CHAPTER NINETEEN.
THE WILDERNESS AGAIN--A SPLENDID VALLEY--GIGANTIC TREES AND WATERFALLS--TOM MEETS WITH AN ACCIDENT--BOTH MEET WITH MANY SURPRISES--MYSTERIES,CAVERNS, DOLEFUL SOUNDS, AND GRIZZLY-BEAR-CATCHERS.
Mounted on gallant steeds, Ned and his friend again appear in thewilderness in the afternoon of a beautiful autumn day. They had riddenfar that day. Dust covered their garments, and foam bespattered thechests of their horses, but the spirits of men and beasts were not yetsubdued, for their muscles, by long practice, were inured to hardship.Many days had passed since they left the scene of their recentsuccessful labours, and many a weary league had been traversed over theunknown regions of the interior. They were lost, in one sense of thatterm--charmingly, romantically lost--that is to say, neither Ned nor Tomhad the most distant idea of where they were, or what they were comingto, but both of them carried pocket-compasses, and they knew that byappealing to these, and to the daily jotting of the route they hadtravelled, they could ascertain pretty closely the direction that wasnecessary to be pursued in order to strike the great San Joaquin river.
Very different was the scenery through which they now rode from that ofthe northern diggings. The most stupendous and magnificent mountains inthe world surrounded, on all sides, the valley through which theypassed, giving to it an air of peaceful seclusion; yet it was notgloomy, for the level land was broad and fertile, and so varied inaspect that it seemed as though a beautiful world were enclosed by thosemighty hills.
Large tracts of the valley were covered with wild oats and rich grass,affording excellent pasturage for the deer that roamed about in largeherds. Lakes of various sizes sustained thousands of wild-fowl on theircalm breasts, and a noble river coursed down its entire length. Oaks,chestnuts, and cypresses grew in groups all over the landscape, and upon the hill-sides firs of gigantic size reared their straight stems highabove the surrounding trees.
But the point in the scenery which struck the travellers as being mostpeculiar was the precipitous character of the sides of many of the vastmountains and the flatness of their summits. Tom Collins, who was agood judge of heights, having travelled in several mountainous regionsof the world, estimated the nearest precipices to be upwards of threethousand feet, without a break from top to bottom, but the ranges in thebackground towered far above these, and must have been at least double.
"I never saw anything like this before, Tom," said Ned, in a suppressedvoice.
"I did not believe such sublime scenery existed," replied his companion."I have travelled in Switzerland and Norway, but this surpasses both.Truly it was worth while to give up our gold-digging in order to seethis."
"Yet there are many," rejoined Ned, "who travel just far enough intoCalifornia to reach the diggings, where they remain till their fortunesare made, or till their hopes are disappointed, and then return toEngland and write a book, perchance, in which they speak asauthoritatively as if they had swept the whole region, north and south,east and west. Little wonder that we find such travellers contradictingeach other flatly. One speaks of `California' as being the mostsplendid agricultural country in the world, and advises every one toemigrate at once; while another condemns it as an arid, unproductiveregion, fit only for the support of Indians and grizzly-bears;--the factbeing, that both speak, (correctly enough, it may be), of the very smallportion of California they have respectively visited. Why, the more Itravel in this wonderful land the more I feel how very little I knowabout it; and had I returned to England without having seen this valley,I should have missed one of the most remarkable sights, not only in thecountry, but, I verily believe, in the world. If you ever return home,Tom, and are persuaded, `at the earnest request of numerous friends,' towrite a book, _don't_ dogmatise as to _facts_; remember how limited yourexperience has been, and don't forget that _facts_ in one valley are notfacts at all in another valley eight or ten miles off."
"Perhaps," suggested Tom Collins, patting the arched neck of hissteed--"perhaps the advice with which you have just favoured me might,with greater propriety, have proceeded from me to you; for, consideringthe copious variety of your sentiments on this and other subjects, andthe fluency with which you utter them, it is likely that you will rushinto print long before I timidly venture, with characteristic modesty,even to grasp the pen!"
As Tom ceased speaking they came upon a forest of pine, or fir trees, inthe midst of which towered a tree of such gigantic height, that itsappearance caused them simultaneously to draw up, and gaze at it insilent wonder.
"Can it be possible," said Ned, "that our eyes don't deceive us! Surelysome peculiarity in the atmosphere gives that tree false proportions?"
Without answering, Tom galloped towards the tree in question, closelyfollowed by his friend.
Instead of any delusive haze being cleared away, however, the tree grewlarger as they approached, and when they halted about twenty yards fromit, they felt that they were indeed in the presence of the monarch ofthe forest. The tree, which they measured, after viewing it inwondering admiration from all points of view, was ninety-three feet incircumference, and it could not have been less than three hundred andsixty feet high. They little knew that, many years afterwards, the barkof this giant tree, to the height of a hundred and sixteen feet, was tobe removed to England, built up in its original form, and exhibited inthe great Crystal Palace of Sydenham; yet so it was, and part of the"mother of the forest" may be seen there at this day.
