CHAPTER XXV

SQUATTERS' RIGHTS

"Yeou doan't reckon as haow anybody kin see a fire, if so be I started a little blaze back in here, do yeou, partner?" queried Perk.

Jack knew how the other was fairly itching just to feel the warmth of a genuine campfire, under such extraordinary conditions, and hence shook his head.

"Not a Chinaman's chance, buddy--too many crooks in the passage we took getting here. The wood I fetched in lies just back of you; and besides, a fire will save my battery, which means a heap. Go to it then, and get busy."

Accordingly Perk lost no time in carrying out his cherished plan, for he had always vowed himself to be a "reg'lar cat o' a fire-worshipper;" so, the match having been applied they were treated to a generous glow that revealed much more plainly the character of the wonderful cavern.

Later on the investigating Perk discovered that another fissure, shaped somewhat like a regular tunnel, led away from the central cavern, and sloped downward.

His mind seemed to still follow up that Mark Twain idea, for he had no sooner taken a good survey at the passage entrance than he gave Jack a shrewd look, and followed this up by saying ingenuously:

"Huh! if I didn't know we was a heap o' miles away from the ole Mississip I'd be 'clined to swear this must be the gen-u-ine cave Tom and Huck knocked 'raound in the time they found all that lost treasure. But I wonder--"

"What do you wonder, Perk?"

"Struck me that mebbe aour ole friend, that silvertip bear, might have his den somewhere 'bout in the rocks; an' where'd he run 'cross a better place to hole up fur the winter than right here! Say, mebbe I wouldn't hate to run smack on the ugly critter while we was a explorin' some o' the tunnels an' passages that lead outen this here central chamber? They kinder give these here grizzlies a reputation fur havin' long memories, jest like elephants do; an' I bet yeou a cookey he aint never agoin' to furget little Gabe Perkiser, what throwed a match into his hair, an' set him afire."

But Jack did not appear to have such a lively imagination as his comrade, for he shook his head in the negative, and tried to soothe the anxious Perk.

"I hardly think there's any chance for such a nasty happening, buddy," he assured the other; "though I do reckon the old chap'd never forget you, after receiving such scurvy treatment at your hands. Some time later we'll take a look in at that same passage--these caves in the mountains often turn out to run for a mile or more, twisting and turning, to come out it may be close to the starting point, even in the shape of another fissure."

"Say, I'd like that same trick, I'm atellin' yeou, Jack, boy. 'Sides, bein' partial to caves o' all kinds an' species I'm also given to explorin' queer places--got me into heaps o' trouble in my kid days, which same makes me laugh to remember. But tell me some more things yeou thunk up, or seen, while I was aout wrastlin' fur grub."

Jack looked at him in a peculiar way that caused Perk to wonder what he was about to spring upon him.

"Remember my telling you about that cook chap they've got, waiting on them, and all that, Perk?"

"Sure do, him with the s'posed to be white _chef's_ cap--was he any different from the general run--cook, crook, seems to me they sorter hitch like they might be first cousins."

"There was something that seemed familiar about him, but it was only later in the day I managed to glimpse a better look at the fellow, when the sun shone full on his moniker; then it flashed on me who he was."

"Hold on there, partner, I jest hopes yeou ain't agoin' to inform me he's yet another galoot I useter know--seems like that Nat Tucker, added to aour ole friend, Slippery Slim, might be enough former 'quaintances to meet up with in sech a nest o' flim-flam artists an' crooks."

"Well, I think you told me once you'd never known this party; but I had, and only a short time back I told you more or less about him. It was in Washington I used to run along with him in my work."

"Wait up, partner--go slow 'til I ketches my breath. Yeou ain't agoin' to stagger me by sayin' that this here cook might be _him_?"

"Just what I mean, Perk."

"Simeon--Simeon Balderson?"

"No other, brother, undoubtedly a prisoner, and being made to serve that miserable gang of hoodlums in a menial capacity, partly to humble him, and give them plenty of chances to throw mean jibes at him as the representative of the Service they hate so much. It's the irony of Fate, if ever such a thing could be."

"Dead certain be yeou, Jack?"

The other nodded in the affirmative, adding:

"He must have been badly injured in the scrap before he and his companion were knocked out, for he certainly never limped like that when I knew him, only a year or so back. Possibly the second man may have been wiped out in the gun battle; though why they should spare Simeon's life is a puzzle to me; but some day we'll understand, since I wouldn't think of going away from here and leaving him in the hands of those human tigers."

"Shake on that same, ole hoss; I'm with yeou every time, 'cause it means we're agoin' to have some mighty stiff work on aour hands 'fore we kin send a ball daown in each alley, an' make a clean sweep o' the duck-pins; an' that's the dizzy game I sure likes most."

There was really nothing like brag about what Perk said, as his comrade knew full well; in the past he had seen Perk put up a grand fight, and never could forget how he slashed, and cut, and struck home with any old weapon he chanced to have in his hands, until a clean swathe had been cut through the ranks of their foes. He always appeared to be a little ashamed of having lost his head, and striking blind, excusing himself under the plea that he must have been in a bit of a "tailspin."

"Here we can stay, Perk, without running much risk of being discovered; for I hardly imagine any of those chaps would bother exercising themselves to try and find out what the country around their Happy Valley looks like."

"Huh! I kinder guess not any," remarked the skeptical Perk, with a look akin to disgust on his face; "they're a heap too lazy to move, 'cept to come to their three meals a day when off duty, and kept in camp. Same men when on a raid robbin' some border bank; holdin' up a train; or nice healthy jobs like that, kin act like a pack o' half starved locoed wolves."

