Show SS S S S S SS S S S e S S S S S S S S SS S S lio HOW WE FOUND THE OLD MINE S W WRITTEN BY WILL C HIGGINS 1 S S S S S S s S a s s Ss s S s s S s s s s a g ola in a cozy little nook just on the edge edge of death valley my partner and I 1 had pitched our camp and were preparing 1 for a good nights rest after a long day of hard travel as we were looking for the noted mine the long lost bonanza in the search for which many a sturdy prospector had lost his life and perished miserably in the desert or in some desolate canyon our oui outfit was a light one four patient burros comprising our little train and on these we packed our two months store of provisions a few picks and shovels a small quantity of powder and fuse and our bedding such as it was for we were not over with this worlds world s goods while as to ready money we could only boast of a few dollars each and these in such a wild and uninhabited ahab country were about as useless in the way of obtaining creature comforts as aa would be a sack of diamonds jack or jackson covington my companion an educated fellow down on his luck but true blue and a hardy and experienced miner was building the little brush fire with which to cook our supper of raw salt and nap flap jacks with coffee on the side while I 1 arranged camp as best I 1 could turning the burros loose to feed on the scanty herbage and to slack their thirst at the little trickling spring which sprung 11 from a crevice inthe in the rock near the base of a towering clift neamat near at hand supper being ready we fell to with a hearty goodwill good will and with such keen appetites as only those who follow the trail over mountain passes and over almost impassable clif clefts ts can know we were tired but enthusiastic and the object of our journey was discussed over and over again in its various phases for we felt that we were somewhere near the object of our search the old mine while smoking our pipes after clearing the board or rather gunny sack which served as our table and table cloth of everything ev eatable insight jack recurred to the subject again and said let me look at that chart again for I 1 feel in mv bones that we are very near the lost mine and I 1 cannot sleep until I 1 assure myself that we have not come too far or that thai we have not strayed from the true course we should have followed today juntwait Jus a minute said 1 I until I 1 bring in some water as I 1 would like to get some of this dust off my face before turning in m so I 1 took our gold pan and went to the spring but found that I 1 would have to dig a little basial bash to catch the water before I 1 could get it near fully full so I 1 got one of our shovels and in a few moments had quite a good sized excavation made but in doing so I 1 had inadvertently thrown some of the sand and gravel into the pan I 1 thought thou 0 lit nothing of this however and was in the act of washing it out when my attention was suddenly arrested by a glistening in the pan the moon was just juat rising and its beams baams fell aslant over the big clift directly onto the spring g so that in this dim light I 1 was at first led to be lieve that the glittering was caused by nothing more than a piece or so of mica so abundant in that country I 1 became interested however as an old placer miner like myself was not likely tp mistake gold for any other metal even in a bd bad light so I 1 carefully panned the gravel down and on running it down a long string of colors led out from the black sand and mixed in with them there were several gold nuggets varying in size from a pinhead up to pieces as large as a hickory nut wild with excitement excite mant as aa I 1 was still I 1 was speechless for awhile I 1 sat down on a boulder and gasped for breath then I 1 gazed at the newfound new found bonanza to assure myself that I 1 was n not ot dreaming and was just about to rush back to my partner when he called out the matter with you mike alike have you gone to sleep down there 11 this broke the spell and in a minute more I 1 was by his side with the pan in my hand at first he would not believe me but when he had satisfied himself that I 1 had indeed found a rich gold placer he was beside himself with joy he went fairly wild and deboth joined hands and danced such high jinks that an observer would have thou thought g lit that we were both lunatics who had in some way broken away from our keeper v after ashue we sobered down and began to behave like rational beings when ahen jack wanted to take a look at our newfound new found treasure the moon had fully risen by this time so that we could see fairly well wel 1 and in the glare of this white light which one could see to read by we took an inventory of the new discovery and found upon examination that it was a regular placer deposit and that it was not more than two feet down to bedrock the pay streak being at least six inches in depth and I 1 found afterwards that in digging the basin in which to collect the water from the spring the point of my shovel had hardly penetrated into the richest of the gravel we also found that the deposit was about fifteen feet in width from rim to rim of the channel the bedrock being a black shale which was as smooth as a danding dancing floor let us wash out a pan or two said jack and as I 1 was as eager as he