HOW WE CROSSED AN ALKALI FLAT: 223 
‘Right!’ which meant that those inside were to bear all 
weir weight on the side named, to prevent the wagon from 
ping upset on the other. Twenty times at least we stuck in 
ae mud, and had to spend hours in digging out the wheels ; 
ad there was not a single night in which we had not to turn 
it and walk over some especially bad place. 
_ On one of these occasions, the driver pulled up at the edge 
fa large sheet of water, covered with about an inch of ice. 
t was bitterly cold, and there was no moon; the ground was 
0 boggy that it was very doubtful whether we could possibly 
each the opposite shore, two miles distant, and yet we could 
ot stop where we were. This time we were drawn by four 
powerful horses; and it was at last decided that Colton, the 
her passenger, the driver, and myself, should first ride the 
peorses across, and then that they should return for the others. 
How we got through it I can hardly say; the water.reached 
ypbove the horses’ girths ; every instant they would lose their 
ooting in a cart-rut or a boggy spot; at some places the ice 
vould almost bear, and then it would suddenly break and let 
us through. We reached the other side, however, soaked to 
he skin, and fast stiffening, as our clothes froze around us. 
: k went the horses; but when the driver contemplated the 
robable fate of seventeen stone, enveloped in a Californian 
" nket coat, attempting to cross an alkali flat, his heart 
ailed him, and he determined to put the horses to again. 
a n the course of a couple of hours, the horses succeeded in 
ng the wagon across, and we all went on again. A little 
arther we met another stage, which, from the steady appear- 
" ice of the lights, as seen from a distance, was evidently at 
. standstill. This maud-wagon was buried up to the body in 
nud ; ; it carried no passengers, but was heavily laden with 
ae silver, which lay at the bottom of the wagon. The 
