He slowly arose, with shot-gun leveled, and proved to be a pudgy fat man in dirty checkered8 shirt and faded blue overalls9 with bib and straps10; regular barnyard overalls.
"Dot is one lie," corrected the man, steadily13. "Joost like American boys, who haf no respect. You come into my gulch14 to steal mein gold und you call me 'crazy' und a 'Dootchmann,' und for dot I haf a mind to blow off your heads off. Ja!" In his anger he spoke15 with a stronger German accent than ever. "Vat16 you want, anyhow? Where you from?"
"Oh—I know you!" exclaimed Terry, gladly. "Sure I do. And you know me. You're the Lightning Express. Remember, you sold us your sacks. I thought you'd gone home. What are you doing in here?"
"Ja, ja. Sure! You are one of dose Pike's Peak Limited boys. Ja, ja! You wass driving a mule18 an' a boof'lo. Ja, ja! Well, well! An' where is dot partner—dot nice young man? And who is dis odder boy? An' what you doing in my gulch—say!"
"We didn't know it was your gulch. This boy is George Stanton. He's my partner, too. My other partner's down at Denver. We've been over in the Gregory diggin's."
"An' are you prospecting20 alone? Dere is more of you?" demanded the German, suspiciously.
"No, we're alone," assured Terry.
"Well, well. Is dot so? Den19 you needn't be afraid. I would not harm goot boys. Nein, nein." Now apparently21 in fine humor, he waddled22 forward to shake hands.
"We're not afraid," replied Terry.
"I should say not," alleged23 George. "Your gun wasn't cocked, and we could have ducked. You'd have had to fight the two of us at once, besides the dog. That's a powerful dog. He's licked an Injun."
"Is dot so?" repeated the German, eying Shep. "I stick my one foot in his mouth an' kick him mit de odder. But no, no. Fighting is not goot. I only fight to protect my gulch. Come on down; come on down to where I lif, an' we haf supper."
"This is your dust, isn't it?" queried24 George, proffering25 the pan. "It's out of that dirt. Do you own all the gulch?"
"Ja; my gulch. But nefer mind. You keep what you find. I haf plenty, plenty. Come on down now an' I show you somet'ings. You odder boy wash your pan. Den we all go."
Terry delayed not in washing his panful while he had the permission. It yielded fully26 as much yellow as had George's! Whew! They had struck rich pay-dirt, at last, and—shucks! It belonged to somebody else. However——
"Keep it, keep it," bade the German, with grand gesture. "It is not worth my bodder. I haf plenty. I gif you so much, but I do not want you to steal it."
So they carefully scraped the treasure into George's new buckskin sack already open. "We'll divvy," proposed George, "but let me carry it, will you?"—and accompanied the German down the main gulch.
"Ja," he explained, to Terry, "I did start myself back an' I sell you an' dot odder partner my sacks an' my tools an' my sauerkraut. An' den, when dose stages begin to pass me, an' peoples begin to come, I t'ink maybe I was one fool again, so I turn 'round."
"How did you get in here, though?" asked Terry. "Are you the first? Did anybody else come with you?"
"Ja, I am the first. No, nobody else come—joost me an' my family an' my wagon27 an' my oxen. People said 'the mountains, the mountains, the gold is not at Cherry Creek28, it is in the mountains'; so we go into de mountains, an' we climb up an' we climb down, an' when we get to where dere is plenty gold, we stop. Dose fellers in dot odder gulch dey come later, but I pay no attention to dem, except when one is in my gulch an' den I drive him out."
How the Lightning Express ever had managed to achieve all that "climbing up" and "climbing down" until it finally arrived here in this remote spot, Terry could not figure out—and the German seemed not to know, himself. He certainly had earned his luck. He had spoken truly, too, for now the gulch widened, and there, before, was his headquarters—a homelike camp, with the two oxen grazing, and the wagon whose torn top still displayed the legend "Litening Express," and a bough-roofed dug-out, and a clothes-line with washing waving from it, and his family hovering29 around the cook stove set under a tree.
