Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-08-15
robbing them, and work their destruction by

robbng them, and work their destruction by
pestience.
"This was the best we could do, and with
ii we had to be satisfied After a night spent
here we started TO the south, leaving ouI
pack animals in charge of the old man, but
carrying great TASKS of wHter with us. We
rode into a rough broken country, full of lit
tie cross gulches Leaving this formation,
we rode up into a table country, where the
land gradually rose to the south, until the
plain surface suddenly terminated in a range
OF cross mountains, and within couple OF
miles of them. Jim halted. Telling us to
hunt for the mine, he wheeled his horse and
rode rapidly back toward the medicine mans
lodge
1--WE hunted not for the mine but for a
place TO establish n camp, and found one. II
was n dry camp, with no water there or any
where that we could discover. SO we rode
back TO where our pack animals were, and
there matured our plans. Jim refused to be
of the party fearing death from the tribe.
We three white men were TO divide our work
MS follows: Two were to prospect and the
other to pack water, food and fuel to the
camp near the supposed mine. Every week
one of the prospcctors was to relieve the man
at the mules.
Next morning we filled our water casks
and started over the divide. Making our
camp, the two who were to prospect went out
nt once to work. | was one. Knowing, if
the tale were true, and the men came up
from Mexico in the numbers the Indians as
serted they did, that the old trail would still
be in existence, we rode right into the noun
tains, and then, separating. searched in op-
posite directions. | was rewarded by finding
an old trail, almost extinct, but still showing
that once il had been a heavy, well-worn
path. To the south it led right into the
mountains, in the direction Of pass that
could be plainly seen. To the north it led
where? | rode along this trail, satisfied that
| was on the track of the lost mine; but |
was disappointed The trail suddenly spread
out, fan like, into many little trails, and these
were soon lost on the plain. was convinced
that the trail was the right one, and so told
my partner on my return to camp. He said
he had seen nothing on his side, so we moved
over to the trail had found.
The next day, full of hope and confident
OF success, We went to work and thoroughly
searched for some evidence that we were
right, and were rewarded 10y finding the
slaves and hoops of water cask During
the next few days we found the remains of
an old furnace and a little pile of Stag. We
secured the country for miles around. All
the trails would lead us to, was n spring where
water in good quantity was to be had. We
moved the mules over, and we three went to
work in earnest with pick and shovel We
dug and channeled the hills and canons with
out success now encouraged by finding por-
tions of a pack saddle, now by the wreck of
n cask, hoops, heads, slaves in a little pile
plainly saying, We have been here. We
found the ruins of three or four small furn-
aces marked by piles of Stag, and we were
duly excited by the find"
Interrupting his tale jackson turned to me
with, My God what was that mine worth 7
How many millions would it have brought in
the market? Ore 80 pure that those Mexi-
cans could melt tin II fireplace ~
Then with weary sigh he continued TO
cut my story short, We spent two years hunt
ing for that mine spent all our money, all
our mules, spent everything we had, and
found-nothing | was utterly ruined in
pocket, and came TO Whatcom in the Frazier
river excitement That proved to be a sell,
and was stranded here on the Skagit and,
utterly broken in spirit, | have lived here
ever since. l have not written home since
leaving San Francisco for the Frazier river,
nor have | heard from home. My relatives
think am dead"
He stopped talking, and we silently lay on
the floor thinking of his story, he, proba-
bly,, regretting his wasted years. l could not
offer consolation. The wreck was so COM
plete that felt it be past help, and so said
nothing.-Non York Sun.