The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-01-01

. oouraged, but l knew didn't want to
GO back, and l knew I didn't want
to stand still and SO there was moth
ing to do but go ahead. | took the
lead and soon came upon an Old
Indian seated by the road eating a
lunch of parched corn. He told me
that he had come from long dis
lance across the mountains, and that
he was going away below where we
! were to get a sack of potatoes. as
many as he could carry on his Shout
der in day or two's journey. Mean
while the others came up and We
decided We needed the services Of
this old fellow to lead us out of the
maze. lie didn't wish to serve us at
any price and 1t was only when the
gendarme pointed bis rifle at him
that he took the trail ahead of us
| was sorry for the old man and so
when he assured us that We were
now on the main road to Hurnachuco
We gave him few coins. more money
perhaps than he had ever seen be-
fore, and let him go. He was pleased
to gc+ the money but happier still
70 re FREQ from people who were 60
Ing 10 do he knew net what with him.
We were soon m3N@3 ,D again ard
so seeing an Indian WORKING III
little field near by we called to him
to go with us as q guide He asked
permission to go to his hut to get his
poncho and went away on a run,
Fearing that we would never see him
again We sent the gendarr1e gallop-
ing after him and pretty soon they
came back, the Indian striking out
afoot on the trail ahead of US. There
was some steep climbing to do and it
was with difficulty that we kept in
sight Of him. II fact the gendarme
could not keep up and We soon left
him clean out of sight, At dusk we
came out upon a plateau and our
guide now struck a long swinging
stride which he kept up until we
reached our destination six miles
away. The way this Indian ran, alb
| solutely without lost motion, free
and easy filled me with admiration.
We arrived about eight o'clock that
night dead tired Much to our sur
prise we found Santos waiting for
US. He was very happy to know that
we had gotten lost-very properly
punished for attempting to dispense
with his services.
A Little Incident.
I an going to relate a little incident
now in which Santos figures and then
| I'll just simply have to close. We
were going from this last town, HUI
anachuco TO another some forty miles
away--Santiago de Chuco. We had
| been jogging along at good pace
on a high plateau between two ranges
| of mountains. following = large part
/ of the way, an old Indian road. At
noon we stopped at little stream for
meagre lunch and little rest. When
We had finished the lunch I observed
across the stream some lncon ruins
and went over to examine them. |
! brought back in fancy the old Incon
empire, and pictured these ruins as
an old wayside inn. But it was ne
| cessary to be on the road again and
so / started back to mount. In cross
! ing the little stream l noticed some
thing yellow shining in the sand that
collected among the rocks in the bed
Of the stream. | scooped up some Of
the sand, examined a few Of the vel
.ow particles and found that it was
| gold, I had just time to observe that
il was plentiful, when I heard Santos
| calling. ] scrambled up the bank
and saw him coming hurriedly to-
/, ward me waving his arms in most
unusual manner. He had found, he
said, a most beautiful stone. Wait,
ing for me he had sat breaking
open stones for amusement by throw
ing one down upon another. Out OF
one Of these had jumped a brilliant
stone Ike diamond, and he had put
it back into the stone from which II
came and left it lying there for me
to see. We began 10 look for 1t and
finally found It. Sure enough there
was the stone which Santos had put
back together fitting the bright shin
ming object back into the niche it had
occupied before the stone was broken
open 1t could be nothing else than
a diamond. No other stone sparkles
so. Immediately I was TRANSFORMED
into a man of untold wealth. I was
the possessor of gold and diamond
mines and Santos was my partner
/ looked about me. There were mil
lions upon millions Of stones like this