Gold, Gold, in Cariboo! A Story of Adventure in British Columbia Read online

  CHAPTER II.

  A "GILT-EDGED" SPECULATION.

  "Ned, were you drunk last night, or am I dreaming?" asked Chance nextmorning, as the two sat over their breakfast, while the canoes of theearly Indian fishers stole out along the edges of the great kelp beds.

  It was a lovely scene upon which Corbett's tent looked out, but Chanceat the moment had no eyes for the blue water, or the glories of the snowrange beyond, all he could think of was "three claims at two thousanddollars apiece."

  "Neither, that I am aware of, Steve. You eat as if you had all yourfaculties about you, and I've no head ache."

  "Then you did not buy three claims from Cruickshank at two thousanddollars apiece?"

  "Yes, I did; and why not?"

  "Where is the money to come from?"

  "I'll see to that," replied Corbett. "I am quite aware that six thousanddollars is twelve hundred pounds; but if you don't want to take a sharein my speculation, I propose to invest that much of my capital in theventure, and even if I lose it all I shall still have something left,besides my muscles, thank God. You two, Phon and yourself, can work forme on wages if you like, or we'll make some other arrangement to keepthe party together."

  For a minute or two Chance said nothing, and then he began laughingquietly to himself.

  "Say, Ned, you took scarlatina pretty bad when you were a kiddy, didn'tyou?"

  "I don't remember, old chap. Why do you ask?"

  "And whooping-cough, and measles, and chicken-pox, and now its goldfever, and my stars isn't it a virulent attack?" and Chance broke outlaughing afresh.

  "I don't see," began Corbett, growing rather red in the face.

  "Oh, no; you don't see what all this has to do with me," interruptedChance, "and it's infernal impertinence on my part to criticise youractions, and if I wasn't so small you would very likely punch my head. Iknow all that. But, you see, we two are partners, and I am not going todissolve partnership because I think you are taking bigger risks thanyou ought to. If you put up three thousand dollars I will put up asmuch, and part of it can come out of the money owing to the firm."

  "But why do this if you think the risk too big?" asked Corbett.

  "Why ask questions, Ned? I feel like taking the risk; I am a Yankee,and therefore a natural gambler. You of course are not, are you? Andthen it's spring-time, and from twenty-three to the other end ofthreescore years and ten is a long, long time; and even if we 'bust,'there'll be lots of time to build again. So we will go halves, the thirdclaim to be held in Phon's name, and Phon to work on wages."

  "Let us have old Phon in. Phon! Phon!" shouted Corbett.

  The Chinaman, who was cleaning the tin plates by a creek hard by, cameslowly towards them.

  "Well, Phon, did you lose all your dollars last night?" asked hismaster.

  "Me tell you debbil say me win--debbil know, you bet," replied Phoncoolly.

  "And did you win?"

  "Me win a hundred dollars--look!" and the little man held out a roll ofdirty notes, amounting to something more than the sum named.

  "You were in luck, Phon. 'Spose I were you, I no go gamble any more,"remarked Corbett, dropping into that pigeon English, which people seemto think best adapted to the comprehension of the Chinaman.

  "Oh yes, you go gamble too. Debbils bodder me very bad last night. Theysay you go gamble, Chance he go gamble, Phon he go gamble too. All gogamble togedder. And then debbil he show me gold, gold,--so much gold meno able to carry it. Where you goin' now?"

  "I guess your friends, the devils, might have told you that too,"remarked Chance. "Don't you know?"

  "No, me no savey. You tell me."

  "Corbett and myself are going up to Cariboo mining, and if you like youcan come as cook, or you can come and work on wages in our claims. Howwould you like that?"

  "Me come, all-lite me come; only you give me one little share in theclaims--you let me put in one hundred dollars I win last night."

  "Better keep what you've got and not gamble any more," replied Corbettkindly.

  "Halo! Halo keep him. 'Spose you not sell me share I go gamble againto-night."

  "Better let him have his way, Ned. Let the whole crowd go in together,'sink or swim.'"

  "Very well, Phon, then you will come."

  "You bet you, Misser Corbett. Who you 'spose cook for you 'spose I nocome?" And having proposed this final conundrum, Phon retired again tohis kitchen.

  "Rum, the way in which he seemed to know all about our movements, Ned,"remarked Chance, when the Chinaman had done.

  "Oh, he overheard what we said last night, or at breakfast thismorning," replied Corbett.

  "He wasn't here last night, and he was down by the stream whilst we wereat breakfast."

