Evening star., 1936-03-11
CHAPTER VIII.
IN OBEDIENCE to the orders Of
l Don Ricardo De La Questa,
Il Sanchez furnished his son-in-

utensils; also he gave his daughter a
saddle horse and saddle. For Jesus
Murietta and old Madre Murietta he
profered horses also, but since these
had not been promised him by Don
Ricardo, Joaquin insisted upon paying
for them and their saddles. For his
mother he selected an old mare from
which the spirit had long since been
ridden; however, she had a fine
springy running walk which carried
her over the trail at about six miles
per hour and without jarring her an
cient rider. Jesus led his mothers mare
with a rope attached to his own
pommel.
With a f1lial appreciation of the
physical limitations of old bones and
muscles, the little cavalcade Travelled
1T the rate Of about fifteen miles per
day. Nor was there the slightest need
for hurry. Time never had and $50
Joaquin considered) never would mean
anything to them. Under the guild
Rnce Of Jesus they rode through Pa
ehecho pass out into the wide Santa
Clara Valley, turned north through
the pueblo of San Jose, up to the east
side of San Francisco bay through the
Mission San Jose, following the bay
shore along the same route De ANA
had followed on his tour of exploration
in 1776. At the place where the city of
Martinez now stands they found rude
ferry in operation across the Carquinez
straits to where had already come into
being a tiny settlement now known as
Benicia and where, few years later,
an abortive effort was to be made by
disgruntled commanding general of
the United States forces to establish
the state capitol.
On this ferry they crossed under
sail, proceeding thence up the west
bank Of the Sacramento River about
ninety miles to point opposite SUIT
ter's Fort. Here Joaquin and Jesus
swan the river with the horses and
sent a skiff across for their mother
and Rosita and the baggage. John
the latter and his mother at once took
up their abode again in a little adobe
casa, while Joaquin and Rosita found
temporary quarters in the fort while
deciding upon their future plans.
Already Suffers Fort was the point
Of departure for the gold rush into the
Sierra Nevada foothills. TranSporta-
ton was scarce; the majority of gold
seekers carried their packs on their
backs, and Joaquin marked, with an
tronic smile, how poorly equipped the
majority of them were for the great
adventure, how ainleSS we're their pro-
Jected wanderings. There were no
mining laws; indeed, law of any sort
was nonexistent and, marking the
rifles, pistols and Bowie knives that
each man carried, no matter how Scant
his remaining equipment, Joaquin con-
cluded that the law of might would
govern for while. Already men were
panning gold along the American river
on land that was owned by John Sut-
ter, under the grant given him by the
Mexican government, so recently
uSurped by the Americans. Sutter, ex-
cited and angered at this trespass,
was demanding a 10 per cent royalty
on all gold taken from his lands and
was being laughed at. Men were help
ing themselves to his horses and steal
ing his equipment; they were slaugh
tering his cattle and drying the beef,
angry because he would not furnish
them with food supplies on credit.
And, before the law of might, he was
helpless to defend himself from this
spoilation.
The prices Of all foodstuffs was un-
believeably high and, since men could
not afford to pay such prices until they
had panned sufficient gold, they went
into the hills with scant rations and
depending for their existence largely
on game. Some little schooners were
bringing food and supplies up from
San Francisco, but the quantity was
pitifully insufficient for the demand
These men," Joaquin told Rosita,
will be hungry before the snow flies;
they cannot spend the Winter in the
high hills and there will be sickness
and trouble"
He wisely resolved not to spend his
reserve capital in food and equipment
to join the gold rush. Down the banks
OF the river rude shacks were being
erected; a start had been made on a
city that two years later was to be the
state capitol. There were a few gen.
eral stores and the saloons. gambling
houses and honky-tonks were many.
Men, headed for the digginS, paused
here for bout with fortune, In the
mad hope of winning sufficient money
to enable them to equip themselves.
Many of them lost their all. Men re-
turning from the diggins with buck
skin bags filled with gold dust, lost
their gold and went back.
THE fortunes that California will
give to the Gringos." Joaquin wisely
decided, will be made in the hills and
lost in the settlements. Rosita, my
love, We will remain in the settlements.
A fool and his money are soon parted
and it appears that there are more
fools than wise men. So-the fools
will gamble"
He selected to ignore the kindly ad-
vice given him by Don Joan Gilroy not
10 gamble, albeit that advice, he de-
cided, had been for him not to gamble
by bucking other mems gambling
games, where the percentage is always
against the player and in favor of the
banker or proprietor of the game. So
he rented space in saloon and,
banking the game himself, proceeded
to deal monte and black jack. Natural
ly he prospered and while thus en-
gagged he improved his knowledge Of
English all of that Fall and Winter;
soon he was speaking the language
with only an occasional pronunciation
OF E or I. He had some Indians build
for him and Rosita small two-room
adobe house. nor did the terrific cost
Of food and clothing bother him when
(as he laughingly told Rosita) the
public was paying for it. His excess
capital, as that accrued, he stored in
q strong box in the treasure room at
Suffers Fort where it was well guarded
for nominal daily charge.