Roughing it. By Mark Twain, Samuel L. Clemens. Fully illustrated by eminent artists ... Eighty-fifth thousand

Front matter

CAMPING IN THE SNOW THE MINER'S DREAM. < ROUGHING IT BY MARK TWAIN. (SAMUEL L. CLEMENS.) ) '<• FULLY ILLUSTRATED BY EMINENT ARTISTS. (ISSUED BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY, AND NOT FOB SALE IN B06K STORES.) (RESIDENTS OF ANY STATE DESIBINQ A COPY SHOULD ADDKES8 THE PUBLISHERS AS BELOW.) EIGHTY-FIFTH THOUSAND -1 HARTFOKD, CONN.: AMERICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY. ff-mSut CO.. CHICAGO, ILL. ; W. E. BLISB. TOLEDO. OHIO. ; NETTLKTON * CO.. dHCIIWATI, OHIO. ; D. ASHMBAD, PHILADELPHIA. PENN. J W. QC-ODSPEED, HEW ORLEANS, LA.; A. ROMAN * COMPANY, SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 1873. Entered aceordingto act of Congress! in year 1873, by AMERICAN '-PUBLISHING CO., in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. TO CALVIN H. HIGBIE, Of California, Al Bones'. Mia, a Genial Comrade, and a Steadfast Mead, THIS BOOK IS INSCRIBED E7 the Author, In Memory of the Carious Time When We Two WE3E UILLI01TAIIE3 FOE TEH DATS.

PEEFATOKT. This book is . merely a personal narrativev and not a pretentious history or a philosophical dissertation. It is a record of several years of variegated vagabondizing, and its object is rather to help the resting reader while away au idle hour than afflict him with metaphysics, or goad him with science. Still, there is information in the volume ; information con cerning an interesting episode in the history of the Far "West, about which no books have been written by persons who were on the ground in person, and saw the happenings of the time with their own eyes. I allude to the rise, growth and culmination of the silver-mining fever in Nevada — a curious episode, in. some respects ; the only one, of its peculiar kind, that has occurred in the land ; and the only one, indeed, that is likely to occur in it.

Yes, take it all around, there is quite a good deal of infor mation in the book. I regret this very much ; but really it could not be helped : information appears to stew out of me naturally, like the precious ottar "of roses out of the otter. Sometimes it has seemed to me that I would give worlds if I could retain my facts ; but it cannot be. The more I calk up the sources, and the tighter I get, the more I leak wisdom. Therefore, I can only claim indulgence at the hands of the reader, not justification. THE AUTHOR PAGE 1. The Minep.s' Dream (Pull Page.) Face Page Frontispiece. 2. Envious Contemplations 20 3. Innocent Dreams 21 4. Liout Traveling Order 23 5. The "Allen" 3 23 6. Inducements to Purchase - 21 7. The Facetious Driver. 8. Pleasing News. 9. The SrHYNX 27 10. Meditation 32 11. On Business 33 12.

Chapter I

PA0B My Brother appointed Secretary of Nevada— I Envy His Prospective Adventures — Am Appointed Private Secretary Under Him — My Contentment Complete — Packed in One Hour — Dreams and Visions — On the Missouri River — A Bully Boat 19

Chapter II

Arrive at St. Joseph — Only Twenty-five Pounds Baggage Allowed — Farewell to Kid Gloves and Dress Coats — Armed to the Teeth — The "Allen" — A Cheerful Weapon — Persuaded to Buy a Mule — Schedule of Luxuries — We Leave the "States" — "Our Coach" — Mails for the Indians — Between a \V ink and an Earthquake — A Modern Sphynx and How She Entertained Us — A Sociable Heifer. 22

Chapter III

" The Thoroughbrace is Broke " — Mails Delivered Properly — Sleeping Under Difficulties — A Jackass Rabbit Meditating, and on Business ■ — A Modern Gulliver — Sage-brush — Overcoats as an Article of Diet — Sad Fate of a Camel — Warning to Experimenters 29

Chapter IV

Making Our Bed — Assaults by the Unabridged — At a Station — Our Driver a Great and Shining Dignitary — Strange Place for a Frontyard — Accommodations — Double Portraits — An Heirloom — Our Worthy Landlord — "Fixings and Things "—An Exile — Slumgullion — A Well Furnished Table — The Landlord Astonished — Table Etiquette — Wild Mexican Mules — Stage-coaching and Railroading. 37

