“The litter they brought was formed of branches
of trees tied together, and covered thickly over with
blankets. On this Malcolm was slowly borne down
the hill-side, until a rude shanty was reached.
He was carried inside, and we were fortunate enough
to meet with a kind Californian woman, who promised
to attend on him while we returned here for your assistance.”
In reply to my inquiries, Don Luis said that he thought
there were no bones broken, but poor Malcolm was dreadfully
bruised, and his flesh in parts much lacerated.
He feared, however, that he had experienced some severe
internal injuries. As it was utterly impossible
for me to have found my way to him that night, I determined
to take a short nap and hurry to him the following
morning.
During Don Luis’s recital I did not for one
moment think of the gold which we had lost; all my
sympathies were with my poor friend. But, at
the conclusion of Don Luis’s narrative, I saw
that but few of my associates participated in my grief.
Don Luis was immediately assailed with inquiries rudely
addressed to him in reference to the missing gold.
In reply, he stated that we all knew that Malcolm carried
in his saddle-bags the great bulk of the gold they
were conveying to San Francisco; and that, of course,
when the robbers drove off the horse, the gold went
with it. “It is the doctor you have to thank
for that,” growled out Bradley; and though I
could not see the matter in this light, still I could
not help thinking of my own distrustful disposition,
which, in reality, had been the cause of making Malcolm
a party to the conveyance of the treasure; this, in
fact, had in all probability sacrificed my friend’s
life. I thought of his poor wife and children
in Oregon, who would bewailing in vain for his return,
which he, poor follow, had delayed so long, in the
hope of going back to them laden with wealth.
Throughout the whole of the night most of the party
remained gathered around the camp-fire-now in sullen
silence, and now expressing their bitter dissatisfaction
at the arrangements which had led to the day’s
misfortune. And when the first faint light of
daybreak showed over the tall peaks of the snowy mountains,
it discovered us looking haggard and dejected, alike
wearied and disgusted with everything around.
The stock of gold remaining weighed and
shared
Squabbling over it
The party separate
The Author and others start off
They meet with Lacosse and the trapper
Lacosse’s explanation
Arrive at Sutter’s
Purchase flour at eighty-five dollars
a barrel
Camps of miners
A gold-washing colony
Encamped for the night
Horses and flour missing in the morning
Visit a big bony American
A hole threatened in their skulls
How quarrels are settled
Lacosse promises to join the party at
Sutter’s
The march resumes
Arrive at Malcolm’s shanty
The doctor prescribes for his patient
Malcolm’s first idea of the lasso
The party leave for Sutter’s.
