This second purchase and payment rendered necessary a communication with my Nashville friend. Fortunately, Swampville had a mail; and, to avail myself of it, I rode direct for the settlement. On my return, I found the river-town, figuratively speaking, on fire. Short as bad been the period of my absence, it had been marked by an incident of no ordinary character. That morning's mail had conveyed to the settlement the intelligence of a rare and interesting event--the discovery of the _gold placers_ of California. I had heard rumours of this before--only half believed, and not yet reaching to Swampville. Returned emigrants from California were now reported, as having arrived in Saint Louis and other frontier towns--bringing with them, not only the full account of the gold discovery, but its confirmation, in the shape of large "chunks" of gold-bearing quartz, and bags of the yellow dust itself. The marvellous tale was no longer questioned, or doubted. The mail had brought newspapers from New Orleans and Saint Louis, giving detailed accounts of the digging of Sutter's mill-race by the disbanded soldiers of the "Mormon Battalion;" of the _crevasse_ caused by the water, which had laid open the wonderful auriferous deposits; and describing also the half frantic excitement which the news had produced these populous cities. In this, Swampville had not been slow to imitate them. I found the little village on the _qui vive_: not only the idlers showing an interest in the extraordinary intelligence; but the business men of the place being equally startled out of their sobriety. A "company" was already projected, in which many well-to-do men had registered their names; and even Colonel Kipp talked of transporting his _penates_ across the great plains, and swinging the Jackson sign upon the shores of the Pacific. Swampville was smitten with a golden mania, that seemed to promise its speedy depopulation.