The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-06-15
for supper. In their hurry to get out of

prison tnen Tue Ilen udu not SloppSu
since morning. They were tired and hun
CRY. Not far away n mountain stream
flowed swiftly down the hillside and
Sullivan after supper was trying to
catch fish. O'Rourke was lying by
the fire smoking his pipe and wonder
ing how man could be so foolish as to
try to catch the wariest of all the finny
tribe when he had only piece of Irvine
and a grasshopper for bait. Out Of the
recesses of one of his waistcoat pockets
Sullivan had extracted n tishhook
which had been there so long he could
not remember where he got it.
O'Rourke was watching the mule
and wishing he had the same stoical
temperament. He felt as though he
would give an arm for a piece of the
hoecake and bacon they were having
back in old Missouri that night. He
could see the luscious Concord grapes
on the arbor of that cabin porch. He re-
membered the big juicy yellow peaches
and wondered if the first husking bee
had been held yet Right before his eyex
was the mule, and his thoughts revert
ed to him at intervals. He fell to wish
ing most emphatically that he had been
born mule and had not been bought
by fool man who had not sense enough
to stay where there was plenty to eat.
Something of this sort must also have
been passing through the mules retlec-
tons, for he paved the ground in dis
contented way that only aggravated
O'Rourke's discomfort. O'Rourke threw
a stone at him and accompanied the ac-
ton with an exclamation that made
Sullivan demonstrates:
Don't swear or I'll never catch fish"
The mule kept on paving and
O'Rourke, incensed, went to where he
was displacing the rock and earth.
The first piece of rock he picked up was
heavy and it glttered in the twilight.
He ran for his pick and in few min
utes had uncovered ledge that showed
silver and galena so plainly that even
tenderfoot could not help knowing he
had found something that was valuable.
Suddenly shout from Sullivan was
heard. He had hooked four-pound
salmon trout and was calling to
O'Rourke to stir up the fire and put on
the skillet. O'Rourke paid no attention,
and Sullivan, as he came running to the
camp fire, Numbered out: where the
devil are you? Don't you hear what l
say?" Then he saw O'Rourke, and ran
over to him, holding up the fish by the
gills. In answer to his excited descrip-
ton of how he caught the fish o'Rourke
handed him a piece of rock. Sullivan
had prospected for years. The instant
he took the rock in his hand he let the
trout fall on the ground. Then seeing
the hole O'Rourke had dug, Sullivan
dropped on his knees and looked into
it. He tugged at the jagged edges of
the rock with his finger nails until the
blood started from them, but he did not
feel the pain. By this time it was get
ting dark, and O'Rourke came with a
torch from the campfire. He stepped on
the fish as he came and then gave it a
kick which knocked it some distance
away.
"We've struck it at last" said Sui
Ivan.
1t was midnight before the two men
could think of anything else than their
discovery. There was no more grass to
be had and the mule stood idly by
watching his masters work. Suddenly
O'Rourke seemed to remember that the
mule had first attracted him to the
spot. Then and there the men took an
oath that if the mine turned out what
it seemed to be the mule should never
have to work any more. Then they
hunted up their trout and had the most
enjoyable supper they had ever ate be-
fore or after.
1t was only GO miles to Spokane Falls,
now Spokane and after they staked
their claim Sullivan stayed to guard it,
while ORourke went to Spokane for
provisions and to raise money on the
mine. A few pounds of samples were
packed on the mules back and in less
than a week O'Rourke returned with
plenty to eat and men who represented
money to look at the mine. Sullivan
had been living on fish and deer he
had killed. The two prospectors re-
ceived $150,000 apiece for their claim,
which has been sold since for three
times that amount.
Down in the Potlach country O'Rourke
purchased a ranch. He took the mule
down there and hired man to look
after his wants. The man received a
salary for seeing that the mule was cur
ried, fed and pastured. The man was
made to realize that it was a seriou.
matter, and that any neglect of the
mule would stop his pay. Thus it came
about that the little scrawny animal
got to be fat and sleek and impudent.
He lived TO be IS years old, dying only a
year and half ago.
O'Rourke when he returned to his
Missouri home found everything just
as he had left it, only his father was a
little deeper in debt and the mortgage
was a little nearer due. The neighbors
said it was such pity, because all OF
his family were such hard workers;
that is all except the one that had
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