Ben's Nugget; Or, A Boy's Search For Fortune Read online

  With native dexterity, and not without a feeling of satisfaction easilyunderstood under the circumstances, Ki Sing proceeded to tie his formercaptor, but present captive, to a stout sapling.

  "Is it strong?" asked Bradley.

  "Velly stlong," answered the Chinaman, with a satisfied look.

  "That's good.--Now, Tom, it's your turn. There's your tree! Annexyourself to it."

  Tom Hadley saw the futility of resistance, and quietly allowed himselfto be confined in the same manner as his companion.

  When both were thus disposed of Jake Bradley turned to the Chinaman:

  "Now, Ki Sing, let us have some supper as soon as possible. We've beendoin' considerable business, Ben and I, and we're as hungry asbears.--Good-night, Mosely. Hope you'll have a good night's rest!"

  "You are not going to leave us here all night, are you?" said BillMosely, uneasily.

  "That's just what I'm goin' to do. I'll let you go in the mornin' if youbehave yourself. Still, if you'd rather be shot I can accommodate you."

  "What a bloodthirsty brute!" ejaculated the unhappy Mosely as Bradleydisappeared within the doorway.

  "I should say so!" echoed Tom Hadley from the other tree.

  CHAPTER X.

  "THE BEST OF FRIENDS MUST PART."

  Mosely and his companion continued in captivity through the night. Someof my readers may consider the punishment a severe one, and it must beadmitted that it was attended with no small share of discomfort. But forthat time it was an exceedingly mild penalty for the offence which thetwo men had committed. In the early days of California, theft wasgenerally punished in the most summary manner by hanging the culpritfrom a limb of the nearest tree, and that, in the majority of cases,would have been the fate of Bill Mosely and Tom Hadley.

  But neither Bradley nor Ben was willing to go to such extremes. JakeBradley had had rough experiences, and he was no soft-heartedsentimentalist, but he had a natural repugnance to taking the life ofhis fellow-creatures.

  "Money," he said on one occasion to Ben, "ain't to be measured ag'in aman's life. I don't say I wouldn't kill a man for some things, though Ishould hate to mightily, but it wouldn't be on account of robbery. Iwouldn't have a man's blood on my conscience for such a thing as that."

  It is needless to say that our young hero, whose heart was warm andhumane, agreed fully with his older companion.

  When the two friends got up in the morning and went out of the cabin,they found their two captives in the same position in which they hadleft them. They looked weary and were stiff in the limbs, as well theymight be.

  "Well, my friends," said Bradley, "I hope you've passed a pleasantnight."

  "I'm almost dead," growled Bill Mosely. "I feel as if I'd been here aweek."

  "Do you feel the same way?" inquired Bradley, addressing Tom Hadley.

  "I should say so," answered Hadley, in a voice of intense disgust.

  "It was your own choice, Mosely," said Jake Bradley. "It was either allnight braced up against a tree, or to be shot at once and put out ofyour misery."

  "Who wants to be shot?" returned Mosely. "That would be worse thanstayin' here all night. You might have let us go last night."

  "So I might, but I wanted to teach you a lesson. You know very well,Bill Mosely, you'd have fared a good deal worse with some men. You'dhave been swingin' from the nearest bough, and so would your friend.You'll come to that some time, but I'd rather some one else would hangyou. It ain't a job I hanker after."

  "Are you goin' to set us free?" asked Mosely, impatiently, not enjoyingBradley's prediction as to his future fate.

  "Yes, I think I will--on one condition."

  "Go ahead! I'll agree to anything."

  "That you'll leave this part of California and not come back. I don'twant you to cross my path ag'in."

  "You can bet I don't mean to," said Mosely; and there is no doubt he wasentirely in earnest.

  "Do you make the same promise, Tom?" asked Bradley, turning to Hadley.

  "I should say so," returned Hadley; and there is no reason to doubt hissincerity also.

  "You see, my friends, you don't appear to know the difference betweenyour property and mine, particularly when it comes to hosses. It is anunfortunate little peculiarity of yours that will bring your life to anuntimely end some of these days. If you should ever reform and set up asrespectable men, I might be willin' to know you, but there's about asmuch chance of that, accordin' to my reckonin', as of water runnin' uphill."

