"That's right, sir," said Barker; "ready for action. Yes? Then what's it to be?"

"My plan is very simple," replied Mr Raydon. "I propose going up the valley with my men to Gunson's claim, where I shall, of course, join the four stationed there."

"That's right," said Barker. "We asked them to come with us, but they refused. Well, sir?"

"You and your men will march down to the river, and descend till you are opposite the little vale where these people are hiding. You will find it very beautiful and park-like for the first half mile, but as the glade narrows it grows more dense, till it is filled from side to side with magnificent pines. You will spread your men out, to guard against the enemy passing you, and this will grow more and more easy as you go slowly on."

"I understand; and what are you going to do, sir?" said the man.

"Come over the ridge, and through the forest which separates this valley from that, so as to get to the head of the little stream. Then we shall begin to descend, and, I hope, drive the scoundrels into your hands."

Barker gave his rifle-stock a hearty slap.

"Capital!" he cried. "And you can get over there?"

"I know every part here for miles round," said Mr Raydon, as I felt quite startled at his plan being exactly the same as the one I had thought of. "I will set over there somehow."

"Then we shall have them between two fires, sir," cried Barker—"good!"

We parted directly after this, it being understood that the miners were to move slowly, so as to give us ample time to make our arrangements, get round over the mountain-ridge, and go down to meet them so as to have the enemy safely between us, Mr Raydon being of opinion that the sides of the valley in which they were encamped would be too steep to give them a chance of escape.

We pressed on past the various little claims, with the place looking untidy and desolate, consequent upon the number of camping-places all along the beautiful stream; and whenever we came upon the more desolate places, with the traces of fire and burned trees, I saw Mr Raydon's brow knit, and more than once he uttered an angry ejaculation.

Gunson's claim was neared at last, just as I was beginning to feel exhausted with the difficulties of the climb up the rugged rock-strewn track, and Mr Raydon was looking more severe than ever, when all at once, from out of the trees there rang out a sharp "Halt!" and there was the clicking of a rifle-lock.

"Hah!" ejaculated Mr Raydon, brightening up at once at this display of watchfulness, which proved to him how trustworthy his men were. Then stepping to the front he shouted a few words, and the man who had spoken came from his post, which commanded an approach to the claim.

We were met with an eager welcome, and in spite of the risks they would have to encounter, the four men were overjoyed at hearing of the business in hand, clearly showing that they were tired of their monotonous inactive life.

A brief halt was made, during which our party lay about making a good meal; and then, at a word from Mr Raydon, they all sprang up together quite in military fashion, while he explained to the four men the plan.

"We must try and get over here at once," he said, as he glanced up at the tremendous wall of rock, piled up quite a thousand feet above our heads, and dotted with patches of trees, wherever there was soil or crevice in which a pine could take root.

"Better place higher up, sir," said one of the men. "There's a little branch of the stream goes off west: I followed it the other day after a sheep. I think we could get far enough up the mountain then to cross over and strike the other stream."

"Right," said Mr Raydon at once; "that will be better. All ready? Ammunition?"

"Ready! ready!" rang along the little line.

Mr Raydon nodded.

"No talking, and go as silently as you can; sound travels in these high parts, and we do not know how high up the scoundrels may be camping. Now, understand once more—single file till we cross over into the other valley, then spread out as widely as the place will allow, and keep as level a line as possible. The object is to drive these men back to the mining party, and not one must break through our line now. You lead. I trust to you to get us well over into that valley."

The man who had spoken of the branch from the stream stepped to the front, rifles were shouldered, the word was given, and with Mr Raydon next to the leader, and I behind him, carrying a spare rifle and the surgical case, the advance was begun.



CHAPTER FIFTY TWO.

A NEW ENEMY.

We had not lost more than a quarter of an hour in this halt; but it was sufficient, as I found when I rose, to have cooled me down and made me feel fresh and ready for the arduous climb that we now had to make. Our path was along by the stream for a time, but more often right in it, for the valley grew narrower, and was frequently little more than a gigantic crack in the mountain-side; but so beautiful that I often longed to stop and gaze at the overhanging ferns and velvety moss by some foaming fall, where the water came down from above like so much fine misty rain.

But there was no halting, and we kept on till the leader suddenly turned into a gloomy niche on our left, out of which another stream rushed; and here for some time we had to climb from rock to rock, and often drag ourselves on to some shelf by the overhanging roots of trees. The ascent was wonderfully steep, and sometimes so narrow that we were in a dim twilight with the sky far away above us, like a jagged line of light. As for the stream in whose bed we were, it was a succession of tiny falls now, and we were soon dripping from the waist downward.

But no word was spoken, and the men worked together as if trained by long service to this kind of travelling. When some awkward rock had been climbed by the leader, he stopped and held down his hand to Mr Raydon, who sprang up and offered me the same assistance, while I, taking it as the proper thing to do, held my hand down to the next.

