Page:History of California (Bancroft) volume 6.djvu/81

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then they  grew  restless,  and  soon  disappeared,  as  Com- modore Jones asserts  in  his  report  to  the  secretary  of the  navy  the  25th  of  October.^  Threats  and  entreat- ies were ahke  of  Httle  avail. Jones claims  to  have checked desertion  in  his  ranks  by  offering  large  re- wards; but if  the  publication  of  such  notices  produced any marked  effect,  it  was  not  until  after  there  were few left  to  desert.*^

In the  midst  of  the  excitement,  however,  there  were men who  remained  calm,  and  here  and  there  were those who  regarded  not  the  product  of  the  Sierra foothills as  the  greatest  good. Luis Peralta,  who had lived  near  upon  a  century,  called  to  him  his  sons, themselves approaching  threescore  years,  and  said: "My sons,  God  has  given  this  gold  to  the  Americans. Had  he  desired  us  to  have  it,  ho  would  have  given  it to  us  ere  now.  Therefore  go  not  after  it,  but  let others  go.     Plant  your  lands,  and  reap ;  these  be  your

wckmIs till  (lark,  and  then  came  into  town  for  provisions,  but  got  so  drunk tiiat  on  starting  they  lost  the  road,  and  went  to  sleep  on  the  beach  opposite their  own  ship.  Just  before  daylight  one  of  them  awoke,  and  hearing  the ship's  bcU  strike,  roused  the  others  barely  in  time  to  make  good  their  escape. Swan  afterward  met  them  in  the  mines.  Trip  to  the  Odd  Minen^  MS.,  3. Certain  volunteers  from  Lower  California  arriving  in  Monterey  fonned  into Ci^mpanies,  nelped  themaeUes  to  stores,  and  then  started  for  the  mines.  Grtfen's Li/e  and  AiventiirfM,  MS.,  11;  Cali/'omian,  Aug.  14,  1848.  The  offer  of  8100 per  month  for  sailors,  made  by  Capt.  Allyn  of  the  hdac  Walton^  brought fon*-ard  no  accepters.  FHshie'a  Bemin.^  MS.,  30-2;  Ferry,  Col.,  325-6;  Sher- fnauif  Mem.,  i.  57;  Bigler^s  Diary,  MS.,  78.

^ Nov.  2d  he  again  writes:  *  For  the  present,  and  I  fear  for  years  to  come,  it will  l>e  impossible  for  the  United  States  to  maintain  any  naval  or  military  es- tablishment in Califofnia;  as  at  the  present  no  hope  of  reward  nor  fear  of puuiBliment  is  suiiicient  to  make  binding  any  contract  between  man  and  man upon the  s«)il  of  California.  To  send  trooj)s  out  here  would  be  neeilless,  for they would  immediately  desert. . .Among  the  deserters  from  the  squa nany F,  3d  artillery,  ha*l  deserted. The five  men-of-war  in  port  dared  not land a  man  through  fear  of  desertion. Two companies  alone  remained  in  Cal., one of  the  first  dragoons  and  the  other  of  the  3a  artillery,  *the  latter  reduced to a  mere  skeleton  by  desertion,  and  the  former  in  a  fair  way  to  share  the same fate.'  Revert^s  Tour  qf  IhUy,  252S;  Sherman's  Mem.,  1. 5C-7; Lantu, Aa/..24-.31.

$40,000 would  be  given  for  the  capture  of  deserters  from  his  squadron,  in  the  fol- lowing sums: for  the  first  four  deserting  since  July,  $500  each,  and  for  any others, $200  each,  the  reward  to  be  paid  in  silver  dollars  immediately  on  the
 * In Nov.  the  commander  gave  notice  through  the  Ccdi/omian  that

delivery of  any  culprit