The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1870-03-24

! satisfaction, knowing that there must be
some roast snakes around about that time.
One fellow, small at that, heavens only
knows how he did it, came fercely wrig-
CLING out at the slope, and dispatched at
sight, but after fifteen or twenty minutes,
looking over the edge, at the Goals beneath,
came to the conclusion that all the snakes
that were left alive in the hole couldn't
trighten baby, and the next idea that
struck me was, that | would like to go
down again, and take look, recover my
rifle, which l could see lying there
much burned, but still worth recovering,
IT only for a relic, as well as to get the
rattles from two or three of the grandfath-
ers of the tribe l could see lying around
loose, and cooked in different parts of the
hole.
While was making arrangements for
this execution, the fire was going out l
fastened one end of the lariat securely to
the tree, and simply took the other in my
hand planting my feet against the slope,
and going down backward, a stout bicko-
ry sapling in my belt, to be used if occa-
sion required. 1t was just as | thought
there was not living snake in the place,
and all my stirring and poking around
could not Iaise one. | threw out my
burned rifle, cut off my trophies from the
grandfatEer's tails, TO the amount of six,
and was just preparing to climb out, when
my eye was attracted by what seemed to
be small hole, about four feet from the
ground, on the slope, and just where the
earth bad been displaced by my feet and
those of my horse, in the struggle to es-
cape.
poked at it with my stick, and the
earth fell rapidly away, and disclosed the
fact of recess existing there. l was
timid in approaching it, especially in look
ing in, for did not know bnt l might be
unloosing another family of my friends,
but as | found after vigorous poking that
there was no demonstration in that way,
| chopped the earth away to the extent of
couple of feet, with my hanting-knife,
and looked in. To my astonishment, the
place which seemed like an oven, was
filled, nearly. with what appeared to be
oblong bricks. | pulled one out, and, to
my utter amazement, found it was Of
metal, and weighed about ten pounds, and
only moments consideration was neces-
sary to convince me that it was gold
l was almost as much frightened at the
discovery, though in another way, as /
was at the sight of the rattlesnakes, when
first alighted in the hole, but l did not
act in the same way. / considered the
matter quickly and camly, and determined
TO act. / didn't want Barnes to share in
my find, after I'd had all the peril, and
he might arrive at any moment. There
fore threw my ingot out, and in few
minutes was on the upper earth again.
With the gold secured in my handkerchief
and fastened under my hunting skirt, and
my saddle on my back, that there might
be no excuse for my bringing aid back TO
carry it away. l started in the direction
knew Barnes would come. l was not
much wrong in my calculation met him
about two miles away. He had come to
the place of starting, and not finding me,
was SO far in his search.
In fifteen minutes more he would have
been at the mouth Of the hole, and enti-
tied to cry shares, without having bad any
of the peril or labor.
The next day | plead my fall of the
day before as an excuse for not going out,
and Barnes departed over his old track to
run down more of the same herd. AS
soon as he was fairly out of the way,
got out couple of pack-horse and sad
dle-horse, and was off for my hole. Out
of my placer | threw thirty>four of my
bricks or ingots, varying in weight from
nine to eighteen pounds, making a total,
when it came to be weighed, of FIVE hun
dred and twelve pounds-sixteen ounces
to the pound netting me something over
one hundred and fifty thousand dollars IN
Galveston in less than month after. /
never said much about my snake arrange
ment, and nothing about the gold, for |
couldn't find it in conscience to encourage
any one TO prospect that country in the
hope of finding another such a lead and
as for myself, | feel satisfied that l fairly
won every dollar of it, though don't say
wouldn't take another scare for the same
amount