noon
When he had finished , I walked off to see after the horses , but , although they were ready , the additional shoes we wanted to carry with us would not be furnished for several hours ; it was late in the afternoon before we got them . We bought two horses of Captain Sutter -LRB- very strong animals -RRB- , and McPhail managed to engage a big lad as a servant -- a rough-looking fellow , who appears to have deserted from some ship , and worked his way up here . All things considered , it was agreed that we should remain here another night , and resume our march as early as we could in the morning . The Author and his friends leave Sutter 's Fort Tents in the bottom A caravan in motion Green hills and valleys Indian villages Californian pack-Horses A sailor on horseback Lunch at noon A troublesome beast Sierra Nevada First view of the lower mines How the gold is dug and washed The `` cradle '' The diggers and their stock of gold A store in course of construction The tent is pitched The golden itch First attempts at gold-finding A hole in the saucepan Sound asleep . _ Sunday , June 4th _ . -- The morning we left the Fort the scene was one of great excitement . Down in the bottom some twenty tents were pitched , outside which big fires were smoking ; and , while breakfast was being prepared , the men of each company were busily engaged in saddling their horses and arranging their baggage ; several wagons and teams were already in motion , following the road along the windings of the river .