"He will not track us now," I said breathlessly. "They'll think we have crossed."

"Then they'll think we're drowned, and go and tell mother," said Esau, stopping short. "Here, let's go back."

"Not now we have gone so far," I said. "I could not face Mr Raydon now. Besides, they will know that we could take care of ourselves."

"Course they would," said Esau. "Come on." But before we had gone a hundred yards he said, "Why they won't know it is us yet."

We tramped on as quickly as we could go for the darkness, and by degrees the barking of the dog grew more faint in the distance, and finally ceased.

"There," said Esau; "they'll be clever if they find us now."

"And we shall be clever if we find our way."

"Oh, I'll find my way. I shall never forget how to get to that place, after what happened that day."

I shuddered, for his words brought up my long illness, and made me tramp on down alongside the stream with a curious sensation of awe.

For the darkness was at times intense, and in the blackest parts the river seemed to dash and roar in a way that was startling, and as we had never heard it before.

It was all fancy of course, and so it was that the pines rose up so black that it was hard work to make out the landmarks in the valley which had grown familiar during our many wanderings.

Twice over we stopped to argue, for Esau was positive and obstinate to a degree, insisting that we had come to the right ravine, while I was as sure that we had not.

He gave way sulkily, a.s.suring me that I was going right on past it, and at last I began to think he must be correct. For I had lost all count of time in my excitement, and I stopped short.

"I've taken you right by it, Esau," I said sadly. "We must go back."

"No, you haven't," he replied, to my great surprise. "I've thought since that couldn't be it, because there was no open pool just below the fall. Don't you remember, where we saw so many trout?"

"Of course," I cried; "I remember now. Then it is lower down, and we ought to hear the noise of falling water."

We listened, but there was only the rumbling roar of the river down on our left.

"I'm afraid we're wrong," I said despondently. "If it only were not so dark!"

"Let's go on a bit further first," said Esau; and I followed him full of doubts, till we turned a corner where the river made a sudden bend, and Esau uttered a low cry.

"There it is," he said. "Hark!"

Sure enough there was the roar of a fall, and we knew that we had reached the entrance of the little side valley, where the pool lay below the falls.

Another minute, and we were pa.s.sing through a clump of little fir-trees, also familiar to us; and then Esau stopped short, for there was a bright light just in front--a light which puzzled us for a few moments, before we understood that it must be the reflection from a fire which we could not see, shining in the clear waters of the pool.

CHAPTER FORTY THREE.

OUR WARNING.

After a whispered consultation we crept on again through the trees, until we could see a good-sized fire blazing and sparkling close down by the side of the pool, and about it--some asleep, some sitting resting, and others talking--were a group of rough-looking men, whom we had not much difficulty in making out to be our visitors at the Fort.

It was plain enough. They had come down after leaving us, and had camped there for the night, perhaps found gold there; and this was their station. If so, Gunson must be higher up and safe.

I whispered my ideas to Esau, who thought for a few minutes before speaking.

"No," he said, "I don't believe they'd stop here. But p'r'aps they're quite new-comers. What shall we do?"

"Get by them," I said resolutely. "We must hurry on to Mr Gunson now."

"But how?" he whispered. "Ain't they stopping up all the road?"

"Not all," I said. "Let's go down on our hands again, and creep by."

"All right, only you go first, and be careful. Mind, if they see us they'll fire."

I don't know whether it was recklessness or desperation. I had felt timid, and had shrunk from the task at first; but now that I felt I must go on, the dread had pretty well pa.s.sed away.

Going down on my hands and knees, I found to my great satisfaction that the fire was invisible; and if so, of course we must be out of sight of the men about it. I whispered this to Esau, who responded by a grunt, which, added to his position, made him bear a strong resemblance to an animal, and for the moment it amused me, and took my attention from the difficulty of my task.

We had had to leave the track, and our way was amongst blocks of stone covered with moss, between which short stiff patches of bush grew, making our pa.s.sage difficult, and not to be accomplished without noise.

But I kept on with the light on my left, knowing that if I kept it in that position I must be going in the correct direction; and it was necessary to keep this in mind, as every now and then a tree or a block of stone forced me to diverge.

The men were talking loudly, and now and then there arose a rough burst of laughter, while there was no doubt about who the party were, for I heard an allusion made to the Fort.

Just then, as we were about level with the fire, a piece of a branch upon which I pressed my knee gave a loud crack, and the conversation ceased instantly.

We neither of us moved, but crouched there, listening to our beating hearts, and expecting to have either a shot sent in our direction, or to see part of the men come rushing toward us.

At last, after what seemed to be quite ten minutes, a voice said--

"Hear that?"

"Yes," was growled.

"What was it?"

"Don't know."

They began talking again slowly, and by degrees the conversation grew general and loud.

"Go along," I whispered, after carefully removing the dead branch, and once more our rustling progress began.

Oh, how slow it was, and how I longed to jump up and run. But we were in the opening of the little valley now, and our only chance was to creep on till we were well beyond the light cast by the fire, and so we persevered.

At last, after creeping along inch by inch, we paused, for in front of us the undergrowth ceased, and I saw an open patch of sand faintly lit by the fire, and across this we must pa.s.s to reach the shelter beyond.

"Go on first," whispered Esau, and, drawing a _long_ breath, I started, going as silently and quickly as I could into the darkness of the shelter beyond, and turned to look at Esau.