SANTA CRUZ. 311 
had more oxen than were required to draw the 
wagons; but the owners were taking them to market 
as beef cattle, and found it much easier to yoke them 
to their wagons than to drive them loose. Some of 
these wagons drawn by five yoke of cattle did not 
contain more than five hundred pounds weight, while 
the capacity of the team would suffice for five or six 
thousand pounds. 
At three o’clock, we encamped in a fine grove of 
trees near the river, having travelled twenty miles. A 
heavy rain set in just before we stopped, attended 
with thunder and lightning. 
July 24th. Got an early start this morning. The 
valley grew still more contracted; in fact for miles 
there cannot be said to be any valley, the stream sim- 
ply winding its way among the hills. Hight miles 
brought us to the old rancho of San Lazaro, where we 
found an encampment of fifty or sixty emigrants from 
Arkansas, bound for the land of gold. 
Before these people knew who we were, they ex- 
pressed much surprise at seeing a large and well-or- 
ganized party going eastward ; some exclaiming, when 
they saw we were Americans, ‘ Holloa, strangers, 
haven't you mistaken the road—you're going the 
wrong way—this is the way to Californy!” Similar 
expressions were made by almost every party we met; 
but when they found we had been to California, and 
could give them some information about it, there was 
no end to their inquiries. All seemed to have their 
thoughts upon gold; for they invariably asked whe- 
ther the yield continued as great as at first, what we 
thought of its holding out, etc., ete. 
