L'or by Blaise Cendrars Page A

him the following morning, but he would not listen to reason and set off hell-for-leather shouting: "Come tomorrow, come early!" The rain was falling in torrents and he hadn't even stopped for a bite to eat.
    'Darkness came down abruptly. I went back into my room. I was certainly not indifferent to this discovery of gold in the stream, in the foundations of my sawmill, no, indeed, but, like all the ups and downs of fortune in my life, I took it with a certain amount of detachment; nevertheless, I could not sleep that night, I was picturing to myself all the dire consequences and fatal repercussions that this discovery might have for me, but never for one moment did I imagine it would bring my New Helvetia to ruin! Next morning, I gave detailed instructions to my various work-crews and left at 7 a.m., accompanied by several soldiers and a cowboy.
    'We were half-way up the winding track that leads to Coloma when we came across a riderless horse. A little higher up, Marshall emerged from the undergrowth. He had been halted by the storm and hadn't been able to go any further during the night. He was perished with cold and half dead from hunger. However, his exaltation of the previous evening had not subsided.
    'We went on up the track and arrived at this famous El Dorado. The weather had cleared up a little. That evening, we made a tour along the banks of the canal; the rain had swollen the waters and both sides were awash. I operated the sluices, the canal emptied instantly and we  went down into the bed to search for gold. We found plenty of small particles and several workmen even handed me small nuggets. I told them I would have a ring made from this gold as soon as it became possible to have this done in California and, in fact, I did have this ring made, much later, in the form of a signet-ring; in default of a family crest, I had my father's printer's mark engraved on it, a phoenix being consumed in the fire, and inside the ring was the following inscription:
    THE FIRST GOLD DISCOVERED IN JANUARY 1848
    Then three bishops' croziers, the Basle cross, and my name: SUTTER.
    'The following day, I rode round the whole extent of Coloma, taking careful note of its situation and the lie of the land, with particular reference to the water-courses, then I called all my people together. I explained to them that it was necessary to keep this discovery a secret for a further five or six weeks, to give me time to complete the construction of my sawmill, on which I had already spent 24,000 dollars. When they had given me their word of honour, I returned to the ranch-house. I was unhappy and had no idea how to extricate myself from this ill-fated discovery of gold. I was certain that such a business could not be kept secret.
    'And I was right. Barely two weeks later, I sent a white man up to Coloma with a load of tools and provisions; some young Indian boys escorted him. Mrs Wimmer told him the whole story and her children gave him some grains of gold. On returning to the fort, this man immediately went to the stores, which were situated outside my enclosure, and asked Smith for a bottle of brandy. He wanted to pay for it with the grains  of gold he had brought down from Coloma. Smith asked him if he took him for a dingo dog. The carter told Smith to come and ask me, if he didn't believe him. What could I do? I told Smith the whole story. His partner, Mr Brannan, sought me out at once and asked me a whole heap of questions, which I answered truthfully. He ran out without even bothering to shut the door. During the night, he and Smith loaded all their merchandise into wagons, stole some of my horses and left in haste for Coloma.
    'After that, my workmen began running away.
    'Soon, I was left alone at the fort with a few faithful engineers and eight sick men.
    'My Mormon employees were more reluctant to leave me, but when gold fever infected them too, they threw their scruples to the wind.
    'Now, beneath my windows, there was an unending