52 A CALIFORNIA TRAMP. 



The mile-wide river with its sand-bars, low shores and dis- 

 tant sand hills called to mind a picture I once saw of the river 

 Nile, with the full moon gleaming above it. My unleashed fancy 

 increased the resemblance. 'The lone cotton-woods were trans- 

 formed to tufted palms from their positions on shore or island. 

 I evolved the pyramids from the hazy outlines of distant sand 

 hills ; the sheeted wagons turned to an Arab encampment, the 

 sleeping oxen to couchant camels, and for Bedouins of the 

 desert I could choose between my comrades and the Indians 

 encamped near by, and present about as Ishmaelitic a gang as 

 the valley of Father Nile was ever afflicted with. 



On the 6th of August we came to a timberless reach, and 

 heavy rains having spoiled our ^^bois-de-vache^^ or buffalo- 

 wood — as the French politely termed our usual fuel — we halted 

 for a half a day to procure some real wood. This w^e got by 

 wading to neighboring islands, axe in hand, and felling the 

 dryest timber we could find. Cut in convenient lengths, we 

 would "pack" it ashore and through a thicket of matted 

 willows to our wagons. Those who thought this too much 

 trouble, eked out a supply by stealing it from their provident 

 comrades and then boasted about it, as they did of appropriat- 

 ing yokes, bow-keys, cooking utensils and other necessaries of 

 life on the plains. 



We reached Grant's Camp at noon on the 12th. This is a 

 fine camping place, near the bluff's, and about three miles from 

 the river, and is supplied with a spring of excellent water 

 gushing out from the bottom of a deep ravine. Hardly had 

 we coralled before a body of mounted Indians rode up, whom 

 we found to be the braves of a Sioux village, now changing 

 its locality, for looking back we saw stretching along the plain 

 and advancing toward our camp a long moving column, which 

 as it neared us, presented a rather grotesque appearance. 

 There were about a hundred persons appertaining to this port- 

 able village. The squaws were dragging their heavily laden 



