CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
THE NEW DIGGINGS--BRIGHT PROSPECTS--GREAT RESULTS SPRING FROM GREATEXERTIONS, EVEN IN CALIFORNIA--CAPTAIN BUNTING IS SEIZED WITH A GREATPASSION FOR SOLITARY RAMBLING, AND HAS TWO DESPERATE ENCOUNTERS; ONEWITH A MAN, THE OTHER WITH A REAR.
The part of the Little Creek diggings to which the gold-hunterstransported their camp, was a wild, secluded spot, not much visited bythe miners, partly on account of its gloomy appearance, and partly inconsequence of a belief that the Celestials located there were gettinglittle or no gold. In this supposition they were correct. Ah-wow andKo-sing being inveterately lazy, contented themselves with digging justenough gold to enable them to purchase a sufficiency of the necessariesof life. But the region was extremely rich, as our adventurers foundout very soon after their arrival. One of the ravines, in particular,gave indications of being full of gold, and several panfuls of earththat were washed out shewed so promising a return, that the captain andLarry were anxious to begin at once. They were overruled, however, bythe others, who wished to make trial of the bed of the stream.
Six days of severe labour were undergone by the whole party ere theirtask was accomplished, during which period they did not make an ounce ofgold, while, at the same time, their little store was rapidly meltingaway. Nevertheless, they worked heartily, knowing that a few days ofsuccessful digging would amply replenish their coffers. At grey dawnthey set to work; some, with trousers tucked up, paddling about in thewater all day, carrying mud and stones, while others felled trees andcut them into logs wherewith to form the dam required to turn the streamfrom its course. This was a matter of no small difficulty. A new bedhad to be cut to the extent of eight or ten yards, but for a long timethe free and jovial little mountain stream scorned to make such apitiful twist in its course, preferring to burst its way headlongthrough the almost completed barricade, by which it was pent-up.
Twice did it accomplish this feat, and twice, in so doing, did it sweepCaptain Bunting off his legs and roll him along bodily, in a turmoil ofmud and stones and dirty water, roaring, as it gushed forth, as if insavage triumph. On the second occasion, Bill Jones shared the captain'sducking, and all who chanced to be working about the dam at the timewere completely drenched. But, however much their bodies might bemoistened, no untoward accident could damp the ardour of their spirits.They resumed work again; repaired the breach, and, finally, turned theobstinate stream out of the course which, probably, it had occupiedsince creation. It rushed hissing, as if spitefully, along its new bedfor a few yards, and then darted, at a right angle, back into its formerchannel, along which it leaped exultingly as before.
But the object for which all this trouble had been undertaken wasattained. About eight yards of the old bed of the torrent were laidbare, and the water was drained away, whereat each of the partyexhibited his satisfaction after his own peculiar manner--Larry O'Neil,as usual, giving vent to his joy in a hearty cheer.
The result was even more successful than had been anticipated. Duringthe next few days the party conversed little; their whole energies beingdevoted to eating, sleeping, and digging. The bed of the stream wasfilled with stones, among which they picked up numerous nuggets ofvarious sizes--from a pea to a walnut--some being almost pure gold,while others were, more or less, mixed with quartz. A large quantity ofthe heavy black sand was also found at the bottom of a hole, which oncehad been an eddy--it literally sparkled with gold-dust, and afforded arich return for the labour previously expended in order to bring it tolight. The produce of the first two days' work was no less thanfourteen pounds weight of gold!
The third day was the Sabbath, and they rested from their work. It is,however, impossible for those who have never been in similarcircumstances to conceive how difficult it was for our party ofgold-hunters to refrain from resuming work as usual on that morning.Some of them had never been trained to love or keep the Sabbath, andwould have certainly gone to work had not Ned and the captainremonstrated. All were under great excitement in consequence of theirvaluable discovery, and anxious to know whether the run of luck waslikely to continue, and not one of the party escaped the strongtemptation to break the Sabbath-day, except, indeed, the Chinamen, whowere too easy-going and lazy to care whether they worked or rested. Butthe inestimable advantage of good early training told at this time onNed Sinton. It is questionable whether his principles were strongenough to have carried him through the temptation, but Ned had been_trained_ to reverence the Lord's-day from his earliest years, and helooked upon working on the Sabbath with a feeling of dread which hecould not have easily shaken off, even had he tried. The promise, inhis case, was fulfilled--"Train up a child in the way he should go, andhe will not depart from it when he is old;" and though no mother's voiceof warning was heard in that wild region of the earth, and no guardian'shand was there to beckon back the straggler from the paths of rectitude,yet he was not "let alone;" the arm of the Lord was around him, and Hisvoice whispered, in tones that could not be misunderstood, "Remember theSabbath-day, to keep it holy."
