Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 9.djvu/88

 76 John Minto. of his associates. He wisely found his road to fortune, honor and fame in the slums of New York. Though four miles of the six between Robinson's salt works south to Red Bank were wild woods, in my trips between t passed through orchards where apples and peaches strewed the ground. I witnessed with my own eyes also the wonderful phenomenon of the migration of squirrels from the west to the east side of the Alleghany River. I saw the little creatures dash into the river as I took my seat in a skiff— beat them across and saw them make shore without swerving either from man's club or dog's teeth. There was no great sign made, they did not move in numbers nor was there any noise. Where the surface of the river was smooth a good eye might see four to six little heads— but each for itself— unknown to others apparently. Their eyes expressed helpless fear. To see it was unforgetable. When I first got employment at the Great Western, the honest Welshmen, as Mr. Riis called them, outnumbered all other classes of miners, and naturally clannish as the Celts of the Scotch Highlands are, it tended to keep others out. Being restless to earn ajid save, I went to Pittsburg in the winter of 1842-3, it being generally the busiest season there. I had a bitterly disappointing winter, getting back to Red Bank penniless just as father and two friends had signed a contract to drive a tunnel through a hill in order that the Great Western Company might reach a body of especially good ore. They needed another man to work in eight-hour shifts and invited me to join, which I did. We had nearly four months of hard but pleasant work at good earnings on the company's books. When suspension came all we could do was to put our claims into an attorney's hands and, at some sacrifice of plans and property, get to some other mining district. We had cleared a few acres, raised a little corn and more potatoes— and had tasted corn of our owji culture in the roasting ear and the more delicious flavor of the grated corn cakes. But we resolved to sacrifice clearing, cabin and every-