Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1898-12-07

scarce and gold scarcer! Such Is tn
lot of the Australian gold miner
True, there are exceptions, when gcl
can be picked up for the trouble G
stopping and food and water freel
purchased OF reasonable prices. But
being exceptions, these cases only 6
to prove the rule. And SO there
nothing surprising IN the fact tina
three diggers, with whom we are no7
concerned, found themselves on th
very edge Of the Great Victorian des
ert in West Australia with pocket
none too full and themselves ofte
empty. They toiled patiently oil
against persistent ill-luck, hoping tha
each day might bring the turning
point in the tide of their affairs who.
would lead to fortune.
An Engishman, boyishly hopeful
an Irishman, humorously Respondent
aud an Australian with o strong an
tipathy to discuss his ancestors ori
gin-his grandfather had Journeys
from England at the expense of th
goyernment-made up the party
Their camplay at place call a Brook,
in the neighborhood of Mount Weld
To the east the great sandy desert
stretched right away as far as the ey
. could reach in billowy sandhill
clotted with spinifex-lonely, arid, i'm
penetrable. To the north lay 10,
ranges and stony plains, unknown
but seemingly good for gold. Thithe
they daily iourneyed looking for likel..
spots, with variable luck-mostly in
different.
On certain day the Ir;shman, hav
ing wandered farther than his wont
was led by tickle fortune into tn
midst of perfect paradise of reefs
Kindly-looking quartz grid-ironed an
intersected the country for fully
square mile.
j. Pat stood and looking round pulled
thoughtfully at his scrubby beard ant
muttered:
Great Christopher! Here we'v
been toiling to the tune OF thre
or fogrs-Heiai ata.s.s'S. Enoland
.ert of natural Bank oi Ii sfs for th
soIt se,,ffed d full Of gold and ours ZOE -
asking!" ,.Iootinc rock of
dark a ,eilu co5nsr crack with the po, @m
yeale8S ~ his pick. Of few a iragheh1 !sh =
end OF M nus sppamined PAM carefully with u
aid of pocket lens.
ssGood goldP' onortz as ri
phS aS;s V Pat knew that better 6 co. :,
as sHis' ms Cor This would prove 70 .
not ee eaer;, .s. or sgash vein, one
several overaowings OF q ahsr s.oasl alI.
reel saa right. Only few minutes ~ on' N
vas vas r,St aSt him to q thick reef Of gu gu
brougns = nl north and south and cross
running ars ho,sn This was the spare
al sa,ao%ius Ins usA conveniently crum
'ert Pat knocked off cornes' roc
par, Psors picking up the severed r1o y,
before spa p the gold shining in o'
beads. .,o,;a sthat's
.Be me sowl, ne SAW
stone!' ,,,,od off an
lump and broke it in Two, w w;th ah1 par sr
T. was simply permeatea WIZ ~ Pc f.
Of Of gold. This vase was shGun ;u ppw W
Sance VhoSa was here he now iel'
anant sn'n u asIt thing was to secure
h'TSvsr TTwenty.four acres is the the iull IL,
g amen aMe mans claim. This us M ~
OF oned one out out with four small sta 9.
pegse" go mt mt up aud the fact reg
nouce ~, dfSce pSc Of the neighbour
at 1T, the Gncs on case U. OF two claiman
oea' aee who FIRST succeeds in req .ses
TIs I;s title is, ipso facto' IN ptE ~
ms .Se Sls n,iner's rights over u
in question. .to;n Of the
lis find, Patlooked for pegs Sn WI
i,,' ~ mark the ground. he soon ssoa
~ en @ from a dead malga tfee'
1ont ~ NE he rammed into the 6
Whicn ansr n1 distance and pr
wit With the remaining COUPE e%a =
Shoulder. to step out the = =
nards necessary to cover o iu
asIe he walked he whistleo
ta1,r as nv nstted himself on the D
eSs c1ayserest digger in the CO, co
fact. Pat felt at that M m0%ed' Sad
as though he himsell o5a hass
Tas+ g0as = Australia as well; };
Wess ,s nuv 1yav. When gold il
curses his ill-luck, the ne ar1 1o
sun the absence OF water
@ Rnt when his claim IS iici
puS, ncss a week, and he I'M
IN the high way to iortuu
then III suggests that plain q
stun;dness might accoun. !
or that anyone but the if g
Gs o. ,n ,ancc,untable for. the i
fsa;ns cold or its presence
.;nnlar spot where he mas
Here Pat had come ~.
much farther than anyo
aver dreamed OF psne' Pen
one not q man IN ene
@ aver suspected what pa., =,
he told himself, bad .hs We
long-that this was vas, 'mI ao1,
the only claim worth s,s U.s''
ap s Eldorado, miner 5
ii disc. in short, Pats clail 1
I pas: clever Pat, woal
thought n for moment 9,a
cid in this wild osar wilo
man had surely never
Surely no one! e. g.. os
ons. Nv Hall the distal
paced, and Pat gre"
he walked. He saw
ehums esch twice Q
was so sssy.