CHAPTER ELEVEN.
THE PERIL THICKENS.
There must have been something wonderfully lulling in the roar of thatfall, and a feeling of great confidence in the fact that the colonelwould keep watch over them half the night, and John Manning, stern,tried, old soldier that he was, for the second half; for, though theboys lay there, fully convinced that they would not be able to sleep,and had visions of knife-armed Indians creeping toward them through thedarkness, they soon dropped off, and rested uninterruptedly for eighthours, when they sprang up at a touch from John Manning.
"If you gentlemen will relieve guard," he said quietly, "I'll see aboutbreakfast."
Soon after, as if nothing whatever had happened, they all sat down to ahearty meal, and that over, once more started upon their journey throughthe mountains; the Indians seeming more willing, and at the suggestionthat the mules should rest for a day or two in that luxuriant pasturage,eagerly assuring the colonel, through Cyril, that for days to come theywould find plenty, and that the road would be easier.
On hearing this, the colonel decided to go on, and soon found that theguide's words were correct; for, during the next six days, theytraversed smiling valleys, with grass and trees in abundance.Snowcapped hills rose high above them; but where they journeyed, theywere in a beautiful temperate climate, with rich soil and abundance offlowers.
This part of their journey was delightful; for the way along the passeswas easy, and the colonel, who was a dead shot, several times over addedto their larder with his gun.
But they went on in no false security; for several times over theypassed Indians, and were made fully aware of the fact that every milethey took was carefully watched, and that the leader of the expeditioninspected no mountain shelf, cave, or patch of dwarf forest, without hisacts being duly noted, though in no observant way.
Diego proved to be a perfect guide; and, making no objections now, heled them steadily on in a way which would have disarmed suspicion withsome people; but the colonel was quietly on the alert, and went onexamining plant, flower, and tree, at one time with all the patient careof a botanist; and at another time, when they were climbing some ruggedshelf in a ravine, letting no mineral escape his observation.
And all the while the little party, though they made no sign, wereperfectly well aware that they were being watched.
"Strikes me that when we've got it, they won't let us take a simple lumpof gold out of the place, Master Cyril."
"No," said the boy drily.
"But I mean some of the precious stones, Master Perry. I shall havethem."
"How?"
"Swaller 'em, sir, if I can manage it without being seen. Why, do youknow I went down by that bit o' stream, last night, to bathe my feet,and before I got there, I stopped short and sneezed, and before I hadtime to say, `Bless me!' there was an Indian's head popped up over abush, and another from behind a stone, to see what was the matter."
"Yes; I've noticed something of the kind," said Cyril thoughtfully."But I shouldn't advise you to swallow any stones you find."
"Why, sir?"
"Because they won't agree with you."
"They agree with chickens," said Manning, grinning, "and make their hardfood digest, so I don't see why they shouldn't agree with me, sir. But,I say, Master Perry, let it out now; I'm sure you'd feel a deal happierif you told us what the colonel's hunting for."
"I shall not tell you, because I don't know. My father knows best aboutwhat he's doing, I daresay. We thought, the other day, that we were ingreat danger; but you saw how quietly he took it, and how it all came tonothing."
"Perhaps the time has not come yet," said Cyril rather seriously; "don'tlet's talk too soon."
No more was said then; but a few days later, the others thought of howprophetic the boy's words had proved.
But it was not until another fortnight had passed, and a day had arrivedwhen, after journeying through a deep defile of a similar character tothat which they had threaded upon the day when they met the llamacaravan, they reached a point upon the slope of a huge mountain, fromwhich they looked down over a glorious picture of hill and dale, verdantforest and wide-reaching plain, with, in two places, thin serpentinethreads of water glistening in the sun.
"At last," said the colonel gravely. "It has been a long journey, boys,but we have reached the point I sought."
Cyril looked at him inquiringly; and Perry, who felt that he wasexpected to speak, said: "Yes; it's very grand. How different to beingin amongst the mountains!"
"Yes, boy; we can breathe out here. Did you notice the water in thelast two streams we passed?"
"Yes; very beautiful with the overhanging trees, father."
"Yes; but the way they ran?"
"No," said Perry.
"Look yonder, then," said the colonel, pointing to a little rivuletwhich leaped out from between two masses of rock. "Where is thatgoing?"
"Into another stream, I suppose," said Perry, "and that will run intoanother, and so on, till they all together form a big river, and runinto the ocean."
"Yes; but what ocean, my boy? Don't you see that we have crossed thewatershed? Till the last day or two, all the streams we passed havebeen going constantly west into the Pacific. Now we have passed throughthe mountains, and found the eastern slope, where all run down to makethe vast rivers which flow into the Atlantic."
"I should not have known," said Perry.
"Nor I," said Cyril; "but its much fresher out here."
"Yes, we have left the dry region behind, to get into the land of rainsand many waters. We saw no such forests as those which are spreadbefore us even at this height."
"Is this high, sir?" asked Cyril.
"Yes, my lad, about nine thousand feet."
"And shall we go back the same way?" asked Perry.
"Possibly, my lad, but more probably not. It depends upon the way theIndians treat us."
"But we can never find our way back any other way," cried Cyril. "Don'tthink about it. We should be lost up here in these mountains."
