The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1906-08-09

of hundred miles into some one Of
the mining camps, so that their tramp,
all told, reaches very close to three
and sometimes four hundred miles.
On this Journey water holes are far
| apart and very uncertain, ranches are
scattered and the network of trails so
interviewer by the feet of prospectors
and of burros that they become veri-
table maze to the man who does not
keep close watch on them year by
year. To make this circuit requires
at least nine months Of the year-from
late September or October to the last
of May. For the remainder of the year
as has been said, the tramp loafs
around some border town, where he
has to behave himself; ropes and tele-
graph poles and willing men are too
near at hand for the committing of
crimes
1t is the lonely ranches on the des-
ert that suffer most from this class
of wanderers. Coming to the ranch
house they insolently demand food and
clothing, and they get it, too. If they
do not the haystack is burned that
night, or even the house is set on fire.
If the family depends on a spring Of
water, as likely as not the water hole
will be filled with stones and earth;
frequently springs along the trail are
so treated when the tramp thinks that
one of his enemies is likely to pass
that way in the near future and de-
pend on the presence Of water in the
tank for himself and his stock.
One incident Of this kind may be
told to illustrate the devilish schemes
these fellows concoct. A new manager
was sent to the borax plant on the
northern rim of Death Valley. He was
a most excellent man for the work in
hand, but he knew nothing of the peo-
pie with whom he was to deal, and the
first tramp who came along was rough
ly ordered to 'get out and stay out"
Now the road over which the borate
from this particular plant was hauled
to the refinery was long and dry, and
the company had placed wooden tanks
at necessary intervals, keeping them
filled with water and depending on
them for the use Of the wagon teams
and their drivers. The tramp, an
gered and revengeful at his treatment,
set out along this road and for one
hundred miles emptied every tank. The
result can better be imagined than de-
scribed; the next wagon train out, two
huge desert wagons, drawn by twenty
mules and handled by two men COM
ing to the first tank and finding no
water pushed on to the next; by the
time they reached that the men were
well nigh crazed with thirst, but no
water awaited them there, and on they
dragged their weary bodies, until it is
presumed, abandoning the team, they
wandered away and died.
The wagons and the mules, the lat
ter quite dead, were found two weeks
later, but not even the skeletons of
the men were ever seen. The desert
keeps its secrets better than the sea,
and this was one of them Men fol-
lowed the tramp, some say he was
caught. The men who followed him
still live on the desert; have seen
one of them, but none can remember
whether they caught this particular
tramp or not. Possibly a pile of bones
could tell if it could speak, for short
shrift is meted to the man, be he
tramp or mine owner, who NEEDLES
with water on the desert. More val
liable than gold it is, and worth many
human lives when thrown in the bal
ance.
On the desert, too, there is another
kind of tramp, by no means GRIM
inal, and yet one Of the most interest
ing characters of the whole west-the
tramp prospector. He makes the easi-
est living of any man in the world, not
excepting the promoter Of wildcat
mines. And, like the promoter, he
lives by fleeing the credulons. The
tramp prospector is forever discover
ing fabulously rich prospect. Back
from the heart Of the desert he comes,
laden with samples, supposedly from
his new discovery, but really picked up
on the dump of some established mine.
Armed with these it is little trouble
for him to enlist the help of some man
with more money than knowledge Of
the desert to develop the mime"
His first demand is, of course, a
"grub-stake. This will consist of a
burro, or two, if the man can be talked
out Of them, sack Of beans, bacon,
flour, molasses and cooking utensils,
as well as other things needful in the
work he says he is going to under
take. Thus provided, the prospector
sets out, camps at some well hidden
water hole and there spends his time
until the grub-stake gives out.
Clever Mother Wood.Duck.
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