IN THE MINING DISTRICT 225 



three other Germans, who also wanted to go up into the 

 mountains, and by some friends who wished to accom- 

 pany us to the " Wisconsin House" to see us off. We all 

 carried rather heavy loads. Each one had about thirty 

 pounds in his pack besides two or three blankets, pick, 

 shovel, gun, pistol and hatchet. The morning was de- 

 lightful; birds sang merrily in the old oak trees, the air 

 was cool and balmy; we were all in good humor and good 

 spirits, and so as we stepped forth on our way over the 

 green velvety turf, all of our worldly goods on our backs 

 or in our pockets, we did not deem the loads we carried 

 to be too heavy, and many a merry sailor song awoke the 

 echoes among the green sunclad hills. 



As we did not hurry over much, it was about 9 o'clock 

 when we reached the edge of the prairie, along which 

 our road now led us and at 11 o'clock we came to the 

 "Wisconsin House," our place of rendezvous. AVe threw 

 our bundles down in the shade of an old oak tree, and, 

 stretching ourselves at full length on the grass, we 

 awaited the arrival of our man from Marysville. From 

 our resting place we had a good view of the prairie as it 

 stretched before us, unbounded, cheerless, bare of bush 

 and tree, covered only with short, coarse grass. For 

 miles the eye could follow the serpentine course of the 

 wagon road, running like a fine red thread over the 

 plain. From a cloudless sky the sun poured down 

 its fiery heat, and over the prairie the air quivered 

 as it does over a raging fire. Away from the road 

 no sign of life; on the road itself, however, it was 

 different. Trains of pack-mules would pass us every now 

 and then, led by "mulcros" (mule drivers) in gay old 

 Spanish costumes, their dark, sunburnt faces shaded by 

 broad brimmed felt hats, the long rifle in front on the 

 saddle, and knife and pistol in their belt. They reminded 

 me of Italian bandits as they galloped past us on their 

 small, half-tamed horses, now in front and n<>\\- behind the 

 long line of heavily burdened mules; now keeping them 

 hack and now urging them on by tin 1 use of their lassoes, 

 their most dangerous weapon, which every one of them 



15 



