The Silver Canyon: A Tale of the Western Plains

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER NINETEEN.

  BEATING UP FOR RECRUITS.

  The cause of the explosion remained a secret between Bart and Joses, andin the busy times that followed there was but little opportunity fordwelling upon the trouble. The Doctor was full of the discovery and thenecessity for taking steps to utilise its value, for now they werealmost helpless--the greater part of their ammunition was gone; theirforce was weakened by the loss of two men; and, worst of all, it wasterribly insecure, for at any moment the Indians might get over theirfright, and come back to bury their dead. If this were so, they wouldfind that the task had already been done, and then they would search forand find the occupants of the camp.

  This being so, the Doctor suddenly grew calm.

  "I've made my plans," he said, quietly.

  "Yes?" exclaimed Maude and Bart, in a breath.

  "We must go straight back to our starting-place, and then on to Lerisco,and there I must get the proper authorisations from the government, andafterwards organise a large expedition of people, and bring them here atonce."

  He had hardly made this announcement when the Beaver came slowly up tostand with his follower the interpreter behind, and looking as if hewished to say something in particular.

  The Doctor rose, and pointed to a place where his visitor could sitdown, but the chief declined.

  "Enemy," he said sharply. "Indian dogs."

  Then he turned round quickly to the interpreter.

  "The Beaver-with-Sharp-Teeth says the Apaches will be back to-night tosee why the earth opened and killed their friends."

  "Indeed! So soon?" said the Doctor.

  "The chief says we must go from here till the Indian dogs have been.Then we can come back."

  "That settles it, Bart," exclaimed the Doctor. "We'll start at once."

  The preparations needed were few, and an hour later they were retreatingquickly across the plain, the coming darkness being close at hand toveil their movements, so that when they halted to rest in the morningthey were a long distance on their way, and sheltered by a patch offorest trees that looked like the remains of some tract of woodland thathad once spread over the plain.

  It was deemed wise to wait till evening, and taking it in turns, theywatched and slept till nearly sundown.

  The Beaver had had the last watch, and he announced that he had seen alarge body of Apaches going in the direction of the canyon, but at sogreat a distance off across the plain that there was no need for alarm.

  They started soon afterwards, and after a very uneventful but tediousjourney, they reached the spot where they had first encountered theBeaver and his followers. Here the Indians came to a halt: they did notcare to go farther towards the home of the white man, but readilyentered into a compact to keep watch near the Silver Canyon, and returntwo moons hence to meet the Doctor and his expeditionary party, whenthey were once more on their way across the plains.

  The journey seemed strange without the company of the chief and his men,and during many of their halts but little rest was had on account of thenecessity for watchfulness. The rest of the distance was, however, gotover in safety, and they rode at last into the town of Lerisco, wheretheir expedition having got wind soon after they had started, theirreturn was looked upon as of people from the dead.

  For here the Doctor encountered several old friends and neighbours fromtheir ranches, fifteen or even twenty miles from the town, and they wereall ready with stories of their misfortunes, the raids they had had toendure from the unfriendly Indians; and the Doctor returned to histemporary lodgings that night satisfied that he had only to name hisdiscovery to gain a following of as many enterprising spirits as hewished to command.

  There was a good deal to do, for the Doctor felt that it would not bevery satisfactory to get his discovery in full working order, and thenhave it claimed by the United States Government, or that of the Republicthen in power in those parts.

  He soon satisfied himself, however, of the right course to pursue, hadtwo or three interviews with the governor, obtained a concession of theright to work the mine in consideration of a certain percentage ofsilver being paid to the government; and this being all duly signed andsealed, he came away light-hearted and eager to begin.

  His first care was to make arrangements for the staying of Maude in someplace of safety, and he smiled to himself as he realised how easy thiswould be now that he was the owner of a great silver mine. It wassimplicity itself.

  No sooner did Don Ramon the governor comprehend what was required thanan invitation came from his lady, a pleasant-looking Spanish-Mexicandame, who took at once to the motherless girl, and thus the difficultywas got over, both the governor and his wife declaring that Maude shouldmake that her home.

  Then the Doctor rode out to three or four ranches in the neighbourhood,and laid his plan before their owners, offering them such terms ofparticipation that they jumped at the proposals; and the result was thatin a very short time no less than six ranches had been closed, thefemale occupants settled in the town, and their owners, with theirwaggons, cattle, mules, horses, and an ample supply of stores, werepreparing for their journey across the forest to the Silver Canyon.

