The Cave of Gold

by Everett McNeil

  CHAPTER XVIII

  STORY OF THE GREAT DISCOVERY

  A cheery call from Mr. and Mrs. Dickson greeted our friends the nextmorning, as they started down the trail on their way to the wing dam.Both were in the best of spirits and did not appear to be botheringtheir heads in the least over their rather exciting and unfortunateadventure of the night before. Indeed, what could the burning of a logcabin more or less matter to a man who was digging out of the groundfrom five to ten thousand dollars' worth of gold a day! They were busilyat work putting on a temporary roof in place of the one the fire haddestroyed.

  "Lose much?" queried Ham sympathetically, as the little company came toa halt in front of the ruins.

  "Only a little worn-out clothing and some mighty poor furniture,"laughed Dickson. "Mollie and I calculate we can fix up the roof by noongood enough to last the few days we are likely to remain here; and thetime it takes us to do that is our only real loss. You see, we'vedecided, if we get as much as twenty thousand dollars' worth of gold outof that hole, we'll get for New York as fast as the good Lord will letus; and it looks now as if it was good for that much, at least, beforeit gives out. Why, it won't take more than a couple of days more to fixus all right, if the gold continues to turn up the way it did yesterday!Hope it will be your turn next."

  "Same here," laughed Mrs. Dickson. "My, but it does seem good to bedigging real gold up out of the ground in handfuls. Hope that wing dam,or whatever you call it, will be the golden key that will unlock thedoor of fortune to you all."

  "We all shore agrees with you thar," grinned Ham. "An' we all hopes thaty'ur luck will continue, 'til you gits enough tew send you back home infine style--not that we're none anxious tew see you go," he addedhastily, "'cause 'twould be 'bout as painful an operation as bein'seperated from a sore tooth, to be seperated from that singin' apperatusof your'n. We'll be expectin' you tew come over an' sing some more forus tew-night."

  "I certainly can't refuse, after such a compliment to my singing," shelaughed back.

  "It almost tempts me tew try hitchin' up myself, tew see them tewa-workin' tewgether as happy as tew nestin' birds," grinned Ham, as ourfriends, after a few minutes' longer talk with the joyful and fortunatecouple, continued on their way. "I reckon that's 'bout th' kind ofmarriage th' feller meant, when he said they was made in heaven; for th't'other kind 'pear tew be made in t'other place," and Ham chuckled.

  That day they succeeded in building a wall of rocks, piled one on top ofthe other and plastered together with clay and the branches of trees,across the little stream itself and almost high enough to force thewater to flow in the new channel. Consequently night found themjubilant; for now it began to look as if they might complete the dam onthe morrow, and this was doing better by a day or two than they hadexpected to do.

  "I reckon we had better bring along the pails and the pans to-morrow,"Mr. Conroyal said, as he paused with Ham and Mr. Randolph for a lastcalculating look at the dam, before starting for the log house thatnight. "Looks now as if we might complete the dam and turn the water alittle before night; and, if we do, we will want to get right to work atthe hole. It sure looks as if we had struck a good thing here, boys,"and his face lighted, as his eyes turned toward the elbow. "If thisstream has been carrying down gold the way some of the streams have inthis section, we'll have Dickson beat by a wagon load or two of gold aday. I can't see how it can help turning out something big," and thegold-fever light that shone in his eyes began to sparkle in the eyes ofthe others.

  "It shore otter turn out big tew pay us for all this work," and Ham'sglance slowly wandered over the huge piles of rocks and dirt that theirshovels and strong arms had reared, "but thar's no countin' on whatit'll do. 'Twouldn't s'prise me none, if we took out a wagon load ofgold; an', ag'in, 'twouldn't s'prise me none, if we didn't take out athimble load. Gold is 'bout as unsart'in an' queer as women. When youthink you've got it shore, gosh, it ain't thar at all! But, I reckonyou're right 'bout th' pans an' pails; an' I shore hopes you're right'bout th' wagon loads of gold."

  After supper that night Mr. and Mrs. Dickson came over and joined thecircle around the big camp-fire that Thure and Bud had kindled in frontof the log house. There was no need to be saving of wood, when all onehad to do to get it was to cut it. Wood was the one thing that was freeand plentiful in Hangtown.

