CHAPTER XIII
EXPLANATIONS
"Wal, now," and Ham turned a puzzled and frowning face on the two boys,the moment Colonel Fremont had vanished down the street, "what are youtew yunks a-dewin' in Sacremento City? A-tryin' tew git yur necksstretched, you blamed idgits? I'll be durned, if I wouldn't like tewspank both on you!" and the frown on his face deepened. "I--"
"Oh, Ham," broke in Thure excitedly, "we've got the most wonderful storyto tell! And it all comes from that murdered miner, who, before he died,told us about a wonderfully rich mine that he had discovered; and it wasto get the map to this mine that those two dreadful men tried to get ushanged--"
"Whoa--up! Jest pull up y'ur hosses a bit," and Ham stared inastonishment at the excited boy. "You're a-goin' tew fast for me tewkeep up. Come 'long back intew th' hotel, an' tell me y'ur storystraight, not in jerks an' chunks," and he led the way back into theCity Hotel, and to a quiet corner in the big waiting-room, where theycould talk undisturbed and unheard.
Here, in low but excited voices and after exacting promises of theutmost secrecy, Thure and Bud told their wonderful story to Ham.
"Wal, I'll be tee-totally durned, if it don't sound good!" declared thatworthy, when, at last, the tale had been completed. "But thar's lots ofmighty good soundin' yarns goin' 'round camp, 'bout wonderful goldmountains an' caves of gold. Howsomever, I never heer'd tell onanybudy's really findin' any on 'em; an', I reckon, 'most on 'em is jestlies. But that thar map seems tew give y'ur yarn a look like th' truth;an', I reckon, them tew skunks must have believed th' yarn, or theywouldn't have ben so pow'ful anxious tew git th' map. Gosh, if it shouldprove true!" and Ham's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed and he drewin a deep breath. "I'll be durned, if it should prove true, if I don'tgo back tew my old home in Vermont, that I ain't seen since I was a yunk'bout y'ur age, an' buy up th' old farm, an' build a big house on it,an'--Gosh, a'mighty, if that yarn of y'urn ain't sot me tew dreamin'!"and Ham came back to the earth, looking a bit foolish. "More'n likelyit's all a lie; an' thar I was a buyin' farms an' a-buildin' houses!Queer how th' gold gits intew th' blood an' makes all humans tarnalidgits, now ain't it?" and he shook his head wonderingly.
"But, there's the map, and the big gold nugget, and all the gold thatthe murderers got from him," protested Thure. "He must have found somekind of a mine to have got that gold; and crazy folks wouldn't draw realmaps of the gold-diggings they only imagined they had discovered."
"An' you've got that map, an' that hunk of gold with you?" and again theeager light shone in Ham's eyes. "Wal, I reckon I'd like tew have a lookat that nugget an' map."
"But, not here," interjected Bud anxiously, as he glanced suspiciouslyaround the big room at a number of roughly dressed men, who werestanding in front of the bar or seated at tables playing cards. "I thinkthat we had better wait until we get to our dads, before we show up themap and the nugget. We can't be too careful. Now, how comes it that youare in Sacramento City, Ham?" and the eyes of both boys turnedinquiringly to the face of their big friend.
"Reckon you're right 'bout th' map an' nugget," admitted Hamreluctantly. "Leastwise I don't blame you for bein' some keerful aftery'ur late experience," and his own eyes glanced sharply about the room."Now, as tew my bein' here, that's soon explained. Y'ur dads an' th'rest sent me in tew git a load of camp-supplies--flour, bacon, sugar,coffee an' sech like things tew eat, 'long with some diggin' tools an'extra clothin'. Got in a leetle afore noon; an', heerin' thar was amurder trial on in th' hoss-market, I hit th' trail for th' market tewonce, bein' some anxious tew see who was a-goin' tew have their necksstretched. Wal, if I didn't 'most have tew push my heart back down mythroat with my fist, when I seed that you tew yunks was th' criminals!"
"But you made things hum, when you got started," and the eyes of Budglowed with admiration, as they rested on the face of his big friend."You just straightened things out in no time. My, but it did do me goodto see you give Brokennose that punch on the jaw!"
"Same here," grinned Ham. "But it riled me all up tew have them tew cursgit away. If ever I lay my eyes on either one on 'em ag'in," and hiseyes glinted savagely, "thar won't be no need of no rope tew hang 'em,th' cowardly murderin' skunks!" and he banged his great fist down on thetable so hard that nearly every one in the room jumped and turned theireyes curiously in his direction.
For a few minutes longer Ham and the two boys sat talking together, thenHam suddenly straightened up.
"Wal, if I ain't forgettin' all 'bout them supplies in th' excitement,"he said, hurriedly rising. "Come on, yunks, I've got tew hustle an' makeall them purchases afore night; for we've got tew git out of here aforesun-up tew-morrer," and Ham led the way out of the hotel, to where hehad left a couple of sturdy little pack-horses tied to the trees, whenhe had rushed off to see the hanging.
An open space, under the overhanging branches of a huge evergreen oak,was now selected for the camp for the night; and hither Ham and the twoboys brought their horses, and, after unsaddling and unbridling them,gave them a scanty supply of grass, bought at fifty cents a big handfull, and a little barley, at a dollar a quart. Then Bud, the two boyshad drawn cuts to see who should stay, was left to watch the camp, andHam and Thure started out to make the needed purchases.
