Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1916-10-19

pastures OF the Sacramento. They
were about worn out and needed to
%recuperate before beginning anything
new. Some We're out of provisions and
practically starved. The Yankee store
keeper sold food at terrible rates.
remember that quinine, a drug much
in demand, cost Il dollar a grain, We
used to look up from our diggincs at
the procession Of these sad faced, lean
men walking by their cmaciated cat
tie II the women pcering from the
wagons IL be very thankful that we
mad decided against the much toutcd
overland route.
One day. however, an outfit went
through of quite IL different character.
We were appraised of its approach by
Il hunter named Bagsby. He loped
down the trail to the river level very
much in Il hurry.
Boys" he shouted. "quit work.
Come SEQ what's coming down the
trail..' With which he charged back
again up the hill.
His great excitement impressed us,
for Bagsby, like most of the old time
Rocky mountain mcn, was not ordinar-
lily what one would call an emotional
individual. Therefore we dropped our
tools and surged up the hill as fast as
we could so. ! think we suspected
Indians.
\ train of three wagons drawn by
strong oxen was lurching slowly down
the road. 1t differed little from 9TH
ers of its kind, save that the cattle
were IN better shape. and the men
walking alongside, of the tall, compe-
tent backwoodsman type, seemed we'll
II hearty. But perhaps a hundred
yards ahead of the leading wagon
came n horse. the only horse in the
outfit, and on it, riding sidesaddle. was
Il girl. She was Il very pretty red
checked girl, and she must have stop
ped within q half mile or so of the
camp IN order to get herself up for this
Impressive entrance. Her dress was
or blue calico, with 4 white yoke and
heavy ounce or pannicrs. Around
her neck was a black velvet ribbon.
On her head was Il big leghorn hat
with red roses. She rode through the
town. her head high. like a princess,
and we all cheered her like mad. Not
once did she look at us, but l could see
her bosom heaving With excitement be-
meath her calico and her nostrils wide.
She was a remarkably pretty girl. and
this vas certainly the moment of her
triumph.
About this time we had to come TO
| soma sort of n 1naicinr f,, 80, ,,,o~i
sions We're about exhausted. We had
no desire to rcpleniSh our stock from
that of the local storekeeper. We were
doing pretty well in the diggings, but
we had also fairly healthy appetites,
and am convinced that at the prices
that man charged we should have no
more than Kept e Williams. the
~storekceper, was levying double prof
its, one from us and one from the
overland Immigrants. Don Gaspar
proposed We send out Nasquez with all
the horses to restock at Suffers Fort.
We We're a trile doubtful as to wheth-
or Vasquez would ever come back, but
Don Gaspar seemed to have confidence
in his man. Finally. though a little
d%oubtfuliy, we came to the plan. Don
Gaspar sent out also to Mcclellan for
safe keeping his accommodations Of gold
dust. but we did not go quite that far.
In view OF probable high prices we in
trusted him with eighteen ounces for
the purchase Of goods.
Nmie he was away we came to an
other decision. 1t had been for some
weeks preparing. Tho diggings were
becoming o~vcrcrowdcd. Almost every
loot of the bar was occupied, and more
men were coming in every day. No
longer could the newcomer be sure of
his color the afternoon Of his arrival,
but was forced to prospect here and
there up and down the river until he
found a patch Of the pay dirt. Most
trusted simply to luck, but some had
systems on which they worked. I have
seen divining rods used. The believers
in chance seemed to do as well as n
one else.
But, also, our own yield was de-
creasing. The last week we had gain
ed only nineteen ounces all told. This
might be merely Il lean bit Of misfor-
tune, or it might mean that We had
taken the best from our ten claims.
Since the human mind is prone to
changes, we inclined to the latter the
DRY. We were getting restless. No
miner ever came to California who did
not believe firmly that he would have
done much better had he come out
one voyage earlier, and no miner ever
found diggings so rich that he had not
a sneaking suspicion that he could do
even better "a little farther on"
Our restlessness was further in
creased by the fact that we were now
seeing a good deal of Sam Bagsby, the
hunter. He and Yank had found much
in common and forgathered Of even
ings before our campfire.
Bagsby was q man Of over fifty, tall
and straight as a youngster, with a
short white beard, a gray eye and
hard, tanned flesh. He was a typical
Rocky mountain man, wearing even