Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1849-01-06
GOLD HUNTING.

oOLD hUNIhN6s
Washington Irviag's "Columbus''- '-may be
prSftably looked Into 1t the present time
The second volume Of the new EDITION, to be
published shortly, supplies us With signifiI
caht passage ~. Il
"Befofe relating the return Il Columbus in
Hispaniola, it is proper to notice some of the |
principal occurrences in the island which
tool, place under the government Of Ovaudo.
A great crowd Of adventurersof various ranks
had thruuget his feet: eager SPECTATORS,
credulous dfeamers, and broken down gentle
men OF desperate fortunes, all expecting to
enrich themselves soddenly, in an island
where gold was to be picked up from the
surface Of. the soil, or gathered. from the
mountain brooks. .,
"They had scarcely landed, says Las Casas,
who accompanied the expedition, when they
all hurried off to the mines, which were about
eight leagues distance. The road swarmed
like ant-hills with Adventures of all classes.
Every one had his knapsack stored with bis
cult or flour, and mining implements on his
shoulders. Those hidalgos, or gentlemen,
who had no servants to carry their burdens,
bore them on their own backs, and lucky
was he who had horse for the journey! he
would be able to bring back the greater load
of treasure.
'They all set out in high spirits, eager who
should first reach the golden land, thinking
they had but to arrive at the mines and COL
lect riches, Hor they fancied,' says Las Casas,
that gold was TO be gathered as easily and
readily as fruit from the trees When they
arrived, however, they discovered, TO their
jismay, that it was necessary to dig pain
: fully into the bowels of the earth, labor to
which most of them had never been accust
omed that it required experience and saga.
, city to detect the value of the ore that in
Y fact the whole process of mining was ex
ceedingly tolsome, demanding vast patience
much experience, and after all being full o
e uncertainty. .t
"They digged eagerly though for time
: but found no ore. They grew hungry, threw
! by their implements, sat down to eat, ant
e then returned to work. 1t was all in vain
o Their labor says La Casas, gave them
= keen appetite and quick digestion, but n
e gold They soon consumed their provision
L exhausted their patience, cursed their infatu
s. alton, and in eight days set off drearily o.
Ii their return along the roads they had latel
}. trod so exultingly. They arrived at Sa
of Domingo, with an ounce of gold, half famish
h ed, downcast and despairing. Such is too o.
in ten the case Of those who ignorantly engag
n, in mining-of all speculatious the most bri
ar liant, promising, and falacious.
al "Poverty soon fell upon these misguided mel
at They exhausted the little property they ha
brought from Spain Many suffered extreme
ly from hunger. and were obliged to exchang
even their apparel for bread Some forme
v connections with the old settlers of the islal
>: but the greater part were like men lost al
" bewildered and just awakened by dream
ne The miseries of the mind, as usual, heigh,e
re ed the suferings of the body. Some waste
ng away and died broken-hearted others we
of hurried off by raging fevers, so that there p
m Iished upwards of a thousand men,