Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-07-17

IL I'LL AAANOA AAtO Az 40
boring ridges.
Under the circumstances it would
certainly call for a mining engineer
to locate the lost lead, and De Lancey
looked it over thoughtfully as he be-
gan to figure on the work to be done.
Undoubtedly there was a mine there
and the remains of an old Spanish
the ground had once been very rich
but If Kruger had not told him in
advance he would have passed up the
job in a minute.
WELL" he said, turning coldly upon
the fawning Mendez, who was all
curves IN his desire to please. where
is your prospecto?"
"Aqui, senor!" replied the Mexican.
pointing to the disrupted rock slide.
Here 1t was that the Americana
| Crooka had his mine-rich with gold
much gold!"
He shrilled his voice emphatically,
and De Lancey shrilled his in reply.
"Here?" he exclaimed, gazing
blankly at the hillside, and her he
broke into a laugh. "All right, my
friend" he said, giving Bud a face
tious wink; "how much do you want
for this prospect?"
-Four hundred dollars" answered
Mendez in a tone at ono hopeful and
apologize. 1T Is very rich. Senior
Crooka shipped some ore that wal full
of gold. l packed 1t out for him on
my burros; butTi-am Sorry, / haxa
no piece Ct ~
Eyes," responded De Lancey, II am
sorry, too. So, Of course, we cannot
buy the p~rospecto since you have no
ore to show; but l am glad for this,
Senior Mendez," he continued with a
kindly smile; "it shows hat you are
an honest man, or you would have
stolen a piece of ore from the sacks.
So show us now where the gold was
found, the nearest that you can re-
member, and perhaps, if we think we
can find it, we will pay you to de-
nounce the claim for u.s."
At this the one good eye of Cruz
Mendez lighted up with a great hope
and, skipping lightly over the rock
piles with his sandaled feet, he ran
to a certain spot, locating it by look
ing across the canyon and up and
down the crock.
Here ~senores," he pronounced. SIS
where the mouth of the old tunnel
came out. Standing inside it l could
see that tree over there, and looking
down the river I could just see the
smelter around the point. So, then,
the gold must be in there" He point
ed toward the hill.
Surely" said De Lancey; but
where?"
The old Mexican shrugged his Shout
ders d~eprecatingly.
Il do not know, senior" he answered;
but if you wish to dig l will denounce
the claim for you"
For how much? 2" inquired De Lam
cey g~uardedly.
For n hundred dollars" an
swered Mendez, and to his delight the
American seemed to be considering it.
He walked back and forth across the
slide, picking up rocks and looking at
them, dropping down into the futile
trenches of Aragon, and frowning
with studious thought. His pardner,
however, sat listlessly on a boulder
and tested the action of his six
shooter.
Listen, my friend" said De Lancey,
coming back and poising his finger i'm
pressively. IF I should find the ledge
the one hundred dollars would be moth
ing to nae, sabe? And if l should spend
all my money for nothing it would
be but one hundred dollars more. But
listen! have known some false Mex
leans who, when an American paid
them to denounce a mine, took adj
vantage of his kindness and refused to
give it over. Or, il 1t turned out to
be rich, they pulled a long face and
claimed that they ought to be paid
more. Now if
"Ah, no, senor!" clamored Mendez,
holding up his hand in protest; Il am
a poor man, but. l am honest. Only
give me the hundred dollars"
Not a dollar do you getI" cried De
Lancey sternly; mot a doIlar-until
|Ou SuIn OfUI tho COnCCo5AOn W tho
mine. And II you play US false"-he
paused impressively-"cuidado, hom-
bre-Iook out!"
Once more Cruz Mendez protested
his honesty and his fidelity to any
trust, but De Lancey silenced him i'm
patiently.
Enough, hombre!" he said. Words
are nothing to us. Do you see my
friend over there?" He pointed to
Bud, who. huge and dominating
against the sky line, sat toying with
his pistol. "Buen'l He is a cowboy.
sabe? A Texani You know the Te-
janos, Ell? They do not like Next
cans. But my friend there, he likes
Mexicans-when they are honest. II
not-nol Hey, Bud" he called In
English, what would you do to this