HAPTER XIII.

The party again shift their quarters
The river forded
Horry in the water
Mr. Sinclair's party of Indians
Deserted Indian Villages
Weber's Creek
A halt made
Cradles hollowed out
A commotion in the camp
Colonel Mason arrives on a tour of inspection
His opinions as to what Congress should do
Military deserters, and what ought to be done with them
Return of Colonel Manson's party to Sutter's Fort
Bradley accompanies it with a stock of gold
How the gold was packed, and what precautions were taken for its
security.

Weber's Creek.--_July 9th_.--A few more days' experience at the
saw-mills convinced us that much time and labour was lost in
consequence of the distance between the digging we worked at and the
water, and we therefore determined to seek a more desirable location.
Ever since we had been at the saw-mills we had heard it constantly
said, that at Weber's Creek the gold was to be found in far greater
abundance; and to Weber's Creek we determined to go. The stream thus
called is a small tributary to the northern fork of the Americans'.

We struck our tents yesterday morning, loaded our horses, and took our
departure. The river, at the fording-place, was broad and rapid, but
shallow; the principal difficulties in the ford arose from the number
of smooth round stones, covered with green rince slime, which formed
the bed of the river, and over which our horses stumbled, with a
violence which threatened to disturb the fastening of their burdens. No
disaster, however, actually occurred, except to poor Horry, whose horse
stumbled over a large boulder, and pitched its luckless rider over its
head into the water, to the undissembled delight of the entire party,
who hailed the poor sailor's discomfiture with loud bursts of laughter.
Horry made the best of his way to the farther bank, without paying any
more attention to his horse, which, however, emerged from the water,
and was on dry land as soon as Horry himself.

We now proceeded along the right bank of the North Fork, and on the
opposite side we caught a glimpse of a party of Indians at work, which
we afterwards learned were that of Mr. Sinclair. In one week this party
had gathered sixteen pounds troy of fine washed gold dust. They worked
hard, were well fed, and had liberal rations of "strong water" daily.
We rested a couple of hours at noon, in a pleasant bottom, heavily
timbered, and afterwards, striking away fr