sinking. I worked with some mates first, and then I bossed a mine down
Grass Valley. It was held in shares. I only had a few, but I was spry
and handy, you see, and I worked up till I got to be boss, or what you
would call manager. The lode paid well for a while; then it fell off,
and I got to longing for the sea again; so I just chucked it up, and
made tracks from `Frisco.'"
"If you would like another spell at mining, Seth, I can put you in the
way of it," said Mr Rawlings. "I am on my way out to Dakota, to
prospect a mine there. I will tell you how it has come about. I had a
cousin, a wild young fellow, who left home in the early days of the
Californian gold fever, and was not heard of for many years. Eighteen
months ago he returned. His father and mother were long since dead, and
having not a friend in the world he hunted me up, for we had been great
chums in our boyhood. He was a broken man, and I did not think he had
long to live. I took him in, and he lingered on for fifteen months, and
then died. He told me all his history during the twenty years he had
been mining, and a strange, wild story it was--at one time almost
starving, at another wealthy enough to have come home and lived in
comfort. The most important part, and that which is of most interest at
present, is that in a valley in the heart of Dakota he had discovered
what he believed to be a most valuable gold mine. Among the hills he
had found some lumps of very valuable ore. He had traced down the
outcrop of the lode, which on the surface looked poor enough, to a point
near the river. Here another lode intersected it, and believing this to
be the richest point, he began with four comrades to sink a shaft. For
a long time the lode was poor, but at a depth of eighty feet they came
upon ore of immense richness. Three days after they had made the
discovery a band of Indians fell upon them. Ned's four comrades were
killed, but he managed to escape. The Indians burnt the hut and
destroyed the surface-workings, and then left. Alone and penniless, Ned
could do nothing. He made his way back to the settlement, and then
worked on the railway. He was afraid to tell any one his secret, and
was in no hurry, as he had no fear of any chance miners discovering the
spot, which he said looked by no means a promising one. Then he fell
ill, and a yearning for England seized him, and so he came to me.
Before he died he told me the story, and gave me the fullest directions
for finding the spot where, he said, a great fortune awaited me. I was
by profession a civil engineer and knew a little of mining, so I
determined to undertake the adventure. I was preparing to start, having
made arrangements for a prolonged absence, when in London I met my old
friend Captain Blowser, and mentioning to him that I was about to take a
passage in a Cunarder for America, he said that he was sailing for
Boston in a few days, and would be glad of my company. I accepted his
invitation, and here I am. I have sufficient capital to open the mine
and carry on operations for a year. I should be glad of an energetic
man whom I could trust, and who understands the country and mining. I
might travel far before I found one who would so thoroughly suit my
views as yourself, Seth; so if you will throw in your lot with me, as
working manager of the affair, we shall have no difficulty whatever in
coming to terms."
"I'm your man," Seth said, holding out his hand. "Yes, sir, I reckon
that this venture is just the thing that will suit me. I'm all there,
you bet."
And so the agreement was made, and before arriving at the end of the
voyage Seth had selected four of the best and most trustworthy men on
board to join the party. It was arranged that each, in addition to his
pay, should receive a small share in the undertaking, should it turn out
a success; and, with the prospect of an adventure that might render them
independent for life, they gladly "signed articles," as they called
putting down their names to an agreement which the mate had drawn out,
binding those who expressed their willingness to embark in the
enterprise to be true to Mr Rawlings to the last, and obey his
directions; he on his part promised that the treasure, should they
succeed in finding it, would be divided share and share alike amongst
their number. And thus the list was filled.
The band consisted so far of Tom Cannon and Black Harry, two of the
foremast hands; Jasper the black steward, and Josh the cook, another
darkey, as has been already mentioned; besides Seth and Sailor Bill,
whom Seth stoutly declared his intention, with Mr Rawlings' consent, of
taking with him, declining the skipper's proposal of giving him up to
the British Consul when they arrived at Boston, so that he might be sent
home to England as a lunatic sailor at the government expense.
