232 EAMBLES AFTER SPOET. 



lancers. At a very late hour we saw the young ladies 

 safe back to the shanty, and left them there under the 

 protection of their brother, while we all returned to 

 camp, making night hideous with such simple melodies 

 as' Yankee Doodle and Uncle Ned. Our party was large 

 — more than eight I think. Among them, of course, 

 was a Colonel Somebody, a dirty man, with a singular 

 fondness for old rye and poker. There was also of 

 course a doctor, adorned with rings, brooches, badges, 

 chains, and pins enough to stock a small jeweller's shop ; 

 two or three miners from Marysville, and an English 

 captain, as he called himself, but whom I fancy I had 

 seen before at Ascot, made up the party. This latter 

 individual tried to cajole me into a trial of skill at the 

 simple little game of ecarte. Failing in this, he tried 

 his hand at poker with the judge, at which he came out 

 second best. However, he confided to me his intention 

 of 'Agoing thro' 'em yet" a little later on. About four 

 o'clock in the morning I was awakened by a gentleman 

 inserting the heels of his boot into my blanket, in a vain 

 attempt to go to bed. I rolled him to another corner 

 of the waggon against the wheel, and took a view of the 

 situation. The captain was at one end of two empty 

 champagne boxes, and around him were seated in easy 

 and picturesque attitudes his dear companions. Ulysses- 

 like, he had made them all greatly and curiously drunk, 

 and had hooked them in for an interesting game at loo. 

 I am afraid he was going thro' 'em ; for, quoth the doc, 

 '''Look'ye here, stranger, how about that last tew dollars? 



I don't quite " " All right, my festive bird, your 



head's level on the subject ; tittup all of you — five 

 dollars to come in." And he winked at me in a familiar 

 manner, as he transferred several pieces of gold to his 



