The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-05-26

4 DOUBLE SHOT.
500 .1>4a.%S%a$@e4%e%>.%..%>9(

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hia tob. low he had dragged his little.
squab form, with It's hanging arms up
into the hills 90 try mining. He applied
80 the first camp hs cnmn TO. King, the
foreman, gave him job.
Early tho next morning he and another
man walked down the gulch through the
sarvis bu.hcs for hulf mile, turned
abruptly to the right climbed the uneven
length Of ? aigzag trail, and ut last hhltcd
within 100 feat of the top. 1h" old hmnd
went Over to u rough lean TO OF small trees
covering a rude forge from beneath which
no drew several steel drills OF various
lengths and II sledgs hammer, which lie
carried to gear in tho face OF huge out
cropping rock After dumping these he
returned and got can Of water and a
long shaped implement of iron. The
two men then set to work.
McCann held firmly while the other
struck After each blow ho would half
turn the drill! when n dozen strokes had
been given. he poured little water In Sho
hole and thrust the drill through IA bic OF
sacking to keep il from spiashin8. Tho
other MN jammed his hat down closely
over bis forehead and struck ilerccly. alter
natcly breathing in and gruntinS i'll
rnyth,nical succession. When tho hole
became clogRed with fine, gray mrd, Me
Cam carefully spcOn"i 1t out with the I
xhsped instrument, wipins ths latter each
tina on Ills tnOuEsfs. While no did this
his cnInpaniaa leaH,~i On his sisdGe or
threw shHnAS Of TSck. with wonderful &C
ehracy. 81 aha sIt!i-rsls that rsn consiD-
81 ND
tHs hUio grew ,iscpsr longer drills were
used unl!i ~ laFs .ho longest OF all lofs
barely enough 4hovo tho surfRee OF she
rock GO afford y hand hold. With TINT tho
Iaisisr expressed himself satisfied. lis then
brought three cylindrical Packages wrap
ped In greasy paper.
Whats thrTa?" Mccain inquired.
Tho miner eruntcd ContcmpJmuusly.
'Hcrculcs; powder, ho replied. lie pro-
kounc.d the rropHr name in Two S!ilahles.
With "a Sn,4rp knife no cut these into
lyNItha o. about three inches each and
dropped them one by one into the hol" In
the rock lie then rammed them home
With hickory ramrod, Just rs all old
miners Will insist on doing Because Of
this q largo percentage nf old miners have
10 fore and middle fingers on their righe
hands The last piece lie split, inserted
in the crack Is bit Of fuse. on the end of
which was copper cap, dropped Is in and
then carefully chLnkrd In with the wet
grit which lad becn Fpooned out of tbs
hoIo.
:Mosey FOR cover, Irish." Ike said ard
touched II off
From behind his trcc Mccain 6aw tho
suffering fuse disappear. The next in
slant the rock seemed to bulge. splitting
in radiation ;r8 1t did 50, and thon the
Einokn halchsi forth ia = canopy, filed
with fragments & quarts. Following the
miner, hu fGard a Jagged opening IL tho
rock Ti.en they sharpenoti thoir dri!is .t
sic forG" ard rr3s 81 il again. By night
they had fred tyYu rncce blasts and hnd
inadr q start toward u shaft Afser She
, thiYd, Boz tte miner cid. Slancihg iis The
wcss
'ThatD! DO. Irish
They cached the tools. aauEbs up the
water bucSss aiit: swung rapidly down the
trail. BOB Was ahead. slOhrhInR ..ang
with She nc.intatnecre pscniisr gsit.
which gems 10 lazy, ard yat which gets
over TIRE ground 80 in:-s In -cry few
moments he reached the 9nlch below.
