LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 108, 21 March 1862, Page 6

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL.

A TRIP TO CALIKOKJVIA IJV 1853, BY J. C. BATES.

(Con'.iitwd ) Dec. 1854.—We1l here I am back to San Francisco again, and if there was ever a happy individual in this wide world, lam one to-day-. I've been to the mines, I've 'Seen the elephant," I've been half starved a dozen times, and dead broke as many more. Ive —But let me commence at the beginning-.' Ever since I first arrived in the country, I had a strong desire to go to the mines and tiy my luck. In August, being then out of employment, I concluded to take atrip to the diggings, make my pile and go home. I left San Francisco, on the 16th, and wont as far as Beneeia, stayed there one day ami in the evening took the boat'for Sacramento, at which place I arrived at two o'clock ji.m., on the Hth. I had never been in the city before, consequently knew nothing about the hotels j so I went, in the first one I came to and engaged lodging. But fate had decreed flint I should get no sleep that night. I had been in bed about five minutes when

an army of lied bugs made an attack on me, and I was soon forced to beat a hasty retreat. I got up, struck a light and commenced the work" of slaughter. In about, five minutes I killed somewhere about forty thousand bugs, the remainder of them scampered off. As no more were to he seen, I blew out the light and want to bed again. I had just, fallen oiT in a iioze when a large reinforcement of the enemy arrived and made another attack. I fought like a brave man, long- and well, but I at last had to succumb, bleeding at every vein. lam not in the liabit of uttering profane language, consequently, did not like to swear, but, if a proficient in the art of swearing had been in the room, I would have been strongly tempted to have done sis the old qualcer, who, when his hat blew oft', hired a boy to swear at it for him, it being against his principles to swear himself. There being no chance for me.to swear by prox-^, I contented myself by dressing and leaving the house in disgust, after I had killed a few more bugs. I walked about the'streets until daylight, and then went to the coach office and engaged a seat for Neverta. At five o'olock the passengers were all seated, and we were soon on our way to the diggings. The day was excessively hot, and the roads so dusty it was sometimes impossible to see twenty feet from the coach. For fifteen hours we were in a perfect cloud of dust. There is an old saying, that each person must eat a peck of dirt. *If a person eaiinot die until he has eaten this allowance, there was no certainty of me living a moment after niy arrival in Neveda; for I think there is not the slightest doubt but what I swallowed that amount on that day. The country about Sacramento is as level as a floor, and the scenery for many miles is very monotonous and uninteresting. The first mining town on. the road is llougli-and-Keady,—no misnomer, for it is one of the roughest looking 2'':ices I ever saw. We are now fairly in the mountains, and the scenery has become so interesting that we soon forget about the dust, and feast our eyes on "the works of nature which surround us. The hills are bold and rocky,—great masses of rock, ovei-liangiug the road in many places, looked as if about.to roll down and crush us. The ravines were filled with miners—white men, negroes, and Chinamen —all digging for the precious dust. Let but the word gold be sounded in their ears, and men of every color, and from every clime, rush pel.mell to find it, —not stopping to think of the dangers, hardships, and privations through which they must go to obtain it. Three miles from Rough-and-Ready is the village of Grass Valley. This is said to be the prettiest mining village in the State. As it was getting dark when, we arrived in the village, I could not see enough of it to form an opinion in regard to its beauty. Quartz mining is carried on at this place more extensively than at any other place in California. Some of the veins have been very rich ; but, taken as a whole, 1 think quartz mining has not proved, very successful in a pecuniary point of view. At Grass Valley, a ladypacsenger got iniothe coach to po to Keveda. She had with her a baby and a bandbox. The latter she gave to the driver, with instructions to take special care cf it. About a quarter of a mile from Neveda, something about the running gear broke, and the coach upset, throwing several of us in the gutter by the roadside. The first thing 1 heard was the lady crying—" Where's my bund-box 3 Don't step on my band-box!" The baby was squalling furiously, but, the mother took no heed of it. She was looking for that precious band-box, in which was her uew " fall bonnet." „ ,-. As soon as 1 got up p picked up the child,' expecting to find it halt dead, but fortunately it was not hurt but only frightened. The only person injured wa3 a Chinaman; when the coach upset he fell head-first into tho band-box, thereby, saving his head from being smashed—but the bonnet was ruined. When the lady (?) saw the box she caught poor "John" by the hair, and dragged him out of the gutter, scratched his face, boxed his eai-s, and otherwise maltreated him," for having sense enough to fall on something soft to save his brains from being knocked out. We were all soon on our feet again, and, as the distance to town was so short, we preferred to walk in, rather than wait for the coach.

Just as I stepped into the hotel the clock struck nine; and lmlf-rin-liour Inter I was in bed, where I slept soundly until tiie gong sounded next ln'ornincr.

