CHAPTER XXVIII
THE SIXTY NUGGETS
For a moment the boy and beast stood gazing at each other. Bob felta chill of fear run through him, and, as he saw the quivering ofthe brute, and noted the switching tail, he felt that he wanted toscream--to cry out for help.
Bob noticed that the mountain lion was inch by inch edging itself alongthe tree trunk, to get to the end.
“And when he does,” reasoned the boy, “he’s going to jump--and jump onme!”
He wanted to turn and look behind him to see how close his friendsmight be, and yet he steeled himself against any such action. For,somewhere, he had read that the best thing to do, when confronted bya wild beast, is to remain confronting it, looking it directly in theeyes.
“It’s my only chance!” thought Bob. “The minute I turn around he’sgoing to spring.”
He listened intently, but could hear no footsteps approaching, andrealized that he had gotten far ahead of the others.
“Oh, why didn’t I bring my rifle along?” thought Bob. “None of us did,I guess. We thought so much of the gold that we didn’t dream we wouldneed guns!”
Nearer and nearer crept the beast, and now, added to its quivering bodyand switching tail, there came low, menacing growls, to inspire moreterror in the intended victim.
“It won’t be much longer now,” thought Bob. “I’ve just got to turn andrun. I can’t stand facing him out! I’m going to jump back, and maybe Ican get behind a big rock, or something, long enough to yell for help.Here goes! I’m going to dodge!”
Something of his intention must have, in some way, been made manifestto the lion, or perhaps a sight movement on the part of the lad carriedthis intelligence to the beast. For, just as Bob was about to turn andflee, he saw the beast give a final quiver, and then, with a roar,launch itself into the air from the tree trunk. At the same moment avoice shouted:
“Fall, Bob! Lie down! Flop to the ground!”
Wondering why this advice was given, but recognizing that it came fromsome of his party, the stout lad threw himself forward. He saw thebeast hurling itself toward him, and, a second later, there came asharp report.
The body of the mountain lion seemed to crumple up, to become a knotin midair, and then, fairly turning a somersault, the beast crashed tothe ground just beyond where Bob lay.
“Roll to one side! Get out of the way!” yelled the voice again, andBob had presence of mind enough to obey. He knew that the beast, inits death agony, might reach and claw him. So Bob, being unable to doanything else, rolled to one side. Then, if ever, he was thankful forhis fleshiness, for he did not so much mind the rough rocks over whichhis course took him.
Once more there came the cracking sound of a shot, and then Bob,raising his head, saw the body of the lion give a final quiver and liestill. It was dead.
“Great Peter, that was a close call!” exclaimed Jim Nestor, coming upas Bob arose. “I was afraid I couldn’t plug him with my revolver, but Imanaged to do it.”
“Did--did you shoot?” asked Bob, for his breath was still a littleshort from the fright and the exertion. “Did you shoot him, Jim?”
“I did, I’m thankful to say. I was following you up, looking for thegold nuggets, when I happened to see the pickle you were in. I knewthere was no time to yell to the others for help, and less time to goback for a rifle. I happened to have my big revolver with me, but Iknew it was taking desperate chances trying to plug a mountain lionwith it at that distance. But it was all the chance I had, and I tookit.”
“And you winged him,” observed Bob, thankfully, as he looked at thedead body. It was a large specimen of the mountain lion family.
“Yes, I was lucky enough to get him with the first bullet,” went on theminer; “but I took a second shot to make sure. He was coming right atyou; wasn’t he?”
“He was that!” exclaimed Bob, as he shook hands with Jim, and there wasmuch meaning in the clasp of their palms.
“What’s the matter? What happened?” cried Jerry, running up from behinda turn in the trail. He was followed by the others. “Is anyone hurt?”
“That fellow is,” replied Bob, with a short laugh, as he indicated thelion with his foot.
“Oh!” exclaimed Jerry, and then he understood, though Bob insisted ongiving details.
“Well, after this,” spoke Ned, “we had better take our guns with us.There may be more of the brutes here.”
“I shouldn’t wonder,” replied Mr. Brill. “I know one chased me when Iwas here before. Yes, we’d better go armed.”
“And keep closer together,” added Jerry. “Hi, Professor!” he called,for the scientist had wandered off some distance to the side. “Don’t goso far. Come here!”
“Have you found the gold?” shouted Mr. Snodgrass, as he came running up.
“No, and it doesn’t look as though we would,” said Ned, halfdiscouragedly. Then the professor was told of what had happened, andurged to remain near the others.