  "How did she pan out tew-day, Dick?" queried Ham, as Dickson seatedhimself on a log.

  "Well," and Dickson hesitated and glanced swiftly and just a littlesuspiciously around the circle of faces. Already the possession of muchgold was robbing him of some of his open, free-hearted confidence in hisfellow men, was drawing tight the strings of caution. "Well," hecontinued, after a swift warning glance into the face of his wife, "Ifear that we have about come to the bottom of the pocket. Not much doingto-day," but the light in his eyes seemed to belie his statement.

  "Oh, Dick," and Mrs. Dickson turned a reproving face to her husband,"how can you say that, when we found this, and a lot of smaller nuggets,and a good three thousand dollars' worth in gold-dust besides!" and sheheld up before the astonished eyes of the circle a huge gold nugget. "Itweighs exactly five pounds and three and three-quarters ounces, and isworth over a thousand dollars," and the Little Woman's face glowed withtriumph. "There," and she turned a pair of happy but defiant eyes on herhusband, "I just couldn't keep a thing like that to myself; and Ishouldn't want to, if I could; and I told Dick that I couldn't and Iwouldn't keep it from you and I didn't," and her eyes sparkled merrily."But Dick is getting a little afraid that, if it becomes known how bigour find really is it might tempt some scoundrel to try and get the goldaway from us."

  "Not meaning you fellows, of course," and Dickson's face flushed.

  "Shore, we understand an' without any explainin'," broke in Hamheartily. "An', Leetle Woman, Dick's more'n half right 'bout bein' somecautious who you tells y'ur good luck tew. Thar was a miner murdered forhis gold 'bout a week ago nigh Sacremento City; an' th' murderers worn'tcaught an' might be a-snoopin' 'round Hangtown right now."

  "Mercy!" and Mrs. Dickson turned a whitening face to Ham. "Why, there ishardly a lock on a door in all Hangtown; and most of the miners don'teven take the trouble to hide their gold-dust securely. I thoughteverybody knew that the climate of Hangtown wasn't good for the healthof robbers."

  "An' so it ain't for them that gits caught," answered Ham. "But humanswill risk anything, even their lives for gold. Why, it wasn't more'n aweek ago that we run Skoonly out of town for stealin'! So, I reckon,'tain't more'n good hoss-sense for you tew be some cautious now that youare gittin' a fortune in gold. Not that thar's any harm in a-tellin' oldfriends like us, 'cause we knows enough tew keep mum 'bout it," and Hamglanced warningly around the circle of interested faces. "But 'twouldn'tbe good sense tew let th' hull town know th' size of y'ur pile. It's tewgoll durned big an' temptin'. Not that I wants tew scare you, LeetleWoman. Only it's jest good hoss-religion not tew tempt y'ur fellermortals more'n it's necessary. Now forgit th' gold an' give us a song."

  Ham had not been without his reasons in thus trying to arouse the fearsof Mr. and Mrs. Dickson and in warning the others to keep theirknowledge of the amount of Dickson's find to themselves; for, since thenight adventure of Thure and Bud, he knew that Quinley and Ugger must belurking somewhere in the vicinity, and that, if these two scoundrelsshould get knowledge of Dickson's great luck, neither their gold northeir lives would be safe.

  Mrs. Dickson sang a number of the old songs, including Ham's favorite,"Sweet Alice, Ben Bolt"; but her music lacked something of its usualsoul-fervor. Evidently the words of Ham had so aroused her fears thatshe could not keep her mind from wandering to the little pile of goldthey had left almost unguarded in their lockless log cabin; and, in ashort time, both excused themselves on the plea of weariness, andhurried home.

  "Tew bad tew scare th' Leetle Woman," Ham said regretfully; "but 'twouldbe a heap worse tew have Quinley an' Ugger git that thar gold. I gotscart of them jest as soon as th' Leetle Woman showed u
p th' big nugget;for they must be a-lurkin' 'round here somewhere, keepin' an eye on us;an', if they heer'd of Dickson's gold, they shore would try an' git it.Wal, we'd better follow their example an' git tew bed; for we've got ahard day's work afore us, if we finish th' wing dam an' turn th' watertew-morrer. I'm goin'," and Ham, knocking the ashes out of his pipe onthe log on which he was sitting, arose and went into the house, whitherhe was soon followed by the others.

