The Peril Finders

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

  SADDLE NAPS.

  The start was made in the direction of the spot where the rest of thetrain was gathered together, and with all present feeling flushed withexcitement and in dread of what might happen, the rope tightened with ajerk, and then threatened to break, for there was no yielding on thepart of the kegs after they had followed for a few yards, the soundannouncing that they had caught and become wedged amongst the stones.

  In the midst of a painful silence Griggs said in rather an alteredtone--

  "Well, it's of no use to make bones about it. I shall have to go andgive 'em a clearing shove or two."

  "You'll do no such mad thing," cried the doctor angrily. "If therattlesnakes will face the darkness they must be swarming out of theirholes after this disturbance. Here, start afresh, Chris. Take themule's rein and lead him on steadily a little more to the right."

  This was done, but the kegs did not move.

  "Try to the left now, my boy."

  Chris led the animal in the required direction, but the kegs remainedfast.

  "You'll break the rope," said Griggs.

  "Then we must make fast another," replied the doctor. "We must gofarther off now, and pull at right angles."

  "You'll only get the rope cut by some of the upright stones," saidGriggs bitterly. "It's of no use, doctor. I must go back and--"

  _Bump_!

  At that moment, before the American had finished his sentence, there wasa quick movement, the tubs had yielded to the steady strain kept up bythe mule, and for the next few minutes they came on, gliding easily overthe sand, bumping and hopping over stones, against some of which theycollided in a way that threatened to knock off hoops or drive in staves,but they kept on coming till the mule reached the first of itscompanions, when the doctor called a halt.

  "Now then," he said, "lanthorn here!"

  "What are you going to do, father?" cried Chris anxiously.

  "Pass the light along the rope till I reach the tubs, to see if thereare any snakes twisted about the chain."

  "Nay, that's my job, sir," cried Griggs eagerly.

  "We'll go together," said the doctor. "Every one else stand back."

  The next minute Chris and Ned stood anxiously watching the light of thelanthorn, which was made to run along the rope and the ground till itplayed only upon the two kegs, which looked dull and indistinct by theshadowy figures which could be dimly-seen.

  "Look out, sir; there's one!" shouted Griggs out of the gloom, and thelanthorn seemed to make a sudden jump.

  So did Chris's heart at the thought of the danger to which his fathermight be exposed.

  The next moment the boy's pulsations seemed to have ceased, but only fora heavy throbbing to set in, before he gave vent to a low gasp ofrelief. For the doctor's voice came clearly to them in the gratefulword, "_Crushed_!"

  "It's all right, sir," said Griggs loudly then. "I've cut through himtwice, and he has dropped off. Haul away there and pull 'em close up."

  The order was obeyed by hand, and the kegs, illumined by the light castupon them by the lanthorn, were drawn right up to the halting-place.

  "Don't cheer, boys," said the doctor, anticipating a shout. "Here,Griggs," he continued, "let's have a little sand over the chain whereyou cut that horrible reptile away."

  "Hold the light a little lower, sir," said the American. "It's allright," he added the next minute, after the light had played over theconnecting-links of the two kegs. "Sand's cleared it all away as theycame. They're as clean as can be. I can't see anything on the rope orhook either."

  "Was there one on it?" asked Chris eagerly.

  "Yes, a big 'un," replied Griggs. "He'd tied himself in a tight knotclose round the hook and the chain."

  "It must have been that he was crushed when the kegs were first moved,"said the doctor.

  "Nay, sir; I fancy that it was when I hooked the chain. I fancy I musthave caught him fast and dragged him close up."

  "And then, in resentment," said the doctor, "the beast twined itself uptightly;--just like an eel on a night-line, boys," he added.

  "Did you cut it away, Griggs?" asked Chris.

  "Yes. I just slipped the point of my knife in between two of his coilstwice over, gave a sharp push, and he dropped down wriggling at once."

  "Did you see many more?" asked Ned.

  "Nary one, my lad."

  "A bucket here," said the doctor. "Let's run out a pannikin from onekeg for each of the mustangs."

