The Maid of the Mountain — page 30: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

82 THE MAID OF THE MOUNTALX.,- Mexican declared that it would not do to advance. until later in the afternoon, because so many of the robbers were out on the hills throughout the day, and. would be apt to give the alarm... They yielded quietly to this judgment, which seemed good, and: waited. While the bani’ prepared some- thing to eat, the captain and Elliot set out on an exploring trip through the valley. ‘The mining excitement at this time. was at its hight, and as they passed :along the little stream, _ Lane stooped and scraped up a handfal.of sand from the bottom, and rubbed it with his-finger to see if he could feel any particles of gold. Satisfied that be did, he washed the _ handful in the river, picked -out the coarser gravel, blew out _ the sand, and saw quite a number of fine particles Of the ° precious metal in the palm of his hand. But the earth did cP een apm nal a mann “dust” away. . Js it-riek'? said Elliots “ Not’ very,” said. the ideptainy ¢ bat. Sauensnethien. the place is not far off ee we could only strike.” 9 While he “spoke, Eiliot-was kicking at Stascthing, which r protruded from the earth at his feet. A moment’s Jabor and ~ it came out upon the turf, and both saw what it was—the thigh-bone of # mant A thrill of awe ran throngh the frame. of the young officer. There was something solemn in the sight of that whitened-bone.. Who was he? How came he > to die? Was:he one of those nameless adventurers who had visited the Golden State, and had fallen victims to starvation ? Who could tell ? A little further on they found the rest of the skeleton, -_-_-_—- lying with its white face turned up to the summer sky, with a rusty rifle lying by, its s Fick ooched the skeleton with his foot, and something rattled within the frame. He turned it over, and @ 1 _Tolled tit from between the ribs. © - Late eiciedsboatenite éteiiaen “No Indian cid this. Iti the work 6f a white man” “ You are-right, Captain Lane; a white mum fd: thioxiood: _ We'll leave ‘the poor fellow where om eee we go. commicloooks.con