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Volume 3 (1858-1859) (592 pages)
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Page: of 592
62 HUTCHINGS’ CALIFORNIA MAGAZINE.
had plunged into the river and were
borne down by Trinity’s swelling tide.
It was in the middle of the summer, in
July, the very hotest time of the season,
yet at that early period Trinity river was
not turned from its bed in very many
places. Poor Spikings, thinking a mile
of travel straight down the side of so
steep a mountain, in addition to his former progress, was quite sufficient, sat down
to rest, while in the mean time, his partner busied himself in looking after the
mule and gathering up the goods. After
following the intricate windings of the
trail he at last approached Spikings, finding him slightly bruised and scratched in
various places, and his clothes torn in
sundry ways. Spikings felt some conscientious scruples about moving around
a great deal in his dilapidated apparel—
not that he was over modest, but he
thought his condition was most too Judicrous for a man that owned a good claim
in those flush times, and he thought if
he should meet any of his friends, they
might be disposed to laugh at him, which
would be anything but pleasant to the
feelings of a descendant of the Spikings
family, who frequently made boast of
his distinguished ancestrage. Accordingly he concluded to change his dress
without “moving a peg” regardless of
the persuasions of his friend to the contrary. Joe, finding Spikings determined,
assisted him in donning a new suit of
clothes, including shirt, pantaloons, ete. ;
as to his hat, to use a legal term, it was
nonest. Immediately after attiring himself in his new suit, he accompanied Joe
in search of the rest of their missing
stores,
The patient spectator said not a word
about the troubles of the packers, but
looked on, witnessing the scene. with a
suppressed laugh, endeavoring at times
to put on a sober face, when the eyes of
the unfortunates were turned towards
him, which was not unfrequently the
case, for the reason that he was seated
to rest, within a few yards of them, he
having ascended the mountain by a circuitous route and in a different direction
than that by which Spikings and his
friend made the descent, at times deviating from the trail in the hope to remain
unseen by dodging around the bushes.
For this indiscretion he suffered considerably. Besides being seen a number of
times, his hands and face were scratched
and his clothes much torn by the scraggy
brush through which he had to pass.
After resting a while, he arose and startedon his way in the direction of the
summit, hoping to reach the village, some
three or four miles distant, before sundown, when he was startled by a shout
away down the mountain, so far as to be
scarcely audible, and tracing the sound
learned that it was an appeal for help
from the parties below. Here was a dilemma. To go clear down to the foot of
the mountain seemed too much of a task
to undertake late in the afternoon, especially when the party was to derive no
benefit whatever from such undertaking.
While studying what was best to do un-~
der such peculiar circumstances, poor
-Spikings was shouting at the top of his
voice for assistance, occasionally crying
out, ‘‘ why don’t you come down and help
a poor fellow ?”
-Having determined to do so—for the
writer could not well know that parties
were in distress and not proffer any relief, in such an extraordinary case, at
least—down the mountain he started,
but had not got more than ten steps,
when he was startled by a hoarse, rough
growl. Casting his eye around :he discovered a grizzly within a hundred yards
of him, and a little too close to be agreeagle, coming across the side of the mountain. Who now needs assistance? was
the thought uppermost in his mind.
Forming a conclusion that he was as
much in need of help as the lower party,