Year: 1875

sthouSh Sicdt CODHeD o. branches To


thick Tor the light to get through, Wit


MS boots full of ants and his mouth fu


OF gnats, and the damp vapor-bath he,
of the woods melting him sway hit h


bit, fifty prickles going into him at ono,


a thorn-bush scalping him from aboy


and creeper tripping him up down b,


low.


And so we hammered along, till at Las


we worked up to the plateau and sar


the great lake spreading away before u


as far as ever we could see. We weren


long of making out the three-cornere
crag, nor the shadow neither, for it wa
just at sunrise when we got there. as
O. purpose tor US; and once we'd mad
II out we hardly waited TO take breat


before we were at it tooth and toe-nail


The first day was a regular blank on
TILL Just toward sundown, and then tn
Portigee screeched out suddenly tina
he'd got something heavy. helped hin
to haul up the pan, and there, sur,
enough, was bar of gold over a foo
long, and pretty nigh as thick as my tw,
fingers here. At that we all shouted a
once, and went at it harder than ever
and really think our chaps would hav,
worked all night, but Seth stopped 'em
He told 'em that the gold wsuldn't rur
away, and that if they pu. Oh too mucl
steam at first they'd just use themselve.
up before they were half through, ant
that they'd better just light the fire anG
get dried, and have some supper, and fl,
up some kind of shelter against the dew
and then start fair next morning. AND
so they did.


The next day and the next and the mex
alter that we kept bringing it up in hand
iuls-gold circiets and chains and neck
laces and ingots without end. But on
the fifth day found the provisions get
ting so low that l was rather scared, for
up here there was no game of any sort,
| there being no vegetation at that height
for the game to live on. So We held a
council of war. Our chaps had got the
| gold fever so into their blood by this
time that | verify believe they'd have
kept digging on till they died of hunger;
but Seth and l, who were little cooler,
talked them over at last. We told 'em
that we'd got enough already to make US
all as rich as Jews; that we must all
starye If we didn't replenish our stock
/ somehow; that ten to one the find" was
played out land, indeed, none OF US had
taken grain all that morning); and that.
IN any case, the lake was always there,
and they could come back and try again
whenever they liked. So, bit by bit, we
worked em round, and all started to 60
back together


We'd hard work of it the first part of
the way, for our loads were pretty heavy,
and stumbling in and out of these great
rocks was no joke, let alone that the five
days work had taken it out of US more
than we expected. One of the Spaniards
got bad fall, and not one of us but had
his bruise to SHOW. But at last we got
over the barren bit and found ourselves
fairly down among the woods again; and
then l began to be jolly, thinking this
was the end of it. But it wasn't-it was
only the beginning.


CHAPTER II.


One afternoon, when we'd go we'll
down among the lower ranges, we were
just looking about for place to camp
(for the Spaniard who had got hur. was
beginning to give up), when one of the
niggers said suddenlr-,-.- -,
was man "a savage-looking fellow
enough, but evidently no Indian) watch
ing US from the top of ridge, a little to
the left. He kept looking after US for
little while, and then disappeared as if
the earth had swallowed him.


Don't like that" says Seth, THAT
critters seen that we carry heavy
swag, and he's gone to tell some OF his
chums, you bet!


"When one has found a punkin-pie,


He goes and tells the t'others!


81 feel like campin' in strong place
tonight, do"


And so we did-with a deep canon
(gorge) behind us going sheer down near
ly hundred feet and a thick clump OF
trees in our front that made cover, while
beyond it the ground was smooth and
level for good eighty yards, so that no
living thing could come near us without
being seen and fired at.


Just as we'd lit our fire and were begin
ming to cook we saw first one man and
then another, till we had counted fifteen
in all, come Zigzagging in and out OF the
bushes down the face of the opposite
ridge. They halted just at the edge of
the thicket and took look at the smoke
of our fire rising above the trees; and
then two of them lald down their rifles
and were coming across the clearing to
US, looking as friendly as they could,
when old Seth shoves his head through
the leaves and says in Spanish:


Gentlemen, we're talking over lit
tie business of our own and wish to be
private, so you'll oblige us by keeping
your own side and we'll keep ours; for
we have way of shooting things that
come too near US and we should be sorry
to lift you by mistake"


Back the two beauties went, looking
as silly as ha'porth of treacle in two
gallon Jug, and Seth rubbed his hands
and gave chuckle.


They'd got bottle in each hand,
them two" says he; "they war gwine to
make US slowed and then clean out our
swag; but they don't fool this child, no.
how. Naow, We see, they'll wait till dark
and then 90 for us with a rush-that's
what's the matter with them-but |
guess we'll be mot at home when they
call"


He whispered to me to cut down three
or four of the longest creepers and twist
them into a rope, and /, guessing what
he was up to, did it with Will. In a
few minutes we had rope that would
have stood anything; and then hitched
one end around tree, and let drop the
other down the ravine-the rest making
a great shouting and singing meanwhile
by way of blind. Then the old Indian,
VINO was as nimble as cat, slid down TO
the bottom, and we lowered our packs
to him one by one.


"That's all right" said Seth; land
now well just take it easy till dark, and
then take passage by this new overland
route of ourn."


But one don't tai e it very easy when
there's gang of bloodthirsty rascals
twice your strength and armed to the
teeth, every man Jack of 'em, sitting
waiting barely eighty yards of to cut
your throat; and think | never found
any time yet go so slowly as those two
last hours before sundown.


"Naow.n says Seth at last, when the
darkness had fairly closed IN, 81 guess
we'll begin to leave


But Just then, as if this had been 6
signal, there came flash and bang
from the other side of the clearing, and
half dozen bullets came pepperlng IL
among the trees. felt something warm
squirt over my hands, and the negro who
stood beside me fell all of a heap. Like
lightning up piece and let fly, and
heard somebody give yelp that sound
ed as if that letter had gone to the rlgh
address And then, for few minutes
it was Just flash, fiashi bang, bang. hk'
fire work-Seth and | keeping 'em II
play while the rest slid down one b,
one. And mighty ugly work it was, too
| can tell you, blazing away in the darl
with nothing to aim at and hear the bui
lets come rafting about Jon withou
ever seeing who sent them. But III
rope was soon clear, and then Seth stucl
up the dead niger against tree, wit
his gun across the fork of it, that the