"I find my cook stove an' pick him up," he announced. "Ja, we haf lots to eat, but no sauerkraut. Only deers an' boof'lo an' chickens an' fishes."
The menu sounded very alluring30, the Mrs. German and all the six girls, even the youngest, smiled welcome, and the two guests were disposed to stay for the promised supper. But first their host, who seemed extraordinarily31 good-natured and hospitable32, mysteriously beckoned33 them aside; led them to the wagon.
"Now I show you somet'ings," he said. "Let's get in mit us." He laboriously34 clambered in under the hood35. They followed.
Evidently the wagon was being used as a sleeping place, for the feather tick and blankets were spread, and two red-flannel night-caps hung against the frame-work. The German turned back the blankets and tick part way and exposed several fat gunny sacks wedged in amidst other stuff, all of which formed a floor.
"Gold. My gold."
"In every sack?"
"Ja." One of the sacks had a rent in the upper side. The German inserted his fingers and thumb and extracting some of the contents, displayed the sample in his pudgy, calloused39 palm. The sample was black sand, all yellowed and asparkle with glittering grains.
"I wash him cleaner when I get time," announced the German. "First I fill all my sacks up tight. Den maybe it winter an' I must go away. My wife an' I an' two leetle girls sleep in here on top; dose odder girls sleep under; nobody get my gold. I fill my sacks in my wagon, an' some day I hitch40 up my oxen an' drive off alretty." He smoothed down the bed again, over the treasure. "I am a smart man. I save some sacks, dot time when I sell."
"But you've got millions!" exclaimed Terry. "I should think you'd go out instead of staying. You can't use that gold here."
"It is notting," asserted the German. "My gulch is so much gold I cannot dig him fast enough. If I go away somebody come in an' steal." He blinked at Terry with his fat eyes. "Maybe I sell, to goot boys who would stay an' watch while I go an' come back. Den we could all work togedder."
"Sell all the gulch?"
"No, no. Maybe I sell one piece. I sell dot piece where you wash out dose pans. I haf plenty more an' I do not like to walk so far. I sell him cheap—it is notting to me, but I will not be stolen from. I sell him to goot boys for $100."
"One hundred dollars!" gasped Terry and George. They could scarcely believe their ears.
"Ja. So cheap. I will not gif him away. It is better for boys to pay a leetle somet'ings, an' when dey haf bought, den dey haf rights. One hoondred dollar—you bring in dot odder partner an' dig all you want to an' you watch my gulch, an' when I come back we all dig togedder an' get rich."
"But how much land will be ours to dig in?"
"I do not care," and the German airily waved his hand. "Dere will be t'ree of you? I sell you the right to six hoondred feet. Dot is two hoondred feet apiece. Ja. An' you watch an' don't you let anybody steal."
Terry looked at George. George was fairly purple with excitement.
"Guess we'd better take it."
"Guess we had," agreed George, gruffly.
"That's a bargain, then."
"We haven't got a hundred dollars here, though," stammered41 Terry, to the German. "We'll go back to Gregory Gulch right away and get it, and get our partner, and we'll hustle42 in here."
"Dot's all right," agreed the German. "Dot's all right. You are goot boys. I wait. I haf one sack not yet full alretty."
"We won't stay for supper," proclaimed Terry. "We'll hustle. It's nearly dark, anyway. Come on, George!"
He piled out. George piled out. The German rather tumbled out. They grabbed their tools. "Goot-bye, goot-bye," answered the German, and in a moment they were hurrying down the gulch.
"We'll sell the Gregory claims," panted Terry. "Sell to Ike. That's where we'll get the hundred dollars."
"Sure," panted George. "Talk about your pound a day! We'll make more than that in here."
"I should say! Reckon we washed out ten dollars in just those two pans."
"And there'll be millions!"
"That German has a million now!"
