USA > California > A picture of pioneer times in California, illustrated with anecdotes and stores taken from real life > Part 44
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" Oh! I would induce them to come, by all means," said the Captain. " It is too bad to leave a girl like your sister back there, and she must be so lonesome without you."
Just then three or four young men came in, who were mining in the neighborhood, and were cordially received. They were introduced to the Captain and Brown, and asked to take seats, such as the others had, on boxes and barrels, and such like. The newcomers were evidently persons of education and intelligence. Now the conversation turned on mines and mining; and, as is ever the case at evening camp-fires in the mining regions, each had some strange story to tell of mysteriously lost prospectors. The first was of a prospector who had come into camp with beautiful specimens of gold, some as large as a pigeon's egg; and who, after supplying himself with provisions, had disappeared in some unaccountable way, and was never seen again. And how soon afterwards some of these very specimens were offered for sale at a store in Marysville by a hard-looking rough, supposed to be a Sydney convict. Then came a story of a prospector who came into camp fairly loaded down with gold, and almost starved; and how he told that he had found the diggings from which he brought this gold by following an Indian for seven days and nights into the most inaccessible part of the mountains; and stated that he could fill a quart cup with such gold as he exhibi- ted, in these diggings, in half an hour. How excited the miners were on hearing this wonderful story. How they gathered around him, and besought him to take them to the new-found diggings. How he at length selected ten strong men to go back with him; how well they fitted out; only, however, taking two pack mules with them, which, the prospector said, they must abandon at a certain place, the trail being inaccessible, even to mules, the rest of the way. How the party left camp in the night time, when every one least expected them to go, and how they never were heard of again. Then how, in the next spring, when the snows melted, the skeletons of two mules 'and eleven men were found with an immense quantity of gold fastened to the bones of the dead men and animals; the narrator declaring that these diggings were never yet found. Several more such stories were told, to all of which the miners listened with a sort of mysterious pleasure; although most of them knew that they were in the main fabulous. The last story was one more ex- travagant, mysterious and wonderful than any yet told. At its conclusion, one of the young miners arose, saying:
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" That will do, boys, for one night. Let us go. I have never sat at a camp-fire of a night in the mountains, since I have been mining, that I have not heard these same stories, or nearly the same, told, always a little differently, of course. The first time I heard that story of the gold fastened to the skeletons I had no sleep that night, thinking of the dead men with the sacks of gold fastened on them; but, after hearing the same story told in various ways to suit the taste and feeling of the chap telling it, I came to understand the matter ; so the next camp-fire I sat by I told the gold dead bones story as having happened to myself. Not that I was one of the ten dead men, you know; that would be too thin, of course, but that I was one of the men who found the bones; and, by way of varying the story, I left out the sacks of gold altogether. Well, to my surprise, not one in the camp believed the story, and said I made it up for the occasion. I saw I had made a fatal mistake in the variation I had ventured upon; and now, when seated among strangers at camp, and it comes to my turn to ' spin a yarn,' I often tell that story, but am sure never to leave out the gold in sacks fastened to the bones. When I find the story is taking, and is sort of new to the crowd, I feel encouraged, and sometimes venture to vary it by saying that I found one skeleton a few yards behind the rest lying on its back across a large log with the head held down by an immense sack of gold-dust fastened around the neck, showing that the poor fellow, weak and almost starved, slipped on the log in crossing, and, falling backwards over it, was choked to death by his load of gold. And then I point to the moral, ' Don't be avaricious.'"
This unmasking the stories just told created a hearty laugh.
" But," said our young wag, "you must be careful, gentle- men, when any of you undertake to tell the gold bone story, with my patent edition; for I once nearly got caught myself in telling it. I had described the log on which I found the skele- ton with the bag of gold on its neck, as an immense fallen tree, some four feet in diameter, forgetting that in the first part of the story I had described the whole country, in which we had found the remains, as being without a drop of water or stick of timber for forty miles around. Just as I concluded, some in- quisitive fellow in the crowd called out: 'Thought you said there was no timber in the neighborhood?' I was a little stuck at first, but, recovering myself in time, I said: ' Not one stick,
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Captain, but this one log, and that was the most wonderful cir- cumstance of the whole story, and to this day we never could account for the log; for as to the rest, you know, it was most natural.'"
