The Nevada journal., 1860-01-13
satrada Gountn 0firial Rrtss.
FRIDAY MORNING, Jan. Is. 1860.
ROund the Cabin Fire.

ders against the jamb, singing MY
name it is Joe Bowers" Harry is
experimenting the baking of loaf in
the huge dutch oven ADS attention
is divided between Hutchins's Masa-
zine. and a pot of beans which arc
tubbling over the fire while l am
scribbling over sheet of paper (the
neanest kind of blue foolscap) which
you, perhaps, will glance over then
twist up to light a Havana with. Eut.
no matter, l am in the humor for
scribLling, and scribble it is. No mat
ter that | have nothing new or cxci-
ting to write about-that | cannot tel
YOU | have discovered a cave hung
round with stalactitcs of pure silver,
or a lake whose every wave seatters
spanglcs of gold OH lis beach. l can
tcll you of the walls Of our cabin,
hung round with gum coats, old shirts
and battered wool hats. THAT i'll one
corner stands the BENCH for our wa
ter-pail, camp-kcttle and frying pans;
above, on the wall, is nailed that ill.,
geniously constructed machine, the
caffec-mili; which, being the only
thing we own that comes under tie
head of "machinery," We are natu-
rally little proud of. Over the fire.
place and along one side of the wall,
runs a. shelf on which is scattered our
miscellaneous Gtetss :" rs, bottles of
quicksilver, rctorts, gold-scalcs, few
stray numbers of Harper, Graham
ah, Graham ! reminds me of "that
snan of fun" Charles G.. Leland, and
his Easy talk'-lIilariter but ! am
forgetting the ''iteTs." We'll old
magazines, spar from the great cave
In Calaveras county, with bark, cones,
seed and wood of the Big Trees, la
va from the Stanislaus, and Mono
Lake porphyry from Lake Tenia,
pebbles from the rocks overlooking
tie Yo Semitic Falls petrified wood
from lone Valley silver orc from
Washoe; old rusty nails, razors,
thread, and things done up in rags"
and laying round loose" In one
corner stand the "bunks'' with their
blankets, oak-lcat-piilows and other
sleeping inducements" In thc op-
pooitc corner is large box for flour,
pork, beef, or, to cue the matter short,
grub" In corner stands our trusty
double-barrel and many .t0rl mur ;
ders has it done on the lakec border
ing the Sacramento many mallards
has it caused to turh summersets in
the air, and many broad winged
pelican brought to the ground. 1t
has caused swan to sing their dying
song" and sand-hill cranes to bite the
dust. widgeon to take their last dive
and mud-h hens to give up the ghost.
But, here, it must stand in its corner
and rust no brant. no ducks, no
game, but grouse and digger s41iir-
rels to be found in this vicinity, ex-
cept occasionally stray grizzly or
sneaking fox. The grouse are about
one to ten miles of mountain climb.
ing. and the digger squirrels some-
times show near half an inch OF their
noses through chink in a pile Of
rocks. So, old ouble-barrel, keep
your corner At one side of the
cabin, under the only window, stands
ahe table. On one end of this piece
q furniture l am now writing while
the tin cups, pans aiiree indispensable
coffee-pot, have possession Of the
other end. What coffee we miners
do drink without milk and strong
as asGafortis. Speaking of strong
coffee reminds me of the following.
which I've had from one of the "par-
ties" 1--WE had very large coffee
pot, originally made for boarding
house keeper, and were in the habit
of leaving tie old grounds" in, and
adding fresh coffee to it, until it be-
came so filled with grounds as net to
hold sufficient of the fluid" for the
three of us, when we would clean il
al! out and start anew. One Sunday,
Bill took the pot out to clean it and
behold large lizard, ''boiled tc
rags" came tumbling out with the
grounds, and no doubt We had beer
drinking his juice for a week or two
did you notice difference in tn,
taste of the coffee while the lizart
Maas-ih the pot 2" ! asked. No.