Show THE prospector AND HIS BURRO by will C higgins while waiting for the period ot of the full moon said the prospector to his burro at which time we were to break through the artificial wall at the face of the tunnia leading from the as I 1 have already described to you we had ample time at our command to investigate other interesting features of our old spanish mine it was now nearing springtime and we could soon resume our gold placer operations if we so desired or we could explore the drifts running from the old shaft or even continue the examination of the old tunnel in which we had bad found the stone cabin and our petrified man now doing sentinel duty at the portal of the tunnel we were in no hurry however to take up any active work for the time being as we were all somewhat nerve shaken from our recent experiences and really needed a rest As a matter of fact we already had more gold and treasure stored under one corner of the block house than we knew what to do with and consequently did not feel the incentive for strenuous sports such as would have been the case if we had been unsuccessful in our quest anil and were really needy and so we all loafed around camp for several days without anything stirring and it was while we lounged around eating resting and talking that a strange thing happened As a matter of course mrs jenkins and the two squaws squads looked after the camp the cooking and the dressing of the game that art and Top feather brought in while we men folks looked after the horses and burros kos and kept a plentiful supply of firewood on hand the day had been rather stormy with a drizzle and gusts of sleet that made 0 outdoor out ut door life rather disagreeable and so we were all gathered in our block house with a big fire blazing in the fire place I 1 was engaged in making a few notes regarding our experiences and adventures jenkins was helping his wife in the performance of some camp duty jim and his squaw were making some leggings Top teather feather and lueta were examining a robe lueta was making for ane while art was war cleaning and pol ashing his rifle it was a regular home scene and we were all happy and contented with no one missing but the who had been playing just outside the door a moment before it seemed to us but a short time since we had seen him and we were all greatly startled therefore to hear the child scream out in terror and the silence which followed awed and chilled us to the bone in an instant however we had all rushed out into the open and as we did so a cry of agony directed our attention to the east and what we saw carried dismay to our hearts tor for some hundred yards away we saw a huge mountain lion making its way to the nearest canyon with the pap boose in its mouth with a yell of rage and consternation Top feather sprang forward in pursuit with art his rifle in hand close at his heels not hesitating a moment I 1 joined in the race with jenkins and jim close behind me while the women folk brought up the rear I 1 cannot tell how far we ran before we were compelled to slow down for lack of breath but we could see nothing of Top feather or of the lion and child As a matter of fact we did not know what course to take for the lion might have turned to the right or to the left and to keep on going blindly might result in our taking the wrong direction while hesitating we thought we heard the report of a rifle some distance to our right of course this must have been from a shot fired by art for there were no strangers in the immediate vicinity as far as we knew and so turned our steps in the direction of the shot making but slow speed because of the roughness of the country finally however we arrived at a deep depression in a blind canyon and at the entrance to a cave we saw art in an of suspense and earnest waiting rifle in hand as it if prepared to use it if necessary we were soon at his side and learned that he had been able to get a shot at the beast just as it was entering the cave still dragging the along how badly the lion had been hurt art could not tell but he was satisfied that the wound it had received would necessarily take its attention from its prey to a certain extent Top feather it seemed had entered th the e cave after the lion proposing to tackle it in its lair with only knife in hand it only he could save his child while we stood waiting the women came up and it was all we could do to keep lueta from also going into the dark hole As for me I 1 had been busy gathering up some dry branches of pitch pine and as soon as I 1 could get a blaze I 1 s started in determined to assist Top feather in every way possible the cave must have been at least a hundred feet in length ending in a large room where a change in formation had occurred As I 1 went in I 1 could see nothing of Top feather and feared lie he had been killed As I 1 advanced however I 1 saw him crouched behind a jutting in the wall or side of the cave while the lion was pacing back and forth in front of the pap boose who lay limp and unconscious behind it playing over the senseless form of the child there were several lion cubs who were enjoying a new sensation for never before had they been invited to a banquet such as this the lioness had been wounded ivoun ded in the right foreleg by arts shot so that it limped as it stood guard over her litter and her victim the cubs seemed to enjoy the situation and began to fondle the plaything their mother had brought them it must have been only a short time although it seemed an hour TO me before the child revived and sat up with eyes open in amazement As he did so the lioness turned upon him with a growl and a roar and as she did so top feather sprang upon her and sank his knife deep into her neck severing her spinal cord with a moan that was almost human in expression she sank down and was lifeless in a moment but Top feather did not wait to see the result of his knife thrust for leaping over the prostrate body of the lioness he had the in his arm in an instant and without loss of time rushed to the mouth of the cave delivering the child to 50 his mother who speechless and seemingly emotionless drew it to her breast then the cried and we all knew it was not from pain but from fright and it was a great relief to us all to find that it had not even been scratched by the lioness who had only carried the weight with her teeth holding on to the loose fitting clothes of course we were all delighted with the fortunate ending of the near tragedy and spent some time in a rehearsal of the incident connected with the affair and it was not until we had calmed down a little that we decided to enter the cave view the dead beast and take a look at her CUDS there was no danger and with our torches we could see almost as well as we could in daylight the victim of Top feathers knife was an unusually large animal as lions go and her fur was still in its winter coating so that we decided to take her pelt along with her cubs back to camp and the little mites were so young that we experienced but little difficulty in catching them there were four in the litter one of which a little larger than the others had to be cornered by jim before lie he was safely secured and it was lucky that this was so for as jim stooped over to grasp the elusive bunch of fur his eye caught the gleam of some metal in the rock and lie he knew instantly that it was gold in its native state this cliance chance discovery led to an investigation and to our surprise we found that the lions den had been formed up against a splendid gold bearing ledge which could be easily mined and which was only a short distance from a living stream sufficient in volume for all mining and milling purposes and we judged from the looks of 0 samples taken that the ore would average at least per ton in its gold content this discovery looked good to us continued the prospector and we felt that the effort required to mine and mill it was more pleasing and satisfying than the treasure that came to us from the accidental finding of hidden wealth left by men who had passed over fifty or a hundred years before and so we returned to our camp fully determined to engage on cemore once more in active mining rather than to look over the leavings in old tunnels and shafts 0 of some prehistoric and doubtful age we found our camp just as we had left it and we were all rejoicing and happy for the missing member of our party had not only been recovered uninjured and unharmed but we had also made a discovery that thrilled us through and through for it was something new something never before gazed upon by the eyes of human beings and this gave added charm to this chance find concerning which I 1 will tell you when we converse again upon the subject 1 I want to tell you old long ears concluded the prospector 1 I have seen many exhibitions of bravery and bulldog bull dog courage but I 1 have never witnessed anything more heroic than when Top feather regardless of danger to himself leaped upon the back of the lioness in the defense of his child such self forgetfulness is sublime and but rarely witnessed and there you are and then some |