Chapter V

New Acquaintances — The Cayote — A Dog's Experiences — A Disgusted Dog — The Relatives of the Cayote — Meals Taken Away from Home 48

Chapter VI

The Division Superintendent — The Conductor — The Driver — One Hundred and Fifty Miles' Drive Without Sleep — Teaching a Subordinate — Our Old Friend Jack and a Pilgrim — Ben Holliday Compared to Moses 54

Chapter VII

Overland City — Crossing the Platte — Bemis's Buffalo Hunt— Assault by a Buffalo — Bemis's Horse Goes Crazy — An Impromptu Circus — A New Departure — Bemis Finds Refuge in a Tree — Escapes Finally by a Wonderful Method CO

Chapter VIII

The Pony Express— Fifty Miles Without Stopping—" Here he Comes" — Alkali Water — Riding an Avalanche — Indian Massacre CONTENTS. XII

Chapter IX

pagb Among the Indians — An Unfair Advantage — Laying on our Arms — A Midnight Murder — Wrath of Outlaws — A Dangerous, yet Valuable Citizen 75

Chapter X

History of Slade — A Proposed Fist-fight — Encounter with Jules — Paradise of Outlaws — Slade as Superintendent — As Executioner — A Doomed Whisky Seller — A Prisoner — A Wife's Bravery — An Ancient Enemy Captured — Enjoying a Luxury — Hob-nobbing with Slade — Too Polite — A Happy Escape 80

Chapter XI

Slade in Montana — "On a Spree" — In Court — Attack on a Judge — Arrest by the Vigilantes — Turn out of the Miners — Execution of Slade — Lamentations of His Wife — Was Slade a Coward '? 90

Chapter XII

A Mormon Emigrant Train — The Heart of the Rocky Mountains — Pure Saleratus — A Natural lee-House — An Entire Inhabitant — In Sight of " Eternal Snow" — The South Pass — The Parting Streams — An Unreliable Letter Carrier — Meeting of Old Friends — A Spoiled Watermelon — Down the Mountain — A Scene of Desolation — Lost in the Dark — Unnecessary Advice — U. S. Troops and Indians — Sublime Spectacle — Another Delusion Dispelled — Among the Angels. . 97

Chapter XIII

Mormons and Gentiles — Exhilarating Drink, and its Effect on Bemis — Salt Lake City — A Great Contrast — A Mormon Vagrant — Talk with a Saint — A Visit to the " King " — A Happy Simile 108

Chapter XIV

Mormon Contractors — How Mr. 'Street Astonished Them — The Case Before Brigham Young, and How he Disposed of it — Polygamy Viewed from a New Position 114

Chapter XV

A Gentile Den — Polygamy Discussed — Favorite Wife and D. 4 — Hennery for Retired Wives — Children Need Marking — Cost of a Gift to No. 6 — A Penny-whistle Gift and its Effects — Fatheringthe Foundlings — It Resembled Him — The Family Bedstead 119

The Great American Desert — Forty Miles on Eones— Lakes Without. Outlets — Greely's Remarkable Ride — Hank Monk, the Renowned Driver — Fatal Effects of "Corking" a Story— Bald-Headed Anecdote 150

Chapter XXI

Alkali Dust — Desolation and Contemplation — Carson City — Our Journey Ended — We are Introduced to Several Citizens — A Strange Rebuke — A Washoe Zephyr at Play — Its Office Hours — Governor's Palace — Government Offices— Our French Landlady Bridget O'Flannigan — Shadow Secrets — Cause for a Disturbance at Once — The Irish Brigade — Mrs. O'Flannigan's Boarders — The Surveying Expedition — Escape of the Tarantulas 157

Chapter XXII

The Son of a Nabob — Start for Lake Tahoe — Splendor of the Views — Trip on the Lake — Camping Out — Reinvigorating Climate — Clearing a Tract of Land — Securing a Title — Outhouse and Fences 168

Chapter XXIII

A Happy Life — Lake Tahoe and its Moods — Transparency of the Waters — A Catastrophe — Fire ! Fire ! — A Magnificent Spectacle — Homeless Again — We take to the Lake — A Storm — Return to Carson 173

Chapter XXIV

Resolve to Buy a Horse— Horsemanship in Carson — A Temptation — Advice Given Me Freely — I Buy the Mexican Plug — My First Ride — A Good Bucker — I Loan the Plug — Experience of Borrowers — Attempts to Sell — Expense of the Experiment — A Stranger Taken In. 178

Chapter XXV

The Mormons in Nevada — How to Persuade a Loan from Them — Early History of the Territory — Silver Mines Discovered — The New Territorial Government — A Foreign One and a Poor One — Its Funny Struggles for Existence — No Credit, no Cash — Old Abe Currey Sustains it and its Officers — Instructions and Vouchers — An Indian's Endorsement — Toll-Gates 1S5

Chapter XXVI

The Silver Fever— State of the Market— Silver Bricks— Tales Told- Off for the Humboldt Mines.

