Show r the prospector siv or and his burro ft by will C higgins the saddle is already packed said the prospector to his burro and in the morning we will start out for the hackberry range for it is my intention to jump the old hole in the sock mine at midnight on the first and I 1 want to get to the ground early as I 1 miss putting a location notice on it for a 50 dollar william it is a good piece of property and ought to make a bonanza with systematic and intelligent tell igent development it is true that it has been open for relocation location re for a year or more but the fact was not generally known and I 1 have been wa waiting biting to see if the company formerly owning it really wants to retain title I 1 say formerly owning because of the fact that for three years past it has not been doing any annual assessment ses work and the ground was never patented if the company really wanted to keep its property I 1 would be the last man in the world to try to take it away from them but if it is going to go into other hand I 1 want those hands to be mine as rough and ugly looking as they are and believe me I 1 will be on the ground early and I 1 dont have any idea that anyone will beat me to it you ask if I 1 ever had any interesting experiences in this claim jumping business as you are interested in what others have done in this line although you prefer to bs be snug and comfortable in a well furnished corral during the open season for claim jumpers remembering the time when you were nearly killed the time we made a dash three years ago for the red spot claim in squash vine gulch and I 1 think I 1 can recall an instance where I 1 succeeded in getting my notice posted when a gun man was out for the same piece of ground at the time I 1 speak of continued the prospector 1 I was keeping my eye on a valuable ground in hardscrabble canyon th the P owner was an eastern man who believed he could slip through without doing his annual work and who had arranged with an old prospector to stay on the ground until after midnight on the first and then plaster a new notice on the property the old man came down to the bale of hay saloon on the to replenish his grub pile I 1 had a man there who worked with me as a partner now and then and I 1 arranged with him to keep the old man in camp until af after ter the first this was easy as a bottle of redeye would cause him to forget that there was ever such a thing as a mining claim or a location notice then I 1 took another man with me and took a hike out to the ground I 1 wanted and showed him where I 1 wanted the notices posted as soon af after ter midnight as possible then I 1 went down the canyon a mile and made a camp gathering a big pile of wood and making things comfortable for I 1 had a hunch that others would be after the same claim and I 1 was waa right for about 11 who should come along but the gun man I 1 have just mentioned he was pretty sore when he found I 1 was after the ground in question and pulled his gun on me for a minute but I 1 argued with him and suggested that we both take an even chance and make a run for the ground at midnight which proposition he agreed to as he was a long legged cayuse and could run like a deer then I 1 proposed a game of aluff while we waited and we soon were in the midst of an interesting game with him winning all the time which looked like easy money to him once about ten to twelve he suggested that we start but I 1 said we had plenty of time and that I 1 ought to have a chance to win my money back again when I 1 began to deal he wanted to go but just then he got a winning hand and insisted on staying in for one more play I 1 wasi was keeping my ears earb open and getting a little nervous when about twelve fifteen we both were startled by a revolver shot from the direction of the claims we wanted he started to his feet and as lie he did so I 1 covered him with my gun and told him that it was useless to make any trouble as the claims had already been located by my man and that the shot he had just heard was the pre ar ranged signal to be given when the notices notice as had been posted he looked at his watch and saw that it was half an hour after midnight and that lie he had lost out he was as sore as a bob cat with porcupine quills in its nose for awhile but soon quieted down and we played aluff until sunup sun up then we walked down the canyon to camp together as chummy as two turtle doves and lie he has always been a great friend of mine ever since claiming that the deal was fair but that lie he had overlooked a bet the claims turned out well and the thred of us made a nice little wad when we sold them six months later to a man f from roni oshkosh who has since developed them into dividend payers As for the original owner lie he made quite a rumpus at first but lie he gave in finally when he be found that liis his bluff game work 1 I want to tell itell you old long ears concluded the prospector this annual assessment proposition is all tommyrot tommy rot from beginning to end and half of the claims in hardscrabble canyon could not lawfully ba held a minute if anyone wanted to contest con tesi the legality of the work claimed to bo be done to hold them halt of the mines in this region are and the only thing that prevents this being done is the bond of union and operation cooperation co existing between the claim clairn owners and prospectors of the country As for me I 1 would never try to jump the ground of a man actually trying to hold it halfway half way legally but when some pewee pe wee outsider who has plenty of money and who is always trying to evade the law tries to hold on year after year by making relocations locations re then and then only is when I 1 try to beat him to it and there you are and then some |