THE

 

MORMONS AT HOME

 

With some Incidents of Travel

FROM

MISSOURI TO CALIFORNIA,

1852-3.

IN A SERIES OF LETTERS,

BY MRS. B. G. FERRIS,

(WIFE OF THE LATE U. S. SECRETARY FOR UTAH.)

_____________________

NEW YORK: DIX & EDWARDS, 321 BROADWAY.

LONDON : SAMPSON LOW, SON & CO.

1856.

 

 

LETTER XIII.

SALT LAKE CITY TO BEAR RIVER.

 

Bear River, May 10, 1853.

            We have traveled from Great Salt Lake City to Bear River in almost an extacy of delight. No holiday pleasure excursion can begin to compare with it. Before leaving the Mormon capital, I had become quite childish in regard to our prospects of getting away -- I was really superstitious, and observant of signs and omens, fancying that something would turn up, to prevent our egress from this mountain-girt region. This feeling increased in intensity, as the time for departure arrived ; and it seems to me now, I must have gone into a regular fit of hysterics, had the event been delayed for a single day. You must recollect the time had already been postponed.

            The first arrangement was for the train to

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start as early as the 25th of April, and, with this view, Mr. Livingston had sent his wagon- master, Capt. Egan, and one of his clerks, Edgar Blodget, early in the month, to Bridger's, to procure a quantity of cattle for his drove. After they had been absent longer than seemed necessary, vague rumors of disaster began to float in, nobody knew how, and Mr. L. in alarm started off to look after their safety. He had a dismal time of it, and found his agents at the fort ; but they had suffered dreadfully. They became involved in the deep snow, lost their way, exhausted their provisions, and were actually ten days in sight of the fort in a state of starvation. They crawled for miles on their hands and knees, and finally came in with lacerated bodies and badly frozen feet -- Egan's so badly that he is unable to walk a step without the aid of crutches. About the same time, a party of Mexicans came in from the Rio Colorado, in not much better condition, and reported several of their companions frozen to death some twenty miles from the fort. Mr. L. says we can form no conception of

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the immense masses of snow which have accumulated in the mountains.

            These misadventures occasioned the delay, and it was quite easy for me to fancy others equally formidable. To cap the climax, Mr. F. had a chill about nine o'clock of the newly-appointed day, and we were to start at two -- an ominous drawback -- but he took a cold water pack -- an application which had before proved efficacious -- and was resolute to go.

            For days previous Morse exercised the mules, to bring them back again to proper discipline, and get through with the preliminary mishaps to harness, and other needful etcetera, which are apt to occur at the commencement of such an expedition ; and we made two or three little excursions in the environs of the city. Once we went to the hot spring, about three miles on the California road. It smoked in the distance like a steamboat. Should the boiler below explode some day, they will have a choice earthquake or two, to register among the phenomena of the valley. Perhaps a volcano will rear its conical head, and shoot forth its lurid artillery to the sky. It pours out a

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large volume of water, from beneath a shelving mass of soft rock, formed of limy and salt accretions from the water, and is unbearably hot. A small lake formed from it, on the lower side of the road, swarmed with water fowl, which screamed all sorts of discordances.

            When we got all ready to start, Mrs. Snow and Aunty Shearer came in to bid us good-by. Mrs. S. was anxious to obtain from me a expression on a particular point : she asked me if I could not be induced to believe that the spirituals, who are sincere in the belief of Mormonism, are without blame, and, therefore, to be regarded as wives, because they supposed themselves to be so. It was no time for a collision on any subject ; so I said that ignorance might furnish some excuse, but that the men who were keeping up the delusion deserved the severest punishment. This did not mend the matter much, because it assumed that the whole thing was an imposture. Aunty Shearer squared herself for a regular battle for the faith; but Mr. F. interposed, assuring them we had full confidence in the sincerity of those present ; but they must consider we were

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Gentiles, and looked upon it from a very different point of view, and must, therefore, excuse us.

            We parted with Mrs. Farnham with emotion on both sides. She has treated us with sisterly kindness throughout : I cannot now recall any want of attention to our least wants. We shall never see her again -- nor shall we ever forget her. The children, too, hang around us, and excited more regret at leaving than we supposed possible.

            The train started two days in advance of us. Its movements, at first, were slow, because it requires a short period to bring such a body of men and animals into a state of organization and discipline. Sundry things, too, are generally overlooked, and have to be sent back for. The banks of the Weber were appointed as the final rendezvous, where all the scattered components of our cavalcade were to be gathered, and from that point go on in conjunction. Mr. L. staid behind a week to await the arrival of the mail, which was looked for daily when we left.

            Capt. Egan, the conductor of our train, may

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fairly be termed a mountaineer. He has been back and forth from Missouri to Salt Lake, and from the latter to California, with the mail and with cattle, sundry times; and is reputed to be among the most experienced and safe for such an enterprise. The crippled condition of his feet compels him to ride in a wagon -- a few times he has mounted a horse, but com-plains of great pain. He is a Mormon ; but we have a hint that his Mormonism sits sufficiently light upon him to see that we poor Gentiles are properly cared for. So far he has been exceedingly attentive to our slightest wants. His wife accompanied us a few stages, and assisted Dr. Coward in dressing his feet.

            This Dr. Coward is an under-sized Englishman, who makes great pretensions to skill, and bustles about largely, both morning and evening, in attending upon his patients. His face is suspiciously ruddy, and his nose richly carbuncled, indicating deep internal potations. How he got to Salt Lake, I do not know; but have learned that he has a brother there who, having a wife in England, has taken

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another among the saints. The Doctor denounces Mormonism, the country, and all that is in it, and thinks his brother is in a dreadful fix. What have been the nature of his own predicaments in his native country, and since he left it, I shall, of course, not trouble my head about; but I may be pardoned, under the circumstances, if I look even to this low specimen of John Bullism, for some of the amusements of the long journey before us. I see he is not to be one of our mess in the camp, and in this, as in a hundred other things, we can trace the minute arrangements which Mr. L. has made for our comfort.

            Another companion of the journey is Dr. H , who belongs to our mess, and in whom we feel more than ordinary interest. He was once a Mormon, or at least tried to think he was, and is now taking final leave of that hopeful fraternity. He is a first-rate dentist, is a man of some education, abounds in good feelings, and is lively and witty in conversation. In the States he met with adverse fortune, and, after being buffeted about roughly for a time, he found himself among the

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Latter Day Saints, as a species of last and desperate resort ; and, being of a skeptical inclination of mind, he joined them because he concluded their religion to be as good as any afloat. It seemed to be a fair point for the practice of his profession, so he bought a house and lot, and thought himself in a fair way of being snugly settled for life. But the rough points of his new brotherhood eventually became as unbearable as the barrel of spikes to which poor Regulus was treated by the Carthaginians. He found a respectable amount of business, but no pay ; and was cheated in all imaginable ways. He became acquainted and was brought into contact with every conceivable kind of rascality ; and, becoming utterly disgusted with his new associates, he made up his mind to leave them.

            During the winter he came often to our quarters, and aided us in passing the time pleasantly. As the period for departure approached, the Doctor became almost womanishly nervous, lest the rascals should prevent his departure, by cutting his harness, poisoning his mules, instituting sham legal proceed-

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ings, or in some other way embarrass his movements ; and he has so often repeated that, if he was only over Bear River, he would feel safe, that " over Bear River" became with us a phrase as significant as "over Jordan." This river, though not the geographical boundary of Brigham's pontificate, is practically regarded as the limit of his sway in this direction.

            We have also a specimen of womankind, as Monkbarns would say, in the person of Mrs. Kinney, who came from England to make salvation secure by gathering with the saints. She acts in the capacity of cook to our mess. All I shall ask of her is civility and neatness, and as yet she seems duly qualified in both respects. Her husband is along as " master of the horse," and, as we have some noble specimens in the train, his time is fully taken up with his charge.

            We started on the 5th, with that kind of exhilaration usually felt at the commencement of a pleasant trip. The day was superbly fine, not a cloud to be seen, and the mountains flashing their snowy tops in the sunlight. We passed around the elbow of the mountain

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range, on the lower step of which the city is built, and went directly north -- bidding adieu, in passing, first to the warm springs, which had furnished the luxury of a bath, and then to the hot springs, whose ever-ascending vapor is such a remarkable addition to the scenery. Morse was in high feather, flourishing his long whip ; and the mules dashed along as though they, too, felt elated in escaping from the Mormon dominions. We passed for some fifteen miles at the base of the mountain, and then diverged to the left towards the lake, to the residence of a Mr. Hayt, of whom we had engaged some choice butter for our own use, and where we spent the night. This man is a large farmer, living in a fair-sized adobe house within a mile of the lake. A very pretty stream coursed rapidly a few rods in the rear ; and, as it was lined with a small growth of trees, the whole scene looked more like eastern life than we usually see. On the other side of the way was a large and convenient barn, and the yard adjacent contained some fine Durham and Devon cows ; and we are told that the Mormon settle-

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ments are well provided with imported breeds of cattle.

            We were hospitably entertained, and pressingly invited to sleep within the walls of the building; but our traveling bed-room was ready for use, and we thought it as well to make a beginning there as at the end of the next stage. The family is rigidly Mormon, but there is but one wife ; and I was told, before leaving the city, that she was an eastern woman, and would return to the States on a visit to her friends, but for the apprehension of his taking another in her absence. She was manifestly sore on this subject; and I fancied the servant girl looked and acted as though she was a candidate for promotion. Mrs. H., however, is evidently a tartar ; and if there is not warm work when the kitchen-maid gains the right of entré to the parlor, I shall think some change has taken place in human nature.

            This is the last house we shall probably enter before reaching California. We left it the next morning, on a good road along the lake -- the ascending vapor of the hot spring

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hanging like a thin veil of gauze at the base of the mountains, and the city just dimly-visible in the rear. After traveling about ten miles, we were overtaken by Dr. H., who staid behind to complete his arrangements, and together we continued the route in pursuit of the train. Winding our way along to the right, towards the mountains, some five miles, we finally descended into the valley of the Weber, near the immense gorge from which it issues forth, and found the train on the banks of the stream, in one of the loveliest spots imaginable. There were a goodly number of acres perfectly level, richly carpeted with grass, upon which the cattle were feeding with great apparent satisfaction ; in front a handsome belt of trees lined the river up and down ; and, to the right, at a short distance, arose the mountains, buttressed with frowning rocks, and the summits covered with snow.

