Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/400



yond the  town,  followed  by  a  concourse  of  eager  ex- pectants. Arrived on  the  spot,  after  certain  incanta- tory preliminaries  which  would  have  put  to  blush  a Kadiak  Shaman,  he  began  to  grope  about  as  if  in darkness,  then  suddenly  starting  up  he  struck  out  a zigzag  course  as  if  following  a  vein. Round the  spur of the  hill  and  down  the  opposite  slope,  over  claims and through  gardens  the  talisman-directed  Texan went, while  the  crowd  rushed  for  pick  and  shovel with which  to  mark  out  the  line  and  unearth  the treasure. Down they  went,  digging  with  a  will,  five, ten, fifteen  feet,  and  no  vein  was  struck. Deeper said the sage,  and  a  crevice  twenty-five  feet  in  depth, which let  the  sunlight  strike  subterranean  waters,  was opened without  result. A sense  of  swindle  began  to steal  over  those  diggers  and  they  went  for  the  Texan goldometer man. But the  end  was  not  yet. Select- ing one from  their  number  he  seated  him  on  an  empty whiskey keg,  and  began  to  mesmerize  him  and  breathe into him  the  spirit  of  prophecy. Shortly the  spirit- ualized miner began  to  talk,  and  he  informed  his  eager listeners that  gold  was  surely  there,  but  that  it  lay  ten feet deeper  than  they  had  yet  dug. Satisfied by  this voice from  another  world,  they  continued  their  work, but now  with  much  greater  difficulty,  for  besides  be- ing obliged to  hoist  their  dirt  thtjy  must  pump  out  the water which  constantly  flowed  in  upon  them,  so  that before they  had  reached  the  required  depth  the Texan had  ample  time  to  make  his  escape.

It was  in  the  winter  of  1849-50. Two men  whose claims had  yielded,  every  working-day  during  the winter not  less  than  $140,  and  from  that  to  $320, abandoned it  early  in  the  spring  in  order  to  hunt  for something better. After a  dangerous  and  fatiguing tramp over  the  yet  covered  snow-ridges,  spending  sev- eral months turninof  the  channel  of  a  stream  which yielded nothing,  they  turned  their  faces  backward  and entered the  nearest  mining  camp,  without  a  dollar,  and with nothing  that  would  bu}^  bread,  unless  it  was  a