was to take out the pure quill we qoon soon set to work the first panning T netted us about 50 in the yellow metal wh which ch was very fine in quality running 1 we judged about 20 to the ounce and the nuggets were large but little care being taken to save the blakey or real fine gold in the next pan we found a nugget as large as a hens egg besides several smaller pieces and we became so interested in the work that we did not even stop for a moments rest until about ten 0 clock when we estimated we had taken out about in the royal metal by this time a reaction set in and exhausted nature rebelled so bo that we unwillingly were forced to postpone operations until next morning af after ter taking another smoke in order to quiet our excited nerves during which we talked the matter over with the understanding that we would abandon our search for the lost mine we turned in for the night but we had hardly composed ourselves for sleep when our faithful shepard dog fannie began to growl and we became aware that something or somebody was prowling around our camp in this we were not mistaken for almost before we could tell each other of our suspicions ci ons a big indian stepped out of the shadows into the light of our fire which was still feebly burning for a moment he gazed at us when he greeted us as follows ugh indian heap ii hungry white man has bacon bread and tobacco me ale want to eat no eat for two days indicating the days by holding up two of his fingers I 1 1 now we were tired out almost dead to the world as it were so that it was quite an effort for us to get up and get a meal for the vagabond but we had always made it a rule to feed everyone who came to our camp and this rule is universal throughout the wilds of the west it being carried to such an extent that a stranger coming upon a cabin or camp camp when the owners are away invariably helps himself and no one looks upon such an act as wrong or in the light of a theft the absence of such sue 1 a custom would often lead to starvation or a actual stealing which in the west among the rough but kindhearted kind hearted people is sometimes punishable by death it was not long therefore before we had stirred up the shouldering ing fire and in a few minutes later we had spread a crude but hearty repast before our unexpected guest adding to the usual menu a nice steak from the haunch of an n antelope which we had killed the morning before after eating enough to satisfy two ordinary men the indian finally withdrew with seeming reluctance from our improvised t table able and then he asked for a pipe and tobacco which was soon furnished the two of us jack and I 1 joining him in the smoke for a time we puffed aw away aa an n silence each wrapped in his own reflections and possibly conjecturing on the mission of the ot other herfor for with us it was a matter of much surprise to meet with a redskin so far out in the wilderness and on the very threshold of that great and dread desert death valley at last the indian broke the silence by saying white man heap good look for gold goldt to this inquiry y we answered in the affirmative A long 11 silence followed when the redskin in a guttural gut Put teral voice broke out with an announcement which set us fairly wild again he said white man good he feed indian me ale know where much gold is white ma found it many moons ago perhaps five maybe twenty he wont went away never come back had one leg made ot wood heap heal gold there fill basket fill wagon 11 two three five wagon maybe great heaps big as stones stone s pointing I 1 all like this indicating to a big boulder nearly di the of gold that had been placed near our blankets only keap more of it and easy to get me ale show you where only see then come away and forget not for white man but for indian we did our level best I 1 not to show our eagerness to be guided to the indians secret gold depository which we felt sure was nothing less than the lost aegle mine so we assented to the proposition and tried hard to sleep but with such visions of great wealth ever floating before our mental visions we could not even doze away for an instant and jack and I 1 had each made made the resolve that if we ever saw this fabled mine that nothing could lure us away fr from omit it indeed we almost forgot forget the great discovery of gold we had made but a few hours ago as the mine described by the indian seemingly eclipsed it in magnitude and we were willing at a moments notice to quit our new find which in itself would have made us millionaires within a month in an order to resume our former search for the old mine at the peep of day we were up and had made a hasty repast so eager were we to set out for the promised bonanza our burros were rounded cupl up their packs were quickly put in place and before sun up we were headed for the mouth of a distant canyon the indian leading we had not forgotten to fill our big canteens with water from the cpr spring ng so that thai we were well equipped for a days travel at noon we stopped in a region that was wild in the extreme we had gone many man v miles up a canyon that was boxed on either side by majestic clefts while at our feet a precipice yawned dawned and it was so far to the bottom that no ito answering sound came from the stone and boulders which we hurled into