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"This light deceives me; it is silver." To his surprise, the Beaver took them from his hand with a gesture of contempt, and threw the pieces away, though they would have purchased him a new blanket or an ample supply of ammunition at Lerisco or any other southern town. "Wait," he said, airing his English once more.
The rest of the distance was, however, got over in safety, and they rode at last into the town of Lerisco, where their expedition having got wind soon after they had started, their return was looked upon as of people from the dead.
There was a vast range of rolling plain to cross, a few deviations enabling the engineer, who surveyed the country with Apaches watching him, to avoid the mountains; and this being done, and capital abundant, a railway soon crept, like a sinuous serpent, from Lerisco to the mountain foot, along which panted and raced the heavily laden trains.
"Bart," he said at last, shutting up his glass, "you are very young." Bart nodded. "But I find myself compelled to send you on a very dangerous errand." "To ride on to Lerisco, sir?" said Bart promptly. "I'm ready, sir; when shall I go?" "Not so fast," said the Doctor, smiling at the lad's bravery and eagerness. "You must make some preparations first."
"There, now, get to your work; we have plenty of food and water, and we are relieved of the care of our horses and cattle. The Apaches will not interfere with us perhaps now, and when they have gone, we must communicate with Lerisco, and get more cattle. Have we not silver enough to buy all the cattle in the province?"
Before long they must have fresh stores, and it was absolutely necessary for communications to be opened up with Lerisco if they were to exist at the mountain. "I don't know what is to be done, Bart," the Doctor said one day.
This made him think of Black Boy, to whose stable he hurried, the brave little animal greeting him with a snort that sounded full of welcome, while he rattled and tugged at his halter, and seemed eager to get out once more into the open. The cob had been well groomed and fed, and to his master's great joy seemed to be no worse than when he started for his long journey to Lerisco.
In the meantime, the governor had been so impressed with the value of the Doctor's discovery, that, without interfering in the slightest degree with his prospects, communications were at once opened up with Lerisco; more people were invited to come out, smelting furnaces were erected, the silver purified, and in less than six months a regular traffic had been established across the plains, over which mules laden with the precious metal, escorted by troops, were constantly going, and returning with stores for use in the mining town.
"We must go straight back to our starting-place, and then on to Lerisco, and there I must get the proper authorisations from the government, and afterwards organise a large expedition of people, and bring them here at once."
I must take a few precautions against attack, for they seem to be coming straight on, and I sadly fear that they mean to invest us now." Bart found the Beaver, who was watching his natural foes, the Apaches, along with Joses, as they talked together in a low tone. "I am going to ride back to Lerisco for help," said Bart suddenly. "You are, my lad?" cried Joses. "I shall go too."
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