d dust to enable us to return to San
Francisco. Steady work at home would have enabled me to lay by nearly
as much, while my health and spirits would not have been broken as they
now are. We kept together to defend each other. Many diggers on their
way to the city, after labouring for years, have been robbed and
murdered. My companions spent most of their hard won wealth, and
returned to the diggings, where, one after the other, they fell victims
to disease, or the knives of assassins. I had had enough of the life,
and my knowledge of business enabled me to procure a situation in a
merchant's office in this place, where, by employing the sum I had
scraped together, and by stript attention to business, I have realised
an amount four times as large, in a quarter of the time it took me to
collect it at the diggings."

"What you have said, sir, is very true," observed another gentleman
present. "Things, however, have somewhat mended of late. Still, a
gentleman has to lead little better than a dog's life in those regions.
For my part, although I was what is considered very lucky, I soon
sickened of it, and considered myself fortunate in being able to get
away with my gold in my pocket and a whole skin on my back. Still this
is a wonderful country, and will become a great country some day. I
have travelled over a good deal of it. Not long ago I travelled up one
of the most beautiful valleys in the world. At the bottom was a green
grassy sward with a pure bright stream running rapidly through it, over
a clear, pebbly bottom. The hills on either side were clothed with
trees of various descriptions, rocks here and there jutting out between
them of many fantastic forms, while my ears were assailed with the
cheerful sound of falling water, and my eyes gladdened by the sight of
sparkling cascades flowing into basins, whence arose masses of white
foam. Further on arose, appearing at the end of the valley, range
beyond range of mountains, the higher capped with snow. Though the sun
was hot, the air was pure and cool as it came off the mountains,
tempered by the numerous cascades. At length I reached a spot where the
valley widened, and there, spread out before me, lay a blue shining lake
fringed by lofty trees, with the hills rising gradually behind them,
while the water seemed alive with fish, which leaped from its calm
depths, and with the water-fowl which skimmed over its surface. You'll
all say that was a lovely s