\ CALIF. LIBRARY, LOS WZEIX8 THE LOST RIVER BY EDWARD S. ELLIS Author of " River and Forest,'' " Bear Cavern, " The Daughter of the Chieftain," etc., etc. WITH FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS BY GORDON BROWNE Chicago M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY Made in U. S. A. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. FACING NORTHWARD .... PAGE 9 CHAPTER II. A FIND ....... 18 CHAPTER III. STRANGERS ... . 27 CHAPTER IV. MISSING 36 CHAPTER V. THE SIGNAL FIRE ..... 45 CHAPTER VI. A CLUB 55 CHAPTER VII. AN UNEXPECTED PLUNGE .... 63 CHAPTER VIII. A FAITHFUL FRIEND .... 72 CHAPTER IX. THE UPPER LEVEL ..... 81 CHAPTER X. AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY 89 CHAPTER XI. Two NATIVE EXPLORERS .... 98 CHAPTER XII. THE GOLDEN CAVE ..... 107 CHAPTER XIII. A SERIOUS PROBLEM .... 115 CHAPTER XIV. SHIFTING THE DEPOSITS .... 124 CHAPTER XV. "COME BACK!" 134 CHAPTER XVI. THE RETURN ...... 141 CHAPTER XVII. CONCLUSION . . ... 148 2129839 THE LOST RIVER CHAPTER I FACING NORTHWARD THE Santa Lucia Mountains are on the western coast of California, close to the ocean, in what is now Monterey County. From the northernmost point to San Francisco the distance is something more than a hundred miles. To-day the region contains many towns and settlements, while an important railway line runs through the whole county to the eastward of the range ; but the incidents I have set out to tell you occurred a half-century or more ago, when the whole region con- tained only a few mission stations, with ranches or large farms at different points, upon which most of the inhabitants were Mexicans, for, as you know, the whole country belonged to Mexico until it was ceded to the United States by the terms of the Peace of 1848. Dennis Murphy, an Irishman, and Tim Crowell, a boy of about thirteen, and his dog Tige, were wrecked off the coast in the steamer Golden Gate while on the way from the port of Panama to San Francisco. The other passengers were taken away by another steamer, io THE LOST RIVER. which came along soon after; but Dennis and Tim, having strayed some way into the interior, were left behind to get out of the solitude as best they could. While wandering among the mountains they met a veteran miner Jarvis Metcalf who had gone thither to look for a rich deposit of gold. That which led him to make this venture was a paper given to him by an old friend, named Covington, just before he died, which paper contained the drawing of three mountain peaks, with a short, winding stream at the base. Could these landmarks be found, there would be no trouble in locating the spot where the treasure was said to exist. The doubt in the whole matter lay in the fact that the miner who made the drawing and wrote out the directions had been clouded in his mind most of the time, and it was probable that the whole thing was a freak of his twisted brain. Be that as it may, the three friends made diligent search for more than a week without gaining a glimpse of the locality which was so clearly fixed in the memory of each that no need remained for the drawing and directions. It was agreed among them that when they came together again after the failure they should abandon the search and leave the country. We therefore meet them when the two men were ready to carry out the agreement, and go northward to San Francisco and the "diggings." It was at the close of one of those soft; balmy days which continue for weeks and months in Cali- fornia that the two men sat on the broad, flat rock outside the cavern, talking over the important ques- FACING NORTHWARD. 11 tion, while the boy Tim was frolicking with Tige a short distance away The genial Dennis was in his usual buoyant spirits, and was cheerful over the prospect of soon meeting Mr Crowell, his employer, and joining him in digging for gold where there was no doubt it existed. "Here's where I stop, as Mickey Sweeney said whin he walked up aginst the side of his house on a dark night," remarked the Irishman. "It's a big dis- app'intment, Metcalf, to yersilf, but it doesn't mane that ye are not to make yer fortune befoore ye lave this part of the world." "I am used to disappointment," replied his com- panion, "but I own that this is one of the most bitter of my life. While I no longer doubt that poor. Cov- ington was under a delusion, yet we have the proof that there is gold in these mountains." ''What might be that same proof?" "Those nuggets that you and Tim found in the streams ; it isn't likely they are the only deposits in this part of California." "It's little I know about such things, as me nephew said, whin he was asked to spell his own name, but my idaa is that there isn't much more in these parts; but while we push north we'll kape up the hunt." This brought up the question as to the best means of travelling the distance necessary to reach San Francisco. Ordinarily there would not have been any question, for, although they had no mules or ia THE LOST RIVER. pack-horses, they would tramp through the wild re- gion, just as Metcalf and Covington had done. It was hard work, but that could not be avoided, for miners soon got used to it, and the prospect did not disturb 'them. The wreck of the Golden Gate, how- ever, brought Mr. Crowell, the father of Tim, into the matter. Whether or not he had received the letter sent from his eastern home before the man and boy left, he was expecting their coming, since he had pre- viously directed them to join him. It seemed more than likely that he would come down from the dig- gings to San Francisco to meet them, since they would need his guidance in order to reach the simple home he had provided. Admitting that he could not have known that they would sail on the Golden Gate, he must have guessed pretty nearly the time when they were due at the port. The news of the loss of the steamer, including a considerable number of passengers, would cause excitement and enquiries that must bring out all the facts. Sooner or later Mr. Crowell would learn how Dennis Murphy and Tim had been left on the coast. What, then, was he most likely to do ? The run from the scene of the wreck to San Francisco could be made in ten or twelve hours, so that the tidings had reached the city long before. Had there been a score or more of passengers "marooned," a vessel would have been sent to bring them off; but if a rescue was to be made of a single man and boy, in whom only one miner was interested, such rescue would have to be attempted by that miner himself. FACING NORTHWARD. 13 The steamer going south to meet the passengers from the other side of the Isthmus might be instructed to look out for the couple; but it was likely to pass the point in the night, and it was not probable the captain would give himself much concern for two persons. It was the presence of Tim which made the real difficulty. Had Dennis alone been abandoned, he would have been left to take care of himself as best he could ; but a parent in the situation of Mr. Crowell must feel great anxiety. He would have learned that when the two went ashore neither had any firearms, and he knew that Dennis was ignorant of their use. In such circumstances the tramp northward, mostly through the mountains, must prove dangerous to both, unless they should take refuge at some of the mis- sions or ranches scattered throughout the region. You will see, therefore, how it was that the two men, sitting in front of the cavern home as night closed in, speculated and guessed over the right thing to do without being sure that they had decided upon it. Their decision may be summed up in the words of the miner : ''We are in plain sight of the Pacific. To-mor- row we'll climb to one of the highest points near us and learn the outlook. If your employer has come down with a ship to look for you, he arrived several days ago." "And by the same token may have grown weary and gone back." "That isn't likely, when he is searching for his only child. Not seeing you on the shore, he will 14 THE LOST RIVER. cruise up and down, not knowing the exact spot where the Golden Gate went down. He may land and set out to hunt you up. If we see nothing of any sail, it will be safe to believe he has decided to wait in San Francisco for you to come to him." On the morrow, therefore, after their morning meal, all three spent an hour in climbing an elevation that rose several hundred feet above that of their cavern home. There they scrutinised every part of the ocean that lay in their field of vision. They could see even the snowy foam on the beach as the long, heavy swell rolled up the shingle or dashed against the bluffs ; but the shimmering expanse which stretched away until the dividing line between it and the sky could not be traced showed no steamer with its trail of vapour streaming along the sky, nor cloud- like sail of vessel in the distance. That mighty ex- panse looked as it must have looked to Balboa, nearly four centuries before, when he climbed the peaks of Darien and peered over the sweep of the South Sea, for there was not the sign of life visible anywhere. You who are accustomed to looking upon the Atlantic, with its myriad shipping, without failing to see more or less sail, in whatever direction you turn your eyes, may not have thought how different it is on the Pacific, the mightiest ocean of the globe. I have heard navigators say that leaving San Francisco they have crossed almost the entire ocean without once seeing a single sail. This being the case to-day, you can understand how lonely that sheet of water must have been throughout most of its ex- FACING NORTHWARD. 15 tent a half-century ago. Inasmuch, however, as steamers and vessels made many voyages to and from San Francisco during the gold excitement, there was reason to look for a chance of being taken off from almost any point of the coast south of the port. But, as I have said, not the first glimmer of a sail caught their eyes, and Dennis and Metcalf agreed that the right plan was to push northward without any thought of being rescued by a friendly ship or steamer. Accordingly, they descended from the elevation and prepared for their long tramp. Now it must be borne in mind that our friends had many small matters which could not be neglected. The only luggage they carried beside their guns and two blankets consisted of a few articles, such as combs and toothbrushes, that took up little room in their pockets. Dennis and Tim were provided each with a new and good suit of clothes, but in their hasty leaving of the sinking steamer they brought no underclothing with them. The garments of Metcalf were worn and shabby, but would answer for a long time to come. Cleanliness demanded that all should give attention to the clothes worn next to the body, as in truth they ought to have been looked after before. So it was agreed that these should be washed as thoroughly as was possible without the aid of soap. The party made their way to the side of the small lake or pond which had furnished them with fish, stripped off, and did their duty. When the garments were spread on the ground and rocks to dry in the sun, it would have been a waste of time to sit around 16 THE LOST RIVER. in their blankets and outer clothing, and all three plunged into the water for a swim. Naturally Tim was the first. Making sure that the water was deep, he took a running leap, and as he splashed into the lake went down out of sight, his head quickly re- appearing. As he came up he emitted such a yell as only a boy is capable of, and scrambled frantically for shore. Tige, who was watching, sprang in after him and seized him by the hair of his head. "What's the matter wid ye?" called Dennis, who stood with Metcalf by the edge, both laughing, for they knew what the trouble was. "It's cold enough to freeze me to death," was the gasping reply, while the youngster was trying to fight off Tige, who would not let go. "I think I obsarve icicles hanging from yer nose; but what's the odds, as Tim O'Shaughnessy said whin he fell down the cellar, thinking he was going upstairs? Ye have no sporting blood in ye, if ye mind a thing like that." But Tim was no sooner ashore than he shook off Tige, or, rather, the latter released him, and the next minute all three and the dog were frolicking in the water, which certainly was very cold. When their bodies became accustomed to it, however, they en- joyed themselves to their heart's content. After they had had a surfeit, they perched themselves along shore, wrapped in their other clothing and blankets, and patiently waited until the sun had dried all the moisture from their underclothing. Then they were FACING NORTHWARD. 17 ready to resume the northward journey, that was to be attended by an experience of which not one of them dreamed. CHAPTER II A FIND OUR three friends journeyed about a mile almost due north, keeping to the line of the Santa Lucia range, which, as you know, runs parallel to the coast. It was the intention of Metcalf to follow this course for some forty miles or so until they reached the bay which indents the shore above the present town of Salinas. By that time they would have passed one- third of the distance to San Francisco, whence their route must be shaped according to circumstances. It was yet comparatively early in the day, with the same clear, balmy sky overhead and a cool, pleasant breeze blowing gently inward from the Pacific. They did not burden themselves with any- thing in the nature of food, for their purpose was to live off the country. If they failed to bring down any game they had their fishing lines at command, and neither of the men felt any misgiving over the ques- tion of supplies. It will be remembered that the one now acting as guide was a veteran miner who had learned to "rough it" long before. The first halt was made upon reaching one of the small, sparkling mountain streams with which the region abounded. Metcalf could not forget one fact: 18 A FIND. 19 gold had been found in the Santa Lucia, and, though they might dismiss the fancy of the one who had not always been in his right mind, the proof already dis- covered warranted them in searching, as they ad- vanced, for the precious deposits. Their progress would therefore be slow, and weeks were sure to pass before arriving at the rude, primitive town which forms the present metropolis of California. "We may as well have a look here," said the miner, when the three stood side by side on the rocky shore of the little stream, with Tige gazing up in their faces, as if awaiting some such declaration. "I will follow the brook towards the coast, while you two and the dog go up-stream." "For how far?" asked Dennis. "As far as you choose. We are likely to be within call all the time, and if anyone discovers anything he can fall back on his voice, for it's best to save the am- munition till there is need to use it It must be said that, although the miner had given up his purpose of groping through the mountains for the landmarks shown on the paper which he still carried in his pocket, he was not wholly without hope. The matter was continually in his mind, and there were times when he felt misgivings as to the wisdom of his abandonment of the scheme. He recalled that Covington's brain was perfectly clear when he handed him the document, and beyond doubt it had been clear during most, if not all, the weeks he spent in the Santa Lucia range. Had his project been a freak of the imagination, he ought to have been sensible of it when 20 THE LOST RIVER. the mental clouds disappeared. However, Metcalf had given his word to Dennis Murphy, who he could see was anxious to press on to meet his old friend and employer. The decision of the miner, therefore, was not to mention his doubts to his companion, but to keep steadily ahead, and, in the meantime, hunt not for that which led the others to turn aside, but for the guide marks that, if found, would point the way to a fortune. If these guide marks existed, it was plain that they had not been searched for in the right locality. It might be that they lay to the north of the spot where he had made his home for several weeks, and that they might still be found. When, therefore, the miner saw himself once more alone, standing on the side of the small stream, he came to a pause and scanned every portion of the field within his visual range. To his right stretched the range of precipitous peaks, broken by gullies, ravines, valleys, depressions, and elevations, all so piled and jumbled together that no pack animal would have been able to thread his way among them. To the left, the face of the country was much the same, but far beyond he could catch glimpses of the green waters of the Pacific, upon which, so far as he could see, not a single sail showed. But in making this survey Metcalf noted some- thing that interested and surprised him. To the north-west, and no more than half a mile away, a thin column of smoke was climbing into the clear blue sky. The point from which it issued was so hidden by boulders and rocks that nothing of the fire itself A FIND. 21 could be seen, but it was manifest that someone had started the flames, with no fear of their being ob- served by others. The sight opened all manner of speculation. It might be that a party of white men had invaded the region, impelled by the restlessness that keeps so many persons on the move; and it was equally pos- sible that some of the Indians who roamed through the mountains had made a camp in that spot. The miner stood for some minutes with his eyes fixed on the lowest point of the column of vapour, hoping to see something that would enlighten him, and while waiting and watching Metcalf asked himself what he should do if the parties proved to be of his own blood. It might and it might not be desirable to have them for companions, though it was hardly to be supposed they were also heading for San Francisco. But, peer as much as he might, he was not re- warded by any discovery. He scanned other parts of his field of vision, and was unable to detect any- thing recalling the picture on the paper in his pocket. Finally, he resumed his careful descent of the brook in the direction of the ocean. He had no hope of coming upon anything in the nature of gold, but had not moved a dozen steps when, from some point up the stream, he heard the report of a rifle, followed by the shouting of Dennis Murphy: "I've found it! I've found it! as the boy said when he run his head against a hornet's nest ! Dinnis Murphy is the luckiest man in the world ! Hooray !" The amazed miner hurried up-stream towards the 22 THE LOST RIVER. excited man, wondering what it could all mean. In truth, there was good cause for the emotion of the Irishman. He and Tim had set out together; but, coming to a forking of the brook, Dennis went to the left, while the boy and his dog followed the right or main branch. The last two were making the best search they could, but had come upon nothing to reward them, when the shoutings of the Irishman rang out, and a moment later he appeared, reaching the spot where Tim stood almost at the same moment with the wondering Metcalf. Dennis certainly had found something, for he held it aloft in his hand, though it was so small that at first neither of the others could make out its nature. Naturally, their belief was that it was another little nugget of gold. "You're crazier than that man you and Mr. Met- calf have been talking about," said the puzzled Tim, looking at the hand that was not still for a moment. "And haven't I good cause to be?" asked Dennis in reply, gradually pulling himself together. "Ye may talk about finding nuggets of goold in the straams, but I have beat ye at that." "I don't see how that can well be," replied Met- calf, who saw that the interesting object was of a bright yellow colour. "We came here to find gold, and the greatest success we can have is to find it." "But the same which me and the boy pulled from the water was rough goold without any form. It's mesilf that has found the goold already coined! I have picked up an eagle!" A FIND. n He dropped into the extended palm of the miner a shining yellow button, stamped on the outside with a figure of a spread eagle, thus showing that it had once been attached to the uniform of an American army officer. "Don't ye obsarve that it's a piece of goold, and. being marked with the picture of the national bird of this country, it is the same as the coin ye call an eagle? I s'pose, since Calif orny has become the property of the United States, Nature will try to hilp matters by stamping the goold wid the picture of the eagle." For the first time for days Jarvis Metcalf laughed. The incident filled him with mirth, and, holding up the button so that all could see it, he was so convulsed as to be unable to speak for several minutes. Tim laughed, too; while Dennis's quizzical, questioning expression did not tend to soothe the merriment. Finally the miner spoke : "What a grand state of affairs that would be if you were right. You see it is an officer's button, with the shank on the lower side, ready to be sewed to the coat of the one who lost it. It has the spread eagle on the other side; but the trouble about it, Dennis, is that it doesn't contain a particle of gold." "What makes ye so sartin of that?" "Although the metal is bright, there is a tarnish on the one side, which gold never shows; that precious metal has no odour, as you know, while you can readily detect the smell of brass in this. There are such things as gold buttons, but this is not one of 24 THE LOST RIVER. them. I am afraid, Dennis, that your find isn't worth anything." The Irishman took the button again, and turned it over in his hand with a grieved, reproving expression. Lifting it to his nose, he discovered that his friend was right it was wholly brass. "I was thinking," he said dolefully, "that we had struck a straam where all the goold was turned out by Nature in that shape ; but I f aar I made a mistake, as Mike Rafferty said whin the bull he tried to stop flung him over the fence." He explained, in answer to questioning, that he had found the button, not in the brook, but on the edge, a few inches away from the water. The in- teresting question which occurred to all was as to how it got there. There might be a score of guesses, and all be wrong ; nor was it worth while to spend time in conjectures. Metcalf recalled the smoke of the camp fire, and wondered whether there was any connection between the two. This, too, must remain uncertain. Dennis was of the opinion that it was wise to have nothing to do with any strangers while in the moun- tains, for, as he viewed it, they were likely to prove unpleasant companions. In this solitary region the arm of the law was powerless, and it was well known that the gold excitement drew many of the worst sort of men to California. "But that's no raison why we shouldn't hunt a little further for goold in these parts," he added; "there's no saying what luck we may have, as me uncle obsarved when he tried to part two men that A FIND. 25 were fighting, and they turned upon him. Having found the button of an army officer, the nixt thing is likely to be his sword, which may have some gilt on the same." Once more the little party broke apart. Metcalf was still interested in the signs of a camp not far off, and he gave his attention to that instead of to hunting for gold. He did not halt where he had stopped before, but threaded his way over the rocks and boulders in the direction of the camp, taking care, however, to keep as much out of sight as he could. This was prudent, so long as he did not know whether he was approaching friends or enemies. Advancing with so much caution, it required the better part of an hour to reach the spot. It had not escaped his keen notice that the column of smoke had grown thinner while he was going forward, a fact which would seem to point to an abandonment of their camp by the strangers. He thought they might have started the fire for the purpose of cooking food, since the weather was not cold enough to make it necessary for comfort. Finally he came upon the interesting spot. There was a heap of ashes against the base of a rock, with a number of half-burned bits of wood, but no sign of any person. He paused for some minutes, suspect- ing the strangers had discovered his approach and hidden themselves, but he soon advanced and made a closer inspection of the place. He saw signs showing where someone had sat on the ground, and a faint, almost imperceptible, odour lingering in the air told 26 THE LOST RIVER. that some kind of flesh had been broiled over the flames. Further search revealed the faint impression of shoes proof that the strangers were not Indians, but white men. "And since they do not care for my company, I shall not force it upon them," was the decision of Met- calf, who turned about to rejoin his friends. CHAPTER III STRANGERS THE miner had gone an eighth of a mile, when a natural impulse led him to look behind him. To his surprise, he noted that the column of smoke had thickened and showed dark against the clear sky be- yond. The embers had been stirred and renewed in the short time that had passed since his visit. Not only that, but directly in front of the fire, and standing in clear view, was a man, dressed like himself in the garb of a miner, with a slouch hat, dilapidated garments, and with a gun held diagonally across his chest and grasped in both hands, as if th'e owner were asking himself whether he should not take a shot at Metcalf as he walked away. Uncertain what his pose meant, our friend made a gesture of goodwill by waving his hand toward him. The other, instead of replying, wheeled about and passed out of sight. "That's as queer conduct as I ever saw," mut- tered the puzzled miner. "It is clear that he doesn't wish to be a friend, and, as I decided a minute ago, I shan't force my company upon him. I hope his ill- will won't take form in action." He felt uneasy lest the other should fire at him, 27 28 THE LOST RIVER. and his relief was great when he was sure of being beyond range. Although he looked back several times, he saw nothing more of the man, and reached his starting-point without further adventure. All this time a curious uneasiness disturbed him. It was fair to believe the stranger had companions, and Metcalf found himself continually asking himself whether it was possible that their visit had anything to do with the secret he had received from Covington, who gave him the paper with the drawing and writing. It was unreasonable to believe in the possibility of such a thing, for the miner had assured him that the secret was known to no one else; but it was the knowledge of the cloud which had darkened the poor fellow's brain that was the real cause of the present mis- giving. He might have told the secret to others and forgotten it. Moreover, it was not impossible that these strangers had learned the momentous truth in- dependently of* him. If so, their dislike to new com- panionship was easily understood. The miner scanned everything in his field of vision, and it cannot be said he was disappointed in not find- ing the landmarks that had baffled him like a jack-o'- lantern for many days. It may be added that more or less mountain peaks were always in sight, but none whose appearance suggested the three elevations he had sought so long in vain. It was natural that the friends, absorbed each with the work in hand, should become further separated from one another than they suspected. The best way to hunt was singly, and, accordingly, Tim Crowell and STRANGERS. 