  There was a wonderfully attractive sound in that title--The SilverCanyon, and it acted like magic on the men of English blood, who, thoughthey had taken to the dress, and were burned by the sun almost to thecomplexion of the Spanish-Americans amongst whom they dwelt, had stillall the enterprise and love of adventure of their people, and were readyenough to go.

  Not so the Mexicans. There was a rich silver mine out in the plains?Well, let it be there; they could enjoy life without it, and they werenot going to rob themselves of the comfort of basking in the sun andidling and sauntering in the evenings. Besides, there were the Indians,and they might have to fight, a duty they left to the little army keptup by the republic. The lancers had been raised on purpose to combatwith the Indians. Let them do it. They, the Mexican gentlemen,preferred their _cigaritos_, and to see a bolero danced to a couple oftwanging guitars.

  The Englishmen laughed at the want of enterprise by the "greasers," asthey contemptuously called the people, and hugged themselves as theythought of what wealth there was in store for them.

  One evening, however, Bart, who was rather depressed at the idea ofgoing without his old companion Maude, although at the same time hecould not help feeling pleased at the prospect of her remaining insafety, was returning to his lodgings, which he shared with Joses, whenhe overtook a couple of the English cattle-breeders, old neighbours ofthe Doctor, who were loudly talking about the venture.

  "I shouldn't be a bit surprised," said one, "if this all turns out to bea fraud."

  "Oh no, I think it's all right."

  "But there have been so many cheats of this kind."

  "True, so there have," said the other.

  "And if the Doctor has got us together to take us right out there forthe sake of his own ends?"

  "Well, I shouldn't care to be him," said the other, "if it proves to belike that."

  They turned down a side lane, and Bart heard no more, but this wasenough to prove to him that the Doctor's would be no bed of roses ifeverything did not turn out to be as good as was expected.

  He reported this to the Doctor, who only smiled, and hurried on hispreparations.

  Money was easily forthcoming as soon as it was known that the governmentfavoured the undertaking; and at last, with plenty of rough miningimplements, blasting powder, and stores of all kinds, the Doctor'sexpedition started at daybreak one morning, in ample time to keep theappointment with the Beaver.

  "I say, Master Bart," said Joses, as he sat upon his strong horse sideby side with Bart, watching their train go slowly by, "I think we canlaugh at the Apaches now, my lad; while, when the Sharp-Toothed Beaverjoins us with his dark-skinned fighting men, we can give the rascalssuch a hunting as shall send 'em north amongst the Yankees with fleas intheir ears."

  "It's grand!" cried Bart, rousing himself up, for he had b
een feelingrather low-spirited at parting from Maude, and it had made him worse tosee the poor girl's misery when she had clung to her father and said thelast good-byes. Still there was the fact that the governor and his ladywere excellent people, and the poor girl would soon brighten up.

  And there sat Bart, on his eager little horse, Black Boy, which kept onchamping its bit and snorting and pawing the ground, shaking its head,and longing, after weeks of abstinence, to be once more off and away ona long-stretching gallop across the plains.

  There were men mounted on horses, men on mules, greasers driving cattleor the baggage mules, some in charge of the waggons, and all well-armed,eager and excited, as they filed by, a crowd of swarthy, poncho-wearingidlers watching them with an aspect of good-humoured contempt and pityon their faces, as if saying to themselves, "Poor fools! what a lot oflabour and trouble they are going through to get silver and become rich,while we can be so much more happy and comfortable in our idleness anddirt and rags!"

  A couple of miles outside the town the mob of idlers to the last man haddropped off, and, bright and excited, the Doctor rode up in the cheerymorning sunshine.

  "I'm going to ride forward, Bart," he cried, "so as to lead the van andshow the line of march. You keep about the middle, and mind there's nostraggling off to right or left. You, Joses, take the rear, and standno tricks from stragglers. Every man is to keep to his place and do hisduty. Strict discipline is to be the order of the day, and unless wekeep up our rigid training we shall be in no condition to encounter theIndians when they come."

  "What are these coming after us?" cried Bart, looking back at a cloud ofdust.

  "Lancers," said Joses.

  "Surely there is no trouble with the governor now," exclaimed theDoctor, excitedly, as a squadron of admirably mounted cavalry, withblack-yellow pennons to their lances, came up at a canter, their leaderriding straight up to the Doctor.

  "Don Ramon sends me to see you well on the road, Don Lascelles," hecried. "We are to set you well upon your journey."

  As he spoke, he turned and raised his hand, with the result that thenext in command rode forward with a troop of the body of cavalry, totake the lead till they had reached the first halting-place, where thelancers said farewell, and parted from the adventurers, both partiescheering loudly when the soldiery rode slowly back towards Lerisco,while the waggon-train continued its long, slow journey towards themountains.