Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1916-09-07

y great majority or the passengers
knew nothing whatever about out OF
door life and less than nothing as To
the conditions in California aud on the
way. Consequently they had Bought
literally of all sorts .t IDIOT" patent
contraptions. India rubber PLAYED !:
prominent part. And IL. lecH VIZ,
numbered with at least forty sorts OF
machines for separating gold <Snn 20.
SOIL some Of then! TO Isa water :,cn..
muscular labor, aud CO: trs3remcnr>
affair with wings vas s3pp-svo ~ tan
away everything but the GAL Oarfse.
Ing In everything else. they w.-e aNSs
In one thing-they had all been devised
by men who had never seen any but
manufactured gold. l may add that l
never saw a machine of the kind ac-
tually at work in the d~iggings.
Just now, however, | looked on the
owners of these contraptions With en-
w and thought ourselves at IL disad-
vantage with only our picks. shovels
M axes.
AS we drew southwark the days be
came insufferably warm, but the nights
We're glorious. Talbot and | liked to
sleep on deck and generally camped
down up c the bits. The old ship
rolled frightfully, for she was light in
freight in order to accommodate so
many passengers, and the dark blue
sea appeared to sWoop up and down
beneath the placid tropic moon.
We had many long, quiet talks up
there. but in them all l learned moth
ing. absolutely nothing, of my compan
ion.
IF you had broken my arm that
time | should not have taken you" he
remarked suddenly II evening.
"Shouldu,t blame YOU" said /.
mo-! | wouldn't have wanted that
kind of Il man." he continued, for l
should doubt my control of him. But
you gave up"
This nettled me.
Would you have had me or any
MAI brute enough to Sc through with
it"' l demanded.
"Well'-hc hesitated-"it was agreed
that it was to be fight, YOU remember.
And, after all, if you had broken my
arm it would have been my fault and
not yours"
Two young fellows used occasionally
to join us in our swoopinS, plunging
perch. They were as unlike as two
men could be, and yet already they
had become firm friends. One was a
slow. lank, ague stricken individual
from somewhere in the wilds Of the
great lakes. his face lined and brown
as though carved from hard wood, bis
speed slow, his eyes steady with a
yelled sardonic humor. His companion
was scarcely more than a boy, and he
came, l believe, from Virginia. IIe
was Il dark, eager youth. with a mop
Of black shiny hair that he was always
tossing back, bright glowing eyes, q
great enthusiasm Of manner and al
imagination alert to catch fire. The
backwoodsman seemed attracted tC
the boy by this very quick and unso-
phisticated bubbling Of candid youth
while the boy most evidently worship
ed his older companion as n symbol OF
the mysterious frontier. The north,
erner was named Rogers, but was in.
variably known as Yank. The south.
erner had some such name as Fairfax
but was called johnny and later In
California, for reasons that will ap
pear, Diamond Jack. Yank's distin.
gushing feature was a long barreled
pea shooter rifle. He never moved
ten feet without it.
johnny usually dld most OF the talk
ing when We were all gathered to
gether. Yank and l did the listening
and Talbot the interpellating. Johnny
swarmed all over himself like a pick
pocket and showed us everything he
had in the way of history, manners
training, family, pride, naivete, eXpec
tations and hopes. He prided himself
on being a calm, phlcgmatic individual
Unconditional and not easily excited
and he constantly took this attitude
1t was a lovely joke.
"Of course" said he, ''it won't be
necessary to stay cut more than f;
year. They tell me L can easily make
$1,10O Il day. But, you know, l an
not easily moved by such reports
no WAS at III time moving under {
high pressure. at least ten knots al