these I passed a night. In giving the details of an awkward
adventure that befell me on that occasion, it is only necessary for me
to say of the house that it was built in the usual primitive style,
already described at some length. The people were farmers, and the
family consisted of an old man and his wife, three or four stout sons,
and a buxom daughter some twenty years of age. A few words of Danish
enabled me to make them understand that I wished for a cup of coffee,
some bread, and lodgings for the night. They were exceeding kind, and
seemed greatly interested in the fact that I was an American--probably
the first they had ever seen. The coffee was soon ready; a cloth was
spread upon the table, and a very good supper of bread, cheese, and
curds placed before me. I passed some hours very sociably, giving
them, as well as I could by means of signs and diagrams, aided by a
few words of Danish, a general idea of California, its position on the
globe, and the enormous amount of gold which it yielded. Evidently
they had heard some exaggerated rumors of the country. The name was
familiar to them, but they had no idea where this El Dorado was, or
whether there was any truth in the statement that the mountains were
made of gold, and all the rocks in the valleys of pure silver. My
efforts to enlighten them on these points were rather ludicrous. It
was miraculous how far I made a few words go, and how quick they were
to guess at my meaning.

About eleven o'clock the old people began to manifest symptoms of
drowsiness, and gave me to understand that whenever I felt disposed to
go to bed the girl would show me my room. A walk of ten or twelve
miles over the lava-bergs rendered this suggestion quite acceptable,
so I bade the family a friendly good-night, and followed the girl to
another part of the house. She took me into a small room with a bed in
one corner. By a motion of her hand she intimated that I could rest
there for the night. I sat down on the edge of the bed and said it was
very good--that I was much obliged to her. She still lingered in the
room, however, as if waiting to see if she could be of any farther
assistance. I could not be insensible to the fact that she was a very
florid and good-natured looking young woman; but, of course, that was
none of my business. All I could do with propriety was to thank her
again, and signify by taking off my overcoat that I was about to go to
bed. Still she lingered, apparently