i 1 BANCROFT LIBRARY OUT WEST: OR, FROM LONDON TO SALT LAKE CITY AND BACK, BY COLON SOUTH. LONDON : WYMAN & SONS, 71-76, GEEAT QUEEN ST., LINCOLN 'S-INN TIELDS. 1884. f AND SONS, PBINTBBS, GXIAT QUBEN 8TBBBT, LIKCOLN'8-IITN PIBLDS, LONDON, W.C. OUT WEST. PART I. LONDON TO NEW YORK CHAPTER I. Preamble. Settling down. La Belle Americaine. Une Affaire de Cceur. Love at Sea! Dreams. Fiasco. Charms of the Ocean. Fuit Ilium. English and American Ladies. Climatic Effects. HURRAH! for the West! From boyhood the author had entertained a penchant to visit " the freest and grandest country in the world." There was a song we used to scream out in our schoolboy days in school- boy fashion to a schoolboy tune : Oh ! come to the West, love, oh ! come there with me, 'Tis a land of sweet verdure that springs from the sea ! &c. &c. This effusion, vociferated as powerful young lungs alone can vociferate, was called singing. Nevertheless, it sufficed to impress upon the youthful and evergreen mind, that the West was a glorious place, fraught with irresistible enchantments. As also there was something about love in the rhyme, it B 2 Out West. had of course an additional fascination for precocious young hearts, who imagine they fall in love with every pretty little girlish face they meet. On arriving, therefore, at the age of manhood and discretion, when an unexpected offer was made of a trip to America, it was at once accepted. It was imperative to start immediately, the business being of a most urgent nature. Having no " sweet love " to implore to accompany me, and hence fancy free, being light and airy as a daddylonglegs (an appropriate simile), my passage was at once secured for the morrow's steamer. " Don't forget a bull-dog revolver and a bowie-knife," said one. " Be sure you take a repeating rifle, with a good supply of ammunition and a scalping knife," said a second. " You will find a pair of top-boots with a rough-riding suit, and a Canadian fur-lined ulster absolutely necessary," said a third. In fact, all kinds of suggestions were volunteered by kind and considerate friends, whose only knowledge of the country was as vague and nebulous as my own. Had all their recommendations been listened Settling Down. to and acquiesced in, my luggage would have assumed Brobdignagian proportions, and my starting indefinitely postponed. Hurrying home and energetically setting to work, by midnight I had safely stowed away in a couple of portmanteaux all that could be possibly thought of as requisite for the voyage excepting, of course, the re- volver, rifle, and other formidable accoutre- ments, so warmly advised by my friends. Leaving London early the following morning, I was safe on board the steamer by 5 P.M. The vessel was a noble one, one of the largest and swiftest of the Atlantic liners, in reality a huge floating hotel. After leaving Liverpool, we began to shake down into our places, and I was fortunate in finding that one of the best state-rooms amidships had fallen to my lot. A Scandi- navian voyager took a fancy to my comfortable and princely quarters, and claimed them as pre-engaged by him. In a rude, swaggering manner he emphasised his claims, and insisted on my turning out, actually having the audacity to bring in his luggage. Doubting his veracity, I treated him with perfect sang Out West. froid, then quietly went off to the purser, who I knew had the supreme authority in such matters, and who soon had the intruder, with all his luggage, sent right about face and relegated to a distant part of the vessel. When we had somewhat settled down, my lines seemed to have altogether fallen in pleasant places. So, with a fair wind, fine weather, and a magnificent ship, everything presaged a most prosperous voyage. Fortu- nately, a lively, agreeable, and charming American lady was placed next to me at the dinner table. She was returning home with her mother, after a scramble through "Yewrup." She was a fine, handsome, accomplished young woman, clever and well read ; while her peculiar transatlantic brogue was so slight and musical, that it was rather pleasing and fascinating than otherwise. It is not therefore surprising that, my heart being light and free, of a sensitive susceptible nature, La Belle Americaine made a very favourable impression upon it. I found myself beginning to think thoughts and hope hopes, while indescribable visions of distant camerce obscurce came floating Love at Sea! around, ballooning me away into the airy- regions of a bewitching Dreamland. Imagi- nary panoramas would unfold one above the other, of enormous lakes, grand rivers, charming valleys, resounding waterfalls, boundless prairies, and towering mountains, mingled with romantic homes amid gigantic primeval forests. In the midst of this en- chanting grandeur of pristine nature would arise the apparition of one angelic being, who, absorbing within herself all my hopes, joys, wishes, dreams, aspirations, and am- bitions, would become the central guiding spirit of a lovely, earthly paradise. Wrapt up in such delightful chimeras, while seated on the deck one morning, a sudden lurch of the huge ship shot me off ignominiously, head and face foremost, on to the deck, nearly breaking the bridge of my nasal organ, electrifying my eyes, while ruby streams flowed from the purest of nature's olfactory fountains. My visionary sublimities were at once transformed into the ridiculous and painful reality. I picked myself up, inwardly observing, " Here's a conspicuous denouement for a valiant lover, 8 Out West. and great ambassador, with the fate of two worlds on his shoulders. What would my fair inamorata or distinguished friends and admirers in London say at this spectacle?" The deck of a ship, methought, is the world's finishing academy for correcting self-con- ceit and inflated dignity. It is the great leveller of portly hauteur and domineering pride, especially when mountainous waves so violently agitate frail nature, that the haughty lord of humankind " reels to and fro, and staggers like a drunken man, and is at his wit's end." When about mid-Atlantic, with a calm sea, cloudless sky, balmy airs, a brilliant sun playing on the gently- quivering waters, and, above all, a sensitive heart overflowing with fresh tender emotions, while inhaling the exquisitely warm, briny odour of the ocean, the broad dazzling white expanse seemed like interminable Elysian plains. The entire change from the murky, dusty, half-suffocating atmosphere of London, with its surging human myriads, distracting commotions, and restless, harassing throes of business, politics, and factions, to the Charms of the Ocean. vStill, clear, bright waste of boundless waters, fanned by soft, soothing, southerly zephyrs, pure as the first breath of creation, was transporting in the extreme. A sense of complete, perfect relaxation, with an ethe- real, almost supernatural, abandon, over- whelms the soul with a beneficent and salutary joy ousness. To the worn brain and jaded spirit there is no mundane rest so perfect, no peace so satisfying as the wide, silent, heaven-meeting bosom of the placid, limitless ocean. "With all the world thrown far aside, with every harassing thought, doubt, care, and labour banished, the mind, absorbed within itself and soaring on the halcyon wings of its own blissful imaginings, revels in the most luxurious and revivifying repose. Life then appears tinged with brighter hues, while a calm, comprehensive survey of existence reveals pleasures and gratifications hitherto unknown ! While thus enjoying the intensely invigo- rating beauty of the ocean scene, La Belle Americaine came and sat down beside me. After the usual salutations and compliments, La Belle said : 10 Out West. (( Stranger, you are a very nice man, I like you very much." " Thank you, how flattering," I replied, wondering what was coming next. Was she after all an adventuress ? thought I ; what can this mean ? Does she want to borrow ? After a few moments' pause, she resumed : " Mother guesses you seem to have a kind of a kindly liking after me." " Perhaps your mother is not far wrong," I answered. " Well, I guess you are a very nice man, but I must tell you, I am engaged to be married ! " " Indeed !" I exclaimed, with as much diplomatic composure as I could command under such trying circumstances. " He must be a happy man who has won your heart, would I were in his place." "Well, mother guessed it right to tell you, stranger. My sweetheart is an English- man, and such a nice one ; I found him in London." " He must be a nice man to please you, you have such excellent good taste," I said. " I guess, stranger, you are joking," she "Fuit Ilium:' 11 rejoined, just as her mother, approaching, said, " Daughter, come." And " Daughter" went. " Fuit Ilium" I mentally ejaculated as they went off. " Fuit Ilium, a change has come o'er the spirit of my dream. 6 Fare- well/ as Wolsey said, c a long farewell to all my greatness.' Well, not exactly greatness, for that had been immolated a day or two before when taking my first unceremonious lesson on deck in the art of cultivating the nasal twang. No ! farewell to all my glorious visions and witching reveries. The spell is broken ; what must be must be." So I endeavoured as well as possible to console myself with the practical but unromantic, nautical apopthegm, " there are as good fish in the sea as ever were caught." Nevertheless, I could not help feeling a sincere pang of regret, and only then dis- covered that my fair compagnon de voyage had made a deeper impression than might have been thought possible after so short an acquaintance. This is explicable on the " love at first sight" principle. Yet I ad- mired and liked her all the more for the 12 Out West. serene candour with which she apprised me of her engagement. The thought then occurred to me that, although such an honest, -straightforward course might be considered somewhat bizarre, and not strictly in ac- cordance with the rigid conventionalities of English society, it was much more com- mendable than the scarcely less singular, though less demonstrative, behaviour of mar- riageable English damsels in general. How -often do the giddy and thoughtless of the fair sex amuse themselves at the expense of their opposites, regardless of the delicate ground they are treading upon, and delight- ing in seeing their admirers swim in a sea of unfathomable bewilderment. It would save many a bitter pang if our fair sisters at home, with more honesty and candour, took an early opportunity to intimate to an ardent suitor when the heart was no longer fancy free. Unfortunately, this seldom happens. When a pretty, fascinating, and light-hearted spinster is surrounded with beaux, although her heart has already become tacitly engage' 1 , yet the temptation to retain her circb of admirers and prolong as long as possible her English and American Ladies. 1$ reign among the worshipped queens of society is too great to be resisted. Nay, worse still, the wicked pride of being able to boast of more proposals than a hated rival is too often the vicious incentive to unfeeling conquests. Then, when the day of reckoning does come, heartbreakings arise which might have been avoided by a little thoughtful circumspection and generous consideration. A moderate exercise of moral courage in resisting selfish and vainglorious- promptings, would be far more laudable than pursuing a course which in reality leads to- cruelty in the extreme. On the other hand, there are many women who, though their hearts are free and inclined favourably towards a suitor, maintain a hidden and wavering demeanour, under the idea that they want to test the sincerity of their lover's attachment. They may be right according to their own orthodox theories, but men do not appreciate smiles one day and polar frigidity the next. When women are so variable and close, there is more behind than men care to unravel. They naturally argue, if a woman can be so 14 Out West. chameleon-like in courtship, she may make a good actress, but not a good wife. A woman who is all artifice and dissimulation before marriage is not likely to improve after. She can have little sincerity, and less stability, for making a happy home. Neither tergiversation nor cold insensate marble, are attractive. Icicles are fit only to be handled, admired for a moment, then cast quickly aside. Men prefer more genial atmospheres, something more natural, open-hearted, and genuine. A woman who attracts one day and repels the next, sup- posing it the best way to test her lover's sincerity, labours under a delusion, and commits an egregious blunder, which she sooner or later learns to her sorrow. Many a prize has been lost by the display of subterfuge with stoicism. Some mothers look upon it as a crime for girls in their teens to shed a tear in the presence of a man, and pimish severely the commission of such a dreadful enormity. Girls are taught to stifle and dissemble their feelings. This may be called high training, but it looks remarkably like inculcating Secular ities. 15 deception. It is unnatural, produces strong- minded viragos, women of the world, who look upon men as necessary adjuncts to a domicile, who marry for convenience, not for love or happiness, who look on matri- mony as a thing to be done, not as a wise ordination. Turn for a moment to our much-vaunted systems of "improved" public education. What mean these crammed secularities and gnat-strainings this ignoring of Truth and its Divine foundation? Whither is it all tending ? Two young ladies are returning home from school. A governess sees them to the railway station, and bidding them " Good-bye," adds, " Give my love to Mamma." " Oh ! yes, of course ; I shall be most happy," replies the elder of the two. " Be sure you do, and don't forget," reiterates the governess. " Oh ! yes, I shall be sure to do it," was the energetic response. The train starts, when the young lady who spoke turns to her companion and says : " I 16 Out West. shan't do anything of the kind as if I am going to carry her horrid messages ! " " Then why did you tell a fib ? " asks the younger one. 16 Oh ! Miss says there is no harm in telling lies, if you tell a whole string of them one after another ! " Secularities ! Camel-swallowing ! Is this the outcome of that " improved " training which is supposed to form refined tastes and give tone and depth to the inner life ? Is such the false standard on which is to be built up the coming true ideal of a graceful womanhood ? Nature is most beautiful in all her modest loveliness and preservative instincts, but Art steps in and says you shall have nothing natural ; all must be subject to cold and rigid formalities. Which is right, Nature or Art, or more properly artifice ? Volumes may be written on this subject, yet Nature will always triumph. When a man marries for a home and happiness, he prefers a woman who is sensible, consistent, unchangeable, and uniform, not a volatile, fickle vane, quivering and turning at every breath. Climatic Effects. 17 One who is genuine and open not reserved and mysterious. When he seeks a wife, on the principle that " whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing," he chooses a natural, not an artificial woman ! Possibly our climate is more or less to blame, and tends to generate variableness and frigidity. We are so accustomed to wrap ourselves up in close fitting outer gar- ments for the greater part of the year, that the external covering of the body reacts on the mental system, inducing us to wrap our- selves up within ourselves. The atmospheric nebulosity inseparable from our small islands, which our polite neighbours designate " les brouillards eternels d'Angleterre," creates lethargic feelings which grow into habits. Undoubtedly our isles of the sea interpose a natural screen or watershed, for intercepting the bulk of the rainfall and oceanic evapora- tions, which come bowling along in nimbus clouds across the Atlantic on their passage to the European continent. Continual immersion in such a humid envelope pro- duces natural results. Were this point fully understood by dwellers in the drier, elastic c 18 Out West. air of continents, they would extenuate our national reserve, particularly when they reflect that their vivacity is purchased at the expense of our insular, fog-developed taciturnity. Out West. 19 CHAPTER II. The Elderly Maiden. The Journalist. Mr. Pomposity. -The Little Rascal. The Eternal Fitness of Things. Scepticism. Fashionable Frivolity. Infidel Lecturers. Learning run mad. Evolution. A Sea Mare's Nest. Doctors of Divinity. SINCE my American charmer had come to an understanding with me, we got on more smoothly together, and became very good friends. Most of her time being occupied in the saloon writing, I did not enjoy much of her agreeable and original society. But, cui bono ? The spell had vanished, so my attention was divided between the usual deck amusements and observations on my fellow- voyagers. There were an unusually large number of passengers, and of course some original characters. There was a middle - aged maiden of impenetrable summers, who was very fond of cards, and had rather eccentric c 2 20 Out West. ideas of whist. When it was politely suggested to her, to lead trumps the next time her hand was more than half filled with them, she knocked the cards out of her partner's hand, exclaiming, " I never was dictated to by a man in my life before, and I am not to be dictated to by you now." The emphasis on the you was appalling to a weak-minded, nervous partner. Then there was a passenger who styled himself a journalist. He was very clever, and had the gift of the tongue and pen. He started a morning paper in manuscript, copies of which were sold at a dollar apiece. The first two numbers were very good and amusing, and took very well; but it then descended to scurrility and personality, so quickly extinguished itself. The self-styled journalist then started a raffle for a silver watch, alleged to belong to a poor emigrant who would be without a cent on his arrival at New York. The list was speedily filled up and the money nearly all paid cash down. A few reserved payment till the day of the raffle. The day prior to our expected arrival, A Journalist. 21 Mr. (so-called) Journalist asked the non- payees for their money, on the plea that all the others had paid their subscriptions. He was politely informed that the money would be paid when the raffle was about to take place. On inquiry as to when it was to be, he replied the following morning after breakfast. The morning came, but no raffle. Interesting inquiries were made by the subscribers, especially those who had paid ; but the originator was in his state-room, packing, and would come soon. However, in the bustle and confusion of preparing to land, the " soon " never came, and it was charitably supposed that the " emigrant " had a bad memory and forgotten all about the money and the watch. " I guess that was a smart boss," remarked an American fellow-passenger afterwards, on landing in New York. We had another very remarkable character of bombastic development. He had very elevated notions of himself, and hence very amusing. He was self-opinionated and dogmatical, spoke in measured sentences and Johnsonian paragraphs. He had a 22 Out West. powerful, sonorous voice, and the words would roll out of his rotund mouth like miniature peals of thunder. On being asked if he would join in the lottery or, as a sporting gentleman called it, sweepstakes which was being got up regarding the probable time of the vessel's arrival, he drew himself up to the full height of his portly dignity, and poured forth in reverberating tones : " Sir, this magnificent steamer is a panoramic representation of the world in miniature. Here we have assembled, people of various nationalities, conversing in divers languages, some unintelligible, but all animated with the same passions and subject to the same idiosyncracies, sensations, and excitements that agitate the universe. Actuated by the volatile instigations of the transient hour, you ask me to join in a lottery ? What is a lottery ? It is another nomenclature for gambling; it is in reality gambling in disguise. And what is gambling ? It is the greatest calamity that can afflict mankind, the most demoralising wickedness that can corrupt any community. It is the Mr. Pomposity. 23 ruthless destroyer of the tranquillity and happiness of the family domicile. It is the most powerful Satanic engine for encom- passing the degradation and ruin of the human race. It is the colossal holocaust of crime, inhumanity, and iniquity, the curse of peoples, the scourge of nations, and demolish er of empires. It is the awful purgatory of suicides. It entices a man on and on, by fascinating gradations, until he is imperceptibly carried into the irresistible torrent of unbridled speculation, only to be overwhelmed in the terrible vortex of some fearful catastrophe. Sir," he continued, with increasing emphasis, while assuming an erect, theatrical attitude, " never shall it be said or published to the world, that this hand belied its ruler, or that its owner had sunk to such depths of debasement, as to sign himself a disreputable and infamous gambler ! 