The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1911-03-25

prospect the country thoroughly and stake out ev-
erything In sight.
During the following winter the husband Of the
woman who to become widow was
seriously injured In mill In few days he
realized that death He sent for the two
prospectors who had accompanied him to Lake
Abitibi, They
Boys" said he II guess I've got to die can't
go back with you In the spring to stake the claims
! want you to promise that II die you will give
the old woman third of what we found last year"
The men promised. The wife heard them. But
she didn't believe them.
The widow had told Bill who the men
He knew them He knew where they were work
ing Bill hired out In the place In the course
of few weeks one of them told him that they were
going to quit at certain time In the spring and
take long and hunting trip In the country
far to the north.
That was good enough clew for Bill Two weeks
before the announced time for the to start
Woodney quit his job packed his kit and started
for Lake Abitibi himself.
When he reached the lake he drew his canoe
from the water, hid it In the bush" Canadians
call forest, and prepared to wait.
On the eighth day of his vigil, as he peering
out Of the bushes, he saw the sight that he had
waited SO long to see. Down the placid river came
two canoes cutting their ways through the cool
waters and leaving hatiron wakes in the rear
Late in the afternoon Bill the two specks
disappear In what seemed to be an inlet.
day Bill saw blue spiral of smoke curling from the
bushes back of the lake.
For FIVE days and nights the fires burned. Then
there was no more fire. day night. Evidently the
men had gone Bill wanted to be sure he waited
three more days Then he went down to the lake
where his canoe was hidden put 1t into the water
took pains to observe that there on the lake
no sign of human life then slowly padded his way
along the shore, looking for the inlet
Bill padding as quietly as he could when al
the "knuckle" of the water fnger-a point where
the inlet was not than 80 feet wide--he sud
denly saw the left bank--the two prospectors!
The next instant one of them threw an ak at Bits
canoe that all but cut it In two and sunk 1t as quick
ly as mine could sink battleship
Woodney doesn't know yet why he is alive. HI
seemed to have chance to live. 1t was two
against and the one was in the water SO were
his food his weapons and his tools. II he we're no
murdered during the next second II seemed certain
that he would starve during the next month. No
that he thought out all of these things while he wa
sinking He thought out nothing All he did t.
act first and think afterward. few strokes wit
his hands and few kicks with his feet put hin
against the bank No rabbit ever took trail taste
than Bill took to the brush
The rest OF this story be told in short ser
fences. Hunger, within the next forty-eight hours
drove Woodney into the very camp of the me
who would have slain him He crept up to then
late at night, and stole their food. He could nc
steal much at time, but he stole enough to kee
him alive. He stole, not once, but three times. TIL
next time he went to steal they not Their,
They had pulled up camp and gone, bag and bat
gage. He took his life in his hands the next da
and went down to the claims they had staket
He didn't find stick sign Of claim. H
couldn't find anything himself that SCENE
worth claiming
The prospectors never returned. Whether the
we're upset and drowned in one of the many raj
ids; whether they fell to fighting and killed eac
other, no one knows. Nor have they ever filed
claim to ore bodies along Lake kbtibi