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diff --git a/13001-0.txt b/13001-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a7f9505 --- /dev/null +++ b/13001-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4281 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 13001 *** + +FOUR MONTHS AMONG THE GOLD-FINDERS IN ALTA CALIFORNIA + +Being the Diary of an Expedition +from San Francisco to the Gold Districts + +By + +J. TYRWHITT BROOKS, M.D. + + + + +[Illustration: THE GOLD DISTRICTS OF ALTA CALIFORNIA. +Lith de Thierry Frères à Paris] + + + + +PREFACE. + +The accompanying diary--some interesting circumstances connected +with which will be found in a letter given at the end of the present +volume--was sent home by the Author merely for the entertainment of +the members of his own family and a few private friends. It has been +submitted to the public in the hope that, as an authentic record of +a variety of interesting particulars connected with the original +discovery and present condition of the Gold Districts of California, +it will not fail to prove acceptable. + +London, 1849. + + + + +CHAPTER I. + + Clearing the Faranolles + Making the entrance to the Bay of San Francisco + The passage through the Strait + Appearance of the Bay + Town of San Francisco + The anchor is let go + The Author goes on shore + His bad luck + Sweeting's Hotel + The Author and Mr. Malcolm propose visiting the American settlements + They become acquainted with Captain Fulsom and Mr. Bradley + Object of the Author's visit to California + Mr. McPhail leaves for Sonoma + The Houses of San Francisco, and their inhabitants + Native California + Senoritas and cigarettos. + + +... I felt heartily glad to hear that we were then clearing the +Faranolles, and soon hurried up on deck, but we continued beating +about for several hours before we made the entrance to the Bay of San +Francisco. At length, however, we worked our way in between the two +high bluffs, and along a strait a couple of miles wide and nearly five +miles long, flanked on either side with bold broken hills--passing on +our right hand the ricketty-looking fortifications erected by the +Spaniards for the defence of the passage, but over which the Yankee +stars and stripes were now floating. On leaving the strait we found +ourselves on a broad sheet of rippling water looking like a great +inland lake, hemmed in on all sides by lofty hills on which innumerable +herds of cattle and horses were grazing, with green islands and clusters +of rock rising up here and there, and a little fleet of ships riding at +anchor. On our right was the town of San Francisco. + +I had suffered so much from the voyage, that when the anchor was let +go I felt no inclination to hurry on shore. McPhail and Malcolm, +however, went off, but promised to return to the ship that night. I +soon after turned into my hammock, and, thanks to the stillness of the +water in which we rode, slept soundly till morning. + +_April 29th_.--This morning we all rose early, and went on shore. +The little baggage we had we took in the boat. Malcolm told me that he +had heard the war was over between the United States and Mexico, and I +bitterly congratulated myself on experiencing my usual run of bad +luck. We made our way to Sweeting's hotel, which Malcolm and McPhail +had visited yesterday, and stated to be the best of the three hotels +which have sprung up here since the Americans became masters of the +place. + +Malcolm intends making an excursion to the interior. He proposes to +visit the American settlements, and to satisfy himself as to the +reputed advantages which California presents as an agricultural +country. I have agreed to accompany him. We have fallen in with two +very pleasant American gentlemen at our hotel to-day--one, a Captain +Fulsom, holding some appointment under Government here; the other, a +young friend of his named Bradley. We had some conversation together +on the subject of the Mexican war, in the course of which I learnt +that Mr. Bradley has been a resident in California for the last eight +years, and that he was one of the officers of the volunteer corps +attached to the army of the United States, while military operations +were going on in this country. I told him of my desire to enter as a +surgeon in the service of the States, and he promised to speak to +Captain Fulsom on the subject, and obtain from him a letter to Colonel +Mason, the new governor; but he is afraid there is little chance of my +meeting with success, as nearly all the volunteer corps have been, or +are about to be, disbanded. Both Mr. Bradley and Captain Fulsom speak +very favourably of the climate and soil of California, and say that an +enterprising agriculturist is sure to make a speedy fortune. Mr. +Bradley, who has agreed to accompany us on our trip, strongly advises +Malcolm to shift his quarters from Oregon, and settle here, saying +that he is sure my friend will do so when he has once seen the farms +in the Sacramento valley, whither we are to start early next week. +McPhail left us to-day, to make a trip to Sonoma. + +San Francisco, although as yet but a poor place, will no doubt become +a great emporium of commerce. The population may be about a couple of +thousands; of these two-thirds are Americans. The houses, with the +exception of some few wooden ones which have been shipped over here by +the Americans, are nearly all built of unburnt bricks. The appearance +of the native Californian is quite Spanish. The men wear high +steeple-like hats, jackets of gaudy colours, and breeches of velvet, +generally cotton. They are a handsome swarthy race. The best part in +the faces of the women are their eyes, which are black and very +lustrous. The Californian belles, I am sorry to say, spoil their teeth +by smoking cigarettos. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + + Start for Monterey + Horse equipments in California + The advantages of them + Rifles and Ruffians + Californian Scenery + Immense herds of cattle + Mission of Santa Clara + Pueblo of San José + A Californian farm-house + What it is like inside and out + Prolific crops of wheat + Saddle-sickness + The journey is resumed + Mission of San José + Arrival at Monterey + The Author's visit to Colonel Mason + Surgeons not wanted in California + Rumours of gold being found on the Sacramento + Characteristics of Monterey + Don Luis Palo and his sisters + What all Californian dinners consist of + The party return to San Francisco. + + +Monterey.--_May 4th_.--Started off early on the morning of the 2nd on +our journey to Monterey. We found our horses in readiness in the hotel +yard, in charge of a servant (here called a vaquero) of Mr. Bradley's. +The latter, having business to transact at Monterey, accompanied +us. My horse was equipped after the Spanish fashion, with the usual +high-pommelled cumbrous saddle, with a great show of useless trappings, +and clumsy wooden stirrups, and for a long time I found the riding +sufficiently disagreeable, though, doubtless, far more pleasant than +a coast journey would have been, with a repetition of the deadly +sea-sickness from which I had already suffered so much. I soon found +out, too, the advantages of the Spanish saddle, as enabling one to +keep one's seat when travelling over thorough broken country through +which our road ran. Bradley had told us to have our rifles in +readiness, as no one travels any distance here without that very +necessary protection, the mountains near the coast being infested with +lawless gangs of ruffians, who lie in wait for solitary travellers. + +The first part of our ride lay through a dense thicket of underwood, +and afterwards across parched up valleys, and over low sandy hills; +then past large grazing grounds--where cattle might be counted by the +thousand--and numerous ranchos or farms, the white farm buildings, +surrounded by little garden patches, scattered over the hill sides. +We at length came to an extensive plain, with groups of oaks spread +over its surface, and soon afterwards reached the neglected Mission of +Santa Clara, where we halted for a few hours. On leaving here our road +was over a raised causeway some two or three miles in length, beneath +an avenue of shady trees, which extended as far as the outskirts of +the town of St. José. This town, or pueblo as it is called, is nothing +more than a mass of ill-arranged and ill built houses, with an ugly +church and a broad plaza, peopled by three or four hundred inhabitants. +Not being used to long journeys on horseback, I felt disposed to stop +here for the night, but Bradley urged us to proceed a few miles farther, +where we could take up our quarters at a rancho belonging to a friend +of his. Accordingly we pushed on, and, after a ride of about seven +miles, diverged from the main road, and soon reached the farm-house, +where we were well entertained, and had a good night's rest. + +Like the generality of houses in California, this was only one story +high, and was built of piles driven into the ground, interlaced with +boughs and sticks, and then plastered over with mud and whitewashed. +The better class of farm-houses are built of adobes, or unburnt +bricks, and tiled over. The interior was as plain and cheerless as it +well could be. The floor was formed of the soil, beaten down till it +was as firm and hard as a piece of stone. The room set apart for our +sleeping accommodation boasted as its sole ornaments a Dutch clock and +a few gaudily-coloured prints of saints hung round the walls. The beds +were not over comfortable, but we were too tired to be nice. In the +morning I took a survey of the exterior, and saw but few cattle +stalled in the sheds around the house. The greater part, it sterns, +after being branded, are suffered to run loose over the neighbouring +pastures. There was a well-cultivated garden in the rear of the house, +with abundance of fruit trees and vegetables. + +While we were at breakfast, Malcolm asked our host several questions +about his crops, and soon found that he was no practical agriculturist. +He had, however, at Bradley's suggestion, discarded the native wooden +plough for the more effective American implement. He told us that he +calculated his crop of wheat this year would yield a hundred fanegas +for every one sown; and, on our expressing our surprise at such a +bountiful return, said that sixty or over was the usual average. If +so, the soil must be somewhat wonderful. After expressing our thanks, +for the hospitality shown us, to the wife of our host, who was a very +pretty little dark-eyed woman, with a most winning way about her, we +started off to resume our journey. For my own part, I felt very loth +to proceed, for I was terribly fatigued by my performance of yesterday, +and suffered not a little from that disagreeable malady called +"saddle-sickness." Our Californian accompanied us some short distance +on our road, which lay for many miles through a wide valley, watered +by a considerable stream, and overgrown with oaks and sycamores. Low +hills rose on either hand, covered with dark ridges of lofty pine +trees, up which herds of elk and deer were every now and then seen +scampering. We at length entered upon a narrow road through a range of +green sheltering hills, and, passing the Mission of San Juan, crossed +a wide plain and ascended the mountain ridge which lay between us and +Monterey, where we arrived late in the day. + +Next morning Mr. Bradley accompanied me to the Governor's house, where +we saw Colonel Mason, the new governor of the State. He received us +with great politeness, but said that the war, if war it deserved to be +called, was now at an end, that but a small number of troops were +stationed in the country, and that there was no vacancy for a surgeon. +"Indeed," he said, "considering that we have given up head-breaking, +and the climate is proverbially healthy, California is hardly the place +for doctors to settle in. Besides," said he, "the native Californians +all use the Temescal (a sort of air-bath) as a remedy for every +disorder." Colonel Mason then asked Mr. Bradley if he had heard the +reports of gold having been found on the Sacramento, as Mr. Fulsom had +casually mentioned in a letter to him that such rumours were prevalent +at San Francisco. Bradley replied that he had heard something about it, +but believed that there was no truth in the matter, although a few +fools had indeed rushed off to the reputed gold mines forthwith. With +this our interview terminated. + +Monterey seems to be a rising town. The American style of houses is +superseding the old mud structures, and numbers of new huildings are +being run up every month. The hotel we stopped at has only been +recently opened by an American. Monterey is moreover a port of some +importance, if one may judge from the number of vessels lying at +anchor. + +_May 7th_.--On Friday we dined at the house of Don Luis Palo, a +Californian gentleman of agreeable manners, whose father held office +here under the Spanish government previous to the Mexican Revolution. +I believe it is Don Luis's intention shortly to return to Spain. He is +unmarried, and his two sisters are the handsomest women I have yet +seen in this country; their beauty is quite of the Spanish style. A +dinner in California seems to be always the same--first soup and then +beef, dressed in various ways, and seasoned with chillies, fowls, +rice, and beans, with a full allowance of pepper and garlic to each +dish. + +On Saturday we set out on our return, and after two days' hard riding +reached San Francisco to-day at 4, P.M. + + + + +CHAPTER III. + + An arrival at San Francisco from the gold district + Captain Fulsom intends visiting the mine + The first Alcalde and others examine the gold + Parties made up for the diggings + Newspaper reports + The Government officers propose taking possession of the mine + The Author and his friends decide to visit the Sacramento Valley + A horse is bought + Increase of the gold excitement + Work-people strike work and prepare to move off + Lawyers, storekeepers, and others follow their example + The Author's journey delayed + Ten dollars a day for a negro waiter + Waiting for a saddler + Don Luis Palo arrives from Monterey on his way to the mines + The report of the Government taking possession of the mines + contradicted + Desertion of part of the Monterey garrison + Rumoured extent of the mines + The Author and his friends agree to go in company + Return of McPhail + Preparations for the journey + "Gone to the diggings." + + +_May 8th_.--Captain Fulsom called at Sweeting's to-day. He had seen a +man this morning who reported that he had just come from a river called +the American Fork, about one hundred miles in the interior, where he +had been gold-washing. Captain Fulsom saw the gold he had with him; it +was about twenty-three ounces weight, and in small flakes. The man +stated that he was eight days getting it, but Captain Fulsom hardly +believed this. He says that he saw some of this gold a few weeks since, +and thought it was only "mica," but good judges have pronounced it to +be genuine metal. He talks, however, of paying a visit to the place +where it is reported to come from. After he was gone Bradley stated +that the Sacramento settlements, which Malcolm wished to visit, were +in the neighbourhood of the American Fork, and that we might go there +together; he thought the distance was only one hundred and twenty +miles. + +_May 10th_.--Yesterday and to-day nothing has been talked of but the +new gold "placer," as people call it. It seems that four other men had +accompanied the person Captain Fulsom saw yesterday, and that they had +each realized a large quantity of gold. They left the "diggings" on the +American Fork (which it seems is the Rio de los Americanos, a tributary +to the Sacramento) about a week ago, and stopt a day or two at Sutter's +fort, a few miles this side of the diggings, on their way; from there +they had travelled by boat to San Francisco. The gold they brought has +been examined by the first Alcalde here, and by all the merchants in +the place. Bradley showed us a lump weighing a quarter of an ounce, +which he had bought of one of the men, and for which he gave him three +dollars and a half. I have no doubt in my own mind about its being +genuine gold. Several parties, we hear, are already made up to visit +the diggings; and, according to the newspaper here, a number of people +have actually started off with shovels, mattocks, and pans to dig the +gold themselves. It is not likely, however, that this will be allowed, +for Captain Fulsom has already written to Colonel Mason about taking +possession of the mine on behalf of the Government, it being, as he +says, on public land. + +_May 13_.--It is now finally settled that we start off on Wednesday to +the Sacramento Valley. To-day, under Bradley's direction, I have bought +a good horse, for which I paid only fifteen dollars. It will be very +little more expense than hiring a horse of the hotel-master here, +besides being far more agreeable to have a horse of one's own; for +everybody, the commonest workman even, rides in this country. The gold +excitement increases daily, as several fresh arrivals from the mines +have been reported at San Francisco. The merchants eagerly buy up the +gold brought by the miners, and no doubt, in many cases, at prices +considerably under its value. I have heard, though, of as much as +sixteen dollars an ounce having been given in some instances, which I +should have thought was over rather than under the full value of gold +in the United States. I confess I begin to feel seriously affected with +the prevailing excitement, and am anxious for Wednesday to arrive. + +_May 17th_.--This place is now in a perfect furor of excitement; all the +work-people have struck. Walking through the town to-day, I observed +that labourers were employed only upon about half a-dozen of the fifty +new buildings which were in course of being run up. The majority of the +mechanics at this place are making preparations for moving off to the +mines, and several hundred people of all classes--lawyers, store-keepers, +merchants, etc.,--are bitten with the fever; in fact, there is a +regular gold mania springing up. I counted no less than eighteen houses +which were closed, the owners having left. If Colonel Mason is moving a +force to the American Fork, as is reported here, their journey will be +in vain. + +Our trip has been delayed to-day, for the saddler cannot get our +equipments in readiness for at least forty-eight hours. He says that +directly he has finished the job he shall start off himself to the +diggings. I have bribed him with promises of greatly increased pay not +to disappoint us again. As it was, we were to pay him a very high +price, which he demanded on account of three of his men having left +him, and there being only himself and two workmen to attend to our +order. + +I told Mr. Bradley of our misfortune. He promised to wait for us, but +recommended me to keep going in and out of the saddler's all day long, +in order to make sure that the man was at work, otherwise we might be +kept hanging about for a fortnight. + +_May 20th_.--It requires a full amount of patience to stay quietly +watching the proceedings of an inattentive tradesman amid such a +whirlpool of excitement as is now in action. Sweeting tells me that his +negro waiter has demanded and receives ten dollars a-day. He is forced +to submit, for "helps" of all kinds are in great demand, and very +difficult to meet with. Several hundred people must have left here +during the last few days. Malcolm and I have our baggage all in +readiness to start on Monday. + +_May 22nd_.--To-day all our arrangements have been changed; the saddler +did not keep his promise, and while Malcolm, Bradley, and myself were +venting our indignation against him, Don Luis Palo made his appearance. +The gold fever had spread to Monterey, and he had determined to be off +to the mines at once. He had brought his servant (a converted Indian, +named José) with him, and extra horses with his baggage; he intended to +set to work himself at the diggings, and meant to take everything he +required with him. He says the report about Colonel Mason's moving a +force off to the mines to take possession of them is all nonsense; that +some of the garrison of Monterey have already gone there, is quite +true, but they have deserted to dig sold on their own account. Colonel +Mason, he says, knows too well that he has no efficient force for such +a purpose, and that, even if he had, he would not be able to keep his +men together. It appears, also, that the mines occupy several miles of +ground, the gold not being confined to one particular spot. On hearing +this intelligence we at once determined to follow Don Luis's example, +and although there seemed a certain degree of absurdity in four people, +all holding some position in society, going off on what might turn out +to be only a fool's errand, still the evidence we had before us, of the +gold which had actually been found, and the example of the multitudes +who were daily hastening to the diggings, determined us to go with the +rest. We therefore held a council upon the best method of proceeding, +at which every one offered his suggestions. + +While we were thus engaged, McPhail, our fellow-passenger from Oregon, +made his appearance, having only just then returned from Sonoma. He had +heard a great deal about the new gold placer, and he had merely come +back for his baggage, intending to start off for the mines forthwith. +The result of our deliberations was to this effect. Each man was to +furnish himself with one good horse for his own use, and a second horse +to carry his personal baggage, as well as a portion of the general +outfit; we were each to take a rifle, holster pistols, etc. It was +agreed, moreover, that a tent should be bought immediately, if such a +thing could be procured, as well as some spades, and mattocks, and a +good stout axe, together with a collection of blankets and hides, and a +supply of coffee, sugar, whisky, and brandy; knives, forks, and plates, +with pots and kettles, and all the requisite cooking utensils for a +camp life. The tent is the great difficulty, and fears are entertained +that we shall not be able to procure one; but Bradley thinks he might +buy one out of the Government stores. + +I followed the saddler well up during the day, and was fortunate enough +to obtain our saddles, saddle-bags, etc., by four o'clock. On going to +his house a couple of hours after about some trifling alteration I +wished made, I found it shut up and deserted. On the door was pasted a +paper with the following words, "Gone to the diggings." + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + + The party leave San Francisco + Cross to Sausalitto with horses and baggage + Appearance of the cavalcade + José's method of managing horses + Character of the country passed through + Stay at Sonoma for the night + A Yankee hotel-keeper's notion + The Author meets with Lieutenant Sherman + Receives from him a letter of introduction to Captain Sutter + Napper Valley + Sleep at the house of a settler + Troublesome bedfellows + Wild-looking scenery + Bradley is injured by a fall from his horse + Difficulties in the way of pitching a tent + A hint to the bears + Supper and bed + Resume the journey + Sacramento valley + Elk and wild fowl + A long halt + A hunting party + A missing shot. + + +Sonoma.--_May 24th_.--This morning at last saw us off. We left San +Francisco shortly after seven, and embarked with our horses and baggage +in a launch, which landed us at Sausalitto before ten. From thence we +made our way to Sonoma, where we put up for the night. We formed quite +a cavalcade, and presented a tolerably imposing appearance. First came +the horses (six in number), which carried our baggage, camp equipments, +etc. After these came José, Don Luis's Indian servant (who seems to be +a far more lively fellow than Indians are generally), having these +extra horses in his charge; and he really managed them admirably. For +what with whistling, and coaxing, and swearing, and swinging his +"riatta" over their heads, he had them as much under his command as +ever a crack dragsman had his four-in-hand in the good old coaching +times of my own dear England. We followed after, riding, when the road +would admit of it, all abreast, and presenting a bold front to any gang +of desperadoes who might be daring enough to attack us. There was +little fear of this, however, for we hardly rode a mile without falling +in with scattered parties bound to the gold mines. + +We made our way but slowly during the first portion of our ride, for +the road wound up steep hills and down into deep hollows, but when at +last we came upon a winding valley some miles in extent, our horses got +over the ground in a style which only Californian steeds could achieve +after the hard work which had already been performed. Towards evening, +we crossed the hills which divided the valley from Sonoma plain, and on +reaching Sonoma put up at an hotel recently opened here by a citizen +from the United States, who coolly told us, in the course of +conversation, that he guessed he didn't intend shearing off to the gold +mines, until he had drawn a few thousand dollars from the San Francisco +folk who pass through here to and from the diggings. + +_May 27th_.--We stopped at Sonoma the greater part of Thursday, to give +our horses rest. At the hotel, I met Lieutenant Sherman, who had +brought dispatches to the officer in command here from Colonel Mason. I +was much delighted in again meeting with this gentleman, and we had a +long talk together over the merry times we had when we were both +slaying at Washington. When he heard our destination he kindly offered +to give me a letter of introduction to a very old friend of his, +Captain Sutter, the proprietor of Sutter's fort, and one of the +earliest settlers on the Sacramento. I availed myself of his offer, and +about three o'clock we started off across the plain, and made our way +through the groves of fine oak trees which cover it in every direction. +We next ascended the hills which lay between us and Napper Valley, and, +after crossing them, made for the house of an American settler, a +friend of Bradley's, who provided us with the best accommodation his +house would furnish for the night. We turned in early, but the legions +of fleas which were our bedfellows exerted themselves to such a degree +that for hours sleep was out of the question. The country is terribly +plagued with these vermin. I do not know how the settlers get on; +perhaps they are accustomed to the infliction, but a stranger feels it +severely. + +The next day we travelled over the corresponding range of hills to +those crossed on Thursday, and were soon in the midst of a much +wilder-looking country--a rapid succession of steep and rugged +mountains, thickly timbered with tall pine-trees and split up with +deep precipitous ravines, hemming in beautiful and fertile valleys, +brilliant with golden flowers and dotted over with noble oaks. While +we were riding down one of these dangerous chasms, Bradley, who was +showing off his superior equitation, was thrown from his horse, and +fell rather severely on his arm. On examining it, I was surprised to +find he had escaped a fracture. As it is, he has injured it sufficiently +to prevent him from using the limb for several days. I bandaged it up, +put it in a sling, and he proceeded in a more cautious manner. + +To-night we used our tent for the first time. We were somewhat awkward +in pitching it, and three times did the whole structure come down by +the run, burying several of us in the flapping canvas, and inflicting +some tolerably hard knocks with the poles. However, at length we +succeeded in getting it fixed; and, kindling a blazing fire close to +it, as a polite intimation to the bears that they were not wanted, +cooked our supper over the embers, and then, wrapped in our blankets, +slept far better than the fleas had allowed us to do the night before. + +This morning I examined Bradley's arm, and was glad to find the +inflammation somewhat reduced. He was bruised a good deal about the +body generally, and complained to-day sorely of the pain he felt while +being jolted over the broken ground which we crossed in our ascent of +the tall mountains that bound the Sacramento Valley. From their summit +we obtained a noble view of the broad winding river and its smaller +tributaries, thickly studded with islands overgrown with noble oaks and +sycamores. We encamped to-night at the foot of these hills, near a +little stream which gurgled merrily by. We have seen several herds of +elk to-day, and a large quantity of wild fowl. + +_Sunday, May 28th_.--To-day we made a long halt, for we were all +exceedingly tired, and some of our pack-horses, which were heavily +laden, showed symptoms of "giving out." We determined, therefore, to +stay here till late in the day, and then to follow the course of the +creek for a few miles, and there pitch our tent. Turning our horses +loose to graze, several of the party went off on a hunting excursion on +foot, but their only success was about a score of wild geese, which are +very plentiful in the marshy land bordering the creek. I got a shot at +an elk which came down to the water to drink, but he made off unhurt. + + + + +CHAPTER V. + + Encampment for the night + Symptoms of neighbours not far off + Reach the Sacramento River + Sutter's Fort + Captain Sutter + His offer of accommodation + Various matters to be seen to + A walk through the Fort + Desertion of the guard to the "diggings" + Work and whisky + Indians and their bargains + A chief's effort to look like a civilised being + Yankee traders + Indians and trappers + "Beats beaver skins" + Death to the weakest + A regular Spanish Don and his servant + Captain Sutter a Swiss Guard + His prejudice in favour of "constituted authorities." + + +_May 29th_.