"It was one once," quietly replied Martin, bringing his shooting-iron down to the regulation position of "rest."

"Ah, indeed!" exclaimed the Briton, with much astonishment. "And, pray, where did the Ameri

can Government get it?"

"Why, your cap is just like our artillerymen's," | drink out of his jug of liquor, which had just been remarked one, a suckling lieutenant, with an as- filled. So small a favor the captors could not retounding development of feet and sandy whiskers; fuse. As Will's jug was full, it was only common at the same time giving his vigorless and diminu- politeness to ask them to drink too. Now if his tive cap a more oblique and rakish cant over his captors had any weakness it was rum too, so they left ear. gratefully accepted his invitation. The drink rendered them talkative, and they commenced reasoning with him on the enormity of his offenses: the condemned man admitted the justness of their reproaches, and begged to be allowed another drink to drown the stings of conscience; the captors condescendingly joined him again-indeed it would have been cruel to refuse to drink with a man so soon to die. This gone through with, they persuaded Will to make a full confession of his misdeeds, and their magnitude so aroused the indignation of his captors that they had to take another drink to enable them to do their duty becominglyindeed they took divers drinks, so overcome were they by his harrowing tale; and then they became so unmanned that they had to recuperate by sleep. Then crafty Will, who had drank but little, softly arose, found his hatchet, and dispatched his wouldbe captors.

"General Jackson captured it at the battle of New Orleans," coolly answered the Irish-American, shouldering his piece, and "stepping off with the left foot, common time."

THE Niagara, during her sojourn in England, was constantly thronged with visitors from the shore, who inspected her external and internal arrangements with a great deal of curiosity and interest, asking all sorts of questions with a volubility and pertinacity second only to that of the genuine Yankee. Upon one occasion I happened to be in the sick bay (a part of the ship portioned off for the reception of those under medical treatment), and my attention was attracted by a bright-looking little boy, who appeared to be on a tour of inspection on his own hook. The hammocks and their inmates, swinging from hooks in the beams overhead, seemed to excite his curiosity more than any thing else, and at length he ventured to ask me how the men managed to get in them. For the truly American fun of quizzing, I told him that they placed them upon the deck, and getting into them there, hoisted each other up in succession.

As quick as thought, however, he caught me up with the query, "Yes; but, tell me, who hoists the last man up?"

He had me there; and as I explained the true modus operandi to him I was forced to acknowledge that his question was unanswerable.

SHORTLY after the English had conquered the Dutch in New York and New Jersey, an Indian, named by the whites "Indian Will," figured quite prominently in various transactions between the whites and Indians in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Will was a daring, athletic man, and often showed marked shrewdness in encounters with other Indians-for, from several causes, he had excited the ill-will of all of his tribe. They accused him of wronging them in land sales, of killing his wife, and other offenses. One time an Indian called Jacob by the whites, who was well armed, surprised Will in a defenseless condition, and undertook to march him prisoner to the rest of the tribe. Will pretended to yield himself submissively, but as they were marching along he dropped a step or two behind, and suddenly picked up a pine-knot and dealt his captor a speedy and fatal blow on the head. When his victim fell, he tauntingly exclaimed,

"Look at the sun, Jacob; you'll never see it rise again!"

To make sure work of killing Will, four or five Indians at length started in pursuit of him, and they succeeded in surprising him so suddenly that he had no chance for defense or flight. His captors told him they were about to kill him, and he must at once prepare to die. Will heard his doom with Indian stoicism, and he had only one favor to ask before he died, and that was to be allowed to take a

To a traveler from New York toward Philadelphia and Baltimore we should hardly know what to recommend to take as life - preservers in case of danger. But over the same route, near two centuries ago, the most desirable life-preserver a traveler could take was declared to be "a horse with a long tail." This recommendation, though now apparently so ludicrous, was then urged with good reason. The celebrated Quaker preacher, Richardson, whose journal is to be found in the home of almost every intelligent Quaker, speaks of many lives being saved by the long tails of horses, and of many lives lost for want of them; and he very earnestly warns travelers across New Jersey of the danger in neglecting to take horses with lengthy fly-dispersers.

