The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1875-04-03
The Lost Mine,

Let us go back
ITO the States?'
Yes
TO Buena Vista?'
OF course. Where else should We
go?'
The last speaker was dark faced,
brigandish-lOoking man of five and
forty; his companion was a handsome
fellow at least fifteen years his junior.
They sat in the light of small fire in
one of the famous guches of New Mexi-
co, and seemed to be alone. The car
bines rested on the ground aside them,
and the twain looked fatigued.
The words Of the elder caused sneer
to ruffle the lips of the other, and de-
termination flashed in his dark eyes.
Il am not going back to the States,
much less to Buena Vista, before have
found the treasure.
Then, by George! some sun will find
you in a gulch with dozen feathered
sticks in your body. Where's Davis?'
'Dead!'
And Augerbright?'
'Deadp
Yes and if you'll go up the Rio
Grande you'll find poor Knights anat-
omy, and In the best heart that ever
lived in Ohio is an Apache arrowhead.
There were five of us when we left
Buena Vista; you and are all that
the Indians have spared. And Heaven
knows that they are after us nowl
'You can 60 back if you like, Kyle.
l am going to find the treasure
What! go back and leave you here?
Come Ross, you don't know Kyle Bains.
never more'n half believed the story
of the lost silver mine, and we have
been upon wlld-goose chase
Il believe we are near the treasure
responded the younger adventurer, con-
fidently. do not think that the infor-
nation gathered in Taos is altogether
deceptive. But we will talk while we
hunt Tomorrow. Kyle, l guard to-
night Lie down and go to Sleep
Obedient, the bearded man drew
blanket about his person, and threw
himself upon the ground. A moment
later he was asleep, and it seemed that
his guard, Chalbert Ross, was not far
from the land of dreams. He seemed
worn out with travelling; but there was
fire in his eye, and his ear was on the
alert for admonations of danger.
Perhaps he thought of the three Ohio
boys who in high spirits had crossed
the Arkansas at his side a short time
prior to the date of his present encamp-
ment. Brave fellows and full of adyen-
ture they were; but there were Indian
arrows in their bodies, and on the banks
of the unexplored streams they slept
the sleep of the dead. Now but two of
the little band of FIVE men who left the
Buckeye State to rediscover one of the
many hidden silver mines Of New Mex
leo remained, and they had hunted
many weeks with the shadow of deaths
wing behind them, and dark mystery
before them.
The ignis fatuus, invented perhaps
by some imaginative writer, had lured
them to the gulches and chasms of the.
to them. terra incognta of America.
Would they ever escape? 1t was ques.
ton they could not answer.
Chalbert Ross felt that sleep was
stealing over him while he watched
his PROSTATE companion, and coveted
the refreshing slumber that closed his
heavy lids. He rose and paced up and
down the canyon in the light of the fire.
Far above him glittered the stars; on
each side, dull, gray rocks, on which
his giant-like shadow fell. Once he
paused ami drew a medallion portrait
from his bosom, and looked at it.
He saw the beautiful features of
girlhood, bright blue eyes, and wealth
of radiant hair, as auerate as the sun
beams.
She wouldn't know me now,' he
murmured. I look so old. I wonder
If all silver-hunters get so haggard. 1
ought to go back to her; but not with
out the treasure. mol mol nol
He repeated the monnosyllable with
determination, and the giant, talking
n his dreams, seemed to respond pro-
phstically, for he said: .
Then we've got to die; there's no
help for it,
Ross laughed when he saw that his
burly companion had spoken in his