CHAPTER XVII.
HOW "FRENCH PAUL" GOT HURT.
"I am quite sure," said Kidd, "that the stories told to frightenoutsiders from the district, which lies there away, are invented by thereds and by the few whites who have explored it, for the same end--tokeep its metallic treasures, perchance those of precious stones;besides, here we shall perish in the storms. That horrid one nearlylaid us out stiff; I want to escape them. Within that charmed valleyvolcanoes maintain the temperature of spring; grass is eternal forcattle; the unfrozen ground can be broken up; the water always runsfor gold washing! I say, guide us into that natural garden; and in twoweeks, should no gold be found, you can depart. You shall name yourterms; and, with the goods and dollars, go your way. If we find gold,you shall have your lot as a member of the band--reduced by losses,so that the shares are not unreasonably many--as guide, and as theleader's partner!"
"You are very frank. You do not understand that an English gentlemandoes not let money influence him--"
"Bah, bah! An _hidalgo_, ay, a grandee of old Spain goes gold huntingand never dreams of a reproach to his blue blood, for the royal metalennobles its seekers. That apart, if you are here for adventure, Iforesee that you will have no lack of that--more mustard than beef!"
"Allow me another remark: whatever my taste as regards money, there isone thing I love more--my freedom."
"Great heavens! Then I am putting you in the place to be the freest inthe band. What a pilot is at sea, a guide is to a hunters' band. Thecaptain himself has to submit to many things onerous, which the guideescapes. He gives no one an account of his doings when he has beenabsent; he leaves at any hour and stays as long as he likes--the bandmust await him or go on to the rendezvous which he arranged. You cry'halt!' when you are tired, or hungry, or athirst, and we halt underthe tree you point out. Freedom? If I were not the captain, I'd ratherbe the guide, upon my honour!"
"If that is how a guide can act," remarked Dearborn, as if wavering,"I don't mind agreeing. It is fully understood that I accept out ofkindness, and because, having saved your life, I wish to complete thework, and not leave you to be overwhelmed by a blizzard on the verythreshold of the Enchanted Valley, as you esteem it!"
The captain joined in the laugh.
"More frankness," he proceeded. "My men are rough rogues, not worth theloop that will finish them, and I shall be the happier with a genuinegentleman the more at my side. Whatever your conditions, I gladly willpay them. Is it settled?"
"You shall be shown the Yellowstone Hole as if I were opening a drawingroom door, captain."
"When may we start?"
"Tomorrow, sunrise."
"That will be capital, for I expect a little reinforcement to come in."
"Then I shall give the word to start and go when I see you at dawn,"observed the hunter, taking up his rifle as he rose.
"Do you mean you are going so untimely?"
"Yes. Look here, I haven't asked a question about the reinforcement youmention, though that interests the guide. So don't you put any to me,"returned Dearborn, ironically.
"Quite right. But whilst you may keep back what you please from thechief, he must confide everything in the head scout. I am adding somewomen and children to the band. They will weaken us, but be a tower ofstrength by and bye. I can say no more at present."
"You need not have said so much."
"When you see them you will see all the women--that is, except acompanion of my dear niece--a Scotch lady, who came to our camp forrefuge from the Indians who destroyed her party."
"A regular 'squaw' band," remarked the Englishman, naturally enoughcontemptuous if he had already imbibed the hunter's sentiments.
The captain approved with a smile, but Dona Rosario seemed to frown,though she appreciated properly the sincerity of the speaker's raillery.
"Good hunting till tomorrow," said the bandit, seeing his friend andpartner clear to the outpost, and announcing his _status_ on the way toall comers.
Without waiting for the captain's return, Rosario returned to her nookin the rock.
"Good news, Ulla!" she exclaimed to the other girl, who was in someanxiety. "I have had a perfect outbreak with our tyrant, but I haveseen your brave friend. What daring to walk into the camp among so manyvillains! I declare I am quite proud of him myself, and you may wellbe jealous till I have some idol of my own. Cheer up! Happiness isbeginning to smile on us!"