The

At that time Philadelphia was not thought of— no roads across New Jersey; nothing but Indian paths through the forests; the streams were crossed by the travelers in frail canoes, and the horses would swim behind with a halter fast to the canoe. canoes were liable to upset, and the traveler who could not swim could grasp the tail of the horse. Nowadays, perhaps, travelers over the same route feel the most safe if the iron horse has a long tail, in the shape of a long train of cars, and he can get into the rear one.

JUST previous to the last war with England an eccentric coasting captain, named Winner, settled in the village of Goodluck, Ocean County, New Jersey. Winner was then a man of some means, owning a vessel and other property; but the fortunes of war stripped him of every thing. One day he was traveling some distance from home, very depressed on account of his losses. The landlord of an inn where he stopped asked him his name. Winner replied,

"I am ashamed to tell it, for it is a great lie!" "Well, where are you from, then?" said the landlord.

"I am ashamed to tell you that, for it is a great sight bigger lie than the other," was the reply. The landlord and by-standers began to think him drunk or crazy, until he explained himself.

After hearing a detail of his losses the by-stand- | Jers were convinced that, in the unfortunate skipper's case, both names were really big lies.

In the early part of the present century prominent among the three-cornered-hat divines of New England was the Rev. Dr. Emmons, of Franklin, Massachusetts. At this time instrumental music in churches was, by many, and none the less so by the old Doctor himself, considered as among the abominations of latter-day innovations. Not so thought the choir, mostly of the younger class, and its introduction was secretly determined on, but most carefully kept from the knowledge of Dr. E., whose opposition was certain and whose will was absolute. The eventful day arrived, the Doctor made the customary introductory prayer, read the hymn, and immediately his ears were greeted with the sacrilegious sounds of the hautboy, clarionet, and—abomination of all abominations!-the screaming fiddle. The second, or long prayer, followed, and, omitting the second customary hymn, then followed the sermon, benediction, etc. Rapid, almost, as on the wings of the wind, news of the dire event spread from house to house, and long before the afternoon services commenced there was not a vacant seat or standing-place in the house-such was the anxiety to witness the result. As usual, and apparently in nowise disturbed by the morning's proceedings, the Doctor read a hymn, when the leader of the choir arose in his place and announced that "there would be no singing this afternoon." "Then," said the Doctor, "there will be no preaching; the congregation is dismissed." Not till after the old Doctor's soul, as is fondly believed, was at rest in heaven, was the attempt repeated to introduce instrumental music.

M-, for many years the leader of the bar in New Hampshire, and one of the most estimable of men, may find a place in the Drawer, and are at its service. Between Mr. M and Judge Ca feeling of intimacy existed that seemed to justify in each a joke at the expense of the other. Among the cases to be tried in the court over which Judge C presided was one for theft. On being called, the prisoner, aware that the proof was too positive to admit of any doubt of conviction, and intending to plead guilty and throw himself upon the mercy of the Court, appeared without counsel. In such cases it was customary for the Judge to appoint counsel, always selecting from the younger members of the bar. Here was an opportunity too good to be lost for Judge C-to wipe off at least one of the scores of jokes standing to his debit in his account with Mr. M. So, quite deliberately, the Judge appointed him to defend the prisoner. Mr. M thanked the Judge for the compliment and promptly accepted the appointment, remarking that as the case was new to him he should like a few minutes' private conversation with his client. "Certainly," replied the Judge, immediately directing the sheriff to conduct Mr. M and the prisoner to a private room. On leaving, the Judge, with a peculiar smile which Mr. M― well understood, expressed the hope that he would give his friend some good advice. Locking the door of the room to which the sheriff had conducted them, Mr. Masked the prisoner if he was guilty. "Guilty," was the frank reply. “Do you see the woods yonder?" "Yes." "Well, beyond them is a small brook, the dividing line between the two counties; once over that brook you are out of the jurisdiction of this court; and if you are as guilty as you say you are I advise you to lose no time in passing that line." No sooner said than done: out of the opened window he jumped, and run for dear life. The Court, getting impatient, sent the sheriff for them. Returning without the prisoner, the Judge asked Mr. M-where he was. "May it please your Honor," he replied, "as we were leav

