CHAPTER XXX.
THE GRASP OF CIRCUMSTANCE.
"Hard at work, eh?" asked Stapleton, as he looked over the edge of thehole.
"Yes, we're in a hurry to get to that gold," rejoined Tom cheerfully.
"That's right. That's the spirit to show," exclaimed Ingalls in a waythat for him was quite hearty.
"How soon do you think we'll strike it?" asked Jack.
"In a few days sure. You're not getting impatient?"
"No, but when a fellow feels he's right close to a fortune, he can'thelp being anxious to close his fists on it as quickly as possible,"said Tom.
"Well, you might as well knock off now," said Stapleton. "We'll havea bite of lunch and then turn in."
The boys came out of the pit, and you may be sure that they did notdisplay much reluctance in doing so. They followed Stapleton and hispartner up to the cave, where Rufus had some hot tea brewed and theremains of the supper to furnish them with a snack. As the boys dranktheir tea, the negro looked at them scowlingly. His every actionshowed dislike and hatred of the boys. He played his part toperfection, yet never made the mistake of overacting it.
After their lunch the boys declared that they felt so sleepy that theycould slumber like logs till morning. They were shown a place to laytheir blankets by Rufus, who grumbled at having to wait on them, tothe huge delight of Stapleton and his partner.
"But we must be up early," said Stapleton, "the rising sun must findus out with our picks and shovels."
"Oh, we'll be on the job," declared Tom heartily. "With that gold sonear to hand it'll be all we can do to keep from dreaming about it allnight."
"Well, you did a hard day's work to-day," observed Ingalls; "if youkeep that up we'll have no cause for complaint."
The boys noticed that the sleeping place assigned to them was in therear of the cavern. The significance of this did not escape them. Themen were seemingly no longer suspicious of them, but they were takingno chances. Before they retired, Stapleton and Ingalls took a surveyfrom the door of the cave with their spyglass. While they were doingthis, Rufus passed swiftly by the boys and dropped a whisperedmessage.
"Yo' mus' try it to-night when I am in de watch. Ah'll be lookin' foryo'."
As he spoke the two men came back into the cavern and began to disposetheir sleeping things. While Stapleton took his place on watch,Ingalls and Rufus laid down and were soon off into slumberland.Strange to say the boys, too, slept although their feelings werewrought up almost to the snapping point. They did not wake till theyheard Ingalls arousing Rufus with a kick.
"Get up you lazy, black roustabout. It's time to go on watch."
"Wha's de mattah?" yawned out Rufus sleepily.
"Hush! Don't make so much noise. You'll wake the boys."
"Sho'! who cares fo' dem? Why don' dey go watch same as de res' ob us?Wha fo' dey lowed ter sleep sixty-leben weeks while we alls don' gitno sleep at all?"
Rufus fairly roared the words out, so anxious was he that the boysshould not fail to wake up, although, had he known it, they were wideawake and trembling with the tension of waiting till the decisivemoment arrived.
Rufus grumblingly took up his watch while Ingalls rolled himself inhis blankets. Tom rolled over on his side so that he was facing Jack.
"All ready, Jack?"
"Sure. Are you?"
"Yes, but we must wait till they are sound asleep. The racket thatnigger made may have awakened Stapleton."
"Well, don't go to sleep again while we are waiting."
"Not likely. I was never more wide awake in my life."
"Same here. I can hardly wait till the moment comes."
Although it was early morning after the brief Alaskan night, still itwas almost quite dark in the cave, which made the boys think that itmust be overcast outside. However, this was so much the better fortheir plans, and they lay without stirring till the regular breathingof Ingalls and the steady continued snoring of his partner showed thatboth men were asleep.
But although the time had now arrived for them to make their escape,there was still an obstacle in their path. The cavern was so dark thatit was hard to see where the men lay, and both boys knew that onetouch of the foot against those sleeping forms and their plan would bedoomed to disaster. In the event of awaking them, both men would beupon the two youths like tigers, and they might expect just as muchmercy from the two crazed gold-diggers, who would surely think thatthe boys were sneaking off to carry their secret to the outside world.Cautiously they arose from their blankets, and recollecting where theyhad left their rifles they reached out for them, for without theseweapons it would be impossible for them to make the long journey backto the Yukon and provide themselves with food.
This done, they began stepping out with the utmost delicacy. They didnot dare to light a match, as this would have undoubtedly awakenedthe men who appeared to be restless sleepers. So they had to proceedin the dark. It was ticklish work. One false step and the men would beupon them. They stepped out like cats on ice, raising each foot highin the air as it was advanced.
Tom reached the entrance of the cavern in safety without havingaroused either of the sleepers. Jack was not so lucky. His footencountered Ingalls's body and the man muttered something in hissleep. For one dreadful instant Jack thought that the man was awake.His heart stood still and he fingered his rifle nervously.
But a minute later he knew that it had been a false alarm and speedilythereafter he joined his brother at the cave mouth. Silhouettedagainst the dark sky was the form of Rufus. Both boys' hearts gave aglad bound at the sight of him.