We have already said, that the Sabbath at the mines was a day of rest asfar as mere digging went, but this was simply for the sake of restingthe wearied frame, not from a desire to glorify God. Had any of thereckless miners who filled the gambling-houses been anxious to workduring Sunday on a prolific claim, he would not have hesitated becauseof God's command.
The repose to their overworked muscles, and the feeling that they hadbeen preserved from committing a great sin, enabled the party tocommence work on Monday with a degree of cheerfulness and vigour thattold favourably on their profits that night, and in the course of a fewdays they dug out gold to the extent of nearly two thousand poundssterling.
"We're goin' to get rich, no doubt of it," said the captain one morningto Ned, as the latter was preparing to resume work in the creek; "butI'll tell you what it is, I'm tired o' salt beef and pork, and my oldhull is gettin' rheumatic with paddling about barefoot in the water, soI mean to go off for a day's shootin' in the mountains."
"Very good, captain," replied Ned; "but I fear you'll have to go byyourself, for we must work out this claim as fast as we can, seeing thatthe miners further down won't be long of scenting out our discovery."
Ned's words were prophetic. In less than half-an-hour after they wereuttered a long-visaged Yankee, in a straw hat, nankeen trousers, andfisherman's boots, came to the spot where they were at work, and seatedhimself on the trunk of a tree hard by to watch their proceedings.
"Guess you've got som'thin'," he said, as Larry, after groping in themud for a little, picked up a lump of white quartz with a piece of goldthe size of a marble embedded in the side of it.
"Ah! but ye're good for sore eyes," cried Larry, examining the nuggetcarefully.
"I say, stranger," inquired the Yankee, "d'ye git many bits like that inthis location?"
The Irishman regarded his question with an expressive leer. "Arrah!now, ye won't tell?" he said, in a hoarse whisper; "sure it'll be thedeath o' me av ye do. There's _no end_ o' them things here--as many asye like to pick; it's only the day before to-morrow that I turned up anugget of pure goold the size of me head; and the capting got hold o'wan that's only half dug out yet, an' wot's seen o' 't is as big as thehead o' a five-gallon cask--all pure goold."
The Yankee was not to be put off the scent by such a facetious piece ofinformation. He continued to smoke in silence, sauntered about with hishands in his nankeen pockets, watched the proceedings of the party,inspected the dirt cast ashore, and, finally, dug out and washed apanful of earth from the banks of the stream, after which he threw awaythe stump of his cigar, and went off whistling. Three hours later hereturned with a party of friends, laden with tents, provisions, andmining tools, and they all took up their residence within twenty yardsof our adventurers, and commenced to turn the course of the river justbelow them.
Larry and Jones were at first so angry that they seriously meditatedcommitting an assault upon the intruders, despite the remonstrances ofT
om Collins and Maxton, who assured them that the new-comers had aperfect right to the ground they occupied, and that any attempt tointerrupt them by violence would certainly be brought under the noticeof Judge Lynch, whose favourite punishments, they well knew, werewhipping and hanging.
Meanwhile Captain Bunting had proceeded a considerable way on hissolitary hunting expedition into the mountains, bent upon replenishingthe larder with fresh provisions. He was armed with his favouriteblunderbuss, a pocket-compass, and a couple of ship-biscuits. As headvanced towards the head of the valley, the scenery became more andmore gloomy and rugged, but the captain liked this. Having spent thegreater part of his life at sea, he experienced new and delightfulsensations in viewing the mountain-peaks and ravines, by which he wasnow surrounded; and, although of a sociable turn of mind, he had noobjection for once to be left to ramble alone, and give full vent to thefeelings of romance and enthusiastic admiration, with which his nauticalbosom had been filled since landing in California.
