Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1849-08-29
PLAQUEMINE, PARISH OF IBERVILLE, AUGUST 20, 1919.

Il partner. Jealous Jones knew all this, ant
was determined to take warning by the fate o.
his fellows. He travelled slowly and steadily
used as little as possible Of his powder ant
shot, and when he killed game, bore away tn,
remains to be eaten with wild fruits, and tn,
eSculeIt roots Of the tropics. He was careful
too OF his horse, and reached the entrance of the
billy regions without having violently fatiguet
man or beast. He then rested two DAYS in The
mouth Of Il sublime gorge Of the mountains
where cliff and rock, tree and water, height anc
v~astness, all combined to give granduer to the
scene. But Jealous thought little of the
magnificent landscape: his eye, wandering over
the green plains behind, seemed to wish tc
pierce space, and discover, five hundred miles
behind, the forms Of his brother and his anian.
ccd wife. Once or twice his heart was touched
but a glance at the mighty ranparts of the gold
region reused within him other thoughts, and he
still advanced on his perilous journey.
Months passed, and Jealous was still wan
dering in the hills, now ascending steep gorres
now precipitous cliffs, that forced him to aban-
don his faithful horse to Craze at their feet;
now leaving him Il whole day to feed the length
Of his tcther while he explored the ruggedhills,
mattock III hand, in search of gold; now travel
ling over lofty table-plains; now resting in
delicious valleys scarce if ever trod before by
the foot of man; but never finding Il trace of the
trcacherous metal that had lured him from
home. Jealous was getting gaunt and thin,
his clothes were in rags, his horse was lame, and
his ammunition was nearly all spent, having
only lasted until now because Jealous had
starved himself to spare it.
Overcome by these considerations, he de-
termined to make a halt in a green valley Wa
tered by a stream that formed a pool in the
centre. He ba1hcd bis hardy steed, examined
his feet, and left him to Craze unbound, quite
certain Of his not leaving the valley, and took
himself to the water. He tloated an hour in the
warm sun on the surface of the water, and
then struck for the shore, on the banks of
which something sparkling made his heart leap.
He tore up a handful; and the glittering gloubu-
les of pure gold revealed the riches Of the val
ley. TO dress, to sieze his mattock, to tear
up the ground, was the work of an Instant
The whole mass was full of the precious metal;
and forgetting all cares, Jealous began his
work of gold-washing and digging. A mat
took, a basket of green willow boughs-such
were all his tools; but a months arduous labour
put him in possession of a heap of treasure
perfectly marvellous. He now thought of re-
turning, when the fatal idea entered his head
now was HIS lTcSuIc W Dt IcIIioNtu. LedlOuS
stood speechless with establishment and de-
spair. His horse, though fattened by amonth's
rest was unable to bear much more than him.
selfand his heavy rifle. He accordingly resolved
to take a little, bury the rest, and return to the
settlement in search of assistance. He accord
ingly restored the precious heap to its former
position. mounted his steed with a small parcel
of gold, and began his journey back. 1t was
difficult and painful. Hunger came upon him,
his ammunition was all spent, and a few days
made him despair of reaching home. A fever
and ague, contracted in the mountains, came
strong upon him, and his mind began to wan
der. He gained at length the vast forest that
bordered his home, but at nightfal was exhaust
ed with sickness and fatigue. He alighted, lit
a fire with difficulty, and lay down beside it to
die. The fever was raging, and he lost con-
When he recovered, he was in a comfortable
bed in a large farmhouse, with every sign of
opulence and wealth. Patient and his wife
were beside him. His brother had sought his fire
from curiosity, and in time to save him. The
to his surprise that he had been more
w~istfully at his brother and at Ju.ietta, who
p1tSSCu u < DOSpfH Ill iluI d IlollIl oIu.- |
"Zanetta is married too" he said with a deep
A sob behind the curtain was his answer,
and the faithful girl was kneeling the next mo-
ment by his couch. The gold-seeker, when an
hour had been given to unconnected greetings,
asked his brothers history. Patient replied
that his grief on the departure of his brother
lietta had made him cling to life. He resolved,
ho,-ornr to rrn q io,,ppo1,. o,l bur,y.po IN b,,pealf
in the forest, sought as diligently for water as
him. A spring, bubbling at a tree foot,
was found, and here he took up his dwelling;
~Julietta, hired all the youths Of the old
and was now master of the richest ha-
or farm in all the country. Zanetta, true
to her first affection, had come to live with
them.
"And so will l." cried the gold seeker. II
nave gold enough to buy a vast herd of cattle;
that is my share. We will be partners once
more, brother; and if Jealous will forgive"-
now asked his narrative, which he frankly told.
Prudent wondered at the gold; but all join
ID to dissuade Jealous from again risking his
life in the dangerous occupation of a gambusi-
no. lie cOrulally aSreeu; anu d moHul diCer lHe
tie of husband came to bind him more strongly
to home. The gold he had brought made them
wealthy; every happiness was around
them; love, duty, prosperity, a life without a care,
made the hacienda in the woods little paradise.
But the very caImness of this existence acted
unfavorably on the ambitious Jealous, who
could not feel the reasoning and solid enjoy
ment of his brother the Water-seeker. He
of his vast treasure in the hills, grew
and moody, spoke little to his wife, and
one day disappeared with five horses and as
many sacks, taking this time ample ammunition
and some food. Leaving the inhabitants of the
hacienda to their grief, we follow the wild
gambusino, who travelled for seme- days with
intense rapidity; for fear of being pursued. 1t