26 LIFE SKETCHES OF A JAYHAWKER 



stand near it, but they were great cowards, both of them, and did not try 

 taking revenge at that time. They certainly were brutal taking advantage 

 of a poor helpless boy and imposing on him in that manner. 



This left me stranded in Santa Barbara with a single dollar, so in order 

 to make my dollar go as far as I could I would buy me a piece of beef and 

 a few crackers, or hard tack, and go out to where there was a big log 

 burning just on the outskirts of the town. I kept this up for a few days 

 until an old Spanish woman, who had seen me making my trips out to the 

 old log, finally hailed me and asked, "Why don't you come here and eat?" 

 Of course I could not understand a word she said, but she just made me 

 understand by bringing out her friholes, tortillas, meat and coffee, and 

 putting them before me. I understood what she meant then and she made it 

 plain that she wanted me to come every day and for every meal. She 

 seemed to have plenty, and evidently she could see by my looks that I 

 needed fattening. I hadn't gained any flesh as yet and my cheek bones 

 stood out quite prominently. I spent most of my time trying to find some 

 work, but there was no building going on, and as I had no knowledge of 

 Spanish there were no openings for work. I believe there was but one 

 American there and he kept a grocery store, but he had nothing for me to 

 do. Prospects looked gloomy, and I was two thousand miles from home, 

 with no money. I had suffered everything but death to get there, and was 

 still some five or six hundred miles from my destination, the mines. How 

 to reach the mines was a problem. I knew I could walk but had no money 

 to help me on the way. While in this quandary some emigrant wagons 

 drove in, and camped at the old log where I first cooked my meat. The 

 teams all belonged to a man called Dallas. There were four of them and 

 they proved to be a part of our original train of 105 wagons and Old Dallas 

 was one of the parties who had turned back and taken up Captain Hunt's 

 trail. As I had a partial acquaintance with him to begin with, but I knew 

 him better by his reputation and that wasn't the best. I thought if I could 

 make some arrangements with him whereby I could reach the mines I didn't 

 care much if he did get the best of the bargain. After talking with him we 

 made an agreement that Re should board me at the price of twelve dollars 

 a week, and give me the privilege of riding in the wagon, as I was still too 

 weak to attempt heavy walking, and I wanted to be in good condition to 

 work when I reached the mines. I was to pay for my passage when I got 

 work In the mines. Everything was satisfactory, and we started; about 

 two days out one of the drivers said he had a lame back, Dallas came to 

 me and asked me to take the man's place, saying he would make it allright 

 with me. For five weeks I drove the team through wet grass up to my 

 waist in many places. If the sun happened to be out my clothes would 

 hardly be dry before noon. This was an every morning occurrence, and still 

 the man's back continued to be lame, for it was much easier riding in the 

 wagon than walking and driving the team. 



At one place a tree had fallen across the road, and had been partially 

 cut away, but when I attempted to pass, the tree stove in the end gate of 

 the wagon. There was but one thing to do and that was to cut the tree off, 

 and while I was busy doing this "Old Dallas" came up and started his 

 abuse. He stopped at nothing in his tirade, and I stood it as long as I 

 could, finally starting for him, telling him he had gone too far already. He 



