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The Iron Trail, a novel by Rex Beach |
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Chapter 23. A New Crisis |
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_ CHAPTER XXIII. A NEW CRISIS With the completion of the railroad to the glacier crossing there came to it a certain amount of travel, consisting mainly of prospectors bound to and from the interior. The Cortez winter trail was open, and over it passed most of the traffic from the northward mining-camps, but now and then a frost-rimed stranger emerged from the canon above O'Neil's terminus with tales of the gold country, or a venturesome sledge party snow-shoed its way inland from the end of the track. Murray made a point of hauling these trailers on his construction-trains and of feeding them in his camps as freely as he did his own men. In time the wavering line of sled-tracks became fairly well broken, and scarcely a week passed without bringing several "mushers." One day, as O'Neil was picking his way through the outskirts of the camp, he encountered one of his night foremen, and was surprised to see that the fellow was leading a trail-dog by a chain. Now these malamutes are as much a part of the northland as the winter snows, and they are a common sight in every community; but the man's patent embarrassment challenged Murray's attention: he acted as if he had been detected in a theft or a breach of duty. "Hello, Walsh. Been buying some live stock?" O'Neil inquired. "Yes, sir. I picked up this dog cheap." "Harness too, eh?" Murray noted that Walsh's arms were full of gear--enough, indeed, for a full team. Knowing that the foreman owned no dogs, he asked, half banteringly: "You're not getting ready for a trip, I hope?" "No, sir. Not exactly, sir. The dog was cheap, so I--I just bought him." As a matter of fact, dogs were not cheap, and Walsh should have been in bed at this hour. Murray walked on wondering what the fellow could be up to. Later he came upon a laborer dickering with a Kyak Indian over the price of a fur robe, and in front of a bunk-house he found other members of the night crew talking earnestly with two lately arrived strangers. They fell silent as he approached, and responded to his greeting with a peculiar nervous eagerness, staring after him curiously as he passed on. He expected Dr. Gray out from Omar, but as he neared the track he met Mellen. The bridge superintendent engaged him briefly upon some detail, then said: "I don't know what's the matter with the men this morning. They're loafing." "Loafing? Nonsense! You expect too much." Mellen shook his head. "The minute my back is turned they begin to gossip. I've had to call them down." "Perhaps they want a holiday." "They're not that kind. There's something in the air." While they were speaking the morning train pulled in, and O'Neil was surprised to see at least a dozen townspeople descending from it. They were loafers, saloon-frequenters, for the most part, and oddly enough, they had with them dogs and sleds and all the equipment for travel. He was prevented from making inquiry, however, by a shout from Dr. Gray, who cried: "Hey, Chief! Look who's here!" O'Neil hastened forward with a greeting upon his lips, for Stanley was helping Eliza and Natalie down from the caboose which served as a passenger-coach. The young women, becomingly clad in their warm winter furs, made a picture good to look upon. Natalie had ripened wonderfully since her marriage, and added to her rich dark beauty there was now an elusive sweetness, a warmth and womanliness which had been lacking before. As for Eliza, she had never appeared more sparkling, more freshly wholesome and saucy than on this morning. "We came to take pictures," she announced. "We want to see if the bridge suits us." "Don't you believe her, Mr. O'Neil," said Natalie. "Dan told us you were working too hard, so Eliza insisted on taking you in hand. I'm here merely in the office of chaperon and common scold. You HAVE been overdoing. You're positively haggard." Gray nodded. "He won't mind me. I hope you'll abuse him well. Go at him hammer and tongs." Ignoring Murray's smiling assertion that he was the only man in camp who really suffered from idleness, the girls pulled him about and examined him critically, then fell to discussing him as if he were not present. "He's worn to the bone," said Eliza. "Did you ever see anything like his wrinkles? He looks like a dried apple," Natalie declared. "Dan says he doesn't eat." "Probably he's too busy to chew his food. We'll make him Fletcherize--" "And eat soup. Then we'll mend his underclothes. I'll warrant he doesn't dress properly." "How much sleep does he get?" Natalie queried of the physician. "About half as much as he needs." "Leave him to us," said Eliza, grimly. "Now where does he live? We'll start in there." O'Neil protested faintly. "Please don't! I hate soup, and I can't allow anybody to pry into my wardrobe. It won't stand inspection." Miss Appleton pointed to his feet and