rs are in the habit of flattering the vanity of their fair
visitors by scattering a handful of "salt" (which, strange to say, is
_exactly_ the color of gold-dust, and has the remarkable property of
often bringing to light very curious lumps of the ore) through the dirt
before the dainty fingers touch it, and the dear creatures go home with
their treasures, firmly believing that mining is the prettiest pastime
in the world.

I had no idea of permitting such a costly joke to be played upon me; so
I said but little of my desire to "go through the motions" of
gold-washing, until one day, when, as I passed a deep hole in which
several men were at work, my companion requested the owner to fill a
small pan, which I had in my hand, with dirt from the bed-rock. This
request was, of course, granted, and the treasure having been conveyed
to the edge of the river, I succeeded, after much awkward maneuvering
on my own part, and considerable assistance from friend H., an
experienced miner, in gathering together the above-specified sum. All
the diggers of our acquaintance say that it is an excellent "prospect,"
even to come from the bed-rock, where, naturally, the richest dirt is
found. To be sure, there are, now and then, "lucky strikes," such, for
instance, as that mentioned in a former letter, where a person took out
of a single basinful of soil two hundred and fifty-six dollars. But
such luck is as rare as the winning of a hundred-thousand-dollar prize
in a lottery. We are acquainted with many here whose gains have _never_
amounted to much more than wages, that is, from six to eight dollars a
day. And a claim which yields a man a steady income of ten dollars _per
diem_ is considered as very valuable.

I received an immense fright the other morning. I was sitting by the
fire, quietly reading "Lewis Arundel," which had just fallen into my
hands, when a great shout and trampling of feet outside attracted my
attention. Naturally enough, my first impulse was to run to the door,
but scarcely had I risen to my feet for that purpose, when a mighty
crash against the side of the cabin, shaking it to the foundation,
threw me suddenly upon my knees. So violent was the shock that for a
moment I thought the staunch old logs, mossed with the pale verdure of
ages, were falling in confusion around me. As soon as I could collect
my scattered senses, I looked about to see what had happened. Several
stones had fallen from the back of the chimney, mo