“What’s the matter out there?” called Ned, who was helping2 Bob with the meal at the campfire in the cave.
“Another landslide3—a small one,” Tinny answered, as he and Jerry walked in from the mouth of the cavern4.
“Is it headed this way?” asked Cromley.
“Didn’t seem to be,” the mine owner answered.
“What got you all excited then, Jerry?” asked Bob, looking in the coffee pot to see if the beverage5 was boiling.
“I saw blue rock,” the tall lad replied. “Blue rock—you know—where the treasure chest was lost!”
“Is that so?” came interestedly from Cromley. “Come to think of it, we must be somewhere near[221] the place where the stage went over. We’ll take a look in the morning.”
“I don’t believe it will do you any good,” stated Tinny. “You know my opinion about that treasure chest—it’s a dream—a wild tale like lots of others going the rounds. Still, don’t let me hold you back—try to get it if you can.”
“Can’t do anything until morning,” observed Jerry. “The storm’s worse than ever outside. Ned, you stumbled into the right place when you found this cave.”
“It’s better than the abandoned mine cabin would have been,” added Tinny. “We have shelter for the horses here, and there’s no danger from lightning.”
“And from the way it sounds outside it’s striking all over,” said the mine foreman, as one loud, terrifying crack succeeded another, some even seeming to shake the cavern.
However, they were safe inside, and no better shelter could be imagined. The cave was large and airy. There was even some fodder6, such as it was, for the horses. And with a fire to dry them and their soaked garments, with food and hot drink, the plight7 of the travelers was much improved over what it had been.
“And the best thing about it—or one of the best—is that Noddy Nixon won’t bother us here,” stated Ned.
[222]
“No, he isn’t likely to pay us a call,” agreed Jerry.
They were warm and comfortable now, and they sat on the blankets about the crackling fire and ate.
“We’ll spend the night here,” said Jerry, as he went over to see how quickly some of his garments were drying. They were still very damp.
“It’s raging and tearing around now like it never would end,” observed Cromley, as he hobbled to the mouth of the cave to look out. “It’ll be worse before it’s better, in my opinion,” he added, as he came back to the blaze.
“Did you see anything of the blue rock?” Jerry inquired.
“Can’t say I did,” was the answer. “There’s a regular river pouring down the side of the hill across from this cave. Looks like it might wash away the trail.”
“Yes, it will not be easy going back,” said Tinny. “This storm is one of the worst I have ever known, and we’ll have hard going.”
“Thunder Mountain is living up to its name,” observed Ned, as another burst of the sky artillery9 made the ground tremble.
There was nothing to do but wait for the passing of nature’s outburst, and with what good[223] spirits they could summon the party prepared to remain in the cave until morning.
They had their blankets, there was food enough, plenty of coffee, and, best of all, they were within a secure shelter. At first they felt a little awed10 at being in a cave where, perhaps, never the foot of a white man had been set before. But this feeling soon wore off and, tired with their day’s journey, all soon fell into a deep sleep.
There was little use to mount guard. No one was likely to disturb them, for if travelers were abroad on the trail in all the storm, it was hardly possible that they would come to the cave, which had only been opened in the last day or so.
None of the party had any one to fear but Noddy Nixon and his two cronies, and Jerry and his companions took it for granted that the bully11 was far enough off by this time.
When the storm ceased, none in the cave knew. But it was over by morning, and when Jerry, the first to awake, looked toward the cave entrance he saw the golden yellow sunlight flashing on the opposite slope.
“Good news, fellows!” he cried, leaping up and tossing aside his blankets. “We’ve got a fair day ahead of us.”
“Wow, but I’m stiff!” groaned13 Ned. “I feel[224] like Rip Van Winkle must have felt after his twenty years on the mountain.”
“I’ve got a touch of rheumatics myself,” complained Cromley.
“You’ll be all right when you have some hot coffee,” said Bob.
“For once in your life, Chunky, you have contributed a consoling thought,” Jerry chuckled14. “So get busy with the mocha beverage.”
There was a spark of fire in the ashes, and this Bob soon coaxed15 to a blaze, on which more of the dry wood in the cave was piled.
