A KLONDYKE IN SHAKESPEARE'S TIME.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XIX, Issue XXIII, 27 November 1897, Page 718

A KLONDYKE IN SHAKESPEARE'S TIME.

Queen Elizalteth had l>een twenty years on the throne when great excitement was caused in London ‘ mining circles ’ by the arrival of a piece of ore from the barren lands where America ami Asia were supposed to meet. The ‘ gold-liners,’ having assayed it, found it to contain gold, ‘ and that very richly,’ and so they promised • great matters’ for whomever would find more of the ore. and sought leases of the lands whence it came, * that they might draw private advantage from a publie good.’ In 1577 three ships sailed from ’ Black Walle,’ and landed the wouldbe miners in a country where ‘ all the sands and rocks did so sparkle and glister that it seemed all gold.’ With the English flag at their heat! they marched through a land of rough, stony mountains, very high, and great quantity of snow thereon, where was nothing ‘ fit or profitable for the use of man,’ and where blew boisterous, icv winds mixed with snow and hail. But spiders aliounded. a sure sign of great store-<>f gold, and ‘salvages’ leaping. and dancing, and shrieking, ami eating ice, ‘ as pleasantly as we do sugarcandy.’ Ana the ‘salvages’ viciously

* hurt our captain in the back ’ with an arrow, so the miners captured two of them, a woman—so ugly that they ‘ plucked off her buskins to see if she were cloven-footed ’ —and a man, who told them that near by were people who wore plates of gold on their foreheads and about their bodies. And great riches -bowed themselves in the bowels of the barren mountains, and when the sand was washed they plainly saw the gold. And while the miners plied their work the captain sought new mines, the gold-liners made trial of the ore, aud the mariners loaded the ships. And there was such abundance of ore that it was thought that it might reasonably satisfy the goldgluttons of the world. And the three ships came sailing home again, and all England talked of the wealth they hail brought from the North Pole, and part of it was put in the Royal Treasury in the Tower of London, with four locks made by the Queen's command to keep it safe from burglars. But somehow a furnace conld not be got hot enough ‘ to bring the work to the desired perfection,’ and the ore [>ersisted in remaining mere ore, ami so the ‘ gold-glnttons ’ went hungry.