AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. 91 



water. We had no saleratus, so that our bread was hard 

 and tough. Our beverage, outside of water, was a concoction 

 we called flour soup. On this weak diet we lived a few days, 

 when we were met with a supply of good beef from Salt Lake 

 by agents of our employers, and henceforth we did not want. 



There were three w^ays of entering Salt Lake Valley : by 

 Emigration, Echo and Provo canons. We took the latter 

 route. The road was built by the Mormon Church at much 

 expense, as at places the rocky walls of the valley came close 

 to the water, w^hen wooden ways would be built over it. Toll 

 was charged us. All the way down Provo Canon the road was 

 dangerous, in spite of the labor spent upon it. Our long teams 

 had trouble in drawing the wagons around short curves,, as 

 the strain of the leaders had a tendency to drag the " swing " 

 cattle into the gulfs below. One wagon tumbled into the 

 river and spilled its contents. On the plains, when an acci- 

 dent happened, it was the custom for the train to halt until 

 matters were righted. But now that we were continually 

 troubled with breakdowns and upsets, the luckier teams ahead 

 went selfishly on until they, too, were in trouble. 



I give a sketch of a part of our road down Provo 

 Canon. Our artist, in the re-drawing for photo-engraving, 

 has omitted the slope lying between the almost perpendicular 

 rocks and the creek through which the track was cut. Some- 

 times we would come across expansions of the gorge, but they 

 were so sloping that w^e could not form corral on them, so that 

 throughout the time we were passing the canon, w^e remained 

 in line. Sometimes we would wind around crasfpv rocks ; then 

 descend to the foaming creek, over which, on a corduroy road, 

 we would go awhile, and then ascend to fresh dangers. If the 

 other passes to Salt Lake were as bad as these I don't wonder 

 that our troops Avere so long on a stand about entering the 

 valley ; so few defenders could have kept them out. 



The reader has a view of our descent of Provo River, but I 



