228 A CALIFORNIA TRAMP. 



girls mediocre affairs in shoddy dresses and brass jewelry, 

 but to us, from our humble station, they seemed as of the elite. 



We looked at this gay scene from our comfortable position 

 as long as we thought it j^rudent for fear of ejectment, when 

 we left, and wending our way through the noisy streets 

 sought our straw palace. Making our beds on some bales of 

 hay we at last got to sleep. The next morning we were 

 awakened by the crowing of some biddies roosting on the 

 shed. The air was chilling and a thick fog hung over the 

 town and its surroundings. We remained wrapped up until 

 the sun w^as an hour high, when we rolled up our blankets and 

 resumed our tramp, but with the usual luck. At noon we 

 reached a ranch owned by a retired sea captain, who, on 

 appearing, said : " Well boys ! just from the States, are you ?" 

 Want work, do you ? Got none, but got some dinner for you ! 

 Walk right in and help yourselves!" We had a tip-top 

 dinner, winding up with pie. 



Here we heard of a ranch a few miles off where hands were 

 wanted. Thanking our entertainer we made a bee line 

 thence, across broad, level fields, and about 4 o'clock got to the 

 boundaries of the ranch. We soon came across two shepherds 

 who were seated by a fire under a wide spreading live-oak and 

 tending some thousands of sheep. Coming to the ranch we 

 were told that the *' Patron," Signor Augustina, was not at 

 home, but soon would be. In about an hour he made his 

 appearance, and through an interpreter told us that they had 

 all the help needed, but that a friend, eighteen miles away, 

 wanted him to get him two men, and that if we would stay 

 with him two or three days he would take us over. This 

 information made us exceedingly glad, for it meant something 

 to eat for that length of time. 



The Salvador Ranch, which we were now on, belonged to 

 Salvador Vallejo, brother to the General, and was a large 

 tract from the amount of wheat they were putting in — two 



