The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-05-08
THE GREAT GOLD SECRET.


man, would you nowp No, nor yet any
one else that knows ME; but ] am though.
How old, about, should you take me
for? Tifty.ive, hey? Well, they all
Guess somewhere near that; but I'm just
thirtyseyen last month. dare say you
don't believe it; and perhaps wouldn't X
believe Il, either, Il | told you TINT all
this wrinkliDg and turning grey was
done in one week, Well, It was, and when
think over il all now, and think that
here | am, alive after 1t all, | can hardly
believe it myself. Would YOU like to
hear about tn Well, sit down and make
Yourself comfortable, and I'll tell you,
lrs nine years ago last Valentines day
II remember all the dates we'll enough,
/ warrant yc) that was at Frisco with
A Yankee, name Of Seth Hickman. We'd
met down in Denver, and stood by each
other in arow that happened there, and
Of course that drew lis together bit;
and the end Off was, we agreed to go pros
pecting together and "share and share
alike =,
Seth was sharp fellow and knew all
the likelicst spots, and could do days
work with any man in those days, though
amt much to brag Of now; and the end
ofit was We made pretty good han
When We got to 'Frisco / thought OF
nothing but banking some Of the stuff for
rainy day and having u spree with the
resi-, and then starting of again. but Seth
,liln'tseem to see 1t at all. ! noticed that
hrooked serious like, as II he had some
thing on his mind, for the first after we
got into town; and on the second evening,
awe were sitting over our grog, he spoke
out
Jim, old boss, I'm gwine to tell yew
something that nary soul IN creation
knows about but myself; for II yew hadn't
been some smart with your Derringcr
when them three skunks went for me
in Denver they might ha' wrote 'uoneup
uyer this child; and no man ever did Seth
Hickman good turn, nor a bad turn
neither, but what he got Cocoannt Tor
YOU hi for tail, you bet your life on that.
"Wal, the aguardientc whisky in my
Ilask war a lcGtle too strong Tor him, ana
he got reglar Slowed; and when ms
tongue got lnosened by Ticker, he KEN out
wi sitch yarn Ms whippud everything in
Pescott ali to fits. He said that when the
Peruvian chiefs stampeded from CuEco
alter PisarrO took II, lot on 'em got up
among the mountains, carrying their gold
with EN- till they kim oht onlhe plateau
Of Lake Utica; and thar, iindln' the
Spaniards close on their trail, they
chucked all the gold into the lake and
skedaddled nobody knows where. And
he snil that II anybody took the trail
from his hut, north and by east, till they
M the southern end Of the lake, and then
looked out for big three.cornered rock
like n pyramid upside down, they'd Just
vot 10 SCOOP in the mud Of the lake whHI
that rocks shadow fell on it at sunrise
and they'd find huff gold to buy up oil
Wall street. Now, we've got money
enough to put that job through, and Il
view feel like tryin' ii I'm In" egglg
/ said "done" at once. and we got our
money together, and slipped down The
coast 10 africa as fast o. the Pacific stea
mcr could carry us. The minute we go
there. Seth went OF into the hills to trI
and Vet hold Of his old Indian for aguide
while hunted about for workmcn-io
Ibis was job that needed more hand
than our own AT last | got hold oil wv.
Spaniurds-two sturdy fellows they were
and honest enough as Spaniards go-ainI.!
then Portigee and two negroes W
weren't long Of buying our stores an
working tackle, and BY The time Set
came back with his guide all were read
and away we went. ,.,,
Seth was much too knowing u bird t
let on what his real game was as leng
We were within hail Of the town, for
Won say gold" there only in a whiSpe
those blessed Gambnsinos (gold'linder'
will hear II hundred miles Oft. 70 q
that we told our gang was that we wei
going prospecting among the lower RAM
q, "a lots Of fellows did every day; bl
when We we're past the old Indians HI
and we'll up among the hills, 80 that OF
chnus couldn't easy turn back II The
wanted. he up and told them the who
tory They were rather taken nbacky
we'll they might be, for Lake ,Titica's
good many days journey to the norl
cast, among sOme very awkward mUu
tans and good4 thirteen thoisand le
above the sea, If it's. an inch Howeye
Spaniari Tor any other man, Tor tn
matter) will 20 pretty nearly nnywhe
il no once gets on the scent OF gold; to OF
fellows they spoke up stoutly enong
and said they we're ready to go up to u
lake. and down to the bottom OF Y IN
the bargain. after Snch a haul d that di
of We sci again. l.,u !,
I've seen good many wonders IN =
time, knocking about the world o. ]
done; but anything iikelaiat Ecliia1 4
the Andes never saw yet. Rocks "
seemed to 20 up into the very sky, ettatg
a. plnm.bline; betls Of nloss,three
four feet deep, and soft "a q velvet e'lf
ion, trees two hundred feet high, al o
blaze Of lowers from top eIl bot tom ls9'
big enough to wrap you up Ike y blf
kCt; tree.ierns big az a table cloth,
glittering like the finest silver lacei MI
ming birds and monkeys and patrols,
butterflies 81 broad as NE palm 'ot ~
hand; waterfalls sheer down over .gr'
black prccpices a hundred feet high, .
far away behind the everlasting mot
tans, piled one above another until u
seemed 10 20 FiRttup 70 heaven. Amt
all these enormous things we eight N
zig and sttouR "a we were, SEEMED oil /,
more account than a LOT Of ants crawl
IN blade Of grass, and ] think ne
telt 50 small in all my life as did theI
However, I hadn't much leisure
think about It at the time, for YOU CT
expect fellow to have much oil an
i5f scenery when he's hacking his
through great cobweh Of branches
thick Tor the light to get through,
BIZ. boots fall Of ants, and his mouth
u gnats, the damp yapor.bath heat Of
Wood, melting him away bit by bit
pickle. going into him at once, th'
bd.h scafping him from above, an
Keeper tripping him up down below
And a, We hammered along, Till at
~ worked up to the plateau and saw
great lake spreading away before u
Ii. a. nunn "a ..nliln Soc MA Mel