Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/405

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plougher, a  thing  of  life,  comes  freighted  with  high destiny. Laden with  how  many  tons  of  joy  and  sor- row comes she  ? How many  bundles  of  love  and  hate brings she  ? How many  thousands  of  little  packets  of happiness  and  misery  are  to  be  distributed  from  the mass of  mail-sacks  in  her"  hold  ?

Many were  the  men  coming  from  the  mines  with their little  bag  of  hard-earned  gold-dust,  just  enough to carry  them  home,  and  perhaps  a  little  more,  who fell victims  to  the  slight-of-hand  sharks  of  Long Wharf. It is  strange  that  so  many  simple  ones  with beards and  brawny  arms  and  wrinkled  faces  should  be found  among  those  who  had  spent  a  year  or  more  in the  country. It certainly  speaks  well  for  their  asso- ciates in the  mines;  but  most  of  the  weather-beaten innocents were  western  men  who  came  across  the plains and  had  never  seen  New  York,  San  Francisco, or any  other  large  city,  and  the  professionals  of  Long Wharf were  adepts,  and  very  shrewd. Numberless were the  complaints  of  these  old  infants  before  the  re- corder, of having  been  inveigled  under  some  pretext into a  low  den,  and  there  robbed,  or  induced  to  bet  on some  sure  thing. The cappers  for  these  houses  could put their  hands  upon  their  victim  among  a  thousand; usually in  some  way  they  professed  friendship  for the countryman,  and  gained  his  confidence — he  was from the  same  state,  was  likewise  a;oino:  home,  was just about  to  procure  his  ticket,  would  show  his  friend the way,  stopping,  accidentally  of  course,  at  the  house of his  thieving  associates.

Thus in  the  mines  were  elements  instinct  with  riot and unrest,  while  in  the  cities  numberless  were  the disgraceful bankruptcies  attributable  to  foppery  and  the indulgence of  the  palate. Such as  these,  emptying  at one  long  draught  the  Circe-profiered  cup,  straightway were turned  to  swine,  retaining  yet  their  human  facul- ties. To some  it  seemed  as  if  a  premium  was  laid  on indulgence  and  extravagance. Fires were  sweeping