f iva y 236 
wareey 21.—We now considered ourselves victorious over the moun- 
; having only the descent before us, and the valley under our eyes, we 
felt strong hope that we should force our way down. But this was a case 
in which the descent was not facile. Still deep fields of snow lay between, 
and there was a large ae space of rough-looking mountains through 
which we had yet to wind ourway. Carson roused me this morning withe 
an early fire, and we were all up long before ion in order to pass the snow 
fields before the sun should render the crust soft. We enjoyed this morn- 
ing a scene, at sunrise, which even here was unusually glorious a and beauti-— 
ful.. Immediately above the eastern mountains ud-forme 
VERE 
mass of purple ranges, bordered with bright yellow ‘gold ; the: peaks shot 
up into a narrow: line of crimson cloud, above which the air was filled with 
a greenish oranges ated over all was the singular beauty of the blue sky. 
Passing along a ridge which commanded the lake on our right, of which 
we began to discover an outlet through a chasm on the west, we passed . 
over alternating open ground and hard-crusted snow fields which support- 
2 animals, and encamped on the ridge after a journey of 6 miles. The 
ass was better than we had yet seen, and we were encamped in a clump 
of trees twenty or thirty feet high, resembling white pine. With the excep- 
tion of these small clumps gs — were bare; and, where the snow found 
the support of the trees, d had blown it up into banks ten or fifteen 
feet high. It required ake care to hunt out.a practicable way, as the 
most open places frequently led to impassable ban 
We ha and doubtful labor yet before us, as the snow appeared to 
be heavier where the timber began further down, with few open spots. 
ding a height; we traced out the best line we could discover for the - 
next day’s ma at least the consolation to see that the mountain 
descended rapidly. The any had been one of April ; gusty, witha few oc- 
easional flakes of snow; which; in the afternoon, enveloped the upper 
mountain in clouds. We watched them anxiously, as now we dreaded a 
snow storm. Shortly afterwards we heard the roll of thunder, and, looking 
towards the valley, found it all enveloped in a thunder storm. For us, as 
connected with the idea of summer, it hada singular charm; and we watch- 
ed its progress with excited fegunee until nearly sunset, when the sky clear- 
ed off brightly, and we saw a shining line of water directing its course to- 
wi 
) another, a broader and larger sheet. _ We knew that these could be. 
. than the Sacramento and the bay of San Francisco ; but, after our 
wandering i in rugged mountains, where so frequently we had met with. 
appointments, and where the crossing of every ridge displayed some un- 
known lake or river, we were yet almost afraid to believe that we were at 
last to. escape into the genial country of which we'had heard so many 
Zlow Sear: and dreaded again to find some vast interior lake, 
bitter waters would bring us disappointment. On the southern shore 
ed to be the bay could be traced the gleaming line where 
large stream ; and again the Buenaventura rose up in our 
; 
e 
* 
‘ 
+ to have crossed the mouth of a very large stream, 
: eee: they h had been. ob to raft ; but the prenirc then was so entirely 
od ater water from snow and rain, that he had been able to form no 
BRCM tic ac least there were euple below. 
Sr a hadegtinee the valley along the southern side of the bay, and re- : 
+ 