The leader returned slowly to the tent. On the way he met theCarcajieu, who was walking up and down sulkily as if he disapproved ofthe new addition to the party, and the quasi-superiority accorded him.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing new yet!" was the grumbling reply.
"None of the scouts come in?"
"Part have, bringing what is left of Sydney Dick in two pieces. TheInjins have been playing high old pranks with him, hide and head! Andthe rest are probing the snowdrifts for the Frenchman. It will be awindfall for us that blew him into fifty feet of never-melting snows!"
"You don't seem to waste any affection on him!"
"It's a liar who'd say so."
"I love him no better. His treacherous face imported good to no one.But we are in no such luck to be rid of him, too."
In taking "the last squint" around, they saw pitch pine knot torchesflashing on the plain.
"What did I say? The boys have found him, you be sure."
Retracing their steps to the pickets, they found the torches coming onas slowly as in a funeral procession.
"One can never tell," observed Joe; "maybe they've had a brush with theInjins."
"Not in the dark, lieutenant. Besides, those red devils must be stillstiff with the freezing. It's those confounded bears, wild at havingbeen robbed of me."
It was quite half an hour before the solemnly silent watch broughtthe torches near enough for their light, falling on the scouts, toreveal that they carried on a handbarrow of pine poles a figure vaguelyresembling a man's.
"Have you found the Frenchman?"
"Yes, captain, but in damaged condition!"
"Do you mean to say he is hurt?"
"Have a little patience--or lend a hand, if you are in such a hurry!"cried the men.
They laid their burden down tenderly enough by a watch fire.
"A little more gently, burn your bones!" groaned Lottery Paul, throwingoff the buffalo robe coats and blankets kindly laid over him; "Don'tyou want to leave me one whole bone among 'em."
"What's come to you, friend?" queried the captain.
"A stupid question; better ask _who_ came _at_ me?--I can reply tothat, after a fashion."
"Thunder! My poor boy, your accident seems to have soured your usuallysweet temper."
"Oh, you call that an accident, do you, old man? Much obliged for anexplanation of your notion of an accident. What's your name for thefire of a battery of nine-pounders and a charge of dragoons?"
"Why don't you speak out! Tell us, or go to death your own way--if wecan't do any good to you."
"I know you can. Hand over the whisky!"
"You ass! That would be a gulp of 'sudden death' in fact."
"More nonsense! How do you know what state I am in before I tell you? Iam dying of thirst, that's just what ails me--so pass along the bottle,or I'll speak nothing."
"Give it him, and let him choke himself," said Kidd, enraged at theobstinacy.
Paul snatched the bottle and drank a long draught, his laugh minglingwith the gurgling.
"Whoop!" cried he, dropping the nearly emptied flask with a grin ofcontent. "I feel better already. A poor idea you have of a scout'soutfit, to send that cahoot out without a drink in the herd!"
"Will you talk up now, you brute?"
"Orders received for a Fourth of July oration!"
"Well, where are you hurt, to begin with?"
"All over--a bullet through the right arm, another grazed my ribs, thesmall of my back caught a rap from the butt end of a rifle, and I offera complete collection of scratches and bruises fro
m a drop into a snowpit, where a fire had melted it twenty feet--"
"My fire," ejaculated the captain.
"Oh, have I to thank you for that trick! My spirit must be prettytightly boxed up in my body, after all, not to have been bounced out.However, it looks as if I should get round after a bit, and thensomebody will ask who exploded a giant cartridge next door to hisblanket."
"Who?"
"The man that served me so. Do you fancy I have been taking myself bythe throat and levelling the snow with me!"
"If you go on with such a rigmarole, we shall understand very little."
"That's so, captain. To put it short--you sent me out on the scout.That's admitted?--Good. I spread myself to no purpose; not a trace onthe snow where even a witch wolf must have left some print. It got tobe after sun darkening, and my wolfish gnawing under my belt set mecampwards, a little careless I am afraid, for somebody heard me, and Iheard a nasty threatening voice challenge me with a 'Who goes there?'"
"'Twas a man," cried Captain Kidd.