--Last night we encamped under a group of oaks, and we "knew +by the smoke that so gracefully curled" over other parts of the valley, +that there were several other camps pitched at no great distance. When +we started in the morning we fell in with a few parties moving towards +the Sacramento. A ride of a few hours brought us to the borders of that +noble river, which was here about a couple of hundred yards wide, and +we immediately made preparations for crossing it. After several mishaps +and delays, we at length succeeded in getting over in a launch. The +new town of Suttersville, numbering some ten or twelve houses, is laid +out within half a mile of the banks of the river. From here a brisk +ride over a level plain--parcelled out into fields of wheat and +pasture-grounds, dotted with hundreds upon hundreds of grazing cattle, +and here and there a loitering team--brought us to Sutter's Fort, an +extensive block of building planted on the top of a small hill which +skirts a creek running into the Americanos, near its junction with the +Rio Sacramento. A schooner and some small craft were beating up the +Americanos River towards the Fort, and alongside the landing-place +several launches were lying unshipping cargoes. As we made the spot, +we soon saw that here all was bustle and activity. Boatmen were +shouting and swearing; wagoners were whistling and hallooing and +cracking their whips at their straining horses, as these toiled along +with heavily-laden wagons to the different stores within the building; +groups of horsemen were riding to and fro, and crowds of people were +moving about on foot. It was evident that the gold mania increased in +force as we approached the now eagerly longed for El Dorado. + +On inquiring of a squaw we met at the entrance of the Fort, and who +knew just sufficient English to understand our question, she pointed +out to us as Captain Sutter a very tall good-looking sort of personage, +wearing a straw hat and loose coat and trousers of striped duck, but +with features as unlike those of a Yankee as can well be imagined. I at +once introduced myself, and handed him the letter which Lieutenant +Sherman had given me. After reading it, the Captain informed me that he +was happy enough to see me, although he feared, from the great change +which a few weeks had made in this part of the world, that he could +offer me but indifferent hospitality. Every store and shed was being +crammed with bales of goods, barrels of flour, and a thousand other +things for which a demand has suddenly sprung up. The Captain's own +house was indeed just like an hotel crowded with many more visitors +than it could accommodate; still no one who came there, so the Captain +was good enough to say, recommended by his friend Sherman, should have +other than an hospitable reception. All that he could do, however, he +said, would be to place one sleeping-room at my service for myself and +such of my friends as I liked to share it with; and, leaving me to +arrange the matter with them, he went away, promising to return and +show us our quarters. + +I told my companions of the Captain's offer, but they were satisfied to +rough it out of doors again to-night, and it was arranged that only +Bradley and myself should accept the sleeping accommodation offered by +Captain Sutter, as a good night's rest in comfortable quarters would be +more beneficial to our friend with the injured limb, than an outdoor +nap with a single blanket for a bed and a saddle for a pillow. + +Two of our horses having cast their shoes, Malcolm and José walked them +round to the blacksmith's shop, where, after their losses were +repaired, a stock of shoes, nails, etc., were to be laid in for future +contingencies. McPhail and our Spanish friend undertook at the same +time to purchase a ten days' supply of provisions for us, and Bradley +agreed to look about the Fort and see if he could meet with another +servant. In this errand, I am sorry to say, he was not successful. + +While these several commissions were executing, the Captain returned +and walked with me through the Fort. On our way he pointed out the +guard-house, the Indian soldiers attached to which had deserted to the +mines almost to a man; the woollen factory, with some thirty women +still at work; the distillery house, where the famous pisco is made; +and the blacksmiths' and wheelwrights' shops, with more work before +them than the few mechanics left will be able to get through in a +month. Yet all these men talked of starting off to the diggings in a +day or two. The Captain told me he had only been able to keep them by +greatly increased pay, and by an almost unlimited allowance of pisco +and whisky. + +It was not easy to pick our way through the crowds of strange people +who were moving backwards and forwards in every direction. Carts were +passing to and fro; groups of Indians squatting on their haunches were +chattering together, and displaying to one another the flaring red and +yellow handkerchiefs, the scarlet blankets, and muskets of the most +worthless Brummagem make, for which they had been exchanging their bits +of gold, while their squaws looked on with the most perfect +indifference. I saw one chief, who had gone for thirty years with no +other covering than a rag to hide his nakedness, endeavouring to thrust +his legs into a pair of sailor's canvas trousers with very indifferent +success. + +Inside the stores the bustle and noise were oven greater. Some +half-a-dozen sharp-visaged Yankees, in straw hats and loose frocks, +were driving hard bargains for dollars with the crowds of customers who +were continually pouring in to barter a portion of their stock of gold +for coffee and tobacco, breadstuff, brandy, and bowie-knives: of spades +and mattocks there were none to be had. In one corner, at a railed-off +desk, a quick-eyed old man was busily engaged, with weights and scales, +setting his own value on the lumps of golden ore or the bags of dust +which were being handed over to him, and in exchange for which he told +out the estimated quantity of dollars. Those dollars quickly returned +to the original deposit, in payment for goods bought at the other end +of the store. + +Among the clouds of smoke puffed forth by some score of pipes and as +many cigarettos, there were to be seen, mingled together, Indians of +various degrees of civilisation, and corresponding styles of dress, +varying from the solitary cloth kilt to the cotton shirts and jackets +and trousers of Russia duck; with groups of trappers from as far up as +Oregon, clad in coats of buffalo hide, and with faces and hands so +brown and wrinkled that one would take their skins to be as tough as +the buffalo's, and almost as indifferent to a lump of lead. "Captain," +said one of these gentry, shaking a bag of gold as we passed, "I guess +this beats beaver skins--eh, captain?" Another of them, who had a +savage-looking wolf-dog with him, was holding a palaver with an +Indian from the borders of the Klamath Lake; and the most friendly +understanding seemed to exist between them. "You see those two +scoundrels?" said the Captain to me. "They look and talk for all the +world like brothers; but only let either of them get the chance of a +shot at the other after scenting his trail, may be for days, across +those broad hunting-grounds, where every man they meet they look upon +as a foe, and the one that has the quickest eye and the readiest hand +will alone live to see the sun rise next day." + +Threading his way amongst the crowd, I was somewhat struck by the +appearance of a Spanish Don of the old school, looking as magnificent +as a very gaudy light blue jacket with silver buttons and scarlet +trimmings, and breeches of crimson velvet, and striped silk sash, and +embroidered deer-skin shoes, and a perfumed cigaretto could make him. +He wore his slouched sombrero jauntily placed on one side, and beneath +it, of course, the everlasting black silk handkerchief, with the +corners dangling over the neck behind. Following him was his servant, +in slouched hat and spangled garters, carrying an old Spanish musket +over his shoulder, and casting somewhat timid looks at the motley +assemblage of Indians and trappers, who every now and then jostled +against him. Beyond these, there were a score or two of go-ahead +Yankees--"gentlemen traders," I suppose they called themselves--with a +few pretty Californian women, who are on their way with their husbands +to the mines. I noticed that the Captain had a word for almost every +one, and that he seemed to be held in very great respect. + +Bradley informed me to-night of the origin of a scar which is just +distinguishable in Captain Sutter's face. It seems that the Captain, +who is a Swiss, was one of Charles the Tenth's guards in 1830, and that +a slight cut from the sabre of one of the youths of the Polytechnic +School had left in his visage a standing memorial of the three glorious +days. Indeed the Captain seems generally to have taken the side of the +constituted authorities, as in thy revolution of 1845 he turned out +with all his people for the Mexican Government. However, he was more +fortunate in California than in Paris, as he didn't even get his skin +scratched on this occasion. + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + + The journey delayed + A walk to the camp + A list of wants + Captain Sutter's account of his first settlement in California + How he served the Indians, and how he civilised them + Breakfast + Captain Sutter's wife and daughter + Ridiculous stories about the discovery of the goldmines + Joe Smith's prophecy + An Indian ghost + Something about a ship-load of rifles. + + +_May 30th_.--To my great disappointment, our journey was not resumed +to-day. As I had expected, Malcolm had found there was no chance of +getting the farrier's assistance yesterday, and he came to me in the +evening to inform me that he and the rest were going into camp for the +night. Bradley and myself found an ample supper prepared for us; and, +after doing due justice to the eatables, and dressing Bradley's arm, I +shortened the night a couple of hours by jotting down the events of the +day. + +This morning I rose early and walked to the camp, which I found, about +half a mile off, under some oaks in a piece of pasture land on the +Captain's farm. I had some difficulty in finding it out, for there were +at least fifteen or twenty tents of one kind or another in the +"bottom." The party were all roused, and breakfast was preparing under +Don Luis's superintendence. It was the general opinion that we must buy +two extra horses to carry our breadstuffs, etc. Malcolm reported that +there were a variety of articles we were still in want of; namely, tin +drinking-cups, some buckets for water, with forks, and other small +articles. He recommended that a couple more axes and a strong saw be +bought at Brannan's, together with hammers, nails, etc., and some of +the Indian baskets which seem to be so common about here. + +On my return to the Fort, I fell in with the Captain, rigged out in a +military undress uniform. I chatted with him for half an hour about his +farm, etc. He told me that he was the first white man who settled in +this part of the country; that some ten years ago, when the Mexican +government was full of colonization schemes, the object of which was to +break up the Missions, and to introduce a population antagonistic to +the Californians, he received a grant of land, sixty miles one way and +twelve another, about sixteen or seventeen hundred acres of which he +had now brought under cultivation. "When I came here," said the +Captain, "I knew the country and the Indians well. Eight years ago +these fields were overgrown with long rank grass, with here and there +an oak or pine sprouting out from the midst. You can see what they are +now. As to the Indians, they gave me a little more trouble. I can boast +of fourteen pieces of cannon, though one has little occasion for them +now, except to fire a few salutes on days of rejoicing. Well! most of +these guns came from Ross within the last four years; but when I first +arrived here, I brought with me a couple of howitzers, from which one +night, when these thieves were hemming me in on all sides, I discharged +a shell right over their heads. The mere sight of it, when it bursted, +was sufficient to give them a very respectful notion of the fighting +means at my command. But though this saved me from any direct attack, +it did not secure me against having my horses and cattle stolen on +every convenient occasion." The Captain went on to say, that he at last +brought the Indians pretty well under control; and that, by promises of +articles of clothing, they became willing to work for him. He took good +care to trust very few of them with rifles or powder and shot. Nearly +every brick in the buildings of the Fort, he tells me, was made by the +Indians, who, moreover, dug all the ditches dividing his wheat-fields. +These ditches are very necessary, to prevent the large number of cattle +and horses on the farm from straying among the crops. + +On our way to the house, I got the Captain to speak to the head +blacksmith about our horses, after which we went in to breakfast, when +I saw his wife and daughter for the first time. They are both very +ladylike women, and both natives of France. During the meal, I found +Captain Sutter communicative on the subject of the discovery of the +gold mines, which I was very glad of, as I was anxious to learn the +true particulars of the affair, respecting which so many ridiculous +stories had been circulated. One was to the effect that the mines had +been discovered by the Mormons, in accordance with a prophecy made by +the famous Joe Smith. Another tale was, that the Captain had seen the +apparition of an Indian chief, to whom he had given a rifle (the +possession of which he only lived three months to enjoy, having been +trampled down by a buffalo in the neighbourhood of the Rocky Mountains, +on his way with his tribe to make an attack on the Pawnees), when the +ghost in question told the Captain that he would make him very rich, +and begged that, with this promised cash, the Captain would immediately +buy a ship-load of rifles, and present one to every member of his +tribe. Such were the absurd stories circulated. The true account of the +discovery I here give, as near as I can recollect, in the Captain's own +words. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + + Captain Sutter's account of the first discovery of the gold + His surprise at Mr. Marshall's appearance at the Fort + Mr. Marshall's statement + The mill-wheel thrown out of gear + The water channel enlarged + Mr. Marshall's attention attracted by some glittering substance + Finds it to be gold + First imagines it to have been buried there + Discovers it in great abundance + Takes horse to Sutter's Fort + Captain Sutter and Mr. Marshall agree to keep the matter secret + They start off to the mill + Proceed up the Fork + Find the gold in great abundance + Return to the mill + The work-people meet them + A knowing Indian and a sly Kentuckian + A labouring party organised + Digging and washing for gold + The news spreads + People flock to the diggings + Arrival of Mormons + The gold found to be inexhaustible + Men of science as blind as the rest of the world. + + +"I was sitting one afternoon," said the Captain, "just after my siesta, +engaged, by-the-by, in writing a letter to a relation of mine at +Lucerne, when I was interrupted by Mr. Marshall--a gentleman with whom +I had frequent business transactions--bursting hurriedly into the room. +From the unusual agitation in his manner I imagined that something +serious had occurred, and, as we involuntarily do in this part of the +world, I at once glanced to see if my rifle was in its proper place. +You should know that the mere appearance of Mr. Marshall at that moment +in the Fort was quite enough to surprise me, as he had but two days +before left the place to make some alterations in a mill for sawing +pine planks, which he had just run up for me, some miles higher up the +Americanos. When he had recovered himself a little, he told me that, +however great my surprise might be at his unexpected reappearance, it +would be much greater when I heard the intelligence he had come to +bring me. 'Intelligence,' he added, 'which, if properly profited by, +would put both of us in possession of unheard-of wealth--millions and +millions of dollars in fact.' I frankly own, when I heard this, that I +thought something had touched Marshall's brain, when suddenly all my +misgivings were put an end to by his flinging on the table a handful of +scales of pure virgin gold. I was fairly thunderstruck, and asked him +to explain what all this meant, when he went on to say, that, according +to my instructions, he had thrown, the mill-wheel out of gear, to let +the whole body of the water in the dam find a passage through the +tail-race, which was previously too narrow to allow the water to run +off in sufficient quantity, whereby the wheel was prevented from +efficiently performing its work. By this alteration the narrow channel +was considerably enlarged, and a mass of sand and gravel carried off by +the force of the torrent. Early in the morning after this took place, +he (Mr. Marshall) was walking along the left bank of the stream, when +he perceived something which he at first took for a piece of opal--a +clear transparent stone very common here--glittering on one of the +spots laid bare by the sudden crumbling away of the bank. He paid no +attention to this; but while he was giving directions to the workmen, +having observed several similar glittering fragments, his curiosity was +so far excited, that he stooped down and picked one of them up. 'Do you +know,' said Mr. Marshall to me, 'I positively debated within myself two +or three times whether I should take the trouble to bend my back to +pick up one of the pieces, and had decided on not doing so, when, +further on, another glittering morsel caught my eye--the largest of the +pieces now before you. I condescended to pick it up, and to my +astonishment found that it was a thin scale of what appears to be pure +gold.' He then gathered some twenty or thirty similar pieces, which on +examination convinced him that his suppositions were right. His first +impression was, that this gold had been lost or buried there by some +early Indian tribe--perhaps some of those mysterious inhabitants of the +west, of whom we have no account, but who dwelt on this continent +centuries ago, and built those cities and temples, the ruins of which +are scattered about these solitary wilds. On proceeding, however, to +examine the neighbouring soil, he discovered that it was more or less +auriferous. This at once decided him. He mounted his horse, and rode +down to me as fast as it would carry him with the news. + +"At the conclusion of Mr. Marshall's account," continued Captain +Sutter, "and when I had convinced myself, from the specimens he had +brought with him, that it was not exaggerated, I felt as much excited +as himself. I eagerly inquired if he had shown the gold to the +work-people at the mill, and was glad to hear that he had not spoken to +a single person about it. We agreed," said the Captain, smiling, "not +to mention the circumstance to any one, and arranged to set off early +the next day for the mill. On our arrival, just before sundown, we +poked the sand about in various places, and before long succeeded in +collecting between us more than an ounce of gold, mixed up with a good +deal of sand. I stayed at Mr. Marshall's that night, and the next day +we proceeded some little distance up the South Fork, and found that +gold existed along the whole course, not only in the bed of the main +stream, where the water had subsided, but in every little dried-up +creek and ravine. Indeed I think it is more plentiful in these latter +places, for I myself, with nothing more than a small knife, picked out +from a dry gorge, a little way up the mountain, a solid lump of gold +which weighed nearly an ounce and a half. + +"On our return to the mill, we were astonished by the work-people +coming up to us in a body, and showing us small flakes of gold similar +to those we had ourselves procured. Marshall tried to laugh the matter +off with them, and to persuade them that what they had found was only +some shining mineral of trifling value; but one of the Indians, who had +worked at the gold mine in the neighbourhood of La Paz, in Lower +California, cried out, 'Oro! oro!' We were disappointed enough at this +discovery, and supposed that the work-people had been watching our +movements, although we thought we had taken every precaution against +being observed by them. I heard afterwards, that one of them, a sly +Kentuckian, had dogged us about, and that, looking on the ground to see +if he could discover what we were in search of, he had lighted on some +flakes of gold himself. + +"The next day I rode back to the Fort, organised a labouring party, set +the carpenters to work on a few necessary matters, and the next day +accompanied them to a point of the Fork, where they encamped for the +night. By the following morning I had a party of fifty Indians fairly +at work. The way we first managed was to shovel the soil into small +buckets, or into some of our famous Indian baskets; then wash all the +light earth out, and pick away the stones; after this, we dried the +sand on pieces of canvas, and with long reeds blew away all but the +gold. I have now some rude machines in use, and upwards of one hundred +men employed, chiefly Indians, who are well fed, and who are allowed +whisky three times a-day. + +"The report soon spread. Some of the gold was sent to San Francisco, +and crowds of people flocked to the diggings. Added to this, a large +emigrant party of Mormons entered California across the Rocky +Mountains, just as the affair was first made known. They halted at +once, and set to work on a spot some thirty miles from here, where a +few of them still remain. When I was last up at the diggings, there +were full eight hundred men at work, at one place and another, with +perhaps something like three hundred more passing backwards and +forwards between here and the mines. I at first imagined the gold +would soon be exhausted by such crowds of seekers, but subsequent +observations have convinced me that it will take many years to bring +about such a result, even with ten times the present number of people +employed. + +"What surprises me," continued the Captain, "is that this country +should have been visited by so many scientific men, and that not one of +them should have ever stumbled upon these treasures; that scores of +keen-eyed trappers should have crossed this valley in every direction, +and tribes of Indians have dwelt in it for centuries, and yet that this +gold should have never been discovered. I myself have passed the very +spot above a hundred times during the last ten years, but was just as +blind as the rest of them, so I must not wonder at the discovery not +having been made earlier." + +While the Captain was proceeding with his narrative, I must confess that +I felt so excited on the subject as to wish to start off immediately +on our journey. When he had finished, I walked off to see after the +horses, but, although they were ready, the additional shoes we wanted +to carry with us would not be furnished for several hours; it was late +in the afternoon before we got them. We bought two horses of Captain +Sutter (very strong animals), and McPhail managed to engage a big lad +as a servant--a rough-looking fellow, who appears to have deserted from +some ship, and worked his way up here. All things considered, it was +agreed that we should remain here another night, and resume our march +as early as we could in the morning. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + + The Author and his friends leave Sutter's Fort + Tents in the bottom + A caravan in motion + Green hills and valleys + Indian villages + Californian pack-Horses + A sailor on horseback + Lunch at noon + A troublesome beast + Sierra Nevada + First view of the lower mines + How the gold is dug and washed + The "cradle" + The diggers and their stock of gold + A store in course of construction + The tent is pitched + The golden itch + First attempts at gold-finding + A hole in the saucepan + Sound asleep. + + +_Sunday, June 4th_.--The morning we left the Fort the scene was one of +great excitement. Down in the bottom some twenty tents were pitched, +outside which big fires were smoking; and, while breakfast was being +prepared, the men of each company were busily engaged in saddling their +horses and arranging their baggage; several wagons and teams were +already in motion, following the road along the windings of the river. +The tents were soon all struck, the smoke from the fires was dying +away, and a perfect caravan was moving along in the direction of the +now no longer ridiculed El Dorado. + +We pushed along, as may be believed, with the utmost impatience, +conjuring up the most flattering visions of our probable success as +gold-hunters. The track lay through a spacious grassy valley, with the +Americanos River winding along it, on our left hand. At first, the +stream was nearly two miles distant from the track of our caravan, but +as we advanced we approached its banks more nearly. The country was +pleasant, consisting of a succession of small hills and valleys, +diversified here and there by groves of tall oak trees. We passed +several wretched Indian villages--clusters of filthy smoky hovels, and +now and then caught sight of the river and the line of oak trees which +bordered it. We managed tolerably well with our horses, but it requires +great experience to be able to fasten securely the loads of provisions +and stores which they carry on their backs. Flour, of course, formed +the principal article of our commissariat. This was packed up in sacks, +which were again enclosed in long pockets, made of hides, and called +"parfleshes," the use of which is to defend the canvas of the sacking +from being torn by branches of fern and underwood. The sacks we secured +on strong pack-saddles, between which and the back of the horse were +some thick soft cloths. All our baggage-horses were furnished with +trail ropes, which were allowed to drag on the ground after the horse, +for the purpose of enabling us to catch him more readily. Besides the +animals we rode, we had seven horses, for the conveyance of our +provisions, tents, etc. The two we bought from Captain Sutter, though +strong, were skittish, and gave us much trouble, for our newly engaged +servant, whose name is James Horry, knew more about harpooning and +flenching whales than about the management of horses. He was certainly +willing and did his best, but he occasioned some mirth during the day's +march by his extreme awkwardness on horseback. However, to do him +justice, he bore the numerous falls which he came in for with great +philosophy, starting up again every time he was "grassed," and laughing +as loudly as the rest. + +At noon we halted to refresh by the side of a small stream of crystal +purity. While making preparations for our hurried meal, we had all our +eyes about us for gold in the channel of the rivulet, but saw none. We +had not yet reached the favoured spot. After some difficulty in +catching the pack-horses, one of the perverse brutes having taken it +into its head to march up to its belly in the stream, where he +floundered about for some time, enjoying the coolness of the water, we +set forward, determined to reach the lower diggings by sundown. As we +neared the spot the ground gradually became more broken and heavily +timbered with oak and pine, while in the distance, and separated from +us by deep forests of these trees, might be seen a long ridge of +snow-capped mountains--the lofty Sierra Nevada. But we were too anxious +to reach the gold to care much about the more unprofitable beauties of +Nature, and accordingly urged our horses to the quickest speed they +could put forth. We were now travelling along the river's banks, and +towards evening came in sight of the lower mines, here called the +"Mormon" diggings, which occupy a surface of two or three miles along +the river. There were something like forty tents scattered up the hill +sides, occupied mostly by Americans, some of whom had brought their +families with them. Although it was near sundown, everybody was in full +occupation. At every few yards there were men, with their naked arms, +busily employed in washing out the golden flakes and dust from +spadefuls of the auriferous soil. Others were first passing it through +sieves, many of them freshly made with intertwisted willow branches, to +get rid of the coarse stones, and then washing the lumps of soil in +pots placed beneath the surface of the water, the contents of the +vessel being kept continually stirred by the hand until the lighter +particles of earth or gravel were carried away. + +A great number of the settlers, however, were engaged in making what +are here called "cradles;" partly, I suppose, from their shape, and +partly from the rocking motion to which they are subjected. These +machines were being roughly constructed of dealboards. Later in the +day I watched one of them at work, and had the process explained to +me. Four men were employed at it. The first shovelled up the earth; +another carried it to the cradle, and dashed it down on a grating or +sieve--placed horizontally at the head of the machine--the wires of +which, being close together, only allowed the smaller particles of +earth and sand to fall through; the third man rocked the cradle--I must +confess I never saw one so perseveringly rocked at home; while the +fourth kept flinging water upon the mass of earth inside. The result of +this fourfold process is, that the lighter earth is gradually carried +off by the action of the water, and a sort of thick black sediment of +sand is left at the bottom of the cradle. This was afterwards scooped +out, and put aside to be carefully dried in the sun to-morrow morning. + +I can hardly describe the effect this sight produced upon our party. +It seemed as if the fabled treasure of the Arabian Nights had been +suddenly realised before us. We all shook hands, and swore to preserve +good faith with each other, and to work hard for the common good. The +gold-finders told us that some of them frequently got as much as fifty +dollars a-day. As we rode from camp to camp, and saw the hoards of +gold--some of it in flakes, but the greater part in a coarse sort of +dust--which these people had amassed during the last few weeks, we felt +in a perfect fluster of excitement at the sight of the wealth around +us. One man showed us four hundred ounces of pure gold dust which he +had washed from the dirt in a tin pan, and which he valued at fourteen +dollars an ounce. + +As may be imagined, the whole scene was one well calculated to take a +strong hold upon the imagination. The eminences, rising gradually from +the river's banks, were dotted with white canvas tents, mingled with +the more sombre-looking huts, constructed with once green but now +withered branches. A few hundred yards from the river lay a large heap +of planks and framings, which I was told were intended for constructing +a store; the owner of which, a sallow Yankee, with a large pluffy +cigaretto in his mouth, was labouring away in his shirt sleeves. + +Bewildered and excited by the novelty of the scene, we were in haste to +pitch our camp, and soon fixed upon a location. This was by the side of +a dried-up water-course, through which, in the wet season, a small +rivulet joined the larger stream; we did not, however, immediately set +to work to make the necessary arrangements for the night. Our fingers +were positively itching for the gold, and in less than half an hour +after our arrival, the pack-horse which carried the shovels, scoops, +and pans, had been released of his burden, and all our party were as +busily employed as the rest. As for myself, armed with a large scoop or +trowel, and a shallow tin pail, I leapt into the bed of the rivulet, at +a spot where I perceived no trace of the gravel and earth having been +artificially disturbed. Near me was a small clear pool, which served +for washing the gold. Some of our party set to work within a short +distance of me, while others tried their fortune along the banks of the +Americanos, digging up the shingle which lay at the very brink of the +stream. I shall not soon forget the feeling with which I first plunged +my scoop into the soil beneath me. Half filling my tin pail with the +earth and shingle, I carried it to the pool, and placing it beneath the +surface of the water, I began to stir it with my hand, as I had +observed the other diggers do. Of course I was not very expert at +first, and I dare say I flung out a good deal of the valuable metal. +However, I soon perceived that the earth was crumbling away, and was +being carried by the agitation of the water into the pool, which +speedily became turbid, while the sandy sediment of which I had heard +remained at the bottom of the pail. Carefully draining the water away, +I deposited the sand in one of the small close-woven Indian baskets we +had brought with us, with the intention of drying it at the camp fire, +there not being sufficient time before nightfall to allow the moisture +gradually to absorb by the evaporation of the atmosphere. + +After working for about half an hour, I retraced my steps with my +basket to the spot where we had tethered the horses, and found the +animals still standing there with their burdens on their backs. Mr. +Malcolm was already there; he had with him about an equal quantity of +the precious black sand; it remained, however, to be seen what +proportion of gold our heaps contained. In a short time Bradley and Don +Luis joined us, both of them in tip-top spirits. "I guess this is the +way we do the trick down in these clearings," said the former, shaking +a bag of golden sand. As for José, Don Luis's Indian servant, he was +devout in his expressions of thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary and the +Great Spirit, whom he would insist upon classifying together, in a most +remarkable and not quite orthodox manner. + +We now set to work to get up our tent. Malcolm, in the meantime, +prepared coffee and very under-baked cakes, made of the flour we had +brought with us. His cooking operations were greatly impeded by our +eagerness to dry the sand we had scraped up--a feat in the achievement +of which Bradley was clumsy enough to burn a hole in our very best +saucepan. However, we managed to get the moisture absorbed, and, +shutting our eyes, we commenced blowing away the sand with our mouths, +and shortly after found ourselves the possessors of a few pinch's of +gold. This was encouraging for a beginning. We drunk our coffee in high +spirits, and then, having picketted our horses, made ourselves as snug +as our accommodation would allow, and, being tired out, not only with +the journey and the work, but with excitement and anxiety, slept +soundly till morning. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + + Two horses stray away + How orders were enforced at the diggings + Sunday work + Nature of the soil + Inconveniences even in gold getting + Dinner and rest + A strike for higher wages + A walk through the diggings + Sleeping and smoking + Indians and finery + Californians and Yankee + Runaway sailors and stray negroes + A native born Kentuckian + "That's a fact" + A chapel at the diggings + A supper with an appetite. + + +The morning broke brilliantly, and the first thing we discovered on +rising was, that two of the horses had broken their fastenings during +the night, and strayed. As we could not afford to lose the animals, +José and Horry were despatched lo look after them, and they grumbled +not a little at being thus sent off from the scene of golden operations; +but Bradley, producing a rifle, swore that he would shoot them both +unless they obeyed orders; so, after a little altercation, away they +went. + +Breakfast was soon despatched, and the question as to the day's +operations asked. Don Luis was the only one who, on the score of its +being Sunday, would not go to the diggings. He had no objection to +amuse himself on Sunday, but he would not work. To get over the +difficulty, we agreed to go upon the principle of every man keeping his +own findings, our bonds of unity as a party to extend merely to mutual +protection and defence. Leaving Don Luis, then, smoking in the tent, +we proceeded to work, and found that the great majority of the +gold-finders appeared to entertain our opinions, or at all events to +imitate our practice, as to labouring on the Sunday. I had now leisure +more particularly to remark the nature of the soil in which the gold +was found. The dust is found amid the shingle actually below water, but +the most convenient way of proceeding is to take the soil from that +portion of the bed which has been overflowed but is now dry. It is +principally of a gravelly nature, full of small stones, composed, as +far as I could make out, of a species of jasper and milky quality, +mingled with fragments of slate and splinters of basalt. The general +opinion is, that the gold has been washed down from the hills. + +I worked hard, as indeed we all did, the whole morning. The toil is +very severe, the constant stooping pressing, of course, upon the spinal +column, whilst the constant immersion of the hands in water causes the +skin to excoriate and become exceedingly painful. But these +inconveniences are slight when compared to the great gain by which one +is recompensed for them. + +At twelve o'clock, our usual primitive dinner hour, we met at the tents, +tolerably well tired with our exertions. No dinner, however, was +prepared, both José and Horry being still absent in pursuit of the +strayed horses. We had, therefore, to resort to some of our jerked +beef, which, with biscuits and coffee, formed our fare. After dinner, +we determined to rest until the next day. The fact is, that the human +frame will not stand, and was never intended to stand, a course of +incessant toil; indeed, I believe that in civilized--that is to say, +in industrious--communities, the Sabbath, bringing round as it does a +stated remission from labour, is an institution physically necessary. + +We therefore passed some time in conversation, which was interrupted by +the arrival of José and Horry with the strayed horses. Horry demanded +an immediate increase of wages, threatening to leave us and set to work +on his own account if we refused. Bradley tried to talk big and bully +him, but in vain. José had a sort of fear of Don Luis--who in return +looked on his servant as his slave--so he said nothing. We could see, +however, that they had evidently been in communication with the diggers +around, and so we gave in. Later in the afternoon I started with +Malcolm and McPhail for a walk through the diggings. We found +comparatively a small proportion of the people who had commenced work +in the morning still at their pans. Numbers were lying asleep under the +trees, or in the shade of their tents and wagons. Others sat smoking +and chatting in circles upon the grass, mending their clothes or +performing other little domestic duties at the same time. It was really +a motley scene. Indians strutted by in all the pride of gaudy calico, +the manners of the savage concealed beneath the dress of the civilized +man. Muscular sun-burnt fellows, whose fine forms and swarthy faces +pronounced that Spanish blood ran through their veins, gossiped away +with sallow hatchet-faced Yankees, smart men at a bargain, and always +on the lookout for squalls. Here, and there one spied out the flannel +shirt and coarse canvas trousers of a seaman--a runaway, in all +probability, from a South Sea whaler; while one or two stray negroes +chattered with all the volubility of their race, shaking their woolly +heads and showing their white teeth. I got into conversation with one +tall American; he was a native-born Kentuckian, and full of the bantam +sort of consequence of his race. He predicted wonderful things from the +discovery of the mineral treasures of California, observing that it +would make a monetary revolution all over the world, and that nothing +similar, at least to so great an extent, was ever known in history. +"Look around! for, stranger," said he to me, "I guess you don't realise +such a scene every day, and that's a fact. There's gold to be had for +the picking of it up, and by all who choose to come and work. I reckon +old John Bull will scrunch up his fingers in his empty pockets when he +comes to hear of it. It's a most everlasting wonderful thing, and +that's a fact, that beats Joe Dunkin's goose-pie and apple sarse." + +Farther on we came upon a tremendous-looking tent, formed by two or +three tents being flung into one, which, on examination, we found was +doing duty as a chapel. A missionary, from one of the New England +States, as I hear, was holding forth to a pretty large congregation. +The place was very hot and chokey, and I only stayed long enough to +hear that the discourse abounded in the cloudy metaphors and vague +technicalities of Calvinistic theology. + +The remainder of the afternoon I have been devoting to writing my +journal, which I here break off to commence a hearty good supper, in +revenge for the scrambling sort of dinner one has had to-day. The beef +doesn't look roasted as they would put it on the table at the +Clarendon, or at Astor House even; but none of those who sit down to +the Clarendon table, at any rate, have such an appetite as I now have, +far away beyond care and civilisation, in the gold-gathering region of +California. + + + + +CHAPTER X. + + Digging and washing, with a few reflections + A cradle in contemplation + Scales to sell, but none to lend + Stack of gold weighed + More arrivals + Two newcomers + Mr. Biggs and Mr. Lacosse + Good order prevails at the mines + Timber bought for the cradles + The cradles made + The cradles worked + The result of the first day's trial. + +_June 5th_.--We have laboured hard all day, digging and washing, and +with good success. I begin to hope now that I have really laid the +foundation of a fortune, and I thank God for it. I have been kicked +tolerably well about the world, and the proverb, that a "rolling stone +gathers no moss," has, I am sure, been abundantly proved by my case. +Now, however, I have a grand chance, and I am resolved that all that +industry and perseverance can do shall be done to improve it. + +Before starling for work this morning, it was agreed that José should +act as cook for the day; it being stipulated that he was to have the +afternoon to himself for digging. Horry was left in charge of the +horses. I worked hard, keeping near Bradley, and conversing with him as +I shovelled the gravel into the pail, and stirred it about in the clear +pools. We had very fair success, but still we could not but think that +this was a poor way of proceeding; besides, I didn't like the +back-breaking work of stooping all day. I therefore proposed that we +should endeavour to knock up a cradle. The expense for wood would +certainly be great, but it would be better to incur it than keep to the +present rude and toilsome plan of operation. + +We proposed the plan to our comrades at dinner-time, and it was, on the +whole, well received. Malcolm and McPhail entered into the notion, and +we determined to try whether we could not put forth sufficient +carpentering ability to carry it out. The next day was fixed upon for +commencing the work. + +After dinner we returned to our shovels and pails. In the evening we +were anxious to know how much gold we had realised by our labours up to +the present time; and, accordingly, I set off to borrow a pair of +scales. After entering several tents in vain, I was directed to the +Yankee who had the materials for a store, and whose name was Hiram +Ensloe. He had several pairs to sell, but none to lend. I asked his +prices, and now had, for the first time, a real example of the effects +of plenty of gold and scarcity of goods. For a small pair of ordinary +brass scales, with a set of troy weights, I paid, on behalf of the +party, fifteen dollars, the seller consoling me by the information that +in his opinion, if the gold-hunters continued to pour in for a +fortnight longer, I would not have got the article for three times the +amount. + +Furnished with my purchase, I returned to the tent, and the stock of +gold dust realised by each man was weighed, and computed at the current +rate in which the mercantile transactions of this little colony are +reckoned--namely, fourteen dollars each ounce of gold dust. We found +that McPhail and Malcolm had been, upon the whole, the most successful, +each having obtained nearly two ounces of pure gold dust, valued at +twenty-eight dollars. I myself had about twenty-three dollars' worth, +and Bradley had twenty-five dollars' worth. An amount which, +considerable though it was, we hope greatly to increase as soon as we +get our cradle into operation. + +During the day, there were numerous arrivals from Sutter's Fort; and in +my opinion, these diggings will soon be overcrowded. Two of the +new-comers were known to Bradley--one, a Mr. Biggs, a shipping agent +from San Francisco; the other, Mr. Lacosse, a French Canadian, who has +recently settled in California. They accepted our offer for them to +join our party. If this influx of people continues, I think the Yankee +with the store will do better than any one; and keeping a shanty will +be a far more profitable speculation than handling a shovel or working +a cradle. What surprises me is, that in this remote spot, so distant +from anything that can be called Law, so much tranquillity prevails +under the circumstances. One hears of no deeds of violence, or even +dishonesty. In fact, theft would hardly pay. The risk would be more +than the advantage; for if any one was detected plundering, he would +soon have a rifle-bullet put through him. One thing in favour of good +order is, that here there is no unequal distribution of property--no +favoured classes. Every man who has a spade or a trowel, and hands to +use them, is upon an equality, and can make a fortune with a rapidity +hitherto almost unknown in the history of the world. + +_Sunday, June 11th_.--Nearly a week has elapsed since I last opened my +diary. On Tuesday, we set to work upon our cradle. We resolved upon the +construction of two; and, for this purpose, went down to the store in a +body, to see about the boards. We found the timber extravagantly dear, +being asked forty dollars a-hundred. After some bargaining, we obtained +sufficient for our purpose, at the rate of thirty-five dollars. + +The next question was, as to whether we should hire a carpenter. We +were told there were one or two in the diggings who might be hired, +though at a very extravagant rate. Accordingly, Bradley and I proceeded +to see one of these gentlemen, and found him washing away with a hollow +log and a willow-branch sieve. He offered to help us at the rate of +thirty-five dollars a-day, we finding provisions and tools, and could +not be brought to charge less. We thought this by far too extravagant, +and left him, determined to undertake the work ourselves. Meantime, +Horry had brought down two of our horses with him to the store. We +loaded them immediately with boards, and returned to our tent. + +After breakfast, which consisted of coffee without milk, flour cakes, +and strips of dried beef, roasted on the embers, we set to work. We had +a sufficient number of axes and a good stout saw, one large plane, and +a few strong chisels, with plenty of nails. As may be expected, we +proved to be very awkward carpenters. Mr. Lacosse was perhaps the +handiest, and Malcolm not much inferior to him, until the latter +unfortunately received a severe cut with a chisel, extending in a +transverse line along the joint of the forefinger of the left hand. I +strapped up the wound, but the rough work soon tore away the diaculum: +no bad consequences, however, ensued. The wound, in spite of the hard +treatment which it received, closed and healed by the first +intention--proving the healthy habit of body engendered by temperance +and constant exercise in the open air. + +In building our cradles, or "gold canoes," as the Indians called them, +we found that to mortice the planks into each other was a feat of +carpentering far above our skill, particularly as we had no mortice +chisels. We were therefore obliged to adopt the ruder experiment of +making the boards overlap each other by about an inch, nailing them +firmly together in that position. As, however, the inequality of +surface at the bottom of the cradle, produced by the mode of building, +would have materially impeded our operations, we strained some pieces +of tarred canvas, which we fortunately possessed amongst our tent +cloths, over the bottoms, thus rendering the surface even, and suited +to our purpose. By the time we had got so far with our undertaking, we +fell sufficiently tired to give over work for the night. We had +laboured unceasingly at them, pausing only to swallow a hasty meal, and +stuck by our hammers and chisels till dusk. We were up early the next +morning, and toiled away to get the cradles completed, as we were +constantly seeing proofs of the great advantages of these machines. We +fixed a wicker sieve over the head, by means of a couple of transverse +bars, and then set about to construct the working Apparatus, which we +had all along feared would put our mechanical skill to rather a severe +test; but we found it easier than we had anticipated, and before +sundown the rockers were fixed on both cradles, which, to all intents +and purposes, were now ready for use. The work was rather rough, but it +was firm and strong. So fearful were we first of all that our cradles +might be removed or tampered with in the night, that I jocularly +proposed two of us should give up the shelter of the tent, and, like +pretty little children, sleep in our cradles till the morning. + +The next day we set to work with them with the utmost eagerness, having +first dragged the lumbering machines to a likely spot in the vicinity +of the water. The labour was hard enough, but nothing compared to the +old plan of pot-washing, while it saved the hands from the injury +inflicted by continual dabbling in sand and water. We took the +different departments of labour by turns, and found that the change, by +bringing into play different sets of muscles, greatly relieved us, and +enabled us to keep the stones rolling with great energy. In the +evening, with the help of our newly purchased scales, we tested our +gains. The cradle which was worked by Don Luis, Malcolm, and myself, +for it was so near the water that three hands were sufficient, had +realised six ounces of gold dust; the other, attended to by Bradley, +McPhail, Biggs, and Lacosse, had nearly as much. During the day there +was another considerable influx of people to the diggings; the banks of +the river are therefore getting more and more crowded, and we hear that +the price of every article of subsistence is rising in the same +proportion. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + + The proceedings of the week + Visit from Mr. Larkin + What will the Government do? + What "enough" is + San Francisco + Houses and ships deserted + A captain and ship without a crew + A ship without a crew or captain + Wages, newspapers, and shovels + The Attorney-General to the King of the Sandwich Islands + Something for the lawyers + Gold-diggers by moonlight + Mr. Larkin's departure + Provisions run short + Seek a supply at Salter's + Good luck + Diggings' law + Provisions arrive + A wagon wanted + Arrival of Californians and their families + Gay dresses and coquettish manners + Fandangos + El Jarabe + The waltz + Lookers-on and dancers + Coffee, and something stronger + No more Sunday work + José and the saints + The Virgin Mary cheated + Contemplated migration. + + +_June 18th, Sunday_.--The proceedings of the past week have been but a +repetition of those of the week previous, the amount of gold dust +realised being rather greater, and amounting on an average to very +nearly sixteen ounces per day. Cradles are now in use everywhere around +us; nevertheless, the numbers who stand in the water washing with tin +or wooden bowls do not appear to be diminished. + +On the evening of Thursday we were visited by a gentleman from +Monterey, a Mr. Larkin, who, I believe, is connected with the States +Government, and who has arrived in the diggings with the view of making +a report to the authorities at Washington. Don Luis immediately +recognised him, and invited him to spend the evening and night in our +tent. We were very anxious to hear the news from the coast, and Mr. +Larkin in turn was very anxious to pick up all the information he could +get respecting the diggings. Don Luis says he is a man of large +fortune, so his tour is purely one of inspection, and not with any eye +to business. We made him as comfortable as we could; Lacosse exerted +himself in the manufacture of the coffee in honour of our guest, and we +had several hours of interesting conversation. + +Mr. Larkin said he had no idea what steps the Government at Washington +would take with reference to the "placer." "It can't matter much to +you, gentlemen," observed he, "for although there can be no doubt of +its being upon public territory, still, before any instructions can be +received from Washington, the great body of the diggers and washers +here will be enriched to their heart's content, if a man ever does feel +contented with any amount of wealth."--"Your observation," exclaimed +Malcolm, "puts me in mind of a story which my father used to tell of a +farmer, a friend of his, who once took his rent, the odd money short, +to an old miserly landlord rolling in wealth. He was asked by him why +he had not brought the full amount. 'Why,' replied the farmer, 'I +thought you had enough.'--'Enough!' said the miser; 'do you know what +_enough_ is? I'll tell you--Enough is _something more_ than a man +hath!'" + +Mr. Larkin then spoke of the effects of the "mineral yellow fever," as +he called it, having been most extraordinary in San Francisco. When he +left that town, he said more than two-thirds of the houses were +deserted. We were not surprised at this, as we knew the people who were +continually arriving here must have come from somewhere. Nearly all the +ships in the harbour too had lost a great part of their crews by +desertion. A barque called the Amity had only six men left when Mr. +Larkin started from the port. On board another ship from the Sandwich +Islands the captain was left actually and literally alone. On the road +Mr. Larkin fell in with another captain who had started off for the +gold region with every man of his crew, leaving his ship unprotected in +port. On Mr. Larkin remonstrating with him on the flagrancy of his +conduct, he merely replied, "Oh, I warrant me her cables and anchors +are strong enough to last till we get back." Mr. Larkin told us what we +were fully prepared to hear, namely, that wages and salaries of all +classes have risen immensely; clerks, he said, were getting from nine +hundred to twelve hundred dollars, instead of from four hundred to five +hundred and fifty dollars, with their board. Both the _Star_ and +_Californian_ newspapers, he said, had stopped. Thinking to surprise +us, he told us that shovels which used to be one dollar were selling in +San Francisco, when he left, for five and six dollars each. Bradley +replied that he thought this was a very reasonable figure, for he had +heard thirty dollars offered for a spade that very day. + +"Do you know, by-the-by," said Mr. Larkin, "who I saw here to-day, up +to his knees in water, washing away in a tin pan? Why, a lawyer who was +the Attorney-General to the King of the Sandwich Islands, not eighteen +months ago."--"I guess," said Bradley, "he finds gold-washing more +profitable than Sandwich Island law; but he's not the only one of his +brethren that is of much the same spirit; there's lots of lawyers in +these diggings. Well! they are better employed now than ever they were +in their lives. They're money-getting rascals all the world over; but +here they do have to _work_ for it, that's one comfort." Before turning +in, we took a stroll through the camp with Mr. Larkin. It was a bright +moonlight night, and some of the more eager diggers were still at work. +These were the new-comers, probably, who were too much excited to sleep +without trying their hands at washing the golden gravel. Mr. Larkin +left us the following day. + +_June 23rd, Friday_.--The last entry in my diary seems to have been +written last Sunday. Next day we began to find the provisions running +short. A consultation was accordingly held upon the subject. It was +quite out of the question to buy provisions in the diggings. Work as +one might, the day's living of any man with a respectable appetite--and +one seems always to feel hungry here--would pretty well absorb the +day's labour. We therefore determined to dispatch Bradley and José back +to Sutter's Fort for a supply, it being stipulated that Bradley should +share in the gold we might find during their absence. This arrangement +being duly concluded, they started off the following morning on +horseback, driving before them the two beasts we purchased at Sutter's. +We instructed Bradley, if possible, to buy a light wagon, in which to +store the provisions he was to bring back. The two extra horses would +be able to draw it, and such a vehicle would be useful in many +respects. He took with him two hundred and fifty dollars' worth of +gold, so as to be in sufficient funds, in case the sum demanded should +be an over-exorbitant one. + +They departed on Tuesday, and we continued our labours. Towards the +afternoon of that day, I had a piece of great good luck. I was digging +up the earth to throw into the cradle, when I turned up a lump of ore +about the size of a small walnut, which I knew at once was a piece of +gold. It weighed two ounces and three-quarters. This, by the law of the +diggings--for it is curious how soon a set of rude regulations sprung +into existence, which everybody seemed to abide by--belonged to myself +and not to the party, it being found before the earth was thrown into +the cradle, and being over half an ounce in weight. Higher up the +Sacramento, and particularly on Bear River, one of its tributaries, +these lumps and flakes were said to be frequently met with; but at the +Mormon digging they are very rare. + +On Thursday, about sundown, we were delighted to see the approach of +Bradley with a well-loaded wagon of light but strong construction. He +had just arrived in time, for our larder was almost exhausted. We were +prepared, however, to have stood out another day or two on short +rations, rather than pay the prices asked at the shanties. Bradley gave +us a short account of the expedition. They reached Sutter's in safety, +and found the Fort as busy as though it was tenanted by a swarm of +bees. A sort of hotel had at last been opened, and the landlord was +driving a roaring trade. The emigrants were pouring in, purchasing +shovels, trowels, pans, and whatever else they wanted, at high prices. +Profitable as was the washing business, Bradley said he suspected the +storekeepers at the Fort were clearing more by their branch of the +enterprise than if they had their hands in the pan themselves. He found +Captain Sutter well and hearty, and, the morning after his arrival, +consulted him about a wagon. The Captain, however, had none he felt +inclined to sell, nor was there such a thing to be got in the fort. +After some consideration, however, Captain Sutter said that Mr. +Sinclair, whose rancho was about three miles off, on the opposite bank +of the river, might be able to accommodate him. Accordingly, Bradley +made the best of his way there, but found Mr. Sinclair indisposed to +trade. At length, after a good deal of persuasion, Bradley succeeded in +hiring a wagon and a wagoner of him for a week. The vehicle was got +across the river that night. In the morning he started it off well +laden with provisions, and arrived here without any accident the same +evening. We were now well victualled for a month, but were puzzled how +to stow away our large stock of provisions, and only accomplished it +satisfactorily by giving up the tent for this purpose. This compelled +us all to sleep in the open air; but as yet the nights are very mild +and pleasant. + +Among the fresh arrivals at the diggings the native Californians have +begun to appear in tolerable numbers. Many of these people have brought +their wives, who are attended usually by Indian girls. The graceful +Spanish costume of the new-comers adds quite a feature to the busy +scene around. There, working amidst the sallow Yankees, with their wide +white trousers and straw hats, and the half-naked Indian, may be seen +the native-born Californian, with his dusky visage and lustrous black +eye, clad in the universal short tight jacket with its lace adornments, +and velvet breeches, with a silk sash fastened round his waist, +splashing away with his gay deerskin botas in the mudded water. The +appearance of the women is graceful and coquettish. Their petticoats, +short enough, to display in most instances a well-turned ankle, are +richly laced and embroidered, and striped and flounced with gaudy +colours, of which scarlet seems to have the preference. Their tresses +hang in luxuriant plaits down their backs: and in all the little +accessories of dress, such as ear-rings, necklaces, etc., the costume +is very rich. Its distinguishing, feature, however, is the reboso, a +sort of scarf, generally made of cotton, which answers to the mantilla +of Old Spain. It is worn in many different and very graceful +fashions--sometimes twined round the waist and shoulders; at others, +hanging in pretty festoons about the figure, but always disposed with +that indescribable degree of coquettish grace which Spanish women have +been for ages, allowed to possess in the management of the fan and the +mantilla. Since these arrivals almost every evening a fandango is got +up on the green, before some of the tents. The term fandango, though +originally signifying a peculiar kind of dance, seems to be used here +for an evening's dancing entertainment, in which many different _pas_ +are introduced. I was present at a fandango a few nights ago where a +couple of performers were dancing "el jarabe," which seemed to consist +chiefly of a series of monotonous toe and heel movements on the ground. +The motions of the foot were, however, wonderfully rapid, and always in +exact time to the music. But at these entertainments the waltz seems to +be the standing dish. It is danced with numerous very intricate +figures, to which, however, all the Californians appear quite _au +fait_. Men and women alike waltz beautifully, with an easy, graceful, +swinging motion. + +It is quite a treat, after a hard day's work, to go at nightfall to one +of these fandangos. The merry notes of the guitar and the violin +announce them to all comers; and a motley enough looking crowd, every +member of which is puffing away at a cigar, forms are applauding circle +round the dancers, who smoke like the rest. One cannot help being +struck by the picturesque costumes and graceful motions of the +performers, who appear to dance not only with their legs, but with all +their hearts and souls. Lacosse is a particular admirer of these +fandangos, and he very frequently takes a part in them himself. During +the interval between the dances, coffee is consumed by the senoras, and +coffee with something, stronger by the senors; so that, as the, night +advances, the merriment gets, if not "fast and furious," at least +animated and imposing. + +_25th June, Sunday_.