Gilpin observer., 1912-11-14
THE PRosPEcToR
AND HIS BURRo.
(Salt Lake Mining Review.)

weather for prospecting, of late"
said the prospector to his burro, and
as consequence, the roulette wheel
in the Bucket of Blood down at the
mouth of the canyon has been silent
for awhile, and the cheerful click of
the dealers have Joined in the rush
for the mountains and will enjoy a
breath of fresh air for awhile. The
regular bar-room bum, also, has a
touch of the fever, and will most like,
while doing little gentle prospect
ing stunt, for, as you may know, the
regular boozer cannot stand much
severe climbing in the hills, and a
jaunt of a mile or so up steep trail
generally puts him on the blink and
he is so razzled in his bread basket
by the time that night comes that he
hasn't strength, even, to inquire if
anyone has any wet goods about his
person.
Some few years ago." continued
the prospector, "a stampede for a
new gold district occurred in the Wild
Cat range in the foothills bordering
on the Mohave desert, and the little
settlement near the mouth of Two
Bit canyon was almost entirely deser-
ted. In fact, the only one left in the
town was old One Ear Charley, who
was drunk when the news came of
the new discovery. Charley had been
on spree for a month, although he
was good prospector when sober,
which Jalutary condition only happen
ed about four times a year; and, at
such times he was not physically fit
to get out into the hills, or climb the
mountain sides and cliffs in search
of float and out-cropping veins. But
he had the prospecting spirit all
right, and would hold tenderfoot
UP in a corner, for hours, telling him
of the many discoveries he had made,
and the only way the tenderfoot could
jan him loose was to suggest that it
was time to tank up Well, to pro
ceed with my story, for l see that
You are becoming a little anxious for
details, Charley came to himself
about eleven that particular morning,
and, from his sleeping place in the
corner of a saloon, where he had a
cuspidor for a pillow, looked around
with amaZement at the vacant ROOM
AT first he thought he was in a
strange place, for he could not hear
the tinkle of glasses or the shuffling
of feet on the rail, while the poker
table was deserted. AT last he be-
came so thoroughly arroused that he
staggered to his feet to make an in
vestigation. Net a soul WAS in sight
and, going to the door, his gaze met
an abandoned street, with only few
women and children in sight. Going
out he asked what had happened, ard
wanted to know if all the sterner sex
had gone Off on big drunk. When
he learned of the stampede, however,
he became somewhat excited, in
maudlin way, and began zig-zag
course to the nearest livery stable,
where he found nothing left, in the
way of riding stock. but a horse so
lame that it could hardly keep
its feet He managed to saddle and
bride this, however, and, swayng in
his saddle, started out to follow the
mob. For two hours he rode on, al
lowing the horse to take its own way,
for he w9s too muddled to keep in the
well-worn trail the stampeders had
taken. The horse. which was a rang
broncho, remembering a spring up in
an almost inaccessible country where
he used to Craze, took an almost OBJ
. liberated trail. and. by two o'clock,
stopped at his old drinking place so
a-ruptly that he pitched his drunken
rider almost into it. Charley was
little bruised. but far from being So
ber, and so he lay where he fell for
an hour or mere. FINALLY. feeling
little thrill Of returning reason in his
think-tank, he rolled over in order to
find II he had reached the new gold
field he had started out to reaJh. He
rolled too far. however, and toppled
over the edge Of cliff near which
he had been dumped. ard the fall
would have ended his career bbut for
the fact that stunted piaes and cellars
grew in Its jagged breast clear down
10 its base. Unconsciously grabbing
at these his fail was broken so that
when he finally landed in the top
OF "A hummer bush he W1s more
scratched than hurt. He was now
thoroughly sober, for the first time
in six weeks. although dazed and con-
sldernhly bewildered. lid he call for
a cocktail, you ask? None whatever
for the fret thing that met his