For full two hours we struggled up this narrow rift before it became less deep, and the light nearer. Then the climbing was less difficult, and drier, and I could see that we were getting up more on to the open mountain-side, amid the bare rocks and piled-up stones. All at once the leader stopped short, and pointed up to where, quite half a mile away, I could see about a dozen sheep standing clearly defined against the sky, their heads with the great curled horns plainly visible. Some were feeding, but two stood above the rest as if on guard.

Mr Raydon nodded, and the man said—

"I lost sight of my sheep just below where you see those, sir, and I think if we keep on along for a mile beyond we shall find the stream we want running down into the other valley."

Mr Raydon stood shading his eyes for a few minutes.

"Yes," he said, at last. "You are quite right. I can see the mountain I have been on before. Forward!"

The way was less arduous now, and the fresh breeze into which we had climbed made it cooler; but still it was laborious enough to make me pant as I followed right in Mr Raydon's steps. Before we had gone on much further I saw the sheep take alarm, and go bounding up, diagonally, what looked like a vast wall of rock, and disappear; and when we had climbed just below where I had seen them bound, it seemed impossible that they could have found footing there.

Another half-hour's toilsome ascent, for the most part among loose stones, and we stood gazing down into a narrow gully similar to that up which we had climbed, and at the bottom I saw a little rushing stream, which Mr Raydon said was the one we sought, and I knew that we had but to follow that to where it joined the big river, after a journey through the dense mass of forest with which the valley was filled.

Here we halted for a few minutes in a stony solitude, where there was not the faintest sound to be heard; and then Mr Raydon's deep voice whispered "Forward!" and we began to descend cautiously, for the way down to the stream was so perilous that it was only by using the greatest care that we reached the bottom in safety, and began to follow the torrent downward.

"No chance for them to escape by us this way," said Mr Raydon to me with a grim smile, looking back as we descended the chasm in single file, gradually going as it were into twilight, and then almost into darkness, with perpendicular walls of rock on either hand, and the moist air filled with the echoing roar and rush of water.

Here Mr Raydon took the lead, the man who had been in advance letting us both pass him, and then following behind, me.

"I have been up this stream to this point before," said Mr Raydon to me. "You never thought to see such places as this, Gordon," he continued, "when you left London."

"No," I said eagerly, for it was pleasant to hear him make some advances towards me; but he said no more, relapsing into complete silence as he strode on or leaped from rock to rock, till by degrees, and repeating our morning's experience in the reverse way, we began to find the narrow gorge widen and grow less dark; then we came to places where the sunshine gleamed down, and there were ferns; then lower down to more light, and where bushes were plentiful, but still with the valley so narrow that we had to keep in single file.

At last, the perpendicular walls were further back, the valley grew V-shaped, and patches of dwarf forest grew visible high up. Bigger trees appeared, and soon after the place became park-like, and a man stepped out to right and left, so that in front we were three abreast; and half an hour later we were amongst the thickly-growing pines—a line of eight men abreast with Mr Raydon in the middle, and I and the other behind.

"Halt!" said Mr Raydon, in a whisper. "Join up."

The men from right and left drew in, and he said in quite a whisper—

"The forest grows more and more dense here for miles away to the river. I propose now going on for another half-hour, to where there is a sudden narrowing in of the valley to about thirty yards. If we do not meet the enemy before this, I shall halt there, and keep that pass, waiting till they are driven up to us. But we may have them upon us at any moment now."

"They could not have got by us, sir?" I ventured to say.

Mr Raydon looked at me, and smiled.

"Impossible, my lad. Ready? Forward!"

Our advance now was slow, as we had to pass in and out among the thickly-growing trees, and to be careful to keep in line as nearly as was possible. Every man was eager and excited, and from time to time, as I looked to right and left, I kept catching sight of one of our party pressing forward with rifle ready, and waiting to fire at the first sight of the enemy, this shot being the appointed signal for all to halt and stand fast, waiting for further orders.

At last, after what in my excited state seemed to be hours, but which afterwards proved not to have been one, Mr Raydon said in a whisper—

"There is the gate."

I stared, but could see nothing till we had gone a few yards further, when I found that two huge shoulders of the mountain had fallen in, and blocked the valley, which was narrowed here, as Mr Raydon said, to a sharply-cut passage of about thirty yards wide. Here we halted, and were disposed so that a dog could not pass through without being seen, and for a full hour we remained in utter silence, watching, till, unable to bear the inaction any longer, Mr Raydon said sharply—

"Forward! Open out! I am afraid there is something wrong below. They ought to have been up here by this time."

We tramped on again now, still with the same precautions, but making as much speed as we could after our rest, though our pace was slow on account of the dense nature of the forest. I cannot tell how long we had been going downward, but suddenly, just as I was growing weary of the whole business, and thinking that the men were after all, perhaps, not here, or that we had come down the wrong valley, my blood rose to fever-heat again, for Mr Raydon whispered—

"Halt!" and the word ran along to right and left. "Be ready," he whispered again. And now I heard a faint muttering in front of us, similar to that which we had made in our progress; and at last, away among the great tree-trunks dimly seen in the shade, I caught sight of a man, then of another and another, and now Mr Raydon's voice rang out hoarsely—

"Halt, or we fire!"

