The mystic mid-region, the deserts of the Southwest . ntent tliat being neither, he may doHis work and live as nature meant him to. CHAPTER IX THE STORY OF A STREAK OF YELLOW IF the love of money is the root of evil, itis, as well, .the germ of progress. It wasthe imaginary glitter of the yellow metal thatlured De Soto across the continent to theMississippi and beyond ; it enticed De Balboato the shores of the Pacific, led Cortez throughthe land of the Aztecs, and its magnetismdrew Alvarado down into Central Americaand carried Pizarro to the conquest of Peru ;it dragged Coronado across the ari
The mystic mid-region, the deserts of the Southwest . ntent tliat being neither, he may doHis work and live as nature meant him to. CHAPTER IX THE STORY OF A STREAK OF YELLOW IF the love of money is the root of evil, itis, as well, .the germ of progress. It wasthe imaginary glitter of the yellow metal thatlured De Soto across the continent to theMississippi and beyond ; it enticed De Balboato the shores of the Pacific, led Cortez throughthe land of the Aztecs, and its magnetismdrew Alvarado down into Central Americaand carried Pizarro to the conquest of Peru ;it dragged Coronado across the arid plains ofMexico, New Mexico, and Arizona in searchof the fabled land of Cibola, and, in fact,its gleaming has explored and exploited theAmericas from Alaska to Cape Horn. It hasled man to brave the perils of the desert, andas the result prosperous towns have sprungup in that dread region, and millions of dollarsof wealth have been wrested from its treasure-house. Just what this continent would nowbe, had it not been for the glitter of the yel- 124. A. The Story of a Streak of Yellow 127 low clusl, it is hard to t-stiniatc It is prob-able that the dusky savage would still holddominion over the land. The prospector is the advance aj^ent ofprotrress, civilization, and prosperity. He hasspied out the country,— with the aid of hisfaithful burro,— and has marked every trail,preceded every staj^e route and railroad, andfounded the (greater number of towns on thewestern half ot this United States. He it is who has unlocked the treasure-house of the continent and poured into thecoffers of this Republic the orolden streamwhich has made her the first nation on theglobe. It is for the sight of a yellow streakin his pan that he has been tempted to en-dure the fatigue, cold, and hunger of themountains, and the heat, thirst, and horror ofthe desert. The prospector is a man of small preten-tions, of peaceful disposition, indomitable will,boundless perseverance, remarkable endur-ance, und
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectdeserts, bookyear1904
