UP THE SACRAMENTO. 



235 



to bunions. I went up in a boat with about five stories 

 on itj and^ miraculous to state, we were not " snagged/' 

 or run down, or blown up. However, she blew up two 

 trips afterwards, and killed a few dozen Chinamen. I 

 went to the store where the coach started from. An 

 individual was inside, picking his teeth with a knife- 

 blade about five inches long. When does the coach 

 start V '' Pretty smart, I reckon. You air fresh, I 

 guess.'' "Oh, very fresh indeed; it's a beautiful 

 morning," I replied. "Um, you air fresh, I say; you 

 air new; you air not a na-tive of 'Murica." "No, I'm 

 not— in fact, I'm only just from England." " Then you 

 air lucky. The man who drives you to-day is a remark- 

 able man, sir. That man there" (pointing to a lank, 

 limp gentleman, in an enormous black coat down to his 

 ancles, who was seated in an empty flour barrel) " can 

 spit farther, shoot straighter, take more cocktails, and 

 has sent more passengers down the flume than any 

 driver in Plumas county." What " sending a passenger 

 down the flume " might mean, in my freshness I knew 

 not. Suddenly the lank driver jumped up as if a sharp 

 bradawl had been driven into his leg, and, calling out, 

 " All aboard," mounted his perch. Four or five pas- 

 sengers made their appearance, and ofi" we started. Our 

 driver was a reticent man, despite his many accomplish- 

 ments ; in fact, he had only one universal observation 

 for everything. To anything I asked him, he first 

 squirted some 'baccy juice impartially on all the six 

 horses, and said in a reflective tone, "you bet." The 

 coach rocked considerably all the way, and just as we 

 were coming to a really frightful- looking place, the 

 driver suddenly puUed up at a shanty by the side of the 

 road. A nervous passenger inside asked him why he 



