"This Indian has played a white man"s part to me," he told himself.
"And his business is his own and not mine."
"Come," said Kish Taka abruptly out of the silence into which they had sunk. "Cool now, we go."
They had but little water remaining in Howard"s canteen, and Kish Taka scorned carrying water for himself; but he had outlined the trail they would take and appeared confident that they would not suffer from lack of water. They struck out toward the south-east, the Indian swinging along ahead, his body stooped a little forward, his thin arms hanging loose at his sides. Several times Howard stopped to drink; the Indian drank once only before their arrival at the spring. Here they rested and ate. The night was already far advanced and glorious with its blazing stars, and they did not tarry long. In half an hour they moved on again. As day was breaking Kish Taka led the way up a steep-sided mesa and, catching Howard"s arm, pointed out toward the east.
"Here we turn," he explained. "Not so far that way, maybe two hours, we find more water. Then we go that way," and he indicated that they must bear off a little to the south, "and more water. Then we sleep in shade. Then at night, not too far, see your place."
It came about that all that Kish Taka had predicted was so. They found water; they spent the long day in the shade of some stunted trees; they ate all but a few sc.r.a.ps of their food; they went on again at sundown.
In the pink flush of another dawn they stood together on the uplands back of Last Ridge and saw before them and below them the green of Desert Valley. In the foreground, a thin wisp of smoke arose from the spot where the Longstreets were camped.
"Kish Taka go back now." The Indian stood, arms folded across his gaunt chest, eyes hard on Howard"s. "Back to the Bad Lands to sit down. Soon Kish Taka"s dog comes and with him a man. And while he waits, Kish Taka will make many stones piled up on his brother."
He swung on his heel to go. But Howard caught at his arm.
"Wait," he said. "Two things! One, where that fire is are two people.
An old man and a girl. They are my friends, Kish Taka."
Kish Taka nodded.
"My frien"s," he said simply.
"The other thing," said Howard. "Kish Taka, hungry, killed my calves.
He left gold. When again Kish Taka is hungry, let him kill as many calves as he pleases. But let him keep his gold."
Again the Indian nodded. And this time Howard let him go.
The Indian went back toward the Bad Lands, swift, silent, and in a little was lost in the distance. He did not once turn. Howard withdrew his eyes and sent them questing down toward the wisp of smoke.
His thoughts were wandering. And last they winged to Jim Courtot.
"Jim Courtot," he muttered under his breath, as though the man were with him, and as he saw fancied visions of things to be, "I have it in my heart to be almost sorry for you."
Then he shrugged, filled his lungs with the fresh clean cool air which rose up across the miles from his own pastures and set his feet into the trail that would lead home--by way of the Longstreets. Now he walked eagerly. In half an hour he had made his way down to the flat upon which the canvas shanty stood. He came on, the fatigue gone from a stride that was suddenly buoyant; there was a humorous glint in his eyes as he counted upon surprising them; he would just say, casually, that he had dropped in, neighbour-style, for breakfast.
Then he saw Helen, her upturned, laughing face rosy with the newly-risen sun. Before her, looking down into her eyes, was John Carr. Howard came abruptly to a dead halt. They saw him, and Helen called something to him. Again he came on, but the joyous spring had gone out of his stride and he realized in a dull, strange fashion that for the first time in his life he was not glad to see his old friend.
Chapter XV
The Golden Secret
"Good morning, Mr. Howard!" cried Helen gaily. Her cheeks were still rosy, flushed, thought Howard quickly, less with the flood of the dawn than with some sudden rush of blood stirred by something that Carr had been saying. Then as she gave him her hand, inspired by the imp of the moment, she ran on: "You should have been here last night! Shouldn"t he, Mr. Carr? Sanchia was here!"
"Mrs. Murray?" demanded Howard, wondering and therefore floundering into Helen"s trap. "What was she doing here?"
Helen appeared to be in the lightest of spirits this morning. Her laughter was one of sheer joyousness. Her eyes were dancing as she retorted:
"Mrs. Murray? Who said Mrs. Murray? I was talking about Sanchia. Mr.
Chuck Evans rode her over last night, asking if we had seen you."
Howard bit his lip. Carr laughed. Then, seeing the look upon his friend"s face, he grew grave immediately and put out his own hand, saying merely:
"We wondered what had become of you, Al. And now to have you come in from that direction--and on foot! What"s happened?"
"A side-winder scared my horse into breaking its tie-rope and leaving me on foot. And I"ve had enough walking to last me seven incarnations.
h.e.l.lo, Mr. Longstreet," as he saw the professor step out of his canvas house. Howard went forward to meet him, leaving John Carr with Helen.
"Just the man I was wishing to see," beamed Longstreet, shaking hands enthusiastically. "I was on the verge of taking up the matter with your good friend Carr last night, but something prompted me to wait until this morning, in hopes you would come. I--I seem to know you better, somehow." He lowered his voice confidentially. "Those two out there are just a couple of youngsters this morning. You and I will have to be the serious brains of the occasion."
Howard glanced over his shoulder. Carr"s broad back was turned to him, Helen"s eyes, glancing toward the shack, were sparkling.
"Fire away," he said colourlessly. "What"s in the wind?"
"First thing--Had breakfast yet?"
Oddly, Howard had no longer any appet.i.te for coffee and bacon, though he had hungrily swallowed his last bit of dried meat an hour ago.
"Then," said Longstreet eagerly, "come in here where we can talk." And to Helen he called, "My dear, I want a few words with Mr. Howard."
"Oh, we won"t disturb you," Helen laughed back at him. It struck Howard that she would laugh at anything this morning. "Mr. Carr and I were just going up on the cliff for the view."
Longstreet came in and dropped the flap behind him. Then he stepped to a shelf and took down a roll of paper which he spread upon the table.
Howard looking at it with lack-l.u.s.tre eyes saw that it was a sort of geological chart of the neighbourhood. Longstreet set his finger upon a point where he had made a cross in red pencil.
"It"s there," he announced triumphantly.
Howard was thinking of the view from the cliff and failed to grasp the other"s meaning.
"What"s there?" he asked.
"Gold, man!" cried Longstreet. "Gold! Didn"t I say it was as simple as A B C to find gold here? Well, I"ve done it!"
"Oh, gold." And even yet Howard"s interest was not greatly intrigued.
"I see."
Longstreet stared at him wonderingly. And then, suddenly, Howard came to earth. Why, the thing, if true, was wonderful, glorious! With all his heart he hoped it was true; for Longstreet"s dear old sake, for Helen"s. He studied the map.
"That would be right over yonder? About half a mile from here? In Dry Gulch?"
"Precisely. And it has been there since the time Dry Gulch was not dry but filled with rushing waters. It has been there for any man to find who was not a fool or blind. It rather looks," and he chuckled, "as though it had been waiting since the Pliocene age for me."
"You are sure? You haven"t just stumbled upon a little pocket----"
Longstreet snorted.
"I am going into the nearest fair-sized town right away," he said emphatically, "to get men and implements to begin a moderate development. It is a gold mine, my dear young sir--nothing else or less. Here; look at this."