Part 26 (2/2)
Then the pain and exhaustion brought a merciful insensibility. When Gabe opened his eyes again it was morning, and the sun was s.h.i.+ning brightly.
The horse he had ridden, and which had been the innocent cause of his misfortune, was now farther off, having gone to a little stream to drink.
”Oh, how I wish I had some of that water,” thought poor Gabe. ”My throat is parched. I wonder if the horse won't come to me now?”
He called, but the animal only raised its head, looked at him, and went on feeding.
”I'm going to crawl and get a drink of water if it kills me!” exclaimed the miner. ”Might as well die in comfort if I've got to go.”
He moved his leg cautiously. To his surprise the pain was not so great as it had been. Then he felt of it. Though the limb was sore and tender no bones seemed to be broken.
”Guess it's only a bad strain,” he said. ”There's some chance for me, after all. I'll try to catch the horse.”
It was hard work, crawling along a few feet at a time, stopping to rest every now and then, to ease the pain, but Gabe accomplished it. He reached the little mountain stream, and drank the cold water. That made him feel better, and a little later he managed to catch the horse, and pull himself up into the saddle. Fortunately the animal seemed to know that the man was wounded, and kept still until the miner was mounted.
”Now it isn't so bad,” said Gabe, ”though my leg does hurt like all possessed. But I guess I can get to camp, and the boys will take care of me for a while. I'll be as good as ever in a few days, as long as nothing's broken.”
Cautiously guiding his horse, Gabe made his way down the mountain trail.
It took him twice as long to reach the camp as it had to make the journey the night before, but finally he came to where he had left the boys and their horses.
To his surprise neither of the lads were there, nor were their horses.
There was only some of the camp stuff, and the pack which Gabe had removed from his steed's back before setting off into the mountains.
”Well, this gets me!” he exclaimed. ”Where can they have gone? I told them to stay here until I came back, and I'm sure they would, for they don't know the trail. Their horses are gone too. I wonder----”
A sudden idea coming to him, he slowly dismounted from his horse, and crawled to the stakes to which had been fastened the steeds of the two lads. The short ends of the ropes that remained showed they had been broken.
”Something's happened!” exclaimed Gabe. ”Those horses have got loose while the boys were away. But why did Jed and Will go away? Could it have been to look for me? If so, why aren't they here now? It's too much for me. Lucky my pack is left. I'm half starved.”
By slowly crawling about he managed to get himself a meal. He felt better after that, and, having made a closer examination of his injured leg, and finding there was only a strain, which was rapidly getting better, he prepared to make himself as comfortable as possible in camp.
But he was sorely puzzled at the absence of the boys, and he made up his mind, as soon as he could travel with more safety, that he would set off after them, if they did not return that night, which he hoped they would do. But night came, and Jed and Will did not come back. Much worried, Gabe prepared to spend the lonely dark hours in the deserted camp.
Meanwhile, Jed and Will were flying from the pursuing gamblers. As they went on along the valley, they found that the trail turned and went up the mountain.
”Shall we take it?” asked Will.
”Nothing else to do,” replied Jed. ”We can't stand and fight those scoundrels. The only thing to do is to keep on.”
”But we may get lost in the mountains.”
”That's happened already. We can't be much worse off that way. Neither of us know where we are, nor how to get back to camp. The only thing to do is to keep on. We may distance them, and we may strike a mining camp, where we can get help.”
Still behind them came the desperate men who half guessed at the truth--that the boys had gold--and this gold the gamblers were determined to obtain.
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