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To The West, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 39. Quong Is Missing |
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_ CHAPTER THIRTY NINE. QUONG IS MISSING It was all done in a quiet, unobtrusive way, but it seemed plain to me that Mr Raydon did try to keep us apart, or under his eye, during Gunson's stay. This was not for long. The man seemed a good deal changed, and as if dissatisfied at being so very unsuccessful; and during his visit the temptation was very strong upon me to give him a hint as to where he might go and find all that he desired. And about this time I found that Esau looked strange, and avoided me a good deal, going about as if he had something on his mind, and I was afraid to ask him what. "Going to-morrow morning?" said Mr Raydon, as Gunson made the announcement. "That is rather soon." "Well, yes, it is soon," replied Gunson; "but I may be coming back." "Yes, of course," said Mr Raydon, giving him a quick look. "You may be coming back." These seem trifling words, but they made an impression upon me at the time, and I thought about them a good deal afterwards. In fact, I thought of them that night. It came on very dark, and I was standing just outside our place, when I heard a step, and directly after Gunson came up slowly and thoughtfully. "Who's that?" he cried sharply. I spoke, and he took my arm. "Come and have a stroll out here," he said; and he led me out through the gateway and down toward the river. It seemed to me as if he were waiting for me to talk to him, for he was very silent; and at last, as I suggested that it was growing late, he turned back toward the Fort, whose gates we had just reached, when I suddenly became aware of a figure standing there. "Mr Raydon," I said. "Yes. Been having a walk?" "Down as far as the river," replied Gunson. "By the way," he continued sharply, "what should you say to my trying your streams about here?" I saw Mr Raydon start slightly, but his voice sounded quite calm as he replied-- "That you had better follow out your original plans." "You would not recommend me to try?" "Decidedly not." We all went in, and after sitting for a time, Gunson rose to go to rest. Quong had a famous breakfast ready next morning, of which I too partook; and an hour later we saw Gunson once more on his way, Mr Raydon accompanying us, till with a careless wave of the hand the prospector went off, and we returned to the Fort. That visit seemed to do me good. It was as if I had had a fillip, and during the next few days I felt a return of my old vigour--a feeling which made me restless and eager to be out in the sunshine all day long. I found myself eating, too, almost ravenously, and my sleep at nights, instead of being broken and feverish, grew to be long and restful. But somehow I did not feel happy, for Mr Raydon, though always pleasant and polite, was less warm, and he looked at me still in a suspicious way that made me feel uncomfortable. In other respects everything went on as usual, till one day, about a fortnight after Gunson's departure, Mr Raydon said to me at breakfast-- "Do you feel strong enough to go for a week's journey?" "Oh yes," I said eagerly, for I was beginning to long for something in the way of change. "It means walking every step of the way," he said, smiling at my eagerness. "Oh, I can walk again well now," I said. "Dean and I were climbing up the first west mountain yesterday--that one," I said, pointing out of the window. "I don't know how many hours we were, but it was dark when we came back." "Well then, we'll try. I shall take Grey to try and lighten our loads a little, but we shall not go very far down the river." "You are going down the river?" I said, as I saw Esau prick up his ears. "Yes; I have two or three spots in my mind's eye that would be suitable for a home for my sister, and I want to see if they will do. Perhaps you noticed them as you came--places that you would naturally pick out for camping as evening came on." "I can remember several at the mouths of little streams, or below falls," I said excitedly. "One or two were quite like bits of parks, with great sweeping branched pine-trees growing near." "Good memory, Mayne," he said, smiling. "Well, I have made my arrangements. Your Chinaman shall go with us to cook, and we will select three or four spots; and afterwards, when these travellers come, we can take them to see the selection, and they can choose which they like." "How soon shall you start, sir?" I said. "This morning. It is a leisure period for me. No Indians are likely to come for some time; and I can leave my people to take care of the place till we return. You feel that you can manage the walking?" "Oh yes," I cried. "I am getting stronger every day." "That's right. Dean, my lad, fetch Quong, and let's see what sort of a load of flour, tea, and sugar we can pack up for him. I can easily supply our little camp with meat." "Then there will be some hunting and shooting too?" I said, as Esau hurried out to find Quong. "Oh yes, for the larder," replied Mr Raydon, speaking more in his old fashion now. "Come, you are beginning to look quite yourself, my boy. I was beginning to be afraid I should have nothing but a broken-down invalid to show my sister." "I feel more like I did," I said, with my cheeks flushing. "Be thankful then, my boy, for you had a very narrow escape. Let me see; we must not overload ourselves, but I must have powder and bullets, as well as my rifle. A blanket each, of course, and our knives. That will be nearly all we need take, unless you lads bring a line or two and try for some trout." He began chatting then about Mr John and his sister, and of how great a change it would be for her from a London life. "But health is the first consideration," he said, smiling. "A palace is little more than an infirmary to a sick person, and out here a snug cottage such as we can soon run up will become a palace to one who recovers health. Isn't Master Dean a long time gone? Oh, here he is. Well, where is Quong?" "Can't find him anywhere, sir, nor his bundle neither." "What? Absurd! He cannot have gone out. He cooked the breakfast. Did any one see him go?" "I asked several of the men and women, sir, and they had not seen him." "Asleep somewhere perhaps, as he feels that his work is done. Here, we must find him, or he will throw my arrangements all wrong, and we shall have to wait till another day. It's a pity I did not speak last night, but I was not sure then." "I'll soon find him," I said. "Yes, do, my lad, while I see to the rifle and ammunition." "Come along, Esau," I said; and he followed me as I hurried out. "Well, where are you going?" grumbled Esau. "I suppose you are very clever, but I should like to know how you are going to find him!" "But you have not searched everywhere." "I've searched everywhere that he was likely to be," replied Esau. I stopped short, thinking as to which direction we had better take. "Here, I know where he is," cried Esau excitedly. "Yes? Where?" "Gone up one of the streams to try for gold on the sly. You see if he don't find out our bit one of these days." "Perhaps he has gone for that," I said thoughtfully. "I feel sure of it. He has been away lots of times for a bit, and I shouldn't wonder if he is getting that little physic-bottle of his pretty full." "He had better not let Mr Raydon know of it. He'd be in a towering rage," I said. "Here, let's hunt him out, and put a stop to it." "All right," said Esau. "Here we are then. Which way shall we go?