There was a low murmuring from before us, and a bit of a rush, as of men collecting together, and then a voice roared from among the trees—

"Surrender there, or we will shoot you down to a man."

"Do you hear?" cried Mr Raydon. "Surrender! The game's up, you scoundrels."

"Mr Raydon," I whispered, excitedly, for I had caught sight of the advancing party, "don't fire; it's Mr Barker and his men."

"What? Hi! Barker! Is that you?"

"Ay—ay!" came back. "That you, Mr Raydon?"

"Yes, man, yes; where are the enemy?"

"Why, I thought you was them," cried Barker, advancing.

"We thought the same," said Mr Raydon, as he too stepped forward, and we all stood face to face. "Then they were not here. Or have you passed them?"

"I don't think—" began Barker.

"Why, I told you so," cried one of the men. "I felt sure I heard something out to our left among the trees hours ago."

"What?" cried Mr Raydon; "did you not open out your men in line?"

"Far as we could," said Barker, gruffly. "It's so thick down below we couldn't get along."

"Man!" cried Mr Raydon, "they've been too sharp for you, and let you pass. Why—oh, good heavens! they must have known of our plans. They'll have stolen out at the mouth of the valley, gone up, and taken the Fort."

A dead silence reigned for a few minutes, as Mr Raydon stood thinking. Then suddenly—

"We did not give them credit for being so sharp as they are," he continued. "Here, forward all of you, back to the river. I hope my fears are wrong."

"Hadn't we better go your way?" said Barker. "The forest is frightfully thick below, and it will take us hours."

"The way we came will take twice as long," said Mr Raydon, sternly; "and it is one fearful climb right up into the mountain. We must go this way. Follow as quickly as possible. There will be no need to keep a look-out now."

The men mustered up without a word, and with Mr Raydon and Barker leading, we tramped on as fast as we could, but making very poor progress during the next hour, for all were growing hot and exhausted, and the labour was really terrible. But they pressed on in silence, while Mr Raydon and Barker talked together rather bitterly about the ill success of the expedition.

We must have been walking about two hours when—

"It will be night before we get to the Fort," I heard the former say; "and who knows what may have happened there!"

"But your men will make a fight for it," said Barker.

"My principal fellow, Grey, will fight to the death," said Mr Raydon; "but there are not enough to hold the place. It is ruin and destruction. I ought not to have come."

"Hush!" I said, excitedly. "What's that?"

Mr Raydon stopped short, and held up his hand, when a low, dull, roaring sound as of a flood of water rushing up the valley was heard increasing rapidly.

"Great heavens!" cried Mr Raydon, excitedly; "they have fired the forest down below."

And as he spoke there was a faint hot puff of air borne toward us, and with it the unmistakable odour of burning wood.

A thrill of excitement ran through the men at the above words, and they looked at one another. The next moment they would have rushed back up the valley, but Mr Raydon cried sharply—

"No, no, my lads; the fire cannot be right across the valley; let's go on and try and pass it."

They seemed to be ready to obey the first who gave them orders, and Mr Raydon led on again, but in less then ten minutes, during which the hot puffs of air and the roar had increased rapidly, we were face to face with the fact that the fire was coming up like some terrible tide, evidently stretching right across from side to side, and already above our heads there were clouds of pungent smoke; and the crackle, roar, and hiss of the burning wood was rapidly growing louder.

"Halt!" roared Mr Raydon. "It is death to go on. Back at once."

"But the sides," cried Barker; "can't we all climb up here?"

"The fire would be on us before we were half-way up, even if we could climb, man," said Mr Raydon, "which I doubt. Back at once!"

"Yes; quick! quick!" shouted one of the men. "Look, look!"

It did not need his shouts, for we could see the flames rushing up the higher trees, which seemed to flash with light, as if they had been strewn with powder; the heat was growing unbearable, and already I felt faint and giddy.

It was quite time we were in full retreat, for there above our heads was a pall of black smoke, dotted with flakes of flame, and a horrible panic now smote the men as they hurried on.

"Keep close to me, Gordon," said Mr Raydon, glancing back. "Why, it is coming on like a hurricane of fire."

It was too true, for the hot wind rushed up between the towering walls of the valley as if through a funnel, and before many minutes had passed we knew that the forest was on fire where we so lately stood, and that it was rapidly growing into a race between man's endurance and the wild rush of the flames.

I looked back twice, to feel the hot glow of the fire on my face, and to see the lurid glare coming on with the black smoke-clouds wreathing up at terrific speed. Then as we tramped on with the roar behind us as of some vast furnace, there came explosions like the firing of guns; the crashes of small arms; and from time to time the fall of some tree sounded like thunder.

The men needed no spurring to get on out of the dense labyrinth of trees, through which we toiled on hot to suffocation, breathless, and in mortal dread of being overtaken by the fearful enemy roaring in our rear. For, so rapid was the advance of the fire, that for a certainty a ten minutes' halt would have been enough to have brought the line of fire up to us.

"Don't stop to look back," cried Mr Raydon. "Press on, men; press on. Keep together."

