CHAPTER IV--THE ROCKING STONE
"On, Chet!" gasped Digby Fordham. "This is awful! Isn't there any otherold mine that touches the Silent Sue's tunnels?"
"Not that I ever heard of," replied his chum seriously. "_This_ was onlya chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently--"
Chet was staring about the opening in the forest. Like the place atwhich they had seen the lame Indian boy, it was an abandoned camp.Several other claims had been worked here; but the shafts of the othermines had caved in years and years before.
There was something peculiar about the filling-in of the Crayton shaft.Chet began to scrutinise the vicinity--as Dig said, "sniffing aroundlike a hound on a cold scent."
"No, sir!" muttered Chet. "It is not a cold scent."
"Heh?" growled Digby.
"There's been somebody here lately."
"Well?"
"Here's a campfire--fresh ashes. It rained three days ago. These ashesare perfectly dry and feathery. Never have been rained on."
"Quite true! Good for 'Trailer Joe, the Young Scout of the Rockies,'"chuckled Dig.
"That's all right. You can laugh," said his chum. "But I haven'tforgotten the things old Rafe has told us when we have been out hunting.It's well to remember such things."
"But what's the good now?" demanded Dig. "We can't get into the mine,and it doesn't matter who was here before us. Unless you think there'ssomebody gone down this shaft and the cave-in's shut them down there,"he added quickly.
"I don't believe that's happened," said Chet thoughtfully. He waswalking around and around the mouth of the old shaft. He stopped andpicked up the end of a tough, straight sapling.
"Why the lever, I wonder?" Chet continued. "It's been used to prysomething--The old windlass, of course. That windlass was knocked overpurposely."
"What for?" cried Dig.
"I bet the cave-in was started with this lever, too. They pried out someof the heavy timbering. This old shaft was shored-up with oak and was agood job. You know that, Dig."
"But I don't know what you're getting at," answered Digby.
"I'm getting at just this: The mouth of this old mine was closed onpurpose, and very recently."
"Oh!"
"Somebody must have had a reason for doing this, though I don't seewhat. And father was interested in the Crayton claim. I know that. Hespoke of having got control of it at a low price."
"Petered out before you and I were born, Chet," cried Digby Fordham,with impatience.
"Perhaps. But father had a reason for getting hold of it. Perhaps hethought the pay-streak of our mine was leading this way."
"Then he wouldn't have caved in this shaft," Dig said slowly.
"No, no! Somebody else did it. I--don't--see--"
"Whew!" ejaculated his chum, suddenly. "By the last hoptoad that waschased out of Ireland! I know who did it, _sure_!"
"Who?" queried the other boy wonderingly.
"Who told us we couldn't get into this shaft? Why, that lame Indian!"
"John Peep?" muttered Chet.
"Yes! Don't you remember?"
"Of course he must have known the shaft was filled up," agreed ChetHavens. "But do you suppose he had anything to do with it? Why should hecave in the pit?"
"Dunno," grumbled Dig. "But it looks funny. You don't suppose onecave-in had anything to do with the other, do you?"
"Of course not!" exclaimed Chet. "Only, the Indian boy knew of this. Hemay have been over here recently. You can see that the marks on thissapling are fresh. Well, this isn't going to help us any," he addedhopelessly. "We might as well go back. Oh dear, Dig! how will they getfather and the boys out of tunnel Number Two?"
"They're working hard, Chet," his chum said, trying to speak hopefully."We'd better go back, I expect."
"Let's breathe the horses a little," proposed his friend. "There's noparticular hurry, goodness knows! I hate to go back to Silver Run andtell mother just how the matter stands. It's a terrible thing, Dig."
"I know," muttered his chum, and walked away, unable to talk about Mr.Havens' peril in the caved-in mine.
Dig walked to the brow of a sharp slope. The opening into the Craytonmine was on a small plateau, one side of which gave right up on thesteep slope of the mountain. Landslides in the past had raked this sideof the mountain quite bare. Here and there a ledge cropped out, or aboulder, in rolling down the slope, had found lodgment; the trees thathad taken root in the thin soil were stunted and the bushes meagre.
Digby rested a booted foot upon a boulder that hung poised upon the veryedge of the plateau. He leaned forward to look down the hill, and as hedid so he felt the huge stone tip forward.
"Whew!" he ejaculated, leaping back, expecting to see the boulder slideover the precipice.
"What's the matter, Dig?" demanded Chet, turning to look at him.
"Look there!" and the other pointed to the boulder, which, instead ofslipping over the edge, rocked back into its bed, and dipped again andagain while it gradually settled into its usual position.
"A rocking stone," said Chet with a smile, seeing that his chum wasgreatly excited. "What about it?"
"Whew!" and Dig expelled his breath as he frequently did to expressemotion. "I thought I was a goner. The old rock pitched forward as if itwere going to dive right down the side of the mountain."
"If it ever does get the right push," said Chet, looking down the slope,"it will start something. It's a big one--and if it hits that gullyyonder," pointing to a groove in the mountainside below, that marked thecourse of some ancient avalanche or watercourse, "it will tear straightdown to the foot of the mountain--and that's ten miles, Dig, if it's aninch."
"Uh-huh!" admitted his chum. "Be some ruction. I'd like to see it."
He rested his weight on the rocking stone again and tried to throw itforward; but its balance seemed perfect. Just the same, when theymounted their horses and took the back track for the Silent Sue, therocking stone still was balancing to and fro as though about to plungeover the brink of the plateau.
From the level of the caved-in shaft the boys descended a slanting pathjust within the border of the forest. Through openings in the trees onthe right hand they occasionally caught a view of the avalanche-sweptspace which they had seen a few moments before from the higher level.
