Altsheler Joseph Alexander
The Quest of the Four: A Story of the Comanches and Buena Vista
Hans Arenberg stood by, so happy that tears rose inhis eyes. But Bill Breakstone came at once from hiscloud of surprise. He snatched the boy up in his armsand gave him a big hug.
"Well, Billy," he cried, "here you are at last! Idon't know how they got you, but they've brought you.Now my first duty as housekeeper is to wash our littleboy's face."
He took water from a pail and promptly cleaned allthe paint off Billy's face. Then Billy stood forth a whiteand not an Indian boy, and, with the departure of thepaint, nearly all that was left of his acquired Indiannature seemed to go, too. While Phil and Arenberg toldthe story of the new miracle, he made himself easily athome, examining everything in the hut with minute care, and, by his actions, notifying Bill Breakstone and JohnBedford that he was ready at once for a cordial friendship.
"Tea is ready! So is coffee," announced Bill Breakstonepresently. "Now sit down, eat, drink, and bemerry, for to-morrow you may not have such a good chance."
They charged with avidity, and little Billy Arenbergproved that he was already a mighty trencherman in themaking.
"I wish I had some German blood in me, then Icould eat with a fair appetite," said Bill Breakstone, ashe reached for a huge buffalo steak.
CHAPTER XXII
BREAKSTONE'S QUEST
It was nearly night, and they quickly agreed that theymust not remain any longer in The Dip, howevercomfortable it might be. The Comanches were boundto find them in time, and the longer their lead the better.
"The night is going to be clear," said Breakstone,"and we must leave just as soon as we can pack ourthings on our horses. Everything indicates that thecountry toward the west slopes down rapidly, and we maysoon pass out of the area of deep snow. Besides, we wantto go toward the west. It's my turn now, and my searchlies there."
"It iss so," said Arenberg with deep feeling. "Youhave helped all the rest of us, and we would not be fit tolive if we did not now help you."
"I knew that you would not think of anything else,"said Breakstone simply. "I'll tell you about it a littlelater, but now we'll start as soon as we can, and maybewe can come back some day and enjoy The Silver Cupagain."
The horses were brought from the sheltered valley, andtheir provisions and other supplies were strapped on them.They soon discovered that Billy knew how to ride verywell, and the gentlest of the horses was assigned to him, although he slept during the early part of the night.But when he was roused he was full of zeal and interest, and he was also so alert and active that he proved himselfa help instead of a burden.
At midnight, they put out the fire and left a coldhearth. Then, with some reluctant glances backward atThe Dip and the snowy cover of The Silver Cup, theyrode away in single file, Breakstone leading, Phil next, followed by John, behind whom came Billy, with Arenbergat the rear. It was cold, but they were sufficientlyclad, and they rode on until daylight, the dry snowcrunching beneath the hoofs of their horses.
The descent proved to be sharp, and when daylightcame they were in a region where the snow was very light.They saw the plains before them and below them, andthey believed that by noon they would be entirely beyondthe expanse of snow.
"By the time those Comanches discover our abandonedhome," said Bill Breakstone, "it's likely that we'll bedays and days away. We'll never see them again becauseour journey leads west and always west, far beyond theComanche country."
"I learned from Billy," said Phil, "that it was reallyBlack Panther who was in command back there. Billyhad been with another band, farther west, which lastspring was incorporated into the more powerful force ofBlack Panther. The chief was treating Billy well, andwas going to adopt him as his son."
"Then I am glad that we shall fight no more withBlack Panther," said Arenberg.
"So am I," said Breakstone thoughtfully. "I supposethe chief has acted according to his lights. If we'dbeen roaming over the country for ages, we'd fight for it, too. Well, good-by to you, Black Panther, I wish youmany a good buffalo hunt, but that no white people mayfall into your hands."
