CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.
THE OLDEN FOLK.
"Pull, pull, pull!" cried Chris wildly.
"No, no!" came from below. "I'm all right. Only a big stone Iloosened. Wait a moment, and then let me go on."
Chris uttered a hoarse gasp, and turned faint, while Ned felt thehide-rope attached to the barrel turn wet and slippery in his hands.
"Go on! Gently!" cried Griggs, and the rope was once more allowed toglide steadily down; the rasping of boots on the blocks of stone belowcontinued, and at the end of another minute ceased as Griggs shoutedup--
"There, I'm all right--standing on a big block with the water rushingalong about a foot below me. Keep tight hold now. You, boys, ease downthe barrel till I shout. Don't let it go when the water grabs it.Lower away. Right! I have it; now ease a little more and a littlemore. Now keep tight; I'm going to force it under water."
It seemed to Chris that he could see everything quite plainly as theirhands which held the hide-ropes were drawn lower and lower.
"That's right," came up in Griggs' hoarse, echoing voice, which soundedas if he were panting from the way in which he was exerting himself; andthen with the barrel rope jerking violently, the boys felt a peculiarthrill and a sensation as if the weight was increasing for what seemed,though only a few minutes, a terribly long time.
"All right!" at last. "She's full. Now, then, haul up. I'm safe here,on good standing-ground. Two hold my rope. Up with the barrel."
Those at the surface needed no second order, but began to haul away,Chris's hands now growing wet as a horrible thought made him morenervous; and that thought was, What would be the consequence if the ropebroke or the barrel slipped from its fastenings?
He shuddered again and again at the idea, as with Bourne now helping,the barrel was drawn higher and higher, and then all at once was checkedby catching against some projection.
"Lower it a little," whispered Chris huskily, and the weight was allowedto descend a few inches, being in the gloom as it went down.
"Up now," cried Chris again, and the next moments were exciting in theextreme, as he anticipated another check when the projection wasreached. But Chris's gasp turned into a faint hurrah as the barrelhoops scraped over the projection, and it came up now hand over handtill it reached the surface and was drawn right away to stand amongstthe loose stones.
"Got it?" came from below.
"Yes," cried the doctor. "All right. Can you climb up?"
There was no answer for some seconds, and then the American said, in apeculiarly husky voice--
"Coming up. Haul steady."
Three pairs of hands were at the rope now, and their owners exchangedglances as they kept up a steady strain, feeling that Griggs was tryingto climb, but jerking the line again and again as if his effortsresulted in a series of slips. After the last the adventurer's effortsseemed to be so feeble that the haulers kept on steadily gathering inthe rope hand over hand, till Griggs' hands came within reach, whenChris and Ned each seized one to give the final tug which drew him overthe edge of the hole and right away to a level spot, where he sank down,apparently quite exhausted, and with a peculiarly strained look abouthis eyes.
"Feel overdone?" said the doctor.
"A little, sir," was the faint reply. "Can you give me a drop of thewater?"
This was quickly obtained, and the poor fellow swallowed it withdifficulty, and then seemed to revive a little, while the doctor, wholooked anxious, held one of his hands.
"Better now," panted Griggs. "That's beautiful water, cold and sweet;but I should have to be very bad before I dared go down to get any more.I didn't know I was such a cur."
"I felt that it was too much for a man to do, Griggs," said the doctorquietly.
"So did I, sir," was the feeble reply; "but it had to be done, and Ithought I could make a better finish out of the job. I say, niceexample to set you two lads. It has made me feel as weak as a rat.Ugh! It was very horrid when that stone gave way. I thought I wasgone."
"It was horrible!" said the doctor. "There, you succeeded; now don'tthink any more about it."
"Can't help it, sir. I feel as if I must. I say, I hope that thepeople who lived here didn't all disappear down that hole and never comeup again."
"It has quite unnerved you, Griggs," said the doctor kindly.
"I don't know about that, sir, but it has made me feel that I daren't godown that place again, even if it was to save my life. There, I'm sorryI made such an exhibition of myself. I did try to be plucky; but thatplace below there, with the water trying to sweep you off into the blackdarkness and the end, was too much for me. I believe I nearly lost mysenses once. Well," he cried, half-fiercely, after a short pause,during which he looked keenly at first one and then the other of theboys, "you've both got the laugh of me this time. Did you ever see sucha coward before?"
"Come along down below there, and see about a fire and a meal," said thedoctor quietly. "Let it go now, Griggs. You didn't feel more nervousthan I did. I was worse, I believe, for I felt guilty as well forletting you go down. There, I don't think we shall want to get ourwater from that place again."
"Why not?" said Ned suddenly. "We could get some up with a bucket ifthere was a heavy stone in the bottom. It would only meanhalf-a-bucketful at a time, but there's no reason why we couldn't dothat."
Every one glared at the speaker as if wroth with him for proposing sosimple and self-evident a means of getting at the water at a time whenthey had only succeeded at the risk of losing a valuable life.
But no one spoke, all preparing to descend the slope, at the bottom ofwhich the barrel was slung and carried between Wilton and Bourne to thespot chosen for their camp. Here a good fire was soon made, dead woodbeing plentiful, and over the evening meal, hastily prepared, theincident of the afternoon was gravely discussed, Griggs joining incalmly enough now, for he seemed to have quite recovered his nerve.
"You'll have a good examination made of this place in the morning, sir?"he said.
"I was thinking of moving off," said the doctor quietly, "and getting tosomewhere better suited for a temporary camp."
"You couldn't get a better place than this, doctor," said Griggsquietly. "I've been thinking over what young Ned here said aboutdipping out water, and he's quite right. Don't think of going until theplace has been thoroughly searched. I'm quite right now."
"Very well," said the doctor; "we'll have another day, at all events;but I do not anticipate making much of a find here."
"I don't know, sir," said Griggs gravely. "We're getting into the goldcountry now, and such a place as this wouldn't have been made fornothing, nor be the living camp of a few poor wandering Indians. Ishouldn't be a bit surprised to find traces of mining with furnaces andcrucibles for melting the gold somewhere through these openings. Theywere evidently a big race of people who lived up here."
"We shall find that out to-morrow," said the doctor. "But what aboutkeeping watch? Do you think there is any danger of Indians tracing ushere?"
"Not a bit, sir," replied the American. "They don't care much for theserocky parts; they like the plains, where their horses feel at home."
"But there must have been a big tribe here."
"No, sir; not of Indians such as rove the plains. These must have beena different kind of people--miners and builders. Your regular RedIndian thinks of nothing but his horse, his hunting, and a fight withhis enemies so as to get plunder. The people who mined for gold were adifferent kind of folk altogether."
"Well, we shall see to-morrow," said the doctor; "there are sure to besome traces of them in their old homes."
"I don't care what they were or what they did," said Chris that night,as they laid down to sleep in the dark bottom of the depression, gazingup at the great lustrous stars; "but I don't want any more water gotlike that. Ugh! It almost had a nasty taste when it was made into tea.Didn't you notice it?" he said, after a pause; but there was no reply."I say, didn't you notice tha
t the water seemed to taste nasty?" saidChris, a little louder; but still there was no reply.
"Oh, what a fellow you are!" cried the boy impatiently. "Such a one asyou are for eating and noticing everything, I should have thought you'dhave had something to say about it. Asleep again! Why, I couldn'tsleep after what we've gone through to-day, even if I tried."
That was Chris's opinion, but he evidently could sleep without trying,for the next minute he was breathing heavily, and without a singletroublous dream born of the perils of the day.