--We have all of us, given over working on Sundays, +as we found the toil on six successive days quite hard enough. Last +week we had rather indifferent success, having realized only nineteen +ounces of gold, barely three ounces a man. The dust is weighed out and +distributed every evening, and each man carries his portion about his +person. José, who has amassed a tolerable quantity by working in his +spare time, is constantly feeling to see whether his stock is safe. He +weighs it two or three times a-day, to ascertain, I suppose, whether it +exhausts itself by insensible perspiration, or other means, and +invokes, by turns, every saint in the calendar--his patron-saint, +Joseph, in particular--and all his old heathenish spirits, to keep his +treasure safe. In accordance with a vow he made before he started from +Monterey, he has set apart one-fourth of his treasure for the Big +Woman, as he calls the Virgin Mary--in contradistinction to the Great +Spirit, I imagine; but I fancy her stock of gold decreases every day, +and that José doesn't play her fair. + +We had a great deal of serious conversation this afternoon upon the +propriety of moving farther up the river, and trying some of the higher +washings; for our last week's labour was a terribly poor yield. We +remembered Captain Sutter's account of how Mr. Marshall had first +discovered the gold in the vicinity of his mill, and how plentiful it +seemed to lie there. Besides, the diggings are getting overcrowded; the +consequence of which is, that we have had several of our pans and +baskets stolen. We therefore decided that, if we could sell our cradles +to advantage--and there is some likelihood of this, for there is not a +carpenter left all through these diggings to make others for the +constant new-comers--to move higher up the Fork, and try our fortune at +a less crowded spot. There is one thing that I think I shall regret +leaving myself, and that is, the fandango and the two or three pretty +senoritas one has been in the habit of meeting at it almost every +night. + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + + The party leave the Mormon diggings + Cradles sold by auction + Laughter and biddings + The wagon sent back + The route to the saw-mills + A horse in danger + A miss at a Koyott + An antelope hit + Mr. Marshall + Venison steaks for supper + The saw-mills + Indians at work + Acorn bread + Where the gold was + How it was got + Gentlemen and horses + New-comers + "Yankee Doodle" and the "Star-spangled Banner." + + +_Sunday, July 2nd_.--Yesterday, in accordance with the resolutions +debated this day week, we left the Mormon diggings, and pursued our +course up the Americans' River. It was on Thursday night that we +adopted the final determination of moving off from our late quarters; +and, accordingly, next day I walked with Bradley and McPhail through +the diggings, to try to find purchasers for our cradles. This was not a +difficult task. We had plenty of offers; and we were so importuned by +some six or eight people, who were anxious to trade with us, that we +decided in a minute on having an auction of them. I was not bold enough +to play the part of auctioneer myself; but Bradley very coolly mounted +on the top of one of the machines, and called upon "gentlemen traders" +for their biddings. This was a capital move. The highest offer we had +previously obtained was one hundred and sixty dollars for the largest +of the two machines; but Bradley succeeded in coaxing the purchasers +on--stopping now and then to expatiate on the mint of gold which, he +guessed, he would warrant it to produce daily; and then calling to +their minds the fact that this was "the identical cradle into which the +lump of gold weighing two ounces and three-quarters--the largest piece +ever found at the Mormon diggings--was about to have been shovelled, +when it was discovered and seized hold of by the fortunate digger--the +gentleman on my right hand--who, as you all know, in accordance with +the admirable laws of these diggings, laid claim to it as his private +property." This produced a roar of laughter; but, what was better, it +produced a roar of biddings, and the cradle was knocked down at one +hundred and ninety-five dollars, payable in gold dust, at the standard +rate of fourteen dollars the ounce, or a discount of ten per cent, if +settled in broad silver pieces. The other cradle fetched us one hundred +and eighty dollars. + +For these two cradles, therefore, we got three hundred and seventy-five +dollars' worth of dust. The same night we occupied ourselves in +constructing strong bags, made of rough hides, and well strapped round +the person for the conveyance of the gold dust and scales which we had +already amassed. + +On Wednesday morning, before sunrise, we had sent the wagon and wagoner +back to Mr. Sinclair's rancho, accompanied by José, who returned on the +evening of Thursday with the horses. + +We found, on starting, that our horses could not carry all the +provisions, and at the same time perform a good day's work. We, +therefore, left some of the more bulky articles under the charge of a +man from San Francisco, known to Bradley, and departed. We made good +progress for a mile or two; and, as we crossed the brow of a hill, +halted a moment to observe the busy aspect of the washings, as they +appeared from a distance. The country, as we ascended the stream, +became hourly more hilly and broken. Its general aspect was grassy, and +the soil appeared fertile. Here and there deep gullies crossed our +path, over which we had great difficulty in urging the horses, heavily +loaded as they were. At one of these ravines, the animal which conveyed +the tent-poles lost his footing, and went scrambling down the edge of +the descent, bearing with him a whole avalanche of gravel and shingles. +Malcolm and Lacosse went after the brute, and succeeded in forcing it +up by a less precipitous path. + +At noon we halted and dined. During the afternoon, we observed a sort +of small jackall, of the kind called Koyott, hovering about the line of +march. It only occasionally showed itself amongst the long rank grass +and bushes. Bradley, however, got his rifle ready; but, although he +fired several shots, the animal was too nimble or restless for even the +practised eye and hand of a Yankee rifleman to be certain of his aim. +In a shot at a young antelope which bounded past, however, Bradley was +more successful; and we were rejoiced at the prospect of a supper on +tender venison. In a few minutes he had slung the animal over his +horse's haunches, and we proceeded on our route. + +The country became more broken and mountainous as we advanced; and in +approaching the location of the saw-mills, the hills appeared to rise +nearly one thousand feet above the level of the Sacramento. They were +diversified by groves of gigantic pine and oak trees. We were looking +anxiously about for the saw-mills, when we heard the crack of a rifle; +and presently a man in white linen trousers, with his legs defended by +buckskin mocassins, wearing a broad Mexican sombrero, and carrying his +rifle in his hand, approached us. This person turned out to be Mr. +Marshall. He received us kindly, and asked the news from the lower +washings, and also how matters were looking at Sutter's when we passed +through. Mr. Marshall had a gang of fifty Indians employed, and Captain +Sutter had another party of nearly double that number, on the same bank +of the river. + +We encamped in a woody bottom, by the side of a small stream, which +joined the main torrent here, and where there was good pasture for the +horses. Mr. Marshall's house was about a mile and a half further up the +river. After a good supper of venison steaks--thanks to Bradley's +rifle--we turned in for the night. + +Nest day, Lacosse and McPhail, attended by Horry, and driving two extra +horses, rode down to the Mormon diggings, for the purpose of getting up +the provisions which we had left behind. Meantime, I walked out to +reconnoitre our new quarters. I soon arrived at the mills, and saw the +spot where the discovery of the gold had first been made, by the +torrent laying bare the sides of the mill-race. Here I met Mr. Marshall +again. Of course the operations of the saw-mill had been stopped, for +the workmen were employed in the vicinity, either above or below the +works, digging and washing on their own account. Mr. Marshall paid the +Indians he had at work chiefly in merchandize. I saw a portion of the +gang, the men dressed for the most part in cotton drawers and +mocassins, leaving the upper part of the body naked. They worked with +the same implements as those used in the lower washings. Not far from +the place where most of them were employed, I saw a number of the women +and children pounding acorns in a hollow block of wood with an oblong +stone. Of the acorn flour thus produced they made a sort of dry, hard, +unpalatable bread, which assuredly none but an Indian stomach could +digest. + +Upon instituting a more particular search into the nature of the +country and our prospects, we found that the places where the gold was +found in the greatest abundance, and in the largest masses, were the +beds of the mountain torrents, now dry, which occasionally descend into +both the forks of the stream. We clambered up some of those precipitous +ravines, and observed, upon several occasions, as we scrambled among +the shingle, shining spangles of gold. The soil was evidently richly +charged; but the great disadvantage was the comparative distance from +water, in the evening our friends arrived from the lower diggings, with +the provisions all safe and sound, and the next day we determined to +set to work. + +_July 3rd_.--Selecting a likely place in the heart of a steep mountain +gorge, we transported thither the larger Indian baskets which we had +purchased at Sutter's Fort, and, shovelling the earth into them, passed +poles, cut from the nearest pine tree, through the rope-handles we had +affixed to these baskets. Resting the poles on our shoulders, we +carried the loaded baskets to the brink of the stream, and then set to +work after the old fashion, with our hands in the baskets. Our success +was great, and the day's return shows a decided improvement upon the +Mormon diggings. The soil here is more richly impregnated with gold +than below; but the labour of carrying the earth to the water is +excessive, and I am so tired this evening that I very reluctantly +opened my journal to make this short entry. + +_July 4th_.--As we were starting off to the river with our first basket +loads of gravel this morning, Lacosse suddenly remarked that he did not +see why the horses should be living like gentlemen when the gentlemen +were working like horses; and he proposed to use the shoulders of our +nags, instead of our own, for the conveyance of the earth. We all fell +in with this proposal, wondering it had never struck us before, and the +horses were soon fetched from their comfortable quarters among the tall +rank grass, and set to work, with the baskets slung over their backs, +like panniers. + +Several new-comers from the Mormon diggings passed us to-day, bound +further up the Fork. In the morning Mr. Marshall paid us a visit, to +know how we were getting on. He had heard from Captain Sutter, who +stated that he thought of starting for the upper or lower washings +himself, as soon as he had gathered in his wheat harvest, which he +hoped to accomplish during the present week. A number of wild ducks +haunt the, river, and especially abound in the grassy and weedy pools +which skirt its edges. This morning we shot some of these, and found +them an agreeable addition to our dinner bill of fare. + +The afternoon has been passed among the greater part of the miners here +as a celebration of the anniversary of American Independence. Something +like an out-door feast was got up, and toasts were drunk and songs +sang; "Yankee Doodle," and the "Star-spangled Banner," being the chief +favourites. Bradley made a smart speech: and, contrary to his usual +practice, complimented us Englishmen with a round of pleasant allusions +to the mother country. + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + + The party again shift their quarters + The river forded + Horry in the water + Mr. Sinclair's party of Indians + Deserted Indian Villages + Weber's Creek + A halt made + Cradles hollowed out + A commotion in the camp + Colonel Mason arrives on a tour of inspection + His opinions as to what Congress should do + Military deserters, and what ought to be done with them + Return of Colonel Manson's party to Sutter's Fort + Bradley accompanies it with a stock of gold + How the gold was packed, and what precautions were taken for its + security. + + +Weber's Creek.--_July 9th_.--A few more days' experience at the +saw-mills convinced us that much time and labour was lost in +consequence of the distance between the digging we worked at and the +water, and we therefore determined to seek a more desirable location. +Ever since we had been at the saw-mills we had heard it constantly +said, that at Weber's Creek the gold was to be found in far greater +abundance; and to Weber's Creek we determined to go. The stream thus +called is a small tributary to the northern fork of the Americans'. + +We struck our tents yesterday morning, loaded our horses, and took our +departure. The river, at the fording-place, was broad and rapid, but +shallow; the principal difficulties in the ford arose from the number +of smooth round stones, covered with green rince slime, which formed +the bed of the river, and over which our horses stumbled, with a +violence which threatened to disturb the fastening of their burdens. No +disaster, however, actually occurred, except to poor Horry, whose horse +stumbled over a large boulder, and pitched its luckless rider over its +head into the water, to the undissembled delight of the entire party, +who hailed the poor sailor's discomfiture with loud bursts of laughter. +Horry made the best of his way to the farther bank, without paying any +more attention to his horse, which, however, emerged from the water, +and was on dry land as soon as Horry himself. + +We now proceeded along the right bank of the North Fork, and on the +opposite side we caught a glimpse of a party of Indians at work, which +we afterwards learned were that of Mr. Sinclair. In one week this party +had gathered sixteen pounds troy of fine washed gold dust. They worked +hard, were well fed, and had liberal rations of "strong water" daily. +We rested a couple of hours at noon, in a pleasant bottom, heavily +timbered, and afterwards, striking away from the river at an acute +angle, moved leisurely on through a broken country, intersected by many +water-courses, and overgrown with dense clusters of trees. + +During our afternoon march we passed several deserted Indian +villages--the round-shaped skeletons of the huts alone remaining to +mark the former settlements. Not a member of the tribe, however, was to +be seen; the beaver may build and the deer pasture hereabouts in peace. +Towards evening we entered the valley drained by the stream called +Weber's Creek. Its appearance was very beautiful, and the stream +descended along a steep rocky bed, foaming round large boulder stones, +and tumbling down low ledges of granite. The grassy slopes of the +valley are cut up in all directions with rivulets, the courses of which +are marked by luxuriant underwood, rank grass, and groves of stunted +oaks. Two or three arbours were to be seen with one or two rude-looking +tents, all with blazing fires before them. We encamped forthwith, +hoping the next day to reach a station which we could make available +for our purpose. + +We were early on the move this morning, and soon saw several parties of +threes and fours washing in the bed of the river, or exploring the +mountain gorges with their shovels and mattocks. The weather was +getting oppressively hot; indeed, the further we got from the +Sacramento the hotter did it become. The sea-breeze never penetrates +here to refresh us, and, except when an occasional squall comes +sweeping down from the hills, the air is very oppressive. + +We travelled but slowly, still in an hour or so we reached a station, +about fifteen miles as the crow flies, or about twenty by the windings +of the stream, from the point of its junction with the Americanos, +where we determined to try our luck. There was quite a camp here--not +to the same extent as the Mormon diggings, but still the washers were +numerous, and the larger part of them were Indians. Some few worked in +the bed of the river, but the great majority were engaged in the +ravines leading up the mountains. The greatest quantity of gold dust +was found in the former, while the latter yielded the best specimens of +lump and scale gold. We were told that, though the side gullies were +very rich, yet they were more uncertain than the main stream. Lumps of +gold, weighing several ounces, were continually met with, but a morning +was often wasted and nothing found; whereas, if a man stuck to the main +stream, and washed all day long, he was sure of his ounce or couple of +ounces of gold. For these reasons we determined to stand by the river. +Our first business was to see if we could manage to construct a couple +of cradles. At a large store here we met with some pine planks, but the +figure was most exorbitant. Taking a hint from what we had noticed +among the Indians at the saw-mills, we determined to fell a couple of +stout trees, and hollow them out so as to serve our purpose. We +obtained the assistance of a man here, a ship's carpenter, and a most +civil obliging sort of fellow, who gave us a day's help for thirty +dollars. He superintended the felling of the trees, and then put us in +the way of proceeding with the work. We found the toil sufficiently +severe, and began to feel the heat, as I thought, to a far greater +extent than was the case in the lower part of the country. + +_July 8th_.--Yesterday we were employed, from early in the morning till +beyond noon, in trimming and hollowing out our cradles. While we were +seated together outside the tent enjoying a few whiffs of our pipes and +cigars, after a famous dinner of smoking-hot steaks and frijoles, we +saw the camp below was all in commotion. People were running out of +their tents, and shouting to their neighbours, and gradually a little +crowd was formed round a group of horsemen, who were just then brought +to a halt. That same feeling of curiosity which gets together a London +crowd to see the lion on the top of Northumberland House wag his tail, +caused us to make our way, with the rest of the gapers, down to +Bennett's shanty, against which all this bustle appeared to be going +on. As soon as Bradley and myself could force our way a little through +the crowd, we recognised in a moment the features of Colonel Mason. The +Colonel, who wore an undress military uniform, had just dismounted from +his horse, with the intention, it appeared, of walking through the +diggings. In a couple of minutes' time my friend Lieutenant Sherman +came up, and we were soon engaged in an animated conversation in +reference to the gold district. The fact was, the Governor was on a +tour of inspection for the purpose of making a report to the Cabinet at +Washington. I took care to thank Lieutenant Sherman for his letter of +introduction to Captain Sutter, and to explain to him the friendly +manner in which Captain Sutter received me. I then joined in the +conversation being carried on with Colonel Mason, who was giving his +opinion as to what the Government would do with respect to the gold +placer. The Colonel was very guarded in his statements. He, however, +hinted that he thought it would be politic for Congress to send over +proper officers and workmen, and at once to establish a mint at some +convenient point on the coast. He fully admitted the difficulties of +keeping men to their engagements under circumstances like the present; +but said some steps must be taken to check the system of desertions on +the part of the troops quartered at Monterey and San Francisco. The pay +of the soldiers, he considered, ought to be increased; but, without +reference to this, he told the gentlemen round him that, as good +citizens, they were bound to lend their utmost endeavours to secure in +safe custody all known deserters--men who had abandoned their flag and +exposed the country to danger, that they might live in a state of +drunkenness at the mines. + +Colonel Mason next proceeded to visit Captain Weber's store, whither +Bradley accompanied him. On his return, Bradley informed us that the +Colonel and his escort intended to set off on their way back lo +Sutter's Fort that very afternoon, and they reckoned upon encamping +some few miles below the saw-mills that night. Bradley then took me +aside and asked me whether this would not be a good opportunity to send +our stock of gold dust down to Captain Sutter, who would, for a +reasonable commission, consign it to a merchant at Monterey on our +account. The weight of it was becoming cumbersome, and we were besides +in constant apprehension of some unfortunate accident happening to it. +Now was the time, Bradley urged, to place all we had as yet realised in +security. He knew Colonel Mason--in fact, had served under him, and +undertook, if the remainder of the party were agreeable, to carry the +gold, under the protection of Colonel Mason's escort, to Sutter's Fort. + +There was something reasonable in this proposal, and Colonel Mason, on +being appealed to, said he would gladly give Mr. Bradley such +protection as his escort would afford him, and would be, moreover, +happy of his company. Our party was, therefore, summoned together, and +the whole, or nearly so, of the gold dust being produced, it was +weighed in our presence, and found to amount to twenty-seven pounds +eight ounces troy--valued at over four thousand six hundred dollars. +Bradley gave a regular receipt for this to the company, and engaged to +obtain a similar one from Captain Sutter. The gold dust was then packed +in a small portmanteau well secured by numerous cords, and firmly bound +on the pack-saddle of an extra horse, which Bradley was to ride +alongside of, the bridle of the animal being secured to his arm, and +its trail-rope made fast to the saddle of the horse which Bradley +himself rode. He was well armed with pistols and a rifle, and started +with Colonel Mason's party a couple of hours before sundown--so that +they might ford the river ere it was dusk. After accomplishing this, +they intended to ride part of the way by the light of the moon. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV. + + Smoking and sleeping + Fever, and how caused + Bradley returns + A doctor wanted + A doctor's fee at the mines + Medicine scarce + A hot air bath and a cold water bath + Indians engaged to work + Indian thimble-rigging + An Indian gamester, and the stake he plays for + More sickness + Mormons move off + A drunken dance by Indians + An Indian song about the yellow earth and the fleet rifle + An immodest dance by Indian women. + + +_July 12th, Wednesday_.--We finished our cradles late upon Saturday +night, but delayed working until Monday. A few of the miners pursued +their avocation on the Sunday, but the majority devoted the day to +rest--smoking and sleeping in the shade alternately. I walked through +the washings, and heard that many of the miners had been taken ill with +intermittent fever, a circumstance which did not astonish me. Bad diet, +daily exposure to the sun while it is at its greatest height, followed +by an exposure to the cold damp air at night time--these conjoined were +quite sufficient to bring on the most severe illness. On my return to +the tent I looked over our little stock of medicine, which I foresaw I +should soon be required to use. + +On Monday we commenced operations in the old style--digging, fetching +water, and rocking the cradle. The sun came blazing down with great +power, causing headaches to most of the party, particularly Malcolm, +who complained much. The day's taking was very good; we having realised +nine ounces with one machine, and seven and a half with the other. At +night, as Malcolm still continued to complain of his head, and as there +was evidently a good deal of low fever about him, I gave him a dose of +calomel and a febrifuge mixture, which by the morning produced a good +deal of relief. + +Bradley made his appearance during the forenoon, after a fatiguing ride +from Sutter's Fort. He had seen the Captain, had delivered the gold, +and settled the transaction. We were hard at work the whole of to-day. +In the evening a man came crawling into the tent to know if we had any +medicines we would sell. I told him I was a doctor, and asked him what +was the matter. He had been suffering from remittent fever of a low +typhoid type. I gave him bark, and told him he must lay up and take +care of himself. He said he would; but next day, during the intervals +of fever, I saw him working away with his pan. The news of there being +a doctor in the camp soon spread, and I am now being continually called +on to prescribe for a large number of patients. An ounce of gold is the +fee generally given me. This sort of work is as much more profitable as +it is less laborious than working at the cradle. But the great drawback +is that one has to do something else beyond advising. People require +physicking, and as I cannot submit to be deprived of the little stock +of medicine I had brought with me in case of my own friends having +occasion for it, I am obliged to give over practising in those cases +where medicine is absolutely necessary. + +The native Californians, both Indians and whites, have an universal +remedy for febrile affections, and indeed for sickness of almost any +kind; this is the temascal, a sort of hot air bath, shaped not unlike a +sentry-box, and built of wicker-work, and afterwards plastered with mud +until it becomes air-tight. There is one of these machines at the Weber +Creek washings, which has been run up by the Indians during the last +few days. One of them used it for the first time this afternoon, and to +my surprise is still alive. After a great fire had been made up close +to the door--a narrow aperture just large enough for a little man to +squeeze through--it was afterwards gradually allowed to burn itself +out, having in the meantime heated to a very high degree the air in the +interior of the bath. Into this the Indian screwed himself, and there +remained until a profuse perspiration was produced, which he checked +forthwith by a plunge into the chilly water of the river. Here he +floundered about for a few minutes, and then crawled out and lay down +exhausted on the ground. + +The atmosphere continues exceedingly sultry, and the miners who work by +the river, out of the shade, have in several instances sunk exhausted +under the toil. Dysentery, produced probably by unwholesome food, has +also begun to show itself, and altogether the aspect of things is +anything but cheerful. + +_July 15th, Saturday_.