3> Throwing down the paper as he concluded his grandiloquent diatribe, he strutted off with an air of conscious and contemptuous triumph. His remarks were evidently intended as a ^denunciation of the gambling so absorbingly 24 Out West. practised in the smoking-saloon. Had he delivered them in a calmer tone and with less pomposity, some wholesome effect might have resulted. It is certainly a melancholy fact that gambling has become a perniciously prevalent super- Atlantic pastime. It is often carried on from morning to night. It has been sarcastically alleged that gambling, once the bane of the Western World, is now trans- ferred to the smoking-saloons and reading- rooms of the transatlantic steamers. As a striking contrast to the foregoing, there was an amusing, precocious little boy, who delighted in tickling the nose of any gentleman he caught napping. One after- noon an old gentleman was fast asleep on an easy-chair on deck, and the young rascal was at his usual tricks. Beckoning him over, one said : " You should not do that ; do you know what you are doing ? " " No ! " said he. "Don't you know that you are tickling the nose of the Lord High Chancellor of the great British Empire ! " " No ! am I ? what fun ! " said the little The Fitness of Things. 25 tormentor rushing off, and stealthily creeping up to the old gentleman's chair, recommenced his titillations, until the poor old gentleman awoke, rubbing his nose, wondering what had disturbed him. The gentle admonition which was intended to awe the little Tartar into desisting only acted as an incentive to his innate mischievous propensities. There was a fine clerical gentleman, with a noble, intellectual countenance, said to be a dignitary of the American church. He had a favourite expression " the eternal fitness of things." This seemed to be a stock phrase, capable of general application. While conversing with him on one occasion, the subject turned to the prevalence of scep- ticism in the present day, and he was asked his view of the situation. "Well" he said, "scepticism has existed in all ages in a greater or less degree, and it is certainly the greatest existing evil we have to contend against. It assumes such forms and disguises, that the difficulty to deal with it is immensely increased. Not only does it work openly, in downright ham- mer-and-tongs blasphemy, but, what is far 26 Out West. worse, in the insidious and plausible fasci- nations of so-called philosophy. The ram- pant, thundering atheist is not so formidable, nor so much to be dreaded. His blatant ofFensiveness disgusts, and so works its own remedy. So long as he enjoys a strong, robust constitution, he imagines the full vigour of his bodily energy is to last for ever, that all men are mortal but himself. So he 1 frets and struts his hour upon the stage,' but when age and infirmity creep on, and he finds his mental and bodily powers failing, his error forces itself upon him, he recants and repents. One of our most notorious in- fidel lecturers, when overtaken by infirmity, renounced his errors, actually became a preacher of the gospel, and died a Christian. He had no followers but a few half-hearted sympathisers, who, on the recantation of their leader, reverted to the truth. So, in the eternal fitness of things, a great evil became an instrument for good ultimately." SELF. "But, nevertheless, these infidellec- turers must do much mischief, by deluding the ignorant into a fanciful and mistaken security, until their consciences become en- Infidel Lectures. 27 veloped in a mirage of obscurity, which means nothing and ends in nothing." DIGNITARY. "Possibly so, to some extent; but there must be always good and evil intermixed in this world. We cannot sub- vert it. It only the more completely exem- plifies the eternal fitness of things. I doubt if these false prophets really mean all they say. They are often needy men, blessed with the gift of speechifying, and must earn a living somehow. So they take up a cry, especially a cry that pays. It must be some- thing out of the common run ; and to un- scrupulous minds, infidelity is as good a cry as any other. If the man is clever, makes a good orator, he soon becomes notorious. The press advertise him gratuitously by publishing his erratic orations. He is done to death in the news columns. People flock to see and hear, and pay their dollar or shil- ling without a thought. They discredit his speeches, but must not be behind the age, nor crowed over by their neighbours, who have seen and heard the last novelty out. Even the oi polloi have a gauge of fashion of their own. In the fashionable world itself 28 Out West. much of the unbelief is superficial and feigned. Amid the gaieties of fashion, religion is ig- nored, because it is out of place. The topics of conversation are, as a rule, frivolous and vapid, one half meaningless, the other half worthless, retailed gossip. This creates an apparent atmosphere of worldliness and scepticism. In the best and most refined society, the really sound, intellectual, and most enjoyable, it is quite different, and the- two extremes must not be confounded." SELF. "It is intelligible how minds that have been warped by running in certain narrow-minded grooves should entertain prejudiced opinions, at variance with common sense ; but how do you account for learned doctors and philosophical professors lending their high authority to create doubt, by dis- seminating theories which they must know will not bear the test of rigid scrutiny ?" DIGNITARY. "It is learning run mad. A man with great intellectual powers becomes intoxicated with his success in life, finds himself flattered and applauded to the skies > till he grows inflated with the idea that he is the arbiter of the world's destinies, and Learning Run Mad. 29 possessed of attributes beyond his sphere. This germinates and fructifies into a proud and lofty conceit, until vaingloriousness, develops itself into extravagant chimeras. So abstract propositions are enunciated as irrevocable laws, superficially plausible, but which, on deeper investigation, turn out to be fallacious. I doubt if many of those scientists who pose as infidels are really so at heart. Take an infidel, talk to him direct on religion. He will either at once ignore the question and shirk it, or argue and strenuously combat every point advanced. Produce the most convincing proofs to refute his shallow theories, yet, with the most obstinate self-will, he will maintain his views with the greater persistence. But, take another tack : flatter him ; tickle his self- love and vanity ; lead him to imagine you think he is the cleverest man in creation, that no one ever before existed possessing such marvellous intellect and boundless perception. He will be all smiles, most courteous and obliging ; will meet your advances half way, till he will finally admit, that he does not know what he believes, and hardly believes 30 Out West. what he supposes he believes. His mind is an absolute chaos, and he will be half willing to assent to any common-sense proposition." SELF. " According to your view, then, in- fidelity is practically self-love dashing blindly headlong down a precipice." DIGNITAKY. "Not self-love exactly. True self-love is aspiring, ennobling. It brings out the finest traits in human nature. What I mean is selfishness, which is self-love de- based. Fundamentally, infidelity in its worst form is intense vanity, based on supreme selfishness. The infidel loves self worships self. He ignores a Deity, for he makes a Deity of himself. The world is nothing to him. His world is concentrated within him- self. Had he the supreme power for a day, he would tyrannise over the world, just as the demon selfishness tyrannises over him- self, and enslaves him in the most miserable thraldom." SELF. " It is extraordinary the theory of evolution should have gained so many con- verts, even among distinguished men. There seems to be a certain amount of science in it, just as there is science in pugilism ; but the A Sea Mare's Nest. 31 disciples of evolution appear to possess a peculiar mental calibre prone to seize on anything that is new, for the sake of novelty, especially when it harmonises with their sin- gular theories. They seize on anything, just as a drowning man grasps at a straw, because it momentarily relieves a distracted conscience." DIGNITARY. " Just so, just so, it is quite in- comprehensible. Much time has been wasted over what is called a protoplasm or bioplasm. It is said to be found in the slime, in pro- foundest ocean depths, and was named Bathybius. It is said to be an organism without organs, to span the chasm between life and no life, which lives and yet does not live ; yet this inconsistent incongruity is said to propagate itself, and self-contain the germ of terrestrial life ! One of our American professors calls it a sea mare's nest. Ac- cording to subsequent discoveries, it turns out to be merely sulphate of lime. Yet, this inanimate absurdity is magnified into the origin of life ! Scientists may propound what new theories they please, but they all fail in attempting an explanation of life, and how 32 Out West. it originated. As an able writer on the sub- ject has stated, they are forced to seek refuge in the mystery of a miraculous creation.' ' SELF. "Is it not still more singular that some of our highest ecclesiastics should go out of their sphere to pander to the popular taste for novelty, by insinuating doubts where none should exist, and so envelop weak minds in fogs of perplexity, which end in a callous indifference to all truth. In- -stead of guiding the tone of thought aright, they rather follow the babbling bubbles of the day, add fuel to the smouldering embers of distrust, and fan the flame of incredulity into downright unbelief." DIGNITARY. " It is singular, and nothing astounded me more in Europe than to see Doctors of Divinity descending from their high estate as masters in Israel, to tickle the public palate with highly-spiced morsels of old discarded questions. Doubts and diffi- culties, long since explained and exploded, are re-dressed up in the meretricious colours of florid rhetoric, and presented as novelties, to unhinge the minds of the unwary and unsuspecting. It is most deplorable that Doctors of Divinity. 33 men of undoubted erudition should thus prostitute their talents for the flimsy reward of transient popularity." SELF. "It follows, then, from your re- marks, that the reproduction of errors, clothed in alluring attractiveness, should inculcate misgivings regarding the very foundations of revealed truth, and tend to awaken doubts as to the philosophy of a future state ; or, finally, to lead even a step further, and induce waverers to ignore an hereafter altogether." DIGNITARY. " The one is the natural se- quence of the other. There is no crime so cruel or so wicked, as for teachers of truth to suggest doubts where there are none. It ruins minds that are not properly balanced, and carries them into opposite and fatal extremes. It reduces man to a state worse than the first worse than the most lament- able heathenism. Those who carelessly endeavour to subvert old-established truths, by a repetition of alleged new fallacies, incur fearful responsibilities. For it must be transparent to any ordinary intelligence, that this world cannot end all, and that D 34 Out West. this life is not final. Apart from all elaborate disquisitions, the numerous evi- dences that surround us on every side, that cross us at every step of our lives, are plain and palpable to the commonest understand- ing. They practically refute the vague theories of materialists, which are not based on any substratum of clearly-defined data, but upon speculative hypotheses, enveloped in obscure metaphysical phraseology." The ringing of the dinner-bell abruptly/ terminated our conversation. Out West. 35 CHAPTER III. La, Belle Americaine. Her Foolscap Love-letter. Columbus. Custom-house Officers. A Modern Inquisition. " Meet Me Once Again." Good-bye for Ever ! " QTRAJSFGER, have you seen the Cap- K-5 tain?" exclaimed La Belle. Americaine to me, as she came on deck with one of the large saloon blotting portfolios under her arm. " No, I have not/' I replied, " but will go and look for him. Is it anything I can do ?" "Well, I guess you cannot, I want a great big envelope." " How large a one ?" " A very large one, large enough to take this," she answered, opening the blotter,, and showing me three of the largest-sized sheets of official foolscap, closely written over on both sides. D 2 36 Out West. " What can all that be," I exclaimed ; " a draft marriage settlement?" " Not quite, but something not very far from it." " What can it be, then?" " It is a letter to my sweetheart in Lon- don," she replied, "telling him all about the voyage." " You do not mean to say that you sup- pose for a moment he is going to wade through all that elaborate effusion ?" " I just guess he will, and a great deal more, too, if he could only get it, and then be very sorry when he gets to the end of it." " You must have a strong-minded con- science," said I, "to think of inflicting such a penance on a poor man. Why, it will frighten the poor fellow out of his wits." "I guess it will not; besides, it will have to last him for a very long time, because I will not write to him in a hurry again, and he will not get so much next time." "Then you may be sure he will forget you, and drop you altogether." " I guess sharp he will not do that, I have got too fine a house and lands on the banks A Foolscap Love-letter. 37 of the , and such a beautiful yacht. Besides, he has promised to come out next year to marry me, and that he is quite certain to do." " Next year," I observed, " means never : he will be too frightened and exhausted, after plunging through that tremendous cataract of words, to think of venturing any further." " Well, then, if he does not," she answered gaily, and knowingly tossing her head, " I will just go over to Europe and fetch him right smart. I just guess that is just what I shall do!" This sally, emphatically and theatrically delivered, quite upset my gravity, and, smiling a diplomatic smile, I again offered to go and hunt up the Captain. On turning round, however, the Captain was seen approaching ; and on his coming up to us, La Belle Ameri- caine, in a pseudo-pitiful tone, related her troubles, implored the assistance of that gallant and distinguished officer, and then vanished with him to get her wants supplied. She obtained a huge, largest-sized, official, foolscap envelope, sealed it with sealing-wax, 38 Out West. putting a huge red official seal on the outside, so that her love-letter presented a most formidable document, thoroughly original and sensational. Having made an unusually splendid and rapid passage, we expected to reach New York the following day. We were fortunate in not having seen anything of waves running mountains high, nor even an Esquimaux seated on the top of an iceberg, smoking his pipe, with his favourite dog by his side. I began, therefore, to ruminate on the thoughts which must have agitated the mind of Columbus, when, nearly four hundred years ago, he approached the then new and unknown world, and was about to gaze for the first time on its pristine beauties. How intense must have been his gratification, when, after years of wearying labour, oppo- sition, intrigues, ignominy, and scorn, after having braved the terrors of the vast and apparently boundless ocean, in small sailing galleons after repeated conflicts with a mutinous crew frequently breaking out into open rebellion, he at last beheld within his grasp the object of his dreams and the goal Golumlus. 39 of his life-long ambition. His own in- domitable spirit had overcome every obstacle, vanquished every foe, till he stood forth, superior in the grandeur of his undaunted nature, as the greatest benefactor of man- kind. No more would he be the butt for ribald jesters, nor the scoff of Europe ; no more would he hear the hiss of contemptuous revilers, nor be treated as an extravagant visionary and insane enthusiast. He had verified his prescient intuitions and predic- tions, added another hemisphere to the globe, and won a glorious and undying name. His mind was cast in the mould of heroes, and nobly did he perform a hero's duty. How overwhelming must have been his emotions when the glorious scenes of a new and beautiful world, in all its virgin and luxuriant loveliness, redolent with native fragrance, burst forth on his ravished and astonished view. Yainly might we attempt to realise his feelings when, landing upon that unknown shore, impressed with the awful solemnity of the occasion, he kneels down and reverently kisses the ground; 40 Out West. then, lifting up his eyes suffused with tears, he offers up a prayer of praise and thanks- giving to the merciful Deity who had so blessed his labours and so successfully crowned his hazardous undertaking. My imagination endeavoured to form fanciful pictures of the new scenes that would be disclosed on the morrow, and I determined to obtain the earliest possible view of the greatest country in the world. Hurrying on deck at an early hour before breakfast, the glorious view that burst on my excited imagination was a dense fog ! This, then, was my anticipated brilliant intro- duction to the renowned, magnificent West ! Had I, then, encountered the dreaded and terrible Atlantic, merely to see a misty white shroud, not half so good, so dense, nor so respectable, as can be seen any day at home ! Our transatlantic cousins must no longer complain that their first hazy impressions of our tight little islands are sometimes like those of their own country, so ethereal as to be entirely indescribable. Towards mid - day the atmosphere brightened, and we began to make prepa- An Inquisition. 41 rations for going on shore. A number of Custom-house officials came on board, pro- ducing sundry documents for signature, one of which was a sort of solemn declaration. The name, age, profession, nationality, &c., &c., and what your intentions were, all had to be stated. In fact, an inquisitorial examination had to be undergone before being allowed to land on "the freest and grandest country in the world." It is practically a passport under a different name,, only more stringent and irksome, because quite unexpected. Then, what a paternal Government, want- ing to know one's intentions ! I'd better refer them to my fair charmer ; perhaps she might extricate me out of the dilemma. Besides, imagine a diplomatist being asked his inten- tions ! Whatever his official or business engagements may be, in delicate affaires de coeur he certainly might be allowed to keep his own counsel. Was any novice in the art of love going to be so foolish as to publish to the American nation that, having repeatedly failed in Europe in ardent aspira- tions after matrimonial honours, and made 42 Out West. another futile attempt during the voyage, a fresh start was about to be made, with a clean heart and a clear conscience, to endeavour to recover a lost prestige ? Was he to disclose how often he had been jilted by pretty flirts? How it had always been his misfortune to choose pretty faces, only to find that others had also beforehand chosen the same pretty faces to make love to ? How this pretty girl was just going to be married, another had just got engaged, and a third started off for Australia or some other outlandish place just as he had made up his mind to propose ? Would any mortal, as Mr. Pomposity would say, on the verge of landing on a colossal continent, swarming with angelic loveliness, sacrifice his ado- lescent reputation and demolish all his prospects in one disastrous explosion? Would any child of misfortune poor, wretched victim of disappointed affection, on the eve of experimenting upon the cardiac tenderness of his fair American cousins, be so demented as to reveal his sentiments precipitantly ? This rendering of official documents may Once Again. 