Chapter Fourteenth.

A SEA CAPTAIN AS COOK--A HERD OF DEER--RETURN TO MORMON BAR--KEEPING HOUSE--OUR MACHINE IN MOTION--$1,500 IN ONE HOUR--AN ELOPEMENT--WASH DAY--SPORTING--PROSPECTING--DISCOVERY OF GOLD--EXCITEMENT--FATIGUE--THE CAKES “HURRIED UP”--INCENTIVES TO EXERTION--CANALLING A BAR.

We rose in the morning with renewed vigor, and after breakfast, thoroughly prospecting our bar, (see Plate,) we moved on up the river. We found the passage in many places extremely difficult, obliging us to climb precipices to the height of two to three hundred feet. We examined closely, but found no place sufficiently rich to pay for working. At about 12 M. we arrived at a bar that was being worked by a company that had recently purchased it of another company for $2,500.

Their labor was attended with fair success, but they did not succeed in making wages after paying the above sum. There is a law established by custom in the mines, which allows a man a certain space, generally ten feet, extending across the river. It is by this law that companies take possession of bars, and their claim is never disputed, as it is a privilege of which all wish to avail themselves. We ascended the river still higher, but found nothing to encourage us. We deliberated some time and concluded to reascend the mountain. We returned to the encampment of the above-mentioned bar, where we found an old man, a sea captain, acting as cook. They had no tent, but slept in the open air. The cook had a large camp-kettle hanging on a tripod under a live oak-tree, cooking pork and beans, and preparing dinner for thirty men. It seemed a strange occupation for a sea captain; still, it had not yet lost its novelty, and he seemed to enjoy it much. I noticed, however, that he would frequently hitch up his pantaloons and look “aloft.” After resting an hour

[Illustration: G. V. COOPER DEL. ON STONE BY J. CAMERON LITH. of G. W. LEWIS, 111 NASSAU ST. N. Y. J. C. TRACY AND MYSELF “PROSPECTING.”]

we went to a ravine, filled our flasks with spring-water and commenced ascending the mountain. On arriving near the summit we came upon a herd of deer, and wounded one, but did not succeed in capturing it. We soon found ourselves again in view of the Snowy Mountains and resolved to encamp for the night. After partaking of a sumptuous meal, (pork and hard bread) we again reclined on the couch of nature, her sweetest incense borne by the gentle breezes to our sleeping senses. (The _dust_ was blowing furiously.)

We took an early start on our return to Mormon Bar, and arrived in the evening much fatigued. We resolved to make an effort here at mining, and back it up with any amount of energy. We purchased a machine and made all the preliminary arrangements in the evening, preparatory to a start at an early hour. We had no tent, consequently resolved to rent a suit of apartments from Nature, and looking about we found a large rock on the brink of a precipice, one hundred feet above the river. The place was secluded and pleasant. In front of the rock, on the mountain side, was a kitchen sufficiently large for _our_ family, including the sleeping apartment. The space was shaded by a small oak tree; and, growing against the rock, were two other trees. Behind the rock was a space about twelve feet square, well shaded and was to serve as our dressing-room. A person to jump out of the back window would land in the river.

Tracy had volunteered to act as cook, and in order to have things in harmony, I called him wife, and _he_ was perhaps as well calculated to get along under the circumstances as any _one_ I could have got. As to kitchen furniture, he cared more for the useful than ornamental, and was calculated to manage the domestic affairs with the strictest economy. We had a small camp-kettle, a coffee-pot, and two tin plates; I had a knife and fork and tin cup. Tracy had a pocket-knife, and a water-tight Indian basket, which served him as a coffee-cup. I slung my hammock to the trees that grew against the rock; he spread his blanket on the ground, a few feet distant, and we were keeping house.

