We gazed upon it for some time, and then, placing it upon the table, I
capered round it with delight. The Jew was very calm over it.
“Wait,” said he; “this may only be a solitary nugget dropped from a
boat, or thrown into the stream by some thief to hide his guilt.”
I went soberly to work again, taking with me a small basket weighted
with stones to prevent it floating away. I dug, and again struck upon
large nuggets, which I placed in the basket; I also found pieces of
metal which had evidently been shaped by human hands, although they
were in such a corroded state that I could only surmise what had once
been their shape or use. I washed off the adhering gravel and took my
find ashore to the hut, trembling with excitement as I did so.
Hurrah! every piece was pure gold! gold!! gold!!! Then, being
thoroughly exhausted by my long dive and the excitement of my
discovery, I frightened my companion nearly out of his wits by
fainting, and falling like a log of timber at his feet.
When I awoke it was broad daylight, and I was lying comfortably in my
cot, but with a very bad headache.
I groaned, for it at once flashed across my mind that the basket of
gold was, after all, nothing but a dream, a delusion!
Calling my friend from the other room, and glaring at him the while, I
asked half-a-dozen questions before he could answer one.
“Calm yourself, my son, and I will answer all your questions, but not
before you give me your word that nothing shall excite you. Remember,
that in your overwrought state, with a burning brain, an enfeebled
frame, and a naturally excitable temperament, such a thing as madness
might overtake you, or an attack of brain fever seize you.”
“Father, I will be a very Stoic; nothing shall unduly move me.”
“Prove then that you can control your feelings by not asking me a
single question till you have eaten your breakfast.”
I obeyed; but how every morsel stuck in my throat, and had literally
to be washed down with coffee. The apparently everlasting meal was at
length finished, and again I put my numerous questions, and recounted
my dream of the basket of gold. Then with a gesture intended to compose
me, the Jew drew forth from a locker the basket of gold, and held it
out to my astonished gaze.
“Gold!” I exclaimed, stretching out my trembling hand.
“Yes, gold,” said the Jew, quietly placing the basket upon the table as
if it contained apples. “Gold, simple gold; would you be so weak as to
addle your brain for a basketful of the vile dross? It is at once the
curse and blessing of humanity; it kills and it saves; it blackens the
pure, and gilds vice; it creates and it destroys, and more often paves
the way to hell than builds a ladder to heaven.”
What my friend said upon gold would fill many pages, but to shorten
these remarks I will simply say that his eloquence and force of
argument were so great, that I presently became infected with his ideas
of the metal before me. I had been like a man drunk with gold, but had
now become sober with advice.
My fevered brain quieted down, and I simply resolved in my mind that
I should be a rich man. Well! what of that, there were plenty of rich
men in the world who lived and enjoyed their wealth, but then--unlike
my ancient friend--a few short years would bring them face to face with
that great harvestman, Death, and what of the riches then?
In a day or two, having with the Jew’s kind nursing and attention
quieted my mind, I re-commenced my work, and found many more baskets of
gold of various shapes; battered crowns, cups, shield bosses, rings,
and ornaments of all kinds, many of them with gems in them, were
brought to the surface; and one night as I lay in bed, it came into my
head that I would the next night bring ashore a basketful of the loose
gravel, and examine it to see if any small pieces of gold were among it.
Accordingly the next night, as most of the large pieces of gold had
been gathered, I filled my basket with gravel, and took it to the hut,
where I spread it forth on the table.
To our astonishment, not only did we discover small pieces of gold, but
precious stones, cut and uncut, were to be seen sparkling amid the heap
of gravel. The gravel was of more value than the lumps of gold!
The cut gems we put carefully by in a box, and those in a rough state,
which we had more difficulty in finding because they were of a dull and
lustreless surface, we placed in a large leathern bag.
I found I had literally been shovelling up precious stones when I
fancied I was digging gravel, but now that I was aware of the value
of the gravel-bed, I carefully brought every basketful ashore, and
together we sorted over the contents.
