Devil's Canyon (32 page)

“Amen to that,” Felix said. “Let's get rolling. I want to have a look at Devil's Canyon up there beyond the claim.”

The wagons rolled on, and before sundown they reached the point on the Sevier River where the claim had been marked.

“Too late to accomplish anything today,” said Collins, “but I think we should perhaps plan on doing
some blasting within the next day or two, if it turns out that we can use the old riverbed for shelter. I look for some serious snowfall, and it may be soon.”

“Isaac's had considerable experience with dynamite,” Josh Snyder said, “and I've had a little, myself.”

“I'm counting on that,” said Collins. “In the morning, after breakfast, I'd like for both of you to accompany Faro to the place he feels we ought to blast the river into Devil's Canyon. Then if you feel there are possibilities, decide where the charges should be set, and get on with it.”

“I'm almighty tired of snaking in tree trunks for firewood in the midst of a blizzard,” Dallas said. “Once we're sure where the permanent camp will be, I'd favor all of us that's not involved in the blasting startin' to drag in firewood.”

“Not a bad idea,” said Faro. “If we're able to divert the river and set up camp in the old riverbed beneath the overhang, there's no reason we can't work the claim in the worst kind of weather. But we'll need plenty of fuel, and I don't see a lot of timber close by. I reckon we need to follow your advice, Dallas, and I'd be obliged if you'll take charge of gathering as much wood as you can. If the claim is anything close to as rich as we think, then I doubt any of us will want to take the time to drag in fallen trees to feed the fire.”

“Right,” Dallas said, “but I'll need help. Who'll go with me?”

“I will,” said Collins. “Faro, Isaac, and Josh will decide where to set the charges for the blasting.”

“Tarno and me will go with you,” Shanghai said.

“So will I,” said Felix.

“If the blasting works out,” Faro said, “our next step will be to find a place where the wagons can be driven down into the old riverbed.”

“Let's just hope the old riverbed is solid,” said Dallas. “If there's mud, we may have to wait a week or two for it to dry.”

“We have reasons to believe it's solid,” Collins said. “At least it was in the shallows from which we first took ore samples.”

Mamie and Felix had supper ready well before dark, and the fire was doused. The sun set behind a cloud bank, shooting glorious arrows of crimson far into the evening sky.

“I hope there ain't too much mud in that riverbed,” said Tarno. “The Injun in me says there'll be more snow. After the light one we had last time, the one that's comin' may be neck-deep.”

“I wish the damn Injun in you wasn't always right,” Shanghai said. “The varmint can take his turn with an ax, choppin' wood.”

*   *   *

The night passed quietly, and when breakfast was over, Faro, Isaac, and Josh saddled their horses and rode upriver to further investigate the possibility of diverting the river where Faro had suggested. Dallas and the rest of the outfit, armed with axes, rode out in search of windblown and lightning-struck trees that could be snaked in for firewood. A Winchester by her side, Mamie had remained in camp to clean up the breakfast fixings.

“Along about here,” Faro said, reining up his horse.

“Let's see how much of a path we'll have to blast,”
said Isaac. “The only problem I can see would be that the distance from the river to the canyon rim is too great, or that there is solid rock in the way.”

“We don't have to blast at any certain place,” Faro said, “as long as we're far enough upriver to free part of the riverbed for the shelter we need. First we must find a place in the bank that's low enough for us to cross to the other side of the river.”

“We could have crossed downstream,” said Felix, “but it's a long way. That's where we crossed to set up the claim markers.”

“We'll ride on a ways,” Faro said. “Then we can work our way back, looking for the best place to blast. How far upriver does the canyon go?”

“I have no idea,” said Isaac. “Once we set up the claim markers, we didn't concern ourselves with the canyon beyond there.”

“I don't see a far canyon rim from here,” Josh said. “Could be a box canyon. That or it veers away from the river along here.”

“We won't know until we're able to cross,” said Faro.

