Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-10-09

night, and the three of us who stay
Will look out for the gold. Now. who
VIII go? is the question"
NO one answered. Instead. each
looked at the other, as if wishing that
ms neighbor would volunteer.
'Ihere's no danger. What's the
matter with you? Are you afraid to
trust each other with the gold?n
asked Jack.
No one replied, yet each knew that
ne did not want to go and leave the
gold behind him. They were begin
ming to distrust each other as they
dlstrusted the Mexicans.
"Well, we will draw lots, and the
Two who get stuck will have to 90. -
said Jack. eN'
The lots were drawn, and the two
men to whom it had fallen to make
the journey returned to camp and
tried to sleep until night came.
When it was so dark that they could
not be seen they arose, and, slipping
silently out of camp, began their trip
across the desert.
line next morning one of the three
men who remained behind, while
watching, saw one of the Mexicans
take his gun and start around the
base of the mountain as if to hunt.
He called the attention of his two
camrades to it. AS the three watched
the Mexican they saw the latter sud
denly stop and look intently at the
ground, and then his face turned up
In the direction of the mountain-top
as if to discover whether he was OBJ
served. Apparently satisfied that he
not he began to walk back and forth
as II looking at foot-tracks: then, as
If satisfied, he returned to the camp
he had just left.
CHE has found the boys trail and
knows that they are gone," said
Jack.
His two companions merely nodded.
They had known, without being told,
what Jack was going to say and what
he was thinking of.
When the Mexican had returned to
his camp the three men could see him
seated with his comrades in conversa-
tion. There were five of them, and
they appeared to be talking long and
earnestly. Occasionally they glanced
toward the camp where the gold was
as if trying to see if they were
watched. At last one of them rises;
going to roll of blankets, he picked
up gun, and, returning to the group,
begins to clean it. His comrades look
at him and laugh, as if at joke,
and then all the rest of them arise
and get their arms.
''They are going to try to get the
gold," says Jack, land if we don't
do something, they will pick us off
one by one and be on the road to
Sonora before the boys get back"
s'What can we do?" asks one of his
comrades.
"We can go down there and tell
them that we know what they are
after, and that they have got to Co."
replied Jack. "By slipping up under
cover of the brush and powders, we
can be right among them before they
know it, and, if we get the drop 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 underbrush, it was not long
before they were close to the camp.
AS they paused moment to take
breath they could hear the Mexicans
laughing and joking as they cleaned
their guns, while the hunter, Tomas,
whom in the past they had all liked
so well, was softly singing to himself
in Spanish.
AS the three men arose the Mex.
leans looked up in astonishment. 1t
was the first time the Americans had
come among them since the discovery
of gold on the mountaintop.
For an instant each side looked at
the other in silence, then Tomas,
arising and stepping toward the
Americans, asked them in Spanish
what they desired.
s:We want you to get out of here,
for we know what you are cleaning
up those guns for" replied Jack.
"To go home WITH" answered
Tomas, adding: ''We do not care to
mine here any more"
| "You are doing it to murder us
and steal our gold, and you have got
to leave here at once" said Jack.
"We are going to leave just as we
told you. But when you say we are
murderers you lie!. angrily answered
Tomas, partly turning his face tc
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 until the
Mexican's head law on his shoulder
AS he felt the strangling grasp of the
arm Tomas dropped his gun, and,
raising his hands, tried to pull the
arm from his throat. His hands had
hardly touched the arm when a long.
bladed knife rose above his face,
grasped so tightly that the hand that
held it, with its taut muscles and
tense knuckles, looked almost a:
white as marble. For an instant the
knife hung in the air that the fierce