CHAPTER XV
AROUND THE SUPPER TABLE
Ham's expectations were fulfilled; for they found the log house vacant,with a sign on the door that read: "BACK ABOUT SUNDOWN."
"Wal, jest dismount an' unpack an' make y'urselves tew home. We'll gitthings all straightened out afore we start out tew hunt up th'delinquents," and Ham began unpacking his horses.
But Thure and Bud had to have a look inside the house, before theyuntied a rope or unbuckled a strap; and, the moment they dismounted,they rushed to the door and entered.
The house was a very rude affair--just four walls of logs, roughlyfitted with an ax and laid one on top of the other to a height of sevenfeet, enclosing a space some twenty-five feet long by eighteen feetwide, with a bark roof, ground floor, a door cut through the logs in themiddle of one side, and three windows, one in each side and one in theend opposite the fireplace. The fireplace was very roughly constructedof stones and sticks, plastered together with a clay-like mud, and withthe chimney built entirely outside of the house.
The furniture was in keeping with the house. The table was the splithalves of a log, cut about ten feet long and laid side by side, withtheir flat sides up, supported by four short posts driven into theground near the center of the room. The chairs were blocks of wood, seton end, reenforced by a couple of old boxes and two miners' easy chairs,a unique production, made by cutting down an empty flour barrel tosomething of the shape of an armed easy chair and attaching two rockersto the bottom. The seats of these chairs were often lined and stuffed ingood shape and had the comfortable feel and rock of the more costlychairs of civilization--and what more need a miner ask? Along the sideof the room opposite the door ran a double tier of rude bunks, one sideof the beds being supported by posts driven into the ground and theother by the logs of the wall. On the wall near the fireplace hung thefrying-pans and the other rude cooking utensils; and in a corner werepiled the bags, barrels, kegs, and boxes containing their camp supplies.
When you are told that this, at that time in Hangtown, was considered arather luxurious style of living, you may be able to form something ofan idea of the kind of style in which the average miner lived.
"Well, they don't put on much style, do they?" and the eyes Thure turnedto Bud twinkled with excitement and interest.
"Don't they! Just feast your eyes on this!" and Bud, dropping down intothe soft seat of one of the "easy" chairs, leaned back comfortably andbegan rocking. "Now, if this isn't style and comfort, then I don't knowwhat style and comfort are. Better try it," and he winked toward theother "easy" chair.
Thure at once profited by the suggestion.
"Well, I swun to goodness!" he declared, as he rocked back and forth inthe novel chair, "if this doesn't beat mother's easy rocker for comfort.I reckon dad will have to make her one, when we get back home," and hegrinned.
"Say," and Ham strode into the house, a bag of flour on one shoulder, abox of canned stuff under one arm, and a grin all over his face, "if youyunks think you've come up here tew dew nuthin' but tew set an' rock iny'ur dads' easy chairs, you've got another think comin' an' comin'quick. Now, git them packs off th' backs of y'ur hosses an' intew th'house. This ain't no Home of Cumfort for lazy yunks. Out with you!" and,dropping the bag of flour and the box in the corner, he started for thetwo boys.
Thure and Bud "outed" as fast as their four legs could take them; andsoon were busy getting the packs off their horses and the goods into thehouse. When this had been done and the horses had been cared for, thesun was nearing the tops of the western mountains; and it was decidednot to hunt up the "delinquents," as Ham called them, but to await theirreturn at the house; and, in the meantime, to prepare such a supper forthem as seldom blessed a miner's eyes and excited his appetite, from thedelicacies Mrs. Conroyal and Mrs. Randolph had sent in the packs of theboys. Then, in addition, Thure and Bud determined to try and give theirfathers, who, of course, supposed the two boys were still at home withtheir mothers and sisters on the rancho, a little surprise. By keeping asharp lookout down the trail they could be warned of the coming of themen in sufficient time to put their surprise in operation.
Accordingly they got everything in readiness, first by tying theirhorses out of sight behind a clump of bushes and removing every outwardsign of their presence, and then by drawing the two easy chairs up closetogether in front of the door and placing one of the blocks of wood usedas seats in front of each chair. When they saw their fathers coming,they would take their places in these chairs, lean back comfortably inthem, place their feet at a comfortable angle on top of the blocks ofwood, and, thus sitting cozily in the two easy chairs, be the firstobjects to meet their fathers' eyes on entering the house. They fanciedthat this unexpected sight might surprise the two men some; and theywere not disappointed.
