Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1916-11-16

hung one or more wet, heavy, red and
black sOggy strips. The scalping had
been no mere figure of speech. Thank
heaven, none of our own people was
similarly decorated!
SO Mortified and revolted was | at
this discovery that I hardly reused my
self to greet the men. l looked with
aversion and yet with a certain fasci-
nation on the serene, clear features of
these scalp takers. Yet, since in the
days following this aversion could not
but wear away in face of the simple
ity and straightforwardness of the
frontiersmen, l had to acknowledge
that the atrocious deed was more
product of custom than of natural bar.
barity.
Though these Indian troubles had
nothing to do with it, nevertheless they
marked the beginning Of our change
Of luck. We suffered no definite mis-
fortunes, but these things did not go
we'll. The slight malarial attack Of
Don Gaspar was the first of an annoy
ing series. l suppose we had all been
inoculated on the marshes Of the Sac
ramento. and the disease had remained
latent in our systems. The hard work
but the fever only awaited the favor
able moment of depression or Of over
work The combination of ice cold
water around our legs and burning
sun on our heads was not the best in
the world. Fortunately Yank. who
came from an ague country, had had
foresight enough to bring a supply Of
quinine. For two months one or the
other of us was ailing, and once for
few days five of us were down!
Then, too, l think the zest Of the
game was palling on us a little, strange
as it may seem. We could dig gold
from the soil almost at will. 1t would
seem that this single fact would keep
normally acQ"isitive men keyed to a
high pitch Of endeavor all the time,
but it was not SO. / suppose we need
ed vacation: We began to discuss
what we would do when we should see
the city again. No one for a moment
dreamed that we should quit these
rich diggings. We were here to make
our fortunes, and the fortunes seemed
to be ready for the making. Only, the
novelty having passed, it had become
hard work, just like the making of any
other kind of a fortune.
The Pine family camped below us,
used our corral at our invitation and
set placidly to work. They were typ
ical frontiersmen and settled down in
the we'll built cabin which they quick
ly ran up as though they meant to
make Of it a permanent home. For
two months, which brought US up to
the end Of July, they lived regular
and leisurely life. Then one morning,
without any warning at all, they rode
over to our cabin, leading their horses,
fully packed. Old man Pine explain
ed. while his five tall, steady eyed sons
sat their horses quite immObile in the
background, that they had dug enough
gold for their necessities, and that they
were now going down to the lower
country to pick out some good land.
These men were the very first hap
pened to meet who had come into the
country with a definite idea of set
Ting.
After the departure of this strong
force, began our discussions as to the
safeguarding of our gold. It had now
reached very considerable sum
somewhere near $4,000, as 1 remem-
Der it. Bagsby was very uneasy at its
presence in camp.
Buck Barry brought up strongly the
ACCESSIBILITY of sending our treasure
out to a safe place. His argument was
given point by the arrival in camp ono