HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 



191 



third and a fourth, when, poised on all drawn under 

 him, and close together, he would have a better oppor 

 tunity for further inspection, winch having satisfactorily 

 accomplished, another equally deliberate and cautious 

 step would be made as before, down what, to all 

 appearance, was an impracticable route, and so on, 

 until the difficulty was overcome. Finding that he 

 knew so much better than I did, how, where, and 

 when he ought to travel, I invariably threw the reins 

 to him, when hazardous passes or other obstacles were 

 to be surmounted. The result was always fortunate. 

 One or two of the party, however, were satisfied that 

 'horses should not have their own way,' and whipped 

 and spurred theirs to such an extent, to compel com 

 pliance with their better judgment, that the issue was 

 as I had anticipated. One was thrown over his horse's 

 head into a mud puddle, and the other, with horse and 

 all, stuck fast in a quagmire, from which it was not 

 easy to extricate him. Should these lines ever meet 

 the eye of those worthy gentlemen, I trust they will 

 pardon the liberty I have taken in recording here their 

 feats of muleship. It is true that mine stumbled on 

 some loose stones once or twice, in descending hills, 

 and my efforts alone with the reins saved both him 

 and me from a fall ; but for unmistakeable judgment 

 in traversing these perilous mountain-passes, I must 

 admit he proved himself the better of the two. 



" Thus we trudged on, often over difficult, and some 

 times dangerous ways. Occasionally we would have 

 to go up or down, as the case might be, for nearly 

 half a mile at one time, through a chasm or sluice, 

 probably worn in the mountains by the torrents of 

 water that descend during the rainy season. These 

 gully-holes are often ten and fifteen feet deep through- 



