Morris tribune., 1899-07-15

would swaller me. he didn't want my
| company, and, as for himself, he was
bound to SO up the river, Iniuns or no
Injuns."
We forded the stream at daybreak, a
short distance above where 1T emptled
into the river, and the valiant and
wrathful Captain Fife, clapping spurs
to nfs mule, shouted goodbye, you
land lubber," ana dashed away to the
north, while / turned my mule to the
east and soon left the river far behind
me.
That night, as / tethered my mule
beside foaming mountain brook, ana
saw the yellow dust, which was thick
NY lntermixed with the sands of the
streamlet, glistening in the rays of the
setting sun, assure you that did not
regret that | refused to accompany
Captain Fife.
GiIded and rose-colored were my
dreams that night, and with the ear
Hest dawn l threw off my coat, grasp
ed my spade and went to work with 4
will
For a week I worked like hero,
and had accumulated about forty thou
sand dollars worth of dust, | thought,
when one night, just as l had finished
my supper of venison and coffee. and
was replenishing my fire preparatory
to turning in for the night. who should
/ see riding up but Captain Fife him
self, with a somewhat triumphant
smile on his bronzed features.
"Ahoy, youngster!' said he; you'd
better went with me. I've found just
the best diggin's ever laid eyes on
right in the sand, too-an old river
bed-nothing to do but shovel it up
and rock it out; come back on purpose
for you; two can work at better ad-
vantage, you know"
Much obliged to you, captain, but
I've made my fortune already" said l.
pointing as I spoke to my blanket, IN
which l had rolled up my dust.
The mystifed captain alighted from
his mule and proceeded to unroll the
blanket. but the instant that his eyes
rested on the dust he set up yell that
might have been heard mile had
there been anybody to hear 1T, and
throwing himself on the ground, ne
elasped his laughtershaKen sides with
his hands, and gave vent to his mlrth
in the following manner:
'Ho, no, no! Harpoons and bluhbeT
spades! You've gone and done it,
youngster Wouldn't the company
laugh if l should tell EN-? Why,
youngster, that dust's nothing but mi
worth picayune, the hull
drafted lot! I reckon you'd better go
back with me-"
And reckon I did. We started that
very night, riding by moonlight, | feel
ing very sheepish all the way, and the
captain as jolly as if he was among
school of sperm whales.
''Never mind, youngster," he would
say, eve shall make our eVertastln'
fortins in less than month. and TIE
company needn't ever know anything
about that blanket full of gold. Ho,
no, ho! Harpoons and blubber spades!
but that was a good joke, youngster!
Guess I'll have to tell your gal about
it when we get back to the States"
And to use the expression of the va
liant Captain Fife: 1--WE did make our
everlastin' fortins!" and just as the
rainy season set in. we rode into Sac
and took the stage for San
Francisco, in company with the party
we had left on the Yuba, who had ar
rived in Sacramento few hours ahead
Of us, and who would have utterly dis
credited Captain Flies marvellous stor-
les of the rich diggings W on Feather
river, had it not been for the heavy
sacks of dust that we transferred from
the backs of our mules to the coach.
But the days of rich surface mining
on the Feather river have long passed
away. That once wild and unknown
region now echoes to the sound of the
saw, the blacksmith's anvil,
and the grating, crashing sound of the
quartz-mill. The hardy miner, who
now seeks wealth on the Feather river,
must dig deep in the bowels of the
earth for the glittering dust, or in the
mountains dislodge the vast masses of
gold-bearing quartz, with the aid Of
that efficient agent, which
in '49 was used in California for little
else than the destruction Of human
life.