Part 20 (1/2)
”That's so. He has been gone longer than he said he would be,” answered Jed. ”But he'll come back. Let's try digging over here,” and he went to a new spot.
He was encouraged by finding a few grains of gold, and then he and Will set feverishly to work, but they had no great success.
”My! But I'm hungry!” exclaimed Jed, several hours later. ”Why!” he exclaimed, as he looked at his watch, ”it's three o'clock, and Gabe isn't back yet!”
”Let's get grub,” proposed Will. ”Maybe he's struck good pay dirt, and he hates to leave.”
They ate their meal, and again went back to their gold pans, but they found no yellow metal. The sun sank lower and lower. It was getting dark, and there were no signs of the old miner. The boys looked anxiously at each other.
”Maybe he's hurt,” suggested Will.
”Maybe,” admitted Jed, accepting his brother's rather gloomy view, which was something new for him.
”Had we better go look for him?”
”I don't know. He told us to stay here until he came back.”
”But if he's fallen, and can't move, he'd want us to go for him.”
”That's so. Let's go. Get your gun, Will, and put plenty of matches in your pockets. We may want to light a torch. Tie the horses so they won't stray.”
The two boys were soon walking up the mountain path that Gabe had taken earlier in the day. It was fast getting dusk, and they were very anxious. The trail was a winding one, and twisted and turned in every direction. At first they could see the marks made by Gabe's horse, but the hoof-prints soon disappeared.
”Guess we'd better go back,” suggested Will, after they had tramped for an hour. ”There's no sign of him. Maybe he went on another trail, and is back at camp now. Anyhow, we can't see any more,” for it was now quite dark.
”All right,” agreed Jed. ”Back to camp it is.”
They turned, and thought they were taking the same path they had used in coming up. But they had not traveled far before they were made aware that it was not the right one.
”I don't remember that we pa.s.sed this big rock before,” said Jed, pausing near one, which, even in the darkness, they could see was perched on the edge of a deep gully.
”Me either. I wonder if we're on the right trail?”
They paused and, lighting matches, looked about them. They were observing lads, and it did not take them long to arrive at the conclusion that they were on a totally different path.
”Will,” said Jed solemnly, ”we're lost on the mountain, that's all there is to it.”
”Lost! What are we going to do?”
”Stay here until morning, I guess. See if you can find some wood, and we'll build a fire. This rock will make a good shelter.”
CHAPTER XVII
CORNERED BY A BEAR
The boys pa.s.sed a dreary, miserable night. There was a heavy dew, and they were wet, almost as if by a rain. Their fire went out, for in the darkness they could not find wood enough to keep it going.
How glad they were when morning came! The sun warmed them, and took the stiffness from their limbs.