WE SEND OUT OUR TREASURE
Though these Indian troubles had nothing to do with it, nevertheless
they marked the beginning of our change of luck. We suffered no definite
misfortunes; but things did not go well. The slight malarial attack of
Don Gaspar was the first of an annoying series. I suppose we had all
been inoculated on the marshes of the Sacramento, and the disease had
remained latent in our systems. The hard work in the open air had kept
us healthy; but the fever only awaited the favourable moment of
depression or of overwork. The combination of ice cold water around our
legs and burning sun on our heads was not the best in the world.
Fortunately Yank, who came from an ague country, had had foresight
enough to bring a supply of quinine. For two months one or the other of
us was ailing; and once for a few days five of us were down!
Then, too, I think the zest of the game was palling on us a little,
strange as it may seem. We could dig gold from the soil almost at will.
It would seem that this single fact would keep normally acquisitive men
keyed to a high pitch of endeavour all the time; but it was not so. I
suppose we needed a vacation. We began to discuss what we would do when
we should see the city again. No one for a moment dreamed that we should
quit these rich diggings. We were here to make our fortunes; and the
fortunes seemed to be ready for the making. Only the novelty having
passed, it had become hard work, just like the making of any other kind
of a fortune.
The Pine family camped below us, used our corral, at our invitation, and
set placidly to work. They were typical frontiersmen, and settled down
in the well-built cabin which they quickly ran up as though they meant
to make of it a permanent home. For two months, which brought us up to
the end of July, they lived a regular and leisurely life. Then one
morning, without any warning at all, they rode over to our cabin,
leading their horses, fully packed. Old man Pine explained, while his
five tall, steady-eyed sons sat their horses quite immobile in the
background, that they had dug enough gold for their necessities, and
that they were now going down to the lower country to pick out some good
land. These men were the very first I happened to meet who had come into
the country with a definite idea of settling.
After the departure of this strong force, began our discussions as to
the safeguarding of our gold. It had now reached a very considerable
sum--somewhere near thirty-five thousand dollars, as I remember it.
Bagsby was very uneasy at its presence in camp.
"The Injuns are beginning to know it's wuth something," he pointed out.
"They don't know yet how much, but they know it will buy beads and
buttons and paint and whiskey and everything else an Injun wants. And
they know that's what we're yere for; and that we must have a lot of it.
I don't calc'late that lot we licked will bother us ag'in; but they'll
spread the news we're yere. And there's lots of bandits and scoundrels
glad to take a chance at us. And while we come out all right before,
they'll git us in the long run if we keep at it. I'd like to git rid of
the stuff."
Don Gaspar agreed with him, as did also Yank, Buck Barry, and Missouri
Jones. McNally, Johnny, and I inclined to the belief that we would do
better to keep our wealth by us until we finally left the diggings,
maintaining always a proper guard. We could not quite see how the
sending out of the gold would much reduce the likelihood of attack; but
the others seemed to think the gold would then be safe anyhow, and that
the news of its delivery at Sutter's Fort would soon spread abroad.
About this time the discussion took a more practical turn from the fact
that our provisions had run so low that we had put ourselves on half
rations. As we did not believe it desirable nor healthy to drop down to
an exclusively game diet, it would soon become necessary to go for more
flour and coffee.
Buck Barry now brought up again strongly the advisability of sending our
treasure out to a safe place. His argument was given point by the
arrival in camp one evening of three evil-looking Mexicans, shabbily
clothed, but well-armed, and mounted on beautiful horses. We fed them
well, but saw to the caps of our revolvers and the security of our
corral before turning in for the night. In the morning they departed
before we were stirring, without so much as a word of thanks. These
mysterious visitors had given us no faintest inkling of their business
or destination. Don Gaspar stated flatly that they had come to spy us
out, having heard of our presence in the valley from the Indians.
"And I told them," said he triumphantly, "that essoon we would be sen'
out for the food."
He went on to argue that thus he had prepared their minds for the fact
that pack-horses would soon be going out. By distributing the gold its
presence would be unsuspected.
I suggested a strong guard, but both Bagsby and Don Gaspar opposed me.
"There's enough of these yere robbers to git us anyhow, even if we all
went," said Bagsby, "and that's why I want to send the stuff out now.
The place they'll tackle will be right yere, if they tackle anything at
all----"
I will not weary you with the pros and cons. At the time I thought, and
I still think, the whole arrangement most ill advised; but against me
was the united opinion of nearly the whole camp, including the most
level-headed members of my own party. It was finally agreed that Yank,
Buck Barry, and Don Gaspar should take out the gold.
They started very early in the morning, carrying the treasure in
saddle-bags and across the horns of the saddle. I argued that Yank rode
much the lightest and had the strongest horse, and managed to get the
others to confide to him a full half of the metal. At the last moment we
had modified the original plan to suit everybody. The horsemen
encumbered by pack-animals were to push on as rapidly as possible in
order to reach by nightfall the settlement where dwelt the Italian
friend. Once there they could feel themselves reasonably safe. Johnny,
Missouri Jones and I would ride with them until noon as a sort of escort
for the uninhabited portion of the journey. By that hour we figured we
should have reached the outskirts of the regular diggings, where, our
experience told us, our companions would be safe.
Accordingly we pushed our mounts hard. Unhampered by pack-animals, and
aided by knowledge of the route, we made great progress. By noon we had
passed the meadow of our night's camp. After a hasty lunch we
accompanied our men a few miles farther, then said farewell and
godspeed, and hurried back in order to reach home before sunset.