PREFACE. 



T was the intention of the vvriter to pub- 

 lish a narrative descriptive of his over- 

 land tour from the Atlantic to the Pacific 

 soon after returning from California in 

 1876, and his excuse for the delay in 

 publication is that a variety of circum- 

 stances compelled him to postpone for a 

 time the duty of arranging the contents of his journal 

 until other pressing matters had been satisfactorily 

 attended to. Again, considerable unfinished literary 

 work, set aside when he began preparation for crossing 

 the Continent, had to be resumed, and for these 







reasons the story of his journey from ^' Ocean 



TO Ocean on Horseback" is only now ready for 



the printer. In view of this delay in going to press, 



the author will endeavor to show a due regard for the 



changes time has wrought along his line of march, and 



(Tii) 



