CHAPTER XVIII.
Why Are so Many of the Old-timers so Poor—The Uncertainty of Mining—Tex and Barton Lee—Tex and the Hound—Tex on Board the Steamer—Tex at Golgona.
AN old rancher, a neighbor of Mike, who was present, now asked the question, why it was that so many of the old pioneers were so poor? for being here at the first, when the mines were so rich, the gold so easy to get, and all kinds of business so good, they should all be wealthy now.
“No! not all!” explained Mike. “It is thrue ainough that we old pioneers got ther crame ov it by being here first, but yez see we thought ’twas jest agoin’ to last ther whole toime, and that there could be no ind to it, do yez moind, so we spint our money frayly, for it come aisy, an’ went ther same way. Whin ther shallow placer mines begun to give out, an’ we could only make small wages, do yez see, thin ther b’ys commenced to tramp about among ther mountains to hunt for richer diggings, for after workin’ such rich claims at first, they were not contint to work for smaller wages, an’ ther most of thim spint their money in that way, do yez see, in thrampin’ about ther country prospecting for richer diggings.
“An’ thin, agin, the old Forty-niners are as a general rule better known and more prominent than any other class thin, an’ many ov thim being poor, yez are all afther concludin’ that we are all afther being that same. But do yez moind thin, me b’ys, I tell yez that there’s jest as great a proportion ov the old pioneers who have made their pile, an’ who have kept it, as yez’ll be afther findin’ among any other class ov min, be jabers. Tis thrue enough, me b’ys, that a very small proportion ov yez old pioneers who are at prisint livin’ in ther minin’ regions have saved enough to harrum yez, becase if yez had that same, yez wudn’t stay here at all, at all, but yez wud be afther strikin’ out for ther big cities below with the rest ov ther b’ys who made their pile in the minin’ ragions an’ wint down there to spind it, begorra. A great many of thim wint into business in ther big city an’ are in business yit, many ov them wint Aist an’ hundreds ov thim are now in business in the cities ov New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, an’ other places, an’ be jabers they are afther houldin their own, too, with ther best of ’em. Now, me b’ys, yez know that the greater portion of thim old pioneers are a long-lived race, an’ be jabers you’ll foind that they continue workin’ good pay ground as long as any other class of paple in ther world.
“For don’t yez know, b’ys, that no class ov min in any business continue to prosper only about so many years? A great many ov thim in early days spent their kine fraly in prospecting thim river beds, in building quartz mills, as well as in runnin’ long an’ expinsive tunnels in ther hills in sarching for thim ancient river beds, an’ be jabers! they wern’t afraid to spind their kine fraly to develop ther country for ther benefit ov all ov yez who was after follerin us to make their pile in ther country, do yez see, now? But the ould time prospectors are ther poorest ov the lot do yez moind, an’ ’tis for ther raison that they spind their toime thrampin’ about among ther mountains searching for a rich mine; an’ indade thin ’tis thrue enough that many ov thim do succade in foindin one of thim occasionally that was afther havin’ a fortune in it, but divil a bit can ther ould-timer work it at all, for, be gob, he has no kine to do that same. So ther poor divil, afther havin’ spint his toime in huntin’ for a mine, is obliged, do yez see, to spind more toime in huntin’ for some chap who has got ther kine to help him work it, or else to buy it, an’ he is finally obliged to sell it for jest what they plase to give him.
“This is soon spint, an’ thin he is afther commincin’ his endless thramp agin over mountains an’ through ther various minin’ ragions from Arizona up to ther Arctic ocean, to diskiver anither rich mine to sell in ther same style. ’Tis for this raison that yez ould prospectors are afther bein’ continually down on ther bed rock, be jabers! Oh, yis, ’tis thrue enough, as yez say, that yez have ther pleasure of thraveling over the counthry an’ of makin’ rich diskiveries for others to rape ther benefit ov, an’, indade, that is some satisfaction for yez, be gorra!”
Another one remarked that “Some of the reasons why many of the old-timers were at the present time so poor were that they acquired the habit of spending their money freely in early days, because it came easy and they thought that the rich mines would be more lasting. In my opinion, therefore, it is in the nature of the business, as placer mining was in early days, when wages were an ounce a day and when hundreds were making double, and even treble that amount daily; such conditions had the effect to destroy all habits or ideas of economy.”