I. A Strange Partner.
II. The Black Cat of Klondike.
III. The Skeleton Mine.
IV. A Maori Legend.
V. The Garden Gully Mine.
VI. The Green Door.
VII. The Three Great Pearls.
A STRANGE PARTNER.
An Australian Story.
When the P. & O. steamer called at Albany, West Australia, only two
passengers came on board, a young Englishman and his wife. Before we
reached Sydney I made his acquaintance in the smoking room and he told
me the following story. I give it in his own words:
My name is Henry Detmold, I was born in Lincolnshire, England, and I am
twenty-nine years of age. My parents were of the middle class and gave
me a fair business education. When I was eighteen my father secured me a
position in the County Bank at a very small salary; there I remained
until two years ago. My salary had been increased to eighty pounds a
year and I saw no prospect of an advance for years to come. I had never
been out of my native county save two flying trips which I made to
London for a few days during my holidays. By accident I picked up a copy
of the Melbourne _Age_ in which I read an account of the discovery of
gold in Western Australia. The spirit of adventure, so strong in an
Englishman’s blood, was aroused. I resigned my position and took passage
for Sydney. From that point I made my way to Perth, the capital of West
Australia. I took passage on the coach for Coolgardie, and during my
trip over the desert of sand, which I was compelled to walk, my box only
riding on the stage, I more than once came to the conclusion that a
situation in a bank at a meagre salary was highly to be preferred to
gold seeking with the thermometer at 120 degrees in the shade.
Coolgardie was a wilderness of tents and fleas, with absence of water,
and what was worse, I discovered that the prospector’s country lay still
in the interior, but for shame and the knowledge that my position in the
bank had long since been filled, I would have turned back. In Coolgardie
I made the acquaintance of George Vail, a young Australian from Gipps
Land, who like myself had been attracted to the west coast by the tales
of wonderful finds made by the first comers to this land of sand and
heat. Vail was very slight in build and in no wise adapted to roughing
it as a miner, but such was his charm of manner that he won my
sympathies and as we were attracted by our mutual ignorance of our new
life and unfitness to cope with the difficulties which hedged us in we
soon became inseparable companions and finally decided to strike out for
the interior and try our fortunes. Our last money was expended in the
purchase of a mule and provisions enough for a three months trip. The
mule was to carry the provisions while we were to trudge alongside on
foot. With swags strapped on our backs we turned our faces towards the
east and bid good bye to Coolgardie. Fifty miles inland found us in the
most bleak and desert-like country which you can imagine. We had turned
to the north of the beaten track in the hope of coming upon a new field
not taken up by the old-time and experienced prospectors, who over-ran
like the locusts of Egypt. We camped upon the confines of a small creek,
the only one in that part of the country. Day after day was spent in
vain attempts to find a trace of gold, but so profound was our ignorance
of mining that our ill success was no proof of the absence of the
precious metal. A few miles to the north of the camp the sand plains
terminated in a series of hills, almost mountains. This region we
carefully avoided lest we should be lost in the hills. As a last resort
we decided to explore the foot-hills, taking care to keep our camp
continually in sight. To avoid fatigue we placed part of our supplies on
the mule and with the tent advanced to the range which proved to be well
watered, much to our surprise none of the water coming down to the
plain, it being sucked up by the sand in a short distance. Our search
was fruitless and we had determined to abandon our quest and return to
Coolgardie when the following remarkable circumstances transpired. In
consequence of Vail’s youth and lack of strength we had made a division
of the work, he took charge of the culinary department while the hard
labor fell to my lot. But for his skill in this particular I should have
abandoned the search in two weeks. Given the most common materials he
could be relied upon to prepare an excellent meal. One day while I was
absent in the hills he found in the neighborhood of the camp a small
piece of opal which evidently had recently been broken from its bed in
the rock as the fracture was new and bright. Our conclusion was that we
must have a neighbor but why he had not made his appearance known we
could not conjecture. There was but one interpretation to be placed upon
his desire to remain concealed and that was that he had hit upon a new
field and was working it. We had never heard it stated that opals were
found in the Colony, but Australia is a land where one is not surprised
at any mineral discoveries. On the island were gold, silver, copper,
iron, tin, diamonds and in Queensland opals. We resolved to prolong our
stay and if possible discover the more fortunate prospector. We made a
careful examination of the hills for traces and soon discovered them. On
the fourth day we came upon a hut built in a secluded ravine, wherein we
found an old man, who gave his name as Burton and stated that he had
been in the country for months but had not succeeded in finding any
gold. From that time an intimacy sprang up between us but we found the
old man extremely reticent relative to his past life. Originally he had
resided in Sydney, then in Melbourne, and finally had removed to the
west coast. He was exceedingly feeble and ill-fitted to cope with such a
life of hardships. From the first he conceived a strong partiality for
Vail, who never tired in treating him to delicacies of his own making
over the camp fire. We acted on hints given by our new friend, who
evidently possessed a good knowledge of mining, but were not rewarded
for our perseverance. At the end of two weeks the old man fell ill and
we removed him on the mule to our camp where he could be made much more
comfortable. Gradually he grew feebler, there was no disease, but a
general breaking up of the system which indicated, but too clearly that
the end was drawing near. To my surprise he manifested a strong desire
to be left alone with Vail in the camp. They spent many hours in
whispered conversations which excited my curiosity, but not a word fell
from their lips which gave me a clue to the mystery, for mystery there
undoubtedly was. One night the old man was very low, when he summoned me
to his side and Vail went outside.
