CHAPTER IX
Only a Youngster
"We've a longish day before us," said Tom one afternoon, just after thesun had mounted to its central position, and the heat was at its height."Them pals of ours has gone off huntin', fer it stands to reason we musthave fresh meat to keep us in good health. But, as I was sayin', we'rehere, you and I, in charge of the team and the wagon; and sense wedursent sleep, for there ain't never no sayin' when something won't turnup, why we'd best settle down fer a jaw. I was thinking of that businessof ours in the train, when yer climbed on ter the roof. I wonder whatmade yer think of that?"
Our hero was troubled by the question. When he came to review hismovements on that eventful evening, and this particular one moreespecially, he found it hard to say why he had clambered to the roof ofthe railway coach.
"I suppose I saw in a flash that that man would shoot me if I went alongthe footboards," he said. "I had seen the conductor wounded and forcedto let go, so I suppose, without thinking, I realized that the roof wasthe only place."
"Jest as I thought," remarked Tom, nodding his head, and busying himselfwith his whip, which he seemed to crack on every spare occasion. "That'ere fight reminds me of a time same as this, when I was jest a slip ofa youngster. It was down Mexico way, not in California, whar we'regoin', and thar was gold in the question, same as thar was with you theother day. Yer see, my uncle owned a team of beasts. In fact, he ownedseveral teams, and made a fine living by carting stores down to theMexican mines, and returning with gold. He'd been extry lucky, too, andhadn't been held up more than once. Then my father died, and Uncle Jimtook me under his wing. I used to march alongside the team, help feedand water the beasts, and lend a hand at anything that war wanted. I warjest about thirteen years of age, I reckon."
"Young," remarked Jack. "But I suppose many boys are to be found withthe mule teams as young as that?"
"Sometimes they're regular kids," came the laughing rejoinder. "I mindone kid as war jest twelve, and he'd already had a turn agin the Injuns.Boys in this country don't get so much schoolin' as they mightelsewhere--in England, fer instance--though I've no doubt, whenAmerica's settled, the youngsters will get all the schoolin' they want,and more besides. And so it ain't nothin' outer the ordinary to meetkids out on the plains. Wall, I was a regular kid, and Uncle Jim and Idid many a march together. We'd been down to a mine located well in thesouth, though I can't get hold of the name at this moment. We'd droppedall our goods thar--hard tack, picks, and spades, and what not, and hadfilled chuck-full with gold. Reckon there was twenty-thousand dollarsworth of dust on board--a fortune that wanted taking care of! And takegood care of it we did, Uncle sleeping by day, while I drove the team.At night he'd fix his pipe in between his teeth, and keep watch whereverwe were camped, while I turned into my blankets. It war jolly while itlasted, and yer may bet that I war a proud kid, takin' care of that 'ereteam and all the gold by my solitary self durin' the day."
"And then?" asked Jack eagerly. "You were held up by a gang of robbers?"
"Hold hard," sang out Tom. "We ain't got thar yet. Things was goin'smoothly enough, when Uncle took ill. He war mighty queer. To this day Iain't sure what ailed him. But I've a notion he'd got a kind of heatstroke. Anyways, he war as hot as fire, and fer a time wanderin' in hishead. I remember it war somewhere's about this time of the day when hewent queer, and, sense I couldn't drive the team and look to him at thesame time, I formed camp jest beside the bank of a river, whar the roadran down to the ford. I watered the beasts, pegged them out to feed, andthen set to work putting cold cloths, wrung out of river water, onUncle's head. Reckon I kept at it all that day, and right into thenight, till I was that weary I was falling asleep the instant I set downin the wagon. And in the end I went right fast off beside Uncle, and laythere snorin' till the sun was up, and it war nigh ten o'clock. It war ashout that waked me."
Tom looked over his shoulder to see that Jack was listening, and thenthrew the tail of his whip lightly over his leaders, sending his teambounding forward.
"A shout," repeated Jack. "Yes."
"From over the water," said Tom. "I lifted the tilt of the wagon, andlooked across the river. There was four men, mounted, wavin' their arms.
"'Whar's the ford start?' one of them sang out, when he seed me comeclamberin' outer the wagon. 'Does it run straight over thar from wharwe're standin', or whar in thunder does it begin?'