  "Won't want a bucket then, sir."

  "Nonsense, man! We can't give the mustangs their drop out of a tin. Iwant it poured into the bottom of the bucket so that each can suck it upto the last drop."

  "I see, sir," cried Griggs, and as the tompion-like stop was unscrewedfrom the bung-hole of a keg, a shallow iron bucket was cast loose fromone of the mule's loads, the noise in the darkness nearly driving thewhole team frantic, connecting the rattle of the handle as they did withwater.

  But they were kept back while the mustangs each took their tinyportions, uttering a piteous remonstrance-like sigh as the bucket waswithdrawn again from its muzzle; and this done, the mules had theirturn, two of them proving outrageous after getting their taste of water,Skeeter, as Griggs called him, seizing the edge of the bucket with histeeth and holding on till a sharp crack on the flank made him let go.

  "Poor brutes!" said Ned's father. "It seems very hard upon them. Sucha tiny drop each."

  "Yes," replied the doctor, "but a score of these tiny drops make a holein the contents of the keg. There, I don't think we have beenunmerciful to our beasts. They have had the first turn. It is oursnow."

  The animals were driven back, and after the first keg had been ascarefully closed up as if its contents were fine gold-dust, the secondwas opened, and a tin mug filled by the doctor, Wilton holding thelittle cask.

  "Now, Ned, you're the youngest," cried the doctor.

  "Oh, you have some first, sir," said the boy.

  "Tip it up," cried the doctor fiercely. "My good lad, you don't knowwhat agony it is to practise self-denial and etiquette at a time likethis."

  The doctor spoke so fiercely that his words, combined with the intensethirst from which he suffered, made the boy raise the cup to his lips,to feel a thrill of delight as the lukewarm water trickled down hisparched throat.

  The next moment, thanks to his father's teaching, he literally draggedthe cup from his lips and thrust it in the face of Chris, who waslooking at him by the lanthorn light, feeling in agony, and as if hiseyes were starting out of his head.

  "No, no!" he panted.

  "Drink!" yelled Ned savagely.

  "Yes, drink, boy!" cried the doctor. "Quick!"

  The doubling of the emphatic command made Chris obey, and he too sighedbitterly as he drained the last drop from the half-filled mug and passedit back.

  "Quick, no more ceremony," cried the doctor, "or I shall be ready toforget myself, for I'm half mad with thirst. Fill up, Wilton. Now,Bourne, drink."

  "No, no; you first."

  "Drink!" roared the doctor, in a tone which startled his son, andwithout another word Ned's father half emptied the mug and handed it toWilton, who hurriedly drained it, and began to fill it once more.

  "My turn to order now," he cried, holding it to the doctor. "We've allhad a taste now, Lee; you drink all that."

  Griggs did not move a muscle, but stood firm, holding the lanthorn now;but he gave a side glance at the glistening cup as the doctor drank,suffering agony the while, but only to heave a sigh of thankfulness onseeing that his leader only swallowed half and then passed him theremainder.

  "I thought dad wouldn't forget him," whispered Chris to Ned, and perhapsit might have been only a couple of drops of the water that had gone thewrong way, but certainly something like a couple of tears glistened fora few moments in Chris's eyes.

  "Thank ye, doctor," said Griggs hoarsely, and the next moment there wasa sound like _glug_--_glug_!! and the tin mug w
as empty.

  "Must have another drink round; eh, doctor?" said Wilton.

  "Drink?" was the reply. "Well, yes; fill up. We must find waterto-morrow."

  Half a cupful was passed to each then, swallowed with avidity, and thenWilton sighed as he helped to secure the tompion in its place.

  "Now," cried the doctor, "we all want to lie down and rest, but I'm surewe should none of us sleep for thinking of water. The night is fairlyclear, and I feel that I can guide you up the rising ground, so Ipropose that we go on at once."

  "Yes, yes," cried Bourne; "on at any cost, to get away from thishorrible nest of reptiles."

  "But suppose we go blundering on among them," cried Wilton. "What doyou say, Griggs?"

