by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER XIV
AN INDIAN ATTACK
A couple of trees were felled in the middle of the clump in which theywere still encamped. They were first roughly squared and then sawn intoplanks, the three men taking it by turns to use the saw. The question ofshifting the camp up to the spot where they intended to work wasdiscussed the night before Harry started, but it was agreed at last thatit would be better to remain where they were.
"If Utes come, sure to find traces," the chief said. "Many horses invalley make tracks as plain as noonday. Gold valley bad place forfight."
"That is so," Jerry agreed. "We should not have a show there. Even if wemade a log-house, and it would be a dog-goned trouble to carry up thelogs,--we might be shut up in it, and the red-skins would only have tolie round and shoot us down if we came out. I reckon we had best stayhere after all, Harry. We could keep them outside the range of ourrifles anyhow by day."
"I don't see that that would be much good to us, Jerry; for if they cameby day they would not find us here. Still I don't know that it ain'tbest for us to stay here; it would give us a lot of trouble to build aplace. I reckon two of us had better stay here all the day with thehorses. If the red-skins come, they can fire a couple of shots, and weshall hear them up at the washing-place. The red-skins would be safe todraw off for a bit to talk it over before they attacked, as they wouldnot know how many there were among the trees. That would give the resttime to come down."
It took three days' hard work to saw the planks and make the cradle, andtroughs sufficiently long to lead the water down into it from the streamhigher up. These were roughly but strongly made, the joints beingsmeared with clay to prevent the water from running through. A dam wasthen made to keep back the water above the spot where they intended tobegin, which was about fifty yards below the quartz vein, and from thisdam the trough was taken along on strong trestles to the cradle.
The horses were brought into the camp at daybreak every morning and tiedup to the trees, and were let out again at nightfall. Tom remained incamp, the chief being with him. The latter, however, was, during thetime Harry was away, twice absent for a day on hunting excursions lowerdown the valley, which was there thickly wooded. The first time, hereturned with the hams and a considerable portion of the rest of theflesh of a bear. The second time, he brought up the carcass of a deer.
"How far does the valley run?" Tom asked.
"Valley last ten miles. Sides get steep and high, then canyon begin."
"That will run right down to the Colorado?"
The chief nodded. "Leaping Horse go no farther. Canyon must go down tothe river."
"How far is it before the sides of the valley get too steep to climb?"
"Two miles from here. Men could climb another mile or two, horses not."
"Is there much game down there, chief?"
The Seneca nodded.
"That is a comfort, we sha'n't be likely to run out of fresh meat."
The chief was very careful in choosing the wood for the fire, so that inthe daytime no smoke should be seen rising from the trees. When the deadwood in the clump of trees was exhausted he rode down the valley eachday, and returned in an hour with a large faggot fastened behind him onthe horse. He always started before daybreak, so as to reduce the riskof being seen from the hills. On the sixth day the men began their workat the gravel. The bottle of mercury was emptied into the cradle, thebottom of which had been made with the greatest care, so as to preventany loss from leakage. Two of the men brought up the gravel in bucketsand pans, until the cradle was half full. Then water was let in, and thethird man rocked the machine and kept on removing the coarse stuff thatworked up to the top, while the others continued bringing up freshgravel.
"Well, what luck?" Tom asked, when they returned in the evening.
"We have not cleaned up yet; we shall let it run for three or four daysbefore we do. We are only on the surface yet, and the stuff wouldn't payfor the trouble of washing out."
On the eighth day after their departure Harry and Hunting Dog returned.
"Well, boys, it is all stowed away safely," he said. "I know the Majorwell, and he let me have a big chest, which he locked up, after I hadput the bags in, and had it stowed away in the magazine; so there is nofear of its being touched. Any signs of the red-skins?"
"Nary a sign. We have none of us been up the valley beyond this, so thatunless they come right down here, they would find no trail. The horsesare always driven down the valley at night."