            We reached the camp early enough to have two or three little strolls in search of wild flowers and odd looking pebbles, along the margin of the stream. The banks are exceed-

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ingly steep and precipitous, and the water courses along with the rapidity of a race-way. Our men had great difficulty in forcing the mules down to the water to drink. Mrs. Kinney busied herself in arranging her house-keeping appointments, which proved to be ample in amount and quality. She superintends a huge wagon, which we all call "the kitchen," and in which are stored away the furniture for the table, with a multitude of eatables. She found matters very much at heads and points, and said it would take two or three days to get everything into regular order. The immense vehicle, drawn by any number of oxen, furnishes her, also, with a sleeping apartment. Our supper, about sunset, was served on a camp table -- a very convenient affair, which is taken to pieces and put together again with great ease -- around which we were comfortably seated in chairs.

            Soon after, the men gathered the cattle into an immense "corral," which some herder had erected in this beautiful pasture ground, consisting of upright logs, stockade fashion. Darkness thickened around us ; and, disturbed only

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by the lowing of the herd, we quietly passed the first night with the train.

            The next morning we crossed the Weber on a bridge, and then we had a rough and troublesome causeway of brush and poles for half a mile, through a wet piece of ground. This place had been talked about before we started, as very dangerous in miring animals, and, of course, was a subject of dread ; but it had been rendered more safe by the falling of the river and some repairs. These difficulties over, we had a pleasant road for the rest of the day.

            The Ogden river, a much smaller stream, we forded with ease ; and passed Ogden city -- a merely thickly-settled neighborhood, but which flourishes largely upon paper, among Mormon cities. Our day's travel was near the mountains -- huge battlements, raising their crests to the sky -- their sides seamed with wavy thread lines, made by the moccasined feet of the Indians in finding their way to their inaccessible dens and wick-ee-ups,* reminding you of the stealthy panther seeking his lair.

_________________________________

* Wigwams.

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            Among the noted places of the region is Ogden's Hole -- a quiet, sequestered nook of the cañon from which the river flows ; and celebrated for one or more of those desperate encounters between mountaineers and savages which are fast becoming traditionary. It is noted, too, for one of those rough romances which belong to savage and half civilized life of more recent date. The story goes, that one of the roving white hunters, some five or six years ago, became attached to and married the daughter of a chief, and lived in this retreat, with much apparent contentment. He acquired great influence over the natives ; joined them in their hunts and sports; contended successfully with the grisly bear; brought down the mountain sheep from the highest crag; and drew the largest and brightest trout from the stream. His retreat, sheltered from storms, remained green the year round, and enabled him to gather about him a fine herd of cattle from the passing emigrant. His cattle finally became so numerous, that he drove them off to California, and returned with a splendid lot of horses. These, unfortunately,

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tempted the cupidity of his Mormon neighbors, and he suddenly and mysteriously died. The property was seized under some pretense, and eventually distributed among the authorities of the church ; and the poor squaw, with three or four bright little half breeds, in a state bordering on starvation, found shelter in one of the caves which abound in these cañons, her brief dream of happiness with the white man brought rudely to a close.

            The next day we passed a hot spring, directly by the roadside, which would be a curiosity in any other part of the world. The water poured forth in a generous quantity, forming a large marshy place, and coated everything thickly with ferruginous matter -- the stones and earth were as red as blood. The water itself was perfectly limpid, but salt and very bitter. The upper side of the road was lined with huge granite boulders, some of them rising twenty feet high, and giving an air of wildness to the scene. That night we camped on another lovely spot. It was a gravelly slope, which seemed to have been formed by waters rushing from the small

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cañon, at the mouth of which we took up our temporary abode. A clear, pebbly stream now issued forth, and the slope was covered with white primrose, lichnis, and wild geranium.

            The next day we passed a collection of warm springs, all more or less salt; and near them was one of those large fountains which form the head of a considerable stream. The water poured out a heavy volume, and looked so clear that we were tempted to quench our thirst, just then at fever heat, but one taste of the briny fluid was enough -- the lake itself was not more salt. Our day's journey brought us to within five miles of Bear river, on an uninteresting spot -- a perfectly dead flat, the mountain rising abruptly from its surface -- the animals, however, found good pasture, and that amply compensated for the tameness of the scenery.

            To-day has been a noted one in our journey. We have passed the Bear and Malad rivers, and are now encamped on the banks of the latter stream. I hope we have not many more such crossings to encounter. Bear river is

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bounded by bluffs about fifty feet high, very steep, descending which brought us upon a narrow flat, forming the valley of the stream. The river itself is about two hundred feet wide, a deep, swift, turbid, and gloomy current, forming a fit boundary to the Mormon empire. We found a rough, crazy-looking ferry-boat; and the ferryman, sufficiently Charon-like for this modern Styx, was ready to land us on the western side for a consideration. The cattle were first driven in, and swam across ; and here occurred an incident that frightened me not a little. One pair of oxen were carried below the landing place, and not being able to climb up the steep bank, rolled over each other, twisting their necks in the yoke, and there was a fair prospect of one or both being drowned. Morse plunged in to save them, and, it seemed to me, he came near being drowned, too; but "all's well that ends well.'' Our mules were driven on to the boat; but, when it started from the shore, the stupid things kept backing until they went in backwards, and, after being rescued, had to be stripped of their harness and driven through

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like the cattle. The carriages and the human chattels, not having the fear of the flood before them, were safely ferried across.

            After our carriage had been taken over, and I had quietly seated myself out of the sun's rays, Mr. Livingston rode up with the mail, and, oh joy of joys! there was a batch of letters from home. Of course, I soon forgot Bear river, and all connected with it, and was " over the hills and far away." If ever I get home again, and have friends simple enough to be wandering in the Great Basin, or any other outlandish part of creation, I now promise to be a faithful correspondent. No one can describe the intense pleasure of receiving "letters from home," under such circumstances; nor is there anything to which I can compare it, unless it be that of one in a burning fever, who dreams of quenching his raging thirst at a cool and limpid fountain.

            Three or four miles further brought us to the next obstacle, the Malad, bounded by similar bluffs. This appears, usually, to be a mere creek, but it was high water, and the space between the bluffs was completely flooded. It

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is a very sluggish stream, but occasioned us a world of trouble to get over -- the wagons and carriages having to be unloaded to save their contents from a wetting. Ourselves, with all the goods and chattels of the train, were taken over by piece-meal, in a light, portable boat, which has been provided for such emergencies -- a rope being stretched from bank to bank as a guide. Once over, everything had to be reloaded, making the operation similar to a house-moving on the first of May, by those poor mortals who are unable to live in a tenement of their own. The space between the bluffs is thickly lined with reeds, and the true bed of the stream may be easily traced by their absence. Here we are encamped on the western bank, on a disagreeable clay soil, rendered wet and muddy by the dripping cattle as they emerge from the water. Every one is tired and weary of the day's operations, and I feel so, too, because the rest are.

 

 

LETTER XIV.

FROM BEAR TO MARY'S RIVER.

 

Valley of the Humboldt, June 3d, 1855.

            I BEGIN to think the Great Basin, like many- other great things in this world, a great humbug. I had become impressed, as have, doubtless, many others, that this geographical wonder was surrounded on all sides by an immense circular range of mountains as a rim, after surmounting which, would be found a hollow or basin, in which there were comparatively few obstacles to locomotion. But this is altogether a mistake. Thus far it has been a labyrinth of mountains, irregular highlands, frightful gorges, very interesting to the geologist and geographer, but dreadfully wearisome to the traveler, as we can vouch. We have passed I don't know how many summits, and found streams running to all points of the compass. We have Fremont's map, and by its aid have tried to keep up a knowledge of our where-

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abouts ; but are compelled to rely much more upon Capt. Egan, who pronounces the map inaccurate.

            We are now encamped near the head of the valley of the Humboldt, or Mary's river, for two or three days, until an exploring party can return. It seems the swollen state of the river has rendered the usual road, which runs mostly on the north side, nearly impassable; and the prospect now is, that we may be compelled to make a track, for ourselves, over the bluffs, on the south side. At any rate, I take advantage of the delay in putting together the scattered fragments of my journal, that you may have an account of things heard and seen, since we left the Malad on the 10th of May, nearly a month ago.

            Our first day's journey was only three miles, owing to the tired state of the men and animals ; but this brought us to a beautiful green slope, covered with blue-bottles and other flowers -- and to the South stretched far away the valley of the Lake, the whole extent of which, about one hundred and eighty miles, was open to view, bounded by snowy ranges.

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            Our position was a commanding one, inasmuch as we could plainly trace the Bear and Malad winding to their junction, and to the Lake; and the white shores of the latter, incrusted with salt sparkled in the sun ; and the islands, some tame and others rising into rocky peaks, dotted this sea of salt, and made up a combination of grand and beautiful, rarely to be found. We were directly north of an arm or bay of the Lake, formed by a high promontory which run a great distance south. The large cattle train of Halliday & Warner, rival merchants at the city, were a little in advance. At evening their camp fires flickered in the darkness, and we could distinguish figures moving to and fro, though too distant for sounds to reach us -- fancy gave them the appearance of spectres.

            Our route along the northern end of the Lake, through a depression of the highlands which formed the promontory, over a rough up-and-down road, giving us an occasional glimpse of the water, did not possess many striking features. One day we descended into a valley, some fifteen miles broad, having a

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stream running to the north, and whether it swept around and emptied into Bear river, or was a confluent of the waters of Oregon, we could not determine ; but if the latter we were out of the Great Basin, so called.

