To The West Part 56

looking at me as he did. For I couldn't help it a bit."

"Well, never mind; it's all past now."

"It ain't, I tell you, and never will be past. Everybody will know that I am a horrible coward, and it will stick to me as long as I live."

I tried to laugh, at him and pa.s.s it off, but it was of no use. He took it regularly to heart, harping constantly upon Gunson's manner to him.

"But you are making mountains of mole-hills," I cried at last, angrily.

"Well, that's what they are made out of, isn't it, only plenty of it."

"But you say he looked at you."

"Yes; he looked at me."

"Well, what of that? There's no harm in his looking at you."

"Oh, ain't there? You don't know. He just can look. It was just as if he was calling me a miserable cowardly cur, and it cut me horrid.

S'pose I did stick fast in the middle of that path--Bah! it isn't a path at all--wasn't it likely? If I hadn't stopped and held on tight, I should ha' been half-way back to the sea by this time, with my nose knocked off at the least, and the salmon making a meal of what was left of me. 'Course I held on as tight as I could, and enough to make me."

"Well, never mind," I said. "There: I won't hear a word more about it.

Perhaps I shall be a horrible coward next time, and then Gunson will look at me."

"If he does, I shall hit him, so there."

Esau looked ill-used at me because I laughed, and kept on muttering all the time we were in that terrible gorge, just as if the gloom of the place oppressed him. As for me, I seemed to have enough to do to watch where I placed my feet as we slowly climbed on for hour after hour, thinking all the time of the valley I had read of years before in the _Pilgrim's Progress_, and feeling half ready to see some horrible giant or monster rise up to stop our way.

It was rapidly growing so dark down between those terrible jagged walls that I began to think we should have to make camp soon and sleep there in some one or other of the black hollows, and without fire, for there was nothing visible but sc.r.a.ps of moss, when, all at once, on turning a corner which had appeared to block the way, it began to grow lighter, for the sides of the gorge were not so perpendicular.

Then another corner was turned, and it was lighter still with the warm soft light of evening, and there in the distance was a glowing spot which I took at first for the sun, but which I knew directly after to be the ice-capped top of a mountain glowing in the sun. Below it was the pine forest again, looking almost black, while away on high a cascade came gliding down like golden spray, touched as it was by the setting sun.

Half an hour's more weary tramp, and the chief of the Indian party stopped short, and we found that we had suddenly come upon an opening by the river where about a couple of dozen Indians were standing by the rows of salmon they had hung up to dry in the sun.

They all stood gazing at us in a stolid way, till the man who had guided us went up to them, and then one of the party turned back to their cl.u.s.ter of teepees and came up to us directly after with a friendly offering in the shape of a couple of freshly-caught still living salmon, which Quong bore off eagerly to a spot above the camp.

"But the Indians," I said to Gunson. "Shall we be safe?"

"Safe or in danger, my lad," he replied, "I want food and rest. This is the worst day's work we have had. Ah, I am beginning to believe in Quong. Here, let's help the little fellow. You get some water while I cut some wood."

As we separated I had to go by Esau, who looked at me suspiciously.

"I say," he whispered, "what has old Gunson been saying about me?"

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.

"LOOK!"

I can't describe my feelings towards Gunson. One hour he seemed to me coa.r.s.e, brutal, and common; at another he was the very reverse, and spoke in conversation as we tramped along together about books and languages in a way which made me think that at one time he must have been a gentleman. At these moments his voice sounded soft and pleasant, and he quite won me to him.

On the morning after our perilous pa.s.sage through the gorge, he quite took me into his confidence, talking to me and consulting with me as if I were a man of his own age, while Esau hung aloof looking jealous and answering in a surly way whenever he was addressed.

"You see," Gunson said, "the matter stands like this: along by the river, which is getting more and more to a.s.sume the character of a mountain torrent, the way must be difficult. It winds, too, terribly, so that we have to travel perhaps twice as far as we should if we made a straight cut for the Fort."

"That sounds the easiest way," I said.

"Yes; but we do not know the country; we have not the least idea where Fort Elk lies; we shall be met now and then by other rivers, which may be very hard to cross, perhaps impossible without making long journeys to right or left; lastly, we shall get into a wild country where probably there will be no Indians, or if there are, they may be a fierce hunting race, who will object to our going through their district. So you see that though we may save a good deal of walking if we can get an idea from some settler where the Fort lies, we may meet with a great many difficulties such as I have named. On the other hand, if we keep tramping on here, we are certain to hit the Fort if we can master the troubles of the way, while we are among a people who seem to live by fis.h.i.+ng, and are as friendly as can be."

"Yes," I said, thoughtfully, as I glanced at where the Indians were peaceably catching and drying the fish they speared.

"Well, what do you say? I am ready to do either--perhaps to break away from the river would suit me best, for I should be coming across smaller streams such as I could examine for metals. You must not forget that I'm a prospector," he added, laughingly.

"I do not," I said, "and I should like for you to go the way best suited for yourself. But surely you could find that way, and reach Fort Elk."

"I am disposed to risk it, and yet we should be turning away from our supplies."

"Yes," I said, for he looked at me questioningly; "I feel quite in despair sometimes about getting along this terrible way, but I think we ought to keep to it, for those people said we should find little settlements all the way along."

"Yes; and we might find ourselves in a queer position without food unless we could get a guide, so forward's the word."

He nodded to me and went off to the Indian camp to make the people a present before we started, and as soon as I was alone, Esau hurried up.

"Has he been saying anything against me?"

"No, of course not, you suspicious fellow," I cried. "There, come along and pack up. We start directly. I say, Esau, you don't want to go back now?"

He turned sharply, and glanced at the beginning of the dark canon, and then said angrily--

"Needn't jump on a fellow because he didn't get along so well as you did. Here you, Quong, we're going on."

"Velly nea leady," came back cheerily.

"Don't seem to mind a bit," grumbled Esau. "I believe he'd go anywhere.

He don't understand what danger is."

"Ready?" said Gunson, coming back. "I can't make anything out of the Indians, but I suppose there is a way all along here."

"Those settlers said there was."

"Then let's try it if we can find our way. We can't come upon a worse bit to go along than that yesterday, and if we can't get along we must come back."

We were on our way again directly after, Quong's load made more heavy by the addition of two goodly fish, an addition which did not trouble him in the least, for he showed them to me smiling and patting their rounded silvery sides as if he had an affection for them.

Our way was very difficult, the traces of a trail being very few, and faintly marked. But in spite of the difficulties, we kept on steadily all through that day, and with no worse adventures than a few falls, with the accompaniments of bruises and scratches, we reached the patch of wood we selected for our resting-place that night.

It was Quong, when in advance, who suggested it, by stopping suddenly, lowering his patiently borne load, and pointing out its advantages of shelter, fire-wood and water, and here we stayed for the night.

The next day pa.s.sed in a similar way, and the effect on me of our journey seemed precisely the same as on Esau and the others--for we reached our resting-place f.a.gged, hungry, faint and low-spirited, with Esau grumbling horribly and wis.h.i.+ng he was back on "old Dempster's"