Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-08-25

that had been broken off about ten
feet from the ground, the trunk being
badly shattered as though it had been
struck by lightning. AS the wood was
very rosinous We thought that 1t would
burn freely and make asplendid camp
fire, and it did, but not to camp by.
But 1t did make the grandest pyro-
technical display that 1 ever saw.
have seen the Chinese in San Fran
cisco, when they were celebrating their
New Year, which comes on the 14th
Of February, set of wagon load of
fire. crackers at one time, but their
fizzing and popping couldn't have held
q candle to the Internal din and racket
that that hemlook log kept up all night
long. 1t sounded as Ii millions of fire.
crackers were constantly exploding,
the sparks flying far above the tops of
the trees and In every direction. BEN
son and the Scotchman fed In dismay
to the top of the ridge and where and
how they spent the night do, not
know. went about sixty yards away
from the fire, where found a bush,
and getting astride of 1.-THE side of
the mountain being 30 steep that l
could not lay down without danger OF
Gliding clear down to the river-l
roasted there until morning. On the
north side of the canyon directly
opposite to where I camped that night
the Downieville Buttes lifted their
Jagged peaks far above the clouds. A
few years afterwards couple of lucky
prospectors found rich vein of quartz
right under those Buttes, from which
they took out a fortune and then sold
1t to an English syndicate for 81 ,000,-
600. When old Sol climbed above the
summit the next morning l stood
under giant sugar pine tree on top
of the ridge and caught my first view
of Goods own country" Before me
lay the grandest and most beautiful
panorama that mortal eyes ever gazed
upon.
Far off in the northwest, probably
100 miles away, I could see the snowy
peak of grand old Mt. Shasta that lifts
her head far above the clouds, Il, 900
feet above the level of the sea. Look
ing west, nearly 100 miles OF, could
see the great Sacramento valley and
beyond that the blue mountains of the
coast range. The Sacramento valley,
though it Is called by two names on
account of the two rivers that run
through it, the Sacramento and the
San Joaquin, is 450 miles long and
from 80 to 60 miles wide. About
O'Clock that morning we reached GAL
Ioway's hotel and Benson went in and
asked for a piece of bread. They told
him that breakfast was over and there
was nothing left, but If VS. would wait
they would cook something for US.
And they did cook us splendid break
fast. AS Benson told them that we
had no money to pay for it, we were
greatly surprised at their kindness
and we thought that we had not only
reached "God's own country" but
had fallen among Gods own people.
When we left the hotel we made
another mistake and took the wrong
road, and, after we had travelled about
ten miles, a man and a woman on
horseback overlook US and the man
asked us where we were going. When
we told him that we were on our way
to Downievllle he said: "You are on
the wrong road, for this road goes to
Nevada, which is 70 miles from Gallo
ways, and there is not a house
between here and that town nor any
place where you can get bite to eat.
So you will have to 60 back to Gallo
ways and then turn north and follow
the pack trail that leads to Downie-
ville."
After thanking him for his kindness
we turned back aad it was late In the
afternoon when we got on the right
trail. 1t is four miles from Galloway's
ranch to Downieville and down hill
nearly all the way, and the steepest
kind of downhill at that. And yet it
lie called "Galloway's HILL" 1t is GER
tainly the steepest, longest and highest
hill that I ever saw. The last hale
mile pitches down at an angle of about
90 degrees and the trail zigzags back
and forth like ship tacking against a
head wind. All of the supplies for the
town were carried over that trail on
pack mules and long before a pack
train would get in sight of town you
could hear the mules grunting and
groaning under their enormous loads,
and the greasers shouting, "Hippa
mula!" and s'carajo!" and "caramba!"
which are Spanish cuss words. If q
mule ever got a chance he would lay
down and then it was impossible for
him to get up under the enormous
load that was SO firmly cinched on his
back.
When we reached point where We
could see the river we had a fine
birds eye view of the town and Its sur
roundings. Downieville Is situated on
the north bank of the Yuba river and
is the county seat of Sierra county.
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