The Gold Trail

We came upon the diggings quite suddenly. The trail ran around the corner of a hill, and there they were below us! In the wide, dry stream bottom, perhaps fifty men were working busily, like a lot of ants. Some were picking away at the surface of the ground. Others had dug themselves down waist deep and stooped and rose like legless bodies. Still others had disappeared below ground and showed occasionally only as shovel blades. From so far above, the scene was very lively and animated, for each was…

We looked all around us for some path leading down to the river, but could find none, so we had to continue on along the trail. Thus we entered the camp of Hangman's Gulch, for if it had been otherwise, I am sure we would have located promptly where we had seen those red-shirted men.