  "I say let's get on, sir, for if we stop here we shall be getting nonearer water, and we shall be having the snakes coming to see where weare for killing that last one of their friends."

  To get away from the horrors that haunted the spot was the great desireof all, and with the doctor and Griggs leading, the first a little inadvance, and bearing the light, so as to avoid the blocks of stoneprojecting from the sand, the little party went slowly on hour afterhour, ready to stop again and again to throw themselves down and rest.But no one dared to do so lest the jar given to the earth should sendsome of the poisonous reptiles to the surface in search of the enemythat had intruded upon the solitude which they seemed from their numbersto have marked down for their own domain.

  The greater part of that night seemed to the two boys like a feverishdream, during which they had been compelled by some strange force tokeep plodding on through horrors unspeakable, and tortured by a thirstthat was maddening.

  At times, where the stones lay thick, hardly a word was spoken, but nowand again Chris would begin questioning his companion loudly, eager toobtain his opinion as to whether he did not think it must be nearlymorning.

  But Ned's answers were not encouraging. There was no romance in them;they were too near the truth to suit Chris, and he liked them the lessbecause at heart he felt that they must be correct and his own hopes toosanguine. But all the same he clung to his own ideas--they were sotempting. They were that with daylight they should have reached the endof the wild desert, and that from high up on some sunlit slope theywould be gazing down into a broad green valley--some natural paradisethrough which flowed a rippling stream.

  He described his notions to Ned, who seemed to be listening attentivelyin the darkness, and now and then said "Oh," or "Ah, yes;" but all thetime he was clinging involuntarily to his saddle, his head noddingforward again and again, only to be brought back to the perpendicularwith a jerk, while Chris was too drowsy himself to notice it, as he wentmuttering on.

  "It won't be the place where the gold city and temple are, Ned," hesaid; "but it will be just the spot where we can rest for a few days."

  "Ah!" said Ned.

  "There'll be fish in that river, you know," said Chris--"salmon thathave come up out of the Pacific; and we can spear them after we've drunkall we want, and bathed till we've soaked all this horrible dryness outof our skins. All along by the river too there'll be park-likemeadows--meadows--green meadows. Do you hear?" Ned grunted.

  "And in those park-like prairie places there are sure to be droves ofbuffalo. Beef--do you hear?--beef!"

  Chris's head bowed down as if he were going to lay his forehead upon hismustang's neck; but the thought of roast beef woke him up again, and heclung a little more tightly with his knees and kept on with hismuttering.

  "I say, don't go to sleep, Ned," he said, as he saw his companion followhis own example and bow low. "I feel as sure as sure that's the sort ofplace we shall come to. There'll be great spreading fir-trees too, suchas Griggs talked about seeing up north in the Rockies--trees with boughsthat will keep off the sun and rain, eh?"

  "Ah!" grunted Ned.

  "It will be just the place that we want, to give the horses and mules agood long rest for a few days, to feed up well on good pasture while weshoot, and amuse ourselves, and kill buffalo, and eat hot roast beef--hot roast beef. And drink beautiful, clear, cold water--and you can liedown upon your chest with your face over the running stream, and drinkas long as you like of the clear, cold, sparkling water--sparklingwater--sparkling water--sparkling--wa--"

  "Ah!" said Ned.

  "Come, boys; come, boys!" said a familiar voice out of the darkness.

  "Sparkling water," repeated Chris drowsily. "Much as you like, MrBourne."

  "To be sure, my boy," said the owner of the name, laying one hand uponChris's shoulder, the other upon Ned's, but with no effect whatever saveto make them both seem to roll in their saddles as he forced his horsein between them. "Sit up; come, or you'll be falling out of the saddle.Very sleepy, Ned?"

  "Ah!" grunted the boy.

  "Poor fellow!" said Bourne, with a sigh. Then aloud--"Can't you keepawake, Chris?"

  "Spear fish--salmon--sparkling water," sighed the boy, bowing very lowthis time.

  "Come, try and wake up, my lad; we're getting on higher ground, and it'snot so rocky here. As soon as day begins to break we shall come to ahalt, and rest for a few hours--that is, if we can be sure that thereare no rattlesnakes near."

