Chapter 26 Chapter Eleven Before the Battle

Can the Gold Volcano be hoped not to be discovered by the Texan gang?Impossible, because Hunter would see it as soon as he came out of the forest.Besides, they had a guide named Clarak, a name Sammy Skinn heard mentioned. After the discovery of the Gold Volcano, can it be rationally inferred that Mirador and his men were not seen?also can not.Of course, there was a chance they would, but it was only a one in a thousand chance, because the canal project that brought the water from the Ruburt into the volcano would have exposed them. In this way, struggle is inevitable. However, Hunter's gang had about 40 people, and Ben Rado and his companions had only 21 people in total. They were at a disadvantage in numbers, and bravery alone could not win.

For now, all we have to do is wait for the development of the situation.At most 48 hours later, possibly before that, Hunter will see the Gold Volcano. Abandoning camp on the Mackenzie River, heading back to the Klondike, and ceding the land to the Texans was an impossibility.Scouts would not make such a proposal to their companions, and, moreover, the latter would refuse.As the people who came here first, didn't they consider themselves the legitimate owners of this volcanic gold mine?Of course they will not be taken over without a struggle. Sammy Skin himself, wise Sammy Skin, would never agree to back down.

Step back from this Hunter, who well remembers his savage behavior in Skagway, and his intolerable malice during the days of the 129th and 131st lot! … On the contrary, it gave him a certain pleasure to meet once again his opponents who had been separated by the disaster at the Forty Mile River.There was still one thing unfinished between them. The opportunity came, and of course he would not let it go. "I think in a couple of hours we'll see this group of people heading for Gold Volcano," Bill Steele said to Ben Rado the next day, picking up on last night's thread, "Arriving After Gold Volcano, did Hunter stop and set up camp, or did we follow the foot of the mountain to the Mackenzie River and camp?"

"I think," replied the engineer, "that the Texans will first go up to the top of the Gold Volcano and see if they can collect alloy quartz and gold nuggets on the summit. That's the obvious thing." "That's right," agreed the scout, "but when they find they can't get into the crater, they go down. That's where the problem lies. Obviously, they won't go until the volcano erupts or goes out. In this In both cases, they must set up camp." "Unless they come and go," exclaimed Sammy Skin, "it's their wisest decision."

"You can trust them not to do that," said Ben Rado affirmatively. "Besides," added the scout, "there is a dog in the woods which has aroused their suspicions. They want to see if any other prospectors have come before them in the mouth of the Mackenzie, and they will search for the bay. .” "Well," replied Sammy Skin, "they'll find us soon enough and try to drive us away. So I'm going to meet this Hunter again! . . . Well, hopefully a French or American A duel in the style—I let him choose—will end the matter!  …” One cannot place one's hopes on such a solution.Since the Texans have an advantage in numbers, they will of course try to take advantage of this advantage in order to dominate the Golden Volcano.Preparations were therefore made to repel their attack, and all necessary measures were taken against a possible invasion.

Bill Steer moved men and supplies to the other side of the canal.Vehicles and tents were hidden under sparse trees in this trapezoidal clearing bounded on one side by the canal and on the other three by the volcano, the coast, and the Ruburt.There is not much grass on the ground, but it is enough for the animals to eat for a few days.In this way, the team entered a fortified camp. The enemy basically could not approach the camp from the west, north and east. The canal formed a defensive line in the south; It is difficult for people to cross the canal. Arms are ready for self-defense.Everyone is armed with long guns, pistols and broadswords, not to mention Sammy Skinner's shotgun.

From this time the hunters naturally gave up hunting, but fishing continued, either in the creeks or in the coves by the sea, in order to save provisions. At first light, Ben Rado had a dike built at the entrance of the underground passage so that when the Ruber River was connected to allow water to flow into the canal, the water would not flow into the passage.Thus, the engineer secures his defenses and can control the timing of the eruption.At the same time, he dug a hole in the rock wall of the volcanic chimney at the end of the passage for the explosives, and the explosives and detonators were carefully placed in them;

Everything is ready and ready for the attack.The men stayed in the deepest part of the camp, and to see them they had to advance as far as the left bank of the Rube. Still, Ben Rado, Sammy Skin, and the scouts crossed the canal several times to get a better view of the plain.They even went around the foot of the volcano. There, the view is only blocked by the trees on the edge of the forest, and behind the forest is the horizon a mile and a half away. There was no one in the sky on the plain, and no team appeared.There was no one on the coast either. "To be sure," said the Scout, "the Texans haven't left the woods yet."

