78 START AT SUNRISE. 



hoping that rest would soon restore my quadruped to 

 a respectable condition. 



Although the landscape was dismal and the 

 weather such as invariably caused depression of 

 spirits, I felt ten years younger than I really was, 

 and anxious to go in for any kind of lark. Could 

 this be attributed to the potation of whiskey of the 

 previous night ? If so, such results are rather 

 different from those generally attributed to that 

 potent spirit. 



The old squaw appeared quite at home. She 

 slept under one of the waggons last night, and looked 

 as active and ready for the road as any of the party. 

 My mule was apparently destined no longer to lead 

 an idle life, for already he had her pack, which was 

 formidable in bulk, upon his back. As I had no 

 present use for his service, I did not object to this 

 appropriation of my property, provided it did not 

 lead to an attempt to raise a claim to ownership. 

 ( Sufficient for the day, however, is the evil thereof/ 



The waggons started at an hour after sunrise, 

 each following in the track of its predecessor, while 

 the teamsters cracked their whips, bandied jokes, 

 sung snatches of songs, or whistled. They are a 

 hardy, devil-may-care lot, with constitutions like 

 water-spaniels. About noon, while with * the boss ' 

 in front of the train, the mist lifted, and several 

 buffaloes were seen feeding in the direction in which 

 our route led. I expressed my regret to my host 

 that my horse was in such an unserviceable state for 



