"Precious!" said Bourne, with more contempt in his tone. "A fancy word."

"I hadn't finished what I meant to say, sir," said Griggs.

"Finish then," cried Bourne. "I don't believe you are a slave to the l.u.s.t for gold."

"Slave, eh?" said Griggs merrily. "Britons never shall be slaves, as you sing--nor Murricans neither. No, sir. I was going to say precious useful, when you cut me short."

"I beg your pardon, Griggs."

"Granted, sir. I was speaking as a man who has toiled for years and years to get a decent living by his plantation, and I must say, after all my disappointments I should like to drop all at once upon that gold city where the stuff's lying waiting to be carted away."

"Yes," said the doctor; "after all our lost labour it would be pleasant."

"I don't want to wear gold chains and rings, and to keep carriages,"

continued Griggs, "but I should like to have enough of the yellow stuff to put in a bank, and one might do a good deal of good if one made a pile."

"Yes, I quite agree with you," said the doctor. "We all do, and we'll work till we find it."

"Of course," cried Wilton; "but I don't like that striking off south to-morrow; why should we do that?"

"It means getting clear of the Indians," said Griggs, "and into a more likely part."

"But we should have to go right across that desert yonder. I could see it stretching away to the horizon from one point we pa.s.sed to-day."

"So did I, sir," said Griggs.

"Then why not keep hugging the mountains?"

"Or letting them hug us, Ned," whispered Chris.

"Didn't use the gla.s.s when you looked out over the salt plain, did you, Mr Wilton?" said Griggs.

"No; there wasn't any need. I could see nothing else but one vast alkali plain."

"That's a pity, sir," said the American.

"That's what I say, and I propose that we keep on in the mountains till we can see a place likely to be that we are looking for."

"Look here, gentlemen," said Griggs, "I'm Amurrican, and I speak with a slow sort of drawl which comes nat'ral to me. You don't give me time.

I've got a lot more to say about that lookout and the gla.s.s, only-- snip-snap, you cut my speech right in two."

"I'm very sorry, Griggs," cried Wilton. "Did you use the gla.s.s up there?"

"Up there, and several other places too. That's why I asked the doctor here to let me carry it."

"Well, and what did you see?" cried Wilton.

"Nothing, till we got to that highest part."

"And then?"

"Why then, right away south where the salt plains seemed to come to an end--"

"Ah!" cried the doctor.

"I could see just a line of faint clouds or shadows."

"Yes, clouds," said Wilton--"shadows."

"Nay, it warn't," said Griggs. "Clouds and shadows miles away--a hundred, perhaps--seen through this clear air look like clouds and shadows."

"Of course," said Wilton.

"Blackish or greyish. These didn't."

"How did they look then?" said Bourne.

"Like mountains, sir; just that beautiful, wonderful, soft, pale pinkish blue. We were very high up, it was as clear as clear, and I don't say how far it was off; most likely a hundred miles away, perhaps two; but there they were, a long line of 'em, some high and some low. Mountains, and no mistake, and that's where we ought to go."

"Right across that scorching desert?" said Wilton.

"Yes, sir. It won't be nice, but we'll take plenty of water."

"And risk the rattlesnakes?"

"Yes, sir, and leave the Indians to themselves here," said Griggs.

"They may have this part and welcome. We don't want it. What do you say, doctor?"

"That we'll have a good rest to-night, and climb to-morrow morning as high above us as we can to get another glimpse of your mountains, Griggs, and then map down our course by the compa.s.s and start, after making the best preparations we can. Have you anything more to say against the plan, Wilton?"

"Not a bit," cried the latter. "I didn't know that Griggs had got another range of mountains up his sleeve. There, I'm a lazy one, and I can't help longing to loaf about in a beautiful place like this. I should like to stop and shoot and explore. The place is lovely."

"Wait till we've got the gold, sir," said Griggs merrily, "and then I'm with you. Nothing I should like better than to stop about here if Mr Lo! the poor Indian, would leave us alone. But he wouldn't, I know of old, and I've a great objection to standing still for him to make a target of me and stick me as full of arrows as a porcupine. Say, I wonder we haven't seen any of those gentlemen, and those black and white fellows with the feathery tails."

"The skunks!" cried the doctor. "No, nor do we want to. Then now for a good rest. Sleep, boys, and 'pay attintion to it,' like Barney O'Reardon. This moss will feel like feather-beds to-night. My word, how dark it has grown while we have been talking! Good-night, every one. I'm half-asleep now."

Five minutes later he was quite, and the rest, saving the watch, were rapidly following his example, the only sounds heard being the distant hoot of an owl, the musical trickling of falling water, and the crop, crop of the grazing beasts.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

A NIGHT VISITOR.

Chris Lee's bed that night was a contrivance of his own. It was between two long pieces of rock, a narrow pa.s.sage which, after taking the axe to lop them off, he filled full of aromatic pine branches. These lay close and were elastic and yielding. Over them he stretched a blanket, upon which he rolled another piece of rock, which filled up one end of the narrow pa.s.sage, and there, snugly protected at head and sides, was the delightful couch for a wholesomely tired lad, only wanting another blanket to cover him if he felt chilly, or to be ready to throw off if he found it warm.

Silence, darkness save for the glittering stars on high, sweet pure air, and an excellent appet.i.te for sleep, there was all he could desire, and after laying his rifle and revolver ready and lifting his cartridge-pouch and hunting-knife a little over the rocks to prevent them from making dents in his sides, he said good-night to those near, let his head sink down, gazed for a few minutes at a brilliant star in the zenith which his father had told him was Aldebaran--one which he recollected well from its unscientific name--the Bull's-eye, he closed his own and began dreaming at once, but not pleasantly. The fact was that he had eaten a very hearty supper and lain down to sleep very soon afterwards, two rather foolish things to do if a calm and restful sleep be sought.

Chris did not know why it was--the doctor told him afterwards--but he began to dream soon afterwards of rattlesnakes. Not of such as he had seen on the rocky slope, the largest of which did not exceed six feet in length, but of dreamland rattlesnakes, monsters of twenty feet long, and with bony tails which kept up a constant whirr previous to their owners striking at that which they meant to destroy.