ere up
all night drying beef and making flour by hand-mills for us; then the
party started out to our rescue and they had not reached us one moment
too soon!

"Three days later, the first relief started from Donner Lake with a
party of twenty-three men, women, and children, and our family was
among them. It was a bright, sunny day and we felt happy, but we had
not gone far when Patty and Tommy gave out. As gently as possible I
told mother that they would have to go back to the lake and wait for
the next expedition. Mother insisted that she would go back with them,
but the relief party would not allow this, and finally she gave in and
let the children go in care of a Mr. Hover. Even the bravest of the
men had tears in their eyes when little Patty patted mother's cheek
and said, 'I want to see papa, but I will take good care of Tommy, and
I do not want you to come back.' Meanwhile we traveled on,
heavy-hearted, struggling through the snow single file. The men on
snow-shoes broke the way and we followed in their tracks. At night we
lay down on the snow to sleep, to awake to find our clothing all
frozen. At break of day we were on the road again.... The sunshine,
which it would seem would have been welcome, only added to our misery.
The dazzling reflection made it very trying to our eyes, while its
heat melted our frozen clothing and made it cling to our bodies. Jim
was too small to step in the tracks made by the men, and to walk at
all he had to place his knee on the little hill of snow after each
step, and climb over it. Mother and I coaxed him along by telling him
that every step he took he was getting nearer papa and nearer
something to eat. He was the youngest child that walked over the
Sierra Nevada.

"On their way to our rescue the relief party from Sutter's Fort had
left meat hanging on a tree for our use as we came out. What was their
horror when we reached the spot to find that it had been taken by wild
animals. We were starving again--where could we get food? As we were
trying to decide on our next move, one of the men who was in the lead
ahead stopped, turned, and called out:

"'Is Mrs. Reed with you? If she is, tell her Mr. Reed is here!' There
before us stood father! At the sight, mother, weak with joy, fell on
her knees with outstretched arms, while I tried to run to meet him,
but found myself too much exhausted, so I just held out my arms, too,
and waited! In a moment he was where we could touch him and