Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-08-06

| got to take pick and shovel and sluics
box. And wei eat before we 60"
He built up q quick fire Of pitch
/ pine, and heated some woOd-rat stew
This he poured over two slices OF colo
porridge made from chicken feed
Chicken feed was cheaper than flour
so the old proSpectors buy it and sift Il
to make their porridge and bread. Two
cups Of very hot but very weak tea COM
pleted the meal. There was neither
sugar nor honey nor even molasses to
sweeten it.
Mike Brent gave the shovel and pick
TO Mr.. Stump and shoilldered the heavy
sluice box himself. They struck off
down the trail to the river, Mike Brent
in the lead. The trail wound through
the shade Of the cedars-Enajestic trees
five. six. seven hundred years old An
ice cold stream gurgled down dark
canyon The air held the soft balm. Of
the virgin forest.
Il gotta stop. I'm hot" complained
MIR. Stump.
ut amt hot YET" said Mike Brent.
Nevertheless he paused in the black
shadow Of q mighty tree. MIR. Stump
dropped both pick and shovel as II they
were burning his hands, and slumped
down to the ground Mike Brent stood
by, and waited.
"Come along. Get gotn'," he ordered,
after a few minutes given over to the
resting and cooling MIR. Stump got up
ohediently and followed again. They
had not gone far when Mr.. Stump COM
planned Of thirst. Mike Brent pointed
out a spring, and watched as he leaned
over and drank from 1t. The air was
warmly restnOus. There was the song
Of many birds had they cared TO listen,
the hues OF myriad blossoms had they
cared to look.
A half mile brought them to the
edge Of the diggings, those desolate gaps
left In the hills by the hydraulic min
ing operations Of an earlier generation.
Mr.. Stump had passed over the diggings
the day before on the paved highway
that Rugged the railroad. He had given
them only a casual glance.
But now as he looked down into
the great cash In the terrain Of over
a mile wide and extending in an un-
even broken Line as far as the eye
could see, he shuddered. It was from
800 to 400 feet down. The sun blazed
into the stark bedrock below him I'M
til II seethed like white hell Waves
Of heat beat up against the stratum Of
red soil that edged the top, were lost
IN the cool green Of the forest stretch
Mr.. Stump drew back. I'VE amt goin'
down there" he exclaimed
We are" said Mike Brent. There's |
where the gold In. You came into the /
hills to dig gold Very well, there's |
where you dig. Look down. There are /
the placer grounds. You brought VIM I
men and children into the hills with |
you. There's where you work for them.
There's where you dig OK starve. Get
goin'
There's rattlers down there thick as
lizards. See that you don't step on
them. There's bouiderg high as church
sleeples. You got TO move them to get
10 the grnvels. And you got 10 know
you amt standin' on no mans mining
claim. See that you don't fiQger wrong.
and when you finish, when your backs
broke and your fingers Ia bleedin', you
nay wash out half dollars worth Of
gold-M you're lucky"
That s07 81 I'm lucky. Okay, let's
30 home. I'm fun Np already
NO quitttn' now" Mike Brent's hand
vas on bis gun again. mo goin' back
ret, Teller. You came into the hills to
prospect. Get the he'll down that trail.
Every likely bush VIII flash q rattler's
an4s on you. Don't reach for no bush.
Inexeu be places where yOuu be hang
"a nv an eyGlash, ams 4 YOU miss your
oo&zu youu be q mess Of broken bones
or Sac Kites 30 fatten on Don't miss
BET guzus~
DR. Stump went. snd he went first.