Roughing it :: :: University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER I.
My Brother appointed Secretary of Nevada—I Envy His Prospective
Adventures—Am Appointed Private Secretary Under Him—My
Contentment Complete—Packed in One Hour—Dreams and Visions
—On the Missouri River—A Bully Boat 19
CHAPTER II.
Arrive at St. Joseph—Only Twenty-five Pounds Baggage Allowed—
Farewell to Kid Gloves and Dress Coats—Armed to the Teeth—
The “Allen”—A Cheerful Weapon—Persuaded to Buy a Mule—
Schedule of Luxuries—We Leave the “States”—“Our Coach”
—Mails for the Indians—Between a Wink and an Earthquake—A
Modern Sphynx and How She Entertained Us—A Sociable Heifer 22
CHAPTER III.
“The Thoroughbrace is Broke”—Mails Delivered Properly—Sleeping
Under Difficulties—A Jackass Rabbit Meditating, and on Business
—A Modern Gulliver—Sage-brush—Overcoats as an Article of Diet
—Sad Fate of a Camel—Warning to Experimenters 29
CHAPTER IV.
Making Our Bed—Assaults by the Unabridged—At a Station—Our
Driver a Great and Shining Dignitary—Strange Place for a Frontyard
— Accommodations—Double Portraits — An Heirloom—Our
Worthy Landlord—“Fixings and Things”—An Exile—Slumgullion—A
Well Furnished Table—The Landlord Astonished—Table
Etiquette—Wild Mexican Mules—Stage-coaching and Railroading 37
CHAPTER V.
New Acquaintances—The Cayote—A Dog's Experiences—A Disgusted
Dog—The Relatives of the Cayote—Meals Taken Away from Home 48
CHAPTER VI.
The Division Superintendent—The Conductor—The Driver—One Hundred
and Fifty Miles' Drive Without Sleep—Teaching a Subordinate—Our
Old Friend Jack and a Pilgrim—Ben Holliday Compared
to Moses 54
CHAPTER VII.
Overland City—Crossing the Platte—Bemis's Buffalo Hunt—Assault
by a Buffalo—Bemis's Horse Goes Crazy—An Impromptu Circus
—A New Departure—Bemis Finds Refuge in a Tree—Escapes
Finally by a Wonderful Method 60
CHAPTER VIII.
The Pony Express—Fifty Miles Without Stopping—“Here he Comes”
—Alkali Water—Riding an Avalanche—Indian Massacre 70

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CHAPTER IX.
Among the Indians—An Unfair Advantage—Laying on our Arms—A
Midnight Murder—Wrath of Outlaws—A Dangerous, yet Valuable
Citizen 75
CHAPTER X.
History of Slade—A Proposed Fist-fight—Encounter with Jules—
Paradise of Outlaws—Slade as Superintendent—As Executioner—
A Doomed Whisky Seller—A Prisoner—A Wife's Bravery—An
Ancient Enemy Captured—Enjoying a Luxury—Hob-nobbing with
Slade—Too Polite—A Happy Escape 80
CHAPTER XI.
Slade in Montana—“On a Spree”—In Court—Attack on a Judge—
Arrest by the Vigilantes—Turn out of the Miners—Execution of
Slade—Lamentations of His Wife—Was Slade a Coward? 90
CHAPTER XII.
A Mormon Emigrant Train—The Heart of the Rocky Mountains—
Pure Saleratus—A Natural Ice-House—An Entire Inhabitant—In
Sight of “Eternal Snow”—The South Pass—The Parting Streams
—An Unreliable Letter Carrier—Meeting of Old Friends—A Spoiled
Watermelon—Down the Mountain—A Scene of Desolation—Lost
in the Dark—Unnecessary Advice—U. S. Troops and Indians—Sublime
Spectacle—Another Delusion Dispelled—Among the Angels 97
CHAPTER XIII.
Mormons and Gentiles—Exhilarating Drink, and its Effect on Bemis—
Salt Lake City—A Great Contrast—A Mormon Vagrant—Talk with
a Saint—A Visit to the “King”—A Happy Simile 108
CHAPTER XIV.