Chet's thought was naturally upon the trouble at the Silent Sue and hisfather's fate; so it was Dig, visually the less observant, who stoppedhis mustang suddenly and put out a warning hand to his chum.
"Hey! look there!" said Dig.
Chet glanced out upon the barren mountainside. A figure was just cominginto sight, walking up the gully. The sides of this gulch were so steepthat the boys could see right down into it.
"Lame John!" exclaimed Dig. "Now, what d'you suppose he's followed usover here for?"
"Maybe he didn't follow us," Chet said slowly. "I reckon this side ofthe mountain is free, too."
"See him sneaking up?" growled Dig. "Of course he's following us. Hetold us that old shaft was caved in--"
"No. He only told us we couldn't get down into the mine by that shaft."
"Well, he's followed us over to see what we are going to do about it--Myglo-ree! Look at that!"
There was reason for Digby Fordham's cry. With a smash and a rumble, therocking stone pitched over the brink of the hill. Whatever had held itin its bed had broken away without warning and the huge rock commencedto descend the slope at a speed that momentarily increased.
It was headed directly for the gully in which the lame Indian youth waswalking. So steep were the sides of the gully, and so swiftly was therock descending the hill, that it seemed impossible for the endangeredIndian to escape.
On the heels of Dig's cry, however, Chet Havens spurred his horse outinto the open ground. He unslung the lariat from his saddle-bow as Herogalloped to the edge of the gully.
Chet arrived there just as John Peep looked up and saw the thunderingslab plunging down upon him. He might possibl
y escape it; then again hemight be caught by it. The avalanche descending with the huge rock wasof considerable compass, and even should the Indian youth try to scalethe side of the gully, he might be swept away by some broken tree or thelike.
Dig spurred his horse over to the place and leaped downto give his chum a helping hand]
For the boulder was sweeping all before it. Dust rose in a cloud, andthrough that cloud, limbs of trees, brush, smaller stones, and otherdebris could be seen whirling.
Chet paid little attention to it, however, as he was above the gully andwas out of the course of the slide. But he doubted if the Indian ladcould easily escape, and he sent the coils of his lariat whirling downinto the hollow.
"Catch hold and I'll haul you up!" yelled the white boy.
The Indian could not possibly have heard him. By this time the roar ofthe landslide drowned all other sounds. The red youth, however,understood.
He had already started to scramble up the high wall of the gully; butthe climb was steep and difficult. He seized upon the rope and ChetHavens leaped down from his saddle.
Chet was a strong boy, despite his slender figure. He pulled in therope, hand over hand, and swung the Indian youth, kicking now and thenat the rocks, above and clear of the descending avalanche.
Dig spurred his horse over to the place and leaped down to give his chuma helping hand.
"By the last hoptoad that was chased out of Ireland!" he ejaculated."That redskin sure had a close shave, Chet! What d'you know about it,old man? Whew!"
Chet gave his hand to John Peep and helped him up to their level. TheIndian youth was breathless; but his countenance displayed no fear. Hegazed down the gulch after the roaring landslide, and shook his head.
"Much danger in that," he grunted.
"You bet your life!" exclaimed the slangy Digby. "You were never nearerthe Happy Hunting Grounds in your life."
John Peep turned sharply on Digby. "You think it is funny to talk thatway to me because I am an Indian," he said. "I do not believe in anyHappy Hunting Grounds any more than you white boys believe you go to aBig Candy-Shop when you die. That is silly."
"Oh! Ugh!" gasped Dig, surprised. "All right. Needn't get mad over it,old man."
With a gravity that seemed quite beyond his years, John Peep turned toChet. He had not changed colour in the least, nor was he disturbed byhis perilous adventure in any way.
There were not many Indians about Silver Run; and those who were therewere, as a rule, miserable creatures. Even this youth's own family werehopeless, lazy and dirty in the extreme, prone to the use of "whiteman's firewater" when they could get it.
But John Peep was more like what an Indian should be--or so Chet Havensthought. He was odd; but the white boy liked him, and when John put outhis hand Chet accepted it and shook it warmly.
"You saved me. I will not forget. Thanks!" said the Indian lad.
"Don't say anything more about it," Chet said quickly. "You'd have doneas much for me."
John Peep looked at him curiously for a moment. Digby, gettingimpatient, blurted out:
"Well! are we going to stay here all day? We might as well get back tothe Silent Sue."
"You knew the shaft up there was caved in," Chet said to the Indian."How did it happen? I wanted dreadfully to go down. I believe we couldreach my father and the other men entombed in the Silent Sue through theold tunnel from the Crayton shaft."
"Can't they be dug out through your shaft?" asked the Indian.
"I'm afraid it will take a week," said Chet huskily.
"Oh, come on, Chet!" exclaimed Dig sympathetically. "Maybe some otherway will turn up."
"White boy know any other way?" queried John Peep quickly.
"No; of course he doesn't," cried Chet. "We're at our wits' end. Thereis an awful mass of stuff fallen into the Silent Sue shaft. As much ashas fallen into this old shaft up yonder," and he pointed up the hill.
The Indian lad seemed to hesitate; but finally he turned and spokedirectly to Chet again.
"You come. Tie horses there," pointing to the woods. "I show yousomething. Be quick."
He started off abruptly, going toward the forest. Of course, he couldnot travel very fast because of his lameness. Chet and Dig looked ateach other in both surprise and doubt.
"What does he mean, d'you s'pose?" whispered Dig.
"I don't know. But it won't hurt to humour him," returned his chum.
To tell the truth, Chet Havens felt hope suddenly aflame in his heart;yet why, he could not tell.