Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/98



of dollars. These dollars  quickly  returned  to  the original deposit,  in  payment  for  goods  bought  at  the other end  of  the  store."

Owing to  the  scarcity  of  coin,  gold-dust  did  not bring over  two  thirds  of  its  real  value. On the  fourth of June,  Mormon  island  and  its  approaches  presented scenes of  the  greatest  excitement. A numerous  cara- van was moving  along  toward  the  no  longer  ridiculed El Dorado.

In July,  Colonel  Mason,  then  military  governor  of California,  visited  Coloma,  and  found  Marshall  living;-

7 7  ;— ,

near the  mill,  while  there  were  many  persons  at  work on the  river  above  and  below  him. Crossing over  to a  stream,  since  known  as  Weber  creek,  three  or  four miles below  the  mill,  he  found  at  work  one  Sunol, with about  thirty  employed  natives,  who  received  their pay in  merchandise. Eight miles  above  was  a  large number of  whites  and  Indians,  some  working  in  the river bed,  and  others  in  the  small  valleys. These latter were  exceedingly  rich,  two  ounces  being  consid- ered the average  yield  for  a  day's  work. In a  small gutter, not  more  than  a  hundred  yards  long  by  four feet wide  and  two  or  three  feet  deep,  two  men  had shortly before  obtained  $17,000  worth  of  gold. An- other small ravine  had  yielded  $12,000,  and  on  every side there  were  hundreds  of  such.

The poor  natives  gathered  round  to  pick  up  a  few crumbs of  civilization,  and  with  a  new  money  buy  new comforts to  supply  new  wants. Gold-dust by  the bushel had  been  within  tlieir  reach  for  ages ;  but  with- out the conventional  value  placed  upon  it  by  the  cun- ning of progress,  it  was  of  no  use  to  them. Now, de- prived of their  natural  resources,  they  herded  about  the mining camps,  being  permitted  occasionally  by  the kinder-hearted miners  to  wash  a  pan  of  dirt  from  their claims, or  to  sweep  the  sluice-boxes. Frequently they obtained quite  a  little  quantity  of  gold  on  the  rivers by scraping  the  crevices  of  •claims  abandoned  by  the white men. Even in  the  days  of  their  degeneration,