Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images available at Google Books) SIX THOUSAND TONS OF GOLD. 6,000 TONS OF GOLD BY H. R. CHAMBERLAIN _London Correspondent of “The Sun,” New York._ Copyright, 1894 By FLOOD & VINCENT _Entered at Stationer’s Hall, London_ By H. R. CHAMBERLAIN _The Chautauqua-Century Press, Meadville, Pa., U. S. A._ Electrotyped, Printed, and Bound by Flood & Vincent. CONTENTS. CHAPTER. PAGE. I. THE SECRET OF THE CORDILLERAS 7 II. INVADING NATURE’S TREASURE-CHAMBER 34 III. WHERE GOLD WAS AS DROSS 58 IV. THE VOYAGE OF THE RICHMOND 85 V. A MOLE-HILL THAT BECAME A MOUNTAIN 107 VI. THE FATE OF THE WALL STREET BEARS 128 VII. STRANGE EVENTS IN THE FINANCIAL WORLD 150 VIII. FABULOUS BUT MYSTERIOUS BENEFACTIONS 181 IX. AN EPOCH-MAKING VOYAGE AND ITS EFFECT UPON A EUROPEAN WAR-CLOUD 202 X. SHADOWS OF GREAT EVILS 231 XI. A STRUGGLE AND A SACRIFICE 257 XII. A CONSULTATION AT THE WHITE HOUSE 281 XIII. THE VERDICT OF THE WORLD’S WISE MEN OF FINANCE 305 XIV. A BURIAL AT SEA 327 SIX THOUSAND TONS OF GOLD. CHAPTER I. THE SECRET OF THE CORDILLERAS. The steamship _Elbe_ had crossed the equator on her long passage from Southampton to Buenos Ayres in September, 1893. All but the final phases of a well-regulated, fair-weather voyage on a big passenger ship had duly presented themselves. The first irksomeness of the long monotony had worn off; the invalids had begun to enjoy the slow, lazy rolling which at first had been their hopeless undoing; companions of a fortnight were exchanging confidences which the friendship of years on land would not have induced. The frankness, the unrestraint, the offguard good fellowship of life at sea held full sway.