Читать книгу The Copperhead Trail Mystery - Percy Keese Fitzhugh - Страница 5

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An hour passed before Hal again climbed over the single track of the Laidlaw Branch Line. The sun had set, leaving the western sky a profusion of coral patches and the range, rising on either side of the railroad cut, stretched its jagged peaks aloft in the mist of approaching twilight.

There was a tang of cedar in the air and despite sore muscles and a badly throbbing head, Hal sniffed it energetically. He wished heartily for a moment that he might lie down on the patch of moss that bordered the towering forest above the cut. But the conductor hailed him from the vestibule.

“No luck, eh?” he asked anxiously.

“No,” Hal answered a little wearily. “We could just about get ourselves up out of there and that’s all. As far as they’re concerned, there’s no hurry. I guess it’s just as the engineer said—not one spoke after that coach hit bottom. It’s in thousands of splinters—never saw anything like it. Awful!”

“Worse than that,” the conductor murmured. “Got the boy’s leg fixed up in a temporary splint and made him a sort of bed inside. Put a few of the broken backs of seats together and he’s restin’ a little easier, but it won’t be long.”

“No, not long,” said Hal. “Don’t you suppose that ticket agent at Laidlaw knows by this time that something’s wrong? Mac says it’s only six miles from here.”

“That’s all, but it’s far enough for that lazy coyote of an agent to forget about us. Like as not he thinks we’re broken down with engine trouble and he’ll wait ’til he hears if he has to sit in that station up there all night. That’s a one-horse branch line for you, young feller.”

“I suppose so,” Hal agreed. “Still the agent can’t help it. Who’d ever believe, anyway, that such a thing was going to happen?”

“I know—dirty work from some direction. Come on, feller, sit up on that vestibule step—or what’s left of it. You look kind of tired.”

“I guess I am,” Hal grinned, seating himself on the edge of the broken platform. “I’ll just get my breath and then hoof it to Laidlaw. We’ve got to have help!”

“Righto. I’d direct you through the forest, it’s shorter, but you’d get all twisted in the dark. It’ll be better to stick to the track, I guess. Where’s that other feller—Mac, I mean?”

“Down below,” Hal answered thoughtfully. “Darn nice feller he is, conductor. Not afraid of anything. He’s down there clearing the wood to one side so’s the men can be taken up as soon as we get help. The other two are with the engineer. They were as good as nothing. I had to send Perry up right away and Mac had the same trouble with that Doyle chap. Great, huh?”

“Yes. Funny, I liked them the least of all you boys when they boarded us at the junction. Just something about their manner, I guess. They’re due at Laidlaw too, to snoop about this gold business.”

“Too?” Hal repeated, shaking a thick lock of hair back from his forehead. “What is this gold business?”

“Oh, you don’t know about it, eh? Well, you’re the only passenger on the two coaches that didn’t, then. Every mother’s son that’s lyin’ dead in that canyon intended to hunt for that gold. Perry and Doyle and Mac are going up—I heard them talking about it. This trip has been a sort of miniature gold rush.”

“It’s news to me,” Hal said, interested. “Gosh, there’s something sad about those fellers down in the canyon dying before they ever got a chance to try for it, huh? Gold! I wouldn’t mind trying for it myself. I’m on my way to visit Wainwright’s camp up at Laidlaw—some friends of mine. Ever hear of ’em?”

“Yes, they come up every summer. Nice people. S’pose you’d like to hear the why and wherefore of this gold business, eh? Not much to it. Just some snoopy reporter happened in on an old prospector, veteran of the Alaska rush. He’s known as Old Timer ’round here and he happened to have some dust lyin’ on the table in his cabin when the newspaper man came in. Of course he denied that he thought there was much more to be found like it up there but the reporter had a hunch there was. Next day every paper had the news, even through the States. Now you know why we had these amateur prospectors on this trip. Just two days since the papers gave it out.”

“Man alive, that’s one on me,” said Hal. “I didn’t even hear about it. Gosh, it’s exciting, huh? Well, I’ll go over and tell the rest I’m going. Miss Wainwright’s to meet me and I bet she’s good and worried right now. You say it’s six miles from here to the station?”

“Just about.”

Hal stepped down and stretched his long arms and legs. It had been a long and trying day. He stifled a yawn, held his head high and breathed deeply. A sudden movement between two majestic cedars up above the cut, caught his attention. For a flashing second he thought he saw a face, but then it was gone.

“See something?” the conductor inquired.

“Could have sworn I did,” Hal answered, still staring. “I’m certain I saw a man’s face up there between those two big trees. Something moved, I know that.”

“Nothing there now,” the conductor observed. “Maybe a deer. What else could it be?”

Hal wondered for a moment, then put it out of his mind.