248 EAST PRUSSIA TO THE GOLDEN GATE 



sorry for hini with my whole heart; it was nobly done, 

 and his wife is deserving the fullest credit for it, that 

 she, who was tied to him only by duty, attended him so 

 faithfully, until death relieved him. The misfortunes in 

 the * * * and * * * families are much to be 

 deplored. I hope and wish that things have changed 

 since for the better. I am glad to hear that * * * 

 and * * * are to be engaged, and possibly they are 

 married by this time. Everybody gets married, and I— 

 ''I remain sangle and my aine"— as Newman says. 

 Enough for to-day. 



October 10th, 1852 (Long Bar). 



It really taxes to the utmost all the mental energy and 

 self-reliance this wild life in California has imparted to 

 me, to make me keep my head above water. Since my 

 arrival in California (with perhaps the exception of the 

 two months I have been at Nelson Creek), I have had to 

 fight adversity after adversity. Were I still the weakling, 

 the physically— and mentally— sick boy I was when I 

 left you, by heavens!— I would have blown my brains out 

 ere this. But now I am too proud to do that; I will not 

 be bowed down by misfortune. Not in vain will I have 

 gone through the test so far; and, though should adver- 

 sity strike me again with double and treble force, I shall 

 meet it. 



Now let me tell you what happened to me, since I wrote 

 my last lines on the 19th ult. 



I spent nearly my last dollar in buying a claim, and— 

 though I felt very weak yet,— I went to work with a will, 

 and finding that my claim paid me as well as I expected, 

 I felt that I was again in a fair way to make some money. 

 But my hope was short lived, it lasted only 5 days; on 

 Saturday, the 25th of last month, I was taken down with 

 dysentery, and so severely that I was hardly able to drag 

 myself to my tent. I have been down with it all of last 

 week, and at times I felt so bad, that I thought this let- 

 ter would never be finished, and that I should soon ex- 

 change my claim on the bar for a "claim on the Mil"— 