For several weeks, night by night, I continued my work of diving, until
nature gave out, and I became completely prostrate, and by my old
friend’s advice resolved to give up seeking for more valuables. I had
gold of ten times my own weight, several leathern bags of natural uncut
gems, about a peck of beautiful cut jewels, and enough ring-seals
and ornaments to stock a museum; I was rich beyond my most extravagant
dreams. I was twice over a millionaire!
[Illustration: “Precious stones, cut and uncut, were to be seen
sparkling amid the heap of gravel.”--_p. 58._]
The Wandering Jew had but a few more days to be with me, for he may not
sojourn at one place more than six months, and that privilege is only
allowed him once in each century; at other times a calendar month is
his longest stay at any place. Usually he tramps from place to place,
halting but a short time at each town or village; at other times he
undertakes long journeys among the Caucasus Mountains, the Urals, or
the Alps; at other times he hies him to Norway, Finland, and even
Siberia. These journeys he undertakes with no other encumbrance than a
long staff. He can accomplish feats that would be impossible to other
mortals: no wild animal dare attack him; cold he can feel but it cannot
harm him; sleep has no hold upon him when he wills himself to remain
awake, nor does hunger have any pangs for him, as he is able to fast
for weeks at a time without any great inconvenience. He speaks many
languages and knows many countries. He wants for nothing, as he has the
power of willing persons to give him exactly what he may require, not
_against_ their will, but with pleasure to themselves.
For the few days which remained we occupied ourselves in packing
and forwarding the boxes by different routes, and under different
disguises, to my home in distant England, in which I longed once more
to set foot.
I endeavoured in every way to obtain the real name of my generous old
friend, but without success, and am sorry to say he did not even give
me the opportunity of thanking him for having made me a millionaire,
for one stormy morning when I arose I found myself alone; my comrade
had flown, leaving upon the table a scrap of paper bearing these words--
“My son, riches added neither to the honour nor happiness of the great
king Solomon; how, then, shall they bring _thee_ peace--that peace
which is the spirit of happiness--except by doing good with that which
earth and water have yielded up to thee?
“Do good with thy riches, and thy fellow men shall bless and reverence
thee.
“Use thy riches in a selfish or discreditable manner, and thy gold
shall turn to lead as thou graspest it, and drag thee deep down to an
eternal doom. Fare thee well.
“(Signed) JOHN XXI., xxiv.”
* * * * *
Many were the schemes which racked my brain for turning my valuables
into money; and for a long time after returning to England I did not
know how to proceed, but at length hit upon a plan. The very numerous
relics of pagan times I presented, under various assumed names, to
museums throughout the kingdom. The gold I had no difficulty in
disposing of to the large manufacturing jewellers in Birmingham. The
uncut precious stones I occasionally send in parcels of a thousand to
M. Koster of Amsterdam, who for the past ten years has set apart a
wing of his great establishment, containing twenty-five men, who are
constantly employed in cutting and polishing gems for me. These are
then sent to agents in all parts of the world, and disposed of, the
proceeds being placed to my account in the Bank of England.
I live as a wealthy country gentleman should, in good style, but
without ostentation. I travel a great deal in the summer, and to every
genuine call of distress my purse is open, but the cases requiring
pecuniary aid which come under my _personal_ observation are not nearly
enough to absorb the amount--about £100,000--which I wish to spend
yearly in charity and good philanthropic work. My money is distributed
over the British Isles to charities of every denomination under the
initials A. Z., which you have probably often seen in the daily
newspapers, and I trust I may live for many years to bestow my largesse
on cases and institutions worthy of aid.
I have more than I shall spend during my lifetime, but there is
doubtless a great deal more treasure in the river-bed which I
overlooked in my hasty search, and which could be made the means of
alleviating much suffering, wretchedness, and distress in this country,
if it were brought to light by some one who would search for it in a
more diligent and thorough manner than I did, and who would, when he
had secured it, put it to the same good use that I am doing. To whom
could I tell the secret of the whereabouts of the ruined towers, with
the certainty that he would carry out my wishes?