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Updated: June 15, 2025
The mule lived to a great age, always with his master as "mild-mannered" as a lamb. For some time Birt saw nothing of Nate, but one day the quondam friends met face to face on a narrow, precipitous path on the mountain side. Abject fear was expressed in Nate's sharp features, for escape was impossible. There was no need of either fear or flight. "How air ye, I'on Pyrite!" cried Birt cheerfully.
Sometimes a sombre shadow fell upon his face, and once Birt asked him what was the matter. And though he laughed more than ever, he felt it was very hard to be gay without the subtle essence of mirth.
There was no motion in the heavy black foliage, but it was filled with the shrill droning of the summer insects, and high in the branches a screech-owl pierced the air with its keen, quavering scream. "Tennessee!" exclaimed Birt, as the unwelcome sound fell upon his ear "Tennessee! run an' put the shovel in the fire!"
"Birt can't go a-diggin' no-ways, this evenin'," put in the officious Rufe, who stood, according to his wont, listening with his mouth and eyes wide open, "'kase ez I kem home by the tanyard Jube Perkins hollered ter me ter tell Birt ter come thar right quick. I furgot it till this minit," he added, with a shade of embarrassment that might pass for apology. Birt felt a prophetic thrill.
"What ailed ye, ter hide it from me? What did ye 'low I'd do?" "I 'lowed ye wouldn't want me ter go pardners with Nate," he said drearily. "I reckon I wouldn't!" she admitted. "Ye always said he war a snake in the grass." "He hev proved that air a true word." "I wisht I hedn't tole him!" cried Birt vainly. "I wisht I hedn't."
She carried a fan of turkey feathers, and with appropriate gesticulation, it aided in expounding to Mrs. Dicey the astonishing news that Nate had found a gold mine on vacant land, and had entered the tract. They intended to send specimens to the State Assayer, and they were all getting ready to begin work at once. Another surprise to Birt! The ignorant mountain boy had never heard of the Assayer.
It had begun to assume the proportions of a distinct design. He suddenly asked a question of apparent irrelevancy. "This hyar land down the ravine don't b'long ter yer folkses who do it b'long ter?" "Don't b'long ter nobody, ye weasel!" Birt retorted, in rising wrath. "D'ye s'pose I'd be a-stealin' of gold off'n somebody else's land?" Nate's sly, thin face lighted up wonderfully.
Birt took no heed of the loud drawling talk. In moody silence he drove the mule around and around the bark-mill. The patient old animal, being in no danger of losing his way, closed his eyes drowsily as he trudged, making the best of it.
He turned and pointed out a crevice where the "daubin'" had fallen from the "chinkin'" between the logs. "Ye can see," he resumed, "ez this hyar crack air jes' the height o' Birt. Waal, them eyes lookin' in so onexpected didn't 'sturb me none. I hev knowed the Dicey eye fur thirty year, an' thar ain't none like 'em nowhar round the mountings.
These gentlemen hesitated about performing this office, and we separated without any thing being decided upon as a certainty. However, I knew that Mr. Birt was to be depended upon as a man of strict honour and integrity; and looking forward to the probability of the other two gentlemen failing to attend, I had taken care to provide against any contingency of that sort.
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