Part 26 (1/2)
”Poor, Joses?”
”Yes; horrid poor There wasn't above half of that silver; all the rest was stone I like to see it in great solid lu That's what I call silver Don't think rand view, at all events, Joses,” said Bart
”It's a big view, and you can see far enough for anything,” he growled
”You can see so far that you can't see any farther; but I don't see no good in that What's the good of a view that goes so far you can't see it? Just as well have no view at all”
”Why, you are never satisfied, Joses,” laughed Bart
”Never satisfied! Well, I don't see nothing in this to satisfy a man
You can't eat and drink a view, and it won't keep Injun off froood at all”
”Bart!”
It was the Doctor calling, and on the lad running to hi down far into the body of theslopes by which it was possible to descend, though the task looked risky except to any one of the firmest nerve
”Look down there, Bart,” said the Doctor, rather excitedly; ”what do you et a clearer view of the rent, rugged pit, at one side of which was a narrow, jagged slit where the sunshi+ne caloomy in the extreme
How far the chasularity, the sides projecting in great buttresses here and there, all of grey rock, while what had seemed to be the softer portions had probably crulimpses could be obtained of what looked like profound depths where all was black and still
”What should you think this place er to hear the lad's opinion
”Wait a e, and then, placing his foot to it, thrust it over, and then bent forward to hear it fall
The distance before it struck was not great, for there was a hugesolanced off, and struck against the opposite side, with the effect that it was again thrown back far down out of sight; but the noise it h, and as Bart listened he heard it strike heavily six times, then there was a dead silence for quite a minute, and it seemed that the last stroke hen it reached the botto to speak to the Doctor when there canified splash, and they knew that far down at an ih!” ejaculated Bart, involuntarily i the Indians ”What a hole! Why, it h I shouldn't care about going down”
”Horrible indeed, Bart; but what should you think? Is this place natural or dug out?”
”Natural, I should say, sir,” replied Bart ”nobody could dig down to such a depth as that”
”Yes, natural,” said the Doctor, carefully scanning the sides of the place with a sinally natural, but this place has been worked”
”Worked? What, dug out?” said Bart ”Why, what for--to get water?”
”No,” said the Doctor, quietly; ”to get silver This has been a great erly ”The Indians would not”
”The people who roughlyway up to the top here, my boy”
”But what people would they be, sir? The Spaniards?”