The party again shift their quarters
The river forded
Horry in the water
Mr. Sinclair's party of Indians
Deserted Indian Villages
Weber's Creek
A halt made
Cradles hollowed out
A commotion in the camp
Colonel Mason arrives on a tour of inspection
His opinions as to what Congress should do
Military deserters, and what ought to be done with them
Return of Colonel Manson's party to Sutter's Fort
Bradley accompanies it with a stock of gold
How the gold was packed, and what precautions were taken for its
security.
Weber's Creek.--_July 9th_.--A few more days' experience at the
saw-mills convinced us that much time and labour was lost in
consequence of the distance between the digging we worked at and the
water, and we therefore determined to seek a more desirable location.
Ever since we had been at the saw-mills we had heard it constantly
said, that at Weber's Creek the gold was to be found in far greater
abundance; and to Weber's Creek we determined to go. The stream thus
called is a small tributary to the northern fork of the Americans'.
We struck our tents yesterday morning, loaded our horses, and took our
departure. The river, at the fording-place, was broad and rapid, but
shallow; the principal difficulties in the ford arose from the number
of smooth round stones, covered with green rince slime, which formed
the bed of the river, and over which our horses stumbled, with a
violence which threatened to disturb the fastening of their burdens. No
disaster, however, actually occurred, except to poor Horry, whose horse
stumbled over a large boulder, and pitched its luckless rider over its
head into the water, to the undissembled delight of the entire party,
who hailed the poor sailor's discomfiture with loud bursts of laughter.
Horry made the best of his way to the farther bank, without paying any
more attention to his horse, which, however, emerged from the water,
and was on dry land as soon as Horry himself.
We now proceeded along the right bank of the North Fork, and on the
opposite side we caught a glimpse of a party of Indians at work, which
we afterwards learned were that of Mr. Sinclair. In one week this party
had gathered sixteen pounds troy of fine washed gold dust. They worked
hard, were well fed, and had liberal rations of "strong water" daily.
We rested a couple of hours at noon, in a pleasant bottom, heavily
timbered, and afterwards, striking away from the river at an acute
angle, moved leisurely on through a broken country, intersected by many
water-courses, and overgrown with dense clusters of trees.
During our afternoon march we passed several deserted Indian
villages--the round-shaped skeletons of the huts alone remaining to
mark the former settlements. Not a member of the tribe, however, was to
be seen; the beaver may build and the deer pasture hereabouts in peace.
Towards evening we entered the valley drained by the stream called
Weber's Creek. Its appearance was very beautiful, and the stream
descended along a steep rocky bed, foaming round large boulder stones,
and tumbling down low ledges of granite. The grassy slopes of the
valley are cut up in all directions with rivulets, the courses of which
are marked by luxuriant underwood, rank grass, and groves of stunted
oaks. Two or three arbours were to be seen with one or two rude-looking
tents, all with blazing fires before them. We encamped forthwith,
hoping the next day to reach a station which we could make available
for our purpose.
We were early on the move this morning, and soon saw several parties of
threes and fours washing in the bed of the river, or exploring the
mountain gorges with their shovels and mattocks. The weather was
getting oppressively hot; indeed, the further we got from the
Sacramento the hotter did it become. The sea-breeze never penetrates
here to refresh us, and, except when an occasional squall comes
sweeping down from the hills, the air is very oppressive.
We travelled but slowly, still in an hour or so we reached a station,
about fifteen miles as the crow flies, or about twenty by the windings
of the stream, from the point of its junction with the Americanos,
where we determined to try our luck. There was quite a camp here--not
to the same extent as the Mormon diggings, but still the washers were
numerous, and the larger part of them were Indians. Some few worked in
the bed of the river, but the great majority were engaged in the
ravines leading up the mountains. The greatest quantity of gold dust
was found in the former, while the latter yielded the best specimens of
lump and scale gold. We were told that, though the side gullies were
very rich, yet they were more uncertain than the main stream. Lumps of
gold, weighing several ounces, were continually met with, but a morning
was often wasted and nothing found; whereas, if a man stuck to the main
stream, and washed all day long, he was sure of his ounce or couple of
ounces of gold. For these reasons we determined to stand by the river.
