Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-08-28
On them, they Will have to do what we say.

/
Get your guns and come on"
The three men arose and taking their
arms, began the descent of the mountain.
Slipping from bowlder to bowlder and
taking advantage Of the stunted under
brush, it was not long before they were
close to the camp AS they paused mo-
ment to take breath, they could hear the
Mexcans laughing and joking, as they
cleaned their guns, while the hunter, To
mas, who in the past they had al liked
so well, was softly singing to himself III
Spanish.
As the three men arose the Mcxicans
boxed up in establishment. 1t was the
first time the Americans had come among
them since the discovery of the gold on the
mountain top
For an instant each side looked at the
other in silence and then Tomas, arising
and stepping toward the Americans asked
them in Spanish what they desired
I'VE want you to get out of here, for we
know what you are cleaning up these guns
for" replied Jack.
ITO go home with" answered Tomas,
adding, 1--WE do not care TO mine here any
longer"
"You are doing it to murder us and steal
our gold, and you have got to leave here mt
once" said Jack.
we are ROlDS W lGdNt JuSu as VIC tOl't
you. But when you say we are murderers
you lier angrily answered Tomas, partly
turning to face his comrades to have them
verify his statement.
Almost before the words had left his
lips, Jack reached out his left arm, and,
throwing it around Tomas neck, drew
him backward till the MeXican's head lay
on his shoulder. As he felt the stranglng
grasp of the arm Tomas dropped his gun
and raising his hands, tried to pull the
arm from his throat. His hands had hard
, ly touched the arm when long bladed
knife rose above his face, grasped so tight
J ly that the hand that held it, with its taut
! muscles and tense knuckles, looked almost
as white as marble. For an instant the
knife hung in the air that the fierce eyes
looking down over the upturned face of
: the Mexican might pick the surest place
to drive it into the throat, drawn so tight
} ly backward that one could see the arteries
throbbing beneath the skin. But only for
, an instant, and then, 20 fast that it
seemed like a flash of light, it fell and
} entered the neck in the muscles just be
low the left ear.
e For moment it stopped, and then, as
5 the MeXicau's hands reached out as if to
push away the arm that held it, the knife
5 was pulled from left to right. As it swept
r through the throat, the arm that had held
\ the head backward, that the knife might
4 have a clean sweep, was raised and the man
t whose throat had been cut stood alone.
V For an instant to those who had seen it, it
/ seemed dream, and then as in moment
V the dark, brown face grew ashen gray, as
e if a painter had drawn a brush across it,
o Tomas caught with both hands his throat
V and from the cash across it, through hi:
It tightly closed fingers, spurted jets of blood
At first slowly, as if the hands were
q striving to hold within the body the escap
n ing life, and from the lips came indisguish
d able sounds as if pleading for help, while
!, the eyes swept the face of friend and foe
, imploringly. Only for an instant though
d Then the jets of blood grew stronger a:
l., the strength in the hands relaxed. TIL,
J. eyes grew dim and CLASSY and the bod,
for an instant tottered as if no longe
d able to stand erect. One or two steps, a!
sc if blindly striving not to fall even in death
n and then, as the hands stretch out, grasp
ing at the air, the blood that they hav
J. held back pours out in torrents, and down
d with the face into the dirt and dust, goe
II what was once Tomas, the hunter
Both sides are on their feet now, and, a
% they stand the Americans cover the Mexi
,e cans with their guns.
ar "By God! You had better go and go Il
10 once, and leave your arms behind" say
Jack.
# The Mexicans looks at him for an in
a slant, and then, with "A glance at the body
they turn and start across the desert. Tn
4 Americans watch them until they are GU
~ of sight.
at The next day when the pack train, whic
:. has been sent for, has arrived and has bee
laden with the gold, it is driven down tn
q trail by the camp where the body lies.
is still there, swollen and black from tn
~ heat of the sun, while the coyotes bay
-. Tapped up the blood and eaten the fac
20 away, until where It once was the whit
y teeth and bones glisten in the sunshin,
al The mules snort with fear as they snitf TIL
n. carrion smell in the air, and, though heavil
laden with the gold, try in their fright t
or leave the narrow trail.
al The men pause for an instant to look {
the corpse
be "Old Tomas" one of them says, II a
". ways thought him pretty square and rattle
is. liked him. Maybe, after all, they real
he did intend to go home without trying /
take the gold, as he said"
,-o Maybe they did," said jack but "
u. couldn't take chances on any mans ho
on esty with all this gold on our hands" ~
e 81. Buckley O'Neill in Argonaut.