  While he was expressing himself thus he was cutting the cords of hisprisoners, and they took the first chance to stretch their crampedlimbs.

  "Feel better, don't you?" asked Bradley, smiling.

  "I should say so," answered Hadley.

  "Couldn't you give us something to eat?" asked Mosely; "I haven't eatena mouthful since yesterday noon, and I feel faint."

  "Ki Sing," said Bradley, "bring out some victuals. These men are notparticular friends of mine, but we won't send them away hungry. I'veknown what it is to fast for thirty-six hours at a stretch, and Iunderstand how it feels."

  Ki Sing brought out some cold meat and other plain food, which the twoadventurers ate as if they were famished. Their long fast and exposureduring the night had sharpened their appetites and lent a keener zest totheir enjoyment of the meal.

  When they had finished Jake Bradley pointed down the mountain. "You'vehad your breakfast," he said, "and now there is only one thing more. Iwant to see you travel."

  Bill Mosely looked askance at the two mustangs, which were tied only afew rods off.

  Jake Bradley caught the direction of his glance. "It's no go, myfriend," he said. "You don't borrow our mustangs this time. We shallhave occasion to use them ourselves. It won't do you any harm to tryyour own legs for a while."

  Bill Mosely wasn't easily abashed. He was lazy, and the prospect oftramping all day was by no means agreeable to him. Thanks to his lastrobbery, he and his companion were tolerably well supplied withgold-dust, which was a common circulating medium in California at thattime. An idea struck him, which he lost no time in carrying out. "Whatvalue do you set on them horses?" he asked.

  "What makes you ask?" inquired Jake Bradley, with some curiosity.

  "We'll buy 'em if you'll take a fair price."

  "Buy our mustangs! Have you got the money?"

  "We've got gold-dust."

  "Where did you get it? I'll warrant you didn't work for it."

  "That's our business," answered Mosely, stiffly. "The question is, Doyou want to sell?"

  "No, I don't; and if I did I should want to know whose money I wastakin'."

  Bill Mosely was disappointed. In that lonely neighborhood it was hardlylikely there would be any other opportunity of obtaining horses, andthere was nothing for it but to walk.

  "You haven't got any other business, have you, Mosely?" asked Bradley.

  "No.--Tom, come on."

  "Good-bye, then. Our acquaintance has been brief, Mosely, but I knowyou as well as if we'd lived in the same town for years. You're a fineman, you are, and an ornament to your native State; but if you ain't alittle more careful you'll be likely to die young, and the world willlose a man who in his line can't be beat."

  Bill Mosely did not attempt any reply to this farewell, but strode downthe sloping path, closely followed by Tom Hadley.

  When he had got out of hearing of his late captors he turned to Hadleyand said, "I hate that man! He has put a stain on my honor; he hasinsulted and outraged me."

  "I should say so," observed Tom Hadley.

  "He has treated you just as badly, Hadley; that stain must be washed outin blood."

  "When?" inquired his companion, in a matter-of-fact manner.

  "I don't know. Some time. He has had the advantage over us this time,but we shall meet again. Do you hear that, Tom Hadley?" continuedMosely, in a theatrical tone, raising his voice at the same time--"weshall meet again."

  "I don't want to meet him again," said Hadley.

  "You
don't comprehend me. When we meet it will be our turn to deal withhim."

  "Just as you say," returned Tom Hadley, varying his usual formula.

  "It's very unlucky we went up to that cabin," said Bill, after a pause.

  "I should say so," chimed in Tom, very emphatically.

  "It was cursed ill-luck, but how could we know that that dare-devil wasa friend of Dewey's? If we'd let well enough alone, we shouldn't havelost our horses and been compelled to tramp on foot over thesemountains."

  "Where are we going?" asked Tom Hadley.

  "Down hill," answered Mosely briefly.

  This answer did not appear to Tom Hadley to contain much information,but his mind was not active enough to frame another question, and thetwo plodded along in silence.