The negro said nothing, but wiggled his hand in front of his face asthough to signify that he was glad to see them. Then beckoning tothem mysteriously, he asked the entirely superfluous question:
"Am yo' hyah?"
Equally unnecessarily Tom made his response.
"We are both here, as you can see, Rufus."
"Gollyumption, ain't it as dark as de ten plagues ob Egyup? But dat ama good ting fo' yo' alls. De darker de better till yo' gits claraway."
"That's so. Well, here's your money, Rufus, and thank you. But howabout tying you?"
"Gracious, ah plum forgot dat part ob de business! Hyah! Take dis ropeand lace me up good an' tight. Don' min' mah feelin's. Ah'm durable."
The negro was trussed up hand and foot by the boys, who then pressedhis hand, and with more murmured thanks to him they slipped away intothe darkness. They had a general idea of the lay of the land and madeoff as fast as they could in the direction that Tom judged was thecorrect one. As they went, their hearts were filled with genuinethankfulness toward the black-skinned friend who had helped them outof a bad dilemma.
And now, as we shall not see Rufus or his masters again, we may aswell take this opportunity of detailing their future careers.
Following the discovery that the boys had gone, leaving Rufus tied andgagged, the fury of the two men knew no bounds. Had they discoveredthe boys then, there is no question but they would have killed them.But although they ranged the woods they did not discover any trace ofthe two lads, and being eager to get back to their crazy task ofundermining the mountain, they soon gave up the search.
They were hastened in this by their insane fears that the boys wouldcommunicate the secret of their camp to outsiders, and that a horde ofgold-seekers would swoop down on Dead Man's Mine and rob them of theirso-called rightful gains. Rufus had acted his part perfectly, and notfor an instant did they suspect him. His groans and moans andimprecations upon the heads of the runaways left no room to doubt thathe was even more affected by their escape than his masters.
"De scan'lous willians des crep' up behin' me and caught me de worses'wallop ober de ear dat you eber felt," he said. "Den dey knock me downan' tie me up de way yo' fin' me. Which way did dey go? Why, dat 'away." And Rufus pointed in exactly the contrary direction to that inwhich the young runaways had gone.
Deeming it a useless task to carry the pursuit any further, the twomen, as has been said,
resumed their disordered operations on themine. Day by day their insanity became more and more marked, tillfinally they hardly gave themselves time to eat or sleep in the beliefthat the boys would soon be back with a party of men to steal themine.
They worked all day and finally all night, sleeping a few winks in themine itself and having Rufus bring them scanty mouthfuls of food. Itwas a true tragedy of the far north that now began to draw toward aclose.
Rufus pleaded with the two men, for whom he really cherished anaffection, to listen to reason, but they were too far gone for that.Their every thought now was centered on the gold, which they werecertain was close at hand. In the strength of their delirium theyactually undermined a great part of the conical hill, a task thatwould have been thought almost impossible.
Then one morning the end came. Rufus went to the pit to beg the men,who had been working for twenty hours on a stretch, to leave off for atime and get a little rest. He found them lying in the excavation sideby side, each with a shovel in his hand, just as he had dropped. Rufusgave them as fitting a burial as he could, and then, as many a man hasdone before, he uttered a deep curse against gold, the love of whichwas the infernal cause of all the trouble. Then making up his fewpossessions into a bundle, he made his way out to the settlements withhis strange story. And so ended two careers which might have beenuseful and dignified had it not been for the lure of gold thatensnares so many men and breaks so many promising lives. Jim Stapletonand Seth Ingalls were not the first men to yield up their lives at thebehest of the demon of gold-seeking, and the most pathetic part oftheir story is that it is exactly true as related in this volume. Theauthor heard it while in the Yukon some years ago, along with manyother tales of the same sort.
As for the boys, they endured many hardships and not a few perils ontheir way back to the _Yukon Rover_. But in due course, thin,half-famished and footsore they reached the craft. With what a warmwelcome they were received may be readily imagined. They found Mr.Dacre quite recovered and Sandy as chipper as ever.
The days that ensued were filled with hunting, fishing and long trampsalong the trap-line, till every one of the lads was muscled like anathlete and brown as a berry.
One late August morning the first breath of the northern winter camedown upon them. The boys hailed it with delight, for they knew thenthat the real business of their strange voyage on the Yukon was aboutto begin. With winter would come the trapping season and thelong-awaited silver foxes. The boys looked forward eagerly to the timewhen they could glide with snowshoes through the frozen woods on theirvisits to the traps.
But they little knew what the winter held in store for them. It wasnot to be all sport and jollity. When the iron hand of the frost kingcloses on the far northland, the time has arrived when men and boysare tried on no common anvil to see of what metal they be. Ahead ofthe lads lay many strange experiences and perils in the frozen wilds.Those who care to read of their adventurous winter in the Yukoncountry may do so in the next volume of this series, entitled THEBUNGALOW BOYS "NORTH OF FIFTY-THREE."
THE END.