The herald., 1894-11-04
tlemen," finally menaged to say, after

ealQ Ilatcn. he BpOke quite low, ga III
he feared the trees or rocks around
might have ears.
Fact is." interrupted Ellis. Twelve
as good as cold the claim now. We've
had an offer OF $4,000 for the location,
provided the ledge holds out as we'll as
the sample We sent. The ledge III hold
Hatch on tho shoulder, and INDUCED in
u knowing wink.
but, still L"
~ am coming to that" he said, autic-
ipating my question. You see, Hatch
goes bail for you as q gentleman OF
honor and integrity, or else l wouldn't
be telling you all this. A man that
wasn't strictly honest wouldn't do in
this business, eh. Hatch? You eco. wa
located the claim here in the name of
Henry Black, for convenience, as you'll
see later. latch Gays to me, You find
buyer for the claim and I'll find Henry
Black and L reckon he bfought you. be-
cause you was honest, and your front
name being Henry the other don't make
so much difference" Here Ellis paused
to join in the laugh Hatch had started
at the joke.
Now. your being Henry Black with
quartz claim TO cell, known according to
the location notice as the Mountain
Bonanza mine, it might be we'll for you
to kaow that you're shortly expecting a
stranger out from San Francisco to look
at the ledge. Also, you ought to know
that his name is McGraw, and that he
represents coma wealthy capitalists
This gent arrives at my hotel and in
quires for Henry Black. introduce
you; You chow him the claim. he is
amazed at the richness of the ore and
decides to buy the claim at once. He
gives you check on the San Francisco
bank Hatch and myself accompany you
to the bay and we dizzy. That's about
the Law of it, eh Hatch 2"
AS Ellis finished he gathered up the
tools and lead the way out of the csi1on.
As this two partners continued to dis
cuss the plans of the scheme they evil
IDENTITY became too much absorbed to
notice that did not join heartily Fin
the discussion. I might have done 80
for the sake of appearance but IVES too
much overcome to make the effort.
Suddenly it occurred to me that un =
less l seemed to acquiesce they might
kill me. They certainly could not afford
to let me back out after telling me the
plan. After that l was more laxative.
l decided, however, that my best course
was to make my escape; to watch my
opportunity and sneak away from the
place, as best | could, back to Sacra.
mento. | laughed to myself at the
thought of this ignominious fight, after
the golden day dreams / had allowed
myself to indulge in, before l knew the
nature of Hatch'a scheme.
But after two days and nights OF con-
70 ut UT oh for a n Pr, In n,,t
into effect any of my plans for getting
away unseen. 1t suddenly came to me
that l was not going to be able to
escape, for the reason that Ellis had
suspected me and was watching my
every movement. What l had first at
tributed to chance l now cav was part
of Ellis plan to keep close watch on
me until the arrival OF the party from
San Francisco to view the mine.
By the third night had grown really
desperate. My partners had proposed
that we 90 ont to the mine on the fol-
lowing day and finish the work to be
done. In after days that sort of work
came to be known as "salting mine, "
but had never heard OF it then. II
Ellis was not really the originator of
that kind of rascality in California he
wau among the first to practice it. Hatch,
/ had learned, was merely tool in the
hands of Ellis and I was to have been
that, too. l resolved to escape that
night or take the consequences of an ex-
posure of my true standing toward the
scheme, which l now knew Ellis had
suspected.
But how should 20 about it? That
was q difficult thing to determine. Even
should | escape in safety from the hotel
could easily be overtaken on the trail
or the following day. There was only
one thing. then, to do. 1 must cross
the mountains. That was a difficult
and most dangerous thing, all the more
go because the start could be made only
under cover of the darkness. Some-
where on the other side of the range the
stage road from Stockton passed. l
must make that in q day.
We eat up late that night; my part
ners drinking more than usual. had
planned to get away from them
at about 10 O'Clock. 20 to my
room and, taking my roll of blankets,
leap from the window. Ii not detected +,
l would Immediately make for the
mountains. But it was after midnight
before 1 could safely get away from the
pair. l lost no time after that. My
leap from the low window was unfortu-
nate. for alighted upon pile of casks,
and these toppled over with me, Great
ing a great disturbance. The noise
brought Ellis to the door, and l had
only time to crawl into the shadows.
Ellis was unstead upon his feet, from
the effects of the liquor he drank during
the evening, cad l heard him call for
Hatch. The swo then discussed the
probable causes OF the tumbling down Of
the barrels.
Tell you what's the matter, Hatch, !"
said Ellis at last, somehow, d'you
know. had sort of feelin' that part.
ner of ours made that racket. I've
kinder felt all along as if he was a-goin'
to get away from u.s."
you're drunk, Ellis, that's what's
the matter with you. l tell you mes all
right" esid Hatch.
mo, Pm not drunk, tell you. but /
don't like the way he acts. tell you
he is offish. pard; that's what he is.
You hear me, he haint goin' to pan out
right"
ION, you're too drunk to think
straight, Ellis" said Hatch again with
half drunken persistency.
mo, you're wrong there, Hatch;
wrong as can be, but I'll tell you what,
ii that cusa tries to give us the slip now
I'll kill him; you hear me-"
could see the bright barrel OF pistol
glisten in the moonlight az Ellis turaed
and staggered back into the bar-room. l
made for the mountains as swiftly as
the darkness would permit.
Nothing bat kind providence saved