Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1909-12-22
The Rugged
PrOspectOrs.

q ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
copyright, 1908, by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
This Is true story. 1t happened in
1868.
There's no way, Becker, for us to
keep soul and body together till spring
except to so into the mountains and cut
wood"
"And freeze our fingers and our
noses and our feet. We may as well
starve to DEATH"
''It won't be long. This is the early
part Of January. The spring ii be
along in a couple of months, and we
can go to prospecting again.
prospecting? How many years
have / been digging holes In the
ground for nothing. / tell you, Trim
mer, I'm through with prospecting,
and as soon as 1 can get regular job
I'm going to take It,"
But you can't get job just now,
and we've nothing to eat. Come, cheer
up. It's always darkest before day."
The two ragged, discouraged men
climbed the mountains Of Calaveras
county, Cal. There was chance of
their making some thirty or forty dol
lars month, on which they could
easily live and buy some clothes, but
It was a sad come-down from the
roseate dreams with which they had
begun to hunt for fortune. They
found an old abandoned miners cabin,
in which they made their home, a
dispiriting place In which to live, for
1t was perpetual reminder of an
others failure. But they were not hunt
ing for gold In this region; they were
keeping themselves alive.
Every morning as soon as 1t was
light the sound Of their axes rang In
the wood and continued till the early
winter twilight came on. Cord after
cord was stacked up, each cord repre-
senting days of hard labor. Meanwhile
a snowstOrm came down on them and
covered the ground to a depth Of two
feet. The prediction as to frozen
members was not verified, for there
was plenty of wood to keep up fire.
We've got such pile of brush here
from chopped off branches" said Trim
mer to his partner one afternoon, that
we'd better get rid of it."
So they touched "a flame to 1t, and it
was soon roaring and cracking, send
ing out a pleasant heat 1t melted the
snow beneath 1t and left an area of
hot ground.
Here's good chance for roast"
said Becker. I'm going to make an
oven in this hot earth, and We'll cook
our deer meat"
"a good idea," replied Trimmer. 1--WE
haven't any currant jelly, but the
haunch will taste pretty good without
It,"
So Becker began to dig hole for the
baking. At the depth of two feet he
struck bed of rock.
"Goodv' he exclaimed. "It's hot stone
and win keep its heat. Give me the
meat"
The venison was brought in bak-
ing pan, and Trimmer was about to
place 1t In the hole when Becker stop.
ped him.
Hold on till chip Off piece Of the
stone to see what It's like" he said.
81 thought you were through with
prospecting" Trimmer remarked satir-
ically.
$50 1 am. This isn't Prospecting;
It's only yielding to habit. Any man
who has been hunting in the earth as
long as we have win want to see
everything he takes out"
He broke of bit of his oven bed,
the venison was placed in the hole and
covered over, and the two men listened
to the welcome sound Of its sizzling.
Becker took the piece of rock into his
cabin, where he lighted a candle, for
1t was now dark and the brush had
burned to cinders. Trimmer wasfover
the oven basting the venison when he
heard his partner call.
Come here, Trim"
Trimmer went to the cabin where
Becker was holding the chipping OF
rock to the candle.
what do you think of that?" asked
Becker, his eyes standing out of his
head as big as hntter plates.
what do I think Of It! Why, great
Scott, man; it's live rockr'
That's what 1t Is" replied Becker;
nothing more nor less-that is, II
know live rock when I see 1t, and
think do"
~Shake!' shouted Trimmer, We've
struck II, and struck 1t big"
1t was a supper OF another kind from
roasted venlsen that the partners par
took of-sa probable realization of their
vanished wild dreams. The meat was
savory, but their minds were not on It.
They were laying plans. Experience
had taught them what to do. They
would keep their secret. They would
pre-empt their claim. They would
learn the dip angle and the length and
breadth Of their newly discovered
ledge.
Spring came. and the partners were
still ostensibly cutting wood, while
they were really gathering informa-
ton. One day Becker went down into
the valley, appeared at an essay Office,
handed in the chip Of rock he had bro.
ken from the floor Of his improvised
oven and left 1t to have 1t assayed. He
went back to the assayers then next
day, got his report and started up the