--We have engaged a large party of Indians to +work for us in the ravines. They belong to the Snake tribe, and appear +to be a poor set of half-starved wretches. We pay them in provisions, +and occasionally drams of pisco--a spirit made from Californian grapes. + +On visiting the encampment of our Indians, last night after work was +over, I found about a dozen of them eagerly engaged gambling away--the +stake, in some instances, being the supper which had just been served +out to them--with an ardour equal to that of the most civilized +gamesters. So far as I could make out, the game had some analogy to our +"thimble-rigging;" but appeared to be fairly played. A small ball was +passed by three of the Indians from hand to hand, with such rapid +dexterity, that no eye could keep pace with their movements; three +others watched it with peculiar eagerness. Every now and then the +latter made a correct guess, and one was scored in their favour--if +wrong, a mark was scored against them. The Indians are in general +strongly addicted to games of chance, and they sometimes gamble away +all the clothing on their backs. I heard of an instance which occurred +near the saw-mills, of an Indian who, after having lost every article +of clothing he had, one after the other, to his more fortunate +antagonist, staked his labour for a week against the cotton shirt which +he had lost only a few minutes before. He had a run of bad luck, and, +when he left off, had to work for six weeks, at gold-washing, for his +antagonist, who fed him on nothing better than acorn bread. Mr. Neligh, +who told me of this circumstance, had seen the man at work duly +fulfilling his engagement. + +The sickness amongst the miners continues to increase, and in our own +party Lacosse has been laid up for two days with fever; however, I +think he is now doing well. The climate does not appear to be +unhealthy. It is the exposure to the work which does the mischief. +There is some talk afloat among our party of removing further up the +country, nearer to the mountains, where gold is said to be in greater +abundance. Yesterday, a large party--many of them Mormons--started for +the Bear River, a small stream which runs into the Sacramento, and is +said to be about fifty miles distant, due north from where we are +encamped. + +The Indians at work here have caused the price of pisco and whisky to +rise to a most exorbitantly high rate. They content themselves with +feasting on the bitter acorn bread, and spend all their earnings on +"strong water" and a little finery. Sometimes a party of them, when +intoxicated, will get up one of their wild dances, when the stamping +and yelling are of a far more fearful character than is generally the +case at these singular exhibitions. The dance begins generally with a +rude song, the words being of the usual harsh guttural character, but +the ideas are generally striking and peculiar. One has been explained +to me which recites the praises of the "yellow earth," because it will +procure the Shoshonee the fleet rifle with which he can slay his Pawnee +foe. It says nothing, however, about the "strong water," which renders +the arm of the war-chief weaker than that of a child; for, with all +their vices, there is still that pride about the Indian character which +makes them ashamed of those weaknesses they are unable to resist. + +Frequently, while the Indian warriors repose from their exertions, +after the termination of one of these wild dances, the women of the +tribe will occupy their place; but in general their postures and +movements are indelicate in the extreme. But modesty is hardly to be +looked for in the amusements of savage life. + + + + +CHAPTER XV. + + The party determine to start for Bear River + Sickness at the mines + What happened to a drunken Indian + An old trapper and his stories + Captain Sutter's first settlement + Indians partial to horse-flesh + A score of horses stolen + An expedition to revenge the theft + A rancheria demolished + A chorus of yells + Indians routed and then brought to labour + Tin + Bear River + The trapper engaged as guide + Preparations for the journey + An addition to the party + The journey commenced + Rocky country + Cross the North Fork + An accident to a mule + Flour cakes and bacon scraps + Resume the journey + Precipitous ravines + End of the journey. + + +_Monday, July 24th_.--We have determined to start for the Bear River. +We worked hard last week, but suffered greatly from the heat; almost +every man of us complains of feverish symptoms, with pains in the +limbs, back, and loins, yet we are better than the majority of the +miners. These washings have now become nearly as crowded as the Mormon +diggings were when we left them, and immense sums have been made by +some of the luckier adventurers amongst the ravines. The whole valley +is dotted over with tents and green bush arbours, and there is hardly a +watercourse but which is sprinkled with miners, digging, sifting, and +washing. About half of the people work together in companies--the other +half shift each for himself. There are hundreds of Indians, many of +them fantastically dressed, for they can purchase fine clothing now, +even at the extravagant rates at which all articles are charged at +Weber's store. They labour one day, and get drunk on pisco or the +"strong water" on another. One of them rolled down a rocky ravine +lately, in an intoxicated state, and was killed. + +As we were lying down in the shade of the tent yesterday, we were +visited by an old trapper called Joe White. He had recognized Bradley +and Don Luis, whom he had met on the coast, and we invited him to take +coffee with us. Joe White had come into this part of the country with +Captain Sutter, whom he spoke very highly of, and of whose early +efforts to form a settlement he gave us an account. Their party was the +very first of the white settlers in the wilderness. They live some time +in a camp formed of the tented wagons they had brought with them, until +they could run up a few rough shanties, and some protecting outworks. +During the time they were constructing these, and indeed for some +months afterwards, they were dreadfully harassed by the Indians, who +made onslaughts on their cattle, carried away, killed, and eat both +horses and oxen. The Indians are by no means particular. One night, +after the party had been lulled into a sense of security by the +apparent friendly disposition of the Indians, who occasionally came +into their camp, and no watch was being kept, upwards of a score of +horses and mules were driven off; the loss of which Sutter's people +knew nothing of until they woke up in the morning, and found the ropes +all cut. They started off at once on the trail, and soon found that it +led to an Indian rancheria, about eight miles up the Sacramento. This +rancheria was, they believed, the refuge of the "Ingin varmints," as +Joe While styled them, from whose depredations they were constantly +suffering. Captain Sutter determined to take signal revenge. They +returned to the Fort that day, but next morning started off in a strong +party, each man armed with his never-failing rifle and big bowie-knife, +and taking with them a howitzer which the Captain had brought with him +over the Rocky Mountains. The Indians must, however, have had +information by their scouts of the expedition; for, when the party +reached the rancheria, they found it deserted--not even a solitary +squaw left among the huddled-up collection of huts. Determined not to +be foiled, the party set to work to demolish the village. The +construction of the Indian houses rendered this an easy task, but, to +complete it, fire was requisite. No sooner had the smoke risen from the +kindling wood, than their ears were saluted with a dismal yell from a +little densely-wooded island a couple of hundred yards up the stream. +Starting out in all directions from the high grass and underwood, +appeared a crowd of squaws with their children, who gave whoop after +whoop, and, brandishing boughs of trees, imprecated curses upon the +destroyers of their rancheria. + +Captain Sutter and his party of trappers were somewhat startled at this +proceeding, and the question immediately occurred to them as to where +the men could be. The party pushed their way homewards as fast, as +possible; leaving the rancheria burning and the squaws and children +still yelling and whooping on the island. It was as they expected. On +coming within two miles of the Fort, they heard the crack upon crack of +distant rifles. Putting their horses to the gallop, they arrived just +in time to see the Indians totally routed, and scampering away as fast +as their horses would carry them into the woods. + +After this double defeat, the tribes seem to have given up all idea of +prosecuting a war against their new neighbours, and, gradually +relinquishing their thievish habits, settled in the neighbourhood of +the Fort--sometimes hunting and trapping for the pale faces, and at +others labouring away at ditching and brick-making, being paid chiefly +in articles of clothing and small allowances of pisco. The trapper told +us that Captain Sutter has now a tin coin in circulation, stamped with +his name, and good for a certain amount of merchandize at the Fort. + +After listening to a few more wonderful adventures of this sort, +Bradley turned the conversation upon the country about Bear River. The +trapper said he knew it well, and had heard that there was plenty of +gold there. He asked him if he would undertake to guide us thither, +and, after some bargaining, he consented. The sum he was to have was +sixty-five dollars and his food. Considering the high rates of all +things here, this was a low figure enough, but the old trapper candidly +told us that he was sick and tired of paddling about in the water +washing for gold, and that he would prefer a few days' jaunt in the +wilderness. The climate was much cooler further to the north, he +informed us, and comparatively few miners had penetrated to the Bear +Valley. We had a long debate upon the matter, and ultimately it was +determined to start the day after to-morrow (Wednesday). + +_July 25th, Tuesday_.--This day has been devoted to preparations for +our journey. Our stock of provisions, with the exception of +breadstuffs, is quite exhausted. We have had, therefore, to lay in a +stock, but we found everything, of course, inordinately dear; so we +have contented ourselves with buying some bacon, and dried beef, and +coffee, resolving to trust to our rifles for further support, there +being plenty of game in the neighbourhood of the Bear Valley. By the +advice of Joe White, we intend not only to load the pack-horses with a +portion of our stock of provisions, but each man is to take a +fortnight's rations for himself. The pack-horses will carry about +another fortnight's supply. We should have preferred, if we could have +managed it, to despatch the gold we have amassed since Bradley's +mission to Captain Sutter, down to the Fort; but, after some +deliberation, we have resolved not to risk its transit without an +escort, and, accordingly, have agreed to load one horse, the most +sure-footed of the lot, with the valuable burden, and to attach its +trail ropes to the horses ridden by ourselves in turn. + +This evening three men, hearing of our intended expedition, offered to +join the party. These were Edward Story, an American lawyer, who had +been one of the inferior alcaldes during the Spanish regime at +Monterey; John Dowling, first mate, and Samuel Bradshaw, the carpenter, +of an American whaling ship which they had left at San Francisco. The +lawyer was an intelligent person, conversant with the language of +several of the tribes--the mate seemed to have his wits about him, and +the carpenter would obviously be a great acquisition, particularly as +we were now about to plunge even beyond the furthest outposts of +civilization, where, in all probability, we may have to secure +ourselves against attacks from the Indians without the possibility of +any help beyond that which we could render to each other. We were +rather pleased with their offer, and received them as an addition to +our party. All three had horses, although, as usual with seamen, the +mate and carpenter were terribly awkward equestrians. + +_Wednesday, July 26th_.--This day we struck our camp before sunrise, +and had the horses securely packed and all in motion in the early cool +of the morning. The march was a fatiguing one; the country appearing to +be a succession of woody bottoms, or valleys and steep rocky ridges, +which tried the metal of our loaded horses severely. From the summit of +one of the hills more elevated than the rest we obtained a distant view +of the valley of the Sacramento. Our general course was north +north-west. The trapper, who proved an able guide, varied the direction +from time to time so as to lead us through the easiest paths, taking +care to steer clear of the deep canones that split up the hills in +every direction. We dined at noon as usual, and that very well, on some +hare soup made from a couple of hares which we had shot during the +morning, and some dried beef. The signs of deer were very frequent. +After mounting and descending a very precipitous and rocky ridge, we +encamped near some waterfalls in a wide open valley. The night was +somewhat cold, and we enjoyed a blazing fire of pine sticks, which we +cut from the dried trees in the vicinity. + +_Friday, July 28th_.--Yesterday morning dawned clear and rather +coolish. In the forenoon we crossed the north fork of the Americanos, +which was here but a trifling stream. The general character of the +country was becoming more and more mountainous and difficult to +traverse, and we found the labour of the journey sufficiently severe. A +great number of water-courses crossed our path, but the channels were +quite dry, the stones and shingle white and bleaching in the sun. An +unfortunate accident occurred during the afternoon's march to one of +the pack-horses, which stumbled over a heap of rough stones in +clambering up from the bed of a torrent, and broke its leg. We had to +shoot the poor animal to put it out of pain. Its burden was equally +distributed between its more fortunate fellows. We encamped amongst +rocks, and had a poor supper of flour cakes and bacon scraps. During +the night Don Luis was attacked with aguish symptoms. I prescribed +bark, which appeared to relieve him. + +To-day our horses were quickly saddled and packed, and we started off +in the faint grey of the morning. It was chilly, but the sky was +beautifully clear. When the sun had fairly risen, however, we had no +more cold to complain of. The way was exceedingly difficult. We toiled +along precipitous ravines and gullies, and climbed up steep and rocky +ridges, which cut and wounded the feet of the horses, and rendered our +progress very slow. The timber we passed was principally pine trees, +with sharp pointed leaves and large cones, and occasionally we came +upon a grove of evergreen oaks, more stunted in shape than was the case +in the lower regions. About mid-day we passed the source of the Rio de +las Plumas, or Feather River, and after a most severe and in some +respects forced march climbed the last rocky ridge which separated us +from the Bear Valley. The sun was near its setting as we pushed down +the mountain slopes towards the river. We found it a small stream +flowing swiftly over a shingly bed to the westward, and encamped within +hearing of its murmur, well pleased to have performed our toilsome +journey. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI. + + A rest + A solitude + No gold to be found + An exploring party + Good fortune + Food and security + More cradles + A fortified shanty in preparation + A dessert after dinner + Dejection + Thoughts about home + No other gold-finders to be seen + Mormon trail + Salt Plain and the Great Salt Lake + A weary day's journey without water + Saline exhalations + The inland sea and its desolate shores + A terrible whirlpool + The shanty finished + The trapper's services retained + The camp visited by an Indian tribe + A friendly sign + The pipe of peace + A "trade" with the Indians declined + Some depart and some remain + Provisions run short + Hunting expeditions + Something about a bear. + + +_Sunday, July 30th_.--We rested somewhat late upon Saturday morning to +make up for the fatigues of the journey from Weber's Creek. On +surveying the country we found ourselves in a perfect solitude. Not an +Indian, far less a white man, was to be seen. The fertile valley of the +Bear River--with its luxuriant grass, in which nestled coveys of the +Californian quail--seemed almost untrodden by human foot, and sloped in +great beauty between the ridges of rocky hills and peaks of granite, +with dark ravines and canones between, which hemmed it in. Our first +care was of course to try the capabilities of the country in the way of +gold. We therefore separated ourselves, and sought different points of +the channel of the stream, and different chasms, which in the winter +time conducted the mountain torrents into it. + +To our great astonishment and disappointment, one by one we returned +into the camp with the news of our non-success. By the old trapper's +advice, an exploring party was despatched to follow up the stream +towards its head. They travelled the distance of some ten or twelve +miles, crossing some of the more important tributaries of the main +river, and had the good fortune to strike upon a spot where a slight +examination was sufficient to prove that the gold existed in great +abundance in the sand and shingles, and imbedded in flakes amid the +rocks. To-day we have moved the camp to this spot; and, as we are now +beyond the reach of aid from white men, and have begun to feel that we +must be, for some time at least, a self-supporting party, our first +thoughts are turned towards making arrangements for obtaining a supply +of food, and for ensuring our security. Bradley, Joe White, and José, +are to be our hunters; Malcolm, Lacosse, and McPhail, are to set to +work to-morrow to make a couple of cradles, the carpenter giving them +an occasional helping hand, but occupying himself principally in +superintending the construction of a large shanty, sufficient to +accommodate the whole party, with a rough fortification around, +composed of pine logs and palisades, pointed at the top, sufficient +to enclose a space of ground into which the horses could be driven at +night, out of the way of any outlying Indian who might be thievishly +inclined. We calculate that the construction of the shanty, with its +appurtenances, will occupy at least a week--in all probability, much +longer. Malcolm, McPhail, and Lacosse, are to join us in our labours as +soon as they have finished the cradles. The hunters had good luck +to-day, and came in with a couple of fat bucks. The trapper had also +snared a number of quails, so that our table was nobly furnished. Our +dinner, also, included a dessert of a fruit similar to apples in taste, +but not larger than well-grown gooseberries. These had been gathered +and brought in by the trapper in the morning. + +_Sunday, August 6th_.--I have felt very low-spirited these last few +days. One's thoughts have turned towards home, and an indescribable +sensation of melancholy has been weighing me down, which at last my +companions have begun to take notice of. This evening, just as the +remainder of the party contemplated turning in for the night, I pulled +out my note-book, and began writing beside the camp-fire. + +"¿No puede Vm. dormir?" said Don Luis to me, as he moved away towards +the tent. + +"No, Senor," replied I. "Pienso a la veja Ingleterra; a mi Hermano y a +mis amigos." + +"Por ventura a una amiguita," observed Don Luis. + +I laughed, and answering, "Es possible, Senor," went on writing. + +We are now regularly settled on the Bear River, and have, as yet, seen +no signs of human life round about us. The reports, therefore, which we +heard at Weber's Creek, of the gold-finders having penetrated into this +valley, would appear to have been without foundation. We have observed +a fresh-made trail, which the old trapper seems to consider passes in +the direction of the Truckee Lake; and we have noticed the remains of +several camp-fires at different parts of the valley. In all probability +this trail has been made by the Mormon emigrants, who are reported to +have gone on a gold-hunting expedition across the salt desert to the +shores of the Great Salt Lake, a distance of seven or eight hundred +miles. The old trapper had some wonderful stories to tell about the +dangers of the journey across the Salt Plain. How that a man has to +travel, from the first faint break of grey light in the morning, as +hard as his horse will carry him, over a desert of white salt--which +crunches and crumbles beneath his horse's tread at every step he +takes--until the sun has gone down behind the tall peaks of the distant +Sierra Nevada. No water but of the most brackish kind can be procured +to refresh either horse or rider through the whole of this weary route, +while their lips are parched with thirst, and their eyes and nostrils +become choked from the effects of the saline exhalations rising up on +all sides from the desert over which they are passing. And as for the +Great Salt Lake, the desolate shores of this inland sea have been, for +the most part, carefully avoided by both Indians and trappers, and no +living being has yet been found daring enough to venture far on the +bosom of its dark turbid waters; for a belief exists that a terrible +whirlpool agitates their surface, ready to swallow up everything that +may venture within the bounds of its dangerous influence. + +Our cradles were finished on Monday, and the shanty on Saturday +afternoon. It includes a sort of outhouse for cooking, and the rude +palisades around are quite sufficient protection for the horses against +any attempts the Indians are likely to make to drive them off. As soon +as our building labours were over yesterday, we set to work digging and +washing, and were very successful. The country about here is of course +much more rugged than in the lower diggings. Grass is plentiful in the +valley, but the rocky heights are covered with a stinted vegetation, +offering no food to our horses. The soil, mineralogically considered, +does not seem to vary materially from that in the neighbourhood of +Weber's Creek. If anything, it is more impregnated with gold. On +Friday, Don Luis discovered a large rough lump in a canone about a mile +from the shanty; and the next evening a similar lump, though rather +smaller, was picked up by Bradley in one of his hunting excursions. + +_August 8th_.--We have engaged the services of our friend the trapper +at the rate of fifteen dollars a-week, with an allowance of whisky +twice a-day. He will hunt for us, but will have nothing to do with gold +digging and washing. He has a tolerable contempt for dollars, or else +he would have demanded higher wages. A man who has spent nearly all his +life in the wilderness, who has known no wants but such as his rifle +could quickly supply, may, however, well look with contempt on the +"root of all evil." If he were hungry, a shot at some panting elk or +bellowing buffalo would stock him with food for weeks to come. If he +were athirst, the clear water of some sparkling rivulet would yield him +all that he would require. The hide of the bear or of the buffalo would +serve to clothe him and to shelter him from the sharp night frosts; +while a score of beaver skins would purchase him ammunition more than +sufficient to last him all the year round. What, then, should he want +with gold? + +Yesterday, while we were at dinner, we were surprised by seeing a party +of Indians approaching the camp from the direction of Truckee Lake. +They appeared not to have any hostile intentions, so we quietly awaited +their approach. The foremost chief held before him a long stick, with a +bunch of white feathers dangling at the end. Story explained to us that +this was a friendly sign, and said we had nothing to fear from the +party. As they approached nearer towards us, they commenced dancing and +singing, and we could soon perceive that very few among them were +armed, and that altogether their appearance was anything but warlike +and imposing. + +Story went out to meet them, and shook hands with the few foremost +chiefs. When they reached the shanty, before the door of which we were +seated, the chiefs gathered on the right-hand side of us, and squatted +themselves down upon the ground, when the pipe of peace was immediately +produced by a veteran chief, and handed round. I took a few whiffs with +the rest, and then we learnt from our visiters that they were anxious +to engage in a trade. All that they had, however, were some few +esculent roots and several bags of pine-nuts. These last they roast and +eat, but the taste is far from pleasant. In exchange for them, they +wanted some charges of powder and ball. Three of them, I noticed, +possessed old Spanish muskets, of which they seemed particularly proud; +they held them in the usual cautious Indian style, with the butt-end +clutched in the right hand, and the barrel resting on the left arm. A +few of the others had bows and arrows slung across their backs. We +pleaded shortness of ammunition as our excuse for declining the trade. +Our provisions being run low made it impossible for us to offer them +anything to eat, so we gave them a few blankets, which we could well +spare, by way of keeping ourselves in their good graces; as, according +to Story, they would have considered it a great affront if we had +neglected to make them any presents. + +The Indians remained and encamped outside our fort; last night and this +morning the greater part took their departure. The guard last night had +orders to keep a sharp look-out, as we thought that our friends, even +though they had no hostile intentions towards us, might still take a +strong liking to some of our horses; but nothing of a suspicious +character occurred. Five young men of the tribe also have stopt behind, +who wish to continue with us and work for us, but the low state of our +commissarial renders it desirable not to accept their offer, unless our +hunters return to-day with a good stock of provisions. + +_August 13th_. Our hunters have been very successful these last few +days. We have a large stock of elk meat, which we intend drying after +the Indian fashion. On Friday, while Don Luis and the trapper were out +together, they were surprised by the sight of a huge bear right before +them, slowly walking up towards them. As soon as he arrived within +about a hundred paces he squatted down upon his haunches for a few +moments; but, as they got nearer to him, and just as they were +preparing to give him a greeting in the shape of a couple of balls +through his head, he rose up and scampered off. They fired, but without +success, and the brute plunged into a dense thicket; after which they +saw nothing more of him. + +Our Indians, after stopping with us a couple of days, during which +period we compelled them to encamp at night-time outside the fort, took +their departure early on Friday morning, or else during the night of +Thursday, unperceived by our sentinels. They, however, took nothing +with them belonging to our party, except a couple of blankets we had +lent to the two principal men. + + + + +CHAPTER XVII. + + A rich mine of gold discovered + A guard both night and day + A good morning's work + An Indian scout + How he served Dowling, and how Dowling served him + A look-out + Indians seen advancing + A moment of fear + A yell + Arrows and rifles + A wounded chief carried off + The field of battle + The return to the camp + Horses driven off by Indians + Where José was found + The wounded attended to + An after-dinner discussion + How the watch went to sleep, and how they were woke up + McPhail missing + Wolves, deer, and a puma + A party set out in search of McPhail. + + +_August 20th, Sunday_.