I thought of the consequences of one of our party losing his way ever so little, and the men knew it only too well as they kept together in a little crowd which was constantly being broken up and separated by the trees round which they threaded their way.

"Is there much more of this?" said Barker, suddenly appearing close to us.

"Yes," replied Mr Raydon; "miles."

"Shall we do it?" he panted.

"With God's help," was Raydon's quiet reply; and I saw Barker set his teeth hard, and throw his gun further over his shoulder as he bent down to his task.

The narrow gate of the valley at last; and as we filed through the opening I wondered whether it would tend to check the advance of the fire, and began to wonder whether the trees were much thinner on the higher side. But I felt that they were not, and that it would be long enough before we struggled on to a place where we could be in safety; while what seemed directly after, there was a deafening roar which I knew to be that of the flames closed up by the narrow way, and leaping after us now, as if in dread that we should escape.

"Man down!" shouted a voice; and in the horrible selfishness of their fear the rest were passing on, but at a word from Mr Raydon four of his men seized the poor exhausted fellow, each taking an arm or leg, and bearing him on, while a few drops were trickled from a flask between his lips.

"Man down!" was shouted again; and this time the retreating party seized the poor fellow, following the example of our men, and bore him on, while he was submitted to the same treatment.

Ten minutes after the poor fellows were on their feet again, struggling on with the support of the arms of two of their fellows.

A dozen times over I felt that all was over, and that we might as well accept our fate. For we could hardly breathe, and now the sparks and flakes of fire and burning twigs came showering down upon us, as if sent forward by the main body of the flame to check us till the advance came on.

The latter part of that retreat before our merciless enemy became to me at last like a dream, during which I have some recollection of staggering along with my arm in Mr Raydon's, and the people about us tottering and blundering along as if drunk with horror and exhaustion. Every now and then men went down, but they struggled up again, and staggered on, a crew of wild, bloodshot-eyed creatures, whose lips were parched, and white with foam; and then something cool was being splashed on my face.

"Coming round, sir?" said a familiar voice.

"Yes; he'll be better soon. A terrible experience, Mr Barker."

"Terrible isn't the word for it, sir. I gave up a dozen times or so, and thought the end had come. Why, it was almost like a horse galloping. I never saw anything like it."

"Nor wish to see anything like it again," said Mr Raydon.

By this time I was looking round, to find that we were seated by the stream, where the water came bubbling and splashing down, while far below us the smoke and flame went up whirling into the sky.

"Better, my lad?" said Mr Raydon.

"Yes, only giddy," I said; and after drinking heartily and washing my face in the fresh, cool water, I was ready to continue our journey.



CHAPTER FIFTY THREE.

MR. JOHN'S SCRUPLES.

It was a dreary, toilsome climb up the narrow portion of the valley, and it was quite dark by the time we had reached the spot where we descended first that morning, and consequently our task grew more risky and difficult; but there was no shrinking, and following in each other's steps, we went on over the bare mountain below where the sheep had been seen, and with no other light than that of the stars, descended into the narrow gorge which led down into Golden Valley.

Here we of necessity, on reaching Gunson's claim, made a halt to refresh; but as soon as possible Mr Raydon gave the word "Forward!" again, and the men stepped out better, for this was all well-known ground.

Five-minute halts were made twice on the way down, so as to obtain food at a couple of tents. Then it was on again, and the river was reached at last, and the steady upward trudge commenced for the Fort.

Mr Raydon did not speak, but I felt that his thoughts must have been the same as mine, as I wondered what had taken place, and whether he was right in his belief that the enemy had gone up to the Fort after firing the forest.

All doubt was cleared when we were about half a mile from our destination, for there suddenly boomed out on the still night air, to echo and die rumbling away among the mountains, the heavy report of one of the small cannon of the block-houses, and this sound sent the men onward at double speed, for it meant not only that the Fort was attacked, but that Grey and those with him were making a brave defence.

"Steady, steady!" said Mr Raydon, in a low, stern voice. "We must get up there ready for a run in. You are out of breath, my lads."

The men from the Fort, who were in front, slowed down a little at this, dropping from the double into a sharp, quick walk; but the report of a second gun, and then the crackle of rifle-firing, started them again into a steady trot, and I found myself forgetting my weariness, and running by Mr Raydon step for step.

The firing grew sharper as we neared the palisade, which was dimly seen in the starlight, and the flashes of the rifles and the lights we saw going here and there added to the excitement of the scene as Mr Raydon said aloud—

"They have got in, and are trying to take the west block-house. Too late! they have taken it," he cried, as a burst of cheering rose from within the great fence. Then in a quick whisper he bade the men halt, about a dozen yards from the gateway.

"Mr Barker," he said, "keep the gate, and come to our help if we want it. Don't let a man pass. No bloodshed if you can help it—prisoners. Now, Hudson's Bay boys, ready!"

A fresh burst of cheering arose just then, and directly after the loud shriek of a woman, and a voice I knew as Esau's roaring out angry words.

"Forward!" said Mr Raydon. "Open out into line, and use the butts of your rifles."

