2o8 Audubon's Western Journal 



ful valleys, green and luxuriant, but very short 

 stretches of grass; the hills, at times, so close 

 together at the base that the valley was almost lost; 

 but the ascent was rapid, and we found ourselves 

 soon on the singular hills of this country within 

 a mile of the Mokolumne [Mokelumme] mines, 

 where we camped for the night. 



March gth, iS^O. The ice this morning was 

 half an inch thick, and the cold at day-light, 

 intense. One hour after sunrise, the day began to 

 be summer, and at nine o'clock our coats were off, 

 and we were riding towards the beautiful view 

 made by the interesting lines of Mokolumne hill 

 and its adjacent fellows, all eccentric, and all inter- 

 esting. 



The soil in the ravines here is mostly clay, but 

 from time to time partakes of the sandy red clay 

 so common in this country, resembling very much 

 the gravelly hills of the post-oaks of Texas. The 

 ride up the stream to "Mokolumne rich gulch," 

 is very interesting, passing between two hills, or 

 lines of hills, with occasional ravines leading down 

 to the creek we were following. 



We passed an Indian village of six huts; the 

 squaws were pounding acorns to make "payote," 

 in natural mortars, formed by the slight indenta- 

 tions being used constantly; the pounding of the 

 stone (small granite boulders, water-worn smooth) , 

 sometimes wear the holes a foot deep ; but they 