  "Eh? Snakes?" said Chris, sitting very upright now, and gazing in theface of Ned's father. "Yes, snakes. Made the water taste snaky.Horrid! Dries up your tongue. Tasted snaky."

  "Mine didn't," said Bourne. "I thought it was the sweetest drop I evertasted in my life. Come, come, Ned; do you want me to hold you on yourpony? Keep up a little longer, boy."

  "Ah!" grunted Ned, straightening himself and feeling about for thereins, which had escaped his hand, not that any guidance was wanted, theintelligent beast following the fight of the lanthorn, clearly seenmoving ahead as Griggs' mustang plodded on.

  "Why, you're asleep, Ned."

  "No, father," answered the boy, telling a most brazen falsehood, for themoment before he was breathing so hard that the sounds were firstcousins to heavy snores.

  "That's right, then. We've had a long weary ride to-day, but we'regoing up-hill now and the air's growing cooler. We must be leaving thesandy plains behind."

  "Yes, leave behind. Won't fall off," muttered Ned, who was sinking fastinto a state of stupor.

  And all the while from ahead, close by the moving lanthorn, came themusical _cling, cling, cling, cling_ of the mules' bell, with the lowmuttering sound made by the doctor and Griggs as they entered into aconversation about the state of the country into which they werepenetrating.

  "Poor fellows!" said Bourne half-aloud. "I can do nothing to keep themawake. Perhaps they will not fall off, after all."

  It was growing darker, but he noted that the mustangs seemed to regulatetheir movements to those of their riders, and in nowise altered theirsteady walk when one or the other lurched and made a spasmodic effort torecover himself.

  Then Bourne sighed and looked right ahead at the dull star of thelanthorn in front, some of whose rays fell from time to time upon themoving pack carried by one of the mules. From that he turned his eyesupward to the glorious stars, whose rays gave just sufficient light toenable the line of animals to avoid any obstacle in the way, though thatwas seldom, for Skeeter plodded steadily along with his bell, and themules which followed almost planted their hoofs, elephant-fashion, inthe prints made by those which had gone before.

  "What a long, long, weary night!" sighed Bourne at last. "Will themorning never come?"

  "Who's that?"--a sharp voice from close behind.

  "I. Anything the matter, Wilton?"

  "Yes; I nearly fell off my nag just now, to be left behind."

  "You mustn't do that. 'Ware snakes."

  "Oh, don't mention them," came with a shudder. "But thank goodness!"

  "By all means; but for what in particular now?"

  "You gave me such a fright."

  "I did? How? I've been here with the boys for the last quarter of anhour."

  "The boys? Where are they?"<
br />
  "Here, one each side."

  "Oh! I thought those were mules with packs. Do you hear, lads?"

  There was no reply.

  "What's the matter with them? Tired and sulky?"

  "Tired? Yes! Sulky? No. They're both fast asleep."

  "Poor fellows! No wonder. So was I just now."

  "But you said I gave you a fright. I did nothing. What was it?"

  "I was fast asleep, I tell you, holding on I suppose by my knees, when Iwoke up and found that you were not by my side."

  "But I told you I was going to ride on and see how the boys were gettingon."

  "Did you? I didn't hear a word. I must have been sound."

  "But you answered me, and said, `All right.'"

  "Very likely, but it was in my sleep. When I woke up, though, and foundyou were not with me, it was a regular shock, for I thought you musthave fallen off and be lying somewhere in the darkness and your nagbeside you. The sensation was horrible, for in my stupid sleepy state Ifelt that we might never find you again."

  "How horrible!"

  "It was, I can tell you. It roused me up a bit, and I had common-senseenough left in the midst of my scare to push on first and make sure.You can't think what a feeling of relief it gave me when you answered.I say, it would be awful if either of us were lost."

  "Awful indeed," said Bourne, with a sigh. "We're on a wild chase,Wilton."

  "We are; but we're in for it, and we must carry it through."

  "I suppose so; but one night like this is enough. I say, will it everbe morning?"