43 be somewhat hazy, influenced probably by the dense morning mist, but red tapeism is not always perspicuous, and a little more clear- ness would be an advantage. Probably some wonderful triumph awaits me in the brilliant land of hope and promise now expanding before my fevered imagination. I should certainly have collapsed long ago in despair if it had not been for the refrain of some inspiriting song sustaining me with " Cheer up, Sam." It may happen and the contingency is frightful to contemplate, that if some generous and lovely spirit with benignant smiles does not take compassion on the hymeneal aspirations of a blighted heart, it, viz., the heart, shall, in desperation, renounce all the follies and frivolities of life, retire to some sequestered glen, on an inaccessible mountain, become an ascetical hermit, and afflict an irreparable loss on a world so heartless and so unappreciating. Amidst the confusion and bustle of landing, I met my divine enchantress once more. She was waving a handkerchief in response to friendly greetings from the pier, welcoming her back to her native home. Santley's 44 Out West. song, " Meet Me Once Again/' flashed across my mind, while its musical echoes seemed floating around like soft, distant, ^Eolian harpings. "Meet me once again, once again ! " "What a delightful, melodious whisper, filling the soul with the most exquisite inspirations ! But that silent, harmonious appeal, coming as it were from Spiritland, only recalled a touching chord of the past never again to be awakened. We parted warmly and cordially, perhaps for ever here below, leaving a bright and shining ray to enlighten the sombreness of memory's sky. She came, flashed across my path like a lovely dream, then vanished, Like forms that pass us by in the world's train, Creatures of light we never see again ! Farewell for ever, bright-eyed daughter of the West ! There are none of Beauty's daughters With a magic like thee, For like music on the waters Was thy sweet voice to me. Farewell to happy hours departed ! May thy affianced lover ever find the magic of Good-bye ! 45 thy smiles shed a halo of perpetual happiness around thy love-fraught paradise, beside the broad flowing waters of the majestic . " Fare thee well ! >! From the innermost recesses of the soul wells out a last fervent, silent " God be with you ! " OUT WEST. PART II. NEW YORK TO SALT LAKE CITY. Out West. 49 CHAPTER IV. New York. Landing Incidents. First Impressions of The Broadway. Elevated Railways. An American's Opinions on Severance from England and our Beloved Queen. Stories of Wall Street Speculators. A Fashionable Beauty. Trying It On. Explosion. TWO of the most striking objects on arriving at New York are, the new Suspension Bridge, connecting New York with Brooklyn, with its lofty piers towering into the sky, and the huge steam ferry- boats, with their great old-fashioned beam- engines, working their huge arms high in the air : these form the most remarkable features in the landscape. The ferry-boats are on a very large scale, and transport across the Hudson river vehicles of all sizes and descriptions, with teams of horses attached, and could convey even railway trains across if required. From the easy E 50 Out West. and rapid manner in which these great steam ferries are loaded, unloaded, worked, handled, and controlled, there ought to be no difficulty in making huge ferry-boats to transport entire trains across from Dover to Calais in absolute safety and perfect comfort. A well-devised monster steam ferry would effectually dispose of all mat de mer, be more economical and popular than the proposed tunnel. The main difficulty is the shallow- ness of water on the French coast, but this can be readily overcome by the present advanced state of engineering science. It is only a question of money. An incident that forcibly struck me on landing, for it touched the pocket, was having to pay two' pounds customs duty on a dozen pair of kid gloves. The duties on wearing apparel are excessive nearly equal to the original cost in England. Eighty per cent, on silks is a caution to any one ambitious of entering the matrimonial arena. Then came another striking incident. While about to engage a conveyance to the hotel, a charge of sixteen shillings was demanded for a distance, as I afterwards ascertained, of Landing Incidents. 51 half a mile. An American fellow-passenger, who was near like a good Samaritan, advised me not to submit to the extortionate demands of the carriage proprietors, but send my luggage by the carriers to the hotel, which would cost a trifle compara- tively, and take a tramcar for a few cents. Finding we were both going to the same hotel, we journeyed together. This system of authorised carriers is certainly admirable. A brass number is affixed by a strap to each package, and duplicate numbers given to the owner. On arriving at the hotel, you produce your numbers and receive your luggage. It is extraordinary that there are no police regulations regarding conveyances at the landing-places in New York, strangers being left to the mercy of sharpers, to be fleeced and grossly imposed upon. At the same time, we must not cast stones at our cousins. A tourist informed me that similar imposition is practised at Queens- town. When he went to America from Queenstown, he paid two shillings for con- veying his luggage from the railway station E 2 52 Out West. to the steam tender, a distance of about a couple of hundred yards. On returning from New York, a few months afterwards, with precisely the same luggage, a sum of ten shillings was demanded for the exact same distance, vice versa. On remonstrating with the porter, Pat naively remarked, " Ah! sure, your honour, you have been to 'Meriky, and have made a power of money, and the likes of your honour would not be after being so mane as not to give a few shillings to a poor boy who has been starving in ould Oireland all the while your honour has been living on the fat of the land." On taking a preliminary stroll down the Broadway, the first impressions of this pride of Americans were rather disappointing. Its most remarkable characteristic is its great length, traversing the city from end to end, but its alignment is irregular. In some places it is narrow. There are many splendid buildings, but the roadway is in a most execrable condition, full of holes and deep ruts, worse than a common occupation road in England. The pavement was in a dis- gracefully uneven state, and you had to pick The Broadway. 53 your way to avoid stepping into pools of water. Before proceeding a few yards from the hotel my foot tripped against a projecting flagstone, and, like Columbus, I nearly wor- shipped the ground in a less reverential manner. It is necessary to walk cautiously to avoid tripping and falling, and to attempt to cross the roadway except at a paved crossing is only to get well splashed with mud and your feet wet. It is stated that the fault of this disgraceful condition rests with the city authorities, who have plenty of money, but lax in their duties. Corruption in the letting and working of contracts is the root of all the evil. My mission to America having been satis- factorily accomplished, and much sooner than anticipated, it was only natural that some recreation after labour was necessary. Having come so far, somethingj of course, must be seen of the country before returning home. New York had to be done in a thoroughly orthodox fashion. A few days, with the aid of local guides, sufficed to accomplish the sights most important and interesting. It is superfluous to repeat what 54 Out West. others have described so well. The Elevated Railway is a singular and novel institution deserving notice. It is constructed from fifteen to twenty feet above the level of the street, on wrought-iron pillars fixed at the outer edge of the pavement, or else in the middle of the street, if wide enough. Where narrow, a single pillar with bifurcating arms is used, making it look like a railway pitch- forked into the air. Where broad enough r two pillars are braced together. At junc- tions, crossings, and stations, the multiplicity of girders and bearers disfigure and darken the streets. A very unpleasant sensation is experienced in passing underneath, lest some debris or a passenger or child should drop on your head, or the whole affair capsize, and come bodily down, it looks so fragile and unsteady. Passengers by the trains are above the shops, and can only get side-down glimpses at them, but then they have the privilege and amusement of looking into drawing-rooms and bedrooms, and occasionally seeing a New York belle dis- porting herself en deshabille. The railway is a great convenience, and immensely The Elevated Railway. 55 patronised, but it is also a great nuisance to shopkeepers and residents en route, who have their shops and lower stories darkened, subject to an irregular light, with frequent obscurations or shadows during the passing of trains. All privacy is, of course, destroyed, and property ruined. But, then, private interests were never for a moment considered, nor was any compensation paid for the loss of trade or depreciation of property. The city did it, and the citizens must submit. New York is a wonderful city. " 'Merwica is the freest and grandest country in the world ! " In a conversation I had with an American of high position, remarkable intelligence, ability, and great breadth of view, he expressed an opinion, that the greatest blunder ever committed by Americans was to have severed all connexion with England. Had America, when declaring her indepen- dence, still retained some affiliation with the mother-country, it would have been better for both. America would have advanced with still greater rapidity. Wonderful as. had been her progress already, the country 56 Out West. would have developed with far more gigantic strides. Her railways and public works would have been doubled, and her popula- tion by this time far exceeded one hundred millions. England and America united would have been the most powerful nation on the globe. They would have been irresistible, and become the arbiters of the world. Under their ce-gis, enlightenment, civilisation, and prosperity would have gone hand in hand together, and conferred im- measurable benefits on mankind. Expressing my agreeable surprise at his observations and inability to quite follow his argument, he further explained that, by severing the tie so completely, England had sought fresh markets and outlets for its surplus population, capital, enterprises, and energies, all of which would otherwise have poured into America. The superabundant wealth and energy of England, now frittered away all over the globe, would have become concentrated, consolidated, absorbed the whole western hemisphere, and built up a colossal empire. Englishmen are monar- chists, they cannot live without a central, England and America. 57 royal, and hereditary rallying-point. They are proud of a long line of ancestral heritages. They prefer to exist under English laws and constitutions, and they look upon young Republican America as a foreign nation, though speaking the same language and governed by almost the same laws. The old-time historical associations of England should have been grafted on to young American standards, and an indis- soluble union would have been maintained. He seemed convinced in these opinions, and believed that even now, if it were possible to arrange a common basis for unity of action, cementing of interests, and a solid mutual understanding, it would conduce immensely to the power and prosperity of both nations and the benefit of the whole world. He further observed, that during the great civil war, England had a splendid oppor- tunity, but missed it. The South were not unwilling, on certain conditions, to return to their allegiance with Great Britain, and had that feeling been cultivated, Eng- land might now have had some voice in the 58 Out West. country. The day will come when the absorbing question will be, not a Canadian dominion, nor an Australian confederation, nor South African confederation, but a grand comprehensive confederation of all English- speaking countries throughout the world into one all-powerful, consolidated alliance. On my suggesting that, if the Queen came over and made a tour of the United States, it would create a furore for a reunion with the mother-country, with a son of the Queen as a permanent hereditary sovereign, he smilingly remarked that the Americans have an intense admiration and attachment for Queen Victoria. She is the grandest of women, and the greatest representative and ornament of royalty the world has ever seen. If the Queen could visit America, it would have a wonderful effect. After a pause, he observed that a temporary and movable head of a state had many objections. The quadrennial elections for President let loose floods of corruption. At each presidential election some sixty thousand officers change places all over the country, while in England political changes are confined to the cabinet. Egypt. 59 This ever- shifting army of officers clamour- ing for place and bread naturally gives rise to universal corruption at elections, and untold corruption afterwards. Those place- hunters who are fortunate enough to succeed know that they are only safe for a term of four years, and they must make the best of their situations. They practically realise the Scotchman's joke to his son, " Make money. Sandy, my son, honestly if you can, but make money." The conversation then turned to Egypt, when the gentleman expressed himself very decisively. He was of opinion that England should take Egypt, if she did not, France would. Egypt is indispensable to England as the road to India, and even Australia. When the population of the Australian colonies reaches one hundred millions, and its northern parts become peopled, the Suez Canal will be as indispensable to Australia as it now is to England. If England is so blind as not to secure the possession of Egypt when an opportunity offers, France will do so with avidity. Republican France, though ignoring Imperialism, still clings to Out West. the traditions of the great Napoleon, whose opinion was, that whoever governed Egypt governed Asia, and whoever held Egypt com- manded the destinies of the civilised world. Apropos of the foregoing, I subsequently heard a story, which is worth noting, as it exemplifies the current of American thought. During the great railway riots at Pittsburg, the general commanding forwarded a cable- gram with the latest news to General Grant, who was then in England, heading it thus : " From General , commanding the Grand Army of the Eepublic, to General Grant, care of Queen Victoria, Windsor Castle, England." . Having occasion to visit Wall Street, I heard a good story of a great American speculator. He had ordered his broker to buy a large amount of speculative stock, which order was executed. The next morn- ing the stock, contrary to expectation, went down. The broker came in the greatest consternation to his client to consult as to what had best be done. His client coolly told him to go in and buy double the first amount already bought. " What," said the Speculators. 61 broker, " you lose one hundred thousand dollars in a day, and coolly tell me to go and double the transaction 1" "Never mind," replied his client, "do what I tell you," which the broker did. In a couple of days there was another heavy fall, the broker went again to his client to advise him to sell out, as it was expected the stock would fall still lower. His client, on the contrary, and to the mortification of the broker, ordered him to purchase a further large quantity. This was done. When settling day came, the speculator called at his broker's office, producing a cheque for the whole of the stock purchased, and de- manded its immediate delivery. The party who had sold was unable to deliver, not having the stock, and was compelled to go- into the market to obtain it. This sent the price with a rebound, considerably above what the speculator had purchased at, so he resold and cleared out at a large profit. By sheer pluck, therefore, the speculator made a large sum of money without parting with a penny. "Hah!" remarked my informant, "you 62 Out West. English do not understand speculating ; you must come over here to take lessons. You are far too timid, and have no chance against an American. You do not understand ' corners ' as we do. Our great object is to get the monopoly or entire control of a stock in our hands, and having once got it to keep it. You can then do as you like with it, put it up or down as you please, making money both ways. One of the cleverest men on the London market, a notorious stock-gambler, tried to cope with an American, but he was hopelessly beaten, and never tried it again. He began bearing or selling American stock in large quanti- ties, which it was known he did not possess. He went on throwing the stock on the market as fast as he could, and it was all readily bought up at continually-reduced prices. At last, as a final effort to knock the prices down to a very low figure, he sold a very large quantity. It was at once bought up, the buyer stating he would take any quantity more at the same price. This staggered and checked the seller, and when settling day came he was unable to deliver, A Fashionable Beauty ! 63 having largely oversold what he never had. He asked for time, but this would not be allowed. The stock rebounded upwards to a very high figure, he was unable to buy and complete his bargain, except at a very heavy sacrifice, so was forced to compromise with the American, by paying him a very large amount in cash, for, in reality, nothing else than as a penalty for his rash attempt to outdo an American." Accidentally one afternoon, by way of diver- sion, I slipped into the hotel drawing-room, in the hope of meeting an angel unawares. There were several captivating beauties residing at the hotel. They were dressed in the very height of fashion, a combination of London tacked on to Paris, and the hybrid was such an extravagant amplifica- tion of both, that European artists would open their eyes wide and hold up their hands aghast in astonishment. This exuberance in dress is probably necessary to keep the pre- sumptuous and forward beaux at a proper distance, but it is very embarrassing to the modest and bashful. In accompanying a lady into the dining-hall, it requires some 64 Out West. agility and dexterity to avoid the noble sweep of her expanded tails, which, spread- ing fan-like around, sweep the floor cleaner than a housemaid's brush. A lesson might be learnt from the peacock, the most beau- tiful and most sensible of all birds, which when walking folds up its tail and carries it gracefully in the air. But then belles everywhere prefer aesthetics to vulgar and more beautiful nature. There was one lady guest who took the lead as the acknowledged belle. The ampli- tude of her circumferential as well as natural charms were sufficient to satisfy the most fastidious. An old gentleman, her sup- posed stern parent, seemed to monopolise her society. She was seated in the draw- ing-saloon alone. Being myself of an am- bitious nature, and always acting on the principle " aim high and you are sure not to strike low," here at once stood boldly out a legitimate object for a deed of chivalry. Here was, perhaps, an ill-used daughter, with a severe stern parent, rarely allowing her out of his sight, lest she should choose for herself. What a splendid opportunity Trying It On. 65 for a brilliant act of philanthropy, to rescue a lovely maiden from a life of miserable tyranny, fly with her to the uttermost ends of the earth, and make her supremely happy for ever ! With diplomatic forethought, a plan of operations was decided upon in ac- cordance with the most approved principles of society. So, boldly breaking the ice by a polite remark, we conversed together agree- ably for some time, and then parted. The next day, on seeking for the fair enchantress, she was nowhere to be found. Had the stern father suspected the advances made, or, worse still, discovered the plot (though wrapped up in the innermost bosom), and fled with his lovely daughter to some un- known region ? In a state almost bordering on frenzy, anxious inquiries are made, when it was discovered there had been a grand explosion ! The admired of all ad- mirers, the magnificent circumferential amplitude, had suddenly disappeared. The beautiful enchantress turned out to be an adventuress. She had clever]y managed to borrow a good round sum from the rich old gentleman, who was not her stern F 66 Out West. parent, and decamp ! Elieu I quam flebilis occidit ! This episode rather damped my ardour for further exploration amid fields that seemed so green afar off and speculative, and where more experienced and valiant veterans had been so hopelessly vanquished. It was much safer and more rational to devote attention to less exciting pursuits. The matter-of-fact and practical is more congenial to ordinary quiet tastes. Having still plenty of time to spare before returning to England, it seemed advisable to see as much as possible in the shortest time. A run right across the continent from east to west presented the most attractions. I therefore took a stop-over ticket from New York to San Francisco, about 3,500 miles, which cost about 26, and would enable me to stop anywhere and any length of time at pleasure. My intention was to run hastily through the whole distance, stopping only at a few principal places for rest, and then to work my way back more leisurely, sight- seeing. Out West. 67 CHAPTER V. Departure West. The Engine Bell. Luggage Facilities* Advertising Mania. Chicago, Past and Present. An Impressive Service in a Theatre. An Excit- ing Chase. Robbery of a Passenger. THE first stage of the journey was from New York to Chicago, a distance of about 1,000 miles, which would occupy two days and a night. One of the great novelties on the railway was the large ornamental brass bell carried in front of the locomotive engine. This bell is kept ringing at starting, stopping, approaching, or pass- ing through a city, and at level crossings. It is a most effectual method of warning the approach of a train, for the bell has such a very loud, musical, and sonorous tone, that it can be heard for long distances. Every locomotive is compelled, by Act of Congress, to carry a bell and ring it as described. On p 2 68 Out West. passing through a city, the bell rings the whole time, while the train proceeds at a very slow pace. It is amusing to see how it will stop at any street crossing, most convenient to set down a passenger, and then move on, and stop again, wherever required, like any omnibus or tramcar. This consideration for the convenience of the public is very different to the off-hand and often rude treatment of passengers in England, who are never allowed to get out of a train except at a platform. The arrangements regarding passengers' luggage are a most satisfactory improve- ment. All luggage is given up at the start- ing station, a large numbered brass ticket with the name of the city you wish to stop at is strapped on to each article, and dupli- cate miniature numbers are given to the owner. Nothing further is necessary, except to take care of the duplicates. On arriving at your destination you inform the conduc- tor of the train the hotel or address you wish to go to, when a man comes round, exchanges your duplicates for others, and on arriving at your hotel or address, your Lug (j age Facilities. 