Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1888-09-01

down hearted and crcst-falen, but nci-
Their communicated to the other what
was passing through his mind. The
next morning they began their work MS
usual, and kept at it until late in the
a tcrnoon; then Bill Saunders threw
down his pick and ironically remarked,
"Saltcd."
"Ycr right, pard, an no mistake
We've been taken in to q big amount"
calmly replied Jake, seating himself close
to his comrades side.
The two remained quiet fora long time,
while they looked gloomily at the walls
of the mine, for the purchase of which
they had expended the last cent of their
hard learned fortune. The golden mug
gets, with which the mine had been
salted, would not yield them over
couple of hundred apicce--a poor return
for what they had given for them. The
innocent looking, beardless youth had
outwitted them, fact of which they
were painfully conscious; but instead Of
threats against his life, they merely re-
marked in quiet tone: "Probably we'll
meet him 'aein."
1--WE may rs well close up this mine
ter night, Jake, au' return 10 the old
one" said Bill, as the gloom of night be-
gan to close in around the Camp. 1--WE
won't want ter work here any more
''Not this season, guess, pard, re-
piled the one spoken to, slowly rising
from his seat on the damp earth.
The two closed up the mouth of the
mine with their own hands, and placed
the Unknown sign worked OUT over
the opening Then they returned to the
central part OF the Camp, where they
communicated the tidiugS oftheir defeat
10 the other miners, who received them
with different degrees of surprise and in
dignation.
The little ripple on the surfa@e of the
quiet life of Silver Camp, caused by the
strangers advent in the place, subsidized,
and life went on among the mines as be-
fore.
One spring the SHOWS on the mountains
melted so rapidly during a two days
heavy storm, that the Old Bcgum-the
suggestive title by which the river that
flowed by the Camp was known by the
mincrs-tlrcatcncd to overflow its banks,
aud drive every man from his hut to the
higher grounds. 1t had been tremcud
Gus Storm even for those wild parts of
the country, and reports were coming in
from every direction about the damage to
life and property that the river had
caused. Small rivulets on the mountain
sides assumed gigantic proportions, and
roared and tumbled over the rocky
country in an appalling manner. The
lower lands were already covered with
several feet of water, and people were
seeking refuge from the food on the billy
plateau, where the mining camps had
erected their small huts.
The second day of the storm, the
miners of Silver Camp started up the
river in body to take observations.
The rain was still pouring down IN
torrents, and III men found some diIli
Guilty in facing the storm as they trudgcd
over the large boulders aud loose rock.
They wished to see what direction the
river was taking, aud to ascertain if any
weak places in the left bank had yet been
made. Every article of value had been
collected in small bundles in the huts, so
that at moments notice the miners
could make break for the bjG6sr d lp9a
them.
"Seens to me the chaps from Steal
Clcarin' IS prospcctin' too" said Bill
Saunders to his comrades, as he jumped
mp on u small rock aud looked up the
river. They're comm this way in a
body, ies' as eff they was excited bout
somethin'."
"Shoudnt wonder eff the Old Begun
! had burst through up thar" remarked
another miner 'Thar's a big cut ics'
above the Clearin' an It wouldn't take
much to induce tho river to flow through
it.
"Waa, pards, I guess we can give 'em
some shelter an food, eff nothin' else, "
replied Bill, Slowly removing his hand
from his eyes, which were now losing
much of their former keenness and
brlliancy.
Talk was rife in the Camp that the loss
of his fortune had troubled Bill Saun-
dcrs more than he cared to own up. He
certainly had aged much since the young
swindlcr had left the mining camp, car
rying with him the hard earned fortunes
OF the two old miners. Though Bill
never spoke about his loss TO his COM
rades. it was evident from his manner
that he brooded considerably over his
ruined prospects.
A few moments later a dozen burly
miners. with rifles in their hands emerged
from the woods near the bank of the
river, and began struggling up the little
hill They were from Steal Clearing,
aud we're evidently seeking refuge from
the flood.
"Hclo, thar! shouted the foremost
member of the party, as he caught sight
of the Silver Camp miners. "lfev We
seen anythin' of stray chap roun' these
'cre parts? a NICE good lookin' chap.
with smooth face, an a nice
smooth tongue? IF We hcv, les tell him
he's wanted up at Steal earin'. We've
got some joyful news fur him thar an
'twon't take him long ter find ont what
It's. .ie: a rope an tree; til is all he
wants."
The two parties of miners had common
interests A young stranger had sue
cessfully swindled the miners of Steal
Clearing out OF several thousands of dol
lars, and the description of the man
given tailed exactly with those that
every miner of Silver Camp remembered
as applying to certain stranger who