            We encamped one night on the slope forming the western bounds of the valley, and enjoyed an extended prospect. The soil was sandy, and a fierce wind whirled it in eddies around us, seasoning our dinner rather too highly for comfort. The cattle spread themselves over an immense range in search of food; and just at evening three well-formed savages rode into camp, mounted and armed, staid a short time, peered about with great inquisitiveness, and then rode off at top speed, disappearing over the hills at the northwest. The movement was suspicious : in a few minutes two or three mounted men sped in the same direction, and shortly after the herd were seen gathering from different points of the compass, for the purpose of being guarded for the night. To me the scene was wild and exciting; and I could not help anticipating our dreams might be rudely disturbed by a

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band of whooping Indians, in quest of our animals, if not bent on more tragic mischief. The night passed quietly off, however, with no other commotion than that occasioned by the wind, which did not abate its fury, and rendered the next day's travel uncomfortable.

            The highlands exhibited a scattered growth of stunted pine and cedar -- each tree forming a clump branching out from the bottom, with a rounded outline nearly in the shape of a hay stack, and rising not much higher. In a grove of these trees we found the train of Halliday & Warner, encamped for a few days, and in which our old traveling companions, Mr. and Mrs. Phelps, were making their way to California. At this point, Dr. H.'s wagon very opportunely broke down, and detained us, while repairing, long enough to make Mrs. P. a visit. I found her suffering with her old enemy, the chills. The baby, poor thing, has commenced the journey of life roughly, and needs more care than it can possibly receive. By the side of their traveling habitation, were a French family in one of the huge wagons composing the train. The daughter, a very

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pretty girl, descended the steps lightly, and led forth several domestic fowls for their daily exercise, while the father, grimly bearded, was anxiously watching an omelette in the spider -- the mother quietly looking on. I asked the old lady how she carried these chickens, seeing no fixture in the wagon for that purpose.

            "Oh, in the wagon, indeed -- and they be- have like leetle ladees -- never speak -- lay every day -- don't even cackle for fear of disturbing us -- Ma chere amie -- they know I'm talking of them now."

            Sure enough, the " leetle ladees" waddled about and peered at us, knowing enough to make good the boast of their mistress.

            The young miss, however, manifested less interest in her charge, than in being seen by the beaux of the camp, who were galloping about, California fashion. Mrs. P. said she had already refused several of them, and intimated that she was reserving herself for an easy victory over some wealthy inhabitant of the gold region.

            Leaving our friends, we found ourselves comfortably camped near a range of hills, south

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of us, on a fine grassy slope, a noisy stream of water roaring and dashing to the northwest, as though impatient to reach its journey's end. Here we found some beautiful white marble, also handsome specimens of laminated mica. In the enthusiasm of the moment, we generally gather up such geological trophies as strike our fancy, but, in the end, are compelled to throw them away on account of the weight. Does this stream pay tribute to the sluggish waters of Salt Lake, to be carried off by evaporation, or is it hurrying on to the ocean through the waters of Oregon? The latter we believe to be the fact, especially as the next stage brought us to a deep, swift stream, called, by the Captain, De Cassure Creek, which flows still more directly north. It was so narrow that it seemed as though we might almost step from one bank to the other ; yet so deep that we were compelled to use our boat, and undergo the unloading and loading process, as at the Malad.

            After crossing, our route was southwesterly, and the next day's ride brought us into the Fort Hall road, and past the Steeple Rocks.

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            These rocks are well named, consisting of four steeples or pinnacles, which shoot up, one much higher than the rest, and look as though they might be the towers of a ruined castle of feudal times. I suppose a machinist, in these utilitarian times, would fancy them the chimneys to some vast forge, in which Vulcan was the master workman, in by-gone days. Soon after passing these towering rocks, we descended into a pleasant valley, at the western side of which rose up the Goose Creek mountains. In this valley, on the banks of a small, quiet stream, we took up our habitation, and spent a whole week waiting for the cattle purchased by Mr. L. at Bridger's, and which were to join us from the Fort Hall road at this point.

            A week's residence in camp, in a traveling caravan, is a dreadfully dull business, however much the scenery may combine of the grand and beautiful. Here was a broad valley, at least five miles in width, stretching away southeasterly and northwesterly, as far as the eye could reach; in front were summits covered with snow; huge rocks were piled up

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in towering majesty, commanding admiration; flowers were thickly scattered along banks of the creek, modestly wasting their sweets upon the desert air ; yet, in less than a single half day, the whole scene began to pall upon the sight. The truth is, in traveling, the interest can only be kept up by continual locomotion -- each day presenting its new scenes of beauty or grandeur.

            We soon became domesticated in our transient residence. Our camp extended along the margin of the little stream at least a fourth of a mile, and established its " up town and down town" distinctions. Before this, Mrs. Kinney's arrangements were completed, and we had settled down into a regular kind of migratory house-keeping ; and, really, we fare about as well, and have matters as orderly, as in a first class hotel. There seems to be nothing wanting but a first and second bell as a summons to our meals. The fare is excellent. Breakfast -- beef steak, white trout, from Utah Lake, slightly salted, eggs and coffee, with an abundance of cream : and soup, roast beef, with puddings and preserved fruits,

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with variations, form the dinner. A large and convenient tent is pitched on the halting of the train, and our hospitable host presides with as much attention as though we were temporary visitors. He contends there is no reason why we should not live as well in camp as elsewhere ; and as there are plenty of cows in the herd to be milked, and of fat beeves to be slaughtered, the means of generous fare are abundantly at hand.

            After the first day we took one or two short excursions, something like a mile from head quarters; but fresh Indian signs were discovered, and it was not deemed prudent to venture any further. The same day, towards evening, one of the horses came rushing in, trembling in every joint, as though a band of red skins were in full chase. Men were sent in haste to gather the rest, and, particularly, to look after the safety of Rob Roy, the pet horse of the camp, the favorite of Mr. L., and really a beautiful and intelligent animal ; and, soon after, the cattle came bounding in. It is a grand sight, the gathering of this great herd for guarding during the night

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-- almost equal to a band of buffalo -- lowing, bellowing, and rushing madly about, with any number of mock fights and playful tiltings with each other; and, occasionally, some hundreds rush wildly on together in a kind of stampede, shaking the very ground beneath their feet. Sometimes our carriage is completely hemmed in by huge oxen, almost the size of elephants, and we are compelled to make a grand flourish of whips to prevent mischief. The calves, too, in the melee, would be separated from their mothers ; and, like other juveniles, under similar trying circumstances, made their share of the noise. On these occasions, Kinney makes himself useful in attending to their wants.

            Notwithstanding the usual dullness of camp life, each day brought with it some matter of interest. One day, with great labor, we climbed to the top of a high peak, on which rested a few wasting snow-banks ; and had a fine view of a snowy range to the northwest, evidently in Oregon. We found a wilderness of huge granite boulders -- plenty of mica schist and aricacious quartz -- and also some stratified

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rocks. Of course, we are on the look out for precious stones -- expect to find a few diamonds, and any number of rubies and sapphires, not to mention less attractive minerals. Among the curiosities of the animal kingdom, we discovered and captured a horned toad -- a singular-looking object, truly -- the horns, instead of projecting from its head in a civilized way, proceed, in small points, from its sides, like the teeth of a saw.

            At evening the clouds rolled up from the mountains, and burst upon us in a heavy storm. The lightning was exceedingly vivid, and the thunder growled and crashed around us with terrible energy. Our carriage rocked in the wind, but kept up its old water-tight reputation, and we were as snug as heart could wish, all things considered. But the poor cattle turned their backs to the tempest and rushed, in a body, to the opposite highlands ; and the men had to turn out and chase them for miles, before they succeeded in bringing back the runaways.

            On the 20th, while at dinner, a long train came winding around the hill from the direc-

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tion of Steeple Rocks, and stretched itself across the valley. In the stillness and absence of life in this mountain vale, the moving of such a body in the distance, without so much as the sound of a whip, or the everlasting " gee-up- whoa," seemed more like a phantasm of the imagination than living beings. Two of the men branched off, and rode up to greet us, from whom we learned that it was the train of Halliday & Warner, as we had conjectured. A magnificent sunset closed the day, soft and beautiful, lighting up the thunder clouds at the north, tinging with gold their distinct and massy outlines ; and the deep booming which came forth from that direction, told of a storm passing around us.

            The next day a train, with a great drove of sheep, said to number four thousand, en- camped near us. They belong to a Mr. Goodell, an old mountaineer ; and he has large Spanish dogs, and a motley band of men, consisting of swarthy Mexicans, and Indians of various tribes -- there was also a Lipan, and one or two Pinos from the interior of New Mexico, with a number of thieving, murdering Co-

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manches, exhibiting a marked difference in physiognomy -- altogether a very vagabond- looking train. Goodell hails from our own State ; has a wife, it is said, in every tribe of natives with whom he has traded, for the sake of the influence which it gives him ; wears richly-worked buckskin pants and moccasins, evincing a degree of taste and neatness in his squaw tribes superior to the eastern tribes ; and a gaudy belt around his waist, garnished with weapons, giving him the appearance of a finished mountain rover. He is emphatically a monarch in his dominions, whips his ragged group for the least insubordination, and they obey his slightest glance, as he lies dreamingly smoking upon his bed of skins. He expects to make a fabulous sum out of his long-legged, coarse-wooled, black-nosed animals, looking very different from our mild, innocent, dumpling-shaped sheep. We visited his flock, and he pointed out to us, as a great curiosity, one that had four horns.

            On the 23d, the rest of the train came up, making an addition of about six hundred, most-

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ly cows, to our already large herd ; and the next day we joyfully ended our week's sojourn, making our way over the mountains, through a pass which seems to have been made on purpose. The ascent was not very steep, but we found melting snow banks and plenty of mud. Remnants of broken wagons were scattered along ; and among other evidences of the perseverance and energy of the white race, were the rusted shafts, wheels, and other machinery for a steam mill, left here in 1849, on which some unfortunate emigrant had founded his hopes of a fortune in the western El Dorado. Stern, indeed, must have been the necessity which compelled the owner to leave it, after overcoming two-thirds of the distance from the States -- a thing to be gazed at in wonder by the Indians.

