WELCOME RICHES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2355, 13 April 1899, Page 57

WELCOME RICHES.

A TALE FOR THE BOYS. One hot night Paul Wright, my cousin, and I sat in a little shanty which was built on the upper waters of the Ucayale, a little tributary of the lordly Amazon. We were both smoking, and now and then taking a sip out of our glasses. On the rough board (we did not pretend to call it a table) between us was a rather grimy sheet of paper. It was a rough chart. " Lock, Bob," said Paul, "we will follow along to Cuzco, get provisions and clothing, and then quietly get away to the south-west, and then," said he, laying down his pipe, "good luck to our enterprise."

The facts of the case were these : My uncle had been a diamond miner and had lately died, leaving the chart to be given lo Paul and I. One peculiarity about it was that he had warned us to learn the route which we were to take to a place (a cavern of diamonds) mentioned in the chart. He gave no reason why he had not made his fortune out of the mine, and tho reason will remain a secret for ever. We were to learn ihe route within a month after we received the chart.

Tho next morning we barred the windows and door of our shanty, and taking our swags on our backs wo started for the banks of the river. When wo got there we put all our luggage on to a boat which was moored among the reeds. Hurrah ! wo start, and the boat is poled up the stream. All our belongings are on board, and we are at last fairly started on our " voyage of discovery." By night we had gone 10 miles, and we looked out for a suitable camping ground. The river widened out, and lo ! there on our left was a tiny inlet and a littlo pebbly beach which sloped up to a grassy plot fringed with tall poplars and dense tropical undergrowth. We tied our boat up to a small tree and Paul lit a blazing fire, while I got out two pannikins, a billy, tea, sugar, a loaf of bread (our own make), and some mutton which we had cooked before starting. We cut some trees and made a sort of barrier round ourselves and belongings for fear of pumas, benr.«, monkeys, etc. Then we sat down lo our meal. Hot tea, a junk of bread, and a good share of cold meat is not bad fare, and when it is all capped by some luscious bananas and oranges (which grew wild) one is very lucky. Early next morning we made some tea, and after a ha*ty meal we started off. Past beautiful forest land the boat glided, propelled by Paul's skilled hands. Wo were smarter that day, and gained 17 miles, camping as before.

After a journey of 200 miles, averaging 14 miles daily, we reached Cuzco in 14 days. The town is very nice and cool, its principal feature being its ruins of immense buildings. We Epent a. few days there getting provisions for our journey. At last we were ready to start, and having bought two good horses for riding and a draught one for our luggage, we started off across the hillf. After a long day's journey we crossed the Aperimac, a spall stream, and camped on Iho opposite side. We fed the horses, and as we prepared for tho night Paul said: "I say, Bob, we might as well have a look at our chart," and as he spoke he drew it out of the box which we kept it in. " I have not bothered to learn it yet. but we had better begin now," he continued, as he slowly unfolded the precious document. As he examined it a ghastly look came on his face, and he turned grey and clutched tho paper feverishly. "Look! look ! " ho gasped, and I took the pheet and held it to the firelight. It was blank. Not a line or a word was to bo seen on either side of it. "Oh! " said Paul, and he rocked backward and forward. I burst out laughing and said, "Cheer up, old man, you do not consider that perhaps I learnt the route." His face gradually relaxed, and the colour came back at my words. " That was my father's way of keeping the thing dark, but it would have been a bitter blow to me if you had not known the route. See," and ho held up a £5 note, "that is all I am worth," and he broke off with a sickly smile as he replaced the note in his pocket. Well, the next day we were on the track again, and by night we had reached the foot of the Western Andes, our destination. The following- morning we followed along the foot of a huge peak which was crested with dazzling white snow. There, right in front of us, was a narrow gorge, and a tree with the bark stripped off, just as it was shown in the chart. This was our goal, and we spurred our horses on at the sight. Then we set to work to build our hut. I got out the axes, and wo cut some large trees and lopped off the branches. Then Paul marked out a rectangular piece of ground 12 by 9. That being done, we brought out a saw and cut logs for the walls. The floor was only rough rock, flat and hard. By sunset we had finished, and our tidy little hut was ready for its occupants. We had made a place for the horses also.

We were very glad to be fairly settled in our new home at last. We did not forget to collect a largo supply of firewood, and then we carried in all our stores of matches, flcur, meat, sugar, etc. I arranged our pannikins and platea and kettle on a shelf. Then we carted in our furniture, which consisted of a rough table and two bed frames, which we soon knocked together. Our hut was divided into two rooms, which were separated by a partition five-eighths of tho way up to tho roof. We got our hut all square, and then we walked up the gully. It was very bare. A sparkling stream ran down, and we followed it up until it came out of a little hollow in the side of the mountain. I crept into the hole, and lo ! it widened out, and I was gazing in on a beautiful cavern large and airy, through which the stream came. The beauty of the place was marvellous. All the roof was ornamented with stalactites, liko a eathodral, and the floor was white and hard. Light came in at an opening away up at tho top. As we walked on it got darker and darker, and we turned back. There were a lot of bones lying about^ presumably these of animals vrhich had died in the cave. Happening to turn round and look back in the gloom I saw numerous shining silvery spots all over th« floor, I wondered a. minute, and tken it suddenly, struck me. Tiwjr ffgro diggjondftt I junked up. «h§s ap-

peared to be a rough knob of rather dirty glass. There were diamonds lying about in dozens, some very small, others fairly large, and one, a beauty, very large and of a pinkish colour. It was priceless. What a find ! We were rich men now. I imagined myself driving in .a carriage behind a pair of Arabs. We filled our pockets.

Day after day we went to the cave, and at last we could get no more, but we were satisfied The diamonds were all sewn into a strong canvas bag. We calculated that they would be worth, roughly, a million, a sum which wo never dreamt of when we started on our quest. I shall pass over the next few months, during which we went straight through Bolivia and Brazil to Rio de Janeiro. We took berths on the steamer Cameron, and in seven days found ourselves in Southampton, with all our belongings. Next day we went on to London and put up at the Royal. It is amazing how many friends one finds one has when it is known thai one is wealthy. That is what we- found. Before, we were friendless : now the card tray in our sitting room was full of cards. My share consisted of half a million. Now we each own large estates, mine in Wales, Paul's in Scotland, and I for onu am never going to leave England any more.

ISOBEL M. D. MAHONEY (aged 14£). Fairfax --.^ton.