Mormon Contractors—How Mr. Street Astonished Them—The Case
Before Brigham Young, and How he Disposed of it—Polygamy
Viewed from a New Position 114
CHAPTER XV.
A Gentile Den—Polygamy Discussed—Favorite Wife and D. 4—
Hennery for Retired Wives—Children Need Marking—Cost of a
Gift to No. 6—A Penny-whistle Gift and its Effects—Fathering the
Foundlings—It Resembled Him—The Family Bedstead 119
CHAPTER XVI.
The Mormon Bible—Proofs of its Divinity—Plagiarism of its Authors
—Story of Nephi—Wonderful Battle—Kilkenny Cats Outdone 127
CHAPTER XVII.
Three Sides to all Questions—Everything “A Quarter”—Shriveled Up
—Emigrants and White Shirts at a Discount—“Forty-Niners”—
Above Par—Real Happiness 136
CHAPTER XVIII.
Alkali Desert—Romance of Crossing Dispelled—Alkali Dust—Effect on
the Mules—Universal Thanksgiving 142

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CHAPTER XIX.
The Digger Indians Compared with the Bushmen of Africa—Food,
Life and Characteristics—Cowardly Attack on a Stage Coach—A
Brave Driver—The Noble Red Man 146
CHAPTER XX.
The Great American Desert—Forty Miles on Bones—Lakes Without
Outlets—Greely's Remarkable Ride—Hank Monk, the Renowned
Driver—Fatal Effects of “Corking” a Story—Bald-Headed Anecdote
150
CHAPTER XXI.
Alkali Dust—Desolation and Contemplation—Carson City—Our Journey
Ended—We are Introduced to Several Citizens—A Strange Rebuke
—A Washoe Zephyr at Play—Its Office Hours—Governor's Palace—
Government Offices—Our French Landlady Bridget O'Flannigan—
Shadow Secrets—Cause for a Disturbance at Once—The Irish Brigade—Mrs.
O'Flannigan's Boarders—The Surveying Expedition—
Escape of the Tarantulas 157
CHAPTER XXII.
The Son of a Nabob—Start for Lake Tahoe—Splendor of the Views—
Trip on the Lake—Camping Out—Reinvigorating Climate—Clearing
a Tract of Land—Securing a Title—Outhouse and Fences 168
CHAPTER XXIII.
A Happy Life—Lake Tahoe and its Moods—Transparency of the Waters
—A Catastrophe—Fire! Fire!—A Magnificent Spectacle—Homeless
Again—We take to the Lake—A Storm—Return to Carson 173
CHAPTER XXIV.
Resolve to Buy a Horse—Horsemanship in Carson—A Temptation—
Advice Given Me Freely—I Buy the Mexican Plug—My First Ride
—A Good Bucker—I Loan the Plug—Experience of Borrowers—Attempts
to Sell—Expense of the Experiment—A Stranger Taken In 178
CHAPTER XXV.
The Mormons in Nevada—How to Persuade a Loan from Them—Early
History of the Territory—Silver Mines Discovered—The New Territorial
Government—A Foreign One and a Poor One—Its Funny
Struggles for Existence—No Credit, no Cash—Old Abe Currey Sustains
it and its Officers—Instructions and Vouchers—An Indian's
Endorsement—Toll-Gates 185
CHAPTER XXVI.
The Silver Fever—State of the Market—Silver Bricks—Tales Told—
Off for the Humboldt Mines 193
CHAPTER XXVII.
Our manner of going—Incidents of the Trip—A Warm but Too Familiar
a Bedfellow—Mr. Ballou Objects—Sunshine amid Clouds—Safely
Arrived 198

xiv
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Arrive at the Mountains—Building Our Cabin—My First Prospecting Tour—
My First Gold Mine—Pockets Filled With Treasures—Filtering the News
to My Companions—The Bubble Pricked—All Not Gold That Glitters 203
CHAPTER XXIX.
