The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-08-12

OF all wang Chus other business until
it was towed by hand against the cur
rent back again.
All the white men on the river were
agreed on one point, that the "Ark"
would drown somebody ere-its mission
was ended. On this being told Wang
Chu, as an additional precaution he
painted another eye in the stern, sacri-
feed a pig to some Monaghan marine
deity, burnt more ioss-sticks, and ter
minated the ceremonies with another
outpouring of gin and opium.
In the summer time a California noun
tain river is an attenuated, feeble stream
that one may ford at every few hundred
yards; an alienation of rivulets, mo-
tionless pools, bowider covered islands,
and great granite powders, rearing
themselves high out of the waters. But
when swollen by the long continued
rains of winter, or the melting SHOWS of
Sierras in the spring, its quiet, peaceful
character vanishes; it becomes a turbu-
lent, roaring, treacherous monster; itsets
death traps in every direction. Here a
whirling eddy, smooth enough on its sur
face and seemingly harmless, yet pos
sessed of invisible arms, more powerful
than those of the devil fish, to suck and
carry men down into its lowest depths;
there a maelstrom, raging and roaring
over the rocks hidden beneath. Dur
ing the freshet the banks culver and
tremble as the immense power whirls
and foams past, and your voice is caught
from your lips and hurIedinto indistinct-
ness. From "'49" upward, every one
of these mountain gold-bearing streams
has claimed q long list of victims, and
many a brave fellow has been caught in
their deadly embrace ley to be seen
afterward.
The Stanislaus was blooming" one
Spring afternoon at its highest water
mark, when five Cinnamon, encountered
with their blankets, bundles, rockers,
jacks, pans, aud shovels, came stringine
down the Park Hill trail. They stopped
and refreshed themselves for a time al
the China store, and then, accompanied
by Wang Chu, placed themselves and
baggage in his boat to be ferried over.
A quarter of a mile below their start
ing place was Black Rock, a gigantic
bowlder, which for centuries had pitte6
itself against the stream. 1t was no
more than $50 yards from the shore, and
the Stanislaus at this point was not more
than double that distance in width
Here the waters, suddenly narrowed t.
this compass betwixt rocky walls, rushed
rather in a succession of great a o.
bursts than a regular current. This, il
fact, was the upper entrance of the Big
Canon, two miles in length, and by rea
son of the rocky walls and raging cur
rent, no mining could ever be successful
ly accomplished here ut the most favor
able season. Directly opposite the
Black Rock, on a little knoll, was the
cabin of Timid Sims. He, in company
with a chance partner, was working OF
the bank near by.
Sims was always picking up the waits
stragglers, and castaways drifting abou
the country. His house and scanty lar
der were ever open to them. He tool
them a partners, and trusted them q
freely as though they. had come bur
dened with trunks full of endorsement
and testimonials of good character
Sometimes they robbed him; sometime
they got drunk and made his house
pandemonium; sometimes they effectet
the same result without the aid of whisky
by gradually developing sour, surly, fe
rocious dispositions. The best of tn
lot carried the gross result in gold dus
of a weeks washing to Columbia for tn
purpose of turning it into coin, and afte
many days waiting therefore Sims re
ceived a letter from the delinquent, stat
ing that he was overwhelmed with sham
and remorse, but he had given way t
his besetting sin for gambling, and til
dust had all gone into the NAV of tn
''tiger." He had not proved an abb
workman either. His hands SCENE
never before to have grasped pick an
shovel; and after a. mornings gaspin
labor, Sims would often insist that h
should remain at home during the after
noon and make himself comfortable, fo
it was a sore distress to see a MAI pan
ing and struggling with work to which
was very clear he vas unaccustomed.
"Youn get your throat cut n {
these nights by some of these chap
you're always picking up" was til
rough and condescending advice of Jill
Freemantle to Sims. Sims looked as
the idea was entirely new to him, br
the next straggler coming along was
readily taken in.
1t was about II o'clock. Sims an
his cooperative straggler had pr
through their last run of twenty-fy
buckets, and were washing down" t
see how it had yielded. The sieve an
apron of the rocker were taken OF
There was a great deal of black sand j
the bottom of the apparatus. This Sin
was running oil by means OF successlN
streams of water, poured from his lonl
handeled dlpper, aided by a pecull'
rapid rocking Of the machine. Slowl,
at the upper enc, the black depos
assumed the shape OF q point, and net
| the apex, one after another, came out
: little run OF golden yellow flakes.
"Takes a good deal of dirt to make
little gold, doesn't it?" said the strat
gler. "When L was on the North Fol
, OF the Yuba, in 81, L got SIX ounc'
: once out OF twenty-five buckets. The
was the times, though"
"There's about two bits here,
l guess" said Sims. "Wen, that's be
: ter than nothing, and We amt beholdt