            We soon passed over the snow beds, and, as we emerged from the pass, after reaching the summit, exclamations were heard from all, on the wild grandeur and beauty of the scene. Heavy thunder clouds enveloped some distant peaks, giving them the appearance of active volcanos rolling up dense volumes of smoke;

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while the stratified hill sides, in our more immediate vicinity, abounded in rich coloring, purple and crimson predominating, on a base of soft green, changing and shifting as a light mist rose and fell. It was among the unrivaled panoramic views with which we are favored. We rested under two or three spreading, stunted cedars, near the summit, to enjoy the prospect, in a spot where weary ones, bound to California, had wept bitter tears -- a few graves, the scattered fragments of wagons, and the bones of dead animals, furnished abundant and speaking evidence of their sufferings. This journey is only for those who have health and spirits to enjoy and to endure : to those who are unfortunate, it is a chapter of woe.

            We finally rolled, tumbled, and pitched, I hardly know how, down, down, until we safely landed on a swiftly-running and noisily-roaring branch of Goose Creek. In some of the worst places the mules would seem to fold up their slender legs, and slide down on their haunches with a knowing look, as though that was the only way to keep the carriage from performing a somerset over their heads.

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            The party, consisting of Mr. L., Dr. H., and ourselves, halted on the banks of the stream to wait for the rest of the train ; and I must confess I looked anxiously at the thick growth of willows, and the huge granite boulders, not knowing what moment an arrow would whiz into our group. Soon, however, to my relief, the advance squad of cattle came bounding down the declivities, a welcome sight ; and, after crossing the stream, we found a cosy camping place : a complete basin, surrounded by jagged highlands, covered with a scrubby growth of cedar. Bright tufts of crimson flowers were thickly scattered over the rocky debris. Our tent was pitched on a natural lawn, where nothing but the finest, softest grass grew : if it had been clipped and rolled for years, it could not have been more velvety. We walked to the top of the nearest hill, while the train was gathering and folding up its huge length. The sight was imposing -- the scouts hurried about here and there, searching every nook and corner, with their guns gleaming in the descending sun, not for enemies, but poor, simple cows and

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calves. I fancied we were a tribe of wandering Scythians, that this spot was now all the world to us, and that ere long we should go forth in search of other green pastures.

            I am sure our descent was much longer than our ascent on the other side of the mountain ; and, as the water flows northwesterly, we must have been in a deep valley, descending towards Oregon.

            We kept on descending until we came to Goose Creek, up which our route lay south-westerly. A parallel range of mountains, apparently some forty to fifty miles from the one we had just surmounted, forms an immense valley, the filling up of which consists of passes, canons, gorges, and a multitude of lateral streams ; we passed any number of the latter, some of which, muddy and miry, we floundered through with difficulty -- narrowly escaping a disagreeable application of hydropathy. In one place a monad-shaped hill stood solitary and alone, on a level piece of ground, the side facing the road nearly perpendicular, and at the top a strata of rocks, extending

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at least the fourth of a mile, so even that it seemed a work of art. In another place, for more than a mile, the bluffs on our left were lined with soft limestone rocks, shelving over and scooped into all manner of shapes -- ovens and miniature caves -- into one or two of which our gentlemen had the curiosity to creep. As these cavities are sheltered from the weather and floods, it is difficult to see how they could have been produced, unless the bluffs have, at some time, been the shore of a large body of water, and the soft parts of the rock washed out by the dashing waves. Large quantities of marl also made their appearance from time to time, ready to dispense their riches to some future agriculturists.

            On the 26th we left the immediate valley of Goose Creek, following up one of its branches through a narrow pass, lined with scoria and basaltic rocks. Singular specimens of isolated rocks, some of great height, and others of fantastic shape and figure, stood up like ancient heroes, turned into stone while fighting their last battle. We wound our way through in a very tortuous manner, crossing and recrossing

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the brawling stream continually. After passing another cañon, scorched and blackened by volcanic fires, like the throat of a furnace, and up a stony ascent, we found a camping place by the side of a little gurgling brook, covered with luxuriant grass, to the great delight of the cattle, many of which, however, were soon floundering in treacherous quicksands. Flowers, of every hue and delightful fragrance, were in abundance ; and so we go on from desolation to fertility, which strangely alternate throughout this whole region -- now a sterile defile, blackened with volcanic fires, and then a lovely vale, clothed in the very luxury of vegetation.

            The next day we passed a summit, the waters evidently running southwesterly. Do they find a passage through the range on our left, into Salt Lake, or through the Humboldt, into the Mary's River? Geographers have yet much to learn of the Great Basin.

            The same day we came into "Thousand Spring Valley," and encamped in a small lateral canon, near one of the most beautiful springs of clear, cold water I ever beheld --

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gushing out from under a limestone rock, and running over clean gravel, some distance, before reaching a grassy level. Opposite to us were the remains of a few wretched lodges of the Utahs, constructed of wild sage bushes ; and they had managed partly to burrow in the hill side during the past winter. Broken arrow heads of obsidian, remnants of rudely-fashioned baskets for catching fish, and snow shoes, were scattered about : the dens of wild beasts could scarcely have furnished less evidence of civilization. Fresh tracks indicated the near presence of the savages, and our captain was on the qui vive against a surprise. Several new varieties of flowers, with primrose and cactus, rewarded the short walk we were permitted to make from camp.

            The next day -- the Sabbath -- our course was westerly, up Thousand Spring Valley, over ground strongly impregnated with alkali -- the pools by the wayside filled up by a recent storm, exhibiting the appearance of common lye. In passing a low, wet spot we got into trouble : Mr. L. was in front, and his strong, heavy horses floundered through ; while our

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males, immediately in the rear, plumped down to their necks in the mud, as though it were a matter of course -- the carriage sinking, too, up to the axle-trees, as fixed and immovable, apparently, as fate. Here was a fix. Our animals, after a few struggles, gave the matter up very quietly, and pointed forward their ears in admiration, as though they felt themselves the " observed of all observers." The audience was small, but decidedly interested. How we were to be extricated I could not see ; but Mr. L. encouraged us by representing it as a trifling predicament.

            In the first place, the mules were relieved of their harness; and, one at a time, with a little assistance, wallowed through, covered with saline mud of the color of ashes, in a very sorry plight. After breaking all the lariats, and partly miring Mr. L.'s team in a vain attempt to draw out the carriage rearward, Canfield, one of the Mormon missionaries, who is on his way to California, came up with a yoke of oxen, and drew us from the miry pit. I thought we might have made a fair tableau for one of the scenes in the

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Diorama of Pilgrim's Progress, though it is hardly fair to allow Canfield -- who is most irreverently called "Old Si," as a contraction for Cyrus -- to represent Great Heart. It seems we had taken one of the branching roads, which had been disused on account of the treacherous nature of the soil, and the train passed us to the right, near the bluffs. Soon after overtaking the train, we encountered the principal stream of the valley, deep and rapid, and were compelled to use our portable boat, and once more unload the wagons. It was a Sabbath most wearisomely spent ; and, in this respect, strongly contrasted with the quiet and peaceful aspects of the day in civilized lands.

            The next day we continued our course westerly up a small, clear, gravelly stream, which finally led up a beautiful grassy ravine, in the mountain range, we had been continually approaching. About half way in the ascent, we found a level place, so well abounding in grass near a spring that the Captain, contrary to the usual custom, concluded to halt at mid-day, and refresh man and beast. While cosily seated

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around our well-supplied table, we had, for the first time since leaving the north end of Salt Lake, a visit from the natives -- five or six Shoshonies, as they claimed to be. They had good-natured countenances, and were better formed and dressed than we expected to see on this route. Two of them stood near, and made laughing remarks to each other, wondering that so much ceremony should be necessary, and occasionally pointing to the roast beef upon the table, and then to his mouth, saying, " tick-up, tick-up,'''' which means " I'm hungry." We continued ascending on a pleasant road, occasionally shaded by a handsome growth of trees -- a great rarity in this part of the world -- until we reached the summit. From this point the view was magnificent. In front, some fifteen miles distant, was a portion of the veritable Humboldt range, clothed in snow ; a part glittering in the sun, and another part enveloped in a heavy thunder cloud, which gave out muttering evidences of a storm. In a northerly direction we had a view of the snowy mountains of Oregon, over which hung another portentous bank of clouds, black as

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night, and gleaming with frequent flashes of lightning. A thunder storm is always a grand spectacle, but it transcends description when rolling and flashing over these mighty elevations, as though such were the scenery where its sublimity can be appropriately displayed.

            We waited until the rest of the train came up, and then descended for some miles into a wide, pleasant, grassy valley, when, it becoming evident we were to encounter the storm, the Captain gave the welcome order for encamping. We had scant time to make the necessary preparation, before the tempest broke upon us in great fury. The lightning seemed to envelop us in perfect sheets of flame, and the thunder crashed and pealed over us, at a rate beyond all former conception. The rain came down in torrents, and, as our carriage rocked in the blast, it seemed as if we must be swept off like so much thistle down; yet the thick, close covering kept us as dry as in a house, and, in an hour's time, the sun came smilingly out, as though the face of nature never intended again to put on a frowning aspect.

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            The next morning we had another visit from the natives, and, to our utter surprise, they gave notice that one of the cattle had been left in the rear : they cannot be so wholly bad after all. One of them was dressed in a complete suit of the white man, obtained, as the men insisted, by robbery or murder. I asked him -- partly by signs, and partly by words -- whether he would kill a white man, if in his power ; he opened his jacket, and, pointing to his heart, said: "American kill Shoshonee." In passing through the valley, we had more or less of the natives with us all day, and saw their " wick-ee-ups" at different points in the distance, made up of grass and sage bushes -- some of the grass ones woven very neatly, presenting the appearance of large bee-hives. The valley deepened as we proceeded, and, to all appearance, extended to a great distance on the east of the Humboldt range ; but a sudden turn to the right through a pass, brought us to a pleasant camping ground on a rivulet flowing into Mary's River, only a mile or two from us. The mail-carrier came in from California, with a dismal account

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of the roads and the mosquitos -- the former, along the river, next to impassable ; and the latter, of superior size and industry, were his daily and nightly torment. The train of Halliday & Warner had just crossed the river, and in so doing had encountered serious difficulties ; and another train in advance of that had spent four days in crossing a small stream. Under these circumstances, Captain Egan concluded to keep on the south of the river. We went on about seven miles, and here we now are, encamped on the bluffs -- a clear stream rushing past us from the mountains to the left, its banks thickly bordered with bright orange lupins of unusual size; and the ground, in patches, carpeted with moss pink. The Captain and four men have gone forward to explore ; the weather is a drizzly rain, and, though I can keep dry by remaining housed in our traveling mansion, it shuts off some pleasant walks that might be made along the creek in search of flowers. The men, yesterday, caught a brood of sage chickens, so shy that they sit with their eyes closed when you are looking at them ; but their cry for

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the old bird was so mournful, that I let them go this morning. A party with pack, mules, from California, came in from the main road to obtain a supply of flour -- a dreadfully rough looking set of men -- and they confirm the news of the river route being flooded. We begin to believe the Indians, who continue to say -- " Pe-op, Ca-wino,'' which Morse translates, "water no good."

