National Republican., 1883-01-30
CAMPING IN CLOUDLAND.
Testing the GLORIOUS Climate" Of California
Under Adverse Circumstances.
Christmas In the snow--A Mad March 10
Three nInd Rivers.
special letter.

Igpscid, Letter.
CAMP MANHATTAN NINE, NAPA COUNTY,
CAL, Jan. l.--,rho last letter / wrote was
largely devoted to praise of this GLORIOUS
climatc.' Whyi oh, why did l enter into
such encomiums, whom now, like crawfsh,
must track out" and render an entirely diff
fcrcnt verdict.
In my boyi5h days how many times have
thought of the glorious life camping out"
and imagined myself stretched at full length
before a splendid rousing fire, listening to the
tales of some wcather.bcatcn hunter or forest
guide. There is no doubt that camp life is
very fascinating. Sometimes, however, aspcll
of bad weather will create disgust, and your
opinion undergoes decided change. Get out
on some bleak plateau, where a cold December
wind comes swiftly scurrying across the
plain, and finding as sheltered n place as posi-
Bile, "pitCh camp"
Thon creep so near tho fire as to burn hole
in the leg of your trousers, the opposite mem-
Der being away below zero. While you warm
ono side and think yourself in the tropics,
surely from the other you enjoy some patriotic
idea of planting the stars and stripes ut tho
north pole
And again, imagine camp in some shell
tered nook, n fire gradually iickering out Of
existence, night suddenly grown cloudy and
starlcss now drop of rain falls upon your
faCc, and arousos you from some pleasant
fancics to the dismal present Another drop
falls, and then "pit-apat" in ceaseless
monotone. You draw the canvas well over
your head and pull your blankets around you,
but the canvas and woolen blankets prove of
little avail against your relentless enemy,
and you feel the water gradually soaking
through. Then change about and slip under
blanket number three" But IL is mo CO."
and the wet still enters. You slip underyour
next blanket putting Off us long rs possible
| the dreaded moment of rising.
But still the rain pours, and little watery
stream comes tricklingpast your head Then,
with Il soft ~ sigh, you crawl like muskrat
from its hole, and, with your woo-bcgotten
and shiverng followers, proceed to put up q
tent or some adequate shelter. Then you
turn in again to get little sleep, and inn
| aginc in your dreams there's second flood
and you have your own little ark" but in
/ some way or other the stevedoro neglected to
| calk all the seams, and you hear the boatswain
"ppc up all hands to the pumps" and you
wake up to hear the breakfast gong resound-
ing through the surrounding cliffs.
Now and then camp is pitched on some
slopng ground, and one will wake up shiver-
ing near the bottom, with his rubber blanket
1
three Order" are blankets, quilts, Sc, forming
! quite q carpet TO the top of the hill.
But these little " inconvenience are moth.
ing compared to the condition of cowboys and
hunters,
A short time since we were camped in the
Shosta mountains. They are so rough and
rugged that everything must be packed
up" on mules, and as our train " was small
and "plunder" wocfully large we had tC
make several trips. We were having spell
of bad weather. but in our camp away down
in the gulch some ] 800 feet below the ridge
were pretty well sheltered with wagon sheet
in lieu of tent, the latter being among the
articles left Mt the foot of the mountains.
We left camp early one damp and foggy
morning to ascend North Yolls Bolls peak
About half way up we were surprised to see
in this lonely spot man actually trampinl
with knapsack strapped to his back.
Hello, Mr." he said where's your CAM
roun' here, and how many sheep have yol
got?'
| told him we were surveying and not sheel
mon, and our camp was below. then started
to question him II little.
"WhCrc are you from ?" | asked.
"Red Bluff; and hoofcd it all the way, sir.
"Whcre's your grub and blankets?"
'llant got any-trust to luck and CAM
now and then"
whats your objectW
liant got any, kinder soured on tn
Bluffs and want n change"
"Whcre you goingW
"Hm goin' t.. .'Three.Mad Rivers" and h
shouldercd his pack and marched on.
And we started off also, thinllinga man VIII
would walk from Red Bluff and trust +
luck" for subsistence and shelter in tn
Shasta mountains, was just fit to go to "Thre
Mad Rivers"
But, thanks TO the fact that 'time work
wonders" one afterwards in recOunting hi
camping experience laughs at the expOsur
and fatigue and, cOntented with n few week
Of city life, longs to be out again enjoying tn
wild freedom of the mountains.
But am DEPRESSING somewhat, and in on
present situation the evils met with are not O
great as have been just represented.
We have quarters in one of the houses be
longing to the Manhattan QuiclSslve: con
puny, and our exposures are entirely cOnilne
to stormy days.
Since the unexpected snowstorm, whic
: was the last Sroan of the old year, we haV
had rain and fog ad libitum, and cry ont wit
Horace, Jam salts ferriS, niUiS dique dirde."
The wind blow MS INTO the new year befor
we knew 1t, but we decided, at least, TO var
somewhat our bill of faro" on this eyentfu
occasion. As there was no convenient tuTlIe
roost, and no plum pudding floating in til
air, the cook was at n loss how TO dish up por
and beans, so rs to make mock turkey an
| imaginary nuuulllE' llOWcNtI, III lIlh III
, lemna some of our San Francisco friends IL
mcmbered u.s. sending us large package q
Christmas goods, and the dinner produce
from its contents, made even our man of a
, work, Capt. jerks, cry out from his inmo'
soul, by Jasus but that was foine meal.
Some articles were sent to us from the cit
to please the children of this noble "hors
1 marinc," and among them was an old tim
Noah's ark and a tin kitchen set Y0
could hardly tell which was more pleased
jerks" or the children. He spent tw
hours trying to tell whether one of the bcaut
: ful carvings was man or goat, and he wOrkc
the pump on the kitchen boiler with as niue
energy as an old shaft miner We visited h
house yesterday, and as the dogs ovinced 1
much interest in the toys as the family, til
captain thought it best to convert the ark int
an ornament, and now il adorns the mantel {
the best room, and will remain u constant d,
light to the " Jenkses," young and old,
NJ. b. X.