29 Dennis Murphy took different routes, as they had done in the former instance, when they came to the forking of the stream. The lad and the dog kept to the right, and the man to the left. "Whin I come to reflict over the question," mut- tered Dennis, with his eyes roving along the bed of the brook, in quest of something of a yellow colour, "I don't suppose Nature would be likely to stamp a bit of goold with the picture of an eagle and then fasten on a shank for the convenience of sewing on the same, though if the button had been made of goold I should have been in doubt, as was me mither when the taycher assured her there was one word in me lisson which I spelled right. I'd give a good deal to know how that button got there, anyway; but as I haven't got a good deal of anything, and no one could tell me if I had, I'll drop the subject, as I re- marked whin I picked up a rid hot horse-shoe." Twice he started at sight of something showing a saffron tinge, but in each instance he was disap- pointed. Finally, he paused on the edge of a pool, asking himself whether he should not wade out to the centre for something that had the appearance of gold, though he hesitated in doubt. "It hasn't precisely the hue I'm longing for, but it won't do any harm to look further." At that moment he was startled as if by an electric shock. Above the murmur of the little stream he heard a guttural "Wooh!" near at hand. Dennis had been so absorbed in peering into the water that he gave no heed whither his footsteps led; but when he 30 THE LOST RIVER. looked up he saw an Indian standing on the other side of the brook and no more than fifty feet distant. The red man was as tall as himself and of alarming appearance. He was what is known as a Mountain Indian, as much superior to the degraded Diggers as one of us is to the Hottentots or Bushmen of Africa. His body was bare above the waist; he was erect and straight as an arrow; and there were the usual breech cloth, leggings, and moccasins below. Like nearly all of his kind, his long black hair was abund- ant, and hung down his breast and over his back to the waist line, being parted in the middle, but showing no ornamental feathers, as was the case with most of the others whom the Irishman had seen in California. Neither was there a sign of paint on the body, in the hair, or on the face. Had the Indian wished to make himself look as repellent as possible, he could not have added to his ill looks by any splashes of paint, for his countenance was very broad at the temples, with protruding cheek bones; the mouth was tremendously wide, and looked much wider be- cause of a scar; and he had no chin worth speaking of. He held in his left hand a long bow, and the top of a quiver projected above his shoulder, but his right hand hung at his side empty. He was looking in- tently at the Irishman, as if in doubt as to his species or his intentions. Now, from what has been said it is clear that had this red man chosen to fit one of his arrows to the string, he could have launched it at Dennis Murphy, who was not dreaming of danger, and would have con- STRANGERS. 31 tinued ignorant of it but for that exclamation, which caused him to look up and discover the dusky native before him. Dennis was "rattled" for the moment, and it was instinct that caused him to bring his rifle round in front and partly raise the stock to his shoulder. The alert Indian read his purpose, and like lightning flashed an arrow from his quiver and he began fitting it to his bow-string. Dennis saw his mistake, and lowered his weapon. The Indian proceeded no further, but kept the single missile ready for instant use. He did not mean to be taken off his guard, and doubtless could launch his deadly arrow sooner than the white man could aim and fire his gun. "And seeing as I'd miss and he wouldn't," thought Dennis, "I'm not going to begin this rumpus, though if he'd sittle the same wid a shillelagh, like mesilf, nothing would plaise me more." But the action of the native was so clearly friendly that Dennis could not refuse to accept his advances. Throwing up his right hand to his forehead, he made a military salute, inclined his head, and called out: "I hope that I see ye well, and that the folks at home are likewise well, and that ye'll all continue to be well, as ye'll be glad to larn is the case wid mesilf." Since the other could have no idea of the meaning of these words, it was not to be expected that he would make suitable reply; but he raised his hand palm outward, and still grasping the arrow, held it stationary for fully half a minute. Then he lowered his hand and deliberately shoved back the missile 32 THE LOST RIVER. among the others in the quiver behind his shoulder. This left him in a certain sense unarmed, though it would not have done to reckon upon his remaining so for a second had Dennis made any threatening dem- onstration. Nothing would have pleased our friend more than to open a conversation with this native Californian. How much interesting information he could give about his country! Probably he could direct one where to find the rich deposits that must exist in many places among these mountains. Dennis noticed that the left wrist of the Indian was encircled by a band, which, beyond doubt, was gold, and must be worth a con- siderable amount. But there was no possibility of conversation where neither understood a word of what the other said. Satisfied as to the friendly feelings of the other, Dennis now walked slowly towards him, without showing any hesitancy in his gait. The red man watched him closely, but remained as motionless as a statue, alert and on his guard, until little more than a rod separated them. Then the savage threw up his right hand and motioned for the other to come no nearer, the meaning of the gesture being quite plain and unmistakable. "Anything to be agraable, as me second cousin said when he fell over a wheelbarrow and the leddies he was bowing to broke into laughter ; I can't say I'm hankering for yer company, and I don't think ye faal any naad of mine." It occurred to Dennis that the next most appro- STRANGERS. 33 priate thing for him to do would be to present some- thing to the other. "I'd be glad to do the same, for ye might take it into yer head to presint me in return that golden necklace around yer wrist, which the same would be mighty nice to sind to me swaatheart across the ocean, but I haven't anything I call to mind that I can well spare." He looked down the front of his body and passed his hand over his cap. "If I should give ye my shoes, I'd have to go barefoot, and, though I did the same in owld Ireland, this country isn't favourable for tramping about in yer unclothed feet; if I give ye my gun, it would be foolish ; and if I parted wid me pipe and 'bacca, it would break me heart. And I'm not sartin that if I did any of these things ye would bestow that ornamint upon me, so we won't do anything of the kind. Are ye off?" The question was caused by the action of the red man, who at this juncture turned and walked away. He leaped across the narrow stream, so as to stand on the same side with Dennis, and then took a course nearly at right angles, his action seeming to signify that the interview, so far as he was concerned, was over. "I don't blame ye, as it is all a waste of time for ye to stay here; but ye are showing a big lot of con- fidence in mesilf, which I may say is the rule wid most all who maat me." Nothing in the world would have been easier than 34 THE LOST RIVER. for Dennis to bring his gun to a level and pick off the red man, whose face was turned away; and it need hardly be said that nothing in the world would have led him to do such an unpardonable thing, for there could have been no possible excuse for the wanton cruelty. A singular occurrence followed when the Indian had taken no more than a score of steps. From be- hind a boulder which he approached arose a second Indian, who looked enough like him to be -his twin brother, and who was also armed with bow and arrows. He took his place a few paces in front of the first, and, without speaking a word, the two walked away in Indian file that is, one behind the other. Dennis watched them until they passed out of sight, and then turned back to his hunt in the brook. There was something so peculiar and out of the com- mon in his experience that he smiled to himself. "I don't understand it at all, as me other frinds used to say whin they obsarved how none of the lads was admired half as much as mesilf , but I s'pose it's a way they have in these parts." He resumed his search, though he could not dis- miss the little incident from his mind. Perhaps a half- hour passed, when he abruptly stopped and exclaimed, in considerable excitement: "It didn't occur to me till this minute that whin thim two gintlemen walked away they took a coorse that must bring 'em to where Tim and Tige are look- ing for goold. They must have found the boy by this time, and I fear something has gone amiss, though STRANGERS. 35 they didn't offer to make any trouble wid mesilf. I ought to have followed thim without delay." The honest fellow was filled with misgiving, and reproached himself that he had not awakened long before to the possible danger that threatened his young friend. CHAPTER IV MISSING IT did not add to Dennis Murphy's peace of mind to recall the occurrence of more than a week before, which was the means of bringing him and Tim into association with Jarvis Metcalf. For it had been the alertness of the boy that prevented the Indian from launching his deadly arrow at the miner, as he sat with his back against a rock and sunk in slumber. The Irishman did not forget that the Indian who was frightened off at that time was one of those ranging through the mountains, and was armed with bow and arrow. What more probable than that one of the two whom he had seen walk towards the lad was he who had been robbed of his intended victim by Tim ? If this savage refrained from trying to harm Den- nis, was it probable that he would be equally con- siderate towards the boy against whom he had a grievance? If able to catch him unawares and nothing was easier would he not be eager to punish him? No people in the world are more revengeful than the American Indians, and it would seem that this was the most natural course for one or both the red men to follow. You will understand, therefore, the distress of Den- 36 MISSING. 37 nis while hurrying over the rough surface to the other branch of the stream along which his young friend and Tige were hunting for golden nuggets. He was surprised to find how far apart these two forks were at so comparatively short a distance from their junc- tion, but when one is absorbed in his work he pays little heed to time or distance. At last Dennis came to the dashing, sparkling brook that was the counter- part of the one he had left behind him. He had not caught a glimpse of the Indians on his way thither, though he could not take much hope from that fact. "Now, how am I to know whether the young ras- cal is up or down stream? We must have been a quarter of a mile apart, and he may be as far up stream; but, for the raison that I stopped to have a talk wid that gentleman, I think it's likely Tim is above me." Suddenly he thought of Tige. He would be the most likely to respond to his call, and he whistled to him, as he had often done in their Eastern home. At the same time he hallooed to Tim himself ; but, without waiting for a reply, he pushed on up the stream till he arrived at a point where it issued from beneath a mass of rocks, whose extent he could only guess. This convinced Dennis that it was useless to search further for the boy in that direction. The fact that he had seen nothing of him or his dog showed that they must have turned down stream, and were therefore further from him than they had been at any time during the day. Had he descended the brook 38 THE LOST RIVER. upon reaching it, he must have come up with them long before. As it was, they were evidently so far off that it was useless to call either to the boy or to the dog. The discovery was in the nature of a relief to Den- nis. It seemed likely to him that the lad had met Metcalf, who would probably be seeking to rejoin the others, since the time for the mid-day meal was near. He therefore whistled softly to himself, with a return of his old spirits, while following the course down- ward. He had some expectation of meeting Tim at the point where the brooks forked, and he ventured to call to him and to whistle to the dog. There was no response, and he whistled louder than before. This brought a reply, but from a point down-stream from which he had not been expecting it. Looking in that direction, he was somewhat surprised to see the form of Jarvis Metcalf come to view from between the rocks and stunted pine. "I didn't know whether you were signalling for me," explained the miner, "but I was so near that I thought I might as well answer. Where's Tim?" "It was him that I was calling to," replied Dennis, "and I feel onaisy on his account." "What reason have you for misgiving?" asked the miner, who, it was plain, did not share in the anxiety. Dennis told all that is known to the reader, and asked his friend what he thought of the situation in the light of such knowledge. "I cannot share your alarm at least, I shall not MISSING. 39 until a longer time passes without our seeing anything of the boy." "I hope ye are right, but it's the mixing in of the Injins that disturbs me. Sure one of thim was the one who would have shot ye but for the boy." "I am sure that neither of them is." "How can ye know that?" asked the wondering Dennis. "You have described both of those whom you saw as tall men fully as tall as you are yourself." "There can be no doubt of the same." "Remember that I had a good look at the one whom Tim scared away, and he was hardly more than five feet high." "That relaves me mind greatly, as the prisoner said whin he was towld he was guilty of burglary, thinking all the time it was petty larceny; but seeing as I haven't seen an hour since we've been in Calif orny that the boy wasn't hungry, I wonder that he is not here to make sure he'll not be late." "He won't keep us waiting long ; but I haven't seen any game, and shall have to depend upon the hook and line. Have you caught sight of anything to shoot?" "Only them two Injins." "I will make a hunt for fish. I suppose you would prefer to stay here and wait for Tim?" "If ye can get along without me, I'd prefer to do the same, seeing I can't help feeling a little onaisy, after all." Metcalf was absent for a full hour; but when he 40 THE LOST RIVER. came back he brought enough fish, dressed for broil- ing, to furnish a meal for all. They would have been glad for some sort of food made from flour ; but since that was out of the question they were thankful to feast upon flesh. It had been a trying hour to Dennis, for during that time nothing was seen or learned of Tim or Tige. It was useless for the miner to pretend there was no cause for alarm. Surely the boy would not have stayed away so long had there not been unusual cause for it. "Have you called or signalled to him?" asked Metcalf. "Only once or twice. I had a queer feeling that if I done so, them as I didn't wish would hear me ; but since ye have come back I feel different." Inserting his thumb and forefinger in his mouth, Dennis emitted a whistle like that of a locomotive, which must have penetrated several miles in every direction. The two stood silent and listening, both looking significantly in each other's face. The miner was about to speak, when each heard the bark of Tige coming from the direction of the stream along which Dennis had pressed most of his search. The answer was naturally a vast relief to both of them, but they thought it strange that nothing was heard from Tim himself. More inexplicable than all was the absence of the dog, after replying to their call. When more than enough time had passed for him to appear, Dennis asked his friend what it could mean. MISSING. 41 "I don't understand it; suppose you call to him again." Dennis did so, twice in succession ; but there was no reply. Catching up his gun, Metcalf hurried to- wards the point whence the answer had come in the first instance, Dennis almost treading on his heels. They did not cease their scrambling run until well beyond the point where the bark of the faithful animal had been heard, but nothing of him or the boy was seen. "It is useless to go any further," said the miner, abruptly halting. "You know more about that dog than I do, and perhaps can explain his behaviour." "No more than yersilf. I've known him since he was a pup, and he always showed good sinse." "He may have done so now, though we don't understand him. Let's go back to where we left the fish waiting to be cooked." "It's mighty little appetite I have lift," said Den- nis sorrowfully, as he slowly walked beside his com- panion. "Nor have I ; but I want time to think over this situation, which just now is beyond my comprehen- sion. Please don't speak to me till I say something." They formed a mournful pair, as they made their way over the rough, broken ground till they came to the spot where the dressed fish had been laid on a broad, flat rock. Even then the miner did not open his mouth, but busied himself in gathering bits of wood, sticks, leaves, and pine cones, with which he prepared a fire. 42 THE LOST RIVER. "We must force ourselves to eat," he explained, when the hastily prepared food was ready. "We shall need our strength, and there's no saying when we shall eat again." "Have ye yet any opinion to give?" "Wait till we are through eating; then I shall be ready to talk." It was little they ate. The minds of both were preoccupied, and but for the urgency of his friend, Dennis would not have partaken of a mouthful. The minute soon came when Metcalf was ready to say what was in his thoughts. "The most likely explanation that occurs to me is that those two Indians whom you saw have caused the disappearance of Tim." "Do ye mean they have taken him off a prisoner, or " The distressed fellow could not utter the words on his tongue. "I think he has been carried away by them ; but, if Ihat be so, it doesn't explain the action of the dog.'' "I'm thinking Tige meant his bark as a call for us to follow him, and, belaving we would do so, he ran back to kape his master company." "Possibly you are right; but if so, why didn't the dog wait till he was sure we did follow him?" "So he would have done at any other time ; but he may have been so distressed that, like us, he lost a part of his wits and 'spoSed we'd follow without his waiting longer, seeing he was in such great haste." "There is probability in what you say; but even MISSING. 43 then it would seem that when he found we had turned back he ought to have come after us again." "Maybe he will do the same." Both instinctively looked in the direction from which had sounded the bark, and silently waited for several minutes, but the dog did not appear. "Call to him," suggested the miner. Dennis repeated his ringing whistle several times; but the listening ears caught no reply, nor did Tige show himself. "The only explanation that occurs to me is that his pursuit of his young master has carried him be- yond hearing. He prefers to stay with him rather than to make sure we are following. Dennis, you and I must now part company." The Irishman looked wonderingly at his com- panion. "I learned this forenoon that there is a party of white men in the mountains; in our calculations we must take them into account." "What raison have ye to think ill of them?" "I saw one of them a while ago, and he acted as if he were an enemy instead of a friend. I suspect now that those men I don't know- how many there are know something of that which we have thought was a secret with us. They are in the Santa Lucia Mountains on the same errand that brought me here. They resent our presence, and, perhaps, afraid to make any move against us, have taken the boy." "What for?" "In order to make terms with us. It doesn't seem 44 THE LOST RIVER. likely they would do him harm, at any rate not until they gave us a chance to prevent it." "How?" asked Dennis, who failed to follow this fine-spun reasoning. "Suppose they notified us that the boy would be returned in case we withdrew with him from this region ?" "I would not hesitate a minute to lave if that was the only way to save him." "Nor would I," was the hearty response of the miner. CHAPTER V THE SIGNAL FIRE VIEWING the painful situation from the standpoint of Metcalf, the miner, it must be admitted that his theory was ingenious, and had a certain force. It seemed to him that young Tim Crowell was a prisoner either of the Indians or of the party of white men who were known to be in the neighbourhood. It was best that the investigation of the former possibility should be by Dennis Murphy. In the first place, it had been shown that the two red men last seen were not members of the little settlement which had been offended by the action of the Irishman more than a week before; nor was either of them the one who, through the watchfulness of the lad, had been pre- vented from launching his arrow at the sleeping miner. Therefore there were no scores laid up by the couple against the white men. Moreover, strange as it may seem, the meeting between Dennis and the single Indian, including, as a consequence, the second spectator, had been of a friendly nature. The savage had not used his bow and arrow against the unconscious Celt when he had the best chance in the world to do so. Dennis himself had acted, after the first breath of suspicion was 45 46 THE LOST RIVER. swept aside, as if he held only the best wishes towards the other. It would seem, therefore, that he need not hesitate to meet them again. Whether he should succeed in doing so depended upon his own wit and skill, and also perhaps upon luck. Leaving his companion, then, to attend to that part of the business, Metcalf gave his energy to the task imposed upon himself. It was a singular theory that he had framed, but it had reason. Several men had come to the vicinity in quest of the hidden de- posit of gold which had brought Metcalf from the regular diggings. They were still hunting for the treasure; but the presence of others, in the persons of two men and a boy with his dog, must lead them to suspect their errand. Naturally, the strangers would fear that Metcalf and his friends were likely to be the first to unearth the secret, in which event the former would lose the whole fortune. Most men will do desperate things for the sake of gold, and the cap- ture of the boy and the holding of him as a hostage would appear to be the surest means of driving the rivals from the field. When the life of the lad was weighed in the balance, there could be no doubt of the decision of Metcalf and Murphy. Such, briefly, was the theory upon which the miner was acting. Nearly half the day remained at com- mand, and much could be done in that time. After parting from his friend, he set out to return to the point in the hills where he had seen the remains of the camp fire kindled by the strangers, and which had been freshened after he left it by the man who acted THE SIGNAL FIRE. 47 so sourly towards himself. The miner's resolve was to hunt up this same man or his compaaions, and force him to tell the truth. There ought to be no trouble in doing so, provided Metcalf was right in his view; for, having obtained the boy, his captors ought to be ready to present the terms of their bargain. The miner meant to approach the other camp with such care that he would not be discovered by anyone on guard. To do this he made a long circuit deeper into the mountains, passing beyond the point and ap- proaching it from almost the opposite quarter. A scout making his way into the lines of an enemy could not have been more cautious. He noticed as he drew nigh the spot that the tell-tale column of vapour, pointing straight upward into the sky, had become so thin and faint that it required a keen vision to see it. This looked as if the party once there had gone away. If they were engaged in hunting for hidden treasure, nothing was more natural than this course. After spending some time in reconnoitring the spot without seeing anyone, the miner straightened up and strode boldly forward. Very little or no change Was to be observed. There lay the heap of ashes, with several smouldering embers among them, but no signs of any person near. Whatever they brought with them to the spot had been taken away, and there was no saying when they would return. "You seem to be very curious about other folks' business." The voice came from a point behind the miner, and turning his head he saw his former acquaintance 48 THE LOST RIVER. before him. It was the same man, with his slouch hat, shabby clothing, slim frame, bearded face, and long, formidable rifle. After all, he must have seen Met- calf stealing to the spot, and had outwitted him. The miner did not like his looks, and he remembered with displeasure their former meeting ; but he felt the need of hiding his feelings, and, therefore, pretending a good-will which he was far from feeling, he replied with a smile: "Men of the same blood in a lonely country ought to be interested in one another. I saw the srnoke of your camp fire, and came forward to make your ac- quaintance." ' "Wouldn't it have been well to wait till you were invited?" asked the other, who had halted several paces away and scowled at the intruder. "I am afraid I should have had to wait a long time." "And it would have been better to wait a long time," was the surly response. The miner was nettled by the curt manner as much as by the words of the other. He did not feel like humbling himself to him, and spoke tartly: "Judging from your looks and ill-manners, I can understand that no gentleman would be anxious to make your acquaintance, but it occurred to me that we might have some business together." "Why, then, didn't you come openly forward, in- stead of sneaking up to our camp?" "I did so in the first instance, and you sneaked off to avoid meeting me." THE SIGNAL FIRE. 49 "That ought to have been sufficient to keep you away." "So it would had I not suspected that we might have something of mutual interest to discuss," said Metcalf. "What business can I have with you?" All this time the stranger held his place a few paces' away, with his gun resting in the hollow of his left arm and his repellent scowl on his face. The query which he had just made did much to convince Metcalf that, whatever misfortune had overtaken Tim Crowell, this man and his companions as yet had had nothing to do with it. Still, it was possible that they held some such plans in mind. "That remains for you to say." "I haven't any. Who are you?" "I came down from the diggings up north on the same errand that brought you into this part of the world." "What was that?" "To hunt for gold." "You don't look as if you had found it." "Judging from appearances, you and I have been equally lucky." "How long have you been here?" "Over a month. How long have you been pros- pecting?" "I don't know that it is any concern of yours." "As much as my doings are a concern of yours. I answered you courteously but you don't seem to know how to do a thing of that nature." 