            June 4. Last evening our commander returned after exploring fifty miles of the route, and reports it entirely practicable, with plenty of grass and water. We are to keep close to the mountains, on account of more easily crossing the streams ; and the ox teams are to constitute our van-guard, to break through the everlasting sage bushes and grease wood, which constitute the ornamental shrubbery of this region. To-day is spent in preparation, and to-morrow we commence a route destined to be called " Egan's Cut Off." Some fine trout from the stream have been added to our good cheer, resembling our for-famed brook trout in shape, but of richer coloring, the crimson spots being a deep purple.

 

 

LETTER XV.

DOWN THE VALLEY OF MARY'S RIVER TO CARSON VALLEY.

 

Wassaw Valley, July 10, 1853.

            Rob, the favorite horse of Mr. L., and decidedly the pet of the whole camp, can do almost everything, but talk outright in human fashion ; and he has ways of expressing himself which no one can misunderstand. I never saw a more beautiful animal. He seems to be perfectly aware that he is a privileged being; every other horse gives way to him ; and as to the mules, poor humble things, he has only to turn his head with a peculiar leer, and they hurry off as though they expected to be annihilated. His skin is as soft and silky as satin, under the daily grooming of Kinney ; and he is fed with sundry knick-knackeries by everybody. He is fond of sugar, and, time and again, I

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have fed him with it from my hand ; and it is curious to see with what delicate care he will lick it off without hurting me. He comes regularly to our carriage for crackers and odd ends of biscuit ; and if the door happens to be shut he will rub against it ; and, sometimes, when I do not notice him, he will take hold and give my dress a slight pull to attract attention, and often lay his nose in my lap like a dog. Marvelous stories are told of his performances. Once he saved his master's life, by bearing him bravely through the flood in the Missouri -- and, again, he distanced a band of mounted savages, running nearly a whole day and part of the night. No wonder he is a favorite.

            We had another camp pet worthy of mention. In passing a place where Goodell had encamped the previous night, a little lamb was discovered in the sage bushes -- the poor little thing had been left in the confusion. Its cries were piteous, and it was carefully put into one of the wagons, and has been brought along and taken care of; and it is pleasant to witness the interest which the roughest

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men in the train take in the welfare of the little cast-away.

            On the 5th of June, in a clear, chilly atmosphere, we resumed our journey. After going up stream for more than a mile to find a crossing, and then filling our water cans with the pure cold water, for emergencies, we made our pathless way along the base of the mountains, through sage bushes, now rough, now smooth, interspersed with patches of beautiful flowers. The marked features of the day were the swift streams we were compelled to cross ; some more impetuous than Niagara's rapids -- and all that enabled us to stem the current was, the impetus obtained in going down the precipitous banks ; the leaders plunging in with a bound, and the men on the lower side shouting and swinging their arms to keep them from turning their heads down stream.

            Our wheels passed over brilliant beds of lupins -- a metallic blue and pink predominating. A showy crimson scarlet honeysuckle, with a singular rose semi-double, were the new flowers of the day's ride. Some fairy

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dells opening into the icy range on the left, with green slopes, soft and warm looking, carpeted with bright flowers -- a torrent foaming down in the midst, lined with cotton wood and quaking aspen -- make the prettiest views imaginable. With the aid of a glass we saw Halliday's train across the river, just extricating themselves from its slimy banks, after a week's durance. We encamped near the base of one of the mountain benches, the cold air of the morning changed to an insupportable sultriness, with a torment of mosquitos ; but, at evening, the breeze from the snow tops was delightfully refreshing.

            June 6. The morning fair, and we leave camp in fine spirits. This mountain air is like exhilarating gas, and we feel like mounting upwards, when, lo ! we are stopped by a swift stream, and our Pegasus-like ardor clipped of its wings. The banks were unusually steep and precipitous ; the creek larger than usual, and lined with cotton wood and small bushes, through which a pathway was hewn. The water rushed and roared among the granite boulders, lashing itself into fury, as though

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impatient that its precincts should be invaded by the footsteps of the pale faces. Down, down we rush ; in plunge the animals, the water surging, for a moment, over the very- backs of the leaders -- then, hurrah with cracking whips and shouts, we rush madly through, raked by the overhanging branches ; and then, thank heaven, we emerge on the opposite side, and breathe freely again. A slight deviation, pulling of the wrong rein, striking of a wheel against a large boulder, or other mischance, would have wrecked us. One of the carriages, in the confusion, was turned down stream and upset, and a young man by the name of Phelps rescued with difficulty; and it was two hours' work to get the vehicle from the water.

            These bounding water-courses are generally lined with trees. At first it was a welcome sight; these trees stretching from the mountain down into the valley, as far as the eye could reach -- thinly scattered, to be sure -- nevertheless, green trees contrasting pleasantly with bare rocks and other forms of desolation. But we begin to regard a belt of trees as an indication that we have a difficult crossing

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before us. Another annoyance, too, besets us, in the mosquitos and buffalo gnats, which come out from the foliage in perfect clouds, and manifest an importunity of hunger that will take no denial. The men break off boughs and flourish them around their heads -- I find a veil invaluable. A few Diggers made their appearance and looked ugly and malicious.

            We encamped at evening on the banks of a deep and rapid stream, flowing from an extended valley in the Humboldt mountains, which we at first supposed to be the south fork of the Mary's River. The next morning we went up stream some distance, to find a crossing. Capt. Egan's countenance and speech have the usual non-committalism of other leaders; but I detected in his looks, that we had a difficult task before us. The banks were spaded down to make the descent a little more easy, and then the various vehicles were dragged through by a long train of oxen, until the soft, spongy soil became so cut up, that it was impossible to get in or out without upsetting. The first capsize was the flour wagon ; but so slight was the immersion, that

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the sacks were soon dried. The next one contained several of the men, and, among the rest, Dr. Coward, who emerged from his bath very much alarmed. To his terror succeeded rage, and, being something of a cockney, the company were made good-humored, in the midst of their troubles, by the maledictions which he poured out; first on himself for being idiot enough to leave London; and next, on Old England for being the mother of such a " dom" country, in which a gentleman could not pass a stream without danger of being drowned. He opened his traveling bag, and his anathemas increased in intensity as he pulled forth each dripping garment. The last I saw of him he was interceding with Mrs. Kinney to restore the collars and shirt bosoms into presentable shape for Sacramento, where he intends to make his debut, as " Surgeon from Queen's Hospital, London." The landscape, pleasantly rolling towards the river in easy descent, was varied by occasional belts of cotton wood. In one tree, of better size, we espied an eagle's nest, with two or three of the king of birds flying high

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over us. We passed acres and acres, literally covered with brilliant lupins, standing up two feet high, very beautiful and fragrant. Sage bushes in abundance, and in places huddled up in the form of an oven, from which the miserable Diggers fled on our approach. Some four or five made their appearance suddenly, as though they had sprung from the ground, and disappeared just as mysteriously. Evening found us on a broad, grassy plateau, with plenty of flowers, near a deep cavity, filled with trees and willows, and a noisy creek dashing through. Men were sent out scouring every nook and corner, to guard against an ambuscade, and a few savages in the camp were deprived of their arms and placed under guard until morning, not forgetting, however, as an equivalent for this durance, to satisfy their hunger.

            In the morning I anticipated another difficult crossing ; but was agreeably surprised to find a safe bridge, which the men had found time to construct. Some half dozen Indians followed us all day. After dashing through a number of creeks, some miry, others rocky,

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with more or less of breakages, we finally came in sight of a heavier belt of timber than usual ; and, soon, one of the men, sent forward to explore, returned with news of trouble ahead. Our course was directed nearer the mountains, and we kept ascending until we came to the mouth of the canon from which the stream issues forth. It was pronounced to be four feet deep, and in swiftness exceeded all my conceptions of the rush of water -- surging madly by; and, when it encountered a boulder too firmly imbedded to be swept along, it shot up jets like a geyser. The cañon was deep and rocky -- its sides lined with huge patches of snow ; and, higher up, we could see a portion of the glittering mantle which hung on the mountain summit.

            Fortunately the banks were not precipitous. The animals were seen unharnessed, and picketed upon the rich carpet of grass, and all hands went to work to construct a bridge. I was the only idler in camp. In an incredibly short time, trees were cut down, and hauled up by ox teams -- the timber thus prepared was extended across, and brush and

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dirt thrown on, making a safe and ready passage-way.

            In the mean time, eight or ten Diggers gathered about, watching, with much curiosity, the felling of trees for string-pieces, having, probably, never seen an axe in use before. As the hours wore away, they became wearied of gazing, and resorted to their daily avocation of searching each other's tangled horse-hair locks for the inhabitants, which they disposed of in a way not very appetizing to the spectator. The experiment of two Edinburgh savans in eating snails was fairly outdone. After this exercise they sang, in a monotonous tone, a few songs, keeping time with their whole body, having short sticks in their hands which, Morse says, they use for gambling. They seemed like Arab dervishes, with their wild, dreamy looks, as they sat swaying their bodies to and fro. Suddenly, one of them sprang to Dr. H. and begged his pipe, and, on being refused, attempted to grasp it. I expected to see a knife glitter, as the next salutation ; but the Western differs from the Eastern vagabond in the fashion of his arms. Two of them came

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to the carnage and peered about, saying "white squaw wick-ee-up" -- tried to have some talk, with them, but not succeeding very  well, motioned them off.

