USA > California > The California pilgrim: a series of lectures > Part 18
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Pilgrim said his arguments and explanations seemed to bear very much against himself, Mr. Jointstock. But it mattered not, since he and the others were not prospectors, and could not purchase any thing; and the mission they were on did not give them time to stop any where for money's sake ; though they were bound to think all his enterprises were excellent ones ; and they hoped he would not be too Reasoned with. anxious to sell out, lest that fact should throw some suspicion on his motives ; and it was hardly fair to stop men on the street in order to make customers out of them, especially when it was so near night.
Mr. Jointstock moved off, muttering to himself, eloquence all wasted; time lost; while he thrust his huge boots as near the mule as he could get them, by reason of the projection of six inches of spur iron. Now, when they had gotten safely over the holes, mul, slabs, logs, saw dust, and Road at Gold- such things, at the run, that furnished no road run. where it was thought to be; they crooked about the woods, awhile, and came, of a sudden, to the brink of a ravine, down which the road went, by many a turn, and steep declivity. It was no wider, seemingly, than the track of a wheel barrow. Down at the base of the hill Deer Creek. was the bed of Cervus Creek, which had been torn, washed, dammed, dug, riddled, and sifted, times numerous ; and was full of the wrecks of nature, the remnants of human labor, and the exuviae of gold deposits. And down the vale, far down ; where one other creek, whose channel had been dug and washed in like manner, joined the former ; there, in the midst of pines, and underneath their lofty tops, on the unevenest of unshaped hillocks, and in their hollows ; there, where no mortal would ever have looked for a town, excepton compulsion of knowledge ; there,
1
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where the sun no longer shone, though his beams yet played, lingering, on the green boughs above, and tinged and The situation of tipped many a cone and pointed top with a the city of Neva- da golden glory richer than all the, shining grains beneath, that nourished not the trees in their beauty and majesty ; down there, where were many crookednesses, while yet the place was too strait for the city, stood the city of Nivalis, as quietly as if nature had intended that a city should grow up there.
Overlooking all the city, and quite uy into the air, rose the modest tower of the first mountain church, that aspired to be a church, in its shape and surroundings, neat and white, and contrasting vividly with the deep foliage of the pines, that darkened the very air with their shadows. They now betook them to the task of descending into the city Down the hill & streets, and finding the little bridges that through the city. indicated where the channels might be. They mounted the steep pitch of a hill, in the broadest street they could see, and came up to a corner pine, and thence were conducted to the house of Rev. Mr. Renwar, hard by that of Rev. Mr. Mildair.
At home they met the former, and Anna, his wife, by whom they were made welcome. While they were at the tea table, the clear, rich tones of a large church bell fell on " The sound of their cars, as they went ringing and echoing the church going hell." over hill and valley, telling the miners, worn and weary, sweet stories of the homes and scenes from which they were scattered far. The bell was summoning them, with all the prayerful and devout in the region, to the weekly conference. And there was Pilgrim introduced to the few that loved to pray, and were delighted to mingle in
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scenes that brought them so near to the joys of home, and to The prayermeet- the blissfulness of heaven, and made them ing, and those present. kindred with the holy of all lands, and with the saints in glory. It was with special delight they met the young men, whose good report they had heard before, who were in the habit of walking not less than six miles thither, and six back, that they might be at the regular meetings, and who accounted it no hardship thus to do, but rather a pleasure and a joy, for which their hearts longed and their limbs were ready.
After this, as they sat together, Mr. Renwar told them the story of Nivalis; its carly growth, hopes, progress, resources, obstacles, misfortunes, and final triumphs ; and " Fought all his how his church was erected, and what his
battles o'er again."
labors were in connection with the enter- prise, and whence the funds were drawn. They were a good deal instructed, and not a little entertained ; and they retired to rest with gladness, and with thanksgivings.
Early the following day, they all visited the points of interest in that region; the sluices, toms, holes, and Coyote hill and excavations along the coyote lead. The high
Sugar Loaf mountain.
top of Sugar Loaf hill they went to, and to Wet hill, and to the region back. They also went down to the Bunker Hill mill, the Gold Tunnel works, and a half dozen At the great falls other crushing mills. Afterward, they went in Deer Creek. even so far down as the falls, the riffle box, and the famous works there.
And into wild and dark glens, over rocks and ledges, upon high hills, and through all varieties of diggings, they also went ; and thus they saw, whence, grain by grain, and parcel by parcel, are wrought the treasures of the golden land, so facinating to them that dwell afar, and so full of
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THIE CALIFORNIA PILGRIM.
trouble to them that are near. And they perceived how
Gold is gollen by rarely gold was gotten, but at the price of labor. toil and sweat, and how it must ever be true, even where the soil sparkles with gold, and the mountains are sown with gems, and burn with sapphires, that, in the sweat of his face man shall eat his bread.
