Nomadic Experiences of a Frontierswoman [pp. 316-326]

320 ~\?~madic Ex~ericnccs of a F?'ontiers~'ornan. [Sept.
rich and inexhaustible, these camps are so gloves, sardines, plug tobacco, canned oysoverstocked with people that a thinning out ters, cigars, dried salmon, colored socks,
has to occur before the slow-coming macbin- canned fruits, cartridges, sugar of lemon, all
ery can give employment, and prospecting for a good, round price, and he glad of the
the near-lying surroundings must for a time chance to get them.
at least he only an outlay. Only a few of As the building of the road progressed,
the swarm, aside from those engaged in bus- she picked up her tent when business policy
iness, have a promise of immediate wealth. required, advancing westward with the mass,
And so the surplus at South Pass was again and locating again for a time, while greenstampeded to the line of the railroad, to backs flowed into the capacious pocket that
which people were coming for hundreds of had nothing for idle waste. She was brave,
miles on either side. Some were half sick and she was honored for her bravery even
in their difficulty to decide which of the by the vast majonty of the coarser laborers,
two contained their fortunes. The mines who were deficient both in school education
were rich, but whether or not they were mere and moral training. Her wealth increased
pockets time must tell. They could not wonderfully fast; but she earned every cent
give employment and support to the great of it in the continued strain on the nerves
mass; but now that this was diminishing, involved in gathering it. Her life was in
the ones remaining, able to get hold of any hourly danger- as was the life of any other
future rich discoveries before the tide person within miles of these lawless and
could flow hack, would be lucky ones. The liquorful camps; the more as she was enhuman drain would prove disastrous to the gaged in a business bringing her in contact
tented business portion of the town; but with the hungry, and with those more or less
those miners that could be content to stay intoxicated yet able to keep their feet.
would fare better for it. Had the discover- Though respected, and though championed
ies been less valuable, South Pass could not by the b~tter men, she was nevertheless alone
have coped with the great railroad; but as but for such defense as she might look for in
it was, a good share of its people concluded her servants. And the money-making only
they could not afford to leave it. made her situation more dangerous, as each
Mrs. Baker, as soon as the weather would of these camps had its terror in one or more
pefl~it, shared the stampede for the line of roughs who thought no more of taking huthe railroad. With a tent sixteen by thirty man life for money or for sport, than a huntfeet for a light, movable frame, and a suit- er does of shooting a partridge to feast on
able outfit, she "put up "in one of the main its flesh. "Every man for himself, and the
camps, and did a thriving business at one devil for us all," was the motto of most of
dollar per meal and the bill of fare was these hundreds of men, in liquor and out,
neither very varied nor sumptuous; but the among whom fast women dared not venture
cooking was good and carefully seen to, and further to tempt their ferociousness, and
the result was good and wholesome food. If the few wives of forenien and others present
meals were too expensive for the " strapped" felt keenly the hazard of their daring. My
few not yet located, they could forego the friend had faced the enemy in all its multihot coffee and steaming viands of the two tude, and asked it to eat and pay for it;
planks resting on two posts at each end and she had waited on men whose hands were
two in the middle, and take a cold lunch in red with human blood, as she knew persontheir pockets. They could step to the show ally, and who, fearless of non-existing law,
shelf at the front entrance and buy crack- boasted of past murders, as hunters enjoy
ers, red-jacket bitters, cheese, buckskin repeating in detail their own treacheries and