Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1916-11-09

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All That Day | ShoveIed and Planned.
The early morning freshness soon dis
sipated. Between the high mountain
walls the heat reflected. All the quail
stood beneath the shade of bushes,
their beaks half open, as though pant
ing. The birds that had sung so sweet
ly in the early morning had somewhere
sought repose. I could occasionally
catch glimpses of our horses doing I'M
der trees. Even the chirping insects
were still. AS far as I could make out
/ was the only living thing foolish
enough to stay abroad and awake IN
that suffOcating heat The sweat drip
ped from me in streams. My eyes
ached from the glare of the sun On the
rocks and the bleached grasses. To
ward the close Of the afternoon I con-
fessed sneakingly to myself that [ was
Just a little glad | had found no gold
and that | hoped the others had been
equally unfortunate. The thought OF
working day after day in that furnace
heat was too much for me.
NV hopes were fulfilled. All came in
that night tired, hot, dirty and discour-
aged Not one of the eight Of US had
raised a sign Of color.
"Well," said Bagsby philosophically,
that's all right. We've just got to go
higher. Tomorrow We'll move up
stream"
Accordingly next day we turned at
right angles to our former route and
followed up the bed of the canyon ten
or twelve miles toward the distant
main ranges.
About 4 o'clock we camped. The
fiat was green. Little clumps of cedar
pushed out across it. The oaks mad
given place to cottonwoods. We had
now to make acquaintance with new
birds.
The following morning we went pros
pecting again. My instructions were
for the dry washes in the sides of the
hills. Accordingly | scrambled up
among the powders in the nearest
shaped ravine. l had hardly to look
at all Behind a large boWlder lay a
little cuplike depression of stones in
which evidently had stood a recently
evaporated pool Of water and which in
consequence was free from the usual
dusty rubble. In the interstices be-
tween the stones my eye caught dull
glitter. l fell on my knees, dug about
g 1-11if
so unearthed small nuggets aggregat-
ing probably half ounce in weight.
Although nightly tempted to stay
for more, | minded our agreement to
report promptly the first discovery ana
started back to camp. Why / did not
come a header in that fearful bowlder
strewn wash | cannot tell you. Ger
tainly | took no care Of my going, but
leaped recklesSly from rock to rock
like a goat When l reached the tat
l ran, whooping like an Indian. From
the river l could see Johnny and Buck
Barry running, too, and had sense
enough to laugh as it occurred to me
they must think us attacked by In
dams. Far down the stream l could
Just make out figures [ knew to be
Yank and McNally. They, too, seem
ed to be coming to camp, though L
could not imagine that my shouts had
carried SO far.
burst in on Bagsby, who was smok-
ing his pipe and leisurely washing the
breakfast dishes, with Whoop, lifted
him bodily by the shoulders, Wh1rled
him around in a clumsy dance. lie
aimed swipe at me with the wet dish
cloth that caught me across the eyes.
"You tarnation young grizzly barr
said be.
l wiped the water from my eyes.
Johnny and Buck Barry ran up. Some
how they did not seem to be anticipat-
ing an Indian attack after all. Johnny
ran up to thump me on the back.
isn't it CREATE" he cried. Fright off
the reel! First pop! Bagsby, old
sport, you're a wonderr' He started
for Bagsby, who promptly rushed for
his long rifle.
I'm going to kill the first lunatic
see," he announced.
Johnny laughed excitedly and turn
ed back to thump me again.
"How did you guess what it was"
asked.
Didn't. Just blundered on it"
WHAT I yelled. 'Have you struck
it too?''
"First shovel" said Johnny. "But
you don't mean
l thrust my three nuggets under his
eyes.
Say broke in Buck Barry, IF you