The native grinned. He began to see a joke in all this hurry and bustle. He darted towards the store of gold, which was kept in small canvas bags, and helped Dick to divide it up. There was not a large quantity, though the mine had done remarkably well. Still, so rich is the ore in Ashanti that, thanks to the work of the miners and Dick’s care, the store was of great value.
“Me laugh, ha! ha! ha! You see de face ob dat half-white scum,” cried Johnnie. “He lob de gold. He say now to himself, ‘me soon wring de neck ob all dem fellers, and special of de white man whom me hate like pisin. Yes, me turn dem out, and den me set oder boys to work. Yes, fine game me play. Get shaft dug, ground open, all de labour done. Den walk in, find house, plenty gold, stockade, gun, eberyting.’ Golly! he make bit mistake dis time. He find nest clear, p’raps. All de eggs cooked, de old birds flown ’way, and all velly hot. No gold, no food, noding. Him cuss and swear. Him rabe. Him say, ‘hang dat Dick Stapleton. Me kill um by little inches when me hab de feller.’ How Johnnie like to stay and see him go crazy.”
“Thank you, I’d rather be far away,” said Dick, with a laugh. “Mister James Langdon is a gentleman who would kill me with less compunction than he would tread on a beetle. No, thanks. No staying for me.”
“No Johnnie, neider, tank you all same, massa. Me get to de steamer, and yo see. When yo come, she fairly jumpin’, so ready to go. Yes, me break up de oder boats and hab all ready. Make no trouble. Johnnie know what to do.”
“Then let’s place these bags in a row just inside the door of the stockade,” said Dick. “We’ll put the lamp there, too, so that the light cannot be seen outside, but so that the men can distinguish the bags. Then, as they retire, they will pick one up and go up the hill. That’s all clear. Come along.”
Ten minutes later they had laid the wealth of the gold-mine at the door of the stockade, and each man had been brought to the position and been given full instructions.
“You can trust the matter to them entirely, white chief,” said the leader of the miners. “You must have seen that they are honest, and besides, all have an interest, and if one happened to be a robber, the others would soon arrest him.”
“Then I will complete my arrangements. I see that the moon is almost down. Has there been any movement amongst the enemy?”
“They have crept a little closer,” was the answer. “We did not fire, as it did not seem necessary. They have drawn in their circle out here in front, and I believe that they have brought one or two men from the crest.”
It was comforting news, for if the enemy’s position were known, the task of the defenders would be easier.