78 
CALIFORNIA ILLUSTRATED. 
so distant that it had the appearance of a meandering pencil mark. 
We could, however, hear its subdued murmuring as it struggled 
through its rocky channel. After a short rest, we commenced 
the descent, which we found extremely precipitous, requiring the 
greatest caution and attended with the most painful exertions. 
Sometimes losing our foothold, we would slide down until we 
could catch by the shrubs for support, and at others, be precipb 
tated to the bottom of the step. We at length reached the base and 
found ourselves on a small bar. It being after sunset, we kin¬ 
dled a fire, steeped some green tea, broiled a quantity of pork, 
by putting it on the end of a stick and holding it in the fire, and 
after toasting the sea-biscuit, we sat down on the rocks and paid 
our cook a most flattering compliment. I must confess that I 
never felt the gnawings of hunger more keenly than on this oc¬ 
casion, nor did I ever more fully appreciate the influence of 
green tea. We were much fatigued, and after removing some of 
the larger stones, spread our blankets and prepared for sleep. 
We were strangers, never having spoken until a few hours 
previous; yet, having been thrown together by chance in a 
strange land, we felt a mutual interest that could scarcely have 
been stronger, had we been brothers. I must here say, that I 
was associated with Mr. Tracy for the succeeding three months, 
and no brother could have been more attentive or sympathetic. 
Soon after we were blanketed, the moon gained a sufficient alti¬ 
tude to look down into the canon upon us. Our situation was 
novel in the extreme. The mountains rose on either side to the 
height of more than a mile, almost perpendicular. The moon 
and stars looking in upon us with unusual brilliancy. The dis¬ 
tant and incessant howl of numerous packs of wolves, the rest¬ 
less gurgling and chafing of the river, as it struggled angrily 
through its rocky channel, our lonely and isolated situation, all 
conspired to generate strange thoughts, and to bring up strange, 
and often unpleasant associations. To look at the moon and 
think that our friends might be, at that moment, looking at the 
same orb, and thinking of us—thinking, perhaps, that we were 
already preparing to return home, having accomplished our 
most sanguine expectations; then to look at the reality, think 
of the dark prospect ahead, of the time that must intervene be¬ 
fore we could think of returning, of the innumerable hardships 