61) luggage is either awaiting your arrival, or follows immediately after. A trifle per package is paid for the accommodation, which saves much trouble, anxiety, and annoyance. The London and North- Western Railway, who are ever ready to consult the comfort and convenience of passengers, have lately introduced the system at the principal towns on their line, viz., London, Manchester, Liverpool, Chester, &c. It is certainly a very laudable experi- ment, deserving of success. The uniform charge of sixpence per package requires modification. There is a considerable differ- ence between a bag or hand valise and a lady's huge travelling boudoir, which some- times requires two men to lift it. A remarkable peculiarity that presented itself all along the route was the extra- vagance and ingenuity displayed in adver- tising. Every available point of advantage in passing through the country, or approach- ing to and passing through a town, is seized upon for a monster advertisement. Gable ends and sides of houses, walls, trees, rocks, boulders, the rocky escarpment of precipi- 70 Out West. tous hillsides, are all utilised in some form or other. The inventive faculty exhibited in puffing off articles is marvellous, and often highly amusing. The advertisements chiefly refer to articles for the toilette and domestic use, cosmetics and patented panaceas for universal application. The most noticeable puffs were polishes for fire stoves and grates, zozodont for the teeth, sewing-machines, fever and liver remedies. Cures for liver complaint were paraded everywhere in profusion, as if it were the great infliction of the country and climate, while fever medicines prevailed in wooded and marshy districts. The necessity for fever antidotes was self-evident in malarious backwood districts and new clearances, but the physiology of the prevalence of liver diseases was not so palpable nor intelli- gible. Having decided to stop over at Chicago, I found a night's rest most refreshing, after thirty-six hours' continuous travelling; so resolved to remain a day or two to see a city which enjoys such a marvellous repu- tation. Starting some fifty years ago from Chicago. 71 a few s ettlers' huts on the mouth of a small river, debouching into the wide expanse of Lake Michigan, it rapidly grew into a great city. Being built almost entirely of wood, like nearly all the young cities out West, it was almost wholly destroyed during one of the most disastrous and extensive conflagra- tions that have perhaps ever happened. It has now arisen Phoenix-like out of its ashes, a grander, more substantially built, and more beautiful city than ever. It is un- questionably a most remarkable place, and its rapid development from a few log huts to a magnificent and populous city is, perhaps, almost without a parallel. The streets are fine, broad, and airy, lined with spendid piles of buildings, built of iron, stone, and brick. The inhabitants seem determined to be fully prepared against any second conflagration. Iron enters largely into the construction of the ornamental columns and frontages to houses and shops, producing a very handsome effect. Many of the designs are exceedingly artistic and beautiful. This city is said to increase more rapidly than any other city in the United 72 Out West. States. Its admirable situation on the- southern shores of Lake Michigan makes it the natural and most central emporium for all the products of the immense tracts of rich country stretching out to the west and north, as well as south. Every day it is advancing, and promises soon to become the queen of western cities. On my ex- pressing to an American my admiration of the place, he replied : " It looks grand, and as if the people were wealthy, and all mil- lionaires. But every one in Chicago is poor, and it will take many years to recover from the effects of the great fire. The city has been rebuilt with borrowed money, and restocked with borrowed money. There is hardly a house that is not mortgaged to eastern capitalists. Strangers think Chicago a grand and rich city, but it is nearly 'busted,' and it will be a long time before it gets round again." With all its magnificence and future- promise, Chicago has one serious drawback,, viz., it is subject to sudden changes of temperature. The transition from the ex- tremes of heat to bitter cold is sudden. Service in a Theatre. 73- When the wind blows off the land it is warm, but when it blows down the lake from the north it is very trying. You may walk quietly along the sheltered side of the street in a broiling sun, almost panting with the heat, then on turning round a corner you encounter a sharp, piercing wind, which makes you shiver and hurry home to get your thickest overcoat. This is very trying^ and severe even to the most robust con- stitutions. The following day being Sunday, an additional day's rest was decided on. The city being the headquarters of the celebrated Evangelists, I sought out their tabernacle,, but found it closed. The Evangelists were absent on a tour, while the tabernacle was being repaired. On retracing my steps homeward, I observed a theatre open, and people crowding in. The singularity of a theatre open on the Sabbath induced me from curiosity to follow the crowd. On entering, the theatre was crammed. The stage had been converted into a platform r upon which were seated a clergyman behind a low desk, a lady at a small organ, with the 74 Out West. leader of the choir by her side, and a service was about to commence. The crowd was excessive, not a seat was to be had, and there was barely standing room. The form of service was congregational, the singing really beautiful, and the sermon profound, eloquent, and well delivered. The fact of the service being held in broad daylight in a darkened theatre tended to make it more solemn and effective. The choir consisted of paid pro- fessional singers, and was an admirable one. The entire congregation joined in the singing as with one voice, pouring forth a magnificent volume of melody. The singing of the chorus of one of the hymns In the sweet by-and-bye We shall meet on that beautiful shore was given with wonderful harmony and feeling, producing an impression seraphically sublime. There was scarcely a dry eye visible, and even gentlemen in numbers could be seen furtively wiping off a tear. I have heard many fine choirs and choruses before, but never experienced anything so impressive and celestial. On inquiry, after the service Extremes. 75 had ended, I learnt that the preacher was one of the most popular and celebrated ministers in the country, Dr. Swing, and that the theatre had been engaged for Sunday use as a temporary home for the congregation during the erection of the church. Every seat in the theatre had been purchased by the congregation for the Sunday services, and not one was to be had at any price. Chicago is generally represented as exem- plifying the two opposite extremes of good and evil. It combines Heaven with a nether place. It is a collection of saints and sinners ; a mixture of the highest types of purity and innocence with the vilest forms of wickedness and sin. Such may or may not be the case, and such mixtures are not uncommon, but my acquaintance with the city, though short, was happily all couleur de rose, and long may it so continue. On Monday my journey was resumed. A day and night's travelling would bring me to the end of the next proposed stage. Omaha, on the Missouri, or as some locally pronounce it Mu&zouri, river. We had some 76 Out West. excitement during one part of the journey, said not to be unusual in western travelling. The train had just left a station in a wild and sparsely-peopled district. It was pro- ceeding slowly, when a hue and cry was suddenly raised, the train stopped and backed into the station. A man was seen running across country, making tracks for a dense forest about a mile off, followed by a dozen or more others in hot pursuit. When he had reached about halfway to the forest, two of his pursuers were closing on him, he suddenly stopped, drew a revolver, turned round on his pursuers, and threatened to shoot them if they advanced a step further. The cry then arose, " He has got a six- shooter ! " After a little delay, three or four others started off with guns and rifles, but before they could get very far the man had got into the forest, when the pursuit was abandoned as hopeless. It then transpired that the man hunted was one of the con- fidence men or sharpers who infest the trains running west on the look out for emigrants with money. He had wormed himself into the good graces of one who A Robbery. 77 carried five hundred dollars in notes in his pocket-book, and had been stupid enough to exhibit them. As the train was leaving the station the sharper was standing by the side of his newly- acquired intended victim, and, watching his opportunity, plunged his hand into his victim's pocket, seized his pocket-book, jumped off the train while in motion, and made across country as fast as he could hence the outcry and commotion. The emigrant remained behind, as the train went on, to try and recover his stolen money. The general impression was that he would never see his money again, for it is impossible to stop and trace bank-notes in the western wilds as readily as it can be done in London. It is astonishing how readily the unedu- cated are imposed upon, and how easily they become the prey of sharpers in their own station of life. They do not seem to care for nor trouble themselves about taking the simplest precautions against frauds which are of every-day occurrence. If they have a little money they are proud of it, talk about it, and display it. They imagine it gives them a degree of importance, little 78 Out West. thinking that sensible people laugh at them for their folly, while knaves and rogues take advantage of it for their own benefit. They believe that the money is nowhere safer than in their own pockets, and distrust all the facilities and securities offered by bank drafts or credit notes. I congratulated myself on having taken the precaution to carry only a few dollars with me for current expenses, and the bulk of my funds in credit drafts payable where required. This safe- guard is absolutely necessary, for, in addition to the tricks of confidence-men and pick- pockets, the trains are sometimes attacked in wild lonely districts by bands of marauding outlaws, and every passenger relieved of everything they may carry about them in the way of coin, watches, &c., besides sometimes having their luggage ransacked and cleared of anything valuable. Out West. CHAPTER VI. Luxury of a Restaurant Car. Omaha. A Prairie Farm. Delights of Prairie Life. How to Travel Com- fortably on a Pullman Sleeper. Rocky Mountains. An Eccentric Hotel Keeper. Arrival at Salt Lake City. ON the run between Chicago and Omaha, 492 miles, I enjoyed, for the first time, the pleasure of taking all meals on board a restaurant car attached to the train. There are several routes, and that known as the Rock Island is considered the most direct and prettiest, with more varied scenery. The plan of eating as you roll along is an improvement on the crowding, elbowing, crushing, hurry and skurry, rush and bolt, grab and swallow what you can, system of Europe. It is really delightful to take one's meals comfortably and leisurely while spin- ning away at express speed, and finding 80 Out West. that during your enjoyable repast some sixty to seventy miles of ground have been traversed. It is quite entertaining to whizz along to the tune of some local poet's graphic verse : Singing through the forests, Rattling over ridges, Shooting over arches, Rumbling over bridges ; Whistling past the stations, Buzzing o'er the vale, Dear me, this is pleasant, Dining on the rail. It is more than pleasant, it is luxurious, and above all salutary. Meals are taken comfortably, without impairing the digestion or irritating the temper. They are served up, too, in a style that would satisfy the most fastidious epicure. The charge is uniform three shillings for each meal. Hot dishes are served up at all meals, with ample variety to select from. At dinner, the menu comprises a choice of soups, fish, entrees, roast and boiled beef, mutton, turkey, poultry, game, vegetables, and dessert, with all fruits in season. Of wines and potations Omalia. 81 of all kinds, alcoholic and temperate, there is a wide range to choose from. The restaurant car comprises a dining-room, bar, smoking- room, and kitchen. It is furnished with every requisite for comfort, as in a first-class hotel. On arrival at Omaha, I determined to stop over for a day or two, to see the sights and proclivities of the place. The approach to the city, which lies on the west bank of the Missouri river, is over a very fine, long, and peculiarly-constructed iron girder bridge, of eleven spans, each 250 feet long, and elevated 50 feet above the highest floods. It is a very light looking structure, and the train proceeded very slowly and cautiously over it. The river was in full flood, and presented a very imposing spec- tacle. I went to the largest hotel, the Grand Central, a very fine building, and found it, like all American hotels, most com- fortable. Omaha is a rising young city. An exten- sive series of streets have been laid out in every direction, with the evident ambition of making the city the great emporium of G 82 Out West. Nebraska. It is called " a live place," is rapidly growing, and already commands an enormous trade. It contains a fine silver refining and smelting establishment, said to be the largest in America. This is well worth a visit. I found the manager most courteous and obliging, and lucid in his explanation of the various processes. There are, besides, vast brickyards, turning out enormous numbers of bricks annually, with other factories, breweries, and distilleries. The city, like the State, is rapidly progress- ing, and bears evidence that it will ere long occupy a position of the highest import- ance.* At the hotel I made the acquaintance of * According to the last Report of the Omaha Board of Trade for 1883, the population of the city has increased to 60,000, and the advance in real estates has been un- precedented. Values have in some instances doubled. Properties amounting to $8,000,000 have changed hands while new buildings have been erected at a cost of $3,000,000, showing a total of $11,000,000 invested in real estate during the year. The Smelting and Refining Company turned out $12,989,000 in silver, gold, lead, and blue vitriol ; the out-turn of the previous year aggregating only $7,560,000. A Prairie Drive. 83 a Nebraska landowner. He very graciously Invited me to his prairie farm, about fifteen miles out in the country, which invitation was gladly accepted. The drive across the undulating prairie land was very enjoyable. The air was delightfully pure, fresh, and bracing. The road was merely a track on the natural surface soil, without any kind of metalling, and hence full of holes in some places, and very irregular. In dry weather it is hard and affords tolerably fair driving, but during storms or heavy rain it becomes almost impassable. The surface of the country being so very undulatory, with steep depressions, it is ramified with nume- rous watercourses. Hence the drainage is good and rapid, the ground soon drying up after the heaviest storms. Along the whole of our route the prairie had been cleared, portioned out into farms, and more or less under cultivation or laid in pasture. Occa- sionally from an eminence a glimpse could be obtained of an almost interminable ex- panse of pathless, tall, waving grass, stretch- ing far away to the horizon. But all around near at hand bore evidence that the grassy G 2 84 Out West. wastes were being rapidly cleared, planted, cultivated, and inhabited. The farm buildings and comfortable-lookinghomesteads scattered about, the lowing of cows, bleating of sheep, and tinkling of bells, gave a bright animation to the scene, quite at variance with what once was a boundless, lonely, billowy waste of giant grasses. Occasionally the scenery is very pretty and wildly romantic. A pair of fast-trotting horses soon swung us over the fifteen miles, and the fine bracing air put such a keen edge on our appetites, that upon arrival at the mansion, we were both enabled to do justice to a sumptuous repast. The farm was an ex- tensive one, well stocked, containing com- modious farm buildings, with neat labourers' cottages. Everything was built of wood, according to the local custom, this being the readiest and cheapest. My host's residence was also of wood, like the rest, yet it was large and roomy, more resembling a country mansion. It was furnished throughout in an elegant and costly style. The cabinet-work and upholstery would have done credit to any London or Paris house. A Prairie Farm. 85 It seemed so strange to see such luxury in such an apparent wilderness. The farm and outhouses were laid out on the most approved scientific and sanitary principles. Labour-saving appliances and economising machinery, for reaping, mowing, threshing, churning, &c., were liberally provided. My host's wife was a charming and accomplished lady, with high mental endowments and attainments, and entered fully and minutely into all the details of the establishment, as if it were natural and innate. Amongst various novelties, I tasted here for the first time some delicious champagne of an American brand, called St. Louis Imperial, infinitely superior to what is purchased at the hotels under that name. The home consumption for this particular brand is so large, that it commands a high price, and is not exported, the supply being as yet un- equal to the local demand. My host was very anxious for me to settle down on a prairie farm. By looking about, he said, quietly, and not being in a hurry, opportu- nities would offer themselves for picking up a good farm at a fair and reasonable price. 86 Out West. He dilated on the pleasures, advantages, and profits of prairie farming, with its romantic and enjoyable associations. The temperate and general equableness of the climate gave Nebraska a great advantage over the ex- treme changes of the more eastern States. The genial warmth of summer, with its breezy days, and cool refreshing nights ; the tonic and stimulating effect of the pure, health-infusing, life-inspiriting atmosphere ; the mellow sunshine and gorgeous autumnal sunsets ; the stillness and wild freedom of the wide rolling plains, combine to instil into a Nebraska home a charm unattainable anywhere else. Hunting, shooting, and fishing were to be had in abundance, and while growing sun-browned and healthy y you become vigorous, happy-hearted, and contented. It is an Elysium for invalids, especially those whose health has been im- paired by the cares, labours, anxieties, and distractions of noisy, crowded cities. The soil is the finest that can be conceived, better than the best garden mould, and its variable- ness, coupled with salutary climatic influences, admits of almost anything being grown to Prairie Delights. 87 <. the greatest advantage. The soil is almost black sometimes with the incrustation of ages of decayed vegetation, which gives it an unrivalled fertility. Its great depth from four to ten feet renders it practically inexhaustible. My host was evidently an intense lover of Nature, and the salubrious freedom of Nature's breezy wastes. Being of a kindred spirit, he touched a chord of sympathy, which thoroughly echoed to his rapturous enthusiasm. Had I been master of my destinies, I would not have hesitated, nay, rather would have rejoiced, to follow his advice, and lead a peaceful, retired life, at once so congenially arcadian and so fasci- nating. Despite, however, everything being painted in such roseate hues, there are, like in every- thing human, a few drawbacks. Grass- hoppers, or as they are briefly named "hoppers," are at times a great scourge. They sometimes sweep down across the country in dense clouds, destroying every piece of vegetation in their path. It seems then as if a simoom blast had swept over the face of the land and burnt up everything. 