324 SANTA CRUZ TO 
encampments. We estimated the distance travelled 
to-day at fourteen miles, making altogether, by the 
route we hadycome, twenty-nine miles from Santa 
Cruz; while the usually travelled road does not exceed 
eighteen. Yet I would advise all travellers with 
- wagons to turn to the right after crossing the San Pe- 
dro, and take our route, thereby avoiding one of the 
worst mountain passes in the whole distance to Califor- 
nia. With pack-mules, the shorter route should of 
course have the preference. 
July 30th. Passing round the base of the hill near 
our camp, we ascended the plateau, and then pursued 
a course due east, over a plain as level as a floor, and 
without a tree or shrub, covered with short grass that 
had sprung up since the rains. Five miles further, we 
again descended into a valley or bottom, through 
which ran a small stream, where we met another party 
of emigrants. After keeping the bottom for five miles, 
we reached a swampy place, caused by a recent accu- 
mulation of waters from the heavy rains. In the midst 
of this was a stream, or rather, I think, a gully, filled 
with water, which was running very rapidly. It was 
from two to three feet deep, and full of deeper holes, 
so that even the horsemen met with some difficulty in 
crossing. Fearing that we should break the tongues 
of our wagons in plunging down so abrupt and short a 
bank, the picks and spades were got out and both 
banks cut down; we then all got over in safety. 
Crossing this boggy plain, our course continued 
eastward, through a bottom, for about six miles, the 
plateau bounding the valley on both sides. In the 
afternoon we began to ascend gradually through the 
