CHAPTER XXVIII.
AN INHUMAN ACT.
"I'll bet no men ever went away from a camp before without somebodysaid good-bye to them," said Jake. "They don't care where we go, orwhat luck we have, provided we don't go near the haunted mine. If theywill just stay that way until to-morrow, they can all come on at once,if they have a mind to."
Claus was the soberest man in the party. He was waiting and watchingfor that bluff at which their faithful steeds were to give up theirlives to make it possible for their owners to get away with the amountthey expected to raise at the haunted mine. There was somethingcold-blooded about this, and Claus could not bring himself to think ofit without shivering all over.
"I don't see why you can't tie them there," Claus ventured to say;"they won't make any fuss until we are safely out of the way. Itlooks so inhuman, to kill them."
"Look here!" said Bob, so fiercely that Claus resolved he would notsay anything more on the subject--"if you don't like the way we aremanaging this business, you can just go your way, and we'll go ours."
"But you can't go yet," interrupted Jake; "we are not going to haveyou go back to Dutch Flat and tell the men there what we are going todo. You will stay with us until we get that money."
"Of course he will," assented Bob. "When we get through with thathaunted mine we'll go off into the mountains, and then you'll be atliberty to go where you please."
"Of course I shall stay with you," said Claus, not a little alarmed bythe threat thus thrown out. Then he added to himself, "I reckon Iplayed my cards just right. If I can keep them from searching me, I'llcome out at the big end of the horn, no matter what happens to them."
For the next hour Claus held his peace; but he noticed that his horseturned his head and looked down the gully as if he feared they werenot going the right away. He did not remember that he had come thatroute before, but concluded that Bob was gradually leaving the trailbehind them, and was veering around to get behind the camp at DutchFlat. Then the mule which bore their pack-saddle began to besuspicious of it, too, for he threw up his head and gave utterance toa bray so long and loud that it awoke a thousand echoes among themountains.
"Shut up!" exclaimed Jack, jerking impatiently at his halter. "I hopethat bluff is not far away. We'll soon put a stop to your braying whenwe get there."
In another hour they came upon the bluff, one side of which wasbounded by a deep ravine that seemed to extend down into the bowels ofthe earth, and the other was hemmed in by lofty mountains which roseup so sheer their tops seemed lost in the clouds above. Here again themule became suspicious, for, in spite of the jerks which Jake gave athis halter, he set up another bray that sounded as if the mountainswere full of mules.
"Hold fast to him, Jake, until I take his saddle off," said Bob,hastily dismounting from his horse; "I can soon stop that, if youcan't. There--his pack is off. Take him by the foretop--don't let himget away from you. Now, then, look at you!"
The mule got away in spite of all Jake's efforts to hold fast to him.The moment the bridle was out of his mouth he dodged the grab thatJake made for his foretop, and with a flourish of his heels andanother long bray made for the gully by which he had entered thebluff. The horses made a vain attempt to follow him, and the animal onwhich Claus was mounted seemed determined to go away, but he wasfinally stopped by his rider before he reached the gully. Bob and Jakewere fairly beside themselves with anger. Bob stamped up and down soclose to the ravine that the least misstep would have sent him overthe brink, and Jake sat down on the ground and swore softly tohimself.
"I tell you, this won't do!" said Bob, coming back to the horses. "Letus put them over without the least delay; and, mind you, we won'ttake their bridles off at all. That mule will be in camp in less thanan hour, so we must make tracks. Let their saddles go, too."
The men went to work at pushing the horses over into the ravine as ifthey were in earnest. First Bob's horse went; then Jake's; and finallythey took Claus's bridle out of his hands and shoved his horse over,too. Claus did not see any of this work. The animals went over withoutmaking any effort at escape beyond putting out their feet and tryingto push themselves away from the brink; but the miners got behindthem, and all their attempts to save themselves amounted to nothing.He heard the horses when they crashed through the branches of thetrees below him, and then all was silent.
"What else could we do?" exclaimed Bob, who thought Claus lookedrather solemn over it. "Dutch Flat is not a mile from here, and someone there would have heard their whinnying. I am sorry to do it, too,but when there is ten thousand dollars in sight, I don't stop atanything. Now pitch that mule's things over, also, and then we'll getaway from here."
This being done, the three, with a small package of provisions ontheir shoulders, set out once more at a rapid pace, Bob leading theway.
For a long time no one spoke, the travelling being so difficult thatit took all their breath to keep pace with Bob; but finally he turnedabout and made a motion of silence with his hand, and then they beganto pick their way through the bushes with more caution. After a fewmoments he stopped, pushed aside the branches of an evergreen, andafter taking a survey of the scene presented to his gaze he madeanother motion, which brought his companions up beside him.