They had seen a world of treasure to be gotten only by a world of pains. And yet they returned from their tour, satisfied, that, for ages, mankind would not suffer through lack of precious metals; certainly not, while Bustledom remained, and human labor could be applied to the Conclusions of development of her hidden and hoarded thoughtful men after seeing all masses of treasure. And, during all their tho evil and
good they had
pilgrimage, the conviction had grown in
met in the land of gold. their minds, that the land they had journeyed in was the land of all lands, vilify it as men might, and as men would. In due time, they doubted not, it would so appear to all. It only needed better moral influences, and the power of true religion speedily to bring that day ; and to cause the land to be as renowned for the beauty of the Lord upon it, and the excellence of virtue adorning it, as for fruitfulness it already was, and its hidden treasures of yellow gold and flowing silver.
Another morning brought its rosy light and fresh airs, and opened sweet blossoms in the forest border, and new flowers of hope in human hearts. For our travelers, how- ever, this was the day of parting. Mr. Antiquary must The companions return to his employment, where the lines on this journey
must separate. were fallen to him, in the great valley. Pilgrim must finish his wanderings in the gold land and depart. Keep Faith must proceed on his mission of love
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and zeal, toward the northern regions of the Occident, where the faith of so many was almost ready to fail.
So they counseled and cheered each other, wept together, and prayed. Pilgrim gave Mr. Antiquary a copy of the
What presents oldest of books, laws, and recorded wisdom, Pilgrim made. keeping that which his mother gave him in Doomsend, before her eseape and his. He presented Keep Faith also with a duplicate of his chart; for with the original he would never part, though it were urged that he was near the end of his present pilgrimage, most likely, and Chart and notes so he could not require it more .. His notes
of travel.
of travel he left with Mr. Renwar, to be deposited among the archives of the church ; and directing that a copy should be sent to Rev. Mr. Augustine in Embankment.
Then they shook hands, and embraced. They parted, but not forever. And cach took his way, with a kind of sorrowful joy, believing in the day when they should rest together on the glittering heights of Zion above.
Alone, with his staff, Pilgrim took his way, as I saw, toward the village at the forks of the grape stream. He took little note of all that was around him, as he passed along, though the path was a blind and difficult one. He How he was oc- was occupied with his own thoughts, with cupied as lie tra-
veled alone. memories of his life, trials, and labor. He had seen much of this world ; its cares, toils, and troubles. He had seen it in all its moods, and had looked on all the splendors and rewards with which it is wont to crown its votaries. He had seen its wealth and its poverty, its great men and its unknown people, and all had alike faded and perished. One event had happened to all. His own observation had taught him that poverty and its ills
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THE CALIFORNIA PILGRIM.
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were not the worst of evils; that happiness was quite as
Happiness as common among the poor as among the rich ; rare among the rich as among and that the noblest of men were often found the poor.
far from the cares and strifes of public life. He had no regrets for the past. He was not sorry that he had turned, in his youth, to seek the favor of God, and the blessings of religion ; letting the world, and its noisy babble, and vain pleasures, all go.
He rejoiced that he had been a pilgrim in the earth, and had been able to lay up treasures on high. He had been a
Ile rejoices in man of toils and endeavors ; had pursued the
what grace has assisted him to even tenor of his way in the sphere fitted for do
him, wherever his lot was cast; had shrunk from no plain and manifest duty ; and had tried to serve God with his few possessions, and with all his powers of body and mind. He was going into the mount. He remembered the story of Moses in the top of Nebo. He might himself be near the end of his days. He might soon One may leave leave all that was his, except his character ; much to the his moral life, and its consequences ; for lie world, though he brought notle- ing into it. could take nothing from a world into which he brought nothing. If he continued in the world, he should live on as before. If he left it, he could depart in peace.
Now I saw, that on the third day, Pilgrim came up to the top of a lofty peak on the snowy range, whence lay in view the fertile slope on the left, across which he had come, and the wide deserts on the right. The sun beams had fallen there as he came forth from his chamber in the east; and the mountain was all aglow. Winged forms were A vision is seen. hovering about, brighter than the rays of the morning. The very air was quivering with the music
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of their pinions. As I strained my gaze to behold the vision, it lifted slowly away from the mountain top, with bursts of music ravishing and jubilant. It ascended into the blue empyrean, with gathering convoys of angels. At length it receded into the heights, and faded from my sight, and the sound of music, also, died away in mine car !!
I was aroused. The morning sun was shining full on my face as I reelined in the rocky nook, where I had laid me down to rest, on the night of my stay in that lone height of the coast range. So I awoke; and behold, it was a dream!
THE END.
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below.
1959 ABR 5
APR 0 4 1991 ILL -Cus
DEC 9 1 1960
R 1 7 1047
R.DE MLD
REC'D ID. 001 WWW JUL 23
. - 1964
REC'D URL-LD
L
AUG 8 1967 AUG 1 3 1964
CC'D LD-URL
N 6 1982
Form L9-40m-7,'56 (C79084) 444
37 SEP 2 6 1997
UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA
3 1158 00732
UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY AA 001 326 810 7
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