expressed the hope that I would give my friend the prisoner some good advice; and learning from him that he was guilty, and acting in accordance with your suggestion, I advised him to cut and run; and the last I saw of him he was streaking it for the adjoining county as though the very evil one was after him." The Judge concluded that he had not made much progress in squaring accounts.

LAWYER (now General) B—, when early in practice, had a student by name of D. On admission to the bar the latter established himself in a neighboring city, eventually becoming one of the most successful and prominent members of the bar. The former, now an exemplary teetotaler, was ac-ing this room for a private consultation you kindly customed to crook his elbow a little too often for his reputation or his interest. Business often brought the two into professional conflict, when the younger generally proved more than a match for the elder. This created a little uncalled-for envy as well as jealousy, and few if any opportunities were lost by the elder in his attempts at a sideslap at the younger, who, commencing practice quite young, and constitutionally somewhat diffident, was precise and deliberate in his opening address to the Court and jury. On one occasion he was particularly so, and on taking his seat Lawyer B, his opposing counsel, sneeringly remarked, "That speech must have been delivered before a glass." "Better before a glass than after one,' was the quiet reply. It was the last sneering attack of the senior upon the junior.

DURING the operations of General Sherman in Georgia we had in the employ of our office a oneeyed contraband by the name of Will. At the time the charge was made upon the enemy's works on the Kenesaw Mountain we were located in rather close proximity to the lines, and it was not an unusual affair for a shell to pass over our camp. On the evening in question I came to the door of my tent to watch the flashing of the guns upon the side of the mountain. After standing a few moments I discovered Will, who had also left his bed, standing behind a large tree, his eye fixed upon the mountain. As the lines advanced and the shouts of the contending parties mingled with the deafening rattle of the musketry I turned to Will and

THE grandma of a little four-year-old had been telling her one day not to say that people lied, but rather that they were mistaken. Her grandma, to amuse her, told her a bear story, which was a tough one to believe. After she had finished the little girl looked up into her face and exclaimed, "Grandma, that's the biggest mistaken I ever asked, "What would you do if you were there?" heard."

Without turning his eye from the scene above he answered, in a subdued tone, "Don' know: guess

POSSIBLY the following reminiscences of the late I'd go one eye on 'em."

NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

No. CLXXXIII.-AUGUST, 1865.-VOL. XXXI.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, by Harper and Brothers, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.

VOL. XXXI.-No. 183.-T

I

A TRIP TO BODIE BLUFF AND THE DEAD SEA OF THE WEST. [First Paper.]

HAD enjoyed to my heart's content the amenities of social life in Aurora; had witnessed a Sunday procession to the badger fight of Mr. T. Jefferson Phelan, a high-toned European; had barely missed seeing a man shot dead in front of the Sazerac Saloon for throwing brickbats at another man's house; had taken a general view of the country from the top of Mount Brayley and the bottom of the Real del Monte. I reserve for another occasion an account of my observations and adventures in this region.-I was now prepared to vary my experience by a trip to Bodie Bluff and Mono Lake, the "Dead Sea of the West."

Of the Bodie district I had heard the most enthusiastic accounts. It was represented to be a region of peculiar interest in a mineralogical point of view; and the scenery was reputed to be as barren as any thing I had enjoyed during iny recent tour through Arizona. For the matter of comfort, I was assured that if an utter lack of accommodation for man or beast, and a reasonable chance of suffering from chilly nights and dusty roads, could be accounted among the luxuries of travel, I would not be likely to regret the trip.

