Letters to a Friend 



by the moon, went far out of human cares and 

 human civilization. Our next camp was at Lake 

 Tenaya, one of the countless multitudes of 

 starry gems that make this topmost mountain 

 land to sparkle like a sky. After moonrise Le 

 Conte and I walked to the lake-shore and 

 climbed upon a big sofa-shaped rock that stood 

 islet-like a little way out in the shallow water, 

 and here we found another bounteous throne of 

 earthly grace, and I doubt if John in Patmos 

 saw grander visions than we. And you were 

 remembered there and we cordially wished you 

 with us. Our next sweet home was upon the vel 

 vet gentian meadows of the South Tuolumne. 

 Here we feasted upon soda and burnt ashy 

 cakes and stood an hour in a frigid rain with 

 our limbs bent forward like Lombardy poplars 

 in a gale, but ere sunset the black clouds de 

 parted, our shins were straightened at a glow 

 ing fire, we forgot the cold and all about half- 

 raw mutton and alkaline cakes, the grossest 

 of our earthly coils was shaken off, and ere the 

 last slant sunbeams left the dripping meadow 

 [91 ] 



