Chapter 27 Chapter 12 Surrounded

Ben Rado and Sammy Skin's companions were unaware that the camp had been discovered.From the position they occupied at the foot of the Gold Volcano, they could not see the volcanic platform.They didn't even know that Hunter and some of his men had reached the top of the hill, and therefore had no idea that they had seen the escaped horse.Neruto galloped away, easily overtook the horse, and brought it back. As soon as the two brothers reunited with the group, they explained the situation, and no one doubted that they would be ready to repel the imminent attack. "We're defending ourselves," the Scout announced. "We're not giving up our land to these Yankees!"

These words were greeted with unanimous cheers. Attack that day?entirely possible.Speeding things up would be good for Hunter.However, he didn't know the opponent's strength, so he probably wouldn't act rashly.Before starting the war, he wanted to investigate.It is even possible that he will try to negotiate to secure his interests peacefully after he is convinced that he has the numerical advantage.However, he had to consider that he didn't know that his opponent was a neighbor of Sishilihe.When he faces an old rival, the situation will not be conducive to problem solving.

A meeting of the heads of the troops was called at once to determine the final steps to be taken to ensure safety. Ben Rado spoke first: "Our camp is well protected, with Gold Volcano on one side and the Ruburt River on the other; Hunter and his men will be exposed to our fire if they cross the river..." "Indeed, Mr. Rado," replied the scout, "unfortunately: we have only the canal between the Ruburt and Gold Volcano below us as a barrier, and this is not a trench seven or eight feet wide to hold back an attacker. " "No, not if there is no water in the ditch," retorted the engineer, "but if the canal is filled with water, it will not be easy to pass through."

"The banks must be opened to get the water in," cried Jane Edgerton. "That's my opinion, too," Ben Rado agreed. "Well, Mr. Rado," said the Scout, "this is a matter of urgency. We've got a few hours before the gang comes down to our camp... Hurry up!" Bill Steel gathered his men, took his tools, and ran to the river bank.They dug an embankment at the end of the canal, and in a few minutes the water rushed into the canal until it reached the embankment at the entrance to the tunnel. Now, all contact with the plains is broken. While this work was going on, Sammy Skin, Jane Egerton, and Neruto prepared their weapons: shotguns, rifles, pistols, and knives for hand-to-hand combat.They also had enough gunpowder and ready-made bullets.

"These brigands," said Sammy Skin, "we'll shoot as much as they're worth, and we won't begrudge..." "I think," Neruto said, "if they're being shot hard, they'll go back where they came from." "It's possible. But if there is a fight, we'll make up for our lack of numbers by hiding behind the trees as they have nowhere to hide on the other side of the canal. This is a great opportunity for targeting!  … Don't forget, inside Ruto." "Don't worry, Mr. Skin," said the Indian firmly. The preparations for the defense were swiftly completed, and it remained to keep an eye on the vicinity of the camp.Some were placed in front of the canal in order to observe the entire foot of the south side of the Gold Volcano.

No one is unaware of the advantages of the camp location.The only entrance to the trapezoidal space occupied by the team is the embankment at the entrance of the passage under the reserved land. This embankment is quite wide and can be used by vehicles.If they retreated, giving up their position to the Texans, they could return to the plains and reach the left bank of the Rube through this dike.If you want to introduce river water to cause a volcanic eruption, it couldn't be easier: just ignite the five or six packs of explosives that are buried in the embankment and placed deep in the underground passage in advance, and the embankment will be blasted immediately.Before this idea became a reality, they carefully sealed the passage, leaving only a small hole, which would also be sealed when they attacked.

The man on duty stood outside while the others lunched under the trees.Ben Rado, Sammy Skin and Jane Egerton dine together.A lot of fish were caught in the past few days, and the cans were basically untouched.They lit a fire, which was no problem because the camp was exposed.Smoke rises freely from the branches and leaves. The meal was not disturbed.It's time to change shifts, but the enemy hasn't come yet. "Maybe," said Sammy Skin, "the bastards are going to attack us in the night." "It's only two hours at night," Ben Rado replied. "They can't expect to sneak up on us."

"Why not? Ben, they don't know we're on guard. We know they're at Gold Volcano. They don't know we saw them standing on the edge of the volcano's ledge." "It is possible," admitted the scout, "but they saw escaped horses. First a dog in the forest, and then a horse on the plain, which was enough to make them sure that a detachment was stationed at this place." .So, either afternoon or night, we shall wait to see them." Around one o'clock, Bill Steer walked across the embankment and joined the watchers. In his absence Ben Rado and Sammy Skin returned to the grove where they had seen Hunter and Malona on the hilltop.From here, the smoke from the volcano can be seen.The smoke rose to a height of 50 feet above the volcano and swirled rapidly, with tongues of flame constantly escaping from the middle.Evidently, the power of the volcano is increasing.Is there reason to think that the volcano will erupt soon?