I ran with them from the force of example, and carried away by the excitement, as our men charged rapidly across the enclosure to where, in happy ignorance of the fact that help was at hand, the gang of scoundrels were busy binding their prisoners, whom they had just dragged out of the block-house. But the next minute there was a yell of rage and hate, with the sound of heavy blows, pistol-shots, oaths and curses, and then the pattering of feet, and Mr Raydon's voice rang out.

"Four men your way," he cried; and directly after there was a repetition of the blows, shots, and yells, followed by a cheer from the gate.

For the last of the gang had been beaten down, and as pine-torches were lit, the wounded were separated from the uninjured, and these latter were placed in rows under a strong guard; while explanations followed, Grey assuring us that the women were safe; that the cry came from Mrs Dean, who had tried to protect her son; and that we had come just in time, after a desperate struggle, first at the gate, and lastly at the block-house, which he had defended as vigorously as his limited means would allow. But at last, after being wounded twice, and his two most helpful men laid low, he had succumbed to a desperate rush.

Day broke on as wild a looking set as can be imagined; jaded, exhausted, blackened with smoke, our men sat and lay about for the most part unhurt, though several showed traces of the desperate struggle made by the surprised gang, whose one-handed leader told Mr Raydon with a savage oath that he thought our party had been burned in the forest.

"Then it was your doing," said Barker, fiercely.

"Course it was," said the ruffian. "Give me a chance, and I'll burn this place too."

Barker raised his fist to strike the fellow, but Mr Raydon seized his arm.

"Don't do that," he said; "we shall not give him a chance."

And so it proved, for that night, when I rose after a long deep sleep, I found that a party had started down the valley with the prisoners.

"You came just in time, Mayne Gordon," said Mr John to me. "I was so frightened that it made me desperate too. I'm afraid I hurt one man."

"You did, sir," I said laughing. "Grey told me how you swung your rifle round, and struck him down."

"I did, my boy, I did," he said. "Don't laugh. I do not feel satisfied that I did right."

"You did it to defend your wife," said Mr Raydon, who came up; "and I never felt so proud of you before, John. There, I must go and see my injured men."



CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR.

WE MAKE A FRESH START.

The wounded prisoners were not got rid of for quite a fortnight, during which time matters settled down again into the regular routine, one of my principal tasks being helping Mr Gunson to take little walks, then longer and longer ones, after which we used to go and have a chat with Grey, who made very light of his wounds.

One day I asked leave of Mr Raydon to go and have a look at the valley where we had had so narrow an escape. He gave me leave freely enough; and as Mr Gunson did not care to accompany me, saying he had no taste for works in charcoal, I asked leave for Esau to come; and in due time we stood at the mouth of the valley gazing up.

"'Nuff to make a fellow sit down and cry," said Esau, as I recalled our escape.

"Pitiful!" I said sadly.

"Ah, that ain't half strong enough," he said, as we tramped on amongst the ashes and charred wood, with the tall stumps of the great pines standing burned for the most part to sharp points, and looking like landmarks to show the terrible devastation in the once lovely wooded vale.

"I only feel as if I could not use words strong enough," I replied, as we slowly tramped on, with the charred wood cracking under our feet, and the only thing that redeemed the burned region being the beautiful stream which rushed and leaped and sparkled, just as it had been wont before the fire scorched the whole place into a desert.

"Why, it'll take hundreds of years for the trees to grow up again, if they ever do, for it strikes me the fire's spoiled even the ground."

"It may," I said sadly.

"Well, it's too hot to go on any further," said Esau. "Let's go back. Ugh! see how black we're getting. I say, look! I can't see a single green thing. Everything's burnt!"

"Yes," I said; "and this was to have been our home."

"What!" cried Esau, giving such a start that he raised a little puff of black dust.

"This valley, with its pleasant meadows and the park-like entrance, was to have been our home. Mr Raydon had chosen it for Mr and Mrs John."

"Well," cried Esau; "then it is too bad. It was bad enough before for such a glorious place to be burned up; but as it was to have been ours— Oh, I hope they'll transport those fellows for life."

We tramped back, having seen enough of the desolation to make our hearts ache, and stayed for a couple of hours in the lower part catching trout to take back with us before starting homeward, and passing two parties of gold-diggers from the coast on their way to the Golden Valley.

They asked us eagerly to direct them, and I showed them the way with a curious feeling of dissatisfaction.

But that was of little use, for if I had not pointed out the way some one else would, for the news had spread far and wide, and the gold-washing was going on more vigorously every day. Crowds of people were flocking up the valleys, some to gain fortunes, but the greater part nothing but ill-health and disappointment.

The constant accessions of strangers made it the more difficult for Gunson's claim to be held; but, in spite of all opposition and complaint, this was done, the four men, or others in their place, being always kept on guard.

At last came the day when, in spite of Mr Raydon's advice to stay longer, Gunson declared himself quite strong and well.

"I am anxious to get back," he said, "and the more so that I am keeping your men there."

"I have not complained," said Mr Raydon.

