VIRGINIA CITY. 221 
mud-wagon is shaped like a coach, but it is hung lower, 
ore heavily built, and has its sides made of canvas instead 
ood and glass. 
_ Most of the passengers who occupied the six sledges were 
f at only two were going to join us across the Great Basin. 
' e were discussing after breakfast the merits of the different 
Hi kest of Californian blankets, offered his services in the 
dst friendly way, and took us to the Savage Mine, where we 
Arough it have been too often described to require any 
Mmment here. Our bulky friend, the jovial proprietor of the 
‘ecidental Hotel of San Francisco, may not be as well known 
h the East as he is throughout the Far West; and since he 
Mecame from this time the most prominent feature of the 
Homeward journey, I must describe our start from Virginia 
Hity, and introduce him in doing so. 
When Palmer, Colton, myself, and another passenger, had 
ated ourselves and packed away our wraps and blankets, to 
whenever any great increase of elevation should make it 
Mery cold, the agent called out for Mr. Leland, and as Mr. 
Leland did not respond to the summons, he had forcibly to 
He conducted from the bar-room by his friends (to whom he 
Mad been saying good-bye in the usual manner nearly all the 
horning), and pushed with difficulty, blanket, coat, and all, 
hrough the door of the mud-wagon ; then came half-a-dozen 
