New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-01
CAMPING IN CALIFORNIA.
IN MATILDA CANON.

slraost amounted to excitement. Oor iEiepuo woio
habitual campers. but self-indulgence win 'heni
had never gone beyond condensed milk. 10 DC cure
their camp is on an island in the Pacific ocean
and they go to it in saii-boat; but we were W
camp on the slopes and summit OF Mount rinos
whose steep Sides rising to height OF 7,ooo iee''
are scaled with difficulty by trained saddie-norse'
and had certainly never been attempted py a COW,
sand how do you expect to get her upT iha''
we answered lis a question which does not Gun
Germ u.s. The guide says he can DO IT, anu wo
shall leave 1t all to him." AS the news Oh our Gu
terprise spread it appeared that public interest ~
the camping party who were gong 10 take q COW
was deep and general; and when we went ior'h'
on the morning of the 9th of June. the villagers
turned out If for the passing Oh the Circus az"
cheered us as we rode away.
Indeed have no doubt that it was an imposing
procession. Counting the COW. we were seven
()ur road for ten or twelve rough miles, was prac-
ticable for Wheels and 50 far we were TO nave 'ho
use of wagon, pitching our camp awhiie at.'no
end of the trail and proceeding thehco a' VI,
leisure with pack animals. Soper, the guiue anu
hunter, brought his two-horse team soon al'er oay
light and with some trepdaton we sno"ou LIN
the mopstrous pile of tent. blankets, mattresses
cooking utensils, groceries, and miscellaneous lug
gage which we had deemed essential 10 our eAis''
ence. But he only laughed: "Oh, you CANT SCARE
~
Here perhaps should pause long enough 10 tel
where Mount Pinos is II is one of the peaks OF the
Coast Range. near the northern limit OF the pound
srv between Ventura and Los Angeles countles'
forty mIes from the sea III direct line, slxty-uVe
miles northeast of Santa Barbara, AID twenty-n'e
miles from Nordhof in the Ojai valley, which is the
nearest accessible settlement. 1t was from Nord-
hoff that we made the start began to describe.
Ferguson offered to take charge of the COW. we
called HIM Ferguson partly because that j. Ao' III
The least like his name and partly be'"~se we oiu
not approve of the sobrquet British Bill by which
he has been known to less particular comrades
The cow was an amiable little jersey and after
few mild protests she submitted to be tied to Fergu
sop,s saddle and walked briskly oft When she
tried to 90 on the wrong side OF tree as she al
WAYS did If there was tree within reach the DOC
TOR armed with leafy branch, cantered up penino'
and Strengthened things out. Cadmus ana Dlana
rode next. with shawls strapped to their saooies'
md Soper brought up the rear with the wagon an
Hing the Chinese cook. riding BESIDE MN al
wreathed i'm smiles. The master thought OF AN
Hing is bread. Gan you make good bread hing'
said Diana one day. "Oh yes, maam, he answered.
with great suayity; Il make good plead; neap
. GOOD v-bere he bowed and waved his arm" damn
1ood blead.v He has commendable horror of bak-
fnonowder which is one of the chief curses OF Cal
iforplan cookery and when be presented himself at
the rendezvous he reported that be had gwen MS
clothes to his brother, and his luggage consisted
principally of large open jar OF flesh yeast NO
blead. he remarked, all same no eat" with some
difficulty W, convinced him that an open jar Oh
lively liquid could not be jolted up the mountain
without inconvenience. and we compromised at last
on bottle.
We rode merriy between the unfenced wheat
fields where the blue larkspur grew among the
he plateau
(which rises Just beyond the village and wound
through the grove Of oaks; and we came to the
edge of a ravine here the road twists itself down
into desert of gravel, boulders and brush, and
becomes thenceforth only rude trail Inc party
Was scattered by this time. and as two trees onereo
n little shelter from the hot sun, Cadnus the DOC
tor and Diana, who were in the advance, naIleu
for the others The wagon arrived before long. put
IL brought no news of Ferguson and the COW. Inc
Doctor at last rode back in search OF them lie ala
not retnrn. Then Soper borrowed Cadmuss horse to
60 in search of the Doctor In the course OF an hour
the stragglers began in, 1t seems that some
m,lss from the town the cow had slipped her rope
) and started for home with Ferguson ut her heels,
and heinz COW distinguished both for speed and
aipelepess of purpose she would have won the race
had she NOT met some cattle of her sex on the way.
ilallying with these new friends che was overfaKen
by the pursuers.
Tho desert track upon which we now entered
the bed of a dead river, down which, almost lost 10
sight, tumbles brawiing trout stream-is the
opening OF deep picturesque gorge calied tne
Matilda Canon, winch forms one OF the most strik-
ing features IN the line Of mountains On the north
aide of the Oai Valley. It's walls rise two or three
thousxud feet above the stream, sometimes mile
apart often drawn 80 close together that mere
! narrow pass remains open. The trail LEAFS TO
Few door rnches getting worse and worse as IL as
ceuds: ana after passing hot sulpsHr spring
,xhere there is rude house of ENTERTAINMENT 1t
nsoon ceases to be distingushabls. There are only
Two OF three spots whore cultivation has been at
tempted but the cafen is favorlte haunt Oh pees'
Who oasture on the varieties Of sage. the lupine.
the wild honey suckle, the innumerable other ira
Grant mowers which make this sandy and unpromis-
Inc region resplendent with color from the first
Az. of srripe until the end OF the arid summer.
rhs stou, .atb the frequent deep lords. the tree
Less stretches where the sun IL reflected from tho
hare rock mako the ride through Matili]a iong
md fatiyu,ug one; but ct intervals the traveller
A. refreshed by cool groves and scenes OF extiaor
binary beauty. In the heart OF romantic pass our
eu,de Soper has bee-ranch on quafter-scc'iop OF
homes. cad land which. rough as 1t looks. is Vaiu
.ble because it has Unlimited supply OF wafer
u ,.,ar tbi. season with seventy hives, and is
,,ox ~ rhe midst of the work of extracting. Al
-..av he has taken ont over three tons OF honey
scr which he ha market in the next town 1t
cents pound. Some other bee-keepers nave not
acme no well; week ago. when The mercury rose
a. 100 many promising hives were destroyed By
the heat. ;,
II was after midday when our expedition issued
from grove of sycamore, willow and cottonwood
mon charming glade where the trees drew back
m every hand ana left an opening OF few acres
With green level floor, fringe Of copss aud
aowerjng shrubs, and scattered c!umps OF live oak
and willow. In thicket Of hazel and alder the
rivulet was pratting. Myriads OF bees In the sage
ON the hill sides filled the sir with music. On the