            We passed over in safety at evening, and made our bivouac on the south side, on a bluff near two immense granite boulders. Our supper was late, and the light in the tent attracted swarms of mosquitos, much to our discomfort; but necessity knows no law. Clouds hovered over the mountain summit in angry masses, with frequent flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, but the Storm Spirit passed us by with a few spattering drops.

            In the morning about a dozen savages, naked, except a few rags, and squalid, and filthy to the last degree, seated themselves on the boulders and watched our movements ; several of them had dogs leashed to their wrist, very much resembling foxes. One of them acted a piece of pantomine with Dr. H., much to our amusement. He spatted his bare legs with a comical grin, complained that the gnats would bite in spite of the clay with which he had plentifully besmeared himself, and invited

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the Doctor to make a transfer of his pants. On being refused, his countenance changed to a malignant scowl ; and the glances which they exchanged with each other manifested any- thing but good-will.

            During the day one of our scouts returned, hurriedly, with the news that he had been stopped by a band of natives in a small collection of trees, and we began to anticipate an unpleasant encounter. Our numbers, however, must have looked too formidable for op- position ; for when we came up to the grove, with two or three little rivulets running at random among the trees, the only evidence of life was the lively music of the meadow lark, and the more quiet notes of a small finch. You may ask if I have any fear. Not the least -- not even as much as I have sometimes felt around the fireside at home. Egan uses great caution. The Indians in camp, as I have before said, are placed under guard for the night; the cattle are herded close to us; the horses and mules picketed still closer, and no one moves a rod without arms. These precautions bring their annoyances. The cattle

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will use the wagons for rubbing places ; and, in the night, some huge ox scratching himself on the rim of the carriage wheel, we are awakened with the sensation that the earth is undergoing a regular quake. Some nights we are provokingly kept awake for hours in this way -- the creatures even contending for a rub, and we often apprehend being quite overturned in the battle.

            For days and days we had an abundance of bushes, about four or five feet high, with yellow blossoms on the limbs, something after the manner of the flowering almond, and with a fragrance like mignonnette.

            Our course for the last two days has been nearly west, leaving the Humboldt to the left ; and, on the 10th, after a pleasant descent, we came upon the true south fork of the Mary -- a stream of many channels, wide, swift, and deep. Along the banks ran an old road -- Hastings' cut-off -- leading to the main river, which, on examination further down, proved to be too miry, and we were compelled to continue our own route. A mile up stream we found the main channel running over a

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fine, broad, gravelly bottom, which was easily forded. After this, was a wide stretch between the river and the bluffs, made up of quick-sand and water-courses, through which we were drawn by five or six yokes of cattle -- wallowing their way somehow ; engulphed part of the time so that scarcely more than their horns were visible -- the drivers in not much better plight, but still able to use the whip, and give their unearthly yells. It was painful to witness the desperate struggles of the poor animals through the black, oozing mud, and I was thankful enough to get over.

            The day was nearly spent, and we established our quarters directly on the high bank, giving us an extended prospect of the country as it shelved in to form the valley of the river. It seemed to have been a favorite resort for the natives, as exhibited in the remains of small fires, broken arrow-heads, curiously fashioned from quartz and obsidian, and other mementoes of their presence. The sunset was splendid -- surely there never were such rose-colored clouds, bordered with flames of purple and gold, as enveloped the snowy peaks of the

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Humboldt -- and there was, too, a clearness and depth to the sky, that it seemed as if the vision could penetrate its blue curtain into a region beyond the confines of matter.

            We were congratulating ourselves on achieving a difficult crossing in safety, when we made the disagreeable discovery that our camping ground was a mere promontory, formed by another branch of the river, which poured down a deep and swift flood of water -- an obstacle in our path, apparently more trouble- some than the one we had just surmounted. We were actually caught in a fork of the south fork.

            The next morning we were called to breakfast at four, and made diligent preparation for the severe labors of the day. The stream lay between high bluffs, was in a swollen state, and covered all the space between. An English sailor, by the name of Lee, swam over with the end of a rope in his mouth, and fastened it to the opposite bank, and ourselves and all our worldly goods were ferried over. The sun's rays were perfectly scorching, and I ventured to raise a parasol, but was cau-

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tioned not to move, as a capsize would be a serious matter. I have really shown myself so much of a heroine in difficult places, that I was in great danger of losing my reputation ; but you know I never could bear the hot sun. The oxen struggled through with the large wagons, swimming over the deep spots -- one upset and came near drowning the poor animals. One or two cows got tangled and confused in a thicket of willows and were drowned. Mr. L. takes all these disagreeables with the utmost coolness, not allowing a look to express his interest in the matter, while I cannot help feeling as troubled as though it was verily all my own.

            By mid-afternoon we were all safely moored on the other side, and then came up a thundershower, which settled down into a cold drizzly rain ; and our camping ground, trampled by the cattle, became almost a quagmire. Poor things, they had the worst of it, and finding no convenient place to lie down, they exercised themselves diligently at the carriage wheels.

            June 11. A dismally cold, wet, chilly air

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-- snow falling on the heights near us -- the temperature varies daily as we approach to or recede from the mountains. Continued our route in search of the river, through a cañon ; then over cedar heights, fragrant with the crushed boughs that were cut off to allow us passage -- musical, too, with a few birds, and bright with showy tufts of crimson flowers, which we find abundant on light sandy soils. Passing through a rich grassy valley, of some fifteen miles in width, we encamped near highlands, the suburbs of a snowy range, hoping to find the river road which crosses from the north to the south side, it is supposed, not far from our vicinity. The river, by the way, has become a myth -- a regular humbug, as Dr. H. insists. He says there is no Mary's River, and that we are lost in an endless maze of cañons and hills, as hopelessly as the Flying Dutchman on the sea. The men, too, tired of making roads through impassable places, are almost in a state of mutiny, and think their troubles will all be over when they find the much-talked-of river.

            Our camp was on a most beautifully clear,

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pebbly stream, on which we picked up a fine specimen of chalcedony.

            Sabbath, June 12. I manage to keep up a knowledge of the Sabbath, though --

            The sound of the church going bell

                        These valleys and rocks never heard."

The morning cold and drizzly. We started about ten, but were compelled to stop, in a few miles, in a low bottom, wet and narrow, where the mules sank fetlock-deep in a black loam that would have rejoiced the heart of a horticulturist -- the rain descending in torrents. Near by, on the bluffs, were two of the Diggers' best habitations -- the grass woven with much ingenuity, and the tops well thatched. On looking in we found them vacated ; but three or four miserable wretches soon came into camp, exchanging antelope skins with the men for cast off clothing ; and a harlequin group they became, with tattered red shirts and crownless hats. On the addition of every rag they paraded around for admiration, grinning with delight.

            The next morning our track continued for

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some miles in the same ravine, from which we were finally extricated by a wearisome drag up a mountain -- the wheels cutting deep into the soft red earth. In the ascent we picked up some fine specimens of cornelian. At the summit we were amply repaid for our toil by a prospect which extended into Oregon, and displayed, on all sides, numberless peaks and canons -- a high rocky pyramid to the left seemed to be the presiding genius of the rugged scenery. Will the steam whistle ever reverberate among these mountains and cavities? Brother Jonathan usually begins by proposing impossibilities, and ends in performing them; but those who drag their slow length across the continent, as we have, may well doubt the fulfillment of these promises during the present generation.

            Having reached a high position, the next business, according to the universal law of traveling, was to make a corresponding descent ; so down we went, some three thousand feet (so they said), landing in a deep, narrow grassy cañon, with plenty of beautiful flowers, the last pitch of our descent so steep that the

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mules slid down on their haunches; and, just as we reached the bottom, and were about to unchain the wheels, the forward squad of cattle came bounding after us, and it was as much as the men could do to prevent a disagreeable stampede. This defile opened into a broad, pleasant valley, about two miles wide, in which we made our bivouac -- the ground abundantly clothed with grass and flowers. Capt. Egan reported the river about five miles below, but utterly impracticable to make our way along its banks.

            The next morning, in high spirits at the proximity of the river, we continued our route west, up a ravine, and had a toilsome ascent of over a mile. When we reached the top there appeared to be an endless succession of mountains, hills, and deep gullies, thrown together and jumbled up without order or regularity, as though the earth had once been a furiously boiling fluid, and suddenly hardened. Then down we went into another deep cavity, from which it seemed impossible to get out ; but, after winding around and about, through a confusion of hills, we finally reached very

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high ground, and, at last, had a distinct view of Mary's River to the southwest.

            From the last elevation we made another plunge, and, going over and through all manner of rough and rocky ground, we fairly lodged and stuck fast in a narrow fastness -- hills rising precipitously on each side, and a stream running in the middle. The guide had made a mistake, and piloted the train into the wrong ravine ; and it seemed as though we could neither go forward nor retreat. But there was no help for it ; the day was well spent, every one was tired to death, and we were compelled to stop for the night, where we could not find a level spot to sit, stand, or sleep. The largest portion of the cattle were herded a mile in the rear, else we must all, man and brute, have been packed together like a barrel of herring. Had we been assailed by a determined band of savages, we must inevitably have been cut off. Capt. Egan dreaded an attack, and put nearly all the men on guard, and aroused the camp soon after midnight.

            By cutting away a thicket of willows, and removing a few boulders, a passage down the

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ravine was effected; but we went from one rugged pass to another, seemingly without end, until, finally, the river burst upon our view in a broad valley below -- a most welcome sight. But what an extent of water, overflowing its banks hi patches, apparently some miles in width ! On the opposite side was a long train, now seen, now hid by sand hills, with a cloud of dust. The glass soon identified it as Halliday's. Our teamsters felt all the excitement of a race. This train had three weeks the start, and here we were in a more favorable situation -- this particular point being the usual crossing-place from the north to the south side. An easy descent brought us to the flat river-bottom, which proved to be perfectly dry; a short detour to the right, and we were on the margin of a swift, irregular stream -- the water so strongly impregnated with alkaline salts as to be undrinkable, except under strong compulsion. But oh ! what legions of long-bodied, large-winged flies -- our carriage, inside and out, was blackened with them -- we could not move without crushing them by the score. Fortunately they had no bite or sting, and

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only annoyed us by the sensation of being covered with insects.

