ssed.

On Wednesday morning, before sunrise, we had sent the wagon and wagoner
back to Mr. Sinclair's rancho, accompanied by Jose, who returned on the
evening of Thursday with the horses.

We found, on starting, that our horses could not carry all the
provisions, and at the same time perform a good day's work. We,
therefore, left some of the more bulky articles under the charge of a
man from San Francisco, known to Bradley, and departed. We made good
progress for a mile or two; and, as we crossed the brow of a hill,
halted a moment to observe the busy aspect of the washings, as they
appeared from a distance. The country, as we ascended the stream,
became hourly more hilly and broken. Its general aspect was grassy, and
the soil appeared fertile. Here and there deep gullies crossed our
path, over which we had great difficulty in urging the horses, heavily
loaded as they were. At one of these ravines, the animal which conveyed
the tent-poles lost his footing, and went scrambling down the edge of
the descent, bearing with him a whole avalanche of gravel and shingles.
Malcolm and Lacosse went after the brute, and succeeded in forcing it
up by a less precipitous path.

At noon we halted and dined. During the afternoon, we observed a sort
of small jackall, of the kind called Koyott, hovering about the line of
march. It only occasionally showed itself amongst the long rank grass
and bushes. Bradley, however, got his rifle ready; but, although he
fired several shots, the animal was too nimble or restless for even the
practised eye and hand of a Yankee rifleman to be certain of his aim.
In a shot at a young antelope which bounded past, however, Bradley was
more successful; and we were rejoiced at the prospect of a supper on
tender venison. In a few minutes he had slung the animal over his
horse's haunches, and we proceeded on our route.

The country became more broken and mountainous as we advanced; and in
approaching the location of the saw-mills, the hills appeared to rise
nearly one thousand feet above the level of the Sacramento. They were
diversified by groves of gigantic pine and oak trees. We were looking
anxiously about for the saw-mills, when we heard the crack of a rifle;
and presently a man in white linen trousers, with his legs defended by
buckskin mocassins, wearing a broad Mexican sombrero, and carrying his
rifle in his hand, approached us. This person turned out to be Mr.
Marshall. He received us kindly, and as