Weekly Trinity journal., 1879-08-30
THE LOST SILVER MINE.
An OH Mincr'S Story.


Amciicon River In our employment
wH> an ludmu We had treated him
we'll, pad him a. Wa agreed, aud once or
twice stood hetween him and dengel from
dtunkcu Pi>vS. Na,u ally the Indian
looked ou Us as hi"uds, and, when he
INV TINT we wc,c Interested ia the ~,
ported discovery Of Qupuz mines, ne be.
came Interested, too. Que nigh, whitc
sitlug in our cabin, ho said that he would
tell u, What happened many yc,us ago
hetwecn his tribe aud white men who
came up hom the South,
" Tho tribe he belonged to lived to the
east of the mnunmins- Sierra Nevada
and passed their time then, as now, in
hunting aud tending their Stock. Iu-
clGdcd in their domain WA, II vast track
ot arid desert, really tho he'd of some
long extinct Scn, surrounded 10y noun
hin>. There were many ,mnll valleys
leNdirg from the sand tn the mountain
rnck>. Every vcar n party of white men
come up from the tar South, hriugiug n
mgc tram ntpnck mules. The animals
carried wstcr. casks, fuel and tools. Is
mblishing n camp, some dug in the
ground others packed wood mud water
to the camp; others tended n fire aud
melted what was dug from tho ground
mud east it into small squares, white in
color. Frequently these white men had
slight Misunderstanding with the It.
dians but they wisely conducted thrm-
selves peacefully, aud, ou tho whole.
treated the Indians honestly. Our In
dinn's father noticed thu. always ;hr
sumo men came hnck-pever new ones
nnd that one ot the number was missed
on inquiry, the Indians were told, "lls
/, dcud,"
These strangers from the south work
I'd NIL Summer On the approach of
Winter they luudrd tho mules with the
white bricks md silently filed oi'toward
'he mountains to the south, nud soon
were lost To- the triba for another seusou.
One Spimg they camo with new mru
nmoug them, and u Mrger party than be
fore. They were overhenriug and insn.
lent. An Indian wH- brntcn with stick,
and that night runners were sent out To
gather the clans of the tribe. \ council
wns hoid, medicine wn- nude, nud it wa.
decided h. Kill the white mcn from the
south. 20 llll up the holc they had dug, to
tenr down thrir llrcphccs, and keep their
mules. a night attack was determined
on. The night was fixed, aud intercourse
with the white. wns resumed
"Ou the appointed might the braves
attacked the slo,plng camp, mud all the
" hite- were KILLED The hole was hllel
lp, the iirrplnce- torn down, tho mulrs
divided, md the uihr went to- inVuritc
camping g'oWd, Tint night tho medi
-jnr mnu propheslcd Ihnt it nny member
II the uibr -hould over revoni lo auy one
he whereabouts of thc drHd white mem
rcn-uie, the lrihc would ho devastated
bv dt,msc. 81 every mrn Ia tho trihp
Nns bound hy onlhs not to divulge the
.ccrct ol the mine on pain Of death.
From that day to this no white men
Nme up from The South.
Tint i- whit lhr ludnn told us"
ai1 Jackson. "All that Winter We
hree pnrlnel- lifted nud cross cxnmiuod
,ud led up loour Iodmn's story by mnny
WY huta, originality told it wns rctold
,pniu."
Jim. The Indnn r" Jackson wn-
'nnuouing, when | interrupted hrn with
' Hold on | wnot u diiuk.'
Walking down lo the lopdly flowing
5hnpit lcunrd over aud dmnN my hu
+, lIquld ice, Rjniuiug tho exile from
he started anew win hi
tory. lIIled u pipr, whipped n hmnkt
around ne, lhcn lying on the epor on my
hecI lold him to 60 nhmd.
Jim, the Indian agreed to take ~ 10
imr mine. OF cour'c, you under-taud
Int those Snulhorn men wrt1 SpHnimd-
working u silver m inc, the one ol which
Nns ich enough to pny for pncklng wnler
ind lurl lnlo d'-ert. Itil paid them,
how much more it would pny u, who could
'onnnnd capital 10 work 1t properly ?
By SpiinR ws lmd sold ou" claims on the
A mel icnn. hnd bought sixteen pnck aud
Hddle mules, had bought II cnrgo of
nod, und only awaited the falling Of the
.ivers Ia start un the hunl for thnt minn.
)ne night VIZ slipped out of camp, aud
Jim pilnta1 Il. across the mountnifs, into
he lnnd of hi. tnthor'---n dry,nfid conn
.ry, nbnunding IN snga brush. jack rHb-
bils, sage hens, huge bu liiln criel;ets and
,Ignniia g,ns,hoppers. l.sung from the
jHsc of the mountains were few slrenms
II wnter. aud ia the liule valleys mnde
by This wnler wns fair g'nziug.
" A. get We snw none Of Jim's people.
)nr day he hnlled hi- horse, nnd pointed
% clpl, IN the bills nct0.s the dry bnsiu,
mid lhnt biz lrihu WIS there. IL was
,hnut noon. and, being exceedingly hot,
lin advised us not to Try 10 cro.s until
light. So We cnmpcd, aud | looked Ia
% the cnuldfon ot heat That lny before us.
The bot mir rnse from the ground IN vast
waves aud deiltrd slowly soulhwnrd be-
ofe gentle wind. could almost be-
irve tho ancient sea water WIS again
mere ii constant changing. ~ II of wave.
II Wnler on u hike. over rolling to the
.oulh. Whirlwind. would move slowly
lif Some would li.o into the mir, there
% he .et free. slowl- 10 desceud to The
icscii, like small dark clord. others
gould ri-c ia their plecc. md 10 turn
" ud full The Wind gte'v stronger.
,ud the sand lincd II inn drn.e hlncR