At noon, as they had expected, they passed throughthe last thin sheet of snow and entered warm country.But it was not desert here. It was a region of buffalograss, with shallow streams and scattered timber. It wasvery pleasant after so much riding through the snow, and, after resting an hour by the side of one of the rivulets, they kept on until night. They were not compelled tospend any time in hunting a camp, but stopped under aclump of trees, turned the horses loose to graze on theplentiful grass, and spread their own blankets on the turf.They were too tired to light a fire, but they ate heartilyof the cold food, and then lay back comfortably on theblankets. Billy fell asleep in a few minutes, but theothers did not yet feel the desire for slumber. The ride of aday and half a night had not been hard, but, as much ofthat ride had been downward, the change was wonderful.Gone was the deep snow, gone the biting winds. Theywrestled with neither the ice nor the desert, but lay upona carpet of pine needles and breathed an air that came, crisp with life, from the mountains. Bill Breakstoneluxuriated in it, and finally, observing that the otherswere not asleep, he sat up.
"Boys," he said, "I think the time has come for meto tell you about the errand that has brought me so far, and that's going to take me a lot farther. I haven't saidanything about the nature of it before, because it was theone that could wait longest. Sit up and look at whatI'm going to show you."
They sat up on their blankets, and he took from hispocket a little package which he unwrapped and lookedat a moment or two. Then he poured the contents outupon his blanket. They looked like gravel or grains ofstone, but the moon was good then, and from some of thegrains came a slight metallic glitter, like pin-points oflight.
"That," said Bill Breakstone in deeply impressivetones, "is gold."
"It looks more like gravel to me," said John Bedford.
"It is gravel, too," said Breakstone, "gravel, andgold in the gravel."
"About how much iss your gold worth?" asked Arenbergskeptically.
"Fifty cents, maybe," replied Bill Breakstone.
"Which wouldn't carry you far."
"No, it wouldn't," said Breakstone genially. "Butsee here, my merry Dutchman, a man may have a milliondollars in the bank, and carry only a dime in his pocket.That's me. This is my sample, my specimen. It camefrom a spot far away, but there's a million more, orsomething like it, there waiting for us. Listen to me, SirPhilip of the River and the Plain, Sir Hans of the Forestand the Snow, and even you, Sir John of the Castle andthe Cell, and I will tell you a glittering tale which istrue."
Every one moved forward a few inches on his blanket, and their figures grew tense with interest. The moonsent a broad shaft of light through an opening in thetrees directly upon the face of Bill Breakstone, showingeyes that sparkled with the pleasure of one who held agreat secret that he was willing to tell to others.
"I'm not joking," continued Bill Breakstone earnestly."I'm a rover, but I find when I rove. There'sgold, lots of it, far west across the great mountains inCalifornia. You find it in the sand and gravel along theedges of streams which are dry most of the year. A mancan generally do the work all by himself, with water anda pan, sifting the gold dust from the baser stuff.
"It's a terribly wild country of hills and of tremendouslyhigh mountains covered with snow. When thesnow melts and the water comes down into these drycreek and river beds it comes with a mighty rush, and itwashes the gold from the rocks along with it. At least, that's my theory, and the gold has been piling up for agesin dust and grains along the edges of these beds in thevalleys below. I found this dust in a wild country abouta thousand miles from here, but I can go straight back tothe place."
The others were continually creeping a little nearerand a little nearer on their blankets, and the moonlightwhich found new openings through the trees showed threemore pairs of eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Why did you come away after you found the gold?"asked Phil.
"Because I lacked supplies. Because I was alone.Because California belonged to the Mexicans. Becausethe Indians were dangerous to one man. Any of thesereasons was good enough, but we can take supplies inabundance. I will not be alone. I doubt very muchwhether California now belongs to the Mexicans, or willbelong to them much longer, and it is very likely that theIndians have wandered off into some other region. Boys, after so many dangers we'll all be rich."
"But, Bill," said Phil, "we can't take your gold, which you found after so much hardship and danger."