This statement is very detrimental to the engineer's plan.If the volcano spewed gold-bearing material together with lava and cinders, the Texans only had to pick it up.How could Ben Rado compete with them for ownership?In camp, they have a chance of success.On flat ground, he couldn't possibly have the upper hand in a fight.If the volcano erupts, it will be in Hunter's favor, and they lose irretrievably. Even more troubling to engineers: There is no way to stop this danger.When he returned to camp, he was more apprehensive than when he left. As he came back, Sammy Skin pointed him at the galloping scouts.The two brothers went up to the embankment.

"They're coming!" Bill Steer yelled. "Is it still far?" asked the engineer. "About half a mile," answered the scout. "Do we still have time to scout?" "Yes." Bill Steel replied. Three people crossed the canal and quickly came to a place with several sentries. From there it is easy to observe the plains without exposing yourself. A dense team came along the foot of the volcano.All the members of the gang must have been there.The gun barrel can be seen shining brightly.There were no horses or carts, and all supplies were left behind.

Hunter, Malona and Foreman went ahead.They advanced cautiously, sometimes stopping to walk a few hundred paces up the plain and looking back at the summit of Gold Volcano. "They would have been here an hour ago," Ben Rado said. "Obviously they already know about our camp," Sammy Skin answered. "Let them attack," the scout added. "I'll wait for Hunter to come within range," cried Sammy Skin, "and I'll meet him with a shot, and I promise I'll shoot him off his horse like a duck." "What's the use?" Bin Lado retorted, "No, return to the camp and insist on our legitimate rights to the end." That's all the more sensible.The Texan's death won't stop an offense, which isn't absolutely certain yet anyway. So Bin Lado, Sammy Skin, and Scout returned to the canal.After they had passed the dike one by one, the openings in the barricades were blocked with prepared stones.Since then, traffic on both sides of the canal has been cut off. Everyone stepped back 60 steps and hid behind the trees in front.Can take cover if firing at each other.A firefight is entirely possible, and they are loaded and ready. Best to wait until the last possible moment for the gang to get close before attacking when they are about to cross the canal. Half an hour later, Hunter and his group appeared at the corner at the foot of the mountain.Some walked along the root of the mountain with small steps, others walked towards the small river, and walked downstream on the left bank of the river. Half of these men were miners whom Ben Rado, Sammy Skin and Neruto had seen working on Lot 131.The other half consisted of twenty or so Indians whom Hunter had recruited at Circle City and Fort Yukon for this operation on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. The whole gang came together when they reached the canal, where Hunter and Malona stood on the edge. The two men had what must have been an intense conversation, judging from their movements, with their foreman.They were sure there was a camp under the protection of these trees.But what really disappointed them was the canal, which they would have had a hard time getting through if they were shot at from sixty paces away. They recognized at first glance that the canal had been recently dug.For what purpose?Of course they couldn't figure it out, the opening of the underground passage was blocked by a pile of branches and could not be seen.Besides, they would never have imagined that this channel was used to lead the river water into the belly of the gold volcano. Still, Hunt and Malone walked up and down the canal, no doubt looking for a way across.They had to advance to the grove, either to make contact with the people who occupied it, or to be sure that those people had left the place, whichever was possible. A few minutes later, the foreman came to meet them, pointing to the only embankment where one could cross the river without wet feet. Three people walked towards the embankment.Seeing the barricade without any openings, they must have assumed that the woods were not abandoned and that there was camp on the other side of the barricade. Ben Rado and his men hid behind trees and watched their every move.They got it: Hunter was going to remove the stones that had piled up on the embankment and open a passage.The time has come to intervene. "I don't know," Sammy whispered, "what's going to stop me from smashing his head! . . . I've targeted him . . . " "No...don't shoot, Sammy," Ben Rado objected, lowering his cousin's weapon. "The officers are dead, and the soldiers. Perhaps it's best to try and explain before the firefight. Scout, what do you think?" "Always give it a try," replied Bill Steer, "although I have no illusions about the results. If it doesn't do any good, it doesn't do any harm." "At any rate," suggested Jane Egerton, "we must not all show up. We cannot be counted by Hunter." "That's right," agreed the engineer, "I alone..." "And me," added Sammy