To The West Part 73

"How, sir? What shall I do?"

"Hold your tongue. Do not say a word of your discovery to a soul.

Above all, that friend of yours, Gunson, the prospector, must never know."

"Not tell any one, sir? Not make use of our discovery?"

"No," he said, firmly. "Promise."

"Oh, I say!" cried Esau.

"And you too, sir!" said Mr Raydon.

I stood looking at him for a few minutes, thinking as he fixed his eyes on mine, and then I pressed his hand firmly.

"Yes, sir; I promise."

"On your word of honour as a gentleman's son?"

"On my word of honour as a gentleman's son, sir," I said, proudly.

"That will do," he said, releasing my hand, and smiling at me warmly.

"I like that, Mayne, better than any oaths. Now, Esau Dean, what have you to say?"

"Oh, I don't like it at all, sir," said Esau, bluntly; "but him and me's been mates all through, and I won't go back from anything he says. But it is disappointing, now ain't it?"

"It seems so to you, my lad," said Mr Raydon, kindly; "but give me your promise, and it may prove of more value to you than your share of the gold. You see I give up my claim, and mine would be a big one if I liked to exercise it, I dare say."

"Am I to promise, Mr Gordon, sir?" said Esau.

"Yes, just as I have."

"All right, I promise too."

"I look to you both to keep your words."

"I shan't tell n.o.body unless he does," said Esau, gruffly, as he stood the rifle against a stone.

"And he will not," said Mr Raydon. "There, let's get back. I never leave the place as a rule when Indians are about."

"Are they dangerous?" I asked.

"No; and yet not to be trusted. What savages really are, Gordon?

Thanks, my lad," he said, as I dug up and placed a couple of fern-roots with their spreading fronds in the basket, so as to completely cover the fine gravel at the bottom, and the gold. "We must wash it again when we get back," he continued, "and then divide it in two equal portions, for you lads to keep as a memento of to-day's work. Now, Dean, give me my rifle."

Esau ran back to where he had stood the rifle, and was coming back, when he tripped and fell.

At the same moment it seemed to me that some one struck me a violent blow beneath my left shoulder which drove me partly round, and made me drop the basket just as there was a sharp report, followed by a peculiar ringing in my ears, and then all was blank.

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX.

MY DOCTOR AND NURSE.

When I opened my eyes again it was with a horrible sensation of sickness at my heart, and my eyes swam, but I could dimly make out Mr Raydon's face, as he leaned over me, and I heard him say, as if he was speaking a very long way from me in a very small voice--

"That's right; go on. Keep bathing his face."

Then I heard Esau speak in a faint choking voice.

"Oh, sir! oh, sir! He won't die, will he? Tell me he won't die."

"I tell you to keep on bathing his face. There, take that basket and throw the wretched gold back into the stream. The basket will hold a little water at the bottom. No, no! squeeze what you have in your handkerchief first over his face."

There was a cool refres.h.i.+ng sensation on my face directly after, and all the time I could hear that Esau was in great trouble, for he kept on softer with a curious moaning voice--

"Oh--oh--oh--oh!"

It seemed very strange, and sounded to me as if it was all occurring some distance off, and I wanted to shout to him, and ask what was the matter. But Mr Raydon was still leaning over me, pulling me about it seemed, and a sharp pain suddenly shot through me, and made me wince.

"Don't--don't," I said, faintly; but he kept on burning me, so it seemed to me, with a red-hot iron in the chest; and after doing this for some time, while Esau kept on after a bit making his low moaning sound and splas.h.i.+ng water over my face, Mr Raydon turned me over, and began burning me on the back.

I wanted to struggle, and tell him to leave off, but no words would come; and he kept on hurting me dreadfully, and pus.h.i.+ng me about, for what seemed to be a terribly long time, before he turned me again upon my back.

"Oh, do tell me, sir, please do tell me, whether he'll die," I heard Esau say again, and I fancied that I caught sight of him through a thick cloud.

"I cannot tell you, my lad," I heard Mr Raydon say. "Please G.o.d! no."

"But I shot him, sir; I shot him. It was me, and I declare to goodness I'd sooner have shot myself."

"Yes, my lad, I believe you," said Mr Raydon, very faintly, from further away now.

"Is it--is it right through the heart?"

"No, no, no, not, so bad as that. The bullet has pa.s.sed right through just below the shoulder."

"There--then he'll bleed to death," groaned Esau.

"No; I've stopped that. Quick! more water; he's going off again."

"He's dying! he's dying!" cried Esau, very close to me now, as it seemed to me; but his voice died out quickly, beginning as a shrill cry and ending in a faint whisper, and it all grew dark and silent for a time.

Then once more I seemed to wake up with a shrill-toned bell ringing loudly in my ears; and I lay with a terrible sensation of deathly faintness till I heard Esau say, close to me--"I'll carry him, sir."

"No, no, my lad."

"But you don't know how strong I am, sir."

"We must not shake him more than we can help, and he must be in an easy position. Have you your knife? I left mine."