Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-12

ESOt
tions as rapidly as they could.
Dory unloaded the burros, cooked the sup
per, and got everything ready for the cree,
tion of the tent, while Bart and Kirk staked
out a claim, and made ready to work it, as
if they fully believed that they would find as
rich indications as had been found at Promise
Gulch.
"Now, Kirk" said Bart, after supper, this
we have uncovered. and if you dc. find color
in your pan, set about making sluice-boXes.
Dory, and are going out for game, but II It
should happen that we do not get back tor
Don't bring anything with you except as
much provisions as you can carry. Leave the
donkeys and the tent, and they will serve to
fool your friends a couple of days longer,
Wnen one or the other can come for them.
It won't make much difference, if we lose
them; except that we shall be little uncom-
Portable until we can get more"
| Kirk who was now as confident of the, sue
cess of the scheme as he had previously been
skepticaI promised to do his best n toward
Bart and Dory prepared for the night jour
ney.
The arms, ammunition, two pickaxes, the
same number of shovels, blankets and guam,
days. were taken, making quite as much OF
a. load as each could carry on his back, and
thus burdened, the two set out on their toll
| some tramp.
| The task allotted to Kirk was a lonely one,
and when his cousin and the guide lett him,
disappearing in the darkness as soon, as they
had turned from the tent, he felt almost as
| if he had been forsaken Dory had built a
| fire, with which to cook the supper. and this
he piled high with wood, in order to make
his surroundings as cheerful as possible, and
| then, as he lay beside it, thinking that he
would remain awake until midnight, surely,
| he fell asleep.
| 1t was daylight when he opened his eyes
again, and, springing to his feet, he began to
carry out his portion of the plan.
| After partaking of hastily-prepared break
fast, he commenced work with his pan, and,
to his great delight, found color" enough to
warrant his making preparations for washing
on larger scale. In fact, had he and Dory,
when they first started on their gold-hunting
| expedition, found as many evidences OF the
presence of precious metal, before they had
| worked at Promise Gulch, they would have
| thought they were on the sure road to for
tune.
''If the prospectors come along now," he
said to himself as he placed his pan with
the yellow particles on the bottom where any
one who chanced that way could see them,
"they will think sure that this is the reason
why we left the other ravine."
Kirk worked according to Barts direct directions
the claim. After finding the COLOR" he be,
gan to cut a new channel for the brook, and
| before this was finished his visitors COM
| menced to arrive.
|
boys and Bart had passed the night on the
site of Kinks mine appeared, and acted as if
they were greatly surprised to find that their
former guests had located so quickly.
eve thought we'd lost sight of you entire
ly," said one of the men, as he made arrange
ments for camping "Any color. YETI"
| eyes, there's a little there" said Kirk,
carelessly, as he continued his work; but he
could see the men rush eagerly to his pan,
examine its contents, and then hold a whis-
pered consultation, the result of which was
that all preparations for camping were aban-
doned, in order that they might locate
claim directly above where Kirk was digging.
The newcomers had hardly got well to
work before the other two parties Bart had
| spoken of arrived, and the scene in the ra-
silent and lonely was busy one. Seven peo-
pie were overturning the soil, in the hope of
extracting from it that which is termed the
"root of evil, and, apparently, the most
eager one of all was Kirk.
| 1t was not until late in the afternoon that
any questions were. asked about Dory and
Bart, and then Kirk simply said that they
had gone on hunting; which was enough to
quiet all suspicion, if, in fact, any had
arisen.
or" in his pan, although not in sufficient
quantities to promise any very great results;
| but it was enough to keep him there in the
hope of finding it richer, and on both sides
| of the brook prospect holes were dug, while
During the following day, Kinks neighbors
were decidedly inquistive as to the where
abouts of his friends, and Kirk avowed his
intention of going to look for them in case
they did not arrive that night
+! ont the arrival of Bart and Dory, and after
| he had retired to his tent, Kirk made ready
| for his departure
Next morning, without making too great a