The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-05-16

the high buildings. and it's only a
question of time when / will be killed
by one of those changing. slam-bang
cars. Besides, the noise that is every
where and that you can't get aws-
from Is driving me mad no, 1t viii
not do. | must get where 1t is wider
II can't breathe right here. I'll sit
on the end of the car again, | guess,
and ride back over the old trail once
more to Frisco. And then I'll 60 on,
maybe-yes, | guess I'll go on again,
boy, and see the north star sink into
the ocean once more, and forever,
this time. ! won't try to raise it again,
my boy: and. when l think of 1t. It
viii only be as shining on graves and
gravestones.
So back over the old trail and back
over the sea he went. A few letters
came from him at intervals, and then
the news that his wanderings were at
IN end and that he had stretched him
self out for his long sleep in the far
away land which he had never thought
of as his home until he went back to
it for the last time.
1t was not until after he had re-
turned to Australia and died there
that the little diary-lile narrative of
his journey across the plains fifty-two
years ago came to light among the
papers OF one of the boyhood friends
whose grave he had visited while he
was in this country. Here are some of
the things its faded ink tells of what
it was in those days to take a little
run out to California, as people speak
OF it now:
1--WE recruited our teams and bought
provisions Mt Salt Lake. Then we
started for Ogden Fork. The after
noon after we left Salt Lake / was
walking with one of the boys and he
told me he was going to California to
get money so he could go back and
take care of his mother and younger
sister.
His father died when he was ten
years old, he said, and his mother had
scrimped and saved and gone without
things she needed to give him good
education, and he was going to dig
gold enough to take care of her in her
old age.
II left him leading a pack horse and
walking and went on ahead A few
minutes after l had gone the pack
turned and scared the horse he was
leading. The horse reared up and
brought down both feet on his shoul-
ders. We carried him under Il tree
and did what we could for him, but he
only lived little while. We dug a
grave and buried him where he died.
"The worst place we have had so far
was back after leaving Echo Canon.
From Echo we passed to another
canon leading over the divide between
Green River Valley and Salt Lake Val
ley. The gorge was filed with snow.
and it was melting and streams of
water were pouring in. The horses
broke through the soft crust and we
had TO drag them out The wagons
had to be taken to pieces and carried
Then Mt night we had to take our
horses back to Webber Canon to feed.
1--WE had five days Of this. Some OF
l..
The way we got across was. the best
swimmer would take a line in his
teeth. We paid out the line from the
Top Of IA tree If there was one. so the
swimmer would not have so much of
the drag of the current on it to hold
him back. When he got across he
towed n rope over. Then we caulked
up the wagon boxes tight and used
them for ferries to take the things
over.
I'VE had hard work getting our
horses to take to the water. My Cana
da pony Billy and got swept down a
mile to a bend once before we could
get out. 1t took up two days to get
across a stream a few miles south of
Ogden Fork.
When we came to the Sink of the
Humboldt there We're two trails and
some were for taking one and some
another. We took the-one that led
through the desert which we thought
we could get across in night. We
started about eight O'clock in the even
ing. 1t was June now and the days
were pretty hot, but the nights cool
When the sun came up we were still
In the desert and no signs of getting
out of 1t. Some were for going back
but we kept on.
About ten o'clock we came to a
sand mound and on the other side OF
it We're two small lakes and some
lunches of roofy-looking grass. But
the lake water was bitter alkaii. SoInt
of the horsees got few swallows
down before they got the taste of it
but we managed to keep the Others
away. old Tlge,' the horse we bought
back at Laramie, got the most of the
alkali water and was getting weaker
every hour. All were falling except
the Canada ponies. They were al
right.
I'VE laid over until midnight ant
then started on, but made poor head
way In the morning we saw low
bushes ahead and knew there wai
water. The no ,ses aud mules knew II
too. and prlcked up their ears ant
pushed on. But poor old Tige. wht
had been staggering along, finally
stumbled and fell. We pulled off hi
pack and let him lie, Some were fo
killing him, bur Costler and stopped
1t.
cone by one five more horses
dropped and we left them where the!
fell. Soon we came to little strean
OF fresh water When we got re