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To Win or to Die: A Tale of the Klondike Gold Craze, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 19. To Save A Snarling Cur |
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_ CHAPTER NINETEEN. TO SAVE A SNARLING CUR The struggle was short, for the sides of the canvas building were frail; and as the flames ran swiftly up one side and the burning rags of the canvas roof began to fall upon the struggling crowd, a wave rushed against the opposite side, which gave way like so much paper, and the panting, half-stifled sufferers gained the cool fresh night air. "Any one left within?" panted the judge; but the silence which followed was enough to indicate that all had escaped. "Where are the other prisoners?" "We are here--my cousin and I," cried Abel, for they had made no attempt to escape. "And the witnesses?" cried the judge. "I have the scoundrel who dashed down the lamp." "We have the other two here," replied voices. "Then, gentlemen," said the judge, "I think we had better have another trial in the open air. What do you say to that as an attempt at wholesale murder? Come and help me here, some of you. I've got the big man down, but he's as strong as a horse. I couldn't have held him if I hadn't thrown a biscuit-bag over his head." It was light for a few minutes while the canvas roof of the saloon burned; but as the woodwork was rapidly torn down and trampled out to save the so-called hotel, all was dark again, with a pungent smoke arising. Two men were dragged into the circle which had formed round the judge, whose figure could be just made out as he kneeled between the shoulders of the man he had down; and Dallas and Abel stood close by, fascinated as it were, and feeling a thrill of horror as they thought of their enemies' impending fate. "It's horrible, Dal," whispered Abel. "I hate the brute, but I don't want to see him hanged." "Then you'd better be off," said a man who heard the remark, "for the beast will swing before many minutes are passed." "I don't see why you two young fellows should care," said another. "He was eager enough to get you hanged." "Have you made his wrists fast behind him?" said the judge out of the darkness. "Yes; all right." "Let him get up, then. Here, landlord--squire--a lantern here." "Haven't you had light enough, judge? What about my saloon?" "All right, old fellow," said a voice. "You hold plenty of our gold; we'll club together to pay for a better one." "Thank ye, gentlemen. Hi! bring a lantern." At the same moment the prisoner rose to his feet, and the sack over his head was drawn off. "I say, you know, I've come quietly," he cried in a hoarse voice. "Here, put those pistols down. You haven't served my two young chaps like that, have you?" "Bob Tregelly?" cried Dallas and Abel in a breath. "What's left of him, my sons. They've 'most smothered me." "Hallo!" said the judge at the same moment. "I took you in the dark for that red-bearded fellow." "I was going for him when you pulled that bag over my head," growled the Cornishman. "Here, who has got that fellow?" roared the judge. "We've got his mates," came out of the darkness, and two men were dragged forward, struggling hard to get free. "Here, what game do you call this?" snarled one of them, as soon as he could speak. "Yes," said the other. "You fools: you've got the wrong men." "I'm blessed! Ha, ha, ha!" roared the big Cornishman. "You've never let those other two escape, have you?" roared the judge angrily. "Well, you've let the big un go, judge, and caught me," said the Cornishman merrily. "But I say, my son, who's the guilty party now?" "Not much doubt about that. There, my lads, it's of no use to go after them; they've done us this time, and got away; but I think we may keep the ropes ready for them when they come again." "Hear, hear!" was roared, and an ovation followed for the trio who had been suspected, every man present seeming as if he could not make enough of them, till they managed to slip away to their tent. "I think a quiet pipe'll do me good after all that business," said Tregelly. "We've done about enough for one day. Rum sort o' life, my sons. I shall be glad to get steadily to work as soon as we know where to begin." The canvas was fastened down soon after, and the occupants of the rough tent prepared for a good night's rest; but it was a long time in coming to the cousins, whose nerves had been too much jarred for them to follow the example of their three companions. And they lay listening to the many sounds about, principal among which was the barking and fighting of the sledge-dogs; but at last they dropped into a troubled slumber, one in which it seemed to Dallas that he was lying upon his hard waterproof sheet in a nightmare-like dream, watching his enemy, the red-bearded man, who was crawling on hands and knees to the rough tent, with a knife between his teeth, and trying to force his way under the end of one of the sledges to get to him and pin him to the earth. There he was, coming nearer and nearer, right into the tent place now, while his hot breath fanned the dreamer's cheek, and his hands were resting upon his chest as if feeling for a vital spot to strike. With a tremendous effort, Dallas sprang up and struck at him, when there was a loud snarling yelp, and Abel cried in alarm, "What is it, Dal?" "Dog," said Tregelly, "smelling after grub. The poor brutes seem half starved. Hasn't taken a bit out of either of you, has he? Good-night, my sons; I was dreaming I'd hit