Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1924-06-27

was triangular in shape, made for
war. The shaft was of juneberry,
tough and flexible, so as not to break
did the quarry, whether man or buff
falo, fall upon 1t.
Dinsdale waited until Pyrites came
up. The prospector examined the ar
row and muttered: "See how that
heads fixed on sort of wobbly. Once
it's stuck into a man it can't be pulled
out. Well, he'll lie low for a spell
along of Mr.. Lightning. Only one of
him, or they'd laid for us with their
guns"
Acting on Pyrites' advice Dinsdale
continued afoot, walking beside his
horse, his revolver ready TO resent an
ambush. A few miles brought them to
the Rapid, which they crossed just
below the forks. Pyrites' lust for test
ing the gravel could not be denied
longer, and as their next march would
take them up on to the divide, due
east. Dinsdale was willing to call it a
days travel.
They ~unpacked the burros and
pitched their tent, and Pyrites f1shed
out his pan, about a foot and a half
in diameter, and shoveled some thirty
pounds of dirt into it, and hurried to
the rivulet. Dinsdale stood and
watched him. Pyrites exclaimed some
thing under his breath.
"How does it pan out?' asked Dins-
dole rith q AiaEor nf jpforoc+
"About four or five colors."
whats that in money!"
Pyrites, scratching his head, unwill-
ingly admitted:
about a fifth of a cent"
"Great Scott! II that's prospecting
I'm through. Why, 1t costs me fifteen
cents to fire n of my guns once I"
cried Dinsdale in high disgust.
Pyrites instantly regained his OPP
timism. 1.-THE value of that pan simply
proves there's gold everywhere in these
hills. This amt where we was aim
ing for anyway. | want to work close
to the divide and locate a vein."
"That will be more like it," mumbled
Dinsdale. II won't bother to get my
pan working till we strike something
more promising"
Eating an early supper, the burros
were loaded and the two struck to
the southeast for a mile and then
turned east into a dry water course
and began mounting the divide. In
all they did not cover more than two
miles before the slanting sun rays
warned them it was time to make
camp. Dinsdale left this matter en-
tirely to Pyrites, and the location Sc
lected was close by a spring, near a
growth of stunted burr-oak. AS Py-
rites pitched the tent he commented !:
Were below Elk buttes and about
ten miles east of Elkhorn prairie. I'd
like to go W. there and put in a few
days."
I'm more interested In the divide
ahead than in any grass prairie" said
Dinsdale.
"Oh, we'll look over the divide first,
now we're within pistol shot of it."
ANY danger from horse thieves?"
"Hoss thieves? Good landi What
made you think of boss thieves7 Let's
not have any outlaw talk. We're hon
est ~prospectors. We don't want any
truck with unlawful men,"
That's right" heartily agreed D;ns-
dale. "All / ask is not to be dis
turbed in my go~ld-hunting."
The next morning they breathed a
white mist when they crawled from the
tent. Dinsdale was for an immediate
departure for a higher level. Pyrites
insisted on breakfast and something Of
an examination of the gully they had
been following.
"Just as you say. You're the boss"
surrendered Dinsdale. But I've got
the gold fever and after we've had cof-
fee I'm going to take my pan and
strike out up the ridge"
you'll get lost sure as apples" re-
monstrated Pyrites. "You don't know
these hills, with their gorges and
broken tops"
81 know hills much worse than these.
Baked masses of dry cinders with no
running water to tell you the lay of the
land. This country is simple. Mar
can't get lost. Don't be afraid"
Have 1t SO. Hope you strike a
bushel of nuggets. I'll stick along here.
You'll be back by noon?"
"Have dinner ready and eat If l
don't show up. / may strike something
big and forget I'm hungry"
A short distance above his companion
Dinsdale halted and dug down a foot
and carefully examined the dirt. With
out water he could not determine
what he had uncovered, but by rolling
some of the dirt between his fingers he
was rewarded with a small scale. of
coarse gold. He stuck a branch in
the dirt to attract Pyrites' attention
and mounted higher.
Digging out samples at short inter
walls and finding specks of gold in each
he used up much Of the morning. Py-
rites was nowhere in sight. The sun