The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-02-17

minded me so vividly OF that poor Patagonian
in whose breast / left the deep cash of ny
Bowie knife that the impulse was irresistible t.
save him, and thus in measure repair the
wrong that | had done. / acted from impulse
and not upon principle and hence, his graft
tude annoys me, as something do not proper
ly deserve. However,, suppose must put NJ
with him, since he ca nnot be persuaded to leave
me-"
If it be true, as is sometimes asserted, thai
your masterminds are always unconscious O
themselves, and of th eir power in regulating the
affairs of humanity, land, conversely, that this
very Inconsistencies is symbol and proof o.
calm, broadbased power, then had our Jasper
certainly some undoubted elements of the mas
ter in him. For he vas totally unaware of the
existence of any central forces in himself, and
could only regard his nucleolar influences and
magnetic power as phenomena incapable of be
ing accounted for. In bke manner, Shakspeare-
but will not commit sacrilege. There is some
thing very attractive u the present writer in
the naive style of deprecation in which Jasper
alludes to impulses, also. If all your impulses
Jasper, be such as the one above mentioned
you can very safely resign yourself to their
guidance. But he is right, too; for deeds with
out plan are, in a measure, like " work without
hope" which, as all the world knows,
Draws nectar in a sieve"
1t is not our purpose to give any detailed &C
count of Jasper's life at the mines as we have
hitherto done, We shall here also confne our
selves to few extracts from his Journal, which
written on the spot, has a freshness that oul
greatest skill would not enable us to equal in a
rechdute The following may be set down un
der the head of first Impressions:
~ have already discovered one thing: that
a man has to cork for the gold he may achieve
| used to think that pulling after whale in the
warm attitudes, with ones hat blown off, the
sun high and hot and mate swearing at you
for set of lazy lubbers, and chunking you with
the end of his lance to make you row harder
was something like work, but it does not break
ones lack SO much as this STOPPING all day
long over the pick-ax. l find also that there
are any number of Jaspers out here, in spirit
men of mettle and promise, flying from broken
or unhappy homes, and seeking to harden the
heart into capacity for endurance, by hardening
the palm, and getting the neck as red as a
undergraduates wattles-men who have sport
ed yellow kid and patent-leather on Broadway
and can remember the Schottisch on occasion
even now-tew of them however, unhappiy
are as capable of work as ] am. How that vel
low pirate does delve-he couldn't work better
if he had served an apprenticeship at ditching,
and he brings me all his gold. I can't make
him understand that it is his own. NO. he
says. You Abdullahs Capn. Me work for
you, no for self And B. B.. how he does roll
ont his chorus of Ye Mariners of England at
night, when am content to roll myself away
in my blanket, and sleep in my boots. Oh
for contented life in the present, such as he
leads"
AT later date, he wrote as follows:
"We have dug here now for month, and
have got out exactly enough to pay for our cof
fee and bacon. Abdullah does our washing,
and 3. 3. is our seamster; luckily, he has the
skill OF en- old fore master at it, or we should
have all been gay kings Of shredS end patches
long ere this, for the wear and tsar Of mining
is more destructive of apparel than the worst
boyish freaks of dirt-pie days. At present rates.
that 1 nave sIcflnued hy fasr ft,rifcsrt tbotiro
the exigencies of gnawed bacon-rind, and my
last whisker to the extirpatory efforts necessary
to be resorted to with the cursed race eff Mexi-
can feas thai have taken possession of this
cahon, and Who must be lineal descendants OF
those yalorous p3tl5as that SO exhausted the
patience Of the good Sancho Panza. Now,
canddly, this will not do. 1t won't pay, sir,
and can't be made TO pay, no how you can fix
IT, as r4y Yankee neiakor, the aGhool teacher,
with the carrotty hair, from East Haddam, ex
presses it. Unjust find the gold faster, for time
flies, and | have not yet commenced TO work
out the prObnm of life. Yet, when / come to
think over the possibilities, the prospect seems
fair enough, in all conscience. These rough
men esteem me highly. That speech made
them the other day has created strong impres
sion and, did | choose, ] might become popu-
lar and attain to some authority among them
But what then? do not act from principle
but simply obey the impulse of the moment
whatever IL lnsy he. ] saA .hGse Indian eas
Gals led out, with halters around their necks
and | could not stand idly by, and see them
swung off, with short shrih, on such miserable
unsustained charge as was preferred against
them. 1t did not require any supreme human
ity 10 enab. cna 20 scken at end protest
against any such mockery Of Justice as this
amounted to. l obeyed the impulse, Ctwas
humane one, to be sure, but no more than al
impui9e,l ana, aplngifg stoi, 9 gfEmf, topn-
myself haranguing them, almost before ! was
conscious of what l was about. B. B. says die
well, and brought the water into more eyes thar
his. believe did acquit myself with toler
able credit. The ideas flowed freely and the
words came with spontaneous FELICITY. Judging
| by the criterion Of success, / did do WELL for
obtained the release of the thieving rascals
That fellow with the unpronounceable name
! John, as they call him, ont of a mixed respec
| tof espnoly spd pleIiEy,l wanted 20 pay th'
rifle Of Abdullah Junior, but gave him a rather
summary dismissal, in the style Of the gooC
Friar Tuck and sturdy Occur de Leon, wide
Ivanhoe,) and told him to 60 home to hi
squaws. He promises me some venison, which
II gst It, viii preye a tnost seeepfaple Tee, 6ht
wdI give him thereafter receipt In fun 80
legal services rendered. All, poor Blackstone
and Chitty, We fought but very unfair battle
when ye had my darling Ruth at the other ens
of the lists To think of me, standing upon th.
| broad platform of law and order, and successful
" conducting the defence of a beggafiy set 3
Indian horse-thieves, before his terrible Homo
Judge Lynch! True, they did not steal thos,
hoyses. bnt I'll warrant they have stamnedeo
many a one nom fhe mines since they hay'
been skulking about here. This success Of min'
is mere DROP the bucket, and am as thirst,
as a ploughhorse for more. / must get m,
money speedily, and then, when have it-t'
| con, menre life ana werk--eom,re u tuM. Il
San Francisco, nothing is impossible to a mai
with S20,000 profession, and the spirit that
feel coursing in my veins. A mans reputation
| IN tnis cogntey Is ei a. sapid CROWN as Jack
1 bean stalk, may take the tide at the food
Legislator Judge-Senator-G overnor--quie
sabe? But the money-there's the rub.
Now, a question comes up here that ha
been been beating about in my brain for son,'
tine, and. VIII Gods help nlean 10 ana &c
luton for it. With Gods help, say II Al
Jasper! / fear It's but verbal form with me
When have ! ever really and truly appeale
thitherward for aidance? He bien! They sa
God helps those who help themselves; and
therefore modify it by saying, with Jasper'
help, which, according 2 hypothesis, implie
the ACCESSORY supernaf assistance. But to tn
Question. It is this: Whefre does al'this gel
cone trdms II wonder what Sir Roderic Mul
Gibson would say to my speculations? Proba