dreary waste. You
cannot imagine what a weird effect these eldrich bushes had upon my
mind. Of a ghastly whiteness, they at first reminded me of a plantation
of antlers, and I amused myself by fancying them a herd of crouching
deer; but they grew so wan and ghastly, that I began to look forward to
the creeping across a chaparral (it is no easy task for the mules to
wind through them) with almost a feeling of dread.

But what a lovely sight greeted our enchanted eyes as we stopped for a
few moments on the summit of the hill leading into Rich Bar! Deep in
the shadowy nooks of the far-down valleys, like wasted jewels dropped
from the radiant sky above, lay half a dozen blue-bosomed lagoons,
glittering and gleaming and sparkling in the sunlight as though each
tiny wavelet were formed of rifted diamonds. It was worth the whole
wearisome journey--danger from Indians, grizzly bears, sleeping under
the stars, and all--to behold this beautiful vision. While I stood
breathless with admiration, a singular sound, and an exclamation of "A
rattlesnake!" from F., startled me into common sense again. I gave one
look at the reptile, horribly beautiful, like a chain of living opals,
as it corkscrewed itself into that peculiar spiral which it is
compelled to assume in order to make an attack, and then, fear
overcoming curiosity, although I had never seen one of them before, I
galloped out of its vicinity as fast as my little mule could carry me.

The hill leading into Rich Bar is five miles long, and as steep as you
can imagine. Fancy yourself riding for this distance along the edge of
a frightful precipice, where, should your mule make a misstep, you
would be dashed hundreds of feet into the awful ravine below. Every one
we met tried to discourage us, and said that it would be impossible for
me to ride down it. They would take F. aside, much to my amusement, and
tell him that he was assuming a great responsibility in allowing me to
undertake such a journey. I, however, insisted upon going on. About
halfway down we came to a level spot, a few feet in extent, covered
with sharp slate-stones. Here the girth of my saddle, which we
afterwards found to be fastened only by four _tacks_, gave way, and I
fell over the right side, striking on my left elbow. Strange to say, I
was not in the least hurt, and again my heart wept tearful thanks to
God, for, had the accident happened at any other part of the hill, I
must have been dashed, a piece of s