roughing it-第84章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


and　desolate　of　life　as　if　they　had　never　been　disturbed。　　The　mere
handful　of　miners　still　remaining；　had　seen　the　town　spring　up　spread；
grow　and　flourish　in　its　pride；　and　they　had　seen　it　sicken　and　die；　and
pass　away　like　a　dream。　　With　it　their　hopes　had　died；　and　their　zest　of
life。　　They　had　long　ago　resigned　themselves　to　their　exile；　and　ceased
to　correspond　with　their　distant　friends　or　turn　longing　eyes　toward
their　early　homes。　　They　had　accepted　banishment；　forgotten　the　world　and
been　forgotten　of　the　world。　　They　were　far　from　telegraphs　and
railroads；　and　they　stood；　as　it　were；　in　a　living　grave；　dead　to　the
events　that　stirred　the　globe's　great　populations；　dead　to　the　common
interests　of　men；　isolated　and　outcast　from　brotherhood　with　their　kind。
It　was　the　most　singular；　and　almost　the　most　touching　and　melancholy
exile　that　fancy　can　imagine。One　of　my　associates　in　this　locality；　for
two　or　three　months；　was　a　man　who　had　had　a　university　education；　but
now　for　eighteen　years　he　had　decayed　there　by　inches；　a　bearded；　rough…
clad；　clay…stained　miner；　and　at　times；　among　his　sighings　and
soliloquizings；　he　unconsciously　interjected　vaguely　remembered　Latin　and
Greek　sentencesdead　and　musty　tongues；　meet　vehicles　for　the　thoughts
of　one　whose　dreams　were　all　of　the　past；　whose　life　was　a　failure；　a
tired　man；　burdened　with　the　present；　and　indifferent　to　the　future；　a
man　without　ties；　hopes；　interests；　waiting　for　rest　and　the　end。

In　that　one　little　corner　of　California　is　found　a　species　of　mining
which　is　seldom　or　never　mentioned　in　print。　　It　is　called　〃pocket
mining〃　and　I　am　not　aware　that　any　of　it　is　done　outside　of　that　little
corner。　　The　gold　is　not　evenly　distributed　through　the　surface　dirt；　as
in　ordinary　placer　mines；　but　is　collected　in　little　spots；　and　they　are
very　wide　apart　and　exceedingly　hard　to　find；　but　when　you　do　find　one
you　reap　a　rich　and　sudden　harvest。　　There　are　not　now　more　than　twenty
pocket　miners　in　that　entire　little　region。　　I　think　I　know　every　one　of
them　personally。　　I　have　known　one　of　them　to　hunt　patiently　about　the
hill…sides　every　day　for　eight　months　without　finding　gold　enough　to　make
a　snuff…boxhis　grocery　bill　running　up　relentlessly　all　the　timeand
then　find　a　pocket　and　take　out　of　it　two　thousand　dollars　in　two　dips　of
his　shovel。　　I　have　known　him　to　take　out　three　thousand　dollars　in　two
hours；　and　go　and　pay　up　every　cent　of　his　indebtedness；　then　enter　on　a
dazzling　spree　that　finished　the　last　of　his　treasure　before　the　night
was　gone。　　And　the　next　day　he　bought　his　groceries　on　credit　as　usual；
and　shouldered　his　pan　and　shovel　and　went　off　to　the　hills　hunting
pockets　again　happy　and　content。　　This　is　the　most　fascinating　of　all　the
different　kinds　of　mining；　and　furnishes　a　very　handsome　percentage　of
victims　to　the　lunatic　asylum。

Pocket　hunting　is　an　ingenious　process。　　You　take　a　spadeful　of　earth
from　the　hill…side　and　put　it　in　a　large　tin　pan　and　dissolve　and　wash　it
gradually　away　till　nothing　is　left　but　a　teaspoonful　of　fine　sediment。
Whatever　gold　was　in　that　earth　has　remained；　because；　being　the
heaviest；　it　has　sought　the　bottom。　　Among　the　sediment　you　will　find
half　a　dozen　yellow　particles　no　larger　than　pin…heads。　　You　are
delighted。　　You　move　off　to　one　side　and　wash　another　pan。　　If　you　find
gold　again；　you　move　to　one　side　further；　and　wash　a　third　pan。　　If　you
find　no　gold　this　time；　you　are　delighted　again；　because　you　know　you　are
on　the　right　scent。

