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Show A TRIP ACROSS THE PLAINS. preparations of the latter articles, being by e~perimental philosophy, deemed the most economical me:hod of disposing of the fiour. A handful of the berries were put in!o two catnp l<ettles holding about six gallons of water.These gave color and consistency to the soup. A small quantity of flour was then made into a stiff batter. This was carefuUy divided by a spoon into a certain number of pieces, co1·responding to the number of individuals in the mess. 1'he result of this ceremony was always announced in order that eaeh one might learn, the amount of his share. I suppose any one might have enten the entit·e amount, of course excluding a portion of the six gallons of tasteless soup. Next day, forenoon, travelled two miles, and dined on musty tea alone. Encamped fourteen miles farther, in "Little Valley," on Deer Creek. Next day about noon we stopped at a small stream, the last water we had until reaching the valley of the Sacramento River. In the afternoon and night, we, or least some of us, reached dry creek in the valley, distant thirty miles-the road mountainous and rocky. A few got through to Wf\ter, ?ut the majority were scattered along the_ r?ad fol' several m1les, worn out by hunger, thirst, and fatJgue. Next day Thursday July 4th, about noon, we encamped on Deer Cl'eek about half a mile from Lawson's Rancho. We got up a Fourth of J u]y dinner on musty hard bread, and beef bones in a state of incipient putrefaction, which was as highly l'elished by us, as any of the more sumptuous repasts, served up to our friends in the States. W ~ were received, and treated very kindly by a party of mtners, who were jerking beef in the vicinity bf oo r camp. From this !ime the members of our company began to separate, and 1n a few days were as a general thing, hundreds ofmiles apart. Those who came by the Salt Lnke, Cnrson and ·rruckie routes, reached Sacramento Valley about the time we did. · AND LIFE IN CALI'FORNIA. ar CllA.PTE·R XI. 'Wntivc Gold-\Vher'c "fouild-metbodtt oC obtaiuiug it. ·This metal is obtained pu1·e, o~· in combination with silver, ·copper, il'efl, palladium,, or telh~ri uan .. It is also fQund combined with the sulphuret or oxtde of.Ir?n. W~en tneltcd an c1 tht·own up by Volcanic agency, 1t.1~ fo~nd 1n every possible vul'iety of shape. When crystnliz1ng 1t generally a~sumes the fol'm of the cube or octo bed r?n. . . Its .feeble affinity for oxygen prevents 1t from. tarn1sh~ng, and by this property .is readily detected, . when ln combin~ ·tion with those ·metals that do not, so htghly, possess th1.s property. G·eologically it is found in granite. quartz, .mica, slate, syenites, green stone, and trachyte. In the m1nes of California generally with quartz. . Srr1all gs·ains or lat·ger pieces are obse.rved studcltng tl~e surfo.ce of the latter rock, but muny specimens contain considerable quantities, which cannot be detected by the senses. In order to obtain it the :rock is pulverized, tritu1·ated "\vith quicksilver, which readily uc.ites _with i.t' a~d .the compound being washed out, the qu1cks1l ver 1s d!5tllled off, leaving th~ gold in the retort. . Gold is not acted upon by nitric, sulphuric, or chlo1·hy-chc acids, while many of the other metal:5 a)·e. When combined with silver, copper ot· iron, the compound mny _be placed in one of the acids, wh~ch acts upon . these, while the gold remains unaffected. fhe aqua regta o~ the .old che n:}ists, a combination of nitric and chlorohydnc actds, will dissolve it, though not affected by eithe1· one separately ernployed. Gold is found in caqifornia, in fine dust, or in pieces weighing from a gl'ain to sevei~al pounds. That f~·om the middle Fork of the Amel'ican River, and Feathe1· River, in the latte1· part of its course! is generally in the forcn of fiCf\les, and is very pure. From the North Fork o: Feather R i vcr and some other stl'eams~ in in·egularly shaped lun1ps, frequently, coated with black oxide of iron. The gold ft·om the '• Kayote" diggins on Deer creek eonlains, I believe some silver, and is not worth more than Dl . |
