Chapter 1

Rumors have a way of becoming fact just because most people tend to believe a rumor a lot faster than what they see right in front of their eyes. The harsh land east of Sacramento was already pock-marked with the efforts to suck the golden treasure from the unyielding dirt and rock. In fact, there was hardly a square inch of river or stream shoreline that was not already claimed by some raggedy-ass tenderfoot with a yen for hitting the mother lode. The truth was that maybe one out of a hundred of these fumbling adventurers would ever see a trace of real gold in the bottom of their pan.

The horde of "Forty-niners" eventually turned to more lucrative endeavors like farming or ranching or even tending bar at a saloon.

Way back where the source waters of the American River began its journey from the foothills of the distant mountain range, one such claim was being worked diligently by a family of seven brothers from the clan of McGregor, a family known for its "troublemaking" abilities and appreciation for well-aged whiskey. The next to the youngest brother, a strapping lad called Ewan had begged off the sluice-box duties in order to concentrate on brewing a tasty treat of liquid gold using the pure melted snow water of the nearby river. He was always attentive to his grandfather's sage council in matters of whiskey making and now the benefit of his awe-struck concentration was ready to bear the fruit of a product that was centuries in the making.

Of course, the brothers were more than willing to test their sibling's research with great enthusiasm letting the nearby hills resound with the sounds of their native folk songs and lively dance routines. The fact that there were no females within a day's ride of the yet to be successful claim robbed the song and dance of the deserved balance such activities require.

The eldest brother was actually a widower by the name of Angus. He had been married for nigh on to a dozen years to the prettiest girl in the county. She was fair of face and possessed of a figure that filled her petticoats with delectable fleshly treats any man would find a paradise on earth. Her name was Tess and she was one to offer her inner core to her man's pleasure with the spirit of a generous soul-mate. The primary reason why he had left his native hills and taken his brothers with him on a search for his fortune in the new world was that he could no longer look at the grass and the trees of his homeland without his Tess at his side. She was murdered by the King's minions for the simple affront of questioning the unfair taxes placed on their simple farm. The red-coated oafs had laughed at her discomfort and eventual ebbing of life after being subjected to their shameful antics at her expense.

The McGregor clan marked "Paid in full" to that squad of goons forcing them all to make for the closest harbor and boarding the next ship out on the high tide for the new world. A short stay in New York City convinced them that the big city life was not for them and they made their way on a ship around the horn to land in the promised land of San Francisco, a city rumored to be paved with streets of gold and opportunities beyond compare. Unfortunately, they discovered the gold was hidden away in the rivers and streams further east and they needed the right equipment to dig it out.

Armed with seven brand new pistols and an assortment of long guns and shotguns, they made their way to their purchased claim with great enthusiasm only now beginning to wane having met with limited success. They faced no opposition from claim-jumpers or other filthy trash that hovered looking for easy targets to prey on in the untamed land. The sheer strength of their numbers and their fire power made them off limits to ne'er-do-wells with evil intent.

It was shortly after Ewan distributed his samples of the newly concocted mix that the middle brother called Graham shouted out from the riverbank,

"Come quickly, I think I found it!"

Feeling the effects of the potent brew, they all staggered down to the sluice-box and saw Graham ogling traces of gleaming yellow flakes sitting serenely with great dignity in the bottom of the pan. It sure did look like the real thing and not that "fool's gold" that had made them feel foolish once before. The assayer would give them the final word but it sure did look like the answer to all their hopes and dreams.

That night, they started talking about what they would do with their new-found riches and the oldest brother told them the first thing they had to do was to build a nice cabin so that they could convince a young woman to become the first McGregor spouse to join them in the wilderness.

The next day they started building the house and it was completed right about the time that they filled their sixth "poke" with the flakes of gold from the generous river. The second oldest brother whose name was Shawn opined that the sprinkles of flakes were most likely from some deposit further upriver and that caught Angus's attention. He knew there was no other claim upriver because the water came from an underground spring that must originate deep inside the rolling foothills. They investigated and saw that the water welled up from the underground spring only a hundred feet from the edge of their claim. They dug down into the soft soil and discovered not just one but several nice nuggets of pure gold that matched what they had been working for the past month. After that, they all worked non-stop digging out the solid gold nuggets and adding them to the collection of "dust" that they collected on a daily basis.

The luckier they succeeded in finding the treasure, the more concerned they all became about the possibility of marauders swooping down and stealing their new-found wealth.

Their leader Angus decided it was time for them to build a new house big enough for all of them and their brides in the safer flatland with a river on three sides to give them some sense of security from the roughnecks all around them.