Out Prospecting—A Silver Mine At Last—Making a Fortune With Sledge and
Drill—A Hard Road to Travel—We Own in Claims—A Rocky Country 211
CHAPTER XXX.
Disinterested Friends—How “Feet” Were Sold—We Quit Tunnelling—A Trip
to Esmeralda—My Companions—An Indian Prophesy—A Flood—Our
Quarters During It 215
CHAPTER XXXI.
The Guests at “Honey Lake Smith's”—“Bully Old Arkansas”—“Our Landlord”—Determined
to Fight—The Landlord's Wife—The Bully Conquered
by Her—Another Start—Crossing the Carson—A Narrow Escape
—Following Our Own Track—A New Guide—Lost in the Snow 221
CHAPTER XXXII.
Desperate Situation—Attempts to Make a Fire—Our Horses leave us—We
Find Matches—One, Two, Three and the Last—No Fire—Death Seems
Inevitable—We Mourn Over Our Evil Lives—Discarded Vices—We Forgive
Each Other—An Affectionate Farewell—The Sleep of Oblivion 232
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Return of Consciousness—Ridiculous Developments—A Station House—Bitter
Feelings—Fruits of Repentance—Resurrected Vices 238
CHAPTER XXXIV.
About Carson—General Buncombe—Hyde vs. Morgan—How Hyde Lost His
Ranch—The Great Landslide Case—The Trial—General Buncombe in
Court—A Wonderful Decision—A Serious Afterthought 241
CHAPTER XXXV.
A New Travelling Companion—All Full and No Accommodations—How Captain
Nye found Room—and Caused Our Leaving to be Lamented—The
Uses of Tunnelling—A Notable Example—We Go into the “Claim” Business
and Fail—At the Bottom 248
CHAPTER XXXVI.
A Quartz Mill—Amalgamation—“Screening Tailings”—First Quartz Mill in
Nevada—Fire Assay—A Smart Assayer—I stake for an advance 252
CHAPTER XXXVII.
The Whiteman Cement Mine—Story of its Discovery—A Secret Expedition
—A Nocturnal Adventure—A Distressing Position—A Failure and a
Week's Holiday 259
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Mono Lake—Shampooing Made Easy—Thoughtless Act of Our Dog and the
Results—Lye Water—Curiosities of the Lake—Free Hotel—Some Funny
Incidents a Little Overdrawn 265

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CHAPTER XXXIX.
Visit to the Islands in Lake Mono—Ashes and Desolation—Life Amid Death
Our Boat Adrift—A Jump For Life—A Storm On the Lake—A Mass of
Soap Suds—Geological Curiosities—A Week On the Sierras—A Narrow
Escape From a Funny Explosion—“Stove Heap Gone” 270
CHAPTER XL.
The “Wide West” Mine—It is “Interviewed” by Higbie—A Blind Lead—
Worth a Million—We are Rich At Last—Plans for the Future 277
CHAPTER XLI.
A Rheumatic Patient—Day Dreams—An Unfortunate Stumble—I Leave Suddenly—Another
Patient—Higbie in the Cabin—Our Balloon Bursted—
Worth Nothing—Regrets and Explanations—Our Third Partner 285
CHAPTER XLII.
What to do Next?—Obstacles I Had Met With—“Jack of All Trades”—
Mining Again—Target Shooting—I Turn City Editor—I Succeed Finely 292
CHAPTER XLIII.
My Friend Boggs—The School Report—Boggs Pays Me An Old Debt—Virginia
City 299
CHAPTER XLIV.
Flush Times—Plenty of Stock—Editorial Puffing—Stocks Given Me—Salting
Mines—A Tragedian In a New Role 306
CHAPTER XLV.
Flush Times Continue—Sanitary Commission Fund—Wild Enthusiasm of the
People—Would not wait to Contribute—The Sanitary Flour Sack—It
is Carried to Gold Hill and Dayton—Final Reception in Virginia—Results
of the Sale—A Grand Total 313
CHAPTER XLVI.
