. It was mainly of
canvas; hundreds, perhaps thousands of tents and canvas houses scattered
about the sides of hills. The flat was covered with them, too, and they
extended for some distance along the shore of the cove. A great dust,
borne by the wind that had brought us in, swept across the city like a
cloud of smoke. Hundreds and hundreds of vessels lay at anchor in the
harbour, a vast fleet.

We were immediately surrounded by small boats, and our decks filled with
men. We had our first sight of the genuine miners. They proved to be as
various as the points of the compass. Big men, little men, clean men,
dirty men, shaggy men, shaven men, but all instinct with an eager life
and energy I have never seen equalled. Most wore the regulation dress--a
red shirt, pantaloons tucked into the tops of boots, broad belts with
sometimes silver buckles, silk Chinese sashes of vivid raw colours, a
revolver, a bowie knife, a floppy old hat. Occasionally one, more
dignified than the rest, sported a shiny top hat; but always with the
red shirt. These were merchants, and men permanently established in the
town.

They addressed us eagerly, asking a thousand questions concerning the
news of the outside world. We could hardly answer them in our desire to
question in return. Were the gold stories really true? Were the diggings
very far away? Were the diggings holding out? What were the chances for
newcomers? And so on without end; and the burden always of gold! gold!
gold!

We were answered with the enthusiasm of an old-timer welcoming a
newcomer to any country. Gold! Plenty of it! They told us, in breathless
snatches, the most marvellous tales--one sailor had dug $17,000 in a
week; another man, a farmer from New England, was taking out $5,000 to
$6,000 daily. They mentioned names and places. They pointed to the
harbour full of shipping. "Four hundred ships," said they, "and hardly a
dozen men aboard the lot! All gone to the mines!" And one man snatching
a long narrow buckskin bag from his pocket, shook out of its mouth to
the palm of his hand a tiny cascade of glittering yellow particles--the
Dust! We shoved and pushed, crowding around him to see this marvellous
sight. He laughed in a sort of excited triumph, and tossed the stuff
into the air. The breeze caught it and scattered it wide. A number of
the little glittering particles clung to my rough coat, where they
flashed like spangles.

"Plenty more where that came from!" cried the m