The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1913-03-29

was fOrtncOminS. Almost frant1caiiy
he pulled out the bung. He rolled the
barrel around to the opening and care
fully placed beneath it bucket. Less
than two canteen measures remained
The situation was not entirely new
to veteran in the mountains, but he
at once realized the dilemma that CON
fronted him. He waited for his part
ner, whose name is said to have been
Croker. though this fact has never
been established, and when he came
in from his trip to the adjacent hills
he impaired his bad news
Some vegetation showed on the
range near at hand, and 1t was decid-
ed to risk a day in search for the pre-
cious fluid in the gulches and can
yons of the mountains.
ITS our best chance" said Fish to
Croker after the two had talked over
the matter for hours into the night.
So early in the morning. after four
or five hours of rest. they started res
olutely into the hills.
Croker went up one canyon. while
took another. the one to the right,
remarked Fish, in the months that
came after when he recounted the
story to friends in San Bernardino,
Cal.
THE main canyon deployed into a
gulch on the right and ! decided to
follow this through the hot sun and
down among the rocks SO far that not
breath of air seemed to pass
through the cleft.
my feet were tagging, my shins
were barked and aching. for in the
rush / had neglected to be careful.
Turning a sudden corner in the gulch,
l came to a natural bridge that span
ned the canyon. 1t was so odd. so reg
ular in the outline of an arch that
could only stand and admire it. Be
meath its shade, the most cooling place
in that hell-hole. found large sandy
area and there sank down to rest.
while idly scratching the sand,
which seemed coarse and heavy. its
popularity attracted my closer atten-
ton. / got down on my knees and
started to blow the dust away. and
there before me I had great pocket
of precious metal. gold that averaged
the size of wheat grains. l filed sew
eral pockets with the heavy grains.
and with all thought of thirst forgot
ten, hurried excitedly down the can
you to impart the news of the find to
Croker"
Arriving at the wagon, Fish was
forced to wait several hours before his
partner arrived. and in that time his
brain had CHANGED to cool Croker add
ed to the GOODNESS when he had failed
in finding water The gold stirred lit
| tic excitement in his mind. II was a
case of water, and the nearest lay in
the Colorado. two days back.
Gold dropped its mask OF friendli-
ness when the two prospectors started
back in fevered haste and with per-
turbed thoughts as to the outcome.
The blistering sun burned through
their thick flannel shirts; it scared the
very marrow In their bones. Far into
the night, with its intense blue sky.
|
When hope had just expired and
| everything seemed gone-the chance
of wealth. the hoard of gold within the
mountains, and, what is more, life it.
self, they saw, away on, the fringe Of
willows. They were too tired to rush
on. Instead. they both lay down and
rested.
And when they finally did reach it
they did not drink, but dropped into
the cold. swiftly moving water at the
bank and saturated every pore OF
| their skins with the Iife-givfng fluid.
For Croker the water had come too
late. His vitality had been Slapped,
his nerve was gone and his system de-
pleted of every particle Of life Moth.
| ing that Fish could do for him would
bring him back to health. and instead
of returning directly to the mountain
arch. Fish wss forced to go to Ehren'
berg, where Croker was given medi
cal attention, but despite this he died
within a week Of reaching there.
II was weeks before Fish recovered
from the shock, and three months be
fore he started out by himself to -relo
cate his treasure. He thought it lay In
the Old Woman's mountain range, not
strange. because of the similarity oil
It and the Turtle Range. He failed
the first. second and third times and
many other times. until he finally gave
up his fruitless task. having expended
the small fortune of life's making
without finding his one great treas
ure.
The Peg-Leg Mine.
| Just about three years ago the greal
Southwest was awakened by the pos
sibility of the relocation of the widely
known Peg-Leg mine. The Southern