88 Out West. They had just had a small flight of these pests, and I was taken into a meadow where they lay in myriads, in heaps, all dead. They had been destroyed by drawing a large wooden scoop on low wheels backwards and forwards across the field. The scoop was about five feet wide and about four deep. The inside was coated all over with thick tar, and when the scoop is drawn across the field the hoppers hop into the tar- bath and are smothered. When the scoop is sufficiently plastered all over with them, which does not take long, they are all swept out, a fresh coating of tar put on, and the work of destruction resumed. This seems to be one of the most effective methods of destroying these insects. Their advent is, however, irregular and uncertain. They will come one year, and then, perhaps, not again for two or three years. Their numbers have been much diminished, and it is fully believed that the preventive measures being taken will ere long end in their exter- mination. Another great drawback is the want of trees. This is being speedily remedied. The Cattle -raising J 89 State gives every encouragement to the growth of trees, and important inducements and privileges are assigned to increasing plantations. In some parts they are being planted by hundreds and thousands, and almost every homestead is now surrounded with groves of trees. The numerous young forests which now deck the prairie will, in a few years, play an important part in further beautifying the landscape. Some of the older groves already give the country, here and there, a park-like appearance. Cattle-raising forms one of the most attractive features of Nebraska, the profits realised being represented as very large, varying from twenty to fifty per cent, on the outlay, and even more. There was at one time a mania for it amongst all classes. According to a local print, " capitalists, bankers, merchants, clergymen, mechanics, lawyers, doctors, railway men, and ladies are investing in cows, calves, and young cattle of all kinds, and becoming herdsmen and herdswomen." My brief visit and insight into a mode of life so entirely new, engrossing, revitalising, 90 Out West. peaceful, happy, and contented, was thoroughly enjoyable. I was loth to leave the novel and exhilarating scene, and only regretted my limited time compelled me to decline pressing invitations to remain. The sweet bracing air of the prairie was so salubrious and invigorating, infusing fresh life, and creating a vigorous elasticity of spirit that was perfectly ecstatic. The quiet retreat from the harassing confusion of the world imbued the mind with a thoughtful calm, and filled it with a unique glow of rapture and expansion of joyous freedom. Such communion with Nature in all the captivating beauty of her wild, virgin attrac- tions, swells the soul with the noblest aspirations, and elevates it far above the turbulent realities of life, into a region of sublime peace and contentment. On bidding farewell to my hospitable friend and his kind, charming partner, my host insisted on driving me into the city to see me off by the train. He gave me a useful wrinkle about the Pullman sleeping- cars. I had complained of their being very close and stuffy at night, when the beds Luxury of a Pullman. 91 were made and the curtains close drawn, He advised me to take the berth or section as near the centre of the car as possible, where the vibration was less and the rumbling of the wheels less disturbing. Also to take the whole section or compart- ment, which includes the upper and lower sleeping berths. To have only the lower bed made and the upper one closed up. This would give more freedom and plenty of ventilation. Accordingly, his advice was followed and the rest of the journey was quite delightful. The extra cost of taking the whole section was only a few dollars, and the comfort indescribable. Leaving Omaha, the train for a long distance traversed the prairie plains, and then commenced the gradual ascent of the outlying base of the Rocky Mountains. The gradiant is so easy for a long distance, that the summit station at Sherman is reached almost imperceptibly. The ascent of the Rockies from the East is very tame and disappointing. When approaching the sum- mit, some good views are obtained of distant mountain ranges covered with snow, but 92 Out West. there was nothing very remarkably fine. I -anticipated being half frozen at the summit, -an altitude of eight thousand feet above the sea, and had prepared myself accordingly with a thick fur-clad ulster, but found it of no use. Although the summit was covered with snow and ice, and it was freezing hard outside the car, inside the temperature was so beautifully regulated that it was as warm -and comfortable as if sitting by a fire in one's own drawing-room at home. There was no occasion for even an overcoat or .any extra warm clothing. But had we been snowed up, as sometimes happens, or met with an accident, the extra precautions would have been found wise and the services of my fur-clad ulster king-at-arms most acceptable. At one of the refreshment stations, where we stopped for dinner, called " The Desert House," the proprietor was an entertaining .and original character. The notice placard hung up for the information of travellers was amusing and eccentric. An extract or .two from it is worth recording : " Baths, gas, hot and cold water, laundry, An Eccentric Landlord. telegraph, restaurant, fire-alarm, bar-room, billiard-table, daily papers, coupe, sewing- machine, grand piano, a clergyman, and all other modern conveniences in every room. Meals every minute if desired, and con- sequently no second table .... Waiters of every nationality and colour desired. " Washing allowed in rooms, and ladies giving an order to ' put me on a flat iron/ will be put one on at any hour of the day or night. A discreet waiter, who belongs to the Masons, Oddfellows, Knights of Pythias, and who was never known to tell even the time of day, has been employed to carry milk punches and hot toddies to ladies' rooms in the evening." ***** " The office clerk has been carefully selected to please everybody, and can lead in prayer, play draw poker, match worsted at the village store, shake for drinks at any hour, day or night, play billiards, good waltzer, and can dance the German, make a fourth at euchre, amuse children, repeat the Beecher trial from memory, is a good judge of horses, as a railway and steam-boat 94 Out West. reference is far superior to Appleton's or anybody else's guide, will flirt with any young lady, and not mind being cut dead when * pa comes down.' ' " The proprietor will take it as a personal affront if any guest on leaving should fail to dispute the bill, tell him he is a swindler, the house a barn, the table wretched, the wines vile, and that he the guest was never so imposed upon in his life, will never stop there again, and means to warn his friends ! " On descending the Eocky Mountains, towards the Pacific slope, the scenery is more interesting, grand, and romantic; mountains of rock, with snow-crowned peaks, tower one above another, in almost endless panoramas; masses of rugged, perpen- dicular, isolated rocks are scattered in every direction ; tremendous ravines, spanned by light aerial bridges, which almost make one shudder to pass over them; yawning chasms, through which raging torrents dash foamingly along, while here and there deep gorges skirt the railway, looking down on Down the Rockies. 95 rapids, surging and seething below. Some- times lovely canyons or valleys will be flanked on one side by lofty cliffs with bold, steep escarpments, water worn by the storms of ages, and on the other with verdant hills and grassy slopes, interspersed with bright, transparent rivers, now dashing merrily along, and now gently meandering through beautiful green meadows in silent grandeur, all attesting the infinite wisdom and power of the great Creator. After three days and two nights of incess- ant travelling, Salt Lake City, the Mormon capital, was reached. The train did not get in till after dark, hence little could be seen beyond wide, dusty, gas-lighted streets, intermixed with plenty of trees and gardens. Comfortable quarters had been secured for me at one of the leading hotels by telegram, and after a little light refresh- ment, I was only too glad to retire to rest. OUT WEST, PART TIL LIFE IN THE FAR WEST, Out West. 99 CHAPTER VII. A Welcome. A Splendid Gold Nugget. Dreams of Gold. A Narrow Escape. Bunko-men. A Terrible Situation. Description of Salt Lake City. The Great Salt Lake. Cause of its Brine. Warm and Hot Springs. THE morning following my arrival I started off after breakfast to take the bearings of my new environments. Scarcely had I proceeded a few yards from the hotel, when a gentlemanly-attired stranger came up and accosted me in the peculiar nasal twang which is such an accomplishment of the most western civilisation. " How do you do, Mr. Smith ? Let me welcome you to our beautiful city. From East, I guess ? " This salute surprised me, but, supposing it to be an ordinary western form of courtesy to strangers, I replied : H 2 100 Out West. " I have not the pleasure of knowing you, and fear you must be mistaken, for my name is not Smith." " Oh, no I am not mistaken/' he answered. " I travelled in the car with you yesterday, and gave you a paper to read. Your name not Smith ? It is very stupid of me to forget it. I am very bad at remem- bering names, but I know your face very well." " My name " I said " is Mr. Colon " " Oh, yes, Mr. Colin," he quickly replied, before I had time to finish, " it was stupid of me to forget it. From out East, I guess." " Yes, I have just come from England." " Ah, I thought so. I know England and London well, splendid city. But excuse me, 1 will see you again to-morrow," and so saying, with a polite bow, off he went. Scarcely had he been gone a couple of minutes, when a second gentlemanly-dressed person hurriedly overtook me, and, while passing, turned round and addressed me with : " How do you do, Mr. Colin ? Glad to see you have arrived safely from England. Hope A Welcome. 101 you had a pleasant passage across the 'big ditch/ " I looked steadily at him, and thought to myself : This is singular the man addresses me as Colin, an unusual name, and the same the man who had just left me had hastily and wrongly got hold of. This is a confederate, and there is some trick here. So, resolving to draw him out, and be on my guard, I replied : " I am not aware to whom I have the honour of speaking, as I have not the faintest recollection of you." "Not remember me! ' : he exclaimed, in surprise, " why, I travelled all the way from Chicago with you." " Indeed, I am not aware of it. You have made a mistake." " Do not you remember ?" he said. " I was talking to you in the car all the way from Chicago to Omaha ? " " No, I do not." "Well, never mind. You come from England ; so do I. My father is a gold- smith in Regent Street." " Indeed, what is his name ? " 102 Out West. 66 Pulbrook." " Pulbrook," I repeated; " I never heard of the name before." " He is well known, and he sent me out to America to look for a gold-mine. I have just made a magnificent discovery, a mine of almost pure gold ! " " Then you are fortunate ! " "Would you like to see the splendid nugget I have just brought to my rooms close by ? It is a grand sight." " Not now, not to-day. I want to ex- plore the town a little," I said. " I shall be pleased to show you over the town." I declined his offer, but he persisted in walking on with me; commenced dilating on gold ; told stories of the enormous for- tunes that had been made out of gold-mines out West. Every sentence he uttered was embellished with the word gold. It was gold ! gold ! gold ! everywhere. He seemed to live, move, and breathe in an atmosphere of gold. His gold discovery was to eclipse everything that had ever been previously known. It was, in fact, the grandest gold- Dreams of Gold. 103 mine that had ever been struck. Its untold riches would paralyse creation, and disorga- nise all the money markets of the world ! I made a suitable remark occasionally as he expatiated on his golden dreams, to show that I was an attentive listener. When he thought he had said enough to excite my imagination in airy visions of colossal for- tunes, he said, in a quiet sort of confidential way : " Now, I will tell you privately, as a secret, I can probably get you a share in this gold-mine, if you like to join in it. I would not say so to everybody, but I have taken a fancy to you, and as we are both Londoners I would like to do you a turn." "I do not care about mines," said I; "they are too speculative. It is always neck or nothing. A toss up whether you become a millionaire or a beggar." "But there is nothing speculative in my mine. It is a certainty as certain and safe as the Bank of England. You have only to walk in and draw your money out." "Yes; but you must put in money first before you can draw out," I said. 104 Out West. " A little at first," he replied. " There is no risk, it is quite safe ; in fact, I have got it cheap. I have bonded the mine for five thousand dollars." 66 That is cheap for such a valuable pro- perty as you describe." " Yes, it is dirt cheap ; but I had great trouble to get it at that price. I have paid four thousand dollars cash down, and I will give you a fifth share of the mine if you will find the other one thousand." " No, I do not care about it," I said. " Well, never mind, I have cabled my father in London to send me the money by cable to-morrow." " If it is such a good thing as you say, he is sure to send you the money," I replied. 66 1 expect so ; but I want to be prepared against accident. My father may be away from home, and a thousand and one things may happen, and, unless the money is ready to-morrow, I shall lose the mine altogether, for the balance must be paid then. Now, confidentially, and as a great secret, I will tell you what I will do rather than run any risk. I will give you a half-share if you An Escape. 105 will let me have the thousand dollars at once. I cannot be fairer than that, and if you come to my rooms I will show you the specimen nugget, and all the papers and titles. You can then satisfy yourself as to the genuineness of the business." " Yes/' I said; "but when we get the mine, money will be required to work it, and where is that to come from ? " " We shall not require money to work it," he answered emphatically. " We can go and dig out the gold with our hands, and make profits at once. The mine will really work itself." I told him I should like to consider the matter, and if he would give me his address, I would call on him to-morrow, at any hour convenient to him. This would not satisfy him. He urged me to come and complete the transaction, or else he would close with another gentleman, and then my chance of a fortune would be lost. Nevertheless, I tried in every possible way to shake him off, and rid myself of his importunities ; but it was useless. While this lengthened conversation had 106 Out West. been going on, we had wandered up and down through some of the main streets of the city till we had reached the outskirts. Beginning to feel tired, I looked at my watch, and found we had been promenading for a couple of hours, so I turned to wend my way homewards. Finding him still pertinaciously persistent in trying to induce me to visit his rooms, a bright thought occurred to me to shake him off, by going up to the first large house we came to, as if to make a call. We soon approached one with a handsome entrance-gate and carriage- drive, so, making an appointment for the morrow, I turned in at the gate, and walked boldly up towards the house. My ruse answered admirably, for, on looking round when I had gone half-way up the carriage- drive, I saw my would-be friend and brother " making tracks " as fast as he could. I therefore halted behind a large shrub, and watched him out of sight. I then returned to my hotel by a different route, and subsequently discovered that the grounds I had entered into belonged to one of the principal citizens, which accounted Bunko-men. 107 for the rapidity with which my tormentor disappeared. On arriving at the hotel, I informed a gentleman of the occurrence, who advised me in future to take no notice of such prof- fered acquaintanceships, or I should get into trouble. The persons I had met were part of a well-known gang of " bunko-men," who are always on the look out for strangers, in order to play confidence tricks upon them. They had taken-in and robbed a number of strangers lately, and the police were on the look out for them. As for the gold nugget, it was just an old trick; and if they had got me into their rooms, they would have swindled and robbed me of all I had about me. I told him I had an appointment to meet them to-morrow. He replied, " You need not trouble yourself about that ; they are not likely to trouble you again, they see you are too cute to be taken in." The next day, for curiosity's sake, I went at the hour named for the appointment, to the address given, and saw standing at the front door the gentleman who had first accosted me, as also his accomplice who 108 Out West. had perambulated the town with me. They were evidently on the look out for some more pliable stranger. They took no notice of me, and I never saw them again after- wards. I heard, however, of their exploits on more innocent and unsophisticated travel- lers, which only made me congratulate myself the more on having escaped their machina- tions. One of these exploits was perpetrated shortly after the above occurrence. Two English tourists were waylaid the first morn- ing of their appearance in the streets by the aforesaid bunko-men. Being of an inquiring turn of mind, and determined to obtain every information on every subject, with the natur- ally laudable desire to be fully posted up on all American manners and customs, they readily acquiesced in the invitation to see the wonderful gold nugget. In the inno- cence of their untutored minds, they thought it was an opportunity that ought not to be missed. They were shown into the house and into an upper room, where two other gentlemen were already seated. The won- derful gold nugget was produced for exam- A Terrible Situation. ]OD ination. Not being experts in mineralogy, the genuineness of the specimen was viewed with credulous admiration. The bunko spokesman expatiated on the enormous rich- ness of the mine, and tickled the fertile imaginations of their anticipated victims with brilliant pictures of the colossal and dazzling fortunes presented within easy reach. Then, after the necessary preliminary explanations to smooth the way, the tourists were offered a share in the property upon moderate terms, but the money was required immediately. The tourists required time to consider it, and arose to depart. Upon this one of the bunko-men jumped up from his seat, set his back against the door, drew out his revolver, and declared that the tourists should not leave the room until they had agreed to the arrangement, and paid down a portion, to strike the bargain. The tourists hesitated, remonstrated, but it was useless. They then appealed to the two gentlemen who brought them there for assistance, and to get them out of the difficulty. Their would-be friends only replied by also jumping up, drawing their revolvers, and declaring that they 110 Out West. would blow their brains out if the demand was not complied with instantly. The un- fortunate tourists innocent seekers after truth, being unarmed and confronted with the physical force of three revolvers pointed at their heads, were compelled to yield, and to empty their pockets of all they possessed, which amounted to a good round sum. They were then allowed to depart, feeling only too glad to have escaped with their lives. Salt Lake City is charmingly situated behind a mountain spur, with a southerly aspect, at the head of a magnificent valley about a hundred miles long, and from twenty to forty broad. The valley lies between two mountain ranges, the Wasatch and Oquirrh, running parallel north and south. The peaks of the loftiest, the Wasatch, on the eastern side, are covered with perpetual snow. The valley is one of the most beautiful spots con- ceivable, and the city being about 4,000 feet above the sea level, the climate, combined with the rarity and elasticity of the air, is almost perfect. To the invalid it is a para- dise, and is daily gaining importance as a sanatorium. The best view of the city is Salt Lake City. Ill obtained from the heights to the north. Ascending these, a magnificent panorama is presented of mountains, lake, valley, and river, stretching far away as the eye can reach. The prospect is perhaps unrivalled for its variety, extent, and beauty. It is not surprising, therefore, that when the Mormon pioneers, in their wanderings in search of a resting-place, on arriving at this lovely spot, should have at once decided to stop and make it their home. In truth, the loveliness of the spot, with the exquisite climate, pro- duced in my mind a sense of satiety and a desire to remain here and take as long a holiday as possible. The Mormons have certainly done wonders in erecting a fine ornamental city out of a barren waste. By diverting the mountain streams through the streets, they have estab- lished an excellent system of natural gravi- tating irrigation, and converted a desert into a beautiful garden. The streets are wide and admirably laid out, fringed on both sides with groves of locust and cottonwood trees, with rippling rills running along the edges of the footpaths. These rills are employed by the 112 Out West. householders to irrigate their gardens and orchards by turning the water in or out as required. The great Salt Lake is about 120 miles long by 40 miles broad, and is one of the greatest natural wonders of the globe. It is the remains of what was once a great inland sea, some 500 miles from north to south and 350 from east to west. The waters of this great sea must have gradually subsided and retired to the lowest portion of the basin, forming the present Salt Lake; while the dry portion is called the Great American Desert. The sea must at one time have spread over where Salt Lake City now stands, and covered it with several fathoms of water. The evidence of the gradual subsidence of the waters through different ages can be distinctly traced by the lines of watermarks, or terraces, along the bases of the surrounding mountains. In many places a dozen of these terraces are visible. The specific gravity of the Salt Lake water is high, containing about twenty-five per cent, of saline matter. It is very buoy- Cause of the Lake's Brine. 