" Oh, yes," they all said; " the rest was an every day occur- rence; but how that log got there was truly wonderful."
Now the party broke up, all in good humor, and laughed at the outcome of the evening's " miner's stories." Walter showed Captain Ward and Mr. Brown to their bed, which was a very comfortable one for a miner's camp. That night Walter had a strange, troubled dream. He thought he stood on "Long wharf," at the foot of Commercial street, San Francisco, and that he saw Captain Ward's bark, the Blue Bell, looking just as the Captain had described her, sailing past the wharf, and that Minnie was on board, looking over the side, screaming and calling for help, while Captain Ward stood behind her appa- rently trying to draw her back. In an instant Walter leaped into the bay to swim to her, and found himself sprawling out of his berth on the floor.
" Oh, a dream !" he exclaimed as he rose to his feet, " and a strange, detestable one at that; but, thank God, it was a dream."
Then, as he fixed himself back in his bunk, getting the clothes around him, he said to himself :
" My darling Minnie, I hope this dream does not betoken any coming danger to you, or that you are in any trouble. No, of course; and to think that, because of a dream, would be non- sense; but what on earth made me, even in a dream, connect Captain Ward, who is such a perfect gentleman, with Min- nie in that horrid way ? What strange things dreams are ! How different the Captain looked while he was trying to drag Minnie back from the ship's side in a dream from what his nat- ural look is, which is always so pleasing. In the dream he was just the same in every way he was last night, except that his eyes had a fearful, dark, cruel look in them. I am glad I awoke so soon, even if I did hurt myself by that confounded jump. Well, I will tell this to no one, for it might make a wrong im- pression on Ward as to my feelings towards him, which I would not like, because the fact is, I never before knew a man for so short a time that I have taken such a fancy to."
And now Walter dropped off to sleep again, murmuring: " God bless you, my darling Minnie, and keep you safe."
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The next morning after breakfast, Walter took his visitors through the diggings in High Canyon, and gave them an insight into all that was going on.
They pulled up at night at the store, and fared as well as be- fore. Walter's partner, Isaac Hilton, treated both the visitors politely, but. apparently did not fancy them as Walter did. There was something about them that all the time repelled him, as it were. He did not give himself much trouble about this, until he saw Walter so fascinated, and perceived from the actions of the visitors that they intended to stay for some time longer. Then his natural caution induced him to watch their every mo- tion and look with great care and considerable uneasiness; which, however, he tried to hide from observation. On the third day, as Ward and Brown found themselves alone, Brown ad- dressed his companion, with:
" What can be gained by staying here any longer ? What do you expect to make out of either Wagner or Hilton ?"
" Make ! Well, I do not know that I will make anything, but it is too soon to decide. But, in a general way, I will tell you my plan. We have very little to do just now, so we are not losing time; and this young Wagner is a fellow of good parts, and he will always have a good deal of influence in any community in which he lives. I see he takes to me with a rush. I have made up my mind I will cultivate him; and after awhile I will get him to sell out to this suspicious dog of a partner of his, come down to San Francisco, where his influence among the Americans will help our boys very much without his ever knowing more of us than he knows to-day. I will then set you up in business with him. I will get him to send for that handsome sister of his. I will marry her. I will then have your store, you know, robbed, and the wind-pipe of this confiding young gentleman slit by some accident, you know. Then I will propose to my beautiful, young, sorrowing wife to take a trip to sea to soothe her grief, which she will do at once. I will sail out of the harbor of San Francisco with forty or fifty able-bodied fellows of the right sort, and relieve two or three of the Panama steamers of their gold before the Yankees know their steamers are in danger. Then I will run south, find a beautiful island in the South Pacific, where I will regularly found my empire, making you my Secretary of State. There you have my whole plan. What do you think of it ?"
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" Think of it ! Why, as a whole, it is a humbug. As to your getting this young fellow to sell out, and all that part of it, in- cluding the robbing him of his cash, that is all well enough; but what in the devil's name do you want of that girl ?