They had ridden what Faro estimated to be five miles before finding a place where they could lead their horses down one steep bank and up the other. Reaching the far bank, they stopped to rest the animals.

“I think we'll have to find a place somewhere downstream to take the wagons into the riverbed,” said Josh. “We'd never level those banks where we just crossed. There's too much rock.”

“That won't make any difference, if Devil's Canyon
plays out somewhere below here,” Isaac said. “Before we make any plans for getting the wagons down to the riverbed, we'd best be sure there's a canyon where the river can go.”

With that in mind, they rode away from the river, to the north, only to find there was no canyon paralleling the river.

“It's a blind canyon at this end,” said Isaac. “We'll have to ride downriver until we find the head of it. From there we'll look for a place where it's closest to the river.”

“That's something I didn't consider when I suggested going even farther beyond the claim before diverting the river,” Faro said. “We may be limited by the distance between the river and the canyon.”

They rode almost three miles before they could see the north rim of the canyon ahead of them. Dismounting, they led their horses closer, and by the time they reached the box end of the canyon, they could barely hear the roar of the river.

“Too far from the river,” said Felix. “We'll follow it until we find a place where it's nearest the north bank.”

They continued along the canyon rim until they could again hear the surge of the river.

“There's piles of loose dirt and rock down there in the canyon,” Josh said, “and I'd say that's proof enough it ain't solid rock between here and the river.”

“It's encouraging,” said Isaac, “as long as there hasn't been a slide serious enough to block the canyon.”

“It's plenty deep,” Faro said, “unless it becomes too shallow too soon.”

Suddenly Faro went closer, peering into the canyon.

“What is it?” Josh asked.

“I thought I saw something down there,” said Faro. “There it is again.”

Amid a pile of dirt and rock that had tumbled down from the rim, the sun shone on a bright object.

“Gold,” Josh said. “We're about to flood Devil's Canyon, when there's gold in it.”

“Maybe not,” said Faro. “The sun might reflect off any kind of metal.”

“Other kinds of metal would rust, but gold wouldn't,” Isaac said. “One of us will have to go down there.”

“I'll go,” said Faro, “but we'll have to knot a pair of lariats together. One wouldn't be long enough.”

Taking a lariat from his saddle and one from Isaac's, Faro knotted them together. He then tied one end to the horn of his saddle, and taking a strong hold on the rope, stepped over the canyon rim. Keeping the rope taut, he walked down the canyon wall, loose rock and dirt tumbling down ahead of him. Reaching the canyon floor, it took a moment for him to locate the object that had first attracted his attention. Kneeling, he scooped away the loose dirt to reveal a golden cross on a gold chain.

“It is gold!” Josh shouted from the rim.

“Yes,” said Faro, “but not the kind we're looking for. It's a gold cross attached to a gold chain, and the chain's caught on something.”

“I brought a pick and shovel,” Isaac said. “Which do you want?”

“Drop me the shovel,” said Faro. “It's mostly loose dirt from the canyon rim.”

With the shovel, Faro began removing the dirt a little at a time. Eventually the shovel clunked against something solid, and laying the shovel aside, Faro began scooping away the dirt with his hands. He then found himself looking into the empty eye sockets of a skull, and digging further, he found the gold chain was around the skeletal neck. Carefully, so as not to dislodge the skull, he removed the chain. He then held in his hands a gold cross that was some six inches in length, with a cross member of two-thirds that. Brushing the dirt away, Faro could read an engraving that had been etched into the cross member:

Padre Esteban Borrego 1759
.

“Spanish gold,” Josh shouted excitedly.

“Looks like it,” said Faro, “and this gent's been here awhile. There's engraving on the back of the cross.”

Faro read the title, the name, and the date.

“A priest,” Isaac said. “Do you want one of us to come down and help you uncover the rest of him?”

“I can do it,” said Faro. “The dirt's loose. I think he was lying here all the time, and the dirt slid off the canyon rim and covered him.”

