Snap: A legend of the Lone MountainPhillipps-Wolley, Clive
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Snap: A legend of the Lone Mountain
Phillipps-Wolley, Clive
Canadian Rockies (B.C. and Alta.) -- Fiction; English fiction -- 19th century; Mountaineering -- Fiction
'That's the ticket; leastways, if no one has any objection, that's
the brand of the firm. What do you say, Snap? It ain't easy to get
a new brand nowadays, and that will remind us of how we got our
range,' said Dick.
'So be it, Dick,' replied he; 'but we must not forget about these
papers,' and, so saying, he drew from the inside of his shirt the
papers which had been taken by him from the German aeronaut's box A.
'So you stuck to them all the time, did you, Snap?' asked Towzer; 'do
you think there is anything in it?'
'Anything in what,' asked Snap; 'in the papers?'
'No, I mean is it worth while bothering about what the old man asks?
Don't you think he was mad?'
'Mad or sane,' was Snap's answer, 'I am going to do what he asks us.
It may not be a paying speculation to go over to Europe to carry out
his bequest on the chance of what we shall get out of his "few little
houses at Potsdam" and our share of the patents, but it is a plain
duty to the man whose death was, under Providence, the means of
saving all our lives.'
'Snap is right,' assented Wharton, 'it don't do to go back on a pard
as is dead.'
And so, on consideration, thought they all, and by the time the
Indian camp had been thoroughly ransacked, and the victorious and
heavily laden Blackfeet were ready to move, our friends had
unanimously resolved to make their way back to Rosebud before the
snows caught them and detained them for the winter.
It was a very near race, that race between the snow-king and
Wharton's little party; but Wharton won, and until his return was
explained met with unlimited chaff for what his companions called his
want of 'sand.' However, his story put a new aspect on the matter,
and all agreed heartily with the old foreman that if he had married a
Blackfoot squaw and paid for the range in 'greenbacks' he would not
have been more secure of enjoying quiet possession of Bull Pine Park
than he was now.
Nares had left, so that they could get no help from him; but the
cowboy is a generous and trustful fellow (it's not very safe to take
him in, by the way, unless you are an unusually quick revolver-shot),
and amongst the 'boys' at the ranche a purse was soon made up to take
one of the lads to Berlin to execute the old professor's wishes.
Then arose a difficulty: who was to go? Clearly Snap ought to have
gone, but he would not. Towzer was ready enough to go--he did not
see much fun in getting up at dawn to feed frozen-out cattle--but
unluckily a want of confidence in Master Towzer's capacity was felt,
and, as old Dick said:
'No, my lad, you had a lot better stay here. If anyone's hide wants
hardening it's yourn. Another six months here will do you no harm.'
'Another six months, Dick!' grumbled the lad, 'why, as far as we can
see I am likely to grow up with the country as you call it.'
'No, you aren't, sonny,' replied Dick sadly; 'I'm afeard as that old
German's inventions may steer a balloon after all, but they'll spoil
three likely cowboys.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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