"Unless the prairie dogs talk English," rejoined the Parisian, laughingthrough a grimace of pain. "'It's a friend,' I answered, getting my gunround to have first shot. 'Where from?' Here was a chance to get insome big lie; but I thought a white man would be best bumped off by aboast of our turnout. 'From the Montana Gold hunters! We're two hundredstrong, not twenty miles yonder.' 'I am no friend of scoundrels of yourkidney,' said this particular fellow. It looks as if he knew all aboutus. 'Pull up and pull out while your scalp is on!' 'How long since youstaked out this territory,' said I, catching a glimpse of the muzzle ofhis piece. 'I am not going to quit till you show me your papers,' and Ipulled the trigger. But the worst of it is, that when I could spy hisgun, he saw mine, and we fired together, with the shade of preferenceto the stranger. That's about while I felt the ball through my arm, andmy gun had to drop. I had it up quick in my other hand, and leaped onthe shooter. But another bullet came on me in the side, from the flash,and I was stretched on my back instantly. That fellow rushed right upto me, and held me down with his foot till I had received this speech:'You have your dose. The others will now get theirs; and, if it is alittle slow coming, it will be kept hot!'"
"The man said that?" cried Kidd.
"Clearly. That made me suppose, cap'n, that some of your acquaintancesare hovering round, and will stir you up yet."
"Go on," muttered the bandit chief, frowning, and becoming thoughtful.
"So did he--go on! I tried to get out my knife to learn how thick hisleggins were, when he turned me over and set to kicking me as if he wasbound to wear his boots out in the shortest possible time. I was rolledover and over like a log towards the river, and he yelling out the mostabusive language. 'Take that, thief! And that, _picaro!_ And that,_voleur de trappes!_ And that, assassin!' There were enough and tospare for ten apiece to all you rascals in the camp, captain included!_Luckily_, in his blind fury, he kicked me over the ends of some burntlogs, and down I fell into the pit which that fire of your'n hadmelted. I thought it was an Injin b'ar trap when I came to my senses,and I climbed out mighty rapid for fear either b'ar or Injin would dropin on me. Somehow I crawled in the proper direction, afeared to raisea woo-oo for Dick; and at last the boys hit upon me. Good boys, thoughI have swore some at 'em. They deserve their quenchers, and, old man,I'll take the balance in that flask."
He was given more drink; spirits is the panacea of such men.
"So," said Kidd, "you were unable to fulfil my charge, and have broughtback no information beyond this attack on you?"
"I saw nobody but that one man. If he who sent the second shot hadjoined in that 'booting,' the boys would have only picked up a pancake."
"This is painfully strange!"
"Oh, I think it strangely painful!"
"What kind of man was your assailant?"
"That's the puzzle," replied the railing Parisian. "By the voice, awhite man. But I did not see him. It was so dark, and he was on me likea tiger! And then he kept me rolling over and over, so that I had notone fair peep at his nose. I shall only know him again by the length ofhis foot and the tone of his voice."
"If that's all, bah!--We'll take care of him, mates."
After the excitement of his telling the misadventure, French Paul wasdull and lifeless; then he raved with pain, for he had not a dollar'sbreadth of his body without a bruise. Yet he bore the dressing andanointing with crude kerosene oil and snake juice with fortitude. Nextbegging a drink, and "freezing" to the bottle, he went to sleep drunk.His last words were: "Don't you fret, boys--any of you that I owe moneyto. I shall come up smiling; for him that's borned to be hanged won'tbe kicked to death no how."
Meanwhile Captain Kidd strayed into his tent very thoughtfully afterhaving enjoined Corky Joe to exercise the utmost vigilance.
For years upon years this desperado had struggled against society,and sported with all laws and regulations; but now he saw the horizoncircle in upon him. He could not drive away the foreboding that thehour of a terrible punishment was approaching. All night long hewalked up and down in the tent, revolving the most fantastic projects.A few minutes before sunrise, a man coughed at the tent opening inthat warning way customary where men sleep with weapons in the hand,and might, if abruptly awakened, put a bullet _mechanically_ in theinnocent arouser. The cloth was lifted and a man appeared, whom CaptainKidd greeted with joy.
It was Dearborn.
At least here was a follower who punctually kept his word.