The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1907-05-17

fuel, and We haven't time to 20 back
10 get more. If your let Us have a
few gallons. say just what you don't
need to Get you home, we'n pay well
for IT,"
I'VE haven't much In the reserve
tank" began. Then / stopped and
changed my mind was looking into
the ugly muzzie Of q weapon thrust at
dangerous angle toward me. The
owner Of It said quietly:
''You say, mister, it's worth about %
a galionI All right, me an my pard
WI take II. Just ill our tank, and
we'll call 1t an even &2C."
Discretion was the better part Of
valor. There was no other human be-
ing in sight on the lonely tran, and
that ugly booking revolver did not
waver. We meekly transferred all the
reserve fuel we had on hand. The man
chucked a roll Of greasy bills In our
car and rode of with the remark:
Sorry, mister, to treat you so. II
we strike 1t well set up for you II we
ever meet again."
Think Of being held up in the desert
In true stagecoach fashion for a few
gallons of gasolinel
Did we meet our highwaymen again7
Yes, a month later in a gambling place
In Goldfleld some one struck me on the
back. and familiar voice said:
"GlAd to meet you again, mister. You
did as a pretty good turn that day In
the desert. We made the strike, and
your gasoline did 1t. Now just ask for
what you want. Tho establishment
hasn't anything aboard that's too good
for you. And II they haven't II here
wen send to Denver for II. Speak mp"
Our requests were 50 modest that our
erstwhile desert highwaymen appeared
disappointed.
Before the automobile came TO this
region the mining prospector and IN
weston had q hard time Of 1t. The rail
roads are slow to build new extensions
to their main lines to CRAFTY the do
mands Of small mining camp. There
have been too many Of such boom
towns" and the railroads want some
assurance that a new settlement 10
going to be q permanent place Of
abode. Until this can be demonstrated
the miners have 70 put up with such
methods OF travel as they can ind.
The horse is not adapted to the desert
and the mule can be made to live and
do fair work under certain conditions,
Freight In transported by heavy wag'
ons drawn by a dozen or more buEros
but passengers infected by the gold fe'
yer can never endure such slow trafiAc
The aut0 Is the vehicle for them, and
SO there In thriving business in It.
Unlike most mining camps, the new
gold fields of Nevada are located at the
| foot of hills approached by perfectly
level stretches Of hard sand, across
which the automobiles can fairly fly.
Here are the greatest speeding
stretches IN the world. Hard, smooth
and Eovel as a billiard table and witt
almost endless vlstas, the desert Ia
perfect place for speeding. It is tree
less and waterless region, but thei
there are no laws to regulate fast traf
fic. Ono can go as fast as his machfn
will permit and no one will interiors
! 1t Is a scorcher's paradise, but unfor
tunately there Is too much monoton,
In the landscape. Mile after mile b COY
cred, and there Is nothing to break tn
Vista OF sands. Occasionally one passe
prospector accompanied by two pac
burros, or a caravan Of heavily loads
wagons drawn by a dozen mules, o
possibly some detected miner who ha
given up hope and has dropped dow
by the trail to sleep and die.