er of his
tribe. Such were the absurd stories circulated. The true account of the
discovery I here give, as near as I can recollect, in the Captain's own
words.

CHAPTER VII.

Captain Sutter's account of the first discovery of the gold
His surprise at Mr. Marshall's appearance at the Fort
Mr. Marshall's statement
The mill-wheel thrown out of gear
The water channel enlarged
Mr. Marshall's attention attracted by some glittering substance
Finds it to be gold
First imagines it to have been buried there
Discovers it in great abundance
Takes horse to Sutter's Fort
Captain Sutter and Mr. Marshall agree to keep the matter secret
They start off to the mill
Proceed up the Fork
Find the gold in great abundance
Return to the mill
The work-people meet them
A knowing Indian and a sly Kentuckian
A labouring party organised
Digging and washing for gold
The news spreads
People flock to the diggings
Arrival of Mormons
The gold found to be inexhaustible
Men of science as blind as the rest of the world.

"I was sitting one afternoon," said the Captain, "just after my siesta,
engaged, by-the-by, in writing a letter to a relation of mine at
Lucerne, when I was interrupted by Mr. Marshall--a gentleman with whom
I had frequent business transactions--bursting hurriedly into the room.
From the unusual agitation in his manner I imagined that something
serious had occurred, and, as we involuntarily do in this part of the
world, I at once glanced to see if my rifle was in its proper place.
You should know that the mere appearance of Mr. Marshall at that moment
in the Fort was quite enough to surprise me, as he had but two days
before left the place to make some alterations in a mill for sawing
pine planks, which he had just run up for me, some miles higher up the
Americanos. When he had recovered himself a little, he told me that,
however great my surprise might be at his unexpected reappearance, it
would be much greater when I heard the intelligence he had come to
bring me. 'Intelligence,' he added, 'which, if properly profited by,
would put both of us in possession of unheard-of wealth--millions and
millions of dollars in fact.' I frankly own, when I heard this, that I
thought something had touched Marshall's brain, when suddenly all my
misgivings were put an end to by his flinging on the table a handful of
scales of pure virgin gold. I was fairly thunderstruck, and asked him