"Too much to drag home--if that is why you asked!" laughed Polly, looking up at Eleanor, with a wise shake of the head.
"To tell the truth, that is exactly what I planned to do until I saw how big he was!" laughed Eleanor.
"He must weigh at least two hundred pounds, Nolla," said Anne, who had come nearer during the examination.
"Yes, nearer two hundred and fifty pounds, I reckon," said Polly.
"I wanted to ship him to Chicago and show all of my society friends what _we_ killed during my mountain visit!" explained Eleanor.
"Your motive killed the project before you saw him," said Anne, wagging her head at Eleanor as a rebuke.
Eleanor laughed merrily. "Well, I intend having a regular exhibit when I get back! All kinds of wild things will be shown my friends. I propose having Polly and Noddy sitting upon a pedestal in the drawing-room as a sample of the wildest things on the Rockies!" laughed Eleanor, giving Polly an affectionate glance.
"Oh, Nolla, don"t talk so foolishly! As if Polly would come to Chicago!
What would she do with herself while we had to entertain?" said Barbara, pettishly, but no one hearkened.
"Maybe we can blaze a trail from here to the nearest ranch on our way home, and send some one from there to come and cart the brute home for us. I"d pay him well!" said Eleanor, not willing to forego the pleasure of showing the lion at home.
"Oh, but then, you will make these ranchers curious. Once this far, they will look about the place where we spent the night, and that will lead them to discover the mine!" said Polly.
"I forgot that! Of course it would be foolish to give any one the slightest clew to our ever being here, and of what we did while here! I see I shall have to say good-by to the lion I hoped to be lionized for!" said Eleanor, laughingly.
"With a gold mine as rich as yours, you"ll be lionized without the lion!" laughed Anne.
"By the way, did you bring your nugget, Polly?" asked Eleanor.
"Reckon I did!"
"Then before we leave, don"t you think we ought to make some sort of a plan, or mark the spot so we can find it again? We don"t want to make the same mistake old Montresor did, you know!" said Eleanor, anxiously.
"I have a plan all made. I did it while sitting by the fire this morning, before you girls were awake," said Polly, taking off her hat and removing a folded paper.
The girls were surprised at the accuracy of the sketch, and Anne said, "Any one can find it from these directions!"
"Thank you, but you see, it would be hazardous to risk any one else coming here. The importance of keeping the whole adventure a profound secret until we have duly filed papers and can claim right of ownership to the claim, can be seen now. I hardly think it wise to speak of the crevice or danger of a land-slide until after we get some inside information about taking hold of the mine," said Polly, seriously.
An hour more was used by Polly in staking a legal claim and marking the corners with heaps of stone. She also left a very deep blaze in each of the four trees that cornered the large square area she thought would cover the cavern.
Noddy soon found the Top Notch Trail when they were again on the way homeward. By riding steadily all morning, they reached the spot where the rattle-snake was waiting for transportation. Anne and the others had experienced so many greater shocks since the killing of the reptile that they felt no qualms about carrying the snake now.
When the four riders finally turned in on the Pebbly Pit Trail, it was past four o"clock. They had been going steadily since morning, without food or rest, excepting the hour they had to stop at the falls to give the animals gra.s.s and water, and the girls were the sorriest-looking lot as they dragged up the road to the house and stopped at the porch.
CHAPTER XVI
A YOUNG STRANGER IN OAK CREEK
"Glory be! You-all war givin" Mis" Brewster fits wid no sign of hide nor hair sence yistermorn!" cried Sary, rushing out of the kitchen door, the moment she heard the horses" hoof-beats.
Mrs. Brewster heard Sary and also ran out, crying, "Oh, my dear children! We"ve had such a day! Sam just went to the barn to hook up and start the ranchers on a hunt! A trapper rode in this morning and spoke of the awful blizzard that hit Top Notch Trail. Of course, we knew you couldn"t find _that_ or we"d have been still more worried!"
