San Diego to San Francisco i()j 



We reached Stockton, and after a day in the 

 mud I found my goods stored safely and all ready 

 for packing, Mr. Starbuck to whom I had en- 

 trusted them having been most faithful. We went 

 to the hotel for supper which was worth, perhaps, 

 ten cents, but cost a dollar and a half each. After 

 which, with Browning, Simson, Stevens, Bloom- 

 field and some of the others, I took a look up and 

 down the town. The gambling was going on as 

 usual, the tables had changed hands in some in- 

 stances, but the many are still sitting behind their 

 ^'banks." A young English nobleman, who asked 

 me to keep his name a secret, laughed and said: 

 "We are all bankers here." One young man, too 

 young for such work, terrible at any age, I felt 

 sorry to see; he had evidently been a winner to 

 judge from the large amount before him, having 

 a wall of gold dust ounce high and three rows deep, 

 leaving a space of nearly a foot square inside, well 

 filled with gold pieces of all stamps and countries, 

 the i6, 8 and 4 of the Spanish, the eagles and 

 half-eagles of the United States, sovereigns and 

 half sovereigns of England, and others from 

 apparently all over the world, lumps even of 

 unalloyed gold, had all fallen into his hands today. 

 He seemed quite alone; his candles were still 

 burning, and he rested his cheek on a delicate, well 

 formed hand, which looked as if it had not been 

 made for the shovel and pick of the mines. He 



