''By The Great Horn Spoon'' is a children's novel by

Sid Fleischman Albert Sidney Fleischman (born Avron Zalmon Fleischman; March 16, 1920 – March 17, 2010) was an American author of children's books, screenplays, novels for adults, and nonfiction books about stage magic. His works for children are known for t ...

, published in 1963. It tells the story of a 12-year-old boy and his English

butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...

and their adventures in the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

. It was adapted into the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

film ''

The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin ''The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin'' is a 1967 American Western comedy film directed by James Neilson, produced by Walt Disney Productions, starring Roddy McDowall, Suzanne Pleshette, Hermione Baddeley, and Karl Malden. The film's screenplay ...

'', starring

Roddy McDowall Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 – 4 October 1998) was a British actor, photographer and film director. He began his acting career as a child in England, and then in the United States, in ''How Green Was My Valley'' (1 ...

and

Suzanne Pleshette Suzanne Pleshette (January 31, 1937 – January 19, 2008) was an American theatre, film, television, and voice actress. Pleshette started her career in the theatre and began appearing in films in the late 1950s and later appeared in prominent ...

. Because of its setting, the novel is recommended by the

California Department of Education The California Department of Education is an agency within the Government of California that oversees public education. The department oversees funding and testing, and holds local educational agencies accountable for student achievement. Its st ...

as a literary selection for classroom use.

Plot

Twelve-year-old Jack heads to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

to search for gold after his Aunt Arabella loses all her money. He is accompanied by Aunt Arabella's

, Praiseworthy. They plan to pay for passage on the ship ''Lady Wilma,'' but when a criminal named Cut-Eye Higgins steals their money, they stow away instead. Captain Swain catches them and forces them to work for their passage in the coal bunkers. While there, they meet Dr. Buckbee, who possesses a map of the gold fields. Cut-Eye Higgins steals the map and escapes in one of the

lifeboats Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen A ...

. During the journey, the ''Lady Wilma'' sails around

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramírez ...

and wins a race against a ship called the ''Sea Raven.'' After arriving in California, Praiseworthy and Jack give a miner named Quartz Jackson a haircut. Quartz Jackson teaches them how to pan for gold and finds some gold dust in his beard. He gives the gold dust to Praiseworthy, who puts it into his left glove. Praiseworthy and Jack board a

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

for the gold fields, only to discover Cut-Eye Higgins on the same journey. Highwaymen hold up the stagecoach and one tries to take Aunt Arabella's picture from Praiseworthy. Praiseworthy knocks him uphill with a punch from his left glove, which was weighted by the gold dust. The robbers take Higgins' coat, which contains the map. Jack and Praiseworthy arrive in Hangtown and have several adventures. When news of Praiseworthy's fight with the robbers reaches the locals, the miners give him the nickname "Bullwhip". A brawler named Mountain Ox challenges Praiseworthy to a boxing match. Jack buys a rifle and goes on a hunting trip, where he falls down a coyote hole and is rescued by one of the stagecoach robbers, who is wearing Cut-Eye Higgins' coat. Jack takes the coat, but the map is no longer there. Jack and Praiseworthy track Higgins to a

mining town A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry. Historic mining communities Australia * Ballarat, Victoria * Bendigo, ...

called Shirt-Tail Camp, where Higgins has become the local

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the mouth, oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofaci ...

. They arrive just in time to see Higgins being sentenced to

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...

for stealing a horse. Eager to find the map, they negotiate for his release. The

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

agrees to postpone the hanging until another dentist can be found, but still orders Jack and Praiseworthy to dig Higgins' grave. As they dig, they find gold. Afterward, they sell their burro to the Justice of the Peace and turn in their mining tools. They return to Hangtown, where Praiseworthy wins his fight with the Mountain Ox. The next day, as they are planning to leave, Jack sees his two sisters and his Aunt Arabella. Arabella agrees to marry Praiseworthy, who plans to become the first lawyer in the West.

Film adaptation

In 1967,

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios uni ...

adapted ''By the Great Horn Spoon'' into a movie called ''

''. Bryan Russell starred as Jack and

played "Eric Griffin," the new name for the butler character.

played Aunt Arabella, who in this version follows them to California and becomes a singer in a saloon. The character of Cut-Eye Higgins was changed from a criminal to a corrupt judge and portrayed by Karl Malden.

References

{{Portal, Children's literature 1963 American novels Children's historical novels American children's novels American historical novels California Gold Rush in fiction American novels adapted into films 1963 children's books