Our first business was to see if we could manage to construct a couple
of cradles. At a large store here we met with some pine planks, but the
figure was most exorbitant. Taking a hint from what we had noticed
among the Indians at the saw-mills, we determined to fell a couple of
stout trees, and hollow them out so as to serve our purpose. We
obtained the assistance of a man here, a ship's carpenter, and a most
civil obliging sort of fellow, who gave us a day's help for thirty
dollars. He superintended the felling of the trees, and then put us in
the way of proceeding with the work. We found the toil sufficiently
severe, and began to feel the heat, as I thought, to a far greater
extent than was the case in the lower part of the country.
_July 8th_.--Yesterday we were employed, from early in the morning till
beyond noon, in trimming and hollowing out our cradles. While we were
seated together outside the tent enjoying a few whiffs of our pipes and
cigars, after a famous dinner of smoking-hot steaks and frijoles, we
saw the camp below was all in commotion. People were running out of
their tents, and shouting to their neighbours, and gradually a little
crowd was formed round a group of horsemen, who were just then brought
to a halt. That same feeling of curiosity which gets together a London
crowd to see the lion on the top of Northumberland House wag his tail,
caused us to make our way, with the rest of the gapers, down to
Bennett's shanty, against which all this bustle appeared to be going
on. As soon as Bradley and myself could force our way a little through
the crowd, we recognised in a moment the features of Colonel Mason. The
Colonel, who wore an undress military uniform, had just dismounted from
his horse, with the intention, it appeared, of walking through the
diggings. In a couple of minutes' time my friend Lieutenant Sherman
came up, and we were soon engaged in an animated conversation in
reference to the gold district. The fact was, the Governor was on a
tour of inspection for the purpose of making a report to the Cabinet at
Washington. I took care to thank Lieutenant Sherman for his letter of
introduction to Captain Sutter, and to explain to him the friendly
manner in which Captain Sutter received me. I then joined in the
conversation being carried on with Colonel Mason, who was giving his
opinion as to what the Government would do with respect to the gold
placer. The Colonel was very guarded in his statements. He, however,
hinted that he thought it would be politic for Congress to send over
proper officers and workmen, and at once to establish a mint at some
convenient point on the coast. He fully admitted the difficulties of
keeping men to their engagements under circumstances like the present;
but said some steps must be taken to check the system of desertions on
the part of the troops quartered at Monterey and San Francisco. The pay
of the soldiers, he considered, ought to be increased; but, without
reference to this, he told the gentlemen round him that, as good
citizens, they were bound to lend their utmost endeavours to secure in
safe custody all known deserters--men who had abandoned their flag and
exposed the country to danger, that they might live in a state of
drunkenness at the mines.
Colonel Mason next proceeded to visit Captain Weber's store, whither
Bradley accompanied him. On his return, Bradley informed us that the
Colonel and his escort intended to set off on their way back lo
Sutter's Fort that very afternoon, and they reckoned upon encamping
some few miles below the saw-mills that night. Bradley then took me
aside and asked me whether this would not be a good opportunity to send
our stock of gold dust down to Captain Sutter, who would, for a
reasonable commission, consign it to a merchant at Monterey on our
account. The weight of it was becoming cumbersome, and we were besides
in constant apprehension of some unfortunate accident happening to it.
Now was the time, Bradley urged, to place all we had as yet realised in
security. He knew Colonel Mason--in fact, had served under him, and
undertook, if the remainder of the party were agreeable, to carry the
gold, under the protection of Colonel Mason's escort, to Sutter's Fort.
There was something reasonable in this proposal, and Colonel Mason, on
being appealed to, said he would gladly give Mr. Bradley such
protection as his escort would afford him, and would be, moreover,
happy of his company. Our party was, therefore, summoned together, and
the whole, or nearly so, of the gold dust being produced, it was
weighed in our presence, and found to amount to twenty-seven pounds
eight ounces troy--valued at over four thousand six hundred dollars.
Bradley gave a regular receipt for this to the company, and engaged to
obtain a similar one from Captain Sutter. The gold dust was then packed
in a small portmanteau well secured by numerous cords, and firmly bound
on the pack-saddle of an extra horse, which Bradley was to ride
alongside of, the bridle of the animal being secured to his arm, and
its trail-rope made fast to the saddle of the horse which Bradley
himself rode. He was well armed with pistols and a rifle, and started
with Colonel Mason's party a couple of hours before sundown--so that
they might ford the river ere it was dusk. After accomplishing this,
they intended to ride part of the way by the light of the moon.