as our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful salinas valley before them, elwood brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:
"see! there are others beside us!"
about a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.
"another party of indians," replied howard. "we seem to be getting into their neighborhood."
"i only wish they were a party of white hunters or miners, for i long to see a friendly face."
"what good could it do us? they wouldn't accompany us home, or take any trouble to see that we were protected."
"perhaps not, but i tell you, howard, this begins to look dangerous when we see nothing but enemies. there are but three of us, and one gun only between us. i believe a single indian could destroy us all if he chose to do so."
"except in one contingency."
"what is that?"
"that you should aim the gun. he would then flee at once."
elwood laughed and added:
"but we have no breakfast, and we may as well be moving."
"you're a sensible boy," added tim o'rooney, "be the towken that when ye spakes ye quiverally anticipates me own thoughts."
they soon reached the level of the valley, and then took a direction straight toward the spot where they had seen the camp-fire burning. the intervening space was quite thickly grown with trees and vegetation, so that they could obtain no sight of the fire itself until they were very close to it.
"we must be careful," admonished howard. "if it is a party of indians they may discover us before we do them."
"i don't suppose it will do for us all to walk straight up to them, for they'll be sure to see us then."
"no, one must creep up and find whether the coast is clear. tim has seen more of california than we have, and he can do that if he wishes."
"sinsible agin, for i was about to spake the same. do yees tarry here while i takes a look around. whist! now, and kaap so still that ye'll hear me brathe all the way there and back agin."
the boys took their position each behind a large tree, and looking cautiously forth they awaited the return of their friend.
when these precautions were taken they were not a hundred yards distant from the strangers. the irishman stepped very carefully, moving on tiptoe, and not making any noise that was perceptible. this was no great attainment in woodcraft, as any person could have done the same with ordinary care, when the woods were of the character of this one. had there been briers or brambles, or swampy ground, or that which was unusually dry, and covered with twigs, it would have been a feat far more difficult of attainment.
just before tim disappeared from view they saw him sink down upon his hands and knees and creep forward; but the bushes soon shut him out from view and they could only wait with all the patience possible.
at the end of about ten minutes the genial face of the irishman appeared, and the expression upon it gave rise to pleasant anticipations.
"who are they?" asked the two boys together, as soon as they deemed it prudent.
"whist! now don't spake so loud. ye'll wake 'em out."
tim looked behind, and became satisfied that there was no fear of discovery, when he arose to his feet, and took his careless, sauntering manner.
"well, tim!'" said howard inquiringly.
"what is it yez wishes?"
"we wish to know whether these strangers are white men or indians."
"well, ye saas, i had to crawl up to 'em mighty careful, for if you step upon a stick no bigger than a tooth-pick, yees are sortin to wake up a slaapin' copper-skin——"
"so they were indians, then," interrupted elwood somewhat impatiently.
"do yes be aisy now, and not be interruptin' of me, and yer observations and questions which ain't naaded in this case. me owld grandfather used to till a great many stories to us spalpaans about the part he took with young emmett—when owld ireland stood up against england. he used to tell us his stories—did the same—and just so sure as one of us axed him a question, he'd go back to the beginning and till the whole story over again. he'd begin airly in the evening, and kaap it going till tin or eleven o'clock. i belave the old gintleman rather liked to have us be interruptin' him, for he laid bates for us wee ones, and ye see by that manes one story sometimes kept him going for a waak. heaven bliss the owld gintleman—he had a habit of stopping in the middle of an exciting part and lighting his dudheen, and then when he'd begin again, he'd skip over a part on purpose to make us ax him a question——"
"well, tim, we will talk about your grandfather some other day," said howard, who, as naturally may be supposed, was impatient for him to come to the point.
"yis, i was just through with him, but yees should never be overmuch in haste. me blessed mother always told me that it was the same as being too slow, and if anybody could spake of the same, could me mother do it. i was about to obsarve when yees interrupted me, that a man must be mighty careful in going up to a camp-fire, for these indians slaap so quietly that the overturning of a leaf is sure to wake 'em, and you saa by this, if we'd all three gone up, as we war thinkin' about, they'd heard us long before we could have got sight of 'em, and our tramping in californy would be done with——"
"so they were indians were they?" asked elwood again, partly amused and partly vexed at tim's persistent dallying with their curiosity.
"who said the same?"
"you implied it. were they red or white men? answer us—yes or no!"
"and that is just the pint i's raching for, as me frind, michael o'shanghangly, said when he took a half-quart of whisky. yez understands that i wanted to make sure just who the same might be, and what was their number. 'spose, now, i should have come back and said there war but three of the same, and there should be a half-dozen, or i should say they was white gintlemen like ourselves, and they should turn out to be of a darker hue. ye saas that it wouldn't do."
the boys had become so uneasy by this time that they were walking back and forth, and talking to each other in low tones.
"i will go forward and see for myself," said elwood. "i don't care about waiting an hour or two for him to answer my question."
"he will soon answer us; he is only indulging in a little pleasantry."
"rather a bad time for jesting."
"i think we can be sure of one thing," added howard a moment later.
"what is that?"
"that we are not in much danger. if we were he wouldn't wait so long to tell us."
"i don't know about that; it would be in keeping with his foolishness. i tell you, howard, i will ask him once more, and if he doesn't answer me at once, i shall go forward and learn for myself."
"well, do so."
"tim, are those indians or white men?"
"that's it, is it? why didn't yez ax me before? they're a party of white men, be the same!"