50 THE LOST RIVER. "I don't mind telling since you are so curious that we have been here for only a few days." "Then you are not alone?" Now that the other had given some information, he did not seem to object to give more. "There are only two of us; we have been making a hunt through here for some days, but didn't have any more success than you. Still, we mean to keep at it a little longer." "I don't believe it will pay you." "You don't know anything about it. It may pay us, and it may not; but we are not going to give up yet awhile. How many are in your company?" "I have only one companion, like you." Unfortunately, a curious impulse led Metcalf to avoid referring to Tim Crowell. He was not with him or Murphy just then, though he was a member of the little party. The miner had a feeling that if he mentioned the boy's name he would have to tell more about him, and he did not wish to do that. "Have you seen any other persons since coming here?" "Only a few Indians, but we had no trouble with them." "You must look out for them; they're a bad lot." "I haven't found them so; they are not likely to molest you if you treat them right. But may I ask where your friend is?" "Of course you can ask anything you choose. I don't know where he is." Metcalf had learned enough to care to converse THE SIGNAL FIRE. 51 no further with this churlish fellow.' The two had not exchanged names, and nothing was to be gained by talking. "Well," said the miner, with a smile and light laugh, "I'm sure that my company isn't any more pleasant to you than yours is to me; so, good morn- ing." The other gave a slight nod and grunt, but did not speak, as the visitor turned about and strode from the spot. Metcalf felt a twinge of uneasiness for the first minute or two, lest the other should fire at him, but it is not likely he thought of such a thing, for nothing of the kind took place. "There's one thing certain," said Metcalf to him- self; "that fellow doesn't know anything about Tim. If my theory had been right he would have been anxious to talk. It is strange that his companion keeps out of sight. He may be the one who is try- ing to abduct Tim, and hold him as a hostage; but if that were so, his partner would not have been so gruff with me. The whole thing seems to me to be guesswork, and I am as likely to be wrong as right ; but we must keep up the search till Dennis or I learns the truth." When half-way to the spot where he had parted from his friend, the miner paused and scanned the country behind him. To his astonishment he saw that the almost invisible line of smoke climbing up- ward from the camp fire of the stranger had thick- ened again and showed as distinctly as if painted against the clear sky. S 2 THE LOST RIVER. "That is a signal!" exclaimed Metcalf. "There is more going on than I know. That fellow did not tell me the truth. A large party is in the mountains, and they are up to mischief." If so, it would seem that the signal would be an- swered from some other quarter. Metcalf scrutinised every part of the country within his range of vision, but could discover nothing in the nature of a reply. He was standing in a sort of depression, which shut off sight of the ocean, and on his right the moun- tains rose several hundred feet above him. They dis- played the growth of pine seen everywhere in that section, with enormous piles of rocks, broken by small streams dashing here and there among and over them ; but nowhere could he detect any smoke or sign of a camp fire, except upon the slight elevation visited a short time before. Perplexed and distressed, he resumed his course, not halting again until he reached the spot where he and Dennis Murphy had separated a couple of hours previous. The Irishman was still absent, and he hardly expected to see or hear from him before night- fall. He sat down on one of the numerous boulders that were all around him, and gave himself up to thought. Of the many puzzling features of the situation, one of the hardest to understand was the conduct of the dog Tige. No theory the miner could think of ex- plained why, after coming so near to where he and Dennis were awaiting him and his young master, he should make off again and then fail to return. If THE SIGNAL FIRE. S3 Tim was held by the white men, the canine ought to have hastened to his friends and guided them to the help of the boy. It was not supposable that the white captors would harm the dog; for he was not only handsome, unusually intelligent, and valuable, but there could be no call for putting him out of the way. His life really ought to be more secure than that of his master, and he would have served as the best possible messenger between his friends and enemies. His sagacity would prevent his own cap- ture, or had he been restrained of his liberty it would have been only for a brief while before he made his escape. This view of the case did much to convince the miner that the white man with whom he had held the interview knew nothing of Tim; but when this view was settled the discovery of the signal fire knocked all speculation awry. It was harder to theorise on the basis of Tim's capture by the Indians. No people in the world are fonder of dogs than the American aborigines, and it would seem that they ought to have held this canine in high regard. It could be believed even that they would value him more than his owner, for he might have been made useful, while Tim could serve only as a hostage or to gratify the ill-will of the red men. The latter motive might lead the savages to slay the dog before making the boy a prisoner ; but that could hardly have been the case, since Tige was heard from after the disappearance of Tim. "It is more than I can understand," was the con- 54 THE LOST RIVER. elusion of the miner, when he had given his thoughts for another hour to the matter. "There is clearly some mystery in the business which is much beyond my grasp." CHAPTER VI A CLUE MEANWHILE, Dennis Murphy had put forth all the energy and ability of which he was master in his at- tempt to find out the truth about Tim Crowell. It need not be repeated that he loved the lad with the whole wealth of his honest, affectionate, unselfish nature. No sacrifice that can be thought of would have been too great for him to make for him. He had regretted from the first the misfortune that made him his companion in the Californian wilds after the wrecking of the Golden Gate, and while willing to join him in hunting for golden nuggets among the numerous streams, he was always nervously anxious to press towards San Francisco and join the father of the lad. He bitterly reflected that but for this meeting with Metcalf they would be well advanced at that time on the way. Much as the man yearned to obtain wealth for the sake of the loved ones on the other side of the ocean, he now felt as if he never wished to look upon a piece of gold again. It was that which had brought this dreadful thing upon the little fellow, and the whole yield of California itself was not to be compared with his welfare. 55 56 THE LOST RIVER. Naturally resourceful and bright-witted, the Irish- man found himself now engaged upon a task for which his lack 'of experience unfitted him. Believing that the two Indians whom he had seen earlier in the day had had to do with the disappearance of Tim, he meant to hunt them out and force his surrender. The difficulty of making himself understood in conversa- tion did not deter him. He would find out the truth by some means, if only the opportunity could be found. Think of Dennis Murphy's plight. He did not know which way to turn to find the natives, and if he should succeed in coming across them he could not make them understand a syllable of his speech. It would seem that, compared with the chances of suc- cess by his companion, he had not one in a hundred; and yet, you know, it is often the unexpected that happens. Had he followed the course which he saw the two aborigines take, he would have gone over land that had already been trodden. There was no clue to their direction, and though a master of woodcraft might have been able to trace them even across the flinty surface, Dennis had not the skill to do so. He must find out the right course, if it were possible, by some other means. The only sign he could discover of the presence of other persons in the neighborhood was that thin line of vapour rising from the distant elevation, and thrown in relief against the sky ; but Metcalf had told him that that located the camp of white men whom A CLUE. 57 he meant to visit, and Dennis therefore turned his thoughts elsewhere. "Now," mused he, "if them Injins was looking for the scalps of me own kind, they would sneak up to that camp for the chance; but seeing as they ain't looking for such things they'll be apt to take another coorse, as the boys at Donnybrook used to do whin they caught sight of me drawing nigh wid me shillelagh." It cannot be said that this was brilliant logic, but it was the principle which for a time guided the Irish- man. So it came about that he and his friend walked directly away from each other until fully a mile lay between. Dennis gave no thought to the precious metal. Had he caught sight of -a nugget as large as a hen's egg in any of the small streams across which he leaped, he would not have stooped to pick it up. He felt a loathing of that which was already in his pocket, including the yellow coins brought with him. How petty the things of this life seem when weighed against the lives of those that are near and dear to us ! He was still plodding laboriously forward, deeply depressed in spirits, for reflection showed slight ground for hope, when, while skirting a growth of pine free from undergrowth, he suddenly fancied he heard the voice of some person. He stopped like a flash, and looked around. It was as if a single exclamation had been uttered, so brief and so faint that he was uncertain of the direction whence it came. In truth it seemed to have sounded in the air above him, and he gazed curiously upward, but saw only the 58 THE LOST RIVER. blue sky. He stood like a statue, all his faculties ab- sorbed in that of listening. He might have convinced himself he was mistaken and it was only fancy, but for the fact that at the time he heard the voice he was not in an expectant mood and was thinking of nothing of the kind. "There's someone not far away," he whispered, "and, if he'll only be kind enough to spake again, I'll be glad to make his acquaintance. Whisht!" It was not the sense of hearing but of smell that caused this exclamation. The keen nostrils of the Irishman had caught the faintest possible odour of tobacco. He turned slowly round, sniffing as he did so. It was lingering about him beyond mistake, and by-and-by he learned the direction in which it was strongest. It did not seem to be towards the point of the compass whence the voice had sounded; but, since he was uncertain on that point, he slowly fol- lowed the new guide, his head thrust forward, still sniffing and stepping as gently as if afraid of awaking someone. By-and-by the odour became imperceptible. This showed that it had been wafted aside from a direct line, and he was following the wrong course. He paused and smelled more guardedly. He was still at a loss, when from the other side of a rock five or six feet in height, he saw a blue twist of vapour rising slowly and floating off to the right. "The man wid the pipe is behind that rock, as was said of me second cousin whin a spark dropped from his pipe into the blast at the quarry and he had come A CLUE. 59 down again, and I don't mean that he shall git away from me." A few steps took him past a stretch of pine and the rocks beyond, and then a curious sight broke upon him. Two Indians were lolling on the ground, one seemingly asleep, while the other was smoking a long- stemmed pipe, the tobacco of which gave out the odour that had caught the Irishman's attention; though it cannot be said that it was pleasant, for the weed smoked by those Californian Indians was of the worst quality. The couple did not show any surprise or alarm at sight of the white man. They did not even rise to their feet; but the one who had been dozing straightened up to a sitting posture beside his com- panion, and both looked questioningly at their caller. Dennis was glad to note that they were the two whom he had seen earlier in the day, and that the one who had been sleeping was he with whom he had held his pantomimic chat. Dennis had been hopeful, too, of seeing Tim and Tige ; but one glance showed that, wherever they were, they were not with this couple. The two long bows of the red men leaned against the rock several feet away, and for comfort their quivers had been laid aside. That they made no move towards recovering their weapons showed that they had no fear of the white man. Fortunate in that respect had been their meeting earlier in the day. The last thought in the mind of the intruder was that of injuring the couple, unless he should learn that they had harmed Tim. 60 THE LOST RIVER. For the space of a full minute the little black eyes of the Indians remained fixed upon Dennis, who for the same time looked steadily at them, as if trying to read their thoughts. He was striving to hold him- self in hand, for his surging emotions made his tones tremulous when he asked the pathetic question : "Will ye tell me where me boy is? Me heart is breaking." The one whom he had previously met rose to his feet, advanced a couple of steps, and then halting said something in his own tongue. It cannot be supposed that it was a reply to the question asked, and- Dennis could form no idea of what it meant. How was he to make his meaning clear? At the time of their pre- vious meeting he had been alone, and it was not to be supposed that Tim's absence now would be noted, provided that the couple had had nothing to do with it. Dennis began a series of signs, which must have been meaningless to the red men. He indicated the height of the lad by holding out his hand. The listeners may have caught a glimmer of the meaning of this ; but no one would have dreamed of the signifi- cance of the gyrations of his arms, his stamping back and forth, and his spoken questions which accom- panied the gestures. Seeing their wondering looks, he became more energetic and spoke louder. They replied with motions that signified nothing to him, though members of a strange tribe would have caught the messages. The moment came when he was compelled to give A CLUE. 61 up in despair. He ceased his movement, and ex- claimed in a pitiful voice: "Is there no way I can spake the sorrow in me heart, and ask them " And then the strong man broke down, and placing one hand over his face, he sobbed as if, indeed, his heart was breaking. It was a pitiful picture, but he could not restrain his grief, which had been pent up so long. It was all unintentional on his part, he could not help it; he did not wish to act like a child before these men, who are taught from infancy to hide all expressions of emotion when before others, but the anguish that had been crushing him for hours broke all bounds and would not be checked. And yet, as before, it was the unexpected that happened. While Dennis Murphy would have done anything in his power to hold his grief in hand, his failure to do so accomplished the very thing he was striving for and that was wringing his heart. The two Indians, staring with amazement at the breaking down of the strong man, failed to read the meaning of his vigorous gestures; but they at least suspected the cause of his anguish, for both, had they pos- sessed the power of speaking English, could have given him the information he was seeking. They knew what had caused the disappearance of the white boy, and were ready to make it known to him. The two natives talked rapidly for a minute or two to each other. Then the acquaintance of Dennis caught up his quiver of arrows, slung the thong over 62 THE LOST RIVER. his neck, and took his bow in hand. He next stepped close to Dennis and spoke again. The Irish- man had partly mastered his emotion, and looked wonderingly at him. The red man turned and walked three or four steps, then looked back and beckoned. "It's aisy to understand that," said Dennis. "He wants me to follow him to where I shall larn some- thing of the lad. I'll do it, if it's to death !" Seeing that he was understood the Indian strode more briskly, while it need not be said that Dennis did not lag behind. The other red man stood calmly looking after the two, .but made no attempt to follow them. And now, while Dennis Murphy is in a fair way to learn the strange truth about Tim Crowell, let us see whether we cannot do the same. CHAPTER VII AN UNEXPECTED PLUNGE ALL the boys with whom I am acquainted are im- patient. Some of us older ones have the same fail- ing, but I think we learn to overcome it as the years pass, and I hope you will take pains to do the same. Now, Tim Crowell had this fault, along with a few others. Thus it was that, after following the stream which branched off from the one searched by his friend Dennis Murphy, he began to feel annoyed over his failure to find the little yellow nuggets that he had been sure of picking up before he had gone far. Certainly it was not due to any lack of effort on his part, for he scanned the bed of the brook whenever the current was smooth enough for him to see the clayey or rocky bottom. There were some places where the dashing waters were so churned into foam and froth that he could discern nothing below the surface; but many other stretches of water al- lowed the fullest use of his eyes, and he did not mind the little breaks. An hour passed without the least glimmer of suc- cess. Hope had not been awakened, as was the case with Dennis, by sight of a pebble showing anything 63 64 THE LOST RIVER. like a yellowish tinge. He began to lose patience, and finally came to a halt. "Tige, I believe we have found all the gold in California at least, in this part," he added, struck by the absurdity of his words. "I'm anxious to meet father, and I don't see why Mr. Metcalf and Dennis don't hurry to San Francisco." While he was engaged, the dog was also occupied, trotting up and down the bank of the brook and peering into it; for he knew as well as did Tim him- self what he was hunting for, but one was no more successful than the other. Reflecting over the matter, Tim felt ashamed to go back to Dennis with word that he had so soon grown tired of the search. He would keep at it awhile longer, and then, if he found nothing, rejoin his friend. "Tige," said he, "run on ahead or, better still, hunt out some other stream, for that will give us both a chance. Don't come back till I call you; likely you will do better than I by looking somewhere else." Nothing loth, the dog trotted away, understand- ing so well what had been said to him that he was sure not to return for a long time, unless his master summoned him. It looked like a wise proceeding, for the dog, the boy and the Irishman were now hunting on different and independent lines, with three times more chances of success than if they did their work together. A half-hour more exhausted what little stock of AN UNEXPECTED PLUNGE. 65 patience the lad had left. Pausing on the edge of the stream, his face took on an expression of disgust. "I'm not going to hunt any more; I'll let Tige keep it up for awhile, for he has better eyesight than any of us, but it will soon be noon, and I'm getting hungry. I'll look up Dennis, for he can't be far off." Since his attention was now wholly withdrawn from the water, the lad peered keenly ahead to note where his footsteps led him. He knew the general direction of the other branch of the stream, where he was certain to find his friend, either above or below the point where he should reach it. He had gone perhaps a hundred yards, when he caught sight of the two Indians who had left Dennis Murphy a little while before. They were not coming directly towards the lad, but moving diagonally, so that if they kept to the line they would pass several rods to his left. Tim was scared, for he recalled that affair in which his interference saved the life of the miner, and, fearing that one of the two was that savage, he did not wish the dusky couple to see him. Like a flash he dropped to the ground and crawled far enough to shelter himself behind a rock not much larger than himself. The aborigines did not seem to observe him, but moved forward, paying little at- tention to where they trod for they must have been familiar with the country. They were talking, and their voices had an odd, jerky, guttural tone, which the listening boy plainly heard. Carefully peering out from his hiding place, he noted their progress, which continued in the same straight line. Had they 66 THE LOST RIVER. been suspicious of anything of the kind, they would have had little trouble in locating him, for he was more exposed than he supposed. From what has been told, it is not likely that they would have done him any harm, but Tim was only prudent when he decided to take no chances. During those few minutes in which the boy lay at full length on the ground, he became aware of a singular thing. He plainly heard the gurgling, rip- pling sound of flowing water below him. It was so faint that he would not have noticed it had he kept his feet; but while extended it was too clearly im- pressed for him to be mistaken a current was sweep- ing beneath him. "I have read of rivers in Africa that, after flow- ing a long way over the ground, dip out of sight, and this sounds as if there are some of them in this part of the world. Mr. Metcalf said something about one, but I don't remember what it was." With the fear of the two red men before him, and with abundance of time at command, Tim re- mained stretched on the earth, even after all danger had gone. He raised his head and gazed after the couple until they passed from sight, and then he once more gave his attention to the phenomenon below him. By pressing his ear against the ground he could hear the flowing water more distinctly. There must have been a large volume, and it seemed to be broad, but not very far below the surface of the earth. It was, in brief, a Lost River, such as are found in certain parts of the South-west. Some of them, like AN UNEXPECTED PLUNGE. 