LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 92, 16 September 1874, Page 3

LITERATURE.

ADVENTURE OF A DIGGER IN COLORADO. (From Chambers' Journal.) I am a dweller in towns, and a lover of them. To me, meaningless are the rhapsodies of those who delight in the majestic solitude of nature, and the wild glorious freedom of the untrodden desert. Central Park, and that portion of New York lying within a mile of it, was always wild enough and varied enough for my taste ; the Jersey City or Staten Island ferries were marine enough for me. As for the tales of adventure from the frontier, I only shuddered at them, and held the whole race of gold-miners, above all, in something like terror. Yet it was fated that I should become a gold-digger, by proxy at anyrate, and a most successful one too, and this is how it came to pass. It is not so many years back since my wife's brother died in Colorado. He had always been a wild sort of fellow, fit only for a life among miners, yet we liked him much, for he had many good qualities. He was injured by the falling of some rock ; and the nearest doctor —they had one not more than sixty miles away—said that although he might linger a good while, even months, perhaps, he must die from the accident. So Dick got a comrade, who was going castward, to send me a telegram as soon as he got where telegraphs existed, detailing what had happened, and begging me to go to him. I need scarcely say how little this was to my taste, but we did not hesitate a moment ; we liked poor Dick, and I thought it very probable that he was lying on a bed of pain without a friend, and without a dollar. My

wife was naturally even more solicitous about him than myself. The trip westward h ;s h'en told too often to need any description from mo : I journeyed through what seemed almost interminable space, and at last reached that gathering of (then) mean habitations, called Denver. (I was there again last year, and found it slightly changed.) Thep'ace where Dick lay was, I found, about a hundred miles from Denver ; and I found also, that the best, if not the only way to get there, was on horseback ; and now the real horrors of my journey began. I travelled by myself, or if, by chance, I had companion!--, for a few miles, these were so rough, wild, and uncouth, that I was always heartily glad to be rid of them ; and the same when the monotony of the mountain track was broken by descending teams, or parties of horsemen ; their presence frightened me a great deal more than their absence, yet I cannot recall a single instance of even rudeness on their part; but I was scared generally.

I had, of course, taken care to ascertain, before starting on my lonely ride, that there was no fear of I"dians, who had all, it seemed, temporarily left the district ; so one great cause of fear was removed. Briefly, then, I reached Imuguration Town, so called because of the day when the first tent was pitched there, and found it a miserable place. A dozen log-huts, five of them being saloons, and about forty tents, formed the 'city,' as it not unfrequently styled itself. In a wretched room at the back of the largest saloon, I found poor Dick, in a sad state. He was verv glad to see me, but it was plain he was not long for this world ; he knew this well enough, and talked of his death as calmly as though he had been speaking of some one else. On one point I was quite surprised—so far from needing any help in money-matters, he was really a rich man, and handed me deposit notes amounting to some thousands of dollars, and made over to me the gold and valuables which were lying to his credit at the ' Bank.' Everything was done in a most informal way ; but a complete answer to all my doubts and queries was given, by saying, that such was 'Miners' Law;' and anyhow, I had the proceeds of the gold duly handed to me the day after Dick's death. When the poor fellow was gone, I had nothing to detain me at Inauguration Town, and so left it, as I had approached it, on horseback. I could have had company, as the landlord of the saloon told me thore was an 'outfit' starting for Denver on the next mornirg ; and taking' it for granted that I should embrace the opportunity, he introduced several of the ' boys' to me at once ; but such a wild, desperate-looking set I never and would not have travelled with for the world. Very greatly to my host's astonishment, I called for my horse, and rode off at mid-day, more nervous on the score of my possible companions than of any roadside enemies. I got on very well that day, and slept at a house where I had stopped on my upward journey. The citizen who dwelt there seemed glad to see me, after the apathetic fashion of these western people, but seemed astonished too, I thought, and when I was going away, he, in his rude way, complimented me on my courage : he said I had more grit in me than any down-easter he had ever seen. 'ln fact, boss, there's many a western man who would be skearv at riding alone through this locality, now the Utes is back so thick, and so nasty as they are too ; but, he went on. ' you have the real grit, I can see.' I rode off, completely staggered by his speech ; and I doubt if any man in the world was ever so utterly cowed by a compliment on his courage. I resolved to ride very slowly, and allow the wild'outfit'from Inauguration to overtake me ; but one can't control one's fate. I had not ridden half-a-dozen miles before I saw winding up a hill, to the brow of which I had just climbed, at least a score of Indians. They were, luckily, at least a couple of miles from me, and so there was every opportunity for me to avoid them. I did not like the idea of riding directly back, so determined to take advantage of a ravine which ran parallel to the road I was pursuing, and which latter was little better than a ravine itself, especially, as from my elevated position, I thought I could see where it issued into the plain below. I hesitated no longer, but turned into the ravine, and was glad to find traces of a road and of travellers there ; so, judging one way was used about as much as the other, 1 jogged cheerfully on. I saw no house at which to get my midday meal, but I did not mind that, as, from the rate at which I had been descending, I reckoned I should soon strike the plain. I dismounted by the side of a little spring, and with my flask, and some crackers and sardines, managed pretty well. I had just lighted my cigar, and was lying under the shelter of a solitary tree, when, suddenly, a mounted figure came over a little stony ridge just behind me. I started up, and he started back. A more suspicious looking character it would be difficult to imagine. He was a tall man, wearing a felt or leathern hat, squeezed into no shape at all ; his black hair had probably "ot been cut for a twelvemonth ; he was clad in buckskin from neck to ankle ; a buffalo robe covered his saddle, by the side of which hung an eighteen-shot repeating rifle ; on each hip he carried a large revolver ; and a straight knife in a leathern sheath hung in his belt. At the sight of me, he recoiled, as I have said, and half drew one of his revolvers ; but seeing that I was alone, and quite in his power, he came slowly on, keeping, however, his eye on me all the while. I thought conciliation best, so said : ' Good morning.' ' Good evening,' he replied ; as everybody out there would have replied, whatever the time of day. 'Will you have a drop of brandy?' I asked, by a sudden impulse. He grimly smiled assent, and drank, pronouncing it ' good ;' then he said : ' Where's your boss, strangsr ?' I looked round, and, to my dismay, saw that my steed had vanished—' had vamoosed,' the stranger said ; then continued : ' I thought I saw a boss in the gully over there, and when I see you, I thought it might be yourn. Here ; come this way.' I scrambled over the rugged slope after him ; but the horse was nowhere in sight. The stranger pointed to where he had seen it, and then, by signs totally unintelligible to me, we tracked it for some half a mile, until we found it in a perfect maze of rocks and gullies. I thanked him very heartily, and made an offer of reward ; but with the same apathy which had marked his conversation all through, he declined it, and bidding me ' good-day,' rode slowly off, first having conducted me back to th<> track. I followed the road for a long time, until I I began to grow uueaty at the time which

