The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-03-24
q than face the old man and do the talk.

ing than face the old man and do the talk
ing"
After some delay, one of their number
volunteered to be spokesman. AT the APP
pointed time in the morning the crew as
sembled aft and asked to see the Captain.
He soon made his appearance, and every
one could see by his determined look that
il twas no time to handy words. Their
speaker respectfully informed him that
"the crew thought it was hardly a fair
thing to dig gold on lay"
"The ID you don'tw replied the Cap
tain.
YOU'RE pretty set of fellows! If you
20 To cutting your tlukes out here I'll send
the whole posse of you whaling, and a
precious little good this gold viii do you
when the voyage is upl You're set of
stupids, from beginning to endi Why, I'll
give any of you $4,000 f6ryour share
and what more do you want ?"
The command was promptly Obeyed,
and soon the order came to "turn to-"
which was obeyed likewise. Night came
again, and when all gathered in the fore
castle, the new speculation was the en-
crossing topic of conversation. Jack Dow
said, AS for my part, think the matter
stands about like this: We've got the old
man and $4,000 on one side, sure, and
devil-fish, steven boats, and IL greasy job on
the other, and goes in for the side what's
got the spOndulics."
This speech satisfied all present, and the
next day everything went on cheerfully.
Drills, crOwbars, and other mining tools
were made as fast as willing hands could
work, and any of the Ships whaling instru-
ments that could be turned to account
were Immediately appropriated to the new
adventure \ kind of knapsack was made
of heavy canvas, for each man to trans
port the precious metal from the mine to
the ship, and this sackful, delivered on
board, was the " stint" of each one daily.
Every succeeding morning, as the sun
rose over the dark peaks of the island,
might have been seen train of men slow
" ulOddng ND the sleeps with the white
sacks to their backs, and before the close of
day, singly or in squads, they returned to
the ship and deposited their treasure in
the strong casks that had been originally
designed to receive the swimming treas
ures of the deep.
In the meantime, Captain l., anx-
| iOus about the genuine quality of the metal,
dispatched party, with specimens, to one
of the gulf ports, where there was an as
saver. 4 few weeks elapsed before his
| return; but the sanguine miners, in their
excitement, not doubling the true worth OF
| the ere, went on briskly with their work.
| In due time, however, the messenger re-
turned with the report that " it was moth
| ing hut iron pyrites"
This intelligence fell with crushing de-
| spair on the whole party.
| What fall from rich gentlemen oil
leisure, which they already had been in
their own anticipations to the poor Jacks
| on board whalcr, All felt chagrincd
some affecting to laugh it off, Others
remarkng that the old man had got sold
once in his life" But one of their mum
| Der replied that "all hands might as wei
own up that they had been sold as wei
as the Captain. There is not one of us,
said he, but has got more or less of tn,
stuff slowed away in sly corner, expect
| ing TO play sharp with the old man on tn,
lay business Such, indeed, was the fact
many having appropriated choice nugget
| to private benefit, sccreting them in bags
| between the timbcrS of the vessel, Will,
others hid their coveted treasures in thei
beds or carried them constantly about thei
persons.
Tie following morning, all hands wer,
called and ordered to make a muster aft
and the whole ships company immediatel,
assembled about the quarter deck. Tn
Captain at last made his appearance. 4
long silence ensued, when, raising bot
hands, he exclaimed: of any man eve
divulges anything about this here scrape
| I'll be the death Of him, and haunt him il
purgatory, And, mind you, there Ia
got 10 be some oil taken this season. o
else you'll see some cedar split. TIL
whales are already i'll the bay, and til
sooner we are at il tine better"
Thus ended the gold mining on Marga
rita Island
il IS but justice to state, however, tina
this Captain and his crew of amateur miner
made the most successful season" of an
on the coast.