We arose in the morning full of energy, and didn’t think there were any two individuals in that “section” destined to accomplish more than ourselves. We shouldered our implements and were soon on the margin of the river. As we were placing our machine, a miner came along and informed us that, on the previous day, a Mr. Eccle had got out in one hour $1,500. We had suspected all along that there were rich deposits in the vicinity, and now our _suspicions_ were confirmed. Our machine was soon in operation, and as the $1,500 would flash across our imagination, I would strike my pick the deeper. Tracy would flourish his dipper, strike up some familiar air, and the cradle would rock as if propelled by the furies. If there had been _anything_ in it except dirt Tracy would have had an accompaniment to his song. We washed through ten buckets, and raised the screen; it did not look very encouraging--we run through ten more--Tracy thought there _wasn’t quite as much as there was before_--he began to lag, and I must confess I was obliged to recur often to the $1,500 to keep the necessary elasticity in my suspenders; we stopped a moment to rest, and speculate on the probable appearance of the spot where the above sum was obtained; we came to the conclusion that it _must_ have looked very like the spot we were then at work in. Our machine was again in motion, and with renewed energy; Tracy was really outdoing himself; the $1,500 would flit through his imagination and he would almost throw the machine into spasms; I expected every moment to see his pantaloons and red flannel shirt part company; the only connecting link was a single India rubber suspender which was stretched to its utmost tension. We resolved to run through one hundred buckets before dinner, and, by straining every nerve, accomplished it. We panned down our half-days’ work--it amounted to two dollars. It had been excessively hot, the thermometer rose to 106°, and when we arrived at our encampment we were as wet as if we had been wading the river. We boiled some pork and sea-biscuit together in our camp-kettle, made coffee, and having placed two large stones against the rock, sat down to dinner. Our spirits were buoyant and our anticipations high.

Soon after dinner our machine was again making its spasmodic movements, and continued them during the afternoon; we did not allow ourselves to forget the strong resemblance between our “lead” and the one in which the $1,500 was obtained. At night we had another two dollars to put into the company purse. It is Saturday night, and we feel that we shall hail the day of rest with pleasure. After supper we retire, having our usual serenade, and during the night one of the troupe made love to and eloped with one of Tracy’s boots; I imagined from a hint thrown out in the morning that he would have preferred dispensing with the music.

Mining operations cease on the Sabbath; and miners attend to mending, washing, &c. Tracy and myself went to the river to do our washing; the vocation to me was entirely new. I commenced on a pair of white merino drawers which I sometimes used instead of pantaloons; they looked very well when I commenced, but it was different after working on them half an hour; it would have troubled an experienced washerwoman to tell what color they ought to be; I first tried soap, then sand, but it was of no use; it appeared only to _set the color_. I put them in the river and put a stone on them; what effect the rainy season had on them, I have not been able to learn. I took my rifle, and trespassed on the Sabbath by shooting a rabbit and several quails; we consequently spent the afternoon in feasting, and on Monday morning were in a condition to _tire_ our machine.

We resolved to run through two hundred buckets, and no two men ought, and few could do more. When night came we had $4 to add to the purse. We resolved to spend the next morning prospecting. We started at an early hour, and after testing a number of points, decided upon one, and immediately started our machine. At noon, not liking the result, we determined to spend the afternoon in a further search. We went some distance up the river, carefully examining every point, until we came to a perpendicular ledge of rocks, overhanging the river. We thought no one had ever attempted to ascend this, and by doing so ourselves might find on the other side what had not been examined. We succeeded in gaining the summit, and on going down the other side, commenced to examine the crevices of the rocks. To our astonishment, Tracy found a piece of gold worth a dollar. We were much excited. It was too much to bear in silence. He opened his mouth to halloo but his eye again fell upon the piece of gold and he did not. We found several smaller pieces, and were now satisfied that we had at last found the place for which we had been so long and anxiously looking. We followed down the side to the river, and there found a small bar, into which the gold must find its way, as it was washed from the crevices above. We examined the bar and found particles of gold, and decided to take possession at once. It was late in the afternoon, but at this particular time, we decided not to put off till to-morrow what ought to be done to-day, and immediately started for our machine, which was a mile distant. We were soon underway ladened with our implements, with perspiration gushing from every pore. We found our task a hard one; were often obliged to rest, and as often would our success flit across our imaginations, when we would again shoulder our machine, and push on. It was dark long before we reached our destination; we were obliged to climb over crags of rocks, where one misstep would have precipitated us into the river below. We toiled on, and at length reached our destination. We would gladly have remained here during the night, but our clothes were saturated with perspiration, and, although the days were hot, the nights were on the other extreme, sometimes rendering it uncomfortably cold, even under our woollen blankets. There was no alternative but to return, and we again ascended the precipice, and after a most fatiguing march reached our encampment. I had heard of people’s bones aching “out loud,” but this was the first exhibition of the kind I had ever witnessed. We were soon in the embrace of Morpheus, and fancy carried us home.

