Digging for Gold: Adventures in California

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER NINE.

  CONCLUSION.

  When they arrived at Bigbear Gully they found the condition of thepeople most deplorable, owing to scarcity of provisions, prevailingsickness, and the total absence of physic or medical attendance. Tomake matters worse, there were indications that the rainy season wasabout to set in; an event that would certainly increase the violence ofthe disease which had already swept away so many of the miners, not afew of whom fell down in the holes where they were digging for gold, andthus, in digging their own graves, ended their golden dreams, withgold-dust for their winding-sheets.

  In California there may be said to be only two seasons--a wet one and adry. The wet season is from November to March, during which periodfoggy weather and cold south-west winds prevail. During the remainingmonths of the year, arid scorching north-east winds blow so frequentlyand so long that everything green becomes parched and shrivelled up. Ofcourse this state of things is modified in different localities by theproximity or absence of mountains, rivers, and sandy plains, and thereare various periods throughout the year during which the climate isdelightful; but on the whole it is considered bad--especially during therains, when water comes down in such continuous deluges thatgold-digging and all other work is much interfered with--sometimesstopped altogether. At midday in this season there is frequently Julyheat, while in the morning and evening there is January cold.

  Anxious to escape before the weather became worse, Frank went at once toJeffson's store to obtain supplies, settle up accounts, and inquire forhis friend Meyer. He found Jeffson looking very ill--he having recentlyhad a severe attack of the prevailing complaint, but "Company" hadrecovered completely, and was very busy with the duties of his store,which ("Company" being a warm-hearted man) included gratuitousattendance on, and sympathy with, the sick.

  "It'll ruin us intirely," he was wont to say, "for we can't stand by andsee them die o' sickness an' intarvation mixed, an' the poor crittershas nothin' wotever to pay. Hows'ever, vartue is its own reward, an' wemakes the tough miners pay handsome for their supplies, which makes upfor the sick wans, an' kapes us goin' on hearty enough."

  "And what of Meyer?" asked Frank, somewhat anxiously.

  Instead of answering, Jeffson put on his hat, and bidding him follow,went out of the store. He led him and Joe towards a large pine-tree, atthe root of which there was a low mound, carefully covered with greenturf. Pointing to it, the Yankee store-keeper said with some emotion--

  "There he lies, poor fellow; and a better, more kind-hearted, orhonester man, never drove pick and shovel into the airth."

  In compliance with the request of Frank, who was deeply moved, Jeffsontold how that, after the departure of his friends, the poor German'sspirits sank; and while he was in this state, he was prevented fromrallying by a severe attack of dysentery which ended in his death.

  "I trust that he was not pressed by poverty at the last," said Frank.

  "He would have been," replied the Yankee, "if he had been allowed tohave 'is own way; for, being unable to work, of course he ran out o'gold-dust, and nothing would persuade him to touch the nugget you leftin my charge. I hit upon a plan, however, which answered very well. Isupplied him all through his illness with everything that he required tomake him as comfortable as could be, poor fellow, tellin' him it waspaid for in full by a friend of his, whose name I couldn't and wouldn'tmention. `Jeffson,' says he, startin' up like a livin' skeleton, andlookin' at me so serious with his hollow eyes; `Jeffson, if it bees_you_ dat give me de tings, I vill not have dem. I vill die first. Youis poor, an' ve cannot expect you keep all de dyin' miners vor noting.'

  "`Well,' says I, `I won't go for to say I'm over rich, for times _air_raither hard just now; but it ain't _me_ as is the friend. I assure youI'm paid for it in full, so you make your mind easy.'

  "With that he lay down an' gave a long sigh. He was exhausted, andseemed to have dismissed the subject from his mind, for he never spokeof it again."

  "I rather suspect," said Frank, "that you did not tell him the exacttruth."

  "I guess I did," replied the Yankee.

  "Who, then, was the friend?"

  "Yourself," said Jeffson, with a peculiar smile. "I intend to keeppayment of it all off your nugget, for you see it _is_ a fact that weain't in very flourishing circumstances at present; and I knew you wouldthank me for not deserting your friend in his distress."

  "You did quite right," said Frank earnestly; "and I thank you with allmy heart for your kindness to poor Meyer, as well as your correctestimate of me."

  Frank did not forget that his own resources were at a low ebb just then,and that he had been counting on the nugget for the payment of hisexpenses to the coast, and his passage to England, but he made nomention of the fact. His comrade, Joe Graddy, however, could not soeasily swallow his disappointment in silence.

  "Well," said he, turning his quid from one cheek to the other--for Joewas guilty of the bad habit of chewing tobacco,--"well, it's not for thelikes o' me to put my opinion contrairy to yourn, an' in coorse it's allvery right that our poor messmate should have been looked arter, an I'mvery glad he wos. Notwithstandin', I'm bound for to say it _is_ raitherokard as it stands, for we're pretty nigh cleaned out, an' have got tomake for the coast in the rainy season, w'ich, it appears to me, is verylike settin' sail in a heavy gale without ballast."

  "Come, Joe," interposed Frank, "we're not quite so hard up as that comesto. There is a little ballast left,--sufficient, if we only turn to,and wash out a little more gold, to take us home."

  "Sorry to hear you're in such a fix," said Jeffson, still regarding hisfriends with a peculiar smile on his cadaverous countenance; "but Ithink I can get ye out of it. See here," he added, leading them toanother grave not far distant from that of Meyer; "can you guess wholies under the sod there? He was a friend of yours; though perhaps youwould scarcely have acknowledged him had he been alive. You rememberBradling--"

  "What! our old travelling companion!" exclaimed Frank.

  "The same."

  "Why, I saved his life only a few days ago."

