Gold

by Stewart Edward White

  CHAPTER XXXI

  THE EXPRESS MESSENGER

  We slept late the following morning, and awoke tired, as though we hadbeen on a long journey.

  "Now," said Johnny, when our after-breakfast pipes had been lit, "we'vegot to get together. There's two serious questions before the house: thefirst and most important is, who and what is Danny Randall?"

  "I agree with you there," said I heartily.

  "And the second is, what are we going to do with ourselves?"

  "I'm going to begin mining," I stated.

  "All right, old strong-arm; I am not. I'm dead sick of cricking my backand blistering my hands. It isn't my kind of work; and the only reason Iever thought it was is because the stuff we dig is called gold."

  "You aren't going to lie down?" I cried incredulously.

  "No, old sport, I'm not going to lie down. I came out here to make myfortune; but I don't know that I've got to dig gold to do that."

  "What are you going to do?"

  "That I don't know," confessed Johnny, "but I'll be able to inform youin a few days. I suppose you'll be going back to the Porcupine?"

  "I don't know about that," said I seriously. "I don't believe thePorcupine is any richer than these diggings, and it's mighty uncertain.I believe a man's more apt to keep what he gets here, and there's a lotmore company, and----"

  "In other words, you're going to stick around old Yank or know thereason why!" interrupted Johnny with a little smile.

  I flushed, hesitated, then blurted out: "Well, yes. I shouldn't be easyabout him here by himself. It strikes me this is a tough camp, andalmost anything's likely to happen."

  "I feel the same way," confessed Johnny. "We're all partners. All right;'stick' it is. We'll have to be mighty plausible to keep Yank quiet.That's agreed," he grinned. "Now I'm going up to town to find out aboutDanny Randall, and incidentally to look around for something to do.You're a good steady liar; you go over and talk to Yank."

  We separated until noon. I had no great difficulty with Yank, eitherbecause I was, as Johnny said, a plausible liar, or because Yank wassecretly glad to have us near. After visiting with him a while I tookthe axe and set about the construction of a cradle. Johnny returned neartwelve o'clock to find me at this useful occupation.

  "As to Danny Randall," he began at once, squatting near by: "Origin lostin mists of obscurity. First known in this country as guide to a partyof overland immigrants before the gold discovery. One of the originalBear Flag revolutionists. Member of Fremont's raiders in the south.Showed up again at Sonoma and headed a dozen forays after thehorse-thieving Indians and half-breeds in the San Joaquin. Seems now tofollow the mines. Guaranteed the best shot with rifle or pistol in thestate. Guaranteed the best courage and the quietest manners in thestate. Very eminent and square in his profession. That's his entirehistory."

  "What is his profession?" I asked.

  "He runs the Bella Union."

  "A gambler?" I cried, astonished.

  "Just so--a square gambler."

  I digested this in silence for a moment.

  "Did you discover anything for yourself?" I asked at last.

  "Best job ever invented," said Johnny triumphantly, "at three ounces aday; and I can't beat that at your beastly digging."

  "Yes?" I urged.

  "I invented it myself, too," went on Johnny proudly. "You remember whatRandall--or the doctor--said about the robberies, and the bodies of thedrowned men floating? Well, every man carries his dust around in a beltbecause he dare not do anything else with it. I do myself, and so doyou; and you'll agree that it weighs like the mischief. So I went toRandall and I suggested that we start an express service to get thestuff out to bank with some good firm in San Francisco. He fell in withthe idea in a minute. My first notion was that we take it right throughto San Francisco ourselves; but he says he can make satisfactoryarrangements to send it in from Sacramento. That's about sixty miles;and we'll call it a day's hard ride through this country, with a changeof horses. So now I'm what you might call an express messenger--at threegood ounces a day."

  "But you'll be killed and robbed!" I cried.

  Johnny's eyes were dancing.

  "Think of the fun!" said he.

  "You're a rotten shot," I reminded him.

  "I'm to practise, under Danny Randall, from now until the first trip."

  "When is that?"

  "Do you think we'll advertise the date? Of course I'd tell you, Jim; buthonestly I don't know yet."

