Year: 1873

years of his life in wandering through

 America, from the St. Lawrence to the I San Juan, sometimes doctor, sometimes,

 as now, miner, and generally Ishmaelite l Among his friends he IS generally known

 as 'sthe Doc" though for the outside

 world he bears the name of O'Brien.

 The four explorers. or 'tprospectors, D I as they are there called, had started from

 Denver-then mere camp-about fort

 night previously, and working up Clear i creek to it's junction with Chicago creek, had followed the latter stream up to the lakes from which it takes its name, and

 had now for several days been camped on i the spot already roughly described, which,

 being naturally so secluded, offered cap ital camping ground III district where rightly considered neighbors to be, if pos l sible, avoided. The days, varied by an l occasional bear-hunt, had been passed in carefully prospecting" for indications of l the precious metals, which were then sup posed to exist in the spurs of Grey's Peak. 1 Hitherto the search had not been very successful, but the explorers wene full of hope and energy. and forgetting '.yester- 1 day. always thought of morrow. '' i The evenings were occupied with the usu- 1 al routine of camp-life supper being 1 cooked and disposed of, arms and acou- 1 trements carefully looked to and cleaned 1 a small pation of grog would be served out

 and, seated round cheery cracking fire. 1 and soothed by the ever-to- Recommended evening pipe, the hours would rapidly pass in social chat, varied now and then by some tale of wild adventure in which the narrator was generally witness, if not indeed, participator, till, tired with the days work, or warned by the night 1 chill of the lateness of the hour, one and l all, with feet turned towards the fire, drop asleep, each rolled in his blanket or buffalo-robe, trusting the safety of the camp to the watchfulness of two eaunt dogs, whose quickness of ear, however, would scarcely be surpassed by that pos sessed by the Indian braves, who sleep, or appear to sleep, equally soundly with their white allies. Such the scene and such the actors whom the writer would introduce to you.

 THE LOST SECRET OF THE coCos GROUP.

 'It must have been in '55 or '56," be- | gan the Doctor, pushing with the toe of hurling after 1t the stump of his cigar. ''when made my first voyage as ship's surgeon. l was a young shaver then. and knew no more about surgery than had picked up at home in the old country where my old dad kept druggists store. l could bleed with penknife, and draw a tooth with bullet-mould, make a real stinging mustard plaster, or tie up a broken head q learned to do that at the Galway elections); and to that last &C., compGshment l owed my rise in life, and in the medical profession. It happened Ill this way: was one fine morning wan dering about the quays at Boston, looking at the ships, and wondering which of them was from old Ireland. I was jingling in my pocket the last three dimes I had in the world, and thinking, maybe, that I had better just take a drink for luck when what should I see coming towards me on the side walk but couple of men. tdiscoursing away like a brace of half-beil-, ed Holsters. We'll, naturally pulled up to see the fun. One was big red faced pimply young man in black, the other a lathy individual in broad Panama hat, and otherwise dressed like a ships sklp- per. When just as they came abreast of me, the pimply faced chap, who seemed the cussedest of the two let fly, and hit the skipper an all-rounder under the ear, which sent him staggering. In 8 moment however, he recovered himself, and whip ping out 'bow1e' went at the other but the black and purple boy was too quick for him, and seeing the knife, picked up broken slave of ain old cask which was handy, and let the skipper have it straight on the top of his head as he rush. ed in; down he went all in heap in the mud, and no wonder, for it was as ilIigant a rap as Ihad seen given in the old country felt quite kindly to the blg man when I saw 1t, and would not have minded taking drink with him but fancy he thought he had killed the skipper outright, for, after one look at him, he took to his heels, and never saw him again

 "Well, lifted up the dead man as we'll as could, and two or three sailors help ing, we carried him on a barque which lay alongside, and which chanced to be his own command. We carried him down to the cabin.

 "'Where's the Doc ? sings out the chief mate, who came up from the hold just as we laid him out on the table.

 stDoc be durned, says one of the men;

 it was him as gived old demijohn that crack on the sconce. seed him.

 ''Now, thought I, here's my chance.

 "'No need of another medical man, my boys, remarked I (splashing some wa tdr in the shippers face). T am medi- CtA 1laA LILY SC11, VIII dtGcAO eO tAC case aH e e l

 '.I don't think they quite believe me but they did as I told them, and brought me some more water, basin and a pair of scissors. soon had the hair clipped away (the barrel slave has made a baddish cut, and set to work to dress the wound

 Now, said l, 'bring me some whiskey.

 The steward did so, and I poured little into the cut (for there is nothing like spirits for broken head); but I didn't waste much on hes, but drank off the rest myself, and tidy drop 1t was Guess that 'ere Doc was raised where they make good medicine grumbled the mate: shouldn't mind being bit i'll myself I | finished dressing the wound, and was be- gining to feal rather scared, for the skip | per had been insensible for we'll half an hour; and I was just settling in my mind I that 1t would he as we'll to bleed him and put 6 mustard -poultice on his stomach, when he began to come to, and opened his eyes. After a bit he seemed to know where he was, and asked for drink.

 This gave him,-whiskey as before only this time inside of his head instead

 of out; then we put him into his bunk,

 and he went to sleep. As it was clearly

 my duty under these critical circumstan-

 ceS to keep an eye on my patient, l de

 cided not to leave the ship. called the steward and explained to him that, as the

 captain might awake at any moment and

 require my services, I would risk leaving l my other patients unvisited for the day,

 and remain with him. I fancy the stew

 ard did not quite believe in my patients,

 but he got me some dinner, and that was the main point. Towards three o'clock

 the skipper awoke, and called the steward

 with whom left him. He soon tumbled

 out of his bunk and joined me in the sa-

 loon. Good morning sir. The steward

 tells me that you are the doctor who fix

 ed up my head while ago, and helped

 to carry me in when that all-fired villain

 had nearly murdered me- I bowed, and

 replied that I had had that pleasure.

 There was 8 bit of q pause, during which

 felt that the skipper was taking my measure, then he broke in-sNow You'll