The San Francisco call., 1905-04-02

ness. The stream made a 'U' about
three quarters of a mile long, the bot
tom prong being at least a hundred
and fifty feet below the water level on
the top one-a smashing good fall-so
Aggy started in on the down side to
bore the hole UP.
We'll, everything went lovely. He'd
come around with his plans and speci-
hcations twice a day and draw his
hundred once a week regular for his
great labors. At last, however. the
shift-boss said they must be getting
pretty near water; he could hear it
roar through the face of the tunnel, he
said But Aggy told him not to be
alarmed; he had it all worked out. and
they weren't within forty foot of
breaking through.
so at it they went again, as cheer
full as could be, and the next news they
got down comes the faceI and they
were being piped through four hun
dred foot Of black. dark tunnel, trying
to guess what was up, humping and
banging against the walls and the
whole of Castle Creek on top of them.
My Cinnamon weren't a circum-
stance. Aggy said they boiled out of
the lower end of the tunnel. where he
was standing, so fast he couldn't
recognize them, and. as a matter of
fact, three or four Of em were washed
mile down the creek before they
could make land
Aggy gathered that 1t was time to
move again, so he pulled back for Ida
no. There wasn't anybody really
drowned, except old Tom Olley, cou-
sin-Jack, whose only amusement In life
was TO wear out his pants laying low
for cinches In the stud-poker game,
and you couldn't rightly say he was
any loss to the community. So Aggy
used to regret sometimes that he
hadn't stayed to face the music. They
might have played horse with him for
a while, but 'twould soon have blown
over-miners not being revengeful by
nature-and he was to have had an
eighth interest. besides his salary, IL
the thing was a success.
But there was no good of crying
over split milk, and us two went pros
peoting.
We located for q permanent stand
down on Frenchman's Creek, near
where three of Cap Alys' greaser
sheepherders had their camp They
did our hunting for US, and as there
was nobody but them around. and they
were the peacefulest people In the
world. we didn't feel the need Of any /,
gun except Ag's old six-shocter. That
was the cussedest machine that ever
got invented By man.
When you pulled her of she'd spit
IRE IN all directions. filling the crotch
Of your hand with powder burns, and
sometimes two or three of the loads
would 90 OF at once, when she'd kick J
like q Texas steer. There was much
talk OF bear around, and we were al
ways going to buy a real gun some
day, but we never got at It.
We'll. we prcspered pretty well, con-
sidering how little we worked. A large :
part of the time was taken up with }
playing monte with the herders, and
still more in arguing questions about
religion and things like that; but we
had a decent cabin built-with the kind
assistance of the herdersAand as we
struck q rich little streak that run out 7
SO per man q day with no trouble at }
all we were in clover.
"At last our stock Of grub ran low,
and Jones slid UP to Salmon City to
load UP again. It was quite trip, and {
as didn't think 1t was square to work I
while Aggy was away, took up with }
the herders. They were the decentest
folk ever struck Play little music \
on the guitar, sing songs that always {
wound up just where white mans {
songs would begin, and tell stories and
xvco h1 1ox Y
for them. Old Cap Allys was Chris
tian, and he wouldn't let q man herd
sheep all by himself-surest way to get {
crazy that ever was invented-so he I
sent the boys out three IN a bunch.