THE ATTACK IN THE RAVINE.
IN THE mean time, the situation of our friends in Wolf Ravine was
becoming perilous to the last degree.
Before going to work, on the morning of the steam man's excursion to
the mountains, Baldy Bicknell made a reconnoissance of the ravine, to
assure himself that there was no danger of being suddenly overwhelmed,
while delving for the precious yellow sand.
He saw abundant signs of Indians having recently visited the place,
but be concluded there were none in the immediate vicinity, and that
comparatively little risk was run in the boy making his wished-for
visit to the mountains in the west.
Through the center of the ravine ran a small cream of water, hardly
of enough volume to be used for washing gold without a dam being
treated. It looked as if this had once been the head of a large
stream, and that the golden sand had been drifted to this spot, by the
force of the powerful current.
The auriferous particles were scattered over the entire breadth of the
ravine, for the distance of several hundred felt, being found in the
richest deposits between the ledges and rocks, in the bottom of the
channel, where, as may well be supposed, it was no easy matter to
obtain.
Pages:
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101