"Wall, I war that green I was jest on the point of singing out that itcut clear down stream from whar our wagon was located till you was inline with a tree on the far side, and a kind of little bay on ours. Tharwas shallow water on top of a ledge running to that point. Perhaps itwar deep enough to come to the floor of the wagon, and in bad weather itmight be an inch or two deeper. But it warn't never more that I everknowed. On either side the ledge shelved off gradually, and in coursethe water got deeper and deeper. From the point I jest mentioned one hadto swing the team right across stream, drive 'em fer ten yards or so,and then swing their heads up stream again. It war the stiffest ford asever I crossed, and I can't make no shape to guess how it war firstlocated. But thar it was, I'd been over it a dozen times, and was gameto take the team myself, with the load of gold dust, Uncle, and all. Iwar sayin', I war jest on the point of singing out directions to thestrangers over the far side, when Uncle jest pops the tip of his noseouter the wagon.
"'Hold on, Tom,' he says. 'Who aer they?'
"I didn't know one bit. They was travellers I supposed. But Uncle hadbeen on that road for seven years, and guess he knew everyone for milesup and down.
"'There's four of them,' I said. 'Guess they're going down to themines.'
"'Guess they're bound for gold anyway,' he says. 'Sing out as there'sanother ford six miles up stream,' he says. 'That'll give us a breather.Don't tell them on any account that they kin cross here.'
"You may reckon I got wondering whether Uncle were still wandering, andoff his head. I looked at him precious hard, and axed him ef he meantit. 'They kin guess there's a ford here, and we know it,' I said, 'elsewe shouldn't be camped by the entrance.'
"'Let 'em guess it, then,' he kind of snapped. 'Better they should thinkwe was fools than we should tell 'em the ford and have 'em takin' everydollar we've got on board. Sonny, those four strangers aer a gang that'sbeen watchin' fer me more than once. I've give them the slip three timesalready, and I'll do it agin this time ef I'm able. Ah, thunder! I can'teven stand.'
"He'd climbed to his feet inside the wagon, holding on to the tilt, andjest as I looked across the river again I heard him fall with a bang.Then the man who'd shouted from the far side sang out again: 'We'remaking south,' he hailed. 'We've been directed to this here ford, andsence you're meaning to cross yer must know it. We was told it wartricky. Whar does it start, and whar does one have to turn?'
"'Bluff 'em,' calls Uncle from the wagon. 'Ef yer don't, it'll be a casewith both of us, youngster.'
"Wall, I war only a kid," said Tom, gathering his reins in a bunch, "andI don't mind agreein' that I war in a mortal funk. I'd heard of Uncle'sescapes, in course, and I knew that thar war men out on the road who'dtake every dollar we had, and shoot us into the bargain. In my fright Iwas nearly telling them the ford. But Uncle war at the tilt again,glaring at me, and calling to me not ter be a fool. And I reckon I warmore afraid of Uncle when he was in a rage than I war of any other manunder the sun. I warn't fer telling a lie anyhow, but I 'low as all aerfair in love and war, and thet was a case of war. So I plucked up somesorter courage and called back to the men: 'Uncle's ill,' I shouted.'He's too ill to come out and show the ford. But thar's another, sixmiles higher up. Yer can't miss it when you get thar. It's easier thanthis one.'
"Wall, that didn't please 'em. I could see the critters putting theirheads together, and perhaps they guessed that Uncle could ha' told me,even if he war too ill to shout to them. So they tried to scare me intotelling them.
"'This here's a case of life and death,' sings out the rascal as hadshouted before. 'We're going s
outh ter see our mother. She's thet badshe ain't expected ter last over long. So we're pushing down as fast aswe can. Ax yer uncle ter tell you the road.'
"'Ax him the name of his mother,' growls Uncle from the wagon.
"Wall, thet did it," said Tom with a grin, looking into Jack's face. "Incourse they seed that they was being bluffed, and one of 'em made up hismind to find the ford for himself. He rid down the bank, spurred hishorse on into the water, and was ten feet out in no time. By then thewater was jest washin' his boots. Reckon he war on the ledge thatcarried the ford on the far side.
"'You kin come along, mates,' he sang out. 'Ef that imp don't care terax his uncle, or ef his uncle's foxin' ill, and won't say, why we'll getacross all the same, and make south all the sooner.'
