"Now, what in the mischief is the feller doin" when he stoops low like that? If you asked me, I"d say he was smellin" of the tracks of the three men; but since when was a heathen Injun given a scent like a hound, tell me, Ned."
"If you watch closer, Jimmy," replied the other scout, "you"ll see that each time he bends down he is watching some blade of gra.s.s spring back to place; or else a small root that has been pressed down under the foot of that giant righting itself again. He can read those signs like a book. They tell him accurately just how long ago the foot pressed that root or blade of gra.s.s down. And so he knows what time has elapsed since the enemy pa.s.sed along here."
"Gee! it would take me a week to learn that sort of readin" signs,"
Jimmy confessed; and Teddy, who was close enough to catch all that pa.s.sed, snickered as he muttered, as though talking to himself:
"A week? Just one little stretch of seven days? Huh! you mean a year, rather."
Winding in and out in this way, the party bore deeper into the woods.
The trail led among the rocks that were now piled up on every hand. Ned, on hastily examining some of these he pa.s.sed, was forced to admit that at least they bore all the "ear-marks" of containing copper. If the syndicate had engineered a big swindle, at least, they must be given credit for picking out a likely site for a mine.
But there was Tamasjo pointing ahead, and giving his young employer to understand that they had arrived at the end of the broad trail leading from the sh.o.r.e of Hudson Bay into this wild stretch of rocky territory.
CHAPTER IX.
"SALTING" THE MINE.
The Cree Indian showed by his manner that there was need of great care in advancing any further. When the boys came creeping up to where he crouched, they understood the meaning of his gestures of warning.
Smoke was rising, and they could see a number of dingy tents grouped in a depression among the rocks. Evidently it was a camp of some sort, though just then besides the three men they had tracked there hardly seemed to be anybody around.
It was plain enough to Ned why this should be so, for he remembered about the dozen men who had spent the preceding night at the river camp, waiting for the coming of the canoes with the explorers. Those parties undoubtedly belonged here, and were even now in hiding further down the river, intending to play some prearranged scheme, with the idea of either frightening the scouts off, or else hoodwinking the investigators in some fashion.
"Ginger! but that was a good move of yours, Ned, to think of quitting the boats and coming across lots to find the old mine," said Frank, in a voice that could not be heard ten feet away.
The miners" camp was located on a brawling stream that came noisily down the rough face of the rocks. This created more or less racket, so that there was small danger of any hostile ears discovering the intruders through any sound they were likely to make.
"I second the motion," added Jack. "Think how neat we left the crowd in the lurch, and now we"ve found where the opening of this wonderful mine is, we can take a look in, while the bunch is waiting for us to drop down the river."
"That"s what I meant to do when I started on this flank movement," Ned a.s.sured them. "And I only hope we"ll be able to learn all we want, before the main lot make a change of base. It wouldn"t be nice to have them come tumbling in on us while we were inside the workings--if there _is_ any hole in the ground at all."
"I reckon we"ll find there is, all right," said Jack, confidently.
"Why d"ye say that, Jack?" asked Jimmy, who never allowed an opportunity to quiz his chums pa.s.s by unimproved.
"Because I can see where a heap of rock has been dumped down a slide, so chances are they"ve been doing some little work up here, enough to make a showing, in case a party is sent up to investigate before buying shares," was what Jack explained.
"You"re right there," admitted Teddy, as he took another look toward the side of the rocky hill close to the tent colony; "and after they"d opened up the mine, it wouldn"t be a hard job to shoot it, I should think."
"What"s that, shoot the mine, do you say?" asked Jimmy.
"Oh! that"s only a term they use in mining countries when dishonest men want to salt a mine, so as to deceive a prospective customer. Some say they shoot gold or copper ore into crevices, where it will be taken out later and shown."
At this point Ned gave them to understand that it was no time to enter into any discussion concerning the methods of conducting frauds in mining. They had work before them, and had better be about it without any more delay, since there could be no telling at what time the absent men might show up. Once they returned to the camp, of course, the chances of the scouts accomplishing much began to dwindle enormously.
