The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1870-04-02
and then returned, with a grave ,e'c 'ccihruu,ckle,

W oui5 CdSk. ~
When the time mentioned had exl
pirsdd, ws had reached 9 .siepthfof Ave,
feet; and yet no ssignsdof any treasure
became mauifest A, general pause en-
sued, and / began to hope that the farce
was at an end. Legrand, although eyi-'I
dently much disconnected, wiped his
brow thoughtfully and recommended.
We had excayated the entire circle of
four feet diameter, and now we slightly
enlarged the limit, and went, to the farth-
or depth of two feet. Still nothing ap-
peared. The gold-seekcr, whom I sim
cerely pitied' at length clampered from
the pit, with the bitterest disappoiut-
ment imprinted npon every feature, and
proceeded, slowly and reluctantly, to put
on his coat, which he had thrown off at
the beginning of his labor. In the mean
time 1 made no remark. Jupiter, at a
signal from his master, began to gather
up his tools This done, and the dog
having been uumuzzled,i we turned in
r'ofound silence towards home.
We had taken, dozen steps in this
direction, when, with loud oath, Lee
grand strobe up to Jupiter, and seized
him by the collar. The astonished ne
gro opened his eyes and mouth to the
fullest extent, let fall the spades, and
fell upon his knees.
You scoundrel," said Lcgrand, hiss
ing out the syllables from between his
clenched teeth-"you internal black
william speak, tell you ANSWER me
this instant, without prevarication -
which-is yonr left eye?"
"Oh, my golly' NIassa Will aint dis
here my icf eye for sartain 2" roared the
terrified Jupiter, placing his hand upon
his right organ of vision, and holding it
there with desperate pertinacity, as il
in immediate dread of his masters at.
tempt at n gouge.
II thought 80 II knew i,! k@rrah y
vociferated Legrand, letting the negro
90, and executing series of curvets and
caracols, much to the astonishment Of his
valet, who, arising from his knees, looked
mutely, from his master to myself, aud
then from myself to his master.
"Comc! we must so back" said the
latter, "the games not up yet !" and he
again led the way to the tnlip-trec.
"Jupitcr," said he, when We reached
its foot, "come here was the skull nailed
to the limb with the face outwards, OIL
with the face to the limb ?"
"De face was out, massa, SO dat d,
crows could get at de eyes good, widout
any trouble"
"Well, then, was it this eye or thai
through which you dropped the beetle p
here Lcgrand touched each of Jupi
ter's eyes.
Twas dis eye, massa-de lef eyc-ji.
as you tell me" and here it was his righ
eye that the negro indicated.
"That will dove must try it again.
Here my friend, about whose mad 2es.
| now saw. or fancied that saw, certain
indications of method, removed the peg
which marked the spot where the beetle
fell, to spot about three inches to the
westward of its former position. Taking
now the tape measure from the nearest
point OF the trunk, to the peg, as before
and continuing the extension in q
straight line to the distance Of fl feet
spot was indicated, removed, by several
yards, from the point at which we had
been digging.
Around the new position circle
somewhat larger than in the former
ins ance, was now described, and we
again set to work with the spades /
was dreadfully weary, but, scarcely
understanding what had occasioned the
change in my thoughts, felt no longer
any great aversion from the labor i'm
posed | had become most unaecouptably
interested nay, even excited. Perhaps
there was something, amid all the cx-
travagant dcmoanor of Legrand-some
air of forethought, or of dcliberation,
which impressed me. l dug eagerly,
and now and then caught myself actually
looking, with something that very much
rcscmbled expectation, for the fancied
treasure, the vision of which had
dementcd my unfortunate companion.
At a period when such vagaries of
thought most fully possessed me, aud