"How is the work going on, Jerry?"
"We began washing two days ago; to-morrow night we shall clean up. Weall think it is going to turn out pretty good, for we have seen gold inthe sand several times as we have carried it up in the pails."
The next day Tom went up with the others, the Indians remaining in camp.Two men now worked at the cradle, while the other three brought up thesand and gravel. Towards evening they began the work of cleaning up. Nomore stuff was brought up to the machine, but the water was still runinto it. As fast as the shaking brought the rough gravel to the top itwas removed, until only a foot of sand remained at the bottom. The waterwas now stopped and the sand dug out, and carefully washed in the pansby hand. At the bottom of each pan there remained after all the sand hadbeen removed a certain amount of gold-dust, the quantity increasing asthe bottom was approached. The last two panfuls contained a considerableamount.
"It does not look much," Tom said when the whole was collected together.
"It is heavy stuff, lad," Harry replied. "What do you think there is,Jerry? About twelve ounces, I should fancy."
"All that, Harry; nigher fourteen, I should think."
The pan was now put at the bottom of the cradle, a plug pulled out, andthe quicksilver run into it. A portion of this was poured onwash-leather, the ends of which were held up by the men so as to form abag. Harry took the leather, and holding it over another pan twisted itround and round. As the pressure on the quicksilver increased it ranthrough the pores of the leather in tiny streams, until at last a lumpof pasty metal remained. This was squeezed again and again, until not asingle globule of quicksilver passed through the leather. The ball,which was of the consistency of half-dried mortar was then taken out,and the process repeated again and again until the whole of thequicksilver had been passed through the leather. Six lumps of amalgamabout the size of small hens' eggs remained.
"Is that good, uncle?" Tom asked.
"Very fair, lad; wonderfully good indeed, considering we have not gotdown far yet. I should say we shall get a pound and a half of gold outof it."
"But how does the gold get into it, uncle?"
"There is what is called an affinity between quicksilver and gold. Themoment gold touches quicksilver it is absorbed by it, just as a drop ofwater is taken up by a lump of salt. It thickens the quicksilver, and asit is squeezed through the leather the quicksilver is as it werestrained out, and what remains behind becomes thicker and thicker,until, as you see, it is almost solid. It is no good to use morepressure, for if you do a certain amount of the gold would be squeezedthrough the leather. You see, as the stuff in the cradle is shaken, thegold being heavier than the sand finds its way down to the bottom, andevery particle that comes in contact with the quicksilver is swallowedup by it."
"And how do you get the quicksilver out of those lumps?"
"We put them in one of those clay crucibles you saw, with a pinch ofborax, cover them up, and put them in a heap of glowing embers. Thatevaporates the quicksilver, and leaves the gold behind in the shape of abutton." This was done that evening, and when the buttons were placed inthe scales they just turned the two-pound weight.
"Well, boys, that is good enough for anything," Harry said. "That, withthe dust, makes a pound a day, which is as good as the very best stuffin the early days of California."
They worked steadily for the next seven weeks. Contrary to theirexpectations the gravel was but little richer lower down than they hadfound it at the end of the first wash-up, but continued about
equallygood, and the result averaged about a pound weight of gold a day. Thiswas put into little bags of deer-skin, each containing five pounds'weight, and these bags were distributed among the saddle-bags, so thatin case of sudden disturbance there would be no risk of their being leftbehind. The Indians took it by turns to hunt; at other times theyremained on guard in camp, Tom only staying when one of them was away.One day when the mining party stopped work, and sat down to eat somebread and cold meat,--which they had from the first brought up, so as tosave them the loss of time entailed by going to the camp and back,--thereport of a gun came upon their ears. All started to their feet andseized their rifles, and then stood listening intently. A minute latertwo more shots were heard at close intervals.
