Prentice Mulford's story: life by land and sea

A firsthand memoir traces a young man's transition from maritime service to long residence in California, narrating voyages, work aboard ship including service as a cook, arrival and life in a boomtown undergoing vigilante unrest, prospecting and daily life in mining camps, episodes of copper rush and town rises and collapses, civic involvement such as jury duty and electioneering, and later experiences in journalism and editing; the account blends travel anecdotes, practical reminiscences about food and labor, descriptions of frontier society and local institutions, and reflections on ambition and self-reliance.