n were also to help drive and care for
the stock, doing their share of camp and guard duty. There were others
travelling with a single pack animal, loaded with their outfits and
provisions. These men always travelled on foot. Then there were some
with hand-carts, others with wheelbarrows, trudging along and making
good time. Occasionally we would see a man with a pack like a knapsack
on his back and a canteen strapped on to him and a long cane in either
hand. These men would just walk away from everybody. A couple of
incidents along here will serve to show how these conditions sometimes
worked.

We were turned into camp one evening, and as we were getting supper
there came along a man pushing a light handcart, loaded with traps and
provisions, and asked permission to camp with us, which was readily
granted. He was a stout, hearty, good-natured fellow, possessed of a
rich Irish accent, and in the best of humor commenced to prepare his
supper. Just about this time there came into camp another lone man,
leading a diminutive donkey, not much larger than a good-sized sheep.
The donkey, on halting, gave us a salute that simply silenced the
ordinary mule. The two men got acquainted immediately, and by the time
their supper was over they had struck a bargain to put their effects
together by way of hitching the donkey to the cart, and so move on
together. They made a collar for the donkey out of gunny-sack, and we
gave them some rope for traces. Then, taking off the hand-bar of the
cart, they put the donkey into the shafts and tried things on by leading
it around through the camp till it was time to turn in.

Everything went first-rate, and they were so happy over their
transportation prospects that they scarcely slept during the whole
night. In the morning they were up bright and early, one making the
coffee and the other oiling the iron axle-trees and packing the cart.
Starting out quite early, they bade us goodby with hearty cheer, saying
they would let the folks in California know that we were coming, etc.
About 10 o'clock we came to a little narrow creek, the bottom being miry
and several feet below the surface of the ground. There upon the bank
stood the two friends who had so joyously bidden us goodby only a few
hours before. The cart was a wreck, with one shaft and one spindle
broken. It appeared that the donkey had got mired in crossing the creek
and in floundering about had twisted off the shaft and broken one of the