Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-09-24

did work-carly and late w0 went az it--but
never a bit Of gold did we go; no, not even
nuEeet large enough 20 make scarf pin
cut Of Tho American gentleman had 10
cured Il all and loft ms tho swecpings
"For three months this vert on, Till at
last paid away all, or very nnar all, that
was loft Of our little capital n wages and
food for the Kafrs and ourselves. When
tell you that Boer meal ives sometimes an
high as "a beg. you will understand that
It did not take long TO run through our bank
ing account
ant lact the crisis came On Saturday
night l had paid tho men ns usual, and
bought q mud OF meallo meal at Coz for
them to MI themselves with, and then went
with my boy Harry and sat on the edge q
tie great hole that wo had dug In tho hill
side, end which wo hni In bitter mockery
named Eldorado Thcro we sat in the moon
light with cur feet hanging over tho edge Of
the claim, and wero melancholy enough for
anything. Presently pulled out my purse
and orpdcd ia contents into my hand
There was a half sovereign, two forms, nino-
pence In silver, no coppers-for copper prac-
tically does not circulate In South Africa,
which is ono OF tho things that make living
70 dear therein all exactly fourteen and
ninepeneo
/ AHNANf @~A~AN bAF sNJ aaAtA1 AAt-s -
the sum total Of our worldly wealth; that
hole hss swallowed ell the rest
:" BY George, said Nn1ter Harry, 4 say,
| father, you and shall have TO let ourselves
out TO work with the Kafrs and live on
mcalic pap, and be staggered at his unpleas-
ant littlo joke
"Dut / was IN no mood for Joking, for it IA
not merry thing to dig like anything for
months and DO completely ruined IN the pro
cess, especially II you happen 70 disiiko dig
] cling, and consequently 1 resented Harry's
| iigathcaFtcdnes5
''Do quiet, hoyr said, raising my hand
al though ogive hin cuff with tho result
tlat the half sovereign slipped out Of IL and
fell into ttcgak below.
"'Oh, bother said /, its gone
"'fhero, dad, said Harry, that's what
comes Of letting Jour angry passions rise;
now We ore down 70 -four and nine.
II mado no answer to thean words OF wis
dom but scrambled down tho deep sidee of
tho claim, followed by Harry, to hunt for
my iit-o all. Wen, we hunted and we hunt
ed, but tho moonlight Is IN unccTtein thing
to look for half soyerolgns by, and there was
some looso soil about IT, for tbs Katirs bad
knocked or working at tho very spot
couple Of hours before. took a pick and
iuied away tl5 clods Of earth with IL, in tho
hops Of finding the coin, but all in vain. AT
last, IN sheer annoyance struck tho sharp
p.esaI down into the soil, which wan Uf
very hard ulturu. To my natuni9hmont 1t
sunk IN right up 10 the hcft
"'Why, Harry said, this ground must
have boon dlturbndp
~ don't think 80, fathor,' no answered.
but We Will soon sec, and he began to shovel
out tho soil With his hands, Or no Enld
prc.raily, its only somo old stores; tho pick
hos gono down between thcm. Lookp Aad
be began % pull at one Of the stones.
&c 4 say, dad ho iaid presently, almost In
whisper, ils precious heavy; fool IL and
he roso and gaso mo a round, brownish lump
about tho size OF IA very large appls, which
no was boldiay IA both his LANDS, took it
curiously and held it up 10 the light It was
very heavy The moonlight fell upon its
rough and flth encrusted surface. and as
looked curious little thrills Of excitement
began to pass Through me- But | could not
10 sure
"'Giye mo your knife, Harry l said
No did W; and resting tho brown stone
on my ine3 I scratched at its surface Great
heavens, It WAS foftl
Another second and the secret was out;
We had foand a great nugget OF pure gold,
four pounds Of II or mere, ITS gold. lad I
said, I'D sod, lad, or I'm Dutchinan.'
Harry, with his eyes starting gu. Of his
head, glared down at tho long cleaning yell
low scratch that | had made upon tho virgin
metal, and thcn b.-6t out into yell upon yell
Of exultatlon, that went ringing away across
the silent claims like the shrieks OF somebody
being murdered.
=" BE quiet said, do you want ovory
thief on tho Held after your
tt-lgnt.a.Igs ,,r, ft,s, ss.,Is .,.,t
whom heard u stealthy footstep approach
Ing. promptly put tho big nugget down
end sat ON II, and uncommonly hard It was.
and a. did 80 l saw lean, darl, face pol,ed
over tho edge OF tho claim and pair OF
hcaay cyus searching " oat. 1 know tho
tuce. IL belonged 10 @ man VI very had char
u9sor known as Handspilsc Tom, who had,
undcriood been 70 namai at the diamond
fields because he had murdered his mate with
handaplkc. lie was now, no doubt, pio7l-
ing about Ike human hyona 70 SEQ VIVA: he
could steal
"'Il that you, 'upter Quatermainr he said.
litcly.
"'And what might all that thorc yelling
boz he asked, Il was walking along, a.tah-
INK OF tho evening air and a.thinkiag on tho
stars, whom oaru owl nitor OWL
"'Well, Mr. Tom,' / answered Chat Is not
70 10 wondered at, sccng thet, like yourself,
they are nocturnal birds
owl after 'owlr he repeated stornly,
taking no notico OF my Interpretation, end |
GtJps and snys, That's murder and listoni
n5ain and thinks, "No, 1t amt; that owl Ia
tho owl OF hcxaltation, como ones been and
Got his fingers into gunfny ycllor pot, III
swear, and gonc oG 10 cad Ia tho suckin,
OF thcm." now, 'untor Quatcrmain, is ]