  Since the matter seemed settled, and Johnny delighted, I said no more.My cradle occupied me for three days longer. In that length of timeJohnny banged away an immense quantity of ammunition, much of it underthe personal supervision of Danny Randall. The latter had his own ideasas to the proper practice. He utterly refused to let Johnny shoot at asmall mark or linger on his aim.

  "It's only fairly accurate work you want, but quick," said he. "If youpractise always getting hold of your revolver the same way, and squeezethe trigger instead of jerking it, you'll do. If you run against robbersit isn't going to be any target match."

  When my cradle was finished, I went prospecting with a pan; and sincethis was that golden year 1849, and the diggings were neither crowdednor worked out, I soon found 'colour.' There I dragged my cradle, andset quite happily to work. Since I performed all my own labour, theprocess seemed slow to me after the quick results of trainedcooperation; yet my cleanings at night averaged more than my share usedto be under the partnership. So I fell into settled work, well content.A week later Johnny rode up on a spirited and beautiful horse, proud ascould be over his mount.

  He confided to me that it was one of the express horses; that the firsttrip would be very soon; and that if I desired to send out my ownsavings, I could do so. I was glad to do this, even though the rateswere high; and we easily persuaded Yank of the advisability. Nobodyanticipated any danger from this first trip, for the simple reason thatfew knew anything about it. Randall and his friends made up the amountthat could be carried by the three men. For the first time I learnedthat Johnny had companions. They started from our own tent, a littleafter sundown. Indeed, they ate their supper with us, while theirbeautiful horses, head high, stared out into the growing darkness. Oneof the express riders was a slight, dark youth whom I had never seenbefore. In the other I was surprised to recognize Old Hickory Pine. Hetold me his people had "squatted" not far from Sacramento, but that hehad come up into the hills on summons by Danny Randall. The factimpressed me anew as to Randall's wide knowledge, for the Pines had notbeen long in the country.

  The trip went through without incident. Johnny returned four days lateraglow with the joy of that adventurous ride through the dark. Robbersaside, I acknowledge I should not have liked that job. I am no horseman,and I confess that at full speed I am always uneasy as to how afour-hoofed animal is going successfully to plant all four of them. Andthese three boys, for they were nothing else, had to gallop the thirtymiles of the road to Sacramento that lay in the mountains before dawncaught them in the defiles.

  Johnny seemed to glory in it, however. Danny Randall had arranged for achange of horses; and the three express riders liked to dash up at fullspeed to the relay station, fling themselves and their treasure bagsfrom one beast to the other, and be off again with the least possibleexpenditure of time. The incoming animal had hardly come to a standbefore the fresh animal was off. There could have been no real occasionfor quite so much haste; but they liked to do it. The trips were made atirregular intervals; and the riders left camp at odd times. Indeed, nohour of the twenty-four was unlikely to be that of their start. Each boycarried fifty pounds of gold dust distributed in four pouches. This wasa heavy weight, but it was compensated for to some extent by the factthat they rode very light saddles. Thus every trip the enormous sum ofthirty-five thousand dollars went out in charge of the three.

  The first half dozen journeys were more or less secret, so that theexpress service did not become known to the general public. Then thenews inevitably l
eaked out. Danny Randall thereupon openly receivedshipments and gave receipts at the Bella Union. It seemed to me only amatter of time before the express messengers should be waylaid, for thetreasure they carried was worth any one's while. I spoke to Randallabout it one day.

  "If Amijo or Murietta or Dick Temple were in this part of the country,I'd agree with you," said he seriously, "but they are not, and there'snobody in this lot of cheap desperadoes around here that has the nerve.Those three boys have a big reputation as fighters; their horses aregood; they constantly vary their route and their times of starting; andJohnny in especial has a foxy head on him."

  "The weak point is the place they change horses," said I.

  Randall looked at me quickly, as though surprised.

  "Why, that's true," said he; "not a doubt of it. But I've got five armedmen there to look after just that. And another thing you must remember:they know that Danny Randall is running this show."

  Certainly, thought I, Danny at least appreciates himself; and yet, afterall, I do not think he in any way exaggerated the terror his nameinspired.