The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-12-17

rs far as ever we could sees We wereni
long of making ont the three eorneret
crag nor the shadow neither, for ii wai
jnst sunrire when we got there. as II On
purpose for us: and once we'd made !
out hardly w1iied to take breath befors
we we're at it tooth and nail.
The first day was a regular blanE ons
till inst toward sundown. and then ths
Portugee screeched out suddenly that
he'd got something heavy. helped him
20 hanl up the pan, ard there, rnrs
euongh. was = bar of gold over foot
long. and pretty nigh as thick as INV two
fingers here At that we all shouted al
once, and went at it harder than ever
and 7 really think our chaps would
have worked all night, but Seth stepped
'em. He told 'em that the gold wnuid.
nj run away. and that il they pat on toe
much steam at first they'd just knock
themselves up before they were hall
through and that they'd better just light
a ERE and get dried. and have some sup
per, and fix up some kind of shelter
against the dew, and then start fair next
morning, And so they did
The next day and the next and the
next after that we kept bringing il np
in handfnls-gold circlets and chains
and neck -laces and ingOts without end.
But on the fifth day found the prOvis-
ions getting 80 low that | was rather
scared, for up here there was no game oi
any sort, there being no vegetation ai
that height for the game to live on So
we held a council of war Onr chaps
had got the gold fever so into their
blood BY the time that I verify believe
they'd kept digging on till they died OF
hunger; but Seth and /, who were lit
tie cooler, talked them over at last. We
told 'em that we'd got enough already "a
make Us all as rich "a Jews; that we
must all starve if we didn't replenish
our stock somehow; that ten to one the
"find" was played out land, indeed, none
of us had taken grain all that morning;)
and that in any case the lake was alway'
there and they could come back and try
again whenever they liked. So bit by bit
we worked 'en round, and all started to
90 back together.
We'd hard work of il the first part o
the way, for our loads were pretty heavy
and stumbling in and out of these grea'
rocks was no joke, let alone that the five
days. work had taken it out of MS more
than we expected. One of the Spaniard'
got a had fall, and not one Of us but had
his bruise to show. But at last We goi
over the barren bit and found ourselves
fairly down among the woods again; and
then began to be jolly, thinking this
was the end Of il. But it wasn't-it was
only the beginning.
CHAPTER II.
One afternoon, when we'd got well
down among the lower ranges, we were
just looking ahead for some place to
camp (for the Spaniard who had got
hurt was beginning to give np), when
one Of the niggers aaid suddenly:
"Senor, man watch u.s."
] looked mp. and there. sure enough
was a man, "a savage-looking fellow
enough. bat evidently no Indianl watch
ing ur from the top of a ridge. a little to
the left. He kept looking after ns a
little while and then disappeared IA il
the earth had swallowed him.
"Don't like that" says Seth, THAT
critter sees that We carry a heavy swag
and he's gone to tell some Of his clums,
you betl
When one has found pumpkin-pie,
lie goes aud tells the t'others"
al feel like campin' in a strong place
tonight, ] dol"
And So we did-with a deep canon
(gorge) behind us.going sheer down a
clump of trees in our front that made
cover, while beyond it the ground was
smooth and level for a good eighty
yards, 20 that no living thing could
come near us without being seen and fir
ed at.
Just as we'd lit our fire, and were be-
ginning to cook, we saw first one man
and then another, till we'd counted ff.
teen ir all, come ziRzagging in and out
of the bushes, down the face of the op-
posite ridge. They halted Just at the
edge of the thicket, and took look al
the smoke of our fire rising above the
trees; and then two of them laid dows
their rifles and were coming across the
clearing to Us, looking "a friendly as
they could, when old Seth shoves hi:
head through the leaves and says in
Spanish.
Gentlemen, we're talking over lat
tie business of our own, and wish to be
private, so you'll oblige us by keeping
your own side and we'll keep ours; fol
we have a way of shooting things thai
come too near us, and we should be sor
ry to lift you by mistakep
Back the two beauties went, looking al
silly as a ha' porth of treacle in two
gallon jug, and Seth rubbed his hands
and gave a chuckle.'
"They'd got a bottle in each hand
them two" says he; "they were gwine tc
make us Slowed, and then clean out oul
swag; but they don't fool this child, no
how. Naow, ye Sc, they'll wait till dark
and go for US with rush-that's what
the matter with them; but guess wei
be mot at home when they CALL"
He whispered to me to cut down three
or four of the longest creepers and twia
them into rope. and ]. guessing wha
he was up to, did it with will. in I
few minutes we had a rope that wouls
have stood anything. and then ! hitchee
one end around tree, and let drop th'
other down the ravine-the rest making
great shouting and singing meanwhile
by way of blind. Then the old Indi
an (who was az nimble as catl Fli'