sent but wait. The flow of
oil could not be checked, and the tremendous waste must go on. The
gusher would flow on until the pressure below lessened, and after that
it would die down, and require pumps to further exhaust it.

So the camp resigned itself to a contemplation of this wonderful new
industry that had sprung up unsought in their midst; and the luck of
Scipio was upon everybody's lips. Nor was there only the wonder of it
in every mind, for, after the first feelings of envy and covetousness
had passed away, the humor of the thing became apparent. And it was
Joe Brand, in the course of discussing the matter with Minky, who
first drew attention to the queer pranks which fortune sometimes
plays.

"Say, don't it lick creation?" he cried. "Can you beat it? No, sirree.
It's the best ever--it sure is. Say, here's the worstest mule-head
ever got foothold on this yer continent sets out to chase gold in a
place no one outside a bug-house would ever find time to git busy, an'
may I be skinned alive an' my bones grilled fer a cannibal's supper if
he don't find sech a fortune in ile as 'ud set all the whole blamed
world's ile market hatin' itself. Gee!"

And Minky nodded his head. He also smiled slyly upon those who stood
about him.

"Ther' sure is elegant humor to most things in this yer life," he said
dryly. "Which 'minds me Wild Bill bo't ha'f o' that claim o' Zip's
'fore he set out fer Spawn City."

And at his words somehow a curious thoughtfulness fell upon his
hearers. Nor was there any responsive smile among them. The humor he
spoke of seemed to have passed them by, leaving them quite untouched
by its point. And presently they drifted away, joining other groups,
where the reminder that Bill had been derided by the whole camp for
his absurd purchase had an equally damping effect.

But the day was to be more eventful even than the promise of the
morning had suggested. And the second surprise came about noon.

Excitement was still raging. Half the camp was down at Zip's claim
watching the miracle of the oil gusher, and the other half was either
on their way thither or returning from it. Some of them were gathering
the raw oil in cans and tubs, others were hurrying to do so. And none
of them quite knew why they were doing it, or what, if any, the use
they could put the stuff to. They were probably inspired by the fact
that there was the stuff going to waste by the hundreds of gallons,
and they felt it incumbent u