hapeless nothingness, into the dim
valleys beneath.

F. soon mended the saddle-girth. I mounted my darling little mule, and
rode triumphantly into Rich Bar at five o'clock in the evening. The
Rich Barians are astonished at my courage in daring to ride down the
hill. Many of the miners have told me that they dismounted several
times while descending it. I, of course, feel very vain of my exploit,
and glorify myself accordingly, being particularly careful, all the
time, not to inform my admirers that my courage was the result of the
know-nothing, fear-nothing principle; for I was certainly ignorant,
until I had passed them, of the dangers of the passage. Another thing
that prevented my dismounting was the apparently utter impossibility,
on such a steep and narrow path, of mounting again. Then, I had much
more confidence in my mule's power of picking the way and keeping his
footing, than in my own. It is the prettiest sight in the world to see
these cunning creatures stepping so daintily and cautiously among the
rocks. Their pretty little feet, which absolutely do not look larger
than a silver dollar, seem made on purpose for the task. They are often
perfect little vixens with their masters, but an old mountaineer, who
has ridden them for twenty years, told me that he never knew one to be
skittish with a woman. The intelligent darlings seem to know what a
bundle of helplessness they are carrying, and scorn to take advantage
of it.

We are boarding, at present, at the "Empire," a huge shingle palace in
the center of Rich Bar, which I will describe in my next letter.
Pardon, dear M., the excessive egotism of this letter; but you have
often flattered me by saying that my epistles were only interesting
when profusely illuminated by that manuscriptal decoration represented
by a great _I_. A most intense love of the ornament myself makes it
easy for me to believe you, and doubt not that my future communications
will be as profusely stained with it as even you could desire.

LETTER _the_ SECOND

[_The_ PIONEER, _March_, 1854]

RICH BAR--ITS HOTELS _and_ PIONEER FAMILIES

SYNOPSIS

The Empire Hotel, _the_ hotel of Rich Bar. The author safely ensconced
therein. California might be called the "Hotel State," from the
plenitude of its taverns, etc. The Empire the only two-story building
in Rich Bar, and the only one there having glass windows. Built by
gamblers for immoral purposes. The speculation a failure, its occu