When they arrived at Bigbear Gully they found the condition of the
people most deplorable, owing to scarcity of provisions, prevailing
sickness, and the total absence of physic or medical attendance. To
make matters worse, there were indications that the rainy season was
about to set in; an event that would certainly increase the violence of
the disease which had already swept away so many of the miners, not a
few of whom fell down in the holes where they were digging for gold, and
thus, in digging their own graves, ended their golden dreams, with
gold-dust for their winding-sheets.
In California there may be said to be only two seasons--a wet one and a
dry. The wet season is from November to March, during which period
foggy weather and cold south-west winds prevail. During the remaining
months of the year, arid scorching north-east winds blow so frequently
and so long that everything green becomes parched and shrivelled up. Of
course this state of things is modified in different localities by the
proximity or absence of mountains, rivers, and sandy plains, and there
are various periods throughout the year during which the climate is
delightful; but on the whole it is considered bad--especially during the
rains, when water comes down in such continuous deluges that
gold-digging and all other work is much interfered with--sometimes
stopped altogether. At midday in this season there is frequently July
heat, while in the morning and evening there is January cold.
Anxious to escape before the weather became worse, Frank went at once to
Jeffson's store to obtain supplies, settle up accounts, and inquire for
his friend Meyer. He found Jeffson looking very ill--he having recently
had a severe attack of the prevailing complaint, but "Company" had
recovered completely, and was very busy with the duties of his store,
which ("Company" being a warm-hearted man) included gratuitous
attendance on, and sympathy with, the sick.
"It'll ruin us intirely," he was wont to say, "for we can't stand by and
see them die o' sickness an' intarvation mixed, an' the poor critters
has nothin' wotever to pay. Hows'ever, vartue is its own reward, an' we
makes the tough miners pay handsome for their supplies, which makes up
for the sick wans, an' kapes us goin' on hearty enough."
"And what of Meyer?" asked Frank, somewhat anxiously.
Instead of answering, Jeffson put on his hat, and bidding him follow,
went out of the store. He led him and Joe towards a large pine-tree, at
the root of which there was a low mound, carefully covered with green
turf. Pointing to it, the Yankee store-keeper said with some emotion--
"There he lies, poor fellow; and a better, more kind-hearted, or
honester man, never drove pick and shovel into the airth."
In compliance with the request of Frank, who was deeply moved, Jeffson
told how that, after the departure of his friends, the poor German's
spirits sank; and while he was in this state, he was prevented from
rallying by a severe attack of dysentery which ended in his death.
"I trust that he was not pressed by poverty at the last," said Frank.
"He would have been," replied the Yankee, "if he had been allowed to
have 'is own way; for, being unable to work, of course he ran out o'
gold-dust, and nothing would persuade him to touch the nugget you left
in my charge. I hit upon a plan, however, which answered very well. I
supplied him all through his illness with everything that he required to
make him as comfortable as could be, poor fellow, tellin' him it was
paid for in full by a friend of his, whose name I couldn't and wouldn't
mention. `Jeffson,' says he, startin' up like a livin' skeleton, and
lookin' at me so serious with his hollow eyes; `Jeffson, if it bees
_you_ dat give me de tings, I vill not have dem. I vill die first. You
is poor, an' ve cannot expect you keep all de dyin' miners vor noting.'
"`Well,' says I, `I won't go for to say I'm over rich, for times _air_
raither hard just now; but it ain't _me_ as is the friend. I assure you
I'm paid for it in full, so you make your mind easy.'
"With that he lay down an' gave a long sigh. He was exhausted, and
seemed to have dismissed the subject from his mind, for he never spoke
of it again."
"I rather suspect," said Frank, "that you did not tell him the exact
truth."
"I guess I did," replied the Yankee.
"Who, then, was the friend?"
"Yourself," said Jeffson, with a peculiar smile. "I intend to keep
payment of it all off your nugget, for you see it _is_ a fact that we
ain't in very flourishing circumstances at present; and I knew you would
thank me for not deserting your friend in his distress."
"You did quite right," said Frank earnestly; "and I thank you with all
my heart for your kindness to poor Meyer, as well as your correct
estimate of me."
Frank did not forget that his own resources were at a low ebb just then,
and that he had been counting on the nugget for the payment of his
expenses to the coast, and his passage to England, but he made no
mention of the fact. His comrade, Joe Graddy, however, could not so
easily swallow his disappointment in silence.
"Well," said he, turning his quid from one cheek to the other--for Joe
was guilty of the bad habit of chewing tobacco,--"well, it's not for the
likes o' me to put my opinion contrairy to yourn, an' in coorse it's all
very right that our poor messmate should have been looked arter, an I'm
very glad he wos. Notwithstandin', I'm bound for to say it _is_ raither
okard as it stands, for we're pretty nigh cleaned out, an' have got to
make for the coast in the rainy season, w'ich, it appears to me, is very
like settin' sail in a heavy gale without ballast."
"Come, Joe," interposed Frank, "we're not quite so hard up as that comes
to. There is a little ballast left,--sufficient, if we only turn to,
and wash out a little more gold, to take us home."
"Sorry to hear you're in such a fix," said Jeffson, still regarding his
friends with a peculiar smile on his cadaverous countenance; "but I
think I can get ye out of it. See here," he added, leading them to
another grave not far distant from that of Meyer; "can you guess who
lies under the sod there? He was a friend of yours; though perhaps you
would scarcely have acknowledged him had he been alive. You remember
Bradling--"
"What! our old travelling companion!" exclaimed Frank.
"The same."
"Why, I saved his life only a few days ago."