Towards evening the travellers drew near to the head of the valley.
"We must be approaching a waterfall of no ordinary size," remarked Tom,as they rode through the dark shades of the forest, which were prettyextensive there.
"I have heard its roar for some time," answered Ned, "but until we clearthis belt of trees we shan't see it."
Just then the roar of the fall burst upon them with such deafeningviolence, that they involuntarily started. It seemed as if a mightytorrent had burst its bounds and was about to sweep them away, alongwith the forest through which they rode. Pressing forward in eagerhaste, they soon found that their having doubled round a huge mountainbarrier, which the trees had hitherto concealed from them, was the causeof the sudden increase in the roar of the fall, but they were stillunable to see it, owing to the dense foliage that overshadowed them. Asthey galloped on, the thunder of falling waters became more deep andintense, until they reached an elevated spot, comparatively free fromtrees, which overlooked the valley, and revealed a sight such as is notequalled even by Niagara itself.
A succession of wall-like mountains rose in two tiers before themliterally into the clouds, for several of the lower clouds floated farbelow the highest peaks, and from the summit of the highest range ariver, equal to the Thames at Richmond, dropt sheer down a fall of abovetwo thousand feet. Here it met the summit of the lower mountain-range,on which it burst with a deep-toned, sullen, never-ceasing roar,comparable only to eternal thunder. A white cloud of spray received thefalling river in its soft embrace, and sent it forth again--turbulentand foam bespeckled--towards its second leap, another thousand feet,into the plain below. The entire height of the fall was above threethousand feet. Its sublimity no language can convey. Its irresistibleeffect on the minds of the wanderers was to turn their thoughts to thealmighty Creator of so awe-inspiring and wonderful a scene.
Here they discovered another tree, which was so large that theirthoughts were diverted even from the extraordinary cataract for a shorttime. Unlike the previous one, this monarch of the woods lay prostrateon the ground, but its diameter near the root was so great that theycould not see over it though seated on horseback. It measured a hundredand twenty feet in circumference, and, when standing, must have beenlittle, if at all, short of five hundred feet in height.
Surrounded as they were by such noble and stupendous works of God, thetravellers could not find words to express their feelings. Deep emotionhas no articulate language. The heaving breast and the glowing eyealone indicate the fervour of the thoughts within.
For a long time theysat gazing round them in silent wonder and admiration, then theydismounted to measure the great tree, and after that Ned sat down tosketch the fall, while his companion rode forward to select a spot forcamping on.
Tom had not proceeded far when he came upon the track of wheels in thegrass, a sight which surprised him much, for into that remote region hehad supposed few travellers ventured, even on horseback. The depth andbreadth of the tracks, too, surprised him not a little. They were muchdeeper and broader than those caused by any species of cart he had yetseen or heard of in the country, and the width apart was so great, thathe began to suspect he must have mistaken a curious freak of nature forthe tracks of a gigantic vehicle. Following the track for somedistance, he came to a muddy spot, where the footprints of men andhorses became distinctly visible. A little further on he passed themouth of what appeared to be a cavern, and, being of an inquisitivedisposition, he dismounted and tied his horse to a tree, intending toexamine the entrance.
To enter a dark cave, in a wild, unknown region, with the din of athundering cataract filling the ears, just after having discoveredtracks of a mysterious nature in the neighbourhood, was so trying toTom's nervous system, that he half resolved to give it up; but theexploration of a cavern has a fascination to some dispositions whichevery one cannot understand. Tom said "Pshaw!" to himself in anundertone, and boldly stepping into the dark portals of the cave, hedisappeared.
Meanwhile, Edward Sinton finished his sketch, and, supposing that Tomwas waiting for him in advance, he mounted and galloped forward as fastas the nature of the ground would allow.
Soon he came to the tracks before mentioned, and shortly after to themuddy spot with the footprints. Here he drew rein, and dismounted toexamine the marks more closely. Our hero was as much perplexed as hisfriend had been at the unusually broad tracks of the vehicle which hadpassed that way. Leading his horse by the bridle, he advanced slowlyuntil he came to the spot where Tom's horse stood fastened to a tree,--asight which alarmed him greatly, for the place was not such as any onewould have selected for an encampment, yet had any foul play befallenhis friend, he knew well that the horse would not have been left quietlythere.
Sorely puzzled, and filled with anxious fears, he examined the spotcarefully, and at last came upon the entrance to the cavern, beforewhich he paused, uncertain what to do. The shadows of evening were fastfalling on the scene, and he experienced a feeling of dread as he gazedinto the profound gloom. He was convinced that Tom must be there; butthe silence, and the length of time he had been absent, led him to fearthat some accident had befallen his friend.