Fortunately for the success of their "surprise," Mr. Conroyal and Mr.Randolph led the little procession of miners that appeared a few minutesafter sundown, coming up the trail leading to the log house.
"Here they come!" cried Bud, who was stationed at the window overlookingthe trail, the moment the men appeared in sight. "Hurry, Thure, and getinto your chair."
The two boys quickly seated themselves in the barrel-rockers, perchedtheir feet comfortably on top of the blocks of wood, leaned backcomfortably into the hollows of their chairs, and fixed their eyes onthe door, their faces shining with excitement.
At last the door was flung open and the big frame of Noel Conroyal,backed by that of Rad Randolph, appeared in the doorway.
For a moment both men stopped right where they were, and stood staringin blank astonishment at the faces of the two boys sitting in the twochairs.
"Walk right in," invited Thure, his eyes dancing.
"Yes, come right in and have supper with us," urged Bud.
For an instant longer the two men stood staring; and then both of themmade a rush for the two boys; and, as they were almost instantlyfollowed by Dill Conroyal, Thure's older brother, Rex Holt, Thure'scousin, and Frank Holt, Thure's uncle and the father of Rex Holt, youcan imagine the excitement and confusion that reigned in that log houseand how swiftly the questions flew back and forth for the next fewminutes. The men had been away from their homes and their dear ones fornearly a year now; and, naturally, were exceedingly anxious to learnwhat had been going on during their absence. Suddenly, when theexcitement had quieted down a little, Mr. Conroyal's face clouded andsomething that looked very much like a frown gathered on his forehead,as he turned to Thure.
"But, young man," and the frown on his face deepened, "how comes it thatyou are here, against my express commands? I left you at home to carefor your mother and sister and the rancho. Why have you deserted yourtrust?"
"Oh, dad," and Thure turned excitedly to his father, "the most wonderfulthing has happened! We found a dying miner, who had been robbed andstabbed; and he, just before he died, gave us a map that tells us how tofind a Cave of Gold that he had discovered; and mother, our mothers,thought you ought to know about it; and so we are here, to get you allto help find this wonderful Cave of Gold. The miner said that the bottomof the cave was covered with gold nuggets, just covered with them, dad."
"And he gave us one of the nuggets, a whopper!" broke in Bud.
"And your mothers were foolish enough to believe such an improbable taleand to send you here on such a wildgoose chase!" and something thatbegan to look very much like anger darkened Mr. Conroyal's face. "Why,the camp is full of such tales; but no sensible man ever pays anyattention to them."
"But, dad, you haven't heard our story yet; and you haven't seen the mapand the nugget," insisted Thure eagerly. "I am sure you will not blameus for coming when you know all."
"Well, my son," and Mr. Conroyal's lips tightened grimly, "we'll have alook at that map and nugget and hear that wonderful story of yours andthen, if it doesn't look as if it might pan out true, back you willstart for home at sun-up to-morrow morning. What do you say, Rad?" andhe turned to Mr. Randolph. "The boys must be made to underst
and thatthey can't desert a trust like that at every wild tale they hear."
"Right," agreed Mr. Randolph. "They start back for home to-morrowmorning, if their tale does not sound reasonable enough to make goodtheir coming. They were all the men folks left that the women coulddepend on; and the reason must be a strong one to justify theirdeserting them."
"But, we did not desert them," expostulated Bud. "They gave uspermission to come, told us to come, because they thought you ought toknow about the Cave of Gold and the map, and there was no one else tosend," and Bud's cheeks flushed a little with disappointment andindignation.
"Wal, now," and the good-natured face of Ham loomed up between the twoboys, "I reckon, if you all will jest take a look at that thar table,you'll stop y'ur talkin' and git tew eatin' some sudden. 'Tain't once ina dog's age that a miner in Hangtown can sot down tew a table likethat," and Ham waved both hands proudly in the direction of thesplit-log table, on which he had spread out, with lavish hands, thecakes, pies, jellies, fruits, butter, eggs and the other good thingssent from home, together with the results of his own more substantialcooking, fried bacon, nicely browned flapjacks, and steaming hot coffee.
"Whoop!" yelled Rex. "Me for the eat!" and, grabbing up one of theblocks of wood, he made a rush for the table, followed by all present.