"They're in no hurry," Sammy Skin said. "Perhaps," Ben Rado replied, "They intend to understand the situation before they act, so they postponed it to the Golden Volcano tonight?!" "That's possible," agreed the Scout. "Let's just keep our guard up." The day is over, safe and sound.Contrary to what Ben Rado expected, no one disturbed him for the rest of the night.Sammy Skin slept through the night as usual.Ben Rado only slept for a while, feeling restless and angry. Seeing that the goal is about to be achieved, the bad luck is coming again!What responsibility would he bear if he could not defend against the attack of Hunter's gang?He already feels a great responsibility now!Wasn't he the one who organized the expedition?Was it not he who instigated this action, which could end so tragically?Wasn't he the one who forced Sammy Skin to spend Year 2 in the backcountry of the Dominion?

At five o'clock in the morning, Ben Rado and the scouts crossed the canal again.When they returned, they found nothing unusual. The weather has been fine and the barometer remains slightly above average.Cool winds from the sea lowered the temperature, which would otherwise be quite high.This cool wind was blowing the steam from the crater to the south; the engineer and Bill Steer felt that the steam was less dense and less smoky than yesterday. "Is the activity of the volcano declining?" asked Ben Rado. "Trust me," replied the Scout, "if the crater goes out, we'll be in trouble."

