240 A CALIFORNIA TRAMP. 



While crossing the plains I was called Stephen. Hearing 

 the outrageous nicknames my comrades bore, and thinking 

 my Christian title provocative of something novel and out- 

 rageous, from its rareness, I gave my middle name ; I regret 

 to say, with unsatisfactory result^. The Patron called me 

 Henry, for what reason I don't know. He either thought that 

 '' Steve," as " Scottie " called me, sounded like Henry, or, what 

 is more probable, called me Henry indifferently, as we call a 

 Chinaman " John," or a goat " Billy." At any rate, Henry I 

 started, and Henry I remained, even " Scottie " and Dick slid- 

 ing into the delusion, possibly to save confusion, or, perhaps, 

 thinking our employers might think I was a suspicious charac- 

 ter with numerous aliases, if they called me otherwise. 



Don Pedro was sometimes ridiculous in his reticence. Not 

 condescending to generalize he would give directions on the 

 instalment plan, so that when he began we did not know 

 what the outcome would be. He spoke good English, but as 

 slowly as if there was a dash between each word. For instance, 

 he w^ould say : " Yoke up those oxen ! Hitch them to the 

 wagon ! Now start ! Gee them ! Haw them ! Now straight 

 ahead ! Haw them ! " and so on, until one day we found our- 

 selves on the summit of an adjacent mountain, without our 

 knowing from one turn to the next where w^e were going to, and 

 what was our errand ; the Don simply sitting on the wagon 

 and giving directions, as needed. Our business w^as simply to 

 cut a load of wood from the tops of the live-oaks, trees being 

 too scarce in that section to warrant cutting them down for 

 fuel. As to the desirability of such work, with insecure foot- 

 ing, whacking away at the inferior limbs Don Pedro, from his 

 secure position on the ground, should designate, and at the 

 risk of cutting ourselves, or tumbling to the ground and hurt- 

 ing the Patron, I leave you to imagine. 



Let me say here, parenthetically, that on reviewing what I 

 have written I am impressed with the thought of how tame the 