"No; and you puzzle me," replied Gunson. "I should have thought you would have tried all you could to keep me back."

"Why should I? What difference does one make?"

"Then one more or less is of no consequence?" said Gunson, laughing. "Well, I am not going to repeat all I have said before as to being grateful."

"I beg you will not," said Mr Raydon. "We had our duty to do to a sick man, and we have done it."

"Nobly," said Gunson, warmly.

"And you intend to start?"

"To-morrow morning, eagerly but unwillingly, for I am loth to leave the society of the tender friends who have nursed me back to life."

He looked at Mrs John and then at Mr John, ending by beckoning to me to come out with him into the enclosure, where Mr Raydon joined us, to begin talking about the stores he meant Gunson to have.

"But really, I cannot be putting myself under fresh obligations," said Gunson.

"Very well then," said Mr Raydon, rather bitterly; "pay me, and be independent." Then facing round and looking at me, and at Esau, who was some little distance away, he said sharply—

"You will take these two lads to help you, of course?"

"Yes," said Gunson, as the blood flushed to my temples, "of course. I could not do without them." I saw Mr Raydon frown, but no more was said, and we spent the rest of the day making preparations for our start, Mrs Dean helping, with the tears trickling down her cheeks as she worked, and bringing forth appeal after appeal from Esau not "to do that." Those few hours seemed to run away, so that it was night long before I expected it, and at last I went to Mr Raydon's quarters to say good-bye.

"There is no need," said Mr John, sadly. "The morning will do."

"But we start directly after daylight," I said. "Yes, I know; but we shall be up to see you off." I went away to my own quarters sadly dispirited; and my feelings were not brightened by the scene going on between Esau and his mother; and I gladly went out into the cool dark night to try and grow composed, when a high-pitched voice saluted me.

"Allee leady," it said. "Plenty tea, plenty flou, plenty bacon. Quong velly glad to go."

I could not say the same, and I passed a very poor night, gladly rising at Gunson's call, and dressing in the half-darkness, so eager was I to get the painful farewells over and make a start.

Mr and Mrs John had kept their words, and Mrs Dean was waiting to kiss me and say good-bye, and beg me to take care of Esau.

"For he is so rash," she whimpered. "Do keep him out of danger, my dear."

I promised, and it was understood that we all parted the best of friends, Mr Raydon inviting us all to come over and see them when we chose, and offering to take charge of any gold Gunson might feel disposed to bring over to the Fort.

Then we were off, all well laden, and with two of the men and their Indian wives to carry stores.

The way chosen was through the forest, and away over the mountain ridge, so as to avoid passing all the little camps; and in due time we reached the claim, dismissed the bearers, and once more settled down to our work.

"We must try hard to make up for lost time, my lads," said Gunson. "Why, Gordon, you don't seem to relish the task."

"Oh, yes," I said, "only I feel a little dull at leaving the Fort."



CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE.

MR. RAYDON QUOTES LATIN.

"Nothing has been touched," said Mr Gunson, the next morning. "I don't believe Raydon's men have even washed a pan of gold, and my bank is quite safe."

I looked at him inquiringly.

"I examined it while you were asleep, Mayne," he said.

"Then you have a good deal stored up here?"

"Yes—somewhere," he said. "I'll show you one of these days. Now then; ready?"

We declared our readiness, and once more we began work, out in the silence of that beautiful valley, digging, washing, and examining, as we picked out the soft deadened golden scales, beads, grains, and tiny smooth nuggets.

We all worked our hardest, Quong being indefatigable, and darting back, after running off to see to the fire, to dig and wash with the best of us.

We had very fair success, but nothing dazzling, and the gold we found was added to the bank on the fourth day, this bank proving to be a leather bag which Mr Gunson dug up carefully in my presence, while I stared at him, and burst out laughing at his choice of what I thought so silly and unsafe a place for his findings.

"Why do you laugh?" he said, quietly. "Do you think I might have had a strong box instead of a leather bag?"

"I should have thought that you would have buried it in some out-of-the-way, deserted corner," I said. "I could find hundreds about."

"Yes," he said; "and so could other people, my lad. Those are the very spots they would have searched. I wanted a place where no one would look."

"And so you hid it here," I said, wonderingly, for I could not quite see that he was right, and yet he must have been, for the gold was safe.

His hiding-place was down in the sand, right in the beaten track people walked over on their way up the valley.

We worked on busily for a month after Mr Gunson's coming back to his claim; and then one day we struck camp and marched back to the Fort, with a small quantity of gold, the fifth that we had taken up.

"Why, hallo!" cried Mr Raydon as he came in and found us there, with Mr and Mrs John, and Gunson looking very serious.

"Yes," he said. "It's all over. My luck again."

"What do you mean?"

"That was a rich little deposit, and we have gleaned the last grain. The other people are doing badly too, and going back."

"But there must be plenty more," said Mr Raydon.

"No; I believe we have pretty well cleared the valley."

"Then I am delighted," cried Mr Raydon. "Gunson, I congratulate you."

"Indeed!" said Gunson, coldly.

