Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-11-05

| thought or what neXt?" that drives
away all WEAKNESS, to be replaced by 9
zesty keenness of appetite, as the pre-
Jude to simple supper, sOlacing pipe
and a sound slumber.
After we had done all that a sage
brush camp requires in the way of IN
packing, unsaddling, hobbling, picket
ing, making fire, cooking, eating, unroll
ing blankets into bed-shape and were
laid down for the night, with our faces
upturned to the bright, sparkling, star
lit sky, | observed to William:
This is grand"
"Wotr' said Bill.
"This night of calm repose in the
gorgeous bridal-chamber Of our first
parents"
There you go agin! Looney as a
new convert at camp-meetin'.
No, William, not looney. It's a
beautiful thought, that Adam and Eve
in the incompatible purity of the first
new love that blessed the world, should
have rested thus upon the young earth
under the royal drapery Of all the
night"
Yes. A-shiverin' in the wind, with
out mission blankets, and no shirts on,
like two ShOshones in a Wjcbiup! You
can't come any Of that on me. [ had a
pard once, in California, that used to
read lot of that every night, out of a
book he called Hilton"
Who was Milton? Do you know,
BilI?"
" Yesp'-without variety of accent.
" He was a loOney old psalm-singer, and
said that the devil invented silver and
gold mining in the back territory of hell
and erebust, whatever that is"
" Do you remember the lines, Will
iam?"
mo, l don't. Somethin' about the
devil and his crew working three shift a
day into kill"
| recited:
- By him first
Men also, and by his suggestion taught,
Ransack'd the center, and with impious hands
Rifed the bowels of their mother earth
For treasures better hid. Soon had his crew
Opend into the hill spacious wound,
And digg'd out ribs of gold Let none admire
That riches grow in he'll; that soil may best
Deserve the precious bane."
"That's like it," said Bill. +" But old
Milton didn't know much more about
mining than Moses did about making
time across deserts. Gold may come out
in ribs in HE'LL don't know; | never
mined in them diggin's-but it comes in
Jumps and dust on this coast. That's
how tie fact is; but the poetry is
well, curse the poetry! I'm a-go1n to
sleepw He turned over on his side,
drew the end of a blanket over his head,
and said no more.
had left one of the older settled min
ing towns to inspect a ledge belonging to
my present companion and company,
and also to find whatever other prospects
there might be open to location and
possession. This statement will account
for my present journey. Wilson & Co.
were to put their mines into my hands,
to be sold by me to other and Weather
parties, if liked the property.
On the morrow there was before me
part of a days ride, previous to reaching
Wilson d Cos camp; and after arriving
at that point there was the climbing, OIL
foot, OF mountains of rock, naked to the
hot MONDAY sun, except in those favored
spots where struggling, struggling trees
sucked a scanty and scrubby life
through their bruised roots in the
stony soil. tried to forecast the future.
even for day; but gave it up, and passed
into sleep with as full a confidence in
the unknown as I could have felt in the
positively ascertained Do we not, no
matter what may be the tone of our
faith, rely more implicitly upon the wide
unknown than upon the known or know
able?
J need not trouble the reader with the
result OF my speculatiOns and climbings
with Bill Wilson We did not find that
" staving mine;;" but we got through our
business and returned to town, stopping,
however, on the way back to visit what
Bill called the "craziest camp in Ne
vada."
After going through q narrow, steep
canon, we climbed crooked, rocky trail,
and stood upon the dump, near which
the club-fOOted mule was slowly limping
around the shallow circular pit of an
ar0Stra, dragging after him a short beam,
fastened at the farther end to a reYolv-
ing center-pOst in the middle of the
pit; and this beam, in turn, dragged a
heavy stone round and round, through
a mass of rock mush. ! need not say
that this "mush" was welI-puIverized
ore, mingled with a portion of quicksil-
yer; the mercury gathering into itself the
silver, as the dragging rock freed it from
the stony portion of the ore.
How do you do?" I said to the man
on the dump, as he landed bucket of
ore from the Windlass.
$685." said he, smiling and twink
ling at me, as he stood erect, with the
crank of the windlass in his hand
"Not far from heaven, up herem
This remark seemed to strike him as
such particularly good joke that he
laughed all over, and SHE'D a piece of
rock out of the bucket at the pigeon-toed
mule; then he looked at Bill, which made
Bill laugh, and then we all laughed-at
nothing
Is your brother down below?" said
Bill.
Yes"
This gentleman wants to see him.
All right" said the younger Rock
saw; and disappeared down the shaft by
way of a ladder nailed against the tim
boring, leaving his laughing face the last
part of him visible.
Didn't l tell YOU" said Bill, che
would laugh more'n any two men? But
t'other chap won't laugh The Rocksaw
family amt laid out in fair shares-one's
got all the laugh, and t'other all the
solemn"
Presently there came slowly up the
ladder a barred head of light-brown hair,
sprinkled with gray and busted with
minute rock; ana soon there stood be-
fore US a middle-statured, stout man,
clad in garments of a hundred pieces,
carefully and coarsely sewed together.
Glow are you, gentlemen?" he said, as
he Strengthened up from the mouth of
the shaft, in voice at once deep, must
cal and doubling.
Well, thank you. How are you,
sir?-Mr. Rocksaw, 1 believe" l said,
extending my hand
Yes, sir-George Rocksaw," said
he, taking my hand in manner both shy
and hesitating.
Z" Mr.. Rocksaw," said, 81 have heard