The herald., 1894-11-04

| LOT the nlgnt. Az yet nnd not tho re-
hottest idea of the nature of the UNDER
taking and, quite singnlsrly, | had
hardly given the matter thought. We
| had Travelled in the direction OF the
placers along the American and Feather
rivers, which empty into the Sacra-
mento, and so | had been content with
a vague impression that we were bound
thither, perhaps to work some rich
| gravel, the location OF which Hatch had
obtained. After supper l ventured to
gather little information from him on
the point, but Hatch, as | remembered
afterward, adroitly turned mo off, and |
rolled up in my blankets and went to
sleep, secure in the consciousness that
| couldn't be robbed, under any circum-
stance.
| TIE night paesed without event, as
| also did the next day and night and at 3
O'Clock of the third day We were at q
stage camp on the Sacramento and
Dutch Flat trail known ss Deans grove.
Here Hatch led the way to the hotel
and announced that our journey was at
an end. This hotel WAS in reality a
huge bar room with hotel attachment.
Behind the bar we found the proprietor
OF the place. large. raw-boned indi-
vidual, whose general appearance was
not such as to inspire one with conf.
dence in him, to put it very mildly.
| Hatch introduced this man to me as
Mr.. Ellis, the third partner in our en-
terprise. One glance at the man con-
WINGED me that had seen him at some
previous time, somewhere about the
gold camps, and 1t seemed to me that
then his name was Knox, and not Ellis.
But az he did no. recognize me. appar-
/
my mind az of small consequence. We
often changed names in those days Tor
the sake OF variety-and other reasons.
Twill you liquor, gentlemen ?" asked
our third partner, Immediately after the
formality OF the introduction.
We liquorsd. to some extent, and
afterward enjoyed cigars OF the expense
of the landlord. As soon as possible l
took Hatch to one side and explained to
him that l felt somewhat uneasy about
all this generous hospitality, not being
able to share the expense in my present
| financial state.
go easy with that. partner" he said
reassuringly. ''It's all in the play, and
you're into the deal the same as ws.'
'But who pays for 1t all in the end p
1 insisted.
Laughing heartily, he turned to Ellis.
"Pard's worried about who pays for
this" he cried.
Ellis laughed, too, at this, quite as
boiaterously as my other partner had.
Now, although after that appeared to
take everything as o matter of fact,
will confess that along in the afternoon
of the next day had begun to turn the
| strange condition OF things over in my
mind quite seriously. Nothing sus-
piclous had occurred and was. in fact
suspicious of nothing, but simply had
the same feeling as q man would who
was anxious to solve puzzle. How
| ever, we drank and smoked and played
cards as on the day previous.
"We're going out to look at the PROS
pect, Henry" said Hatch to me on the
morning of the third day. "Will you
join US 2"
Thought he seemed nervous, and, to
tell the truth, I was quite agitated my
self.
Hatch carried . pick and Ellis a
shovel and . pan such % miners used
for washing gold out Of gravel. Back
from the clump OF trees constituting
Stean's grove the Sierra Nevadas rose
abruptly, and to oil appearances were
almost az inaccessible a. q stone wall,
but my two partners led the way
through a tortu0us, winding cafion, and
by dint of hard climbing we gradually
made our way for some distance into the
fastness OF the range. A small noun
tain stream flowed down and out of tho
cafion, and noticed as we proceed ed
that the water was running over black
sand which showed good indications of
gold. Finally We came to place where
considerable Of the abrupt wall on one
side of the stream had been shoveled
away, exposing the face of ledge.
Fright there is the bonanza, pard !"
exclaimed Ellis. pointing to the exposed
face of the bluff. There's crock for
you." aud be Clipped off small piece
OF the rock with the pick and handed it
to me.
remember now how my hand trem-
bled as took the piece. expected to
see it f1ecked with shining particles of
gold, and visions of q great fortune and
all that sort Of thing came into my
mind. turned the piece over several
times, nervously, eagerly examining
every corner and crevice the while. I'm.
agine my surprise there was not trace
of gold about the whole lump. 1t was
absolutely worthless, and SO was all the
rest in the ledge where it came from. l
tossed the rock impatiently away and
thereupon both my partners laughed.
THE devilW l exclaimed, You two
are either trying to make fool OF me or
else you are fools yourselves"
1t had come to me all at once that the
whole affair might turn out huge joke.
Hold on there. pard," exclaimed
Ellis, e.ill with evident good nature.
"We're not done with that rock yet"
and he once moro took up the piece of
quartz had thrown down.
Taking the pan he then crossed the
little stream and scooping up some of
the coarser sand he proceeded to screen
it by the process the early Californiane
called washing gravel" The painful
yielded few grains Of gold and several
more were washed out in the came way.
Alter dipping the piece of quartz in the
water Ellis took from his pocket q
small bladed knife and for several min :
utes worked with it upon the face OF the
rock. He proceeded with all the care.
fulness and precision OF q wood carver at
work upon his block. Then he too K
from his pocket some matches. Placing
grain Of the gold upon the blade OF his
knife he held it fret over the blaze of
the match aud then proceeded to firmly
imbed the soft gold in the rock as den
list file a tooth.
My astonishment at this procedure
WAS almost too great to permit me to
follow all the details of the operation,
but finally Ellis handed me "a fine a
specimen OF rich gold. bearing quartz as
have ever seen. The imitation was