CHAPTER XLII. FOUND.

Mr. W—— stayed but three days in San Francisco. Advertising¹ for a foreman and hands, he was soon overrun with applicants², and had plenty to choose from—good, sober, reliable men. Good materials, too, were plenty to begin with, and in just three days the great “Occidental Book Bindery” of E. W—— & Son was advertised in every paper in San Francisco, and the shop in full blast.

 

And the same evening Mr. W—— took the Sacramento boat, and was speeding on his way to Oroville, where he was to meet the agent and banker of Wells, Fargo & Co., and take his final departure in search of the “Mountain Home,” which he had seen in the sketch³ spoken of long ago, and a copy of which was in the letter of instructions which he carried from our Hattie.

 

From Sacramento by rail Mr. W—— dashed on toward Feather River, and before noon he was at the old National Hotel, with a dozen Chinamen at hand ready to dust him off, wash his clothes, or pick his pockets if the chance came around.

 

From the polite clerk he soon learned the location of Wells, Fargo & Co.’s office and bank, and in a short time he was in the private office of the latter.

 

With his letter of introduction extended, he introduced his name, and was met with that cordial,[200] open-handed, open-hearted welcome which the stranger ever gets in California.

 

To Mr. Morrison, the agent—a splendid young man—Mr. W—— opened his business, asking if he knew a Mr. Harry⁴ Porchet, who was mining on the uppermost claim on Feather River.

 

“I know all of him that any one can know,” said Mr. Morrison. “He is a very singular young man—ever sad and melancholy⁵, strictly⁶ temperate⁷, not even touching⁸ wine, using no tobacco, seeking no company. I tried to get him to stay a few days at my home; and once, when he came to deposit his gold, as he does every three months, induced him to take tea with me, where I thought my Sister Annie, one of the most gifted girls on this coast, and a fine conversationalist, might draw him out of his melancholy mood. But it was no use. He was polite and gentlemanly, but he would not thaw⁹, as we say out here.”

 

“I must find him,” said Mr. W——, with a sigh; for he felt as if he was sealing his own fate as a single man forever, if he found this young man all that he was represented to be, and called him out from the shadow of his gloomy exile into the sunlight of Georgiana Lonsdale’s presence.

 

“I will get you mules¹⁰ and a guide, for there is no other means of travel when you get into the mountains up Feather River,” said Mr. Morrison; “and, as you cannot start with everything ready, camping fit-out and all, before morning, take tea with me to-night.”

 

Mr. W—— consented, and when that evening he met the sister of the young banker and express agent, saw and viewed her wonderful beauty, and heard her sing songs of her own composition, accompanied[201] on piano and guitar, he thought that if young Porchet could be so blind to those attractions, he was indeed true to the love he left behind him.

 

The next morning Mr. W——, with an old mountain man for a guide, on a sure-footed mule¹¹, with two others in the train carrying provisions and stores, started on the perilous¹² journey.

 

All day, creeping slowly along narrow trails, now on a ledge¹³ barely wide enough for the mule-path, overhanging the wild rushing river a thousand feet below—then pressing through chaparral so thick the animals could just get ahead—now shivering just below the snow range on a wind-swept ridge¹⁴, then pitching down into a mining gulch¹⁵ full of busy men all grimy with yellow dirt—on they went the entire day long, halting but an hour at noon to give the mules a little barley¹⁶ and themselves a scanty¹⁷ lunch.

 

That night they camped in a grove¹⁸ of tall sugar pines, a little way back from the river, and over the camp-fire Mr. W—— listened to thrilling stories of what California life was in ’49, when every one who came was mad with the greed for gold—when vice¹⁹ and crime ran hand in hand, life only held by the pistol-grip or knife point, and property held more by might than right.

 

Early next day they were on the move up stream, now obliged to follow the river bank as near as possible, for the snowy range of the Sierra Nevada rose high above their heads.

 

At noon they came to a lonely little valley, not two acres in extent, shaded at one end by half a dozen trees and a huge overhanging precipice²⁰.