The old man said, “I have made a wonderful discovery, what it is I
cannot tell you. It is possible that you may make the same discovery, I
cannot understand why you have not made it long since. I want you to
promise a dying man that should you make the discovery before you return
to Coolgardie that you will conduct yourself as an honorable man and an
Englishman.”
I gave my promise and an hour later the old man breathed his last. The
grief of Vail was so intense and poignant that I was still more
mystified, though I knew that he loved the stranger dearly. The grave
was dug beneath a flowering wattle and Vail, in a low, sweet voice,
broken by sobs, read a chapter from the Testament as the last burial
rite. The following day I proposed that we set out on our return trip.
“I have a secret,” Vail answered, “which if you can unravel may result
in the betterment of our fortunes. The old man strove in vain to solve
it and his life paid the forfeit. It was for that he came into this
colony and not for gold.”
“I have given the old man my word of honor that I will not profit by the
discovery if I should make it,” I answered.
An embarrassed look spread over my companion’s face and to my surprise
his eyes filled with tears.
“Bear in mind,” I continued, “If it will benefit you, any thing in my
power will be freely done and you can rely upon me to the last.”
“I know it, I know it,” Vail answered, “fortunately your pledge in no
way applies to the subject to which I refer.”
“Do not deceive me,” I said hotly, for a moment I doubted him. “A man’s
honor is not to be bartered for gold.”
“I pledge you my word,” was the answer, “and I value your honor as
highly as you do yourself.”
I grasped him by the hand and we were friends again. What could it all
mean? I was gravitating from mystery to mystery and not a ray of light
to guide me. “I have the riddle in my pocket,” Vail continued, “perhaps
you can read it.” He drew out a piece of paper yellow with age on which
had been traced with a pen some rough outlines. Vail spread the paper
out with a careful hand and said, “This is supposed to be a map of this
part of the country. The white paper represents the flat or sand
country, that is the plain, the small crosses the hills, this circle a
marsh, lagoon or pond in the rainy season and the square an island of
dry land in the centre of the marsh, the three small dots on the island,
three gum trees growing only a few feet from each other and what is to
be remembered is that the gum trees all lean toward a common centre. If
you can find the island and the gum trees there is every reason to
believe that our fortune is made. Years since a convict buried under the
gum trees a magnificent band of Queensland opals.”
I started and exclaimed, “some of the opal of which you found a small
piece.”
“Yes.”
“And the old man came here to look for it.”
“He did.”
“And confided the secret to you?”
“Yes.”
“We must find it.”
“Certainly.”
“And begin the search to-morrow.”
“I am agreed.”
I was consumed with curiosity but did not attempt to pry into the
mystery as Vail did not volunteer any further information. My experience
in the back blocks had taught me that to succeed we must proceed in a
methodical manner. I studied the map carefully and concluded from the
crosses representing the hills that the marsh could not be inland from
the plain more than five miles and that all that was necessary was to go
in that distance, using the compass, then move over half a mile at right
angles and come out to the plain. This system repeated over and over
again would cover the whole area and must in the end prove successful.
Vail agreed with my conclusion and that night we went to bed confident
that the prize was ours. The following morning we set out, taking the
mule with us to carry two days’ provisions, and incidentally to give
Vale a lift when he grew weary, for I realized that his strength would
soon give out on such a march, though I refrained from mentioning that
part of the program to him, for he was exceedingly sensitive on that
point. Day after day we toiled over the hills but caught sight of no
lagoon. It was the height of the hot season and a great drought was upon
the land. I had learned enough of this strange country to know that we
were confronted with great difficulties as the rainy season would
transform the entire country. Where now were only barren stretches would
be great sheets of water or broad and fertile plains covered with waving
grass. A week passed and at heart I was utterly discouraged, but Vail
never grew despondent. But for him I should have abandoned the quest.
His courage never faltered, it was only a question of time and we would
succeed. In two weeks nature drove us from the field, every stream and
lagoon in the hills dried up and at our camp the water was running very
low. I felt that it was dangerous for us to remain any longer and urged
the necessity of our departure upon my companion. He pleaded for delay
but could furnish no reasons of any weight. To my surprise I found that
under his gentleness was a firmness much greater than my own. In those
trying days I used the word ‘stubborn.’ One Sunday Vail reluctantly
consented that we should take up our march to the south on the following
day. My spirits rose at the prospect, but Vail was depressed and
wandered aimlessly along the first range of foot-hills. I was up bright
and early making up the packs when Vail went down to the water hole for
a supply with which to cook the breakfast. He came back with
astonishment written all over his face.
“Come down here,” he cried, seizing me by the arm.
I hurried down. Imagine my surprise when I saw oozing from the parched
ground, which, owing to the intense heat, had cracked in a thousand
places, opening to a depth of five or six feet in some spots, the water,
clear and sparkling.
“What does it mean?” he asked in a whisper.
“It has rained on the higher ground,” I answered.
“Rained! Who ever heard of it raining at this season in West Australia?”