair, and 
 scarcely looked at our hero. 
 
 " Speak 1" he said in a voice little above a whisper. 
 "I will listen." 
 
 "Then, here's the yarn. Jack Kingsley aer the son 
 of a man called Tom Tom Kingsley, from New York 
 State known in the minin' camps a dozen years ago 
 as ' Lord Tom '. He war shot in a saloon by one 
 called " 
 
 "Stop!" Tusker Joe's voice rose almost to a scream. 
 "I know I know the tale only too well. Believe me, 
 mates, I would give the whole of my past life if I could 
 undo what I have done. The memorv of those crimes 
 
A Great Acquittal 363 
 
 haunts me. And this is the son? I beg of him, I 
 I " 
 
 " That's done with, mate," said Steve kindly. " Thar 
 comes a day when every man, as he looks back, sees 
 things as he might ha' done better, things that shame 
 him and make him wince. Ef ye've turned, as I be- 
 lieve yer have, why, then, I reckon your sorrow aer 
 downright genuine. Yer can't give Lord Tom's life 
 back to his son, so we'll let the matter be a bygone. 
 But thar's more to tell, Tusker; more as has ter do 
 with your actions. Listen for a spell." 
 
 The little scout moistened his lips, and looked from 
 Jack to the sick man. At any other time he would 
 have despised himself for tormenting a poor wretch 
 with such a tale, for torment the words he had uttered 
 had been to Tusker. The man's drawn face showed it. 
 It was cruel to persevere with the story, yet here, on 
 this man's slender life, lay the success or failure of 
 Jack's existence. 
 
 "Wall, you've got ter hear it," said the little hunter, 
 as gently as he could, "fer Jack here ain't never done 
 nothin' ter harm you. He's as clean and straight and 
 plucky a young fellow as ever I met, and ef ye're true 
 to yerself, Tusker, he'll be able ter go back home ter his 
 friends, and hold his head up before the world. Tusker, 
 thar was a man same as you came to a town called 
 Hopeville, this many months back, and got a young 
 smith ter forge a key, stuffin' him with some simple yarn. 
 That young chap war Jack here. He got suspicious, 
 and happened by chance ter discover that the man fer 
 whom he'd made the key were about ter attempt a bur- 
 glary with a mate. He followed them, got right inter 
 
364 Indian and Scout 
 
 the house, and then war set upon by a caretaker who 
 took him fer one of the burglars. Jack here war floored, 
 and then the caretaker war shot by the burglars, who 
 got clear away. Wall, when the officer came, the man as 
 war hurt declared that Jack war one of the gang, and 
 then died right off. Thar warn't no one to clear Jack, 
 no one ter prove as he wasn't one of the gang, and he 
 war put up fer trial. He'd have had ten years' imprison- 
 ment ef he hadn't bolted, and ef he ever goes back east 
 he's sure to be taken. Tusker, the man who come fer 
 that key war you. You're the only one as kin clear 
 Jack and set him on his legs agin." 
 
 It was a long speech. Steve had probably never 
 before made such a lengthy one, and at the end he 
 drew his hand across his forehead to wipe the perspira- 
 tion away. Jack stepped into the centre of the room, 
 where the light fell full upon him, while the sick man sat 
 upright and stared eagerly into his face. Then he fell 
 back wearily. 
 
 " Everywhar the tale is the same," he groaned. " I 
 have indeed done miserably with my life. I acknow- 
 ledge that I was that man. Show me how I kin help 
 ter right the wrong I have done." 
 
 Waiting outside were the surgeon, the sheriff and two 
 lawyers, besides a couple of independent witnesses, and 
 Steve promptly ushered them in. 
 
 He'll speak," he said. " He acknowledges all." 
 
 "Then we will get to business. See here, Tusker," 
 said the sheriff kindly, taking the sick man's hand, 
 "ye've got a real good chance ter do a good turn ter 
 one ye've harmed. We've witnesses here. Tell us 
 the tale of this burglary. Describe the place, the house, 
 
A Great Acquittal 365 
 
 the rooms you entered, everything, in fact, that hap- 
 pened. Then, when the evidence is sent to Hopeville } 
 thar won't be a shadow of doubt but that you war 
 the man." 
 
 It took more than an hour to take down the evidence, 
 and true to his word Tusker gave every detail. Sketches 
 were drawn of the house from his directions, the name 
 and address of the owner of the cart he had hired were 
 forthcoming, while he was even able to give the name of 
 the man who had received the goods he had stolen. 
 
 " And now," he said, more cheerfully, as if his action 
 had taken some of the load from his mind, " I've heard 
 that James Benson war the only other man of the gang 
 caught alive, and that, like me, he ain't much longer fer 
 this world. Wall, I said I'd do all I can. James war in that 
 burglary too. Ef you want corroboration of the evidence, 
 see him. Tell him I've spoken. Take his evidence 
 separately. Thar won't, then, be a shadow of doubt." 
 