"Red-skins for sure!" Jerry exclaimed. "I thought as how our luck weretoo good to last." They started at a run down the little valley, andonly paused when they reached its mouth. Harry then advanced cautiouslyuntil he could obtain a view of the main valley. He paused for a minuteand then rejoined his companions.
"There are fifty of them," he said, "if there is one. They are Utes intheir war-paint. They are a bit up the valley. I think if we make a rushwe can get to the trees before they can cut us off."
"We must try anyhow," Sam Hicks said, "else they will get the twoIndians and our horses and saddles and all. Just let us get breath for amoment, and then we will start."
"Keep close together as you run," Harry said, "and then if they do comeup we can get back to back and make a fight of it." After a short pausethey started. They had not gone twenty yards when a loud yell proclaimedthat the Indians had seen them. They had, however, but three hundredyards to run, while the Utes were double that distance from the clump.
When the miners were within fifty yards of the trees two rifle-shotsrang out, and two of the Utes, who were somewhat ahead of the rest; fellfrom their horses, while the rest swerved off, seeing that there was nohope of cutting the party off. A few more yards and the miners wereamong the trees.
"So the Utes have found us out, chief," Harry said as he joined LeapingHorse, who had just reloaded his ride.
"Must have tracked us. They are a war-party," the Seneca replied."Hunter must have found tracks and taken news back to the villages."
"Well, we have got to fight for it, that is clear enough," Harry said."Anyhow, now they see there are seven of us they are not likely toattack until it gets dark, so we have time to think over what had bestbe done. We had just begun our meal when we heard your shot, and thebest thing we can do is to have a good feed at once. We may be too busylater on."
The chief said a word to the young Indian, and, leaving him on thewatch, accompanied the others to the fire. They had scarcely sat downwhen Hunting Dog came up.
"More Utes," he said briefly, pointing across the valley.
They at once went to the outer line of trees. On the brow of the riseopposite were a party of horsemen between twenty and thirty strong.
"That shows they have learnt all about our position," Harry said. "Thosefellows have been lying in wait somewhere over the hill to cut us off ifwe took to our horses on seeing the main body. Let us have a look theother side."
Crossing the clump of trees, they saw on the brow there another party ofUtes.
"I reckon they must have crossed that valley we were working in justafter we got through," Jerry said. "It is mighty lucky they did not comedown on us while we were washing, for they could have wiped us all outbefore we had time to get hold of our guns. Well, Harry, we are in apretty tight fix, with fifty of them up the valley and five-and-twentyor so on each side of us. We shall have to be dog-goned smart if we areto get out of this scrape."
"Hand me your rifle, Tom," his uncle said, "it carries farther thanmine, and I will give those fellows a hint that they had best move off abit."
Steadying his piece against a tree, he took a careful aim and fired. Oneof the Indians swerved in his saddle, and then fell forward on the neckof his horse, which turned and galloped off with the rest.
"Now we will have our meal and take council, chief," Harry said as heturned away. "If we have got to fight there is no occasion to fighthungry."
The fire was made up; there was no need to be careful now. Strips ofdeer's flesh were hung over it, and the meal was soon ready. But littlewas said while it was being eaten, then they all lighted their pipes andeach put a pannikin of hot tea beside him.
"Now, chief," Harry said, "have you arrived at any way out of this? Itis worse than it was the last time we got caught in this valley."
The chief shook his head. "No good fight here," he said; "when nightcome they creep up all round."
"Yes, I see that we have got to bolt, but the question is, how? If wewere to ride they would ride us down, that is certain. Jerry and Tommight possibly get away, though that ain't likely. Their critters aregood, but nothing downright extraordinary, and the chances are that someof the Utes have got faster horses than theirs. As for the rest of us,they would have us before we had ridden an hour."
"That ain't to be thought of," Jerry said. "It seems to me our bestchance would be to leave the critters behind, and to crawl out themoment it gets dark, and try and get beyond them."
"They will close in as soon as it gets dark, Jerry. They will know wellenough that that is the time we shall be moving. I reckon we should nothave a chance worth a cent of getting through. What do you say, chief?"
