to the
mill, and we all found gold. It was everywhere. Of course that set us
up in great shape, but the captain made us promise to keep the matter a
secret for six weeks until he had finished a flour-mill that he was
building at the fort, or else he wouldn't be able to get anybody to
work for him at wages. But some of the men showed their dust down at
the store at the fort, buying goods, and the cat was out of the bag.
Everybody deserted the old captain, his grist-mill hasn't been finished
to this day, his crops weren't reaped, his saw-mill property was
overrun with a regular army, some of the people tried to save a bed of
gravel for him, but that's gone now, neither his rights or mine are
respected, I don't own an ounce of gold and am busted, and he'll be
busted soon. There's no gratitude in this country," and Mr. Marshall
turned gloomily away.

"There doesn't seem to be much show here for mining; the whole
country's been turned over," commented Mr. Adams, as they gazed about.
"But I'm glad to have seen the spot where the first gold was found in
California."

"By the way, Jim," spoke the Fremonter, "are there any quartz workings
around here? Never heard of a claim called the Golden West, did you?"

Mr. Marshall shook his head, in his gloomy fashion.

"Not on the South Branch of the American, either fork. It's all placer
work yet. That's the quickest. Lodes don't pay; they need machinery,
and nobody wants to wait for machinery. But I've heard they're
beginning to find lodes over in the Nevada country, beyond the upper
North Branch. Several parties on their way to the dry diggin's of
Rough and Ready spoke about quartz outcrops over yonder somewhere on
the North Branch."

"Yes, we thought we'd go over that way ourselves," answered Mr. Grigsby.

"Whereabouts is Rough and Ready, Mr. Marshall?" asked Charley's
father--much to Charley's relief, who wanted to know, himself.

"It's a dry diggin's camp, near to the Nevada dry diggin's, in Grass
Valley between the Bear and the Yuba. That's all _I_ know," responded
Mr. Marshall, as if to imply that it was all he cared, too!

The directions seemed very indefinite, in such a big country, but Mr.
Grigsby appeared to be impressed by something or other in Mr.
Marshall's words, for he was plunged into a brown study until the party
had left Mr. Marshall sitting gloomily as before and were resuming the
march. Then, out of earshot of the cabins and mill, he suddenly
s