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A DANGEROUS JOURNEY.

IN TWO PARTS.-PART L.

N the summer of 1849 I had occasion to visit Obispo, about two hundred and fifty miles south of San Francisco. At that time no steamers touched at the Embarcadera, and but little dependence could be placed upon the small sailing craft that occasionally visited that isolated part of the coast. The trail through the Salinas and Santa Marguerita valleys was considered the only reliable route, though even that was not altogether as safe as could be desired. A portion of the country lying between the old Mission of Soledad and San Miguel was infested by roving bands of Sonoranians and lawless native Californians. Several drovers, who had started from San Francisco by this route to purchase cattle on the southern ranches, had never reached their destination. It was generally believed that they had been murdered on the way. Indeed, in two instances, this fact was established by the discovery of the mutilated remains of the murdered men. No clew could be obtained to the perpetrators of the

deed; nor do I know that any legal measures were taken to find them. At that period the only laws existing were those administered by the Alcaldes, under the Mexican system, which temporarily

the provisional government established by General Riley. The people generally were too deeply interested in the development of the gold regions to give themselves much concern about the condition of other parts of the country; and the chances of bringing criminals to punishment in the southern districts were very remote.

My business was connected with the revenue service. A vessel laden with foreign goods had been wrecked on the coast within a short distance of San Luis. It was necessary that immediate official inquiry should be made into the circumstances, with a view of securing payment of duties upon the cargo. I was also charged with a commission to establish a line of Postoffices on the land route to Los Angeles, and enter into contracts for the carrying of the mails.

By the advice of some friends in San Francisco, I purchased a fine-looking mule, recently from the Colorado. The owner, a Texan gen

never nemtel was the "United States," kept by an Ameriape of can and his wife in an old adobe house, originalus- y a part of the missionary establishment. Hav ng secared accommodations for my mule, I took my quarters for the night at the United Stutes. The woman seemed to be the princiarer. Perhaps I might have noticed ale closely, since she was the only white man I had enjoyed the opportunity of conng with for some time. It was very cerwever, that she struck me as an uncommen person—tall, raw-boned, sharp, and mascu a wild and piercing expression of eye, alle singularly startling and unfeminine. fancied that her teeth were long and and that she resembled a picture of an seen when a child. The man was ed and melancholy-looking person, preinge particular trait of character in his ace save that of general abandonment to tance of misfortune. His dress and exsa impressed me with the idea that he had med much trouble without possessing

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ng power of recuperation so common American adventurers in California. wl scarcely be worth while noticing sal acquaintances of a night, since they ng to do with my narrative, but for able illustration they afford of the aristirs that were encountered at that time on tent mutes to California. In the course en with the man, I found that he es vire were among the few survivors of a terrible sufferings in the mountains past winter had been the theme of ment in the newspapers. He did not I already knew from the published Their adventures-that the woman

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for some time on the dead body of nging to one of the party. It was e man had held out to the last, and Participate in this horrible feast of

impressive was it to be brought act with a fellow-being-especially mir ex-who had absolutely eaten of have, that I could not but look upon this viva a shudder. Her sufferings had hense, that was evident from her marked ersten features. Doubtless she had igust the cravings of hunger as long But still the one terrible act, esult of necessity or insanity, iner via a repellent atmosphere of horror. e struck me as the gloating expresscubal over human blood. In vain against this unchristian feeling. to judge a poor creature whose Sortune was perhaps no offense against Cature? She might be the tenderest women-I knew nothing of her his

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was hungry, and tried to eat it. Every morsel seemed to stick in my throat. I could not feel quite sure that it was what it seemed to be. The odor even disgusted me. Nor could I partake of the bread she passed to me with any more relish. It was probably made by her handsthe same hands that had torn the flesh from a corpse and passed the reeking shreds to her mouth. The taint of an imaginary corruption was upon it.

The room allotted to me for the night was roughly furnished, as might reasonably be expected; but apart from this, the bedding was filthy: and, in common with every thing about the house, the slatternly appearance of the furniture did not tend to remove the unpleasant impression I had formed of my hostess. Whether

owing to the vermin, or an unfounded suspicion that she might become hungry during the night, I slept but little. The picture of the terrible Ogress that I had seen when a child, and the story of the little children that she had devoured, assumed a fearful reality, and became strangely mingled in my dreams with this woman's face. I was glad when daylight afforded me an excuse to get up and take a stroll in the fresh air.

After an early breakfast I mounted my mule and pursued my journey over the pass of the San Juan. The view from the summit was magnificent. Beyond a range of sand-hills toward the right stretched the great Pacific. Ridges of mountains, singularly varied in outline, swept down in front into the broad valley of the Salinas. The pine forests of Monterey