Carefully Faro shoveled away the dirt and found only the upper torso of the skeleton intact. The bones of the legs and feet were missing, and there was nothing else beneath the pile of dirt that might help to identify the long-dead priest. Faro shoveled dirt over the remains until the skeleton was completely covered.

“That's it,” said Faro. “I'm sending up the shovel and the cross. Then you can throw the rope back to me.”

Josh backstepped the horse, drawing Faro up to the canyon rim. Isaac helped him to climb over the edge.

“The river ain't more than fifty yards away,” Josh said. “It may not get much closer to Devil's Canyon than that.”

“But it won't hurt to go a bit farther,” said Isaac. “We're still nearly two miles above the claim, and the shorter the distance between the canyon and the river, the less blasting we'll have to do.”

“That's good thinking,” Faro said. “If the distance increases as we continue, then we'll still be able to come back here.”

The three of them mounted their horses, and within half a mile they found what they were looking for. There was a bend in the canyon, bringing it nearer the river. There was only a narrow strip of land separating the two.

“We won't find a place more ideal than this,” said Isaac. “I think the only reason the river hasn't already broken through into the canyon is that there's too much rock. We're still more than a mile above our claim, and if we can divert the river here, we'll have all the riverbed we'll need for shelter and defense.”

“Then we'll do our blasting here,” Josh said. “Does that suit you, Faro?”

“Yes,” said Faro. “We have dynamite, and even a few feet of solid rock can't stand up to that. It's better that we open a channel through rock. If there was only dirt, the force of the water might cave in the banks farther down.”

“Then let's return to camp and make plans for the blasting,” Isaac said. “Maybe we'll be able to do it
today. But first we must talk to the others and get their approval.”

Mounting their horses, they rode upriver, where they crossed to the south bank. When they reached the wagons, the rest of the outfit was there, having just snaked in their first logs for firewood. First, Isaac showed them the golden cross and chain Faro had found.

“Let me see that,” said Felix excitedly.

Isaac passed it to him and he studied it intently. Finally he spoke.

“I've done some reading about the early days, when Spain owned most of the territory from Texas to California. The gent who owned this may have been on his way to Santa Fe from California. There once were Spanish missions all over the Southwest.”

“There's a date, 1759,” said Faro. “What do you think it means?”

“I can't tie that date back to any particular event,” Felix said. “It might have been the year he was ordained, or maybe his birth date.”

“Solid gold,” said Josh Snyder. “Wonder what it's worth?”

“Not as much for the gold content as it's worth historically,” Felix said.

“Faro found it,” said Isaac, “so it will be up to him what becomes of it.”

“Consider it yours, Felix,” Faro said. “I agree that it's a piece of history, and that it deserves better than just being sold. We're here to mine gold, and I believe we've found the place to blast through the riverbed into Devil's Canyon.”

“He's right,” said Josh, “but it'll be through almost solid rock.”

“That's why we brought plenty of dynamite,” Collins said, “and thanks to Faro, we'll be diverting the river and at the same time, creating a shelter from the elements as well as Indian attacks. How soon can we begin blasting?”

“Maybe today,” said Isaac, “unless some of you think otherwise.”

“All of you heard,” Collins said. “Are there any objections?”

There were none, and Collins continued.

“Isaac, since you, Josh, and Faro began this, why don't you finish it? You can have as many of us as it takes, if you feel that you need help.”

“The three of us can handle it,” Isaac said, “and the sooner we divert the water into the canyon, the sooner the riverbed can begin to dry.”

“Then we won't bother chopping these logs down to firewood length,” said Collins. “If the blasting accomplishes what we expect, we can just roll the logs over the riverbank and take axes to them later.”

Collins and his companions rode out for more firewood, while Faro, Isaac, and Josh began unloading dynamite from one of the wagons.

“I feel awful useless, hanging around the wagons while the rest of you are working,” Mamie said.

“You'll be doing more than your share, if you'll fix us some noonday grub,” said Faro. “The wind's gettin' a mite cold and some hot coffee will be welcome.”