“None—’cept one lot that ranged about the hills for a few days, but they seemed to know nothin’. Sartinly they found nothin’, an’ went away disgusted.”
The trapper indulged in a quiet chuckle as he said this.
“What are ye larfin’ at?” asked Paul.
“At the gold-seekers,” replied Drake.
“What was the matter wi’ ’em,” asked Tolly.
“Not much, lad, only they was blind, and also ill of a strong appetite.”
“Ye was always fond o’ speakin’ in riddles,” said Paul. “What d’ye mean, Mahoghany!”
“I mean that though there ain’t much gold in these hills, maybe, what little there is the seekers couldn’t see, though they was walkin’ over it, an’ they was so blind they couldn’t hit what they fired at, so their appetites was stronger than was comfortable. I do believe they’d have starved if I hadn’t killed a buck for them.”
During this conversation Paddy Flinders had been listening attentively and in silence. He now sidled up to Tom Brixton, who, although bestriding Tolly’s pony, seemed ill able to travel.
“D’ye hear what the trapper says, Muster Brixton?”