Virg, believing that the cowboy was about to ride away again, leaned over and put her hand on his arm. “Tell me, Pete,” she implored, “what has happened to my brother?”
Before the cowboy could reply there was a flash of fire on Second Peak, an upheaval of rock and smoke, and a thundering noise that reverberated through the mountains echoing back from the far peaks, and then a shower of sand and bits of stone fell all about them. The horses, stung by the sharp edges of this unexpected fusilade, leaped and plunged, and it was sometime before they could be quieted. Excited shouts from the mine then attracted their attention. They turned to see another rider approaching them with all haste.
“It’s Uncle Tex, and he has good news, I am sure,” Virg exclaimed, “for see, he is waving his sombrero and shouting joyfully.”
Virginia leaped to the ground and ran toward the approaching horseman, who also dismounted and took the sobbing girl in his arms.
“Uncle Tex! Uncle Tex!” she cried “Tell me, has anything happened to my brother?”
“Thar! Thar! Miss Virginia, dearie,” the old man said, consolingly, though tears were trembling on his wrinkled cheeks, “something did happen to Master Malcolm, but he’s all right now. We sure had to take an awful big chance blastin’ that way, but we didn’t durst wait to ask what you’d have us do, we just had to do it, and Heaven be praised ’twas the right thing. Master Malcolm’s safe and they’ll be fetchin’ him along in a minute.
“You see, Miss Virginia, dearie, ’twas this a-way,” the old man continued. “Master Malcolm was bent on goin’ into a new tunnel along side of a vein that had just been opened. Pat Mahoy warned him as ’twasn’t safe yet, bein’ as the struts weren’t all up, but Master Malcolm said he was in a hurry to get back to V. M., to be thar when you gurls returned, and so he took the chance. Wall, Pat Mahoy says ’twas just as he prognosticated. Master Malcolm hadn’t no more’n disappeared into the new tunnel when there was a rumblin’ noise as Pat knew meant trouble. He ran shouting, but though he saw Master Malcolm turn back ’twas too late. The rocks and dirt up above crushed down, shuttin’ him out, but more rocks kept slidin’ down and ’twasn’t safe no how. Then ’twas they took the chance to blast the big rock from the openin’. When ’twas all over, they found Master Malcolm a little way in lying white as a ghost and most smothered, seemed like, but he came to, quick enough, when he was fetched out. Howsomever it will be a long time before he gets his strength back, I’m a-thinkin’. He’s all wore out anyway. I’ve been noticin’ it for months past, but he wouldn’t stop a peggin’, but now I guess as he’ll have to take a rest.”
Virginia saw a slow moving procession leaving the mine. She again mounted her pony and rode in that direction, closely followed by the others. A wagon that was used for hauling timber had been quickly changed by the miners into an ambulance, bedding having been piled on the cross boards, and, as it neared, the girls saw Malcolm lying listless as though he were too weary to move. However, when Virginia rode up alongside, her brother smiled wanly.
“I’m all right, Sis,” he said. “I tried to get buried too soon, I guess.” Then with a sigh as though the exertion of speaking had been too much for him, he closed his eyes, nor did he open them again during the long, slow ride over the desert.
It was with great difficulty that the crossing of the Dry Creek was made, but, in the late afternoon the anxious Mrs. Mahoy saw the procession slowly climbing up the sloping trail back of the ranch house. She hurried out to meet them.