The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1916-01-27

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evening"
He turned and started.
Il got hunch somethins goin' tc
happen" Shorty pleaded after him.
But Smokes reply was banterina
laugh. He held on down the little val
ley. occasionally wiping the sweat from
his forehead, the while his feet crush
ed through ripe mountain raspberries
and delicate ferns that grew beside
patches of sun sheltered ice.
In the early spring he and Shorty
had come to the Stewart river and
launched out into the amazing chaos
of the region where Surprise lake lay
And all of the spring and half of the
summer had been consumed in futile
wanderings, when, on the verge of
turning back, they caught their first
glimpse of the baff1ing. gold bottomed
sheet Of water which had lured and
fooled a general tion Of miners.
Making their camp in the old abin
which Smoke had discovered on his
previous visit. they learned three
things-first, heavy nugget gold was
carpeted thickly On the lake bottom;
next, the gold could be dived for In
the shalloWer portions, but the temper
ature of the water was man killing.
and, finally. the draining Of the lake
was too stupendous task for two men
in the shorter half of a short summer
! Undeterred, reasoning from the coarse
ness of the gold that it had not trav-
eled far, they had set out in search Of
the mother lode. They had crossed the
big glacier that frowned on the south
crn rim and devoted themselves to the
| puzzling maze Of small valleys and
| canyons beyond. which. by most IN
mountain-like methods, drained, or had
at one time drained, into the lake.
The valley Smoke was descending
gradually widened after the fashion of
any normal valley, but at the lower
end it pinched narrowly between high,
precipitous walls and abruptly stopped
in cross wall. At the base of this, in
a welter of broken rock, the stream!et
disappeared, evidently finding its way
Jul
Climbing the cross wall, from the top
Smoke saw the lake beneath him. Tn
like any mountain lake he had ever
seen, it was not blue. Instead it's In
tense peacock green tokened its shall
lowness. 1t was this shalloWness that
made its draining feasible. All about
arose jumbled mountains, with ice
SCARED peaks and crags, grotesquely
shaped and grouped. All was topsy
turyy and unsystematic-a Dore night
mare.
Across the lake, seemingly not more
than half mile, but, as he well knew,
five miles away, he could see the bunch
of spruce trees and the cabin. He
looked again to make sure and saw
smoke clearly rising from the chimney.
Somebody else had surprised them
selves into finding Surprise lake, was
his conclusion as he turned to climb
the southern wall.
From the top Of this he came down
into little valley, flower fioored and
lazy with the hum Of bees, that be-
haved quite as reasonable valley
should in so far as it made legitimate
entry on the lake. What was wrong
! with it was its length-scarce!y 100
yards-its head a straight up and down
cliff Of 1000 feet, over which stream
pitched itself In descending wells of
mist
And here he encountered more
smoke. foat ating lazily upward in the
warm sunshine, beyond an outlet Of
rock. AS he came around the corner
he heard light metallic tap-tapping
and merry whistling that kept the
beat Then he saw the man, an up
turned shoe between his knees, into
the sole of which he was driving hob
spikes.
"Hellor' was the strangers greet
ing, and Smokes heart went out to the
man In ready liking. "Just in time
for a snack. There's coffee in the
pot. couple of cold fiapjacks and
some jerky."
"I'll 60 you If I lose." was Smokes
acceptance as he sat down. I've been
rather skimped on the last several
meals, but there's oodles Of grub over
In the cabin
Across the lake? That's what
was heading for"
Seems Surprise lake Is becoming
populous," Smoke complained, empty
ing the coffeepot.
go on, you're joking, aren't you?"
the man said. surprise painted On his
face.
Smoke laughed. ''That's the way it
takes every body. You see those high
lodges across there to the northwest?
There's where first saw it No warn
Ing Just suddenly caught the view
Of the whole lake from there. I'd Civ
en- up looking for it too"
Same here" the other agreed. "I'd
headed back and was expecting to
fetch the Stewart last night when out
popped In sight of the lake. If that's
it where's the Stewart? And where
have | been all the time? And how
did you come here? And what's your
nameY
'Bellew-Kit Rellew."
"Oh. know you" The mans eyes
and face We're bright With a Joyous
smile. and his hand flashed eagerly out
to Smokes. 1--WE heard all about you"
He was slender man. wiry with
health. with quick black eyes and
magnetism of camaraderie.
".And this is Surprise lake?" be mur.
INJURED incredulously. And its bot.
toms buttered with gold?'
'Sure. There's some of the chGrn-
ing" Smoke dipped in his overalls
bocket and brought forth half n dozen