Grey’s Message.
“Flesh tea allee leady,” cried a familiar voice in my ear; and I started up to see the sun peering over the edge of the mountains to light up the beautiful opalescent mists floating below. There was the scent of the bruised pine-boughs where I lay, and a more familiar one wafted from the fire—that of hot, newly-made bread.
“Yes, all right, I’m getting up,” grunted Esau; and directly after we went down to the stream and had a good wash, finding Gunson waiting by the fire and watching the frizzling of some slices of bacon on our return.
“Good morning,” he said. “Come and have your breakfast. Well,” he continued, as we began, “what’s it to be? Going back?”
“Yes,” I said, “directly after breakfast.”
“Oh!” cried Esau.
“I can’t help it, Esau; we must. We are in honour bound.”
“And we might make our fortunes.”
“You leave me, then, to the mercy of those scoundrels down below?” said Gunson, drily.
“I am only a boy, sir,” I said; “how can I fight for you? I’ll beg Mr Raydon to send help to you though, directly.”