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) From the South Western American. A Trip to the Gold Diggings, Mr. Borrox:——A few weeks since, the little village of B—— was thrown into a great state of excitement, by the reported discovery of a new “El Dorado,” on one of the small tributa ries of the Colorado. Several persons had re turned direct from the mines, and stated there was no doubt about the existence of the gold in considerable quantities in that section of country, and had actually brought down “specimens” from the “diggings,” as rich as any that had ever been found in the golden regions of California or Australia. It is true, these specimens, whenever it was attempted to trace them up, had a most mysterious way of dodging the one in search of them—being either loaned out to a friend, misseid or sent off to the north to be tested ; but still as many affirmed they had actually seen them, the ex citement continued to increase. Crops of all kinds were left to the tender medes of crop grass; and the inhabitants of the village, each “with tin wash bow] on his nee,” might have en (like James’ two hosemen) setting out daily for the scenes of operations. Picks “went off like hot cakes;” shovels were decid edly lively, and tin pans were seized upon by buyers at prices far beyond the usual market rates. At this time your humble servant was keep ing a small retail grocery in the village of B—, and thouugh far from making a fortune as ra pidly as some of the adventurers to the gold mines of California, still by industry and close attention to business, like some of the fair sex in crit’ . situation s.e‘' was doing as well as could be expected.” .Owing to this perhaps, and a disposition naturally phlegmatic and averse to bodily exertion, I resisted the influ ence of the gold fever much longer than many of my neighbors; but finally a statement pub lished in one of our papers, confirming the rumors in circulation, and even going beyond them in some respects, succeeded in bringing on an attack of the prevailing epidemic; ae (for the same reason I suppose, that in physical epidemics the /ast cases are always the worst,) I soon found I had taken the disease in its most virulent form. What, said I to myself, am I to sit down here all my life, contented with dealing out crackers and cheese by the pound when I know it is a “fixed fact,” (for haven't seen imn print?) that a single individual has dug up five hundred dollars worth of the dust in one day? No, the idea was not to be endur ed; so “orthwith informed Mr. Simpkins, my clerk, . .« I was off to the “diggings” incon tinuntly, and that he might do the best he could with the grocery, whilst I was absent; and, by-the-by, said to Mr. Simpkins, (and here the first symptom of the disorder began to infest itself—a sort of contempt for ordinary elations and small matters in general.) you was well for the future lay by the “Patent ee,” and give good weight to our casto for what is a pound of cheese more or to a man who is about to dig five hundred a day? and besides when I return I to wind up the business as soon as $I think Pedall cut_the “retail gro soon as I get back, and of course on hand the sooner and easier it pumpkins, says I,for L felt was I thought of the per diem of 2 this out you may consider your s at least $20 a month; you lve to your business, Simpkins, it to have been done before, ymeans did not warrant it. It I am gone you imay as lre liberal policy in dealing or cuers than you have been accus and you might even go as far as to let sahnagans and Simpsons have whatever they may want on time. Its true they are not perfectly safe customers in that way; but Simpkins, says I, rubbing my hands, what dif ference will it make if they never pay. r eckon per diem of $500 a day will cover q siencies. By the way Simpkins, said I, gtrek ue vo forcible before that the wed cur members of Congress, prable pittance. How in the mage to keep appearances ¢ French say, Mr. Simpkins, ” or in plain English, to the ir ‘small matters;” and perhaps we pa smashing business when I get back pocket full of rocks, Mr. Simpkins faithfully to attend to my instructions, led my horse and rode over to where Tom Jackson lived, to see if I could him to embark in the adventure Now Tom was one of those plain, unenthusiastic sort of men, who lied about anything, and always look twice before they leap once. However, the dint of much arguments and the ex ofacsmage statements of ee papers, concerning large quantities of gold found, I at last persuaded Tom ste amed the wiee packed saddle with a 5 m crackers and as they would hold, and a few plugs of made no minute of them on the time, but I afterwards brought in bill against Tom for one-half the punt, and we put off without letting any ;w our destination. On our way up we many parties who, like ourselves tendently en route for the new, found Dorado, but what struck me as some i _ none of them, when we ques tioned them on the subject, would admit they were going to the mines. They were either going to see the country—to locate lands—to visit the “salt works,” or merely taking a trip for the benefit of their health. At length we overtook one chap, who had a large tin pan swung on one side of his horse, and a spade on the other, and thinks I, if he don’t own the corn, ’ll give up, and ask no more questions. “Gold mines?” said