67 those in South Africa, flow over the ground until ab- sorbed in the sands of the desert. Others plunge be- low, apparently without any special reason, and, after sweeping some distance, come out into the sunlight again. I saw one river that did this twice in the course of a few hundred miles, finally emerging and finishing its run as every well-regulated river should do. Tim Crowell was lying with his ear pressed against the ground, his rifle grasped with one hand, listening and giving rein to his boyish fancy, when the most startling thing conceivable took place. The shell of the roof of the lost river suddenly broke through and he fell with a splash into the current below. It all occurred in a twinkling, and before he could cry out or make any effort to save himself. The ground which so suddenly gave way was fifteen or twenty feet in diameter, of rough, irregular outline, so that had he flung out his arms and legs in the effort to seize something to stay his fall, it would have done no good, for all that he could reach with ex- tended arms went down with him. The roof of the river, as we may call it, was no more than a foot through at that spot, though much thicker elsewhere. The rock behind which Tim had sheltered himself went down with him, sending the spray flying in all direction as it struck the stream and plunged to the bottom. Dirt and gravel fol- lowed, and there was a stream of it dripping through the gloom long after the lad had been swept past. 68 THE LOST RIVER. As nearly as can be determined Tim Crowell fell about twenty-five feet before striking the water. The fall was not sufficient to harm him, but it carried him a dozen feet below the surface, and would have carried him further had not his feet touched bottom. He was an excellent swimmer for his years> and the plunge was no greater than he had taken many a time when diving in the old mill pond at his home in the East; but when he found that he would have to swim for his life, he let go of his rifle, which would have greatly hindered him, and it went to the bottom and stayed there. This left him the free use of his limbs, and he lost no time in bringing them into play. Blowing the water from his mouth and shaking his eyes clear of the mist, he peered around in the gloom. Fast sweeping backward was the opening through which he had taken his involuntary dive, looking jagged and yellow in the sunlight, while in every other direction was blank darkness. He could form no idea of the width of the lost river, nor how far it went or what direction it followed. A few minutes later, when he glanced over his shoulder, he failed to see the opening. The current was swift, and was bearing him whither? The most powerful swimmer could have made no headway against it, and he did not waste his strength in the effort, since, had he succeeded, it promised no benefit. He would have been a strange lad had he not done a vast amount of thinking while borne resist- lessly downward. "Suppose the black roof comes down till it AN UNEXPECTED PLUNGE. 69 touches the water; then I shall have no chance to breathe." This fear distressed him, but when he had floated some distance, with his limbs moving just enough to keep afloat, the dread passed; and then he wondered whether the stream had an underground communica- tion with the Pacific, a dozen or so miles distant, into which he would emerge, helpless and doomed. It might be that there was some subterranean waterfall or cascade over which the river dashed and in which he would surely be strangled; or it might be that the waters would be gradually absorbed by the earth itself, and he would b'e left underground with no means of escape. The current was so cold that he gasped when he sank ; but he soon became accustomed to the chill, and gave it no thought. We can become used to almost everything, and after a time Tim began making what might be called experiments. While floating he dropped his feet to see whether he could touch bottom. The third time he did this his toe grazed over what must have been a projection, for it was gone in an instant. Then he turned slightly to the right, swimming slowly and ex- tending a hand in front, groping for what might be considered the bank. There seemed so much risk in this that he was afraid to keep it up long. Suddenly, without warning, he collided so vio- lently with something that he was partly stunned. He instinctively flung out his arms and threw them around the object that checked his progress and held him motionless. It was the point of a rock that pro- 70 THE LOST RIVER. jected from the side of the river, which he had ap- proached and which he was able to seize with a vigour that checked his downward drift. The dashing of the water around his body told how swift the current was, and he had to hold hard to avoid being wrenched away again. It cost no great effort to lift himself free of the stream and to crouch on the support that had obtruded itself across his path. "Here I am at last," he exclaimed, "but what good can it do me to hold on ? I can't stay for ever, and Dennis and Mr. Metcalf will never think of look- ing for me in this spot, and, if they did, how could they reach me ?" His eyes had become accustomed to the gloom; but, where all light was shut out, it would have been impossible for an owl to discern anything. It seemed to him, however, as he peered down stream, that he could detect just the faintest possible lighting up of the darkness. It might be only fancy, but when he turned his eyes away and suddenly brought them back, the almost imperceptible glow was there. What could it mean? Did it indicate an opening where the lost river once more emerged into the sun- light? If so, he had good reason to hope; but it might mark another break in the roof, which was so far beyond reach that it could be of no benefit to him. There is one thing, however, that a rugged young- ster is always capable of doing. It is hard to imagine a situation in which he cannot make use of his voice. Tim uttered a number of shouts and yells that would AN . UNEXPECTED . PL UNGE. 71 have done credit to an Indian warrior. He -called the name of Dennis, of Mr. Metcalf, and of Tige. In every instance a clear echo came back from the op- posite shore so clear, in fact, that it gave him an odd feeling of fear, which made him hesitate before re- peating the call. It was not long before he saw the uselessness of such hails, for it was impossible that a voice tenfold stronger than his should find its way upward through that massive roof of rocks and earth to the outside world. CHAPTER VIII A FAITHFUL FRIEND No boy ever found himself in a more alarming situa- tion than Tim Crowell while clinging to the project- ing rock at the side of the lost river, in the darkness of the underground flow of the stream. In whatever direction he peered he was met by the same im- penetrable gloom, the only exception being down the current, where the light was so faint as to be almost imperceptible. The important question he asked himself again and again was whether that glow, if glow it was, meant that the river debouched in the sunlight after sweeping so far under the surface of the earth. If it did> the only thing for him to do was to leap into the current again and float downward, with a possible chance of being able to make a landing. But if it had no such significance, what could he gain by staying where he was? No outcries that he could make would reach his friends above, and if they did there were no means by which they could help him. He was powerless to make his way for a single stroke against the current, but must be borne downward whither it chose to carry him.- With his senses strung to the highest tension, he 72 A FAITHFUL FRIEND. 73 plainly heard the rippling dash of the waters around him, as they struck some obstruction, and now and then the noise appeared to come from the other side of the river. If he was not mistaken in this, the stream was more than a hundred yards in width; while its depth, as he had learned when his plunge carried him to the bottom, \vas enough to warrant the name of a river. Suddenly from out this world of gloom a new sound broke upon his ear. It was the barking of a dog, and it came from a point above him ! "It's Tige!" exclaimed the boy. "He has found out what has happened to me, and is trying to help me." Such was the fact, and you must now understand what had taken place above ground. The dog had returned from his fruitless hunt after gold, and the sight of the hole in the ground and the noise of the rushing waters below told him what had happened to his young master. There must have been strange imaginings in that canine brain and deep distress at his inability to aid the one for whom he was ready at any time to give his life. He made off to notify his friends of the disaster, but he was in a panic and did not know what to do. When near Dennis Murphy and the miner he emitted the bark which they heard, and then dashed back again, without showing himself to the couple. Ordinarily, he would have waited to make sure they were following him, but now he was too frantic to do so. Back again he bounded to the opening in the ground, and, seeing that he was still 74 THE LOST RIVER. alone, hesitated not a moment. Straight through the hole he dived into the rushing river below, his only instinct being to find his master and give him what aid he could. But in that realm of darkness he could see nothing to guide him while he swam downward. By-and-by he barked, and it was that signal which reached the ear of Tim Crowell, perched on the pointed rock at the side of the lost river. "Never did anybody ever have so faithful a friend," said the grateful lad, with a lump in his throat; "if I am saved, it will be you, Tige, that does it." Then he shouted the name of the pet, and the answering bark told he had been heard. Tige had located him, and ploughed through the water diagon- ally towards the spot where he knew his master was waiting. The animal continued barking, and Tim kept up his calling. The distance between the two rapidly lessened. By-and-by Tim knew his friend was at hand, for he could hear him rushing through the water. Reaching down, he seized the abundant hair of the upper part of the neck, slipped his fingers under the collar the dog helping all he could and then, by their united efforts, the friend clambered up beside him on the rock. They could not see each other; but the moment Tim knew the dog was secure, he put his arm around his neck, pressed his head close to his body, and kissed him between his eyes. Tige whined with pleasure, and in return licked his face. They were A FAITHFUL FRIEND. 75 together, but was the situation of the boy better than before? It was no shame to him that, with his arm lovingly enclosing his faithful friend, he gave way to his emotion and sobbed as if his heart was break- ing. Tige showed his sympathy by whining and still licking his face; but even he, with all his wonderful sagacity, could show no way by which to help the one who was so dear to him. t Could he have done so, is it to be supposed he would have faltered for one moment, no matter what the sacrifice involved? "You didn't fall through that hole like me," said Tim, when he had rallied. "You knew I had tumbled into it, and you jumped after me. I wonder whether any dog in the world would do as much for his master." The arrival of Tige brought new thoughts. If he, coming upon the opening in the earth, read the truth, would not the two men do the same? Undoubtedly they would ; but, again, what possible good could fol- low? They would not attempt to join him, for the certain result of that would be to place three where there was now only one in imminent peril. Tim spent a long, long time in studying over the situation and in trying to figure out some way of help- ing himself. It was useless, for the result in every instance was to come back to the conviction that there remained only the one thing to do commit himself again to the current, which might bear him to safety, or, what seemed more likely, to destruction. Again and again he asked God to direct ham, and the moment came when all doubt passed away. 76 THE LOST RIVER. "Let's get ready," he said to his companion; "I'm going to swim again, Tige, and you must keep with me." The dog understood what was meant when his master let himself carefully down into the water, and, hanging for a moment with his feet sweeping almost horizontally down stream, let go. "Come, Tige!" he called, and the dog was scarcely a moment behind him in taking the leap. At the first striking out of his arms one hand touched the shaggy side of Tige, who kept swimming close beside his master. "Let's work away from shore," suggested the boy, afraid that he might collide with some of the ob- structions near the bank. There was no way of tell- ing precisely where they were; but when he guessed it was near the middle, he merely kept afloat, aban- doning himself to the power of the river, his comrade doing the same. With a thrill o'f hope the lad saw that the dull glow which had caught his eye some time before was slowly growing. "There's some kind of opening," he thought, "but I'm afraid it's only a hole like the one I fell through." Tige showed that the light had caught his notice, for he whined and barked once, and acted as if he wished to swim towards it ; but, seeing that his master made no effort, he gave up the attempt. By-and-by the light so increased that Tim dis- cerned the roof, or arch, of the lost river, as it was thrown in relief against the glow of the sky beyond. A FAITHFUL FRIEND. 77 The curve of earth was fully a hundred yards across, with the central portion, or key, some twenty feet above the current. It was irregular and uncouth of form, with numerous roots of trees twisted and hang- ing downward, like so many serpents, groping for the moisture that was running to waste. All doubt was gone; the river emerged into the sunlight, and the arch came to an end. But Tim feared that it soon took another plunge into the bowels of the mountain. "The first chance I see to get out of this," he said, with compressed lips, "I'm going to grab on to some- thing and get out!" He Was alarmed to observe, while sweeping to- wards daylight, that the banks on both sides, instead of being shallow and easily climbed, were perpendicu- lar bluffs, some of which were fifty feet in height. So far as he saw, he could no more climb them than he could make his way up the side of a house; but he was resolved to put forth his best effort, and, with Tige sticking close beside him, he swam to the right, keeping as close to the bluffs as he could without rub- bing against them. When he shot out into the sunlight he blinked and could hardly see. He had been in darkness so long that the glare was overpowering for some min- utes ; for, you know, it takes the pupil a brief while to become accustomed to marked changes of light and gloom. The difficulty soon passed, and he held himself alert for the first advantage. He noticed that the water around him was as 78 THE LOST RIVER. clear as crystal. The sun was well down the sky, for he had been underground longer than he supposed. A glance upward failed to show a single cloud; for, as you know, the weather was perfect. . Tim, how- ever, gave little heed to all this. His whole thought and energy were concentrated upon the impending effort to free himself from the grasp of the lost river. Suddenly he saw his chance. The base of the bluff reached out into the stream, with several feet showing just above the current. There ought to be no difficulty in seizing hold of this and checking him- self, for without further effort he must be swept within easy reach. "That's the spot!" he called to Tige, indicating it by a nod of his head. "We must land there." The dog acted as if he understood, and fell behind to give his master the first chance. It was a mis- take; for, had he taken the lead, he would not only have landed himself, but would have been able to help his master. As it was, when Tim reached out and tried to grasp the rough surface, his fingers slipped, and in a twinkling he was below the pro- jection, which could be of no help to him. The failure did not discourage him, and he began searching for another chance to leave the stream. The first glance showed a second obtrusion of rock similar to the first, but, if anything, more favourable. The stone sloped downward and out into the water for a yard, when it dipped under. Tim swam close into shore, so as to be sure of colliding with it, and braced himself for the shock, which came the next A FAITHFUL FRIEND. 79 minute, The point of rock continued some distance outward, only a few inches below the surface, as was shown by the rippling of the current against and over it. The swimmer "backed water" all he could, but struck the obstruction so hard that he was consider- ably bruised; but this time he held fast and drew himself clear, with Tige at his side. "Thank Heaven!" was the fervent cry of the boy the moment he felt he was free from the grip of the cruel current. "We are safe, Tige; ain't you glad?" He threw his arms around the dog again, and the animal showed his thankfulness by several barks, after which he shook his shaggy hide, sending the spray flying in every direction. Aye, they were delivered from the lost river, and the boy gave his attention to his new situation, with the result that his high hopes were nearly dashed at the discovery that there was no way of leaving the spot. The sloping rock extended backward for eight or ten feet from the margin of the stream, when it ended directly against the face of the bluff, which rose nearly twenty feet above his head, as straight upward as the side of a brick wall. It seemed, in short, to be a break in the bluff, which enclosed it on three sides, as if someone had gouged out the path for the short distance. Tim Crowell was, therefore, still imprisoned, the only way of freeing himself being as before. He must take again to the water, trusting to the good fortune of reaching a place which would allow him to climb to the top of the bluff; but to do this involved 8o THE LOST RIVER. a risk from which he shrank, because of his fear that the river dipped again underground, and he would be swept to death before he could check himself. He came back to the outermost point of the support, and, carefully steadying himself, looked down stream. The sight that met his gaze was what he dreaded. The river did pass under another arch several hun- dred yards away, with the probability that once again in its embrace he would have no means of escaping it. "We'll never try it, Tige," he said, patting the head of his comrade, "no matter how long we have to stay here." CHAPTER IX THE UPPER LEVEL TIM CROWELL was safe from the embrace of the lost river, but was in a woeful plight. He had lost his rifle beyond recovery, he was chilly and famished, his clothing was saturated, and there was no possible way of leaving the spot without help. The nimblest monkey or chimpanzee cannot climb twenty feet of smooth perpendicular wall which offers not the slight- est foothold. He drew out his pocket-knife in the weak hope of being able to cut crevices in the flinty sandstone for his hands and feet> but he quickly saw that it would be the case of the rat which gnawed the file : he didn't hurt the file, while his own teeth were ground away. A score of knives would not have been of the slightest use. "No hope in that," he said, with a sigh, closing the blade and thrusting it back into his pocket; "but, no matter what happens, I shan't trust myself to that stream again." The bright-witted lad thought of a scheme which offered a ray of hope, though he could not bring him- self to try it. That was to order Tige to plunge into the current and swim till he came upon a spot where he could climb to the top of the bluff, and then to 81 82 THE LOST RIVER. hunt up Dennis Murphy and the miner, and bring them back with him. Several reasons prevented the boy testing the plan. With all his faith in the intelligence of Tige, he doubted whether he could make him fully under- stand his wishes. He might force him into the water, without his knowing for what purpose, though it was not impossible that he would solve his meaning, and, climbing out again, hurry off after their friends. It was not his distrust of the ability of the canine, but another reason which held back Tim. Tige might try to do all that was needed, but suppose he should find himself unable to leave the current after entering it. He would be carried underground again, and that would be the last of him. "You have done too much for me," said Tim, shaking his head, "to allow you to take so great a risk. No, Tige; we sink or swim together." It pleases me to say that in some respects the lad showed a prudence that hardly would have been ex- pected from one of his years. The afternoon was so well forward that the air was chilly. He shivered when he removed his garments one by one and wrung out all the moisture he could, and rubbed his body with his rough coat and trousers until his skin glowed. Then, donning his clothes again, he danced and dis- ported himself on his narrow platform, not stopping until tired and perspiring. Whenever the chill began returning, he repeated the violent exercise. It was a wise thing to do, and there can be no doubt that it prevented serious results from his long exposure. THE UPPER LEVEL. 83 Since Dennis always carried the matches, Tim had no means of kindling a fire, even had he possessed any fuel. Sticks and bits of wood floated past, and now and then one of them struck the projecting point of rock and spun by, but they were too soggy to be used, and he gave no thought to them. He could not help often looking upward to the top of the bluffs and sighing: "If there were only some way of getting there! Tige, can't you jump it?" It was a sorry jest, to which the dog gave no heed. When the decreasing light showed that the after- noon was drawing to a close, Tim made his prepara- tions for spending the night in the lonely spot. Tige, without direction from him, stretched himself between his master and the water, so as to prevent the boy rolling into it while asleep, and Tim cuddled down beside him; but though he was tired, he found him- self unable to sleep. His hunger may have been partly the cause of this; but the real reason was his intense sense of the situation, and his continual effort to think out some way of helping himself. It would seem that no situation could have been simpler. He was safe against all present danger; but there was no chance of escape without the help of friends, for not once was his resolution not to enter the stream weakened. The question, therefore, resolved itself into the single one of whether he could feel any hope of his , friends finding him. {, "They will be sure to come upon that hole in the 84 THE LOST RIVER. ground by to-morrow; they will know that I fell through it, and because they don't see anything of Tige, they will think he went with me. They'll under- stand that if we weren't drowned, I must have been swept down to this break in the river; they'll follow and look for me, and, if I don't starve to death before they come, they'll find me after awhile. How did I come to forget it?" When underground he had whooped and whistled in vain. Now he was in the outer air, where his signals could reach a long way, and he had not thought of trying them until this moment. Rising to his feet, he placed his forefinger and thumb against the end of his tongue and emitted several blasts that might well have been mistaken for the screeching of a locomotive whistle. He had employed the same signal for years, and if it should reach the ears of Dennis Murphy he would recognize it on the instant. When the boy ceased and heard a sound similar to the one he had just made, he supposed it was the echo, but that which immediately followed was any- thing but an echo. "Hulloa! where are ye?" "Here, Dennis! Hurry up!" shouted the boy, wild with joy. Tige, too, knew the voice and uttered sev- eral delighted barkings. "I'm coming, as Mickey Dougherty said to the crowd below him whin he fell off the roof." By continuously whistling, the Irishman was directed along the bluffs, until finally he paused di- rectly over the lad, and, looking down, saw him and THE UPPER LEVEL. 85 the dog in the gathering gloom. The happy fellow called out: "Bjefore I prosade any further, I wish to know if it is yersilf, or some spalpeen that is trying to play a mane trick on me." "It's Tim, sure enough; but, Dennis, I don't see how Tige and I are ever going to climb up there where you are." "Let Tige fasten his teeth in yer hair and pull ye out till ye're long enough to raich me hand; but I fear me the distance is too great, as me frinds used to find whin they tried to jump wid me." "Where is Mr. Metcalf?" Dennis looked around, as if he had not thought of his friend before. "He was with me a wee bit ago, and can't be far off. Him and me will find some way of getting ye out of that place, so do ye have patience. Did ye jump down that hole on purpose, Tim?" "What a question! The ground broke through with me, when I had not thought of such a thing. You must have known when you saw the place how it was." "I didn't obsarve the same till a gintleman, who happened to be an Injin, showed me the opening, and then I knowed how it was. Tige didn't go down wid ye, for we heerd him bark after we missed ye." "Xo; he saw what had happened to me, and he followed. We have been together since, and man- aged to climb out into this place, but here we are stuck." 