YEEKA CITY. 255 



warn't the ones to cave in. But 'twarn't no use ; 

 the reds jist crowded them clean down, and took 

 the liar off everyone of 'em. The trails, too, is 

 awful soft. Mose Hart says and he's now from 

 Bogus Holler, whar you have to go that a mule 

 is jist sure to mire down a'most any place.' 



' Well,' I said, ' your news is not by any 

 means refreshing, Judge ; nevertheless, I mean 

 going.' 



' Wael, Cap'en, maybe you 're right ; makin' 

 back-tracks ain't good, anyway ; we are a go- 

 ahead people, we are, and it won't pay to be 

 skeerish, anyway. S'pose we go and take a 

 drink, and I'll jist put you through the city; I 

 guess I'm well posted about most things in these 

 diggins.' 



So we did the city, which did not take very 

 much time to do ; we did the stores, where 

 every person, from the master to the errand-boy, 

 did nothing but sit on the counter to chew, 

 whittle, and spit. The amount of whittling 

 done in this city is perfectly astounding ; every 

 post supporting the verandahs outside the stores 

 and bar-rooms was whittled nearly through ; 

 some of them in two or three places. We did 

 the bar-rooms, and did sundry drinks with divers 

 people. I purchased provisions, hired a guide, 

 took leave of the Judge (who was not half a bad 



