The record-union., 1891-06-20

upon his soul, clinging to his memory
with undated bitterness, or if his long.
unrewarded search forgold in the mount
aims had caused his brave spirit to
despair.
Some blazing sticks in the rough hut
serviceable Fireplace gave the cabin
warmth and cheerful changing light
Although rough and bare enough, the
little house was noticeably neat and
clean / noted as singular the COM
pleteness of the finishing of the door, and
the framing of the single window sash,
and the careful chinlxing of the logs, the
smoothness of the slab floor, and general
tld1neSS of the interior, which was not
larger than ten by twelve feet. He
had lived there, he said, with the eXcep-
ton of brief absence at times, for fifteen
years. / marked total absence of read
ing matter i'll the cabin, and could detect
neither book aor paper-not SO much as
an almanac.
If the man did not read he certainly
spoke fluently, using good and, / thought,
unusually correct and expressive Ian
guage, employing words and phrases Of
aptness and concentration that / cannot
reproduce. My adventure with the deer
reminded him of similar experiences, and
he related several, none, however, of re-
cent happening, and the rifle which hung
III corner bore evidence of little usage.
/ inferred correctly that his time was oc-
cupled chiefly with mining, or prospect
ing for gold, and / casually broached the
subject, remarking GnterrogatiYely) that
prospecting required patience and per-
severance as well as physical endurance.
Maynard scanned me intently mo-
ment and replied with singular earnest
ness:
"It absorbs man. It brings into re-
quest every faculty of mind and body,
and wearies them all. a man loses the
present and lives in the future. That
which he has to-day is unconsidered-
what he sees for tomorrow ineStimable.
Truly, the prospector Never is, but al
ways to be blest'. If, by uncommon
good luck, the true prOSpectOr realizes his
hope of yesterday, and strikes it rich, his
find is nothing compared with his hopes
for tomorrow.
But few" he continued, follow pros
pecting for fifteen years without finding
mines-but / have done this. / have
given the better part Of my life to a false
theory which it has taken fifteen years to
prove false. | have thought of little but
gold for that length of time. | have
dreamed while awake, and while asleep,
OF the one absorbing subject, and after all
1t is mere madness. What is it after all
after all!''
He had been standing or walking
while he spoke. He did not pace the
floor, but he was in continual motion,
now turning one way then another. The
subject seemed to excite him to an extent
to me unaccOuntable. He walked to the
door and stood a mining pan against the
wall beside some picks and shOvels. The
heap OF mining implements glittered in
the hrellght, showing the effects Of con-
slant use. he then came back to the fire
and sat down, as he continued:
Within radius of four miles of this
spot there is no formation Of rock or
quality of gravel, sand or soil, but from
which l have taken samples and analyZed
or assayed them to the last particles. have
found atoms of the yellow metal upon the
highest OF the ridges, in the deepest crew
Ices Of the canyon. For years | have
tunneled in the sides of these mountains
like mole, to discover, at last, after fif-
teen years, that my reasoning was all
wrong and my conclusions false"
Old Maynard looked old now as he
paced heavily across the room once or
twice, then threw a stick upon the fire.
lie seated himself again, but did not re-
sumo, seeming to have finished the sub
ject.
You are, then, convinced that there
are no Lodges or lodes of consequence
hereabouts?" | asked.
He replied quickly: ''Oh, think there
are! There are several quartz lodges, at
no great distance, rich enough 10 pay
working well--0t ITS present UdiUe. 7
never looked for lodges; my theory was
to find a free deposit, not a ledge"
What, if | may ask, led you to believe
there was deposit i'll this section?"
After little silence he said: 81 will
tell you, and you can see for yourself the
reasOnableness of my theory in the morn
ing. 1t is something l have never spoken
OF, but everyone has his theories. / only
wonder that others did not follow mine
as it seemed probable enough. Standing
upon the bench by the trail you are on
the highest point near the mouth of
BIackrock Canyon. From here you have
an open view TO the river, four miles dis
tant. From the mouth of the canyon to
the river the country, or much OF it, is
completely laid bare by placer mining.
Millions i'll gold have been taken from
this strip mile wide-one of the richest
placers OF the State of a like extent and
shallowness. Blackrock Creek. its trib-
utary gulches, and the sides of the lower
hills, yielded hundreds Of fortunes in free
gold, which, at the same time was not the
smooth, washed gold of most placers or
streams. Rough nuggets, weighing hun
dreds, even thousands of dollars were
found. That gold all came from Black
rock Canyon, and is not found above the
point of rocks just below"
He paused, unnaturally, seeming to for
get to continue while his mind was busy.
After silence asked if the gold might
not have been scattered from some of the
quartz ledges with which the hills are
scanned, and he replied, shortly:
80, 1t is not from quartz-or, at most,
very little of it,"
But" l ventured, sit is found on the
tops and sides of the hills in this stripyou
speak OF, above the creek and gulches. 1t
Is fact well established by miners-by
natural laws''-
That gold does not climb hills" he in
terrupted. That is one of the few facts
concerning gold. That fact has kept me
IN faith for fifteen years following my
theory. The gold in the strip all came
from the canyon. Centuries do not leave
the stream beds unchanged, and Black
rock Creek once flowed above all the
ground in question. / was not mistaken
in my theory of the origin of this gold
l found that, after fifteen years, a month
ago!''
Something in his speech fastened me to
the theme. When he ceased speaking |
was more anxious to have him continue.
There was something earnest and heavy
in Maynard's words as he continued:
Il found the source Of this gold quite
by accident, after all my search for it.
Passing an eddy, circular whirI-hole in
the canyon, l stopped TO drink from it, as
l often had before. The water Of the
creek, you noticed, appears black, but il
is as clear as air-a kind of black sand
gives Its deceptive color. As paused at
the pool my own reflection in the water
checked me by its vivid distinctness. /
had seen ii before a hundred times, but
never rs | saw it now. | was appalled,
Old, wrinkled, gray! Why, of course-I
was 50i There was nothing to be so sud
denly startling in this fact; but it chained
me there at the pool. Here / was. an old
man, with fifteen long years between me
and all the relatives and friends | hadt
The nearest of them were dead and gone
long since. Why, l was out of the world!
Fifteen years in this canyon! Why, L