"Nary a bit," said Seth; "whar I goes, thaar goes he, poor chap! Under
Providence, he saved my life; and under Providence I'll never desart
him, Cap, till he chooses to cast off the hawser hisself!"
Mr Rawlings encouraged the seaman in his resolution; for he took great
interest in the lad, and looked forward to noting any change in his
mental condition, whom he firmly believed would some day be suddenly
restored to his senses by some similar mode to that by which he had been
deprived of the proper use of his faculties.
STORY ONE, CHAPTER SIX.
MINTURNE CREEK.
When the _Susan Jane's_ anchor was dropped, and the longshore men came
on board to unload cargo, the little party of Mr Rawlings' followers
went on shore, drew their pay, and took their discharge; and then, after
a few days' stay, took rail for Chicago, where Mr Rawlings was to join
them, to make the final preparations for their start to the Far West.
They reached Chicago before the "Boss," as they called Mr Rawlings, as
that gentleman had several business arrangements to make in New York.
At Chicago, Seth met an old western friend of his, Noah Webster, who had
just returned from a mining expedition in Arizona.
After much talk of their Californian days, Seth told him that he was
going as lieutenant to an English gentleman who was getting up a mining
expedition to Dakota.
"I want eight or ten good miners, afraid neither of work nor Indians."
"What pay?" Noah asked laconically.
"Two dollars a day each, and all grub; double to you, Noah, if you will
get a good gang together and come with us."
"It's a bargain," said Noah. "I could put my hand on twenty good men
to-morrow; half of 'em were out with me. I will pick you ten of the
best. And they ought to be that, for it will be no child's play; the
Injins of Dakota are snakes upon miners."
Seth had received full authority from Mr Rawlings to engage a strong
party, and the "Boss" was greatly pleased upon his arrival to find that
a band of stalwart and experienced miners had already been collected.
Previous to quitting Chicago, Mr Rawlings, acting under the advice of
Seth and Noah Webster, purchased a complete outfit of mining tools, and
stores of all kinds: picks, drills, pumps, buckets, windlasses, ropes--
and, indeed, everything that would be required in carrying out their
undertaking properly.
They did not overburden themselves, however, with provisions, or any
such things as they would be likely to get cheap in the back settlements
at the end of the point where they would have to leave the railway--not
far off the town of Bismark, on the Missouri, the extremest station of
the northern branch of the Union Pacific line.
And so, one fine morning, they started, full of hope, for some wonderful
accounts were in circulation before they set out from Chicago, as to the
enormous finds of the Excelsior mine and other kindred speculations in
or near Dakota.
Passing over their railroad journey, during which nothing of interest
occurred worthy of notice, and their temporary stay in the last frontier
town--to lay in a stock of provisions, and hire teams and waggons for
the transport of their mining plant and general belongings; besides
engaging a half-breed Indian to guide them to their destination, a
copper-coloured gentleman who had lived for years in New Mexico, and
spoke a broken Spanish patter which he called "Ingliz," and was
afterwards a faithful member of the expeditionary party--we will come to
the period when, after a month's march across the wilds of north-western
Dakota, they had arrived at the place which "Moose," the Indian
half-breed, declared with a multitude of "carramboes!" was the spot
which had been indicated on the map which Mr Rawlings had received from
his cousin.
"Waal, boys, this is bully!" exclaimed Seth, as soon as the party had
come to a halt, gazing round him with the air of a landlord taking
possession of his property.
The scene was a beautiful one, and well merited the seaman's
exclamation.
They were in the centre of a vast semicircular valley, surrounded on all
sides but one by a chain of mountains, over which one especial peak
towered far above the rest, lifting up a crest that was crowned with
eternal snow and formed a landmark for miles away.
Into this valley, which appeared to be the general watershed of the
district, ran several small streams, that united in the middle of it in
one deep gulch, which overflowed in winter with a foaming torrent--
although there was now little or no water, and the grass and shrubs
around seemed parched and withered for want of moisture. The
"location," however, was a pleasant one, possessing all the proper
requisites for a stationary camp such as they contemplated; for, within
hand-reach they could have wood, water, and forage for their baggage
animals. The teams they had hired were at once unloaded and started
back to the settlement, but there remained with them twelve pack-mules,
which Mr Rawlings had purchased in order to have means of sending down
for provisions whenever required.
