TOLING FOR DUCKS IN CALIFORNIA. 233 



breeches pocket. Next morning I asked the judge who 

 the captain was. ^'^ Waal, sir, I can't egszactly fix him ; 

 but, sir, I tell you, he'll do, he will ; he'll progress, sir, 

 into a prominent citizen, perhaps into a great man. 

 Although he's not a na-tive of 'Murican sile, but 

 comes from yer own pusillannimus country, already he 

 kin bite, he kin kick, he kin gouge, he kin drink like 

 a son of Co-lumbia. As you have seen, he air some at 

 shoving a card ; he wants but one thing for us to run 

 him for sheriff of Amador county — he's not Mlled his 



man 



! » 



Some time after I met the doc. '' I say, how 

 about that friend of yours, that *" captain ;' did you ever 

 run him for sheriff?" "Poor feller! he's dead. His 

 end was zad indeed. We runned him for sheriff, and 

 fourteen others runned agin him. He fought six on 'em 

 afore breakfast, and had to fight the balance arter lunch ; 

 so he thought the biz kinder too risky, and throwed the 

 hul affair up. He then took to doctoring and second- 

 sight, but it didn't pan out nohow ; so the old cuss went 

 to Arizony to hunt mines and Apaches, and the Injuns 

 raised his har. Lor yes, he mis-took his sphere; I 

 allers told him he oughter been a bran-new Broadway 

 joreacher ; bet yer boots he'd 'a gone thro' 'em on that 

 line V 