You　lay　an　imaginary　plan；　shaped　like　a　fan；　with　its　handle　up　the
hillfor　just　where　the　end　of　the　handle　is；　you　argue　that　the　rich
deposit　lies　hidden；　whose　vagrant　grains　of　gold　have　escaped　and　been
washed　down　the　hill；　spreading　farther　and　farther　apart　as　they
wandered。　　And　so　you　proceed　up　the　hill；　washing　the　earth　and
narrowing　your　lines　every　time　the　absence　of　gold　in　the　pan　shows　that
you　are　outside　the　spread　of　the　fan；　and　at　last；　twenty　yards　up　the
hill　your　lines　have　converged　to　a　pointa　single　foot　from　that　point
you　cannot　find　any　gold。　　Your　breath　comes　short　and　quick；　you　are
feverish　with　excitement；　the　dinner…bell　may　ring　its　clapper　off；　you
pay　no　attention；　friends　may　die；　weddings　transpire；　houses　burn　down；
they　are　nothing　to　you；　you　sweat　and　dig　and　delve　with　a　frantic
interestand　all　at　once　you　strike　it！　　Up　comes　a　spadeful　of　earth
and　quartz　that　is　all　lovely　with　soiled　lumps　and　leaves　and　sprays　of
gold。　　Sometimes　that　one　spadeful　is　all500。　　Sometimes　the　nest
contains　10；000；　and　it　takes　you　three　or　four　days　to　get　it　all　out。
The　pocket…miners　tell　of　one　nest　that　yielded　60；000　and　two　men
exhausted　it　in　two　weeks；　and　then　sold　the　ground　for　10；000　to　a
party　who　never　got　300　out　of　it　afterward。

The　hogs　are　good　pocket　hunters。　　All　the　summer　they　root　around　the
bushes；　and　turn　up　a　thousand　little　piles　of　dirt；　and　then　the　miners
long　for　the　rains；　for　the　rains　beat　upon　these　little　piles　and　wash
them　down　and　expose　the　gold；　possibly　right　over　a　pocket。　　Two　pockets
were　found　in　this　way　by　the　same　man　in　one　day。　　One　had　5；000　in　it
and　the　other　8；000。　　That　man　could　appreciate　it；　for　he　hadn't　had　a
cent　for　about　a　year。

In　Tuolumne　lived　two　miners　who　used　to　go　to　the　neighboring　village　in
the　afternoon　and　return　every　night　with　household　supplies。　　Part　of
the　distance　they　traversed　a　trail；　and　nearly　always　sat　down　to　rest
on　a　great　boulder　that　lay　beside　the　path。　　In　the　course　of　thirteen
years　they　had　worn　that　boulder　tolerably　smooth；　sitting　on　it。　　By　and
by　two　vagrant　Mexicans　came　along　and　occupied　the　seat。　　They　began　to
amuse　themselves　by　chipping　off　flakes　from　the　boulder　with　a　sledge…
hammer。　　They　examined　one　of　these　flakes　and　found　it　rich　with　gold。
That　boulder　paid　them　800　afterward。　　But　the　aggravating　circumstance
was　that　these　〃Greasers〃　knew　that　there　must　be　more　gold　where　that
boulder　came　from；　and　so　they　went　panning　up　the　hill　and　found　what
was　probably　the　richest　pocket　that　region　has　yet　produced。　　It　took
three　months　to　exhaust　it；　and　it　yielded　120；000。　　The　two　American
miners　who　used　to　sit　on　the　boulder　are　poor　yet；　and　they　take　turn
about　in　getting　up　early　in　the　morning　to　curse　those　Mexicansand
when　it　comes　down　to　pure　ornamental　cursing；　the　native　American　is
gifted　above　the　sons　of　men。

I　have　dwelt　at　some　length　upon　this　matter　of　pocket　mining　because　it
is　a　subject　that　is　seldom　referred　to　in　print；　and　therefore　I　judged
that　it　would　have　for　the　reader　that　interest　which　naturally　attaches
to　novelty。




CHAPTER　LXI。

One　of　my　comrades　thereanother　of　those　victims　of　eighteen　years　of
unrequited　toil　and　blighted　hopeswas　one　of　the　gentlest　spirits　that
ever　bore　its　patient　cross　in　a　weary　exile：　grave　and　simple　Dick
Baker；　pocket…miner　of　Dead…House　Gulch。He　was　forty…six；　gray　as　a
rat；　earnest；　thoughtful；　slenderly　educated；　slouchily　dressed　and　clay…
soiled；　but　his　heart　was　finer　metal　than　any　gold　his　shovel　ever
brought　to　lightthan　any；　indeed；　that　ever　was　mined　or　minted。

Whenever　he　was　out　of　luck　and　a　little　down…hearted；　he　would　fall　to
mourning　over　the　loss　of　a　wonderful　cat　he　used　to　own　（for　where　women
and　children　are　not；　men　of　kindly　impulses　take　up　with　pets；　for　they
must　love　something）。　　And　he　always　spoke　of　the　strange　sagacity　of
that　cat　with　the　air　of　a　man　who　believed　in　his　secret　heart　that
there　was　something　human　about　itmay　be　even　supernatural。

I　heard　him　talking　about　this　animal　once。　　He　said：

〃Gentlemen；　I　used　to　have　a　cat　here；　by　the　name　of　Tom　Quartz；　which
you'd　a　took　an　interest　in　I　reckonmost　any　body　would。　　I　had　him
here　eight　yearand　he　was　the　remarkablest　cat　I　ever　see。　　He　was　a
large　gray　one　of　the　Tom　specie；　an'　he　had　more　hard；　natchral　sense
than　any　man　in　this　camp'n'　a　power　of　dignityhe　wouldn't　let　the
Gov'ner　of　Californy　be　familiar　with　him。　　He　never　ketched　a　rat　in　his
life'peared　to　be　above　it。　　He　never　cared　for　nothing　but　mi