The herald., 1894-09-07
to stop there and go to banning out the


else, but to compensate for what we suf-
fered and the dangers we faced we
naturally wanted more.
A hundred dollars day between
three wasn't SO bad, but we were in a
mood when $1,000 day would not
have satisfied US.
My, my, how hard and cheerfully
Frank did work. Why, he got so deep
ly interested in that unknown girl,
away ON the banks of the Cumberland
in old Kentucky, that he got into the
habit Of saying every morning, as we
ate breakfast by the light of the camp
fire, Another days work for Susie,
boysW
Although the strongest Of the three,
Frank was not used to this sort of rough
life, and soon saw it began to tell on
him, and wanted him to let up, but
the brave fellow stuck to it, working in
the ice cold water till he was taken
down with chills, followed by burning
fever.
We had some quinine and few sim
pie remedies for cuts and bruises along,
and with these and the skill that came
of long years in the wilds we did the
best we could for our partner.
Now comes the remarkable part Of
my story. I've seen men down with the
fever when they got so wild they had
to be tied, but while Frank was clear
out Of his head he kept just as peaceful
as ever, only that he insisted that up
the creek were great caves full Of gold.
and that the specks we had been picking
out Of the guloh came from there.
He wanted us to start up there, say.
ing we could get all the gold in day
we wanted for lifetime.
OF course Ned Copley and humored
Frank and told him we'd go if he'd
hurry up and get we'll, but he swore
that instead of being sick he was as
strong as giant.
The third night after Frank was talk
en- down he seemed to be resting quiet
ly, so Ned and I, who had been taking
turns watching, thought it would be
safe to drop off to sleep-kind of lightly
and we did So
When we woke up in the early morn
ing and saw that Frank Edgerton's cot
was empty and his clothes and pick and
revolver gone, you may try to imagine,
but you can never realize, just how we
felt.
We cooked hasty breakfast; then,
picking up enough provisions from our
little store to last three days, we hid
the rest, left the mule hid in little
valley where there was lots Of grass and
then started Off to find our insane friend.
Remembering his rawlings about "the
gold caves" up near the snow line, we
determined to follow the creek. We
could read trail as well as an Indian,
but the rocks were too hard to retain
the impression Of human foot. Yet
| now and then we saw signs to encour-
age US.
The creek branohed into a dozen
streams farther up, and it was only after
long consultations that we decided
which to take, and then for no reason
that would not have applied quite as
well to the other stream.
1t was a rough, hard road, and now
and then as we went ON we stopped to
shout Franks name or to discharge our
rifles, but only the echoes came back for
reply.
That night, THOROUGHLY tagged out,
we halted close to the snow line-in-
deed there were white patches all about
US and not sign Of a shrub to make
fire. With little alcohol lamp we
made some coffee and lay down under
our blankets, spoon fashion, to keep
warm.
We were up by daylight and started
off again, this time without coffee, for
we had only about gill Of alcohol for
the lamp, and we reasoned that poor
Frank would want something warm if
we found him alive.
Another terrible day and another aw-
full night, and still no sign of Frank Ed
gerton. We gave him up, and with sad
hearts were returning, when Ned, who
has eyes like telescopes, said he saw
something moving near the snow line
across the valley.
There had been an immense snow
slide down the valley not an hour be-
fore, but we got across, and there under
the ledge Of rocks with great pile Of
loose glittering stones about him, lay
Frank Edgerton, looking like dead
man.
While Ned made some coffee I rub
bed Frank with snow till his skin felt
warm; then we forced coffee between
his teeth, and wrapping one blanket
about him we made a stretcher out of
the other and our two rifles, so as to
carry him down to camp, no easy job, /
can tell you.
Just as we were about to start off Ned
noticed the pile of stones = Franks
pockets were full of them-and those
lying about had evidently been brought
there by him. But they were fully one
half solid gold
Frank Edgerton had discovered the
caves of his feverish dreams.
We got him back to camp, and we
took turns nursing him and carrying
down the gold SO mysteriously found
with him under that ledge, and the
source Of which had been concealed by
the snowslide.
''To make long story short" as we
used to say when l was boy, Frank
got well. When he was able to travel,
we started back to Taos. carrying with
US about 1870 pounds of solid gold.
We made a second ands "a third trip to
find "the gold caves" Of which Frank