"Guess he thought he was safely over," laughed Tom; "but he warn't. Oneof his mates joined him, while the other two rode jest behind. Thensuddenly, afore you could have expected it, the two who were leading,plunged into deep water. In course their horses started swimmin', butthe jerk, and being unused to thet sort of thing perhaps, upset theirriders, and reckon them two had a fine sousing. They turned back to thebank, and went climbing outer the water, shoutin' and cussin', andsayin' what they'd do ter me ef they could only get across. Then theyturned their hosses' heads and rid like mad fer the other ford!
"'Get them mules in quick,' sings out Uncle, squintin' outer the wagonfrom beneath the tilt. 'Them critters'll be here afore yer kin lookround, and ef we ain't slippy they'll have us. Cut the ropes, lad, andlet yer blankets and sich things lie as they are. Ef we're alive we kincome back fer 'em. Ef we're dead, guess we shan't want 'em. Quick aerthe word!'
"Yer could see as he war anxious, and in course I set to ter fix theteam into the wagon jest as slippy as I could. But I war a boy, yer mustremember, and it aer a man's work ter tie a hull team into their places.Then, what with thinkin' of them critters, and the funk I war in, everytrace I touched got hooked to the wrong bar. There was Uncle, too,squintin' at me from under the tilt, his face a fiery red, and hisdander burnin'. I wonder now thet I war able to fix 'em all. But atlast the mules were tied in and we was ready.
"'I'm to drive 'em over?" I axed the old man. 'Clean slick across?'
"'You aer soft!" he sings out in a kind of shriek. 'That's what theywant you to do. It's jest what we ain't meanin' ter carry out. Kin yerguess why?'
"I couldn't," said Tom, making a grimace. "I war a thick-headed kid, andthe bustle had scared away all the sense I ever had.
"''Cos them critters'll have divided,' shouted Uncle. 'They know thatI'm queer, and they guess a kid ain't much ter be afraid of. Ef they'dhappened to have known this ford they would have ridden clean across,took the gold, and riddled us with bullets. As it aer, two of 'em willcross, the other two's hid up thar over the far side of the river. Theyreckon they're bound ter have us either way. Boy, aer you game ter fight'em?'
"'I'll try,' I says. 'What am I ter do?'
"'Send yer team into the water, and cut out along the ford. When you'vereached the point whar, in the ordinary course, you'd swing 'em upstream, jest pull 'em in. It ain't over deep thar, and sense it's hotthese days the mules won't mind it. Hold the critters thar till you seehow things aer workin'. Ef the two men who have crossed ride out to us,we must try and shoot 'em. Ef the others come riding out to join them,then we've two things we kin do. One is ter send the team along the roadfer the other bank and chance the shootin'. T'other is to drive 'em intodeep water till the cart is out of reach, cut the traces, and leave themules to swim ashore.'
"Wall, that fairly staggered me," said Tom. "'Drive the wagon into deepwater, Uncle?' I axed, and I reckon my eyes was nearly starting from myhead.
"'Yer've got it,' he answers, as if thar warn't nothing outer the way inthe order. 'This cart's heavy. It are got enough dust aboard to keep iton the bottom till the whole of the tilt is covered with water. I'dsooner sink the hull thing, and myself too, ef that war necessary, thansee them critters get the gold. But we ain't goin' ter do that. Drivethe wagon off the road till the mules are off their feet and swimmin'.By then we shall be deep enough. Then cut 'em free and wait fer themcritters. Yer've got to shoot, young un.'
"We was in a bad muss anyway," said Tom, his face assuming for themoment a stern aspect; "and what with the bustle of puttin' in themules, and headin' them for the ford, I kind of forgot my fears. I wasthat busy I hadn't time to think what might happen when those villainsreached us. So, somehow or other, I grew out of the funk that had set myteeth chatterin' and my fingers shakin', and, rememberin' that the teamwas in my hands entirely, I made up my mind to bring 'em through. Theleaders was enterin' the water before yer could think, and before fiveminutes had passed, we were well out in the centre.