113 ant, being difficult to sink in it, while it affords a most refreshing and invigorating bath. The density of the saline matter seems singular, when several large fresh- water rivers empty themselves into it. This, however, can be accounted for, when we consider that the lake has no outlet, and that the loss by evaporation is greater than the supply by the rivers. Moreover, in the soil of the district, the alkaline chlorides predominate, and these being constantly washed out are conveyed by the rivers into the lake to an unlimited extent. Hence, the lake has become so saturated with saline matter that incrustations of salt are depo- sited round its margin in dry seasons. In some places these deposits are said to be so plentiful that they can be shovelled up like sand. Further, the concentration of this saline matter has been going on through a series of successive ages, as testified by the terraces or old lake-margins before men- tioned, and which are hundreds of feet above the present shore-line. About two miles to the north of the city are some warm and hot springs, the latter i 114 Out West. emitting a strong sulphurous odour. At the warm springs a comfortable bath-house has been erected, and it is much resorted to by visitors and invalids. The temperature of the water is 102 Fahrenheit. It is slightly charged with hydro sulphuric and carbolic acid gases, is a pleasant saline mineral water, possessing all the valuable properties of saline-sulphur springs. It is said to be a useful remedy in rheumatic affections and a wonderful preventive against baldness. Out West. 115 CHAPTER VIII. A Moonlight Scene. Bang ! Bang ! Bang ! An Elope- ment and Dreadful Catastrophe. A Mining Camp. An Adventurous Trip. Desperadoes. A Mixed Temperance Dinner. Gambling Iniquities. ABOUT a week after the adventure re- corded in the last chapter, I was seated with a gentleman in the cool of the evening, under a wide- spreading cottonwood tree in front of the hotel. We were enjoying the refreshing, balmy breeze, after a hard day's walk, and the placid beauty of the scene was enhanced by the moonbeams playing through the musically waving foliage. While captivated with the charming stillness and revivifying zephyrs, the mind seemed to become absorbed with the idea that there could hardly be a repose for the worn and jaded more refreshing and i 2 116 Out West. satisfying the air was so exquisitely soft, and the scene so soothingly peaceful ! Bang ! Bang ! Bang ! came three loud reports in rapid succession, while a bullet, whizzing close past my ear, went "thud" into the wall behind me. For the moment, I thought I was hit, the bullet grazed so close, while at the same instant a man rushed past, almost touching me, and fell flat with his face on the ground. In a few moments there was a pool of blood under him. We jumped up, lifted the poor fellow, and with the help of a couple of hotel porters carried him into one of the ante- rooms, while messengers were despatched for the nearest doctors. Two rapidly arrived, and after examination found that the poor fel- low had received two very dangerous pistol- bullet wounds, either of which might prove fatal. Presently, a fine, handsome young woman, followed by a crowd, approached the hotel. She was crying, wailing, wringing her hands, and giving vent to the most pitiful lamenta- tions. " He has killed him ! He has killed my husband ! And we are only just An Element. 117 married. Oh ! I would rather have died for him ! " she went on reiterating in intense mental agony. On being assured that her husband was wounded, but not killed, she became more composed. As soon as his wounds were dressed, he was conveyed to the hospital, accompanied by his wife. Meanwhile, the would-be murderer was arrested in flagrantc delicto, and the next day the whole story was revealed in the police-court. It then appeared that the young woman and her husband both belonged to an adjoining town, about twenty miles distant. Her father kept a boarding-house, and her lover an adjoining saloon or public refresh- ment-bar. The father would not listen to the match, so the two lovers planned to run off to Salt Lake City and get married without the father's consent. The father, on discovering that the saloon-keeper had eloped with his daughter, armed himself with a revolver and started off on horseback in pursuit of the fugitives. On arriving at Salt Lake City, while strolling through the streets in the evening, he suddenly met 118 Out West. close to the hotel his daughter, arm-in-arm with her lover. Instantly drawing his revolver, he fired full into the man's chest, who, on being hit, turned and ran as fast as he could towards the hotel. A second shot followed rapidly, taking effect in the man'is thigh, severing the femoral artery, and then a third, which was the one that grazed past my ear. The would-be murderer was arrested in the act of firing his third shot, and deprived of his revolver. It was repre- sented to the court that the wounded man, though in a dangerous and critical state, was doing favourably, so the matter was treated as an aggravated assault. The prisoner pleaded justifiable provocation, and on this plea, in spite of his intended victim being in a precarious condition, he was let off. You may rest assured that this episode of love in the far West did not encourage me to sit directly in front of the hotel entrance again, enjoying the balmy moonlight. Whatever compunctions may have arisen as to the safety of the position, there was still some consolation in the thought that A Mining Camp. 119 such a lively event might not occur again in one's lifetime. Nevertheless, my senti- ments underwent a very considerable change, and led to the conclusion that it was possible to have scenes more securely refreshing and peaceful than listening in the lovely moonlight to the harmonious summer sighings of a cottonwood grove. An English gentleman whose acquaint- ance I made invited me to accompany him on a visit to one of the mining camps scattered about among the mountains. Being glad of the opportunity to see a new phase of life, his offer was accepted. We started at five o'clock the next morning, and reached our destination about noon, at an elevation of between six and seven thousand feet above sea-level. The camp was prettily situated, at the bottom of a sheltered mountain gorge, and consisted of long rows of wooden huts, run up in a rapid, cheap, and irregular fashion. The roofs were formed of long strips of well-seasoned wood, called shingles, about a quarter of an inch thick, four to six inches wide, and two to three feet long. These are placed to lap 120 Out West. over each other like slates, and made a very effective, watertight covering. We went to one of the hotels and engaged bedrooms. They were little dens like ships' cabins, with just room for a narrow bed and to pass along one side of it. At the end was a small window, with a washstand in one corner, and a small looking-glass hung above it. Carpets were an unknown luxury. After some refreshment, we started off on horseback to a mine some distance up the valley or canyon, and higher up the moun- tain. The road was merely a narrow, precipitous mountain track. Arrived at the end of our journey, we dismounted, and had not walked far when we were met by two fierce-looking desperadoes, who inquired our business. My friend informed them he had come to look at mine. The men replied that they were in charge, and had orders not to let any one see the mine. They showed their revolvers and declared they would shoot us or any one else who came to look at the mine without an order from their chief. My friend took the threat very calmly, entered into conversation with the Ail Adventure. 121 men, told them lie had not got a six shooter, when they became more civil and reasonable, nnd we then all walked quietly together up the side of the mountain. As soon as we had reached a spot within the limits of the property, my friend stopped, and, turning to the men, asked them by whose authority they were in possession of the mine. They replied they had received their orders from Salt Lake City. He asked them to show him their orders. This they were unable to do, for their orders were verbal, and they could show nothing in writing. My friend then coolly pulled out of his pocket a formidable-looking document, stamped with huge red seals of the United States authorities at Washington, and told the men that, as they could produce no documents, he now formally took possession by the authority of the United States Government. This manoeuvre took the men by surprise, who, not daring to resist a Government mandate, quietly surrendered and went off to inform their employers of what had happened. " Now, this is what I call a good day's 122 Out West. work," said my friend. " They told me I should never get possession, and that I should be shot if I tried it. Perhaps I should have been, had I brought a revolver with me and showed fight, for that would have provoked the men to have shot me. So I purposely came unarmed, and you see the result." I complimented him on his tact and cool- ness, and stated that, had he told me he was coming on such an adventurous and risky errand, I should have thought twice before accepting his offer. He replied that he had not informed me, as he was anxious to keep the object of his trip a secret, and did not anticipate any serious risk in the matter. He looked on the warnings given as merely American bunkum. The Americans are fond of " bull- dosing," as they call it. He felt confident in his own self-reliance to carry out the matter in a business-like manner. "We then went to examine the mine. It had been a rich silver- mine, but was involved in disputes and difficulties, causing all work to be suspended. We went into the various Desperadoes. workings and saw huge open spaces from which rich ore had been extracted, and in my friend's opinion the mine still contained large quantities of ore, and was a very valuable property. We then ascended to the top of the mountain, and obtained a glorious view of snow-capped peaks and valleys, with the Great Salt Lake, and beyond it the American desert stretching far away to the horizon. As day was declining, we mounted our steeds and wended our way back to the mining camp as quickly as we could ; for it was dangerous to traverse these mountain tracks on horse- back after dark. One fatal slip would precipitate horse and rider to the bottom of a ravine, to certain death. We returned by a shorter route, and when about halfway down the canyon met two desperate-looking cut-throats armed with rifles and bowie-knifes, sitting on a log of wood just off the side of the track. We exchanged civilities, but not at all liking their appearance hastened our pace. On turning round a mountain spur, we started our horses into a hard gallop, and quickly Out West. got out of the reach of their rifles down the winding canyon. On reaching the hotel at dusk, several inquiries were made, to know if we had met any one on our way down. We mentioned about the two armed men, and were informed that they were two of the greatest dare- devils in the country, who would stick at nothing, however daring or villanous. They had been engaged to retake a disputed mining property, which had already been seized by two other ruffians as bad as them- selves. When we passed they were watching the claim, waiting for an opportunity to go in and tarn the other men out. " There will be bloody work there to-morrow, for Mike and Jake are the divils for business when they go at it," said one of the bystanders. We were tolerably tired out after our hard day's outing, from five a.m. to six p.m., and were delighted when dinner was announced. The dining-room was a long, low-roofed chamber that would hold about fifty guests. It was soon filled, being pay-day, which brought numbers of miners down from the A Camp Dinner. 125 neighbouring workings. As all could not be- accommodated at once, dinner had to b& served in relays. We were fortunate in getting in among the first set, and when all were seated it was a very mixed assemblage. There was a sprinkling of gentlemen amongst a rough, uncouth crowd of brawny arms and huge, powerful frames, collected together from almost every European nation, and clad in motley garments. The dinner consisted chiefly of beef, mutton, pork, and vegetables, cooked in a variety of ways, from plain steaks and chops to indescribable messes y which suited the palates of the robust Brobdignags. The general behaviour was good, and, there being little conversation,, the meal passed off in almost silence. Every one drank tea or coffee, and, to all appear- ances, it was a mild, quiet, temperance meeting. Had the most enthusiastic tem- perance advocate been present, he would have shed tears of joy over the delightful scene. The rapidity with which the food was disposed of was marvellous. Two re- lays of feeders followed each other at our table in quick succession, swallowed or, 126 Out West. rather, bolted their food, dish after dish, and then disappeared before my friend and I had got half through our repast. This system of bolting food is a western accom- plishment that quite baffled my powers to master. After dinner we retired to the entrance- hall. Excepting a few of the old, steady hands, the bulk of the miners had disap- peared. They had gone off to the various drinking and gambling saloons, to squander away their month's earnings. The few that were left gathered close to the fire stove, smoking and talking " miners' gossip." As the night wore on, the miners came dropping in one by one, having either drunk or squan- dered away all their money, and retired to their bedrooms, with sullen murmurs mixed with sanguinary imprecations. So here my beautiful dream of a model temperance so- ciety among the rude miners of the snow-clad Utah mountains, which was to be a pattern to the world (in expressive American par- lance), " busted ! " Upon inquiry, it ap- peared that on pay-days the men come down from the various mines to the camp with all Gambling Iniquities. 127 their pay, and in a few hours gamble or drink away all their month's wages. There are regular gangs of gambling sharpers, who visit the various mining camp on pay-days, and rob the poor, unfortunate miners of all their hard earnings. As a rule, the miners are young, careless, unmarried men, without a thought beyond the day. Hence, they become an easy prey to the rapacious swindlers who infest mining camps. These swindlers do a fine trade out of their iniquitous business, and the system of monthly payments greatly facilitates their operations. The system is this : The miners are boarded at a boarding-house built by the company at the mines, for which they are charged a dollar, or four shillings, a day. The pay is, as a rule, for good miners, three dollars, or twelve shillings, a day. So that, at the end of the month, each man will receive sixty dollars, or twelve pounds, clear of all expenses. With this he goes off for a holiday to the nearest mining camp, gets enticed into a gambling den, and is robbed of all in a few hours. The next day he is compelled 128 Out West. to return to work again, to repeat the same folly at the end of another month. It is a simple sum in arithmetic to see what a harvest is periodically ripening for the gambling swindlers. Suppose a mining camp which is the resort of a thousand miners. Each man, at the end of the month, comes down with, say, an average of ten pounds in his pocket. Here, then, is an amount of ten thousand pounds flying about for the sharpers to gather into their nets. The miners, as a class, with a few laud- able exceptions, have no thrift : they are without any care beyond the passing hour, and are easily imposed upon. Hence, they are at the mercy of the seductive harpies, who fatten on their gains and weaknesses. On the other hand, some of the miners are themselves inveterate gamblers. It has grown upon them, by the force of events, until it has become a ruling, irresistible passion. These men are used as decoy ducks to inveigle the young and unwary. The evil is a flagrant one. It is a. foul blot on an advancing civilisation, and calls GawUiucj Iniquities. 129 loudly for immediate remedy. The public look complacently on, shake their heads, but do nothing. The Government wink at it, and the police are inadequate to cope with it. Yet no time should be lost in adopting strenuous measures for the sup- pression of so much wickedness and misery. Each state or territory is empowered to make and enforce laws for its local self- government. But in disorganised districts it is hopeless to expect improvement, unless the supreme Government itself steps in, compels obedience to its laws, and with a strong hand enforces the fulfilment of its regulations. This is the more necessary, not merely from a legal point of view, but from the higher demands of outraged humanity. 130 Out West. CHAPTER IX. Fire ! Fire ! Effect of High Altitudes. A Mountain Bide. Yandalism. A New El Dorado. Visit to Mine. Wretched Dormitories. Mortality of Miners. Duties of the Government. A Cloud- burst. A Mountain Dream. WE retired early to rest after a long, wearying day. About one in the morning I was suddenly startled from a sound sleep with the cry of " Fire ! Fire ! Fire ! " And the alarm-bell, which hap- pened to be close to my window, began ringing violently. Like magic there was a great rushing to and fro, men shouting, women screaming, children squalling, dogs barking, cocks crowing, geese cackling, pigs squealing, horses neighing, heavy footsteps thundering along the naked boarded pass- ages, thumpings like sledge-hammers against doors to arouse the sounder sleepers. Alto- Fire! Fire! 131 gether there was a tremendous confusion of noises and commotion of mighty rushings, as if all the mountain ranges were rolling and toppling down one over the other, overwhelming everything in their course. Bang ! crash ! went a thundering blow through one of the panels of my door, as I roared out : " Hold hard ! What is the matter ? " " What is the matter ! " bellowed a voice in a fury. " Why, there is a terrible fire, and you will be busted up, if you don't clear out smart." "All right!" I replied coolly; "I'm dressing, and will be out presently." Opening my window, putting out my head, and seeing no signs of smoke, light, or fire anywhere near, I concluded the hotel was so far safe, so quietly dressed, packed up my traps, and went out into the hall, with my bag in one hand and rugs in the. other. " Wall ! " exclaimed the landlord, on seeing me, " you're the darnedest, coolest, cussedest Britisher I ever met, sleeping like a coon and the whole place a-blazing ! " " But where is the fire ? " I asked. K 2 132 Out West. " Away at the other end of the camp, and the boys have all gone to put it out." " Then, I'll go after the boys," I said, putting my things down, at the same time inquiring for my friend, whom I found had also gone after " the boys." Hurrying down to the scene of the fire, the whole camp seemed to have turned out to assist in saving property and checking the spread of the conflagration. Several houses were burning away furiously, like boxes of matches, being all built of wood ; and it was feared at one time the whole camp would be destroyed. Fortunately, the wind changed, and, blowing strongly, carried the burning embers away in the opposite direction. A mountain torrent close by afforded a plentiful supply of water, so the flames were soon extinguished. No lives were lost, and, some of the houses being unoccupied, the loss of property was not so great as at first anticipated. We returned to our beds after a couple of hours of ex- citing change in the clear, bright, frosty midnight air, and I was soon fast asleep again, notwithstanding the ventilation of my High Altitudes. 