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The Silver Canyon: A Tale of the Western Plains, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 21. Taking Full Possession |
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_ CHAPTER TWENTY ONE. TAKING FULL POSSESSION Waking with the bright sun shining over the waters of the lake, the cattle quietly browsing, and the well-watered horses enjoying a thoroughly good feed, the troubles of the journey over the dreary plain were pretty well forgotten, and as fires were lit and meals prepared, there were bright faces around ready to give the Doctor a genial "good morning." Soon after those on the look-out, while the rest made a hearty meal to prepare them for the toil of the day, announced Indians, and arms were seized, while men stood ready to run to their horses and to protect their cattle. But there was no need for alarm, the new-comers being the Beaver and his followers, who stated that they had come upon signs of Indians, and found that they had been by the mountain within the past day or two. But they had followed the trail, and found that their enemies had gone due north, following the course of the Great Canyon, and it was probable that they had finished their raid into these southern parts, and would not return. "If they do," said the Beaver, with contemptuous indifference, "our young men shall kill them all. Their horses will be useful. They are no good to live, for they are thieves and murderers without mercy." The rest of the journey was soon achieved, and the waggons drawn up in regular order close beside the mountain, while, after due inspection of the cavernous place where Joses had remained concealed with the horses, it was decided as a first step to construct with rocks a semi-circular wall, whose two ends should rest against the perpendicular mountain-side, and this would serve as a corral for the cattle, and also act as a place of retreat for a certain number to protect them, the horses being kept in Joses' Hole, as Bart christened the place. There was plenty of willing labour now that the goal had been reached, and a few of the principals had been with the Doctor to inspect the vein of silver, from which they came back enthusiastic to a degree. Leaving the greater part busy over the task of forming the cattle corral or enclosure, the Doctor called upon Bart and Joses, with three or four of his leading followers, to make the ascent of the mountain, and to this end a mysterious-looking pole was brought from the Doctor's waggon, and given to one of the men to carry. A pick and some ropes and pegs were handed to Joses, Bart received a bag, and thus accoutred they started. "Where are we going?" said one of the party, as he saw that they were walking straight for the perpendicular wall. "Up to the top of the mountain," replied the Doctor. "Have you ever been up?" the man asked, staring at him wonderingly. "No; but I believe the ascent will be pretty easy, and I have a reason for going." "Is he mad?" whispered the man to Bart. "Why, nothing but a fly could climb up there." "Mad? No," replied Bart, smiling. "Wait a bit, and you'll see." "Well, I wouldn't have believed there was a way through here!" said the man, slapping his leg, and laughing heartily, as they reached the narrow slit, crept through, and then stood with the long slope above them ready for the ascent. "It seems as if nature had done it all in the most cunning way, so as to make a hiding-place." "And a stronghold and fort for us," said Bart. "I think when once we get this place in order, we may set at defiance all the Indians of the plains." "If they don't starve us out, or stop our supply of water," said Joses, gruffly. "Man must eat and drink." By this time the Doctor was leading the way up the long rugged slope, that seemed as if it had been carved by water constantly rushing down, though now it was perfectly dry. It was not above ten feet wide, and the walls were in places almost perpendicular. It was a toilsome ascent, for at varying intervals great blocks of stone barred the path, with here and there corresponding rifts; but a little labour enabled the party to surmount these, and they climbed on till all at once the path took a new direction, going back as it were upon itself, but always upward at a sufficiently stiff angle, so as to form a zigzag right up the face of the mountain. "It is one of the wonders of the world," exclaimed the Doctor, enthusiastically. "It's a precious steep one, then," grumbled Joses. "I can hardly understand it yet," continued the Doctor, "unless there has been a tremendous spring of water up on high here. It seems almost impossible for this path to be natural." "Do you think it was made by men, sir?" said Bart. "It may have been, but it seems hardly possible. Some great nation may have lived here once upon a time, but even then this does not look like the work of man. But let us go on." It was quite a long journey to where the path turned again, and then they rested, and sat down to enjoy the sweet pure breeze, and gaze right out over the vast plain, which presented a wondrous panorama even from where they were, though a far grander view awaited them from the top, which they at last set off to reach. There were the same difficulties in the way; huge blocks of stone, over which they had to climb; rifts that they had to leap, and various natural ruggednesses of this kind, to seem in opposition to the theory that the zigzag way was the work of hands, while at every halting-place the same thought was exchanged by Bart and the Doctor--"What a fortress! We might defend it against all attacks!" But the Doctor had one other thought, and that was, how high did the silver lode come up into the mountain, and would they be able to commence the mining up there? "At all