mining gold, and my wheat fields are stepped all over. My new city
which I start only three miles below, and call by my name--my gute name
which when I was useful was so popular--is neglected, and everybody
flock here. I once was rich; now soon I am bankrupt; all because my
men discovered this gold. This gold, I hate it. It will be the ruin
of this country."

"Well, captain, I'm sorry to hear this from you," said Mr. Grigsby.
"But I'm powerful glad to see you, anyway. You've been too generous.
You gave away your land, so as to help build up the country."

"Yes," answered the captain. "I did not want the gold, but I did not
think the people would go crazy and flock over everything and obey me
not at all. Well, what can I do for you, my friends?"

"We're going in to the mines, captain," informed Mr. Grigsby. "How's
the horse and mule market? We want a pack animal of some kind.
Colonel Fremont said you might be able to help us. I saw him in San
Francisco."

"The grand Colonel!" exclaimed Captain Sutter. "For my real American
friends I would do anything yet." He spread his hands. "But horses
and mules? One time I remember I had many for you--that time you came
out of the mountains so nearly famished to my fort. Now times are
different. Horse and mule sell for $100, where they used to be ten.
Maybe when the emigrants begin to come in, over the mountains, with
their beasts, things will be different. I hear 30,000 are on the way,
for the American River and the Sacramento. But I guess I know of one
mule. I will try. Come this way, gentlemen. Leave your baggage. It
will be safe--safer than the land it is on."

Captain Sutter led the way from the levee, crowded with people and
baggage and freight. What a beautiful city this Sacramento was growing
to be! The buildings were mainly of rough-sawn timber, with some of
clay, and of course many tents; but the streets were wide, and
straight, and everywhere great trees had been left standing, many of
them six feet through at the ground. Business of buying and selling
real estate and goods was at full blast. As he trotted along, the
captain proved talkative.

"You saw my own city of Sutter's Ville, below?" he asked. "That is a
much better site; not? It is high and dry, while this place--bah!
Gentlemen, in the spring I have moored my boats to the tops of trees on
that very _embarcadero_! But we shall see. I have hired Lieutenant
Sherman of the Army to s