The Nabobs of Those Days—John Smith as a Traveler—Sudden Wealth—A
Sixty-Thousand-Dollar Horse—A Smart Telegraph Operator—A Nabob
in New York City—Charters an Omnibus—“Walk in, It's All Free”—
“You Can't Pay a Cent”—“Hold On, Driver, I Weaken”—Sociability
of New Yorkers” 320
CHAPTER XLVII.
Buck Fanshaw's Death—The Cause Thereof—Preparations for His Burial—
Scotty Briggs the Committee Man—He Visits the Minister—Scotty Can't
Play His Hand—The Minister Gets Mixed—Both Begin to See—“All
Down Again But Nine”—Buck Fanshaw as a Citizen—How To “Shook Your
Mother”—The Funeral—Scotty Briggs as a Sunday School Teacher 329
CHAPTER XLVIII.
The First Twenty-Six Graves in Nevada—The Prominent Men of the County—
The Man Who Had Killed His Dozen—Trial by Jury—Specimen Jurors—
A Private Grave Yard—The Desperadoes—Who They Killed—Waking up
the Weary Passenger—Satisfaction Without Fighting 339

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CHAPTER XLIX. Fatal Shooting Affray—Robbery and Desperate Affray—A Specimen City Official—A
Marked Man—A Street Fight—Punishment of Crime 347
CHAPTER L. Captain Ned Blakely—Bill Nookes Receives Desired Information—Killing of
Blakely's Mate—A Walking Battery—Blakely Secures Nookes—Hang
First and Be Tried Afterwards—Captain Blakely as a Chaplain—The
First Chapter of Genesis Read at a Hanging—Nookes Hung—Blakely's
Regrets 352
CHAPTER LI. The Weekly Occidental—A Ready Editor—A Novel—A Concentration of Talent—The
Heroes and the Heroines—The Dissolute Author Engaged—Extraordinary
Havoc With the Novel—A Highly Romantic Chapter—The
Lovers Separated—Jonah Out-done—A Lost Poem—The Aged Pilot Man
—Storm On the Erie Canal—Dollinger the Pilot Man—Terrific Gale—
Danger Increases—A Crisis Arrived—Saved as if by a Miracle 360
CHAPTER LII. Freights to California—Silver Bricks—Under Ground Mines—Timber Supports
—A Visit to the Mines—The Caved Mines—Total of Shipments in 1863. 376
CHAPTER LIII. Jim Blaine and his Grandfather's Ram—Filkin's Mistake—Old Miss Wagner
and her Glass Eye—Jacobs, the Coffin Dealer—Waiting for a Customer—
His Bargain With Old Robbins—Robbins Sues for Damage and Collects
—A New Use for Missionaries—The Effect—His Uncle Lem. and the Use
Providence Made of Him—Sad Fate of Wheeler—Devotion of His Wife—
A Model Monument—What About the Ram? 382
CHAPTER LIV. Chinese in Virginia City—Washing Bills—Habit of Imitation—Chinese Immigration—A
Visit to Chinatown—Messrs. Ah Sing, Hong Wo, See Yup, &c. 391
CHAPTER LV. Tired of Virginia City—An Old Schoolmate—A Two Years' Loan—Acting
as an Editor—Almost Receive an Offer—An Accident—Three Drunken
Anecdotes—Last Look at Mt. Davidson—A Beautiful Incident 398
CHAPTER LVI. Off for San Francisco—Western and Eastern Landscapes—The Hottest place
on Earth—Summer and Winter 408
CHAPTER LVII. California—Novelty of Seeing a Woman—“Well if it ain't a Child!”—One
Hundred and Fifty Dollars for a Kiss—Waiting for a turn 414
CHAPTER LVIII. Life in San Francisco—Worthless Stocks—My First Earthquake—Reportorial
Instincts—Effects of the Shocks—Incidents and Curiosities—Sabbath
Breakers—The Lodger and the Chambermaid—A Sensible Fashion to
Follow—Effects of the Earthquake on the Ministers 419

xvii
CHAPTER LIX.
Poor Again—Slinking as a Business—A Model Collector—Misery loves Company—Comparing
Notes for Comfort—A Streak of Luck—Finding a
Dime—Wealthy by Comparison—Two Sumptuous Dinners 428
CHAPTER LX.