events, Bart," he said, "up here will be our stores and treasure-houses. Nothing can be more safe than this." At last, after a breathless ascent, Bart, who was in advance, sprang upon the top, and uttered a loud cheer, but only to stop short as he gazed round in wonder at the comparatively level surface of the mountain, and the marvellous extent of the view around. Whether there was silver, or whether there was none, did not seem to occur to him: all he wanted was to explore the many wide acres of surface, to creep down into the rifts, to cautiously walk along at the very edge of this tremendous precipice, which went sharply down without protection of any natural parapet of rock. Above all, he wanted to get over to the farther side, and, going to the edge, gaze right into the glorious canyon with the rugged sides, and try from this enormous height to trace its course to right and left as it meandered through the plain. "What a place to live in!" thought Bart, for there were grass, flowers, bushes, stunted trees, and cactuses, similar to those below them on the plain. In fact, it seemed to Bart as if this was a piece--almost roughly rounded--of the plain that had been left when the rest sank down several hundred feet, or else that this portion had been thrust right up to stand there, bold and bluff, ready to defy the fury of any storms that might blow. The Doctor led the way half round, till he found what he considered a suitable spot near the edge on the northern side of the mountain; and there being no need to fear the Indians any longer, he set Joses to work with the pick to clear out a narrow rift, into which the pole they had brought was lowered, and wedged up perpendicularly with fragments of rock, one of which Bart saw was almost a mass of pure silver; then staves were set against the bottom, and bound there for strength; then guy ropes added, and secured to well-driven-down pegs; and lastly, as a defiance to the Indians, and a declaration of the place being owned by the government, under whose consent they had formed the expedition, the national flag was run up, amidst hearty cheers, and its folds blew out strongly in the breeze. "Now," said the Doctor, "we are under the protection of the flag, and can do as we please." "Don't see as the flag will be much protection," growled Joses; "but it'll bring the Injun down on us before long." The Doctor did not hear these words, for he was beginning to explore the top of the mountain, and making plans for converting the place into a stronghold. Bart heard them, however, and turned to the grumbler. "Do you think the Indians will notice the flag, Joses?" he said. "Do I think the Injuns will notice it, Master Bart? Why, they can't help noticing it. Isn't it flap, flap, flapping there, and asking them to come as hard as it can. Why, they'll see that bit o' rag miles and miles away, and be swooping down almost before we know where we are. Mark my words if they'll not. We shall have to sleep with one eye open and the other not shut, Master Bart, that's what we shall have to do." "Well, we shall be strong enough now to meet any number," said Bart. "Yes, if they don't catch us just as we are least expecting it. Dessay the Doctor knows best, but we shall never get much of that silver home on account of the Apaches." "Oh yes, we shall, Joses," said Bart, merrily. "Wait a bit, and you will see that the Indians can be beaten off as easily as possible, and they'll soon be afraid to attack us when they find how strong we are. Perhaps they'll be glad to make friends. Now, come and have a look round." Joses obeyed his young leader, shouldering his rifle, and following him in a surly, ill-used sort of way, resenting everything that was introduced to his notice as being poor and unsatisfactory. "Glad to see trees up here, Master Bart," he said, as the lad made a remark, by a patch whose verdure was a pleasant relief to the eye after the glare from the bare rock. "I don't call them scrubs of things trees. Why, a good puff of wind would blow them off here and down into the plain." "Then why hasn't a good puff of wind blown them off and down into the plain?" said Bart. "Why haven't they been blown off--why haven't they been blown off, Master Bart? Well, I suppose because the wind hasn't blowed hard enough." Bart laughed, and they went on along the edge of the tremendous cliff till they came above the canyon, down into which Bart, never seemed weary of gazing. For the place had quite a fascination for him, with its swift, sparkling river, beautiful wooded islands, and green and varied shores. The sides of the place, too, were so wondrously picturesque; here were weather-stained rocks of fifty different tints; there covered with lovely creepers, hanging in festoons or clinging close to the stony crevices that veined the rocky face in every direction. The shelves and ledges and mossy nooks were innumerable, and every one, even at that great height, wore a tempting look that drew the lad towards it, and made him itch to begin the exploration. "What a lovely river, Joses!" he cried. "Lovely? Why, it's one o' those sand rivers. Don't you ever go into it if we get down there; you'd be sucked into the quicksands before you knew where you were. I don't think much of this place, Master Bart." "I do," cried the lad, stooping to pick up a rough fragment of stone, and then, as it was long and thin, breaking it against the edge of a piece of rock, when the newly-fractured end shone brightly in the sun with a metallic sheen. "Why, there is plenty of silver up here, Joses," he said, examining the stone intently. "This is silver, is it not?" Joses took the piece of stone in an ill-used way, examined it carefully, and with a sour expression of countenance, as if he were grieved to own the truth, and finally jerked it away from