So, after much arguing and explaining, it was decided that every one should be ready to start down-trail at the earliest streak of daylight.
That night the girls and Mrs. Brewster slept on the pine-beds--or at least the city girls slept, while Polly and her mother rested even as they waited for the first warning call from the guard, who sat by the fire that was started to keep away the wild beasts.
The hours pa.s.sed without any new signals, and at three o"clock Mike called out that he was ready to start. The girls demurred about getting up at that hour, but Polly was too energetic to give them any peace. So, shortly after three, the entire party started down Indian Trail, traveling as swiftly as possible.
"Now see here! why do all you men come down, too? I thought it was only the womenfolk who had to get out of the way!" exclaimed Eleanor, wonderingly.
"If, any claim-jumpers are about to stake out our land up there who is there left to stop them?" added Anne, suspiciously, when she saw the deep concern on every man"s face as he rode single file down the path.
"Wall, now, seem" as we-all are well along the way down, Ah may as well tell you-all: thar hain"t goin" to be no danger of any claim-jumpers staking your land if Old Grizzly knows anything about it. Thar war a turrible avalanche yesterday and a leetle one at suppertime; it looks like-es-how anuther powerful one will hit the trail any moment. That"s why we-all air runnin" away as fast as our hosses kin go," explained Bill.
"Oh! Tell Mike to hurry!" cried Barbara.
"No fear but what we-all are as crazy to git down as you kin be, young leddy," said Bill, soothingly.
After four hours" hard traveling, the riders came to a small park where Mike said they could rest and cook their breakfast, and feed the horses.
From a certain spot on the clearing on this mountain-side, the peak of Old Grizzly Slide could be seen opposite them, dazzling in the sunshine.
"Well, the old rascal is still up there," declared Anne.
"But you-all can"t say how soon its skirts will whisk and send down the trash that always ruins a forest," added Bill.
Even as he spoke, a strange sight was presented to the group who were admiring the sparkling peak. A great mist seemed to rise suddenly from its pinnacle, spreading out and obscuring the sun for a time. Then an ominous rumble echoed along the crest, and rolled down the slopes. The mist was suddenly sucked down by some tremendous force, and then a mighty tremor shook the ground where the escaped riders stood.
The horses seemed to know instinctively that there was some upheaval of nature taking place, for they quivered along their sensitive nerves and nosed the air questioningly. Several of the highbred animals pulled at their halters and, with drawn-back lips, snapped viciously at the air as if to warn away the destruction.
"Oh, oh! Will it hit us?" wailed Barbara.
"No, we are safe on this opposite up-trail now. But a few hours delay in getting away this morning and we would have been caught in the drift,"
said Sam Brewster, wiping beads of cold perspiration from his brow.
"Daddy, you don"t think that avalanche was on the side of our gold mine, do you?" asked Polly, plaintively.
"Pretty close to Choko"s Find, Polly dear," said her father.
"Humph! Gol" all gone dis time!" added Mike, dramatically.
"Oh no! don"t say that, Mike!" wailed Polly.
"Not _our gold mine_!" added Eleanor, with gasping breath.
"Mebbe no! Mike t"ink yes."
There fell a silence at that, and each one looked at the other, while the same thought pa.s.sed through their minds: "If that slide buried Choko"s Find again, where would they all have been had they remained in the cave?"
CHAPTER IV
JOHN AND HIS FRIEND ARRIVE
Nothing could have been done to avert the catastrophe on Grizzly Slide, so the adventurers finished their breakfast in silence. Mrs. Brewster seemed the only one who appeared grateful for their safety. Doubtless, the others felt a certain _sense_ of thanks but they were so disturbed over the evident loss of the mine again, that it was paramount with them.
Having packed the camp dishes, Mike started on the trail again, silently followed by the rest. Not until they reached Bear Forks where the roads separated, was anything more said about the mine.
"Jeb can accompany the ladies to Pebbly Pit, while Ah ride on to Oak Creek to meet the train that will bring John and his friends. It doesn"t look as if we-all can use their knowledge now, but we may as well talk things over seeing that like-as-how they will have had the long trip here," ventured Mr. Brewster, thoughtfully.
"We-all ought to make up a crowd to go up and try to find Haywuth"s body. Mebbe it will show when the snow"s melted from the slope," added Bill.
"Sam, why don"t you-all plan while on your ride to Oak Creek, to take Top Notch Trail the same time John and Tom take the expert up? The larger the party the less danger of accident, you know," suggested Mrs.
Brewster.
"Are we going with them, mother?" Polly said, in a pleading tone.
"No, indeed, child! Aren"t you cured with what happened this time?"
""Lightning never strikes in the same place twice," Mrs. Brewster," said Eleanor, hopefully.
"And you know, Maw, such a terrible slide has not occurred here-abouts in twenty years," quickly added Polly, dropping back into her ranch vernacular in her anxiety. "It may be another twenty years before such another slide happens."
"And we can get all the gold out of the cave that we need in a short time," Barbara reminded them.
This made the men laugh, as the girl"s words showed how little she really understood the situation up on the peak.
"Well, we can talk things over better when the boys are present to advise us. Meantime, you-all ride home and rest up. Ah"ll bring the boys along about night-fall," said Mr. Brewster.
The inhabitants of Oak Creek had felt the trembling of the ground caused by the huge land-slide on Grizzly, and knowing that so many of their prominent citizens were there at the time, they were grouped about the public house anxiously talking over the chances for escape that might be had on the mountain-top.
At first sight of the returned men, a wild welcome rang out, not only from the families who feared their men-folks might never return, but also from the citizens who were genuinely glad to see Bill and his posse, and Simms and his boy, safely back.
After having had his hand shaken as if it were a pump-handle, Sam Brewster continued on to the station to await the train from Denver. As he sat on the edge of the horse-trough thinking over the recent thrilling experiences, he suddenly realized that if Polly had lost her mine again, she might also lose her desire to go away to school in the Fall. This seemed a happy thought, for he sat beaming at the old box-car until the whistle announced the over-due local.
Two handsome young men jumped from the rear platform the moment the train slowed down, and soon Mr. Brewster had one of them by both hands giving him a hearty welcome.
"Now, Dad, try your muscle on Tom"s arm. Mine has had enough for one day," laughed John, placing an arm affectionately over his father"s shoulder.
With a young man on either side explaining why the expert was not with them, Sam Brewster walked down the street towards Simms" office. Both young men were eagerly talking so the older man had not told them about the avalanche.
"I was saying to John, what a different town this will be the moment we begin operations on Polly"s claim," said Tom Latimer.
"As the train pulled in I tried to look at the station and streets through future gla.s.ses--seeing the rows of fine store-buildings and the thrift that always follows on the heels of a rich find," added John.
"We"ll drop in Simms" office, boys, as I have to borrow his horses. I came on to meet you without bringing any mounts," said Mr. Brewster.
Both young men laughed heartily at this admission, and Tom said teasingly: "I suppose you were so excited over Polly"s discovery of gold that you clean forgot we were city chaps who are not overfond of hiking over these trails."
Simms was talking to the coroner about the witnesses to the death of Bill"s man, and the newly arrived young engineers heard him say: "Sam Brewster was the other one who escaped that death."