Towards noon, the captain reached the entrance to a ravine, or gorge,which opened upon the larger valley, into which it discharged a littlestream from its dark bosom. There was an air of deep solitude andrugged majesty about this ravine that induced the wanderer to pausebefore entering it. Just then, certain sensations reminded him of thetwo biscuits in his pocket, so he sat down on a rock and prepared todine. We say prepared to dine, advisedly, for Captain Bunting had apretty correct notion of what comfort meant, and how it was to beattained. He had come out for the day to enjoy himself and although hismeal was frugal, he did not, on that account, eat it in an off-hand easyway, while sauntering along, as many would have done. By no means. Hebrushed the surface of the rock on which he sat quite clean, and, layingthe two biscuits on it, looked first at one and then at the othercomplacently, while he slowly, and with great care, cut his tobacco intodelicate shreds, and filled his pipe. Then he rose, and taking the tinprospecting-pan from his belt, went and filled it at the clear rivuletwhich murmured at his feet, and placed it beside the biscuits on therock. This done, he completed the filling of his pipe, and cast a lookof benignity at the sun, which at that moment happened in his course topass an opening between two lofty peaks, which permitted him to throw acloth of gold over the captain's table.
Captain Bunting's mind now became imbued with those aspirations afterknowledge, which would have induced him, had he been at sea, to inquire,"How's her head?" so he pulled out his pocket-compass, and havingascertained that his nose, when turned towards the sun, pointed exactly"south-south-west, and by south," he began dinner. Thereafter he lithis pipe, and, reclining on the green turf beside the rock, with hishead resting on his left hand, and wreaths of smoke encircling hisvisage, he--he enjoyed himself. To elaborate a description, reader,often weakens it--we cannot say more than that he enjoyed himself--emphatically.
Had Captain Bunting known who was looking at him in that solitary place,he would not have enjoyed himself quite so much, nor would he havesmoked his pipe so comfortably.
On the summit of the precipice at his back stood, or rather sat, one ofthe natives of the country, in the shape of a grizzly-bear. Bruin hadobserved the captain from the time he appeared at the entrance of theravine, and had watched him with a curious expression of stupid interestduring all his subsequent movements. He did not attempt to interrupthim in his meal, however, on two grounds--first, because the nature ofthe grizzly-bear, if not molested, induces him to let others alone; andsecondly, because the precipice, on the top of which he sat, althoughconveniently close for the purposes of observation, was too high for asafe jump.
Thus it happened that Captain Bunting finished his meal in peace, andwent on his way up the wild ravine, without being aware of the presenceof so dangerous a spectator. He had not proceeded far, when hisattention was arrested by the figure of a man seated on a ledge of rockthat over hung a yawning gulf into which the little stream plunged.
So still did the figure remain, with the head drooping on the chest, asif in deep contemplation, that it might have been mistaken for a statue,cut out of the rock on which it sat. A deep shadow was cast over it bythe neighbouring mountain-peaks, yet, as the white sheet of a waterfallformed the background, it was distinctly visible.
The captain advanced towards it with some curiosity, and it was notuntil he was within a hundred yards that a movement at length proved itto be a living human being.
The stranger rose hastily, and advanced to meet a woman, who at the samemoment issued from an opening in the brushwood near him. The meetingwas evidently disagreeable to the woman, although, from the manner ofit, and the place, it did not seem to be accidental; she pushed the manaway several times, but their words were inaudible to the captain, whobegan to feel all the discomfort of being an unintentional observer.Uncertainty as to what he should do induced him to remain for a fewmoments inactive, and he had half made up his mind to endeavour toretreat unobserved, when the man suddenly struck down the female, whofell with a faint cry to the earth.
In another minute the captain was at the side of the dastardly fellow,whom he seized by the neck with the left hand, while with the right headministered a hearty blow to his ribs. The man turned round fiercely,and grappled with his assailant; and then Captain Bunting became awarethat his antagonist was no other than Smith, _alias_ Black Jim, themurderer.
Smith, although a strong man, was no match for the captain, who soonoverpowered him.
"Ha! you villain, have I got you?" cried he, as he almost throttled theman. "Get up now, an' come along peaceably. If you don't, I'll knockyour brains out with the butt of my gun."
He permitted Black Jim to rise as he spoke, but held him fast by thecollar, having previously taken from him his knife and rifle.
