The National tribune., 1903-07-30

stages to my destination. My family pre-
| ferred to remain ut the camp for another
| week or so.
| At about daylight. then, on Thursday
morning, | arose and went out into the
rear of the camp for n wash, for every
thing was primitive at our camp. A bar
! rel of water stood by a stump used as a
washstand. | broke the thin crust of ice
that forms at night over the surface OF
standing water at this time of the year,
and bathed my neck, breast and shoulders
with the invigOrating water. This done,
! put on Il linen duster and started for Boc;i,
about mile up the track of the Southern
! Pacific Road. / had engaged horses for
myself and a young woodman in the EN-
| ploy of the company. We Were to 90
grouse hunting along the range of peaks
| towering upward from the banks of the
rushing Truckec.
| had to wait for about half an hour at
! the Boca Station before starting. and
hence found my teeth chattering and my
toes stiffening with the cold. Once. how
ever. on the back of n mcttlesome bronco
the blood got to circulating with desirable
rapidity.
We headed for the crest of the peak
facing the Summit Ice Company's plant.
My young guide had asserted with great
positiveness that he knew the way. We
had Travelled several hours. and turned
hither and thither after the numerous
grouse that nOisily whrred past us. before
L noticed an air of perplexity on the face
of my companion.
whats the matter?" I asked.
'Well," he answered. hesitatingly, 81
haven't my bearings well in hand; but il
doesn't matter, we can't get lost. but we
shall have to knock round bit, like a
homing pigeon"
We did knock around for sure. The
upper peaks were still snow-clad, and lit.
tie ice packs on the shaded sides of the
cliff added to the trickling streams. Be
| fore we knew it we were horse-knee deep
in slushy soil, each moment becoming more
serious. 1t was too late to turn. The
horses were getting unmanageable; we
| had TO go ahead. Fortunately, We sue.
ceeded in reaching drift of igneous stone
From this on for an hour or more it was
down precipitous SIDES, along steep banks,
up heavy inclines. At almost every step
the wearied horses slid a foot or more in
the uninterrupted mass of broken rock
that covers the entire range in this rolcan-
| ic region.
| Riding for three hours in momentary
peril Of ones miserable fife, at one time
in danger of sinking out of. sight in q
mushy bog of snOw-sOaked earth, or hov-
ering on the treacherous side of an almost
vertical bank capable of giving you a
| forceful drop of a thousand feet or more,
made me skeptical OF my guides relabi,,
ity; hence, when We at length succeeded
in getting to the ice-house | dismissed the
young fellow with the horses, and board
ed a caboose for Truckee.
| Truckee is the first place where over
land tourists get good chance to observe
California life. The trains stop here long
enough for passengers to get a meal. The
| town is alive with StrenuOSity. In the
early dusk it is filled to overflow with
miners, millmen, hunters, railroad en-
ployes and idiers. You can get bear meat
from the mountains, fish from the river
venison from the hills, and fruit from the
orchards.
One gathers energy from the air in such
place, so that on Friday morning. after
a hearty breakfast, l threw my rifle over
my shoulder and started a-fOot for the
Summit. This station is the highest point
on the Sierra Madre Mountains reached
by the Southern Pacific trains. Leaving
Truckee, the ears enter the snow sheds
and commence tOilsome ascent two en-
gines being used You know how a horse
grOans and blows as he climbs q long
steep hill, dragging a heavy load. Riding
up and down the grade, on wood trains
and passenger coaches always had Il fas-
cination for me. 1 could not disassociate
the engine from the idea of some monster
animal creation. | could hear its grOans
its heavy, putting breath; its occasional
shrek as of intolerable pain. To get to
the summit the train winds around the
mountain side, often doubling on its
| tracks; diving into and out of tunnels and
crawling across sturdy trestlewOrk. 1t is
unfortunate that much of the grandeur OF
the scenery is lost to the ordinary passen-
ger by the transit through the sheds.
| have Travelled over most of the famed
scenery of Europe, and l can sincerely
say that the Sierras at this section give
you n view uneXcelled by any European
sight that l have ever seen. Here are
glacial regions wherein a thousand years
are as one day; peak on peak; here a
mountain torrent dashing and splashing
downward; there yawning gorge where
the earth seems as if it had dropped into
the voracious nav of some ancient vol.
| cano.
| My path lay past Donner Lake. a beau
tiful sheet of sparkling water, midway up.
Here l stopped for a while to fish, with
moderate success. The wagon road from
DOnner Lake to the Summit was source
of frequent surprises. At one time a
huge boulder, as large as a moderate
sized cottage, stared me in the face from
| the middle of the road; farther along q
miI iature river dashed across my path
way.
| My trunk and a roll OF blankets had
beer sent on ahead from our camp. When
l reached the Summit / secured the blan-
kets and rode down to the Summit Valley
Station ON the inside of the cab of an
engine.
About 10 miles down the mountain side
from this station lie the Soda Springs.
These springs, containing soda, iron, mag
nesia and other healthful minerals. are
situated in q charming little glen hard by
! a roaring waterfall of the American
River. There are several salt licks in this
vicinity, and hence deer frequent the
place in large numbers. A march of 10
miles down a dusty road groaning under
the burden of n rifle, ammunition. and
blankets, on a dark night uses up quite a
store Of energy. l arrived about mid
night, and passing the hotel I toiled on
to the licks and threw myself down upon
the open mountain side and fell into a
deep sleep.
had chosen place by the beaten path
to the licks. A huge boulder reared itself
above me. A short distance ahead, on
the opposite side of the trail, there was a
small cluster of underbrush. A few stars
in the sky alone made surrounding objects
dimly visible. Have we a second sense
that stands guard while we sleep?
awoke about o'clock in the morning.
was conscious of something. l seemed
burGened by n Presence. / opened my
eyes and looked. There, standing almost