"We have caught them at it!" said he. 'Julian is on top, and Jack isdown below, shovelling dirt. Where are your revolvers?"
"Those fellows from the Flat have not come yet," said Jake, lookingall around to make sure that the boys were alone. "Lead ahead, Bob,and remember that we are close at your heels."
Leaving his provisions behind him, Bob arose to his feet, stepped outof his place of concealment and advanced toward the pit. Julian was sointent on watching his companion below that he did not hear the soundof their footsteps until they were so close to him that he could notpull his partner up; so he simply raised his head, and was about toextend to them a miner's welcome, when he saw something that made himopen his eyes and caused him to stare harder than ever. There wassomething about that short, fleshy man which he was sure herecognized. It did not make any difference in what style of clothingClaus was dressed in,--whether as a gentleman of leisure or as aminer,--his face betrayed him. He saw that it was all up with him, forhe had no time to go to the lean-to after his revolver.
"Pitch that dirt out of the bucket and come up, Jack," called Julian,shaking the rope to attract the attention of his comrade. "Claus is uphere."
There was a moment's silence; then Jack's voice came back in no veryamiable tones.
"Get away with your nonsense!" he exclaimed. "If I come up there againfor just nothing at all, I pity _you_! If Claus is there, make himshow himself."
"Why, he's your uncle," asserted Bob, who began to wonder if that wasthe first lie that Claus had told them.
"That man?" exclaimed Julian. "Not much, he ain't. Jack, is Claus youruncle?"
"Tell him to come down here and I'll see about it," said Jack, whocould not yet be made to see that there was something really going onat the top. "That makes two I have against you, old fellow."
"No, you haven't got anything against me," said Julian. "Here isClaus. Don't you see his face? Any man who would claim such an uncleas that--"
"That is enough out of you!" interrupted Jake. "Fetch that partner ofyours up, and then bring out your money--we must get away from here ina hurry."
"Well! well!" cried Jack, who happened to look up and catch a glimpseof Claus's face. "I will come up directly."
"Say, you, down there," called Bob, bending over the shaft, "if youhave a revolver down there, be careful that you keep it where itbelongs."
"Don't worry yourself," answered Jack; "I haven't anything in theshape of a revolver about me. Hoist away, Julian."
The dirt was emptied out by this time, and Jack stepped into thebucket and was promptly hoisted to the top. Then he stood waiting forthe three men to make known their wants; but he devoted the most ofhis time to scrutinizing the face of Claus, to whom he was indebtedfor the presence of the othe
r two.
"Do you think you could recognize me if you should chance to meet meagain anywhere?" asked Claus.
"Certainly, I could," answered Julian; "I would recognize you if I sawyou in Asia. You are bound to have some of that money, are you not?"
"That is just what I am here for," said Claus, with a grin. "You haveone bagful and another partly full, and we want them both as soon asyou can get them."
Jack was astonished when he heard this, for Mr. Banta had told him tokeep the full bag hidden where no one could find it. How, then, didClaus know anything about it? Julian was equally amazed; but, afterthinking a moment, he turned on his heel and led the way toward theirlean-to. Bob and his companion kept close by the side of the two boys,for they did not want them to find their revolvers before they knewsomething about it. They had heard from various sources that the boyswere fair shots, and they did not want to see them try it on.
"Well, Claus, you slipped up on one thing," said Julian; "you didn'tget any of that block of buildings--did you?"
"Come, now, hurry up!" insisted Bob. "Where are those bags?"
"Here's one you have been talking about," answered Jack, pulling thehead of his bed to pieces and producing the article in question."Julian, you know where the other one is."
While Jack was engaged in performing this work the revolvers were keptpointed straight at him, for fear he might pull out another one andturn it loose upon them before they could draw a trigger. But the boysdid not seem to care any more about the revolvers than if they hadbeen sticks of wood that were aimed at them. Claus had a revolver, buthe did not seem inclined to use it.
"Are you sure it is gold in here, and not something else?" asked Bob.
"You have got the bag in your hands, and you can look and see foryourself," said Jack.
"Go out in front of the lean-to and sit down on the ground so that Ican watch you," said Bob. "Jake, go with that boy and dig up the otherone. Is this all you have made since you have been here?"
"Yes, that's all. Now, what are you going to do with us?"
"I'll tell you when Jake comes back. Is there much more of that leaddown there?"
"Well, you have charge of the mine, now, and there is no law to hinderyou from going down and finding out," retorted Jack. "Claus, where areyou going? I don't expect to see these gentlemen any more, but Ishould like to keep track of you."
Claus did not see fit to answer this question, and in the meantimeJulian and Jake returned with the other bag.