"Too easy an end for Spanish Joe," he said, carelessly. "Born fur the
rope, and he can't cheat his fate. Same thing's been said 'bout me.
Don't bother me none, though, and sometimes it's a real comfort;
'specially when a landslide carries ye down the side of a mounting like
a railroad train, like I had happen to me. Nawthin' ain't agoin' to
hurt ye if so be yer end's got to come by the rope."
"A landslide! Do they often have that sort of thing out here?" asked
Peg, showing some anxiety, as though he had read about such terrible
happenings, and did not care to make a close acquaintance with one.
"Sure we does, every little while," remarked Nick, cheerfully. "Why,
jest last year the hull side of a peak 'bout forty mile north of here
broke away, and a Injun village was wiped out. Never did hear anything
from a single critter after that slip bore down on 'em."
"It might happen here on Thunder Mountain, too, couldn't it, Nick?"
pursued Peg, as if the subject, with all it pictured to his active
mind, held his interest gripped in such a fashion that he could not
shake himself free.
"Easiest thing goin', Peg. And let me tell ye, if it ever do happen
here, thar's agoin' to be a slide to beat the band!" Nick asserted,
positively.
"But what makes you say that, Nick?" demanded the boy.
"Oh! lots of people says the same thing," replied the other, as if
carelessly.
"That a landslide is going to start things going on Thunder Mountain
any time--is that what you mean?" Peg insisted on repeating.
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