Gold mining, it may be mentioned, is almost if not quite as precarious
as that of silver. The former metal is found over a very extensive
tract of country in California west of the Sierra Nevada Mountains,
while silver is found in Nevada, Utah, and in fact over a vast expanse
of country stretching almost down to the south of Mexico. Silver seldom
is found in a lode extending with any great regularity. The lode,
indeed, may be traced for long distances, but whereas one mine may be
fabulously rich, those lying on the lode on either side of it may not
find enough gold to pay expenses. It lies, in fact, in great "pockets,"
as English miners would call them, or in "bonanzas," as they are termed
in Nevada. So long as these pockets last a mine will pay enormously;
when they are cleared out it becomes worthless, as English shareholders
in these mines have often found to their cost. In "Mineral Hill" and
the "Emma" hundreds of thousand pounds' worth of ore were taken out in a
few months, and then the mines were not worth working.
East of the Rocky Mountains, in Colorado and Dakota, gold is found as
well as silver. It is found in quartz veins, and wherever there is
quartz, some, although often an almost infinitesimally small amount of
gold, is found; while in other places patches of quartz are struck
containing immensely rich deposits of the precious metal.
No search was made for the exact spot indicated on the map, so long as
the teamsters who had brought up the mining' stores remained. These
believed that it was a mere exploring party, and although they wondered
at the quantity of mining materials brought up, they had put this down
to the folly of the "Britisher" who had organised the party!
When the mining party alone remained, a diligent search was at once
begun for the shaft which had been sunk. This they knew was near the
river.
Three days were spent and no signs of the shaft were discovered, when
Seth came across a short stump of charred wood at the edge of the river
bed.
He led Mr Rawlings and Noah Webster to the spot, and they agreed that
this was probably the site upon which the dwelling-house had stood.
"The river, you see, has changed its course a bit," Noah said. "These
streams come down in big floods in winter, and carry all before them,
often changing their beds. If it came across the mouth of the shaft it
would fill it up with boulders and gravel in five minutes. Waal, what
we've got to look for is a filled-up hole hereabouts. Mostly, the rock
lies just under the surface gravel, so if we get crowbars and thrust
down we shall find it sure enough."
A few hours' search, now that the clue was obtained, led to the
discovery of the lost shaft. The lode was now traced extending either
way, and as it was at once agreed that it would not do to commence
another so near the river, a place was fixed upon a hundred yards back
from the old shaft, and the whole of the stores and tools were removed
to this spot.
Then the whole force set to to get up a large hut of galvanised iron,
which they had brought, with its framework, from Chicago.
Timber is sometimes scarce in these regions, and it would not have done
to have relied upon it. The hut contained a large general room where
all would take their meals together, a store-room, a bed-room for the
men, and a smaller one for Mr Rawlings, Seth, Noah, and Sailor Bill. A
small "lean-to" as a kitchen was erected against the hut, and layers of
coarse turf, eighteen inches thick, were built up against the outer wall
all round for additional protection, as the winter would be bitterly
cold, and a great thickness of material would be required to resist its
inclemency.
There was an equal partition of labour. The black cook took possession
of his kitchen, Jasper was to act as general attendant, and Seth assumed
the position of manager of the works, with Noah Webster under him as
deputy, while the men were divided into three gangs, each of which would
work eight hours a day at the work of sinking the shaft.
STORY ONE, CHAPTER SEVEN.
FIGHTING THE ELEMENTS.
The miners at Minturne Creek had a hard time of it, and their life was
monotonous enough after they had settled down to work in earnest.
