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Show 22 PERSONAL ADVENTURES frequent, I was informed, that, although thefts had occurred, yet, generally speaking, the miners dwelt in no distrust of one another, and left thousands of dollars' worth in golddust in their tents 'vhilst they were absent digging. They all felt, intuitively, that honesty was literally the best policy, and a determination to punish robbery seemed to have been come to by all as a rneasure essential to the security and ·welfare of ·the n1ining community, independent of any question of principle. GamblinU' and drinking were carried on, I found, to a most demoralizing extent. Brandy and champagne, whenever they were brought to the " diggins," realized enormous prices, varying from sixteen to twenty dollars a bottle; and some of the men would, after accunlulating some hundred dollars, squander the whole in purchasing these beverages. Believing the supply of gold to be inexhaustible, they p~rsisted in this reckless course, anJ discovered only when it became too late to redeem their error, that even here gold cannot IN CALIFORNIA. 23 always be procured. They went on until the placet·s failed to yield, and were then reduced to great extre1nities. The miners were by no means averse to lending " dust" to those ·who required it, notwithstanding that the lenders often experienced some difficulty in getting back the advance. One of Van's party, for instance, lent another .six ounces of gold, which not being returned at the stipulated period, nor for son1e time afterwards, he dunned his debtor at every meal, until the latter, who had quietly submitted to the importunity, begged him to "just wait ten minutes, and ti1ne it." l-Ie shouldered his pickaxe, as he said this, and going out of the shed, returned 'vitbin the time, bringing back more than sufficient to liquidate the debt. This little incident created much amusement. I did not find Halliday when I reached our encampn1ent, but sa'v that Don Emanuel's party had not lost tirr1e; for, with their waggons, and a few boards and sticks, they had succeeded in establishin ()' a sort of store or b ' |