" Want of her, Brown ?" said Ward, laughing, and then con- tinuing, in an assumed love-sick tone: " My dear fellow, I am in love with her just from looking at that picture of hers, and from the description her enthusiastic brother gave us of her; and have her, I will; so there is no use in arguing with me. You will yet see her walking the quarter-deck of the Blue Bell as queen of the ship; and then, when I have found my empire, I will want an empress, you know."
Brown seemed impatient, while Ward talked in this strain, and broke in with: "That sort of talk is well enough when one is in the humor to listen to nonsense, but we have business to attend to now. I see our boys in San Francisco cannot hold up as you told them to do. The papers received here last night re- port two or three more smart little jobs. They will get into trouble yet, before we are ready to go to sea, if you do not con- trol them."
" Well, perhaps you had better go down to the bay and give them to understand that I am not to be trifled with in this mat- ter; while I stay here and carry out my plan in regard to Wagner."
" Well, I will go, then; but now let me warn you and give you my opinion. This young fellow, Wagner, is apparently mild and gentle, though a powerful man physically. It is easy to see that he loves this sister of his a thousand times better than he loves his life, and I pity the man that ever even looks disrespectfully at her; for, once aroused, such men are tigers not easily overcome. What you say of inducing Wagner to come to San Francisco is all right enough, because we can handle him, I see, so as to make a good turn out of him; but take my advice and let the sister alone. Don't bring her near us, or the first time she looks into your eyes, her woman's quickness of percep- tion will read you through and through. The brother will be put on his guard, and then the worst consequences may fol- low."
" Pshaw! Brown. Why was it that my mother did not read my father in the way you say ?"
" Ah! Captain, but this Yankee girl is another sort of being
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altogether. She is young, and undoubtedly, from the descrip- tion, as beautiful and innocent as you describe your mother to have been, but your mother was the child of luxury; she never once had to think for herself. Every one that approached her did so to administer to her wants or her pleasure. Your father was the first villain she ever met or spoke to, so it was just no game at all to deceive her; but not so this Wagner girl; for, from what her brother says, she is not only beautiful and accomplished, but she is a woman right out, and thinks she has something to do in the world besides being dressed like a doll to be looked at. You can see, too, by what he says that she is well read, and knows that there are worthless men and worthless women every day to be met with, and that a woman, to avoid them, must keep a sharp look-out. No, no; make no attempt on this Yankee girl, or you will go under as sure as the sun shines. No; be satisfied with Lizzie Lawson. You have won her; make her your queen, your empress, as old Jack, her father, I see, ex- pects you to do; otherwise, he and his son may prove very trouble- some."
" Troublesome!" said Ward, with an evident start. " Well, if they ever do attempt a game of that sort, I will close it up in short order for them. But, Brown, your talk is all stuff. Don't you know that I have told you that I swore to outdo my father in every act of his villainous life. He captured a bird out of a royal cage for his wife. Do you want me to be satisfied with one born of a convict bird ? No; I followed up Lizzie in obedi- ence to the wolf part of my animal appetite, but the lion must now be fed, and the more beautiful, intelligent, proud and keen- sighted the girl is, the better I will like it. Yes; you shall see me take this proud Yankee bird right from under the eagle's wing in spite of all opposition, even if the whole Yankee nation conspired to defeat me. Yes; I have set my heart on this feat, and I will succeed, or I am not what I supposed John Cameron Ward-Lusk-to be."
" Well, have your own way, Captain; I have shown you the danger; face it if you will, and, if you do succeed, you will sure enough have outdone your worthy father; but do not, in your tactics, forget that there is such a man as James De Forest some- where about."
" No; I acknowledge that he is dangerous, and, as a military movement, I believe I will dispatch some worthy of our gang to
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Oregon to send him to Heaven, that he may not trouble me on earth."
That evening the mail arrived from San Francisco, announcing the steamer having arrived. But to Walter's astonishment and alarm it brought him no letter from home. However, his part- ner reminded him that their Eastern mail was often behind-hand three and, sometimes, four days. This, Walter now recollected, was, in fact, often the case; so he made up his mind to wait pa- tiently a day or two longer. This evening a letter came to Cap- tain Ward, and, on receiving it, he and Brown walked off together. As he opened it:
" Why," said he, " this is from Wild."
