Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/242



.230 EL  DORADO.

fornia, like  frogs  about  a  frog-pond, — sat  thus  and croaked, cursing  California,  and  looking  at  the  gravel beds, and  crying,  "There  is  no  gold  in  them,"  That did not  bring  fortune. Steady persistent  work,  with reasonable economy,  though  it  seldom  rewarded  one with a  strike  or  a  large  return,  was  sure  to  result  in something. Laziness and  captious  disquiet  were  the two evils. There were  comparatively  few  miners  at  the end of  their  first  two  years  in  California  who  had  $1,000 laid by,  and  yet  a  claim  would  have  to  pay  but  five dollars a  day  to  give  the  miner  of  it  $2,000  at  the  end of two  years,  allowhig  $1,000  during  the  meantime for food  and  clothes. But during  the  earlier  years, wages were  ten  dollars  a  day  or  more,  and  the  miner who could  not  get  that,  or  twice  as  much,  would  stop work, and  either  do  nothing  or  prospect  for  something nearer the  laro-e  ideas  brouo;ht  hither.

Often in  making  excavations  for  buildings  the  spade uncovered the  bones  of  some  unknown  wanderer, thrust hurriedly  beneath  the  cover  of  earth  by  the stranger next  to  him,  thrust  beneath  a  light  covering of earth  and  straightway  forgotten.

Very early  there  appeared  a  mania  for  rushes,  as they  were  called,  that  is,  a  hurrying  hither  and  thither after the  echoing  cry  of  gold. Whole camps  were thus stampeded ;  at  times  the  wildest  stories  of  new finds being  enough  to  cause  men  to  leave  good  diggings in the  hope  of  finding  better. Almost all  of  these excitements ended  in  disaster,  like  that  of  the  Gold Lake affair,  about  which  one  thus  writes :

" One  day,  while  in  Sacramento  city,  I  heard  an  old citizen  relating  his  experience  in  the  gold  mines  of  this country.  Among  other  incidents,  was  that  most memorable  of  California  humbugs,  the  Gold  Lake  ex- citement. I  shall  not  attempt  to  follow  the  old  miner through  all  his  mountain  wanderings,  nor  is  it  neces- sary to  mention  his  hopes  and  fears,  his  sufterings  and toils,  and  ultimate  disappointments — rbut  he  made  one hair-breadth  escape  which  I  shall  mention.     For  many