A Journeij Acrosa the Sierras — S. California. ',^[)'^ 
Here we struck a sinall mining camp. They were running 
an adit into the mountain side, in the hope of striking gold- 
bcaring rock in payaljie quaiititi(\s. They assured us that we 
shouldn't get through, and wanted us to camp with them for a 
day or two, Init we were not to Ix? persuaded and pushed 
steadily on. At last we reached the mouth of the pas>, after 
three hours of the hardest work either of us had done for many 
a long day. Had we started only an hour later we could not 
possibly have got through, and as these mountain streams will 
sometime;: bring down boulders as big as cart wheels, and so 
block the trail, we might easily have been delayed for several 
days; no pleasing situation when one's stock of provisions is 
limited. The valley here was about half a mile wide, and 
was flooded from side to side with water a few inches deep 
through which we splashed gaily. The sun was now shining, 
the rain having ceased in the valley, and we found its heat 
on our backs particularly comforting. On many of the half 
submerged bushes that we passed, various ground birds were 
resting, their nests having Lmjcu washed away I)y the flood. 
Snakes of various kinds were also seen drying themselves 
in the sun. Hawlvs were everywhere skimming over the 
water; no doubt finding numerous small mammals flooded out 
of their burrows. After another mile or two we reached 
higher ground and left the river behind us. About mid-day 
we arrived at Newhall and camped under a fine Oak just 
outside the town, immediately spreading out our goods and 
chattels in the sun to dry, everything having been thoroughly 
soaked. 
Newhall is a little one-horse town, celebi-ated for its 
tunnel through the mountains, through which the C.P.ff. 
passes on its way from 'Frisco to Los Ang-eles, It is sur- 
rounded on three sides by high mountains, but to the west 
the Santa Clara Valley runs down to the sea, some sixty miles 
■distant. An awfully hot place in the summer, I should think. 
There were some very fine Oaks in the Valley and in 
the mountains near by some decent Pines. After a good square 
meal I left oui' things to dry in the nun and took a stroll round 
with the gun and dog. Birds were numerous. In a Date Palm 
a pair of White-eyed Grackles {Quiscaliis quiscalus agel- 
aeus) were nesting. Plucky birds these, and they flew about 