Black Jim did not open his lips, but the scowl on his visage shewed thatfeelings of deadly hatred burned in his bosom.
Meanwhile, the girl had recovered, and now approached.
"Ah! plase, sir," she said, "let him off. Shure I don't mind the blow;it's done me no harm--won't ye, now?"
"Let him off!" exclaimed the captain, violently; "no, my good girl; ifhe has not murdered you, he has at any rate murdered one human beingthat I know of, and if I can, I'll bring him to justice."
Kate, (for it was she), started at this reply, and looked earnestly atthe man, who hung his head, and, for the first time, shewed symptoms ofa softer feeling.
"Ah! it's true, I see, an' all hope is gone. If he'd commit a murder,he'd tell a lie too. I thought he spoke truth when he said Nelly wasalive, but--"
The girl turned as she spoke, and left the spot hurriedly, while thecaptain took out his pocket-handkerchief, and began to fasten the armsof his prisoner behind him. But Black Jim was not to be secured withouta struggle. Despair lent him energy and power. Darting forward, heendeavoured to throw his captor down, and partially succeeded; butCaptain Bunting's spirit was fully roused, and, like most powerful menwhose dispositions are habitually mild and peaceful, he was in a blazeof uncontrollable passion. For some time Black Jim writhed like aserpent in the strong grasp of his antagonist, and once or twice itseemed as if he would succeed in freeing himself, but the captain'shands had been trained for years to grasp and hold on with vice-liketenacity, and no efforts could disengage them. The two men swayed toand fro in their efforts, no sound escaping them, save an occasionalgasp for breath as they put forth renewed energy in the deadly struggle.At last Black Jim began to give way. He was forced down on one knee,then he fell heavily on his side, and the captain placed his knee on hischest.
Just then a peculiar hiss was heard behind them, and the captain,looking back, observed that a third party had come upon the scene. Thegrizzly-bear, which has been described as watching Captain Bunting atdinner, had left its former position on the brow of the precipice, and,whether from motives of curiosity, or by accident, we will not presumeto say, had followed the captain's track. It now stood regarding thetwo men with an uncommonly ferocious aspect. Its indignation may,pe
rhaps, be accounted for by the fact that they stood in the only pathby which it could advance--a precipice on one side and a thicket on theother rendering the passage difficult or impossible. Grizzlies arenoted for their objection to turn out of their way for man or beast, sothe combatants no sooner beheld the ferocious-looking animal than theysprang up, seized their weapons, and fired together at their commonenemy. Bruin shook his head, uttered a savage growl, and charged. Itseemed as if Black Jim had missed altogether--not to be wondered atconsidering the circumstances--and the mixture of shot and slugs fromthe blunderbuss was little more hurtful than a shower of hail to thethick-skinned monarch of these western hills. Be this as it may, thetwo men were compelled to turn and flee for their lives. Black Jim,being the nimbler of the two, was soon out of sight among the rocks ofthe precipices, and, we may remark in passing, he did not again make hisappearance. Inwardly thanking the bear for its timely appearance, heran at top speed into the mountains, and hid himself among those wildlonely recesses that are visited but rarely by man or beast.
Captain Bunting endeavoured to save himself by darting up the face ofthe precipice on his left, but the foot-hold was bad, and the bearproved about as nimble as himself, compelling him to leap down again andmake for the nearest tree. In doing so, he tripped over a fallenbranch, and fell with stunning violence to the ground. He rose,however, instantly, and grasping the lower limb of a small oak, drewhimself with some difficulty up among the branches.
The bear came thundering on, and reached the tree a few seconds later.It made several abortive efforts to ascend, and then, sitting down atthe foot, it looked up, grinning and growling horribly in disappointedrage.
The captain had dropped the blunderbuss in his fall, and now, with deepregret, and not a little anxiety, found himself unarmed and a prisoner.True, his long knife was still in its place, but he was too well awareof the strength and ferocity of the grizzly-bear--from hearsay, and nowfrom ocular demonstration--to entertain the idea of acting on theoffensive with such a weapon.