“Yes, we’ll find it!” declared Harvey Brill. “Even if it was washedout of the pocket where I hid it, we’ll find it sooner or later. Thosenuggets can’t have been washed out of the valley.”
“But the valley is a big place, and besides, Noddy Nixon and his crowdmay come back any time, and make trouble for us,” went on Ned.
“Oh, you must have a grouch!” exclaimed Jerry, with a grin. “Don’tcross the bridge of trouble until you hear the rustling of its wings,”he misquoted.
Once the excitement caused by Bob’s danger had passed, the partyresumed the search for the gold. They followed the course of the flood,plainly visible, but, after looking carefully for some distance, theyfound nothing, and even Mr. Brill began to look disheartened.
“I think we had better bring the airship down this way,” suggestedJerry, late that afternoon, when they had gone about two miles from it.“We won’t do any more prospecting back there, and we might as well havethe comforts of it with us, and not have to retrace our steps.”
They agreed with him, and alone Jerry went for, and brought up the_Comet_. Then, after a short search about the vicinity of her newanchoring ground, they gave up work for the day, as it was getting dark.
“We’ll find those nuggets sure--to-morrow!” declared Mr. Brill.
But they did not, nor on the next day, though they searched carefully.Even Professor Snodgrass forgot his desire for new specimens in thewish to help locate the treasure. But it seemed that it was goneforever, having been washed away by the flood and landslide, anddeposited in some new hiding-place destined never to be found. Mr.Brill was much discouraged, and the others shared his feelings.
“I guess we’ll have to go back home and report a failure,” said Bob,gloomily. “Anyhow, we haven’t got much more grub, and maybe we’d bettertake a flight out of here and get some--that is, if we’re going to keepon with the search.”
“And that’s just what we’re going to do!” exclaimed Jerry. “We’re goingon with this search. What are you talking about, Bob? There’s grubenough for a long time yet. Don’t you worry.”
The next day they took up the search again, but with hearts growingmore and more despondent all the while. Several times Jerry looked offto the distant cliffs, as if to see if he and his companions were beingwatched by the grub-stakers, or Noddy Nixon. But if their enemies werethere they did not show themselves.
It was coming on toward evening. They had again moved the airship, andhad passed the middle of the valley.
“We’re on the Canadian side of the Border now,” remarked Mr. Brill, ashe grubbed around among the rocks.
“Are we?” asked Ned, indifferently. “Well, I don’t see that it’s anyluckier for us than the good old United States were.”
They were about to give up the search for the day. The sun was justsinking down behind the cliffs of the valley, when Professor Snodgrass,who had wandered off to one side again, gave a cry. It was a shout ofdelight.
“He’s found something!” yelled Bob.
“The
gold! Is it the gold, Mr. Snodgrass?” asked Jerry.
“No!” was the disappointing answer. “But oh, boys come here! I havejust seen the largest and most perfect specimen of a yellow jumpingspider I ever laid my eyes on! Bring me a small net and a box, while Ikeep him in sight! Oh, you beauty. You are almost as valuable as theluminous snakes!” and the scientist fairly danced up and down in frontof a hole in the rocks.
“A yellow jumping spider!” half groaned Ned. “I thought he had foundsome of the nuggets.” Still, as the professor had always helped them,they could do no less than to act as he requested. Bob brought aninsect net from the scientist’s room on the airship, and Jerry got aspecimen box. Ned and the two men followed to where Mr. Snodgrass stood.
“Where is it?” asked Mr. Brill, somewhat indifferently, as thescientist got ready to make his capture.
“Down there, between those two stones,” was the answer, and Mr.Snodgrass pointed. “See that yellow lump? That’s a fine yellow jumpingspider. I----”
But Mr. Brill interrupted him with a yell.
“Yellow jumping spider!” shouted the miner. “Not in a thousand years!Great Peter, boys! The professor’s gone and done it!”
“Done what?” demanded Jerry.
“Found the sixty nuggets of gold! Hurray! That’s no yellow spider! It’sa yellow nugget--one of the big ones! Wow! We’re on the trail at last,for where there’s one there’ll be more! Yellow spider nothing! That’syellow gold!” and plunging his hand and arm down in the hole betweenthe loose stones, the miner brought up a lump of yellow gold as largeas his fist.
“The first of the sixty nuggets!” he shouted. “Now to find the others!”
“THE FIRST OF THE SIXTY NUGGETS!” HE SHOUTED.]