 

Here two fat, sleek²¹ mules fed undisturbed, and as they rode up near them, the guide pointed²² to a pack[202] and riding-saddle hanging side by side under the cliff.

 

“Here we camp. The man I seek is within a mile of this place, but no one outside of him ever went over the trail that reaches his claim, so far as I can learn,” said Mr. W——, carefully looking over his map, sketch, and letter of instruction. “I will lunch, and then, leaving you here, try to find him.”

 

The guide assented²³. He had never been up the river quite so far before, and, old hand as he was in the mountains, he did not want to go any farther.

 

Half an hour later Mr. W—— left, heading for a black patch of chaparral that seemed to hang on the side of a fearful cliff.

 

He was gone over two hours, and he came back in a fearful stage of agitation²⁴.

 

“My friend is found,” he said. “But I fear that the joy of the news I carried him has killed him. I found him sick—very low. Thinking it would revive him, I broke my news too suddenly. I left him in a death-like swoon, and I could not revive him. Come with me quickly. I will pay you treble our agreement if we can only get him out safe, where I can get medical aid.”

 

The guide did not hesitate a second. He was rough, but all heart. His name was Hal Westcott.

 

After a fearful climb, which took them all of thirty minutes, the two men stood breathless on the plateau we saw in the sketch in front of the log cabin and above the whirl of milk-white waters.

 

“I almost dread²⁵ to go in lest he be dead,” said Mr. W——.

 

The guide pushed forward without a pause.

 

“Zep! He is worth a thousand dead men!” cried bluff²⁶ Hal Westcott. “He is sitting up.”

 

[203]

 

He was reading her blessed letter of recall. He was thin as a shadow, white with suffering and hunger, too, for he had been parched²⁷ and dried up with fever, and had not touched food for days.

 

“But I am better,” he said. “I will live now. I did not care to live till this came.”

 

And he kissed the letter, while tears ran down his thin, wasted face.

 

The two strong men literally²⁸ wept over him, while they hurried to make weak broth²⁹ and boil some rice and water for his drink.

 

Two days—their mules resting and feeding in the glade³⁰ below—they tended and nursed him, and watched over him with such care as few suffering men ever got in a bleak³¹ place like that.

 

Then, handling him almost as they would have done an infant, they got him down to the other camp; and they took the gold and his arms and packed them down also, so as to be ready to start for the outside world on the third day.

 

It would be a long, perhaps a dry story to tell in detail were I to describe that journey out. It had taken W—— and his guide but a day and a half to come in. Yet it was four days after their start when poor Porchet was laid upon a nice cool bed in Belle³² Vista³³ Cottage, as Mr. Morrison called his home.

 

And within an hour after, Mr. W—— telegraphed to Miss Hattie Butler:

 

“I have found him. He is all right—a noble and a true man. I love him as I would a brother. He has been sick, is weak yet, but we will start East in two or three days by the fastest trains. Your ever unchanging and unforgetting friend,

 

“Edward.”

 

[204]

 

He told Harry Porchet what he had done, and the latter said:

 

“You are only too good. Heaven will reward you for it all, and make you happy.”

 

Oh, how little did he realize that Edward W—— was sacrificing all his hopes of happiness in carrying back to her he loved the man whom she only could love.

 

Tenderly cared for, and attended by the best physician in Oroville, with good, kind nursing, it was no wonder that the invalid³⁴ was so soon ready to start out for the East.

 

Edward W—— went down to San Francisco for a single day, to see that all things went well in the Occidental Bindery, and then returned ready to start eastward³⁵.

 

The very next morning he telegraphed again:

 

“We are coming. We leave Sacramento on the 10:30 train. All well!”

