Lost Lenore: The Adventures of a Rolling Stone

by Mayne Reid

woman."

  "There's some truth in what you say," rejoined Farrell. "But I don'tlike being humbugged. He was such a plain-speaking fellow, I wonder whyhe didn't tell me what he was intending to do, and who was writing tohim all the time. In that case, perhaps, I should have made noobjection to his running away with her. But there _is_ one thing, Ishould have decidedly objected to."

  "What is that?"

  "Furnishing the money to pay their travelling expenses--as well as tokeep them comfortably wherever they have gone."

  "Did you do that?"

  "I did. When Foster left the Stanislaus to go home, I entrusted all mygold to him--to take home to my precious wife. For all his frank openways, and plain-speaking, he did not tell me that he intended to assistmy wife in spending it; and that's what gives me the greatest chagrin.I've been regularly sold. Over every dollar of that money--as they areeating or drinking it--will they be laughing at the fool who worked sodamned hard to make it. Now I don't like that; and I should like toknow who would. Would you?"

  "Not exactly. But where do you expect to find them?"

  "In this city--San Francisco."

  "What! They surely would not be such simpletons as to come out toCalifornia, and you here?"

  "That's just what they'll do," replied Farrell. "They'll think theirbest plan to keep clear of me, will be to leave the States, and get outhere, by the time I would be likely to reach home. They will expect meto start from this place, the moment I hear the news of their elopement;and that by coming here, they will be safe not to see me again--thinkingI would never return to California. For that reason I don't intendgoing home at all; but shall stay here till they arrive."

  After spending the evening in his company, I admonished the injuredhusband--in the event of his meeting with his false partner and friend--to do nothing he might afterwards regret.

  Farrell and I then parted; and I saw no more of him before leaving SanFrancisco.

  I sojourned another week in the capital of California; and, havinglearned enough of its mysteries and miseries, I began to makepreparation for my voyage across the Pacific.

  An eminent banking firm in London had established an agency in SanFrancisco; and by it I forwarded to England all the gold I hadcollected--excepting a few ounces retained for my travelling expenses toAustralia.

  I found no difficulty in obtaining a passage from San Francisco to thelatter place. Gold-diggings had been recently discovered in New SouthWales--in Port Philip, as Victoria was then called; and as many peoplefrom the colonies wished to return, for their accommodation, numbers oflarge ships were being "laid on" for Sydney and Melbourne.

  There is no class of passenger so profitable as the gold-digger _goingaway from a diggings_; and this being a fact, well-known among thecaptains and owners of ships, there was no scarcity in the supply ofvessels then fitting out in the harbours of California.

  Volume Two, Chapter XI.

  A DIFFERENCE AMONG DIGGERS.

  I engaged passage in the Dutch brig "Ceres," bound for Sydney; andsailed in the early part of June out of San Francisco Bay.

  When I again embark as a passenger in a Dutch vessel, it will be after Ihave learnt to speak that detestable lingo. Of all the crew of the"Ceres," only the first officer could speak a word of English; and,during the time I was aboard the brig, I discovered more than one goodreason for my resolve never again to embark in a ship, where I could notunderstand the language by which she was worked.

  A majority of the passengers had originally come from the AustralianColonies to California; and were now returning to their homes--dissatisfied with a country, where they were not regarded as goodcitizens.

  The worst characters amongst them had conceived a strong antipathy foreverything American.

  This will be easily understood, by taking into consideration the fact,that many of the people from the Australian Colonies who went toCalifornia, were men of infamous character. Indeed it is rather to thecredit of the Californians: that they had treated with some severitythese English convicts, who had made their appearance amongst them, forthe express purpose of thieving and robbing.

  I do not wish to be understood as saying, that all the gold seekers fromAustralia were of this character. I formed the acquaintance of manyAnglo-Australian diggers, who had won the respect of all who knew them.

  Too many of the class, however, were undoubtedly bad men. They had beenbad men in their mother country, were bad men in the colonies, bad inCalifornia; and will continue to be bad wherever they go. They justlymerited the contempt, which the Americans had bestowed upon them.

  I have more respect for the great nation to which I belong than todefend the conduct of its convicts, against the opinions formed of themby the people of California.

  There were three or four Californians amongst the passengers of the"Ceres," who appeared to be respectable, as they were well conductedyoung men, yet they were intensely hated by a majority of thepassengers--merely because they were Americans, and not English convictsfrom the colonies.

  The Australians, while in California, when not drunk, generally behavedthemselves like other people. This, however, arose from the absolutecompulsion of circumstances, and the dread of being punished for theirmisdeeds; but no sooner had we got clear of the Golden Gate, than theyresumed their former vulgar habits of acting and speaking; and not asentence could be uttered by one of them, without reference to thecirculating fluid of the body.

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  Early in the month of August, we came in sight of one of the numerousgroups of islands with which the Pacific ocean is enamelled.

  About twelve o'clock at night--while going at a speed of not more thanfive knots an hour--we ran straight upon a reef of rocks.

  A scene of wild confusion then ensued--every one expecting the brig togo immediately to the bottom--but it was soon ascertained, that she washanging or resting on a point of the rocks, which had penetrated hertimbers; and that she was in no immediate danger of sinking.Fortunately the weather was calm at the time, and the sea perfectlytranquil, else the brig would certainly have been knocked to pieces.

  As usual, the long boat was found to be _not_ sea-worthy; and there wasbut one other, a small pinnace, that would hold about twelve of theseventy-six passengers comprising the cargo of the "Ceres"--to saynothing of her crew!

  We could see land, about a mile from our position; and it was evident,that no watch could have been kept aboard; else the brig could not havebeen lost.

  As soon as order had been somewhat restored, and our exact situationascertained, the crew, assisted by the passengers, commenced building araft, upon which, when finished, we were to attempt making a passage tothe shore.

  At daybreak we obtained a better view of the land--indistinctly seenduring the darkness. It was a small island--apparently about threemiles in circumference--with groves of palm trees standing thickly overit.

  The raft having been at length got ready, the work of landing commenced.

  By nine o'clock all hands were ashore; and then some efforts were madetowards transporting to the beach such provisions as could be saved fromthe wreck of the brig.

  The men, who first volunteered their services for this duty, were someof the most disreputable of the passengers.

  Their object in returning to the brig was simply to plunder. The boxesbelonging to their fellow-passengers were broken open by thesescoundrels, who appropriated to themselves every article of value theycould conceal about their persons.

  When the work of saving the provisions really commenced, it was foundthat there was but little to be saved. All the bread, and most of theother stores, had got soaked in the sea-water, and consequently spoilt.A barrel of beef, and another of pork, were all the stores that could beprocured in a fit condition for food.

  Before we had been ashore over an hour, we became acquainted with theunpleasant circumstance that no fresh water was to be found upon theisland.

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bsp; This intelligence produced great consternation; and the wreck wasrevisited--for the purpose of ascertaining if any could be procuredthere. But very little water fit for drinking could be had on board thebrig--most of her supply being down in the hold, and of course submergedentirely out of reach.

  Some mining tools and American axes had constituted a portion of thecargo. Some of these were now brought ashore, and put into requisitionin the search for water.

  With the picks and shovels we scooped out a deep hole in the centre ofthe island, which, to the delight of all, soon became filled with thewished-for fluid.

  Our joy was of short continuance. We tasted the water. It was briny asthe billows of the ocean. It was the sea-water itself--that went andcame with the tides.

  Next morning, the captain and six men were despatched in the pinnace--inthe hope of then finding some ship to take us off, or reaching someinhabited island--where they might obtain the