"My gracious!" he exclaimed, stopping short and looking at his companion; "how far can we have gone wrong?"
"We can find out only by returning," replied Roswell, wheeling about and leading the way back.
They walked more hurriedly than before, as a person naturally does who feels that time is precious, and he has wasted a good deal of it.
The search might have been continued for a long time but for a surprising and unexpected aid that came to them. They had halted at one of the broken places, in doubt whither to turn, and searching for some sign to guide them, when Roswell called out:
"That beats anything I ever saw!"
As he spoke3, he stooped and picked up something from the ground. Inspecting it for a moment, he held it up for Frank to see. It was a large nugget of pure gold.
"These mountains must be full of the metal," said Frank, "when we find it lying loose like that."
"Not so fast," remarked his companion, who had taken the nugget again, and was turning it over and examining it minutely. "Do you remember that?"
On one of the faces of the gold something had been scratched with the point of a knife. While the work was inartistic, it was easy to make out the letters "F. M."
"I think I remember that," said Frank; "it is one of the nuggets I found yesterday, and marked it with my initials. Those folks must have dropped it."
There could be no doubt of it. What amazing carelessness for a couple of men to drop a chunk4 of gold worth several hundred dollars and not miss it!
It must have been that the mouth of the canvas bag containing the nuggets had become opened in some way to the extent of allowing a single one to fall out.
"I wonder how many more have been lost," mused5 Frank, as he put the specimen6 in his pocket.
At any rate, it served to show the right course to follow, and the boys pressed on, looking more for nuggets than for their enemies. The mishap7 must have been discovered by the men in time to prevent its repetition, for nothing of the kind again met the eyes of the youths, who once more gave their attention to hunting for the lawless men that had despoiled8 them of so much property.
The trail steadily9 ascended10, so broken and rough that it was a source of constant wonderment how the burro was able to keep his feet. He must have had some experience in mountain climbing before, in order to play the chamois so well.
The boys fancied they could feel the change of temperature on account of the increased elevation11. They knew they were a good many feet above the starting-point, though at no time were they able to obtain a satisfactory view of the country they were leaving behind. They seemed to be continually passing in and out among the rocks and bowlders, which circumscribed12 their field of vision. Considerable pine and hemlock13 grew on all sides, but as yet they encountered no snow. There was plenty of it farther up and beyond, and it would not take them long to reach the region where eternal winter reigned14.
A short way along the new course, and they paused before another break; but although the ground was dry and hard, it was easy to follow the course of the burro, whose hoofs15 told the story; and though nothing served to indicate that the men were still with him, the fact of the three being in company might be set down as self-evident.
It would not be dark until nearly 10 o'clock, so the pursuers still had a goodly number of hours before them.
A peculiar16 fact annoyed the boys more than would be supposed. The trail was continually winding17 in and out, its turns so numerous that rarely or never were they able to see more than a few rods in advance. In places the winding was incessant18. The uncertainty19 as to how far they were behind the donkey and the men made the lads fear that at each turn as they approached it, they would come upon the party, who, perhaps, might be expecting them, and would thus take them unprepared. The dread20 of something like this often checked the boys and seriously retarded21 their progress.
"We may as well understand one thing," said Frank, as they halted again; "you have heard Jeff tell about getting the drop on a man, Roswell?"
"Yes; everybody knows what that means."
"Well, neither Mr. Hardman, nor his friend, nor both of them will ever get the drop on us."
The flashing eyes and determined22 expression left no doubt of the lad's earnestness.
"Is that because you carry a Winchester and they have only their revolvers?"
"It would make no difference if both of them had rifles."
Roswell was thoughtful.
"It is very well, Frank, to be brave, but there's nothing gained by butting23 your head against a stone wall. Suppose, now, that, in passing the next bend in this path, you should see Hardman waiting for you with his gun aimed, and he should call out to you to surrender, what would you do?"
"Let fly at him as quickly as I could raise my gun to a level."
"And he would shoot before you could do that."
"I'll take the chances," was the rash response.
"I hope you will not have to take any chances like that—"
They were talking as usual in low tones, and no one more than a few feet away could have caught the murmur24 of their voices, but while Roswell was uttering his words, and before he could complete his sentence, the two heard a sound, so faint that neither could guess its nature.
As nearly as they were able to judge, it was as if some person, in walking, had struck his foot against an obstruction25. It came from a point in front, and apparently26 just beyond the first bend in the trail, over which they were making their way.
WATCHING AT THE TURN IN THE TRAIL.
WATCHING AT THE TURN IN THE TRAIL.
"We are nearer to them than we suspected," whispered Roswell.
"And they don't know it, or they wouldn't have betrayed themselves in that manner."
"It isn't safe to take that for granted."
Roswell, after the last change in their course, was at the front. Frank now quietly moved beyond him, Winchester in hand, and ready for whatever might come. Confident they were close upon the men they sought, he was glad of the misstep that had warned them of the fact.
There certainly could be no excuse now for Hardman and his companion securing the advantage over the boys, when one of them held his Winchester half raised to his shoulder and ready to fire.
Within a couple of paces of the turn in the trail the two were almost lifted off their feet by a sound that burst from the stillness, startling enough to frighten the strongest man. It was the braying27 of the burro, not fifty feet distant.
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1
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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2
hoof
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| n.(马，牛等的)蹄 | |
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3
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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4
chunk
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| n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量） | |
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mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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6
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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7
mishap
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| n.不幸的事，不幸；灾祸 | |
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8
despoiled
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| v.掠夺，抢劫( despoil的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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10
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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12
circumscribed
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| adj.[医]局限的：受限制或限于有限空间的v.在…周围划线( circumscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；划定…范围；限制；限定 | |
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hemlock
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| n.毒胡萝卜，铁杉 | |
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reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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15
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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16
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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17
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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18
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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21
retarded
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| a.智力迟钝的，智力发育迟缓的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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23
butting
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| 用头撞人（犯规动作） | |
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24
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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25
obstruction
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| n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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27
braying
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| v.发出驴叫似的声音( bray的现在分词 )；发嘟嘟声；粗声粗气地讲话（或大笑）；猛击 | |
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