the last few days.  One of them used it for the first time this afternoon, and to my surprise is still alive.  After a great fire had been made up close to the door—­a narrow aperture just large enough for a little man to squeeze through—­it was afterwards gradually allowed to burn itself out, having in the meantime heated to a very high degree the air in the interior of the bath.  Into this the Indian screwed himself, and there remained until a profuse perspiration was produced, which he checked forthwith by a plunge into the chilly water of the river.  Here he floundered about for a few minutes, and then crawled out and lay down exhausted on the ground.

The atmosphere continues exceedingly sultry, and the miners who work by the river, out of the shade, have in several instances sunk exhausted under the toil.  Dysentery, produced probably by unwholesome food, has also begun to show itself, and altogether the aspect of things is anything but cheerful.

July 15th, Saturday.—­We have engaged a large party of Indians to work for us in the ravines.  They belong to the Snake tribe, and appear to be a poor set of half-starved wretches.  We pay them in provisions, and occasionally drams of pisco—­a spirit made from Californian grapes.

On visiting the encampment of our Indians, last night after work was over, I found about a dozen of them eagerly engaged gambling away—­the stake, in some instances, being the supper which had just been served out to them—­with an ardour equal to that of the most civilized gamesters.  So far as I could make out, the game had some analogy to our “thimble-rigging;” but appeared to be fairly played.  A small ball was passed by three of the Indians from hand to hand, with such rapid dexterity, that no eye could keep pace with their movements; three others watched it with peculiar eagerness.  Every now and then the latter made a correct guess, and one was scored in their favour—­if wrong, a mark was scored against them.  The Indians are in general strongly addicted to games of chance, and they sometimes gamble away all the clothing on their backs.  I heard of an instance which occurred near the saw-mills, of an Indian who, after having lost every article of clothing he had, one after the other, to his more fortunate antagonist, staked his labour for a week against the cotton shirt which he had lost only a few minutes before.  He had a run of bad luck, and, when he left off, had to work for six weeks, at gold-washing, for his antagonist, who fed him on nothing better than acorn bread.  Mr. Neligh, who told me of this circumstance, had seen the man at work duly fulfilling his engagement.

The sickness amongst the miners continues to increase, and in our own party Lacosse has been laid up for two days with fever; however, I think he is now doing well.  The climate does not appear to be unhealthy.  It is the exposure to the work which does the mischief.  There is some talk afloat among our party of removing further up the country, nearer to the mountains, where gold is said to be in greater abundance.  Yesterday, a large party—­many of them Mormons—­started for the Bear River, a small stream which runs into the Sacramento, and is said to be about fifty miles distant, due north from where we are encamped.