The sun sank behind the mountain-peaks, and the shades of night began tofall upon the landscape, and still did Captain Bunting and the bearsit--the one at the top, and the other at the foot of the oak-tree--looking at each other. As darkness came on, the form of the bear becameindistinct and shadowy; and the captain's eyes waxed heavy, fromconstant staring and fatigue, so that at length bruin seemed, to thealarmed fancy of the tree'd mariner, to be twice the size of anelephant. At last the darkness became so deep that its form mingledwith the shadows on the ground, and for some time the uncertainty as toits actual presence kept the prisoner wakeful; but soon his eyes beganto close, despite his utmost efforts to keep them open; and for twohours he endured an agonising struggle with sleep, compared to which hisprevious struggle with Black Jim was mere child's-play. He tried everypossible position among the branches, in the hope of finding one inwhich he might indulge in sleep without the risk of falling, but no suchposition was to be found; the limbs of the tree were too small and toofar apart.
At last, however, he did find a spot to lie down on, and, with a sigh ofrelief, lay back to indulge in repose. Alas! the spot was a myth--hemerely dreamed it; the next moment he dropt, like a huge over-ripe pear,to the ground. Fortunately a bush broke the violence of his fall, and,springing up with a cry of consternation, he rushed towards the tree,expecting each instant to feel the terrible hug of his ursine enemy.The very marrow in his back-bone seemed to shrink, for he fancied thathe actually felt the dreaded claws sinking into his flesh. In his hastehe missed the branch, and fell violently forward, scratching himselfterribly among the bushes. Again he rose, and a cold perspiration brokeout upon him as he uttered an involuntary howl of terror, and once moreleaped up at the limb of the oak, which he could just barely see. Hecaught it; despair nerved him, and in another moment he was safe, andpanting violently among the branches.
We need scarcely say that this little episode gave his feelings such atremendous shock that his tendency to sleep was thoroughly banished; butanother and a better result flowed from it,--the involuntary hubbubcreated by his yells and crashing falls reached listening and notfar-distant ears.
During their evening meal that day, Ned Sinton and his comrades hadspeculated pretty freely, and somewhat jocularly, on the probable resultof the captain's hunting expedition--expressing opinions regarding thepowers of the blunderbuss, which it was a shame, Larry O'Neil said, "tospake behind its back;" but as night drew on, they conversed moreseriously, and when darkness had fairly set in they became anxious.
"It's quite clear that something's wrong," cried Ned Sinton, enteringthe tent hastily, "we must up and search for him. The captain's not theman to lose his way with a compass in his pocket and so many landmarksround him."
All the party rose at once, and began to buckle on belts and arm, whileeagerly suggesting plans of search.
"Who can make a torch?" inquired Ned.
"Here's one ready made to hand," cried Maxton, seizing a huge pine-knotand lighting it.
"Some one must stay behind to look after our things. The new-comers whocamped beside us to-day are not used to mining life, and don'tsufficiently know the terrors of Lynch law. Do you stop, Maxton. Nowthen, the rest of you, come along."
Ned issued from the tent as he spoke, and walked at a rapid pace alongthe track leading up the valley, followed closely by Tom Collins, LarryO'Neil, and Bill Jones--all of whom were armed with rifles, revolvers,and bowie-knives. For a long time they walked on in silence, guided bythe faint light of the stars, until they came to the flat rock which hadformed the captain's dinner-table. Here they called a halt, in order todiscuss the probability of their lost comrade having gone up the ravine.The question was soon settled by Larry, who discovered a few crumbs ofthe biscuit lying on the rock, and footprints leading up the ravine; forthe captain, worthy man, had stepped recklessly into the little streamwhen he went to fill his pannikin, and his wet feet left a distincttrack behind him for some distance.
"He can't have gone far up such a wild place as this," said Tom Collins,while they moved cautiously along. "Kindle the torch, Ned, it willlight us on our way, and be a guide to the captain if he's withinsight."
"It will enlighten enemies, too, if any are within range," replied Ned,hesitating.
"Oh, no fear," rejoined Tom, "our greatest enemy is darkness; here,Jones, hand me your match-box."
In a few seconds the torch flared forth, casting a broad glare of lighton their path, as they advanced, examining the foot of precipices.
"Give a shout, Larry," said Ned.
Larry obeyed, and all listened intently, but, save the echo from thewild cliffs, no reply was heard.
