A Sportsman 33 



Although the game season was practically over, 

 no laws existed for preservation — or at least were 

 not regarded — and eatable birds of all kinds were 

 freely sold. Salmon were running, and were ex- 

 tensively seined by Italians and other fishermen, and 

 a miscellaneous lot of fishes were netted, and birds 

 were plentiful. I purchased and forwarded freely, 

 and my man seemed capable of getting away with 

 all I sent him, and generally at large profits. Salmon 

 at times were so plentiful that I would occasionally 

 buy them at ten or fifteen cents apiece and the city 

 markets would become so glutted that the sales would 

 be slow at five cents a poimd, though the retail price 

 would be a bit, or twelve cents. 



One day I met a Scotchman looking for employ- 

 ment who claimed he was an adept at smoking salmon, 

 and could at a moderate expense put up a smoking- 

 plant. I engaged him and proceeded in this line, to 

 great advantage, as it opened a market in the mines 

 where fresh salmon could not reach; but others soon 

 caught on, and on a more extensive scale than mine, 

 and selling prices fell off. In fact the business of my 

 associate began to diminish in profits, and considering 

 his habits, as prosperity seemed to increase his ex- 

 travagances, I concluded to pull out, which I suc- 

 ceeded in doing with my full share of profits, which 

 augmented my capital considerably. I concluded to 

 retire and return to Boston by the Nicaragua route, 

 where I arrived after a stay of a little less than a year 

 in California. 



The familiarity gained with the overflowed lands 

 of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers led to some 

 extensive reclamation works of mine in later years. 