"I was just thinking," continued Jack, who seemed never to lose a point worth considering, "that perhaps we'd better make sure our eats are kept secure. Such places as this cavern would be attractive dens for foxes, and such predatory varmints, who'd like nothing better than to steal every scrap of food we've got; which would be a serious thing, I'd allow."

"Wall, I kinder guess it sure _would_, by hokey!" exclaimed Perk, quickly aroused, as the danger loomed along the line of possible starvation, "an' it ain't agoin' to happen either, if I have to stick 'raound all night long. Grub an' me air the best o' friends; an' I'd go a long way to defend sech a good pal."

"Hardly be so serious as that, buddy," advised Jack, seeing how his suggestion had awakened lively fears in his companion's breast. "Plenty of loose stuff lying around in here, so we'll just _cache_ our food supplies, by covering the pile with a heavy weight no beast could budge."

"Yeou said it, partner, an' I'll take a look 'raound till I kin pick aout the best place to build aour fort. Watch my smoke, Jack, boy."

It did not take him long to find what he sought, after which they speedily arranged things to suit their idea of security.

"There she be," Perk remarked, in a satisfied tone, as the job was finished. "If any red fox or kiote kin scratch his way under that stack o' dornicks I'll eat my hat--an' ole dungarees in th' bargain. I ain't a luggin' good eats all the way from San Diego, an' payin' aout lots o' coin fur the same, jest to make a holiday fur four-footed thieves."

"Both of us are dead for sleep, I reckon," ventured Jack, as they lay on the rocky floor, Perk indulging in the luxury of a pipe of his favorite Turkish mixture for solace; "and perhaps we'd be wise to snatch a few hours while we may--we're up against a pretty hard proposition, and there's no telling just what lies ahead of us. How about it, Perk?"

"Shucks! I'm willin' enuff to lay off; an' mebbe naow I ain't glad I done fetched them two woolen blankets along as we had on aour cots aboard the ship. They sure helped to make up a fine load; but right naow they'll be wuth all they cost me on the hike."

"And I'll bless your long-sightedness in thinking of our comfort," Jack hastened to assure him. "Bare rocks like these are hardly in the same class with a good spring bed, and plenty of covers. We'll skip some sore bones because of having these to tuck under us, Perk."

"I hate to let the bully fire die down," Perk presently observed, for he never was so happy as when sitting alongside a cheery blaze, puffing at his briarwood pipe, and watching the rings of smoke sail upward.

"Oh! it wouldn't do to try and keep it going all night," Jack told him. "Too little stuff for burning, and hard to tote in here. I'll keep my electric hand-torch close beside me, and if there's any occasion for lighting up the cavern I can do it in a jiffy."

That seemed to ease Perk's mind somewhat, for Jack could plainly see the other was somewhat concerned regarding the possibility of their having an unwelcome visitor during the time they were resting from the fatigues of the past day.

He watched Perk making his preparations for retiring, and just as he anticipated the other was exceedingly careful to pick out a camping place as far removed from that mysterious passage leading out of the central cavern as he possibly could.

Of course the reason for his so doing was plainly manifest to Jack--he could spell it in four letters--B-E-A-R--Perk could not wholly dissuade himself that Fate meant to play him a nasty trick, and bring him into close quarters with that ferocious monster, the silvertip, or as he was known along the mountains of the Coast, "Old Eph." The distinct smell of burning hair still seemed to linger within reach of his olfactories, and give him a reproachful sensation, as though he felt he had taken a mean advantage of the beast.

No such thought worried Jack; but then the shadow of guilt did not hang over his head as was the case with Perk.

"Don't forget to wind up your wrist-watch, buddy," warned Jack, shortly afterwards; as Perk still sat there on his blanket, keeping up his meditative puffing, as though he meant to see the fire to its last flickering extinction. "They're our only reliable guide to tell us when morning comes around. In this black cave we might lie dozing until the middle of the day, without knowing how we were sleeping at the switch, and wasting precious time."

"Hot-diggetty-dig! partner, haow yeou do jest think o' ever'thing. On'y fur yeou I'd be like a lost lamb awanderin' 'raound the countryside, bleatin', an' shiverin' fur fear the pesky wolves'd get me."

"That'll do for you, buddy," Jack sternly told him. "We've both got our several good and bad points; but we're essential to each other to make up a working team, six of one, and half a dozen of the other--now, don't let me hear you getting off any of that boloney stuff again, mind."

"Huh! yeou lets me daown too easy, partner; guess I know my shortcomings better'n anybody else; an' thinkin' ain't much o' a long suite with Gabe, not at no time in hist'ry."

"Well, have it any way you like, Perk; but I'm meaning to settle down for a nice nap. Just call out if you want a light any old time, and I'll accommodate you before you can say Jack Robinson. So-long, and here's hoping we'll be able to get a move on before another night sets in."

"I sure echoes that wish, boy," muttered Perk, seriously; for he realized that they had undertaken one of the most troublesome tasks that could be placed to their credit; and would have need of all the good luck and breaks possible in order to come through.

Perk having set himself to what he considered a duty, would never let any trivial things deter him; and so he must have sat up with that declining fire until the very last feeble flicker expired; then rolling himself up in his blanket he sought relief in slumber.

Time went on, the night passed away, and there was not a solitary alarm to give Perk a thrill. Both of them were very tired, and must have slept soundly, for the first thing Perk knew Jack turned the dazzling light of his little torch full on his face, arousing him, and then remarked quietly:

"Time we were stirring, partner--I figure the dawn has got around, when we can start doing things."