until we came here. We camped for
the night, and next morning we started for Los Angeles. We arrived
there November 18, 1849. The Spaniards had taken a strong liking
toward father and wanted to make him their Alcalde, but he refused the
honor and told them he had come to preach the gospel and had to go
further. On his going they presented him with a fine horse and saddle
as a token of their esteem for him. At that time Los Angeles had only
a few adobe houses and a Catholic mission. Commodore Stockton had dug
trenches around the place as a means of defense. We slowly wended our
way for another month when we met a man who had bought a thousand head
of cattle. He told father he could earn his way up the coast by
helping drive the cattle, but he was not able to do this spirited
work, so father and son exchanged places. Father turned the horse over
to me and he drove the supply wagon. For the first time in my life I
was a real cowboy.

"We followed the coast through Santa Clara and Santa Cruz, crossing
over to Livermore and San Joaquin valley, this being the end of the
cattle drive. Here we were paid and dismissed and our employer said we
were about forty miles from Stockton and about the same distance from
the mines. We plodded slowly along, following up the Stanislaus river.
The first place we reached having a name was Knight's Ferry. We were
out of money and clothes when we arrived at this place. The ferryman
took us across without pay and bade us remain all night. Up to this
time we wore buckskin trousers. I went out hunting and the rain came
down in torrents and my trousers got drenched. They stretched so long
I cut them off so I could walk. When they dried they had shrunken
above my knees. At this place we met Mr. Dent, a brother-in-law of
General Grant. With him also was a Mr. Vantine. When these men saw the
unfortunate condition we were in, they gave us each a pair of overalls
and a hat. So we were once more a little more civilized and passable.
On our way up the coast we encountered a heavy storm. We had prepared
to camp under a fine tree, but a large dead limb hung directly over
us. I told father that we had better move as there was danger. But he
thought it safe to remain where we were. But I insisted that we move,
and finally he listened to my pleadings and we each took an end of the
bed and lifted it over to the other side of the tree, away from the
dead limb. We had hardly gotten settled into the bed before th