We arose much fatigued, but hope was preëminent, and we were soon under way, with the brightest anticipations. Our machine was again in motion; I never felt stronger, and at every bucket-full Tracy would give his dipper an extra flourish, his India-rubber suspender fairly grinning with excitement. We did not fear for the result, and kept our machine in motion until noon, when on raising the screen we found we had made about fifty cents. We had, however, not yet reached the granite, and our spirits were not dampened. We worked during the afternoon, reaching and scraping the granite, and at night would have been one dollar richer than in the morning, if some one had been boarding us gratis. We had exhausted our lead and took our implements back to the first scene of operations. We continued to labor hard during the week, and Saturday night, on making out our balance sheet, we had earned $13.50 each, which was less than the cost of our provisions. It is said that prosperity begets want, and it was precisely so in our case. On Sunday morning we went to the store, purchased flour at seventy-five cents per pound, and a frying-pan for $5, determined to spend the day in feasting.

A team had just arrived from Sacramento with eight fortunate individuals, who had heard that this was the place where men were getting $1,500 per hour, and as they had just arrived from the States, they were willing to _commence even at that rate_. The teamster informed me that Bent, Harry, and Sam “_put in_” at Sacramento, in “stress of weather,” having got on a drunken spree, and spent the $200. On our arrival at the encampment Tracy took his basket, put in some water, stirred in flour, and was soon using our frying-pan. I practiced turning the cakes, and soon became so skilled that I could hit the pan every time. We held a consultation. Tracy was determined to continue mining, but I resolved to go to Sacramento and prepare to embark in something that would pay better. A few individuals were doing well in the mines, and there were comparatively but few. Ours was about the average success. The mass were merely paying expenses. There were a thousand extravagant stories constantly circulating, of men who had made fortunes in an hour, and Mr. Eccles did really in that length of time, get $1,500 in our immediate vicinity. Each one naturally considered himself destined to be one of the fortunate ones, and if he has only made a dollar to-day, he is quite confident that he will make a hundred to-morrow, or, perhaps, a thousand. The same influences operate upon the mind as in gambling, and chances of success are about equal, although mining is not attended with the same disastrous results.

The country is rich in gold, the supply is inexhaustible. The entire soil of the mountainous parts is impregnated with it. It seems an ingredient or constituent of the soil. Still, in its natural distribution, it is not sufficiently abundant to pay for collecting. It is found most plentifully on bars in the rivers, where it is deposited during freshets, or at the confluence of ravines, which sweep down the side of the mountains uniting at the base, where the gold naturally deposits during the rainy season. “Bars,” in California _parlance_, are the low tongues of land at abrupt bends in the river. (See Plate.) They are generally formed in whole, or in part by freshets. During the rainy season, torrents rush down the sides of the mountains, freighted with gold, dirt and stones, which, when coming in contact with the main stream, are borne along until an abrupt bend in the river checks the current, an eddy sets back a certain distance, at which point the heavy substances are deposited. A canal is cut across the root of the tongue, at the head of which a dam is thrown across the river, which turns the water from its natural channel, enabling miners to work below water-mark.