Bill Breakstone gave Phil Bedford a threatening look.
"I wish you to listen to a few words of wisdom," hesaid in a menacing tone, "and take care that you listenwell. If I hear any more such foolishness from you, SirPhilip of the River and the Plain, you'll lose your goldenspurs and your silver breastplate and your steel helmetand all your titles. You'll be degraded into the positionof a common varlet to pull off my shoes, to bring me themead to quaff, and to have a spear shaft broken over yourwooden head when you're not bright and lively. And toyou, Hans Arenberg, I give the same advice. I'll makeyou the King's Jester, and, with that solemn Prussianface of yours and that solemn Prussian mind of yours, you'll find jesting for me about as hard a task as any manever undertook. And you, John Bedford, I will deliverbound hand and foot to your friend Captain Pedro deArmijo with the great red scar across his face which youput there. What a crisp little revenge he would take! Ican see you now frying over the coals."
"But, Bill," persisted Phil, "it's your find."
"I know it, but you needn't think that ends everything.It's only the beginning. We've got to get backto that dead river of mine, and for that I need comrades.We've got to do weeks and weeks of work, and for that Ineed comrades. We've got to fight off danger, Indiansperhaps, Mexicans perhaps, outlaws perhaps, and for thatI need comrades. After we get the gold we've got tobring it safely to civilization, and for that I needcomrades. Also, there is so much of the gold in the bed ofthe dead river that I could not spend it all alone, and forthat I need comrades. Now will you come willingly andshare and share alike with me, or shall I have to yokeup together and drive you unwillingly?"
"We'll come," said Phil, and John and Arenbergadded their assent.
"I wish the Captain was with us, too," said BillBreakstone. "He belongs in this crowd, and he ought tohave some of the gold."
Phil and Arenberg echoed his regret at the absence ofMiddleton.
"Now that it is all settled," said Bill Breakstone,"I'm going to sleep."
In five minutes he was sound in slumber, and theothers soon followed him to that pleasant land.
They resumed their journey the next morning, butthey advanced in leisurely fashion. Breakstone warnedthem that there were other high ranges ahead, and theyagreed that it would not be wise to attempt their passagein winter. Hence, they must find a winter home in somesheltered spot, where the three requisites of wild life, wood, water, and game, could be found. It did not takethem long to find such a place, and they built a rudecabin, using it as their base during the remainder of thewinter, which was mild, as they were not at a greatelevation. Although they made an occasional scout, theynever found any Indian sign, and the cold weatherpassed in comparative ease and safety. Little Billydeveloped at a remarkable rate, and here he sloughed offthe last vestige of the Indian. But he had learned manycunning arts in hunting, trapping, and fishing which henever forgot, and there were some things pertaining tothese in which he could instruct his elders.
Not a single hunter, trapper, or rover of any kindpassed through during the winter months, and they oftenwondered what was going on in the world without.
"I'd surely like to see the Captain again," said BillBreakstone one cold evening as they sat by their fire."Just to think of all that he went through with us, andnow he's vanished into thin air. Maybe he's dead, killed in some battle a thousand miles down in Mexico."
"I don't believe the Captain is killed," spoke up Philpromptly. "I don't believe that he's the kind of manwho would be killed. But a lot of things must havehappened since we left. There must have been some bigfighting away down there by the City of Mexico. Do youthink we could have been whipped, Bill?"
"Phil, I've half a mind to take away all your titleswithout another word," replied Breakstone reprovingly."How could you think of our being whipped, after whatyou saw at Buena Vista?"
"That's so," said Phil, his cheerfulness coming backat once.
Late in the spring they began the passage of theranges, and although it was a long, hard, and sometimesdangerous task, they got safely across with all theirhorses, coming again into a plains country, whichmerged farther west into a desert. Here they were aboutto make a great loop northward, around the Mexicansettlements, when they met an American soldier carryingdispatches. They hailed him, and, when he stopped, they rode forward, all eagerness. It was deputed to BillBreakstone to ask the momentous question, and heasked it:
"How is the war going on?"
