will eat the
lizzards which infest the sage bushes, before I will eat the stock that
died from the alkali. The destitution has reached its height now.
Hundreds are entirely out of provisions, and there are none who have
any to spare, and but very few who have enough to carry them into the
mines. Often, almost daily, will some poor starved fellow come up to
the wagon and pray us in God's name to give or sell him a crust of
bread; some of them asserting that they have eaten no food for two, or
even three days. Money is no consideration for food here; no one will
sell it for money, but we always give enough to prevent starvation,
when thus importuned, although we have not over five days' provision on
hand, putting our trust in Providence for the issue to ourselves--for
so long as there is game in the mountains we will never starve.

To-day is the first, since the third day of June, that we have been out
of sight of snow for a whole day; it has been excessively hot, the dust
rising in clouds; roads bad, owing to the deep sand.

32 miles.

August 1st. Remained camped to-day, preparing hay for crossing the
Desert, which commences 20 miles from the slough or meadow. There is an
abundance of grass at this point for all the stock that can ever reach
here. We have to wade to get it, then cart it to the channel, and boat
it across that in a wagon box. A man with his wife came into the camp
last night on foot, packing what little property they had left on a
single ox, the sole remaining animal of their team; but I was informed
of a worse case than this by some packers, who said they passed a man
and his wife about 11 miles back who were on foot, toiling through the
hot sand, the man carrying the blankets and other necessaries, and his
wife carrying their only child in her arms, having lost all their team.

2d. We still remain at the meadows. A team came in yesterday evening
from Sacramento, loaded with provisions. They ask for rice $2.50 per
lb.; for flour $2.00; bacon $2.00; whiskey $2.00 per pint, and brandy
$3.00 per pint. We killed a cow this evening which we had picked up a
few days ago at a camping ground, where she had been left on account of
lameness. She was not exactly beef, but she was better eating than dead
mules and horses by the road side; we divided her up in the train and
among the starving people who are about us, only saving a small amount
for ourselves, which we jerked and dried.

3d. We are still lying b