Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-09-26
CHAPTER XXI.


CHAPTER XXI.
The sun was sloping toward the west,
but there were still two hours of day
light left when the adventures came
upon as strange a spectacle as is often
seen in nature. They had journeyed all
the second day of their quest toward a
mountain, of which one side approached
the perpendicular, and even appeared in
places to overhang The vast wall rose
some fifteen hundred feet in height, and
stretched out of sight with scarce a
break. At the western end of this wall
river bed began abruptly. There was
no mistaking it for anything but what it
was-the bed of a vanished watercourse.
But there, where the stream had flowed,
was little projecting spur of the noun
tain, just big and deep enough to cut off
the stream, and with trees and brush
wood growing upon it. The enormous
loose boulders which strewed the arid
bed of the bygone stream showed clearly
that it must at one time have rushed up
on its course with torrential power and
swiftness, while the slope of the land
and the depth and nearness Of the banks
supported the same conclusion.
The travellers paused, and Jethroe
waved a triumphant hand at the view be-
fore him.
Pretty right so far?'' he asked in a
voice of banter. Lets dismount and
look at this" he added as he swung out
of his saddle. I've had an idea about
this since first knew of it."
He led the way in a scrambling de-
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bank on the other side. Long years ago
a fall from the overhanging face of the
mountain had closed the course of the
river at this point, and had diverted it
into another channel; but the remarka-
BILE thing was that when the top of the
obstruction was reached it was seen to be
barely six feet wide. The rocks Of which
this natural dam was composed had so
wedged themselves as to present q front
resistance to the rush of the oncoming
river as perfect as if it had been scien-
tifcally designed, and the accidental com
pleteness of construction was all the
more remarkable because Of the extreme
scantiness of the material employed. Ma
ture. in short, had worked a miracle of
engineering.
The diverted river flowed but a few
yards away from its old bed, and ran
wide and sluggish. 1t had indeed, spread
into something like a lake for the space
of half a mile, and the current WAS only
just perceptible.
TITS a thousand times easier than
thought it would be-" said Jethroe, as
he stood on the dam and alternately ex-
amined the fall of the rocky wall on
either side of it.
What is easier" asked Harvey
At won't keep you waiting long for the
secret this time" Jethroe answered. ~
have had a plan in my mind-that's all.
l shall work 1t if the time comes. We
shall see"
He scrambled back into the river bed.
and climbing the far side, remounted
his horse and rode on in silence with
Harvey at his side. The young man was
losing something of his skepticism. What
Jethroe had expected to find had so far
been found, and now a new Dit Of evil
dence was waiting.
do you see that|' asked Jethroe,
pointing to the river bed. IT suppose
il looks like anything else to you, Ell?
It's earth and stone, and there's an end
TO it, Ell?
II see nothing belond the common.
certainly" Harvey answered.
That Is hlne clay" said Jethroe, "and
In this part of the world blue clay is
diamondiferous-at times"
"Ohw said Harvey, and said no more
until a sudden exclamation. which be-
spoke at once intense smazement and
annoyance, escaped Jethroe.
"Forestalledr' the elder man cried, in
n hoarse and strangled scream.
What is the matterT' cried Harvey.
He had fallen a few yards to the rear,
but he put in spurs, and was beside his
uncle in an instant.
There's somebody here before us"
said Jethroe. ''See yonder, there has
been digging there within an hour or two.
They haven't found out yet that there
isn't need to dig-that's something. Let
Us push on"
The driver of the baggage cart was
half a mile in front. He had been or
dered to go on while Jethroe and Harvey
examined the river at the place of its
detection, and they could see the top
heavy-looking machine with its shining
tilt of white canvas, as it swayed from
this side to that in its passage over the
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slant at which they urged their horses
TO the test they heard the clear, sharp
report of a rifle, and then another, and
another, and another. The baggage cart
turned clumsily around and the half
breed driver was seen standing on the
blackboard and fOgging into the mules as
if for dear life The vehicle came dane
ing and jumping from hillock to hillock.
and the mules were fairly startled out of
their usual stolidity. and were. for the
time being, mad.
what does this meanT roared Jeth-
roe. "We must stop those beasts. They
NAV come to a standstill when they see
rs charging them. If they don't let them
bass, and then make for the near leaders
head. I'll tackle the of side"
They had made a hundred yards when
they knew that they were under fire, but
the bullets Kissed harmlessly at a dis
lance.
Pretty bad shooting" said Jethroe.
Nothing within thirty yards of US, l
guess"
The mules came flying forward, wild
with sudden panic. and the horssmen