" From Wild!" ejaculated Brown. " Is it possible! Then the precious rascal is back."
" I wonder if he has made much," Ward exclaimed, reading over the contents of the letter for a few minutes without speak- ing; then, as he read the last paragraph, he said:
" Here, I will answer your question by reading what he says in the latter part of his letter."
" I made well on the steamer going east, but when I got fairly among the Yankee sharps, I lost nearly every d-d dollar, and had to borrow. I struck one ' sucker,' however, and did not leave him a ' red.' This enabled me to start back in a respecta- ble sort of a way. I made nothing worth naming on the passage back here, except that I nipped about a thousand dollars' worth of jewelry and five hundred in cash from a California grass widow coming out to her husband. I knew that sort of stock, and went for her; playing soft with her, I soon got my chance, and improved it as I tell you. She had the handsomest girl I ever laid my eyes on in her charge. I played for her, too, and made sure I had her, but she euchred me shamefully. I will tell you all about it when I see you, and you will laugh at the dodge by which she checkmated me. On the whole, I am not sorry that I made this trip. I have learned a good deal among the Yankees. I would not now be afraid to tackle Jim Becket him- self in any game he wishes to start. The steamer reached San Francisco yesterday, and I am going to Sacramento this evening on the Senator."
" Well," said Ward; "this is an additional reason why you should be off. See Wild on reaching Sacramento. You will un- doubtedly find him in tow of Black Dave. Tell him of our
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plans, and of the necessity of keeping out of mischief just now."
Early the 'next morning Brown left High Canyon, shaking hands warmly with Walter, and politely with Hilton. Ward, tak- ing a good opportunity, that day, while Walter and he were seated on a rock some distance from the store, fell into the most ex- travagant praises of Brown; saying that he was from Canada, and of one of the first families in that country; that he had some money of his own, but not enough to start a good business. Ward then said that he intended to advance him whatever money he should want, and concluded by saying:
" I wish, my dear fellow, you could see your way to sell out here, and come down to the bay and go into partnership with Brown; you would just suit each other, and in one year in San Francisco you would make more than you can in five here. Then I could run my ship in connection with your house, and that would help you, as well as make a very nice business for me."
Walter seemed dazzled at the proposition, and for a moment did not speak; so Ward ran on:
" Then you could send for your dear mother and sister, and we would form a little society among ourselves that would be per- fectly delightful, you know."
" Well," said Walter, thoughtfully; " that does look as if it would be nice; and then you could run your ship in connection with those belonging to James De Forest's line; and that would be first rate, too."
As Walter spoke the name of James De Forest, Ward gave a visible start, and for an instant there was a dark shadow in his eyes.
" What is the matter, Captain ?" said Walter, looking anx- iously.
" Oh, nothing, my dear fellow," said the Captain, laughing, and looking down on the seat he had just risen from. " Some- thing hurt me, and I feared a rattlesnake; but I see it was only a sharp corner of the rock."
After this, they often talked of the San Francisco plan, and each time Ward found Walter more and more attracted by it. Early one morning, a day or two after Brown's departure, Mr. Hilton took an opportunity of talking to Walter. He expressed his surprise that Walter should be so carried away in his admir- ation of Ward.
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" I will tell you, candidly, Walter, that I do not share your feelings toward this man ; there is something I cannot fathom about him. I am satisfied he is not what he seems to be. I have observed him closely, and at times when he supposed himself un- observed, there was an unaccountably disagreeable expression in his features."
" Oh, friend Hilton, you are always suspicious of all but those you have known for a life-time."
" No, friend Walter; you do me injustice in saying that, and all I want in this case is to put you on your guard ; there is no harm in being careful, you know, even if you are right and I wrong in our estimation of this Captain Ward."
" Oh, well, that is all right; depend on it, I will be careful be- fore taking his advice in anything, or trusting him too much." And so the subject dropped. As they approached the store to- gether, a boy rode up with a letter for Walter. It was indorsed: "The express agent at Downieville is requested to forward this letter without delay to High Canyon."