 

1 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

2 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

3 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

4 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

5 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

6 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

7 temperate   

adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的

参考例句：

• Asia extends across the frigid,temperate and tropical zones.亚洲地跨寒、温、热三带。
• Great Britain has a temperate climate.英国气候温和。

8 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

9 thaw   

v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和

参考例句：

• The snow is beginning to thaw.雪已开始融化。
• The spring thaw caused heavy flooding.春天解冻引起了洪水泛滥。

10 mules   

骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者

参考例句：

• The cart was pulled by two mules. 两匹骡子拉这辆大车。
• She wore tight trousers and high-heeled mules. 她穿紧身裤和拖鞋式高跟鞋。

11 mule   

n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人

参考例句：

• A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
• He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。

12 perilous   

adj.危险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
• We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。

13 ledge   

n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁

参考例句：

• They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。
• Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上，摔倒了。

14 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

15 gulch   

n.深谷，峡谷

参考例句：

• The trail ducks into a narrow gulch.这条羊肠小道突然下到一个狭窄的峡谷里。
• This is a picture of California Gulch.这是加利福尼亚峡谷的图片。

16 barley   

n.大麦，大麦粒

参考例句：

• They looked out across the fields of waving barley.他们朝田里望去,只见大麦随风摇摆。
• He cropped several acres with barley.他种了几英亩大麦。

17 scanty   

adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的

参考例句：

• There is scanty evidence to support their accusations.他们的指控证据不足。
• The rainfall was rather scanty this month.这个月的雨量不足。

18 grove   

n.林子，小树林，园林

参考例句：

• On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
• The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。

19 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

20 precipice   

n.悬崖，危急的处境

参考例句：

• The hut hung half over the edge of the precipice.那间小屋有一半悬在峭壁边上。
• A slight carelessness on this precipice could cost a man his life.在这悬崖上稍一疏忽就会使人丧生。

21 sleek   

adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢

参考例句：

• Women preferred sleek,shiny hair with little decoration.女士们更喜欢略加修饰的光滑闪亮型秀发。
• The horse's coat was sleek and glossy.这匹马全身润泽有光。

22 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

23 assented   

同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The judge assented to allow the prisoner to speak. 法官同意允许犯人申辩。
• "No," assented Tom, "they don't kill the women -- they're too noble. “对，”汤姆表示赞同地说，“他们不杀女人——真伟大！

24 agitation   

n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动

参考例句：

• Small shopkeepers carried on a long agitation against the big department stores.小店主们长期以来一直在煽动人们反对大型百货商店。
• These materials require constant agitation to keep them in suspension.这些药剂要经常搅动以保持悬浮状态。

25 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

26 bluff   

v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗

参考例句：

• His threats are merely bluff.他的威胁仅仅是虚张声势。
• John is a deep card.No one can bluff him easily.约翰是个机灵鬼。谁也不容易欺骗他。

27 parched   

adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干

参考例句：

• Hot winds parched the crops.热风使庄稼干透了。
• The land in this region is rather dry and parched.这片土地十分干燥。

28 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

29 broth   

n.原(汁)汤(鱼汤、肉汤、菜汤等)

参考例句：

• Every cook praises his own broth.厨子总是称赞自己做的汤。
• Just a bit of a mouse's dropping will spoil a whole saucepan of broth.一粒老鼠屎败坏一锅汤。

30 glade   

n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地

参考例句：

• In the midst of a glade were several huts.林中的空地中间有几间小木屋。
• The family had their lunch in the glade.全家在林中的空地上吃了午饭。

31 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

32 belle   

n.靓女

参考例句：

• She was the belle of her Sunday School class.在主日学校她是她们班的班花。
• She was the belle of the ball.她是那个舞会中的美女。

33 vista   

n.远景，深景，展望，回想

参考例句：

• From my bedroom window I looked out on a crowded vista of hills and rooftops.我从卧室窗口望去，远处尽是连绵的山峦和屋顶。
• These uprisings come from desperation and a vista of a future without hope.发生这些暴动是因为人们被逼上了绝路，未来看不到一点儿希望。

34 invalid   

n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的

参考例句：

• He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
• A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。

35 eastward   

adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部

参考例句：

• The river here tends eastward.这条河从这里向东流。
• The crowd is heading eastward,believing that they can find gold there.人群正在向东移去，他们认为在那里可以找到黄金。