61 
“seeing the elephant.” 
was conversing with the woman, one of the men went into the 
back room to change his linen, i. e., he stepped behind the tree. 
They were all enjoying good health and appeared happy. I am 
disposed to think their house will be a poor protection during 
the rainy season; but for a summer-house, one could not well 
conceive of one better ventilated. 
The next morning the flood-tide swept us into the channel, 
and at ten, we made fast to the bank at Sacramento city. This is 
at the junction of the American river with the Sacramento, 150 
miles from San Francisco. Here, all was confusion and dust, 
each generating the other. This is the point from which the 
first move is made, by land, for the mines, and every man was 
on the run; mule-teams were moving in every direction, some 
loading, others preparing to load, each surrounded by a halo of 
dust which rendered mules and driver invisible. We were just 
in time to find one tree unoccupied, consequently settled down 
and commenced “keeping house.” We designed to remain in 
town until the next morning. (See Plate.) This is my own tent. 
At this time, there were about one hundred houses and tents in 
town ; but it seemed that every man landed with a house, and 
put it up the same day. Our brig had no less than thirteen on 
board, finished even to the glazing. Hoods of every description 
were piled up on the river-bank, awaiting the carman. The 
owners were, in many instances, obliged to erect temporary 
shelters and sell them on the ground. 
I met several persons who had been in the mines and seen the 
“ Elephant.” Among others, a fellow passenger on the “ Nian- 
tic.” He had been in the country two weeks, and in the mines 
half an hour. He had just returned, and was traveling through 
town trying to sell his utensils, preparatory to returning to the 
States. He was completely decorated with his wares, and 
looked like a country kitchen in disorder. He had a pair of 
grained boots and a smoked ham in one hand, a piece of perfo¬ 
rated sheet-iron, a coffee-pot and frying-pan in the other, a pair 
of long India Rubber boots, with pants attached, thrown over one 
shoulder, and a pair of blankets under the arm. Over the other 
shoulder, was a long-handled shovel, from which was suspended 
a camp-kettle, containing a pepper-box, a pair of mining shoes, 
a piece of smoked beef, a Spanish grammar, several sea-biscuit, 
