ELDORADO 127 



tacked by wild beasts. Thoughts of home, friends and 

 far-away scenes came trooping into the mind. The 

 vastness and grandeur of the surroundings lead the 

 thoughts to God and of one's insignificance as a factor 

 in the universe. 



With such thoughts and feelings I lay upon my 

 blankets, rising occasionally to replenish my fire, until, 

 overcome for want of rest after the fatiguing walk of 

 the day, 1 fell asleep. On awakening, the rays of the 

 morning sun were glittering through the open spaces 

 between the green foliage of the aromatic mountain 

 monarchs. The unpleasant fancies of the night, like 

 the thin fabrics of a dream, had entirely disappeared. 



Two or three hours after again commencing our 

 journev, when stopping for a short rest, I Jooked back 

 over the road we had traveled and noticed a single 

 horseman coming in my direction, leading a pack ani- 

 mal. As he drew near, T recognized Mr. Coleman, my 

 opponent as attorney in the shooting afifair on the 

 Platte. Our meeting was most timely and cordial. We 

 had not met for over three months. Neither of us had 

 seen a human being since leaving Carson vallev. We 

 traveled and messed together until we arrived at the 

 mines on the American river. Upon arriving at the 

 sum.mit the same dav of our meeting, we found that the 

 main traveled road turned to the left along the ridge, 

 and a plain pack t^ail leadino- di'-cctlv down the slope 

 which we felt assumed would intersect the p'-incipal 

 tho'-ou£rhfare at no great distance, and accc-dingly we 

 decided to save time bv taking what proved to be an- 

 other "fool's cut-ofT." 



Going about a mile down the bare declivitv, we came 

 I0 a small lake, made by the melting snows, surrounded 



