"It's a fizzle, this!" he snapped; and then he told me that sure enough
the three original owners of the mine had "struck something." But the
ore, according to Apache Kid's opinion of the samples lying in the
cabin, was of such a quality that it would not repay anyone to work the
place.
"O," he said, "if there was a smelter at the foot of the mountains, I
don't say it would n't repay to rig up a bucket-tramway and plant; it's
not so very poor looking stuff; but to make a waggon road, or even a
pack-road, from here, say, to Kettle River Gap or even to Baker City and
use the ordinary road there for the further transportation--no, it would
n't pay. We might hold this claim all our lives and the country might
never open up this way while we lived; and what would we be the better
for it all?"
It mattered little to me. My soul was sick of it all.
"Of course, that's the black side," he broke off. "Again, this valley
might be opened up--other prospects put on the market--and down there in
that valley you 'd live to see the smoke of a smelter smelting the ore
of this little place of yours." He paused again. "But I doubt it," he
said.
"So it's a fizzle?" I said half-heartedly.
"Yes," said he. "That is, practically a fizzle. As the country is at
present it does n't seem to me very hopeful. But of course I am one of
those who believe in big profits and quick returns. It is perhaps
scarcely necessary for me to tell you of that characteristic of mine,
however, unless the excitement of your recent experience has caused you
to forget the half-told story I was spinning to you when friend Canlan
interrupted us. Man, how it does rain! And this," said he, looking up,
"is only a preamble. If I 'm not in error, we 're going to have a
fierce night to-night. The storm-king is marshalling his forces. He
does n't often do it here, but when he does he does it with a vengeance.
I think our best plan is to get the holes in this roof tinkered. I see
the gaps round about have been blocked up recently. Was it you did
that?"
I told him that the tinkering was Canlan's doing, to prevent an inroad
of the rats, should we have slept in the place.
"Thanks be unto Canlan," said he. "We 'll start on the roof."
At this task I assisted, standing on the wabbly stool and filling up the
crevices.
It was when thus employed that in a cranny near the eaves I saw a piece
of what looked like gunnysacking protruding and catching hold of it it
came away in my hand and there was a great scattering to the floor--of
yellow raindrops, you might have thought; but they fell with a dull
sound. I looked upon them lying there.
"What's that?" I cried. But indeed I guessed what these dirty yellow
things were.
Apache Kid scooped up a handful and gave them but one glance. He was
excited, I could see; but it was when he most felt excitement that this
man schooled himself the most.
"Francis," said he, "there is, as many great men have written,
compensation in all things. I think our journey will not be such a
folly after all."
"These are gold nuggets?" said I. "Our fortunes are----" and then I
remembered that I had already received my wages and that none of this
was mine. "Your fortune is made," said I, correcting myself.
He smiled a queer little smile at my words.
"Well," he said, "if this indicates anything, my fortune is made in the
only way I could ever make a fortune."
"Indicates?" I said. "How do you mean?"
"Pooh!" said he, turning the little, brass-looking peas in his hand.
"These would hardly be called a fortune. Even a bagful of these such as
you have unearthed don't run to very much. There is more of this sort
of stuff in our cabin," said he.