How would you describe roaring camp at the beginning of the story? What details to Harte provide to give you a sense of its lawlessness and roughness?

From the opening paragprah, we can infer that the mining town is a place of gaming, drinking, and fighting.... sometimes to the death. The camp is lawless and unruly.

It could not have been a fight, for in 1850 that was not novel enough to have called together the entire settlement. The ditches and claims were not only deserted, but “Tuttle's grocery” had contributed its gamblers, who, it will be remembered, calmly continued their game the day that French Pete and Kanaka Joe shot each other to death over the bar in the front room.