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第18章

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〃As the sunlight round the dim earth's midnight tower of 

shadow pours;

Streaming past the dim; wide portals;

Viewless to the eyes of mortals;

Till it floods the moon's pale islet or the morning's golden 

shores。〃





So sings Mr。 Trowbridge; with a noble inspiration。  And so 

had the sunlight flooded that pale islet of the moon; and her 

lit face put out; one after another; that galaxy of stars。  

The wonder of the drive was over; but; by some nice 

conjunction of clearness in the air and fit shadow in the 

valley where we travelled; we had seen for a little while 

that brave display of the midnight heavens。  It was gone; but 

it had been; nor shall I ever again behold the stars with the 

same mind。  He who has seen the sea commoved with a great 

hurricane; thinks of it very differently from him who has 

seen it only in a calm。  And the difference between a calm 

and a hurricane is not greatly more striking than that 

between the ordinary face of night and the splendour that 

shone upon us in that drive。  Two in our waggon knew night as 

she shines upon the tropics; but even that bore no 

comparison。  The nameless colour of the sky; the hues of the 

star…fire; and the incredible projection of the stars 

themselves; starting from their orbits; so that the eye 

seemed to distinguish their positions in the hollow of space 

… these were things that we had never seen before and shall 

never see again。



Meanwhile; in this altered night; we proceeded on our way 

among the scents and silence of the forest; reached the top 

of the grade; wound up by Hanson's; and came at last to a 

stand under the flying gargoyle of the chute。  Sam; who had 

been lying back; fast asleep; with the moon on his face; got 

down; with the remark that it was pleasant 〃to be home。〃  The 

waggon turned and drove away; the noise gently dying in the 

woods; and we clambered up the rough path; Caliban's great 

feat of engineering; and came home to Silverado。



The moon shone in at the eastern doors and windows; and over 

the lumber on the platform。  The one tall pine beside。 the 

ledge was steeped in silver。  Away up the canyon; a wild cat 

welcomed us with three discordant squalls。  But once we had 

lit a candle; and began to review our improvements; homely in 

either sense; and count our stores; it was wonderful what a 

feeling of possession and permanence grow up in the hearts of 

the lords of Silverado。  A bed had still to be made up for 

Strong; and the morning's water to be fetched; with clinking 

pail; and as we set about these household duties; and showed 

off our wealth and conveniences before the stranger; and had 

a glass of wine; I think; in honour of our return; and 

trooped at length one after another up the flying bridge of 

plank; and lay down to sleep in our shattered; moon…pierced 

barrack; we were among the happiest sovereigns in the world; 

and certainly ruled over the most contented people。  Yet; in 

our absence; the palace had been sacked。  Wild cats; so the 

Hansons said; had broken in and carried off a side of bacon; 

a hatchet; and two knives。







EPISODES IN THE STORY OF A MINE







NO one could live at Silverado and not be curious about the 

story of the mine。  We were surrounded by so many evidences 

of expense and toil; we lived so entirely in the wreck of 

that great enterprise; like mites in the ruins of a cheese; 

that the idea of the old din and bustle haunted our repose。  

Our own house; the forge; the dump; the chutes; the rails; 

the windlass; the mass of broken plant; the two tunnels; one 

far below in the green dell; the other on the platform where 

we kept our wine; the deep shaft; with the sun…glints and the 

water…drops; above all; the ledge; that great gaping slice 

out of the mountain shoulder; propped apart by wooden wedges; 

on whose immediate margin; high above our heads; the one tall 

pine precariously nodded … these stood for its greatness; 

while; the dog…hutch; boot…jacks; old boots; old tavern 

bills; and the very beds that we inherited from bygone 

miners; put in human touches and realized for us the story of 

the past。



I have sat on an old sleeper; under the thick madronas near 

the forge; with just a look over the dump on the green world 

below; and seen the sun lying broad among the wreck; and 

heard the silence broken only by the tinkling water in the 

shaft; or a stir of the royal family about the battered 

palace; and my mind has gone back to the epoch of the 

Stanleys and the Chapmans; with a grand TUTTI of pick and 

drill; hammer and anvil; echoing about the canyon; the 

assayer hard at it in our dining…room; the carts below on the 

road; and their cargo of red mineral bounding and thundering 

down the iron chute。  And now all gone … all fallen away into 

this sunny silence and desertion:  a family of squatters 

dining in the assayer's office; making their beds in the big 

sleeping room erstwhile so crowded; keeping their wine in the 

tunnel that once rang with picks。



But Silverado itself; although now fallen in its turn into 

decay; was once but a mushroom; and had succeeded to other 

mines and other flitting cities。  Twenty years ago; away down 

the glen on the Lake County side there was a place; Jonestown 

by name; with two thousand inhabitants dwelling under canvas; 

and one roofed house for the sale of whiskey。  Round on the 

western side of Mount Saint Helena; there was at the same 

date; a second large encampment; its name; if it ever had 

one; lost for me。  Both of these have perished; leaving not a 

stick and scarce a memory behind them。  Tide after tide of 

hopeful miners have thus flowed and ebbed about the mountain; 

coming and going; now by lone prospectors; now with a rush。  

Last; in order of time came Silverado; reared the big mill; 

in the valley; founded the town which is now represented; 

monumentally; by Hanson's; pierced all these slaps and shafts 

and tunnels; and in turn declined and died away。





〃Our noisy years seem moments in the wake

Of the eternal silence。〃





As to the success of Silverado in its time of being; two 

reports were current。  According to the first; six hundred 

thousand dollars were taken out of that great upright seam; 

that still hung open above us on crazy wedges。  Then the 

ledge pinched out; and there followed; in quest of the 

remainder; a great drifting and tunnelling in all directions; 

and a great consequent effusion of dollars; until; all 

parties being sick of the expense; the mine was deserted; and 

the town decamped。  According to the second version; told me 

with much secrecy of manner; the whole affair; mine; mill; 

and town; were parts of one majestic swindle。  There had 

never come any silver out of any portion of the mine; there 

was no silver to come。  At midnight trains of packhorses 

might have been observed winding by devious tracks about the 

shoulder of the mountain。  They came from far away; from 

Amador or Placer; laden with silver in 〃old cigar boxes。〃  

They discharged their load at Silverado; in the hour of 

sleep; and before the morning they were gone again with their 

mysterious drivers to their unknown source。  In this way; 

twenty thousand pounds' worth of silver was smuggled in under 

cover of night; in these old cigar boxes; mixed with 

Silverado mineral; carted down to the mill; crushed; 

amalgated; and refined; and despatched to the city as the 

proper product of the mine。  Stock…jobbing; if it can cover 

such expenses; must be a profitable business in San 

Francisco。



I give these two versions as I got them。  But I place little 

reliance on either; my belief in history having been greatly 

shaken。  For it chanced that I had come to dwell in Silverado 

at a critical hour; great events in its history were about to 

happen … did happen; as I am led to believe; nay; and it will 

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