The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-03-10
Ny MOUNTAIN OF GOLD.

While was in Europe, nearly twenty years
ngo, teaching the world tina, there was some
thing else than grizzly bears and ccntipcdes in
California, and inducing English travellers
10 make the circuit of the globe by way of
our lines instead of going 60 and from Aus
iralia direct say while engaged in this no
light task, and with what success let the land
testify, some cn'"rpriSing newspapers diScov-
cred that the secret of my life on Mount
Shasta among the Sayagcs was not for the
lofty purposes ot writing poetry from ma.
turc. but Ton the purpose of robbery and
plundcr.
And did not deny il. So far from that I
took the facts, rs furnished me 10y the news
papers of the time, and wrote ont full and
elaborate confession. But stopped short Of
the secret source of my wealth; the vast
wealth which paved my way to the first steps
of the thrones of Europe. And now again
these same enterprising historians Of my
deeds are pushing their inquiries ms to the
source of my present great fourtune For
how indeed can man build n castle and be
the lord of SO many acres in the suburbs Of a
great city without mountain of gold, or at
least canyons Of buried treasure, Mt his backi
Besides that another delegation of old miners
and moun:aincers, who got all their facts
from the same source. have come down from
their sEowy heights TO gaze on the secrets of
The Lost Cabin" The Buried Treasure
The Mountain of Gold
Well ! am growing old; and remembering
the time and money that has been spent in
searching for the lost treasure Of Capt. Kidd
and his companions, ! have resolved at last
to take up the narrative where left off in
my book, and give The Golden Era the story
Of the discovery OF my mountain Of gold and
every incident connected Herewith up to the
last moment | beheld it. And in return for
this secret ! only ask that You who under
take the Irrii,l at this narrative will read il
10 the end For all the point. all the pur-
pose all the rrn secret and solid truth and
moral # IN" matter lies in the last para
graph II not ~ the last line In fact feel
quite certain that il we could only get at the
true dcn,hhcd confessions of some at our
erralat mems the world estimates great
ness today we would find something not
very widely different from this ! hnvc here
set down
Bat I krjov You are eager to hear of the
tive hcrci oforc ,iihished. after the esrape
from the old adobe prison. record the fact
that we rode and rode night aud ,lav and day
and night, and were now near I" the borders
of the river in the dear old mountains The
Indian girl had hronght the hest men of her
tribe. also her fniber and her three brothers,
TO aid Ia The escape and flight. BE patient.
| pas hurIcdly "n over the bloody event
that left me entirely alone. I must see,
come nj once 10 the mountain Of gold.
We Ei"i the soldiers who had been set to
watch for ,lS at the steep and wooded cross
ing Of deep, wide river. We did not at
TEMPT to turn back on our weary and half
dead horses: hut. jashing 20 one side, we
leapcd. desperate aud reckless, down the pre-.
Cipitou, bank and struck ont hravcly for the
steel, ba,altir lrecipi,r that lrowned to the
very clouds ON the other side.
And oh the rain Of deadly lend that fol
lowed and that fell from tho soldiers ms they
stool ON The high bluff above and fired down
upon orr heads.
Weary, weary. Slow, so slow The
deep and the dark and the cold blue waters
from he eternal mountain of waters before
us were so cherries and so chill! The rain
of lead from above. the steep and inaccessi-
ble bluff before, the deep, dark waters below,
were a tomb 10 many now. \ shot would
strike n horse IN the spine, the back Of the
head, anywhere. and he would then drift
silently down, the hot blood bursting from
the nostrls and rcddening the blue waters
far around 4 shot would strike an Indian in
the back on the head lie would slip from tho
saddle silently, and down, down and away;
the great bouchS of the mighty pines and frs
and cedar ana iamarach leaning darkly over.
And down. down. down, one after another.
under that rein Of deadly lead till only !
and the indinn girl, as il we had been too
small for death to find there in the dark,
deep watcrs--we alone survived as we neared
the steep and snow crowned bluff before MS
Another, Il last farewell, shot from the
soldier, on the bank behind Us, and climbed
out on tho rrcdy, grassy, dc>olate and lonely
bank alone!
How | wanted 10 die! To die and float
away ia .he great watery tomb with those
who bad silently died for me. arose at last
and wen, to the water, and there saw two
little hands cliugin. 10 the grass roots, two
brown bare arms reaching up from out the
water, too weak To climb up, too weak to
cling Longer, Just letting go, the warm blood
Illhhltlp lit hbiNlN it'i i' p'lihl ll'l
caught hcrup and with all my strength
bore her back and up against the steep blnii
that was warm with sunshine gone away!
] implored her to speak. But she could
ONLY look ut me, her lips quiverng, her little
brown hands clutching, her life blood trick
ling down on the grasses Br patient; |
come 10 the gold scene soon!
At length the curious moon came out from
tbelofty tree tops on the other side, and
looked down at this child of the woods In
pitying wonder. And then the stars, larger
than tiger lilies, they too came down to see,
For the girl was dead. laid her down on
the dry reeds, pine cones and drift wood, and
stood there Alone so alone!
And my desolate life wdened and widened
there, widened away till it touched and took
in the shores OF death, and was even then
as an old man. Patience; ] come to the gold
soon.
But where now What nexti We had
drifted down, down, after having been forced
TO take 10 the river, far below the crossing
and here ] stood face front To "A steep and
stupendous precipice, where no human feet
had ever trod.
Only little spot Of sand and stone, with
La ~ lnJ 3D..