The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1886-12-22
CHAPTER K
DEATdi

Within three days Pratt and his partner,
Hillyear, bad completed their cabin. Pratt
saw starting out one morning with horn
and hammer | knew by these tools hs was
after quartz Hillyear remained behin1 to
work the bank near them, probably TO make
expenses
Quartz prospectors used to carry bit Of
cows horn, so cut as to form an elhptical
shaped bowl. 1t was better for washing pull
verized quartz than the larger gold pan A
Pratt took route through the chapparal
near the base of the mountain l the side
where lay our Bank" l worked a couple
Of hours in q miserable state of mind and
then betook my. elf to the Bank, intending
there tostay ali day and guard it. In inn
agination Isaw Pratt already there gioating
over the rich find composed the words in
which should Hrst address him. framed
his answer and attitude toward me- / pic
tured our gradual working up TO actual hos
tiities, and then-I stopped in a slough Of
indeciSion 49, ....- -.....-... ..l...
These were days when all disputes, e.
peciaIly those regarding property, had, in
nine easss out Of ten, but one mode Of settle
ment That was by knife or pistol This
was the unwritten law Of the land and
stronger far than the written, which was
generally Knocked at and diregarded for
mality. .os
Twas not Q fighter. dreaded the last
resort" despised myself as physical cow
ard longed for something in my com
position which would mAlxe me face pistol
orgo into row with as much apparent 0eSt
to ''take the chances" as had known some
naso to do admired such men for this
quality WHISTLER real absence Of fear or in
seaibtiity 20 results l know mott and depre-
catsd, aye, loathed myself, because did not
have IL saw In Imagination everything
tending TO such termination between my
self and Pratt. 4. Whether be would 6ght
OF not never asked. Iput him up uncon-
sciously as man who was ION the Shoots
desperate character 1s-s
True,I had struck Pell, the second officer
Of ths Ann Mary Ann, and quite surprised
and even grAtifed was to find could strike
on OCCASIONS. But that was done on the
spur Of the moment" Hal gone down to
ths ship expecting such an affair, revolving
1t. living It over In mind, / would not like to
have had much wagered on me as to whether
! should have gained the to me longed-for
mood Of physical combativeness aga
I arrived at the Bank" An was silent
and undisturted. remained there several
hours, bearing IN every sound tie new pros
pector'S approaching footsteps BE did7not
coma wished at times he would, and end
the waiting and suspense wondered wh are
he migAtibe Finally, my anxiety becoming
uncomfortable, resolved to try and find out.
Softly let myself down the mountain side
through the chapparal toward the river. S,a
Izhad gUDe down about three hundred feet
and beard near by the sound of pick.
Creeping through the brush. | saw it was
Pratt. He dug to the ledge, here but few
inches from the surface, filed his horn with
the red dirt and trudged down to the river to
wash It ! crept softly after him Washing
the dirt, with what results ] could not tell,
from his manner, be struck up the mountain
againsard dug another horn full, about ons
hundred feet TO the north of the first The
result Of this washing seemed, judging from
bis manner, more satisfactory. He then
Travelled q thousand feet further up stream,
asceRded the mountain again, dug a horn
full on o level wish the, first BE washed It,
and shook his head Ipres1med he did not
get the 'scolor." He dug another horn about
two hundred feet nearer the first The chap
paral was more open where he worked, and 1
could plainly see him from my place of con-
ceatment. Evidently this prospect did not
satisfy. him The next, taken within one
hundred feet OF the last, seemed to yield
something. The afternoon was now far 4nd-
vanced. Pratt ceased work and took his
way home. So dbl
II was some satisfaction for me to find that
Pratt bad not "lit" directly on the Bank
Pondering over the matter that night afteEI
bad retired, ! drew for a time some comfort
In the hope that be might drift In his work
away from it This gave me some mental
rest until Aend dropped into my head-a
new and most alarming theory, based on his
motions as seen that day. Pratt's little pros
pect holes, noticed, were dug over an area
broad ct the base Of the mountain, but mar
rowing more and more as be went up What
did that meant In fash saw what, and
jumped out Of my blankets with the shock OF
the discovery. He was horring god which
had washed down from the Bank 1hs.
Bank" did pot cover much ground Prob
ably the colors washed from It by the els-
msntal woaE and tear of centuries would not
Be found e. the base Of the mountain mueh
beyond. line four or five hundred feet in
lsneIth Outside Of this, at either end the
sol would be barren of gold inside OF that
number OF feet it would yield the color and
this color yielding ground would narrow As IL
went up the mountain until 1t reached the
lad Il had rolled from-the fountain head,
the Bank" Roll bag Of shot down an IN
elined plAns and you have the idea. The
farther the shot roll the more viii thsy
spread So with gold rolled from any quartz
vsin on . mountain side IS the top OF the
vsin FOek hes rotted away and left the metal
IRA Pratt was On the true scent Day
u day, narrowing IS be went up, yas be
tracking ths eszns TO its dAns had, than,
aastag 81 tas elzim aad watch ths enemy's
RAnaI apProaaA