200 EAST PRUSSIA TO THE GOLDEN GATE 



der whether I am safe from your criticism in mentioning 

 that one may tramp through corn fields and meadows 

 without being fined, as is customary elsewhere. It is ad- 

 visable, however, to avoid bands of cattle, which is not 

 always a safe thing to do. At the foothills especially the 

 cattle are very plentiful, and they roam about uncared- 

 for, looking for food, wherever it may be found. Most of 

 these animals are uncommonly large, powerfully strong 

 and often decidedly hostile in disposition; they have 

 large, sharp pointed horns, and an attack upon man is 

 not at all an unfrequent occurrence. Only a few days 

 ago it happened that a Kentuckian was attacked in a 

 neighboring creek by two cows and though he managed 

 to kill one of them outright with his gun, he was mis- 

 erably harpooned by the sharp horns of the other and 

 finally lost his life in the struggle. Still wilder and 

 consequently more dangerous are the cattle in the in- 

 land on the other side of the bay, known as " Contra 

 Costa." To give you a more correct idea of the situa- 

 tion, I may add that even the Mexican rancheros, known 

 for their daring and unsurpassed horsemanship, who 

 are almost born in the saddle and raised among herds of 

 wild cattle, who never throw their lasso in vain, nor fire 

 a pistol without hitting the mark, even they, I say, 

 though provided with tried horses and reliable weapons, 

 will never venture alone into those herds to catch an ox 

 for slaughter. The interior of the country is said to be 

 uncommonly romantic and decidedly picturesque and of 

 so changeable a character that even the most experi- 

 enced world-trotters have been surprised at the manifold 

 grandeur of California scenery. While one may enjoy 

 for a few moments a typically Dutch rural scene, there 

 appears suddenly a magnificent mountain view, with its 

 wild, noisy waters, and impenetrable virgin forests. 

 While it is perfectly true that the high mountains of 

 which I gained a very satisfactory view from the neigh- 

 boring hill-tops, are indeed promising, I shall not art- 

 tempt to give you the descriptions of other people, but 

 prefer to wait until I can judge and tell from personal 

 experience and observation. 



