The Merritt party stayed to work the bar. Before the summer passed the
river swarmed with men, some of whom joined forces to make up mining
companies. One of the rules of such a company: "Any shareholder getting
drunk during the time he should be on duty, shall pay into the common
treasury of the company a fine of one ounce of gold dust and shall
forfeit all dividends during such time." These fines, in some instances,
became so frequent as to cause a total disruption of the company.
The Indians returned to their villages in the hills. The foothill
Indians were not a particularly intelligent lot. They were Diggers, so
named on account of their habits of digging in the ground for roots, and
the larva of various insects for food. Eggs of ants, and the maggots
found in wasp's nests were considered great delicacies.
They also ate dried grasshoppers and young clover plants cooked as
greens. They ground acorns and manzanita berries into meal with the
stone mortars and pestles so commonly found through the countryside and
gathered and stored great caches of pine burrs full of nuts for the
winter.
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