CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR.
ONWARD.
Whether the Indians followed up their trail the peril finders neverknew, for they saw no more of that tribe, and wandered on for days insafety, passing into a new tract of country which Griggs hailed withdelight.
"It's not goldy land," he said, pointing, "but a place where we can do adeal of hunting and lay up stores--dried meat for stock--before we enterthe mountains yonder."
"Why do you say that?" asked Ned. "Because of those old bleachedbones?"
"Yes: buffalo. That means going on for months. Once we hit upon thetail-end of a drove we can hang on to them as long as we like, and headthem in towards the mountains and forest-land yonder. There's a peakthere that looks very like the one we want to find."
But the weeks went on, during which the bison-drove was found, andsupplied the party with all the meat they needed, and sport besides, atthe long gaunt wolves always on the lookout for the weakly calves.There was sport too with the bears, and a narrow escape for the doctorfrom a grizzly which overtook and clawed him from his pony's back, theend seeming very near. But Chris Lee's rifle-bullet was quicker thanthe huge bear, whose skin when sun-dried, became the doctor's bed bynight when it was hot, his cover when it was cold.
Then the great peak, reached at last, gave the adventurers a wondrousview all round, but not of the golden city, which always seemed to befarther off, while none of the peaks they found accorded with the oldprospector's map.
But as the time glided on adventures were always at hand. Anotherstrange rock city was discovered, evidently inhabited at a later date,for here the old dwellers' domestic implements were plentiful in thecell-like homes cut in the terraces of cliff or canon. Great earthenhandmade pots that had evidently held some kind of grain, flint-headsfor arrows, and those of larger size which might have been used forspears.
And so the journeying went on, with times when Indians surprised theparty and were driven off, while others again that were found by arushing river proved friendly and willing to show the strange whitepeople how it was possible to get mule-loads of a kind of salmon in aday from the rushing waters for present eating, and for splitting openand drying in the sun.
Then bison again--another salmon-river--a narrow escape from a horribledeath by thirst once more--encounters with rattlesnakes--the discoveryin a great open plain of the cause of a distant roaring sound likewater, just at a time when it was once more wanted most. And there itwas where they could look down, Tantalus-like, from the brink of a vastcrack in the level plain and see a vast river foaming along half-a-milebelow them, never to be reached.
And then a year had passed, and the second began, as full of adventureand excitement as ever. But by this time, while still pursuing thephantom gold, they had learned by experience the value of keeping nearsalmon-river and verdant rolling plain where bison were still plentiful,and the adventurers' larder was always well supplied.
They led the life of the Indians of the plain, save that the finding ofthe golden city and temple was always kept in mind.
Twice over Griggs declared that though they had not found it they haddiscovered the high-road which led directly there. It was a watery waybetween perpendicular cliffs, and the place had been hailed for itspromise of salmon, which they shot and speared as they glided in shoalsover the yellow sands.
It was after scooping a wounded fish from the swift waters that Chrisafterwards took the tin hanging from his belt and stood knee-deep tofill the vessel with the clear cold water fresh from the mountains.
"Hand me a tinful," cried Ned, who stood aloof so as not to wet hisbuffalo-skin boots.
It was boy-like. Chris filled the tin, and giving Griggs a merry look,scooped it half full of sand as well.
"I say, it feels precious heavy," cried Ned, as he raised it to hislips. "Yah!" he shouted, and he was about to toss the contents backover the giver, but Griggs caught him by the arm.
"I'll drink that," he said; "I'm not afraid of a little sand."
He drank till the sand touched his lips, and then held it in thesunshine, looking into the tin, stooped and refilled it, and rinsed itround, to pour away a mixture of sand and water, refilled again, andrepeated and repeated till nearly all the sand had gone; and then heheld out the cup in triumph, for the others to see a few glisteningpieces of yellow metal about as big as small, smooth, flattened shot.
"Gold!" he cried. "Now then, all we have to do is to follow up thisriver into the mountains. The golden city is there."
And they followed that river for weeks, living upon the salmon, andwashing for gold from time to time, and rarely without finding a fewtiny nuggets, while the river grew more narrow, more rugged, moredifficult of access, and drove them at last into cutting off curves andwindings in the vast plain through which it flowed.
But the golden city was not there, nor anywhere else in theirwanderings, which at last from sheer necessity in the way of suppliesdrew near an end.
But the journey was not yet over, for, to the surprise of all, theydropped one day upon a large settlement, with stores and all thenecessaries required by civilised man.
Here they rested and recouped for a month, exciting no surprise, forprospectors were common objects there. Neither did their departure,after they had purchased all they needed, excite remark, for men camefrom the mountains to buy powder and blankets, and wandered off again inparties, generally with mules to bear their loads.
It was like getting out of prison to be far away in the wilds again, theboys said; and then the search went on week after week, month aftermonth, always in vain; but despair and disappointment never cast ashadow over their little camp, for it was a delightful, healthy,exciting life, with every day bringing something new, and the goldencity appearing generally in the distance after their most tiring days,when they had eaten, drunk of the crystal waters, and rolled themselvesin their blankets to sleep.
It was then that the golden city came, bright and tempting, the visionsof their dreams always luring them on when they rose refreshed by theirrest in the clear air of the mountain or the plain.
"Oh, we're going to do it yet," Griggs would say merrily; and then theytramped to rest their ponies, and galloped when there was game afoot,and the time went on--and on--and on.