CHAPTER V.
THE LONE MAN'S STORY.
"Gentlemen," began the enforced guest of Jim Ridge and the half-breed,"I was born in an Atlantic State, and my earliest memories relate tohome events of so little moment now, that I have almost forgotten them.I remember, however, that a number of our young men formed a partyand went West, and that the reading of some of their letters home,reflected into my boyish ears, fed the natural longings of one wholived sufficiently remote from the crowded town to know what a lake andthe woods are like. Besides, an uncle of mine was said to have gone tothe same marvellous backwoods, and I used to be promised a real wildIndian's bow-and-arrows at the least when he should return. All this iscommon enough in the East. About the year 1850 my mother died, and myfather, as much to distract himself in his profound grief as to quencha thirst for fortune which he shared with New Englanders, departed withme, a stripling, around the Cape to California. Our ship was ratherbetter than those rotten tubs which unscrupulous men fitted out as'superb clippers,' and we outstripped many vessels that had anticipatedour start. You must recall something of the sensation due to thestartling discovery of gold in the extreme West. Even the fables of oldwhalers who visited the Pacific Coast, and who really had been blind,were outdone by reality. With indescribable furious madness, peopleflocked from the world's confines towards a tract hardly laid downin charts. They seemed to have become monsters in human form, as theplaybooks say, with no impulse but avarice. We stepped ashore into afield of carnage, though lately a peaceable grazing ground; men soughtto remove each other with steel and lead, whilst the few females, thevilest of their sex, freely employed poison. Luckily, these demons slewone another, and left no aftercrop of fiends and furies to blight theGolden State."
"Father and I had no experience in gold seeking, and he saw that moneyenough awaited an active, acute man, in supplying the returned minerswith table delicacies. He was used to fishing, trapping, and gunning,and so we set to killing bears--any quantity on the Sierra Nevada'spurs' then--and fishing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin. We builta ranche on the banks of the former stream, in a lonely spot, and onlywent to town to sell game and procure ammunition and other stores."
"One Saturday my father went on this duty, whilst I amused myselfwith tracking a young grizzly, with the hope of securing him alive,as a hotel keeper wanted a 'native attraction' for his barroom.Unfortunately, a huge grizzly intercepted my course, and wounded me ina scuffle, out of which I thought myself happy to escape so easily; andalmost made me lose my prize. However, as this wound stung me in prideas well as flesh--for I daresay, gentlemen, you know how a grizzly'sclaws leave a smart!" (the two hunters nodded animatedly)--"I pressedon, after a circuit, at the tail of my first 'meat.' I overtook it atdark, had to kill it--it was so stubborn--dressed it, and carried awaythe paws and choice meat in the hide. The sun was down, and my load wastoo heavy for me to show much speed, though I believed my father wouldbe impatiently awaiting me."
"It was nine o'clock when I sighted the ranche. The squally windpresaged a tempest. As no light shone at the window, I concluded myfather, who must have got back, had gone to bed, weary of waiting. Ipulled up the latch, entered, flung down the game, and was making forthe hearth, to get a flare-up, when I heard a faint voice close byfalter--"
"'Is that you, Sam?' My father's voice! The tone sent a shiver all overme till the blood ran cold from my heart."
"'Oh, that you had come an hour sooner!' he sighed."
"In an instant I had a blaze on the hearth with a handful of bears'grease upon the embers."
"There lay the old man, having tried to crawl to his couch. His facewas livid; two wounds were on his breast--one of a firearm, one ofa knife; and he was scalped as well. The blood from these neglectedwounds painted him thickly and hideously. I fell on my knees besidehim, and tried, though vainly, to staunch those dreadful hurts."
"'It's no use, boy,' said he; 'nothing can fence off death. I thankHeaven I was allowed to linger till you came. Now, dash away yourtears, and listen to me like a man. In half an hour I shall be no more;but that will do if you mean to see justice done me.'"
"He had started for San Francisco at one, so as to be home earlyenough to have a good meal against my return if I were out. He soongot through his business, and was going to leave, when he met a nativeCalifornian acquaintance--a _gambusino_, or confirmed gold hunter--aman he liked very well. To have a friendly glass at leisure, theydropped into the nearest public resort, the gamblers' and revellers'hotel, called the 'Polka' saloon. The place was crammed with drinkerstaking their morning 'eye-openers,' or desperadoes relating theirnight's exploits, or miscreants hatching fresh schemes. Several kept'cruising' round my father and his friend."
"Both were objects of more general interest than either, perhaps,believed; the Californian was suspected to have found more than onegold vein worth tapping; and my father, as a hunter, was likewisethought to have blundered upon the natural treasuries of the mountainsin his pursuit of b'ar. To both, schemes had been proposed byblacklegs, and both had repulsed them--the Spaniard with pride, andmy father with some cutting jest or pure carelessness. Both had madeenemies thereby."
