New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-23

, NY from their claims amount to- compared with
what the Americans had obtained? -, a.
Now that there was no longer any gOIu .. ~
nina tbe Americana began to devise means 10
remove the gold they mad to where they cou'u
dispose OF II. ..o. -. . million hovs
.id 1acL Swilling-all looked to him as TO their
Entertain: we will have to get 1t out OF mere.
Hoy ia do il was a question they were always
discussing, they gathered on ,e o ,atob the
| i'm little group, IN ORDER 10 ue hOe W ""'O VIZ
I've can't carry all of it, but We might take
part and hide the rest until we could return loi
~. yes and what we would leave behind, the
MeXcans would get before we were OUT o. ei Thie
Damn Them why don't they get up ana go oth ar'
is white mans country, anyway, said an0the ell,
No we can't do that" said Jack. We VIII
have 10 send to Wickenburg fer pacVk ur't oa,
and two of you will have to go 1or IT, tou , oiII
leave topight and the three of us who stay VIII WI
look out for the gold. Now. who VIII CO. Is 'n'
question" , ,,r.ood- oocb 1ooked nj the
other as if wishing that his neighbor would Voi-
There's no danger. What's the, matter with witt,
YOU? Are you afraid to trust each other WIN
The gold ?" asked Jack. ~, -.
'"p No one replied, vet each knew that he did not
want TO 20 and leave the gold behind him; Ib 1y
were beginning TO distrust each other as they us
trusted the MeXlcans. Il, o+
We'll. we will draw lots, and the two VINO geV
stuck will have 10 CO." said Jack. Lr
The lots were drawn and tie two men TO wlo IN
camp and tried TO sleep until night came. w. he
il was SO dark that they could not be seen my
arose and, silently slipping out OF camp oes" 'H'
trim across the desert. ,n
The next morning one of the three men VINO
remained behind, while watching, saw one vi uo
MeXicans take his gun and start arouhd SiiJ o +
os the mountain. us If to hunt lie calieu lne w
;entiOn of his two comrades TO H. AS my ', J
watched the Mexican, they saw the Iov.el nd
denly stop and look ntenty at tHe Of the
:hen his face turned up in the direction Vi u1e
monntaintop, as if to discover whether he was
Observed Apparently satisfied that ne was NOT d.
be began TO walk back and fSrtn t as obpty
foot tracks then, if satisfied he turned dof.PS
and returned TO the camp he had lusI ieIO that
lie has found the boys trail, and knows 'ha'
'ngT is are t9 cOpanions merely nodded They had
known without being told, what JACK was soins
20 saw and what he was thinking OF. ,,r .ho
When the Mexican had returned 10 ms CAMP tilc
three mon could see him seated with his comrades
in conversation There were five OF them, ana
they appeared to be talking long and earnestly:
Occasionally they glanced toward o snf il tbey were
watched At last one of them rises gone 10
roll of blankets he picks up gun ana No T camradts
look at him and laugh, as if at Joke, ana theh
all the rest of them arise and get tnel arms :oro
They are going TO try to get inc goIu sa}2 I1
lack "and if we don't do something, they VIII
nick ms off one by one and be the road to Sonora
befort the boys get back. ,. ,,
what can we do ~ asks one OF ms couraues,
I'VE can 90 down there and tell them that we
know what they are after, and that they have got
70 go.n replied Jack. by slipping up under
cover of the brush and powders we can DC dlgn nt
tbe drop on them they will have to do what we
saw. Get your guns and come on.
The three men arose ana, taxing onen I'm" frn
began the descent of the mountain. Slipping from
bowlder TO bOwlder, and, taking advantage OF tIe
stunted underbrush, it was not long before Illey
close to the camp AS 5hey pau te Mexcans
laughing and joking as they cleaned their guns.
while the hunter Tomas whom IN the past ttney
had all liked so well, was softly singing 10 hlm-
As the three men arose the Mexicans looked
nm in astonishment. It was the first time the
Americans had come among them since Uhe us
covery 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 "h"U
I'VE want YOU to get out of here, for we know
what YOU are cleaning up these guns 1or' rephed
To % home with" answered Tomas, adding
We do not care to mine here any longer
"YOu are doing il TO murder us and steal our
gold, and you have got to leave here al once
We are going to leave just as we told You
But when YOU say we are murderers, you lie
angrily answered Tomas partly turning TO lace
his comrades to have them verify his statement.
Almost before the words had left his lips Jack
reached out his left arm and, throwing ~ around
Tomas's neck drew him backward till the MeXl-
cans head Icy on his shoulder. AS ne 1elt the
strangling grasp of the arm, Tomas dropped his
gun, and, raising his hands, tried TO pull the arm
from bis throat. His Ean1s had hardly touched
the arm when 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 white as marble. For an instant
the knife hung in the air that the fierce eyes
looking down over the upturned face OF the MeXl-
can might pick the sureSt place 10 drive IL mo
the throat, drawn so tightly backward that one
could see the arteries thrObbing beneath the sKln
But only for instant and then, so fast ttat IL
seemed like flash of light, it fell and entered
-. ~, 10 DC ct hpl0
For moment it stopped and then as the MeNl-
cans arm reached out if to push away the arm
chat held it, the knife was pulled from LETT 10
right As il swept through the throat the arm
that had held the head backward, that the KNIFE
might have clean sweep, was raised, and The man
whose throat had been cut stood alone For an
instant TO those who had seen 1t, II seemed ike
dream. and then as in moment, the dark; brown
face grew ashen gray, as if a painter had drawn
brush across it, Tomas caught with both hands his
throat, and from the cash across II, through ms
tightly closed fingers spurted jets of blood At
first slowly, if the hands were striving TO hold
within the body the escaping life, and from the
lips came indistinguishable sounds, as If pleading
for help. while the eyes swept the face of friend
and foe imploringly Only for an instant, though.
Then the Jets of blood grew stronger as the strength
in the hands relaxed The eyes grew dim and
CLASSY, and the body for instant tottered as if
longer able TO stand erect One or two stepsas II
blindly striving not TO fall even in death, and
the blood that they have held back pours ont
in torrents and down, with the face into the dirt
goes what was once Tomas the hunter
| Both sides OH their feet now, and, as they
stand the Americans cover the MeXicans with
| their guns.
BY God You had better go and 90 at once,
and leave your arms behind says Jack.
The MeXcans loak at him for an instant. and
then, with glance at the body, they turn and
start across the desert. The Americans watch
| them until they are out of sight.
The next day. when the pack-train, which had
been sent for, has arrived, and has been laden
with the gold. it is driven down the trail by
| the camp where the body lics 1t is still there,
! swollen and black from the heat of the sum- while
the coyotes have tapped up the blood and eaten
the face away. until where it once the white
teeth and bones glistcn in the sunshine The
mules snort with fear as they sniff the carton
smell in the air, and. though heavily laden with
gold, try in their fright 10 leave the narrow trail
The men pause for an instant to look at the
corpse.
"Old Tomas of them says: Il always
| thought him pretty square and rather liked him.
] MaNhe. aftnr all. theY realy did intnnd IN 90