  CHAPTER XI.

  PLANS FOR DEPARTURE.

  The recovery of the horses was in one respect especially fortunate.Richard Dewey was anxious to leave the mountain-cabin as soon aspossible and make his way to San Francisco, where, as we know, hispromised wife was anxiously awaiting him. But there was considerabledanger that his ankle, which had been severely sprained, would not be ina condition for travelling for a considerable time yet. The roughmountain-paths would have tried it, and perhaps a second sprain wouldhave resulted.

  Now, however, he would be able to ride on one of the horses, and neednot walk at all if he pleased.

  This idea occurred to Jake Bradley, who suggested it to Richard Dewey.

  Dewey's face brightened up, for he was secretly chafing over the delaymade necessary by his accident. "But, my friend," he said, "it would beselfish in me to take your horse and leave you to go on foot."

  "Look here, Dick Dewey," said Bradley: "what do you take me for? Do youthink I'm so delicate I can't walk? I wasn't brought up in no such way.I can do my regular share of trampin', whether on the prairie or on themountain. I ain't no tender-foot."

  "I don't doubt your strength and endurance, friend Bradley," said Dewey,"but a man doesn't always like to do what he is fully able to do."

  "Then we needn't say no more about it. There's a gal--I beg your pardon,a young lady--in 'Frisco that's pinin' to see you, Dick Dewey, and thathoss'll get you there sooner'n if you waited till you could walk."

  "I am too selfish to resist your arguments, my good friend," said Dewey."I think I can venture to start within a week, as I am to ride."

  "No doubt of it."

  "You'd better let me buy your horse, and then if we don't meet again,or anything happens to it, you won't be the loser."

  "'If we don't meet again'?" repeated Bradley, puzzled. "You don't meanto say you are goin' to set out alone?"

  "I don't want to take you and Ben away from your claim. It isn't halfexhausted yet."

  "Then let somebody else exhaust it," returned Bradley. "You don'tsuppose, Dick, we are goin' to let you go off alone?"

  "I shall not be alone. My faithful attendant, Ki Sing, will be with me."

  "And what good would Ki Sing be in case you fell in with a grizzly? Iwant to know that," asked Bradley. "I don't say anything against theheathen; he's squarer than many a white man I've met with, and he'sworth a dozen such men as Bill Mosely and Tom Hadley; but, all the same,he wouldn't be much in a scrimmage. Them Chinamen are half women,accordin' to my reckonin'. They look like it and speak like it. No, Benand I go when you do, and the first man that comes along is welcome tothe claim."

  "I shall certainly be delighted to have you both with me," said RichardDewey. "You're a good fellow, Jake Bradley, and I trust you more thanany man I have met since I came to California. Ben acted as escort toFlorence, and I owe him a debt for that which I hope some day to repay."

  "Then it's all fixed," said Bradley, in a tone of satisfaction. "We fourare to keep together till we see you within reach of 'Frisco. When youand your young lady meet you won't need us any more."

  Richard Dewey smiled. "Florence will wish to thank you for your kindcare of me, Bradley," he said.

  "I've no objection to that. You can invite me to the weddin', Dick."

  "I give you that invitation now, and hope you may not have long to waitfor the occasion. All difficulties are not yet removed, but I hope theymay vanish speedily. I get impatient sometimes, but I try to curb myimpatient feeling."

  "I reckon I would feel so myself if I was in your fix," observedBradley.

  "I hope you may be, Jake."

  Bradley shook his head.

  "I'm a cross-grained old bachelor," he said, "and I reckon no gal wouldlook at me twice."

  CHAPTER XII.

  THE PROFITS OF MINING.

  A few evenings later Ben and Bradley were sitting just outside the cabinas the twilight deepened.

  "It doesn't seem as if this was our last night in the old shanty," saidJake Bradley, taking the pipe from his mouth. "It ain't a palace, but Ishall kinder hate to leave it."

  "I've got to feel very much at home here myself, Jake; still, I shouldlike to get somewhere where it isn't quite so far out of the world."

  "There's something in that, Ben."

