his heart at the joyful event, he rushed out and invested
capital in some excellent champagne, which I, on Willie's principle of
"doing in Turkey as the Turkeys do," assisted the company in drinking,
to the honor of my own arrival. I mention this as an instance that
nothing can be done in California without the sanctifying influence of
the _spirit_, and it generally appears in a much more "questionable
shape" than that of sparkling wine. Mr. H. informed me that on the 20th
of July, 1850, it was rumored at Nelson's Creek--a mining station
situated at the Middle Fork of the Feather River, about eighty miles
from Marysville--that one of those vague "Somebodies," a near relation
of the "They-Says," had discovered mines of a remarkable richness in a
northeasterly direction, and about forty miles from the first-mentioned
place. Anxious and immediate search was made for "Somebody," but, as
our Western brethren say, he "wasn't thar'." But his absence could not
deter the miners when once the golden rumor had been set afloat. A
large company packed up their goods and chattels, generally consisting
of a pair of blankets, a frying-pan, some flour, salt pork, brandy,
pickax and shovel, and started for the new Dorado. They "traveled, and
traveled, and traveled," as we used to say in the fairy-stories, for
nearly a week, in every possible direction, when, one evening, weary
and discouraged, about one hundred of the party found themselves at the
top of that famous hill which figures so largely in my letters, whence
the river can be distinctly seen. Half of the number concluded to
descend the mountain that night, the remainder stopping on the summit
until the next morning. On arriving at Rich Bar, part of the
adventurers camped there, but many went a few miles farther down the
river. The next morning, two men turned over a large stone, beneath
which they found quite a sizable piece of gold. They washed a small
panful of the dirt, and obtained from it two hundred and fifty-six
dollars. Encouraged by this success, they commenced staking off the
legal amount of ground allowed to each person for mining purposes, and,
the remainder of the party having descended the hill, before night the
entire bar was "claimed." In a fortnight from that time, the two men
who found the first bit of gold had each taken out six thousand
dollars. Two others took out thirty-three pounds of gold in eight
hours, which is the best day's work that has been done on th