"Jerry Oltion & Kent Patterson - Dutchmans Gold" - читать интересную книгу автора (Oltion Jerry)

Peter laughed. "So what's that?" he said, pointing to the gold. "A myth?"

"We need something to put it in," said Sarah, getting up and walking over to the
old cabin and peering into the doorway. "Hey. Here's something." She ran back,
carrying a wooden bucket wrapped with rusty iron bands.

A blue bucket.

Jan stood up. "That does it. This can't be happening. C'mon. I think we should
leave this gold and get the hell out of here. Everything so far fits the story
exactly. If it runs true, all but one of us will be killed, and the last one
will spend his life searching for the mine. I want no part of that."

Peter ignored him and scooped the gold nuggets into the bucket.

"Jan has a point," said Frieda. She pointed to the twin peaks. "Those mountains
weren't there yesterday. It's like we stepped off the end of the world, right
into Jan's legend. Let's leave the gold, break out of the story, and go home. If
we can."

"You crazy?" Peter said. "Hell, if we're going to be scared off by a bunch of
old stories, no wonder Dutchmen lose their mines. You scared of an Indian
attack?" He lifted the bucket. "Man, feel that weight. I don't know exactly what
gold's going for now, but we must have over a hundred thousand bucks. Not bad
for ten minutes skinny dipping."

Jan crossed his arms. "If we accept it, we're buying into the myth. Throw it
out."

"No way. Sarah and I are keeping our share. We'll keep it all, if you guys don't
want any. We gathered it."

Sarah, pulling on her pants, nodded her head. "You don't take your share, it
just makes more for us."

"Aw, look," Peter continued. "All last year you moaned and bitched because you
didn't get that piddling state research grant. Now, how much was that?"

"Twenty-five hundred," Jan said. The gold drew his eyes as if by gravitational
attraction.

"Okay. This bucket's got ten times that much for you. And as much more for
Frieda. God knows how much we could get if we had proper equipment."

"It would be nice if you could have your sabbatical," Frieda mumbled, as if to
herself. "I could use a break, too."

"Fifty thousand could make a hell of a second honeymoon," Peter said.