            We soon rounded a bold, bluffy promontory, and entered upon a broad basin, at the left of which was an opening, as though a large tributary flowed from that direction. In front there appeared to be a smooth, uninterrupted plain for fifteen or twenty miles. On we went, and soon reached a stream, about the color of hotel coffee, which ran from, instead of to, the river. This we forded with difficulty, when we were stopped by a man returning from an exploration, with the report that the plain was full of these off-shoots from the main channel. There was no help for it, except to regain the base of the hill, and take an extensive circuit to avoid the soft bottom; but it was late, and no grass for a long distance. We therefore encamped amid the sage bushes, hot, dry, and dusty, annoyed with mosquitos, and doubly annoyed with a vile wood-tick -- a new and abominable plague. It was excessively disagreeable ; and the reflection, that our poor animals had no better fare than to crop a supper from sage and grease wood, added to the discomfort.

THE MORMONS. 277

            The next morning we started at an early- hour, and made a great sweep, to clear the difficulties that beset our path the day before. We soon entered upon a saleratus plain, as smooth and hard as a house-floor, over which we rolled in a very lively manner. This surface had been formed by water which had accumulated by the overflowing of the river, forming a temporary lake -- collecting and receding each year, and depositing its annual supply of alkaline salts.

            The ensuing day we journeyed around an immense bend in the river, over another extensive saleratus flat -- the weather unbearably hot, and the plain dusty. The great curiosity of the ride were the whirling columns of dust, like water spouts, which rose up in the distance, at first scarcely perceptible, and then increasing in bulk and altitude, until they reached a great height. They moved gracefully, carried by the wind to the north, along the base of the opposite mountain, some standing perpendicular, and others having a slight inclination, and looked like dancing phantoms. As we neared the scene of these cotillions, the

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wind increased almost to a gale, and whistled the dust around us in clouds. That evening we encamped on a clean, sandy place, sparsely- covered with sage bushes, among which were multitudes of slender lizards, gliding about like sprites. I had before seen these reptiles, but not in such numbers. They are beautifully colored, some with bright red spots; have long, slender tails; dart like a flash from one bush to another ; and, after reaching cover, will put out their heads, and take a look at you with their little, piercing eyes.

            On the opposite side of the river was Stony Point, famed for many a savage murder ; and, as if to revive the recollection, the skull of an Indian was picked up near the tent, with a bullet hole through it. Many and profound were the speculations as to where, when, and how the catastrophe happened; and whether the fatal aim was given by the white man or the red, without any satisfactory conclusion.

            In our journey down the river, the history of one day's ride is that of another. We had hot weather -- plenty of mosquitos, lizards, horn-

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ed toads, wood ticks, poor water -- and, worse than all, the grass disappeared except at distant intervals, and we were compelled to make some forced marches to provide for the wants of our animals.

            Just at evening, on the 19th, while encamped in one of the numerous lateral valleys of the river -- the cattle almost hid in a paradise of pasture, and we battling in a purgatory of insects -- a young Pi-Ute, about eighteen years of age, well formed and active, made his appearance, and proved to be the greatest curiosity of the whole journey. He was a perfect mimic. When he first came in he described cattle, horses, and mules, by a series of pantomime, in such a comical way, that he was greeted with shouts of laughter, which he echoed back with interest. His powers of imitation were perfectly wonderful. On being asked – " Wick-ee-up, where?" with a wave of the hand around the horizon, to signify that he was desired to point out where he lived, he would repeat " Wick-ee-up, where ?" in precisely the same tone, and make the same motion with his hand ; and so of every thing that was

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said to him. The oddity of the thing produced peals of laughter ; and, as we kept on laughing, he would wait till each peal was finished, and then give a precise counterpart. Mr. F. tried to puzzle him, by repeating over long sentences, such as

            " Oh for a lodge in some vast wilderness,

            Some boundless contiguity of shade,"

in a mouthing, declamatory style, but he would roll it off with no seeming difficulty, and make the same gestures. Of course he became a decided favorite ; the entertainment was too good not to be paid for, and he was soon comfortably fed and clothed. After the comic acting had partially ceased, he imitated the men in a more useful way, by gathering fuel, bringing water, etc. He appeared so good-natured and sprightly that I wanted to take him with us, but of course it was impracticable.

            In the morning he returned with two or three of his kindred, who expressed their dissatisfaction in unmeasured terms, when they found the generosity of the camp had expended itself upon the lad. One of them gave a sig-

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nificant twitch at my dress, as an article to be " swapped " for his tattered buckskin pants.

            On the 26th we reached the sink of the river -- a large basin, somewhat circular, from ten to fifteen miles wide, and twenty-five to thirty long, bounded by hills. The portion at present dry is crusted over with saline substances, very similar in appearance to the ground, after a storm of sleet which has congealed. Over the flat, smooth, desolate surface, we kept on for about ten miles -- the road, in places, slippery from the recently receding water -- and took up our quarters at one o'clock. The wind, brisk from the northwest, increased to a gale before evening, whirling clouds of dust along the base of the hills. At our left lay the lake, bordered by a belt of deep green grass and bulrushes, upon which the animals were driven with difficulty -- poor things, they mired almost to their bodies, and the high wind, growing colder and colder at evening, drove them for shelter to the carriages, around which they huddled, complaining all night.

            In the morning we resumed the journey over the smooth, wintry-looking plain, steering for

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a point of the mountain fifteen miles distant, which, in the clear atmosphere, appeared as though it might be reached in an hour's walk. Less than half the distance brought us to the shore of the lake (free from rushes), a beautiful sheet of water, from two to five miles wide, with a gravelly beach ; saw a pelican and plenty of ducks. At the junction of the road from the other side of the sink were two trading stations, consisting of slight tents, and supplied with some necessaries for passing trains -- but, it was said, diluted whisky and brandy composed most of the stock. These establishments were at the foot of an elevation, composed of red sand-stone and basaltic columns, resting on a strata of gray rock, running up at least a thousand feet, of varied jags, points, and turrets, making a view altogether too fine to be desecrated by a brace of rum holes.

            A sluggish stream, which the men called a slough, with scarce any perceptible current, led from the lake, and connects with Carson Lake -- the amount of water forming no sort of comparison to that which flows in through

THE MORMONS. 283

Mary's River, and it is said to be dry during part of the year. We passed on a mile, and encamped to prepare for the Forty-mile Desert, immediately in prospect, about which all manner of dismal stories are told.

            At evening a carriage drove into camp with a Mr. Halliday, within a few days from San Francisco. He had been on a visit to the rival train, of which he is a large proprietor, and was then on his return. It was reviving to get news once more from civilized lands; he proved to be a lively, chatty man of the world, and a good specimen of western go-ahead-itiveness. He left in the morning for California; and, much to our regret, Mr. L. deemed it important to go with him.

            Remained in camp all of the 28th, and, as we forboded, the vicinity of the liquor stations began to tell fearfully upon the men. Out of fifty teamsters, not more than five or six remained sober, the rest exhibiting the various stages of drunkenness ; two or three Mexicans, riding about hurry-skurry, lassoing animals, others driving and beating the cattle, without any definable object; and some stretched in

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the sun, sleeping off the effects of the debauch. I was greatly alarmed, and began to think our revolvers might soon come into requisition, to protect us from our own band. We finally resolved to leave, and make our way through the desert to Carson River, provided Dr. H. would join us, to be of mutual assistance in fording the outlet, reported to be difficult. But, unfortunately, his horses were too much worn down for a forced march, and his driver, a mean, selfish creature, never could bear to make an extra exertion ; and when our intentions became known to young Blodget, the representative of Mr. L. in his absence, he entreated us to remain, lest the men should become thoroughly disorganized and unmanageable -- so, under the influence of compulsion and persuasion, we staid.

            The next day at 2 p. m. the whole train started, intending to traverse the desert in the night. The first ten miles, over a dry, hard, arid soil, brought us (Blodget, Dr. H., and ourselves) to the outlet about four o'clock. A small party of strangers with horses came up, and, in attempting to ford, found the

THE MORMONS . 285

stream full of quicksands, and were almost hopelessly mired. Pretty soon the ox teams arrived, all hands more or less intoxicated, and still drinking -- Egan, for some unaccountable reason, remaining behind. Our carriage, with two pair of cattle to it, was started over ; but, about two-thirds of the way, the animals mired, and there remained for an hour, with a fair prospect of remaining all night -- a man on each side, waist deep, with just sense enough left to beat the oxen over their heads. We have in the company an African, usually quiet and docile, but, under the influence of liquor, sufficiently contrary and headstrong, he had charge of Mrs. Kinney's " kitchen," and, in spite of the efforts of Mr. F. and Dr. H., he plunged the establishment in before the carriage was extricated, and came so near that a collision seemed inevitable. Just as I was preparing to spring somewhere, his team fortunately stuck so utterly fast that all power of motion was gone ; and it appeared to me that the whole must be drowned.

            Then ensued a scene of shouting, yelling, swearing, from lungs already hoarse from effort,

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beggaring all description -- it was perfectly demoniac. Finally, with the aid of a long chain, and cattle on the bank, the carriage was drawn through ; and, one after another, the remaining were got over, detaining us till nine o'clock. Some of the oxen were dragged out by chains, like sticks of timber, and a few were hopelessly mired and lost.

            In the mean time the loose cattle came up, floundered through, and began to spread themselves upon the arid waste in search of food ; and we feared they would never be gathered again, but the mass of them finally came to the road, and were collected as we passed along. It was a bright moonlight, and the plain before us a vast waste of sand, drifted into little hillocks, around stunted grease wood and carcasses of dead animals. The intoxicated men made some trouble by occasionally deviating from the road, particularly the negro, who insisted upon following the moon, and broke the stillness of the desert by singing and talking to his team in various unknown tongues. Morning broke while we were yet fifteen miles from Carson River ; and then, feeling we could

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be of no more use in the train, we left it, and drove on at a rapid rate over the hard road.

            But what a scene of desolation did the light of day disclose ! It was a barren waste, without a tree or a shrub to relieve the eye, except a few stunted sage bushes. The hills with which it was skirted were groups of rocks, charred and blackened by the breath of extinct volcanoes. Animal life there was none: not even a bird of prey ventured a flight over the parched and arid region. The bones of the dead animals of emigrants were plentifully scattered by the way-side, bleaching in the fierce sun. Death alone appeared to be the presiding deity. Yet there was here and there a solitary cactus flower in the sand -- they seemed the evidence of a direct influx from heaven, and gave the assurance that there, even there, amidst the desolation, the protection of the Divine hand was over and around us.

