CHAPTER XXIX.
CONDEMNED TO THE MINES.
"I should say it is," rejoined Tom heartily, returning the fellow'sgood natured smile, "the New York subway was a child's game to it."
"Das right. Dis gwine ter be reg'lar scrubway ef it don' turn out terbe a graveyard."
"Where are Mr. Stapleton and Ingalls?"
"Roun' t'other side ob dis hill. I seen 'em frum up above. What' youall figger de matter wid dem?"
"Why, I think that their minds have been turned by this gold hunt,Rufus. They're crazy."
The negro laughed aloud.
"Das jus whar you all is puffickly right. Dey's as crazy as twopertater bugs wid de prickly heat. But Lawd bress you, you can't telldem so. No sah! Dey thinks dat ebberybody else am nutty butthemselves. Dat's dere collusion."
"So we discovered."
"Wa'al, dey ain't no manner on ob use argyfyin' wid such folks."
"No. The only thing is to agree with them," said Tom with a sigh, buthe was glad to see that the black appeared to be friendly.
"Ah specs dat work agrees with dem better dan it does wid you alls,howsomever," said the grinning negro, showing all his teeth inappreciation of his own joke.
"Naturally," said Jack, "it's not what we'd choose, you can be sure,even were there gold down here, which I'm quite sure there isn't."
"Don' you go fo' to tell eiber ob dem dat," cried the negro. "Deyliable as not to rile up an' polish you off. Dey tink dat befo' longwe all gwine ter be millionaires."
"I'd hate to have to wait till that event comes off," said Tom withfeeling.
"Rufus," burst out Jack, "we'll die if we have to stay here. We know,too, that they don't mean to let us leave."
"Dem's de truest words you ebber spoke," said Rufus with conviction."Dey's so crazy dat dey tinks dat eberybody dat comes near dem istryin' ter steal dere secret. As sho' as dey catch you tryin' to sneakoff, dey plug you sho' as shootin'."
"Do they keep watch all night?" asked Tom.
"Dey neber misses. Yo' see, dey tink dat maybe in de night timesomebody come sneakin' up here from Nome or Dawson maybe, and steal degold what ain't dar."
"Are you ever on watch?"
"Ebery night. Here's de rule. Marse Stapleton he watches till 'boutmidnight. Den he 'waken Marse Ingalls. He watch few hours. Den deykick me on de cocoanut an' ah watches till it am time to git debreakfuss. Yes, sah, dat am de style each night."
"Rufus, are you our friend?" asked Tom bluntly.
"Ah sho' am. Yo' all am po'ful nice young gemmen an' ah hates ter seeyou in dis yar fixadicament."
"Then you are willing to help us escape?"
"H-e-e-e-e-e-m, dat am a po'ful dangerous obfustertakin'."
"We know it, but we count on your cleverness and good will."
Rufus grinned.
"Oh, ah's a clebber niggah, all right, ah is."
"We know it. That's why we determined to throw ourselves on your goodnature and friendliness."
"Ye-e-e-ah! Ah spec's ah kin help you all, too. But see hyah, 'twontno ways do fer yo' and me ter seem too chummy. Ef we do, dey spec'sright off dat dar am a pusson ob cullah in de woodpile. Ah'll act uglytoward you and spress de idee dat yo am no bettah dan po' low-downwhite trash. Den dey neber tink what big idee circumambulate ourmind."
"That's a good plan," cried Tom heartily to their dusky ally. "Why notput it into execution to-night? My brother and I are in a hurry to getback to our friends. Two of them are sick."
"Ah dat so? Well, what you alls gib me if ah helps yo' in dis breakin'ob de jail?"
"I have ten dollars in my pocket. How much have you, Jack?"
"I have five-fifty," responded Jack.
"Golly gumption! Das mo' real money dan ah've seen fo' many a moon,"grinned the negro. "Dey all de time talk ob millions an' plum fo'gitter pay me any wages."
"Well, that fifteen-fifty is yours if you aid us, Rufus. Will you doit?"
"Will ah do it? Kin a duck swim?" inquired Rufus with scorn. "Now whenah'm on duty as sentinel to-night," went on the negro, delighted tohave an opportunity to show his skill in strategy, "yo' alls jes'sneak up behin' me and knock mah head in."
"Hold on! Not quite as bad as that!" exclaimed Jack.
"Well, ah don' mean ter knock all mah head in," modified Rufus, "jes apart ob it. Den yo' tie mah han's, shove yo rifles down mah throat,and leab me dah. Das a fine plan!"
"It certainly is. We'll put it into execution to-night," declared Tomdelightedly.
Rufus' eyes shone with excitement.
"An'-an' ah tell you' what ah do," he cried. "Ah persuade dem twocrazy loons dat de right ting to do wid yo' am to shoot yo' on despot; dat'll show 'em dat I ain't got no use fo' you."
"Wait a minute," cried Jack. "Don't do that, they might take you atyour word and----"
"Das so--das so. Well, den ah persuade dem dat de right ting ter do amter bang you ober de head wid a shobel."
"No, that would be just as bad," laughed Tom. "I tell you, Rufus,when you come on watch we'll just sneak out, tie and gag you, and thenyou leave the rest to us."
"Das all right," grinned the negro. "Yo' smart pair ob boys an' kinfix tings all right. In de meantime, ah acts fearful mean to yo' all.Guess ah better be goin' now. Dey might come snoopin' round', and itwouldn't do fer ter catch us in confabulation. No sah!"
He shuffled hastily off and the boys exchanged delighted glances. Justwhen things looked blackest, it began to appear as if there were achance, and a good one, too, of their escaping from the grip of thetwo lunatics.
"Well, it all goes to show that one never knows from what quarter aidis going to come," said Tom as he and Jack fell to on their work."That black negro, ugly as he is, appears more beautiful to me rightnow than an angel."
"Hush! here come those two crazy gold diggers back again," interruptedJack, as footsteps crunched over the gravel above the excavation.
The Bungalow Boys Along the Yukon Page 29