"'Now pull 'em in,' says Uncle. 'Them critters'll be here in tenminutes, and by then the mules will be wantin' to move on. Yer'll haveter hold 'em tight, lad. Jest remember that you are in charge of yer olduncle and of the gold. Ef yer pull us through it'll be the making ofyer.'
"From being in a funk I got quite lively, and as proud as a peacock,and sat there at the front of the wagon, same as I am here, holding thereins, and fingering my shooter every now and again. I'd never let oneoff before that, except sometimes Uncle would give me a shot when wewere well out on the plains. But I 'lowed as I could try, and by thetime them critters turned up I'd fixed it that I would shoot every manof 'em sooner than lose the wagon and Uncle.
"Wall, in course of time two of the men that we'd first seen on the farside of the river came galloping up along the bank we'd jest left.Reckon they and their mates had been lying hid, waiting fer us ter getacross, and they set to howlin' when it war clear that we had taken tothe river ter get protection. The two who had stayed up on the otherbank came over a hill some four hundred yards away, and thar ain't adoubt but that they had been watchin'. Anyway, they knew the route we'dtaken. There warn't, neither, any more doubt as to what their businesswas. One of the critters let his shooter loose, and in a second, flick!goes a bullet through the tilt of the wagon close behind my ear.
"'That ain't nothin',' sings out Uncle. 'A bullet don't hurt till ithits, and the range are long for 'em. Hold them critters steady, lad,and ef I tell yer, whip 'em up and swing 'em fer the far shore. Thar'sthis in our favour: we've only two a side to deal with. When they was onthe far bank there were four. Now we kin be more even.'
"The two on our side rode their horses right down into the water, andthen we larned that we wasn't to have it altogether our own way. Unclehad forgotten that two of the critters had been watchin', and these twostood with their hosses' feet in the water and called across to theirfriends, giving them directions how to move so as to follow the ford.They meant business, there warn't a doubt, fer in two seconds the men onour side were edging their beasts slowly into the stream, kinder feelin'the ridge beneath them, and making out to where we were stood. It beganto look ticklish, and a lot wuss when the two varmint on the far siderid their mounts farther into the river, and, as ef they'd guessed thatthe ledge must make in a line to whar we were, began to push on towardsus.
"'It aer a case of facin' the hull crowd or of sinking the cargo,' singsout Uncle.
"Ef he'd been strong enough ter get to his feet I reckon he would havefaced the crowd alone, fer he had fine courage; but he war as weak as achild, and could only lie there raging at his helplessness.
"Kin you tackle the lot alone, Tom?' he asked after a bit, when themcritters was close handy.
"I suppose I looked what I thought. There warn't a chance that I couldmanage the team and fight them four.
"'Then whip 'em up and run her into deep water,' cries the old man. 'Efthe cart sinks fer good, then at any rate they won't have had the gold.Ef she holds the bottom we'll be able to get a rope on to her later on,and an extry team will pull her out. Swing 'em over, lad, and get readyto cut the critters loose. It wouldn't do to leave them tied by thetraces. They'd drown like rats in a trap."
"Yer should ha' heard the row them fell
ers made when the cart got movingsuddenly," said Tom, laughing loudly at the recollection. "I war a boy,yer must recollect, and thim shouts fairly scared me fer a moment, andkind of driv all my courage outer my elbows. I mind the fact that, fermonths after, when I happened to dream a little, it war always aboutthose men, and the shout they gave used ter set me awake, sitting up inmy blankets and quaking. But thar was Uncle close handy, and, though hewas helpless, I feared him a goodish deal more than the robbers who wereriding out into the stream. Also, and yer kin believe it, seeing asyou're young, I had a sort of feeling that kept me going. I knew that Iwas responsible fer the safety of Uncle and the gold. There wasn'tanother soul handy to help me, and ef I went down through funk theneverything was lost. I may be right--Gee! I'm sure I am--when a youngchap knows that others are relying on him, that he has a sort of dutybefore him, why it's in his nature, it's human nature ef yer like, ferhim to buckle to, ter get savage and stubborn, and ter swear to hisselfthat he's going ter get through with the job and win out whateverhappens. Anyway, that's how I felt. I didn't give a how of chips for thethought that I might be drowned. I jest picked up the reins hard,flicked my whip-end over the leaders, and sent 'em forward. In two yardsI should ha' swung them to the right ef I wanted to follow the ford. EfI swung 'em to the left they would drag the cart into deep water, andpretty sudden too, fer the ledge carrying the road over the river brokeoff on that side rather abruptly, and thar was ten foot of depth withinsix yards of whar we were standing.
