, 1896-04-21
THE GOLDEN HAND.

I'm determined to make a trial for it. >
"You're counting too much on the
word Of an Indian. Old Zapetl is a noted
liar-like all these Spanish speaking
a~borigines."
"Ah, Jack. You do him injustice.
Hos a deeper liar than you gave him
credit for. Don't you remember that bs
told us of tho legend in his tribe that
there was a treasure hidden by the N
Gent keeper of the mint ON the first
news Of the coming Of the Spaniards to
Central Americai Oh, yes. You re-
member that Of course. But don't you
remember that he afterward trotted ont
that ridiculous yarn about the mysteri-
GUS golden hand that guarded the hid
ing place and struck down the veuturs-
ON seeker for the wealth? It's ridden
lous to believe that the ancients had
enough mechanical knowledge to con
ttive a machine that could prevent ono
from getting ut the gold. Ten to one its
out of order anyway. Old Zapetl simply
invented the wives tale Of the golden
hand because he didn'. want to go Oh
the trip thut might mean death or pri-
walton. I'm resolved to go if l have to
start without you"
This was q long speech for my old
comrade, Tom French. We we're in the
interior Of Central America when the
foregoing conversation took place. 1t
was the end Of many a long debate we
had had OIL the subject of a search for a
treasure. From love of adventure l had
left a comfortable home in the states.
Tom French and / had met As rustlers
ON the cattle ranch in Montana and we
became firm friends. When the dearth
struck the cattle ranch business, we
took II herd across the country south Of
Texas, where they could feed Oh the
deep alfalfa. Then we drifted into Mex
leo and into the employ of a railroad
company in the capacity of surveyors.
Fer want of capital the company sus-
pended operations, and Tom and l found
ourselves stranded in the City Of Mex
leo. We had saved some money, and
when there came a proposition to Join
some pioneers who thought they saw n
fortune in building up q coffee planta-
tion in the UNEMPLOYED lands far to the
south in the state of Chiapas VI accept
ed the offer.
Life was pleasant in Mexico, though.
and l would have willingly remained,
but Tom was eager, as always. TO grasp
the first opportunity that seemed to pre-
sent itself for new adventures. Tom had
but one object in life-to make O for.
tune quickly. Poor fellow, he had u
heavy heart most Of the time. He was
in love, in love with a heartless coquette,
60 far as l could learn, and had been re-
jected. She could never have been worthy
Of him, yet he blindly believed that the
girl would marry him if he could lay a
fortune at her feet. As I remember his
buoyancy and courage in the face of OBJ
stacles that would have discouraged 9th
srs my sympathy brings tears to my
eyes; but this is anticipating my story.
To reach the highlands from the east
ern coast it had required two weeks
hard toiling mp the hills, cut BY clefts
and gullies und traversed by mountain
streams. We had cleared away n tract
and set out coffee plants, with the aid
Of the good natured. lazy Indians, and
Tom revived again the legend Of the
treasure farther mp in the mountain fast
ness Us he had heard it from one and an
other Of the Indians in their soft accents
in broken Spanish and Indian. The leg.
end was briefly that deep in the center
Of a crater Of q worn out volcano the
a, lent Indians OF that country had ex-
cavated a vault where they had piled up
countless bars of virgin gold. There was
above this planted u bowlder, the only
indication Of tho hiding place. The Pc
culiarity Of the crater was that it was
four square, half . mile each way, and
from the summit to the floor a distance
Of 500 feet. To reach the floor there was
q hidden path, and this was guarded by
q mysterious golden hand. Tradition,
the Indians said, made it possible to 10.
cate the mountain in only one way.
That was by climbing the peaks in the
barren region far above us to the south
eastward until one should be found from
whose lofty crest there were three otEer
peaks forming a straight line. In the
central mountain was the treasure.
Few burdens could be CARRIED with "a
III tN6t Aikus LulO ATMOSPHERE anu VIC
were SOON on our way with old Zapetl
shaking his head. as il in prediction Of
djesster. Hardened as we were by our
ont Ct door life, the strain was terrible.
We lost our way repeatedly and found
ourselves confronted by vast crevices in
our pathway up the mountain side.
Wide detours. costing us half o day and
sometimes . day Of valuable time, were
psrforce made, only to find ourselves at
the top Of a preoipice that barred GU
progress. We had with iufinite trouble
climbed two lofty mountains only to
find ourselves at the summit ont Of
range of the mountain tops, as demand
ed by the legend, when ! finally refused
to 60 farther. It was suicidal. Halt our
provisions and water were gone. Brt
Tom pleaded for one more chance. "Do
you zee that long rangeT' he cried.
Its in % Of those. Let's make ons
nore attempt In mistaken pity for
him ! yielded.
AZ 10 reached the summit, beholdi
Ihe1e wece three mountain peak1 in .
row. Ton sprans forward and inter M
Obs struggle We were at thS top Of the
conksal mountain. A. We approached
III TOP Il could BE- seen that there bad
besaa vojcanic actioa in Ags pagt. u.
wsss rolling in evsey direc-
don, On ~ look cut for some supsuna-
fafal phencsnencn. 6uddenly bprsting
Gsro94h dense frtnge u bushes y fouud
I~oaeuSSves q the veg edSe q vast
a6aAek - With ceunWpu lmpalMo N