The Sierra citizen., 1854-09-23

ridge, when we thought we would take
down south of us and see what we could
find-we found nothing on the Middle
Yuba-and it was as much as we could
do to get up again. We discovered what
many have since, that the Middle Yuba is
steep canon from where you get Eureka
South to bear south of you, and continues
so until you get up to the meadows. l
found one speck of gold there about hay
ing time in 1852 when DR.. C. and / were
out prospecting for diamonds. There may
be gold on the Middle Fork above the
mouth of Wolf Greek but | could find
none. There is sag in the hills going
down to the Middle Yuba about south
from the Buttes on the North fork; have
tried it and found black sand and boulders
but no gold. On the south of the Middle
Yuba there is a fine looking mountain
which is very apt to deceive any one at a
distance; it looks like fine red dirt when
you are on the divide between the North
and Middle Yubas but on closer inspec-
tion you find it to be rocks with every ap-
pearance Of volcanic eruption.
That prospecting tour with the DR.. was
a pretty good one and you shall have an
account Of it in regular order-in the
meantime | will 60 back to where the
boys have camped- cleared away the
snow-cut brush to sleep on and got sup
per. Then we had a long debate concern
ing the Bald Mountain and Lone Tree
we were travelling by a pocket compass
that Mr.. R had, and for day or two
we followed that wherever it pointed, and
am pretty certain we were round the thirty
two points of that compass more than
once. We kept up the divide until we
came in sight of the meadows, then struck
down to the right and camped. There
we had grand blow out on wild onions
fryed in pork fat-after this one or two
had to pack along onions enough to do
for dinner, or till we came to the next
patch we then went down a creek which
comes in three or four miles above the
Buttes, camped there and tried digging,
but could not geta good prospect of black
sand and our onions giving out we broke
up camp and went round the Buttes for
more as we were losing the pork fat with
out them; we then put for the Buttes and
as Mr.. r. had returned to the Forks we
were left without a compass, so we could
go just where we pleased and camp at an
onion patch every night We next went
round the Buttes and eamped beside
Lake and prospected but got nothing
We then went to the head waters of the
middle branch of the North Fork and
found gold, but as our supplies were getting
short and we were without the range of
onions we packed up and went back to
the Forks. Then the question was "what
success this time?" Some of the boys
who were with me made pretty fare
spree out of this trip at the expense of
the curious hombres who would get them
in their cabins, treat them a few times
and then came the questioning. "Come
Joe tell us, did you make anything big
this time y Joe would give knowing
wink as much as to say "lay low and keep
dark and will tell you all bye-and-bye.
but you must keep very quiet and not let
any one know it." "Oh no. | will not tell,
| am not such a fool as all that--come
Joe and lets have something to drink;
come on Jack and bring in the other
boys" Joe would say "come here Just
second" and then he would look at him
earnestly and whisper to him 'just fue
hundred to the PAM" and says Joe, 81
don't know when the Major is going out
again, but l am going with him, and any
thing tell, you must keep dark" "No
fears of me Joe for whatever you tell none
shall know come lets go and drink, the
other Boys are waiting for US; what will
you have p and the spree commenced and
was kept up four or five days You will
be wondering where I was all the while
this was going on; well most of the time
l was at G.. Simmons Store.