San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-06-18
The Yellow Spring.
By WILLIAM HENRY BISHOP.

ment with themL
me, the greatest of skeptiCs?
Sensible, even while this confused
fancy passed through his mind, that the
phenomenon would be accounted for in
some natural way, he could not free
himself nevertheless from definite awe
and dread Following his first hasty
impulse, he detached fragment OF rock
to throw down upon it.
If it be some rare specimen, he went
on in his cogitations, why has no nat
uralist made it the choicest of his treas
ures? Why has no hunter made it the
most remarkable of his trophiesT
His missile fell with a crash beside it,
but the creature did not stir. Then he
hastily whipped out his revolver and
fired Still, whether he had hit or missed
it, only the same result. No faintest
snmblance of haste or alarm; the same
slow, deliberate, gathering motion on
the part of the Yellow Snake continued.
Finally, steadying his hand securely
for surely his aim must have been con-
fused by the tremors of his heart-he
fired once more.
w ullc ITO SlIll "dlClCd hCCLit Iva IiiS
effect the Yellow Snake suddenly
swelled to its utmost bulk, moved rapid
~ down the smooth rock, and shot off
like lightning into the boiling food. No
mortal creature could survive such
temperature, and yet-the ancient tradl-
| ton was on record.
He hurried down from his post, sought
nf and tha
| appearance raCOmmence. Again the vel
,ow head peeping forth, again the sinu-
| Gus body, again the thickening and broad
ming. Had it crept back miraculously
| through some creviCe from the spring,
or was this yet another Yellow Snake,
and was whole family of them about
to pass before his eyes: Again it darted
along the rock and took its wild plunge.
| This time it seemed TO burst into hun
,lrol sciHtillatio15 as it touched the sur
| fac & he @prinS.
II fryayish hlS+". tIa byi explorer
,niI holl upon anything at command to
AK" a temporary f"otway. Some small
| cedars, of tough variety lourishing
even there, made principal resource
| COilSCI uClllS Will ITO DAthhCI anu o'LAO
twigS a sort of buckler against the heat,
| he passed over to the flat rock. He fired
1t NV naturalization Of the form
even al he wnu-. This time it was sure
- hit. forsoma bright splasheS flew into
ar ar as if It's very life blood, TOO, Were
,aining yellow.
1t was not spot where one could stay
tDng, bat fortunately 10 long stay was
Nacdci H found s.la5hes Of yellow
| metal 81 II" rock, I'D picked up his
! ttt2neI bullets t.NoGiy lncrusced with
l." same. Returning, confused by the
,vreaths OF seoam 'clrclng round him,
lis foot slipped, and it was little short
Of a miracle tAlt his dis had not ended
then and there.
But he bore away he peculiar yellow
| fakes for examination. He established
| himself III place OF safety by the cool
| brook, and proceeded to test them with
acid, by trial of Their weight, and other
| convincing means known % the asSayer.
What did he find: A., what indeed?
The splaSheS Of Nt al scattered over
the rock by his fire, and enCOmpassing
his bullets, were pun gold. The Yellow
Snake was but molten stream of the
purest gold.
"Merciful heaven be thanked" he
cried, in un1t5eyable gratitude, as this
discovery with al its far reaching con-
sequences was borne in upon him.
Yes, it was true; subsequent investi-
cation only served to confirm it. A thin
stream was forced up bv tremendous