Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1906-04-14
THE SHADOW OF THE GOLD.
BY F. A. BANER.
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK.

long and quarter wide, rather oval in
shape and surrounded by very high and
PERCEPTIONS walls that in most places
were perpendicular for hundreds of
feet. A beautiful stream ran through
the length of it, winding in graceful
curves, with deep pools here and there
and singing in many places over a
shallow pebbly bottom. At the far end
the water catne tumbling down over
the rocks in assplendid fall.
cat least half of this paradise was
open glade ..carpeted with luxurient
grass and perfect blaze of colors with
the wild flower blooms. The balance
was taken up with beautiful groves of
splendid trees.
1.-The rock-ribbed walls were daz-
zlingly brilliant with every conceivable
hue. Mineral stains we found later
and the whole place was just literally
alive with elk and deer. The ones
nearest to us fearlessly standing and
staring at US as though we were a
circus come to town. High up, on the
rough rocky sides, we could see num-
bers of the big horned mountain sheep
and the big blue grouse would not fly,
but just scurried out of the way and
stopped.
eve strolled slowly along, stopping
frequently but saying little. Finally
Lew threw himself at full length on the
grass at the top Of little earth wave
and said: If you want to GO down that
wet hell out there, why you'll just have
to go alone. Right here l stop, for a
while anyway
"Well, I'VE sat there and talked and
filled up on scenery and animal pictures
for long time and reached the con-
clusion to stop for awhile. For, as
Lew, said, we were sure to be too
early and have to wait further down
the. river. That is if we wern't ship
wrecked and drowned before we got
three. / tell you our nerve was about
all in when it came to anymore river.
$50 we went back, and taking the
boat, brought our stuff all up and
pitched the tent in the edge of beau
tiful grove short distance from the
stream and close to a perfect spring
that dubbed up at the base of massive
pile of granite.
1--WE cooked dinner and then put in
quite while fixing the camp up handy
and homelike.
when everything was shipshape,
Lew said that he believed he'd prospect
a bit. Thought there might be some
placer diggings from the look of things.
''We took pick, shovel and gold
pan and went up the creek. We tried
a number of likely places, and right
from the jump found excellent pros
poets. AS we went up the stream the
gold increased in quantity and cosrsness
and became rough and jagged, with
any amount of quartz just lousy with
gold. s.
'Maybe our eyes didn't stick out
and maybe we didn't dig. From all
appearances we had more gold corralled
right there than all the Thunder noun
tain country could show.
Lew picked up piece of quartz
that was more than half gold. We're
right on top of the richest quartz ledge
that was ever stuck into the ground,
he said.
''By this time we were pretty well tt
the upper end of the valley, and it was
getting steep and rough with great
masses of rock which had sloughec
from the walls. Every now and ther
we found big chunks of the rich quartz
and broke good many with the poll Of
the pick, but we were hardly ever able
to pull the pieces apart. They were
hinged together by the precious metal
"Quife bit before we reached the
wall we saw the ledge cutting diagonal
ly across it. 1t was clearly defined ant
about four feet in width. Three fee
of it solid quartz which hurt your eye
to look at. -
1--WE didn't go crazy and whoop ant
dance. 1t was so immense, so unlocked
for, that we were dazed and spok'
solemnly. By gosh it was solemn,
tell you.
"Well, after a bit we took some o
the quartz and nuggets and went bacl
to camp, shooing the game out of tn
road, and not talking much. <
Lew said if I'd catch some fish tina
he rustic some wood. So got out m
tackle and started in. I'm telling yo