Show the prospector and his burro by will C higgins according to my lily way of thinking said tile the prospector to his burro a prospector stands almost as good a show to make a big discovery in an old and practically abandoned district as lie he does in some remote but virgin field for contrary to general belief there is hardly a region or section sees tion in the wild wide west that lia has s not been covered at some time by the searcher for mineral wealth and no doubt exists but that the cream cheam of surface deposits from which have sprung so many notable camps were found by these pioneer prospectors who were looking for the very best and who disdained disdain ed to pay any attention to prospects which failed to come up to old time requirements but which are now looked upon as being worthy of consideration with a very few exceptions it is the big surface showings that have been developed into big mines and I 1 would rather have a claim that has a big showing to work on than a dozen locations where the veins are blind but which judging from formation and geological conditi conditions onsy may develop into producers after thousands of dollars dollar have been expended in the search for the hidden lodes and this is why we have camped in this old district which has produced its millions jn in tile the past and subsequently abandoned because the mining men of that lay day could see no future for tile the camp when tile the original discoveries were worked down to water level you say that you like old camps also as there are so many ruined shacks where a burro can call hide and take it easy while his master is searching the brush for him besides which there is always sure to be a few old trees to rest under while little grassy plots here and there and water running clear and cold from old tunnels help t to 0 reduce tile the high cost of living which is all very well from your viewpoint view point and yet this trait in tile the burro to hide out resulted in ill my lily making one of my best discoveries in ill an old district such as this a number of years ago your mother was with me ille at tile the time and it was because of her hatred of work that led to the discovery I 1 s speak peak of we were camped in what lad had been the managers house in the time of the camps prosperous days and I 1 had made myself quite comfortable for much of the furniture had been left when operations were suspended and the mine deserted I 1 was the only man in the district which was more inore than a hundred miles from the nearest settlement for a week I 1 had been investigating vesti gating old mine workings looking for a stringer that might lead to something worth while but with no satisfactory results I 1 had even gone over the old mine maps hoping to get a clue to a change in formation that would pay to prospect but was disappointed and I 1 was so discouraged and disappointed that finally I 1 had decided to put in a set of sluice boxes for the purpose of working over some old mill tailings which panned well and so I 1 started out to get your mother as I 1 needed her in snaking down some old lumber from the dilapidated snow shed which had protected the mouth of the caved in tunnel but I 1 could not find her although I 1 looked into a number of old cabins and various disreputable corrals she had been in the habit of frequenting qu enting for two days I 1 hunted for her high and low after which I 1 extended my search out into the underbrush and into the forest which fringed the higher ridges of the mountain range on the second day of this search I 1 found a little spring and 0 round around it were prints of burro hoofs then I 1 knew I 1 was on the right trail and was in no doubt as to the direction I 1 should take tor for only a hundred yards distant there was an overhanging cliff at the bottom of which a little patch of pasture land was visible and it if was here that I 1 found my delinquent servant she seemed surprised to see me but did not attempt to escape for I 1 believe that she was getting somewhat lonesome to see me and especially as I 1 I 1 iad had a nosebag of barley with me I 1 did not beat her as some men would have done instead input I 1 put the bag on her head and while she was feeding I 1 sat down to partake of my own lunch which I 1 had brought along it was a cool and comfortable spot and as I 1 was somewhat tired I 1 was in no hurry to leave as an hours walk would take us back to camp and it was only two in the afternoon and so after eating I 1 smoked and dozed taking no heed of the ground squirrels that scampered around all at once however a lot of magpies set up such a clatter that I 1 was curious to see what it was that had so excited them quietly creeping around the base of the cliff I 1 was able to discover the cause of the commotion which was a big wood rattlesnake coiled up on the top of an old stump ready to strike it if the birds approached too near him I 1 watched the skirmish for awhile and then decided to become an ally of the magpies whose cause had also been taken up by a few blue jays picking up a good sized rock at my feet I 1 let fly at his and struck him amidships I 1 thought I 1 had hini him sure but before I 1 could find another thunderbolt lie he had disappeared into a hollow in the stump I 1 was in fighting mood by this time and so I 1 cut me a big heavy beavy club and attacked the stump with a vengeance at my first blow I 1 smashed it into a hundred pieces as it was as as s an anarchist to my surprise however as I 1 succeeded in clearing away the old roots of the stump in the endeavor to find the hiding place of the snake I 1 found that the tree in its growth had sprouted in the crevice of a great vein of quartz and as I 1 dug put out some pieces with my tommy that I 1 had with v 1 ali me they glistened with native gold like diamonds as I 1 held them up to the sunlight you may rest assured concluded the prospector that I 1 forgot all about sluicing the old tailings for I 1 had now found a bonanza which had been overlooked by the veteran miners of the olden days and believe me I 1 was mighty glad that I 1 lad had been wise enough to prospect in an old district rather than to take my chance in sonic some new and untried field and there you are and then some |