Lost in the Canon Part 40

"'Bout de sitooation?"

"I don't know," said Sam gloomily.

"Tink we's in a bad box?"

"If we are we must bear it."

"Jest so; but somehow I'd like a change to good luck, jest to see how it feels like. 'Peers to me ez if we was nebber to hab no good times no more," and Ike rolled his eyes and sighed at a great rate.

"W'at say me cookee blekfas'?" said Wah s.h.i.+n, in whom the desire to be at work was stronger than his fear of the savages.

"I don't think they'll let you cook," said Sam.

"Den me tly. Dey say 'no,' den me stopee. Let 'em hab way."

Wah s.h.i.+n opened the bundle, took out the few remaining rabbits, and going over to the fire, he deliberately raked the coals and began to warm the decidedly simple breakfast.

The Apaches offered no objections to the actions of the Chinaman, though they watched him with the eager curiosity of children at a circus.

The Apaches make a bread from the pounded roots of the maguey or mountain aloe, of which they always carry a supply when on their war forays or hunting expeditions.

This bread is sweet and nutritious, and that it will keep for a long time in its original state is shown by the fact that the recorder of these stirring incidents has still in his possession some of this bread, which he obtained in the mountains of Arizona fifteen years ago.

The odor of the rabbits on the coals reached the nostrils of the chief, and it must have soothed his anger somewhat, for he spoke to his companions in the Apache tongue, and they at once pulled a lot of this bread from their buckskin haversacks-it resembled plugs of very black tobacco and tasted better than it looked-and they gave Sam, Ike and Wah s.h.i.+n each a piece.

"This is all the food we have left," said Sam, addressing the chief and pointing to the rabbits, "but we shall be glad to share with you, and if you guide us to Hurley's Gulch I will pledge my word that you shall have all I promised you before."

The chief replied to this with a grunt that showed he was still far from feeling good-natured, still he proved that he was not only very hungry, but also very selfish, by devouring one of the four rabbits without asking any outside a.s.sistance.

Ike witnessed this performance in open-eyed wonder, and he could not resist whispering to Sam:

"I've seed a good many hogs in my time, but that ar Injun as went an'

eat a hull rabbit all by hissel', is jest 'bout de biggest one I ebber sot my two eyes on. Dar, he ain't lef' noffin' but de bones."

"When you no have more meat," said the chief, coming over and standing before Sam, while he cast a covetous look at Maj, "then I tell you what you do."

"What?" asked Sam.

"Don't you like the dog?"

"Oh, yes," said Sam, thinking that the Indian who could like dumb creatures must have a kindly heart. "I am very fond of the dog."

"Then why you no eat him?" asked Blanco.

As Sam had never looked at Maj as something that might be eaten instead of being fed, he was not a little puzzled what to reply, still he managed to say, with an attempt at smiling:

"That isn't the way I like the dog."

"No," said Ike in a low voice, "we likes dog wid de ha'r on an' de bark in him."

All unmindful of this discussion Maj went on eating the bones that had been thrown to him and looking as if he had room for a great many more than were in sight.

After this very informal meal was over the chief gave an order to his own people and then told Sam that he and his friends must follow him.

"Where to?" asked Sam.

"We see, me don't know," was the surly reply.

As there was no food left, Sam rolled up the blankets and throwing these and the saddle-bags containing the gold dust and the precious paper over his shoulder, started up the ravine.

Ike and Wah s.h.i.+n followed, the former clinging to his old shot-gun as if his life depended on it.

Eight lithe Indians, none of them burdened with clothes or the world's goods, brought up the rear.

On reaching the uplands the chief came to a halt, the others doing the same, and shading his eyes from the sun, he looked long and eagerly to the eastward.

With a thrill of joy Sam saw that neither Ulna nor his pursuers were in sight, and well knowing the young Ute's powers as a runner, he had now no fears of his being overtaken.

As if he understood what was pa.s.sing in the white youth's mind, the chief said:

"You know Ulna long time?"

"Only a few months."

"You like him heap?"

"I do."

"You make him free?"

"I am glad I did," said Sam, boldly.

"Then you take his place like same as he was here," said Blanco, with an angry glint in his eyes.

"I do not understand."

"If Ulna stay we kill him."

"Yes," said Sam, feeling a cold chill and wondering what was coming next.

"But Ulna get away."

"Yes."

"You help him."

"I did."