He broke into song.  His comrades roared in Homeric chorus with him, passing from one to another of the current ditties of the mines.  They declared in unison, “Old Grimes is dead, that good old man!” Then they swung off to yet another classic ballad: 

  There was an old woman who had three, sons—­
    Joshua, James and John! 
  Josh got shot, and Jim got drowned,
  And John got lost and never was found,
  And that was the end of the woman’s three sons,
    Joshua, James and John.

Having finished the obsequies of the three sons, not once but many times, they went forward with yet another adaptation, following Old Greenwood, who stood with head thrown back and sang with tones of Bashan: 

  Oh, then Susannah,
    Don’t you cry fer me! 
  I’m goin’ to Californuah,
    With my wash pan on my knee.

The news of the gold was out.  Bridger forgot his cups, forgot his friends, hurried to Molly Wingate’s cart again.

“Hit’s true, Miss Molly!” he cried—­“truer’n true hitself!  Yan’s men just in from Californy, an’ they’ve got two horseloads o’ gold, an’ they say hit’s nothin’—­they come out fer supplies.  They tried to stop Will Banion—­they did trade some with Woodhull.  They’re nigh to Humboldt by now an’ goin’ hard.  Miss Molly, gal, he’s in ahead o’ the hull country, an’ got six months by hisself!  Lord give him luck!  Hit’ll be winter, afore the men back East kin know.  He’s one year ahead—­thanks ter yer lie ter me, an ter Kit, and Kit’s ter his General.

“Gold!  Ye kain’t hide hit an’ ye kain’t find hit an’ ye kain’t dig hit up an’ ye kain’t keep hit down.  Miss Molly, gal, I like ye, but how I do wish’t ye was a man, so’s you an’ me could celerbrate this here fitten!”

“Listen!” said the girl.  “Our bugle!  That’s Assembly!”

“Yes, they’ll all be there.  Come when ye kin.  Hell’s a-poppin’ now!”

The emigrants, indeed, deserted their wagons, gathering in front of the stockade, group after group.  There was a strange scene on the far-flung, unknown, fateful borderlands of the country Senator McDuffie but now had not valued at five dollars for the whole.  All these now, half-way across, and with the ice and snow of winter cutting off pursuit for a year, had the great news which did not reach publication in the press of New York and Baltimore until September of 1848.  It did not attain notice of the floor of Congress until December fifth of that year, although this was news that went to the very foundation of this republic; which, indeed, was to prove the means of the perpetuity of this republic.