66 A CALIFORNIA TRAMP. 



our toilsome journey over it. The ascent was easy and 

 gradual, until we came to a deep gorge, which intersected our 

 road at the foot of the main bluff. Crossing this at the im- 

 minent risk of being run over by the teams as they plunged 

 headlong to the bottom, we came to a series of steep hills and 

 narrow, deep and sandy defiles, through which there was 

 barely room for a wagon to pass. So squarely hewn were 

 some of these passes, that one could hardly believe that art 

 had not a hand in their formation. After a vast deal of exer- 

 tion we at last reached the summit, when we commenced the 

 still more dangerous descent. Tumbling pell-mell down nar- 

 row passages, slowly crawling over abrupt ascents, we at length 

 reached the bottom, and in two miles struck the river and 

 encamped, but not till long after dark. The Platte was here 

 a maze of sloughs and islands, the bed of the river being 

 divided into innumerable channels. On account of the 

 scarcity of grass on the main land, we kept the herd on one of 

 the islands during the night. 



On this portion of our journey, and in fact nearly all the 

 way westward of Fort Kearney, we drove early and late. 

 Starting sometimes before sunrise, we would drive on until 

 ten o'clock, when we would stop an hour for breakfast, then 

 we would again start and roll on until after sunset, sometimes 

 until eleven o'clock. These were the times which wore us 

 down. To be wakened from a sound nap early in the morn- 

 ing by the harsh voice of the assistant, as he yelled forth the 

 dreaded reveille, with its accompanying club-thumps on the 

 wagon-body ; to go in the tumultuous corral and yoke up 

 while you are so sleej^y you can hardly keep your eyes open ; 

 to start hungry on a toilsome march ; to drive with a short 

 intermission until after night, and then, perhaps, to go on 

 the detested guard, were things to be experienced to be 

 understood. 



Our harships began visibly to affect us. While in the early 



