Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-08-06
1890
me to go for walk with him outside


the village.
II saw there was something In the
wind, so | said Yes. and when we
had got clear away from the huts and
out OF earshot, he took hold OF me by
the arm and said;
! Martin, have you ever heard that
story about race OF white people up
IN the mountains yonder to the east
ward2'
/ YES I said, I've heard II, and l
{ believe once read book about them.
but never took much account OF II
I except as Il travellers yarn. Why?'
I Well he said, lowering his Voice
I a BIT. ITS fact. and that boy and girl
that came down with the last batch
belonged TO them, and I've been getting
all the particulars out OF them
Ana do you believe them capsoinr
/ osFed, with just a bit OF II lauah.
Believer Yes he said. 4 do. DO
you believe thnt2'
He opened his other hand. and
showed Inc nugget u virgin gold
that might have weighed about an
ounce and a half. ANA do YOU know
what that means2' he went On. IL
means that they know OF gold mines
different 70 any that tho Arabs or
niggers about here know OF, Ter all
their sold Is dust, washed out OF river
beds--seeY
That's So. said. There is no
doubt about that, Did you get that
4 from tlemE
Yes, he said. The girl gave 1t to
me as sort OF earnest penny. ON n
bargain that rye been making with
tnem. How she managed to hide Il
an the way down ! don't know, but
there II IL, and they've promised TO get
me as much OF that aH ! can take away
with me az ransom II IN release
them. and let them guide me back to
thelr own country. Now, Martin. they
might be valuable ns slaves II we got
them safely over but they wouldn't
be worth gold mine, would theyY
No. l said, they wouldn't, always
SupposinE You got the gold mine for
them. For. TO tell YOU the truth, 1
thought IL was Il bit Of wildcat
scheme, and little better than foolish-
ness TO take such biz story on trust
from boy and girl like that, even max
ms AZ allowance for the Nugget, tut
captain Pctes heart was set on IL nj
ready and saw that he meant going.
Don't you See he said, when Ia
told him what thought OF the plan,
That there isn't any more risk In il
than there is In our trader We've
been lucky so Far, but it's always the
hundrcdth time that You come To- grief
and It's lust as likely MS not that ono
OF those iniernal CruiRera might drup
. on us ON my very last passage, and
then how should I look with all my
hard-enrnod little pile In the bank nd
be tried foe slavery. and, Ierhaps,
something worse2
Now, this game. YOU Soc has no
harm In IL, and II II turns out right IL
means fortune not only for me, but
for you, too. " You'll come along Win
mo ms want you 10 do. Wen get
huli Il dozen men out OF the schooner
arm them well, and NJ out a .egular
expedition wilkins shalt give me nm
order on his people for the value OF
the ship and cargo, and IN send II by "a
respectable trader from Lagos To my
bank In Port Royal and tell them 10
draw the money Then everything will
be safe until we come back Now,
what 80 you say
II thought about II for n bit. and
then decided TO 20, | hndn't my pile
TO trouble about, for / had spent my
shares as fast as had drawn thpm-
"A bit faster sometimes and, besides
that. | was bit sick OF shaving, and,
like most young chaps Of my age-for
/ was only twenty five when this hnb-
pcncd--I wasn't at all aVtrae TO a bit
of an adventure, so I said
Well Captain, | don't say that /
have the Same hopes ut the Job ns YOU
have. but u yuu'll give me the money
that should be coming TO me this Vuy-
age and pay FOR the hitting out of the
! trip. ana give me u fair share Of the
plunder--if you get tim your man.
and III start when you like
"'Goudr he said; then that's fxed.
| needn't tell you to keep your mouth
! close shut on It, and now IN 80 straight
= and settle things up as we'll as / can
7 with wilkins. and get Wilson to take
E your place and see about the men, and
! then tomorrow III drop down to La
! COS In the cnnstlng schooner and get
70 ! what's wanted while you Rtop hpro
4 | and girl. III be back IN under the
, week, and then We can make a fair
T. start
II agreed, and not to make TOO long
i a story or H. Captain Pete managed Ia
. get everything arranged as he wanted
= II. wilkins loaded up the Splndrift
4 with ms pretty cargo M ever you
8 saw, and took err out Of the river
and hats the last that ever was seen
:, or heard Of her. Whether she would
e have got on better with Captain Pete
r don't pretend to gay. Maybe not; may.
y be 1t was lust his lack that got him
:, out OF her In lime, though no one can
t say that his luck turned out very roslly
. AFTER ALL
y I'VE made our start about eight days
q later, well found and fitted In every
/ way, ten Of Us all told. including the
,, boy and girl, and took with us a train
c Of six mules and twenty negro drivers
and bearers, for Captain Pete had fair
@ ~ set his henrt on the Job now, and
/ was determined TO do the thing prop
3. erly.
e AT first the men knew nothing eN-
= cept that they were 90 have double pay
j. until they gdt back to the coast. But
i when we had been travelling up-cOuntry
5. for a week the Captain told ihem-thC
L white men Of course, not the nlggers-
y that he was going gold-seekinE On in.
n formation that he had picked up and
n thought trustworthy, Then he showed
n them the nugget and told them the
e story OF the boy ana girl, and let Il
d simmer In their minds for bit.
Q day or two later he said something else
z to them that / didn't hear at the time
but 1t came out later, as you'll see, and
d the result was that the men pushed or
o contented and eager to get there. and
d as the road wasn't bad, considering this
d country. we got over the ground pretty
10 fast.
Is ut would take me too long 10 tell ali
Il about the journey, for we Travelled
e eastward across the Kwara river and
through the Adamawa country. and
= then into the unknown wilds beyond
e trendinR a bit more southwark, for -four
q months. during which we must have
n covered something like fifteen hundred
d miles of all sorts Of country. from
e swamps and forests 20 meadow lands
e and mountains. that only wanted get.
: ting to and cultivating to make II para
II disc OF them,
{, "The further we went the more 1 got
l..lI = a. 100 aaFa