tive inability, worked on until they sunk under the toil. Every one
seemed determined to labour as hard as possible for the few weeks left
before the rainy season set in, and the result was, that many of them
met their deaths. There were others, though, who sought to enrich
themselves with the shining gold by a quicker and, perhaps, less
dangerous process than all this weary toil.

According to the accounts I heard, life and property were alike
insecure. The report ran, that as soon as it became known that a man
had amassed a large amount of gold, he was watched and followed about
till an opportunity presented itself of quietly putting him out of the
way. There had been but few known deaths, but the number of persons who
had been missed, and whose own friends even had not thought it worth
while to go in search of them, was very large. In every case the man's
stock of gold was not to be found in his tent; still there was nothing
surprising in this, as every one made a point of carrying his gold
about him, no matter how heavy it might happen to be. One or two dead
bodies had been found floating in the river, which circumstance was
looked upon as indicative of foul play having taken place, as it was
considered that the poorest of the gold-finders carried fully a
sufficient weight of gold about them to cause their bodies to sink to
the bottom of the stream. Open attempts at robbery were rare; it was in
the stealthy night time that thieves prowled about, and, entering the
little tents, occupied by not more than perhaps a couple of miners,
neither of whom, in all probability, felt inclined to keep a weary
watch over their golden treasure, carried off as much of it as they
could lay their hands on. By way of precaution, however, almost every
one slept with their bag of gold underneath their pillow, having a
rifle or revolver within their reach.

That same night I reached the camp of gold-washers, where Lacosse and
the trapper had had their horses and packs of provisions stolen from
them. The robbery, I believe, was committed by men almost on the verge
of want, who thought it a more convenient way of possessing themselves
of a stock of provisions than performing a journey to the lower
settlements for that purpose would have been, and a cheaper way than
purchasing them here, where they run scarce, and where the price of
them is exorbitantly high. Other things are in proportion. Clothing of
any description is hardly to be had at