Cjjajftn Ctmtij-firat. 
DANGEROUS NAVIGATION—A TRIP OVER THE FALLS—A NIGHT FROM HOME—SAILOR 
HOSPITALITY—SCARCITY OF PROVISIONS—A HAZARDOUS ALTERNATIVE—A WAYWARD 
BOY—PREPARTIONS FOR LEAVING THE INTERIOR—DISTRIBUTION OF EFFECTS—OUR 
TRAVELING SUIT—START FOR SAN FRANCISCO—FAREWELL—THREE INDIVIDUALS UN¬ 
DER A FULL HEAD OF STEAM—ARRIVAL AT THE “ HALF-WAY TENT ”—POOR ACCOM¬ 
MODATIONS—A MORNING WALK AND POOR BREAKFAST—WADING LAGOONS—WILD 
GEESE—ARRIVAL AT THE AMERICAN RIVER—OUR TOILET, AND ENTRY INTO SACRAMENTO 
CITY. 
The river had become much swollen, and burst through 
among the rocks with the greatest fury. The rumbling of the 
rocks and stone as they were hurled from their beds, was inces¬ 
sant and almost deafening. Many of my friends lived on the 
opposite side of the river, and I had purchased a boat for their 
accommodation. The only place where a boat could be rowed 
across with safety, was above a fall occasioned, in part, by a dam. 
The water here was extremely rapid, but by heading well up 
stream, could be crossed in safety. Tracy generally volunteered 
to do the ferrying, but when I was disengaged I would do it 
myself. 
On one occasion, a party of six wished to cross, and I went 
down with them, paddled out into the stream, and as the boat 
came in contact with the strongest current, it swung around, 
when one of the passengers becoming frightened, applied a pad¬ 
dle on the upper side which aimed the boat for the fall, leaving 
no alternative but to go over. The fall was several feet, and 
below it huge masses of rock; the roaring of the water was ter¬ 
rific, almost deafening, and it was night. We were swept 
along with the velocity of an arrow, and as we came to the 
brink I discovered the limbs of a tree, which had floated down 
and caught. Being in the stern of the boat, I rose up and as it 
was about to break over, jumped and caught to the limb, 
my companions going over with the boat. My situation was 
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