That was a jolly supper. The sight of the unaccustomed good things toeat put everybody in good nature--and no wonder! for their eyes had notseen an egg or a cake or a pie or a hunk of butter, to say nothing ofthe jelly and the fruit, in Hangtown before for six months; and nobodyknows how good these things look and taste, until they have been withouteven a smell of them for some months, and living on a steady diet ofsalt pork and beans and man-made bread. But, at length, as all goodthings will, the eating came to an end; and then, almost involuntarily,all eyes turned toward Thure and Bud. Their stomachs were filled; andnow all were in the best possible condition to listen to their story.
"Now, for that dead miner's wonderful tale," and Conroyal turned toThure.
"Jest wait a minit afore you begin," and Ham arose suddenly from thetable. "We want no outside listeners tew this tale," and, hurryingoutside, he made a hasty circuit of the house, to assure himself thatthere were no eavesdroppers. When he came in he remarked, by way ofanswer to the inquiring glances turned in his direction: "You will knowwhy I'm so cautious-like afore th' yunks come tew th' end of their tale;an', I reckon," and he glanced around the circle of somewhat startledfaces that surrounded the table, "afore they begin, we'd better have itunderstood by all that thar is tew be no talkin' outside 'bout thismatter, that it's tew be kept as close as our own skins tew ourselves.It has already caused th' death of th' old miner, an' mighty nigh th'death of them yunks thar, as you'll soon larn, an' death is still hot onth' trail, so it's jest good boss-sense for us tew be cautious-like. Wedon't want no more killin's, if we can help it. Now, I reckon, you canbegin y'ur yarn," and, seating himself, he nodded his head to Thure andBud.
You may be sure that, after these ominous actions and words of Ham,there was no lack of interest in the faces now turned toward the twoboys.
Thure began the story; and, helped here and there by Bud and ofteninterrupted by the angry exclamations of his excited hearers, he toldthe remarkable tale, from the killing of _El Feroz_ and the death of theold miner to their own startling arrest for murder in the streets ofSacramento City and narrow rescue from the hangman's rope by theprovidential coming of Hammer Jones and Colonel Fremont.
"And those two cowardly skunks got away!" almost yelled Conroyal, as hebanged his big fist down on the table, his face white with wrath. "Andafter they had almost succeeded in getting two innocent boys hanged fora crime they committed themselves!"
"They sart'in did," answered Ham grimly. "An' what's more th' cunnin'devils like as not are still on th' trail of that thar skin map th' oldminer gave th' boys. That's why I reckon we'll need tew be somecautious."
"But, where is this wonderful skin map and that big gold nugget?" criedRex Holt, his eyes shining and his face flushing. "Let us have a look atthem," and he jumped to his feet and leaned across the table, so as tobe nearer to Thure.
"Dill, you and Rex just take a run around the house to see that thecoast is still clear, before the boys show up the gold nugget and theskin map," and Mr. Conroyal glanced sharply toward the door and thewindows. "As Ham says, we want no eavesdroppers in this case."
Dill and Rex at once sprang to the door; and, moving in oppositedirections, each slowly made the circuit of the house, their keen eyessearching the surrounding darkness. They neither saw nor heard anythingsuspicious.
"Now, we'll have a look at that map and gold nugget," Mr. Conroyal said,as soon as Rex and Dill had returned and reported the coast clear. "Ofcourse," and he glanced around the circle of faces, "it is understoodthat all that is said and seen here to-night is to be kept secret byall, whether or not the search for the Cave of Gold is made."
"Yes, yes!" cried Dill impatiently. "We're all in on it together andmust not breathe a word about it to an outsider. We all understand that,don't we?"
All the heads around the table quickly nodded assent.
"Now, then, let us have that map and gold nugget," and he turnedexcitedly to Thure and Bud.
Thure at once thrust his hand under the bosom of his shirt and under hisleft shoulder and pulled out the miner's little buckskin bag. Then heopened the bag and pulled out the map.
"The skin map," he said, and, laying it down on the table, he swiftlyturned the bag upside down and dumped the gold nugget down on top of it."And here is the gold nugget."
For a moment no one moved; but all sat staring at the big yellow chunkof metal, shining ruddily in the light of the flickering candles, as itdropped from the bag and came to a rest on the skin map and lay there onthe table in front of Thure.
