OO THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA 



of the states of the plains where the hidden treasure myth is not 

 known. One is so constantly encountering it that he soon begins 

 to expect it, and is really disappointed if some native does not 

 spring it the first few days he is working in a new country. Not 

 infrequently a geologist will be followed for days by those who 

 think he is hunting lost gold. The novelty wears off soon, however, 

 and the scientist must sooner or later become bored with the 

 "vain repetition" and is interested chiefly in watching for variants 

 of the main stem of the story. The orthodox tradition is some- 

 thing as follows : 



Many years ago (time usually iridefinil?e) a wagon train from 

 Old Mexico loaded with treasure was attacked and the men mas- 

 sacred by the Indians at the particular place where the story 'S 

 being told. The people who were with the train seeing that they 

 were to be killed, succeeded in hiding the treasure and marking 

 the spot ; but two boys who happened to be away from the main 

 party, escaped and made their way back to Mexico. Long years 

 afterv/ards one of these boys, now an old man, returned to this 

 neighborhood with a map, trying by means of mysterious marks 

 and signs to locate the treasure, but failed. 



Trimmed to the bare skeleton, this is the hidden treasure myth. 

 The variants, however, are legion, and many of them positively 

 unique. A very few of the most common may be cited. 



Instead of a wagon train from Mexico, loaded with gold and 

 silver, it is frequently a 'government train from. Washington carry- 

 ing money to pay oft soldiers at an army post, or sometimes a 

 wagon load of gold which the 49ers sent back from California. One 

 story designated a jennet load of Spanish doubloons.. Once it 

 was a load of jewels sent by the Pope from Rome to a new. 

 cathedral in Mexico. 



Th^ attacking parties are quite varied. Usually they are Indians, 

 Cheyennes seeming to have the preference, although the crime has 

 at various times been laid to the Comanches, Apaches, Arapahoes, 

 Osages, and even to the Cherokees. Sometimes it is renegade sol- 

 diers who had deeserted from an amry post. Frequently it is 

 Mexican herders, and sometimes such notorious outlaws as Billy 

 the Kid, Apache Kid, Cherokee Kid, or m.embers of the Starr. Dal- 

 ton or James gangs. 



The places chosen for bidding the treasure show wide range. 

 Perhaps most frequently the money was hidden in an iron chest 

 under a rock ledge, or in an iron pot in a spring. In many cases 

 it was supposed to have been concealed under a flat rock, or 

 perhaps there were two flat rocks leaning together like the comb 



