San Andreas independent., 1856-09-24
An Eyening i'm the Mines.

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"1hc blazing sun has rolled his disc Of
FURNISHED gold behind the rocky battle
ments Ct the canon, and the dark, broad
shadow, long since deepening over the
river-bed, is rapidly climbing, with noise
less steps, the rugged mountain, from
whose snow-crowned summit i will soon
chase the lingering sunlight.
The busy sound Of pick and spade IS
no longer heard the rocker is thrown
aside the water gurgles idly through the
long slaices' and Toms, and the weary
miner, literally rewarded for his day
labor, has gladly turned to lis log-oabia,
or broad tent Of the open sky.
The swollen river is rushing, and boil
ing, and sEirling along its rocky channel,
sending up heavy roar through the
echoing canon, like the deep tones Of an
organ swelling through some grand old
cathedral. The smoke is curling lazily up
in graceful wreaths from canp-fres over
which rough forms, lowering round like
the ghosts Of saperannuated cooks, are
preparing the frugal evening meal. See
that shaggy old fellow reclining carelessly
on the ground, smoking pipe with such
infinite gusto, and watching with scrupu-
lous care a great black Dutch-oyen, whose
tortures he remorselessly aggraVates by
heaping little pyramidsof glowing fra-coals
upon its hollow head, till at length he
fings off the cover, and exuit:ngly rolls
out a most delicious loaf swelling up as if
on the point Of bursting with indignation
at prolonged torrents. 1t IS areal golden
loaf, for he is quite a magician il his way;
and, though his hands are hard and horny,
his bread, like his heart, is always ligIs
Our own cook, pro tenn, has BUSTED about,
and dragged the suffering frying pan from
! the fre-a sign that grub is ready: SO
grab that battered tin plate, draw up to
the fire, and dip in without regard to
etiquette. Seat yourself cross-legged, Ike
a good Mussulman, on the ground fer our
only table is the broad lap 8 old mother
earth A hard day 8-worE Of lifting prim-
tive boulders and picking down csmented
formations has given you an appetite Ike
a vqlturo: fall to and help yourself, for
the motto here is Every one for himself
and the ID take the hindmost
9 Pass that loaf around this way before
you demolish it; I IA hungry as an Office
seeker We happen 10 be out Of butter
just now, as we always are, but slice Of
soft pork viii serve the same purpose.
Let white-livered Grahamites, like NJ
BUcHADNEzzAR, 60 to grass, and live on
homeopathic broth and sa5v-dssst puddings;
YOU never viii have the night mare or be
troubled with the horrors Of dyspepsia,
though you devoura dozen slices Of swine s.
flesh This Tiyer-mining viii try your
( pluck, and you need something stronger
than chicken-broth to excite your animal
nature, and supply the wear-ana-tear Of
muscle. A lusty beef-eater IS worth a
dozen rice-fed starvelings.
"sow for the pipes. You don't use
the weed never mind; I'll wager . box Of
fneeut' that you viii smoke Ike Dutch
burgomaster before you have lived in the
diggins month. As well think Of ex-
listing here without tobacco.
= say, Old Missouri, blow Us out
soag under cover of the smoke; clear your
cracked pipes and play the nightingale.
Old Missouri rolls out the volumes
OF smoke like some dying volcano, but
can sing mar r'-a-one while q long-legged
Vermonter stirs up the smoking embers,
and piles OH the brush-wood How cheer
fully the ruddy glow Of the fire flashes
over the bronzed faces, as it darts It's red
tongues up against the dark curtain Of
night
Well, old Comet, if you won't sing
well uanaosc to Uncle Jimmie's' cabin
Hold On, Doctor Just play the part Of
careful housewife before you follow pick
up the tin things, and start batch Of
bread for the morning. You are thinking
Of the time when you had Ssono body to
look after such things. Now don't look
so glum, SO like asick 'green-horn sighing
for home and his sweetheart
The cabin seems to be the gensral rem
devious Of the evening; for a score Of
jolly boys are gathered in a semi-circle
round the fire blazing against the stone
face of the chimney That tall gaunt, and
bony man, witlIgray hairand grizzly beard, +
is Uncle Jimmie, the Scotchman, i live
Highlander, too, who can sing some of his
bonnie airs, IN manner that will make
your sluggish pulses thrill, as at the sight
Of yellow nugget
He has one capital song by Burns nsyer /
in print, which heleained Of Tam @ Shan |
ter, who, after being out late with the
merry bard, at social gathering or mid
nightreyel, often used to enterthe house
and crawl into bed with Jimmie, then /
mere lad, who says he lay awake many
night listening with boyish delightto Tam's T
wild stories and mellow songs.
Near him is another gray-headed old
miner, who goes by the sobriquet Of
Uncle Tom;' not the Uncle Tom Of a
slave-cabin, but the free-and-easy lord of a