STEEP TRAILS 



of pure salt. I bowed to every wave, and each 

 lifted me right royally to its shoulders, almost 

 setting me erect on my feet, while they all went 

 speeding by like living creatures, blooming and 

 rejoicing in the brightness of the day, and 

 chanting the history of their grand mountain 

 home. 



A good deal of nonsense has been written 

 concerning the difficulty of swimming in this 

 heavy water. "One's head would go down, 

 and heels come up, and the acrid brine would 

 bum like fire." I was conscious only of a joy- 

 ous exhilaration, my limbs seemingly heeding 

 their own business, without any discomfort or 

 confusion; so much so, that without previous 

 knowledge my experience on this occasion 

 would not have led me to detect anything 

 pecuhar. In calm weather, however, the sus- 

 taining power of the water might probably be 

 more marked. This was by far the most excit- 

 ing and effective wave excursion I ever made 

 this side of the Rocky Mountains; and when 

 at its close I was heaved ashore among the 

 sunny grasses and flowers, I found myself a 

 new creature indeed, and went bounding along 

 the beach with blood all aglow, reinforced by 

 the best salts of the mountains, and ready for 

 any race. 



Since the completion of the transcontinental 



124 