Skin, who would never agree to hide from Hunter. Hunter made a gesture, and when several of his men stepped forward to remove the roadblock, Ben Rado and Sammy Skin appeared at the edge of the grove. As soon as Hunter saw them, he signaled his men to back off, and the gang took up a position of self-defense about ten paces from the canal bank. Only Hunter and Malona came over with guns in their mouths. Ben Rado and Sammy Skin also had guns, but they left the butts on the ground.The two Texans immediately did as they did. "Hey!" exclaimed Hunter in a surprised tone. "What the hell! It's you, gentlemen of 129!" "It's us," Sammy Skinn answered. "I didn't expect to see you at the mouth of the Mackenzie River," Hunter said again. "We didn't expect you to come here either," Sammy Skinn replied. "It shows that your memory is not as good as mine. Don't we have an old score to settle?" "It counts as well here as it does on the Forty Mile River," answered Sammy Skin. "As you wish!" Hunter, who changed from surprise to anger, suddenly raised his gun, and Sammy Skin also raised his gun. There was a commotion in the gang, which was stopped by Hunter with a gesture.Before going to war, it is best to know the number of the opponent.He scanned the grove with his eyes, but saw no one. Ben Rado thought it was time to intervene, so he stepped forward and walked to the edge of the canal.He and Hunter were facing each other separated by the canal, with Malona and Sammy behind. "What do you want?" asked the engineer in a calm voice. "We want to know what you are doing at Gold Volcano." "What rights do you have?" "That's my right!" Hunter replied savagely, hitting the ground with the butt of his gun. "It's my right too!" Ben Rado replied with the same gesture. After a thrilling silence. "I'll ask again," Hunter continued, "what are you doing here at Gold Volcano?" "Do what you came to do," Ben Rado replied. "Your purpose is to develop a gold mine, right?" "Yes, the gold mine is ours." "The Gold Volcano doesn't belong to anyone," Hunter objected, "it belongs to everyone." "No," Ben Rado replied, "it goes to whoever comes first." "It has nothing to do with first come first served," Hunter said loudly. "Really! What does it have to do with it?" "It's about who can protect it." "We're ready," the engineer announced quietly. "One last time," said the increasingly impatient Hunter, "are you willing to give us your seat?" "Come and get it," Ben Rado replied. Malona gestured and the shots fired, but missed Ben Rado and Sammy Skin as they retreated toward the grove.Sammy turned and fired at Hunter before disappearing into the woods. Hunter fell sideways to avoid the bullet, which fatally hit one of his men. Both sides opened fire.However, Ben Rado's companions, hidden behind trees, suffered far fewer losses than the attackers.Several of them were injured, and some of the other side died. Hunt knew: if he couldn't get across the canal, his men would suffer heavy casualties.He ordered his men to lie on the ground.The soil piled on the banks of the canal formed a shelter, and it was enough to lie down.From this position it was possible to fire heavily into the grove without harm, and the occupants could not get out. Backed by fire, Hunt ordered Malone to lead the two men to crawl towards the embankment.Arriving there safely, they hid behind the stones of the barricade and began to remove the upper stones one by one, and the stones fell into the canal. Defensive attention is all focused on this.If the passage was opened and the enemy came to the grove and invaded the camp, then the hope of resistance was lost, and the advantage was gained in numbers. Bullets fired from the grove failed to hit Malona and his two accomplices.Bill Steer, who wanted to stop them from crossing the dike at any cost, had offered to strike for hand-to-hand combat. Ben Rado stopped him.Crossing the clearing between the grove and the canal would be extremely dangerously exposed to enemy fire.That danger was best left to Hunter and his men, who would run the same risk as they charged past the barricade and toward the grove.For now, the job is to keep shooting at the dikes, while also countering the bullets being fired from the canal bunkers. This went on for about 10 minutes.Those who removed the barricade were unhurt, though the bullets swarmed as the gap widened. An Indian was knocked down, and the man who immediately came up to replace him did the same.At the same time, a round fired by Neruto hit Malona in the chest.The Texan fell, causing horrific screams from the gang. "Very well, very well," said Sammy Skinning to Neruto, who was standing beside him, "that was a good shot! But leave Hunter to me, my lad!" After Malona fell, Hunter seemed to give up an attack that was not necessarily successful.In this case, the attackers are killed one by one until the last one is left.He didn't want to lose any more of his people, so he ordered a retreat.Under the rain of bullets celebrating their escape, the whole gang took the wounded and set foot on the road to the plain again, and disappeared around the turn of the Golden Volcano.