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Virginia City 373 A Question of Title 375 "My Claim, Sir!" 377 Gold Hill 379 San Francisco Speculators 380 Assay Office 381 A Fall 384 The Comstock Lead 386 The Claims 389 "Silver, certain, Sir" 391 "Indications, sure!" 393 An old Friend 399 Carson Valley 403 Holding on to it 405 Mount Ophir 407 Croppings 408 The Flowery Diggings 409 Honest Miner 410 "A gloomy Prospect" 411 Return from Washoe 417 Outgoing and Incoming 419 The Jew's Boots 421 Snow Slide 424 The Grade 427 Return to San Francisco 433 Reading extra Bulletin 436

CRUSOE'S ISLAND.

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CHAPTER I.

THE BOAT ADVENTURE.

My narrative dates as far back as the early part of the year 1849. Then the ship Anteus was a noted vessel. Many were the strange stories told of strife and discord between the captain and the passengers; pamphlets were published giving different versions of the facts, and some very curious questions of law were involved in the charges made by both parties. It appeared from the statement of the passengers, who were for the most part intelligent and respectable Americans, that, on the voyage of the Anteus to California, their treatment by the captain was cruel and oppressive in the extreme; that, before they were three weeks from port, he had reduced them almost to a state of absolute starvation; and, in consequence of the violence of his conduct, which, as they alleged, was without cause or provocation on their part, they considered their lives endangered, and resolved upon making an appeal for his removal at the port of Rio. On the arrival of the vessel at Rio the captain was arraigned before the American consul, and pronounced to be insane by the evidence of six physicians and by the testimony of a large majority of the passengers. It was charged, on the other hand, that the passengers were disorderly, mutinous, and ungovernable; that they had entered into a conspiracy against the captain, and in testifying to his insanity were guilty of perjury. The examination of the case occupied several weeks before the American consul; voluminous testimony was taken on both sides; the question was submitted to the American minister, to the British consul, and to the principal merchants of Rio, all of whom concurred in the opinion that, under the circumstances, there was but one proper course to pursue, which was, to remove the captain from the command of the vessel. He was accordingly deposed by the American consul, and a new captain placed in the command. This was regarded by the principal merchants of New York as an arbitrary exercise of authority, unwarranted by law or precedent, and a memorial was addressed by them to the President of the United States for the