He laid his hand on my shoulder, and gripped it fast, speaking very firmly, but in a kindlier tone than I had heard from him before.
“That’s right,” he said, “quite right. We’ll go up there at once, and see if this is an important discovery, or only one of the little patches that are found at times.”
“Then no one saw you there?” he said, after a few minutes’ thought.
“We did not see a soul, sir, till we came out of the little valley, and found that party of Indians coming here.”
He stood with his brows knit, thinking deeply, and then he nodded his head sharply.
“Yes,” he said, “we’ll go at once. Come along.”
He led us to his garden, and out of the shed took a shovel and a shallow wooden basket.
“You lads can carry these,” he said, “and I’ll take my rifle. It will look as if we are going on some pleasure trip. One minute, though, while I give orders about those Indians.”
He spoke to his second in command, giving him some instructions, whose import I did not understand then; and afterwards we strolled out through the gate slowly enough, and wandered away along the track and down by the lake, Mr Raydon stopping every now and then to pick up some flower or stone to which he drew my attention.
This went on till we were out of sight of the Fort, when his whole manner changed.