The Argonauts of California: being the reminiscenses of scenes and incidents that occurred in California in the early mining days

by Charles Warren Haskins

In this manner the old-timers continued throughout the day in calling up old scenes and incidents of early days.

“We are getting pretty well along in years, boys,” says Jersey, “but we can do a heap of prospecting yet, though. And who knows but what there may be a chance to make a big stake before we go, and some of us old prospectors come up to the top of the heap yet.”

Another old-timer now attempted to relate his experience in cooking a pot of beans for the first time, when he was suddenly interrupted by Julius, a venerable colored individual from the city of Boston, who was formerly cook on board of some Boston ship that arrived in California in the year ’49.

“Yes, sah! now I spose you is jes’ gwine to spress yer ignorance on de bean cooking question sah! jes’ as all ob dem gemman did who was ignorant ob de cookin’ art, sah; an’ who am deficient in de high culture necessary for de casion, sah. I tells ye dat de ignorance ob de gemman in de early days was mos’ stonishing when dey fills de pot chuck full ob de beans, an’ den, as dey swell up an’ fill de pot chuck full, dey jes’ scoop ’em out, ’til dey fills all de old pots an’ pans about dere house wid dem half-cooked beans. Yes sah! one ob dose uncultivated individuals way down in Calaveras, one day in ’50, jes’ filled his dinner pot chuck full ob beans, an’ when dey undertook for to swell up, he jes’ takes a big chain an’ lashed de kiver down to keep ’em in de pot. But I tole him dat it wernt no use to do dat, kase de swellin’ proclivities ob dem beans am so powerful, sah! dat you might jes’ as well try to spress wid a big chain dem gentle swellin’ proclivities ob de bosom ob! ob!—”

“Of what Julius?”

“Ob de ocean, de ocean sah.”

“Well Julius, did the pot cover blow off?”

“No, sah; but de whole pot, kiver an’ all, jes blowed up froo de roof, an’ away it went sailin’ froo de air ober de country towards Bosting, sah, wid dem beans jes’ er streamin’ along after it. De miners tink it am a comet, suah, wid a long tail jes’ er scatterin’ de fire an’ de grabel stones all ober de country.”

“Julius,” one of the boys asked, “did you see this bean-pot comet yourself?”

“Well,” he answered, “I jes’ specks I did, boss, kase I was right dar durin’ de ’currence ob dat berry interestin’ ’casion, sah.”