"Ho! Tom!" he shouted, on entering, "are you there?" There was arolling echo within, but no voice replied to the question.
Again Ned shouted at the full pitch of his lungs, and this time hethought he heard a faint reply. Hurrying forward eagerly, as quickly ashe dared, he repeated his shout, but the declivity of the entrancebecame so great that he lost his footing and well-nigh fell headlongdown a steep incline. He succeeded, however, in regaining his hold, andclambered back to the entrance as quickly as possible.
Here he caught up a pine-knot, struck a light and kindled it, and, withthis torch held high above his head, advanced once more into the cavern.
The voice of Tom Collins at this moment came loud and full from theinterior,--"Take care, Ned, there's a sharp descent; I've tumbled downit, but I don't think I'm much hurt."
"Cheer up, my boy," cried Ned, heartily; "I'll get you out in a minute."
The next moment he stood beside his friend, who had risen from therugged floor of the cave, and sat on a piece of rock, resting his headon his hand.
"Are you badly hurt, my poor fellow?" said Ned, anxiously, going down onone knee and endeavouring to raise his friend's head. "I fear you are.Here, try a drop of this brandy. That's it. Why, you look betteralready. Come, now, let me examine you."
The spirit revived Tom at once, and he replied cheerfully, as hesubmitted to inspection,--"All right, I was only stunned a little by thefall. Catch me exploring again without a light!"
On examination, Ned found, to his great relief; that his friend's hurtswere slight. He had been stunned by the severity of his fall, but nobones were broken, and only a few scratches received, so that, afteranother sip of brandy, he felt almost as well as ever. But he firmlyresisted his companion's entreaty to leave the cavern.
"No, my boy," said he, "after paying such a price as entrance fee, I'mnot going to quit until I have explored the whole of this cave, soplease go out for another pine-knot or two, and I'll wait for you."
Seeing that he was determined, Ned obeyed, and soon returned withseveral fresh torches, two of which were ignited, and a bright lightsent far and wide into the roof of the cave, which was at a great heightabove them.
The walls were of curious, and in some places grotesque, forms. Immensestalactites hung from the roof, and these were of varied colours,--palegreen, pink, and white,--while some of them looked like cascades, whichsprang from the walls, and had been petrified ere they quite reached theground. The roof was supported by natural pillars, and various archedopenings led into similar chambers, some of which were larger and morecurious than the outer one.
"Do you know," said Ned Sinton, as they sat down on a rock in one of theinner chambers to rest, "this place recalls vividly to my remembrance astrange dream which I had just before leaving England."
"Indeed!" said Tom; "I hope you're not a believer in dreams. Don't, Ibeseech you, take it into your head that it's going to be realised atthis particular moment, whatever it was."
"It would take a very strong amount of belief indeed to induce me toexpect the realisation of _that_ dream. Shall I tell it you?"
"Is it a very ghostly one?" inquired Tom.
"No; not at all."
"Then out with it."
Ned immediately began the narration of the remarkable dream with whichthis story opens, and as he went on to tell of how the stout oldgentleman snuffed gold-dust, and ultimately shot up to the roof of thecave, and became a golden stalactite, Tom Collins, whose risibletendencies were easily roused, roared with laughter, until the vaultedcaverns echoed again. At the end of one of these explosions, the twofriends were struck dumb by certain doleful and mysterious sounds whichproceeded from the further end of the inmost chamber. In starting tohis feet, Tom Collins let fall his torch, and in the convulsive clutchwhich he made to catch it, he struck the other torch out of Ned's hand,so that instantly both were left in the profoundest darkness, with theirhearts beating like sledge-hammers against their ribs.
To flee was their first and natural impulse; but to flee in the dark,over rough ground, and with very imperfect ideas as to the position ofthe cave's outlet, was dangerous.
"What _is_ to be done?" ejaculated Tom Collins in a tone that indicatedthe perturbation of his heart too clearly.
At that moment Ned remembered that he had a box of matches in the pocketof his hunting-coat; so, without answering, he drew it forth, struck alight, and re-ignited the torches.
"Now, Tom," he said, "don't let us give way to unmanly fears. I have nobelief whatever in ghosts or spirits, good or evil, being permitted tocome in visible or audible form to frighten poor mortals. Every effecthas a cause, and I'm determined to find out the cause of these strangesounds. They certainly proceed from animal lungs, whether from man orbeast remains to be seen."
"Go ahead, then, I'll follow," said Tom, whose courage had returned withthe light, "I'm game for anything that I can see; but I confess to youthat I can _not_ stand howls, and groans and darkness."
