Part 57 (1/2)
”Ah! that's right, my boy,” he cried. ”I shall be glad of a cup of coffee.”
”Is your arm better, sir?” said Saxe.
”My arm is better, comrade,” replied Dale, smiling. ”I thought we had decided that there was to be no 'sir' out here, but only a brotherly salute, as befits mountaineers.”
”I had forgotten,” said Saxe; ”and the other seems so natural. I am glad it is better.”
”Thanks, lad. I've been to the little cascade, and held it under the icy cold water as it fell. The numb chill seems to have done it no end of good.”
”You should have spoken to me when it was so bad in the night.”
”I could not,” said Dale, looking at him wonderingly.
”Was it so very bad, then?”
”No; it was not bad at all. I did not feel it till I got up.”
”That's when I mean--while it was dark.”
”You've been dreaming, Saxe. I did not get up when it was dark; and, by the way, when did you get up and open the tent door?”
”I didn't,” cried Saxe: ”it was open. I felt the cold when you woke me with getting up and going in and out.”
”Why, Saxe,” cried Dale, seizing the boy by the shoulder, ”do you mean to say you heard me moving about in the night?”
”Some time when it was dark; and I thought you were dressing.”
”This is very strange,” cried Dale, who looked puzzled.
”Hah!” cried Saxe excitedly; ”where did you put the crystal?”
”In the leather bag that I used for a pillow.”
”Then it couldn't have been that,” said Saxe, in a disappointed way. ”I thought--”
”I don't know so much about that,” cried Dale excitedly; and he ran into the tent, dropped upon his knees by the leather bag, and tore it open.
”Gone!” he said.
”That's what I thought,” cried Saxe excitedly. ”Then there is some one keeps on watching us, and he stole that crystal in the night.”
Dale closed the bag with a snap, and stood gazing up at his companion for some minutes in silence.
”This is very ugly, Saxe,” he said; ”and I don't like it.”
”But that's it, isn't it?” cried the boy.
”I am afraid so. I can only think you must be right, unless one of us took it.”
”Took it!” cried Saxe. ”Oh, Mr Dale, you don't think I would take it?”
”No, my lad, of course not,” cried Dale, bringing his hand down on the boy's shoulder with a hearty slap; ”but I think it's quite likely that after the excitement of yesterday, and the remarks you made just before lying down, that you may have dreamed that the crystal was not safe, and taken it and hid it somewhere.”