"Yes, for now there will be an end to this grasping, avaricious work, and our pleasant vales will return to the condition that is best."

"The hope of my life is crushed, man, and I must begin my weary hunt again," said Gunson, bitterly.

"No; your new and happier, more manly life is now about to commence. Look here, what gold have you got?"

"You know."

"Not I. I know that I supplied you with a couple of sheep-skins, which you made into bags, and that those bags are in my strong box. What have you?"

"After I have fairly apportioned shares to Mayne, to Dean, and to my little Chinese friend, I shall have a thousand pounds' worth for myself."

"Ample, and double what you will require, man," said Mr Raydon. "Think where you are, in a country—a virgin country—as beautiful, more beautiful than dear old England, a place where for almost nothing you may select land by one of our lovely streams, which, as the writer said, is waiting to be tickled with a hoe, that it may laugh with a harvest. Come: England is too narrow for such a man as you. Take up land, make a ranch if you like, or farm as they farm at home; sow your grains of gold in the shape of wheat, and they will come up a hundredfold. Build your house, and send for the mother and sister of whom you spoke to me when you were so weak."

"I spoke!" said Gunson, wonderingly. "Yes; you were half delirious, but you spoke of a dear mother and sister in England; bring them to share your prosperity, for prosperity must come; and it is a life worth living, after all."

As he spoke I felt my heart swell with hope; the gloomy feelings of disappointment passed away, and I found myself gazing with astonishment at Mr Gunson, whose morose, disfigured face seemed to brighten up and glow, while his eye flashed again, as when Mr Raydon finished speaking he leaned forward and grasped his hand.

"God bless you for those words," he said; "you have made light shine into a darkened heart. I will do this thing. Heaven helping me, I will never seek for a grain of gold again."

"I shall register your oath, Gunson," said Mr Raydon, smiling.

"Do. It will be kept. Yes: I will fetch them over; and, Mrs John, it will be one of the delights of my new life, to introduce two ladies most dear to me to one whom they will venerate and love. Mayne, you have never told them all I said to you?"

"No," I said; "it would have been a breach of confidence."

I looked up as I spoke, and saw that Mr Raydon's eyes were fixed upon me searchingly, and his voice sounded harsh again as he said—

"It was a breach of confidence, Mayne Gordon, to tell Mr Gunson here of the existence of gold in the little valley. Do you remember your promise to me?"

"Yes, sir," I said, boldly, for I felt that at last the truth must come out, and I should be cleared; for I would speak now if Mr Gunson did not. "I remember well."

"Mayne," said Gunson; and my heart seemed to leap—"Mayne tell me about the gold up yonder? No, no; it was not he."

"What!" cried Mr Raydon, excitedly. "It was not Mayne Gordon who told you?"

"No; it was that little Chinaman confided to me that he had made a big find. The little fellow always had confidence in me. He brought me quite a hundred pounds' worth to take care of for him when I was here last, and proposed to put himself under my protection and to work for me if I allowed him a tenth."

"Then it was not Mayne?" cried Mrs John, excitedly.

"No, madam. I knew friend Raydon would be angry, but I was obliged to accept the offer, for I felt that some time or other the people would come, and I argued that the sooner it was all cleared out the better for Raydon's peace of mind. You knew it must be discovered."

"Yes; I always knew that; but I wanted to keep away those who came as long as possible."

"They are going already, and you will soon have your vales in peace again."

"Yes, yes, yes," muttered Mr Raydon, beginning to walk up and down the room, while I felt in such a whirl of excitement, as I saw Mrs John's beautiful, motherly eyes fixed lovingly on mine, and felt Mr John snatch my hand and press it, and then give vent to his delight at the clearing up by slapping me heavily on the shoulder, that I could not see Mr Raydon's puckered brow. What I did see was the bear's head looking down at me, showing its grinning teeth as if it were laughing and pleased, and the moose staring at me with its mournful aspect less marked. All nonsense this, I know, but there was a feeling of joy within me that filled me with exultation.

The silence was almost painful at last, and the tension grew to such an extent that I felt at last that I must run out and tell Esau I had misjudged him, as I had been misjudged, when Mr Raydon stopped before me and said softly—

"You remember your Latin, Mayne?"

"A little, sir," I said, wondering at his words.

"Humanum est curare. You know that?"

"Yes, sir," I said, huskily; "but please don't say any more."

"I must. I have erred bitterly. I was blind to the truth. Will you forgive me?"

"Mr Raydon!" I cried.

"My dear boy," he said, as he grasped my hands; and, to my astonishment, I saw the tears standing in his eyes, while I could not help thinking as he stood there softened towards me, how like he seemed to his sister; "you do not know how I have suffered, hard, cold man as I have grown in my long residence in these wilds."

"But it's all past now, sir," I said; "and you know the truth."

"Yes; all past," said Gunson, warmly.

"Past; but I shall never forget it, Mayne. My dear sister's letter interested me deeply in you, and when you came I felt that she had not exaggerated, and you at once made your way with me. Then came this wretched misunderstanding, blinding me to everything but the fact that I had received a wound, one which irritated me more than I can say."