asked, crisply: "How many pairs of socks do you wear?" "One." "Any holes?" "Sometimes." Natalie was shocked. "One pair of socks in this cold! It's time we took a hand. Now lead us to this rabbit-hole where you live." Reluctantly, yet with an unaccustomed warmth about his heart, O'Neil escorted them to his headquarters. It was a sharp, clear morning; the sky was as empty and bright as an upturned saucepan; against it the soaring mountain peaks stood out as if carved from new ivory. The glaciers to right and left were mute and motionless in the grip of that force which alone had power to check them; the turbulent river was hidden beneath a case- hardened armor; the lake, with its weird flotilla of revolving bergs, was matted with a broad expanse of white, across which meandered dim sled and snow-shoe trails. Underfoot the paths gave out a crisp complaint, the sunlight slanting up the valley held no warmth whatever, and their breath hung about their heads like vapor, crystallizing upon the fur of their caps and hoods. O'Neil's living-quarters consisted of a good-sized room adjoining the office-building. Pausing at the door, he told his visitors: "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but your zeal is utterly misplaced. I live like a pasha, in the midst of debilitating luxuries, as you will see for yourselves." He waved them proudly inside. The room was bare, damp, and chill; it was furnished plentifully, but it was in characteristically masculine disorder. The bed was tumbled, the stove was half filled with cold ashes, the water pitcher on the washstand had frozen. In one corner was a heap of damp clothing, now stiff with frost. "Of course, it's a little upset," he apologized. "I wasn't expecting callers, you know." "When was it made up last?" Eliza inquired, a little weakly. "Yesterday, of course." "Are you sure?" "Now, see here," he said, firmly; "I haven't time to make beds, and everybody else is busier than I am. I'm not in here enough to make it worth while--I go to bed late, and I tumble out before dawn." The girls exchanged meaning glances. Eliza began to lay off her furs. "Not bad, is it?" he said, hopefully. Natalie picked up the discarded clothing, which crackled stiffly under her touch and parted from the bare boards with a tearing sound. "Frozen! The idea!" said she. Eliza poked among the other garments which hung against the wall and found them also rigid. The nail-heads behind them were coated with ice. Turning to the table, with its litter of papers and the various unclassified accumulation of a bachelor's house, she said: "I suppose we'll have to leave this as it is." "Just leave everything. I'll get a man to clean up while you take pictures of the bridge." As Natalie began preparing for action he queried, in surprise, "Don't you like my little home?" "It's awful," the bride answered, feelingly. "A perfect bear's den," Eliza agreed. "It will take us all day." "It's just the way I like it," he told them; but they resolutely banished him and locked the door in his face. "Hey! I don't want my things all mussed up," he called, pounding for re-admittance; "I know right where everything is, and--" The door opened, out came an armful of papers, a shower of burnt matches, and a litter of trash from his work-table. He groaned. Eliza showed her countenance for a moment to say: "Now, run away, little boy. You're going to have your face washed, no matter how you cry. When we've finished in here we'll attend to you." The door slammed once more, and he went away shaking his head. At lunch-time they grudgingly admitted him, and, although they protested that they were not half through, he was naively astonished at the change they had brought to pass. For the first time in many days the place was thoroughly warm and dry; it likewise displayed an orderliness and comfort to which it had been a stranger. From some obscure source the girls had gathered pictures for the bare walls; they had hung figured curtains at the windows; there were fresh white covers for bed, bureau, and washstand. His clothes had been rearranged, and posted in conspicuous places were written directions telling him of their whereabouts. One of the cards bore these words: "Your soup! Take one in cup of hot brandy and water before retiring." Beneath were a bottle and a box of bouillon tablets. A shining tea-kettle was humming on the stove. "This is splendid," he agreed, when they had completed a tour of inspection. "But where are my blue-prints?" "In the drafting-room, where they belong. This room is for rest and sleep. We want to see it in this condition when we come back." "Where did you find the fur rug?" He indicated a thick bearskin beside the bed. "We stole it from Mr. Parker," they confessed, shamelessly. "He had two." Eliza continued complacently: "We nearly came to blows with the chef when we kidnapped his best boy. We've ordered him to keep this place warm and look after your clothes and clean up every morning. He's to be your valet and take care of you." "But--we're