An Old Friend—An Educated Miner—Pocket Mining—Freaks of Fortune 435
CHAPTER LXI.
Dick Baker and his Cat—Tom Quartz's Peculiarities—On an Excursion—Appearance
On His Return—A Prejudiced Cat—Empty Pockets and a Roving
Life 439
CHAPTER LXII.
Bound for the Sandwich Islands—The Three Captains—The Old Admiral—His
Daily Habits—His Well Fought Fields—An Unexpected Opponent—The
Admiral Overpowered—The Victor Declared a Hero 443
CHAPTER LXIII.
Arrival at the Islands—Honolulu—What I Saw There—Dress and Habits of
the Inhabitants—The Animal Kingdom—Fruits and Delightful Effects 454
CHAPTER LXIV.
An Excursion—Captain Phillips and his Turn-Out—A Horseback Ride—A
Vicious Animal—Nature and Art—Interesting Ruins—All Praise to the
Missionaries 459
CHAPTER LXV.
Interesting Mementoes and Relics—An Old Legend of a Frightful Leap—An
Appreciative Horse—Horse Jockeys and Their Brothers—A New Trick
—A Hay Merchant—Good Country for Horse Lovers 465
CHAPTER LXVI.
A Saturday Afternoon—Sandwich Island Girls on a Frolic—The Poi Merchant
—Grand Gala Day—A Native Dance—Church Membership—Cats and
Officials—An Overwhelming Discovery 473
CHAPTER LXVII.
The Legislature of the Island—What Its President Has Seen—Praying for an
Enemy—Women's Rights—Romantic Fashions—Worship of the Shark—
Desire for Dress—Full Dress—Not Paris Style—Playing Empire—Officials
and Foreign Ambassadors—Overwhelming Magnificence 480
CHAPTER LXVIII.
A Royal Funeral—Order of Procession—Pomp and Ceremony—A Striking
Contrast—A Sick Monarch—Human Sacrifices at His Death—Burial Orgies 513
CHAPTER LXIX.
“Once more upon the Waters.”—A Noisy Passenger—Several Silent Ones—
A Moonlight Scene—Fruits and Plantations 498

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CHAPTER LXX.
A Droll Character—Mrs. Beazely and Her Son—Meditations on Turnips—
A Letter from Horace Greeley—An Indignant Rejoinder—The Letter
Translated but too Late 502
CHAPTER LXXI.
Kealakekua Bay—Death of Captain Cook—His Monument—Its Construction
—On Board the Schooner 512
CHAPTER LXXII.
Young Kanakas in New England—A Temple Built by Ghosts—Female Bathers—I
Stood Guard—Women and Whiskey—A Fight for Religion—Arrival
of Missionaries 517
CHAPTER LXXIII.
Native Canoes—Surf Bathing—A Sanctuary—How Built—The Queen's Rock
—Curiosities—Petrified Lava 524
CHAPTER LXXIV.
Visit to the Volcano—The Crater—Pillar of Fire—Magnificent Spectacle—A
Lake of Fire 532
CHAPTER LXXV.
The North Lake—Fountains of Fire—Streams of Burning Lava—Tidal Waves 538
CHAPTER LXXVI.
A Reminiscence—Another Horse Story—My Ride with the Retired Milk
Horse—A Picnicing Excursion—Dead Volcano of Holeakala—Comparison
with Vesuvius—An Inside View 544
CHAPTER LXXVII.
A Curious Character—A Series of Stories—Sad Fate of a Liar—Evidence of Insanity 551
CHAPTER LXXVIII.
Return to San Francisco—Ship Amusements—Preparing for Lecturing—Valuable
Assistance Secured—My First Attempt—The Audience Carried—
“All's Well that Ends Well.” 558
CHAPTER LXXIX.
Highwaymen—A Predicament—A Huge Joke—Farewell to California—At
Home Again—Great Changes. Moral 564
APPENDIX.
A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History 572
B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre 576
C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated 580