-- east, west, north, or south, or half-way between any two of 'em. I'm willing; don't make no difference to me." I stood and stared at him, for now I saw first how absurd my proposal was, and how unlikely we were to find Quong if we had really gone off on such a mission. Esau grinned. "I say, 'tain't so easy, is it?" I made no reply, but stood thinking, and trying to find a solution to the difficulty. "Seems to me," said Esau, "that about the best way of finding this little gentleman is to go and sit down by his fire till he comes, for he goes off so quietly, and he may be anywhere now." "Let's look round again," I said, "and if we cannot find him we had better go and tell Mr Raydon." It was humiliating, but the only thing to do; and after asking at every cottage in the enclosure without effect, I turned to go back to Mr Raydon's quarters, just as we saw the man Grey going in that direction. "Why, he might know," I said, hurrying my pace so that we entered almost at the same time, but too late to question him. "Well," said Mr Raydon, "have you found him?" "No," I replied; and then turning quickly to Grey, who had not yet spoken--"Have you seen anything of Quong?" "Yes; he is at the west valley, I met him going there." "The west valley?" said Mr Raydon, starting and looking excitedly at the speaker. "What was he doing there?" "Gone to join Mr Gunson and a party of men I suppose," said Grey, slowly. "Mr Gunson? Back?" I said wonderingly, but with a chill of dread spreading through me as I spoke. "What is he doing there?" "Busy with the others. They have set up camp, and are washing for gold." I glanced at Mr Raydon, whose eyes were fixed on me, and I saw a furious look of anger gathering in his face, while Esau backed slowly toward the door. "This is your doing, sir. Here, you--stop! don't sneak away like that, and leave your companion in the lurch." "Wasn't going to sneak away," said Esau, surlily. "Go away then, you miserable coward. Well, Mayne Gordon, I hope you are satisfied. Is this your gratitude?" I fully expected these words, but I was not prepared to answer him, and in the rush of his indignant accusation my defence was swept down, and I could only stammer out-- "You are mistaken, sir." "No," he cried, "I am not mistaken. I told you when you made that unlucky discovery I wished to keep all the wild gold-seeking scoundrels away from my peaceful happy valley; and in spite of all I have done to welcome you for my sister's sake, you give me evil for good." "Indeed you are wrong, sir; I have not told a soul," I cried. "Bah!" said Mr Raydon, furiously. "How can I think otherwise, when I see you holding half-secret meetings with that man Gunson, who returns in force to destroy this place? Well, my lad, I wish you joy of your share, but, mark my words, this gold-seeking is miserable gambling, the work of men who will not see that the real way to find gold is in genuine honest work. Take the gold-seekers all round, and they would have made more of the precious metal by planting corn than by this digging and washing in the river-beds." "Then you will not believe me, sir?" "I cannot, my lad, after what I have seen," he said. "Your conduct has not seemed to me manly and frank." "I have tried to be, sir," I cried. "And failed, boy. The temptation of the gold has proved to be too much for you." I stood silent now, for I could not speak. I wanted to say a great deal, but there was a swelling in my throat--a hot feeling of indignation and misery combined kept me tongue-tied, and above all there was a guilty feeling that he was just. "As for you," Mr Raydon continued, turning to Esau, "I shall not waste words upon you. Of course you agreed with your companion, but you would both have done better for yourselves as lads, and earned better positions in life, by being faithful to me, than by letting yourselves be led away by this miserable temptation." "I ain't done nothing," said Esau; "I only--" "That will do," cried Mr Raydon, fiercely, cutting him short. "Now go." "All right, sir," said Esau; and now I found my tongue again. "Yes, Esau, we had better go," I said, bitterly. "Mr Raydon will some day find out how unjust he has been to us." "That will do," cried Mr Raydon, sternly. "No hypocrisy, sir. Once for all, I know that you gave Gunson either full particulars or hints, such as enabled him to bring a gang to this peaceful place." "Well, if you won't let a fellow speak," began Esau. "Silence, sir!" cried Mr Raydon, as I moved towards the door. "And you, Gordon, where are you going?" "I don't know, sir," I said. "Then I do. You are going to join that wild crew up at the gold-washings." "I was going to see and tell Mr Gunson of what had happened, sir." "Exactly. Then I forbid it. You shall not go." "You ain't got no right to keep us here if we want to go," said Esau, who was now losing: his temper fast. "Indeed!" said Mr Raydon. "You won't believe in a fellow--I mean this fellow," continued Esau; "and you don't believe Mr Gordon, so I'm going straight up to Mr Gunson to see if he will, and I'll trouble you to hand over that gold we found that day." "Esau!" I cried, angrily. "Well, you won't speak out, so I must. Come on. Much obliged for all you've done in keeping us, sir, and good-bye." "Grey," said Mr Raydon, sharply. "Yes, sir." "See that those lads do not leave the Fort till I give them permission. When you go off duty Hanson is to take your post." "What?" cried Esau, as I felt my cheeks burning with indignation, "ain't we to be allowed to go out?" "Am I to put them in the block-house, sir?" said Grey. "No; they can occupy the strangers' quarters, but they are not to pass the gates. That will do. Go!" _ |
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