The Portland daily press., 1892-12-15

| other human being nearer than Fort Mo-
| jave, more than 200 miles away.
The old man bowed with quiet dignity,
| and laying his silver decorated rife against
| tree he sat down near one and before the
campfire Although he looked to be over
! seventy years of age, / noticed that his
\ movements were rs easy and active as those
| of a youth, and the strange glitter in his
| gray eyes told that he would be danger
| GUS man to set at defiance.
'sMy names King. I'm the gold king OF
the San Francisco mountains" said the
old man by way of introduction.
I told him nv own name and indicated
that was glad to make his acquaintance.
"Out prospecting9" he asked. with
| glance at the men and animals.
mo; surveying" replied.
ION your own accounta"
| mo"
Government"
Eyes"
"Ah, just SO. Hoped you might be hunt
ing gold for yourself" And he Lit his pipe.
"Why is there much gold in these noun
| tains?', | asked
| Loads and loads and loads-if the right
man only searches in the right place"
"Then you know the placer" I asked
| with increasing interest
| 81 do,
SIS itsin these mountains?"
"It is not far away Then with much
| animation: "But surely you do not expect
me on a short acquaintance to tell you the
| location of La Madre d'Oro. Before you
were born, my friend, long years before
you were born. began the search for the
mother of gold in these mountains"
"And you found it,"
For reply he opened a haversack that
| hung from his shoulder, took out handful
| of flashing yellow nuggets and let them
drop back like gems through his long fin
gers This DONE he closed the pouch and
| went on smoking, with his eyes fixed on the
| fire
/ must confess my cupidity was excited,
for, though never loved money for its own
sake, | often delighted to imagine in my
day dreams what I would do If had I'M
limited wealth at my disposal.
Long before came to those wild noun
| tains I had heard of La Madre d'Oro, nor
did think, nor do I now think, the place
| impossible or the chances of indingit some
| day at all improbable.
/ resolved, SO potent is the presence OF
| wealth, to treat my visitor with increased
consideration, for if he had not made the
| discovery for which SO many had striven
| it was at least certain that he had come
| upon some place not far distant where
there were quantities of free gold.
| prevailed on the gold king, to give him
| his own title, to spend the night with us, for
| / knew as well as did he that Cochise and
| his Apaches were about US in the noun
| tains. and that it would be like counting
| death for any man to venture out alone.
| At first / was inclined to think that the
| gold kings mind was not as other mems,
| and after many years incline to the first
| impression, but know that as we sat talk
| ing about the fire that night, or visiting
| the pickets which prudence dictated
should post about the camp, gradually
came to the conclusion that this was the
| keenest Drained and most remarkable man
I had ever met.
| He was well educated and keen stu
| dent of nature He repeated to me again
and again:
81 have found La Madre d'Oro. I am an
old man, and the discovery will not do me
much good, but I rejoice that Providence
has guided me to man like yourself, for
you will have the time and the inclination
| to give the world the benefit of my dis
covery Do not think that am senile or a
dreamer. AS true as you and stand here
C0geUQGr unQ0E uuG SOdlS 1tCttu Wdtk lTOlu
| here blindfolded to the hills in which
| found the mother of gold"
Although not a visionary, was, must
| confess, for the time quite impressed by
| the old mans simple earnestness, and, as
said before, lam not at all sure that he
had not good basis for his claim.
] planned with him that night to get a
| leave OF absence from the service within
few months and start off with him from
Fort Whipple to see La Madre d'Oro. the
valley Of gold Of which / was from that
time on to be part proprietor myself, and
sole proprietor when the gold king died.
The Indians appeared in such numbers
the following morning that it was thought
prudent to throw up stockade instead of
continuing an examination Of the San
Francisco mountains, as we had planned.
found the old man of the greatest USE
He was not only skilled soldier, but he
showed wonderful and valuable knowl-
edge of Apache methods Of warfare.
Our supplies were short, and l had
planned to send down to Prescott for ra-
tions, but the Indians prevented 1t. After
| three days of siege l saw that we would
soon have the choice of perishing from
| starvation or being killed by the arrows OF
tu6 1uuldiiS 50 WAllc Ihy AhcAA "S'o 'SAAA -
| good heart [ determined to load up our
pack mules and to fight our way through
to Fort Whipple, ninety miles the south.
By keeping in the open ! knew the In
dams would not attack but this was a
hard thing to do in a country rlfted by IN
Vulnerable canyons.
| When we had covered about half the dis
lance to Fort Whipple we had to cross
gorge known as He'll canyon. While MAX
ing the ascent on the opposite side of the
rift the echoes were suddenly awakened by
the shrill yells of the Indians behind US.
Before we could seek shelter or unsling orr
rifles the air was full Of arrows, and the
old man, who stood near me at the time,
fell forward on his face with an arrow
through his left breast.
We carried him up the hill, where we
found shelter behind a pile of volcanic
rocks. ] gave the wounded man brandy