"'Git at it, lad!' sings out Uncle. And git at it I did. I drove themules clear to the left, and in a few seconds the leaders was swimming.I made sure that in another moment or two I should be in water up to myneck. But jest then one of the robbers sent a bullet in our direction.It missed me by a hair, and, flying on, struck one of the wheelers. Andthet 'ere bullet seemed to finish the case fer us. It sent the mule itstruck plunging right and left, and scared the other beasts. Instead ofpulling the cart out into deep water, the leader of our team swum roundfer the place they knew would give 'em footing. And once they had gotit, there they stood, sweating in spite of the water, ready to breakaway at any moment, and refusing to answer to the reins. It war a fix.Thar war the cart in deeper water, to be sure, but still on the ledge,and easily get-at-able by them robbers.
"'Give 'em the whip. Swing 'em over, Tom,' shouts Uncle. 'Them critterswill get us here. Push the team on!'
"It war easy ter order, but hard ter carry out the work. The mules werethat scared they wouldn't budge one way or the other. They jest stoodthar, with the water washing all round them, their ears thrown back,ready ter do something extry silly the next second, but refusing blankter do what war expected of them. And all the while thar was them fourrobbers riding out, feelin' their way carefully, and gettin' nearer. Infact, they was at that moment within twenty paces, close enough to makefair shooting. I know that, 'cos one of the varmint lifted his shooter,took a careful aim at me sittin' there on the box, and let off his gun.It war lucky that them leaders give a jerk just then. It made me swingover to the right, while the bullet ripped past my shoulder and cut aneat little hole in the tilt.
"'We're done,' I heard Uncle groan. Then the corner of the tilt that hehad been holding up, so as to be able to look out, fell back into place,and by the bump I heard I reckoned he'd fallen back in a faint. Thar warI left all alone ter face them critters."
The very recollection of such a position made Tom hot. He drew a huge,red handkerchief from his hat, where he was in the habit of carrying it,and mopped his forehead.
"It war a teaser," he said.
"It was," admitted Jack. "What happened?"
"I expected to be shot any second. I gave a slash at my leaders again,and did my best to move them. But they wouldn't budge. Then one of themvillains let off his gun so close that I reckon the smoke and the flashscared me, though why the bullet didn't hit me is a puzzle I ain't goingto try ter explain. I war scared right enough, and the start I gavecaused me to roll from the seat where I was sitting splosh into thewater. Yer should ha' heard them critters yell again. Guess they took itfer granted that the trouble was over, and that the gold and the cartwas theirs. But it warn't. I had got something more to say in thebusiness."
"How?" asked Jack, who was more than interested. "You fell from yourseat into the water."
"I did that. The cart war left on the edge of the ledge, as I've alreadysaid, and the river was jest about washing the floor boards. Ifloundered under the surface for a bit, and then got my feet safe on terthe ledge. But when I lifted my head to take a breath it came bump upagin the floor boards. I war clear under the wagon, and, as luck wouldhave it, there was jest enough space there to allow me to breathe. Guessthem four critters thought I was drownded, fer they rid up to the wagonlaughing fit ter bust.
"'That 'ere shot cleared him out fine,' I heard one of them shout. 'Gitto their heads, mate, and take them along the ford. We ain't out of thismuss yet. Joe, ride ahead, and make sure ye're on the ledge. Now thatwe've got the gold it won't do ter lose it. I'll keep close handy to thecart. The old man'll want shootin'.'
