It was a truly pastoral scene, but Hugh took little interest in
it. He was engrossed with the task of getting out to the buffalo
camp, finding Considine, and making him come forward and save the
family. He approached the white, or rather red man, who cocked a
suspicious eye at him, and went on tearing the hide off the goat.
Hugh noticed that his hand trembled a good deal, and that a sort
of foam gathered on his lips as he worked.
"Good day," said Hugh.
The man glared at him, but said nothing.
"My name is Lambton," said Hugh. "I want to go out to the buffalo
camp. I want to find Tommy Prince, to see if he can go out with
me. Do you know where he is?"
The man put the blade of the butcher's knife between his teeth,
and stared again at Hugh, apparently having some difficulty in
focussing him. Then his lips moved, and he was evidently trying to
frame speech. He said, "Boo, Boo, Boo," for a few seconds; then he
pulled himself together, and said, "Wha' you want?"
"I want to get to the buffalo camp," said Hugh. "You know Reeves's
camp."
Here a twig fell to the ground just behind the man; he gave
one blood-curdling yell, dropped the knife, and rushed past Hugh,
screaming out, "Save me! Save me! They're after me! Look at 'em;
look at 'em!" His hair stood perfectly erect with fright, and, as
he ran, he glanced over his shoulder with frightened eyes. He didn't
get far. In his panic he ran straight towards the well, banged his
head against the windlass, and went thundering down the twenty or
thirty feet of shaft souse into the water at the bottom, where he
splashed and shrieked like a fiend, the noise reverberating up the
long shaft.
Hugh and the Chinaman ran to the well-top, Hugh cursing under his
breath. Every possible obstacle that could arise had arisen to
block his journey; every man that could have helped him was away,
or dead, or otherwise missing; and now, to crown all, after getting
thus far, he had apparently struck a prize lunatic, and would have
to stay in that awful desolation, perhaps for a week, with him and
a Chinaman. Perhaps he would have to give evidence on the lunatic's
dead body, and even be accused of causing his death. All these
thoughts flashed through his mind as he ran to the well-head. From
the noise he made the man was evidently not dead yet, and, looking
down, he saw his eyes glaring up as he splashed in the water.
"What's up with him?" roared Hugh to the Chinaman.
"Him, dlink, dlink--all-a-time dlink, him catchee hollows."
They had started to lower the bucket, when suddenly the yells
ceased, a loud bubbling was heard, and looking down they saw only
a dim, round object above the water. Without an instant's delay
Hugh put his foot in the bucket and signed to the Chinee to lower
him. Swiftly and silently he descended the well, jumped out of
the bucket, and grabbed the floating body of the drunkard with one
hand, holding on to the rope with the other. The man had collapsed,
and was as limp as a rag. Hugh made the rope fast under his armpits,
and gave the old mining cry, "On top there, haul away."