  * * * * *

  The next day as Thure and Bud were sitting in the shade of the cool sideof the gulch, a little apart from the others, eating their lunch anddiscussing the great find they expected to make when they turned thewater of the little stream into the new channel, Thure, whose eyeshappened to be looking down the gulch at that moment, suddenlyexclaimed:

  "Hello, look who's coming!" and he pointed down the gulch to where a mancould be seen walking slowly toward them, a pick and shovel and gold-panslung across his broad shoulders, a Mexican sombrero on his head and therest of his body clothed in a blue flannel shirt and linen trousers thathad once been white, protected by deerskin leggings and thrust into thetops of knee-boots.

  "Out prospecting, I reckon," and Bud glanced curiously at the advancingstranger, for visitors had been rare in that lonely gulch. "Let's askhim to dine with us," and he smiled as he glanced at the coarse butabundant fare spread out on the ground between them. "He must be hungry,if he has lugged those things on his back far. Hello!" and he turned tothe stranger, who by this time had come to within a couple of rods ofwhere the two boys sat, "You are just in time to help us finish up thesebeans and pork. Come and have a seat at our table," and he grinned awelcome, as he nodded toward the food.

  "I don't care if I do," smiled back the stranger, as he flung pick andshovel and pan from his back and dropped down by the side of the boys,"especially since I've got a little jerked venison here that I know willtaste good to you, if you've been living on salt pork as long as themost of the miners have," and he began to undo a little bundle tied tothe end of his pick, and presently disclosed a chunk of dried venisonand a couple of ship-biscuits, wrapped up in a coarse but clean cloth.This food he at once laid down on the cloth, which he had spread out onBud's table, and bade the boys help themselves, at the same time andwithout any further invitation helping himself to the beans and pork.

  "Wait, and I'll get you a cup of hot coffee," and Bud jumped to his feetand hurried to where Ham was superintending the boiling of a pot ofcoffee over the camp-fire.

  "Say, dew you know who that feller is who has j'ined grub with you?"queried Ham, grinning, as he filled a tin cup full of the coffee andhanded it to Bud.

  "Oh, just a miner out prospecting, I reckon," answered Bud, as he tookthe coffee. "We thought we would be social and asked him to share ourmeal," and he started back with the coffee.

  "Wal," and the grin on Ham's face broadened, "that feller is James W.Marshall!"

  "What!" and Bud stopped so suddenly that he almost spilt the coffee."Not the James W. Marshall who discovered the first gold in California!"

  "Th' identicle cuss," laughed Ham. "But 'tain't done him much good sofar."

  "Glory be, we just thought he was an ordinary prospector, when we askedhim to share our lunch! And so he is the man that started all this madrush for California gold," and Bud's eyes turned curiously in thedirection of the stranger. "Well, he sure don't look as if the gold haddone him much good."

  "That's usually th' way on it," replied Ham. "Th' feller what finds itonly gits th' first smell, then 'long comes some other feller an'gobbles it all up, leavin' th' finder nuthin' but th' glory."

  "Maybe we can get him to tell us the story of how he found the gold,"and Bud's face lighted up. "I'd like to hear it from his own lips."

  "Wal," grinned Ham, "jest tell him that he's 'bout th' most abused manin all Californy, an', I reckon, he'll open his heart tew you. He'spow'ful sore over everybudy else but he a-gettin' th' gold, an' he th'discoverer."

  "Maybe the hot coffee will do as well," laughed Bud, as he hurried backto his guest.

  The hot coffee, possibly even more the contagion of the joyousenthusiasm of the two youths, did, indeed, seem to act like a charm onMarshall's taciturn and soured disposition; for, before the meal washalf over, he was talking freely of his mining ventures with Thure andBud; and it needed but a few well-directed inquiries to bring thedesired story from his willing lips.