  "I know it," said Jeffson, "He came here late one night, all coveredwith blood; and, flinging himself down on a bench in my store, said thathe was done for. And so he was, I guess,--all riddled with bullets,none of which, however, had given him a mortal wound; but he had lost somuch blood by the way that he had no chance of recovering. I did mybest for him, poor fellow, but he sank rapidly. Before he died he toldme how you had saved him from being scragged, and said that he wanted tomake you his heir."

  "Poor fellow," said Frank with a sad smile, "it was a kind expression ofgratitude that I did not expect of him, considering his reputation."

  "I s'pose," said Joe Graddy, with a sarcastic laugh, "that you'll begoin' to set up your carriage an' four, an' make me your coachman,mayhap?"

  "I think I may promise that with safety," replied Frank.

  "Indeed you may," said Jeffson, "for Bradling has been one of the mostsuccessful diggers in Bigbear Gully since you left it, and has made hisfortune twice over. The value of gold-dust and nuggets left by him inmy charge for you is about ninety-six thousand dollars, which, Ibelieve, is nigh twenty thousands pounds sterling of your money."

  "Gammon!" exclaimed Joe.

  "You are jesting," said Frank.

  "That I am not, as you shall see, if you will come with me to the store.When he felt sure that he was dying, Bradling asked me to call togethera few of the honest and trustworthy men in the diggings. I did so, andhe told us the amount of his gatherings, and, after explaining how youhad helped him in his hour of need, said that he took us all solemnly towitness that he left you his heir. He got one of the miners to writeout a will for him and signed it, after which he directed us to a tree,under which, he said, his gold was hid. We thought at first that he wasraving, but after he was dead we went to the tree, and there, sureenough, we found the gold, just as he had described it, and, on weighingit, found that it amounted to the
sum I have named--so, Mr Allfrey, Iguess that I may congratulate you on your good fortune. But come, Iwill show you the will and the witnesses."

  Saying this he led them into the store, where he showed the will toFrank and Joe, who were at first sceptical, and afterwards began todoubt the evidence of their senses. But when the witnesses were called,and had confirmed Jeffson's statements, and, above all, when the bags ofgold-dust and nuggets were handed over to him, Frank could no longerquestion the amazing fact that he had suddenly come into possession of acomfortable fortune!

  Need we say, reader, that he insisted on sharing it with Joe Graddy,without whose prompt and vigorous aid the rescue of Bradling could nothave been effected? and need we add that the two friends found their wayto the sea-coast as quickly as possible, and set sail for Englandwithout delay? We think not. But it may be as well to state that, onhis arrival in England, Frank found his old uncle in a very sourcondition of mind indeed, having become more bilious and irascible thanever over his cash-books and ledgers,--his own special diggings--withouthaving added materially to his gold.

  When Frank made his appearance, the old gentleman was very angry,supposing that he had returned to be a burden and a bore to him, but, onlearning the true state of the case, his feelings towards his_successful_ nephew were wonderfully modified and mollified!

  It was very difficult at first to convince him of the truth of Frank'sgood fortune, and he required the most incontestable proofs thereofbefore he would believe. At length, however, he was convinced, andcondescended to offer his nephew his hearty congratulations.

  "Now, uncle," said Frank, "I shall build a house somewhere hereabouts,and live beside you."

  "You could not do better," said the old gentleman, who became suddenlyand wonderfully amiable!

  "And I don't intend to bother myself with business, uncle."

  "Quite right, my boy; you have no occasion to do so."

  "But I intend to devote much of my time to painting."

  "A most interesting occupation," said the tractable old gentleman.

  "And a good deal of it, also," continued Frank, "to the consideration ofthe cases of persons in sickness and poverty."

  "H'm! a most laudable purpose, though it has always appeared to me thatthis is a duty which devolves upon the guardians of the poor.Nevertheless the intention is creditable to you; but I am surprised tohear you, who are so young, and can have seen so little of poverty orsickness, talk of giving much of your time to such work."

  "You are wrong, uncle, in supposing that I have seen little. During mywanderings in foreign lands I have seen much, very much, of poverty andsickness, and have felt something of both, as my friend Joe Graddy cantestify."

  Joe, who was sitting by, and had been listening to the conversation withmuch interest, bore testimony forthwith, by stoutly asserting that "thatwas a fact," and slapping his thigh with great vehemence, by way ofgiving emphasis to the assertion.

  "The fact is, sir," continued Joe, kindling with enthusiasm, "that yournephy has gone through a deal o' rough work since he left home, an' I'mfree for to say has learned, with myself, a lot o' walooable lessons.He has made his fortin at the gold-mines, kooriously enough, withoutdiggin' for it, an' has come for to know that it's sometimes possible topay too high a price for that same metal, as is proved by many an' manya lonely grave in the wilds of Californy. Your nephy an' me, sir, hascomed to the conclusion that distributin' gold is better than diggin'for it, so we intends to set up in that line, an' hopes that your honourwill go into pardnership along with us."

  Mr Allfrey, senior, received Joe's invitation with a benignant andpatronising smile, but he did not accept it, neither did he give him anyencouragement to suppose that he sympathised with his views on thatsubject. There is reason to believe, however, that his opinions on thishead were somewhat modified in after years. If report speaks truly, hecame to admit the force of that text in Scripture which says, that as itis certain man brings nothing into the world, so he takes nothing out ofit, and that therefore it was the wisest policy to do as much good withhis gold as he could while he possessed it.

  Acting on these convictions, it is said, he joined the firm of Allfreyand Graddy, and, making over his cash-books and ledgers to the "risinggeneration," fairly and finally, like his new partners, renounced hisancient habit of digging for gold.

  THE END.