Chapter XXVII

Our manner of going— Incidents of the Trip — A Warm but Too Familiar a Bedfellow— Mr. Ballou Objects— Sunshine amid Clouds— Safely Arrived. '. Contents.

CHAPTER XLIX

Fatal Shooting Affray— Robbery and Desperate Affray— A Specimen City Official— A Marked Man — A Street Fight — Punishment of Crime 347

CHAPTER L.

Captain Ned Blakely— Bill Nookes Receives Desired Information — Killing of Blakelv's Mate— A Walking Battery — Blakely Secures Nookes — Hang First and Be Tried Afterwards — Captain Blakely as a Chaplain — The First Chapter of Genesis Read at a Hanging — Nookes Hung — Blakely's Regrets 352

CHAPTER LI.

The Weekly Occidental— A Ready Editor— A Novel— A Concentration of Talent — The Heroes and the Heroines — The Dissolute Author Engaged — Extraordinary Havoc With the Novel — A Highly Romantic Chapter — The Lovers Separated — Jonah Out-done — A Lost Poem — The Aged Pilot Man — Storm On the Erie Canal— Dollinger the Pilot Man — Terrific Gale — Danger Increases — A Crisis A rivjfl— 3Saved as if by a Miracle 360

CHAPTER LII.

Freights to California — Silver Bricks— Under Ground Mines — Timber Supports —A Visit to the Mines — The Caved Mines — Total of Shipments in 1863 . 376

CHAPTER LIII.

Jim Blaine and his Grandfather's Ram — Filkin's Mistake — Old Miss Wagner and her Glass Eye — Jacobs, the Coffin Dealer — Waiting for a Customer — His Bargain With Old Bobbins — Robbins Sues for Damage and Collects — A New Use for Missionaries — The Effect — His Uncle Lem. and the Use Providence Made of Him — Sad Fate of Wheeler — Devotion of His Wife — A Model Monument— What About the Ram ? 382

CHAPTER LIV.

Chinese in Virginia City— Washing Bills — Habit of Imitation — Chinese Immigration—A Visit to Chinatown— Messrs. Ah Sing, Hong Wo, See Yup, &c. 39]

CHAPTER LV.

Tired of Virginia City — An Old Schoolmate — A Two Years' Loan — Acting as an Editor — Almost Receive an Offer — An Accident — Three Drunken Anecdotes — Last Look at Mt. Davidson — A Beautiful Incident 398

CHAPTER LVI.

Off for San Francisco — Western and Eastern Landscapes — The Hottest place on Earth — Summer and Winter 403

CHAPTER LVII.

California— Novelty of Seeing a Woman— "Well if it ain't a Child!"— One Hundred and Fifty Dollars for a Kiss — Waiting for a turn 414

CHAPTER LVIII.

Life in San Francisco — Worthless Stocks — My First Earthquake — Reportorial Instincts — Effects of the Shocks — Incidents and Curiosities — Sabbath Breakers — The Lodger and the Chambermaid — A Sensible Fashion to Follow — Effects of the Earthquake on the Ministers 4}? Contents. XV

CHAPTER XXXIX.

Visit to the Islands in Lake Mono — Ashes and Desolation — Life Amid Death Our Boat Adrift — A Jump For Life — A Storm On the Lake — A Mass of Soap Suds — Geological Curiosities — A Week On the Sierras — A Narrow Escape From a Funny Explosion — " Stove Heap Gone " 270

CHAPTER XL.

The "Wide West" Mine— It is "Interviewed" by Higbie— A Blind Lead- Worth a Million— We are Rich At Last — Plans for the Future 277

CHAPTER XLI.

A Rheumatic Patient — Day Dreams — An Unfortunate Stumble — I Leave Suddenly — Another Patient — Higbie in the Cabin — Our Balloon Bursted — Worth Nothing — Regrets and Explanations — Our Third Partner 285 .

CHAPTER XLII.