him so that it might fall into the canyon. "Yes," he growled; "that's silver ore, but it's very poor." "Poor, Joses?" "Yes; horrid poor. There wasn't above half of that silver; all the rest was stone. I like to see it in great solid lumps that don't want any melting. That's what I call silver. Don't think much of this." "Well, it's a grand view, at all events, Joses," said Bart. "It's a big view, and you can see far enough for anything," he growled. "You can see so far that you can't see any farther; but I don't see no good in that. What's the good of a view that goes so far you can't see it? Just as well have no view at all." "Why, you are never satisfied, Joses," laughed Bart. "Never satisfied! Well, I don't see nothing in this to satisfy a man. You can't eat and drink a view, and it won't keep Injun off from you. Pshaw! views are about no good at all." "Bart!" It was the Doctor calling, and on the lad running to him it was to find that he was standing by a great chasm running down far into the body of the mountain, with rough shelving slopes by which it was possible to descend, though the task looked risky except to any one of the firmest nerve. "Look down there, Bart," said the Doctor, rather excitedly; "what do you make of it?" Bart took a step nearer so as to get a clearer view of the rent, rugged pit, at one side of which was a narrow, jagged slit where the sunshine came through, illumining what would otherwise have been gloomy in the extreme. How far the chasm descended it was impossible to see from its irregularity, the sides projecting in great buttresses here and there, all of grey rock, while what had seemed to be the softer portions had probably crumbled away. Here and there, though, glimpses could be obtained of what looked like profound depths where all was black and still. "What should you think this place must have been?" said the Doctor, as if eager to hear the lad's opinion. "Wait a minute, sir," replied Bart, loosening a great fragment of rock, which with some difficulty he pushed to the edge, and then, placing his foot to it, thrust it over, and then bent forward to hear it fall. The distance before it struck was not great, for there was a huge mass of rock projecting some fifty feet below upon which the stone fell, glanced off, and struck against the opposite side, with the effect that it was again thrown back far down out of sight; but the noise it made was loud enough, and as Bart listened he heard it strike heavily six times, then there was a dead silence for quite a minute, and it seemed that the last stroke was when it reached the bottom. Bart was just about turning to speak to the Doctor when there came hissing up a horrible echoing, weird sound, like a magnified splash, and they knew that far down at an immense depth the great stone had fallen into water. "Ugh!" ejaculated Bart, involuntarily imitating the Indians. "What a hole! Why, it must be ten times as deep as this place is high. I shouldn't care about going down." "Horrible indeed, Bart; but what should you think? Is this place natural or dug out?" "Natural, I should say, sir," replied Bart. "Nobody could dig down to such a depth as that." "Yes, natural," said the Doctor, carefully scanning the sides of the place with a small glass. "Originally natural, but this place has been worked." "Worked? What, dug out?" said Bart. "Why, what for--to get water?" "No," said the Doctor, quietly; "to get silver. This has been a great mine." "But who would have dug it?" said Bart, eagerly. "The Indians would not." "The people who roughly made the zigzag way up to the top here, my boy." "But what people would they be, sir? The Spaniards?" "No, Bart. I should say this was dug by people who lived long before the Spaniards, perhaps thousands of years. It might have been done by the ancient peoples of Mexico or those who built the great temples of Central America and Yucatan--those places so old that there is no tradition of the time when they were made. One thing is evident, that we have come upon a silver region that was known to the ancients." "Well, I am disappointed," cried Bart. "I thought, sir, that we had made quite a new find." "So did I at first, Bart," replied the Doctor; "but at any rate, save to obtain a few scraps, the place has not been touched, I should say, for centuries; and even if this mine has been pretty nearly exhausted, there is ample down below there in the canyon, while this mount must be our fortress and our place for furnaces and stores." They descended cautiously for about a couple of hundred feet, sufficiently far for the Doctor to chip a little at the walls, and find in one or two places veins that ran right into the solid mountain, and quite sufficient to give ample employment to all the men without touching the great lode in the crack of the canyon side; and this being so, they climbed back to meet Joses, who had been just about to descend after them. "You'll both be killing of yourselves before you're done, master," he said, roughly. "No man ought to go down a place like that without a rope round his waist well held at the end." "Well, it would have been safer," said the Doctor, smiling. "Safer? Yes," growled Joses; "send down a greaser next time. There's plenty of them, and they aren't much consequence. We could spare a few." The Doctor smiled, and after continuing their journey round the edge of the old mine, they made their way to the zigzag descent, whose great regularity of contrivance plainly enough indicated that human hands had had something to do with it; while probably, when it was in use in the ancient ages, when some powerful nation had rule in the land, it might have been made easy of access by means of logs and balks of wood laid over the rifts from side to side. _ |
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