Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/74



CHAPTER  IV.

AFFAIRS ABOUT  THE  COLOMA  SAW-MILL  DURIN'G  THE  SPRING

OF 1848.

Plutus. I shan't  go  near  that  fellow,  Jupiter.

Jupiter. How, my  good  Plutus,  not  when  I  bid  you?

Plut.u.s. No.  He  insulted  me,  turned  me  out  of  his  house,  and  scattered me in  all  directions, — me,  the  old  friend  of  the  family,  all  but  pitched  me out  of  doors,  as  if  I  burnt  his  fingers. What! go back  to  him,  to  be  thrown to his  parasites,  and  toadies,  and  harlots? No; send  me  to  those  who  value the gift,  who  will  make  much  of  me,  who  honor  me,  and  desire  my  company, and let  all  these  fools  keep  house  still  with  Poverty  who  prefer  her  to  me. Let them  get  her  to  give  them  a  spade  and  an  old  sheepskin,  and  go  dig  for their two-pence  a-day,  after  squandering  thousands  in  gifts  to  their  friends.

Jupiter. Timon will  never  behave  so  to  you  again.

^Lucian.

When at  length  civilization  began  to  creep  into  the canons of  the  Sierra  foothills,  and  the  cry  of  gold  was raised, how  was  answered  the  mill-race  digger's  shout  ? Tamely enough,  at  first. Few heeded  it,  or  imagined that it  amounted  to  any  more  than  a  thousand  other great or  small  discoveries  made  since  Spaniards  began their explorations  northward  from  Mexico. Gold was thinly distributed  over  wide  areas,  with  richer  depos- its at intervals,  so  that  for  one  great  discovery,  there were a  hundred  which  were  hardly  worth  attention.

When bags  and  bottles  of  it  were  displayed  at  Be- nicia, at  Sonoma,  at  San  Francisco,  and  Monterey, the sleepy  towns  began  to  rub  their  eyes,  and  awake to the  fact  that  here  was  gold,  bright  yellow  hard gold, and  in  such  quantities  as  might  well  and  quickly claim their  consideration. The quiet  of  pastoral  Cali- fornia was disturbed ;  the  pulses  of  the  people  quick- ened as with  one  accord  they  directed  their  eyes northward. Thence spread  the  news  to  Mexico,  to Oregon,  to  the  islands  of  the  sea,  to  the  eastern  shore of the  continent,  to  South  America,  and  to  the  conti-