Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/365



and vegetables  and  grain,  were  shipped  from  distant ports.

The captain  of  a  vessel  landing  from  a  small  boat, threw his  valise  upon  the  shore,  and  calling  out  to  a ship's  porter,  "Carry  that  valise  up  to  the  hotel,  my boy,"  pitched  him  a  half  dollar. Drawing back  from the coin,  which  he  had  permitted  to  fall  upon  the ground, with  an  air  of  magnificent  disgust,  Jack  drew from his  pocket  two  half  dollars,  and  throwing  them over toward  the  captain,  exclaimed  as  he  turned  upon his heel,  "carry  it  up  yourself"

Some long-headed,  leathery-brained  Boston  Yankee sent out  shot. He had  more  shot  than  he  could  sell at home,  and  he  had  been  told  that  there  was  consid- erable shooting among  the  miners;  so  he  threw  into a shipment  a  large  consignment  of  shot. "Who wants shot  in  California ! "  exclaimed  the  consignee.

"Nobody," replied  a  broker.

" What'll  ye  give  for  'em?  "

" Don't  want  'em."

"Didn't ask  if  you  wanted  them.  I  asked  what you  would  give  for   them."

" Oh !  ten  or  twenty  cents  a  bag."

" They  are  yours  at  twenty  cents."

The buyer  then  rubbed  up  his  wits,  and  presently sold them  at  $4,  to  be  run  into  revolver  bullets. Then he bought  a  lot  of  tacks  at  ten  cents  a  paper;  for "what do  people  want  of  tacks  who  have  no  carpets?" he had  asked. But when  they  began  to  tack  up  can- vass houses, all  those  tacks  went  off  lively  at  $2  a paper.

Of the  firm  of  Priest,  Lee  and  Company,  at  Sutter's Fort,  was  Christopher  Taylor,  who  went  from  Oregon to San  Francisco  in  1848,  on  the  brig  Henry,  which carried down  produce,  lumber,  provisions,  and  passen- gers. In company  with  several  Oregonians  he  pro- ceeded up the  Sacramento  in  the  little  vessel  of  Sutter and Hastings,  arriving  at  Sutter's  fort  in  Se