He was

There

an attorney at law. All popular lawyers, how-
ever, are judges in Nevada, whether they prac-
tice at the bar or sit upon the bench.
a gentleman of good sense and genial manners,
and although bred to the legal profession took
no mean advantage of me during the entire
trip. No outfit beyond a few cold chickens, a
ham, some crackers, and a bottle of medicine to
use in case of snake-bites, would be necessary,
the Judge assured me, unless I contemplated
spending some time in the mountains.
was snake-medicine to be had on the way; but
he advised me not to trust to it, as it was more
poisonous than the virus of the snakes. I in-
quired if these vicious reptiles, of which I had
heard so much in Aurora, were of the rattle or
copperhead species; to which my friend replied
that both of these were very prevalent in the
country; but the greatest damage was done by
a venomous reptile scarcely known to natural-
ists, of which a specimen dead or alive had never
yet been caught.

On a fine morning in September we set forth on our expedition. The rugged cliffs along the road cropped out at every turn like grim old castles of feudal times, and there were frowning A friend politely offered me the use of his fortresses of solid rock that seemed ready to buggy, and agreed to drive the horses himself-belch forth murderous streams of fire upon any a proposition which I gladly accepted for two reasons: first, because I knew nothing of the road; and, secondly, because I had no confidence in horses ridden or driven by myself. Up to that period of their lives they had always been very good horses; but they invariably underwent a radical change upon discovering that they had fallen under my control.

My friend was called the Judge, though I believe he claimed to be of no higher rank than

enemy that might approach. I was particularly
struck with the rugged grandeur of the scenery
in the neighborhood of Fogus's quartz-mill; and
on the occasion of a subsequent visit made a
sketch of the mill and principal bluff.

At Haskell's toll-gate, about a mile from the
town, we halted a while to enjoy the hospitality
of the worthy toll-keeper and his wife, who cord-
ially invited us to stop and dine with them. I
found here what I had not unfrequently before

FOGUS'S MILL

to a Magazine, which, according to the advertisement, contains in itself a library of useful and entertaining knowledge.

We stopped a while at the foot of the grade to visit the magnificent quartz-mills of the Real del Monte and Antelope Mining Companies, of which I had heard much since my arrival at Aurora. Both of these mills are built of brick on the same plan, and in the Gothic style of architecture. Nothing finer in point of symmetrical proportion, beauty and finish of the machinery, and capacity for reducing ores by crushing and amalgamation, exists on

the eastern slope of the Sierras. These mills were in operation at the time of our visit, but were not working to their full capacity, owing to the want of a sufficiency of ore. I had little expected to find in this out-of-the-way part of the world such splendid monuments of enterprise. The Real del Monte contains a battery of thirty stamps; thirty-six Wheeler pans, and other machinery in proportion; the Antelope a somewhat smaller number of stamps and pans. Steam is the motive power, and the machinery works with the neatness and perfection of clock-work. Of the process of amalgamation

met with in the course of my travels through | I propose to give an account in some future pathis wild region-refinement and intelligence. per; and shall now be satisfied if I can give a The cabin was a mere frame shanty of the reasonably good view of the mills, as seen from rudest kind; yet it was clean and neat; nicely the point at which the road diverges to Bodie. carpeted, and prettily ornamented with watercolored sketches, very cleverly executed by Mrs. Haskell. The tables were covered with books and periodicals, among which I observed a Magazine that takes the lead in civilizing new countries, but of which special mention would be superfluous. The readers of Harper will understand, of course, that good taste, good order, intelligence, pretty children, and domestic happiness are the necessary consequences, even in a mountain cabin, of a few years' subscription

Passing several other mills, as we proceeded up the cañon, one of which was burned a few days after, we entered a singularly wild and rugged pass in the mountains, where it seemed as if the earth had been rent asunder by some convulsion of nature for the express purpose of letting people through. The Judge was of opinion that this curious piece of engineering was performed by the bursting through of a river or flood in by-gone times. It reminded me of the Almannajau in Iceland, which was