"Pray, pray say no more, sir," I cried, excitedly.

"I must, Mayne. I ought to have known better."

"I am glad, Dan," cried Mr John, exultingly. "I have always been such a weak, easily-led-away man, that my life has been a series of mistakes; and it is a delightful triumph to me to find that my hard-headed, stern brother-in-law can blunder too."

"Yes; it will take some of the conceit out of me," said Mr Raydon, smiling. "There; shake hands, my lad. I read your forgiveness in your eyes."

"Why, my dear Raydon," cried Mr Gunson, merrily, "what moles we all are, and how things shape themselves without our help! I find that in my wild thirst for gold I have been acting as your good genii."

"How?" said Mr Raydon.

"By bringing Mayne and you closer together than you would ever have been without this mistake. See what I have done for you too, in clearing the valley of this horrible gold!" he cried, merrily.

"But you've ruined the estate I was to have had," said Mr John. "My brother and I went down and had a look at it, and it is one horrible black desert."

"Pish, man!" cried Gunson; "may work for the best."

"What!" cried Mr John; "are you mad?"

"No, sir. Never more sane; for the gold mania has gone. That vale was grand with its mighty trees, but it was the work of a generation to clear that forest. Through me, that place was swept clean in a couple of days."

"Clean?" said Mr John, dolefully.

"Yes; and the ground covered with the rich, fertilising ashes of the forest. Raydon, what will that place be in a year?"

"Green again; and in two years, when the black stumps are demolished, far more beautiful and suitable for settlement than it was before. He is quite right, John; it is a blessing for us in disguise."

"Humph!" ejaculated Mr John; and Mrs John shook her head sadly.

"I do not like disguises," she said; "and I grieve for those lovely pyramidal trees."

"Trees enough and to spare everywhere," said Mr Raydon. "Don't be afraid; you shall have a lovely home—eh, Mayne? I think we can manage that. There, Gunson, the sooner the better. Let's have a happy settlement there, and no more gold."



CHAPTER FIFTY SIX.

THE GOLDEN HARVEST.

In a year from that time there was not a single gold-digger left in the neighbourhood, for the news of fresh discoveries further north had drawn them all away, and Nature soon hid the untidy spots they had made in Golden Valley with their camps. Gunson had no hesitation in selecting the black valley for his farm, where, in a wonderfully short space of time, patches of green began to appear; while Mrs John, in perfect faith that the place would soon recover, herself picked out the spot at the entrance of the burned valley, close by a waterfall, and was more contented by the fact that several magnificent pines were left standing by the fire, which at starting had not extended so far. Here a delightful little cottage was built almost in Swiss fashion, the men from the Fort helping eagerly to prepare a home for one who, by her gentleness, had quickly won a place in their esteem, without counting the fact that she was their chief officer's sister.

In a very short time this was surrounded by a garden, in which Mr John spent the greater part of his time, planting flowers that his wife loved, while Esau and I had our shares of the gold invested in land bought by acting under Mr Raydon's advice, ready for our working at some future time, for then we were busy helping the Dempsters and Gunson, making plans and improvements.

How we all worked! and what delightful days those were, the more so that in due time there came to our friend's home a sweet-looking, grey-haired lady with a patient, rather pinched aspect, and a grave, handsome woman, whom I knew at once for Gunson's sister; but I was rather puzzled when I heard that their names were Mrs and Miss Effingham.

"My name, Mayne, my lad," said the prospector, "when I was a gentleman, and now I take it once again."

Those two ladies looked scared and sad till they saw Mrs John, and then a change seemed to come over them, such as I had seen in Gunson—I mean Effingham—as he listened to Mr Raydon's words.

In a week Mrs Effingham was ready for me with a smile, and Miss Effingham was singing about the place while I helped her plan a garden for the alpine flowers we collected.

Yes: that soon became a happy valley, where there was always some new pleasure of a simple kind—the arrival of boxes of seeds, or packages of fruit-trees from England, implements for the farming—endless things that civilisation asks for.

Then Esau developed into a wonderful carpenter, after instructions from Grey at the Fort; and from carpentering blossomed into cabinet-making. Every one was busy, and as for Quong, he quite settled down as cook in general, baker, and useful hand, confiding to me that he did not mean to go back to China till he died.

"This velly nice place, sah. No sabbee more ploper place. Quong velly happy, sah. You like cup flesh tea?"

He always offered me that whenever I went near him, and I think his feelings were those of every one there. For it was a pleasant sight to see Mr and Mrs John in their garden, which was half Nature-made when they began, and grew in beauty as the years rolled on, though they had formidable competitors up at the farm.

"Yes," said Mr Effingham one day as I stood with him and Mr Raydon in the big barn—that big barn built of Douglas pine planks, cut down by Esau and me, sawn in our own mill turned by the beautiful stream—a mill erected with Mr Raydon's help. "Yes," he said, as he thrust his hand into a sack, and let the contents trickle back; "that's as good wheat as they grow in England. You were right, old fellow. Do you hear, Mayne? These are the real golden grains, and the best that man can find."

THE END.