The soldier looked at them, amused little crinkles atthe corners of his mouth. He knew by their appearancethat these were people who had been long in the wilderness.
"It isn't getting on at all," he replied.
"What!" cried Bill Breakstone appalled.
"It isn't going on, because it's all over. GeneralScott marched straight to the City of Mexico. He foughta half dozen terrible battles, but he won every one ofthem, and then took the City of Mexico itself. A treatyof peace was signed February 2 last. You are riding nowon American soil. New Mexico, Arizona, California, and vast regions to the north of us have been ceded to theUnited States."
"Hurrah!" they cried together, Billy joining in withas much enthusiasm as the others.
"What about Santa Fé?" asked Bill Breakstone.
"It's occupied by an American garrison, and there iscomplete peace everywhere. The only danger is fromwandering Indians."
"We know how to fight them," said Bill Breakstone."Boys, we ride for Santa Fé."
The soldier continued northward, and they turned theheads of their horses toward the New Mexico capital, reaching, in good time and without loss, the queer littleold Spanish and Indian town from which the flags ofSpain and then of Mexico had disappeared forever.They intended to remain only two or three days in orderto obtain more horses and fresh supplies. Then theywould slip quietly out of the town, because they wishedtheir errand to be known to nobody. On the second dayBill Breakstone and Phil were walking together, when aman in sober civilian dress suddenly seized a hand ofeach in a firm grasp, and exclaimed in joy:
"Why, boys, when did you come here?"
"The Captain!" exclaimed Bill Breakstone. "Howthings do come around!"
It was Middleton, his very self, thinner and browner, but with the same fine open countenance and alert look.Bill and his comrade explained rapidly about the rescueof John Bedford, the recovery of little Billy Arenberg, and their passage through the mountains.
"And now," said Breakstone, "you tell us, Captain, how you happen to be up here in Santa Fé in civiliandress."
Middleton smiled a little sadly as he replied:
"The war is over. We won many brilliant victories.We were never beaten once. And I'm glad it's over, butthere is nothing left for the majority of the youngerofficers. I should probably remain a captain all the rest ofmy life at some obscure frontier station, and so I'veresigned from the army."
A light leaped up in Bill Breakstone's eyes, but heasked very quietly:
"And what are you meaning to do now, Captain?"
"I don't know, but I've been hearing talk about goldin California, and perhaps I'll go there to hunt it."
"Of course you will!" exclaimed Bill Breakstone, letting himself go. "You're going to start to-morrow, andyou're going with us. I know right where that gold is, and I'm going to lead you and the rest of the boys to it.You remember that every one of us had a quest that drewus into the West. The secret of the gold is mine. Weneed you and we share alike. As I've told the others, there's enough for all."
Middleton was easily persuaded, and they left SantaFé the next morning before daylight, taking little BillyArenberg with them. They traveled a long time towardthe northwest, crossing mountains and deserts, until theyreached the mighty range of the Sierra Nevada. This, too, they crossed without accident or loss, and then BillBreakstone led them straight to the dead river and up itschannel to the hidden gold. Here he dug in the bankand showed them the result.
"Am I right or am I wrong?" he asked exultantly.
"Right!" they replied with one voice.
At first they washed out the gold, but afterward theyused both the cradle and the sluice methods. Thedeposits were uncommonly rich, and they worked thereall through the summer and winter. The next spring,Middleton and Arenberg carried a great treasure of goldon horses to San Francisco. They also took BillyArenberg with them, but on their way back they left him, tohis huge regret, at a good school in Sacramento, whilethey rejoined their comrades on the great Breakstoneclaim. They exhausted it in another year, but they wereall now as rich as they wished to be, and they descendedinto the beautiful valley of California, where theyexpected to make their homes.