I, as Trode by. “Oh, no,” says he, ‘merely going up to look at the count ry.” “But,” says I, “what are you going to do with that pan and shovel?” ‘“ Well,” says he, “It did hear something said below about gold having been found somewhere in this sec tion, and I thought if I accidentally passed anywhere near the ‘diggings,’ I might as well have a look, just out of curiosity.” And so it was all along—no one was going to the mines, although we passed crowds every day, travel ing in that direction. Another thing that struck me as being somewhat singular, was that the nearer we got to the locality of the mines, the fewer believers we found in the ex istence of gold; and to our astonishment, when we arrived at the village of H , only some 20 miles distant from the “auriferous de posites,” we found that the inhabitants utterly discredited the existence of gold altogether; and from their significant looks, when we questioned them on the subject, one could plainly see it was their impression we had been what is vulgarly termed sold. What, said I to some of them, has there been no gold found at all? Why, where is the man who dug five hundred dollars worth in one day?They laughed and said they didn't know, but if he ever was found they would willingly give two bits a piece just for one look at him. My friend Tom was a good deal discouraged by this state of things, and to tell the truth my ideas concerning the responsibility of the “retail grocery line,” began to flow back into their usual channel, when suddenly it occurred to me that all this was a deep laid scheme, on the part of the people of H , to frighten off intruders from the mines. Tom, said I, I can see through it all now as plain as daylight. It is evident to me that these folks here are perfectly aware that gold has been found in their vicinity, but they want it all for them selves, and think to discourage strangers by pretending they have no faith; but they can't fool me, Tom, for “if there is anything I do understand,” its human nature, and I am more convinced now than ever that gold has been discovered. But, says Tom, how do you ac count for the fact that these people, (if they do believe,) are not out in the mines them selves? Just now I saw a fine, able-bodied fellow, who told me he was mauling rails for $15 per month; and it does appear to me, if he thought he could make a dollar a day, (much less five hundred,) that he would be out. “You may depend upon it, Tom,” says I, “it is all a deep laid scheme to discourage strangers from coming up here, and as soon as the excitement dies away, every mother’s son of them will be out in the mountains with his spade.” Tom did not seem ‘thoroughly convinced by my argument, but he said as he had got thus far he was willing to go on, although he had tut little idea we would be paid for the trouble. So we renewed our stock of crackers and cheese which was getting low, purchased a spade and a large “tin pan,” and took our course again for the mines. In a short time we came to the Mormon — asl miles from H——, and as we rolle@ in it up to me, from some Cookan offers there was in a broad grin. “Tom,” says I, “either these sople are the best pleased folks in the world, Ieechape us because they are allowed three wives, or else they see something very much out of the common way in our appearance,— which is it?” “Why,” says Tom, “in my private opinion, (leaving out that huge pan, tied to your saddle,) it is neither one nor the other, but as soon as they see us they natural ly conclude we are making our escape from the ‘Fool Killer, and’ I suppose when they remember how many have gone ahead of us, they can’t help laughing to think what a “massacre” there would be among these mountains, should that renowned personage accidentally happen among us.” ‘“ Well,” says I, “Tom, after that long speech you must undoubtedly be dry, sotets stop liquor.” “Good,” says:Tom, “I think if the Food Killer had overheard that remark, he would have granted you a small respite anyhow; its the only sensible speech you to made for some time.” A few moments after, just as we were passing a housgg a fellow who was at work near by, looked up, and seeing the eternal “ tin pan,” dangling from a saddle, bawled out:“ “ Look’e here Mister, 'I take it all; you are welcome to all the chunks, but do leave a little of the dust for us poor folks.” “Tom,” says I, “have you got a handkerchief I could wrap this old pan in?” “ Heavens,” says Tom, “do you suppose I carry a table cloth in my ket, for nothing less would answer.” By this time we were about passing another house, and out popped another fellow, “I say, Mister,” says he, “don't you want to hire a good ox wagon and team, to haul your gold from the mountains? I've got as good a one as there is in Texas, and I'll haul reasonable.” “Good God,” says Tom, “whip up and lets get out of this as soon as possible; I'm all over now in a profuse perspiration.” “ Never mind, Tom,” says I, “you know the old adage, ‘let them laugh who win,’ and perhaps when we get back with our pockets full of ‘ nuggetts,’ these folks wont be so very funny.” Tom looked however as if he thought the prospect of winning was very slight indeed, but said nothing, and in a little while, as we had quick ened our pace, we ran through the “ gauntlet,” and left the last settlements behind us. As the evening was drawing to a