86 THE LOST RIVER. "So it looks, as the fly said whin he fell into the 'lasses; but, ye won't have to stay long not more than a wake at the most." A few minutes later Metcalf joined his friend above. There was still enough light to see the boy and dog below, and leaning over, he greeted them, and expressed his delight at finding Tim had escaped, after the two had almost given up hope. "I suppose you have no objection to coming up here and joining us, Tim?" "I wish you would show me the way to do so," "It won't take long to fix that. Here, Dennis, give me your help." It will be recalled that the men had a couple of blankets, one of which was presented to Tim by the miner, who now proceeded to tie the two together at the corners. When the knot was made sufficiently secure, he lowered the home-made rope, which descended so low that the boy could easily reach it by standing on his toes. "Make your hold sure," called Metcalf. "I can do that easy enough, but what about Tige ?" "Put him in one of yer pockets," which suggestion of Dennis's was so out of place that Metcalf added: "Don't think we are going to forget him. Do as I tell you." Gripping the blanket with both hands, Tim gave the word, and the man quickly lifted him to the sur- face, where Dennis caught him in his arms, and, though he tried to talk in his jocular fashion, he THE UPPER LEVEL. 87 finally broke down and wept from very joy, and Tim could not help doing the same. Meanwhile, Metcalf was glad of the excuse iof paying no attention to the two, and giving it all to the dog. Lying flat on his face, he leaned over and lowered the blanket as far as he could. His change of posture enabled him to let the rope descend a foot farther than before. "Bite it, Tige! Bite it! Hold fast!" called the miner. Il was no wonderful sagacity on the part of the brute that told him what all this meant. Catching a corner of the lower blanket between his jaws, he held on like a bull-dog. As soon as Metcalf felt his weight, he said to Dennis: "Lend me a hand. His grip may give out." But it did not. Dennis gave willing help, and Tige, with his claws scratching against the face of the rock, was speedily hoisted to the level above, where he did more barking in response to noisy congratula- tions and much patting. Suddenly Dennis Murphy stopped his rejoicing, and said gravely : "Gintlemen, jine me." Remov-ing his cap, he looked reverently upward, and in a few simple words gave thanks to God for having restored the boy to life and to his friends. The miner and Tim stood with bowed heads, the hearts of both warm with gratitude; after such a signal display of goodness by Him who does not let a sparrow fall to the ground without His notice. 88 THE LOST RIVER. "Well," said Metcalf a minute later, "we are all well tired out and ready to go into camp ; and seeing that this isn't the best place, I think I know of another that will suit. There we will stay till morn- ing, and then make all haste to San Francisco, for I suspect you two are as sick of this country as I am." "Gracious, Mr. Metcalf !" exclaimed Tim ; "you don't mean to wait till morning before we have some- thing to eat ? I can't stand it." "That reminds me I'd forgot something, as me grandfather remarked when he landed in Ameriky and found he had left his wife at home. I didn't remimber, me boy, to provide for that appetite of yours." "But I remembered it," was the pleasing com- ment of the miner. CHAPTER X AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY You will remember that when Dennis Murphy was in despair, one of the two Indians whom he came upon beckoned him away. The native led him directly to the opening in the ground through which Tim Crowell had fallen into the lost river. Dennis did not need the gestures and exclamations of the dusky guide to make clear his meaning; but, thanking him as best he could, the excited Irishman hurried off to hunt up Metcalf the miner. It was some time before he found him, and when he did so he had shot a mountain sheep, and was broiling the nourishing food for a late dinner. Neither of the two paused to par- take, but dashed off to the spot where the boy had disappeared. The sight which met them explained what until then had been a problem that neither could solve. The best thing about it all was the declaration of Metcalf that there was good reason to think the boy was safe. He believed the sunken stream emerged not far distant, and the lad, with the help of the dog, had probably been able to reach shore. \Yhat the two men had to do was to find the place of such 89 90 THE LOST RIVER. emergence, and you may be sure they did not delay in the effort. The only way to trace the underground stream was by keeping within hearing of the current. This compelled them to advance slowly, and to pick their course with great care. Despite this, they got off the trail, so to speak, several times, and had to assure themselves when they were right by kneeling and pressing their ears to the ground. Thus they were employed when Dennis was thrilled by the familiar signal of Tim. Hardly pausing to reply, he was up and away as fast as he could travel. He gave no heed to his friend, who, assured that all was right, turned in the opposite direction and hastened to the spot where he had prepared the meal from the moun- tain sheep. He knew that if there ever was a hungry boy, Tim Crowell was that youngster. On his return he selected a spot sheltered by a huge pile of rocks, hastily gathered some branches and bits of wood, ready for firing, and then joined the Irishman, who was trying to think of some way -of lifting the boy and the dog to the safe upper level. This explains how the miner was able to provide their young friend with the meal he sorely needed. They did not have to walk far when they came to the place which had been selected for camp. The blankets were untied and spread on the ground. Tim's garments had become dry long before, and the little party enjoyed the happiest meal of their lives. By-and-by Tim and Tige lay down near together and fell asleep; while the men lit their pipes and talked. AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY. g\ "How we missed it," remarked the miner, "in sus- pecting the Indians or that white party of having had a hand in the misfortune of the boy. Not only were the red men innocent, but they were ready to give you all the help they could." "Yis," replied Dennis; "I shall niver think of one of them ugly-looking spalpeens agin without wishing to hug him, as the girls used to remark whin they caught sight of me." "I am glad I didn't tell that churl this morning what I suspected, for I did him a cruel wrong. I think there is a lesson in what happened this after- noon." "Which the same might be what?" "That there's no excuse for our tarrying longer in the Santa Lucia range. The few bits of gold we have found signify nothing, and there are other places where we have much better cause to hunt for it. Then, too, if anything else should overtake little Tim, he may not be so fortunate. He is too young to be our companion." "It was a mistake that he ever was; if Captain Belford hadn't been in such a hurry to lave us behind we wouldnH have been lift behind, as me second cousin remarked when he fell out of the waggon." "There is to be no more turning aside with fool- ish hunts for gold. I am as eager to get to San Francisco and the diggings as you, and it shall not be my fault if we are not there in the course of a week or so. What disturbs you?" Dennis Murphy had snatched his pipe from his 92 THE LOST RIVER. mouth, and with a gasp turned his eyes towards his companion with the stare of a wild man. "Do ye mind?" he asked, in a husky voice. "Do I mind what?" asked the astonished miner. "Have ye forgot that that paper in your pocket that was writ by the crazy man told ye that the stream which flowed from the middle mountain peak flowed underground?" "I declare," replied Metcalf, "I was so taken up with the search for the boy that I forgot everything else. So it does say, and we have reached a point pretty well north of where we camped last night and this morning. There may be something in this; but, like you, I had made up my mind to think no more about it." "But ye were not like me if ye were able to do that same thing; ivery once in a while the feeling comes over me that instid of going to a fortune we're laving it behind us, and that we shouldn't be in too much of a hurry about laving." "It surprises me to hear you speak thus, when you seemed to have little or no faith from the begin- ning." "It surprises mesilf, as Tim Mooney said whin the boss told him he had worked for a week without being docked for more than four days; but I can't help the feeling, as I have said. I'll agree that if there's nothing in sight to-morrow that looks like that picter on the paper ye are carrying, I'll never spake of the subject agin." Metcalf drew the document from his pocket, and AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY. 93 the two once more scrutinised it by the light of the camp fire. It was wholly useless to do so; for, as I have said, it had been photographed on their memory, but the two studied it as if neither had ever seen it before. "We mustn't forget," said the miner, as he re- folded the paper and restored it to his pocket, "that we are not the only ones in this section. If it should prove that we have struck the right section, so has someone else." "I'm thinking that if they have larned as much as we, it would be wise to offer to make an agreement with them a sort of compromise, so to spake." "What offer occurs to you?" "How would something like this do : If they first come upon the goold, they are to divide equally with us ; if we find it first, we're to keep it?" Nothing could be better for us, if they will con- sent; but suppose they should make the same pro- position to us?" "As to which?" "That we should give them half of what we find, and they give us none?" "I should rejict such an insulting proposition with scorn." "Just as they would do with ours. You must have learned before this, Dennis, that most men are selfish. We must make our hunt alone for the treasure ; if we succeed in finding it there is no reason why we should divide with anyone else. Should we be so fortunate, we share and share alike that is, each, including the 94 THE LOST RIVER. lad, is to have a third. No one else is to be con- sidered." "Unless the same pushes in onto us, as the dog obsarved whin the trusting boy thrust his finger into his mouth and the dog bit down hard." Now that the two were relieved of all anxiety about Tim, they talked long over the new, or rather old, theme, that came back to both with stronger force than before. They agreed that the morrow must settle the vexatious question once and for all. If they failed to discover the three mountain peaks as marked on the paper, with the winding stream at the base, they would give the matter no more thought. Though neither would confess it, each was hopeful that they were on the eve of the most important discovery of their lives. It was late when they stretched out on the single blanket, leaving the duty of sentinel to Tige, as before. Dennis Murphy slept longer than he expected, but not so long as Tim Crowell, who was worn out by his exhausting experience of the previous day. When the Irishman opened his eyes and looked about him, it was several minutes before he could gather his senses. He turned to speak to the miner, but he was absent. "I hope he hasn't tumbled into the lost river," mut- tered Dennis, "for I'm getting tired of pulling people out, as me mither said after I had fell in the water cistern three times " At that moment he heard a faint "Halloo!" Looking towards the spot whence the hail came, he AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY. 95 saw Metcalf standing on the summit of a ridge a furlong away, and beckoning to him. He was swing- ing his hat above his head with every appearance of excitement. Wondering what it could mean, Dennis climbed to his feet, caught up his rifle, and hastened towards him. He saw that Tige was awake, but the man did not think it worth while to rouse Tim, who was still sleeping at his side. Not until Dennis had passed half the distance did he recall the conversation of the night before. Surely the agitation of his friend must have some thing to do with that, and he hastened his footsteps, falling sev- eral times ; but he soon clambered up beside his com- rade, who was impatiently awaiting him. Had the Irishman borne the miner company to the ridge, he would have suspected that he was in the presence of a crazy man; but the interval had been long enough for Metcalf to pull himself to- gether, though he was still trembling and his face pale. "What is it that disturbs ye?" asked Dennis. "Ye didn't slape as well as mesilf, because your conscience troubles ye " "Cease your nonsense," interrupted the other curtly. "Look off yonder!" He pointed eastward as he spoke, and the Irish- man saw, a half-mile distant, three mountain peaks, exactly as they were represented on the paper which had been given to the miner weeks before by James jCovington, in the diggings to the north. "I b'lave they're the same," remarked Dennis. 96 THE LOST RIVER. "And now look at the base of the middle peak, a short distance in front, and tell me what you see there!" Dennis looked, and saw that which had baffled them so long that they had given up hope of ever seeing it a winding stream in the shape of the letter S, which, after flowing a short distance, sank out of sight into the earth. The man stared, and for a moment held his breath. Then he emitted a whoop, and flung his hat a dozen feet above his head. "It's the same ! it's the same !" he shouted, act- ing as if bereft of his senses. The miner observed him and smiled. He had done the same thing, and was yet hardly master of himself. There could be no mistake. The artist, in making his sketch, had added glimpses of the scenery to the right, the left, and in the valley in front, one of which was a couple of withered pines, part way down the slope. In fact, he had reproduced the principal points in the field of vision with the fidelity of a photograph. The miner had his paper in hand, and stepping beside his comrade when his excitement had cooled down, directed attention to the smaller points, of which they had not thought until then. "Yes," he said, refolding the paper and putting it away; "when we least expected it, we have found the spot. We were near it all day yesterday, but even after Tim had fallen into the lost river, we did not dream of it." "And was it that stream that he dropped into ?" "No, but a tributary of it. The two unite some- AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY. 97 where, and then come to the surface close to the spot where we came upon him." "But where is the pile of rocks that the man wrote about, and where he said we should find several hun- dred thousand millions in goold?" "He did not mention the word 'gold,' but that is what he meant. The rocks in which he located the treasure is just beyond where Tim is lying this min- ute ; when we were making our way to camp last night we passed within a few yards of the spot. Yonder it is, in plain sight." CHAPTER XI TWO NATIVE EXPLORERS NOTHING was lacking. Every detail of the drawing of the artist was before them, and the pile of rocks, said to contain the treasure, was clearly seen. Down the slope young Tim Crowell, who was seen to be moving about with his dog Tige, was within a hun- dred yards of the very spot. Whether the secret of the dead Covington was really a secret must soon be known. Metcalf and Dennis had become more calm, though both were in a state of restrained excitement over the certainty that a great revelation or a bitter disappointment was at hand. At such times a person grows nervous and afraid that others may rob him of that which he looks upon as his own. When the Irishman proposed that they should go down the ridge and investigate without any more delay, the miner shook his head. "We must not forget that others are in the neigh- bourhood. Perhaps their eyes are upon us this minute, and we cannot make a move without its being seen and understood by them." "And what if they do the same?" demanded the combative Celt. "If we're ahead of the spalpeens, 98 TWO NATIVE EXPLORERS. 99 why we'll be ahead of thim; and if they seek to interfere we'll fight." "\Ye risk too much by such rashness. I have met only one of the white men, but perhaps there are a dozen lurking near. They may not know as much about this as we do, and are waiting for us to give them the tip." "And they'll get the same tip, if they seek to bother us, as used to be the case whin my frinds got in the way of me shillelagh." After a time the miner succeeded in soothing his companion and convincing him that it was the time for extreme caution. Inasmuch as the hidden treasure had waited so long, it could wait a little longer, and the two would not explore the rocks until certain that no one else was watching them. "Yonder, near the base of that middle peak, just above the crooked stream, is something which, per- haps, will interest you." Looking in the direction named, a wavy line of light-coloured smoke was seen issuing from and lingering above a clump of pine. It was not dense, but was seen too distinctly to be mistaken. Clearly a camp fire was among those trees. "Suppose a party of gold hunters are there, as I believe is a fact, we are in plain sight of them. Therefore we must keep away from the rocks till we learn something about the strangers. I will take it upon myself to do that." "And while ye are doing the same, how shall Dennis Murphy employ his elegant leisure?" ioo THE LOST RIVER. "Rejoin Tim in our camp. There is enough of the mountain sheep left to make you a good meal. Wait there for me." It was not the most pleasant proposal in the world; but the good sense of the Irishman told him it was wise. He agreed to it ; while the miner passed with him down the ridge until it shut him from view when he turned to make his attempt to reach the other camp without being discovered by those whose presence just then was so unwelcome. Dennis urged him to join them in the morning meal, but he replied: "I am too excited to feel any appetite. I shall care for no food until I know more about this matter than I do now." With these words the friends parted, and, following the devious course, Metcalf soon dis- appeared, leaving Dennis and Tim to pass the time as best they could while he was away. Although no promise had been given or asked, the miner took it for granted that his wishes would be respected by the Irishman. Metcalf was very cautions. Where there was so much at stake, he meant to run no unnecessary risks, and in order to make sure he Was not observed by those whom he was reconnoitring, he made a wide detour to the right, returning to the spot near the base of the middle peak, where his movements were as guarded as those of a red Indian entering the camp of an enemy. He had used fully two hours, and the sun was well up in the sky. The nature of the ground favoured him, and, still careful and deliberate, he was sure he had not been TWO NATIVE EXPLORERS. 101 noticed. His aim was to approach nigh enough, not only to see the whites, but to overhear some of their conversation without betraying himself. He believed that in this way he would learn what he was so anxious to know, after which he must be guided by his best judgment. Whether, too, he should go for- ward and make himself known could not be settled until he learned more. From the first Metcalf had acted upon the theory that the men in the camp were of his own race, but a surprise awaited him; for when he caught his first stolen glimpse of the campers he discovered they were the two Indians whom Dennis had met the day before, and one of whom had given him the clue to the disappearance of Tim Crowell. The miner was so astonished that he rose from his crouching posture, called out "How!" and walked forward to meet the couple, who were plainly sur- prised to see him there. These repellent-looking savages evidently had slept on the spot, and not long before had eaten their morning meal. The smell of cooking food lingered in the air and mingled with the odour of the rank tobacco which they were smoking in their long- stemmed pipes while they lolled on the ground. Rather curiously, their meat was of the same kind as that partaken of by the miner the night before, being mountain sheep, of which there was enough left to afford another meal. The visitor noticed several bones with the meat attached lying on the ground behind them. 102 THE LOST RIVER. The natives replied to the greeting with an ex- clamation of their own, which, however, bore no re- semblance to the "How!" of the white man. They had laid aside their bows and arrows, the two long weapons leaning against the nearest boulder. They made no move to recover them, and it is probable that the sign of good-will which Metcalf made as he came forward was understood by them. They did not rise to their feet, but the action of one in shifting his seat further from his companion and his pointing to the vacated spot was so clearly an invitation that the white man accepted it, and sat down between the two. Then the second rose, walked to where the half- cooked mutton was lying, and brought back a big bone to the visitor. Nodding his head by way of thanks, the miner accepted it, and ate so vigorously that the host, with a queer grin on his ugly face, brought him a second bone. Metcalf disposed of nearly all the meat it contained, but left so much un- tasted that he was invited to take no more, and was permitted to fling away what remained. Then the Indian on his left took his pipe from his mouth, and with a grunt offered it to the caller. Metcalf detested the coarse, rank tobacco; but he would have submitted to a good deal more rather than offend his dusky friends. He took a number of whiffs, with every appearance of enjoyment,, though the weed was very distasteful. Thus the best of relations were established between the parties. Each trusted the other, and neither was in danger. TWO NATIVE EXPLORERS. 103 Now, who were these red men? Of one fact the miner was certain: they did not belong to that part of California, but had come from a long distance, and were now returning at a leisurely rate to their homes. This raised other interesting questions, as to where they had come from and why they had made a visit to the Santa Lucia range. You will be surprised when I tell you something which you probably never suspected, but which is true. It had been proved that from the first settlement of America there have been what may be called explorers among the Indians. Certain members of tribes journeyed hundreds of miles away from home, led by the same motive which leads men to try to find the North Pole or to plunge into the heart of Africa. They yielded to the long- ing to learn more of the world than they ever could learn by staying at home with their own tribe. While Captain John Smith, the "Father of Virginia," was ascending one of the streams of that colony in a small boat, he met a large canoe, in which were seated a dozen warriors, who were members of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, whose home was in Central New York, nearly a thousand miles distant. This party had come all the way to Virginia to see the country and people, and probably to form plans for the con- quest of the different tribes; for, as you know, the Iroquois were great fighters, and it is believed that but for the arrival of the English settlers they would have brought all the Indians along the Atlantic under their sway. A party of hunters half a century ago met three 104 THE LOST RIVER. Indians near the border line of Canada whom they recognised as members of a tribe living in Texas, much farther from their home than were the Iroquois. One of the white hunters was able to speak the jComanche tongue, and learned from the three that they were simply making a tour of the country, and would have gone still farther north had not the climate become unpleasantly severe. If you have felt enough interest in "Deerfoot the Shawanoe" to read what I have told about him, you will remember that he sometimes gave way to that longing for travel which comes over persons now and then, and which most boys feel about all the time. Had Metcalf been able to converse with the two. red men who were entertaining him so hospitably, he would have heard an interesting story; but that was impossible, though he had decided from the first that the couple were a long way from their home, to which they were now returning. In fact, he re- membered an affray with the Indians in the Sierras, in which he and a number of miners were engaged, with losses on both sides. The warriors, who fought fiercely with their bows and arrows, were the counter- parts of the two before him, and he was almost certain they belonged to the same tribe. If they had come to this part of California for any other reason than to gratify their curiosity, it was impossible to guess that reason: and we must confess, after all, that it was nobody's business but their own. Much as the miner was interested in his dusky friends, he was not in the mood to remain long in their TWO NATIVE EXPLORERS. 