“Lost! Where?”
“In de Big Horn country, sah, whar I left him an’ t’others. Dere’s a heap ob ’em, Massa Buf’ler Bill, men, wimmens, an’ chil’en.”
“When did they go there?”
“Months ago, sah. Yer see, sah, I ust ter b’long ter Doctor Miner, a gent from de Souf, who hed los’ his fortin by de war; but I didn’t leab him, sah, an’ we was comin’ West ter hunt gold, when we come across a outfit of folks as was also gold huntin’, fer Massa John Hill hed met ’em an’ tole ’em he know’d whar ter git it.
“So, sah, we all comed along an’ he guided us inter de Big Horn country, an’ we go down inter a valley an’ make home dere.
“But dere was bad men in dat outfit, and four ob ’em one night tuk blastin’ powder we fotch along an’ blow up rocks ter stop de only path down a cañon we hed leadin’ inter or out ob dat valley.
“It were beautiful when we got dere, but dere were no way ob gittin’ out, sah, fer it were all around wid mount’in cliffs, an’ mount’in sheep c’u’dn’t git out.
“Yer see, all de gold we hed dug was done by day an’ left up in de cañon, de men goin’ home to de valley at night.
“Dat’s why dem four bad men got dat powder an’ blow up dat cañon, an’ we c’u’dn’t git out.”
“Yet, you did.”