CHAPTER XXIX.THE RESCUE.
Black Bill, revolver in hand, lay on the pine straw, guarding his prisoners, who were tied to trees in front of him.
Neither the negro nor his prisoners heard the scout approaching, but the latter heard Rocks saying:
“See here, nigger, don’t you be fool enough to think all four of us is goin’ ter hang, and that one of us won’t git away, and that we will kill you sure as the sun shines if you don’t let us go.
“That fool, Buffalo Bill, has gone off trustin’ you, and our horses ain’t far away, so we can all pack some provisions on, load up with gold, and be far away afore he comes back.
“As you say you are all on foot, ther scouts kin never catch us, and you’ll git gold enough to last you all your days as a rich man.”
“I’d ruther be a poor honest man than a rich one what had betrayed the gemman I owes my life to more than one time.
“You gemmen is as bad as you kin be, and I’m onter your whole game now, though them in the valley don’t know it.
“When dey does, your necks won’t be worth nothin’, I is a-thinkin’, gemmens.”
“Good for you, black pard.”
The negro sprang to his feet, and was face to face with Buffalo Bill and Ben. The four prisoners scowled and muttered curses.
“Well, Black Bill, we have found your valley.”
“Done found it, Massa Bill?”
“Yes, we went through the break in the cliff where you so nearly lost your life yesterday.
“I have sent to our camp after the boys; but it must have been a very hard and dangerous task, from what I have seen of the descent, to get that train down into that sunken valley, a very Devil’s Den I would call it.”
“De pass led through and down de side of de cliff, sah. It were mighty dangerous fer wagons, sah, but all right for de people ter walk.
“Saturday nights dey all went down in de valley ober Sunday.
“One Saturday, Massa Bill, all went but four men—here dey is, right here now.
“Dey had been working on de cliff road, blastin’ it out wid powder, for we brought our wagons along, with plenty of powder, sah.
“Just at sunset dere came what we all thought was a ’arthquake or volcano, and de whole front of de cliff fell into de valley. Dere was rocks and fire and smoke go way up inter de air, and three people in de valley was kilt dead.
“When dey all got deir senses de next day, Sunday, dey came to de conclusion dat de four men, dese very gemmens here, hab let de powder git on fire and blew up de cliff and dem, too.
“But I now know dat dese gemmens blowed up dat cliff on purposse, sah, dat dey might git all de gold what was found in de cañon and keep it. But, Massa Bill, dem poor people in de valley was same as in jail, for dey couldn’t git out.”
“These four men did prepare that powder mine to blow off the edge of that cliff and keep those people in the valley, which you call lost, and they were a lost people as well.”
Standing on the very edge of the precipice, Buffalo Bill began to watch the cliffsides with his glass.
“Try and make them see you, Bill,” said the scout.
The negro fired his rifle, and gave a loud halloo.
Many faces were upturned at once, women and children were seen running here and there, and a wild cheer arose as the negro was recognized.
The scene was a startling one, for the people in the valley were wild with joy.
Writing with a pencil upon several pages of his notebook, Buffalo Bill put them in his handkerchief, wrapped it around a large stone, and tossed it down into the valley. There was a wild rush for it at once.
“I told them that we were here, planning to get them out of their valley.
“That I had noticed that the winding trail along the face of the cliff had been blocked up where the rocks had fallen below, and also that it would readily be reached by lariats from here, and we would find a way to rescue them.”
“You’ll do it, Massa Bill, and I kin see now, sah, dat a few lariats tied together will reach de old trail yonder.”
“We can blast the rocks out that fell and choked up the trail, and we can bring that whole outfit out of that valley, though it may take us a week, perhaps longer, to do so.
“I will write them what to do.”
Another note was written and thrown down as before.
Captain John Hill himself picked it up, and his voice reached those on the cliff:
“God bless you, Buffalo Bill.”
“If you will spare us some powder, we can blast this end clear.”
“There is another pass farther along, which you can blast out down to the trail.”
“Good!”
“We will begin work to-morrow, for all my men will be here then,” was shouted back in the clear tones of Buffalo Bill, and a great cheer told him he had been heard, and hope filled every heart.
Within one week the scouts slept in the valley, andthe next morning all hands went to work repairing wagons, harness, and shoeing the horses and mules, while preparations were made by the women for leaving the place, which had so long been to them a living tomb.
Just two weeks after the arrival of the scouts, the march was begun.
One wagon at a time was taken up the ledge trail; the women and children followed, then the extra horses, and next the cattle, sheep, and all that could be carried along.