"Three of these enemies now buzzed round their table. One wasa Frenchman, known as 'Lottery Paul,' because he had drawn thepassenger's ticket of a Parisian 'draw,' to enable the chosensubscriber to go free to San Francisco. He was a little bilious wretch,low and sneering, a sort of lynx and fox in combination. His partnerswere a huge English convict from Gibraltar, and called 'Quarry Dick,'and a Mexican, who had committed so many homicides, that he wasglorified as 'Matamas the slayer.'"
"Perhaps it was too soon in the day for these debauched dogs to haveshipped enough spirit to fall foul of two men well armed. In any case,they let my father and his friend leave the saloon unimpeded. The threescoundrels hovered about them; but, finally, seemed to be disgusted attheir remaining on the alert, and left them."
"The two friends separated, and my father got home before dark withoutalarm. He had hardly stepped indoors, however, than three men fell onhim, all in the dark. They were dressed like Indians; but, as theythreatened to kill him unless he revealed where he knew gold waswaiting for the digger, it was clear that was but a disguise 'for theroad.' My father had been doubled as a man by his mountain life, andhe gave them a serious half hour's diversion; twice he got free, andlaid about him with a long knife. At last, one shot and another stabbedhim; and, either from rage at having been baffled, or to carry outtheir assumption of the Indian character, they scalped him. He hadthe fortitude to pretend to be dead as he suffered this outrage. Inthe encounter he had snatched away the scapulary worn by one ruffian,laid open the cheek of another, and wounded a third in the side. Thelatter might escape me; but I had a clue to the others. Then, urgingme to bring these murderers to justice, my father expired, the stormoverwhelming his latest prayer and blessing."
"I buried him under the hearthstone, and fired the ranche over hishead, determined that no one should dwell in the house where hisblood had mingled with the murderers'. I went to San Francisco, butthose three bandits were laid up from the effects of the struggle, orin mere terror of me, for the authorities were not yet in power topunish even the notoriously criminal. I continued the search withoutdiscouragement, being rather a pertinacious man, till, one day, myMexican friend, as he had been my father's, warned me that I was inerror: these three men were now _hunting me_, having transferred theirenmity from my father to my head: and, in fact, it was a wonder I hadnot yet fallen a victim in one of their vicious circles where I hadpenetrated. Being on my guard from this out, our warfare continuedlong without result. At last, I heard they had separated, and gone whoknows where--over the mountains, on the sea, up in the mines? Besides,the Mexican had opened his house to me, a favour not often accorded anAmerican by one who reckoned us invaders and heretics and no blessingto the country; and he had a fair daughter whom, in short, I wedded. Iallowed my task of vengeance to rest, and the hatred of my foes seemedin the same way
to be shelved."
"One summer, a French gentleman, who said he was on a scientificexpedition, offered me remarkably handsome terms to be his guide toOregon. I did not care to leave my wife, but my father-in-law wasinterested in the steamer line to the Columbia River, and I acceptedthe mission. However, a little over a week gave Monsieur all he wantedof roughing it in the sierras, and he said he had changed his mind, andwanted to back out. I made no difficulty, of course, and we took theback track merrily. When we left, and he handed me a forfeit, he said,kindly enough: 'I hope you will find Madame and the family all well athome!' and yet some presentiment made me take it as ironical."
"Within two weeks I returned to my _pueblo_. The forewarning was sound:my father-in-law's hacienda was devastated, and the farm buildingsreduced to ashes; under that black heap my father-in-law, my wife andchildren were indistinguishably consumed."
As he got these words out by an effort, the speaker covered his facewith his hands, and sobbed rather fiercely than mournfully. His twohearers remained quiet, fastening their eyes on the strong man inresentment, with irrepressible pity.
"This time they had overfilled my cup of woe," he resumed, liftinghis head, and showing burning, tearless eyes. "I would not leave thepunishment of their slaughter to the sworn minister of justice, butavenge my fourfold wrongs in person to the uttermost."
"I took a horse and galloped to San Francisco, where I sought theFrench consul. He knew nothing of the pretended scientific explorer:that was a sham; he was one of the gang! But he was really a newcomer,and had no skill in hiding his tracks. I was on them without anyrepose. They led me by nightfall to a lone ranche, where the roll ofthe sea came softly, and mingled with the whinnying of two horsespicketed by the door, which welcomed mine. I rode him in at that doorwhich I carried off the hinges. Two men were on stools at a dyingfire, chuckling and drinking. One was Matamas, the other the Frenchmanwho had engaged me as guide. They sprang up in amazement. I flew atthem with a tigerish yell. No doubt fury increased my forces, for inten minutes I had trampled one down and lassoed the other. Both layhelpless under my knife."
"'Mister Frenchy,' said I, 'how much were you paid beyond the sum yougave me for guidance to lure me aside whilst your employers burnt myhouse and killed all those dear to me?'"
"'What, what!' said he, 'Is this the practical joke you played,Monsieur Matamas?'"