Winter came--the stern hard winter that can only be experienced to the
full in the northern regions of the Far West, backed up seemingly by all
the powers of nature--to try and cramp the energies of the party, and
arrest their labours; but, neither the severity of the weather, nor the
languor which the excessive frigidity of the atmosphere produced--
although it sent them to sleep of a night after their day's toil,
without the necessity of an opiate--were sufficient to deter them from
their purpose.
Winter passed by, and still they worked on steadily, notwithstanding
that as yet they had met with no substantial success to encourage them,
hoping, however, that they had surmounted the gravest part of their
undertaking. Spring arrived, and their hopes of an easy season of it
were demolished in an instant; for the snow melted on the hills, and the
ice melted in the valley, and the iron bands of the river were broken,
causing a foaming torrent to dash through the gulch--a torrent that
swelled each hour with the fresh accretions of water from the higher
rocks, and, spreading wide in the valley, threatened to annihilate the
whole party, as well as the results of their handiwork during the past
months of bitter toil.
The very elements warred against them; but, under the noble example of
their indomitable leader, whom nothing appeared to dishearten, they
braved the elements, and were not discouraged.
The torrent grew into a flood, tossing huge rocks about as if they were
corks, and swelled and foamed around the dam they laboriously raised
when the floods began, to protect the shaft; but they fought the newly
created flood with its own weapons, hurling buttresses at it to support
their artificial embankment, in return for its rocks, and pointing the
very weapons of the enemy against itself.
They had not to contend with water alone.
The winds, let loose apparently by the thawing of the huge glaciers by
which they were confined in the cavernous recesses of the mountain
peaks, stormed down into the valley, there meeting other and
antagonistic currents of air coming up the canon--and met and fought,
relentless giants that they were, on the neutral ground of the miners'
camp, tearing off the iron sheets of their house, and sending them
flying away on the wings of the storm to goodness knows where. Still,
the hardy adventurers would not be beaten; but fought the wind, as they
had fought the water.
Spreading buffalo skins over their unroofed cabin to keep out the wet,
they piled on them rocks and timber that they had kept in reserve for
service in the mine, weighing their ends down with some of the ponderous
rocks with which the flood had assailed them--so making a temporary
provision against the weather until they should be able to build their
log shanty afresh.
By these means the winds were conquered, stopping their onslaught
presently and making a truce, which in time was lengthened into a
treaty. But it was a mighty battle while it lasted; a fight of the
Titans with the gods; man opposed to nature; the material to the
immaterial--self-reliant, well-husbanded, carefully-applied strength
matched against purposeless force.
Man does not generally win in such contests, but did in this instance.
The powers of the water and air were powerless against a systematic
resistance, and were compelled to succumb. The miners suffered,
certainly--who comes out of a fray scathless? But they were victorious;
and being such, could at last laugh at their losses. Beyond, also, the
consciousness of having fought a successful fight, they were encouraged
by the certainty that they had met and encountered with success the
extremity of peril to which they would be subjected; and that
thenceforth Nature could only be a passive enemy to them, with no
terrors now to daunt them with, albeit she struggled against them still
in the bowels of the earth, that refused as yet to give up those hidden
riches which they were confident were there. Refuse? Ay, but only for
a time; they would, in the end, conquer that refusal, as they had met
and overcome nature's more active opposition!
Their house was in ruins; their provisions mostly spoilt by the elements
they had battled--fire had only been wanting to complete the sum of
their calamities; whilst the staging around their mine-shaft was broken
down and tons of water upon tons poured down the embouchure.
They reviewed their position, and grasped its salient points, not a
single faint heart among them:--hope, trust, energy, made them think and
act as one man.
There was the iron hut and shanty to rebuild, the mine-shaft and its
supports to repair, the dam to mend and remake in its weaker places, the
mine to pump out.
Thus they thought; and, what is more, they acted upon the thought. Some
men think, and others work. They did both; and, through their strenuous
efforts, ere the early buds of spring had given a palpable green tinge
to the shrubs and trees that clothed the slopes of the hills and dotted
the valley of Minturne Creek here and there, or the snow had quite
vanished from the topmost mountain peaks, and the river that ran through
the gulch subsided down into its proper proportions, all traces of the
storm ravages had been cleared away, and the snug little camp of the
Boston exploring party looked itself again, "as neat and trim as a new
pin, I reckon!" as Seth Allport said.