"It's easy for Hunter, too," replied the engineer. In the afternoon, Neruto also went to the plain for reconnaissance, and he took Stoop, who could hardly feel the pain of the wound.If Hunter's men go deep into the foot of the mountain, the clever dog will definitely find it. At about three o'clock, Ben Rado, Sammy Skin, and the scouts were observing the bank, not far from where the mouth was to be opened, when they suddenly became alert.From the plain where Neruto and Stope had gone to scout came the barking of dogs. "What happened?" asked the scout. "The dog blasted a beast," Ben Rado replied. "No," Sammy Skinn disagreed, "that's not what a dog is called." "Come here!" said the engineer. They hadn't gone a hundred steps when they saw Neruto running back panting.They hurried forward to meet them. "What's the matter? Neruto," Ben Rado asked. "There they are," answered the Indian, "and they are coming." "Is it all here?" Bill Steel asked. "It's all here." "How far is it?" asked the engineer. "About 1,500 meters, Mr. Ben." "Didn't they see you?" "No," Neruto replied, "but I saw them. They were marching in dense columns, with motors and vehicles." "In what direction?" "Towards the river." "Did they hear the dog barking?" Sammy Skin asked. "I don't think I heard it," Neruto said. "They were too far away." "Go back to camp!" Ben Rado ordered. A few minutes later, the four people crossed the canal through the embankment on the river and joined their companions hiding under the trees. Will Hunter and Malona and their gang stop and camp at the foot of the Gold Volcano when they reach it?Or did they continue on to the mouth of the Mackenzie River? The latter prediction is the most likely.They also have to stay here for a few days, and they must find a place where there is no shortage of fresh water to camp.There were no bays on the plains to the west of the Golden Volcano, and Hunter could not have been unaware that the great river emptied into the sea at a short distance.So wait to see him make his way to the bay at the mouth of the river.So, how could the canal project not attract his attention?How could he hope that he did not discover the camp under the trees? However, the afternoon passed and no one came to attack.There were no Texans or their followers near the Rube River. "It is probable that, as we surmised that day," said Jane Edgerton, "Hunter intends to look up the hill before he establishes himself at the foot." "It's possible," Sammy Skinn answered, "shouldn't he look into the crater and be sure there's gold in it?" This view is correct, and Ben Rado nodded in agreement. Anyway, a day went by without a visit from the Texans at the camp. Scout and his men decided to stay up all night in order to cope with every eventuality.They took turns to cross the canal from the river bank and go deep into the plain to observe the situation at the foot of the mountain. Until 11 o'clock, the light of dusk could still make people see some people walking towards the creek, and 3 hours later, the dawn appeared.During this short night, nothing happened.When the sun came up, the situation was the same as yesterday. The delay in attacking more and more proved the inference first put forward by Ben Rado and repeated by Jane Egerton.Since the Texans did not show up, they must have decided to climb the volcano. When will they climb the mountain?Now it is important to know this thing.However, how can one spy on the top of the mountain without being detected?Don't try to go south to expand your view, you won't find any shelter in this direction.Retreating eastward, in the direction of the main tributary of the Mackenzie River, would not do, and Hunter and Malona would be seen by the time they reached the plateau of the Gold Volcano. There was but one place to occupy, from which they could be seen without being detected as they circled the crater.It was on the left bank of the creek, upriver from where the water was to be opened, and there were some old birch trees, two hundred paces from the woods in which Ben Rado and the others were now hiding.Between the camp and the birches there was a low wall of shrubs behind which one could crawl between them. Ben Rado and Bill Steel tried that position early on, with a clear view of the volcanic plateau.From their first ascent, they noticed that the ring-shaped platform surrounding the top of the volcanic cone was made of chunks of quartz stone and solidified volcanic lava, and they could stand on it.The mountain below went straight up and down like a wall, as did the side facing the sea. "This place is wonderful," said the scout. "You can go there and come back without being spotted. If Hunter climbed onto the platform, he will definitely look this way at the mouth of the Mackenzie River..." "Yes," Ben Rado agreed, "so we're going to put a man on duty there." "I'll add, Mr. Ben, that our camp cannot be seen from the hill; it is now shaded by trees. We shall supervise the extinguishing of all the fires, and keep them from smoking. That way, we shall escape Hunter's eyes. " "I hope so," replied the engineer. "If so, I hope again that the Texans, finding it impossible to enter the crater, abandon their plans and go home." "To hell with them!" cried the Scout, and then added, "If you agree, Mr. Ben, I'll stay here now that I'm here, and you go back to camp." "No, Bill, I want you to let me watch. You go and check and make sure we're doing everything right and our animals aren't getting out." "Well, sir," replied the scout, "I'll go and tell Mr. Skinning to replace you in two hours." "Yes, in two hours," Ben Rado said, lying at the foot of a birch tree from which he could see the plateau of the volcano. Bill Steele returns to the woods alone. At about 9 o'clock, Sammy Skin, who was notified, went to the engineer with a shotgun as if he were hunting. "Nothing new, Ben," asked Sammy Skin. "No, Sammy." "Didn't these stupid Texans show up on the rocks above?" "No." "I'm so glad I've shot one or two of 'em!" Sammy Skin continued, holding up his double-barreled shotgun. "Up this distance, Sammy," said the engineer. "Indeed...it's a bit high!" "Besides, Sammy, it's caution, not talent. Killing a man doesn't take away the danger. If we don't get caught, I still hope that Hunter's gang will get out of here when they're convinced there's nothing they can do." Ben Rado stood up to return to camp. "Watch carefully, Sammy," he added. "If you see a Texan on the platform, run back and let us know, and be careful not to expose yourself." "All right, Ben." "Two hours later, the scout will replace you." "He or Neruto," replied Sammy Skin, "both men can be trusted. As for Neruto, he has the eyes of an Indian, that's clear enough." Ben Rado was about to leave when Sammy Skin grabbed his arm. "Wait," he said. "What's up?" "Above... look!" The engineer looked towards the volcano platform. A man, then a second man appeared at the edge of the platform. "It's them," said Sammy Skin. "Yes, Hunter and Malona!" replied Ben Rado, returning abruptly to his hidden camp under the woods. Sure enough, it was two Texans, and several of their men were probably behind the platform.After observing the condition of the crater, they circled the platform and inspected the surrounding area.Now, they are examining the vast water network of the Mackenzie River delta. "Ah!" murmured Sammy Skin, "two bastards! I've got two rounds for them, and they won't reach them!" Ben Rado said nothing.He stared at the two men who undoubtedly wanted to compete with him for the Golden Volcano. They saw two Texans walking up and down the platform for about half an hour.They surveyed the whole area very carefully, sometimes leaning down to examine the bottom of the volcano on the bay side. Have they found the camp at the foot of the mountain?Did they know that a procession had come before them to the mouth of the Mackenzie?In any case, one thing is for sure: Hunter and Malone kept watching the Rube River, which they must have decided would be a good place to stop for a few weeks. Soon they were joined by two men, one of whom Ben Rado and Sammy Skin recognized as the foreman of No. 131, and the other as an Indian. "Is it the guide who brought them here?" asked the engineer. "That's the man I saw in the clearing," Sammy Skinn answered. Seeing the four desperadoes standing on the edge of the platform, he thought: If they lost their balance and fell from a height of eight or nine hundred feet, the problem would be much simpler and perhaps solved.After the leaders are dead, the gang will probably give up on this operation. Not at all.Not two Texans fell from the top of the volcano, but a sizable chunk of quartz tumbled down a ridge. The rock shattered into several pieces as it rolled against a protruding stone, and the pieces fell among the trees that concealed the camp. Sammy Skin could not help crying out, and Ben Rado put his hands over his mouth. Did the rock hit the Canadian hiding under the tree?Ben Rado and Sammy Skin knew nothing.However, there were no calls from the camp. But here's what happened: the falling stones startled one of their horses, and the horse broke free from the rope and rushed out of the grove toward the canal; it leaped over the canal and fled toward the plain. Voices could be heard from the top of the volcano, muffled by the distance: Hunt and Malona calling for their men. Five or six ran onto the platform and started a heated discussion.From their actions, it is not difficult to see that Hunter understands that there is a team in the Mackenzie Estuary.The horse could only run from one camp, and that camp was there, at his feet. "Damn beast!" cried Sammy. "Damn it," Ben Rado replied. "Because of it, we lost this game...at least the first game." Sammy watched with his eyes and stroked the shotgun with his hands. "Now, let's play the second game!" He said through gritted teeth.