His only safety for the present was silence, until he could repeat his
experiment. And that must be done quickly.
How should he get away without his partners' knowledge of his purpose?
He was too loyal to them to wish to keep this good fortune to himself,
but he was not yet sure of his good fortune. It might be only a little
"pocket" which he had just emptied; it might be a larger one which
another trial would exhaust.
He had put up no "notice;" he might find it already in possession of
Katinka's father, or any chance prospector like himself. In either case
he would be covered with ridicule by his partners and the camp, or more
seriously rebuked for his carelessness and stupidity. No! he could not
tell them the truth; nor could he lie. He would say he was called away
for a day on private business.
Luckily for him, the active imagination of his partners was even now
helping him. The theory of the "tinker" and the "pan" was indignantly
rejected by his other partner. His blushes and embarrassment were
suddenly remembered by Faulkner, and by the time he reached his cabin,
they had settled that the negro woman had brought him a love letter! He
was young and good looking; what was more natural than that he should
have some distant love affair?
His embarrassed statement that he must leave early the next morning
on business that he could not at PRESENT disclose was considered amply
confirmatory, and received with maliciously significant acquiescence.
"Only," said Faulkner, "at YOUR age, sonny,"--he was nine months older
than Fleming,--"I should have gone TO-NIGHT." Surely Providence was
favoring him!
He was off early the next morning. He was sorely tempted to go first to
the cabin, but every moment was precious until he had tested the proof
of his good fortune.
It was high noon before he reached the fringe of forest. A few paces
farther and he found the spring and outcrop. To avert his partners'
suspicions he had not brought his own implements, but had borrowed a
pan, spade, and pick from a neighbor's claim before setting out. The
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