The miners themselves allowed, however, that the victory might not have
been theirs had they not had the assistance of a visitor--and that a
most unexpected one, as the spring was not sufficiently advanced to have
cleared away all the snow from the back track to the settlements and
made the roads passable, so as to allow the diggers to return to their
claims on the hills.
Strangers are rare birds amongst the squatters out West, and are
generally regarded with much suspicion by travellers on the prairies and
in the mountain fastnesses.
The rougher part of the restoration of the camp belongings having been
accomplished and not so many hands being now required for the further
repairs needed, while the day was especially fine and suggestive of
"sport," the hunters were out on the hills, under the leadership of Mr
Rawlings, who had proved himself by this time one of the best shots in
camp.
There were other reasons for the hunters' activity besides the fact of
the day being fine and signs of sport apparent.
"The hull crowd, from the Boss down to Sailor Bill, who wouldn't say nay
if he could kinder express himself," as the ex-mate observed before the
setting out of the expedition--"were dog-tired of pork and fixin's,"--
and their stomachs craved after game, or fresh meat of any sort.
Besides their having lived through the whole of the winter on salt pork,
it had not been improved in quality by its contact with the flood-water
that had submerged their cabin at one time; but, whether damaged or not,
it must be acknowledged that even to the most easy-going and contented
palate, a never-varying diet of fried pork and damper cakes--that
resembled somewhat the unleavened bread of the Israelites in their
passage through the wilderness--will prove somewhat wearying and
monotonous in the long run! Thus, their anxiety for some change in
their food can only be realised by those who have been compelled to live
on salt provisions for any length of time.
Signs of sport, as has been already mentioned, were apparent enough; for
traces of deer had been discovered by the Indian half-breed in the early
morning, leading from the bank of the river as it entered the canon
below the camp from the hills; and thus, therefore, it was with all the
eagerness of semi-starving; men that the best shots of the party were
picked out at once, and despatched to follow up the trail of the game;
the others who remained behind going on with the rebuilding with all the
greater ardour through the prospect of an unwontedly good dinner before
them--that is, should the hunters prove successful.
Along with Mr Rawlings was Noah Webster, who was a better hunter almost
than he was a miner; Moose, the half-breed Indian, and Josh the cook--
Jasper stopping behind by the express orders of Seth, although he was
madly jealous at his brother-darkey being preferred before him.
Upwards and onwards, through the scrub and brushwood and budding
branches of trees, struggling over the trunks of fallen monarchs of the
forest, that had been rooted up by the wind or struck down by lightning,
and lay across their path, over rough volcanic rocks, and through
ravines that trickled down tiny streams to swell the river below, they
made their way slowly and tediously towards the probable lair of the
deer, as the traces of their antlered prey grew fresher and more
distinct every step, the slot being sometimes plainly visible in the
moist soil, although for all they could otherwise see and hear they
might be as far off from the wished-for prize as ever.
Presently, as they were emerging from a thicker growth of brushwood than
they had yet passed through, they noticed, to their joy, right in front
of them, feeding on a small grassy plateau under the lee of a jutting
cliff, a head of what the Indian half-breed immediately declared to be a
species of ibex, or mountain-sheep, that are commonly met with amid the
peaks of the Rocky Mountains and its chains, far from the haunts of
civilisation and men. It was only owing, indeed, to the fact that the
hill diggers were away in the settlements, and from the scarcity of
forage in their more secluded retreats, that they had approached so near
to the miners' camp.
Caution was now the order of the day; and, Mr Rawlings still leading,
with the Indian next him, and then the others one after the other in
file, Josh proudly bringing up the rear, they stepped forwards with the
utmost care, keeping the wind in their faces so that they should not be
betrayed by the scent of their clothing reaching the timid animals, to
do which, they had to execute a considerable detour, and take advantage
of every chance of cover.