A rich mine of gold discovered
A guard both night and day
A good morning's work
An Indian scout
How he served Dowling, and how Dowling served him
A look-out
Indians seen advancing
A moment of fear
A yell
Arrows and rifles
A wounded chief carried off
The field of battle
The return to the camp
Horses driven off by Indians
Where José was found
The wounded attended to
An after-dinner discussion
How the watch went to sleep, and how they were woke up
McPhail missing
Wolves, deer, and a puma
A party set out in search of McPhail.
_August 20th, Sunday_.--The past week has been in many respects an
eventful one. On Friday, while several of us were rambling about the
neighbourhood of the camp, exploring the numerous mountain canones
which lie between us and the Sierra Nevada, we found, among the loose
particles of rock which had crumbled away from the sides of the ravine
and fallen to the bottom, several lumps of gold of a much larger size
than any we had before met with. This induced us to examine the upper
part of the ravine, where promising traces of gold were readily
detected; further examination convinced us that the precious metal
existed here in far greater quantises than in the locality where we had
been at work for several weeks previous; and we were, moreover,
satisfied that it was to be obtained with much less difficulty, as,
being found in solid lumps, the unpleasant labour of washing was
dispensed with. We therefore determined, on the following morning, to
remove all our implements to this spot, the only disadvantage of which
was its being situated rather far off from our place of encampment.
Since our friends, the Indians, had quitted us, we had always left some
one or other on guard at the shanty, to keep watch over our horses and
baggage, both during the day time and at night; for we knew that some
of them were continually prowling about, our horses having frequently
shown signs of uneasiness in the night time. During the day there was
generally one member of the party who remained at the shanty, having
either José or the lad Horry in company.
The ravine we proposed moving to was nearly half-a-mile distant. After
breakfast, Bradley, Lacosse, and McPhail, accompanied by the old
trapper, set off on a hunting expedition, for our stock of provisions
was now getting very low, leaving José and our legal friend at the
camp. The remainder of the party, including myself, proceeded to the
ravine with our implements, and after working a few hours we succeeded
in procuring more gold than we had obtained in any two days during the
past week. We were just on the point of returning to the camp to dinner
when Dowling, who was standing near some sage bushes at the upper part
of the ravine, heard a rustling among them, and on moving in the
direction of the noise saw an Indian stealthily creeping along, who, as
soon as he perceived he was discovered, discharged an arrow, which just
missed its mark, but lacerated, and that rather severely, Dowling's
ear. The savage immediately set up a most terrific whoop, and ran off,
but stumbled before he could draw another arrow from his quiver, while
Dowling, rushing forward, buried his mattock in the head of his fallen
foe, killing him instantaneously.
At this moment we hoard the crack of a rifle in the direction of the
camp, which, with the Indian's whoop at the same moment, completely
bewildered us. Every man, however, seized his rifle, and Dowling,
hastening towards us, told us what had just occurred. All was still for
the next few moments, and I mounted a little hill to reconnoitre.
Suddenly I saw a troop of Indians, the foremost of them on horseback,
approaching at full speed. I hastily returned to my companions, and we
sought shelter in a little dell, determined to await there, and resist
the attack, for it was evident that the savages' intentions were
anything but pacific.
It was a moment of breathless excitement. We heard the tramp, tramp of
the horses coming on towards us, but as yet they and their riders were
concealed from our view. I confess I trembled violently, not exactly
with fear, although I expected that a few moments would see us all
scalped by our savage assailants. It was the suddenness of the danger
which startled me, and made my heart throb violently; but at that
moment, just as I was reproaching myself with the want of courage, a
terrific yell rung through the air at a short distance from us, and
forty or fifty warlike Indians appeared in sight. My whole frame was
nerved in an instant, and when a shower of arrows flew amongst us, I
was the first man to answer it with a rifle-shot, which brought one of
the foremost Indians off his horse to the ground. I instantly reloaded,
but in the meanwhile the rifles of my companions had been doing good
service. We had taken up our position behind a row of willow trees
which skirted the banks of a narrow stream, and here we were protected
in a great measure from the arrows of our assailants, which were in
most cases turned aside by the branches. A second volley of rifle-shots
soon followed the first; and while we were reloading, and the smoke had
slightly cleared away, I could see that we had spread consternation in
the ranks of the Indian warriors, and that they were gathering up their
wounded preparatory to retreating. I had my eye on one old man, who had
just leapt from his horse. My finger was on the trigger, when I saw him
coolly advance, and, taking one of his wounded companions, who had been
shot though the leg, in his arms, place him on a horse, then mounting
his own, and catching hold of the other animal's bridle, gallop off at
full speed. Although I knew full well that if the fortune of the day
had gone against us, these savages would not have spared a single man
of our party, still I could not find it in my heart to fire on the old
chief, and he therefore carried off his wounded comrade in safety.
