The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1867-07-17

/ ND dl iilo upUil HIS blNstoc
| The viscount commenced:
.The first time that I heard the golden
fever, spoken Of"
Permit me- interrupted the marchioness,
Speak in French as much as youcan. What
moan you by golden fever 7"
".Fievre dor.
Everything is golden in that country,
/ exclaimed three beautiful women, astonished
| at agreeing with each other:
sThank you, cousin, said the marchioness;
continue listen"
aThe first time" resumed the vlsconnt,
'that 1heard the golden fever spoken OF, |
was hunting the buffalo on the plains, the
other side of the Allegheny mountains, to-
ward the northern extremity of the Ontario
that beautiful country of which Cooper has
made such a ravshing description, but failed
to do it Justice Nature is superior even to
the descriptions of Cooper.
II had left Baltimore fifteen days before,
with no intention Of returning until the rainy
season. was there not only for my own
pleasure, but also from motives of economy.
had calculated that, by living thus for SIX
years, could repair the breaches made in my
patrimony. You smile, general; I recon-
mend to you this mode of seeking gold. which
is worth more than the Pactolian streams Of
California.
sThere was a Frenchman who recounted
to me the golden miracle--the birth of San
Francisco, which seemed suddenly to spring
from the earth when the Mexican yoke was
remoyed-tbe magical fortunes which were
made along the Rio Sacramento-the madness
which, at the time, seized both America and
Europe This Frenchman vas named Benoit
Lyon. lie was from the parishef Montmar-
tire, near Paris had him for eighteen
months as a servant. Now he is a citizen,
living at Montmartre, his natal town. He is
proprietor in the Rue ST. Denis, where he
rents, in the summer, small huts to the shop
keepers who trade in the open air.
'sBenoit made a living upon the banks of
the St. Lawrence BY hunting the beaver His
was modest industry When l said to him
that wished to visit Oregon, Sonora, the
Mexican frontier, ETC., Benoit replied at once,
Monsieur will have need Of a servant
served Canadian general, at Fort souris,
when was obliged to leave France. IF Mon
sieur desires testimonials from the general he
lives now a little beyond the river Albany,
in New Wales
sItwas a distance Of several hundred miles.
l had the indiscrction to ask him what had
forced him to quit our dear France. He
smiled and answered Amidst these devils
Of the country here in the West, it is good
to have with ones self a man who knows more
than one trade.
Briefly, Iaccepted his offer Soon after
be commenced serving me, he picked up
money enough to buy little hut. lie was
hardly, active and decetful A valet who
was otherwise would not have suited me.
stAsl Of Mr.. George Leslie, ladies, what
flgure our Partisan Wallets would have made
in that country"
II have never had a valet on my travels,
replied George, quietly
The ladies were too wellbred to smile at
this. There was only cold silence The
viscount continued:
"You see that I was not attracted to the
West by the idea Of picking up little mug
gets of gold from the bottoms OF the streams.
/ do not, indeed, despise gold. But cred
ulity isnot my predominant fault. give only
moderate credit to the stories which circulate.
That which attracted me was the drama play
ed on the other,side of the American CONT
nent by fools and madmen. | was anxious to
see this modern exhibition. The child, the
young man. the maa of mature age, old men,
women, priests--I speak Of American minis
tiers, who have deserted their parishes to run
after gold-I wanted to see all these people,
in their delirium, plunging to the bottom Of
the rivers, scraping the earth with their fin
gers, Drawing famine and thirst, cold and
heat, working day and night, but cheerful
in their insensats zeal, and shouting to heay-
en- the Grand cry of human madness: Gold
gold gold
s.These orgies did not last always The
Ell Dorado formerly turned the heads Of the
Spaniards La Rue Quincampoix saw France
drunk in the time of Law and you all know
the history of the Count de Horn, cousin of
the Regent Philippe of Orleans, who assas-
sinated happy stock jobbcr in cabaret in
Rue de Vcnise, for the purpose Of stealing
his portfolio.
ike to see tragedies elsewhere than at the
theatre.
oThe savage Indians whom Ivainly sought
in the Allegheny mountains and around the
lakes, / found in the Vest 1t was new
world, where custom had the force Of law
where each one demanded justice with his
knife or his gnn--a world bold in the pursuit
Of gain, unscrupulous in the means OF reach
ing it--a world which, mixed together, in lts
shameless materialisp, vice and virtue, blood
and gold.
s;Benoit sold His hut and his furs to a trap
per We went to Baltimore, where propo-
aed to equip myself for the long voyage. We
left one beautiful morning in autumn. re-
collect that the sun rose behind Cape Char
les, which shuts cut the Bay of Chesapeake.
We started on horseback. Before getting
out of sight turned round to see once more
the great and populous city which was mum
dated with the light Of the sun. Steamers
were ploughing the river, and locomotives
were passing right and left. with their quick
cough, and throwing out at intervals their
sharp shrek.
a'Nhen we h1re passed the mountains,
said Benoit to one, we shall no more be dis
turbed by these noises
Benoit was glad to escape from ciyiliza-
ton. The pas sion for adventure had seized
him
Son arriving at Marietta we got on board
steamboat to descend the Ohio, then to as
eend the Missouri up to the Grand Bend, ira
versing thus, without fatigue, the better part
rTl,o oo,.,book full Of