An American Miner in Mexico, Chapters I-VI [pp. 34-45]

An American Mtner in Mexico.
native village, and that there both his
father and mother had died while he was
quite young. He was at his old home,
but was alone in the world. He once
had a little sister, but she died while he
was so young that he could not remember how she looked,- could see nothing
of her but a little red dress. If he had
a relative anywhere in the world it was
in Durango, where his parents came
from. The poor man's sorrow was deep
and sincere, for he was unable to eat. A
dozen times he said: "0 that they were
all alive to see me now!"
Prosperity had come to him, but no
soul of his own blood was left to rejoice
with him or to share his wealth. He
early rolled himself in his serape, and
for the first time forgot to take his beloved gun to bed with him; leaving it
leaning against a tree a rod away. Other thoughts were in his mind, and as he
rolled about on the ground I could hear
him murmuring: " Muerto, muerto todo muerto!" (Dead, dead,-a1ll dead.)
The next morning Manuel was early
astir and was again himself. He now
feared some one might have re-located the mine, and hurried breakfast that
we might go in search of it without delay. After we had traveled a mile or
two, he leading, he halted, and after
hammering at his head for a time struck
out and made a bee-line up into some
low hills.
At last he wheeled about on his burro
and shouted back to me-" It is found!"
I was soon at his side. Before me
was an old shaft of large size,-about
eight feet square, with a few decayed
timbers scattered about on the surface.
The small amount of dirt and waste rock
at the top showed that the shaft wa's shallow; also I could see water at a depth
of about twenty feet. It did not look
much like a mine -hardly, indeed a
good prospect hole, except for its large
size. I understood its size, however; it
was necessary because zig-zig ladders of
notched poles had been used in working
in it.
After surveying the surroundings in
every direction, Manuel assured me that
he had made no mistake; the shaft before us led down into the mine in which
his father had worked. Such croppings
as were in sight looked well, and I at
once wrote out and posted my preliminary notice.
This done, my next care was to look
up a good camping place near the mine.
This was found in the little valley at the
foot of the hill on which the mine was
situated. In the valley ran a beautiful
riachuelo, or rivulet, of bright and pure
water, and on the steep hill opposite
that on which the mine was situated
there was plenty of fuel and good timber.
When our tent had been pitched and
the animals turned out to graze in the
many small valleys on the-creek above
us, we began to feel quite at home; for
we claimed our little valley as a mill
site, and a portion of the timber land on
the mountain back of us for fuel and
other uses.
We presently found that though we
had no very near neighbors there was,
about a mile down the little creek a
rancteadero (a settlement of huts) containing about one hundred souls, all of
the poor class. Manuel, who investigated, reported these people friendly.
All the men were anxious to work, and
they were glad we had taken the old
mine. Miguel had reported me as rich,
and un Ingles.
I called myself English everywhere in
Mexico, for the reason that the people
of that country perfectly well understand
that there will at once be trouble in case
they molest an Englishman. They know
that the English government protects
its subjects wherever they may be, and
however humble. They have little fear
of serious inquiry where the man concerned is an American. Everywhere I
heard the Americanos maligned, but I
was all right was un Ingles. I thought
it right that the mother country should
38
[Jan.