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Show 262 PERSONAL ADVENTURES imply. The poor fellow, who was totally unacquainted with them, declined their pa· tronage, being by no means prepossessed in their favour, nor at all reassured by their manner. Upon this refusal, they assumed a threatening attitude, and so effectually terrified hirn by their menaces, that be supplied thern with what they wanted; and even offered no resistance, when, on their taking their departure, they helped themselves to several articles to which they had, apparently, taken a sudden fancy. Many other acts of a sin1ilar nature were perpetrated by them with the sarne impunity; the dupes not unfrequently getting severely maltreated when they ventured to remonstrate or resist; but at length the new town-council resolved to put an end to such depredations; and only awaited a favourable occasion for suppressing the association altogether. The op· port unity presented itself sooner than had been anticipated ; for the " I-Iounds," ascertaining the detennination of the authorities, though they did not discontinue their excesses, yet for IN CALIFORNIA. 263 some time cleverly contrived to commit them under circumstances which favoured their escaping detection. Not very long after the outrage alluded to above, a party of the association was seen parading the streets, with drums beating and colours flying. That same night the store of a Chilian was broken into by them, and the unfortunate proprietor nearly murdered ; he being so severely beaten, as to have been left for dead. His neighbour and fellow-countryman, apprehending a similar fate, fled to an adjacent house, and, creeping underneath the floor of it, lay there trembling until the noise had subsided, and the deed of blood was perpetrated. The next day, however, due information of this act of ruffianism having reached the authorities, several hundred of the citizens, amongst whom "-ere several Chilians and Spaniards, armed with guns, pistols, and other weapons, proceeded through the town, towards the" Shades," crying out the names of several well-known 1nembers of the gang. On reaching |