"I know it," said Jeffson, "He came here late one night, all covered
with blood; and, flinging himself down on a bench in my store, said that
he was done for. And so he was, I guess,--all riddled with bullets,
none of which, however, had given him a mortal wound; but he had lost so
much blood by the way that he had no chance of recovering. I did my
best for him, poor fellow, but he sank rapidly. Before he died he told
me how you had saved him from being scragged, and said that he wanted to
make you his heir."
"Poor fellow," said Frank with a sad smile, "it was a kind expression of
gratitude that I did not expect of him, considering his reputation."
"I s'pose," said Joe Graddy, with a sarcastic laugh, "that you'll be
goin' to set up your carriage an' four, an' make me your coachman,
mayhap?"
"I think I may promise that with safety," replied Frank.
"Indeed you may," said Jeffson, "for Bradling has been one of the most
successful diggers in Bigbear Gully since you left it, and has made his
fortune twice over. The value of gold-dust and nuggets left by him in
my charge for you is about ninety-six thousand dollars, which, I
believe, is nigh twenty thousands pounds sterling of your money."
"Gammon!" exclaimed Joe.
"You are jesting," said Frank.
"That I am not, as you shall see, if you will come with me to the store.
When he felt sure that he was dying, Bradling asked me to call together
a few of the honest and trustworthy men in the diggings. I did so, and
he told us the amount of his gatherings, and, after explaining how you
had helped him in his hour of need, said that he took us all solemnly to
witness that he left you his heir. He got one of the miners to write
out a will for him and signed it, after which he directed us to a tree,
under which, he said, his gold was hid. We thought at first that he was
raving, but after he was dead we went to the tree, and there, sure
enough, we found the gold, just as he had described it, and, on weighing
it, found that it amounted to the sum I have named--so, Mr Allfrey, I
guess that I may congratulate you on your good fortune. But come, I
will show you the will and the witnesses."
Saying this he led them into the store, where he showed the will to
Frank and Joe, who were at first sceptical, and afterwards began to
doubt the evidence of their senses. But when the witnesses were called,
and had confirmed Jeffson's statements, and, above all, when the bags of
gold-dust and nuggets were handed over to him, Frank could no longer
question the amazing fact that he had suddenly come into possession of a
comfortable fortune!
Need we say, reader, that he insisted on sharing it with Joe Graddy,
without whose prompt and vigorous aid the rescue of Bradling could not
have been effected? and need we add that the two friends found their way
to the sea-coast as quickly as possible, and set sail for England
without delay? We think not. But it may be as well to state that, on
his arrival in England, Frank found his old uncle in a very sour
condition of mind indeed, having become more bilious and irascible than
ever over his cash-books and ledgers,--his own special diggings--without
having added materially to his gold.
When Frank made his appearance, the old gentleman was very angry,
supposing that he had returned to be a burden and a bore to him, but, on
learning the true state of the case, his feelings towards his
_successful_ nephew were wonderfully modified and mollified!
It was very difficult at first to convince him of the truth of Frank's
good fortune, and he required the most incontestable proofs thereof
before he would believe. At length, however, he was convinced, and
condescended to offer his nephew his hearty congratulations.
"Now, uncle," said Frank, "I shall build a house somewhere hereabouts,
and live beside you."
"You could not do better," said the old gentleman, who became suddenly
and wonderfully amiable!
"And I don't intend to bother myself with business, uncle."
"Quite right, my boy; you have no occasion to do so."
"But I intend to devote much of my time to painting."
"A most interesting occupation," said the tractable old gentleman.
"And a good deal of it, also," continued Frank, "to the consideration of
the cases of persons in sickness and poverty."
"H'm! a most laudable purpose, though it has always appeared to me that
this is a duty which devolves upon the guardians of the poor.
Nevertheless the intention is creditable to you; but I am surprised to
hear you, who are so young, and can have seen so little of poverty or
sickness, talk of giving much of your time to such work."
"You are wrong, uncle, in supposing that I have seen little. During my
wanderings in foreign lands I have seen much, very much, of poverty and
sickness, and have felt something of both, as my friend Joe Graddy can
testify."
Joe, who was sitting by, and had been listening to the conversation with
much interest, bore testimony forthwith, by stoutly asserting that "that
was a fact," and slapping his thigh with great vehemence, by way of
giving emphasis to the assertion.
"The fact is, sir," continued Joe, kindling with enthusiasm, "that your
nephy has gone through a deal o' rough work since he left home, an' I'm
free for to say has learned, with myself, a lot o' walooable lessons.
He has made his fortin at the gold-mines, kooriously enough, without
diggin' for it, an' has come for to know that it's sometimes possible to
pay too high a price for that same metal, as is proved by many an' many
a lonely grave in the wilds of Californy. Your nephy an' me, sir, has
comed to the conclusion that distributin' gold is better than diggin'
for it, so we intends to set up in that line, an' hopes that your honour
will go into pardnership along with us."
Mr Allfrey, senior, received Joe's invitation with a benignant and
patronising smile, but he did not accept it, neither did he give him any
encouragement to suppose that he sympathised with his views on that
subject. There is reason to believe, however, that his opinions on this
head were somewhat modified in after years. If report speaks truly, he
came to admit the force of that text in Scripture which says, that as it
is certain man brings nothing into the world, so he takes nothing out of
it, and that therefore it was the wisest policy to do as much good with
his gold as he could while he possessed it.
Acting on these convictions, it is said, he joined the firm of Allfrey
and Graddy, and, making over his cash-books and ledgers to the "rising
generation," fairly and finally, like his new partners, renounced his
ancient habit of digging for gold.