Cover my perceptible in the indane left was a wilderness of fsir is the eye could reach, weird Lice Horn sea suddenly petriet te must firm. Descending through 1 i al ine valleys cirthed in a pun mert á vild cats, and charmingly dides of uk and sycamore, and esa, barel and wild grape, Ce marsi me great raley of the Salimas. Time miles from the Misice of San Juan. me nimerible heris of cattle covM Pasares of this magnificent valley; terreny to be seen here the amber has been reatly reduced durng me ast en pers A large portion of the any bring n the Salmas River, as far eta s me mission of Sciedad has been cut up are small and bes and farms: and thriving settements and extensive fields of grain are now to * seen where inerty ranged wild bands of sar, musang, and inanmerable herds of an

wildest dreams of romance. Points of woodland, sweeping from the base of the mountains far into the valley, were reflected in mystic lakes. Herds of cattle loomed up on the surface of the sleeping waters like miniature fleets of vessels with variegated sails. Mounds of yellow sand, rising a little above the level of the plain, had all the effect of rich Oriental cities, with gorgeous palaces of gold, mosques and minarets and wondrous temples glittering with jewels and precious stones. Bands of antelope coursed gracefully over the fore-ground; but so light and vaguely defined were their forms that they seemed rather to sail through the air than touch the earth. By the illusory process of the refraction, they appeared to sweep into the lakes and assume the forms of aerial boats, more fanciful and richly colored than the caiques of Constantinople. Birds too, of snowy plumage, skimmed over the silvery waste; and islands that lay sleeping in the glowing light were covered with myriads of water-fowl. A solitary vulture, sitting upon the carcass of some dead animal a few hundred yards off, loomed into the form of a fabulous monster of olden times, with a gory head and a beak that opened as if to swallow all within his reach. These wonderful features in the scene were continually changing: the lakes disappeared with their islands and fleets, and new lakes, with still stranger and more fantastic illusions. merged into existence out of the rarefied atmosphere. Thus hour after hour was I beguiled on my way through this mystic region of enchantment.

Trang to the southward, and keeping in new the great ranges of mountains which were the chef animarks in former times, the see the spread before me resembled ster some wid region of enchantment than hud be supposed to exist in a matera, verd- and hay were the dis3 se rarely mingled the earth unis,s and fanciful the atmospheric SANS Uary the groves that decorated Never before bad I witnessed the het peretion of its beauty. The Toward evening I reached the Salinas River. The sees strmed into a series of where I stopped to rest and water my mule. A nanket pccal Lasions, surpassing the Spanish vaquero, whom I found under the trees

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enjoying the siesta to which that race are addicted, informed me that it was "Dos leguos, poco mas o meno," to Soledad. As he lived there, he would show me the way. It was inhabited by the Sobranis family, and they owned sixteen square lêgues of land and "muchos granada." This much I contrived to understand; but when I handed the vaquero a fine Principe cigar, and he took a few whiffs and became eloquent, I entirely lost the train of his observations. It is possible he may have been reciting a poem on pastoral life. At all events, we jogged along very sociably, and in something over an hour reached the Mission.

A more desolate place than Soledad can not well be imagined. The old church is partially in ruins, and the adobe huts built for the Indians are roofless, and the walls tumbled about in shapeless piles. Not a tree or shrub is to be seen any where in the vicinity. The ground is bare, like an open road, save in front of the main building (formerly occupied by the priests), where the carcasses and bones of cattle are scattered about, presenting a disgusting spectacle. But this is a common sight on the Spanish ranches. Too lazy to carry the meat very far, the rancheros generally do their butchering in front of the door, and leave the Indians and buzzards to dispose of the offal.

the only person at home, with the exception of a few dirty Indians who were lying about the door. He received me rather coldly, as I thought, and took no concern whatever about my mule. I learned afterward that this family had been greatly imposed upon by travelers passing northward to the mines, who killed their cattle, stole their corn, stopped of nights and went away without paying any thing. At first they freely entertained all who came along in the genuine style of Spanish hospitality; but not content with the kind treatment bestowed upon them. their rough guests seldom left the premises without carrying away whatever they could lay hands upon. This naturally imbittered them against strangers, and of course I had to bear my share of the ill-feeling manifested toward the traveling public. It was not long, however, before I discovered a key to my young host's good graces. He was strumming on an old guitar when I arrived, and soon resumed his solitary amusement, not seeming disposed to respond to my feeble attempts at his native language, but rather enjoying the idea of drawing himself into the doleful sphere of his own music. As soon as a favorable opportunity occurred I took the guitar, and struck up such a lively song of "The Frogs that tried to Come it, but couldn't get a Chance," that the cadaverous visage of my host gradually

A young Spaniard, one of the proprietors, was relaxed into a smile, then into a broad grin,

VULTURE IN THE MIRAGE.

and at the climax he absolutely laughed. It was all right. Music had soothed the savage breast. Sobranis was conquered. He immediately directed the vaquero to see to my animal, and set to work and got me an excellent supper of tortillas and frijoles, jerked beef and oja; after which he insisted upon learning the song of the Frog, which of course I was obliged to teach him. So passed the hours till late bedtime. Notwithstanding the fleas, which abounded in overwhelming numbers, I contrived to sleep soundly. Next morning, after a good breakfast of coffee, tortillas, jerked beef, etc., as before. I mounted my mule and proceeded on my journey, much to the regret of Sobranis, who positively refused to accept a cent for the accommodations he had afforded me.

In the vicinity of the sea-shore, and as far inland as Soledad, the temperature was delightfully cool and bracing; but beyond the first turningpoint of mountains to the southward a marked change was perceptible. Although the sun was not more than two hours high, the heat was intense. The rich black soil, which had been thoroughly saturated with the winter rains, was now baked nearly as hard as stone, and was cracked open in deep fissures, rendering the trail in some places quite difficult even for the practiced feet of the mule. Every thing like vegetation was parched to a crisp with the scorching rays of the sun. The bed of the river was quite dry, and no sign of moisture was visible for many miles. The rich fields of wild oats were no longer to be seen, but dried and cracking wastes of wild mustard, sage-weed, and bunch grass. In some places deserts of sand without a particle

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