The Press., 1890-03-13

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 'twixt San Fran
 cisco and the "diggings." I had friends on Hawkins Bar, on the Tuolumne river, in Tuolum- ne county. Thither went. When I ssstruck" Hawkins in 1858 it was on its last legs. Still it boasted a store and a dozen houses. Golden hopes were still anchored in the bed of the river. Expensive river claims were then be- ing worked from Red Mountain down to French Bar. But a premature rain and consequent freshet swept the river that season from end to end with the bosom of destruction, and sent for the winter the miners back to their two dollar per day bank diggings.
 It was at Hawkins that l had first 'sbuckled to the mines." My first "buck- ling," however, was in the capacity of a meat peddler. became the agent of firm of butchers up on the mountain for distributing their tough steaks to the Hawkins Bar miners. Through the in- strumentality of horse, over whose back was slung couple of huge pan niers, I continued the agency for week. Then one morning the horse kicked up his heels and ran away. As he ran, at every kick raw and bloody steak would fly out of the boxes, flash in the brilliant morning sunshine, and then fall in the fine red dust of the mountain trail. l fol- lowed hard after, gathering up these steaks as they fell, and when the burden became too heavy piled them up by the roadside in little heaps of dusty, very dusty meat. At last, dusty, perspiring and distressed beyond measure, man. aged to catch that villainous horse. For he, after having ejected nearly the whole load of meat, concluded to stop and be caught. loaded the panniers again with the dusty, carnivorous deposits, led the horse down the steep trail to the river, then muddy and of a rich coffee color from up country mining sediment. Herein I washed my steaks, rinsed them as well as I could of dust, and, as was then the custom, hung up piece after piece in the gauge curtained meat safes at the miners cabins. I think Hawkins got it's share of grit that day in it's beef. Shortly after ward went out of the beefsteak distribu- ting bureau.
 Then went into the service of the man who kept the Bar store, saloon and boarding house. was errand boy, bar. keeper, bookkeeper, woodchopper, as- sistant cook and general maid of all work, and possibly worthlessness. One day the storekeeper's horse, packed with miners supplies, was given into my charge to lead three miles up the river to the camp of the Split Rock river claim. The load was strapped to a ''cross-jack" saddle. It consisted mostly of four, potatoes, bacon and demijohn of whisky. was advised by the mer- chant, on setting out, not to let that horse get ahead of me. If he did it was prophesied that he would run away, ''sure pop" But had not gone forty rods from the store when the beast made rush, got ahead of me, tore the leading halter out of my grasp and set off along the narrow mountain trail at the rate of twenty knots per hour. I followed on a run of about ten knots per hour. Hence the distance between us soon increased.
 AS he ran, the motion burst the bag of . four. ditto the. potatoes, and then the whisky demijohn broke. It was a fine sight. The flour rose in the air like a white cloud above the horse, out of and above which flew potatoes, and the whole was interspersed with jets of whisky. It looked like g snow squal travelling on horseback. When the animal had split all the flour, all the potatoes and all the whisky, he slowed up and allowed him. self to be caught. His mission was ac- 'complished. found remaining the sad- hn >fu Int trail was white with flour for a mile, and so it remained for months after ward. I led the animal back to the store. My heart was heavy and his load was light. The storekeeper gave me his blessing. I did not thereafter remain long in the service of that transportation bureau. --.--
 After this I borrowed rocker and started to washing some river bank gravel. It took me several days to be- come in any degree skilled in the use of the rocker. had no teacher. and was obliged to become acquainted with all it's peculiarities by myself. First set it on dead level. As it had no 'fall" the sand would not run out. But the hard- est work of all was to dip and pour water HUH 1uo upper Ou Iuo STdVel III the sieve with one hand and rock the cradle with the other There was constant tendency on the part of the hand and arm employed in pouring to go through the motion of rocking, and vice versa. The hand and arm that rocked were more inclined to go through the motion of pouring. seemed cut up in two individuals, between whom existed Q troublesomeand perplexing difference of opinion as to their respective duties and functions. Such a conflict, to all in- tents and purposes. of two. different minds inside of and acting on one body, shook it up fearfully and tore it all to pieces. | was as house divided against itself and could not stand. However, at last the physical and men, tai clements thus warning with each other inside of me made up their differ ences. and the left hand rocked the era dle peacefully while the right hand poured harmoniously, and the result was