105 company. It was a great relief to find his mistake ; but his fears of the white men were not removed, for it seemed to him that if they were lingering in the vicinity for some sinister purpose, they would take good care not to betray themselves by means of a camp fire. They could hover near the mass of rocks, and still keep out of sight all the time. Having finished smoking the "pipe of peace," Metcalf rose to his feet after returning it, bowed low, and said "Thank you," to which they also nodded their heads and grunted their goodwill. As he was moving away, he was astonished by the action of one, who drew a half-dozen lucifer matches from the sash around his waist and handed them to him. It was an expression of friendship which was appreciated, and it also proved that these natives had somewhere come in contact with white men from whom they must have obtained the bits of pine and sulphur; for, as you know, the aboriginal way of starting a fire is by the friction of pieces of dry wood together. "I only wish I could feel as well satisfied about those of my own race," mused Metcalf, who, instead of taking his roundabout course back to camp, fol- lowed a direct line across the valley-like depression toward the ridge. Before reaching the elevation, how- ever, he made another detour, moving in so long a circle that a greater delay than before followed. He could not rid himself of the fear of interference from the strangers, who were at no great distance, and he hoped to gain some knowledge of them. He believed the only prudent course was for him and his 106 THE LOST RIVER. friends to keep away from the rocks until dusk, when the search could be made with safety. Often he scanned every point in his field of vision in quest of the tell-tale smoke, but nothing of it was detected. That which climbed into the sky from the fire kindled by the two Indians gradually faded from view, and the clear air was unstained and transparent, as it was likely to be for months to come. Thus it was that the day was half gone when he finally gave over his reconnoitring and headed directly for the camp where he had left his friends hours before and where he found them impatiently await- ing his return. CHAPTER XII THE GOLDEN CAVE You will agree with me that one of the hardest things to do is to wait. The poet tells us that we must learn to labour and to wait, which is not so hard ; but it is the waiting in idleness, especially when we can see no reason for the delay. Dennis Murphy felt that he ought to follow the wishes of the miner, not only because of his greater experience in this part of the world, but because he was the real owner of the important secret. So, when the Irishman rejoined Tim, and they two ate their breakfast, he expected to stay where they were until Metcalf showed up. This was not difficult for an hour or so, but after that he began to chafe and fret. He walked to and fro, sat down, nervously smoked his pipe, scanned the sur- sounding country, and fixed his gaze on the mass of rocks which he had come firmly to believe contained a fortune for them all. He had told his young friend the whole truth, and Tim did not add to his mental quiet when he declared it was foolish to remain idle so long. "We have been looking for this place for more than a week, and now, when we have found it, we 107 io8 THE LOST RIVER. must sit down and do something but stare at it. What good can that do?" "It's to be only till Mr. Metcalf comes back." "But why wait for him ? I'm sure we have nothing to fear from anybody else." "I think the same; but I don't like to offind the gintleman, as I'm afeard of doing if we don't tarry till he comes." "Why not let me go down and look at the rocks while you stay here?" D'ennis had thought of the same thing, but was in doubt as to its propriety. It seemed like dodging the question. So he waited another hour, by which time his impatience was almost anger. "It's nothing but fooling, as the boys used to find out when they tried to interfere wid anything I had in mind. We'll do this, Tim: I'll stay here while ye and Tige saunter down to them rocks sort of care- less like, as if ye are thinking of nothing partic'lar, and whin ye get near the spot insthruct Tige to go inside, look around, and then come back and whisper to ye what he has obsarved. He mustn't spake too loud for fear someone might overhear what is said." The plan suited Tim, who, calling in Tige, some distance away, set out for the mass of rocks, which, it will be remembered, had been made as familiar in appearance to him, by means of the drawings, as to the men. He knew where to look for the fissure, which was on one side to the right, and not visible until he had turned and walked a little way, as if he meant to pass around the pile of stone. At the very THE GOLDEN CAVE. 109 point expected he found it. The opening looked as if it had been made by a splitting apart of the enor- mous mass, for it extended from top to bottom, and was three or four feet wide. That such was its origin was shown by the appearance of the sides, whose pro- jections and indentations corresponded so well that had the two walls been pressed together again these irregularities would have fitted perfectly into one another. Knowing the cause of the misgiving which held back the miner, Tim Crowell now hesitated to go farther. Suppose enemies were lurking near at hand on the watch, would not his action betray the secret to them, and would they not rush forward and rob them of the treasure? He and his friends had now only two guns among them, and one was absent. What could Dennis Murphy do unaided to keep off the rush of half a dozen persons bent on securing the gold ? He saw the need of the utmost precaution. Halting, therefore, some distance away, he turned and looked around him. The field of rock, boulder, moun- tain, valley, and pine was extensive, and it took no little time to complete the survey. All the sign of life he could observe was the figure of Dennis standing on the elevation to the eastward, his gun in one hand, the other hanging at his side, with volumes of smoke curling over his head from the pipe which he was nervously smoking. The Celt noted his action, but continued looking steadily at him without making any movement or speaking. "Tige," said Tim, pointing to the opening, "go in i io THE LOST RIVER. there, and if you are able to find any gold bring it out to me." Dennis could not have understood more clearly what was said. The dog, without hesitation, walked slowly towards the fissure, paused a moment, and then, moving still more slowly, passed from sight. A minute or two later he barked sharply, as if calling to his master to follow him. While asking himself whether he should heed the call, Tige burst into view and galloped up to Tim, who saw that he was carry- ing something in his mouth. In front of the boy he lowered his head, and dropped a golden nugget at his feet. It was as large as a small walnut, and Tim's heart gave a quick throb as he stooped and picked it up. "It's gold sure, and bigger than anything we have found!" exclaimed the lad. "Back with you, Tige, and bring me more if there's any left to bring." Tige was off like a shot, and again his barking was heard from somewhere in the interior of the mass of stone. Tim held his ground, and in no little excitement waited for the animal to reappear. But the minutes passed, and he did not come, though his barking continued. Evidently the dog was de- termined to stay where he was until the rule was reversed and his master obeyed him. Tim stood in doubt what he ought to do. Dennis, who was closely watching the proceedings, and who, in the general stillness, caught the muffled sound of the dog's signals, called out: "In with ye ! Ye've gone too far to back out !" THE GOLDEN CAVE. in Tim went forward with strange feelings. Step- ping into the fissure, he extended his arms so as to touch the flinty walls on each side, and carefully took his steps, feeling his way, as may be said. The open- ing wound about, so that at no part could he see more than two or three steps in front. The barking did not stop, and he was steadily drawing nearer the dog. "Hush, Tige! I'm coming!" called Tim in a sup- pressed voice. The canine not only ceased barking but came galloping back. The moment he caught sight of his master he whirled about and dashed out of sight again. Just then lie was the most excited member of the little party. Ten feet farther the fissure's width expanded threefold, disclosing a rough, irregular circle, suggest- ing a bay window, which reached from the ground to the sunlight, fifty feet above. Beyond was solid wall. It was as if a boring had been made, with the fissure as an outlet, only the bore was too rough to have been sunk by the hand of man. The floor of this opening was covered with gold. There seemed hardly an inch of the space, which was something like a dozen feet each way, that did not contain one or more of the glittering yellow nug- gets. Not only that, but they were tumbled and piled over one another, in some places two or three deep. These specimens of pure auriferous metal varied in size from a marble to a small hen's egg, and must have been worth many thousands of pounds. No wonder Tim Crowell stood for a minute trans- fixed and speechless. He had expected to find some- 112 THE LOST RIVER. thing, but never thought of anything like this. He wondered whether he was asleep or awake. After pinching himself he was still dazed and un- certain whether the whole thing was not some wild freak of the senses. Tige stood staring at the feast of richness, and then looked up at his master, as if asking him what he thought of it all. Not until Tim had stooped and lifted some of the heavy nuggets, and closed his palm about them, and bitten them and turned them over, and inspected others, did he feel really sure that what he was looking upon was real. "Wurra, wurra, did ye iver drame of anything of the like." The question was asked by Dennis Murphy in a husky whisper. Yielding to his impatience, he had rushed down from camp and hurried into the fissure after his young friend, who was too rapt in what he saw to hear his footsteps. Tim turned his head, and saw the Irishman, with pale face, leaning against the side of the fissure, almost too weak to stand. He was so overcome, indeed, that for several minutes he did not speak, but stared and breathed fast and hard. Tim, although amazed beyond expression, was not so deeply affected. He picked up a nugget, and after a hasty examination threw it down again. He stepped among them, and once partly fell because of their turning under his shoes. He kicked them about, and then tried to gather so many that they fell from his grasp and rolled to the rocky floor. "Tim," said his friend, when he had rallied, "do THE GOLDEN CAVE. 113 ye know what I'm going to do with me share of that?" "How can I know when you haven't told me?" "I'm going to buy Ireland. Iverything, ye know, has its price ; and the British Government won't be able to say 'No' whin they larn what sum I offer." "What else will you do?" asked Tim, entering into the humour of the situation. "I'll buy the city of New York as a prisent to yer- silf ; then I'll buy me sweetheart Mary a pair of ear- rings as big as barrel hoops ; I'll give me mither God bless her! a snuff-box like the wash-tub in which she used to souse me wid the clothes; and I'll have a watch chain for mesilf of the same size as that coil of anchor chain we obsarved on the Golden Gate, wid a charm of the same proportions as the anchor it- self ; and I shall wear boots of solid gold, with the legs reaching to me ears and rubbing agin them as I walk ; then I'll but I'm thinking that will do for the prisent. What have ye a mind to do with your part; for, ye know, Mr. Metcalf said we was to share and share alike?" "I'm afraid that by the time you are through there won't be anything left for me to do." From this marvellous floor the fissure sloped grad- ually, so that it was always dry. During the wet season a good deal of water must have found its way into the golden cave, but quickly flowed out again. The fact that none of the nuggets was found outside of the circular space, and in the crevice or chasm, was due to the great specific gravity of the metal. It is 114 THE LOST RIVER. this extraordinary weight which makes the washing of gold so easy. Into an inclined wooden rocker the pay dirt is flung, and quickly carried off by the powerful current that rushes through ; but the particles of gold instantly sink to the bottom, and remain to be taken out after everything else has been swept away. This enormous wealth must have been brought to 'the place, for the rocks were not of the kind among which it is found in its native state. However, neither Dennis nor Tim was in the mood to speculate as to the means by which the treasure reached this recess among the rocks. It was enough to know that it was there, and the Irishman was resolved that no one beside himself and his two friends should share it. "What will Mr. Metcalf say when he obsarves the same?" he asked of his young friend some minutes later. "We shall have to wait and see. Let's go outside till he comes." They made their way back to camp, nervous, dis- turbed, fearful, hopeful, and in a fever of delight over the discovery, which at times still seemed unreal to both. At last, after long, tedious waiting, the miner joined them. CHAPTER XIII A SERIOUS PROBLEM METCALF the miner knew before a word was spoken by either of his friends that they had solved the secret of the golden cave. "Did you find it?" "We did, as me cousin remarked whin he run his head into a hornets' nest," replied Dennis; "there's enough goold among them rocks to buy out the United States of Ameriky, with the British Islands throwed in to make good weight." These astonishing words drove every thought from the mind of the other, who said: "I must see for myself." He broke into a loping trot down the declivity, Dennis at his heels and Tim and Tige following close behind him. There was no thought now of the strangers who were supposed to be in the vicinity. No one spoke a word until all stood before the array of wealth, which would have delighted the heart of a millionaire. The miner had been under such a strain since the night before that he was able to hold him- self in hand better than would have been expected. He stood for several minutes looking down at the 115 ii6 THE LOST RIVER. mass of yellow nuggets, while his friends waited for him to speak. Finally he sighed heavily. "Poor Covington ! It was no fancy of his, as we had come to believe. The result is tenfold more than we imagined." He stooped and examined several of the biggest nuggets. Then, standing back, he looked down at the scattered riches and said: "All gold ! There's enough to make us rich. No more digging in the mines for me or for you or for Mr. Crowell. Dennis, can you realise our good for- tune?" "I've been trying to do the same ever since my eyes risted on it. What do ye estimate it to be? How many thousand millions?" The miner smiled. "Not even a million, but enough for us all. One- third is yours, one-third Tim's, and one-third mine. It is ours, and if anyone else claims it, he must fight." "There's where ye are right, as me friends always remarked after listening to me discoorse on my sub- ject; but how did it get there?" Again the miner smiled and shook his head. "There's only one who could tell us that is Cov- ington and his lips are sealed; but it is plain that the gold was not originally here, for it doesn't grow in that fashion. It must have been gathered from the surrounding country and deposited among these rocks, the owner intending to take it away when the opportunity offered." "Do ye think Covington gathered it all himself?" A SERIOUS PROBLEM. 117 "There, again I cannot answer you. It seems to me that more than one person must have had a hand in it. How all this wealth came into his possession is a secret of which he hinted nothing to me. I be- lieve that after he gathered it together, or someone gathered it for him, he came to our diggings intend- ing to lead us back to the spot, that we might bring it away; but his health broke so fast that he saw there was no chance of his ever being able to help. He made the drawing before he left, and then, out of gratitude for the kindness I had shown him, gave me the paper, which never would have done us any good but for the accident that gave Tim a swim in the Lost River. But what's the use of speculating over a puzzle which neither of us can ever answer ? There's our fortune, and the all-important question is what we are going to do with it." "Why, what would we do wid the same but carry it to San Francisco and put it in the bank till we're ready to take it East wid us ?" "I guess, Dennis, there are several things you haven't thought of." "I shall be glad to listen while ye name them." "In the first place, it is more than a hundred miles through the roughest kind of country to San Fran- cisco. We have no pack animals, and even if we had, they would be quite useless in a region without any roads or trails. That stuff is too heavy for us to carry." "I think, under the inspiration of me load I could tote most of it mesilf, as me frind Jim O'Shaughnessy Li8 THE LOST RIVER. remarked whin he took me on his back to carry me over the Shannon." "Your strength would never hold out. I might do as much, but Tim cannot be considered. So there are only two of us to carry the stuff, and we can't take one-half of it. Do you know, my good friend, that one hundred thousand pounds in gold weigh about a ton, and that ten thousand pounds therefore weigh two hundred pounds, which is a bigger load than either you or I would want to lug through the moun- tains to San Francisco?" "There is no hurry in the matter. What odds if we gave a month to it?" "But when we go, we do not wish to leave any of this treasure behind." "Not so much as a piece no bigger than a pea." "And we can't take it all with us. As nearly as I can say, this stuff weighs a quarter of a ton far too much for you and me to carry. Besides," added the miner, who saw objections that had never oc- curred to the others, "we should be robbed of it be- fore -getting a chance to put it in the bank. As we drew near San Francisco, we should come upon others from whom we could not hide the knowledge of our prize. There are a good many desperate men in California, and we should be sure of meeting many of them." "The prospect of the same is rather plaisant than otherwise, for I feel an aching for a scrimmage of that natur', so that whin ye mintion it, it has the force of an indoocement, as was the case when I was in- A SERIOUS PROBLEM. 119 vited to Donnybrook Fair. But," added Dennis, re- moving his cap and scratching his head, "as to how we are to wheel all this goold through the mountains and up to the front of the bank, that puzzles me, as I replied to the taycher when he asked me the sum made by adding two and two togither. Having sub- mitted the question, I will lave it to yersilf to answer the same." "We must consider it together. Let's go back to camp and sit down and talk it over; we shall be so near these rocks that we can keep an eye on them." Now that the astounding secret had been solved, and the actual existence of the immense storehouse of gold had been discovered, the miner seemed to be- come his old, natural, cool self again. There was not a trace of excitement in his face or manner when he turned about and led the way through the fissure to the outside world. He walked with his usual de- liberate step, with his head bent as if in deep thought, and paid no heed to the others until the smouldering remains of the camp fire were reached. Then he paused, and carefully studied the principal points in his field of vision, after which he refilled and relit his pipe. Then he sat down on the ground, motioning the others to do the same, after which he told of his experiences while away from them. Ordinarily, the account of his meeting with the two Indians would have interested his listeners, but for the time neither Dennis nor Tim cared for anything except the gold and the means by which they were to take it away with them. 120 THE LOST RIVER. "Nothing is clearer," he said, coming back to the subject, "than that we cannot carry it with us on one trip. We might load up with one-third of it, say, in one of our blankets, suspend it to a pole carried on your shoulder and mine, and in time work our way out of the Santa Lucia range, though we should be likely to lose it all. Perhaps we might carry more, but at the best we should have to leave the greater part behind, coming back after the remainder, and making two trips at least." "What is the objection to the same?" asked Dennis, who was not favourably impressed with the plan. "There are several; besides the great risk of being robbed of our load, the white men in this neigh- bourhood would probably seize it during our absence," said Metcalf. "Why couldn't we hide it somewhere else, if they are apt to find the place where it is now?" asked Tim rowell. "There is sound sense in that idea, but it has its objections. We should have to take the gold some distance away, and they would be likely to detect us at work." "We could do it in the night time," suggested Tim. "Which is just when they would be on the alert. You see, it is those white men who cause us all. the trouble; we haven't seen anything of them to-day, and yet we know they are not far off." "But they will grow weary of watching us all the A SERIOUS PROBLEM. 121 time," said Dennis; "there will be some hours. when they must sleep, and we can give them the slip." "The plan is a good one, provided we can make sure of eluding them ; but suppose they discovered what we were doing, and kept out of sight ; we should go off, believing everything was right, and they would slip down, and be beyond reach when we came back after what was left. Then, too, it isn't going to be an easy thing to. hide so much gold without leaving traces that will rouse the suspicions of others. I am sure, Dennis, that you would be in constant worri- ment all the time we were away. As I view it, the chances are that we should lose the treasure we at- tempted to carry off, and when we came back find none remaining, so that the whole thing would slip from us." Dennis shuddered at the thought of such a mis- fortune. Having tasted the joy of possession, he felt he could not stand the loss of it all. Far better would it be if they had departed without any belief in the secret of James Covington. "Ye must have something in your own mind, Mr. Metcalf ?" "I have a good many things. The most practical, as it strikes me now, is that you two should stay here, while I go alone to San Francisco, carrying a number of nuggets with me." "What would all that signify?" "I should leave you to guard the gold until I return, and I should bring back two trusty men with me; that would give four well-armed persons, who 122 THE LOST RIVER. would be strong enough to carry off the whole stock, and to protect it too." "Can ye find two men that ye dare trust?" "I could find a score, but two would be enough, for we should have to divide the gold with them." "There seems to be enough for a rigiment, but I'm that selfish that I'm anxious to kape it all for us three." "So am I ; but better half a loaf than no bread." "Why would you take the nuggets with you?" asked Tim. "To prove to my friends the truth of what I told them; when they see the gold, and I assure them that I know where several hundred pounds of it are waiting, they will jump at the chance of getting it." "Why couldn't you make the trip several times?" asked the boy, who was keenly interested. "And when you had done it twice, then we could all go to- gether, taking what gold was left. Then, too, you might be able to find Father in San Francisco, and bring him back with you." "If there was a fair chance of doing that, I should not hesitate, though I have never met your parent, I ought to be able to find him, and instead of coming back through the mountains we could charter a schooner or small sailing vessel and come down the coast; that would be a great deal easier." "I'm thinking," said Dennis, after a moment's silence, "to ask ye if it would be a hard task for ye to reach San Francisco by going through the moun- tains and overland." A SERIOUS PROBLEM. 123 "There would be considerable hard travelling, but I should not have the slightest misgiving about reaching the town." "Mr. Crowell will be distressed about the lad when he larns of the wreck of the steamer, so why not take him with you?" "Leaving you alone to guard the treasure- house?" "Do ye think I would be afeared of twinty thafes?" asked the Irishman, with some indignation. "You might not be afraid, and yet it would be a rash thing to do." "And besides," added Tim, looking affectionately at his friend, "Tige and you and I are going to stick together to the end." CHAPTER XIV SHIFTING THE DEPOSITS So much was settled. Whatever agreement was made, the man and boy who had been companions from the earliest remembrance of Tim Crowell should remain so to the end. There was pluck about the lad which neither of his friends suspected. He longed to meet his father, and, though he joined eagerly in the hunt for gold, and showed an interest that was real, he chafed over the delay, and would have gladly turned his back upon the promises of the grand fortune for the sake of hastening, even by a few days, his reunion with his beloved parent. But, as I have said, neither of his companions suspected this fact, and he sturdily kept it to himself. Young as he was, Tim saw that the chances of reaching San Francisco under the guidance of the miner were as promising as they could be with Met- calf and Dennis, and more promising than with the Irishman alone; but, so far as the lad was concerned, he was resolved that nothing should separate the two, and the heart of Dennis Murphy glowed with pleasure and pride when he heard the brave words of his young friend. He reached his hand across, and warmly pressed that of Tim, and the eyes of both gleamed with an unwonted moisture. 