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Show 82 PERSONAL ADVENTURES that we could here obtain what we wanted, I gave my horse into the charge of an ostler, and we took our seats on some rude benches near the door. There were five or six Californians in the room, bargaining for various articles of dry goods, amongst which were several calico prints of the most glaring designs and colours. I ·was astonished at the enormous prices they readily paid for these articles, the trader making, in most instances, at least 800 per cent. upon them. Between the two front doors of the store was a table, around which were seated several Americans aud Spaniards playing at monte, and staking various sums, from t'venty-five cents to four and five ounces of gold, upon a card. I could gather from their conversation that none of them had gone to bed the previous night, and that it was probable they would not quit playing until the banker, or those betting against him, had" burst." 1 But the bank was large, and the dealer evidently no novice; so 1 A cant term in use amongst the Yankee gamb1ers. IN CALIFORNIA. 83 that the contest promised to be of long duration. Feeling but little interested in the game, I strolled out into the courtyard to see how my horse had been provided for, when I was agreeably surprised at finding assembled there a group of fresh-looking Yankee girls, chatting and jesting together. They must have come across the mountains, and seemed to have been well taken care of on the route. Having seen my horse fed, I re-entered the store, and was shown into a lofty apartment, where supper h.ad been laid. There was plenty of tea, bread, a few cakes, and a large piece of roast pork, and, to give a greater zest to the repast, one of the merry girls that we had seen presided on the occasion. The viands with which the table was laid out disappeared rapidly under ~he influence of appetites sharpened by the Irregularities of our previous habits • and ' ' although pork in any form had always been abhorrent to me, it would have puzzled the most acute observer to have detected in my countenance or operations the slightest trace of |