To The West Part 92

"But I don't want to fight."

"Then go."

"But there ain't nowhere to go, and--Oh, I say, Mayne Gordon, what is a fellow to do?"

"Do what I do," I said, quickly.

"What's that?"

"Trust to Mr Gunson the same as we have done before."

"Thank you, Mayne Gordon," said Gunson, laying his hand on my shoulder; "but I hardly like exposing you to risk."

"The danger has not come yet," I said, smiling, though I confess to feeling uncomfortable. "Perhaps it never will."

"At any rate we must be prepared," said Gunson. "Only to think of it!

What a little thing influences our careers! I little fancied when I protected that poor little fellow on board the steamer, that in so doing I was jeopardising my prospects just when I was about to make the success of my life."

"It is unfortunate," I said.

"Unfortunate, boy?--it is maddening. But for this I should once more have been a rich man."

I looked at him curiously, and he saw it.

"Yes," he said, laughingly, "once more a rich man."

"Is one any the happier for being rich?" I said.

"Not a bit, my lad. I was rich once, and was a miserable idiot. Mayne, I left college to find myself suddenly in possession of a good fortune,"

he continued, pausing excitedly now, and speaking quicker, for Esau had strolled off to a little distance with Quong. "Instead of making good use of it, I listened to a contemptible crew who gathered about me, and wasted my money rapidly in various kinds of gambling, so that at the end of a year I was not only penniless, but face to face with half a dozen heavy debts of honour which I knew I must pay or be disgraced. Bah! why am I telling you all this?"

"No, no; don't stop," I said eagerly; "tell me all."

"Well," he said, "I will; for I like you, Mayne, and have from the day we first met on board the _Albatross_. It may be a warning to you. No: I will not insult you by thinking you could ever grow up as I did. For to make up for my losings, I wildly plunged more deeply into the wretched mora.s.s, and then in my desperation went to my sister and mother for help."

"And they helped you?" I said, for he paused.

"Of course, for they loved me in spite of my follies. It was for the last time, I told them, and they signed away every s.h.i.+lling of their fortunes, Mayne, to enable me to pay my debts. And then--"

"And then?" I said, for he had paused again.

"And then I had the world before me, Mayne," he said, sadly. "I was free, but I had set myself the task of making money to restore my mother and sister to their old position. I tried first in London, but soon found out it would be vain to try and save a hundredth part of what I ought to pay them, so I tried adventure. There were rumours of gold being discovered in Australia, then in the Malay Peninsula, and again at the Cape, so I went to each place in turn and failed. Other men made fortunes, but I was always unlucky, till once at the Cape, where I hit upon a place that promised well, but my luck was always against me. My tent was attacked one night, and I was left senseless, to come to myself next morning, and find that I had been robbed, and so cruelly ill-used that the sight of one eye was gone for ever, and there was nothing left for me to do but sell my claim for enough money to take me back to England amongst my poor people to be nursed back to health. Then, as I grew strong again, there came rumours of the gold in British Columbia, and I started once more, taking pa.s.sage as a poor man in the steerage, and meeting on board one Mayne Gordon, with whom I became friends. Am I right?"

"Indeed, yes," I cried, giving him my hand.

"That's well," he said, smiling. "Since then I have worked, as you know, for the golden prize that, if it does not make those at home happy, will place them far above want, but always without success, pa.s.sing away from Fort Elk, when there was abundance near, and returning poorer than I went, to find out quite by accident that here was indeed the golden land. Mayne, I have gold worth hundreds of pounds already hidden away safe."

"I am very, very glad," I cried. "But I want to know--"

"Yes?" he said, for I had stopped.

"Have you--no, not now," for just then Esau came up to us.

"Look here, my lad," said Gunson, quickly, "I sincerely hope that we may never have cause to use weapons against our fellow-men; but we must be prepared for emergencies. Do you know how to handle a revolver?"

Esau shook his head.

"Hit ever so much harder with my fists," he said.

"But that will not do. The sight of our weapons may keep evil visitors off. Let me show you how to load and fire."

"Will it kick?" said Esau.

"Not if you hold it tightly. Now, look here."

And as I looked on, Mr Gunson showed Esau how to load and fire, and generally how to handle the weapon, the lesson acting as well for me.

"There," said Mr Gunson at last, "you ought to be a valuable help to me now; for the beauty of a weapon like this is, that the very sight of its barrel will keep most men at a distance; and if they come I hope it will these."

"Did yesterday, didn't it?" said Esau, laughingly, to me.

"Now," said Gunson, "about your rifle, Mayne; can you manage it?"

"I think so," I said; and I handled it in a way which satisfied my master.

"That's right," he said. "Never mind about hitting. To fire is the thing; the noise will, I hope, scare enemies. Now if Quong could be of some use, it would make a show of four defenders; but we know of old his strong point."

"Getting up a tree," I said, laughing.

"Exactly. Perhaps he could throw boiling water, but I shall not ask him to do that. There, we are all right; every force must have a commissariat department, and some general once said that an army fights upon its stomach. We'll have him to feed us, while we keep guard about the place."

"And won't you wash for gold at all?" said Esau, in a disappointed tone of voice.

"No, nor yet mention it," said Gunson, firmly. "To all intents and purposes there is no gold here whatever. We are settlers, and we are going to hold this spot. You see, there is our brand on that tree."

As he spoke he pointed to the mark we had cut on the great fir-tree hard by, and I could not help a shudder as I recollected the events of that day.

The morning pa.s.sed, and the afternoon came without our hearing a sound but those made by the birds and squirrels, and after partaking of a meal we began to look anxiously for the night as the time of danger; but we saw the ruddy blaze of light die out on snow-topped peaks, and then the pale stars begin to appear.

"This place is wonderfully like Switzerland in parts," said Gunson, as we sat near the fire always on the _qui vive_ for danger; and in a low voice he chatted to us till it was quite night, and the sky was a blaze of stars.

"I think we may sleep in peace to-night," said Gunson, and he was a true prophet, for, though I woke twice with a start of fear, the noise which had wakened me was only caused by Quong going to throw some wood upon the fire, which he never suffered to die out, but coaxed on so as to have a plentiful heap of hot ashes in which to bake.

Two days pa.s.sed in peace, and then a third, with the inaction telling upon us all. For we were constantly on the strain, and the slightest sound suggested the coming of an enemy.

"You see we cannot stir," Gunson said to me. "We must keep together.

If one of us played spy and reconnoitred, the chances are that the enemy would come while we were away."