  "How did I happen to discover the gold?" he began, as if the boys hadasked him directly for the story, which they had not. "Well, it all cameabout in this way," and he settled himself into a comfortable position."In May, 1847, Captain Sutter sent me up the American River to look fora good site for a sawmill that he wished me to build for him; and, aftera number of days of fruitless search, I found what looked like the exactspot I was hunting for on the South Fork of the American aboutforty-five miles from Sutter's Fort. Captain Sutter, you may be sure,was well pleased when I told him of my success; and we entered into apartnership, according to which I was to build the mill and he was tofind provisions, tools, teams, and pay a part of the men's wages; and inAugust, everything being ready, I started out with six men and twowagons loaded with the tools and provisions. We first put up log housesin which to live; for we expected to remain there all winter. But thiswas done in no time for the men were great with the ax. Then we cuttimber and fell to work hewing it for the framework of the mill and tobuilding the dam, which, with the help of about forty Indians, who hadgathered around us in great numbers, we put up in a kind of a way infour weeks. When the mill was nearly completed, it was my custom everyevening after the men had quit work to raise the gate in the mill-raceand allow the water to run all night, in order to wash as much sand andgravel as possible out of the race during the night; and in the morning,while the men were getting breakfast, I would go down and shut the gateand walk along the race to see where the work needed to be done for theday.

  "One clear cold morning in January--I shall never forget that morning. Ican see it all as I sit here--the nearly completed mill, the slopes ofthe surrounding tree-covered hills, the water pouring over the dam, themill-race, a foot or so of water still rushing along over its bottom--Ican see it all--"

  Marshall paused, his eyes staring straight in front of him, a peculiar,dreamy, wild look in them that sent uncanny chills to the hearts of bothboys as long as it lasted. What was he seeing? Visions?--Visions of whatthat morning meant to a gold-mad world?

  "No, I can never forget that January morning," Marshall resumed, afterperhaps a minute, the normal look again coming back into his eyes; "foron that morning I found the gold that has set the world crazy and provenlittle more than a curse to me," and a gloomy bitter look clouded hisface.

  "On that morning, as usual, after having shut off the water, I startedto walk along the race, keeping my eyes pretty close to the ground, soas to make a note of where the ditch needed more digging. There wasstill about a foot of water running in the race. Suddenly my eyes caughta glimpse of something shining through the water, just a bright littlegleam of yellow lying on the bottom of the ditch; but the first sight ofit made my heart jump, for I thought it might be gold; and I reached myhand down quick through the water and picked it up and examined iteagerly. The piece was about half the size, and of the shape of a pea;and felt and looked like gold, only it did not seem to me to be exactlythe right color: all the gold coin I had seen was of a reddish tinge;this looked more like brass. I looked again in the water and saw anotherpiece and picked that up. Then I sat down on the bank, with the littlepieces of shining metal on the palm of my hand, and began to think righthard. Was it gold? I recalled to mind all the metals I had ever seen orheard of, but I couldn't seem to think of any that looked like this,that is, that looked enough like it to make me certain of what it was.Suddenly the thought came to me that this was probably nothing but ironpyrites, or fool's gold, that I had heard and read of, but had neverseen. I trembled at the thought; for by now I had become considerablyexcited ove
r the possibility of its being gold. But iron pyrites wouldbreak when pounded! I jumped to my feet, getting more excited everyminute; and quickly found a couple of hard river stones, and, puttingthe pieces on one, I pounded them with the other. It was soft, anddidn't break! It must be gold; but was probably largely mixed with someother metal, possibly silver, for I thought that pure gold certainlywould have a brighter color.

  "I don't know just how long I sat there, looking at them two little bitsof yellow metal in my hand and thinking hard of all that it might meanto me and the men with me, if it should really prove to be gold, for Isure was some excited; but, when I got back to our cabin, the men hadfinished their breakfast and were beginning to wonder a little what hadbecome of me. I showed them the two pieces, and told them where I hadfound them, and that I thought they were gold. This excited the men agood deal; and I had some trouble to keep them from dropping everythingand going to gold hunting, leaving me finish my job alone. However, Itold them that as soon as we had the mill finished we would give a weekor two to gold hunting and see what we could make out of it, and thissatisfied them for the time, none of them then dreaming there was enoughgold there to amount to much.

  "After this, while at work in the race, we all kept a sharp lookout, andin the course of three or four days we had picked up about three ounces,our work going on the same as usual; for none of us at that timeimagined that the whole country was sown with gold. If we had--that millsure would never have been completed," and Marshall smiled a littlebitterly.