--The past week has been in many respects an +eventful one. On Friday, while several of us were rambling about the +neighbourhood of the camp, exploring the numerous mountain canones +which lie between us and the Sierra Nevada, we found, among the loose +particles of rock which had crumbled away from the sides of the ravine +and fallen to the bottom, several lumps of gold of a much larger size +than any we had before met with. This induced us to examine the upper +part of the ravine, where promising traces of gold were readily +detected; further examination convinced us that the precious metal +existed here in far greater quantises than in the locality where we had +been at work for several weeks previous; and we were, moreover, +satisfied that it was to be obtained with much less difficulty, as, +being found in solid lumps, the unpleasant labour of washing was +dispensed with. We therefore determined, on the following morning, to +remove all our implements to this spot, the only disadvantage of which +was its being situated rather far off from our place of encampment. + +Since our friends, the Indians, had quitted us, we had always left some +one or other on guard at the shanty, to keep watch over our horses and +baggage, both during the day time and at night; for we knew that some +of them were continually prowling about, our horses having frequently +shown signs of uneasiness in the night time. During the day there was +generally one member of the party who remained at the shanty, having +either José or the lad Horry in company. + +The ravine we proposed moving to was nearly half-a-mile distant. After +breakfast, Bradley, Lacosse, and McPhail, accompanied by the old +trapper, set off on a hunting expedition, for our stock of provisions +was now getting very low, leaving José and our legal friend at the +camp. The remainder of the party, including myself, proceeded to the +ravine with our implements, and after working a few hours we succeeded +in procuring more gold than we had obtained in any two days during the +past week. We were just on the point of returning to the camp to dinner +when Dowling, who was standing near some sage bushes at the upper part +of the ravine, heard a rustling among them, and on moving in the +direction of the noise saw an Indian stealthily creeping along, who, as +soon as he perceived he was discovered, discharged an arrow, which just +missed its mark, but lacerated, and that rather severely, Dowling's +ear. The savage immediately set up a most terrific whoop, and ran off, +but stumbled before he could draw another arrow from his quiver, while +Dowling, rushing forward, buried his mattock in the head of his fallen +foe, killing him instantaneously. + +At this moment we hoard the crack of a rifle in the direction of the +camp, which, with the Indian's whoop at the same moment, completely +bewildered us. Every man, however, seized his rifle, and Dowling, +hastening towards us, told us what had just occurred. All was still for +the next few moments, and I mounted a little hill to reconnoitre. +Suddenly I saw a troop of Indians, the foremost of them on horseback, +approaching at full speed. I hastily returned to my companions, and we +sought shelter in a little dell, determined to await there, and resist +the attack, for it was evident that the savages' intentions were +anything but pacific. + +It was a moment of breathless excitement. We heard the tramp, tramp of +the horses coming on towards us, but as yet they and their riders were +concealed from our view. I confess I trembled violently, not exactly +with fear, although I expected that a few moments would see us all +scalped by our savage assailants. It was the suddenness of the danger +which startled me, and made my heart throb violently; but at that +moment, just as I was reproaching myself with the want of courage, a +terrific yell rung through the air at a short distance from us, and +forty or fifty warlike Indians appeared in sight. My whole frame was +nerved in an instant, and when a shower of arrows flew amongst us, I +was the first man to answer it with a rifle-shot, which brought one of +the foremost Indians off his horse to the ground. I instantly reloaded, +but in the meanwhile the rifles of my companions had been doing good +service. We had taken up our position behind a row of willow trees +which skirted the banks of a narrow stream, and here we were protected +in a great measure from the arrows of our assailants, which were in +most cases turned aside by the branches. A second volley of rifle-shots +soon followed the first; and while we were reloading, and the smoke had +slightly cleared away, I could see that we had spread consternation in +the ranks of the Indian warriors, and that they were gathering up their +wounded preparatory to retreating. I had my eye on one old man, who had +just leapt from his horse. My finger was on the trigger, when I saw him +coolly advance, and, taking one of his wounded companions, who had been +shot though the leg, in his arms, place him on a horse, then mounting +his own, and catching hold of the other animal's bridle, gallop off at +full speed. Although I knew full well that if the fortune of the day +had gone against us, these savages would not have spared a single man +of our party, still I could not find it in my heart to fire on the old +chief, and he therefore carried off his wounded comrade in safety. + +In a few minutes the hill-sides were clear, and when we emerged from +our shelter, all that was visible of the troop of warriors was three of +them weltering in their blood, a bow or two, and some empty quivers, +and a few scattered feathers and tomahawks, lying on the ground. One by +one, we gradually stole up to the top of the mound from whence I first +beheld the approach of the enemy, when, finding that they were +retreating at full speed in an opposite direction to the camp, we +determined to proceed thither at once, fully prepared to find both +Story and José murdered. On our arrival, however, the former coolly +advanced to meet us, and, in answer to our questions, stated that while +he was superintending the proper browning of our venison, and José was +filling the cans with water, he saw several of our horses scampering +off, being in fact driven by three or four Indians on horseback. "So +quickly," said he, "was the movement effected, that before I could lay +hold of my rifle they were nearly beyond range. I fired, but without +effect; and while I was looking about, I suppose in rather a bewildered +manner, a party of something like forty Indians ran rapidly past. I +don't know whether they saw me or not, but I was by no means anxious to +engage their attention, and was glad enough when the last passed out of +sight. I then went in search of José, whom I found in the river up to +his neck in water--a position which he thought afforded the safest +means of concealment, as he knew his wild brethren would have +sacrificed him, and perhaps eaten him forthwith, if they had chanced to +discover him." + +I at once set to work to dress Dowling's ear, and a wound which Don +Luis had received in his hand. The latter was merely a scratch, and the +only danger likely to arise from it was in the event of the arrow by +which it was inflicted having been poisoned. But Don Luis felt so +confident that this was not the practice among the tribes about here, +that he would not allow me to take the usual precautions against such a +contingency. + +Our anxiety was now turned towards the party who were out hunting, and +we anxiously looked for their appearance. We had been so upset by the +events of the morning, that we all felt disinclined to resume our +labours after our meal was concluded, and we occupied ourselves in and +about the camp, and in discussing the reason of the Indians' attack, +and the probability of its being followed up by another. The day wore +on without any signs of our companions' return. Towards evening, a +rifle was fired off occasionally, to let them know of the danger which +in all probability awaited them from an attack on the part of the +Indians, and also to let the latter gentry know that we were on the +look-out. It was arranged that we should all keep watch until the +arrival of our friends, to be the better prepared for any danger which +menaced us and them; for we thought it not unlikely that the Indians +were hovering about the camp, and might attempt a surprise. Exhausted, +however, by excitement and fatigue, one by one we dropped off to sleep. +I was wakened up by the report, as I thought, of a rifle, which was +immediately followed by a horrible moaning, and the whole of us were +soon on our legs, rifles in hand, in the expectation of being butchered +in the course of a few minutes. Bradley's well-known whistle, however, +somewhat restored our confidence. + +In a few minutes Lacosse, Bradley, and the old trapper were by the +camp-fire. "Is McPhail here?" asked all of them in a breath, anxiously +looking round the circle. The reply to the question was a sad one: he +had not yet returned. In answer to our inquiries as to where they had +parted from him, and as to whether they had heard the rifle-shot which +had disturbed us from our sleep, Lacosse replied that they had first +missed him about three-quarters of an hour ago, but they did not feel +any particular uneasiness at the circumstance, as they imagined he had +ridden on first. The night was rather dark, but Lacosse said the trail +could easily be distinguished. With regard to the shot we had heard +fired, and the moans which followed it, Bradley said that shortly after +missing McPhail, they found some wolves were on their track, in ail +likelihood scenting the deer which they were carrying slung across +their horses. Fearing their noise might attract a more dangerous +customer, in the shape of a puma, towards them, he fired a couple of +pistols, which had the effect of wounding two of the pack, who rolled +over with terrific howls. It must have been Bradley's last shot that +woke us, for none of us heard more than one shot fired. + +Our three huntsmen set about preparing their supper immediately, in the +full expectation that McPhail would make his appearance before the +venison was ready. The supper was, however, cooked and eaten, but still +no McPhail arrived. Another hour was suffered to elapse, and then we +began to consider that it was nearly three hours ago since he was last +seen, while at that time he was not more than one hour's distance from +the camp. It was evident, therefore, that he had either missed the +trail or followed it in the opposite direction (which last was the old +trapper's opinion), or else some more serious misfortune had happened +to him. We at once resolved to set out in search of him, leaving a +guard behind at the camp. The mate and Don Luis, being both, as it +were, invalided, were of course among those who were to remain. Bradley +pleaded fatigue, and wished to stay in camp, and Biggs was left on +guard with him. + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII. + + Where McPhail was last seen + The trapper's keen eyes + A nap in the open air + The Author woke up + Camp-fires + A surprise attempted + Horses left in charge + The tactics of the advance and the retreat + A shot from a rifle, and a man wounded + A salute + The rifle shot explained + Horses driven off + A volley fired + Poor Horry scalped + The trapper promises vengeance + The wounded man + Grief at the loss of a friend + A mystery explained + Horry's grave + His funeral and monument. + + +It must have been about one o'clock when we started, and, after +half-an-hour's hard riding, we came upon the spot where McPhail had +last been seen. We shouted for some time as loudly as our lungs would +let us, but heard nothing, save the howl of some hungry wolf, in reply. +We then followed the trail at a brisk pace for eight or nine miles, but +could discover nothing of our missing friend. There seemed no +possibility of ascertaining whether he had proceeded in the direction +in question or not, as the marks made by the horses of the party in the +morning, on their way out, somewhat confused the old trapper. His keen +eye, however, soon detected marks of a horse's hoof in a contrary +direction, over the marks which the horses of the hunting party had +made on their return. These signs were not apparent beyond the spot we +had reached. In which direction they were continued, the night was too +dark to discover. + +Feeling that further search before daybreak would be useless, we +resolved to get a few hours' sleep in the meantime; and, dismounting +from our horses, secured them as well as we could, and placing our +saddles on the ground, to serve as pillows, we wrapped our +saddle-cloths round us, and were soon fast asleep. Story and the lad +Horry did first duty as sentinels. While they were on guard I was +wakened by a sharp tug at my leg, and while I was seizing hold of my +rifle, I recognised Story's voice calling me by name. He told me that, +after keeping a sharp look-out for about half-an-hour, he observed +several fires on the hill-sides, apparently about half-a-mile off; he +had been watching them for some time, and at last determined to wake +one of the party. + +I went with him outside the little willow copse where we had fixed +ourselves, and true enough there were the fires, belonging, as we +thought, to a camp of Indians--very likely the same who had stolen our +horses and attacked us in the morning. We returned and woke the whole +party; and, a consultation being held, it was decided, as we were well +armed, and as the Indians had shown so much anxiety this morning to get +beyond reach of our weapons, after tasting a few shots, to effect a +surprise, and recover, if possible, our stolen horses. We saddled and +mounted as quickly as possible, and, after riding about a mile in the +direction of the fires, found that we were getting tolerably close to +our enemies. On we went, taking every bush which crackled beneath our +horses' tread for a token of the movements of some Indian scout who had +scented our approach. When within a short distance of the camp-fires we +dismounted, and tied our horses to some trees, leaving them in charge +of the lad Horry, with directions for him to keep his ears well open, +and, in the event of his hearing us retreat from the Indians, to give a +few lusty shouts, so as to let us know where the means of flight were +to be found. + +We advanced cautiously, Malcolm and Bradshaw preceding the main body, +about twenty paces apart. The arrangement was for the five (namely, +Lacosse, Story, the Trapper, José, and myself) who composed the main +body, to form a semicircle, of which the two scouts would compose the +extreme points, and so to approach the Indians' camp, on nearing which +we were to fire a volley on them from our rifles, and, wheeling round, +drive our horses off and retreat. We were within two hundred paces of +the camp-fires when we were startled by the report of a rifle. A shrill +whistle followed; but we still advanced, and in a few moments came up +with Malcolm and Bradshaw, the sailor being supported in the arms of +his companion, who called out that the man was shot, and begged me to +look to him. The remainder of the party, hearing this, moved a few +paces forward, levelled their rifles, and were on the eve of firing, +when we were suddenly saluted, in true British vernacular, with an +exclamation of "D---- your eyes, who goes there?" This so startled our +party that it saved the lives, very probably, of the whole camp. They +halted for a moment, and consulted together as to the course to be +adopted. A shot had been fired from the camp, and one of our men +injured. They, therefore, concluded that we had stumbled on the camp of +one of those gangs of ruffians which were known to infest the hills at +the foot of the Sierra Nevada. + +At this juncture I ran up to the group with the intelligence that +Bradshaw had been injured by a shot from his own rifle, which had +accidentally gone off, and which circumstance Malcolm had not, in the +first instance, explained. I told my companions that the man was +seriously wounded in the leg; that I had merely bandaged it up with a +handkerchief, and, leaving him in Malcolm's charge, had hastened +forward to let them know the fact, that no more blood might be shed. No +sooner was this explanation given than we heard a loud shout from the +lad Horry, followed, as I thought, by some faint groans; but none of +the others heard them, and I thought I might have been mistaken. It +was concluded that he was merely shouting in accordance with our +instructions, and no further notice was taken of the affair. At that +instant several horses came galloping by at full speed, passing within +a few yards of us, and, following them, we could discern half-a-dozen +mounted Indians. We guessed the truth at once. They had cut the bridles +of our horses, and were driving them away to rejoin their fellows, +which had been stolen from us in the morning. We levelled our rifles +and fired--reloaded, and fired again; and then, in the midst of a +chorus of hallooing and screaming from the camp just before us, and the +loud bellowing of the retreating Indians, started off in pursuit, and +soon succeeded in turning our animals round, the Indians vanishing as +rapidly as they had appeared. + +Securing our steeds, we walked them back in the direction of the spot +where we had left Horry, and, after some trouble, succeeded in finding +the exact place, when, to our horror, we found the poor fellow quite +dead, his body covered with blood, and his head and face dreadfully +disfigured. A closer examination showed us that the poor lad, after +being murdered, had been scalped by the savages. "Yes, yes," said the +old trapper, "sure enough his scalp is dangling in the belt of one of +them devils. G----d! I'll send an ounce of lead through the first +red-skin I meet outside them clearings. We'll have vengeance--we will." + +As soon as I was a little recovered from the horror which this scene +naturally caused, I returned with the old trapper to the spot where I +had left Malcolm and Bradshaw, hardly expecting, after what I had just +witnessed, to find either of them alive. I was, however, happy in my +fears not being realized. They were both as I had left them. We carried +the wounded man as well as we could between us back to the place where +the remainder of the party were waiting for us. Here we stayed till +daybreak, silent and dejected. For my own part I could have wept. That +rough sailor lad, though under other circumstances I might have looked +down on him with contempt, and not have cared one straw whether he was +dead or alive, had been one of a little society, every member of which +had grown upon me in the rude life we had lived together in this +wilderness, and I felt that I had lost a friend. + +The day broke at last, and, after repairing our bridles as well as we +could, we prepared to depart. We wrapped the body of the dead lad in a +blanket, and laid it over the back of his horse to convey it to our +camp, where we might bury it according to the rites of the English +church. I examined the carpenter's leg, and found his hurt was, +fortunately, only a flesh wound. It gave him, nevertheless, great pain +to travel on horseback, but there was no other means of conveying him +to the camp. As we rode slowly along, in the grey light of the morning, +we caught sight of the valley, the scene of our last night's +misfortunes, and saw on the hill-sides two white-tented emigrant +wagons, with the horses quietly grazing down in the bottom. Several of +us rode towards the spot, but found not a soul there. One of last +night's mysteries was explained. The camp we had at first taken to be +an Indian one, and then one of mountain robbers, was merely that of a +few emigrants, who, having crossed the pass in the Sierra Nevada, were, +doubtless, on their way to the Sacramento Valley. In all probability, +alarmed by the extraordinary affair of last night, they had abandoned +their wagons, and sought concealment from the dangers which they +imagined surrounded them. We shouted out the words "Friends," +"Americans," and other expressions, to give them confidence, if they +were within hearing, but we obtained no reply. We, therefore, hastened +to rejoin the remainder of our party, and in about three hours time we +reached the camp, cheering ourselves with the thought, as we moved +along, that we should find McPhail had returned. But we were doomed to +disappointment; there were no tidings of him, and sorrowfully did we +set to work to dig poor Horry's grave. After Malcolm had read the +service from the English Prayer-book over him, we sawed off a pine-log, +which was inserted a couple of feet deep in the ground, and on the +upper part, which had been smoothed for that purpose, we carved, in +rude letters, his name, and the date of his death. + + + + +CHAPTER XIX. + + The party strengthen their defences + No tidings of McPhail + The trapper goes in search of him + Returns, having met with no success + McPhail makes his appearance accompanied by guides + His adventures while away + Finds he is lost + Loses his rifle + No supper + Loses his horse + No food for three days + Sinks into a stupor + Is discovered by two Indians + Their humane treatment of him + They conduct him by slow marches to the camp. + + +_August 27th_.--We have passed a heavy but not very profitable week. +Three days of our time have been spent in strengthening our defences, +and we have had some severe labour in felling pine trees and dragging +them to the stockade. We have driven sharpened stakes into the earth, +and, after laying the logs longitudinally within them, have twisted the +lighter boughs and brushwood of the trees in the interstices. Before we +began this task, however, the trapper, Malcolm, and Lacosse started in +search of McPhail, but returned the same night (Sunday) unsuccessful. +In the meantime, my two patients got on favourably, the pure air and +temperate living doing more for the wounds than medical skill could +effect. + +On Monday, a council was held as to the propriety of sending another +party in search of our missing friend; and, after some discussion, the +trapper started off alone, taking rations with him to last him two or +three days. On Wednesday we set to work again, digging and washing, +confining ourselves, however, to that portion of the stream and to +those canones which were in the vicinity of the camp. Upon the whole, +we made good progress during the week, frequently averaging four ounces +of gold dust and flakes a-day per man. Early on Wednesday the trapper +made his appearance, but he had returned without any tidings of our +missing friend. + +It was upon Thursday evening, as we were returning to the camp after a +hard day's work, that we were delighted at perceiving our comrade +McPhail, whom we had given up for lost, making his way towards us, +accompanied by a couple of Indians, fantastically dressed in the +Spanish fashion, the costumes having been probably purchased by the +sale of gold dust lower down the country. Our friend was, of course, +joyfully received, and a special can of pisco punch brewed in honour of +his return. + +His adventures since his separation from the party were soon related. +He had turned aside to water his horse at a small rivulet, and, on his +return, waited at the trail for his comrades, whom he conceived to be +still in the rear. After waiting for nearly half-an-hour, he thought +that they must have passed him, and galloped after them in what he +conceived to be the proper trail. After half-an-hour's ride, however, +he found himself utterly at sea--no sign of the camp, or of his +comrades. He mounted several high ridges, which he hoped might command +a view of the Bear Valley; but all he could see was a wilderness of +hills and deep ravines, here and there chequered with fertile bottoms +clumped with pines and oaks. In fact, he grew quite confused, and, to +add to his perplexity, in fording a rapid torrent his horse stumbled, +and was carried off his legs by the strength of the stream, and had to +swim for it. At length they gained the further bank; but our friend +found that in his agitation he had dropped his rifle, which was +irrecoverably gone. + +Finding that he had no knowledge of the country about him, he +determined to encamp for the night, and accordingly laid his head on +his saddle, wrapped himself up in his cloak, and went supperless to +sleep. When he awoke in the morning, he found that his horse, which he +had tethered to a neighbouring stunted tree, had strayed away, and +although he followed his trail for some time, he was eventually obliged +to give up the search. The remainder of this and the following day he +wandered about at random, amidst a wild and sterile country, furrowed +with tremendous chasms several hundred feet in depth, and the edge of +which it was necessary to skirt for miles ere a crossing-place could be +found. During this time poor McPhail fared very hardly. He saw numerous +herds of elk, but they bounded past unharmed: he had no rifle. He tried +in vain to find some edible roots, and was at length reduced to the +necessity of chewing grass and the pith of alder trees. + +Throughout this period his sufferings were excessive; but as the time +passed and brought no relief, he experienced a sickness and nausea of +the most gnawing and horrible description. He became so weak that he +could hardly stand. At length at sunset, on the third day of his +wanderings, he laid himself down upon a spot of grass, and fell into a +kind of stupor, in the full belief that he would only wake in the +agonies of death. It was then that he was discovered by the two Indians +who brought him to the camp. They behaved with great humanity towards +him, allowing him, however, to eat, first of all, only a few morsels of +the dried meat which they had with them, that he might not harm himself +by over-eating, after such a lengthened fast. As his stomach by degrees +recovered its tone, they permitted him to take further nutriment; and +after encamping with them on that and the following night, he felt +sufficiently recovered to proceed on his journey to this camp. His kind +benefactors understood a few words of Spanish, and he was enabled to +explain to them the part of the country he wished to reach. They +undertook to guide him thither--told him they would arrive there after +having slept once, and by slow marches made their way to Bear Valley, +which they reached on the evening of the second day. McPhail expressed +his surprise on finding that he had wandered no greater distance off. +He showed his gratitude to his guides by presenting them with the two +large holster pistols which he brought with him from Oregon; and on the +following morning they took their departure from the camp. + + + + +CHAPTER XX. + + The Author inclined to return to the coast + Sickness in the camp + Provisions run low + What is to be done with the gold? + Proposal to convey it to the coast + Short rations + Indians visit the camp + The invalids of the party + The conveyance of the gold again discussed + Suspicions began to arise + Captain Sutter's receipt missing + Bradley's explanation + Further discussion about the gold + The matter at last arranged + No chance of rain. + + +_August 29th_.--We have led a lazy life of it these last few days. The +excitement we have lately undergone has unfitted us for regular labour; +and, besides, one has had altogether a tolerably long spell of toil. +Although, ever since we have been fairly settled here--now about a +month--we have not worked more than from four to five hours daily, and +have taken it by turns to go out on hunting expeditions, still I think +most of us have had enough of it; and were it not that the rainy season +will soon set in, when we shall be compelled to give over work, I +should, for my own part, feel inclined to return to the coast +forthwith. Sickness has begun to show itself in our camp, and we have +three men now laid up: Bradshaw, whose wound, though healing, will +still confine him for many days; Biggs, who has had a severe attack of +fever, but is now recovering fast; and Bowling, who lies inside the +shanty in an almost helpless state. My stock of drugs, too, is nearly +exhausted. Thank God, my own health has altogether been most excellent. +Although the vegetation dying off in the valleys at this time of the +year gives rise to a sort of malaria, still, from the herbage not being +of so rank a character about here as it is in the lower settlements, +the effects are by no means so injurious; besides, the cool air from +the mountains acts as a wholesome check. + +Our provisions have run very low; nearly the whole of our flour is +exhausted, and we are forced to live on the produce of our hunting +expeditions. The little flour we have is set apart for the invalids of +the party. Yesterday our hunters came in, after being absent all day, +with only a black-tailed deer and a couple of hares; quails, however, +are tolerably plentiful. Lacosse and the trapper have volunteered to +set off to Sutter's, and bring us up a supply of breadstuffs sufficient +to last us until the sickly season sets in. I believe it is arranged +for them to start off tomorrow. + +_September 1st_.--There have been several discussions as to the +prudence of keeping the large quantity of gold we have already procured +in camp, when we are liable to be surprised by the Indians, who for the +sake of it would tomahawk and scalp us all round. It seems to have +spread from tribe to tribe that the yellow earth which the pale faces +are in search of will buy not only beads and buttons and red paint, but +rifles, and charges of powder and ball, scarlet blankets, and the +"strong water," which the Indian "loves, alas! not wisely but too +well." Some are of the opinion that we ought to keep it by us, always +leaving a proper guard on the look-out, until we finally abandon the +digging, when we could return with it to the settlements in a body. +Bradley and Don Luis are rather opposed to this plan, and volunteer to +take the gold themselves to San Francisco or Monterey immediately, and +deliver it into the custody of some merchant there on our joint +account. I don't like this suggestion, for the amount is sufficiently +large to tempt any one to make off with it; besides, it would be +dangerous to send it without a strong guard. To-day we have put +ourselves on short rations, as our stock of provisions is getting very +low. + +_September 2nd_.--The camp generally seem to be in favour of Bradley's +proposition. Some of the more timid ones consider that we shall be in +constant danger for the next two months before the rainy season +commences, when we must give over work. It is a great pity that the +gold was not sent down at the time Lacosse and the trapper left. + +Three Indians came into the camp last night, belonging, we believe, to +some tribe no great distance off. We gave them a good supper; and after +it was over we took care to make as much display as possible of our +firearms and bullet-pouches, and to see that our horses and mules were +well tethered before we turned in for the night. Story and McPhail were +the first guard. The three Indians wrapped themselves up in their +blankets, and slept just outside the tent; and after a good breakfast +in the morning took their departure, shaking hands with our party all +round, and expressing by other signs their satisfaction at the +treatment they had met with. Biggs is nearly recovered from his attack, +and will commence work again in a couple of days; meanwhile, he is +doing guard duty. Dowling and Bradshaw are still both very ill. + +_September 3rd, Sunday_.