  There was no reply, and they went on for a few minutes in silence, andthen there was a sudden check.

  "What's wrong now?" said Wilton sharply.

  "Anything the matter, Lee?" cried Bourne, for the mules seemed to havecome to a sudden stop, just as if all had been moved by one impulsecommunicated to them by their leader.

  "I don't know yet, and I'm obliged to be very cautious."

  "Strikes me that we've been coming up and up for the last hour, sir,"said Griggs, "and that we're now just at the edge of a canon with a dropdown to nowhere just ahead. Skeeter came to a stop all at once."

  "I'll get down and see what I can make out with the lanthorn."

  "Wait a minute, sir, while I get a rope uncoiled. You shall have itfast round you and the other end to my saddle. These places go straightdown sometimes hundreds of feet to a river. Listen! Can you hearwater?"

  There was silence for a few moments before the doctor said--

  "No."

  "Too deep down perhaps, sir."

  "Well, I can soon see if I go cautiously, and you let the rope passslowly through your hands. But try first if the bell-mule will take astep or two in advance."

  "Not he, sir. I can see; he's got his legs all spread-out like amilking-stool."

  The doctor was off his horse, and the next minute he was advancingslowly, with the lanthorn held near the ground.

  "There's nothing here that need have stopped him, but--Oh, what ablessing!"

  "What is, sir?"

  "Here's short grass, and the mules cropping it."

  "Then there's no canon, sir," said Griggs sharply. "The poor brutes areall dead beat; they've come to something that they can nibble, andthey've struck work. The ponies are at it too. It's as good as sayingthat they won't stir another peg till daylight, if they will then."

  "Why, two of the mules have regularly squatted down, with their loadstouching the ground," said the doctor, holding up the lanthorn.

  "Yes, it's all right, sir," cried Griggs. "There's no canon, but levelground all about, I'll be bound. They've called a halt without beingtold, so we must do the same."

  "But here, with those horrible snakes about?" cried Bourne.

  "None here, sir," said Griggs. "If there were one it would have beensmelt out by this time, and the poor beasts wouldn't have been so quiet.Oh, we're right for a time, sir; and, I say, hadn't we better followthe beasts' example and find a bit of something to eat?"

  "And drink?" said Wilton.

  "Nay, eating will make our mouths turn a bit moist; we've no business totouch any more of that water till we know where the next is to comefrom. Let's chance it, sir, and relieve the poor brutes of theirpacks."

  "Very well," said the doctor, "but I don't like halting without knowingour ground. You know my rules that I laid down."

  "No rule without an exception," said Wilton drowsily. "This is one. Idon't want anything to eat, but if I die for it I must sleep."

  "Well, I'll do the best I can to keep watch with the lanthorn," said thedoctor; "but some one must relieve me soon."

  "Put the light out, sir," said Griggs. "There's morning coming yonder.It's of no use, sir. We must chance everything and sleep. I can't keepawake any more."

  "Let's have the packs off, then. By the way, where are the boys?"

  "Here are their ponies," replied Bourne, peering about in the darkness."Tut, tut, tut! Here they are upon the ground, fast asleep too. Here,Ned--Chris! Wake up, my lads; you can't lie there."

  Ned's father was never more away from the truth in an assertion. Infact, he was quite wrong, for the two boys were proving that they couldlie there, and were sleeping heavily, careless of snakes, and ponies' ormules' hoofs, careless of everything but obeying the stern dictates of amonitor who bade them sleep and make up for lost time.

  Hunger and thirst did not exist to them then, nor did they to any othermember of the expedition, for when day came brightly, not very longafter, it was to look down upon the strange group of horses, mules,packs, and men, lying anyhow upon a wide down-like place covered withthin, short, crisp grass, which the animals were browsing uponcontentedly enough.

  Fortunately for the party there was no sign of danger far or near--nothing but rolling down for a few miles, and beyond that mountainstowering up towards the clouds, looking clear and distinct in the pearlygrey of morning, and apparently close at hand, though some sixty orseventy miles away.