Leaping Horse nodded in assent.
"Well, then," Sam Hicks said, "I vote we mount our horses and go rightat them. I would rather do that and get rubbed out in a fair fight thanlie here until they crawl up and finish us."
No one answered, and for some minutes they smoked on without a wordbeing spoken, then Harry said:
"There is only one chance for us that I can see, and that is to mountnow and to ride right down the valley. The chief says that in someplaces it is not more than fifty yards wide, with steep cliffs on eachside, and we could make a much better fight there, for they could onlyattack us in front. There would be nothing for them then but to dismountand close in upon us from tree to tree, and we could make a runningfight of it until we come to the mouth of the canyon. There must beplaces there, that we ought to be able to hold with our seven riflesagainst the lot of them."
"Bully for you, Harry! I reckon that would give us a chance anyhow. Thatis, if we ain't cut off before we get to the wood."
"Let us have a look round and see what they are doing," Harry said. "Ah!here comes Hunting Dog. He will tell us all about it."
"Utes on hills all gone up and joined the others," the young Indian saidas he came up.
"It could not be better news!" Harry exclaimed. "I reckon they havemoved away to tempt us to make a start for the fort, for they know if wego that way they will have us all, sure. They have not reckoned on ourriding down the valley, for they will be sure we must have found outlong ago that there ain't any way out of it. Well, we had best lose notime. There is some meat ready, Hunting Dog, and you had best fill upwhile we get ready for a start."
The blankets and buffalo rugs were wrapped up and strapped behind thesaddles, as soon as these were placed behind the horses. They had only asmall quantity of meat left, as the chief was going out hunting the nextmorning, but they fastened this, and eighty pounds of flour that stillremained, on to one of the pack-horses. They filled their powder-hornsfrom the keg, and each put three or four dozen bullets into hisholsters, together with all the cartridges for their pistols; the restof the ammunition was packed on another horse. When all was completedthey mounted.
"We may get a couple of hundred yards more start before we are seen,"Harry said. "Anyhow, we have got five hundred yards, and may reckon onmaking the two miles to where the valley narrows before they catch us."
The instant, however, they emerged from the wood, two loud yells wereheard from Indians who had been left lying down on watch at the top ofthe slopes on either side. Sam, who was the worst shot of the party, hadvolunteered to lead the string of pack-horses, while Ben w
as ready tourge them on behind.
"You may want to stop some of the leading varmint, and I should not bemuch good at that game, so I will keep straight on without paying anyattention to them."
A loud answering yell rose from the Indians up the valley.
"We shall gain fifty yards or so before they are fairly in the saddle,"Harry said as they went off at the top of their speed, the horsesseeming to know that the loud war-cry boded danger. They had gone half amile before they looked round. The Indians were riding in a confusedmass, and were some distance past the grove the miners had left, butthey still appeared as far behind as they had been when they started.Another mile and the mass had broken up; the best-mounted Indians hadleft the rest some distance behind, and considerably decreased the gapbetween them and the fugitives. Another five minutes and the latterreached the wood, that began just where the valley narrowed and thecliffs rose almost perpendicularly on each side. As soon as they did sothey leapt from their horses, and each posting himself behind a treeopened fire at their pursuers, the nearest of whom were but two hundredyards away. Four fell to the first seven shots; the others turned andgalloped back to the main body, who halted at once.
"They won't try a charge," Harry said; "it isn't in Indian nature tocome across the open with the muzzles of seven rifles pointed at them.They will palaver now; they know they have got us in a trap, and theywill wait till night. Now, chief, I reckon that you and I and HuntingDog had best stay here, so that if they try, as they are pretty sure todo, to find out whether we are here still, we can give them a hint tokeep off. The other four had better ride straight down the canyon, and goon for a bit, to find out the best place for making a stand, and as soonas it is dark we will go forward and join them. There will be nooccasion for us to hurry. I reckon the skunks will crawl up here soonafter it is dark; but they won't go much farther, for we might hide upsomewhere and they might miss us. In the morning they will come down onfoot, sheltering behind the trees as much as they can, till at last theylocate us."