Soon the appetizing aroma16 of breakfast was wafted17 through the cave, and it seemed to stir memories in the horses, for one of them whinnied suggestively.
“They’re hungry and thirsty,” said Cromley. “What say I turn them out of the cave? They can get a drink, anyhow. There ought to be any number of puddles18 of water along the trail.”
“Yes, and maybe they can find a bit of grass,” suggested Tinny. “Go ahead, Bill. We’ve got to treat our animals well, for we must depend on them for taking us back to Leftover19. But be sure they don’t stray.”
“I’ll tie them well,” Bill promised.
He took the animals out while Bob and Jerry got breakfast, which was a simple enough meal.[225] And with the eating of it and the moving about to exercise stiffened20 muscles, all felt better.
“Now we’ll take a look outside,” suggested Tinny, as they rose from the circle about the campfire where they had eaten. “That is, if our clothes are dry.”
This proved to be the case, and, donning their garments, the travelers fared forth21 from the cave to see what had happened in the night that they had spent in comparative peace.
“There isn’t much left of the trail!” cried Tinny, pointing.
Indeed, a little way beyond where they had turned in to enter the cave there was scarcely the semblance22 of a road. A mountain torrent23, formed by the heavy rain, had washed down the middle of the trail, making a deep gash—a miniature canyon24 in which even now a little water still trickled25.
Cromley had tethered the horses near a natural pool at which the animals had slaked26 their thirst, and now they were quietly cropping some scanty27 grass that grew on the mountain side.
“Where’s this blue rock you were telling about, Jerry?” asked Ned, as they stood for a moment near the entrance to the cave.
“It was right over there, a bit to the right,” answered the tall lad. “I only saw it by a lightning[226] flash. Maybe it was carried down into the gulch28.”
“Let’s take a look,” proposed Bob. “Is this anything like the place where the stage coach went over?” he asked Cromley.
“Well, it is, and it isn’t,” was the somewhat puzzling answer. “It’s about here, but the trail is different, somehow.”
“You must remember,” said Tinny, “that the accident happened a number of years ago. Since then there have been changes made in the trail—changes by man and changes by nature, such as happened last night. As I remember it, the old stage coach trail ran along up there, Bill,” and he pointed29 to an upper shelf of rock which wound around a spur of the mountain.
“Yes,” agreed the old miner, “that’s where it was. And that’s the same color of blue rock, too!” he suddenly cried, pointing in the direction indicated by Jerry as the place where he had seen that indigo30 hue31. “Yes, I’m pretty sure this is the place. But what a change!”
“Let’s take a look,” proposed Ned.
“Oh, come with us, Tinny,” urged Ned.
[227]
Mallison laughed, but set off after the rest of the party.
As they approached the place where Jerry had seen in the glare of lightning the landslide the night before, they all observed some blue rocks scattered34 about. It was as though some great shell had exploded, scattering35 the oddly colored stones.
“I don’t believe we’ll ever find a treasure chest here,” Ned was saying, but his words were lost in a rumble36 and roar that filled the air. Instinctively37 they all glanced up toward the top of the mountain.
Trees, bushes and a mass of earth seemed slowly moving.
“Look out!” yelled Jerry.
“There’s going to be another landslide!” cried Tinny.
“And it’s coming this way!” shouted Bob.
A moment later they were all in peril38 of their lives as a mass of the mountain, showing blue in the sun, slid toward them.
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1
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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2
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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3
landslide
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| n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利 | |
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4
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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5
beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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fodder
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| n.草料；炮灰 | |
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7
plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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10
awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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12
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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13
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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14
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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coaxed
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的过去式和过去分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱 | |
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aroma
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| n.香气，芬芳，芳香 | |
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wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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puddles
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| n.水坑， （尤指道路上的）雨水坑( puddle的名词复数 ) | |
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leftover
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| n.剩货，残留物，剩饭；adj.残余的 | |
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stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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canyon
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| n.峡谷，溪谷 | |
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trickled
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| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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slaked
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| v.满足( slake的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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gulch
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| n.深谷，峡谷 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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indigo
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| n.靛青，靛蓝 | |
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hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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33
gashed
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| v.划伤，割破( gash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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35
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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36
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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