Adventure Unglossed

Adventure, Unglossed

THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE-- B. Traven--Knopf ($2.50).

Last week cinemaddicts who also read books were offered an unusual treat: an adventure story that was not only dramatic but made good sense. Author B. Traven's tale even had the kind of moral that Hollywood likes--"The glittering treasure you are hunting for day & night lies buried on the other side of that hill yonder"--even if its ending was too ruthlessly realistic for Hollywood's taste. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a story of prospecting for gold; it differs from other treasure-seeking tales chiefly in its air of authenticity, its soberly factual setting.

Dobbs was a U. S. bum whose wits and luck kept him just a step from the gutter in a Mexican seaport town. The oil boom was dwindling, his luck was beginning to go too, when he met two compatriots in like case, and the three of them agreed to pool their resources, go prospecting for gold. Curtin, like Dobbs, was a greenhorn at the business, but luckily Howard was an oldtime prospector. He led them up through the mountains to a godforsaken spot, set them to work panning for gold dust. After many a long, backbreaking month they each had about $15,000 worth of gold. Just as they were getting ready to leave, another U. S. prospector found their hidden camp, promised them all a fortune if they would stay on with him. They might have been tempted if bandits had not picked up their trail and given them a bad scare before the federal soldiers drove them off.

With their precious bags of dust well-hidden in their saddlebags they started the perilous journey back to civilization. All went well until old Howard incautiously revived an apparently drowned Indian boy. The father's gratitude was so importunate that he insisted Howard make him an extended visit, to be properly rewarded and to try his skill on other patients. Curtin and Dobbs, taking Howard's share of gold and agreeing to meet him in the nearest city, went on alone. Soon bad blood broke out; each was afraid to sleep lest the other kill him. One night Dobbs shot Curtin, robbed him, left him for dead. But, almost within sight of the city and safety, Dobbs encountered three rascally peasants, who killed him for the sake of his ragged clothes and footsore burros. When they found the little sacks of gold dust they did not know what to make of them, emptied them in disgust.

Curtin recovered from his wounds and found Howard again. Dobbs's murderers were caught when they tried to sell the burros, but the scattered treasure was never recovered. Old Howard was philosopher enough to laugh, practical enough to see that his position as medicine man was not as bad as it might have been. Curtin shrugged his shoulders, went on to pastures new.

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