124 SHIFTING THE DEPOSITS. But the miner was too earnest in the task before him to give heed to any sentiment of that nature. To him the most prudent course was that which he had named he should make the journey alone, and bring back two friends with him. Could that be ac- complished, the question would be solved; but, like all the other plans, it had grave objections. He could not rid himself of the belief that a hostile party of" white men were in the neighbourhood, and that they were on the same errand as himself. By some means they had gained a partial knowledge of Covington's secret, and were already close to its full uncover- ing. They must suspect the truth, and by stealthily watching our friends, would learn all that was neces- sary to know. The sole obstacle to their success would be the single man and his rifle, for the boy could not be taken into account. There could be no question as to the courage of the Irishman. He was to be counted upon to defend the treasure to the last, but there are many things be- yond the power of the bravest of men, one of which is his ability to defeat a much stronger force than himself, especially when the advantage is wholly with the stronger force. Metcalf thought of every point. Suppose Dennis took his station at the mouth of the rent or fissure in the rocks, and defied the intruders. Probably he could hold them back for a time, but for how long? In case of a siege he would be without food and water. The chasm being open at the top all the way, and the walls being perpendicular, it would be easy for them to crush him from above. 126 THE LOST RIVER. All this, and much more, passed through the active brain of the miner, and led him in the end to modify his plans. He would make the northward journey as agreed upon, but before going the gold should be hidden in some other place. It would seem that there ought to be no difficulty in doing this, for the nature of the country offered no end to the number of secure hiding-places, and they had only to use ordinary care in order effectually to conceal all traces of what they had done. He told his friends of his decision, and they saw its wisdom. "Most of the afternoon is left to . us ; between now and dusk we will hit upon the right spot, and to-night carry the gold thither. There is no moon until past midnight, so we shall have all the time we want" "And what shall we do if we find they're watch- ing us ?" asked Dennis. "I do not see that we can do anything but wait for another chance." No one could have been more cautious than our friends. The miner continually scanned every part of his field of vision for signs which he dreaded to see, and he was vastly relieved at his failure to see them. "There is no call for us three to engage in the work. Suppose, therefore, that you stay here, so as to avert suspicion, while I stroll off in quest of a place of concealment for the gold. Should it happen that anyone is on the watch, he will not learn any- SHIFTING THE DEPOSITS. 127 thing from what I do, and, of course, will discover nothing from you." Accordingly, Metcalf sauntered away, taking a course that led him to the left of the mass of rocks among which the yellow nuggets lay, and in the direction of the Lost River. He was so guarded that he really overdid the business. Within fifteen minutes he had selected the spot, but he carefully avoided going near it until he had passed to and fro several times, and even then he kept several paces away. The place was of the simplest nature, consisting of a number of boulders, some of which leaned to- gether, and were tumbled over one another so as to offer cavities large enough to contain all the gold without its being visible from the outside. This, as you have noted, was not the case with its present hiding-place, for had anyone happened to look down into the chasm from above, he must have seen the splendid treasure lying below, and within easy reach. It was necessary that the new place should answer its purpose without any changes of the exterior, since that would have been sure to attract notice. Satisfied that he had found what he wanted, Met- calf continued his stroll, and, making a long circuit, came back to his friends, who had hardly removed their eyes from him. "I jedge ye have found what ye wanted, as was remarked to Garry Sullivan when he came out of the scrimmage so battered up that his mother didn't know him." "Yes ; it was not hard to find. All we need to do 128 THE LOST RIVER. is to wait till it is fully dark, and then carry the gold to the new place. I have been wondering, Dennis, what you and Tim will do while I am away. How will you spend the time?" "How long do you expect to be absint ?" "I can't say for certain; but I hope to bring back my friends by the end of two weeks, and possibly sooner than that. The days and hours will be tire- some to you." "That depinds. If we should sit down on the ground and do nothing, the same would be the fact, though the starving to death would be a little plisant variation; but Tim and mesilf and the dog can find plenty of work in hunting through the mountains. We shall have to do the same to get something to ate, though we shall have the fishing-line to fall back upon. Whin we're not hunting for food, we can look for new nuggets of gold." "It seems to me you are growing miserly, Dennis." "I have a 'spicion of the same mesilf they say it is the same wid all millionaires ; but it sames to me, Mr. Metcalf, that ye are right in obsarving that the goold among the rocks beyonst has been took there." "There's no doubt of that." "Then they must have picked it up in this part of the country, for them as did that wouldn't carry such heavy things very fur, whin the hiding-place where they put them is not as good as many others near by." "Nothing could sound more reasonable, and yet you may be wrong. The peculiar action of some of SHIFTING THE DEPOSITS. 129 the many streams around here perhaps the Lost River may have deposited all the nuggets in one spot, where they were found and brought to their present hiding-place. But what's the use of specu- lating over what we can never understand ?" "It wasn't specylation I had in mind, but the idea that it's likely that bits of the goold may be picked up among the strames, and it will be plisant em- ployment for Tim and me to kape up the hunt for them." "You could find no better means of using your time, which at the most is likely to hang heavy on your hands. It gives me relief to know you will do that." It was hardly dark when the miner renewed the fire, of which only a few embers remained, and the three ate the last of the mountain sheep which Met- calf had shot the day before. Their normal appetites had come back to them, and all were in high spirits. The miner found much comfort in the fact that none of them had seen the first sign of the white men, who just then would have been the most unwelcome of all persons. He began to hope that they had left the country altogether. Tige was sent on a long ramble through the mountains, with orders to let his friends know if he came upon any strangers, but no sound of barking reached their ears, and when he returned all knew his search had been fruitless. It was a clear, moonless night when the three forms, with the dog at the rear, moved as stealthily down the declivity as if they were entering a hostile 130 THE LOST RIVER. Indian camp, and, pausing at the mouth of the fissure, looked around in the gloom. Nothing was seen or heard to cause alarm. "Stay right here, Tige, and keep watch," was the command to the dog, as the miner turned and led the way through the winding passage to the farthest ex- tremity. There being no roof to this, it was pene- trated by the star-gleam, though not to the extent of revealing anything more than the dim figures of the three to one another. None could see the wealth that lay at their feet waiting to be garnered. The two guns had been left leaning against the rocks outside an act that would have been the height of rashness had there been reason to believe enemies were near and the miner carried his blanket with him. This was placed on the floor at the open- ing into the fissure, so as to be well clear of the nug- gets, which he proceeded to scoop into the middle of the cloth. "Now," said he to Tim, "fill your pockets with all you can carry ; everything counts." "Whin I was a broth of a boy, I had plenty of pockets, aich wid a hole in the bottom as big as the top, but I'm thinking it's not the same now." With this remark, Dennis stowed away all the nuggets he could conveniently carry about his cloth- ing. Then he stooped at the same time with the miner, and the two carefully lifted the blanket, in whose hollow nestled several scores of the valuable deposits. The weight was astonishing, and showed how great a task would be the carrying of all the stuff SHIFTING THE DEPOSITS. 131 through more than a hundred miles of mountain and solitude. Metcalf took the lead with Tim at the rear. Besides what the boy had in his pockets, he carried a couple in each hand, and he proved he knew their value from the tightness with which he gripped them. Tige was at his post on the outside, and gave no sign. It had been fully dark for some time, when the two men, bearing the blanket and its precious weight between them, moved slowly in the direction of the new treasury or place of deposit. It was not far off, but before they reached it the shoulders of both ached. Metcalf stepped so carefully that he did not stumble, and the brief journey was made without mishap. "Here we are," he said in an undertone, and glad both were to lower the burden. Then the miner struck a match, which he shaded with his hands, while peering down into the gaping mouth of a hole fully a foot wide. Everything looked right, and swinging his end of the blanket into the mouth of the opening, he raised the other end, and the nuggets rolled down like corn into a hopper. He shook the cloth and pinched it with his fingers until he was certain that not a piece was left. Then he flung down what he had in his pockets, and Tim and Dennis did the same. "Can't anyone see that from where we stand?" asked the boy. "Let us try it," replied Metcalf, who struck another match, and held is so as to light up the interior. The 132 THE LOST RIVER. three leaned forward and peered downward. Not one of the nuggets was visible. "The goold is so heavy," said Dennis, "maybe it has broken through the airth and come out in Chiny." "It has slid down the hole, and is only a few feet away." "There's some mistake," suddenly exclaimed Den- nis, hastily searching his pockets. "I put siven lumps in there, and took out eight. They couldn't have growed on the way." "You forget that you brought one with you which you found in the stream of water." "Ah, ye're right. I forgot the same. How is it with the rest of ye?" "There is nothing wrong about mine," replied Metcalf. "I stowed six away, and have just flung them all down that hole." "It isn't the same with me," said the worried Tim. "I counted six, without the other one I found more than a week ago, and now I have only six, counting that." "Then ye must have dropped one on the way." "I don't see how I could do that; but it's gone," he added, searching his different pockets again. "What's the odds?" remarked Dennis, indiffer- ently. "It doesn't amount to more than a hundred thousand dollars, and what is a thrifle like that to us millionaires ?" "We shall have to wait till morning," said the miner; "though the nugget isn't worth a great deal compared with all the rest, it is too valuable to lose." SHIFTING THE DEPOSITS. 133 The three threaded their way back to the golden cavern, as they had come to call it, and speedily loaded up as before. Tige still remained on guard, and our friends made the journey so carefully that none of the nuggets was missing when they reached the new hiding-place, into which the precious bits of metal were dumped as before. Four separate journeys were made to and fro, the last load being less than any of the others. All three groped around with their hands, and the miner struck several matches, so as to make certain nothing was left behind. Then, after the blanket was shaken clear of its last load, he lit more matches, though his stock was growing small, and they anxiously peered into the chute through which the nuggets had been poured. The capacity of the new hiding-place and the slope of the throat leading to it hid everything from sight. Provided no one had seen them at work, the three were warranted in believing that no living person beside themselves would ever be able to unearth the secret. "We have done all we can," said Metcalf, with a sigh. "To-morrow I will leave you to spend a fort- night as you choose till I return." "Ye will remember not to tarry on the way." "Have no fear of that. I am as anxious as you to land this gold in the Bank of California. As soon as it is light, we will search for that nugget which Tim dropped ; but you must school yourselves to keep away from the gold until I come back, for if you da not your actions will surely betray you." CHAPTER xv "COME BACK!" IT was a curious fact that the only one of the three who slept well that night was Dennis Murphy. It could not have been due to his rugged health, for the others were similarly blessed; but his genial, good-natured philosophy probably had something to do with it. The singular part of it was that Tim Crowell should have been restless and disturbed, since it was the first time there had been anything of the kind since arriving in California. With him it was partly caused by his dog Tige. The two lay down as usual near each other, but the boy had not been asleep an hour when his canine friend sprang up so suddenly that the jolt awoke his master. He looked around impatiently, and then came to a sitting position. As he did so, he saw the miner on the other side of the smouldering fire, also sitting up and looking enquiringly at him. "What do you suppose is the matter with Tige?" asked Metcalf . "I have no idea. Here he is." The animal came back as abruptly as he had left, and assumed his position beside Tim, with his nose between his paws. 134 "COME BACK!" "Have you ever known him to act that wa) before?" "Once or twice, when he was a good deal younger; Father used to say he had bad dreams, as cows and horses sometimes have." "I wish I could believe it was only that," remarked the miner, settling back on his blanket, which he shared with the soundly sleeping Irishman. Tim expected to sink into slumber again in a few minutes, but he did not. He lay looking up at the stars, listening to the soft, almost inaudible murmur which is never absent in a vast solitude, thinking of his father, and then of that pile of golden nuggets not far from where he was lying, and vainly trying to woo sleep. Although he lay close to Tige, the bodies of the two were not in contact. In the profound stillness, Tim heard the faintest possible rustling, and turned his head. Tige was gone again. He had tried to steal away unnoticed, and he did avoid 'disturbing the two men, but his own master discovered his trick. Tim lay for some minutes asking himself whether he ought not to awake Metcalf and tell him about the dog's singu- lar actions. He looked across at the forms of his friends, and knew both were asleep, though it was not likely that the miner was resting as soundly as his companion. Tim decided not to disturb either, for they could not explain the cause of Tige's rest- lessness, and both were so tired from the labours of the day and evening that they needed all the sleep they could get. For that matter, so did Tim himself, 136 THE LOST RIVER. but he did not get it. Everything was still ; the blanket was softer than the earth, and yet he lay looking up at the stars, thinking of many things, and as wide-awake as when he was swimming with the swift current of the Lost River. At the end of an hour Tige came stealthily back. Seeing that his master was awake, he pushed his cold nose against his cheek and nestled down beside him. Certain that the animal could not leave him again without his knowing it, Tim at last closed his eyes, and did not open them until the sun was shining. His friends were astir, and the fire had been re- kindled. Metcalf was preparing a couple of fish for the flames, and Dennis made known that he had found the lost nugget, which he turned over to Met- calf, who had reserved a couple to take with him to San Francisco. They had examined the approaches to the new hiding-place, and were sure that the sus- picions of no one in the vicinity would be roused. Before Tim opened his eyes the two men had had their final talk. Metcalf told Dennis of the restless- ness of the dog, though he knew nothing of his second departure from camp. Had he been aware of it, he would have changed his plans and remained ; but, unfortunately, Tim did not think it worth while to tell him anything more. "I still believe it is best for me to go, though the action of Tige last night means the presence of some- body in the neighbourhood who we should much pre- fer should be elsewhere." "It's little difference that I obsarve it can make "COME BACK!" 137 if that be so. Haven't we hid the goold where they can't find it with a hundred telescopes? If they are yearning for the plisure of making me acquaintance, it isn't in me heart to deprive them of the happiness. I'll mate and trate them like a long-lost brother, but I won't talk goold with them." "I ought to be satisfied, for everything is in the shape I wished it to be; but all the same, I can't feel certain that it is the best thing for me to leave you." "Then stay, and have done wid it." "No; I'm going that's settled; and I shall start within the next half-hour, but I shan't make what may be called my real start till to-morrow." "Will ye kindly explain whether it is a joke or are ye in airnest, as me cousin remarked whin Phil McGuire broke his shillelagh over his head?" "You see that mountain peak yonder?" said the miner by way of reply. "It is almost due north and about five miles distant. When on the road to this part of the country weeks ago, I camped on the top of that mountain, or, rather, a little way from the top. I'll do the same to-night." "I'm thinking that if ye travel at that rate, it'll take ye about two years to raich San Francisco and come back again." "No; from to-morrow morning I shall not lose an hour. From daylight to dark I shall travel the best I know how ; but I don't mean to lose sight of you until to-morrow morning. If you watch, you will see the light of my camp fire on the side of that mountain soon after dark to-night. I will make a 138 THE LOST RIVER. ignal to you by whirling a blazing torch about my head. That will mdan that all is right with me, and I wish you to reply." "With me voice? I'm af eared I should strain the same, as whin my cousin shouted to his brother on boord the ship that had sailed two days before." "By no means, for I shouldn't hear yqu. If all is well with you, wave the torch up and down in front of you, as if you are beating time with a baton or stick." "And if all is wrong, which I don't believe can be the case?" "Then make the same signal that I do. Whirl the torch three times about your head in one direction, and then three times back again. Am I understood?" "Of coorse. Why wouldn't ye be? If anything has gone amiss ; if everybody is standing on his head, and ye are wanted to set them on their feet again without the least delay, then I will circle the torch three times, say, to the right, and then three times back agin." "In other words, if you make such a signal as that, it will say to me: 'Come back!' " "I can't think there'll be any need of such a call, and I shan't make it onless, as I was saying, ye are wanted as bad as bad can be. If ye see the same, ye will know there is no mistake; but," added Den- nis gravely, "permit me to advise ye not to be too careless in running to me arms, for you might stumble over the top of one of the mountains, and roll to the bottom before ye could check yersilf." "COME BACK!" 139 A half -hour later the miner shook the hands of man and boy, and began his long journey northward. He had told Tim Crowell nothing of his misgivings, and Dennis did not think it best to worry the lad with them. The parting was with the expression of the best wishes on each side, and in a short time Met- calf passed from sight. Oppressed by the misgiving, which increased rather than diminished with each mile passed, the miner pushed forward at a leisurely rate for when a man has nearly a whole day in which to travel five miles, he need not hasten, even if the way is rough. It may be said that his principal work was to scan his field of vision for signs of the white men who he knew were not far off, though they had a most successful way of keeping out of sight. He frequently paused in his tramping, and scrutinised the country behind him ; but the afternoon drew to a close without his having discovered anything to cause alarm. He had rested and slept near the middle of the day, after making his meal upon a fish for he had not caught so much as a glimpse of any game. He saw, with some uneasiness, that his stock of matches was getting low, and he would have to be extremely careful to make them last to the end of his journey. It was not yet fully dark when he began climb- ing the elevation which he had pointed out to Den- nis Murphy, but the stars were shining when he gathered bits of wood and started the fire agreed upon. When it was fairly going, he took a long piece of pine with one end lighted, and swung it about his 140 THE LOST RIVER. head several times, after which he lowered it and waited for the reply. It came sooner than he expected. He saw a blazing torch whirled rapidly from the right to the left in a circle, and then quickly back again. After a brief rest this was repeated, and then again for a third time. There could be no mistaking the meaning of the signal. Dennis Murphy was saying, as plainly as the words themselves : "Come back, and come in a hurry!" CHAPTER XVI THE RETURN STANDING on the side of the lonely mountain peak, Jarvis Metcalf looked through the five miles of in- tervening gloom, and saw the signal of his friend at the distant camp fire, calling to him to return with the least possible delay. It cannot be said the miner was greatly astonished, for somehow or other he had suspected for the past few hours that that was the precise signal that would be made to him. More than once he was on the point of turning back with- out waiting for the call, but this seemed childish, and he kept on, only to be summoned just as he expected he would be. He had not arranged any reply signal with his friend, but that ought not to be difficult. Waiting a few moments after those three circlings of the dis- tant torch, Metcalf waved his own glowing brand, not doubting that Dennis would accept it as word that he was understood and there would be no delay in obeying the call. Nor was there any at first. The miner imme- diately began threading his way down the mountain side, and pushing over the rough, uneven ground to- ward his friends. This was hard work in the dark- 141 142 THE LOST RIVER. ness, and would have been dangerous with one of less experience, for there were chasms, fissures, precipices, depressions, sudden declivities, and abrupt turnings and twistings among and around the rocks and boulders, where a mis-step would bring disaster or serious injury, and not impossibly death. No moon was in the sky, and the starlight could not al- ways help, for he was obliged to make his way often through dense shadow; but it must be remembered that he was a veteran miner who had roughed it for years, and who had tramped over this ground at least twice before, so that it was not wholly unfamiliar. Naturally, he was filled with wonder and all man- ner of speculation as to the cause of his friend call- ing him back. The understanding between them was that the Irishman should circle his torch three times to the right, and then reverse three times; but he had added extra turns, which must mean that haste was called for in the matter. Try as hard as he could, Metcalf could form no satisfactory explanation of the action of his friend. It seemed impossible that anyone else had found the new hiding-place of the gold, and it was equally impossible to believe that Dennis felt any need of help in holding his place as guardian of the important trust. Even if he did, the miner could not reach him in time to be of any assistance. It was this belief which prevented Metcalf from using undue haste, and thereby he escaped more than one severe mishap. He picked his course with pru- dence, and when he came to a stream which he re- THE RETURN. 