upon heaps of gold." Dallas sank back with a sigh of relief, and dropped off into a restful sleep, which lasted till morning, when they were aroused by a terrific sound of cracking as of rifles, mingled with a peculiar roar, and a strange rushing sound. "What is it?" cried Abel, who was one of the first to spring up; "an earthquake?" "Like enough, my son," said Tregelly. "I'm ready for anything here. Sounds like the mountains playing at skittles." "She's going at last," cried a voice outside. "By jingo! it's fine. Come and look." "It's the ice breaking up," cried Dallas excitedly. "Then we will go and look," said Tregelly, "though that chap wasn't speaking to us." And, no dressing being necessary, all hurried out, to find that the fettered Yukon was completely changed, the ice being all in motion, splitting up, grinding, and crushing, and with blocks being forced up one over the other till they toppled down with a roar, to help in breaking up those around. The previous evening it would have been possible for a regiment to cross the river by climbing over and among the great blocks which were still frozen together, but now it would have been certain death for the most active man to attempt the first fifty yards. Every one was out in the bright sunny morning watching the breaking up; and among the first they encountered were the judge, of the last night's episode, and their friend the gold-finder, both of whom shook hands heartily, but made no allusion to the trial. "Good job for every one," said the judge; "we shall soon be having boats up after this. We shall be clear here in a couple of days." "So soon?" said Dallas. "Oh, yes," replied his informant. "There's a tremendous body of water let loose up above, and it runs under the ice, lifts it, and makes the ice break up; and once it is set in motion it is always grinding smaller, till, long before it reaches the sea, it has become powder, and then water again." "I say," cried the miner, "there's some one's dog out yonder. He's nipped by the legs, and it's about all over with him, I should say." "Here, stop! What are you going to do?" cried the judge. But Dallas did not hear him. He had been one of the first to see the perilous position of a great wolfish-looking hound some twenty yards from the shore, where it was struggling vainly, prisoned as it was, uttering a faint yelp every now and then, and gazing piteously at the spectators on the bank. "The lad's mad," cried the judge, going closer to the ice. But, mad or no, Dallas had, in his ignorance of the great danger of the act, run down, boldly leaped on the moving ice, and stepped from block to block till he reached the dog, which began to whine and bark loudly, as it made frantic efforts to free its hindquarters. In another minute it would have been drawn down farther, but for the coming of the young man, who, heedless of the rocking and gliding motion of the ice, strode the narrow opening between the two masses which held the dog, stooping down at the same moment, and seizing the poor brute by the rough hair about its neck. For a few moments his effort seemed vain, and a roar of voices reached him, as the spectators shouted to him to come back. Then the two pieces swayed slightly, and gradually drew apart, and the dog was at liberty, but apparently with one leg crushed, for it lay down, howling dismally after an effort to limp back to the land. There was a great strap round its neck, and this was joined to another just behind its shoulders, and, seizing this, Dallas flung the poor animal on its side and dragged it after him as he began to step cautiously back from block to block, now sinking down, now rising, and now narrowly escaping being caught between the moving pieces; but he kept on, conscious, though, that the bank seemed rising upward; while the crushing and roar of the breaking ice prevented him from hearing the words of advice shouted by his friends. He could not hear, but he could see Bel, who was forcing his way through the crowd to keep alongside, ready to help him when he came within reach, if ever he did, and it was from him that he afterwards learned that the advice shouted was to let the dog take his chance. Twice over the set of the ice was off the shore, and matters looked bad for the young adventurer, but he stuck to the dog, and, just when the chance of reaching the shore seemed most hopeless, a couple of large flat floes rose up, and, making a dash, Dallas went boldly across them, reaching others that did not yield so much, and the next minute there was a cheer which he could hear, for he reached the shore with the dog, which looked up in his face and whined, and then limped off through the crowd. "Life seems cheap your way, my fine fellow," said the judge. "Five minutes ago I wouldn't have given a grain of gold for yours. We don't do that sort of thing out here for the sake of a vicious, thieving dog." "I could not stand by and see the poor brute die," said Dallas quietly. "So it seems," said the judge. "Well, I congratulate you two young fellows on your escape last night. Those scoundrels have got away; and if they turn up again, lawyer though I am, I should advise you both to shoot on sight. If you are brought before me, I'll promise you I will bring it in justifiable homicide." A couple of hours later they had parted from Tregelly and his companions, with a hearty shake of the hand and a promise to keep to their agreement about the gold. "If we discover a good place." _ |
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