"Search!" he said. "Search! That is enough for the present. If our
labours are rewarded, then I will give you an outline of the manner and
customs of the Genus Prospector--a queer, interesting race."
We thought little now of filling up the holes in that cabin. It was
more a work of dismantling that we began upon, I probing all around the
eaves, Apache Kid picking away with one of the miners' picks, beginning
systematically at one end of the cabin and working along.
"Here," I cried, "here is another," for I had come upon just such
another sack and quickly undid the string.
"Why, what is this?" said I. "What are these?"
He took the bag and examined a handful of the contents--the green and
the blue stones.
"This," said he, "is another sign of the customs of these men. This was
Jackson's little lot, I expect; the man the Poorman boys picked up.
Jackson was a long time in the Gila country."
"But what are they?" I said.
"Why, turquoises," replied Apache Kid.
"Turquoises in America?" I said.
"Yes," said he, "and a good American turquoise can easily match your
Persian variety."
He went over and sat down upon his stool.
"I don't like this," said he, disgustedly, and I waited his meaning.
"Fancy!" he cried, and then paused and said: "Fancy? You don't need to
fancy! You see it here before you. When I say fancy, what I mean is
this: Can you put yourself, by any effort of imagination, into the ego
of a man who has a fortune in either of his boot-soles, a fortune in his
belt, a fortune in the lining of his old overcoat, and yet goes on
hunting about in the mountain seeking more wealth, grovelling about like
a mole? Can you get in touch with such a man? Can you discover in your
soul the possibility of going and doing likewise? If you can, then
you're not the man I took you for."
"They did n't get these turquoises here, then?" I said.
"Oh, no! I don't suppose that there is such a thing as a turquoise in
this whole territory. Don't you see, we've struck these fellows'
banking accounts? Did you ever hear of a prospector putting his whole
funds in a bank? Never! He 'll trust the bank with enough for a rainy
day. The only thing that he 'll do with his whole funds is to go in for
some big gamble, such as the Frisco Lottery that put thousands of such
old moles on their beam ends. In a gamble he 'll stake his all, down to
his pack-horse. But he does n't like the idea of putting out his wealth
for quiet, circumspect, two-a-half per cent interest. He 'd rather carry
it in his boot-soles than do that any day."
Up he got then, and really I must leave it to you to decide how much was
pose, how much was actual in Apache Kid, when he said:
"I think we had better continue our search, however, not so much for the
further wealth we may find as to satisfy curiosity. It would be
interesting to know just how much wealth these fellows would n't trust
the banks with. Let us continue this interesting and instructive
search."
For my part, I, who heard the ring in his voice as he spoke, think he
was really greatly excited, and to talk thus calmly was just his way.
*CHAPTER XXI*
_*Re-enter--The Sheriff of Baker City*_
"Pardon the question," said Apache Kid, looking on me across the hoard,
he sitting cross-legged upon one side, I sprawled upon the other, "but
do you feel no slightest desire stealing in upon you to possess this all
for yourself?"