The chief nodded his approval of the plan, and Tom and the three minersat once started, taking the pack-horses with them. On the way down theycame upon a bear. Ben was about to fire, but Jerry said: "Best leave himalone, Ben; we are only three miles down, and these cliffs would echothe sound and the red-skins would hear it and know that some of us hadgone down the valley, and might make a rush at once." In an hour and ahalf they came down to a spot where the valley, after widening out agood bit, suddenly terminated, and the stream entered a deep canyon inthe face of the wall of rock that closed it in.
"I reckon all this part of the valley was a lake once," Jerry said."When it got pretty well full it began to run over where this canyon isand gradually cut its way out down to the Colorado. I wonder how far itis to the river."
They had gone but a hundred yards down the canyon when they came to aplace where a recent fall of rocks blocked it up. Through these thestream, which was but a small one, made its way.
"There is a grist of water comes down here when the snow melts in thespring," Ben remarked. "You can see that the rocks are worn fifty feetup. Waal, I reckon this place is good enough for us, Jerry."
"I reckon so, too," the latter agreed. "It will be a job to get ourhorses over; but we have got to do it anyhow, if we have to carry them."The animals, however, managed to scramble up the rocks that filled thecanyon to the height of some thirty feet. The distance between the rockwalls was not more than this in width.
"We could hold this place for a year," Ben said, "if they didn't take tochucking rocks down from above."
"Yes, that is the only danger," Jerry agreed; "but the betting is theycould not get nigh enough to the edge to look down. Still, they might doit if the ground is level above; anyhow, we should not show much at thisdepth, for it is pretty dark down here, and the rocks must be seven oreight hundred feet high."
It was, indeed, but a narrow strip of sky that they saw as they lookedup, and although still broad daylight in the valley they had left, itwas almost dark at the bottom of the deep gorge, and became pitch darkas soon as the light above faded.
"The first job in the morning," Jerry said, "will be to explore thisplace down below. I expect there are places where it widens out. If itdoes, and there are trees and anything like grass, the horses can get abite of food; if not, they will mighty soon go under, that is if wedon't come upon any game, for if we don't we sha'n't be able to sparethem flour."
"It is almost a pity we did not leave them in the valley to take theirchance," Tom said.
"Don't you make any mistake," Jerry said. "In the first place they maycome in useful to us yet, and even if we never get astride of them againthey may come in mighty handy for food. I don't say as we mayn't get abear if there are openings in the canyon, or terraces where they can comedown, but if there ain't it is just horse-meat we have got to depend on.Look here, boys, it is 'tarnal dark here; I can't see my own hand. Ivote we get a light. There is a lot of drift-wood jammed in among thestones where we climbed up, that will do to start a fire, and I saw alot more just at the mouth of this gap. We know the red-skins ain't nearyet, so I vote we grope our way up and bring some down. It will be afirst-rate thing, too, to make a bit of fire half-way between here andthe mouth; that would put a stop to their crawling up, as they are likeenough to try to do, to make out whereabouts we are. Of course we shallhave to damp our own fire down if they come, else we should show up aginthe light if we went up on the rock."
The others agreed at once, for it was dull work sitting there in theblack darkness. All had matches, and a piece of dry fir was soon found.This was lighted, and served as a torch with which to climb over therocks. Jammed in between these on the upper side was a large quantity ofdrift-wood. This was pulled out, made into bundles, and carried over therock barrier, and a fire was soon blazing there. Then taking a brand andtwo axes they went up to the mouth of the gorge, cut up the arms of sometrees that had been brought down by the last floods and left there asthe water sank. The greater part of these were taken down to theircamping-place; the rest, with plenty of small wood to light them, werepiled halfway between the barrier and the mouth of the canyon, and weresoon blazing brightly.
