Chapters 15 through 26 Summary and Analysis

In chapter fifteen, Grant arrived in San Francisco and said there were many there seeking their fortunes in gold. He talked about the Indians, saying that the trades between Indians and whites had originally been done in pelts, but business had moved to silver half-dollars. Grant said that Indians didn't trust store owners to add up multiple purchases but would pay for each separately. If an Indian received a fifty-dollar gold piece, he immediately traded it for silver half-dollars so he could more easily keep up with how much he had. Grant noted that the fifty-dollar gold pieces were not government issue but were common in the area and were called "slugs".

In chapter sixteen, Grant resigned from the military. He and Julia had two children by this time and Grant moved the family to land she owned near...