  "I haven't heard anything from home for a good many weeks; I wish I knewwhether my uncle's family are all well."

  "How many is there in the family, Ben?"

  "There's Uncle Job and Aunt Hannah and Cousin Jennie."

  "That's just what I thought," said Jake.

  "I don't understand you," said Ben, puzzled. "What did you think?"

  "I thought there was a Cousin Jennie."

  Our hero laughed, and, it may be, blushed a little. "What made you thinkthat?"

  "There generally is, I notice," said Mr. Bradley, eagerly. "Is CousinJennie pretty?"

  "To be sure she is."

  "I thought that too, Ben."

  "What are you driving at, Jake?"

  "I was sure there was some one besides the old folks that you wasanxious about."

  "Well, you happen to be right," said Ben, laughing. "But I must tell youthat Jennie is only fourteen, and I am only sixteen."

  "You'll both of you be older some day, Ben. But there's a matter that wemust settle before we go."

  "What's that?"

  "About the gold we have found since we've been here. We must have somearrangement about dividin' it."

  "We sha'n't quarrel about that, Jake."

  "No, there's no danger of that. That'll be easy enough. We'll divide itinto two piles, one for you, and the other for me."

  "Jake, I have no right to half of it. You ought to have two-thirds."

  "I'd like to argy that matter, Ben. Why should I have two-thirds?"

  "Because you earned it. You understood mining better than I."

  "We're equal partners, Ben. I stick to that, and I mean to have my way.I've been making a little calculation, and I reckon there's nigh on to athousand dollars for the two of us."

  "As much as that, Jake?" said Ben, eagerly.

  "I reckon there is, though I can't justly tell."

  "It doesn't seem possible I can be worth five hundred dollars," saidBen, thoughtfully. "We've only been here four weeks. That makes ahundred and twenty-five dollars a week."

  "So it does. That's pretty high pay for a boy."

  "Before I left home," said Ben, "there was an old farmer, DeaconPitkins, who wanted to hire me for a year. What do you think he offeredme?"

  "How much?"

  "Twenty dollars a year and board," answered Ben.

  "I reckon you did better to come to Californy."

  "It looks so now. How the old deacon would stare if he knew how I hadbeen prospering at the mines! I wish there was any way of sending partof this money home. I would like to make a present to Uncle Job."

  "When you get to 'Frisco you won't have any trouble about sendin' it."

  "Uncle Job thought it was very risky for a boy like me to leave home andseek my fortune in California. I would like to prove to him that Ididn't make a mistake."

  "It's likely you haven't, Ben," said Bradley cautiously, "but you ain'tout of the woods yet. I hope thing
s will go on as well as they have, andyou'll be able to carry a pile home. But we've got to start in goodseason to-morrow, and we may as well turn in and go to sleep."

  CHAPTER XIII.

  KI SING'S RIDE.

  The next morning after breakfast the party got off. Fortunately, therewere no trunks or heavy luggage to carry. California pioneers had nooccasion for Saratoga trunks, and the amount of clothing they carried inaddition to what they had on was very small.

  "Ki Sing," said Bradley, jocosely, "I am afraid we can't carry yourtrunk with us."

  "'Tlunk'!" repeated the Chinaman, looking puzzled.

  "Yes, trunk, or 'tlunk,' as you call it. Haven't you a trunk to carryyour clothes?"

  "Got clothes on," said Ki Sing, pointing to his blouse and wide pants.

  "I see," said Bradley, laughing. "We're all about in the same fix. Theclothes of the whole party wouldn't half fill a trunk."

  The two horses were brought out and saddled.

  Bradley assisted Richard Dewey to mount one, and motioned to Ben tomount the other. "Get on, Ben," he said. "It's time the procession wasmoving."

  Ben shook his head. "No, Jake," he said. "You are older than I am. It isproper that you should ride."

  "If I'm older than you," said Bradley, "I am stronger than you, and ambetter able to walk."

  "I am strong enough, Jake. I sha'n't get tired."

  "One of us ought to ride. There's no use in havin' a horse if you ain'tgoing to use him."