Notwithstanding their utmost efforts they failed to discover the causeof the mysterious sounds, which seemed at times to be voices muttering,while at other times they swelled out into a loud cry. All that couldbe certainly ascertained was, that they proceeded from the roof of theinnermost cavern, and that the centre of that roof was too high to bediscerned by torch-light.
"What shall we do now?" inquired
Tom.
"We shall go to the summit of the hill above this cave, and see what isto be seen there. Always look at both sides of a mystery if you wouldfathom it; come along."
In a few minutes they stood in open air, and once more breathed freely.Mounting their horses, they ascended the steep slope of the hill abovethe cave, and, after some trouble, reached the summit. Here the firstthing that met their gaze was a camp-fire, and near to it several menengaged in harnessing their horses to a large waggon or van. Thefrantic haste with which they performed the operation convinced Ned thathe had discovered the cause of the mysterious voices, and that he andTom had been the innocent cause of frightening the strangers nearly outof their wits. So engrossed were they with their work, that ourtravellers advanced within the circle of light of their fire before theywere discovered. The man who first saw them uttered a yell, and thewhole party turned round, seized their rifles, and, with terror depictedon their countenances, faced the intruders.
"Who comes here?" shouted one.
"Friends," answered Ned, laying down his rifle and advancing.
Instantly the men threw down their arms and resumed the work ofharnessing their horses.
"If ye be friends," cried the one who spoke first, "give us a hand. Iguess all the fiends in the bottomless pit are lo-cated jist below ourfeet."
"Listen to me for one moment, gentlemen," cried Ned Sinton. "I think Ican relieve your minds. What have you heard or seen?"
At these words the men stopped, and looked inquiringly at theirquestioner.
"Seen! stranger, we've seed nothin', but we've _hear'd_ a sight, wehave, I calc'late. We hear'd the imps o' darkness talkin' as plain as Ihear you. At first I thought it was somebody at the foot o' the hill,but all of a suddent the imps took to larfin' as if they'd split, jistunder my feet, so I yelled out to my mate here to come an' yoke thebeasts and git away as slick as we could. We wos jist about ready toslope when you appeared."
Ned now explained to them the cause of their alarms, and on search beingmade, a hole was found, as he had anticipated, close at hand among thebushes, which communicated with the cavern below, and formed a channelfor the conveyance of the so-called mysterious sounds.
"And now," said Ned, "may I ask permission to pass the night with you?"
"You're welcome, stranger," replied he who seemed to be the chief of theband--a tall, bearded American, named Croft, who seemed more like abandit than an honest man. His comrades, too, six in number, appeared awild and reckless set of fellows, with whom one would naturally desireto hold as little intercourse as possible; but most men at theCalifornian diggings had more or less the aspect of brigands, so NedSinton and his companion felt little concern as to their characters,although they did feel a little curious as to what had brought them tosuch a wild region.
"If it is not taking too great a liberty," said Ned, after answering thethousand questions put to him in rapid succession by his Yankee host,"may I ask what has brought you to this out-of-the-way valley?"
"Bear-catchin'," answered the man, shortly, as he addressed himself to alarge venison steak, which a comrade had just cooked for him.
"Bear-catching?" ejaculated Ned.
"Ay, an' screamin' hard work it is too, I guess; but it pays well."
"What do you do with them when caught?" inquired Tom Collins, in asomewhat sceptical tone.
"Take 'em down to the cities, an' sells 'em to fight with wild bulls."
At this answer our travellers stared at the man incredulously.
"You're strangers here, I see," he resumed, "else you'd know that wehave bull and bear fights. The grizzlies are chained by one leg and thebulls let loose at 'em. The bulls charge like all possessed, but theyfind it hard to do much damage to Caleb, whose hide is like adouble-extra rhinoceros. The grizzlies ginerally git the best of it;an' if they was let loose, they'd chaw up the bulls in no time, theywould. There's a great demand for 'em jist now, an' my trade iscatchin' 'em alive here in the mountains."
The big Yankee stretched out his long limbs and smoked his pipe with thecomplacent aspect of a man who felt proud of his profession.
"Do you mean that you seven men catch fall-grown grizzly-bears alive andtake them down to the settlements?" inquired Ned in amazement.
"Sartinly I do," replied the bear-catcher; "an' why not, stranger?"
"Because I should have thought it impossible."
"Nothin''s impossible," replied the man, quietly.
"But how do you manage it?"
Instead of replying, the Yankee inquired if "the strangers" would stayover next forenoon with them.
"With much pleasure," answered Ned, not a little amused at theinvitation, as well as the man's _brusque_ manner.
"Well, then," continued the bear-catcher, shaking the ashes out of hispipe, and putting it into his hat, "I'll let ye see how we do it in themornin'. Good-night."
So saying, he drew his blanket over his head and resigned himself tosleep, an example which was speedily followed by the whole party.