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！
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 mining。
He knowed more about mining； that cat did； than any man I ever； ever see。
You couldn't tell him noth'n 'bout placer diggin's'n' as for pocket
mining； why he was just born for it。
He would dig out after me an' Jim when we went over the hills
prospect'n'； and he would trot along behind us for as much as five mile；
if we went so fur。 An' he had the best judgment about mining groundwhy
you never see anything like it。 When we went to work； he'd scatter a
glance around； 'n' if he didn't think much of the indications； he would
give a look as much as to say； 'Well； I'll have to get you to excuse me；'
'n' without another word he'd hyste his nose into the air 'n' shove for
home。 But if the ground suited him； he would lay low 'n' keep dark till
the first pan was washed； 'n' then he would sidle up 'n' take a look； an'
if there was about six or seven grains of gold he was satisfiedhe
didn't want no better prospect 'n' that'n' then he would lay down on
our coats and snore like a steamboat till we'd struck the pocket； an'
then get up 'n' superintend。 He was nearly lightnin' on superintending。
〃Well； bye an' bye； up comes this yer quartz excitement。 Every body was
into itevery body was pick'n' 'n' blast'n' instead of shovelin' dirt on
the hill sideevery body was put'n' down a shaft instead of scrapin' the
surface。 Noth'n' would do Jim； but we must tackle the ledges； too； 'n'
so we did。 We commenced put'n' down a shaft； 'n' Tom Quartz he begin to
wonder what in the Dickens it was all about。 He hadn't ever seen any
mining like that before； 'n' he was all upset； as you may sayhe
couldn't come to a right understanding of it no wayit was too many for
him。 He was down on it； too； you bet youhe was down on it powerful
'n' always appeared to consider it the cussedest foolishness out。 But
that cat； you know； was always agin new fangled arrangementssomehow he
never could abide'em。 You know how it is with old habits。 But by an' by
Tom Quartz begin to git sort of reconciled a little； though he never
could altogether understand that eternal sinkin' of a shaft an' never
pannin' out any thing。 At last he got to comin' down in the shaft；
hisself； to try to cipher it out。 An' when he'd git the blues； 'n' feel
kind o'scruffy； 'n' aggravated 'n' disgustedknowin' as he did； that the
bills was runnin' up all the time an' we warn't makin' a centhe would
curl up on a gunny sack in the corner an' go to sleep。 Well； one day
when the shaft was down about eight foot； the rock got so hard that we
had to put in a blastthe first blast'n' we'd ever done since Tom Quartz
was born。 An' then we lit the fuse 'n' clumb out 'n' got off 'bout fifty
yards'n' forgot 'n' left Tom Quartz sound asleep on the gunny sack。
In 'bout a minute we seen a puff of smoke bust up out of the hole； 'n'
then everything let go with an awful crash； 'n' about four million ton of
rocks 'n' dirt 'n' smoke 'n； splinters shot up 'bout a mile an' a half
into the air； an' by George； right in the dead centre of it was old Tom
Quartz a goin' end over end； an'