When Walter read this indorsement, he turned to the boy, and said, sharply :
" When did this letter get to Downieville ?"
" Last night, sir ; but so late we could not send it."
Walter, in evident alarm, tore it open, and read as follows :
DEAR WALTER :- Allow me to congratulate you on the arrival in your camp of your sister Minnie, who is no doubt now safe with you. I was sorry I was not at home the day her note announcing her arrival, and making in- quiries for you, was brought to our store, but both Mr. Wheeler and myself were absent from the city, and the bookkeeper, who opened the note, knew nothing about you or your sister, and returned the note, only indorsing on the back that we were not at home, and that we knew nothing of your move- ments. On getting home to-day, the bookkeeper mentioned the circumstance to me, which surprised me very much ; as you had not advised me that your sister was coming out to you. I went immediately to the boarding-house that I understood the note had come from. It is kept by a very respectable woman, by the name of Donnelly. This Mrs. Donnelly then told me of the circumstance which caused Miss Minnie to stop there ; which, of course, sho has told you all about, and how frightened she was that you were not in the city to meet her ; and of how terribly puzzled she was as to what to do ; for, as Mrs. Donnelly said : "This boarding-house was no place for a lady like her to stop in, and that she could not go to any other or to a hotel, because she was alone." So, in the end, she had to adopt the desperate ex- pedient of assuming a disguise in boy's clothes, and starting the next day, that is, yesterday, for Sacramento, on board the Senator. I am sure she is
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safe with you; yet I thought it better to write and give you all these particu- lars; for sickness, or accident, of course, is possible. The Panama steamer arrived here on the 26th ; Miss Minnie left here on the 27th, and should be with you on the evening of the 29th, as, of course, she is ; so, present her my warmest regards, and, believe me, yours, EDMUND F. ALLEN.
P. S .- Since writing the above, I met your old friend, DeForest, who has just arrived from Oregon. I told him that Miss Minnie had come from the East, and had gone up to you yesterday, without giving him any of the par- ticulars. He tells me that he will go to see you to-morrow ; so, you may ex- pect him the day after you get this letter. A.
As Walter read the letter, he grew deadly pale, and trembled in every limb. As he finished he threw it to Hilton, and tried to speak, but his words choked on each other, and, without speaking, he ran to the store. He pulled down his saddle and bridle from where they hung; then he ran for his revolver, buckled it on, then thrust a bowie-knife in his belt. In all he seemed in confusion, and unable to control himself.
Hilton rapidly read the letter through, then said, in a calm, half-commanding voice:
" Now, Walter Wagner, be calm; be a man, and listen to me, and do just as I tell you and things may all be right yet."
Walter stopped up still, and, looking into Hilton's face with a sort of an imploring expression, said, just above his breath, while his lips were bloodless and quivering:
" Hilton, she should have been here the night before last."
" I know all that, but many things may have stopped her. She may have concluded to wait for you in Sacramento or Marys- ville: but I tell you to be a man, Walter. You believe in God; trust in Him. I tell you that we will find your sister safe if you only retain your presence of mind and act the man."
Walter now regained his color, and became perfectly calm un- der Hilton's commanding words, and proceeded with good judg- ment in his preparations for an immediate start on the search for his darling sister. Captain Ward came in, and, on learning the strange news, offered to join the search. His offer was ac- cepted. So, leaving a trusty young fellow of the name of Ferris in charge of the store, Walter, Hilton and Ward started down to Downieville, and there procured good, reliable horses. Now, all ready and armed at every point, they dashed up the terribly steep trail that led, at that time, out of Downieville over the mountain. Ward had not seen nor heard read any of the par- ticulars in the letter from Mr. Allen, and, therefore, knew noth-
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ing of the probability of meeting De Forest on their ride. He murmured to himself, as he urged his horse up the trail:
" Well, if some fellow has not yet got her, which I do not think likely, I wil have a chance to capture her sooner than I ex- pected. I will have the whole thing fixed up before that fellow De Forest knows she is in the country."
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