Aftor a short climb tbs men reached thc
camp on Il hnoll overlooking two conflu-
ent Gulches There waA the superintond
ent'n Office, the Sok hoNsa, sha bunk
houEc, the blseksinish'O shop, she s.abiea
and the cnrFal--all Of logs. SappsE vzs
served 70 sIndown. Tho men fled III,
took of their coats end Sas down r!*hout
a word. As each one finished eating he
arose, put on his coat again and sauntcrod
outside, filling his pipe Us he went Yin
ally the whole gang Yves gathered nc the
clubhouse, smoking, telling lHconic
stories or playing cribbnRe-ths great
American game in che mountains
Az the last conner, Pat was sold to water
the horses Hs went bodily into the oOY-
ral with a rope and was kichcd aes. The
boys sSraiShtcncd him ous and, after he
had resSined his bfenth, saTs two Of the
horses halter1 into his hands Except In
rho main canyons H tina Black Hills there
is no surface water, the creeks all running
down along the bedrock. As a conss-
Guenco wells are necessary even III she up
par hills Pas first let horse set loose,
then no Lost the bucket down the wsll.
then he fell in himself in trying to fish 1t
out Tho boys fished him out with some
interest 80 Inanifostly inadequate an In
dividual IL had net boen their fortune to
meet before, and shoy looked on him AZ
curiosity. On the spot shcy adopted Pat
Mccain, much as they would have adopt
sd a stray kitten or puppy, and doubtless
in somewhat the snme amused, tolerant
state OF mind. The next morning Bob
and Pnt cleared away the debris of the
three BLASTS, wronchins of ths broken,
EdherinE bits With \ pick and shoveiinE
shem oIs. King Cams up with AN AZ gang
and built rough, square brcssbwork OF
logs down tha hill b. catch the qua2ta as
In bin. They also squared n number Of
climbers and tonsHed the ends. These
were 90 ti.r,ber she shaft.
All this intsrssted the Ntsle Irishmnn
r1s recovered nrs SPIRITS ana MS o4a wuria
bl.Yney cnise back 10 him. Tbs clear,
fresh air Of the hills, ehe sbundaat feod,
the hard WORK. the sound slsap. tho rcsc
ton against the taclturIity of the men
and the calm grandeur of the mountains
filed him with animal spirits. he imag-
med he had found his vocation at last.
He wanted ia do everything In time he
learned 10 strik2 with the slGdge. although
it was only after long practice or Il stake
that h. could induce any on" to hold
for him lie sh;,rpencd drills-aftcr n
fashion; no even helped in the timbcring
up. The only thing lacking WAS the
sh00ting' nj tho charges. He had al
ambition 60 touch tho thing of. This
King roughly forbade.
THAT fly away fool " risk his neck
that way?" he said. II gI,sS not Hs
don't know enough now 90 make Ills head
ache Whan want wild Irishman 800
dead TO skin. III let you know l don't
want that man 10 hayC tho 1lrss thing to
do with the powder. Understand that"
What King said went In that panlp Be-
-, ,l,, l. l.. d., 81
right Pat was the unlrckicst man alive
AID the mOso awkward. IIo was sure to
lie in any trurGhle thcro was abGut-in
fact, as Jack Williams said, he wsS y sort
If lightning rUd ior The whole camp In
the way " trouble. i.roly chs was
sure Of exemption Il there WAS only one
mans share Of difficulty dealt out. SO
McCann pleaded ia vain.
This went to his hears. ic would have
given his blackuhorn shillalah from Dub
lin 70 have been looked upon as full
fledgrd miner. He ussd ~ put on all the
airs of one in STCatwatar when he went
down there onco a week swnggcring
about In copper rivetcd jeans, with his hat
on one side, conversinR leGrnedly though
vaguely on "hlowouts," horses, - foot
walls" and other technicalities, hauling
out Of his pockets yui!nw itccked bits OF
quarta-in short. putting on dog to an
nl!a:,iGg extent But i.5 he turnot. pass
the stamp mill OF The Gtcat snake and be- |
gan to scaIo the hcaithgcIliug trail that
led to the top of thu ridge his crest began
to fall As nc followed the marrow, level |
summit for the three miles OF its length, |
Standing, as ii were, III tho very blu"ncss
Of tbs air, his spirits Began to cvaporate. |
When he tGU!; TIE shorter and gentlcr A. |