Part 1 (1/2)
Where Strongest Tide Winds Blew
by Robert McReynolds
I
UNDER THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES
We built our cabin high on the slopes of the Sangre de Christo range, overlooking the broad, level San Luis Valley, in Colorado At the rear of the cabin rose a towering cliff or rather a huge slab of rock standing edgewise h, apparently the upheaval of soone Near the base of this cliff flowed a clear crystal spring
Some hundred yards west of the cabin was the mouth of a tunnel into which we had drifted with pick, shovel and giant powder, a distance of 300 feet in five months of hard toil A trail led fro the mountain side, which was thickly studded with tall pines Another trail led down theway to the valley, al far into the blue dore de Christo, glistening in the aunt, fantastic shadows in canon and deep ravine
It was a wild, weird scene, where or, seems to imbibe a portion of the divine essence that lives, andin the vast solitudes
We struck pay rock at the first thirty feet of tunneling, so Aradually increased in value, week by week Buchan would take samples of the ore every week or ten days and walk a distance of twenty-five ist and assayer, would for two dollars and fifty centsso old to the ton
The ore had not yet reached a value which would pay to shi+p it, but the increase of values was so steady, and A, that ere always in buoyant expectation of rich ore
He would say, ”You boys have a wonderful prospect Keep right on with your work; it is getting richer with every stroke of your pick and you are likely to uncover athe assay certificate back to the cabin, where ould sit late by the light of the pine knots in the fire place and talk of the golden ladly pay for a half interest in the ”Aberdeen”
That was the naiven the mine, after his home town in Scotland, of which he always spoke with a fond tenderness
Winter had come and we, John Buchan, Will Carson, and ht a wagon load of flour, bacon and canned goods frouache to the foot of the mountains, then carried them on our backs to the cabin We quit work on the mine for ten days and chopped firewood, which we corded at the rear of our house All hands felt that ere as snugly housed for the winter as the big grizzly bears in their lairs a for several days and it lay deep on the mountain slopes and in the wide expanse of the valley below We had not had an assay for teeks and all were anxious for another report from Amos
Buchan wanted hisof the rock and trauache It was a three days' trip wading through the unbroken snow drifts, and it was night when he returned, weary, footsore and angry
I can see hi down his honest face, as he tried to tell so about Amos He spoke of ”the scae Like all Scotchrier he becary toer would reach the cliin to subside This was not a peculiarity of Buchan It is a characteristic of the Scotch
We made him a cup of coffee and seated him comfortably before the fire When he cal I did the next uache, was to eat breakfast, and then I took the saarrulous as usual, and said to come in two hours and he would have the certificate of the assay ready for ain called he handed me the certificate and I paid him the usual two dollars and fifty cents It showed nine dollars and ninety cents to the ton The usual increase of ten per cent over the last assay
”I crossed over to the postoffice, and while waiting for h on the cap of the flue of Aht, how in the deuce did he assay our ore without ht about it the more I was mystified I went across to his office and said, 'Aave us the usual fire test on this ore?'
'Yep,' he answered 'Then tell me,' I cried, 'how in the devil did youthe snow off the cap of your furnace flue?' 'Too cold to melt,' he replied
”Then I rushed past hiathered on the iron door I don't suppose there had been a fire in it for a week I took Amos by the whiskers and told him to own up that he had not ed that he had been guessing at it all along”
”You don'tpay rock?” we yelled in a chorus
”All kinds of doubt,” said Buchan ”I aives everybody an assay showing values, where there are no values--this for the purpose of keeping up work in the district--and to those who have found values, he gives theives Rayder, the Denver capitalist, a tip and he buys up the property for a song, giving Amos a fat commission for his part in the deal The chances are that we have nohandle”
The neas astounding We sat for a while by the fire likeBuchan's statement Deception was no part of his nature He was nearly twenty-six years of age, athletic, strong and quick of perception He had seen much of the world and knew men No, there could be no doubt; he was not mistaken