"Gosh, that sart'in looks like th' real stuff!" and the big hand of Hamreached out and picked up the nugget and hefted it critically. "Solidgold!" he declared, his eyes shining. "Jest heft it, Con," and he passedthe nugget to Conroyal. "Wal, I reckon you yunks have made good. Now,let's see what's on that thar piece of skin," and, picking up the map,he smoothed it out on the table and stared down on it, while as manyheads as possible crowded close to his head and stared down on the mapwith him.
"John Stackpole, did anyone here ever hear of a feller by th' name ofJohn Stackpole?" and Ham raised his head and glanced around.
"I know the man," declared Frank Holt, the father of Rex, whose snowywhite hair gave him a patriarchal appearance. "I remember now. That'sthe name the fellow gave I saw in Coleman's store 'bout two weeks ago.He had a peculiar scar, shaped something like a horseshoe over one ofhis eyes."
"That's the man! You remember that queer-shaped scar over one of hiseyes, don't you?" and Bud turned excitedly to Thure.
"Yes," answered Thure. "He must have just got back from the cave. Whatwas he doing, Uncle Frank?" and he turned eagerly to Mr. Holt.
"Well, he certainly looked as if he had just come out of a cave,"grinned Holt. "Clothes all in rags and dirty, and hair and beard allover his head, except his eyes and nose and mouth. But," and his facelighted up, "he seemed to have plenty of gold-dust; for, while I wasstanding there watching him curiously, he picked out a good suit ofclothes and paid for them out of a bag heavy with gold, gold that wasmostly small nuggets.
"'Struck it, pard,' and I saw Coleman's eyes glisten, as he gathered inthem small nuggets, for the gold wasn't no Hangtown gold. Anybody witheyes could see that.
"'Just a pocket,' answered the man. 'But good and rich, for a pocket.'
"'Whereabouts might it be, if I ain't asking too much?' queried Coleman,who I could see was some excited over that bag full of little goldnuggets, as he placed the bundle of clothes down in front of the man.
"'Thank you,' answered the man gruffly, and, picking up the bundle, hehurried out of the store, considerably to the disappointment of Coleman.
"Now, I calculate, that must have been our man, for he ce
rtainly toldColeman that his name was John Stackpole, when he asked him if anymessage had been left there for him. I remember it all plain, because Igot some excited over that bag full of little gold nuggets myself; but Ididn't call to mind the name until Ham called it out."
For many minutes the map and the gold nugget were now passed from handto hand and thoroughly examined by all, while the tongues of all waggedwith excited comments and Thure and Bud were often called upon to repeatparts of their story. But, at length, Noel Conroyal, who had beenelected President of the Never-Give-Up California Mining Company, intowhich our good friends, the Conroyals, the Randolphs, the Holts, andHammer Jones, had organized themselves, stood up and pounded on thetable with his big fist.
"The Never-Give-Up California Mining Company will come to order," hesaid, the moment the talking ceased; "for the purpose of considering thematter laid before it by Thure Conroyal and Bud Randolph and todetermine what action, if any, shall be taken."
"Oh, cut out the big talk, dad, and just let's talk it over together,"protested Dill a bit impatiently; for, when Mr. Conroyal assumed theoffice and the dignities of the President of the Never-Give-UpCalifornia Mining Company, he was apt to be a little formal andlong-winded. "We don't need the formalities and they take up time."
"All right, if that is the wish of the company," agreed Mr. Conroyalgood-naturedly. "I only wanted to get to doing something besidestalking."
"I think," declared Ham, "that, now that we've heer'd th' story an' seenth' skin map an' th' gold nugget, we'd better sleep on it afore wedecide anything, 'specially seein' that it's gittin' late, an' all onus, I reckon, are plumb tired; an' tharfore, I move that this heremeetin' be adjourned 'til tew-morrer mornin', an' that all on us beordered tew git intew our bunks an' go tew sleep."
Ham's suggestion sounded so sensible, for even the excitement could nolonger keep their tired bodies and brains from calling out for rest andsleep, that it was adopted at once, with only a few feeble protests;and, in fifteen minutes from the time it was made the lights were outand all were in their bunks.
"Say, dad," queried Thure a bit mischievously, as he and Bud crawledunder the blankets of one of the bunks, "do we have to start back forhome at sun-up?"
"No, shut up and go to sleep," growled back Mr. Conroyal.
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