The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1936-10-01
Caught
in the
Wild
BY Robert
Ames Bennett
wNU Service
Copyright by
Robert Ames Bennett
WNU service
Copyright by 81
Robert Ames Bennett


million!"
Like the older man, Hubby had
put on his poker face. He was not so
successful, however, in keeping the
CLINT out of his eyes. He had yet to
make his fortune.
$50 it's million?"' he scoffed. mo
wonder you prospectors go crazy.
Find little placer you guess has
some gold, in it, and you think you
have located a mint. Five to ten
dollars pan! Why, Jack, your metal
wouldn't give you half dollar
pan, even if your small percentage
of gold was alleged with silver, in
stead of lead"
Garth smiled. "My mistake both
ering you to test that sample. Just
chew on this, my friend: A good
many sourdoughs might not be able
to identify that gray-white metal.
But only chechohco would be un-
able to recognize that it is not ga
lena or silver"
This silenced the engineer for the
moment. Mr.. Ramill favored Garth
with his blandest smile.
''Technicians Alike Huxby are too
apt to imagine that the rest of us
know nothing. Now, admitting for
the sake of the argument that your
guess regarding the alloy is correct,
suppose we sample your prospect"
For reply, Garth led down into the
trough to where a moss-bedded
spring rill trickled down from pool
to pool. He stopped beside sholloW
dugout, rooted with spruce branches,
moss and dirt Under it lay small
shovel and pickax, a worn gold pan,
and little aluminium cooking pot.
Garth turned to Huxby. There's
the pan. Get your samples and go
to it."
''How do know your holes aren't
salted?"
"You don't know anything. Why
not scratch down to gravel yourself?
Or per haps I sailed all the trough,
before I laid on this blanket of grass
and moss"
Mr.. Ramill interposed: Mining
engineers have to- guard against
fraud as well as error, Garth. I was
sailed once myself, in my callow
days. Just to ease his professional
conscience, suppose you clear gravel
for us midway between here and the
staked hole down there"
That's my discovery stake, Garth
replied. wasn't looking for gold in
this trough. Just happended to no
tice the gray metal where the spring
gush of the rill had torn the moss
from the gravel. A bout my digging,
/ must beg to be excused. What il l
should happen to drop handful of
that galena into the hole, when your
expert was not looking?"
Ignoring the irony, Hubby pulled
the shovel from the dugout shelter
and gouged into bed of moss. Mr..
Rami1l stopped his portly body to
pick up the gold pan.
Hubby shoveled clear the moss
and black humus from space two
feet or more square. He tossed aside
a few stones the size of his fist, and
took the gold pan from Mr.. Ramill
to load it with gravel. They went a
few steps downslope to the edge OF
a lower pool.
None too deity, Hubby dipped
water into the pan and began to
to rate the contents. After more
than twice the time an old prospec-
tor would have needed for the OPP
Grafton, the mining engineer work
ed the pan clear of all except a
spoonful of small dull nodules.
Miss Ramill had stretched out to
back in the summer warmth. With
the upslant of the sun towards the
noon of the nineteen hour day, the
breeze had died down. The calm
brought a swarm of mosquitoes up
slope from the lake shore. The girl
put on her headnet, covered the un-
booted part of her legs with caribou
moss, and resumed her sun bath.
Out of the tail of his eye Garth
watched Hubby and Mr.. Ramill.
When he saw the two get their net
draped heads together over the gold
pan, he rose and wentowards them.
The tread of his moccasins was
noiseless. Before the two noticed his
approach, he stood looking down
over their shoulders.
.sNot half bad for a starter he
said. "At least five dollars in your
first pan"
Hardly that value, replied Mr..
Ramill. Admitting there is some
platinum in this alloy, I am afraid
you're a far too sanguine young
man. Call it five per cent platinum
and five of gold. That leaves ninety
per cent of silver and lead, with of
course traces of iridium and osn1i-
um."
sYes. move the decimal point OF
your million three places to the"left,
jack said Hubby. "It brings your
wonderful fortune down to few
thousands. To sluice this placer,
freight out the alloy. and pay for
separating the metals will leave slim
profits. There may be none at all. /"
TOO bad you've had all your
trouble for nothing" Garth replied.
81 counted on your finding it a real
strike-the first big platinum depos-
it located in North America.
~. A.. 1~.w~ ex<<1f re-