TO PUEBLO DE LOS ANGELES. 185 



to throw them away, but took them as thrifty people do over- 

 plus medicine, rather than be guilty of wastefulness. These, 

 when not in use, w^ere slung across my shoulders along with 

 my blankets and an overcoat. Then I had a rifle which I had 

 bought at Salt Lake, and which, as it had nearly drained my 

 purse to the bottom, after I paid my transportation charges, 

 I had regretted buying. It was bought to fight Indians with, 

 but as we found it pleasanter to make our way through hostile 

 territory by firing flour and beef at them, we never harmed 

 an aboriginal hair. 



And now with this rifle on my shoulder, my carpet-bag and 

 boots suspended back of the muzzle, the rest of my "duds" 

 otherwise disposed of, and the clothing I wore rent and stained 

 with weeks of open-air travel and lying on the ground, the 

 reader, gentle or otherwise, can imagine my appearance when 

 starting on my tramp, and can be assured I did not improve 

 on further acquaintance during my search for work. I sup- 

 pose I was about an average example of most of the tramps 

 seen on Eastern highways when that class of nomads are in 

 season, except that here my rifle and knife would have lent 

 an additional terror. Of course I wore a belt, to take up or 

 let out as hunger waxed or waned, to which was suspended 

 the above knife. Although this last was in shape piratical, 

 and gleaming with German silver, I am glad to say it was 

 never designed for anything but uses culinary. 



This much for externals. Mentally, were cerebral exposure 

 possible, I would not have shown up much better. Worri- 

 ment as to what would be my future, thus cast adrift, put my 

 spirits down towards the zero bulb to keep company with my 

 finances. Besides, the journey ahead was long and lonely, 

 hardly relieved by the grand view of the Sierras, and thoughts 

 of the new scenes I was entering in a country whose romance 

 had not yet been smothered by progress, and which was 

 punctuated with towns, valleys and mountains full of wildness 



12 



