Year: 1863

which so poorly rewarded Its a0horentsr
he had finally emisrated to America,
and adopted the life Of a patriarch in
her most solitary wilds.


Then Jake knew that he was conver.
sing with no less person than the
world celebrated Captain Sutter, and
his heart leaped with JOY at the thought:
for all who won the favor and friendship
of him were sure to prosper, and a
chance meeting with the patriarch Of
New Helvetia" was regarded as next to
being possessed Of 8 tahSman.


In the course Of the day, Jake and
his friends arrived at the fort, where
Basil was Immediately placed under
medical attendance. As for Buffalo
Jake himself, he entered gladly into the
service Of his rescuer, and soon became
one of the most valuable men in the
service Of the fur company. He push
cd into the wilderness at the head Of a
gallant band Of trappers and hunters,
selected by himself, and for a while
neither beaver nor Indian, between the
head waters of the Sacramento and the
mouth Of the San Joaquin, knew peace
or rest.


Jake's time was to come, however, as
it must for every hunter or trapper.-
Plying his vocation one day on the
banks Of the Tuolumnc, he was sur
priSed by an ambuscade Of Indians, un-
der the leadership Of that terror of the
woods, the notorious Captain John"
The trapper was attended by only three
or four of his men, who fled precipltate-
ly at the first discharge, and made good
their escape. Jake was not so fortu-
nate. \ poisoned arrow struck him in
the leg, and for some time he lay in
great anguish where he had fallen,
without the ability to help himself in
the least. After hours passed in this
way, he crawled to the rivers brink,
and imbibed copious draft of its wa
ters. For several days the trapper thus
managed, with the contents OF his pouch
to exc out a scanty subsistence-his
wound which he had dressed and bound
in hgatures, being so painful as to drive
him to the verge of insanity. He then
resorted to roots and wild berries, and
was apparently at his last gasp when
some friendly Indians found him and
and took him to their camp.


Here Jake performed feat which |
never heard eoualcd III the ann.ls of
human endurance and suffering. Find
ing that his injured limb was fast NOR
tifying, he took sharp flint, and fixing
a ligaturc by way of torniquet firmly
about the upper part above the gan
grene, he amputated his own leg-taking
up theveins and arteries, and dressing
his limb after the most approved pro
fessional sty,e.


Not very long since, my attention
was attracted to throng gathered about
some object of interest immediately be-
low the windows Of my office on Clay
street, San Francisco. A heavily built
man. with a look Of decided intelligence
and hair white as silver, which was rem
dered winter by its contrast with a red
handkerchief which he Wore by way of
head dress, was hAranguing a throng Of
boys and men upon the sidewalk and
ever and anon as he spoke, he empha-
sized his gestures bya whirl Of his cane
and an equally vigorous flourish of
stout wooden leg, upon which he relied
to keep a space clear about him, while
he declaimed in thunder tones, his opin-
ions respecting the recent Indian out
RACES at Pitt river.


1t was Buffalo Jake-now better
known as ''Peg-Leg Smith"-the hero
Of my story.