"Not a word of this to those Tarryall and Grab-all folks. Keep mum!"
"You bet. Don't want any stampede. We'll pretend we're going out disgusted."
"Wonder if the German expects us to stay in all winter?"
"And pile up the sand and wash cleaner after the snow comes."
"Shall we start tonight? Ought to be making tracks."
"N-no," said Terry. "It'll be dark before we can pack up. Shucks!"
For the sun had set early behind the high peaks and already the dusk was creeping into the hollows.
"We'll start first thing in the morning, then," declared George. "Hurrah45! We've struck it, haven't we?"
"That's so." The fact was so stupendous that Terry felt almost frightened over the great good fortune.
"Two days there and two days back again."
"He said he'd wait. He's got a sack to fill."
"If we don't, nobody'll guess we're rich. We mustn't go grinning 'round, just the same," babbled Terry.
"No. We'll act mad, like the rest."
And so, this evening, they were careful to appear very solemn. But of course the night was a difficult one for sleep, when a fellow's brain thronged47 with golden secrets.
And as early as they two were in their morning start for Gregory Gulch, others were as early. This camp of Grab-all was largely a disgruntled camp. There was no lumber48 on hand for sluices49, the conveniently worked ground had already been taken up by the Tarryall men, most of the newcomers were short on provisions, nobody knew but that winter would set in before many weeks; and so everybody from Gregory was planning to leave as soon as he had located a claim.
In fact, when Jenny finally was packed, and in the pink dawn unwillingly50 stepped forth51 at the bidding of "Gwan! Hep, now!" from Terry and a slap on the flank from George, half a dozen outfits52 were heading up the trail.
Urged to make the most of her long legs, Jenny pressed after.
"You boys are in more of a hurry to get out than you were to get in, seems to me," challenged one party whom they passed. "Must have heard of a new strike, eh?"
"Yes, sir-ee!" affirmed Terry, daringly. He had to say that much, or he'd burst, but of course the man did not believe him.
They made the trip in best time, and arrived at Gregory Gulch soon after sun-up of the third morning.
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1
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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2
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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muzzles
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| 枪口( muzzle的名词复数 )； （防止动物咬人的）口套； （四足动物的）鼻口部； （狗）等凸出的鼻子和口 | |
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4
boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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squatting
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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squinting
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| 斜视( squint的现在分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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checkered
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| adj.有方格图案的 | |
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overalls
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| n.（复）工装裤；长罩衣 | |
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straps
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| n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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11
gee
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| n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转 | |
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12
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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13
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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gulch
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| n.深谷，峡谷 | |
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15
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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16
vat
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| n.(=value added tax)增值税，大桶 | |
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gaped
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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18
mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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prospecting
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| n.探矿 | |
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21
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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waddled
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| v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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23
alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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24
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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proffering
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的现在分词 ) | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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28
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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29
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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30
alluring
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| adj.吸引人的，迷人的 | |
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extraordinarily
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| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
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32
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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33
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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laboriously
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| adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地 | |
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35
hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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36
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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37
blurted
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| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38
bulged
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| 凸出( bulge的过去式和过去分词 )； 充满； 塞满（某物） | |
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39
calloused
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| adj.粗糙的，粗硬的，起老茧的v.（使）硬结，（使）起茧( callous的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）冷酷无情 | |
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40
hitch
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| v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉 | |
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41
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
hustle
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| v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌) | |
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43
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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44
buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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45
hurrah
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| int.好哇，万岁，乌拉 | |
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46
babbled
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| v.喋喋不休( babble的过去式和过去分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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47
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48
lumber
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| n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动 | |
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49
sluices
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| n.水闸( sluice的名词复数 )；（用水闸控制的）水；有闸人工水道；漂洗处v.冲洗( sluice的第三人称单数 )；（指水）喷涌而出；漂净；给…安装水闸 | |
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50
unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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51
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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52
outfits
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| n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 ) | |
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