133 tiny cabin had been improved by a broken door-panel. In spite of our midnight disturbance, we were up betimes the following morning. My friend left me, being anxious to return to Salt Lake City on business matters. I re- mained behind, being desirous of seeing a little more of mining life, and enjoying the beautiful mountain scenery, with its clear, rarified, exhilarating atmosphere. At these high altitudes, the dry, light air inspires new life, at the same time that its rarity prevents violent exercise without a little previous acclimatisation. The light, thin air, being less charged with oxygen, it is necessary to inhale an additional quantity, in order to supply the lungs with their proper quota. More frequent inspirations are therefore required, and sometimes an extra long one, in order to completely refill or restore the equilibrium of the lungs. This additional work thrown on the lungs strengthens and inflates them, but they rapidly adjust themselves to the extra strain, and soon enable active exertion to be made, the same as in the plains, though 134 Out West. at first it is somewhat inconvenient. The most comfortable mode of locomotion is, therefore, on the back of a strong hill pony or mustang, accustomed and trained to hill- climbing. Accordingly, after breakfast, I started off on a hired gallant steed, to explore a new portion of the mountain region. Passing up one of the canyons or valleys recom- mended as the most attractive, I soon became enamoured with my ride. At almost every step the scene changed, presenting some fresh and more charming view than before. The mountain slopes were covered with pic- turesque clumps of brushwood, thickly inter- spersed with the huge, bleached stumps of trees, which, dotting the steep acclivities right away up to their summits, sometimes resembled a vast cemetery. At one period, the whole of these mountain ranges were covered with dense, primeval forests, and the scenery must have been superlatively mag- nificent ; but the irrepressible and Vandalic hand of man, with man's exigencies, has penetrated the sacred recesses of Nature's sylvan temples and shorn them of all their A New El Dorado. 135 original grandeur. Upon an examination of the stumps, it appeared that the ages of some of these venerable trees varied from one hundred and fifty to three hundred years. A singular fact connected with these forest clearances is, that directly a spot is cleared, wild raspberries crop up in profusion. I passed numbers of bushes with clusters of beautiful red, ripe berries; but, until I met a person plucking and eating them, I passed them by, lest they might be poisonous. Gathering some, I found them quite as fine in size and flavour as the cultivated fruit. Since the discovery of minerals in Utah, " the old order has changed, giving place to new." Speculators and miners flocked into the country, and covered the face of the silent, forest-clad mountain slopes, hitherto untrodden, except perhaps by the wild Indian hunter. The time-honoured and aged monarchs of the forest quickly fell to the ringing axe of the lawless and unbridled invader. Picturesque and beautiful groves were soon levelled and laid bare, while silent, secluded nooks and dells were cleared out, and often became scenes of noisy and 136 Oat West. rancorous strife. Fired by the colossal for- tunes made in other mining districts, crowds of adventurers hastened to the new El Dorado, in the hope of making some splendid dis- covery that was to eclipse all others, and land them on the pinnacle of untold afflu- ence. Every spot and cranny likely to yield mineral was diligently scrutinised, until the entire mountain sides were covered with numerous excavations, like the burro wings of a rabbit-warren. Scratchings and bur- rowings were visible everywhere, displaying the expenditure of an enormous amount of labour, time, and energy. The wild and extravagant dreams of the explorers were never realised, though several valuable mines were discovered, which yielded large for- tunes, not to the discoverer, but, as it always happens, to the middlemen, the specu- lators, who stand between the discoverer or producer and the public or consumer. Many an unfortunate English investor has learnt to his sorrow the delusiveness of American mining speculations. Riding leisurely up the canyon for some distance, delighted with the still solitude and Mine Dormitories. 137 crisp, light, bracing air, I observed, high up on the mountain side, extensive mining operations being carried on. Desirous of seeing a mine at work, I rode up to it, and, finding out the manager, informed him who I was and my object. He was very gracious, and showed me all over the works, both underground and on the surface, explaining every detail with great care and courtesy, giving me a good insight into the entire system. He then took me over the men's quarters, the boarding-house, dormitories, &c., which were quite out of keeping with the rest of the establishment. Money had apparently been lavished upon costly machi- nery, with mechanical appliances necessary for conducting the various operations, and on buildings for the same, but stinted where the health and comforts for the men were concerned. In fact, the thews and sinews, the guiding spirits, that set everything in motion, and upon whose skill and energy the whole success of the enterprise depended, were deplorably neglected. The dormitories were small, low-roofed, wooden huts, scarcely fit for dog-kennels, and lamentably defective 138 Out West. in every sanitary particular. The planking of the sides was so thin that it was no pro- tection from the severity of winter, when the cold in these altitudes is intense and almost Polar in its character. In these wretched hovels the miners are close packed in double-tiered berths, one above another, placed all round the sides, with a narrow passage in the centre, only just sufficient to admit of passing room. The sleepers in the top berths could touch the roof by putting up their hands while lying down. The bed was merely an oblong wooden trough, about two to three feet wide, with sides about six inches high. No bedding was provided. This the men supplied themselves ; but, as a rule, they merely lay upon the hard boards, with three or four thick blankets wrapped around them. With the exception of a small heating stove, there were no comforts of any kind, nothing but the bare plank- ing ; not even a peg to hang anything on, although about twenty men were crowded into a space unfit for an eighth of that num- ber. On remarking to the manager that the accommodation was very limited, and Mortality of Miners. 139 must be very injurious to the health of the men, he replied, in a careless, off-hand manner : " It is small, but the men are used to it, and in some places it is infinitely worse." On asking if the men suffered much in their health, he said : " Generally speaking, they are healthy; but in winter we lose a few occasionally from inflammation of the lungs or pneu- monia. If a man gets a cold in the chest in winter, he stands a poor chance. Some- times, in very severe wintry weather, they die off like rotten sheep." " They must have a poor chance indeed," I remarked, " if there is anything wrong with the chest. They would be suffocated in such a crowded den, from the impurity of the air." Having seen everything, and been greatly edified by a new phase of the work-a-day world, I thanked the manager for his atten- tion and courteousness, mounted my steed, and turned homewards, for the day was wearing on. As I rode leisurely down the 140 Out West. steep-track, I could not help reflecting on the wretchedness of the miners' dormitories, and the still more forlorn condition of a miner's life, with all the discomforts, hard- ships, dangers, and risks with which it is surrounded. Not only is he liable to sudden death from underground accidents and explosions, but even when off work he is subjected to every discomfort; while his chances of life on the surface are minimised by the thoughtless negligence of employers. Men seem to be treated more like sense- less brutes than human beings. Even dogs would be better taken care of. When it is considered that eight hundred cubic feet of space per man is required for healthy re- spiration and ordinary ventilation purposes, and that at a rough estimate the entire breathing capacity of one of those miserable dens for twenty men is only about two thousand instead of sixteen thousand cubic feet, it follows that the whole of the air in the hut is thoroughly vitiated within a few minutes after the men have retired to rest. This pollution, moreover, goes on increasing with such alarming rapidity, that the atmo- Mortality Explained. 141 sphere of the room is speedily brought into a most foul and suffocating condition. In the midst of these ever-thickening, noxious exhalations human beings have to pass the night. But, beyond this, these evils occur at an altitude where the rarity of the air is so great that it causes a deficiency of oxygen, which naturally makes breathing more diffi- cult ; where, also, every effort should be made to relieve nature and assist the lungs, even by artificial supplies of oxygen if necessary. How can any one, then, seized with a severe bronchial affection, have the slightest chance of recovery in a vitiated atmosphere, saturated with carbonic acid gas, wholly unfit for ordinary healthy animal life ? Can we be surprised that (as the manager forcibly expressed it) the men in severe times " die off like rotten sheep " ? Ostensibly, it is called pneumonia, but doubtless, in reality, it is preventible suffocation. In this lamentable state of affairs, it would seem incumbent on an enlightened and humane Government to interfere, and by legislation or otherwise to prohibit and 142 Out West. prevent such barbarities. It would be a wise step to appoint some responsible officer, whose special duty it shall be to attend to the welfare and interests of the miners, and the general sanitary condition of the mining population. Hospitals and medical advice should also be provided in convenient locali- ties. Every mining camp does not boast an hospital, nor even a doctor. The gentleman who enjoys the local rank of "Doctor" is generally a quack and vendor of patent and quack medicines. His extensive practice is confined to aperients and emetics. While thus meditating as my horse walked leisurely down a steep incline, the sky began to darken, and dense, murky clouds, portend- ing a coming storm, came moving slowly and majestically over a mountain ridge on my left, trending to cross the valley before me. Not being prepared for a drenching, I started off at full gallop to race the approaching storm. The clouds came on, growing denser and blacker, throwing, a darkening gloom over the canyon. My horse seemed to understand the situation, and went willingly at the top of his speed. On we went, tear- A Cloud-burst. 143 ing on, racing the storm. As we passed under the densest part of the black, inky canopy, an ominous big drop fell every now and then, which seemed only to spur the horse on faster. It was the toss of a die which would win, and to escape a drenching seemed impossible. Yet on we sped, flying on, throwing up clouds of dust behind us; and, just as we had cleared the blackest portion of the cloud, the hotel suddenly burst on my view a couple of hundred yards off. Reining in at once, I congratulated myself on having beaten the storm, and patted the gallant steed for having won the blue ribbon of the mountains. On nearing the hotel, the big drops again began to fall. They came faster and thicker, and just as the entrance was reached, while I was in the act of dis- mounting, the rain poured down like a sluice, wetting me through and through in an instant. As I dashed into the house, the horse, which seemed used to this sort of sensationalism, bolted off to his stable. A few minutes later a stream of water came roaring down the road, and swept down the main street of the city, which for about ten 144 Out West. minutes was transformed into a mountain torrent. " You have just got in in time to escapa that cloud-burst," said a gentleman to me. " Had you been caught in the middle of it, it would have swept the horse off his legs and rolled you both up of a heap into a ditch, and perhaps drowned you." With felicitations on my narrow escape, I retired to change, and ever afterwards, when I heard any one talk of " cloud-bursts," the reminiscence of my celestial shower-bath enabled me to form a vivid idea of their portentous signification. After dinner, I sat outside the hotel to enjoy a siesta. It was a calm, clear even- ing, all the brighter from the clarifying cloud-burst. The full, resplendent moon, with myriads of stars, shone forth from a deep azure background with redoubled brilliancy a brilliancy unknown amid the humid haze of the plains. It was so in- viting for a walk, that I started off for a stroll up one of the valleys. A short dis- tance from the city I came to a lovely dell, with mountains towering high on either side A Mountain Dream. 145 almost perpendicularly, seeming as if their peaks touched the heavens. Passing up it a little way, not a sound was to be heard, save my own footsteps softly treading on the grass. The white, bleached, phantom-like tree-stumps, rising irregularly, looked thrill- ingly down, weird, sepulchral, and ghostly. The beating of my heart was almost audible. A hallowed, supernatural stillness reigned around, and a sense of intense veneration absorbed the solitude of the soul. It seemed a fit and solemn resting-place, whence the spirit might wing its heavenward flight. The lines of a celebrated bard, who touched the chords of human sympathy with un- wonted power, came to my mind in all their sacred depth of feeling : If from society we learn to live, 'Tis solitude must teach us how to die. It hath no flatterers vanity can give No hollow aid alone man with his God must strive. To repeat the words, " Alone man with his God must strive," amidst the awful seclusion of the silent mountains, alone with the majesty of Nature and Nature's God, to L 146 Out West. gaze on the starry poetry of the heavens and behold the countless eyes of Providence looking lovingly down, filled the soul with a holy rapture, which lifted it above the world's tumultuous strife into a sublime serenity ; inspiring a longing to cast every- thing earthly aside, a longing for the ever- living spirit to burst forth from its carnal chrysalis, and, robed in angelic splendour, to soar away, far above the mountain peaks, glistening in snowy purity, into the bound- less infinitude of the mighty Unseen and Unknown! there to awake into a more perfect and glorious reality, a renewed exist- ence that shall continue on and on in a revivified, resplendent Immortality ! Out West. 147 CHAPTER X. Collapse of Dreadful Forebodings. Murdered for a Blanket. Mining Nomenclature. The Emma Mine. The Holy Terror. I know all, &c. Recklessness of Human Life. Killing no Murder. Mine-vendors. Proposed Cattle Speculations. A Mining Atmosphere. "Watering Stock." "DETURNING to the hotel, I sat down in ** ) the entrance-hall, amongst a group of miners, and joined in the conversation. Their talk was naturally all about mines. At times their jargon was hardly intelligible, especially when Mexican words were in- troduced, this territory having formerly belonged to Mexico. The expressions occasionally were not the choicest nor most refined, but rather plethoric. I inquired if there were any news about the desperadoes whom I had met the previous day, and who were going to do terrible things at the mining claim they were watching. One of L 2 148 Out West. them was present, and, after a prefatory flourish of sundry violent ejaculations, he informed me that everything had been quietly settled. The city marshal had been up, accompanied by other State officers, and the majesty of the law had been maintained. The dreadful forebodings of the previous evening had therefore collapsed. On making an observation that very little value seemed to be placed on human life in this country, and it appeared as if killing were no murder, one of the miners re- marked : " Wall, I guess some of the wild boys don't put much about it," and volunteered a story. He said that at one of the mining camps, on a bitterly cold night, two miners met in the street. One of them carried two blankets over his shoulder ; the other asked for the loan of one of the blankets for the night, which was refused, because it was so bitterly cold that the owner wanted them both for himself. Upon this the other man hitched out his six-shooter, shot the owner dead on the spot, and walked off with his blankets. The affair took place in the Murdered for a Blanket. 149 presence of three witnesses, yet no one moved a hand to arrest the murderer, as such occurences were common. " What became of the murderer ? " I inquired. " He was afterwards taken up and tried for the murder, but the trial was delayed for some time. When it came on, the witnesses were nowhere to be found ; they had all left the camp, and gone no one knew where. In fact, they had been purposely spirited away by the murderer's friends. No one could be produced at the trial who witnessed the actual commission of the deed ; and on this ground, in spite of other strong evidence, the murderer was acquitted." " That was a gross miscarriage of justice," I remarked. " Wall, we all said the man ought to have been hanged ; but then, you see, there was no one to prove it, and that is how things are done out here. A man's life is no more thought of than a coyote's." " Ah," I said, " Merwica is the freest and grandest country in the world !" " I guess you are right, boss, mighty too 150 Out West. free and easy in my opinion," replied a voice, and " the boys " all laughed. The conversation then turned to the nomenclature of mines, and a dispute arose as to why the famous "Emma" mine was so called. One gave one reason, another a different one. After some disputing in the violent, demonstrative manner so congenial to mining camps, it was decided that the "Emma" mine was so named after little Emma, the daughter of one of the pro- prietors. " I guess, Bill, you know why you called your mine * The Holy Terror ? ' cried a voice. "I'm busted if I'll say." "Darned, but you must, the boys will have it." " All for a lady, then ?" " That arn't a female name ! " " Arn't it? That's my wife ! She's a Holy Terror ! " There was a roar of laughter, which was redoubled as a voice cried out : " And where's the Holy Terror now ? " " Left her over the Rockies." I Know All I 151 When the peal of mirth had subsided, a miner cried out : " Tell us, Tim, what made you call your claim ' I know all?'" "Wall, you see, when I left East, left my gurl there, and hem hem ! " " And what ? squirm it out ! " " Had some trouble with another gurl. When I got here, wrote to my gurl that I was bull-dosing ; told her I would come soon and cage her splendid. She answered short : ( I know all. Yours no more, Mary. 5 ' " That was a screamer," exclaimed a voice, but all seemed to take it seriously. It was too pathetic and probably sympathetic to excite amusement. " I calculate I can spin a fizzer that 'ull knock the wadding out of yourn," said a gruff voice. " Go on, go on," exclaimed two or three voices together. "You knew Joe? Well, Joe and I were buzzing one day about mine names, and sez I to him : ( What made you call your claim Tim Finnegan ? ' " ' Wall, you see,' sez he, f me and Tuscan 152 Out West. Jake was a playing a game, jes for the drinks you see. In conies one of those thundering bloodthirsty scoundrels that sometimes turns loose in mining camps, hitched out his six-shooter, shot the bar- keeper dead, then turning on me and Tuscan Jake, he bellowed out : " ' " Move an inch either of you and I'll blow your brains out ! " " 'And we knowed he'd do it, thur was the shooter pointed at us, and thur was the bar-keeper dead. It war fearful. Jake couldn't stand still. He hitched round a bit. Quick as lightning bang went the shooter, and down dropped Jake dead. The pistol was then turned right full into my face, within a few inches. The hellhound's eyes blazed with fury, as he roared at the top of his voice : " ( " Move, move, you scoundrel, jes the hundredth part of an inch, an' I'll smash your head off ! " " ' It was the most fearful time I ever knowed. The sweat stood in big drops on my face. If I moved a finger or a muscle he would kill me, and it seemed as if I could Killing no Murder. 