 The other man, who alone with Tusker had lived to 
 be captured, promptly agreed to tell his story when 
 he heard what his chief had done. And, as may be 
 imagined, the sheriff and his witnesses very carefully 
 entered every particular, getting the man to sign his 
 confession just as Tusker had done. 
 
 "That's enough to clear a judge," said the sheriff, 
 delight in his voice, when they had retired from the 
 house. " Now, there's jest one more thing as the lawyers 
 advise, and I agree with them that it would be well ef 
 it war done. We'll call in two more sheriffs from the 
 nearest townships, read this evidence over before them, 
 and before Tusker and the man James, and then get 
 them to attach their signatures and official seals. The 
 
366 Indian and Scout 
 
 expense will be trifling, and I'm sure havin' everythin' 
 so up to date and orderly will prevent any little hitch 
 arising. In course, ef it war possible, I'd say: Take 
 Tusker and the other man right east with you to Hope- 
 ville. But that ain't ter be thought of. The journey 
 would kill them." 
 
 A week later our hero set out for San Francisco, Steve 
 and one of the lawyers accompanying him. 
 
 " It aer worth the expense," said Steve, when it was 
 first suggested that a lawyer should be taken. " He'll 
 be able ter prove the papers and the seals, and kin 
 act as defence for yen In course ye'll have ter sur- 
 render ter justice, and then apply fer bail. We'll draw 
 some of our gains before movin'." 
 
 Two months later they arrived in Hopeville, and Jack 
 nearly startled the kindly James Orring out of his senses 
 when he suddenly appeared at the forge. James stared 
 at him as if he were a ghost, gripped his hand, and then, 
 sinking his voice, and looking hastily over his shoulder, 
 drew his late apprentice into the back of the smithy. 
 
 "Glad, right glad to see yer, Jack," he said heartily; 
 "but this aer rank foolishness. Thar's never a day 
 passes but what Simpkins the constable gits nosing 
 round here, as ef he expected ter suddenly find yer. He 
 ain't been to-day. Guess he'll be about afore very long. 
 Wall, what aer it? Short of money, lad?" 
 
 Jack laughed, and, dipping his hand into his pocket, 
 pulled out a roll of dollar bills. " Thanks, no," he said, 
 still smiling. " I've come to hand myself over to the 
 constable, please. Will you send for him?" 
 
 It was a day of excitement for Hopeville, and for 
 James and his wife in particular. Quick as a flash 
 
A Great Acquittal 367 
 
 the news spread that the young smith who had made 
 such a sensational escape from prison, and was being 
 tried for burglary, had suddenly returned to face the 
 justices. The rumour brought the pompous Simpkins 
 bouncing along, and in a trice he had apprehended 
 Jack. 
 
 "At last!" he cried in triumph. "Back you come to 
 the jail." 
 
 "Stop, constable, I am a lawyer. I hold in this bag 
 certain evidence of Mr. Jack Kingsley's innocence," ex- 
 claimed the lawyer, stepping forward. " My client hands 
 himself over to the authorities of his own free will. We 
 will walk to the office quietly, if you please." 
 
 The lawyer's air of authority, and Jack's obvious 
 elation, cooled the ardour of the constable, and, seeing 
 that recourse to harsh measures might lead him into 
 trouble, he surlily agreed to accompany them to the 
 station. Once there, Jack was placed in the dock, for 
 the justices happened to be sitting; and within an hour 
 he was set at liberty, on bail. There is no need to 
 describe how he was again put on his trial, and how, 
 within two days of its commencement, he was acquitted, 
 and discharged, amid the cheers of the populace. In- 
 deed, he was become a hero, for Steve's tongue had 
 been wagging more than it had ever done before. The 
 people of Hopeville knew now that the young smith was 
 not only entirely innocent, but that he was a lad after 
 the real heart of an American, and one of whom they 
 ought to be proud. Moreover, he was rich. Yes, Jack 
 was rich, and proved it; for when he set his face again 
 for California he left James Orring and his wife com- 
 fortably housed in a place of their own, with a goodly 
 
368 Indian and Scout 
 
 sum to keep them, and a man installed in the smithy to 
 help with the work. His mother and other friends had 
 also tasted of his generosity, while the constable and he 
 had buried the hatchet, and were become fast friends. 
 
 Jack returned with Steve to the mine in California, 
 and, when it was sold, went back to New York State. 
 But he did not idle his time away. He set up a number 
 of smithies throughout the country, and managed them 
 ably. When he was not travelling between one and 
 another, he devoted all his time and energies to a special 
 hobby. Recollecting his own strange and anxious ex- 
 perience, Jack studied the records of all criminal cases 
 where the evidence had been contradictory and there 
 seemed a possibility that an innocent man had been 
 convicted. Expert lawyers and detectives advised him, 
 and though he was not often successful, yet it is pleasant 
 to have to relate that, now and again, in the course 
 of years, he was able to bring relief to some poor fellow. 
 Thus did he make good use of the gold he and Tom and 
 the others had obtained in California. He married in 
 due course, and lived to a fine old age. To-day there is 
 no name held in higher esteem or remembered more 
 kindly than that of Jack Kingsley.