Had the captain been wide-awake at the time, he would, doubtless, haveheard the friendly shout, but his ears were dull from prolongedwatching. It was thought needless to repeat the cry, so the partyresumed their search with anxious forebodings in their hearts, thoughtheir lips were silent.
They had not proceeded far, however, when the noise occasioned by thecaptain's fall from the tree, as already described, struck upon theirears.
"Och! what's that?" exclaimed Larry, with a look of mingled surprise andsuperstitious fear.
For a minute the party seemed transformed into statues, as each listenedintently to the mysterious sounds.
"They come from the other side of the point ahead," remarked Ned, in awhisper. "Light another torch, Larry, and come on--quick!"
Ned led the way at a run, holding one of the torches high above hishead, and in a few minutes passed round the point above referred to.The glare of his torch immediately swept far ahead, and struck withgladsome beam on the now wakeful eye of the captain, who instantlygreeted it with one of his own peculiarly powerful and eminentlynautical roars.
"Hooroo!" yelled Larry, in reply, dashing forward at full speed. "Herewe are all right, capting, comin' to the rescue; don't give in, capting;pitch into the blackguards--"
"Look out for the grizzly-bear," roared the
captain, as his friendsadvanced at a run, waving their torches encouragingly.
The whole party came to a dead halt on this unexpected caution, and eachcocked his piece as they looked, first into the gloom beyond, and thenat each other, in surprise and perplexity.
"Halloo! captain, where are you?" shouted Ned.
"And where's the bear!" added Tom Collins.
"Right in front o' you," replied the captain, "about fifty yards on.The bear's at the bottom o' the tree, and I'm a-top of it. Come on, andfire together; but aim _low_, d'ye hear?"
"Ay, ay, sir," replied Bill Jones, as if he were answering a command onshipboard, while he advanced boldly in the direction indicated.
The others were abreast of him instantly, Ned and Larry holding thetorches high in their left hands as they approached, step by step, withrifles ready for instant use.
"Have a care," cried the captain; "I see him. He seems to be crouchin'to make a rush."
This caused another halt; but as no rush was made, the party continuedto advance very slowly.
"Oh! av ye would only shew yerself," said Larry, in a suppressed tone ofexasperation at being kept so long in nervous expectation.
"I see him," cried Ned, taking aim.
The rest of the party cried "Where!" aimed in the same direction, andthe whole fired a volley, the result of which was, that Captain Buntingfell a second time to the ground, crashing through the branches with aterrible noise, and alighting heavily at the foot of the tree. To thesurprise of all, he instantly jumped up, and seizing Ned and Tom as theycame up, shook them warmly by the hand.
"Och! are ye not shot, capting?" exclaimed Larry.
"Not a bit; not even hurt," answered the captain, laughing.
The fact was, that Captain Bunting, in his anxiety to escape beingaccidentally shot by his comrades, had climbed to the utmost possibleheight among the tender top branches of the oak. When the volley wasfired, he lost his balance, fell through the tree, the under branches ofwhich happily broke his fall, and finally alighted on the back of thegrizzly-bear itself, which lay extended, and quite dead, on the ground.
"Faix we've polished him off for wance," cried Larry, in the excess ofhis triumph, as he stood looking at the fallen bear.
"Faix we've done nothing of the sort," retorted Tom Collins, who wasexamining the carcase. "It's been dead for hours, and is quite cold.Every bullet has missed, too, for the shot that settled him is on theside next the ground. So much for hasty shooting. Had bruin been alivewhen we fired, I'm inclined to think that some of us would not be alivenow."
"Now, that's wot I wos sure of," remarked Bill Jones. "Wot I says isthis--w'en yer goin' aloft to reef to'sails, don't be in a hurry. It'so' no manner o' use tryin' to shove on the wind. If ye've got a thingto do, do it slow--slow an' sure. If ye haven't got a thing to do, incoorse ye can't do it, but if ye have, don't be in a hurry--I says."
Bill Jones's maxim is undoubtedly a good one. Not a scratch had thebear received from any one of the party. The bullet of Black Jim hadlaid him low. Although hurriedly aimed, it had reached the animal'sheart, and all the time that Captain Bunting was struggling to overcomehis irresistible tendency to sleep, poor bruin was lying a helpless andlifeless body at the foot of the oak-tree.