"That's the sort of ruffians they was," explained Tom. "They didn'tthink no more of shootin' a man then I think of eatin' dinner. And itdidn't make no difference to them whether it war a boy their bulletshit, or a man. But I war under the wagon, and though I had been scared Iwarn't done with, not by a heap. Yer must understand that gold dust areheavy stuff to carry, but it don't take up a heap of room, so thar wasplenty o' space left fer us in the wagon. Then, same as we have here,some of the boards was kept loose on purpose. Yer see, out on theplains, when ye've a load, yer often want to carry odds and ends slungto the wagon. Thar's a pail fer watering the mules, a cooking pot, andsich like things. Sometimes they're jest slung to hooks screwed into thebottom boards. But Uncle had his own ideas of comfort and of doin'things, and I reckon he ought to know what was right, seem' he'd been onthe road so long. His idea was to have a tray slung under the centre ofthe wagon by means of four short lengths of chain, and the bottom boardsabove carried loose, so as you could haul up anything you wanted fromthe tray. Wall now, in course, seeing that we had to cross the river, Ihad removed every stick from that tray. It come bump up agin me as Icrouched below the wagon, and, as those men moved the team along, I jestclimbed on to the tray and rose my head through the boards of the wagon.It war as good as a play. There were them critters thinkin' that I wasfloatin' down the river. And there was me, half in the wagon, extrylively, wonderin' hard what ter do. It war Uncle's shooter that decidedthe matter. He was lying close handy to the opening, as pale as death,with his revolver on the boards beside him.
"'Yer own's drenched by the river,' I said to myself, feeling for theshooter I carried in my belt. 'His is all right. Take it, and go ferthem critters.' Wall, I hopped clean into the wagon then, waited a bittill we were getting close to the far bank, fer the robbers war guidingthe team all the while, and war going forward as slow as ef it war to afuneral. Then I lifted the edge of the tilt, took aim at the chap ridingnearest, and pulled the trigger. Reckon he war killed outright. Anyway,he plumped into the water, and none of us saw him agin. But you kinguess that thar war a ruction. Them fellers thought that they had thething all to themselves, and then, all of a sudden, one of their numberwas wiped out. They wasn't cowards, to say the best of them, and thethree who war left gave up minding the mules and came ridin' theirhosses back to the wagon, sending a bullet or so to show that they warcoming. Yer don't think I waited for 'em, do yer?"
Tom asked the question with a knowing wag of his head.
"Not much," he proceeded, as Jack showed his doubt. "I knew ef I stayedin the wagon they'd riddle me before I could wink: same as you guessedthat thet fellow in the railway carriage would shoot yer ef yer roseyour head above the window. Thar was Uncle, too. Ef I got shot where Iwas, he was certain ter be found and an end made of him. I kinderguessed the whole thing in a flash, and then dived through the boards ofthe wagon, on to the tray below, and then into the river. There
waseight inches or more of air space beneath the boards by then, fer theledge was rising, and ef a man had stood in the river and stooped, so asto get a view, he could have seen me fer certain. But them critters wason horseback, and I reckon they never gave a thought to the under partof the wagon. Anyway, they rode up with every intention of pulling thetilt aside and shooting me the moment they could clap eyes on my figure.And I disappointed 'em. I jest waded to the edge of the wagon, fixedmyself inside one of the wheels, and when they was within five feet ofme let go with my pistol. It fixed 'em sure. They wasn't expectinganything from underneath the wagon, same as that critter in the trainwarn't expecting nothing from the roof. My bullet must have struck oneof the hosses, and the mad plunging of the beast didn't help matters forthem. Then a second bullet winged one of the men, and in a moment theywent flying. Gee! It makes me laugh now to think of the muss they gotinto. The bank war on our left, and a short cut to it took yer into deepwater. They war properly scared, and, like people in a similarcondition, they made fer safety by what seemed ter be the quickestroute. In two seconds their hosses was swimming, and before they managedto reach the bank one at least of the villains had had a narrow squeakfer his life. As fer me, I climbed on to the box, took up the reins, andsent the mules flyin' to the bank. But I didn't stay there. I turned'em, and came back over the water. Yer see, the three robbers was lefton the far side, and ef they wanted to attack again they had to crossthe ford there in full view, or had to gallop up to the other ford. Inany case it would give me time to fix matters up a little, and pay someattention to Uncle."
"You saved him," said Jack enthusiastically. "He must have been proud ofyou. You were only a boy, I must remember."
"He war a peppery feller," laughed Tom. "He came to his senses fiveminutes later, and fer a time I guess he thought the cart and the goldwere taken. Then he reckoned he'd had a baddish dream. It warn't tillthe following day thet I told him."
"And then?" asked Jack.
"He war a regular father to me. He's an old man now, living in New YorkState; but his home's mine, and his money too ef I wanted it."