143 membered well, he groped along the bank until he reached a point where it was easily leaped. His memory of places was good, and numerous landmarks told him he was following quite closely the back trail, so that he was prepared to pass numerous obstacles which otherwise might have brought him trouble. Sometimes he caught the twinkle of Dennis Murphy's camp fire, and then it was hidden for a considerable way by intervening obstacles. The Irishman was evidently keeping it going vigorously that it might serve as a beacon for his friend, who, as you know, did not feel the need of such a guide at all. That which specially interested the miner was the glimmer of a second camp fire, almost in the line he was following, and less than a fourth of a mile from where his friends were awaiting him. "Another proof of what I have known all along," he said to himself, as he stopped to study it. "Those strangers have been near us all the time. They saw us visit the golden cave yesterday, and it may be they hovered around last night, and watched us when we were taking away the gold, though it is hard to see how they could do that. It was their presence near the camp that made Tige so restless." It did not require much of a deviation from the line he was following to visit the second camp, and, as you have been told, the miner saw nothing to be gained by hurrying to his friends. Accordingly he turned to the right, and headed for the strange light, 144 THE LOST RIVER. which, like that of the two Indians he had seen some time before, seemed to come from among a group of trees. "It would be odd if it proved to be the camp of those fellows," thought Metcalf. "I am sure they are not up to any mischief, and they ought to be a good many miles from this spot." I think I have remarked that it is often the un- expected that happens. At any rate, it was so in the present case. Metcalf was within a hundred yards of the spot he had in view, and was picking his way over a rough place, where the shadows were not very dense, when he lost his footing, and went over a bluff like a flash. The fall was not more than a dozen feet, but he was bruised and shaken, and when he picked up the gun which had fallen from his hand he found that the hammer had been broken off short to the barrel. Until it could be repaired it was as useless as a stick of wood, and the nearest place where it could be mended was San Francisco, more than a hundred miles distant. You cannot imagine the miner's disgust when he found that his weapon was ruined. He angrily flung it down at his feet and turned to walk away, when another humiliation came upon him at the discovery that he had lamed himself, though, happily, not to a serious extent. Sitting down, he chafed his limb and exercised it until it could be used, though the exer- tion produced considerable pain. "After all," he added philosophically, "I am thankful I didn't break my neck. This ends my over- THE RETURN. 145 land excursion to San Francisco without someone to bear me company." Groping along the small canon for a little way, he came upon a place where he could climb to the level ground above. His leg still hurt him, but he gave it little heed, and resumed his approach to the camp fire that had been kindled by strangers. As he expected, it was among a group of pines, very similar to where he had come upon the Indians, and he still half-ex- pected to meet them. But, as in a previous instance, nothing was seen of any person. The fire which had been kindled must have been a large one, and only a slight time had passed since fresh fuel was cast upon it, which was burning so vigorously that the circle of illumina- tion extended a number of yards in every direction. The sticks were first piled around a dwarfed pine, whose trunk was partly burned off and was still smok- ing; but there was merely the camp fire, and nothing more. No persons were in sight, nor were any signs to be seen of the recent presence of any. If the white strangers had been on the spot they took away every- thing that belonged to them. Still they might be watching for the coming of the miner, who had halted in the gloom until he could decide what to do. Although he was without firearms, he felt no fear of harm, and finally walked forward to where he must have been fully revealed to anyone near the place. Glancing here and there, and closely listening, he neither saw nor heard anything. "What's the use of my lingering here?" he im- 146 THE LOST RIVER. patiently asked himself. ''It must have been two hours ago that Murphy signalled me to rejoin him as soon as I could, and here I am lagging on the road, as if I had several days for the journey. No more halt- ing now until I reach camp." He kept his word, and within the following fifteen minutes reached a point from which he had a clear view of the camp and of his friends, for Dennis Murphy had not allowed the fire even partially to die out. He believed it would help to guide the miner on his return, and he was beginning to wonder over his long delay, for the exchange of signals between the two made it certain that they understood each other. With the first full view of the camp Metcalf was amazed almost to speechlessness. He stopped short and stared, as if doubting the evidence of his own senses. This is what he saw : Seated on the flat boulder on the other side of the fire, where the miner and the Irishman had sat when smoking their last pipe together, were two men, one the surly fellow in a slouch hat with whom the miner had exchanged unsatisfactory words some time be- fore. Both were smoking. Dennis had his hands clasped around one knee, which was raised so as to allow him to lean backward at ease, and was talking in his jocular fashion. The listener even heard the familiar "As me uncle remarked whin the load of hay tipped over on him." The man with the sombrero, beard, and glum manner was seated alongside of him, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, one hand occasionally re- THE RETURN. 147 moving the pipe from his mouth at which times his shoulders bobbed up and down with mirth. His posture was such that he could look up into the countenance of the Irishman, whose cap was shoved back on his forehead ; and the stranger seemed to find his chief pleasure in looking into that homely, good-natured face, while listening to his jests. On the other side of the fire was a man whom the miner had never before seen. He was tall, good- looking, and plainly dressed. What was amazing under the circumstances, this individual was smoking a cigar something almost unknown in California at that time outside the city of San Francisco. He had assumed an easy, lolling posture, and a part of the time listened to the jokes of the Irishman, now and then laughing, but giving most of his attention to Tim Crowell. He reclined on his side, his body partly held up by his elbow resting on the ground, and the gleam of his white teeth showed through his beard when he smiled upon the boy and talked with him. Having looked upon this singular picture for several minutes, Miner Metcalf decided to go forward and find out what it all meant. You have learned how Dennis Murphy and Tim Crowell, not forgetting the dog Tige, were left to themselves in the vicinity of the Lost River, and nearer still to the golden cave, where they expected to remain for a fortnight until the miner, Jarvis Met- calf, should bring a couple of friends to help carry away the treasure of golden nuggets. The hours and days would have proved very tire- some to the two but for their intention of spending as little time as possible in idleness. They did not mean to venture far from the spot, either in quest of game or for other bits of precious metal. They had a wonderful abundance of the latter, but it would be pleasant to hunt for more. Dennis smoked his pipe for some time in silence, and then said : "We may as well make a start, me boy. Ye can do as befoore take one coorse while I follow another, wid care not to get too far apart, and coming back here before night. Me matdies and 'bacca be running low, and we'll cover up these ashes, so that the embers can be used when we come together again." This precaution was taken, and then the two separated, the boy going in a northerly direction, 148 CONCLUSION. 149 while his friend turned to the southward. Tige, of course, went with his young master, who had in view one, of the small streams, similar to those already de- scribed, several of which he had searched without any results. It was a third of a mile to the water which dashed down the side of the mountain, and wound its way through a valley, finally joining the Lost River at some remote point, and so, in time, reaching the ocean. Tige knew the purpose of his master, and galloped in front until he reached the brook, where he stopped and waited for the boy to direct him what next to do. "Go up-stream/' said he ; "and when you find any- thing, let me know ; I'll do the same with you." Off went the dog, frolicking and in high spirits, while Tim turned the other way and resumed his hunt for that which, it must be confessed, he was not very anxious to find. It would have been otherwise but for his memory of what was hidden in that hollow place among the boulders not far off. He had searched only a short time, however, when he heard several short barks from Tige. "Can it be he has found something already?" the boy asked himself, turning about and hastening to the spot whence came the signals. He found his comrade waiting for him on the edge of the stream, seemingly impatient over the slowness of the lad, who stepped to his side and peered into the crystal current. He saw nothing except the brown rock and whitish pebbles strewn over the bottom. He looked again, but everything was as usual. ISO THE LOST RIVER. "Why, Tige, there's nothing there." The dog whirled about and galloped a couple of rods, when he again paused with his nose pointing into the stream, and barked two or three times as before. Tim ran after him, and once more peered into the water, but was disappointed. "What do you mean, Tige ?" Again the canine, by way of answer, repeated his performance. Tim understood it now. A dog is as fond of fun as a boy. Tige hadn't discovered a sign of gold. He wanted to have some sport with his master, and was having it. "I'll pay you for that, you rascal !" He made a dive for Tige, but the dog whisked beyond reach, turned about and faced him, saying plainly by his actions : "Let's have a frolic. What's the use of hunting for wealth when we have all we want ?" This time Tige allowed himself to be caught, and the two rolled over the ground, hitting and clawing at each other without the least harm. They had grand sport, which the one enjoyed as much as the other. It was a relief from the strain of the previous day or two, and Tim Crowell proved that he could take a joke as well as give it. Panting and laughing with his exertion, he finally straightened up. "You got the better of me that time, but you can't fool me again." "Why, helloa, Tim!" The boy turned suddenly, and there, hardly a dozen paces distant, smilingly surveying the couple, stood a CONCLUSION. 151 tall, fine-looking man. Tim gave him one quick, hurried glance, and then dashed headlong towards him, exclaiming: "Why, Father, where did you come from ?" And the next instant he was clasped in the arms of his happy parent. They kissed each other, fondly embraced, and both talked so fast for some minutes that neither understood what was said. Finally, when both became calmer, the father spoke: "I have been looking for you for several days. I only suspected last night that you were in this part of the world. Where's Dennis ?" "Not far off. Let's go back to camp, and I'll call him." "And there's Tige, too. Bless the faithful fellow !" The man had to push away the dog, who was showing his delight by leaping all over him and almost dragging him to the ground. He shook the paw of the animal, patted his head, and at last had to com- mand him sternly to behave himself. Tige tried to obey, but could not do so all the time. On their way back to camp he broke all bounds more than once, and leaped over and around the man, whom he loved with an affection hardly second to that felt for the boy. At the moment of starting Tim emitted several of his resounding blasts, which the Irishman heard, and turned his steps towards camp, reaching there only a few minutes after his employer and friend. I need not say that the meeting between the two was of the happi- est nature. Dennis remarked that it reminded him of 152 THE LOST RIVER. the welcome with which the young ladies of his acquaintance always greeted him. When the flurry was over, the three sat down, and Mr. Crowell explained how it had all come about. "I did not know on which steamer to expect you," said he, "but I hit the time pretty close. When news came of the loss of the Golden Gate, you can under- stand my anguish of mind, but the steamer which brought the news brought also Captain Bel ford and the surviving passengers. I learned how it was that you and Tim were left behind on the coast, more than a hundred miles to the southward. This was a gracious relief, for it showed you were both alive, not forgetting Tige, and the next question was as to how you were to reach San Francisco. There was a possibility of your being picked up, unless you struck into the interior, and it was not impossible for you to travel the distance overland. But I was uneasy ; it did not seem probable that any steamer would pay heed to you, and since you were both strangers to the country, you were likely to have a hard time of it, making your way through the mountains, where you would be exposed to accident, not forgetting that the Indians sometimes make trouble. "When I learned that you had only one gun apiece, I decided to try to hunt you up. The only way to do this was to go down the coast to the place of the wreck and make my search. After looking about San Fran- cisco I found a Captain Spencer, the owner of a schooner engaged in trading with Mexico, whom I hired at the rate of twenty dollars a day during the whole time of his engagement, to take me on this hunt. CONCLUSION. 153 "He had a crew of three men, but two had left for the diggings, and the only one remaining was a big negro by the name of Pete. I agreed to act as one of the crew, and brought with me an old friend who had worked in the mines with me for several months. He is a New Englander, named Dick Barwis-^-a glum, reserved fellow, but as faithful and honest as daylight. So the bargain was made, and the little Albatross started southward with us four on board. As you must have learned, there is no fear of bad weather at this time of year, and since Barwis knew something about ships, the schooner was well manned. "Now it was impossible, even after the closest enquiries, to fix upon the precise spot where the Golden Gate went down, but we struck it pretty well. Captain Spencer ran as close in as was prudent, and anchored, while Barwis and I landed and began our search. We scanned the shore for signs of you, hoping you had started a fire, but we discovered nothing. It seems that we were too far north." "When did ye arrive?" asked Dennis. "Only a few days ago. It was some time before I could make up my mind as to the best thing to do, and it took a few more days to complete my arrange- ments with Captain Spencer." "Mr. Metcalf and mesilf took a look at the ocean siveral times, and obsarving nothing, gave it no further thought, which explains why we didn't see ye, as me uncle remarked whin he found that the man he was looking for in Dublin had sailed for Ameriky two wakes before." 154 THE LOST RIVER. "I thought it most probable that you would keep near the coast, and arranged with Barwis that I should roam up and down it, while he went further inland. He was to let me know his whereabouts each day by means of the smoke from his camp fire, and if he made any discovery, we agreed upon the means by which he was to signal it. "I may say that Barwis is an odd individual. Some- times he is bright and lively, and then he will go for a whole day without speaking a word. He had never seen either of you, but he ought not to have mistaken you at the first glance, for he knew that one of those whom we were hunting was a boy, and that he had a big dog with him. Yet from what he told me this morning, he had seen both you and your friend with- out making enquiries or seeming to suspect the truth. Yesterday for the first time he caught sight of the dog, and soon after saw Tim. Then he signalled to me that he had news, and I hurried to him." "Where is he now ?" asked Tim. "Not far off. He will be here before long." "When did ye arrive in these parts?" "I had such a long way to travel, and it was so dangerous during the night that I camped out till morning; then I took a fresh start, and joined Barwis, who decided to wait where he was while I came forward. I soon caught sight of Tim and Tige, and that, I believe, is about all that is necessary to tell you. Now let me hear your story." Dennis, aided by the prompting of Tim, told their whole experience from the day they left New York CONCLUSION. 155 down to the present moment. He omitted all refer- ence, however, to the great secret that had made three persons rich. Loyalty to the absent Metcalf seemed to require this, and when Tim would have told the story, a wink from the Irishman was sufficient to close his lips. "What a fortunate thing that your friend agreed to signal to you to-night, for it will enable you to call him back again. It was providential." "And won't he wonder whin he obsarves me sig- nal !" exclaimed Dennis, who forgot that he had failed to account for this seemingly strange departure of one of their number. Perhaps Mr. Crowell was not so blind as he and Tim supposed, though it was impossible that he should suspect the whole truth. The glum, silent Dick Barwis walked out from the clump of trees early in the afternoon and joined the group. It must have been one of his cheerful days, for he was in the best of moods, and expressed his delight at the happy outcome of the peculiar hunt. It is more than probable that the genial good nature of Dennis Murphy kindled a glow in his moody heart, for Barwis took to the Irishman from the first, while he, on his side, seemed to form an odd fondness for him. You have learned how Dennis and Metcalf sig- nalled to each other across the five miles of darkness, and of the mishaps that befell the miner on his return. To guard against the possibility of his going astray, the camp fire was not only kept at a blazing, vigorous point, but Barwis renewed his own, feeling that the miner could not fail to note one of them at least. He would 156 THE LOST RIVER. not await the arrival of Metcalf, but came back to his friends, for he wished to listen to some more of the jovialities of the witty Irishman. It was clear to Dennis and Tim that neither of these men knew anything about the treasure reposing among the boulders a short distance away. All the signalling by means of smoke and the mysterious movements referred only to Crowell and Barwis themselves, with no reference to the little party that was filled with misgivings. This statement completes the illustration of the ease with which an ingenious theory may be built up, when it has not so much as a grain of sand for its foundation. Metcalf and Murphy had been wholly wrong from the beginning regarding both the Indians and the white men who were in the neigh- bourhood. The removal of the gold was useless, and no one besides them and Tim dreamed of the momen- tous secret. In the midst of their lively conversation, Metcalf the miner walked forward from the gloom, slightly limping from his hurt, and greeted the company, to whom he was introduced by Dennis Murphy. The host had not forgotten to provide an evening meal, of which all had partaken, not knowing when to expect the coming of their new friend. He ate sparingly, for he had little appetite. He soon saw that Crowell and Barwis knew nothing of the hidden treasure, and it was his pleasure to tell them the story after the repast was finished and his pipe had been lighted. It need not be said that the recital caused excitement to the two CONCLUSION. 157 listeners, to whom the revelation was an astounding one. "I saw there must be some strong reason for your departure," remarked Mr. Crowell to the miner; "but since Dennis said nothing by way of explanation, I was content to wait till you were ready to give it. What a strange and amazing good fortune has come to you three !" "You mean to you, Father. My share is yours.'* "Av coorse, as me grandmother remarked when I reminded her that she was several years older than mesilf." "If you please," said the parent, with a smile, "we'll say yours and mine until you reach your majority, when it shall all be yours." "And that's another way of saying it shall be al- ways yours," persisted Tim, who would not be denied the sweet pleasure the declaration gave him. At this point Dick Barwis, who had apologised to Metcalf for his brusqueness when they met, showed the sterling stuff of which he was made. "One thing must be understood: every particle of this gold belongs to you three, or four, if you include Mr. Crowell. Not a penny is to come to me, to Captain Spencer, or to the negro Pete. These three will re- ceive the pay promised, and I may say that Mr. Crowell will have very little left from his earnings after settling with us all." This simplified the situation, but it was not ac- cepted precisely as offered. The final decision was that, in addition to the regular pay to the three out- 158 THE LOST RIVER. side parties, each was to be presented with a single nugget as a reward for his friendly help. It took some argument to make Barwis agree to this, but he was forced to consent. The element of fear was wholly removed, for under any circumstances there were four determined men, three of whom were well armed, against the captain and negro, provided either or both of them should yield to temptation and try to rob the owners of their wealth. It may as well be added that these two gave no ground for the slightest suspicion. On the morrow the removal of the nuggets was made. Against his will, Dick Barwis was compelled to accept the largest Dennis Murphy could find in the pile. It must have -been worth several hundred dol- lars. The gold was piled into two separate heaps, care being taken that not the smallest piece was left be- hind, and one of these piles was enclosed in a blanket and suspended in the middle of a pole, and end of which rested on the shoulder of Dennis Murphy, and the other upon that of Jarvis Metcalf. The second was similarly supported by Mr. Crowell and Barwis. Even then the burdens were so heavy that, strong and muscular as were all, they were unable to travel far without pausing to rest. Fortunately, the lame- ness of the miner had disappeared, else the party would have had to make two journeys. Tim and Tige walked at the rear to watch whether any of the nuggets dropped out of the blankets. It was barely ten miles to the sea, but so laborious CONCLUSION. 159 and tiresome was the trip, that it was not until night- fall that the party reached the coast, and communi- cated with Captain Spencer by signal. He sent a boat ashore; the gold and men, boy and dog, adjusted themselves carefully, for the craft sank to its gun- wales, and while it was yet early in the evening the whole precious cargo was aboard the schooner Alba- tross, which lay at anchor until morning, when the sails were spread, and on the second day she passed through the Golden Gate and made fast at the primi- tive wharf. Soon after, the gold was deposited in the vaults of the Bank of California, and thus the re- markable adventure of our friends was brought to a safe and triumphant conclusion. When the stuff had been assayed and weighed, it was found to be worth a few hundreds more than thirty-two thousand pounds, so that the shares of Dennis Murphy, Jarvis Metcalf, and of Tim Crowell and his father was a trifle more than ten thousand pounds enough to make them comfortable for life. A draft for two-thirds of this amount was taken by Mr. Crowell, who with Dennis and his son and Tige sailed homeward by the next steamer. Metcalf de- cided to remain in California, and bade his friends good-bye, the parties never meeting again. So it was that the same year that took Tim Crowell brought him back, he having, through one of the most remarkable experiences ever recorded, en- riched himself, where thousands of older persons struggled and toiled and suffered in vain. THE END Motor Boat Boys Series By Louis ARUNDEL 1. The Motor Club's Cruise Down the Mississippi; or The Dash for Dixie. 2. The Motor Club on the St. Lawrence River; or Adventures Among the Thousand Islands. 3. The Motor Club on the Great Lakes; or Exploring the Mystic Isle of Mackinac. 4. Motor Boat Boys Among the Florida-Keys; or The Struggle for the Leadership. 5. Motor Boat Boys Down the Coast; or Through Storm and Stress. 6. Motor Boat Boy's River Chase; or Six Chums Afloat or Ashore. 7. Motor Boat Boys Down the Danube; or Four Chums Abroad Motor Maid Series By KATHERINE STOKES 1. Motor Maids' School Days 2. Motor Maids by Palm and Pine 3. Motor Maids Across the Continent 4. Motor Maids by Rose, Shamrock and Thistle. 5. Motor Maids in Fair Japan 6. Motor Maids at Sunrise Camp For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of 75c. M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY 701-733 S. DEARBORN STREET CHICAGO iiiniiiiiiin A 000126258 3