The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-09-14

held on reserve DUTY.
We are prepared for any kind of an
said Chief O'Neil-
more" the old man said. I've been
mining forty years in this country I've
made some good strikes in rock that
didn [ ought to have any gold in II.
and I've been badly bent by prospects
that We're so burned pretty that 1 hate
to let go even when L knew the stuff
wasn't in EN-. Fact is. young man,
gold grows Just wherever you find it,
When YOU strike that place don't say
it's against nature and go away, but
just harvest the stun right there. Cecil
ogy's all right, reckon, but we amt
looking 1Or IL as hard out here as we
are for the yellow. Take that without
regard to geology. even if you fad it
growing on trees"
asked the conductor who the Ole
man was. That's Tommy Cruse,' h,
said. THE fellow who made a eOupl,
of million or so out the Drum Lum
mon"
I'm not conceited. but I think I know
a good thing when 1 see it This one
was so patent that it stared me in the
face. Tommy Cruise had spent forty
years of his life in discovering a fact
that superior intelligence had revealed
to me in a fash. / looked Tommy over
and felt rather sorry for him. If only
he had started out as I was starting.
his forty years of wasted energy might
have been forty years of prosperity.
AS have said, I didn't waste much
time in Helena. l rustled around and
bought a good looking CayuSe for 81, 8
burro for SIS, some picks, a shovel,
I-tent and a camping outfit These
things were loaded on to the burrO
and roped there for me by the man
who owns the corral where I bought
the horse and burrO. Then I took the
trail that leads over the mountains
from II ena to Butte, determined to
make camp at the first likely SPOT
encountered and go to work.
Twenty miles from Helena I met a
prospector, who advised me to go round
by way of Jack creek. A couple of
SWedes had struck it rich over in there,
he said. and it was promising locality.
Going down from the divide into Jack
creek the flank cinch on my saddle an
noyed the cayuse. I'm not much of a
rider, and so 1 failed to discover It until
1t had irritated him beyond endurance.
A bucking horse should not be admit
ted to the cOmpanionship Of a respect
able prospectOr. When I recovered con-
seriousness the cayuse was out of sight.
but the burro was grazing peacefully
beside me. 1 was sorry to lose the sad
die, but I conceived a sudden and vio-
lent dislike to the horse. and If ever
had seen him again 1 fear 1 should
have 800 Uuki7d TO him.
maze q start at mining.
The 1000 ana went down the creek
to water and there made camp. 1t was
rather lonesome, and mosquitoes were
so plentiful that I did not sleep much.
I'm rather superstitious, too, and it
struck me after a time that the cayuse
had deposited me (with unnecessary
violence, to be sure in mass of rock
that it might be worth my while to in
VeSuSate. ! couldn't be sure that Fate
had not purpOsely landed me there. and
that my bruises were not necessary to
make me keep the place in mind
Next morning 1 went back to that
/ spot and made an examination. Sure
enough il was an OutcrOpping of quartz
/ "a sort of cOnglomerate of pOTphyry
silica and deCompOsed granite. 1t did
not look to be of much value, but as it
I didn't have to, according to my theory,
/ started in on il with pick and shovel.
/ When l knocked off for lunch I was so
| tired I hardly could walk, but as
4 knew my time was limited I crawled
back to the mine in the afternoon
/ and resumed work.
Along about T o'clock I CHANGED to
/ look up and saw a man sitting on the
/ sidehilI watching me. I feared that
I he might be looking for a chance to
/ Jump the claim. so I called him down
/ TO me for parley.
Whatever doin'2' was his first ques-
! ton, as ne sQUatted on the edge of the
( hole I had made
! Mining" 1 said briefly.
/ "Pshawl So you are" said he.
/ Living round here2' asked.
Just over the hill, on Jack" he re-
piled.
Mining"
NO. Just potterin' round. Prospect
| in a little now and then
ANY claim jumper round here2
Hain't seen any. Haven't laid out a
claim, have you"
mo. 1 haven't measured it off yet.
Waiting to see If it's worth while
] Good country here, they tell me-"
"YeSSir. COuntry'S burned sight
better than them that's in it."
This sounded a trife ambiguous. but
I asked him to come on down to camp
and have a bite to eat He didn't have
time, he said, but he'd drop around
from time to time and see how 1 was
getting along. Then he went on over
the hill and I went back to camp and
. the mosquitoes.
Next day I decided to measure of
and stake my claim, and SO I stepped
of 800 feet in one direction and 600 in
the other. and put up posts at each cor
ner of the paralleIOgram- also wrote
out my location notice and tackled II
against a tree that stood conveniently
near TO the discovery hole Then /
breathed easier. That made the claim
mine according to law. All had TO
do was to file q record of the claim
with the clerk of the county II re-
spect TO the manner of its discovery ]
named the mine the Get on Here
That afternoon I turned up piece
of rotten quartz that was speCked with
free gold. There was no mistaking the
value of the rock It was rich. Usual
" I am self-contained, but that piece
Of quartz was too much for my nerves
1 lust Jumped up and down and shout
ed. Then I heard some one else shout
in reply, and my acquaintance OF tbs
day before stroned leisurely down tbs
hill.
STRUCK it2" he asked It occurred
to me that he was trying to appear IN
concerned. and 1 pulled myself together
and initiated him
Yes. I've turned up some pretty
nice rock I said, and 1 showed it ?,
him. l expected to see him go 10 il
the air as I had done. but instead h
squatted comfortably on the edge of tn
discovery, held the rock TO his mouth
blew upon it. rubbed it upon his sleeve
spat upon 1t, tasted il, and finally go
out his knife and Whitfield at a pinhea,
of gold. Then he handed il back to me
That's good stuff, he said.
Think it'll run a hundred to tn
TOM" 7 asked.
"Better'n that" he replied. It'll e
eight hundred.
Then he proceeded to give me som
advice No need to go any deerer, h
said. What I ought 10 do was 30 un