CHAPTER XXXV.
THE WESTERN SHORE.
The departure of Shasta gave rise to all manner of doubt andspeculation. None of them believed he meditated bidding the partygood-by until he went through the ceremony of shaking hands. Thissettled the matter, and they could have no cause for hope of seeing himagain.
"That must have been a party of his people," said Howard, "or he wouldnot have taken the pains to help us out of sight."
"At any rate, he has done us good service," replied Elwood. "I don'tknow what would have become of us but for him."
They had not yet begun using their paddle, but were drifting with thecurrent, debating upon their course of action.
"I think I understand why he left us," added Howard, after a moment'spause.
Tim and Elwood looked up in his face.
"I think we have passed through most of the danger, and he thought wewere just as safe without him as with him. Don't you see, Elwood, thatwe have come a good ways down the river, and we must be near somesettlement. I think there is a place called Soledad somewhere along thisriver, but whether on the eastern or western bank I cannot tell."
"It is a good ways off, I should say fifty miles, and is on the westernbank."
"How comes it that _you_ are so well informed?" asked Howard, repeatingthe question that had been asked him by his cousin when on the steamer.
"It is only accidentally that I know that. A few weeks ago I wascomparing an old and new geography and noticed what different views theygave of the western part of our country. The old maps had theBuenaventura so wrong in every particular that I learned considerableabout the true one, which you know is called Salinas by most people."
"If we are very careful, I think we can get home without trouble; butalthough there must be white people--settlers and miners--in theseparts, still they are so scattered that we are less likely to see themthan we are the Indians."
"Boys," said Tim O'Rooney, who had not let his pipe go out sincemorning. "Shall I give yez some good advice?"
Both expressed their eagerness to receive it.
"There bees plenty of the rid gintlemen yet in this counthry, and wehaven't got beyant them. If we goes paddling in this canoe when the sunis shining overhead, some of 'em will see us, and if we don't put intoshore they'll put out after us--that they will."
"What is it that you propose, then?"
"That we turns the night into day, and slaaps and smokes and meditatesby sunlight, and does our traveling by moonlight, or what is bether,without any light at all."
This proposal suited the boys exactly. It was so plainly dictated bycommon sense that the wonder was they had not thought of it long before.Elwood took the paddle in his hand and held it poised.
"Which way--east or west?"
Howard pointed to the left bank.
"That is the side where _they_ are," replied Elwood, referring to theIndian party they had passed.
"And where _he_ is," meaning their good friend, the Pah Utah.
"To the left--to the left," said Tim. "Didn't I git into the worstthrouble of me life--always barring the repulse me Bridget give me--byhunting in them parts?"
Elwood delayed no longer, but plied the oars with a dexterity thatshowed his experience had not been lost upon him.
"You understand it quite well," said Howard approvingly.
"Yes; but my arms ache terribly."
"Ah! here we are."
The prow of the canoe moved as silently and easily into the undergrowthas if it were water, and our friends at a step passed from every portionof it to dry land.
As they intended remaining in their present quarters until darkness,they took some pains to select a suitable place. They finally hit upon aspot, on an incline of the river bank, and about a dozen yards distant.Here the grass was green and velvety, and the wood so thick that theyhad little fear of discovery, unless by some who had seen them land andtook the trouble to hunt them out.
It was about noon when they landed, and as they had all spent a wakefulnight, their first proceeding was so to arrange themselves as to enjoy aquiet sleep. Terror was placed on duty as sentinel, and all lay downwith a sense of security to which they had been strangers in a longtime.
As usual, the boys were the first to awake, doing so almost at the samemoment. They saw by the sun that the afternoon was about half gone, butthey were not troubled from hunger, as their morning meal may be said tohave been their midday one, and had been one of those royal ones whosememory is apt to linger a long time with us, especially if we are boys.
"This is tiresome," said Elwood, yawning and stretching his limbs, "letus take a tramp of discovery."
The proposal suited Howard, although prudence told him to remain wherehe was and keep his friend with him. But the restraint was so irksomethat he was all too willing a listener to the persuasions of hiscompanion.
"I noticed there was quite a high range of hills just back of us," addedElwood. "Let's take a look at them."
"Is it prudent?" and Howard only repeated audibly the question that hisconscience had just asked him.
"Prudent? Of course it is, if we only take good care of ourselves."
"Shall we awake Tim before we go?"
"No; he will sleep until to-morrow morning."
"We must leave Terror to watch him then, for it wouldn't do for him tolie alone and asleep."
"Of course not."
The Newfoundland, which had risen to his feet, was told to remain onguard, and the boys started off on a ramble that was to be a mosteventful one to them.