HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 67 



all bedaubed with pot-black and grease, darted out of 

 some dark corner, flourishing in one hand a long bowie 

 knife, and in the other three by no means delicate 

 slices of fat pork, which he at once dropped into the 

 frying-pan, stooping down on one knee, and becoming 

 immediately absorbed in watching the interesting 

 culinary process then going on in it. 



" I came up next with a group of three Sonomeans, 

 or inhabitants of Sonoma, busily engaged on a small 

 sandy flat — the only one I had observed — at the bot- 

 tom of the ravine. There was no water near, although 

 I noticed several holes which had evidently been sunk 

 in quest of it. These men were actively pursuing a 

 process that is termed ' dry-washing.' One was 

 shovelling up the sand into a large cloth, stretched 

 out upon the ground, and which, when it was tolerably 

 well covered, he took up by the corners, and shook 

 until the pebbles and larger particles of stone and dirt 

 came to the surface. These he brushed away care- 

 fully with his hand, repeating the process of shaking 

 and clearing until the residue was sufficiently fine for 

 the next operation. This was performed by the other 

 men, who, depositing the sand in large bowls hewn 

 out of a solid block of wood, which they held in their 

 hands, dexterously cast the contents up before them, 

 about four feet into the air, catching the sand again 

 very cleverly, and blowing at it as it descended. This 

 process being repeated, the sand gradually disap- 

 peared, and from two to three ounces of pure gold 

 remained at the bottom of the bowl. Easy as the 

 operation appeared to me to be, I learned, upon in- 

 quiry, that to perform it successfully required the 

 nicest management, the greatest perseverance, and 

 especially robust lungs. The men I saw had lighted 



