Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1915-07-23
CHAPTER Ill.
The Fifth Mans Story.

The day following the night on
which l babe good-by to you boys-ive
years ago-I started for Butte, Mont.
There l was employed by n of the
big mining companies in my capacity
as mining engineer. And there l
worked for three years and found
some happiness in the thought that l,
John Gaunt, was respected in that
great mining camp as an engineer of
high professional talents. But l felt
that the money they paid me was not
sufficient, and began to make plans
for lettering myself financially.
Just then old friends of mine from
New York hit Butte. One was Josh
Clarke, a ~prospector who had never
made a big strike and was always
more or less on his uppers. The
second man was Bill Adler, a much
more successful prospector.
why, hanged if it amt John
Gaunt!" Adler exclaimed, upon meet
ing me at the entrance to one of the
copper mines.
GLAD to see, you, boys" I said.
Where from and where bound?"
I'm just up from Central America"
Adler replied. Say, Gaunt, there's
gold down there-heaps of it for the
picking. I'm looking for a man with
a little more capital than | possess
to 90 in with me and make a prospect
ing trip down therein Honduras"
Tell you what" put in the irrepres-
sible Josh Clarke. You two fellows
put up the money and pay my fare
down there-and I'll go with you.
Three's a safer company than two IN
that country where the natives will
kill you for your hat-you bet!"
The result of this encounter with
my old friends was that invited them
over to my rooms and there, at last. l
agreed to hazard what little money l
had on the proposed prospecting trip
in Central America.
'T1l pilot this crowd right back to
the place where / left off, unless we
learn of a better place." Adler said.
1T was away in the mountains in the
interior-far from white men. l had
spotted gold there, but l hadn't any
money to get machinery in and work
the claim"
The result of all this was that l re-
signed my good position as mining en-
gineer in Butte, went to New York
with my two friends and there en-
barked on a tramp ship bound for
Honduras.
We Quilted at the little coast town
where the vessel put us off-and tart
ed for the interior. After weeks of
hardship and p~rivation we arrived at a
little settlement of grass huts where
all the inhabitants were blacks-the
settlement in which Adler had made
his headquarters on his former visit
to the country.
These blacks spoke Spanish. One
day while we we're gathering equip
ment for the dash into the mountains
I happened to overhear one of the
blacks talking to a group of his fell
lows. Said this black:
"El Toro was here today and bought
provisions. Strange thing about FL
Toro. He always pays in gold. Where
does he get that goh?"
This talk Of gold alone would have
aroused my deepest interest, consid,
ering that l had everything at stake
on finding gold on this trip. But the
black talked of Ell Toro'-a bull-and
told how Ell Toro had bought provi
sions. How could a bull buy provi
sions? l accosted the blacks and the
one who had been telling of Ell Tore
answered my questions about the bull
thus:
Eel Toro, senior" he said, "is a mad
man. He came here as an explorer
years ago. He took a black man with
him into the interior on a scientific ex
petition in search of rare specimen.
of our animal and flower life. In the
jungle this scientist went mad. 81
did his black man, whom he call.
Chacha. The result was. senior, that tn,
white scientist and the black man boil
remained in the jungle. They bull
huts-and there they still live to thi,
day. We leave them alone, because
they attack any man who approaches
their huts-attack with spears Zero
ciously and m~urderously. So we stay
away. The thing that amazes us, how
ever. is-where does Ell Toro get tht
gold, Of which he always has
plenty-to pay for his supplies?"
In consequence of this information
! my two friends and / held a council
of war. If that mailman had plenty o
: gold it was because he was getting tn,
gold out of the mountain on which h,
was camping. We should investigat,
) that vicinity forthwith.
Accordingly, saying nothing to tn
natives as to our exact destination. W,
: set out to find the mountain on whicl
the mailman dwelt. hoping to find i
the promised golden land of gu
J dreams.