DIGGER SQUAW AND CHILD. 203 



was in tte same condition precisely, minus tlie moccasins, with 

 a small buckskin strap over her shoulders in the form of a loop, 

 in which, with its little arms clasped around its mother's neck, 

 sat a female child, four or five years old, without any clothing 

 whatever. She was a fine-looking, intelligent little thing, and as 

 plump as a partridge. The mother seemed to evince much affec- 

 tion for it, and was very much pleased when I threw over its 

 shoulders an old piece of scarlet flannel which had been torn from 

 one of the stations by the wind. I noticed, however, that after 

 they left us, and she thought herself out of our sight, the cloth 

 was fluttering from her own person, and the baby was as destitute 

 as ever. I gave them something to eat, and, what I suspect was 

 more welcome, a hearty draught of water. The poor child was 

 almost famished. The old man was armed with a bow and a few 

 arrows, with which he was hunting for ground-squirrels. 



June 13-14. — Moved camp yesterday and to-day, aiming to 

 reach what appeared to be the southern extremity of the spur, at 

 the base of which the line is being run, but were much baffled 

 by shallow water in the attempt. After advancing eight or ten 

 miles, we dragged the boat as near as was possible to the edge of 

 a wide sand-flat, lying between us and the ridge, made a scaffold 

 in the water, and upon it deposited all the provisions, and every 

 thing not needed for immediate use, so as to lighten the boat 

 preparatory to a trip to Antelope Island for water and for another 

 beef from the herd. 



Sending the surveying party's camp ashore with three men to 

 pitch it and to cook, I started in the yawl, intending to pass be- 

 tween Stansbury's and Carrington's Islands, which would have 

 made the course very direct. The wind was fresh from the west, 

 and we bowled merrily along over the dense and briny waves, un- 

 til, upon approaching the passage between the islands, we ground- 

 ed upon a sandbar, which seemed to stretch from one island to 

 the other, forbidding, apparently, all farther progress in that di- 

 rection. We then tried to pass to the north-west of Carrington's 

 island, and, for a time, with every prospect of success, when we 

 suddenly found ourselves embayed in a cul de sac formed by an 

 extensive sand-flat, which stretched from the island an indefinite 

 distance to the westward. 



There was nothing to be done now other than to coast along the 

 edge of this bar until we should be able to get around it to the 

 northward. Night was approaching; the wind was ahead, and 