"The Mexican said not a word; his teeth were chattering with thegeneral tremor. As the Frenchman saw I was merciless, and knew he wasin my power, he told me the whole tale of how he had been hired in anhour of starvation to decoy me away from my home. He had no hand in theextreme consequences, and I let him go with the warning that I mightnot be so lenient if ever we met again. Whilst he rode away like mad, Ireturned to Matamas, whose hand I tied, open, on a plank, and I said:"
"'Well named as 'the killer,' tell me all about this plot, or Ishall cut you up joint by joint!' and, though you shudder at thethought, sir," he interjected to Ridge, while Cherokee Bill greedilylistened, "I should have done it; but at the third of his finger beingsevered, the coward fainted, and, on coming to, as I sawed at anotherarticulation, he whined the complete confession. His was the scapularywhich my father had inextricably grasped in the death 'scrimmage.' If Ihad regretted my cruelty, the list of his crimes would have steeled meanew. Worse than I suspected remained to tell, for his two accompliceshad not only fled with the valuables of my father-in-law, but with theheart treasures of mine, which I had till then believed buried besidetheir mother: my son and my daughter, at present fifteen and seventeen,were abducted by these villains, and are now slaves to them and theirkind in some robbers' ranche of the plains or whiskey mill shanty inthese mountains. Never can I rest, you see, till they are rescued fromthese chains of vice, and their persecutors feed the turkey buzzardslike Matamas did himself."
"Now, in telling you that a band of gold hunters are on their wayhither, and that I have recently crossed Indian trails, I have servedyou. Help me, now, my friends, with your practical counsel--how can Isoonest overtake those men?"
There was a long silence. Bill and Ridge conferred in the sign languageas if their thoughts were too full of action to be diluted intoverbiage.
"One question?" said the trapper. "In all your story you havemanifested the greatest heed not to mention names except of thevillainous. Those are no clue to me. But, may happen, those of yourselfand kinsfolk may enlighten us. Who are you?"
"My name is Filditch, Samuel George Filditch, my father's George W.,and my father-in-law's Don Tolomeo Peralta, well known in Californiaand Sonora."
"Enough. What was the name of your father's brother, whom you neversaw, but whom you remember to have heard spoken of in childhood. Was itnot James? Come, come!" continued the old hunter, rising and kicking alog so that the freshened flame should flood him with radiance: "Theyused to say we were like as boys; can you see no trace of a likenessto my brother George in these features? Still silent? Ridge is only a'mountain name'; but believe me, and Cherokee Bill will bear me outwith gun and knife--there never was a deed of mine done under it whichmy real name would not proudly cover. It is Heaven that has broughtyou to my bosom, Sam! Come to my heart, where I had clean given updreams of having a loving head pillowed! Heaven knows this was a wishlong gnawing at my bones! We'll chip in together. Don't you carry anyheaviness at your heart now. Your interests are mine. I am not a youngchicken, but I am game, and with this new spirit, I feel thar's a loto' living in me yet! We start on this manhunt together. Thar's my hand,Sam!"
"And here is mine!" added the Cherokee. "The Old Man and me always holdtogether like burrs," he continued, in a kind of apologetic tone. "Andif this ain't the most remarkable fact I ever struck, then I don't wantmy breakfast in the morning."
Thereupon was sealed between the trio a compact that would bring aboutstrange events, hidden under the veil of the future, so that the mostimaginative could not foresee the incidents, far more surprising thanthis meeting of kindred, not at all an uncommon event in the West,where congregate the members of the Eastern families, so wondrouslydisrupted and attracted West.
Ridge--still to use that name--and his nephew were evoking homememories, when suddenly the latter felt a touch on the shoulder.Cherokee Bill was making the sign for silence, and pointing out of thecave opening.
There was a novel sound, indeed, in the stilly night air: music as froma seraphic choir, for a score of women's voices were singing a hymn ata distance which the limpidity of the air materially diminished:
"Come, tell the broken spirit That vainly sighs for rest There is ahome in glory, A home forever blest; Still sound the gospel trumpetO'er hill and rolling sea, From chains of sin and blackness, To set thecaptive free!"
"Saints in the Mountain!" murmured Jim Ridge, astonished. "I neverheard the likes hereabouts. It carries me away back fifty year', whenI was a boy in the church! But what are white women doing here? I amstaggered. And tuning up like that, too. That's first-class bait forCrows. The angels must ha' taken a fancy to them, or they are crackedto sing at top of the v'ice, an' redskins on the loose. What do youmake of it, Bill?"
"See!"
The hunter stared forth. A yellow light appeared as a lining to a coldfog over a vale.
"Ah, a powerful camp! No Crow men will attack that in a hurry--thosedogs want to be twenty to one, and, then, somebody has to kick them onto it. Things are bound to be interesting, but, I judge, we can waittill morning. At least, that's my way. I am ready to drop, myself."
"And I," said Filditch, indeed exhausted.
"I will take the first watch," observed the Cherokee, calmly.
In another few minutes, wrapped in fur and blankets, the two white menwere profoundly reposing. Ridge chose the flat ground to which the bodyaccommodates itself, whilst his newfound kinsman, less wise, made akind of bed. The son of the assassinated trapper guarded them who hadnow the same vow as himself to be their life task.