Several new-comers from the Mormon diggings passed
us to-day, bound further up the Fork. In the
morning Mr. Marshall paid us a visit, to know how
we were getting on. He had heard from Captain
Sutter, who stated that he thought of starting for
the upper or lower washings himself, as soon as he
had gathered in his wheat harvest, which he hoped
to accomplish during the present week. A number
of wild ducks haunt the, river, and especially abound
in the grassy and weedy pools which skirt its edges.
This morning we shot some of these, and found them
an agreeable addition to our dinner bill of fare.
The afternoon has been passed among the greater part
of the miners here as a celebration of the anniversary
of American Independence. Something like an out-door
feast was got up, and toasts were drunk and songs
sang; “Yankee Doodle,” and the “Star-spangled
Banner,” being the chief favourites. Bradley
made a smart speech: and, contrary to his usual
practice, complimented us Englishmen with a round of
pleasant allusions to the mother country.
CHAPTER XIII.
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.