close, Tom and myself concluded we would bivouac for the night, and make an early start again in the morning. Hardly had we taken a very frugal supper, and retired to our “leafy couch,” when the sky became suddenly overcast, and from that time until daylight, we were exposed to a success in of pitiless showers, that drenched us to the skin, and effectually banished sleep. _Tom u dreadful complaints during the nights, and heartily wished a dozen times that he was at home again in his warm featherbed ; but I consoled him as well as I was able, by telling him that men who were about to dig up five hundred dollars per day, ought to be will ing to put up with a little personal inconveni ence,—that though the rain, to be sure, was rather unpleasant to take, we would hereafter find plenty of water in every gulf and ravine, and thus the difficulty, heretofore experienced, of obtaining water for washing out the gold, would be obviated. But somehow Tom was not to be comforted, and the next morning, after making a very unsatisfactory breakfast upon a pulpy mass, composed of about equal parts of crackers and cheese, nicely flavored and colored with the juice that had oozed out of a couple of plugs of tobacco, we set out once more, and in three or four hours came to the banks of the Sandies, those far-famed Sandies whose golden deposites, for ages past, have been washing away unheeded into the turbid waters of the Colorado. ‘ Now,” says I, ‘Tom, we'll soon be repaid for all we have suffered. Here you see is the famous quartz rock, exactly the same, I am told, in every re spect as the California rock, except that there is no gold in it; and here, too is the black sand, and the granite, and every other indications of existence of the precious metal. Give me the pan,” said I to Tom, after I had dismounted in a considerable state of excitement, “ there’s ‘bullion’ to be had here and no mistake.” Lo xt it we went; and, as they say in the stories for children, we “ dug so we washed, and we washed and we dug, and we travelled and dug and washed, and travelled and dug and washed again,” till at last we came to the very head of the Sandies, and at the same time very unwillingly to the conclusion that no gold was to be found in those “‘diggins,” and that when geologists asserted that quartz rock, black sand, and granite were geo accom panied with some gold, for once at least they had missed it most egregiously. We had not found gold enough to gild a single sheet of the smallest sized note paper. As my golden anticipations seemed less and less likely to be realized, in the same ratio did the “ retail gro cery line” assume more and more its former importance in my estimation, and when at last we turned our horses’ heads towards home, I am sure if I had then been behind the counter, disposing of a pound of cheese to a customer, he would have had no reason to marvel at the “quantity of pork he got for a shilling.” When we got back to the Mormon settle ments my huge “tin pan” was still hanging to my saddle, and I did not like the idea of throw ing it away, and to carry it any further was out of the question. I concluded to make it a present to the first woman I should see on the way. We soon discovered one standing in the door of a comfortable log cabin, and I rode up and asked her if she would accept that fine large tin pan, for which I had lately paid the respectable sum of 87 cents, but for which I now had no further use. “ Indeed, sir,” said she, “I am much obliged to you, to be sure, but the fact is, since the ‘ gold-dig gers’ have got to coming up so much in this section, there is a perfect ‘glut’ of par* here, and there aint a hole nor corner about th lot you can’t find one stuck away in. The truth is, there is such a power of tin now on every shelf in the house. I am actually afraid of lghtning, whenever a hard storm comes up. owever,” said she, observing, I suppose, my crest-fallen appearance, ‘as you seem to be a polite-spoken gentleman, I reckon I'll have to take it, and maybe it'll do to feed the ducks in.” “Madam,” says I, ‘I'll remember your toe wretched pan from my savage over e wre me, it over the fence, toe long breath, one on, feeling as much reserved as if I had got rid of an incubus. Without saying one word to each other on the subject, Tom and myself, as if by mutual consent, carefully avoided all towns and thoroughfares on our way home, (and this, by-the-bye, accounts to me satisfactorily for the fact that so many are seen going to the mines, and so few returning,) and after an absence of a little more than three weeks, one fine morning go humble servant might have been seen at his old stand behind the counter, weighing out carefully a rather light pound of cheese upon the “Patent Ballances,” at the same time coming over anxiously in his mind the best plan for retrenching expenses, so as to make up for probable loss of considerable bills ran up by old Mrs. Flant and Simp sons, and that occasioned by the top liberal policy of trade pursued by Mr. Ot (who, by the way, is still employed at his salary,) during my absence to the golden re gions of the “Sandies.” BUMPS, —
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Gonzales Inquirer
Gonzales, Texas, US
Sat, Jun 04, 1853
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USA 07 May 2026
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