  "All right, old man, perhaps his 'debbil' told him. It doesn't muchmatter anyway. Did you see this piece in the _Colonist_?"

  "About us? No. Read it out."

  "'We understand that Colonel Cruickshank, the Napoleon of Victorianfinance, the mammoth hustler of the Pacific coast, has determined toconduct those gentlemen who have bought his bonded claims to thefortunes which await them. This additional proof of the colonel's beliefin the property which he offers for sale should ensure a keencompetition for the one claim still left upon his hands, which weunderstand will be raffled for this afternoon at 4 p.m. at Smith'ssaloon. Tickets, ten dollars each. We are informed that amongst thepurchasers of claims in the Cruickshank reserve are an English gentlemanlargely interested in the lumber business, and an American artistrapidly rising into public notice.'"

  "What cheer, my lumber king!" laughed Chance as Corbett laid down thepaper. "These journalists are wonderful fellows, but I suspect most ofthat paragraph was inspired and paid for by the 'mammoth hustler.' Bythe way, if it is true that he means to personally conduct a party toWilliams Creek, it does really look as if he had some belief in theclaims."

  "Yes, IF he means to; but I expect that is simply to draw people to hisraffle this afternoon."

  "Probably; but if he were to go up to Williams Creek we might as well goup with him. You see, he has travelled along the trail before."

  "Well, I'll see about that, and make any arrangements I can for gettingup to Cariboo, if you will try to get our accounts settled up, Steve.I'm no good at figures, as you know."

  "That's what!" replied Chance laconically; and the two young men gotupon their legs and prepared to start on their day's business.

  It will be as well here to enter upon a short explanation of the law asit then stood in British Columbia with regard to the bonding of claims.Experience had shown that in the upper country, early winters and latesprings, with their natural accompaniment of deep snows, made miningimpossible for about half the year. In consequence of this a law hadbeen passed enabling miners to "bond" claims taken up late in the falluntil the next spring. Upon claims so bonded it was not necessary to doany work until the 1st of June of the ensuing year, so that fromNovember to June the claims lay safe under the wing of the law; butshould their owners neglect to put in an appearance or fail to commencework upon the 1st of June, they forfeited all right to the claims, whichcould then be "jumped" or seized upon by the first comer.

  It was under this law that Corbett and Chance had bought, so that it wasimperatively necessary that they should reach their claims by the 1st ofJune; and although there was still ample time in which to make thejourney, there was no time to waste. The Cariboo migration had alreadybegun, and every day saw fresh bands of hard-fists leave Victoria forthe mines. Already the gamblers had gone, the whisky trains and otherpack trains had started, and the drain upon the stock of full-grownmanhood in Victoria was easily noticeable. It was no vain boast whichthe miners made that the men of Cariboo were the pick of the men oftheir day. Physically, at any rate, it would have been hard indeed tofind a body of men tougher in fibre and more recklessly indifferent tohardships than the pioneers who pushed their way through the Frazervalley to the gold-fields beyond. In that crowd there was no room forthe stripling or the old man. Th
e race for gold upon the Frazer was onein which only strong men of full age could live even for the first lap.

  And this was the crowd which Corbett and Chance sought to join. To somemen the mere idea of a railway journey, entered upon without dueconsideration and ample forethought, is fraught with terrors. Luckilyneither Corbett nor Chance were men of this sort. Chance was a Yankee tothe tips of his fingers, and had therefore no idea of distance or fearof travel. The world was _nearly_ big enough for him, and he cared justas little about "crossing the herring-pond" as he did about embarking ona ride in a 'bus. As for Corbett, nature had made him a nomad--one ofthose strangely restless beings, who, having a lovely home, and knowingit to be lovely, still long for constant change, and circle the worldwith tireless feet, only to bring home the report that "after allEngland is the only place fit for a fellow to live in." The odd part ofit all is, that that being their conviction, most of these wandererscontrive to live out of England for three parts of their lives.

  It was no wonder, then, that when Corbett and Chance met again at duskeverything had been, as Chance said, "fixed right away."

  "It's a true bill about Cruickshank, old man," Corbett said. "And if youcan get the bills paid and our kit packed he wants us to start with himon the _Umatilla_ for Westminster the day after to-morrow."

  "I don't know about getting the bills paid," replied Chance. "A goodmany fellows who owe us money appear to have gone before to Cariboo, butI reckon we must look upon that as the opening of an account to ourcredit in the new country."