In a few minutes the hill-sides were clear, and when we emerged from
our shelter, all that was visible of the troop of warriors was three of
them weltering in their blood, a bow or two, and some empty quivers,
and a few scattered feathers and tomahawks, lying on the ground. One by
one, we gradually stole up to the top of the mound from whence I first
beheld the approach of the enemy, when, finding that they were
retreating at full speed in an opposite direction to the camp, we
determined to proceed thither at once, fully prepared to find both
Story and José murdered. On our arrival, however, the former coolly
advanced to meet us, and, in answer to our questions, stated that while
he was superintending the proper browning of our venison, and José was
filling the cans with water, he saw several of our horses scampering
off, being in fact driven by three or four Indians on horseback. "So
quickly," said he, "was the movement effected, that before I could lay
hold of my rifle they were nearly beyond range. I fired, but without
effect; and while I was looking about, I suppose in rather a bewildered
manner, a party of something like forty Indians ran rapidly past. I
don't know whether they saw me or not, but I was by no means anxious to
engage their attention, and was glad enough when the last passed out of
sight. I then went in search of José, whom I found in the river up to
his neck in water--a position which he thought afforded the safest
means of concealment, as he knew his wild brethren would have
sacrificed him, and perhaps eaten him forthwith, if they had chanced to
discover him."
I at once set to work to dress Dowling's ear, and a wound which Don
Luis had received in his hand. The latter was merely a scratch, and the
only danger likely to arise from it was in the event of the arrow by
which it was inflicted having been poisoned. But Don Luis felt so
confident that this was not the practice among the tribes about here,
that he would not allow me to take the usual precautions against such a
contingency.
Our anxiety was now turned towards the party who were out hunting, and
we anxiously looked for their appearance. We had been so upset by the
events of the morning, that we all felt disinclined to resume our
labours after our meal was concluded, and we occupied ourselves in and
about the camp, and in discussing the reason of the Indians' attack,
and the probability of its being followed up by another. The day wore
on without any signs of our companions' return. Towards evening, a
rifle was fired off occasionally, to let them know of the danger which
in all probability awaited them from an attack on the part of the
Indians, and also to let the latter gentry know that we were on the
look-out. It was arranged that we should all keep watch until the
arrival of our friends, to be the better prepared for any danger which
menaced us and them; for we thought it not unlikely that the Indians
were hovering about the camp, and might attempt a surprise. Exhausted,
however, by excitement and fatigue, one by one we dropped off to sleep.
I was wakened up by the report, as I thought, of a rifle, which was
immediately followed by a horrible moaning, and the whole of us were
soon on our legs, rifles in hand, in the expectation of being butchered
in the course of a few minutes. Bradley's well-known whistle, however,
somewhat restored our confidence.
In a few minutes Lacosse, Bradley, and the old trapper were by the
camp-fire. "Is McPhail here?" asked all of them in a breath, anxiously
looking round the circle. The reply to the question was a sad one: he
had not yet returned. In answer to our inquiries as to where they had
parted from him, and as to whether they had heard the rifle-shot which
had disturbed us from our sleep, Lacosse replied that they had first
missed him about three-quarters of an hour ago, but they did not feel
any particular uneasiness at the circumstance, as they imagined he had
ridden on first. The night was rather dark, but Lacosse said the trail
could easily be distinguished. With regard to the shot we had heard
fired, and the moans which followed it, Bradley said that shortly after
missing McPhail, they found some wolves were on their track, in ail
likelihood scenting the deer which they were carrying slung across
their horses. Fearing their noise might attract a more dangerous
customer, in the shape of a puma, towards them, he fired a couple of
pistols, which had the effect of wounding two of the pack, who rolled
over with terrific howls. It must have been Bradley's last shot that
woke us, for none of us heard more than one shot fired.
Our three huntsmen set about preparing their supper immediately, in the
full expectation that McPhail would make his appearance before the
venison was ready. The supper was, however, cooked and eaten, but still
no McPhail arrived. Another hour was suffered to elapse, and then we
began to consider that it was nearly three hours ago since he was last
seen, while at that time he was not more than one hour's distance from
the camp. It was evident, therefore, that he had either missed the
trail or followed it in the opposite direction (which last was the old
trapper's opinion), or else some more serious misfortune had happened
to him. We at once resolved to set out in search of him, leaving a
guard behind at the camp. The mate and Don Luis, being both, as it
were, invalided, were of course among those who were to remain. Bradley
pleaded fatigue, and wished to stay in camp, and Biggs was left on
guard with him.