Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-10-07


| added.
"What the deuce can you want to go
| digging in that weedy, snake haunted
place for?' said he, screwing II gold
trimmed glass into his eye, to view me
more attentively. "Going to seek for
treasure eh?"
Why" | answered, Il little taken
aback, and wondering whether, after
all, the astrologers secret might not
be known to him, "to tell you the truth,
you have exactly hit it."
Il wouldn't give you the value of q
paper dollar for all you're likely to find.
My dear fellow, dig over the whole
place if you like You will be doing
great service by clearing it of weeds.
But what has put the notion of seeking
for treasure in the Ram-B Bagh into your
| head?"
"Well,' | answered, feigning reluct-
ance to admit Il little superstitious
| weakness, IAN astrologer called at my
bungalow few days ago begging for
aims, and out of gratitude for the char
| ity bestowed upon him, he said that If
| should dig in the Ram-Bagh heaven
| would reward my goodness"
"My poor, deluded friend" he cried,
laughing, you won't discover any
thing. But if you happen to discover
an old coin or two, or bit of antique
| pottery, why, don't tell anybody about
| it,"
zone thing more to crown the obliga-
| tions am under to YOU" said |. LEST
l should be interfered with during my
| explorations, will you give me writ
ten permit TO dig up the Ram BaShF'
He took Il sheet of officially headed
paper, scrawled a few lines upon it to
| the effect that | was at liberty to seek
for treasure upon the spot named, and
handed it to me.
My first act upon returning to my
| bungalow was to summon my syce, and
go with him to take view of the Ram
BaGh.
Now listen to what l am going to
say to you. First of all, l have had
your image tested, and it is of pure
| gold. Here it is. Next, | went to the
commissioner and obtained from him
q written permission TO dig in the Ram
Bagh for treasure. His advice to me
was to keep all | found and say moth
Ing about it; therefore, we shall know
how TO act in this respect.
Now, Nicer Alec, as you have behay-
ed so handsomely toward me, | wish
TO treat you equally well. We will go
Into partnership in the undertaking;
will find all the money requisite to hire
labor to clear away the wild growth of
| the place and dig up the ground, and
we will share equally of the profits of
this?"
Sure, the sahib Is much too gener-
! GUS" replied he.
at must be our business to keep as
quiet as we possibly can over the mat
| ter. Once we let it get wind that we
are seeking for treasure people will
come flocking about US, and it may end
in the government laying claim to
whatever we discover, since the land
is crown property. Where are we to
get, say, half a dozen good, trusty fel.
lows, who may be relied upon to keep
their own counselT
"lf the sahib will leave it to me, I
will undertake by tomorrow TO find
six such men, who will eat of my chu-
pattees, and swear to secrecy"
Directly after breakfast | set out for
the Ram-Bagh. clad in a suit of khar-
kce and knee boots, useful costume
in hot climate.
In due course the haif-dozen natives
my servant had hired arrived. They
were stout, likely-looking fellows, and
came we'll armed with shovels and
pickaXes.
We set to work in real earnest, and
by the hour of noon, when | called n
halt to rest, the coolies had cleared
away broad space of land extending
the whole width of the bagh. The
number of snakes chiefly cobras. which
lay hidden in the tall grass was in
credible.
The shape of the Ram-Bagh was
yearly square, and my idea was to
start by digging Il trench about -four
feet deep close UP against the wall
whence we began cutting down the
growth aud work our way from this
turning up the soil till we had covered
the whole length of the garden.
Nicer Alec, who was himself the most
enthusiastic among the workers, turn
ed the coolies to afrcsh after short
interval and they labored on with but
little pause until sundown. All was
now in readiness to begin digging
and | am free to confess it was with no
small degree of anticipation that, on
the following morning, / set the ma.
tives TO work upon the trench | have
already spoken of.
The coolies toiled on for several
hours without lighting upon anything
more than some fragments of broken
pottery; then we came to cur first
find.
This was neither money nor iewclry
but an elephant. The animal lay up.