168 A CALIFORNIA TRAMP. 



been sadly dilapidated by coming in contact with the sharp 

 volcanic rocks which bestrewed the trail. We found barely 

 enough of water at the Springs for ourselves and animals, and 

 that was disagreeably brackish. 



Our provisions now began to run short, and anxious to make 

 them hold out as long as possible, we put ourselves upon 

 allowance ; an expedient which, by the way, was suggestive of 

 gloomy forebodings. Upon leaving the settlements we had laid 

 in what we thought was a sufficient quantity, but we found out 

 our mistake when too late to remedy it, and so were obliged to 

 do the best we could ; that is, to divide our scanty supply of 

 flour and coffee — all the articles of luxury or necessity we 

 now possessed — into as many parts as there were days between 

 then and the time when we calculated to arrive in San Ber- 

 nardino ; one part, and no more, to be devoured per day. Our 

 future prospects, as may be surmised, were none of the bright- 

 est at this stage of the journey, especially when we considered 

 the many accidents which might happen to detain us on the 

 road: such as the giving out of teams, breaking down of 

 wagons and other causes. We allowed for eight days' time to 

 reach San Bernardino. 



We left our elevated encampment at the " Mountain Springs " 

 early the next morning, and passing over a rough road 

 which lay through a scattered grove of yuccas, the repulsive 

 aspect of which made the scenery anything but agreeable, 

 we rolled at a brisk trot down the mountain slope. The 

 range which we were crossing was the rim of a gigantic 

 basin of irregular shape and about thirty miles in diameter. 

 Basins like this are often met with in the Great Desert. 

 They are level beds of sand and gravel, supporting no vege- 

 tation save scattered and dwarfed specimens of sage, and 

 surrounded by bleak and rugged mountains which afford 

 but few passes; Some ten miles to the north of the trail 

 we saw the bed of an alkaline lake which was white with sal- 