--Bradley repeated his proposition to-day, +that himself and Don Luis, accompanied by José, who was to take charge +of a couple of horses, with packs containing the bulk of the gold, +should start off the following morning. Story was of opinion that they +ought to be attended by a guard as far as the Sacramento Valley; but, +to our surprise, Bradley and Don Luis opposed this suggestion, on the +score that such a precaution was unnecessary. + +Yesterday evening I took an opportunity of speaking privately to +Malcolm and McPhail in reference to Bradley's proposition, and also in +reference to his and Don Luis's peremptory dismissal of Story's +suggestion, without even allowing it to be discussed. We then brought a +circumstance to our recollection which had never struck us before, +namely, that neither of us had ever seen Captain Sutter's receipt for +the gold Bradley had deposited in the Captain's charge, and we +determined to bring the matter up the first opportunity. To-day, +therefore, while we were at breakfast, Malcolm asked Bradley if Captain +Sutter had given a receipt for the gold, when he answered "Yes, +certainly;" but, to our surprise, stated that he had had the misfortune +to burn it. He went on to say, that while on his return to Weber's +Creek, during a halt he made, he had struck a light for his cigar, and +had incautiously used the receipt for that purpose. He had mentioned +the matter to Don Luis, he said, the same day he returned. Malcolm, +McPhail, and myself, looked at each other, but we felt bound to believe +Bradley's statement. We arranged, however, during a stroll we made from +the camp, after breakfast was finished, not to agree to Bradley's +proposition in reference to the conveyance of our present stock of +gold, unless one of us three formed one of the party accompanying it. + +After dinner, I brought the subject forward by observing, that if it +was intended Bradley's plan should be carried out, Malcolm would desire +to form one of the party; and as an excuse for his going, I stated that +I wished him to get me a supply of drugs at San Francisco, as the +little stock I had brought with me was quite exhausted;--foolish-like, +not thinking at the time that Bradley and Don Luis could have procured +them quite as readily as Malcolm, and that I was therefore giving no +reason at all for his accompanying them. Malcolm, however, came to my +relief, by stating he had business at San Francisco, as he wished to +see the captains of some of the vessels in the harbour there that might +be bound for the Columbia River. Bradley gave Don Luis a side-look, and +said that no ships bound for the Columbia would be found at San +Francisco at this time of the year. Biggs, however, who knew more about +the shipping at that port than any of us, observed there would be; and +rather a warm discussion ensued, which was interrupted by Story and +McPhail both saying to Bradley, that as Malcolm really wanted to go to +San Francisco, they had better go in company. As there could be no +possible objection to this course, it has been finally arranged for +them to start off on the 5th (Tuesday). José was to be left behind. + +The takings of the past week have been very good, considering that we +have two of our party absent, and three laid up with illness. The sky +has been a good deal overcast to-day; but still, from what I learn, +there is no chance of rain for another month. + + + + +CHAPTER XXI. + + The party start for the coast + How the carrying of the gold was arranged + The escort + Character of the country they passed through + Halt at noon + An alarm + A discovery + The escort return, keeping a sharp look-out + A merry evening + The narrative resumed + A loud whistle + "The best part of the gold is lost" + The party are sullen and angry + Malcolm is missing + Don Luis's explanation + A lasso whirls through the air + A horse shot + Malcolm falls to the ground + Bradley fires, and with effect + Retire to cover + A discharge of rifles + The enemy wheel off + Malcolm's horse is missing + Malcolm found to be insensible + More horsemen + Tomas Maria Carillo + Robberies at the mines + Brutal conduct + A litter procured + Malcolm conveyed to a shanty + A kind Californian woman + A volley of inquiries about the gold + "It is the doctor you have to thank for that" + The Author's reflections. + + +_September 5th_.--This morning, the party bound for the coast started +off as agreed on. We rose before daybreak, breakfasted, and got the +horses in readiness just as the sun showed over the mountain. At my +suggestion, Malcolm had the strongest horse we possessed allotted to +him, as it had been arranged that he should carry the bulk of the gold, +and that Don Luis and Bradley, who were to take as much as they could +carry in their saddle-bags, were to form the guard. This plan was +adopted in preference to having a led horse, which it was thought would +greatly impede their progress, and prevent the party from reaching the +settlements on the Sacramento that night. Bradley and Don Luis each +took with them eighteen pounds weight of gold; Malcolm, who was +unencumbered by anything, and merely carried a brace of pistols in his +belt, took very nearly seventy pounds. To relieve Malcolm's horse as +much as possible, three of us, who were to act as an escort to within a +few miles of the Sacramento Valley, were each to carry fifteen pounds +weight of the gold so far as we went. This escort was composed of +Story, José, and myself. + +We started off soon after sun rise, amidst the faint cheers of our +invalided companions, and, as it was necessary for the escorting party +to return to the camp that night, it was agreed that we were to retrace +our steps at noon or thereabouts. The commencement of our ride was +through an open country, broken up by boulders of granite and clumps of +dark grey sage trees, when, after ascending some low rocky hills, their +summits crowned with a dense forest of gigantic pines, we entered a +grassy valley, lined with groups of noble cedars, whose spreading +branches offered a most inviting shade. Every now and then, we had to +make our way down the sides of huge chasms which intercepted our +progress, and then to toil slowly up the difficult ascent. + +At noon we halted and took shelter from the sun in a little dell with a +gushing spring bubbling up in the midst, and a patch of willows +fringing the banks of the running stream. We scampered our horses down +it, dismounted, and, turning them loose to graze, seated ourselves at +the base of a huge rock of granite. Our wallet of provisions was +opened, and we soon made a hearty meal. Just as we had finished, some +loose earth and a few small stones came tumbling down from above, +knocking every now and then against the projecting ledges of rock in +their descent. We immediately started up, thinking it might be some +grizzly old bear anxious to make a meal of us, and Bradley and Malcolm +scrambled up above to get a shot at him. But he had been too quick for +them, for just as they reached the top, they heard the branches of the +trees crackling in a tuft of underwood opposite, which lay between us +and a deep water-course we had just crossed. As a fatiguing journey was +before them, they did not think it worth while to give chase to the +brute, and were on the point of descending again into the little hollow +where they had left us, when the print of a man's foot caught Bradley's +eye in the soft sandy earth. Several others were noticed close by, none +of which, Bradley protested, had been made by our party, and certainly +not by a bear, but by some sculking Indians, who had been very likely +hovering about us. They hastened to communicate this intelligence to +us, and it was decided that as the party bound for the coast were now +within some few hours' ride of the upper settlements on the Sacramento, +no Indians would be daring enough to attack them, and it would hardly +be worth while for us to accompany them further. We, however, insisted +upon riding a few miles more on the road, which having done, we took +leave of them with many wishes for their safe and speedy return, and +turned our horses' heads round in the direction of the camp. + +Feeling rather fidgetty at the incident of the morning, we passed the +spot where it had taken place, keeping an anxious look-out in every +direction, and after a hard ride of several hours, reached the camp +shortly after sundown, glad that we had escaped any disaster. We had a +merry evening of it; a double allowance of whisky was served out, and +we drank our friends' safe arrival and return. + + * * * * * + +I now sit down for the first time, after a lapse of several weeks, to +resume the continuation of my narrative. Late in the evening of the +5th, while my companions were chatting over the fire, and I was engaged +in writing, we were interrupted on a sudden by a loud whistle, the note +of which I thought I could not be mistaken in. "Sure that's Bradley," +exclaimed I; the others thought not, and, catching up their rifles, +examined the flints. The whistle, when again repeated, convinced every +one, however, that my first surmise had been correct. In another minute +Bradley galloped up to us, and Don Luis soon followed after; but, to +our astonishment, Malcolm was not of the party. "My friends," exclaimed +Bradley, "a sad disaster; the best part of the gold is gone--lost +beyond a doubt." "Lost!" said I, expecting some treachery on the part +of Bradley and Don Luis; "How? I don't believe it; I never will believe +it." Bradley gave me an angry look, but said nothing. + +"Where's Malcolm?" exclaimed I. "Dead by this time, I am afraid," +replied Bradley. "Good God!" I exclaimed aloud, and involuntarily +muttered to myself, "Then you have murdered him." I noticed Bradley +examined the countenances of the whole party by turns, and, as my eye +followed his, I saw that every one looked sullen and angry. He, too, +evidently saw this, and said nothing more the whole evening. Don Luis, +however, volunteered the following explanation of the mystery. + +He informed us that, after we had parted from them, they put their +horses into a quick trot, to escape as soon as possible into a more +agreeable-looking sort of country. They suspected some vagabond Indians +were hovering about, and as the ground they were travelling over +afforded too many opportunities of concealment to gentry of their +character, they were anxious to reach a more open district. Their road +lay, for several miles, over a succession of small hills, intersected +by valleys covered with stunted oak trees, and with here and there a +solitary pine. Just at a point, when they were winding round a ridge of +hills, which they imagined separated them from the Sacramento Valley, +having a small skirting of timber on their left hand, he, Don Luis, +being slightly in advance of Bradley and Malcolm, happened to turn his +head round, when he saw a horseman stealthily emerging from the +thicket, at a point a short distance in their rear. In a very few +moments another horseman joined the first, and before Don Luis could +give an alarm, the second rider, who, it seems, was an Indian, had +risen in his saddle and had flung out his lasso, which, whizzing +through the air true to its aim, descended over Malcolm's head and +shoulders. Don Luis, who saw all this, immediately jumped from his +horse, and, placing his finger on the trigger of his rifle, fired just +as the Indian was galloping away. The ball entered his horse's head, +when the beast was brought to a stand, and, in a second of time, rolled +over with its rider beneath it, just as the noose had tightened, and +Malcolm was being drawn off his horse to the ground. Bradley, who only +knew of the danger they were in by hearing the lasso whirl through the +air, immediately dismounted, and, like Don Luis, sheltered himself +behind his horse, while he took aim and fired. His never-failing rifle +brought down one of their enemies, a swarthy-looking man in the usual +Mexican sombrero, off his horse to the ground. In the twinkling of an +eye they led their horses behind some boulders of granite which +afforded them cover, and from behind which they saw four men come +charging down upon them. But Bradley and Don Luis, skilled in this kind +of warfare, had already stooped down and reloaded. Don Luis was the +first to let fly at the advancing party, but without success. His shot +was answered by a discharge of rifles from the enemy, which whistled +over his and Bradley's heads. Crack went Bradley's rifle again--"And +you would have thought," said Don Luis to us, "that the ball had split +into four pieces, and had given each man a tender touch, for they +wheeled round their horses in an instant, and galloped off, driving +Malcolm's horse before them, which we never saw again." + +Don Luis then went on to say, that as soon as they saw the coast was +clear, they left their cover and sought out Malcolm, who was lying on +the ground with the lasso lightly pinioning his arms, and to all +appearance dead. On a closer examination, however, they found that he +still breathed, and also that he had been severely trampled on by some +of the horses of the robbers in their retreat. Bradley pulled out his +bowie-knife and cut the lasso in a few moments, when they tried to +raise him up, but found that the injuries he had sustained prevented +him from standing. He was, in fact, quite insensible. At that moment +they were alarmed by the sound of voices, and looking round they saw a +party of horsemen riding up at full speed from the direction of the +Sacramento. They gave themselves up for lost, but, to their delight, +the new-comers proved to be a party of miners, who hearing so many +rifle-reports in such rapid succession, had immediately hastened to the +spot. Don Luis supposed that the robbers had seen their approach, and +that this, and not the bullet from Bradley's rifle, had been the cause +of the scoundrels' precipitate retreat. They found the Indian's horse, +to the saddle of which the lasso was attached, quite dead. The Indian +himself had managed to crawl off, though doubtless much hurt, as Don +Luis saw the horse roll right over him. The body of the robber shot by +Bradley was found; life was quite extinct, the ball having passed +through his chest in a transverse direction, evidently penetrating the +heart. He was recognised by some of the miners--natives of the +country--as one of the disbanded soldiers of the late Californian army, +by name Tomas Maria Carillo; a man of the very worst character, who had +connected himself with a small band of depredators, whose occupation +was to lie in wait at convenient spots along the roads in the +neighbourhood of the sea' coast, and from thence to pounce upon and +plunder any unfortunate merchant or ranchero that might be passing +unprotected that way. The gang had now evidently abandoned the coast to +try their fortune in the neighbourhood of the mines, and, judging from +the accounts which one of the miners gave of the number of robberies +that had recently taken place about there, their mission had been +eminently successful. + +"Our first care," continued Don Luis, "was to see to poor Malcolm, and +our next object was to go in pursuit of the ruffians. On intimating as +much to our new friends, to our surprise they declined to render us any +assistance. Their curiosity, which it seems was the only motive that +brought them towards us, had been satisfied, and I felt disgusted at +the brutality of their conduct when they coolly turned their horses' +heads round, and left us alone with our dying friend, not deigning +further to notice our appeals to them for assistance. No, they must set +to work again, digging and washing, and we might thank ourselves that +their coming up had saved _our_ lives; this was the burthen of their +reply. In their eager pursuit of gold, they had not a moment to spare +for the commonest offices of Christian charity. At length," said Don +Luis, "in answer to my passionate expostulations, backed by the offer +of any reward they might demand--which offer alone gave force to my +words--two of them consented to return in about an hour with a litter +to convey Malcolm to their camp. + +"The litter they brought was formed of branches of trees tied together, +and covered thickly over with blankets. On this Malcolm was slowly +borne down the hill-side, until a rude shanty was reached. He was +carried inside, and we were fortunate enough to meet with a kind +Californian woman, who promised to attend on him while we returned here +for your assistance." + +In reply to my inquiries, Don Luis said that he thought there were no +bones broken, but poor Malcolm was dreadfully bruised, and his flesh in +parts much lacerated. He feared, however, that he had experienced some +severe internal injuries. As it was utterly impossible for me to have +found my way to him that night, I determined to take a short nap and +hurry to him the following morning. + +During Don Luis's recital I did not for one moment think of the gold +which we had lost; all my sympathies were with my poor friend. But, at +the conclusion of Don Luis's narrative, I saw that but few of my +associates participated in my grief. Don Luis was immediately assailed +with inquiries rudely addressed to him in reference to the missing +gold. In reply, he stated that we all knew that Malcolm carried in his +saddle-bags the great bulk of the gold they were conveying to San +Francisco; and that, of course, when the robbers drove off the horse, +the gold went with it. "It is the doctor you have to thank for that," +growled out Bradley; and though I could not see the matter in this +light, still I could not help thinking of my own distrustful +disposition, which, in reality, had been the cause of making Malcolm a +party to the conveyance of the treasure; this, in fact, had in all +probability sacrificed my friend's life. I thought of his poor wife and +children in Oregon, who would bewailing in vain for his return, which +he, poor follow, had delayed so long, in the hope of going back to them +laden with wealth. Throughout the whole of the night most of the party +remained gathered around the camp-fire-now in sullen silence, and now +expressing their bitter dissatisfaction at the arrangements which had +led to the day's misfortune. And when the first faint light of daybreak +showed over the tall peaks of the snowy mountains, it discovered us +looking haggard and dejected, alike wearied and disgusted with +everything around. + + + + +CHAPTER XXII. + + The stock of gold remaining weighed and shared + Squabbling over it + The party separate + The Author and others start off + They meet with Lacosse and the trapper + Lacosse's explanation + Arrive at Sutter's + Purchase flour at eighty-five dollars a barrel + Camps of miners + A gold-washing colony + Encamped for the night + Horses and flour missing in the morning + Visit a big bony American + A hole threatened in their skulls + How quarrels are settled + Lacosse promises to join the party at Sutter's + The march resumes + Arrive at Malcolm's shanty + The doctor prescribes for his patient + Malcolm's first idea of the lasso + The party leave for Sutter's. + + +We made a hasty meal from our scanty stock of provisions on the morning +of the 6th, and directly it was over--just as I was about saddling my +horse, to start off to visit poor Malcolm--Don Luis informed me that +our companions seemed all to be of opinion that it would be best to +share the stock of gold still remaining at once, when those that +preferred it could make their way to the settlements, and the others +could continue working, if they pleased, on their own account. I had no +objection to offer to this proposition, and the gold was all collected +together and weighed. Bradley undertook the charge of Lacosse's share, +and I was requested to convey Malcolm's to him. Altogether we scraped +up nearly forty-two pounds weight; for, besides the gold which Don Luis +and Bradley had in their saddle-bags, there were a few pounds more +belonging to the general stock. This had to be divided equally, for the +gold we had brought from Weber's Creek had been confided to Malcolm's +charge in a separate bag. It gave exactly four pounds two ounces a +man--value seven hundred dollars. This, with six hundred and fifty +dollars, my share of the gold deposited with Captain Sutter, and the +dust, scales, and lumps, arising from my share of the sale of the +cradles, and the produce at the Mormon diggings, before Lacosse and +Biggs joined us, would amount, in the whole, to over fifteen hundred +dollars. + +The greater part of the morning was taken up with squabbles respecting +the weighing of the gold. I took no part in it, and was content to +receive just what was allotted to me. I called McPhail aside, and asked +him what it was he intended doing. He replied, that if any of the +others would join him, he would start in pursuit of the men who had +plundered us. He was sorry the old trapper was not here, as, with his +assistance, he felt certain the scoundrels might be ferreted out. +Feeling that the journey to poor Malcolm was too dangerous a one to be +attempted alone, I was compelled to wait until I could prevail on some +of the party to join me. Don Luis, José, Bradley, McPhail, and myself, +at length arranged to start off. Biggs, who was now quite well, +preferred waiting behind a few days longer. Neither Bradshaw nor +Bowling were sufficiently recovered to travel. Story determined to wait +until they were well enough to accompany him. I hardly liked the notion +of leaving these four men behind--only two, or at most three, of them +able to protect themselves in the event of their being attacked; still +they did not seem to fear the danger: though, even if they had, most of +us had grown so selfish and unaccommodating, that I don't think they +would have met with much sympathy. + +It was an hour beyond noon when we were in readiness to start. We took +two of the baggage-horses with us, to carry the tent-poles and +covering, and a few utensils. Our personal baggage was packed on the +horses we rode. Bradley and Don Luis rode in advance, José followed +with the baggage-horses, and McPhail and myself brought up the rear. We +had not proceeded more than four miles on the trail when we saw a +couple of horsemen some distance ahead; advancing towards us. As soon +as we were within a couple of hundred yards of each other, we at once +recognised them to be Lacosse and the old trapper. Urging our horses +into a smart trot, we soon arrived alongside of them; and, on inquiring +what it was that had caused them to remain so long at Sutter's, and +also how it was that they had neither the baggage-horses nor, +apparently, any provisions with them, Lacosse gave us this explanation. + +He stated that after leaving the camp, they struck the Sacramento River +that night, and succeeded in reaching the upper settlements towards +evening on the following day. The next morning they pursued their +journey and arrived at Sutter's Fort about sundown; they encamped near +here for the night. Flour was as much as eighty-five dollars a-barrel, +and everything in the way of provisions was in the same proportion. +They purchased a stock of flour, and, packing their horses, moved off +the same day. In the evening they encamped some fifteen miles up the +Sacramento, near the mouth of the Feather River, and within a hundred +yards of the spot where the Indian village existed which Captain Sutter +had destroyed; the whole circumstances connected with which we had +already heard from the old trapper. They resumed the journey early on +the following morning, and by the evening had made about twenty-five +miles, when they rested for the night near one of the little camps of +miners, which they found scattered about the valley every few miles +along the route. The next day they pushed forward, and found those +encampments much less numerous--only one or two were passed throughout +the entire day. Just after sundown, however, they saw by the fires up +the hills quite a little colony of gold-washers, which they moved +towards; and, after purchasing some provisions at a store recently +opened there, for which they paid a most exorbitant price, they +securely tethered their horses to stakes they had driven in the ground, +and encamped for the night. They did not think it necessary to keep +watch, but when they awoke in the morning they found the baggage-horses +had been driven off, and their packs stolen. The horses they had been +riding on were just as they had left them over night. The trail-marks +around the camp were too numerous to make anything out of them. + +On making inquiries at several of the tents, they were treated in a +very cavalier sort of manner. No one, of course, knew anything about +their horses and packs, and one big bony American even threatened to +put a rifle-ball into them unless they left his shanty. This was rather +too much for them to swallow quietly, so they rated the fellow in round +terms; but he very coolly reached his rifle down from a shelf above +him, and told them that he would give them time to consider whether +they would move off or not while he examined his flint, and if they +were not gone by that time, he would make a hole in each of their +skulls, one after the other. Finding that he was coolly preparing to +carry out his threat, they made their exit, and found some ten or +twelve people gathered together outside. From one of them Lacosse +learnt that this man had shot two people since he had fixed himself at +this spot, and that he was a terror to most of the miners in the camp. +It appears to have been no uncommon thing among them for a man to +settle a quarrel by severely disabling his adversary. There were +several people at work down by the river, with their arms in slings, +who had received serious injuries in quarrels with some of their +fellows. + +They thought it best to escape from such a state of things with as +little delay as possible, and immediately mounted their horses and +pursued their journey. That night they took good care to encamp far +enough off from any of the gold-finding fraternity. + +It was now our turn to explain to Lacosse the reason of our return to +the settlements, and the unfortunate circumstances that had led to it. +Ho was disappointed enough at the intelligence. He said that he should +go on to the fort and collect his baggage together, and would, if +possible, join Don Luis, Bradley, and McPhail at Sutter's, and see +whether any plan could be arranged on for recovering our stolen +treasure. The trapper was to accompany him, and it was agreed that +either Bradley or McPhail should await their arrival at Sutter's Fort. + +We resumed our journey, and at sundown fixed our tent at the bottom of +a steep hollow, and supped off the moderate rations we had brought with +us from the camp. The night was quite frosty, and when I awoke in the +morning, my limbs were numbed with cold. We prepared our coffee, and +partook of our slight breakfast, then, saddling the horses, resumed our +march. It was late in the evening when we reached the rude shanty to +which poor Malcolm had been conveyed a couple of days since. It was an +anxious moment to me; but I was gratified to find that he had so far +recovered from the injuries he had sustained as to be able to sit up +and to take some little nourishment. He told me that beyond the severe +bruises with which his body was covered, and a wound in the fleshy part +of his leg, he did not think he was otherwise injured. Throughout the +whole of yesterday he had experienced the most violent pains in his +head; but a comfortable sleep into which he had fallen last night had, +to all appearances, entirely deprived him of them. He was troubled +though, he told me, with a sickening sensation, which made him loathe +anything in the shape of food. I at once prescribed such remedies as I +thought necessary to be applied immediately, and left him in charge of +his kind nurse until the morning. + +I was at his bedside shortly after the sun rose, and watched by him +until he awoke Another good night's rest had greatly benefited him. +During the day, recurring to his misfortune, he told me that when the +lasso first fell over his shoulders, he fancied for the moment that he +was in the gripe of some wild beast, but immediately he felt himself +drawn from his horse, the truth became apparent to him. He was stunned +by the fall, and lay insensible on the ground, quite unconscious that +the horse of one of the robbers had trampled upon him, as had evidently +been the case. + +Don Luis, Bradley, McPhail and José left us about noon on their way to +Sutter's Fort. I promised to rejoin them in a few days, if Malcolm so +far recovered as no longer to be in need of my services. I was in great +hopes of such a result, as he showed evident signs of improvement since +I saw him the previous day. