“Say, doant tell me yeou run acrost that big hill-billy o’ a grizzly, Jack?”
“You’re a bad guesser, matey,” he was assured; and then Jack added: “Found that the passage kept dropping down all the time; and in the end I came to another fissure, with broad daylight ahead—then looked out into the valley; and found I was only some twenty feet from the bottom of the big ditch, Perk!”
CHAPTER XXVII
Pike’s Peak, or——Bust!
When Jack made this dramatic announcement Perk manifested such supreme astonishment, coupled with delight, that his eyes looked as if they would jump out of his head. He reached over and clutched the other’s hand, which he proceeded to squeeze unmercifully, as he burst out:
“Hot-diggetty-dig! but did yeou ever hear o’ sech great luck in all yeour born days? Why, it seems like there might be a back door to the Hole-in-the-Wall, after all; which mebbe nary a single boob in the bunch has ever discovered!”
“I figured it all out while down there, and peeking,” Jack continued to explain; “and felt certain what you are saying was absolutely true. You see the fissure lies high up on the wall, and there seems to be a narrow slanting shelf running down nearly to the bottom, where green grass is growing that would hide a trail of footsteps wonderfully, if we decided to drop into the valley while night lasted, and investigate; possibly get in touch with friend Simeon.”
“Great stuff yeou’re a givin’ me partner; looks like ever’thing might be arunnin’ for a fall with them tough guys. They’re so dead sure nawthin’ kin reach aout an’ git ’em, they trust to dumb luck, an’ lays ’raound puttin’ on layers o’ fat, playin’ keerds an’ agamblin’ away sech cash as they got in the divide-up arter the last scoop.”
“Let’s hope Fortune will keep on smiling, Perk; but just the same we’ll keep our wits sharpened, and let no opportunity for making a point pass us by.”
“Huh! guess naow as haow yeou mean we gotter to trust in the Lord, but keep aour powder dry; like the ole Pilgrim Fathers uster do in Colonial days,—as I’ve read in hist’ry.”
“Exactly,” concurred Jack, to add, as though he could not quite get over the great satisfaction his latest discovery gave him: “but look at the advantage we now have, being able, as I think is certain, to go and come in and out of the valley, without any one being the wiser.”