its silent depths leave burro here said the indian leave camp but take guns take bacon flour coffee and tobacco take pick and shovel no more come back tomorrow and then to our surprise he took two empty flour sacks from our pack and insisted upon blindfolding our eyes of course we objected to this but we were finally obliged to submit as the stolid redman said no go then me leave white man so we were obliged to yield then when alir our eyes were covered the indian took a rope gave one end of it to jack made me take hold of it a few feet in advance of my partner while he took the other end and led us away from camp I 1 do not know how long it was that we traveled in silence stumbling r now and then on a rock or nearly losing our balance through some inequality in the path anyway it seemed ages to us and we were beginning to lose patience and had almost decided to throw up the job when our guide said me le find him look here we are area at this we tore our bandages from auz our eyes but for a moment we could see nothing we had expected to unmask in the sunshine of day but we found ourselves under underground around in a sort of cavern the work of nature but in which by the feeble light we could see evidences of erf human labor although almost defaced by time fortunately we had brought candles with us and when they had been lighted which helped to brighten the place which was but dimly illuminated from a small opening above us we were almost overcome with astonishment as on every hand could be seen great chunks of native gold the bank of E england did not hold in its vaults as much of the yellow gold as was piled up on the floor of the cavern in great heaps while in the vein which was a true fissure there was a foot of the solid metal as pure as if just from the government refinery y and the vein was exposed from the level of the cave upwards as far as we could see of course we were speechless we were turned to stone as it were and it was nearly ten minutes before we could say a word and then even we had but little to say the indian was as silent as the tomb but seemed to enjoy our astonishment but still we did not like the way way he watched our every movement in looking loo king around the cave we found the remains of a pick and shovel and our ardor was somewhat cooled when we came across the skeleton of a man the skull of which was pierced by a small round hole so that there was no doubt but that he had met his death by violent means from thisbe this we soon turned away but with the resolve that the remains should be given christian and de decent ent burial as soon as we could get around to it by this time we had forgotten the remark that had been made by our guide to the effect that we might that the gold was not for the white man and were thinking of seeking the opening of the cave preparatory to taking steps towards moving our camp to our new find when the indian said this not all look here maybe see something not look to see then he took a stick approached the of the vein thrust the staff into a crevice and to our surprise displaced a I 1 graae great rock which we found to be the opening to another cavern of much greater magnitude than the one we had been standing in we were eager to enter but had hardly taken a few steps forward when we were almost blinded by a dazzling light which seemed to envelope us on every side indeed we were obliged to shade our eyes for awhile and when we could look without flinching a most marvelous sight greeted our gondring won dring gaze I 1 the cave as near as we could judge was all of fifty feet in width and feet in length and upon examination we discovered from whence came the great white light that had blinded us so the walls of the cavity appeared to be a white sandstone in which were embedded precious stones emeralds and diamonds which sparkled and glistened like ten thousand flashes of sheet lightning while from the roof there descended stalactites of pure silver whiter than the driven snow and from these the light was reflected and reflected again until we seeming y stood in a perfect glory of light tal how conr long we were spellbound by this magnificent 11 sight neither jack or I 1 could tell out but we eventually regained some se semblance in to mortal men and it was then that we reached out for the purpose of taking some of the largest diamonds from the sandstone wall I 1 was just plucking a brilliant sparkler when a hand was laid on my shoulder and the indian said in a surley voice no take em they for indian not for white man come in anger we claimed our right to the treasure but threats and entreaties had no effect on the redman who would not yield and who insisted that we leave the place ilace with him go we would not when he e edged back to the entrance and disappeared with the one remark of then stay here we might have known that there was something hostile in the way the indian had bad left us but we were crazy crazy after the diamonds the gold and the silver but it was not until we had filled our pockets with the former that we thought oL returning to camp then when we sought the entrance to the cave we could not find i it although we continued the hunt for several hours we beat the walls we searched every seam ehm and crevice but the outlet we could not find then we sat down for the |