304 OUR NATIONAL PARKS 



pression to iiry joy, exulting in Nature's wild im- 

 mortal vigor and beauty, never dreaming any 

 other human being was near. Suddenly the 

 spell was broken by dull bumping, thudding 

 sounds, and a man and horse came in sight at 

 the farther end of the meadow, where they 

 seemed sadly out of place. A good big bear or 

 mastodon or megatherium would have been more 

 in keeping with the old mammoth forest. Never- 

 theless, it is always pleasant to meet one of our 

 own species after solitary rambles, and I stepped 

 out where I could be seen and shouted, when the 

 rider reined in his galloping mustang and waited 

 my approach. He seemed too much surprised 

 to speak until, laughing in his puzzled face, I 

 said I was glad to meet a fellow mountaineer in 

 so lonely a place. Then he abruptly asked, 

 " What are you doing ? How did you get 

 here ? " I explained that I came across the 

 canons from Yosemite and was only looking at 

 the trees. " Oh then, I know," he said, greatly 

 to my surprise, " you must be John Muir." He 

 was herding a band of horses that had been 

 driven up a rough trail from the lowlands to feed 

 on these forest meadows. A few handfuls of 

 crumb detritus was all that was left in my bread 

 sack, so I told him that I was nearly out of pro- 

 vision and asked whether he could spare me a 

 little flour. " Oh yes, of course you can have 

 anything I've got," he said. "Just take my 