            The last five miles was a deep sand -- the mules sinking fearfully at every step. Mr. F. and Morse walked wearily on ; I tried it, but a few rods completely exhausted me, and I was compelled to burden the tired animals,

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wishing myself etherealized for their benefit. We reached Carson River at 9 a. m. The rest of the train came straggling in all that day and part of the next, so completely worn down that a delay of some days became necessary to recruit.

            Our passage up the river occupied four days, the road rough, water poor, and feed not always abundant. The Sierra gradually presented its dark sides as we journeyed on, with an occasional snowy peak ; at a nearer approach we found it densely covered with pine timber. The population was thinly scattered along the river, consisting mostly of liquor and trading stations.

            On the 4th of July we encamped within two miles of an establishment called Edge Ranch, at the base of the Sierra, where we remained four days in a hot, dusty, disagreeable place ; some fine specimens of crystallized quartz, and a curious collection of calcareous coralline rocks, rewarded our rambles in the vicinity of the camp. The water proved to be bad, and the cattle began to sicken and die in large numbers ; and the Captain resolved

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to find more healthy quarters. The train was finally removed into Wassaw Valley, to await the return of Mr. L. from Sacramento.

            A more quiet, secluded, lovely spot, the eye of man never rested upon. We are encamped on a pleasant slope, at the foot of the mountains, under a collection of magnificent pine trees, shooting up to the sky cone-shaped, protecting us from the fierce sun by a dense shade. In front this valley stretches for thirty miles, formed on one side by the Sierra, with its clothing of pine, and on the other by a high, rocky hill, at the foot of which sparkles a bright sheet of water, as wide, though not of the length of our own Cayuga. The pasture is most luxuriant, in which we distinguish clover, and the animals are rapidly recruiting.

 

 

LETTER XVI.

CARSON VALLEY TO CALIFORNIA.

 

San Francisco, July 26, 1853.

            We are now hastening to the close of our adventures : the next steamer will take us home.

            We remained in Wassaw Valley until the 19th, when, becoming wearied with inaction, we concluded to leave -- our party consisting of Dr. H., in his wagon, Blodget, with Rob and two other horses, and ourselves with the ever-faithful Morse. With light hearts we bade adieu to the members of the train as we slowly passed them ; when we came to Egan, he said laughing: " You are not done with me yet -- I intend to escort you nearly to the base of the mountains." He was soon seen galloping in front, until he disappeared in the distance.

            Our animals were in fine condition for a rapid drive, and speedily emerging from this

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lovely retreat, we passed Eagle Ranch, and, after rounding a small spur of the mountain, we came to the river ; and at this point commences what is commonly known as " Carson Valley" -- and surely a more lovely place the sun never shone upon. We found a comparatively thickly settled neighborhood, line large farms, luxuriant crops, rail fences, and numerous herds of cattle. At a collection of half a dozen buildings -- an incipient village -- we found Egan, and a good dinner ready for us, ordered by him as a kind of complimentary farewell. This man, with all his faults, has many excellent qualities ; we surely have reason to be grateful to him for numerous kind offices. I now recollect an incident which, in a remarkable degree, illustrates his tact in managing the rough and turbulent spirits placed under his control. One day, in camp at the northern end of Salt Lake, while Dr. Coward was dressing his frost-bitten feet, a man near by, vexed by the contumacy of his mule, was swearing at a round rate. Egan turned to us, and, in a loud voice, said: "I s'pose you know the regulations of the camp ;

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no man is allowed to swear but that man ; he does it so easy, that he is appointed to do all the swearing for the train." This came out with a comical twinkle of the eye ; we all laughed ; the man ceased his profanity, and slunk away.

            Bidding adieu to our late captain, who gave us minute directions as to the journey, we next halted a moment some miles farther on, at the station of Col. Reese, so near the base of the mountain as to be within the shade of the noble trees which clothe its sides, this establishment is on a large scale ; a great many horses and mules ; great herds of cattle ; vast fields inclosed with long pine logs ; many a petty German potentate might envy him his possession. The proprietor came to the carriage, and insisted on our not passing without partaking of his hospitality, manifesting a heartiness of reception very difficult to resist. But we were compelled to be expeditious, made our excuses, and moved on. In pursuance of a previous invitation, kindly tendered, we spent the first night in the Mormon train, under the charge of Mr. Edwin Woolly, whose acquaint-

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ance we had formed at Salt Lake, and were treated with hospitality.

            In the morning we were en route at an early hour, with the intention of reaching the second summit of the mighty range before us, and moved rapidly on. About ten we reached the mouth of the cañon, from which the river debouches into the valley ; and here was a tent, with a table neatly and tastefully supplied with sundry things tempting to tired travelers ; but, though a tidy-appearing female was the presiding genius, we made no halt. The cañon at first presented us a smooth road ; its bottom about one-fourth of a mile wide, shaded by pine trees ; at the sides, the rocks rose up to a fearful height, and surpassed, in rugged grandeur, anything we had yet seen. As we journeyed upwards, the road became rough and lined with rocky boulders, until it exceeded our worst anticipations, and rendered our progress in the last degree toilsome. We struggled on, however, bravely, up, up, over places that, anywhere else, would have been deemed impassable on level ground, reached the summit of this first plateau of the great

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Sierra long after the sun had passed the meridian, and stopped at a green spot to refresh our faithful mules.

            In a short time we pushed on, over ground nearly level, five or six miles, fording a branch of the river. Directly in front lay another dark, sullen-looking mountain, the summit of which it was our ambition to reach in the day's ride. But in this we were disappointed. The road finally became rough, and diverged partly to the south, the sun sank down to his resting place, and the twilight began to thicken around us as we descended a sharp pitch into a small basin of fresh grass, bounded by a stream. It now became a matter for serious consideration, whether to stop where the animals could be well fed, or run the risk of reaching the summit. There was a fine moon, and I was anxious to go on ; but was wisely overruled, as was amply proved the next day.

            We picketed our tired servants, and lit up our camp fire on the margin of the creek. A rough party with horses, encamped on the other side, about half a mile from us, looking like bandits -- they probably paid us a similar

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compliment. It was Mr. F.'s turn to stand sentry the first half of the night. He describes the stillness as so painfully solemn, that it would almost have been a relief had it been interrupted by whooping savages. As midnight approached a dark cloud arose, from which there was a single flash ; and a single clap of thunder broke the silence, like the booming of a signal gun.

            In the morning we were early aroused and on the road, and soon discovered how foolhardy would have been the attempt to surmount the obstacles before us by the light of the moon. When we reached the base of the steep ascent it seemed utterly impossible to make our way up, over the rough pavement of granite boulders. We did, however, by taking off our baggage, doubling teams, and stopping frequently to breathe the mules. The most difficult obstacle was a perfectly flat rock, about half way up, fifteen feet over, the smooth surface lying at an angle of nearly forty-five degrees, upon which the animals could not stand to draw the carriages. We were hours getting over this place.

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            After reaching the summit we had a rough up and down road for miles, and finally descended into a valley, having a considerable stream, fed by melting snows, and as clear as crystal. To this succeeded another elevation, long and steep, up which we dragged our slow length, and after overcoming it, reached the crowning labors of the day -- another steep mountain, covered with snow.

            Could we have reached this point in the morning, as intended, while the snow was still hard from the frost of the previous night, the ascent would have been comparatively easy. As it was, the mules sank fearfully at every step, and this last mile of mountains proved to be the longest and most laborious of the whole route. I walked to the top, while the men were expending their utmost strength in aid of the exhausted animals. Here, then, I stood, on Nevada's summit, and had one of those grand views which may suffice for a lifetime. East, west, north, and south presented a boundless panorama -- a wilderness of snowy ridges, rocky peaks, and deep cavities. The road continued descending on a spur of the

THE MORMONS. 297

mountain, on the right of which was a precipitous descent of thousands of feet, to a small lake, sparkling in the sun ; and on the left was a tremendous chasm, winding away out of sight in a labyrinth of gorges. It was evidently just at the line of perpetual snow ; vegetation had disappeared, except a few stunted cedars ; and the wind was a keen wintry blast.

            All things have an end: men and animals, and carriages reached the same elevated point, and we were soon descending ; now on hard, bare earth, then on patches of snow, until sunset found us at a small trading post. Here we spent a dismal night, the cold wind whistling like a dirge, to our hungry, supperless animals. It was Morse's watch, and at daybreak he took the poor creatures to a place farther down, where grass was found, and helped them to a hasty breakfast.

            The next day's ride was a succession of up and down, as we passed from one spur of the mountain to another. Just at sunset we reached a station where we intended to stop, but the men had the aspect of such unmitigated cut-throats, that we pushed on. This gave

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us a night ride up steep ascents, and down many steeper descents ; the road dark from the thickening pine forest, with a fair prospect of lodging in the thickest and darkest portion. At ten o'clock, however, we found ourselves in front of another station, so coated with dust that you could not have recognized us, where we obtained plenty of good cheer for man and beast. All traces of snow had disappeared, and the temperature was of summer mildness. The station was owned by a Mr. Lason, from the western part of our State, who has his family with him, and everything about him looks home-like and civilized. The next morning, at breakfast, he entertained us with anecdotes of his winter's residence, in which the grisly bear largely figured.

            We continued the descent over dreadfully dusty roads, the air growing milder and milder, until we were fairly down the mountain, when it became unbearably hot. We had, in forty-eight hours, traversed from the frigid to the torrid zone. The country was still descending, beautiful, the scattered, spreading trees and grassy surface giving it the aspect of a

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continued park. We passed through a rich gold and agricultural region, the ground alternately dug into confused heaps, in search of the precious metal, and covered with the stubble of the recently gathered crops.

            But it is no part of my intention to give you a description of California. It is sufficient to say that we laid aside our camp life at Diamond Springs, the first village at which we arrived after leaving the mountains, and that we reached San Francisco in safety last evening, in a steamer from Sacramento.