A Sportsman 131 



Davis, who were both disciples of the pleasant sport. 

 I was in the habit of visiting and fishing with them 

 and went down one day to pass the night with them, 

 Brune being a surveyor and Davis the local Recorder 

 of the mining district. They had a little house there 

 in which they lived, and there were no more than three 

 or four houses then in the settlement. It was a pleas- 

 ant afternoon and I walked there. 



Spanish Bar was situated at a much lower altitude 

 than Central, and leading down to the Bar was a long, 

 steep ravine, called Virginia Caiion, which had a wagon 

 road down it. Three quarters of the way down was a 

 deserted log cabin and a turn in the ravine. I met no 

 one until I reached the cabin, and here I met a very 

 rough man, hatless, whose countenance indicated the 

 free use of ardent spirits and whose eyes were red from 

 recent libations. He wore a thin linen coat, and as 

 the breeze down the ravine blew it open I saw that he 

 was doubly armed with a brace of big six-shooters. I 

 had met one of the double-pistol brigade, and it was 

 not very pleasant, considering the place. I passed the 

 word of day with him and kept on, declined the appar- 

 ent disposition he seemed to evince for a parley. I 

 was suspicious, and as I kept on I slightly turned my 

 head so as to keep him in view, and I saw that he had 

 stopped and was regarding me, and he called out, ask- 

 ing if I had met any one before him as I came down, 

 to which I answered "No," still keeping on, as I ob- 

 served his right hand was on his pistol handle, where 

 mine went without delay, as I was armed, and I kept 

 steadily on, still keeping him in view and left him stand- 

 ing where he stopped, and the turn in the road soon 

 left him out of view. I had not gone far — perhaps 