  "Not much of an account to draw upon; but I suppose it can't be helped.I believe, though, that to do the thing properly we ought both to getstone-broke before starting," remarked Corbett.

  "That will come later. Hullo, Cruickshank! what is in the wind now?"cried Steve, turning to the new-comer.

  "Gold, gold, nothing but gold, Chance. But I say, gentlemen, are thoseyour packs?" asked the colonel, pointing to two small mountains ofluggage which nearly filled the interior of the tent.

  "Yes. That is Chance's pack, and this is mine. There will be a sort ofjoint-stock pack made up to-morrow of the kitchen stuff and the tent.And I think that will be all."

  "And you think that will be all, Mr. Corbett?" repeated Cruickshank."You are a strong man; can you lift that pack?" and he pointed to thebiggest of the two.

  "Oh yes, easily; carry it a mile if necessary," replied Corbett,swinging the great bundle up on to his shoulders.

  "You _are_ a stout fellow," admitted Cruickshank admiringly; "but hasn'tit occurred to you that you may have to carry all you want for a goodmany miles? And even if you can do that, who is to carry the joint-stockpack? Not Phon, surely?"

  "Well, but won't there be any pack ponies?" asked Corbett.

  "For hire on the road, do you mean? Certainly not."

  "All right, then," replied Corbett, after a minute or two spent insolemnly and somewhat sadly contemplating all the neatly-packed campequipage. "I can do with two blankets and a tin pannikin if it comes tothat. Can't you, Steve?"

  "A tin pannikin and blanket goes," answered Chance. "To blazes with allEnglish outfits anyway!"

  "Well, I don't know about that," put in Cruickshank, who seemed hardlyas well pleased at his comrade's readiness to forswear comfort as mighthave been expected. "I thought that you fellows might like to take a fewcomforts along with you, so I had mentally arranged a way in which wemight combine pleasure with profit."

  "Pleasure with profit by all means, my boy. Unfold your scheme, colonel;we are with you," cried Chance.

  "Well, stores are terribly high up in Cariboo. Whisky is about the onlything these packers think of packing up to the mines, and if you fellowshad the coin I could easily buy a little train of cayuses down atWestminster pretty cheap, and load them up with stuff which would payyou cent per cent, and between us the management of a little train likethat would be a mere nothing."

  "How about packing? You cain't throw a diamond hitch by instinct,"remarked Chance, who knew a little from hearsay of the life of the road.

  "Oh, I can throw the hitch, and so I guess can your heathen, and we'lldeuced soon teach both of you to take the on-side if you are wanted to."

  "How much would such a train cost?"

  "The ponies ought not to cost more than fifty dollars apiece; as to thestores, of course it depends upon what you choose to take. The ponieswill carry about two hundred pounds apiece, if they are good ones."

  "What do you say to it, Steve?" asked Ned.

  "Seems a good business," replied Chance, "and we may as well put ourlast dollars into a pack-train as leave them in the bank or chuck theminto the Frazer. A pack-train goes."

  And so it was settled that the two friends should invest the balance oftheir funds in a pack-train and stores for Cariboo. The venture looked apromising one, with no possibility of failure or loss, and even ifthings went wrong the boys would only be stone-broke; and who careswhether he is stone-broke or not at twenty-three, in a new country withno one dependent upon him?

  It was only eighteen months before that Edward Corbett had left home, ahome in which it was part of the duty of about five different humanbeings to see that Master Edward wanted for nothing. At about the sametime one of the finest houses in New York would have been disturbed toits very foundations if it were suspected that Mr. Steve Chance wantedfor any of the luxuries of the nineteenth century, and yet here wereSteve Chance and Ned Corbett, their last dollar invested in a doubtfulventure, their razors abandoned, their toilet necessaries reduced to onecake of soap and a towel between two (Cruickshank condemned the habit ofwashing altogether upon the road), and their whole stock of householdgoods reduced to two light packs, to be carried mile after mile upontheir own strong shoulders. There was daily labour ahead of them such asa criminal would hardly have earned for punishment at home, there was acertainty before them of bad food, restless nights, thirst, hunger, andutter discomfort, and yet this life was of their own choosing, and asmile hovered round the lips of each of them as the pipes dropped out oftheir mouths and they turned over to sleep.

  As for "gold," the prize which both of them appeared to be making allthese sacrifices for, neither of the boys, oddly enough, had thought ofit that night. With Phon it was different, but then he was a celestial.He played for the stakes. Both the whites played, though in differentways, for the fun of the game.