ble
bearing, and undaunted courage--have been known to follow a team for
twenty-four hours, expressly for the purpose of picking the bones of an
ox which they imagined would soon give out; and when the poor brute is
left to die, they crowd upon him like vultures, and hack off huge strips
of quivering fresh before his breath has departed.

In the summer season, when no rain falls to lay the dust or irrigate the
earth, the streams, which, during the winter, are like mountain
torrents, and sweep every thing opposed to them towards the ocean,
become puny little rivulets, and as the summer advances, disappear
altogether from sight, and nothing but deep gulches mark the spot where
but a few months before a large body of water flowed.

Then the roads become hard and dry, and the light earth, pulverized by
the numerous wheels which are continually passing over it, is taken up
by the hot winds and whirled along the vast, plains, obscuring the sight
as effectually as though there was a deep eclipse. The eyes and nostrils
of the traveller become irritated by the fine particles, and the dust is
sifted into his ears and mouth. The latter gets coated with dust, and
all moisture is denied the palate. Vainly the tongue is rolled from side
to side to check the burning thirst, until at last the member gets so
swollen that it becomes incapable of motion, and then, unless relief is
soon afforded, death ensues. Water, slimy, stagnant water, is drank with
as much eagerness as a glass of iced Cochituate in summer.

The various sink holes with which the prairies abound are drained of
their contents, and if the traveller is unacquainted with a miner's
life, he does not wait until the liquid is strained and boiled, and thus
relieved of many of its bad properties, but swallows a large quantity of
the nauseous filth, and for many days after repents of his folly. He
that drinks at a sink hole, and suffers long and repeated attacks of
fever and ague, or dysentery, in consequence, learns to avoid it in
future.

As Fred and myself were old miners, and had tramped over a large portion
of California, and knew the dangers of such indulgence, we were not
likely to be caught; although we had a good guide with us in the person
of the convict, who really appeared to take an interest in our welfare,
and gave us much friendly advice.

The sun did not set for three hours after we started, on the afternoon
that we crossed the gulch; and while we found the h