nly some
coffee, dried beef, and flour. They had purchased also a further supply
of powder and balls, and a rifle apiece for such of us as already had
none. The weapons were very expensive; and we found that our savings had
been much eaten into. We collected our effects, packed them, as many of
them as we were able, and sunk to sleep in a pleasing tingle of
excitement.

Bagsby got us up long before daylight. The air was chilly, in contrast
to the terrific heats to be expected later in the day, so we hastened to
finish our packing, and at dawn were off.

Bagsby struck immediately away from the main road toward the north. The
country we traversed was one of wide, woody bottoms separated by rocky
hills. The trapper proved to be an excellent guide. Seemingly by a sort
of instinct he was able to judge where a way would prove practicable for
our animals down into or up out of the numerous canons and ravines. It
was borne in on me very forcibly how much hampered we should have been
by our inexperience had we tried it alone. The country mounted
gradually. From some of the higher points we could see out over the
lowlands lost in a brown heat-haze. Deer were numerous, and a species of
hare, and the helmeted quail. The sun was very hot; but the air was
curiously streaked with coolness and with a fierce dry heat as though
from an opened furnace door. All the grass was brown and crisp. Darker
and more abrupt mountains showed themselves in the distance, with an
occasional peak of white and glittering snow.

Until about three o'clock we journeyed through a complete solitude. Then
we came upon some men digging in a dry wash. They had piled up a great
heap of dirt from a hole. We stopped and talked to them; and discovered
that they were working what they called "dry diggings." The pay dirt
they excavated from wherever they found it piled it in a convenient
place, and there left it until the rains should permit its washing. They
claimed their dirt would prove to be very rich; but I thought myself
that they were labouring in great faith. Also we learned what Bagsby had
known right along, but which he had not bothered to tell us; that we
were now about to cross the main Overland Trail.

We stopped that night near the road, and at a wayside inn or road house
of logs kept by a most interesting man. He served us an excellent meal,
including real eggs, and afterward joined us around the fire. He was an
Italian, short, strongly built, with