The girls looked at each other and laughed aloud. Mrs. Brewster shrewdly guessed the truth.
"_Did_ you find it? And where under the sun did you hide during that awful storm?" cried she, anxiously.
Sary paid no attention to a recital of trails and storms, however, for it was half past four and Jeb would have to take care of the five mounts before he could hope to come in for supper, and spend a quiet evening with her. So, to prevent any delay, she turned to Polly.
"You-all "pear to be tuckered out! Jest flop inter the cheers an" rest whiles Ah carry the hosses to th" barn. Ah"ll tell Mr. Brewster like-ez-how you-all come home, an" spared him a trip!"
Mrs. Brewster objected to the offer for she wanted Sary to finish the preparations for supper and give her time to talk with the girls. Sary, however, paid no attention to her mistress"s objections but gathered all the reins together and led the animals to the barn.
Shortly after the girls had gone indoors to drink some hot milk--for Mrs. Brewster said hot milk would take most of the fatigue out of their bodies--Sam Brewster ran down the path from the barn, and burst into the living-room.
"Well, say! Ah sh.o.r.e am glad to see you-all back home! Ah just was preparing to wire some detectives to be on the lookout in the Zoo for any lions or bears lately come in who looked unusually well-fed!"
Every one was so delighted at the reunion that Mr. Brewster"s foolishness made them laugh merrily. He hugged Polly until she cried for breath, then he shook hands over and over again with Anne and the girls, Mrs. Brewster, remonstrating meantime, that she wanted to hear of their adventures!
The girls were so eager to tell about the cavern of gold that they refused to wash and dress, or remove any stains of the climb, until after the whole story was told.
Mr. and Mrs. Brewster thought it was the tale of the trip and the trials throughout the blizzard, and they cared little for what had pa.s.sed as long as all were safe and happy again. But Polly blurted out the truth to make them listen.
"I found Montresor"s gold mine, Paw!"
It hit the mark! In the shock the news made upon the Brewsters, no one noticed Polly"s slip on the old pet t.i.tle. After a long tense period of silence, however, Sam Brewster said: "Daughter, it can"t be true!"
""Tis, though, Mr. Brewster! Polly and I crawled through the tunnel until we came out into that marvelous cavern of gold," and Eleanor sighed audibly as she thought of that sight.
"What cavern! You-all must be clean locoed with the blizzard and the long ride!" cried Mr. Brewster, testily.
The girls laughed appreciatively, for they understood just how those who remained at home would feel at such news!
So Polly sat upon her father"s knee and told him the story of the mine, from the time Choko fell over the cliff until they left the panther at the foot of the tree.
"And here"s the plan and claim, and there"s the gold!"
Polly drew the nuggets from her dress and took the papers from her sombrero, and placed them in her father"s hands.
Mrs. Brewster dropped upon her knees to the floor to look at the map and the ore, while her husband was examining the large nugget. The four girls had no idea how anxious they were about this ore until they saw Mr. Brewster carefully looking it over with the eye of an expert miner.
His first words were a decided shock.
"Ah wouldn"t set much store about this mine, girls! You-all don"t see what Ah see in this discovery. It"s gold--yes, it looks to me like red-gold of good quality, and if it is as you say--a cavern exposed so any one can value it off-hand, so much the better! But, the end of Top Notch Trail, where you doubtless spent the night, is a far haul from Oak Creek, and the chasm in front, and the mountain on top, are drawbacks to mining. However, we will ride into Oak Creek in the morning and file this claim of yours and see if it comes anywhere near to being the one old Montresor left, Polly. It would give me the keenest joy to be able to say something to a few of the mean old rascals about Oak Creek, who called me a fool for paying the funeral costs and filing the claim of that kind old man, Montresor!"
"But, Dad--father! If this mine happens to cross the claim staked by Mr. Montresor, will it interfere with our filing a new claim?" asked Polly, anxiously.
"It depends on how much ground you covered with your corners!" replied her father.