The shops were crowded with men buying goods to take with them to thegold-mines, or diggings, as the mines were almost universally called,and paying for them with gold-dust, the name given to the fine particlesof rough gold dug out of the ground, at the rate of about sixteendollars to the ounce of gold. On every counter stood a pair of scales,with which to weigh the gold; and it was a curious sight to Thure to seethese men, whenever they bought anything, pull out a little bag or otherreceptacle, take out a few pinches of what looked like grains of coarseyellow sand, and drop them on the scales, until the required weight wasreached, in payment for the purchase. Ham, himself, had only gold-dustwith which to make his payments; and it made Thure feel quite like areal miner, when he handed the little gold-bag to him and told him toattend to the paying, while he did the selecting of the goods needed.
By sundown all the purchases were made and carried to the camp andeverything made ready for an early start in the morning.
After supper--they got their own suppers, all deciding that the food atthe hotels was too rich for their blood, or, rather, pockets--Thure andBud, boy-like, notwithstanding their weariness, wanted to take a littlestroll about the town; but Ham promptly and emphatically vetoed any sucha move on their part.
"I'll be durned if you dew!" he declared decisively, the instant thesubject was broached. "You'll stay right here in camp, an' crawl intewy'ur blankets, an' git tew sleep jest as quick as th' good Lord'll letyou. You shore have had all th' excitement you need for one day; an' th'devil only knows what trouble you'd be a-gettin' intew, if you wasallowed tew run loose, promiscus like, about th' streets of SacermentoCity at night. It's bad enough by day, as you sart'in otter know; but bynight! Not for tew yunks like you!" and Ham shook his head so decidedlyand frowningly that neither boy ventured even a word in protest againsthis rather arbitrary decision.
But, although they remained in camp, Thure and Bud never forgot thatfirst night in Sacramento City. The scenes about them were so unique, soweirdly and romantically beautiful, so suggestive of dramaticpossibilities, that they impressed themselves indelibly on memories newto such sensations.
As the sun went down a gray chill fog arose from the river and thelowlying shores and fell down over the little city like a thin wet veil,blurring and softening and reddening the light from the innumerablecamp-fires, built under the dark shadows of overhanging trees, and thebroad glows coming from canvas houses and tents, lighted from within,and the bright glares that poured through the doors and windows of themore brilliantly illuminated dance-halls and gambling-hells, giving toall a weird and dream-like aspect, fascinating, romantic, and beautiful.
Their camp was situated some distance from the center of the city'sactivities; but near enough for the sounds of its wild
revelries toreach their ears, softened a little by the distance. A dozen or morebands were playing a dozen or more different tunes from a dozen or moredifferent dance-halls, all near together along the levee and theneighboring streets; and, sometimes, high above even these discordantsounds, rose the human voice, in loud song, or boisterous shout, orpeals of rough laughter. Around some of the near-by camp-fires men hadgathered and were singing the loved home melodies; and from one of thesegroups came the voice of a woman in song, sounding singularly sweet andentrancing in the midst of all those harsher sounds. Above their heads agentle wind blew murmuringly and whisperingly through the wide-spreadingbranches of the evergreen oak; and, at their feet, snapped and crackledthe ruddy flames of their own camp-fire.
By nine o'clock the lights of the surrounding camp-fires began to growdimmer, and the songs and the laughter and the talking of the groupsaround them ceased. All these were seeking their beds or blankets; andsoon only the noise and the music, the songs and the shouts of therevelers broke the stillness of the night.
For a little while, before closing their eyes in sleep, Thure and Budlay in their blankets listening to these distant sounds of wild revelry.
Suddenly, above the music, above the songs and the shouts and thelaughter, rang out the sharp--crack--crack--of two pistol shots,followed by an instant's lull in the sounds; and then the music, thesongs, the shouts, and the laughter went on, louder and madder thanever.
At the sound of the pistol shots both boys had leaped out of theirblankets and stood listening intently; but Ham had only grunted androlled over in his blanket.
"Ham! Ham! Did you hear that?" called Thure excitedly. "Someone musthave been shot!"
"Shut up, an' crawl back intew y'ur blankets," growled Ham. "'Tain'tnone of our bus'ness, if some fool did git shot. It's probably somedrunken row. Whiskey's 'most always back of every shootin' scrap. Itbeats me," and the growl deepened, "how full-growed men, withfull-growed brains, can put a drop of that stuff intew their mouths,after they've once seen what it does tew a feller's interlect, makin' aman intew a bloody brute or a dirty beast or a grinnin' monkey; an' yit,th' best an' th' wisest on 'em goes right on drinkin' it. It shore gitsme! Now," and he turned his wrath again on the two boys, "git right backintew y'ur blankets, an' shut y'ur mouths an' y'ur eyes, an' keep 'emshut till mornin'," and once again and with a final deep rumbling growl,he rolled over in his blanket and lay still.
Thure and Bud crawled slowly back into their blankets; and, at last,with the sounds of the distant revelry still ringing in their ears, fellasleep.