And whenever
the gold gave out, or news came of some richer mine, the diggers
would forsake the little town, and rush off somewhere else. And
no sign of life would be left in the once busy valley save the
weather-worn huts and the upturned earth. Some men made fortunes
almost in a day, many returned home well off. But by far the
greater number returned poorer than they came, and with their health
shattered by the hardships of the life. Many more never returned
at all, but found a nameless grave among the lonely valleys.
Others made fortunes again and again, and lost them as quickly as
they made them. For though at first the men who went to the gold
fields were for the most part young, and strong, and honest, the
greed of gain soon brought all the riff-raff of the towns. Many
men joined the throng who had no intention of working, and who but
came to lure the gold away from those who had found it.
So gambling saloons, and drinking saloons, sprang up everywhere, and
many a man left them poorer if not wiser. Murders became frequent,
but men thought little about them. Every man went armed, and if he
could not protect himself it was his own fault.
Theft was looked upon as a far worse sin. For everybody lived in
frail wooden juts or open tents. They had no means of locking up
their gold, and thought nothing of leaving it lying about quite
unprotected.
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