153 not keep quiet. I felt I was going to move. I dursn't hardly draw a breath. I felt I must move, I must breathe or die, I can't stand still another moment. Jes then a pistol flashed behind the wild beast, and down he dropped at my feet dead in a moment. It was Tim Finnegan did it. Tim Finnegan saved me. Tim Finnegan had been having too many schooners in the early part of the evening, and staggered into a corner, and went to sleep. The shots waked him up, an,' the sleep having sobered him, he got up, an' seein' the prospec', without me an' the murderer knowin' it, ripped out his shooter, an', creepin' silently up sent the murdering bloodhound to ^ kingdom come." So I hugged Tim like a brother, and called my claim Tim Finnegan.' ' " That's not a bad fizzle," said a tall, brawny, powerful fellow, as he got up. " Come, boys, its time to roost, or we shan't be up by cockshout in the morning," he continued, as he went off to bed. " How much for the rooster ? " cried out a voice, as " the boys " all got up and filed away to their rooms. This question created 154 Out West. much merriment, but I could not see the point of the joke. As soon as they had all departed, I also arose and left, being only too glad to retire. The next day I returned to Salt Lake City, though reluctant to leave the exquisite mountain air and scenery, in spite of its romantic beauty having been destroyed by the rude and ruthless hand of man. The first newspaper I took up on my return corroborated the impression I had formed of the utter recklessness of human life which characterised settlements in the far West, and of the sang froid with which murders are committed. Undoubtedly this indifference is fostered by the impunity which, to a great extent, follows crime. The newspaper gave the story of the murder of a well-known frontiersman, called " Wild Bill," remarkable for his fearlessness, skill, and manly beauty. He had been praised in Government despatches. I took an interest in him, having met him going East while on my journey to Salt Lake City. The story ran that Wild Bill happened to Wild Bill. 155 sit down at the same table with, a card- sharper. On the last hand the gambling sharper bet ten dollars and lost, and on settling found he had only seven and a half dollars left. Bill remarked : " You ought not to overbet your pile : that's no way to play cards!" then handed him back five dollars to pay for his lodging and breakfast. The next morning Bill was in a saloon, when the gambling sharper came noiselessly behind him, placed the muzzle of his revolver to the back of his head, and killed Bill on the spot. The same paper continued to give an account of the widow of Wild Bill, who was twice married. Her first husband also met with a violent death. He was shot dead by a loafer in some trifling altercation. In another paragraph of the same paper was a further notice of two little boys who quarrelled over a game of marbles. One drew a revolver and killed the other the elder was only nine. Such is life in the far West : the very children seem to be educated in the use of firearms, and impregnated with the shooting mania. 156 Out West. The fact of my having visited a mining camp, and spent two or three days there, was quite enough for the limited gossiping community of a western city. It was at once bruited about that I was an English capitalist, with plenty of money, on the look out for a mine to take home and place on the English market at a fabulous price, and about fifty times its value. I was besieged by people having mining claims to dispose of. They were dismissed, one after another, with the curt answer that I wanted nothing of the kind. This did not satisfy them, but only increased their importunities. My abrupt indifference was misconstrued into diplomacy. It was put down as a disguise, a mere pretence to beat down the market, so as to pick up something cheap. This was carried to such an extent, that it became an intolerable nuisance. At last, in self- defence, I listened to all every caller had to say, and then bowed him out of the room. This produced the desired effect, for it soon tired them out. One man, more persistent than the rest, tried to tickle my fancy with cattle-raising. Cattle Schema. 157 He showed on paper how a large fortune was to be made in a very short time. His plan was to buy the cattle as they came lip from Texas at a few dollars a head, drive them slowly eastward, letting them feed and fatten on the prairie as they went. By the time they got to the eastern markets, they would be worth about four pounds a head, and the profit would be enormous. He advised going in for ten thousand head, which would cost in purchasing and ex- penses about 15,000, spread over two years. At the end of that time we should net 30,000, or 15,000 a piece. Nothing, he said, would pay like that. On my in- forming him that I would be ready to put down my share as soon as he was ready to do the same, he hesitated, and blurted out that I had misunderstood him. What he meant was, that he would do all the over- seering, while I paid him a salary, and found all the money. " Oh, I see !" I replied, "that looks very pretty. I am to find all the capital, bear all the expenses for two years, run all the risks, pay you a fixed salary all the time, and then 158 Out West. divide the profits with you ! The picture is too beautiful to contemplate, it quite dazzles me. You'd better try somebody else more verdant." Salt Lake City, besides being the capital of the Mormon territory, is the head- quarters of all the mining business of the district. The whole of the non-Mormon, or Gentile, element consists of mine-owners, mine-speculators, mine-goods 5 storekeepers, smelters, and miners. Until the discovery of rich mineral deposits on the Wasatch Mountains, some years ago, the city was entirely Mormon. Since the introduction of the mining element, its character has quite changed, and there are almost as many Gentiles as Mormons. Here you dwell in an atmosphere of mines. Mining is the sole absorbing topic of conversation. Morn, noon, and night you hear of nothing else. People talk, write, look, breathe, live, and dream on mines. Like the Athenians, they are always looking out for some new wonder. It is the grand strike here, the splendid discovery there, the mountain of gold somewhere else, and the " busted up " A Mining Atmosphere. 159 in another place. Every one is eager after the latest news, as if every pulsation of the heart, every breath of life, even existence itself, present and future, depended on the last bit of gossip, true or untrue. In the midst of such envelopments, all of the earth earthy, much was to be learnt, but it was unpalatable and unsatisfactory. The entire system seems to be radically, fundamentally, and fiscally wrong, both in inception and administration. Speculators vie with each other as to who shall make the " biggest pile," totally regardless of all principle or of any conscientious scruples whatever. If a man succeeds in some huge operation, though of a questionable nature, it is con- sidered a " smart thing." Adventurers seem to scheme how to spirit the money out of some one else's pocket into their own. Under such a " spiritualising '' regime, honour and honesty become Utopian dreams ; while commercial laxity so predominates, that the pulpit and press lamentingly apostro- phise the day of emancipation from the thraldom of such wanton recklessness. The system of American companies facili- 160 Out West. tates questionable transactions. Although a company has its entire capital fully paid up, all shareholders are still liable to " assess- ments " on their fully paid-up shares. For example, suppose a shareholder has 100 fully paid-up shares of 20 value each in any company. The company requires more capital. Instead of issuing new capital, the original shares are assessed, or called to con- tribute, say, ten shillings per share. If this sum be not paid by a fixed date, the shares are sold, with the above liability attached. The shareholder, unless he buys back his own shares, loses all his stake in the com- pany. This plan opens a door for unprin- cipled persons to so manipulate a valuable property as to get it entirely into their possession for a trifle. Another pernicious system, called " water- ing stock," is applied chiefly to railways. As a rule, American railways pay good dividends of from ten to fifteen or more per cent. But, so soon as a railway be- comes prosperous, the process of " watering " begins. This is easily done, owing to the laxity of the law. Railways can be made " Watering Stock." 161 anywhere, anyhow, by anybody. Railway boards are, not as in England, restricted by stringent enactments hence, they have perfect freedom of action. The " watering " is performed thus : Suppose a railway with 1,000,000 capital is paying 12 per cent, dividends. The board create an additional 1,000,000 of new capital, and distribute it gratis pro rata to the shareholders. Thus, a shareholder who has, say, 500 invested in the railway, receives another 500 gratis, thereby doubling his holding to 1,000. The total amount of interest which he re- ceives is the same, only it is spread over 1,000 at 6 instead of 500 at 12 per cent. Now comes the manipulation. This extra stock is sent to England, and. disposed of in the London market. The financial result, then, is this : The American stock-holders receive back all their money from the proceeds of the financing, or rather finessing, on the London market. At the same time, they retain the whole of their original stock held in New York, only it bears 6 instead of 12 per cent, interest. In other words, the Americans get their railway for nothing, M 162 Out West. all their money back, and still retain a stake in the railway to the extent of the whole of their originally-invested capital. It is said that hundreds of millions of English capital have gone over to America to pay for undertakings which thus have not cost our cousins anything, while they have doubled their capital by the transaction. No wonder they have become enriched at our expense. Veritably, " 'Merwica is the freest and grandest country in the world ! " Out West. 163 CHAPTER XI. Physiological Discovery. Liberte, figalite, Fratemite. Class Separations and Distinctions. A Court of Justice. An Opium Den. A Romantic Trio. A Chance for a Wife ! The Very-much-married Lady. Incredible Divorce Facilities. TO - DAY an important discovery was made, which elucidated a physiological fact that had hitherto appeared inexplicable. At every hotel it will be observed that at the table-d'hote every one drinks nothing but tea, or coffee, or cold water, at every meal, even at dinner. It seemed as if teetotalism were universal. I found I was the only one in the room that took any stimulant, as beer, &c. This rather shamed me out of asking for it at the table, and I used to go after dinner to the bar to get what I wanted. Here, also, I found myself generally the only customer. On my observing to the M 2 164 Out West. bar-boy that lie did not seem to do much business, that the Americans appeared to be all teetotalers, drinking only tea and coffee at their meals, he replied : " You come at the wrong time, sir. You should come here before meals, or early in the morning before breakfast, or later on in the evening, then the bar is crowded. We do most business about six in the morning.' ' " So early as that ! " 66 Yes ; and you will see them drink a whole glassful of raw whisky right off, and then a glass of iced water on the top of it. They do not drink as you do, a thimble- full at the bottom of the glass and then fill it up with water. You are the only guest that drinks like that, and I calculate by that you are an Englishman." This opened my eyes, and explained the cause of the prevalence throughout the country of liver and dyspeptic diseases, and the numerous remedies for the same, ^ which formed the staple commodities of advertising quacks. Nothing could be so injurious to the human frame or destructive to its vital functions as pouring raw spirit into an A Physiological Discovery. 165 empty stomach. Moreover, the favourite American spirit is the Bourbon or Kentucky rye whisky, which contains double, or some- times treble, the amount of alcohol of any of the brands, or rather blends, commonly sold as whisky in the United Kingdom. The mode of taking spirits is also curious. If you ask for a little spirit and water, a small empty glass, about half the size of an ordinary tumbler, is put down on the counter; beside it a second similar glass filled with iced water, and then the bottle of spirit. You help yourself to the spirit as you please, either fill your glass to the brim or take only a teaspoonful, the charge is all the same. You are then supposed to swallow the raw spirit first and the iced water afterwards. The bar-boy observed to me that he wished every customer would take his liquor as I did, a thimbleful of whisky first and fill up the glass with water, for then his governor would soon make his fortune. Another point was also elucidated at the same time, viz., the necessity and extra- ordinary activity of temperance advocates 166 Out West. and temperance societies throughout the country. Although Sunday-closing is ex- tensively adopted, it is a mere farce and practically a dead letter. While the front doors of the drinking saloons are kept strictly closed, admission can always be obtained by a private entrance. Even after closing hours on week-days, a private door is always accessible to the initiated. It may be well here to notice one or two popular fallacies that exist regarding American citizenship. It is paraded forth, that the great advantage of republicanism is, that it makes all equal, there are no social distinctions, all are reduced to the same level. Yet, is it so ? Is it not more of an idea than a reality, more of theory than practice ? True, every one meets on an equal footing. A tradesman or artisan considers himself as good as a millionaire or professional or literary man, and in matters of business all mix on an equality. It is open to any one some day to become President of the United States. Your waiter at table will enter into a familiar con- versation with you, especially if you are a Libcrtr ! ggalite! Fraternit*' ! 167 stranger; but, if he knows you have position, power, and influence, he is more respectful and courteous. In spite of all that is said to the contrary, is there not just as much an aristocracy of power, of wealth, of talent, and of birth under a liberte, egalite, fraternite form of Govern- ment as under any other form ? Are not all these distinctions worshipped, and is there not just as much class - separation and toadyism under the Mammon of a republic as under monarchical, imperial, and aristocratic institutions ? Take an instance or two, by way of illustration. It is currently stated that there is but one class on all American railways. True, theo- retically, but not practically. You take your railway-ticket, and you find that there is but one fare if you travel by an ordinary car. If you want to travel by a Pullman car, you must pay a higher fare, and you must also pay extra for your sleeping-berth. Here, then, you have at once a separation of classes, and a first and second class distinc- tion, virtually, though it is not so considered nominally. Again, if you want to travel 168 Out West. cheaply, you must take the emigrant train, which runs about half the speed of the ordi- nary train, at an exceedingly low fare. What is this emigrant train but the counterpart of the third-class or Parliamentary train in England ? For it must not be forgotten that the mixing up of the first, second, and third classes in one and the same train in England is comparatively a modern innova- tion, to meet the requirements of the public and competition. Here, then, we have prac- tically, in America, a first, second, and third class, although it is not so designated. Take another instance. We are told there is no difference made in hotels, and no class separation or distinction. True again, in theory, but not in practice. There are hotels of all grades. At the highest you pay a pound or more a day ; at the lowest, 4s., or even less. The elite, and those who can afford to pay, flock to the higher-priced hotels, the oi polloi to the cheaper ones. What is this, again, but a class-separation ? To be consistent with the principle of equality, all hotels should be equal. It is unnecessary to follow this subject Caste. 169 through its numerous ramifications. It is evident to any observant traveller that, though some class-barriers are knocked down, and sometimes there is too much familiarity, approaching often to rudeness, yet the fact of a universal equality is a fal- lacy. There is just as much caste toadyism, kow-towing, and class-partitioning as in any of the oldest and most aristocratic nations of the Old World. In fact, the older families of America, the descendants of the first settlers, pride themselves just as much in the antiquity of their descent, and look down as contemptuously on new- comers, emigrants, interlopers, and adven- turers, as old, aristocratic, proud British families on mushroom upstarts. There is also much display of affecta- tion. Every pleader is a councillor, every at- torney a judge, every judge a chief justice, every charlatan a professor ; while captains, colonels, and generals abound. I was taken one day to be introduced to " the General," imagining it was the general commanding the troops; was introduced to a very un- military-looking young man. On afterwards 170 Out West. expressing my surprise at so young and un- martial a general officer, it was explained to me that he was only the Surveyor-General ! Strange tales have been told of American courts of justice, so one day I attended one of the courts. The judge was seated behind a long table, in ordinary costume. The two opposing counsel faced each other on the opposite side of the table, with a huge sali- varian, about two feet in diameter, between them. They were plainly dressed, without wigs or gowns, or any dignified emblem of justice, as employed in Europe. One counsel was standing up arguing the case while masticating a cud of tobacco, every now and then clearing his throat with a shot at the salivarian. The other counsel was lolling in his arm-chair, with his legs up on the judge's table, staring daggers at his opponent, rest- lessly champing upon his cud, which seemed very uncomfortable, and at intervals reply- ing defiantly to his antagonist's shots at the salivarian. The learned judge sat calm and demure, with eyes cast down, twirling a piece of string on his fingers, making no notes, seemingly indifferent to the argument, A Court of Justice. 171 and taking an occasional shot at the cuspidor or salivarian. Presently a little boy comes in from a door behind the judge's chair, jumps on his austere parent's lap, talks to his pater. The judge takes no notice of his son, remains silent, imperturbable, and ap- parently unconcerned to everything and everybody around him. A little while, number two child comes in and disputes possession of the pater's lap with number one. Pa remains grave and stolid as ever. A little while more, and a tall, sylphlike girl, about twelve, glides in, stands by pa's chair, strokes one of the little boys' heads, and talks to pa. Pa remains silent and immovable. Counsel goes on arguing. At last, the girl asks pa, softly, yet audibly to the court, " if they might all go and see the wild beast show that was coming." Pa answers " Yes." The boys jump off their father's lap, and, with the girl, rush out of the room, slamming the door as they went. Counsel continues arguing, judge looks placidly down, still twirling the string between his fingers as if nothing had occurred. A distant sound of a band comes floating on 172 Out West. the breeze. It gets louder and louder. It comes opposite the court-house. Judge jumps up, counsel stops pleading, and all rush to the windows to see the wild-beast show pass by. When it has passed, all return to their places, the court resumes dts solemnity, and the case goes on as before. When the counsel had concluded his argument (he had been replying to his ^opponent), the judge says, in a few words, and in a placid tone : "I rule for plaintiff, and give no reasons," writes his order on a slip of paper, hands it to his clerk, and dis- misses the court. I at once retired, lost in admiration at the sublimity and expectora- tions of an occidental court of justice. A friend invited me to accompany him on a visit to an opium den. Neither of us had seen one, and it was arranged to start at midnight, partly to avoid the police, and partly because a den is seen to most advan- tage after that hour, when the opium fumes begin to work and have their fullest effect. We left the hotel at midnight, well muffled