Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-12-23

Providing themselves with an axe and an old
pick, they started on in the direction of the
Point. They took that direction in order to de-
eeive any one who might see them. In case
they were met by any of the milkmen, and
questioned, IL was agreed that they should say
III AT they were on their way to the roofs to get
abalones. Gaining the beach they started Off
down the sands towards the place where Berk-
ley declared he had his strange dreams.
An hours walk brought them 70 the little
rivulet In the ravine and took 1t but shorttime
to Chamber up to the plateauI
Now" said Berkley, .you can see IL all
plain enough. There is the pool of water; there
Is the black streak in the chalk cliff; here is
the dead greasewood, under it the clump OF
chaparral, and in that ehaparral is the stump"
And under that stump Is the gold" inter-
f rgse i heTT0s laTsans TOm you're tAs
r" You've told me that something like twenty
times, within the last twenty-four hours Change
the subject now, J" said Berkeley.
Come on, then,' said Heron, al am anx-
ious to receive nv share of the gold"
Berkley led the way in to the chaparral.
Look out here, Jim! These bushes are
Nothing strange" replied Heron. Gas
they have beneath them such large deposit Of
the root of allevil.
Hold your blarney! Here is the stamp"
with the gold under it,"
by the musty miraculous measles! Jim, IL
you don't stop your noise I'll chuck You down
the rsvine, and if there is million of gold here
you shan't have dime"
"Well, well! business them" said Heron,
with mock gravity. "Give me the axe!'
Taking the axe from Berkeley he cleared
away the brush around the spot, and standing
back like an expert woodsman, with heavy
sweep he brought the axe down exactly in the
center of the stump.
Instead of penetrating TO the eye, as he ex-
pected. there was a crash as though he had
struck block OF granite. The brittle steel of
the axe broke in q score of pieces and flew in
every direction: One of the flying bits of steel
struck Heron in the cheek, inficting quite
painful wound He scarcely noticed IL but sat
down on a chalk boulder, convulsed with laugh
ter.
"wen, well, Toni" he laughed; "this is what
/ call a hard beginning. That's a high old
stump, that is! Why, man, it's harder than
flint. If stone hatchets were in use now you
might make something of it, perhaps"
The person who came to me in my dream,
did not say it was the stump of a tree. He only
said IL looked like a stump, answered Tom; but
his voice betrayed chagrin and disappointment.
thorough Search scare he Continued I'll " nAue .
He took the pick and commenced picking at
the sides OF the stone, as ii evidently seemed to
be. There was a black crust of some two in
ches in thickness on the outside, hard and brit
tie as glass.
This broken off showed a gray substance be-
meath, nearly the color of granite-but present.
Tom smote away at the hard substance until
perhaps fourth of it was broken off, when he
uttered an exclamation of surprise.
What is the matter now?" said Heron, who
had sat all this time looking at Toms labors
with an expression of complete unconcern.
Jim, come here!' said Berkeley, in a voice
that betrayed much excitement.
We'll, what is it?" demanded Heron.
" Do you see that round hole there?''
Yes, see it. 1t don't strike me as being
anything very wonderful"
Look at it closely! 1t extends clear through
this stump or stone, whatever it isl
. suppose ii does, what of that?"
=" Look at the sides! see how green they are"
8 Yes, see"
A copper bolt through stone! You're
8. This may be a stone now, but look at it
closely, and think yoa can satisfy yourself it
wasn't always stone. Don't you see the grain
Heron stopped down and looked at it care
fully. Evidently Berkeley was right. He could
see plainly the grain of the wood, little curls of
what had once been wood fibres, and the round
hoe, the sides of which were coated with a
bright green substance.
al guess you are right, Tom" said Heron.
Z" Some time this YVES wood, and now its putri-
"Petrihed, you mean, Jim. That is, turned
to stone"
." It's all the same, guess. What do you
al do not know; see no use breaking it to
pieces. The gold is under it. We'd better dig
down at the side"
Heron took the pick and commenced dig
ging into the earth. The discovery that the
black stump or stone had once been wood, had
for the first time aroused in him an interest in
the search.
TIE digging progressed slowly. Having no
spade, they removed the earth with their hands
The stone stood some three feet above the top OF
the ground. They had thrown out the earth to
the depth OF nearly five feet, and yet there were
no signs OF reaching the bottom of the stone. 1t
was getting well along into the afternoon, and
both men were beginning to feel faint and
hungry. Herron's interest in the search began
tn la III q he nicE from
declaring he would 60 one foot deeper, and ii
nothing was found he should make a bee line
for San Francisco.
With the first stroke of the pick, there came a
rafting metallic sound. Berkeley, who had laid
down to rest, gave one loud "hurrah!" and
sprang down into the hole.
by the wcked-waving waterspouts, Jim,
we've struck it at last!" dropping on his knees
and digging up the soft chalk with his hands.
Heron bent over him, eagerly watching his
work. Both expected to come upon crock of
gold, such as they had read of in fairy books,
when bows.
Down into the soft chalk Berkeley thrust his
hands and grasped, not the gold coins he ex-
pected, but the links Of a chain!"
moment more and the chalk was removed
enough to show them two or three large links of
a bronze colOred chain or cable.
Berkely drew a long sigh and looked at Her
ron. Heron regarded for a moment the disap-
pointed countenance of Berkely, and then
broke into an immoderate fit of laughter
Here's the water and the greasewood, here's
the chaparral, here's the black stump, and
here-isnt the gold-ha! ha! hal" and Jim Her
ron held down his sides and laughed till the
tears ran down his cheeks.
Berkeley was silent. He could not conceal his
great disappointment. He expected to find
gold enough to make him wealthy for life, be-
meath that stone. And here was nothing but
bronze cable. He sat there in the hole they
had dug and threw bits Of chalk at the contemp-
tible chain. The beautiful air castles of wealth
and happiness he had built, all lay there in that
hole, demolished now in ruins Henceforth the
forecastle and hard fare through all his life for
him. Bah! what a fool he had been. Jim was
right-he must be crazy.
He clambered out at the hole and commenced
putting on his coat, slowly, his eyes bent upon
the ground.
Heron had his on already and with the bro
ken axe on his shoulder was about starting down
the ravine when he was called back by Berkeley.
"Well, what is 1t now?" he demanded, his
voice betraying all the vexaton he felt.
Berkeley looked intently down into the hole
and for several moments did not answer him.
"Jim," at length, he said, in a soliloqsizing
tone, as though speaking as much to himself as
TO his companion, show long do you think thas
old cable has lain here?"
''I do not know, answered Heron. % havn't
thought anything about it. 1 suppose it has
been there a long time'
That's what L think" said Berkeley.
"Longer than you or have any idea of. Per-
haps five hundred years, perhaps a thousand or
two thousand. No one knows, or ever will