Search Nevada County Historical Archive
Enter a name, company, place or keywords to search across this item. Then click "Search" (or hit Enter).
To search for an exact phrase, use "double quotes", but only after trying without quotes. To exclude results with a specific word, add dash before the word. Example: -Word.

Collection: Books and Periodicals

Three Years in California by John D. Borthwick (1857)(LoC) (423 pages)

Go to the Archive Home
Go to Thumbnail View of this Item
Go to Single Page View of this Item
Download the Page Image
Copy the Page Text to the Clipboard
Don't highlight the search terms on the Image
Show the Page Image
Show the Image Page Text
Share this Page - Copy to the Clipboard
Reset View and Center Image
Zoom Out
Zoom In
Rotate Left
Rotate Right
Toggle Full Page View
Flip Image Horizontally
More Information About this Image
Get a Citation for Page or Image - Copy to the Clipboard
Go to the Previous Page (or Left Arrow key)
Go to the Next Page (or Right Arrow key)
Page: of 423  
Go
Loading...
RATS. 159 quently in the cities than in the mines; they are probably the hoary old patriarchs, and not a distinct species. They are very destructive, and are such notorious thieves, carrying off letters, newspapers, handkerchiefs, and things of that sort, with which to make their nests, that I soon acquired a habit, which is common enough in the mines, of always ramming my stockings tightly into the toes of my boots, putting my neckerchief into my pocket, and otherwise securing all such matters before turning in at night. One took these precautions just as naturally, and as much as a matter of course, as when at sea one fixes things in such a manner that they shall not fetch way with the motion of the ship. As in civilised life a man winds up his watch and puts it under his pillow before going to bed ; so in the mines, when turning in, one just as instinctively sets to work to circumvent the rats in the manner described, and, taking off his revolver, lays it under his pillow, or at least under the coat or boots, or whatever he rests his head on. I believe there are individuals who faint or go into hysterics if a cat happens to be in the same room with them. Any one having a like antipathy to rats had better keep as far away from California as possible, especially from the mines. The inhabitants generally, however, have no such prejudices ; it is a free country—as free to rats as to Chinamen ; they increase and multiply and settle on the land very much ag