They were returning to their camping-place, when Ben exclaimed that heheard the sound of horses' hoofs. All stopped to listen.
"There are not more than three of them," Ben said, "and they are comingalong at a canter. I don't expect we shall hear anything of thered-skins until tomorrow morning."
They heard the horses enter the canyon, then Jerry shouted: "Are you allright, Harry?"
"Yes; the red-skins were all quiet when we came away. Why, where areyou?" he shouted again when he came up to the fire.
"A hundred yards farther on I will show you a light."
Two or three blazing brands were brought up. Harry and the Indians haddismounted at the first fire, and now led their horses up to the stonebarrier.
"What on arth have you lit that other fire for, Jerry?" Harry asked ashe stopped at the foot of the barrier.
"Because we shall sleep a dog-goned sight better with it there. As likeas not they may send on two or three young warriors to scout. It is asblack as a wolf's mouth, and we might have sat listening all night, andthen should not have heard them. But with that fire there they dare notcome on, for they would know they could not pass it without getting abullet in them."
"Well, it is a very good idea, Jerry; I could not think what was up whenI got there and did not see anybody. I see you have another fire overthe other side. I could make it out clear enough as we came on."
"It will burn down a bit presently," Jerry said. "I should not try toget those horses up here now, Harry. It was a bad place to come up indaylight, and like enough they would break their legs if they tried itnow. They will do just as well there as they would on this side, and youcan get them over as soon as the day breaks."
"I would rather get them over, Jerry; but I see it is a pretty roughplace."
Leaving the horses, Harry
and the Indians climbed over the barrier, andwere soon seated with the others round their fire, over which the meatwas already frizzling.
"So the Indians kept quiet all the afternoon, Harry?"
"As quiet as is their nature. Two or three times some of them rode down,and galloped backwards and forwards in front of us to make out if wewere there. Each time we let them fool about for a good long spell, andthen when they got a bit careless sent them a ball or two to let themknow we were still there. Hunting Dog went with the three horses half amile down the valley soon after you had gone, so that they might nothear us ride off.
"As soon as it began to get dusk we started. We had to come pretty slow,for it got so dark under the trees we could not make out the trunks, andhad to let the horses pick their own way. But we knew there was nohurry, for they would not follow till morning, though of course theirscouts would creep up as soon as it was dark, and wouldn't be longbefore they found out that we had left."
"I reckon they will all come and camp in the wood and wait for daylightbefore they move, though I don't say two or three scouts may not crawldown to try and find out where we are. They will move pretty slow, forthey will have to pick their way, and will know well enough that if atwig cracks it will bring bullets among them. I reckon they won't gethere under four or five hours. It is sartin they won't try to pass thatfire above. As soon as they see us they will take word back to theothers, and we shall have the whole lot down here by morning."
"We shall have to get the horses over, the first thing. Two of us hadbest go down, as soon as it is light enough to ride without risking ournecks, to see what the canyon is like below."
"Yes, that is most important, Jerry; there may be some break where thered-skins could get down, and so catch us between two fires."
"I don't care a red cent for the Utes," Jerry said. "We can lick themout of their boots in this canyon. What we have been thinking of, iswhether there is some place where the horses can get enough to keep themalive while we are shut up here. If there is game, so much the better;if there ain't, we have got to take to horseflesh."
"How long do you suppose that the Indians are likely to wait when theyfind that they can't get at us?" Tom asked.
"There ain't no sort of saying," his uncle replied. "I reckon no oneever found out yet how long a red-skin's patience will last. Time ain'tnothing to them. They will follow up this canyon both sides till they aresartin that there ain't no place where a man can climb up. If thereain't, they will just squat in that valley. Like enough they will sendfor their lodges and squaws and fix themselves there till winter comes,and even then they might not go. They have got wood and water. Some ofthem will hunt and bring in meat, which they will dry for the winter;and they are just as likely to stay here as to go up to their villages."
