22 LIFE SKETCHES OF A JAYHAWKER 



the world. 



ir became a great task now to save our oxen. We had used all the 

 iron shoes, and had to depend upon moccasins for the oxen as well as for 

 ourselves. We made them from the hides, but some of the country was so 

 rough with rock, sharp as flint, that every day new moccasins had to be put 

 on the oxen. 



We finally reached Death Valley, where we lost two men, Fish and 

 Isham, who were of the Brier party. One of our party went out hunting 

 water. Deacon Richards by name. Previdentially he found a spring, just 

 about dusk. He gave the usual sign and from that time up until midnight 

 the company came staggering in, but in the morning we found two missing. 

 We took water and started back and found them dead within a hundred 

 yards of each other. We named the spring Providence Spring, and it re- 

 tains its name to this day. It was always so when water was found, the 

 strongest came in first, and the weakest was last. Those first in returned 

 to help the others, and so long as they kept their courage there was hope, 

 but just as soon as they gave up a little they wouldn't last long. 



I remember one incident relating to this and that was the case of Cap- 

 tain Asa Haines. He was quite elderly compared with the rest of us, prob- 

 ably sixty years of age. He would remark, "Boys, if I only had the corn that 

 my hogs at home are rooting in the mud I would consider it the greatest 

 luxury imaginable," and then would cry like a baby. A few days later he 

 said to us, "Boys, I feel that I can't go any further and I'll have to leave 

 you". I knew then that he would die soon, and told my mess-mate. Bill 

 Rude, that Captain Haines would not live until morning. We had each 

 saved two or three of our little biscuits and a couple of spoonfuls of rice. 

 I told Bill I was willing to give all I had to Asa Haines If he would. So we 

 took the last morsel we had saved, made a kind of stew of it and carried 

 this to Haines. He said, "Boys, you have saved my life", and we knew we 

 had. It did us more good, yes ten times over, than if we had eaten it our- 

 selves. 



We all thought a great deal of the Captain, and I have never felt so 

 satisfied in my life with a deed, as I did in knowing that I was the means 

 of helping to save a valuable life. He remained in California a short time, 

 and returned to Illinois, where he lived not more than three miles from my 

 father's house. Father wrote me that Captain Haines often came to the 

 house and told him that his son saved his life in California. Bill Rude was 

 also a neighbor of his, and thought a great deal of him. He felt that we 

 could get to California and a few spoonfuls of food to us was nothing com- 

 pared to a human life. 



From Providence Springs we crossed the range of mountains, and going 

 down the other side, one of the best oxen went over the cliff and broke his 

 back. We had to stop and make him into jerky. It seemed only a short 

 distance across to the snow mountains that loomed up in sight, but the 

 remainder of that day and the next went by before we came to water, which 

 has since been known as Indian Wells, owing to the water being in holes 

 or wells. 



At this camp Manly and Rogers saw our light and thought us Indians, 

 until they heard my voice and they then knew we were "Jay Hawkers". 

 They came into camp and were made welcome to all we had. We struck a 