dreadfully short-handed in the mess-house," O'Neil protested. "We've given the chef your bill of fare, and your man Ben will see that you eat it." "I won't stand for soup. It--" "Hush! Do you want us to come again?" Natalie demanded. "Yes! Again and again!" He nodded vigorously. "I dare say I was getting careless. I pay more attention to the men's quarters than to my own. Do you know--this is the first hint of home I've had since I was a boy? And--it's mighty agreeable." He stared wistfully at the feminine touches on all sides. The bride settled herself with needle and thread, saying: "Now take Eliza to the bridge while the light is good; she wants to snap-shoot it. I'm going to sew on buttons and enjoy myself." O'Neil read agreement in Eliza's eyes, and obeyed. As they neared the river-bank the girl exclaimed in surprise; for up out of the frozen Salmon two giant towers of concrete thrust themselves, on each bank were massive abutments, and connecting them were the beginnings of a complicated "false-work" structure by means of which the steel was to be laid in place. It consisted of rows upon rows of piling, laced together with an intricate pattern of squared timbers. Tracks were being laid upon it, and along the rails ran a towering movable crane, or "traveler," somewhat like a tremendous cradle. This too was nearing completion. Pile- drivers were piercing the ice with long slender needles of spruce; across the whole river was weaving a gigantic fretwork of wood which appeared to be geometrically regular in design. The air was noisy with the cries of men, and a rhythmic thudding, through which came the rattle of winches and the hiss of steam. Over the whole vast structure swarmed an army of human ants, feeble pygmy figures that crept slowly here and there, regardless of their dizzy height. "Isn't it beautiful?" said the builder, gazing at the scene with kindling eyes. "We're breaking records every day in spite of the weather. Those fellows are heroes. I feel guilty and mean when I see them risking life and limb while I just walk about and look on." "Will it--really stand the break-up?" asked the girl. "When that ice goes out it will be as if the solid earth were sliding down the channel. It frightens me to think of it." "We've built solid rock; in fact, those piers are stronger than rock, for they're laced with veins of steel and anchored beneath the river-bed." But Eliza doubted. "I've seen rivers break, and it's frightful; but of course I've never seen anything to compare with the Salmon. Suppose--just suppose there should be some weak spot--" O'Neil settled his shoulders a little under his coat. "It would nearly kill Mellen--and Parker, too, for that matter." "And you?" He hesitated. "It means a great deal to me. Sometimes I think I could pull myself together and begin again, but--I'm getting old, and I'm not sure I'd care to try." After a pause he added a little stiffly, as if not quite sure of the effect of his words: "That's the penalty of being alone in life, I suppose. We men are grand-stand players: we need an audience, some one person who really cares whether we succeed or fail. Your brother, for instance, has won more in the building of the S. R. & N. than I can ever hope to win." Eliza felt a trifle conscious, too, and she did not look at him when she said: "Poor, lonely old Omar Khayyam! You deserve all Dan has. I think I understand why you haven't been to see us." "I've been too busy; this thing has kept me here every hour. It's my child, and one can't neglect his own child, you know--even if it isn't a real one." He laughed apologetically. "See! there's where we took the skiff that day we ran Jackson Glacier. He's harmless enough now. You annoyed me dreadfully that morning, Eliza, and--I've never quite understood why you were so reckless." "I wanted the sensation. Writers have to live before they can write. I've worked the experience into my novel." "Indeed? What is your book about?" "Well--it's the story of a railroad-builder, of a fellow who risked everything he had on his own judgment. It's--you!" "Why, my dear!" cried O'Neil, turning upon her a look of almost comic surprise. "I'm flattered, of course, but there's nothing romantic or uncommon about me." "You don't mind?" "Of course not. But there ought to be a hero, and love, and--such things--in a novel. You must have a tremendous imagination." "Perhaps. I'm not writing a biography, you know. However, you needn't be alarmed; it will never be accepted." "It should be, for you write well. Your magazine articles are bully." Eliza smiled. "If the novel would only go as well as those stories I'd be happy. They put Gordon on the defensive." "I knew they would." "Yes. I built a nice fire under him, and now he's squirming. I think I helped you a little bit, too." "Indeed you did--a great deal! When you came to Omar I never thought you'd turn out to be my champion. I--" He turned as Dr. Gray came hurrying toward them, panting in his haste. The doctor began abruptly: "I've been looking for