The San Francisco call., 1897-08-14
moving thing in my hand and held it to

my eyes.
"It was fine shot gold-virgin gold. |
mad intercepted stream OF pure goia
running out from the bowels of the earth
1000 feet and then disappearing from
view at the bottom Of the crater.
Il was astonished! l was daZed! L
was-but pshaw! l have never yet found
The words that would express the smallest
part OF my amazement, my more than
delght, my almost superstitlous dread,
at this wonderful discovery.
But didn't hesitate long. / pulled
OH my socks, placed one carefully inside
the other. and held this hastily arranged
bag under the glowing golden stream. 1t
was hiied in an instant. and then L took
the hem from the bottom of my overalls
10 tie 1t securely. placed my bandanna
handkerchief in the crown OF my SOM
6rero and filled it with the precious stuff.
Inc hatband was strong enough, when
torn OH, to bind this package. Then L
filled my pockets from the living yellow
stream.
Laden in this way it took me several
hours TO crawl back to the sum nit.
Another hour or two saw the product OF the
crater serpent safely cached on the west
ern side OF the mountains. Then | went
back to camp and tried 10 imagine my
self nothing more than poor, lost pros
pector, but at night dreamed OF golden
visions.
We'll, | stayed on at the rancheria for
couple of days to disarm suspicion, and
then early one morning set out Tor Guay-
mas. 1t was long journey, heavily laden
as l was with treasure. l Travelled only
at night to avoid the brigands and at last
L reached Guaymas in safety. There i
sold enough of my treasure TO pay Tor a
passage to Mazatlan. AT MaZatlan L sold
more of the dust to pay my expenses
across Mexico to Galv ston. where TOOK
the first steamer | CO lid get to New YORK.
AT the metropolis, where l converted
the remainder of the gold into bank &C
count, l found that, deducting certain
percentage for loss in handling and pack
ing the dust, must have lugged OIL about
100 pounds OF it. Anyway, | cleaneusup
100000. and in those days that was for
tune. l thought [ was rich Tor all time.
and started IN to have good time and
see the sights.
"Oh, no; that's not the end of the story.
Yes, 1T Is true that we are now gong down
into Sonora to relocate that living stream
of virgin metal, and this will make my
third sight of it. | will tell you very
briefly about the second time:
You see it costs money to see things
and be good fellow in New York Cily. L
took run across to London, Paris, Rome,
Venice, Monte Carlo-but that was ex-
pensive. too, and / didn't like those places
as we'll as di1 New York. nor New York
as we'll as did the plains, the desert and
the mountains.
II was nearing the end of my pile and
painting for the old frontier life again,
when l ran across Pete Kitchen in New
York. He was the first man l took into
my confidence. You have heard OF Pete
Kitchen. the old-time plains teamster?
"'We'll organize comr rany, stock it
for couple of hundred thousand, get
ship and 60 down there and bring back
thousand millions of it, said Pete, when |
true.
I'VE did organize a company, and put
$50, ,000 cash into it-about all had lett.
On the 17th OF July, 1876, the old whaling
bark Narraganset sailed out OF San Fran
cisco harbor with crew OF fourteen men
all told. bound for the pearl fisheries in
the Gulf of California. You can lind the
entry on the books at the Custom house.
We cleared for Guaymas, where we were
to take on the pearl divers.
'Of course, Guaymas harbor never sa W
the Narraeanset, unless she had been
there previously. We kept ont in the
gulf until opposite where | reckoned the
crater with its stream of living gold to be;
then at low tide we beached her.
without much difficulty | led the way
over the summit to the crater. For three
worked manfuIly at the difficult task of
loading. We carried the stuff out of the
crater in small leather sacks that held
about twenty-five pounds each. We had
thousands of these sacks made expressly
for the purpose, and we filled every one
of them before we thought OF leaving.
And then, before We did leave, we filled
every possible cask or keg or box on board.
We were loaded to the gunwales when we
finally turned her prov southwark and
sailed carefully to the mouth of the gulf.
We were loaded too heavily, in fact-that's
always been my opinion, though L m
poor seaman at best-for the gale that
struck us off San Lucas drove US onto the
rocks. Not man but myself was saved,
for the small boats were swamped by the
maelstrom that ragged as the Narraganset
keeled over and went down on her side.
l clung 10 spar and on the following day
was picked off, nearly unconscious by
some native fishermen and taken to San
Lucas.
Now, if any man knows of a greater
lost mine than the one l know of, | am
willing to place him at the head of this
expedition 1 am ou fitting and have him
lead the way" said Mr.. Court, and then
he added, 1--WE are going overland this
trip. No more sea voy ages for me-