In 1848, at the age of 16, while engaged on a trading ship off the west coast of America, he jumped ship along with the rest of the crew and joined the Californian gold rush. His six years spent working in California and possibly Virginia were obviously formative ones. For the rest of his life he spoke with an American accent, used American phrases, and typically dressed in the style of a Californian digger: a Crimean shirt, knee breeches, Wellington boots and a bright-coloured sash. He was described as having a splendid physique, being almost six foot tall and weighing 185 pounds, all of which was bone and muscle.