"No, because we have a guide with us, my boy, and if I can help it, hewill not leave us till he has seen us safely back."
Cyril said nothing, but the thought occurred to him:
"Suppose we wake some fine morning, and the guides are gone."
They camped that night on the slope of the hill, and till it was growingdark, the colonel busied himself with his glass, carefully, as it seemedto the boys, inspecting the forest in every direction, and ending byclosing the telescope with a satisfied smile, which was not lost uponCyril.
"He has found it," he said to Perry, as soon as they were alone.
"Found what?"
"What he has come after."
Perry looked at him wonderingly.
"You have found out?" he said.
"No, I wish I had; but didn't you see how pleased he seemed when he cameback to supper, and said that we should camp here for a few days?"
"Yes, I noticed that."
"Well, doesn't it mean that we have got to the spot at last that he wasin search of?"
Perry shook his head.
"Well, you see if we don't find out something to-morrow."
Perry had almost forgotten his companion's words at breakfast-time thenext morning, but they came to his memory as soon as they had done, forthe colonel said:
"Now, boys, we'll make a little expedition along the edge of the foresthere this morning. Cyril, tell the men to mind the mules don't straytoo far, and keep up the fire."
John Manning looked sharply at the colonel, as much as to say: "Then youmean me to come also, sir?"
"Yes, I want you to carry spare ammunition and the game-bag. I hope weshall have some sport along here," said the colonel, who had caught theold soldier's inquiring gaze.
Half an hour later, they were tramping along the mountain-slope, throughopen woods that were quite park-like, and gave them glimpses of thefar-spreading region below, all vested in a delicate bluish mist, whilewhere th
ey journeyed all was brilliant sunshine. There was a deliciousfeeling of spring in the air, for though the sun was hot, the air wascrisp and cool, making the task of walking easy, and giving thetravellers a feeling of elasticity, wanting when passing through thegloomy gorges of the huge mountain-chain.
The colonel led off as if he were quite accustomed to the place, thoughthere was no sign of a track, and before they had gone far, Perrywhispered a hope that they would not lose their way.
"No fear," said Cyril. "We are keeping the mountains on our left, andwe must keep them on our right as we go back. We have only to keepalong till we strike the stream, and follow it up or down till we reachour fire. I daresay we shall see it long before we are near, by thesmoke."
They had gone quite a couple of miles without seeing any trace of game,the woods being wonderfully silent. The colonel was on in front, andthe two boys about twenty yards behind, each bearing a gun, when Perrysuddenly paused.
"Where's John Manning?" he said. "I thought he was close up."
They waited, and then whistled several times, but there was no response,and then Cyril ran back to where the land was more open, but still therewas no sign; and he was about to run forward again, and signal to thecolonel to stop, when the missing man suddenly appeared with his pieceat the trail, running hard, but keeping himself bent down, to avoidbeing seen.
"What's the matter?" said Cyril, as the old soldier came up. "Seen adeer?"
"No, sir; I only had a suspicion."
"What of?"
"Struck me that Master Diego would come after us to see which way wewent."
"Well?"
"Yes, I hung back to watch, and he's half a mile behind, tracking us byour footmarks, with his head down, or else he'd have seen me."
"Come on, and tell the colonel."
They hurried forward, and joined Perry, waiting for them anxiously.
"At last," he said excitedly. "Did you see?"
"See what?"
"Those Indians."
"No. Where?" said Cyril.
"On both sides, among the trees. They are watching us. What ought weto do?"
"Rearguard closes up on the main body," said John Manning quickly."Single file, and at the double. Now, sir, you head the advance.March."
Cyril sprang forward to overtake the colonel, looking down as he trottedforward in search of trampled-down grass and broken twigs; but from thefirst he saw nothing, neither could he hear a sound, and after someminutes' progress, he pulled up short, and breathing hard.
"We had better spread out now," he said, "or we shall overlook him."
"Didn't you see which way he went?" said John Manning.
"Out this way somewhere," said Perry. "He can't be far away."
"Enemy closing in," said the old soldier in a low voice. "Forward, mylads. We must find him now."
Those last words sent a chill through Cyril, who sprang forward again,and then nearly uttered a shout; for, about fifty yards in front, hecaught sight of the colonel standing half hidden by the thick growth atthe edge of a clearing, where some dozen or so of men were busyapparently cutting wood. Beyond them were two rough huts thatched withboughs, and piled up in little stacks were fagots of the wood which themen had cut down.
They were so busy over their task, that they had not noticed thepresence of the colonel, neither did they hear the approaching footstepsas they worked on. But the colonel did, and turned and hurried back tomeet the boys, holding up his hand to command silence. His eyes wereflashing with satisfaction as they came up, and he had a branch of oneof the trees about them in his hand.
"We thought we had lost you," said Perry excitedly. "What's that?"
"The magic tree I have come all these thousands of miles to seek, boy,and now--"
"Will you cast your eye this way, sir?" said John Manning, in a hoarselow voice of warning. "Indians all around. Do it mean mischief, or arethey only friends?"
He gave his head a backward wag as he spoke, and as Cyril lookedexcitedly in the indicated direction, he saw that which made him thrusthis hand into his pouch to count the cartridges; for if the comingIndians meant offence, they as travellers were in mortal peril of losingtheir lives.