A vigilant watch was kept up all night, two of them being always onguard at the top of the barrier. As soon as morning broke, the threehorses were got over, and half an hour later Harry and Sam Hicks rodeoff down the canyon, while the others took their places on guard, keepingthemselves well behind the rocks, between which they looked out. Theyhad not long to wait, for an Indian was seen to dart rapidly across themouth of the canyon. Two rifles cracked out, but the Indian's appearanceand disappearance was so sudden and quick that they had no reason tobelieve that they had hit him.
"They will know now that we are here, and are pretty wide awake," Bensaid. "You may be sure that he caught sight of these rocks."
A minute or two later several rifles flashed from among the fallenstones at the mouth of the gorge.
"Keep your eyes open," Jerry said, "and when you see the slightestmovement, fire. But don't do it unless you feel certain that you makeout a head or a limb. We've got to show the Utes that it is sartin deathto try and crawl up here."
Almost immediately afterwards a head appeared above the stones, thechief's rifle cracked, and at the same instant the head disappeared.
"Do you think you got him, chief?"
"Think so, not sure. Leaping Horse does not often miss his mark at twohundred yards."
Almost directly afterwards Tom fired. An Indian sprang to his feet andbounded away.
"What did you fire at, Tom?"
"I think it was his arm and shoulder," Tom replied. "I was not sureabout it, but I certainly saw something move."
"I fancy you must have hit him, or he would not have got up. Waal, now Ireckon we are going to have quiet for a bit. They must have had a goodlook at the place while they were lying there, and must have seen thatit air too strong for them. I don't say they mayn't come on againtonight--that they may do, but I think it air more likely they won't tryit. They would know that we should be on the watch, and with sevenrifles and Colts we should account for a grist of them afore they gotover. What do you say, chief?"
"Not come now," the Indian said positively. "Send men first along topsee if can get down. Not like come at night; the canyons of the Coloradovery bad medicine, red-skins no like come into them. If no way where wecan get up, then Utes sit down to starve us."
"That will be a longish job, chief. A horse a week will keep us forthree months."
"If no food for horse, horse die one week."
"So they will, chief. We must wait till Harry comes back, then we shallknow what our chances are."
It was six hours before Harry and Sam returned. There was a shout ofsatisfaction from the men when they saw that they had on their saddlesthe hind-quarters of a bear.
"Waal, what is the news, Harry?"
"It ain't altogether good, Ben. It goes down like this for about twelvemiles, then it widens out sudden. It gets into a crumbly rock which hasgot worn away, and there is a place maybe about fifty yards wide andhalf a mile long, with sloping sides going up a long way, and then cliffall round. The bottom is all stones; there are a few tufts of coarsegrass growing between them. On the slopes there are some bushes, and ona ledge high up we made out a bear. We had two or three shots at him,and at last brought him down. There may be more among the bushes; therewas plenty of cover for them."
"There was no place where there was a chance of getting up, Harry?"
"Nary a place. I don't say as there may not be, but we couldn't seeone."
"But the bear must have got down."
"No. He would come down here in the dry season looking for water-holes,and finding the place to his liking he must have concluded to settlethere. It is just the place a bear would choose, for he might reckonpretty confident that there weren't no chance of his being disturbed.Well, we went on beyond that, and two miles lower the canyon openedagain, and five minutes took us down on to the bank of the Colorado.There was no great room between the river and the cliff, but there weresome good-sized trees there, and plenty of bush growing up somedistance. We caught sight of another bear, but as we did not want him weleft him alone."
"Waal, let us have some b'ar-meat first of all," Jerry said. "Wefinished our meat last night, and bread don't make much of a meal, Ireckon. Anyhow we can all do with another, and after we have done wewill have a talk. We know what to expect now, and can figure it upbetter than we could before."