From where they lay, screened by some thin brush, the scouts were able to observe the ground, and Ned could form his plan of campaign. He never wasted much time when his hand had been placed to the plow. Following the line of loose rock that had undoubtedly been carried out of some working in the hillside, he believed he could settle on the exact position of the opening.
They would have to make a detour and approach from above. Here it was to be hoped they would find enough cover to enable them to make what Jimmy called a "grand sneak" into the mouth of the mine.
In as few words as possible Ned explained this to the others, as they cl.u.s.tered around him, hanging upon his every word. Jimmy could hardly be restrained from hurrying off at once, so anxious did he seem to get started. But when Ned took hold of his a.s.sistant"s arm, and gave him one of those looks which Jimmy knew so well, the little fellow subsided immediately.
"Oh! I"m on to the curves, all right, Ned, sure I am," he hastened to mutter. "I want to scratch gravel as soon as anybody else, but I"m not going to get off my base while the other feller"s got the ball, not much. My place is to follow wherever _you_ lead; and I understand my business too, believe me."
They crawled back some little distance, until there seemed to be a good chance to climb the hillside without being discovered. Now and then the Indian, who led the column again, would pause to take his bearings, and cast a quick, apprehensive look all around him. Plainly, Tamasjo did not mean to forfeit the confidence which he knew the young white commander placed in his ability as a cautious guide.
When they had gone far enough along the side of the rough hill, made up for the most part of rocks that the Cree led them around as a rule, rather than to attempt to scale them at the risk of being seen, they once more changed their course, and headed to strike the place where all that loose stone had come from.
A signal from Ned caused the other four scouts to take particular notice of what they were coming to. It was certainly a black opening among the rocks, with all the signs of a mine before it, even to some discarded picks and shovels lying in confusion close by.
They could just see the tent colony below. Some of the boys were anxious to get inside that opening, so as to find out what its secret might be; Ned, however, did not wholly like the looks of things.
"I wish I knew where those three men had gone," he muttered so that Jack heard, and looked at him inquiringly.
"Why, what"s gone wrong now?" he inquired.
"Those men we tracked here have disappeared since we started to pa.s.s around the camp," said the other. "I"ve been looking to get a glimpse of them, and so far without any success."
"H"m! so much the better," whispered Jimmy, who was, of course, hovering near, anxious to know everything that was going on. "I must say I didn"t like their looks, and particularly old Blackbeard. He had an iron jaw and a scowl that would send a cold chill to your heart. Oh! if they"ve gone away, let"s laugh in our sleeves. I"d call it a good riddance of very bad rubbish."
"And so far as I"m concerned," added Frank, "I wouldn"t drop a single tear if the whole shooting match of rascals dropped into Hudson Bay, and couldn"t swim a stroke."
"What"s to pay, Ned?" persisted Jack, who knew that the other would not feel the way he did without some good cause.
"It"s only this," continued the leader of the explorers, "we"re bound to enter the mine, now that we"ve come so many hundred miles, just to find out the truth. Well, if those men are in there working, we stand a chance of running across the lot, and that would spell trouble, you know."
"For them, yes," remarked Jimmy, as he fondled the repeating rifle he was carrying so proudly.
"Well," admitted Jack, "seems to me that we"ll have to take the chances.
We certainly don"t mean to throw up the sponge, when we"re so near the end of the race."
"I should say not!" breathed Teddy, who had considerable pugnacity in his makeup, although not really what you would call a fighter, like Jimmy.
"What"s the use hanging around here, when that black opening invites us to come on in?" Jimmy wanted to know.
"We"d better carry out our scheme, and trust to luck to see us through,"
Frank gave as his opinion.
Ned saw that all of his chums were apparently of one mind. Really, he himself had not the least idea of backing down; his only thought had been to consider what they were likely to run across, so as to be prepared, like true scouts.
"You are all right," he observed, "and while we don"t want to run up against any new trouble, we mustn"t let that stand in our way. Francois, you and the chief lead off. And remember, everybody, to get down low enough, so that you can"t see a single tent. That"s the only way to make sure that some one in their camp won"t see us."
Jimmy nodded his head, as if pleased that they did not mean to back down; though he should have known Ned better than to suspect the other of timidity.
The two guides started for the opening, with the rest trailing after them, so that the column looked very much like a long snake in motion.