He forgot his thirst for water in his thirst for
gold.
"There was a stout branch of a tree near by. He placed it across the
top of the hole. He would drop down into the well, and recover his
hat, get a drink of water and draw himself up again. The well did not
seem more than six feet deep, and with his arms extended he could
easily reach the branch and draw himself up to safety. He dropped
into the well, found his hat with its precious gold, drank some of
the muddy water which, really, was then more precious to him than the
metal, and looked up. He extended his arms but they fell short some
six feet of reaching the branch. He had under-estimated the depth of
the well--it was fifteen instead of six feet.
"He would clamber up the sides, he would cut steps with his knife and
make a ladder. The earth was soft, and crumbled beneath his weight.
That mode of escape was impossible. He was a prisoner in a hole with
only muddy water to sustain life for a short time, and no prospect of
escape.
"Night came on. He looked up at the stars. They seemed no farther
away than the top of the well.
"When a child he had been taught to say 'Our Father who art in
Heaven,' Did he have a Father in Heaven? Was Heaven where those stars
were? Was that Father in Heaven the Being that folks called God?
"He fell into a deep sleep. When he awoke the stars were still
shining, but no nearer than before.
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