After breakfast I took a stroll about town ; and also visited a number of the claims near by. When I left the city it was my intention to try my luck at mining, but I soon found that I was not strong enough to work at digging-, so I concluded to get a job at something else ns soon as possible. Heretofore 2 7iad always had some one to look out forme, give'me advice, help me in time of need, &e.,----but now, for the first time, I was thrown entirely on my own resources, and must make my daily bread' or starve. After mature deliberation oii the important subject, I concluded to do tho former,-if possible. . . .

Next day I obtained a situation in a confectionery manufactory, and worked there three weeks. ' I was then taken ill, and lost my situation. I was sick two weeks: at the end of that time my money was all gone, and, as the dor-tors could not allbrd to give me any more medicine, I got well. Since that time I have noticed, as a singular fact, that if a man is taken ill on the diggings he does not get well until the money is all goiter=rhe then either' gets well or dies immediately.

For the first time since I landed iij the cpuntry I was "dead-broke." I paid mv last dollar'to thp doctor for a box of pills at night, and the next morning'had nothing to pay for my broakfnst^-conser-qnently hail to go without. I would rather starve than beg-, and was too weak to do any hard work. In the aiternoon I was walking along the street, wishing I was back in f-'an Francisco, so that I could get a good dinner, when I saw a man putting a notice in the window of a drinking saloon. It-read as. follows:—"Wanted a porter to 'tend bar in the morning, and make himself generally useful." My father had always been a strict temperance man, and such a thing as liquor I had never seen in the house, unless in case of sickness. I did not know one liquor from another, raid knew as much about mixing drinks as a hog would of making a pound-cake. But I was hungry, and must get something to .do, or I would be very apt to remain so for an indefinite period. What I lacked in the art of bar tending, I must make up in brass. I walked in, and stepping up to the bar-keeper, applied for the situation. He said he wanted a boy to clean out the saloon in the morning, and make himself generally useiul through the day, and also to attend to the customers until he got up, which would be aboiit eight o'clock, ilf I thought I could do this, he would employ me. I told Uim I would do all that he would require, and as for tending bar, I was sure there was not a boy in the place that could do it as I would. I spoke the.truth when I told him that, for I am positive no other, boy in the town would have raixed the drinks as I did. He said I might try it for a week, and if I got along well, we could make some permanent arrangements. Porter in a grog shop, was rather lower than I had ever expected to get; but hunger will drive a person to do, what oil a full stomach, he would not stoop so low as to tliink about. The remainder of the aiternoon I paid particular attention to the names of the different drinks called for, and also from which bottles he took the different kinds of liquor. There seemed to be more calls for " brandy cocktails " than for any other drink, so I paid special attention to the modus operandi of getting up this favorite drink, A quantity of red liquid from a black bottle was poured in a glass, a few drops of another liquid from a smaller bottle, some sugar and water then added, a tin cup placed over the glass, and the mixture well shaken, poured out in a clean glass, and it was ready to drink. I ate a hearty supper, and soon after went to bed. All night long I was dreaming of "gin and' sugar," "brandy cocktails/ et<\, etc. I got up as ■ soon as it was daylight, and had the saloon, all cleared up before any other place was open. About seven o'clock a big Dutchman came in and called for a brandy cocktail. This was' my first customer, so Ithoughtlwouldgivehimanextraallowance, But now I was puzzled ; two bottles just alike were standing side by side, arid which of them contained the brandy was more than I could tell; of course it would not do for me to show my ignorance by asking the Dutchman to tell me which was the brandy, so I closed-my eyes, and took the first bottle I got hold of, and poured in the glass about double the quantity that I had seen the barkeeper give the day before. The other ingredients were.then put in, and the mixture well shaken, and handed over the bar to the Dutchman, who was waiting impatiently for his drink. I had been rather long mixing it, and as

lie was in a huriy, lie ilid not take time to smell or taste it ;. Lis capacious mouth opened, and down wen the whole glcssfull. But oh, horrors! With an im" earthly yell hj squirted tho liquid from his month, and went jumping and huvlin!; about the room like a crazy num. " Vaier, vater; Oh mien Got I am kilt: vater, vater !' 'Half frighter-ed to death, for I surely thought I had murdered the man, I seized n bucket of slops, and dashed the contents in his face:At this moment, the barkeeper name rushing in halt' dres.serl, expecting to find some person murdered. I told him what 1 luul done, and showed him the bottle from which I took the liquor. He mixed a diink for the Dutchman, which soon quieted him. The barkeeper was a Tliomsonian, an;! the night before had taken a do.se of " iiot drops" to cure a I cold which he had ; unfortunately, lie had left the hjttle in the bar, and I had given tho Dutchman A dose of it instead of brandy 1 I was Kent into get my breakfast, the barkeeper not thinking it safe to trust rue to mix any more drinks. After breakfast, I left. ..,:..-.

(To be continued.)