The Sierra citizen., 1854-09-09

to make one of what we called "corn-meal
fxings;" that was about half pint of
brandy and water with little corn-meal
stirred into it. When the cup was passed
round twas pronounced one Of the best
drinks that was ever invented, and Mr..
Mac became vastly popular. He had to
go some ways after water, and when he
stopped too long we tried the brandy
straight-without either corn-meal or
water, and we pronounced that about as
good as any, barring the name of the thing.
I may as well make finish of the his
tory of the Jim Crow Expedition. 1t
was rumored that new diggings had been
found by the Kanakas on the top of the
hill somewhere about the head of Indian
Creek. One or two men came up from
the Forks and let me into the secret, and
desired me to 60 with them as l was doing
nothing but reading books and papers,
just received from below; which by the
way, were the first newspapers ever read
at the Forks. Packing up two or three
New York Heralds and few days pro-
vision l was ready to start, though / had
but little faith in the new diggings; for 1
thought it impossible that new diggings
should have been worked on the hill
during the winter, without the people at
our camp knowing something about it.
But l was ready to 60 on venture; that
wouldn't do, in daylight; we must needs
wait until dark to :nislead any followers.
After nightfall, ten or a dozen Of us "might
have been seen" coming the log below
Bryfogle Flat with our packs on, and
after we started up the hill we went creep
ing through the brush, more like malefac-
tors escaping from Jail than like honest
gold hunters. We overlook five others
on the first bench of the mountain, like
wise on their way to the secret diggings;
they were waiting for one of their part
ners who had gone back for a bottle or
two, to help them up the ridge.
We all set out together, with the in
tention of getting there before daylight,
to locate our claims before anybody else
arrived. Just at Che crack of day we
came upon brush tent, where the inmates
were melting snow to cook breakfast;
they too were in the secret. When we
got to the top of the hill, we thought
surely the coast is clear now; but we were
mistaken, for there was good trail, and
ahead of us a party streaking it for dear
life, to get there first. AS soon as we ar
rived at the celebrated Crow City, down
went the packs and all hands rushed for
the ravine. We were rather behind and
had some distance to 60, but on the way
l saw the brave Jim Crow for the first
time since he had left us the previous fall,
to go for provisions. They had already
made laws to regulate the new diggings;
some forty men had pledged themselves
that the rights of the Kanakas should be
respected, and upon the whole, it was
well got-up affair. How Jim Grow got
his ft-out to 60 to the mountains, af,er
spending the money which he took with
him in the fall, I know not; but suspect
the Blue Tent people could tell something
about it.
We camped on the upper side of log
to keep us from rolling down the hill, and
after | got pretty well through the news
paper, | made up my mind that it was
about time to go back to the Forks; the
knowing ones still desired to remain, as
the Kanakas were going into the richest
kind of diggings as soon as the white folks
left.
How many verdant ones ! have seen in
California who would run to Old Nick
after black man-K anaka, Dutchman
or Frenchman, as the case might be, per-
fectly sure of the 'sDead Wood" have
frequently met with men in the mountains
on the track of a0ld Downie,' full splin-
ter! Once. while prospecting with John
BeA, three men came upon us while cook
ing dinners covered all oyer with dust and
sweat, their clothes torn with the chappa-
rab and told us that they were trying to
find the place where "Old Downie, had
been1digging, for he had just gone down
the mountain soith fifty pounds Of gold On.
has back! Wen questioned them about.
where Old Downie had last been seen, but
they were mysterious about the, matter,
and we could get nothing out of them but
the old story about "the Bald Mountain
and the Lone Tree. But to proceed with