  "Four or five days after I picked up those two little pieces of yellowmetal I had to go to Sutter's Fort; and, wishing to get all theinformation I could respecting the real value of the metal, I took allthat we had collected with me, and showed it to Captain Sutter. He atonce declared that it was gold; but, like me, thought it was largelymixed with some other metal. We now tried to hit upon some means oftelling the exact quantity of gold found in the alloy; but couldn'tfigure out how to do it, until we stumbled upon an old Americancyclopedia, that gave the specific gravity of all the metals and rulesto find the quantity of each in a given bulk. We now wanted some silver,with which to compare our metal; and, after hunting over the whole fortand borrowing from some of the men, we managed to get three dollars anda half in silver. Captain Sutter had a small pair of scales; and, withthe aid of these and the cyclopedia, we soon ciphered it out that therewas neither silver nor copper in the gold, but that it was entirelypure.

  "This proof that the metal was real gold excited both of usconsiderable; but, when we had cooled down a little and talked it over,we concluded it would be our best policy to keep it as quiet as possibleuntil the mill was completed. Now, at this time, there was a greatnumber of disbanded Mormon soldiers in and about the fort, and, somehow,they came to hear of it; and then the golden cat was out of the bag, forthe news that gold had been discovered just spread over the wholecountry like wild-fire. Indeed, I had hardly got back to the mill,before men with picks and pans and shovels and hoes and all sorts oftools began coming in, all anxious to fall to work and dig up our millby the roots; but this, of course, we would not allow, although Isometimes had the greatest trouble to get rid of them. I sent them alloff in different directions, telling them of such and such places whereI felt certain they would find gold, if they would only take the troubleto dig for it. Not that I really thought they would find any gold, forat that time I never imagined the gold was so abundant; but they woulddig nowhere but in such places as I pointed out and I had to get rid ofthem someway. I believe if I had told them to dig on top of a mountain,that, so great was their confidence in me, they would have climbed tothe top of the mountain and began picking away at the rocks," andsomething, almost a twinkle, came into Marshall's eyes, brighteningtheir somber lights.

  "And did the parties you scattered through the country find any gold?"inquired Thure eagerly.

  "Yes, many of them did, to my surprise," answered Marshall; "but thesecond real discovery of gold was in a gulch on the road to Sacramento.The third gold discovery was made on a bar of the South Fork of theAmerican River a little above the junction of the Middle and Southforks. The diggings over there where Hangtown is," and he flung up oneof his arms in the direction of Hangtown, "was discovered by myself; forwe all went gold hunting, as soon as the mill was finished. Some Indiansfound the diggings down at Kelsey's; and thus in a short time wediscovered that the whole country hereabouts is sown with gold, thick inspots but thin and scattering almost all over. Now that is the truestory of the gold discovery in California, right from the lips of theman who picked up the first piece of gold, and who has had more cheatingand robbing than thanks from the men the discovery has helped most," andthe somber light deepened in the eyes of the disappointed and souredman, who always laid the blame of the misfortunes that seemed to followhim after the great discovery on the ingratitude of his fellow men,rather than on his own inability to use the opportunities that a kindlyfate had thrust in his way.

  "Well, it sure does seem hard," sympathized Bud, "that you, whodiscovered the gold, should be able to get so little of it. But," andhis face brightened, "your luck may change to-morrow, and you may yetlive to see yourself one of the richest men in California."

  Here the huge form of Hammer Jones broke in on the three.

  "How d'dew, Jim," and Ham reached down a big hand and gripped the handof Marshall. "Ben tellin' th' yunks all 'bout th' Great Discovery, Ireckon?" and he grinned. "Wal, if you'll jest sot down an' make y'urselfeasy for 'bout three hours, 'til we puts the finishin' touches on thishere dam, I shouldn't be none s'prised if we was able tew show yousomethin' of a discovery ourselves," and Ham pointed to the now nearlycompleted dam.

  Marshall at once became greatly interested, when Ham had explained tohim what they hoped the dam would do for them; and not only agreed towait until the completion of the dam, but to help in its completion;and, in a few minutes more, all were again at work, spurred toextraordinary exertions by the thought that a few short hours more wouldtell the story of their success or failure.