Page:History of California (Bancroft) volume 6.djvu/49



THE MILL  MEN. SI

sistant of  Marshall,  and  occupied  in  superintending  the Indians digging  in  the  race. Henry W.  Bigler  was drilling at  its  head;  Charles  Bennett  and  William Scott were  working  at  the  bench ;  Alexander  Stephens and James  Barger  were  hewing  timber;  Azariah Smith and  William  Johnson  were  felling  trees;  and James O.  Brown  was  whip-sawing  with  a  savage.^*

They were  a  cheerful  set,  working  with  a  will,  yet with a  touch  of  insouciance,  imparted  to  some  extent by the  picturesque  Mexican  sombrero  and  sashes,  and sustained by  an  interchange  of  banter  at  the  sim- plicity or awkwardness  of  the  savages. In Marshall they had  a  passable  master,  though  sometimes  called queer. He was  a  man  fitted  by  physique  and  tem- perament for the  backwoods  life,  which  had  lured  and held him. Of medium  size,  strong  rather  than  well developed, his  features  were  coarse,  with  a  thin  beard round the  chin  and  mouth,  cut  short  like  the  brown hair; broad  forehead  and  penetrating  eyes,  by  no means  unintelligent,  yet  lacking  intellectuality,  at times  gloomily  bent  on  vacancy,  at  times  flashing  with impatience.^^ He  was  essentially  a  man  of  moods; his mind  was  of  dual  complexion. In the  plain  and

liah pronancuktion  to  Wimmer. Bigler, Diary ^  MS.,  60,  haa  Werner,  which approaches the  Weimer  form.

oonstrnction were  Ira  Willis,  Sidney  Willis,  William  Kountze,  and  Ezekiel Persons. The Willis  brothers  and  Kountzo  returned  to  the  fort  in  Septem- ber 1847, the  two  former  to  assist  Sutter  in  throwing  a  dam  across  the  Amer- ican River  at  the  grist-mill,  and  the  latter  on  account  of  ill  health. Mention is maile  of  one  Evans,  sent  by  Sutter  with  Bigler,  Smith,  and  Johnson,  Ben- nett and Scott  following  a  little  later;  but  whether  Evans  or  Persons  M'ere  on the  ground  at  this  time,  or  had  left,  no  one  states. Bigler, Stephens,  Brown, Barger, Johnson,  Smith,  the  brothers  Willis,  and  Kountze  had  formerly  be- longed to  the  Mormon  battalion.
 * Among thoee  who  had  set  out  with  Marshall  uppn  the  first  expedition  of

" Broad  enough  across  the  chest,  free  and  natural  in  movement,  he  thought lightly  of  fatiffue  and  hardships.  His  complexion  was  a  little  shaded;  the mouth  declined  toward  the  comers;  the  nose  and  head  were  well  shaped.  In this  estimate  I  am  assisted  by  an  old  daguerreotype  lying  before  me,  and which  reminds  me  of  Marshall  s  answer  to  the  editor  of  IJutchings*  Mcuj'tzine in  1857,  when  asked  for  his  likeness.  *I  wish  to  say  that  I  feel  it  a  duty  I o^e  to  myself,'  he  writes  from  Coloma  the  5th  of  Sept..  *  to  retain  my  like- ness, as  it  is  in  fact  all  I  have  that  Ican  call  my  own;  and  I  feel  like  any  other poor  wretch,  I  want  something  for  self.  The  sale  of  it  may  yet  keep  nie from  starving,  or  it  mav  buv  me  a  dose  of  medicine  in  sickness,  or  pay  fur the  fnneral  of  a  dog,  and  such  is  all  that  I  expect*  judging  from  former  kind- Dosses. I owe  the  country  nothing. '