elapsed before I struck the plain. I could no longer see the base of the hills, and although I believed I knew the exact diiection I ought to follow, I at last began to conceive the possibility of my having lost my way. To got back to my original road before nightfall, was impracticable, and I pushed desperately on, until nothing but the highest peaks of the tremendous mountains behind me were tinged by the setting sun. In a very short time this died away, and the valleys and ravines below became more dense and gloomy every minute. All this tin™ I saw no living thing, save that twice a mountain wolf crossed my road a few score yards ahead of me. To make matters worse, I found that my horse was nearly exhausted,'and could only limp painfully along the rough track. I was growing more out of heart with my situation than ever was in my life, when, on turning an angle, I found that I had come up jn a large tract of level ground, and that, not a hundred yards ahead, stood a shanty, from which a light feebly gleamed. My jaded horse pricked up his ears and stumbled briskly along, and in another minute I was knocking at the rude door. It was thrown open by a gaunt-looking fellow, in an old blue army cloak, and who held, although he partially concealed it, a pistol in his right hand. The interior, as I could see, was of the most uninviting character —scarcely an article of furniture, and lighted by a lamp which, void of glass, flared on the window ledge. 1 told my case, and sullenly bidding me turn my hoise into the corral by the side of the house, and then enter, he moved away. When I had secured my steed in the inclosure, and the door of the shanty swung to behind me, I was almost sorry I had not chosen to sleep with the wolves iu the mountain gullies. My host was silent and sullen, showing very plainly his intention not to talk ; presently, however, he said : ' Guess you'll want supper. There's water in that pail; there's whisky in that bottle ; there's beef in that locker. You can't have nothing else.'

I said, which was partly true, that I was too tired to eat. I certainly could not have eaten or drunk in his dirty hovel, or of such uninviting food, especially with so forbidding a ruffian for ray companion. ' Then you'll want to go to sleep,' he said roughly, and kicked a bundle apart, disclosing a couple of buffalo robes, with two rude pillows. "There you are. Go to bed, then.'

It was of no use betraying any fear, and he was evidently giving up hiR bed to me, so I lay down, and in a short time was dozing, when I waR aroused by hearing the tread of a horse, and then the door opened. I half rose from my bed, and, to my surprise, saw enter the man whom I had met at mid-day on the mountain. He recognised me too, but said nothing distinct. ' Well, how is it, Joe ?' said the other man, with a very serious, if not anxious look. ' Bad,' said my friend, or ' Joe'—' very bad. —lt's all correct.' ' And are they—are the boys' began the other. ' Yes,' said Joe, filling up the pause ; ' they meau coming. They may come to-mor-row—perhaps to-night. We shall have to vamoose.' They conversed in undertones, as they sat on their rude stools by the low wood-fire, chewing or smoking, and occasionally drinking from a whisky-bottle ; their discourse seemed very grave and disquieting, and from a word or two I caught, and from their glances, I fancied they were often referring to me. At last, in spite of myself, I fell asleep, and tired as I was, might have slumbered till morning, but a tremendous crash awoke me, and, rising, I saw that the door had been burst open, and that the shanty was rilling with strangers all armed, while Joe and his comrade had drawn suddenly to my side of the room. On the instant half-a-dozen men surrounded them, and took their firearms. ' Hallo !' exclaimed one of the new comers, as he caught sight of me, ' who is this f Are there three in the gang V All eyes being upon me, although T did not quite understand the situation, I explained briefly who I was ; and the account seemed satisfactory. To be continued.