32 Reminiscences of 



who had brought them over on a personal specula- 

 tion, and that he had a lot of nested cages of bamboo 

 to fit them out with for selling. I thought this a 

 favorable opportunity for some work on my part, 

 which ended in my purchase of the lot, birds and 

 cages, for a thousand dollars, which gave the cap- 

 tain a good profit. I did not have enough money to 

 pay down for the lot, but easily arranged with the 

 rotund navigator to pay down what money I had 

 and the balance in instalments, as I should take the 

 birds away. 



I then set at work putting up the cages on the 

 deck, with a bird in each, and, with some assistance, 

 carried the cages with birds to different stores I had 

 arranged with, where they were exposed for sale, 

 and being the first lot of this character to anive in 

 that budding city, my expectations were fully real- 

 ized by rapid sales at full prices, and, although I 

 shared liberally with the shop sellers, I considerably 

 increased my capital. 



Somewhat with the air of a capitalist, I then pro- 

 posed to the market-man whom I had had dealings 

 with in game that I shoiild associate with him in 

 his branching out in a more extensive business; that 

 he should attend to the business in the city and I 

 Would go up to the alluvial lands in the bay, at the 

 estuaries of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers 

 where they debotiched out over the flat tule lands, 

 a great field for aquatic birds and salmon, and sup- 

 ply him with such products for sale. He was a 

 pretty clever business man, but intemperate and in- 

 clined to various dissipations, which put me on guard, 

 but he was willing, so we engaged. 