you, Murray. The men are all quitting." O'Neil started. "All quitting? What are you talking about?" "There's a stampede--a gold stampede!" Murray stared at the speaker as if doubting his own senses. "There's no gold around here," he said, at last. "Two men came in last night. They've been prospecting over in the White River and report rich quartz. They've got samples with 'em and say there are placer indications everywhere. They were on their way to Omar to tell their friends, and telephoned in from here. Somebody overheard and--it leaked. The whole camp is up in the air. That's what brought out that gang from town this morning." The significance of the incidents which had troubled him earlier in the day flashed upon O'Neil; it was plain enough now why his men had been gossiping and buying dogs and fur robes. He understood only too well what a general stampede would mean to his plans, for it would take months to replace these skilled iron-workers. "Who are these prospectors?" he inquired, curtly. "Nobody seems to know. Their names are Thorn and Baker. That gang from Omar has gone on, and our people will follow in the morning. Those who can't scrape up an outfit here are going into town to equip. We won't have fifty men on the job by to-morrow night." "What made Baker and Thorn stop here?" Gray shrugged. "Tired out, perhaps. We've got to do something quick, Murray. Thank God, we don't have to sell 'em grub or haul 'em to Omar. That will check things for a day or two. If they ever start for the interior we're lost, but the cataract isn't frozen over, and there's only one sled trail past it. We don't need more than six good men to do the trick." "We can't stop a stampede that way." Dr. Gray's face fell into harsh lines. "I'll bend a Winchester over the first man who tries to pass. Appleton held the place last summer; I'll guarantee to do it now." "No. The men have a right to quit, Stanley. We can't force them to work. We can't build this bridge with a chain-gang." "Humph! I can beat up these two prospectors and ship 'em in to the hospital until things cool down." "That won't do, either. I'll talk with them, and if their story is right--well, I'll throw open the commissary and outfit every one." Eliza gasped; Gray stammered. "You're crazy!" exclaimed the doctor. "If it's a real stampede they'll go anyhow, so we may as well take our medicine with a good grace. The loss of even a hundred men would cripple us." "The camp is seething. It's all Mellen can do to keep the day shift at work. If you talk to 'em maybe they'll listen to you." "Argument won't sway them. This isn't a strike; it's a gold rush." He turned toward the town. Eliza was speechless with dismay as she hurried along beside him; Gray was scowling darkly and muttering anathemas; O'Neil himself was lost in thought. The gravity of this final catastrophe left nothing to be said. Stanley lost little time in bringing the two miners to the office, and there, for a half-hour, Murray talked with them. When they perceived that he was disposed to treat them courteously they told their story in detail and answered his questions with apparent honesty. They willingly showed him their quartz samples and retailed the hardships they had suffered. Gray listened impatiently and once or twice undertook to interpolate some question, but at a glance from his chief he desisted. Nevertheless, his long fingers itched to lay hold of the strangers and put an end to this tale which threatened ruin. His anger grew when Murray dismissed them with every evidence of a full belief in their words. "Now that the news is out and my men are determined to quit, I want everybody to have an equal chance," O'Neil announced, as they rose to go. "There's bound to be a great rush and a lot of suffering--maybe some deaths--so I'm going to call the boys together and have you talk to them." Thorn and Baker agreed and departed. As the door closed behind them Gray exploded, but Murray checked him quickly, saying with an abrupt change of manner: "Wait! Those fellows are lying!" Seizing the telephone, he rang up Dan Appleton and swiftly made known the situation. Stanley could hear the engineer's startled exclamation. "Get the cable to Cortez as quickly as you can," O'Neil was saying. "You have friends there, haven't you? Good! He's just the man, for he'll have Gordon's pay-roll. Find out if Joe Thorn and Henry Baker are known, and, if so, who they are and what they've been doing lately. Get it quick, understand? Then 'phone me." He slammed the receiver upon its hook. "That's not Alaskan quartz," he said, shortly; "it came from Nevada, or I'm greatly mistaken. Every hard-rock miner carries specimens like those in his kit." "You think Gordon--" "I don't know. But we've got rock-men on this job who'll recognize ore out of any mine they ever worked in. Go find them, then come back here and hold the line open for Dan." "Suppose he can't locate these fellows in Cortez?" "Then--Let's not think about that." _ |
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