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII. + + The gold district + Sickness and selfishness + The dead become the prey of the wolf + Malcomb's gradual recovery + The kindness of his nurse + A malaria + Life and property alike insecure + The wealthy gold-finder laid in wait for + Bodies in the river + Gold for a pillow + Robberies + Rags + Brandy at a dollar a-dram + The big bony American again + Sutter's Fort + Intelligence of Lacosse + Intelligence of the robbers + Sweeting's Hotel again + A meeting + "El Capitan" + Desertions from the ships + Andreas' offer to a captain + The first Alcalde gone to the mines + The second Alcalde follows his superior + Start for Monterey in pursuit of Andreas + Board the vessels in port + A deserter arrested + Leave Monterey + Cross the coast range + Meet with civilized Indians + Intelligence of the robbers + Indian horse-stealers + Continue the pursuit + Abandon it and return to Monterey. + + +I stayed with Malcolm throughout the next few days, and spent a good +part of my time out of doors among the gold-washers, but still I felt +no inclination to take part in their labours. Fever was very prevalent, +and I found that more than two-thirds of the people at this settlement +were unable to move out of their tents. The other third were too +selfish to render them any assistance. The rainy season was close at +hand, when they would have to give over work, but meanwhile they sought +after the gold as though all their hopes of salvation rested on their +success. I was told that deaths were continually taking place, and that +the living comrades of those whose eyes were closed in that last sleep +when "the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest," +denied the poor corpses of their former friends a few feet of earth for +a grave, and left the bodies exposed for the wolf to prey upon. + +In a couple of days Malcolm was sufficiently recovered no longer to +require my assistance. At his instigation, I took my departure towards +Sutter's Fort, where McPhail or Lacosse might perhaps still be waiting +for me. I felt that he was in good hands, and that his kind Californian +nurse and her husband would do all that they could for him. Their kind +treatment of my poor friend offered a striking contrast to the callous +selfishness around. + +I journeyed by slow marches along the banks of the Sacramento, passing +several colonies of gold-finders on my way. At noon I halted at one of +these, and loitered some little time round about the camp. The +rapidly-decaying vegetation--here unusually rank--was producing a +malaria, and sickness was doing its ravages; but still the poor +infatuated people, or rather such of them as were not prevented by +positive inability, worked on until they sunk under the toil. Every one +seemed determined to labour as hard as possible for the few weeks left +before the rainy season set in, and the result was, that many of them +met their deaths. There were others, though, who sought to enrich +themselves with the shining gold by a quicker and, perhaps, less +dangerous process than all this weary toil. + +According to the accounts I heard, life and property were alike +insecure. The report ran, that as soon as it became known that a man +had amassed a large amount of gold, he was watched and followed about +till an opportunity presented itself of quietly putting him out of the +way. There had been but few known deaths, but the number of persons who +had been missed, and whose own friends even had not thought it worth +while to go in search of them, was very large. In every case the man's +stock of gold was not to be found in his tent; still there was nothing +surprising in this, as every one made a point of carrying his gold +about him, no matter how heavy it might happen to be. One or two dead +bodies had been found floating in the river, which circumstance was +looked upon as indicative of foul play having taken place, as it was +considered that the poorest of the gold-finders carried fully a +sufficient weight of gold about them to cause their bodies to sink to +the bottom of the stream. Open attempts at robbery were rare; it was in +the stealthy night time that thieves prowled about, and, entering the +little tents, occupied by not more than perhaps a couple of miners, +neither of whom, in all probability, felt inclined to keep a weary +watch over their golden treasure, carried off as much of it as they +could lay their hands on. By way of precaution, however, almost every +one slept with their bag of gold underneath their pillow, having a +rifle or revolver within their reach. + +That same night I reached the camp of gold-washers, where Lacosse and +the trapper had had their horses and packs of provisions stolen from +them. The robbery, I believe, was committed by men almost on the verge +of want, who thought it a more convenient way of possessing themselves +of a stock of provisions than performing a journey to the lower +settlements for that purpose would have been, and a cheaper way than +purchasing them here, where they run scarce, and where the price of +them is exorbitantly high. Other things are in proportion. Clothing of +any description is hardly to be had at any price, and the majority of +the miners go about in rags. Collected round a rude shanty, where +brandy was being dispensed at a dollar a-dram! I saw a group of ragged +gold-diggers, the greater part of them suffering from fever, paying +this exorbitant price for glass after glass of the fiery spirit, every +drop of which they consumed was only aggravating their illness, and, in +all probability, bringing them one step nearer to their grave. + +The big bony American, who treated Lacosse and the trapper in such a +peremptory manner, and who seemed to be the terror of these diggings, +was pointed out to me. I learnt, however, that he had accumulated a +very large amount of gold, over sixteen thousand dollars' worth, it was +said; and his suspicions that parties were lying in wait to plunder him +of it was the cause of his acting as he had done. He thought they only +came to his shanty with an excuse, for the purpose of observing its +weak points, and that no doubt they had a scheme in their heads for +robbing him, either at night time, or while he was absent digging and +washing during the day. The men he had shot, it seems, were common +thieves--one, a deserter from the garrison at Monterey, and the other +belonging to a similar band of robbers to that by which our party had +been attacked, and our gold carried off. + +I reached Sutter's Fort the next day, and found it like the most +crowded localities of some of our great cities, with the exception that +the bulk of the people we met with belonged to a totally different +race. I saw Captain Sutter for a few moments, when he informed me that +Mr. Bradley and his party had left a couple of days ago; and that a +gentleman, accompanied by a man named Joe White, who, as the Captain +said, used to trap for him before the gold fever came up, had been +making inquiries at the Fort respecting Mr. Bradley that very day. I at +once saw that this could be no other than Lacosse, and set off to see +if I could meet with him. After some search, I was fortunate enough to +discover him at the newly opened hotel here, where he had intended +stopping for the night. I remained with him and shared his room--a +little box not more than ten feet by twelve, or thereabouts; but we +considered ourselves fortunate in having obtained even that, the place +being tremendously crowded. + +I heard from Lacosse that Captain Sutter had informed him that the +leader of the band of desperadoes who had plundered us had been seen +down at the Fort with some of his companions not more than ten days +ago. He was quite sure he was right in the man; for Tomas Maria, who +had been shot, belonged to his gang, and was, in fact, his chief +lieutenant. The name of El Capitan was Andreas Armjo; and Captain +Sutter said he recommended Bradley to make his way to San Francisco, +where, in all probability, he would meet with him, as when he left the +Fort he had taken the road towards the coast. + +The next day we started off towards San Francisco, and, from inquiries +made on the road, found that we were on the correct track--Bradley, Don +Luis, McPhail, and José, having passed through a day or two previous. +We arrived at the end of our journey without meeting with any +adventures worth noting, and at once made our way to Sweeting's hotel, +glad to find it one of the few houses in this town that were not shut +up. Here we met with our friends, who had been there now nearly two +days, and were then on the point of starting off in pursuit of Andreas +and his comrades. We learned from them, that directly they heard the +important information which Captain Sutter had communicated to them, +they started off in pursuit, but not with any expectation of coming up +with the gentlemen they were in search of before arriving at San +Francisco. They had constant tidings of them all along the route, as El +Capitan was too well known to many a poor ranchero whom he had +plundered of the dollars produced by the sale of his hides, while on +his journey home from the sea-coast. + +When they arrived at San Francisco, they made inquiries whether any +ships had recently left the harbour, and were glad to find that there +was not a merchant vessel in port with enough hands on board to weigh +the anchor. Every ship had been more or less deserted by its crews, who +had hastened off for a few weeks' labour at the gold-diggings. They +found, however, that Andreas Armjo and his men had been making +inquiries on board of several of the vessels to ascertain when any of +them left port. On finding none were sufficiently manned to do so, +they offered the captain of one schooner a thousand dollars to land +them at any port in Mexico he pleased, and said they would themselves +help to work the ship. The captain, however, declined the offer. + +After receiving this intelligence, they went to the house of the first +alcalde, to consult with him on what steps should be taken to arrest +the robbers, who were then doubtless at some place near the coast. They +found, however, that he had gone to the mines with the rest of the +people, and they made their way to the residence of the second alcalde, +in the hope of being more fortunate; but he too had gone to the mines +with his superior. Further inquiries satisfied them that there was not +an officer of justice left in the town of San Francisco, and they had +therefore determined to make their way forthwith to Monterey, as, in +all probability, the gang would proceed there in the hope of meeting +with a ship. + +Lacosse and myself determined to accompany them, and the old trapper +volunteered his services, which were accepted. We obtained fresh horses +from Sweeting, and set off in gallant style, determined to shorten the +distance by hard riding. It was early on Wednesday morning when we +arrived at Monterey; and McPhail and Bradley proceeded to board all the +ships in the bay, while Don Luis, Lacosse, and myself made inquiries +about the town. We soon learnt that Andreas Armjo and his party had been +paying it a visit; and, moreover, one of the gang, who thought he had +disguised himself so as not to be recognised, had been seized as a +deserter from the garrison here. The others were not interfered with, +as there was no specific charge out against them. Our robbery had, of +course, not been heard of here. Don Luis and myself, after having +dispatched Lacosse to communicate this intelligence to Bradley and +McPhail, sought an interview with Colonel Mason, and, on informing him +of the robbery and the circumstances attending it, received from him an +order to see the soldier who was then under arrest. By promises of not +proceeding against him, for any share he might have had in the robbery, +we induced him to confess the whole circumstances connected with it, +and also to inform us of the route intended to be taken by El Capitan +and the two others of the gang. This, it seems, was along the great +Spanish Trail to Santa Fé. + +On rejoining our companions, we decided to continue here the remainder +of the day, and to start off the next morning in pursuit. We informed +Colonel Mason of the circumstance, and he stated that he would have +furnished us with a guard to accompany us, if he did not feel certain +that the men would desert to the mines directly they got outside the +town. + +At four o'clock the next morning we commenced the journey, each of +us taking a stock of provisions sufficient to last for a fortnight; +although we hoped, and fully expected, that we should be back to +Monterey several days before that time had expired. It was purely a +question of hard riding. Andreas and his party had started, as far +as we could learn, three days in advance of us, and no doubt knew +the track better than the old trapper who had undertaken to +accompany us as guide. He had never penetrated further than the foot +of the Sierra, so that if we were compelled to cross the mountains +we should have to seek for some Indians to guide us on our course. +By pressing our horses hard we succeeded in crossing the hills of +the coast range that night, and encamped some slight way down the +descent, in as sheltered a spot as we could manage to select. The +night was quite frosty, but we made up a blazing fire, and, well +wrapped up in our serapes, slept till morning, without feeling much +inconvenience from the cold. Next day we struck the river of the +lakes, and found it thickly hemmed in with timber along its whole +course. We soon found a fording place, and encamped at night a few +miles from the east bank. The following morning we fell in with some +civilized Indians, who informed us, in answer to our inquiries, that +a party of three whites passed along the trail the evening before +last, and that they would have encamped not far from this spot. + +These Indians, Don Luis informed me, had all of them been attached +to the Californian Missions; but, since the downfall of these +establishments, they had moved across the coast range, and had +located themselves in the neighbourhood of the Tule Lakes, +subsisting chiefly on horseflesh. To gratify their appetites, +however, instead of giving chase to the number of wild horses--here +called mustangs--that are scattered over the extensive prairies in +the neighbourhood of the lakes, they adopt a much lazier method of +supplying their larder. This is, to make predatory excursions across +the mountains, and to drive off a large herd of tame horses, +belonging to some poor ranchero, at a time; these they slaughter, +and subsist on as long as the flesh lasts, when they set out again +on a similar expedition. Sometimes they are pursued, and, if +overtaken, butchered forthwith; but, in general, they manage to +escape some little distance into the interior, where they are safe +not to be followed. + +We put spurs into our horses, and soon cleared the marshy ground +intervening between us and the Fork, which we forded, and rode for +several miles through a country thickly covered over with oak trees +and intersected by numerous small rivulets. Large herds of elk were +frequently started, and during the whole day their shrill whistle +was continually being heard. + +We encamped to-night without having heard anything more of Andreas +Armjo and his companions. Several parties of Indians we met a few +hours before sundown stated that they had not seen any white men +along the trail. I felt disposed, as far as I was myself concerned, +to give over the pursuit, as my horse was already worn out by the +journey; but my companions would not listen to it, and determined, +at any rate, to see what would result from following it up briskly +during the next day. We had all noticed that there were no new signs +of horses that had been shod passing along the trail, but Bradley +was of opinion that the party would be mounted on unshod beasts, as +very few of the native Californians had their horses shod, unless +they were going a journey across a rough broken country. + +Next day we fell in with several more parties of Indians, from whom +we learnt that the men we were in pursuit of were full two days +journey before us. One party, who had seen them encamped the +preceding evening more than forty miles ahead, told us that they had +inquired of them where the trail turned off to Los Angelos. As this +town was at least five or six days' journey distant, and as the +Sierra had to be crossed to reach it, we concluded among ourselves +that it would be best for us to return to Monterey forthwith. This +decision was readily come to, as there was now no hope of overtaking +the party, and every step we proceeded we were getting into a more +hostile country. In all probability, if we had pursued them to Los +Angelos, we should have discovered that they had struck off on to +the great Spanish Trail, as was their original intention, or else +have found that they had been to Los Angelos and had taken their +departure for some other place. + +We therefore turned our horses' heads, and retraced our steps +towards the coast in no merry mood. We rode along, in fact, in +sullen silence, only broken to mutter out our expressions of +disappointment at the escape of those who had robbed us of the +fruits of so many months of toil, exposure, and hardship. We +encountered nothing very remarkable during our three days' journey +to Monterey. There were the same prairies to cross, the same +thickets to penetrate, and the same streams to ford. Herds of elk +and mustangs were continually seen upon the heights, and every now +and then we met with some small parties of Indians, many of the +chiefs dressed in the Spanish fashion. We were too well armed, and +too many in number, for any of them to venture to attack us, had +they been so inclined; but generally their intentions seemed to be +perfectly pacific. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV. + + The Author and his friends part company + Their regrets at the separation + Friendship in the wilderness + Friendship at a supper + The Author finds himself alone + Monterey deserted + High wages + Officers' servants not to be obtained + A few arrivals from the mines + Stores shut, houses blocked up, and ships left defenceless. + + +We had previously determined, on arriving at the sea-coast, to part +company. There was now no object for keeping together in a party, and +our future plans were, of course, very undecided. It was, therefore, +clearly advisable that we should, at least for the present, separate. +This resolution was not come to without something like a pang--a pang +which I sincerely felt, and which I believe was more or less +experienced by us all. We had lived for four months in constant +companionship--we had undergone hardships and dangers together, and a +friendship, more vivid than can well be imagined in civilized lands to +have been the growth of so short a period, had sprung up betwixt us. +There had been a few petty bickerings between us, and some unjust +suspicions on my part in respect to Bradley; but these were all +forgotten. Common sense, however, dictated the dissolution of our +party. When we reached Monterey, we went to an inferior sort of hotel, +but the best open; and the following day we arranged the division of +the proceeds arising from the sale of the gold that Bradley had left +with Captain Sutter for consignment here. The same night we had a +supper, at which a melancholy species of joviality was in the +ascendant, and the next day shook hands and parted. Don Luis went back +to his own pleasant home, and Bradley started for San Francisco. As +for the others, I hardly know what were their destinations. All I know +is, that on waking the next morning, I found that I was alone. + +After breakfast I walked about the town. Like San Francisco, Monterey +has been nearly deserted. Everybody has gone to the diggings, leaving +business, ships, and stores, to take care of themselves. The persons +who remain are either persons carrying on profitable branches of +commerce, the very existence of which requires the presence of +principals upon the spot, and their clerks and servants, who have been +tempted by high wages to stay. To give an idea of the rate of +remuneration paid, I may mention that salesmen and shopmen have been +receiving at the rate of from two thousand three hundred to two +thousand seven hundred dollars, with their board, per annum. Mere boys +get extravagant salaries in the absence of their seniors; and the +lowest and most menial offices are paid for at a rate which only such a +wonderful influx of gold would render credible. + +But, even with the inducement of this high pay, it was found +exceedingly difficult to retain the services of persons engaged in +commercial and domestic capacities. I learned from Colonel Mason that +the officers in garrison at Monterey had not been able for two months +to command the assistance of a servant. Indeed, they had been actually +obliged either to cook their own dinners, or to go without. Every one +had taken his turn in the culinary department, and even Colonel Mason +had not been exempted. + +The prevalence of sickness at the mines has sent a few people back +here; but, with the commencement of the rainy season, I anticipate that +there will be plenty of labour in the market, and that its value will +become correspondingly depreciated. In the meantime, the general aspect +of the town is forlorn and deserted; stores are shut, houses blocked +up, and in the harbour ships ride solitary and defenceless. + + + + +CHAPTER XXV. + +Letter from the Author to his Brother in England. + + +MONTEREY, _October 11th_, 1848. + +DEAR GEORGE,--I take advantage of the departure of a courier sent by +Colonel Mason, the United States Governor of California, to +Washington, with dispatches, to let you know what I have been about +during the five months which have elapsed since I last wrote you. Long +before you receive this you will have heard in England of the +extraordinary occurrences which have taken plate out here. My last +letter, which I hope you received, told you of the failure of the +emigration scheme to Oregon, and of my intention of leaving that +barren desert-like place, the first possible opportunity. A friend of +mine, of whom I have before spoken to you, namely, Mr. Malcolm, a +Scotchman, and a thorough practical agriculturist, was anxious to +shift his quarters to California, the soil of which country was +represented by every one who had visited it as of extraordinary +fertility. We had heard of the war that was going on between the +United States and Mexico having extended itself to that country, and +Mr. Malcolm prevailed on me to accompany him to San Francisco, where +he thought I might manage to obtain an appointment in the United +States army. We made the voyage together, and the accompanying +diary--of which more by-and-by--commences with an account of our first +setting out. + +But to return to California. I assure you it is hardly possible for any +accounts of the gold mines, and of what I may call gold gravel and +sand, to be exaggerated. The El Dorado of the early voyagers to America +has really been discovered; and what its consequences may be, not only +upon this continent, but upon the world, wiser heads--heads more versed +than mine is in monetary science--must tell. There is much speculation +here as to the effects which the late wonderful discovery will produce +in the States and the old country. Of course we expect to be inundated +with emigrants, coming, I suppose, from every part of the world, and +truly, for all I can tell, there will be gold enough for all. + +And now, the first question you will ask me is, whether I have made my +fortune? I reply, my old bad luck has not forsaken me. I always seem to +come in for monkey's allowance--more kicks than halfpence. Three months +ago I thought my fortune was made, and that I might come home a South +American nabob. Nothing of the kind. Here I was, almost on the spot, +when the first news of the gold was received. I have worked hard, and +undergone some hardships, and, thanks to the now almost lawless state +of this country, I have been deprived of the great mass of my savings, +and must, when the dry season comes round again, set to work almost +anew. I have but fourteen hundred dollars' worth of the precious metal +remaining, and, with the rate of prices which now universally prevails +here, that will not keep me much over a couple of months. My own case, +though, is that of many others. As the number of diggers and miners +augmented, robberies and violence became frequent. At first, when we +arrived at the Mormon diggings, for example, everything was tranquil. +Every man worked for himself, without disturbing his neighbour. Now the +scene is widely changed indeed. When I was last there, as you will see +by my diary, things were bad enough; but now, according to the reports +we hear, no man, known to be in possession of much gold, dare say, as +he lays down his head at night, that he will ever rise from his pillow. +The fact is, that there is no executive government of any strength here +to put an end to this state of things. The country is almost a +wilderness, whereof Indians are the principal inhabitants. The small +force Colonel Mason has here has been thinned very materially by +desertions, and the fidelity of those that remain is, according to the +opinion of their commanding officer, not to be over much depended on. + +Of course, as you may expect, I am naturally much cast down at the turn +which matters have taken--I mean as regards my own misfortune. It is +heart-breaking to be robbed by a set of villains of what you have +worked so hard for, and have undergone so much to obtain. I am in +hopes, however, that my next gold campaign may be a more, successful +one. I dare say there have been plenty of accounts of the doings in +California in the newspapers. As, however, not only you, but Anna and +Charley, and my kind friends Mr. and Mrs. ---- and Miss ----, and many +others, will, I am sure, be glad to know something about my own +personal adventures, I send you a rough diary of what I have seen and +done. I hardly know whether you will be able to make the whole of it +out, for I have interlined it in many parts, and my writing never was +of the most legible character. You know I have always been in the +habit, ever since I first went abroad, of jotting down some record of +my movements, scanty enough, but still forming a memorial which it is +pleasant to look back upon. As, however, the gold affair is not only a +great feature in a man's life, but in the history of our times, I made +pretty full jottings of my adventures every few days; and since I +returned here, I have spent several days in expanding them, and adding +to them a few extra particulars which I thought would be of interest. I +don't know whether you will care to wade through such a bundle of +information. The MS. when I got it all together quite frightened me, +and I hardly liked to ask Colonel Mason to transmit such a bulky parcel +for me; but you know our couriers over here travel with quite a +cavalcade of horses, and a few pounds more would not be thought much +of. However, as it may prove interesting to yourself--S---- I know will +read it through with pleasure and delight in it--I dispatch it for you +to do as you like with. It will be forwarded to a young friend of mine +in New York, Mr. Thorne, to whom I have written, requesting him to +transmit the package to England by one of the monthly steamers. This +will save you a heavy charge for postage, which, I dare say, you would +not thank me for. + +You can't conceive, my dear brother, how often I have wished you were +out here with me. Your engineering talents would have been invaluable +in inventing some method of procuring the gold dust, or rather of +separating it from the soil, which would have been much more effectual +than the rude way in which we went to work. At the same time, I am now +thankful you are at home. It is easy to get gold here, but it is very +difficult to keep it. In fact, after all, the affair is a hazardous +lottery; and those who may succeed in getting off with their pounds of +gold dust and flakes to Europe, or to the States, will be the few who +will win the great prizes. + +In my diary, you will find a very detailed account of our various +operations and successes. The first place we made for was on the south +bank of the Americans' River, and when the Lower or Mormon diggings, as +they are called, got over-crowded, we marched off further up the river, +which soon divides itself into two branches, forming the North and +South Forks. We reached the saw-mill, where the discovery was first +made, and worked there some time; but finding inconveniences in the +way, and hearing of another station, we started again. This new place +is called Weber's Creek, and sometimes Rock Creek, and is a small +stream running into the North Fork of the river. We being upon the +southern bank of the South Fork, and Weber's Creek running into the +North Fork at the north bank, we had to ford both branches of the +stream to get to our new station, which we found very productive; the +gold being more plentiful than in the lower diggings, and discovered in +short veins, and in lumps amongst the rocks of the neighbouring +ravines. We should probably not have gone any further than Weber's +Creek--I sincerely wish we had not--but a good deal of fever and ague +got about. The sun was terribly hot in those deep valleys all day, and +the nights chill and damp. After some weeks here, then, we got +restless, and set off once more, directing our course three days' +journey to the north, to a place upon the Bear River, where we were led +to expect not only plenty of gold, but a better temperature and a +healthier climate. It was after we reached Bear Valley that our +reverses began. It is utterly a savage country, where a strong arm and +the rifle form the only code of laws. Up to our appearance on Bear +River, we had got on with very few adventures, and considerable profit; +but now came misfortunes. I shall not trouble you with them here: they +are written at full length in the batch of MS. I send. + +I hardly know what to do with myself here until the dry season comes +round. The rains have not begun yet, but they may be expected from day +to day, and then I suppose we shall have a vast influx from the +interior, as it is quite impossible to camp out in the rainy season. Of +course the price of any article of food and clothing will be excessive, +and I almost think that the best thing for me to do, when the seamen +come down, and the ships are manned again, will be to try and get a +passage to the Sandwich Islands, which are not very far off, and in +which it is probable that living is reasonable. I could easily get back +to the mainland in time for the next dry season. What changes may take +place by that time, however, I know not. The States may claim the land, +and the gold within it, and send an army to enforce their rights. If +so, a terrible scene of tumult and disorder may be expected. All the +lawless adventurers who are scattered about this part of the continent +are flocking down to the gold regions, so are the Indians; and I feel +pretty sure that Jonathan will have a tough battle to fight if he wants +to keep all the bullion to himself. + +I suppose that in England the people will be pricking up their ears +when they learn what we are doing here, and that we shall have plenty +of emigrants from home. I hardly like to advise upon the subject here; +there certainly is a wonderful amount of gold. What the chances of +obtaining it and getting it taken home may be next season, I know not. +At all events, the pursuit will be difficult in the extreme, and +tolerably dangerous also. + +Yours affectionately, + +J. TYRWHITT BROOKS. + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 13001 *** |