What to do Next '—Obstacles I Bad Met 'With— "Jack of All Trades"— Mining Again — Target Shooting — I Turn City Editor — I Succeed Finely 292

CHAPTER XLIII.

My Friend Boggs — The School Report — Boggs Pays Me An Old Debt — Virginia City 299

CHAPTER XLIV.

Flush Times — Plenty of Stock — Editorial Puffing — Stocks Given Me— Salting llincs — A Tragedian In a New Role 306

CHAPTER XLV.

Flush Times Continue — Sanitary Commission Fund — Wild Enthusiasm of the People; Would not wait to Contribute — The Sanitary Flour Sack — It is Carried to Gold Hill and Dayton — Final Reception in Virginia — Results of the Sale— A Grand Total 313

CHAPTER XLVI.

The Nabobs of Those Days — John Smith as a Traveler— Sudden Wealth— A Sixty-Thousand-Dollar Horse— A Smart Telegraph Operator— A Nabob in New York City— Charters an Omnibus — " Walk in, It's All Free " — "You Can't Pay a Cent "—"Hold On, Driver, I Weaken "—Sociability of New Yorkers" 32°

CHAPTER XLVII.

Buck Fanshaw's Death— The Cause Thereof-rreparations for His Burial— Scottv BrUs the Committee Man-He Visits the Minister-Scotty Can't Pkv His H°and-The Minister Gets Mixed-Both Begin to See-" All Tlown A-ain But Nine"-Buck Fanshaw as a Citizen-How To "Shook Your Mother "-The Funeral-Scotty Briggs as a Sunday School Teacher. ... 329

CHAPTER XL VIII.

The First Twenty-Six Graves in Nevada— The Prominent Men of the County— The Man Who Had Killed His Dozen— Trial by Jury— Specimen Jurors— A Private Grave Yard— The Desperadoes— Who They Killed— Waking up the Weary Passenger— Satisfaction Without Fighting Contents.

Chapter XXVIII

Arrive at the Mountains — Building Our Cabin — My First Prospecting Tour — My First Gold Mine — Pockets Filled With Treasures — Filtering the News to My Companions— The Bubble Pricked— All Not Gold That Glitters . . . 20.'

Chapter XXIX

Out Prospecting — A Silver Mine At Last — Making a Fortune With Sledge and Drill — A Hard Road to Travel — We Own in Claims — A Rocky Country. 211

Chapter XXX

Disinterested Friends — How "Feet" Were Sold — We Quit Tunnelling— A Trip to Esmeralda — My Companions — An Indian Prophesy — A Flood — Our Quarters During It 215

Chapter XXXI

The Guests at "Honey Lake Smith's" — " Bull v Old Arkansas" — "Our Landlord"— Determined to Fight— The Landlord's Wife— The Bully Conquered by Her — Another Start — Crossing the Carson — A Narrow Escape — Following Our Own Track — A New Guide — Lost in the Snow 221

Chapter XXXII

Desperate Situation — Attempts to Make a Fire— Our Horses leave us — We Find Matches — One, Two, Three and the Last — No Fire — Death Seems Inevitable — We Mourn Over Our Evil Lives — Discarded Vices — We Forgive Each Other — An Affectionate Farewell — The Sleep of Oblivion. .. 232

Chapter XXXIII

Return of Consciousness — Ridiculous Developments — A Station House— Bitter Feelings — Fruits of Repentance — Resurrected Vices 238

Chapter XXXIV

About Carson — General Buncombe — Hyde vs. Morgan — How Hyde Lost His Ranch — The Great Landslide Case — The Trial — General Buncombe in Court — -A Wonderful Decision — A Serious Afterthought 241 CHAPTER 3XXXV. A New Travelling Companion — All Full and No Accommodations — How Captain Nye found Room — and Caused Our Leaving to be Lamented — The Uses of Tunnelling — A Notable Example — We Go into the " Claim " Business and Fail— At the Bottom 243 C3HAPTER XXXVI. A Quartz Mill — Amalgamation — " Screening Tailings " — First Quartz Mill in Nevada — Fire Assay — A Smart Assayer — I stake for an advance 262

CHAPTER XXXVII.

The Whiteman Cement Mine — Story of its Discovery — A Secret Expedition — A Nocturnal Adventure — A Distressing Position — A Failure and a Week's Holiday 259

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

Mono Lake — Shampooing Hade Easy — Thoughtless Act of Our Dog and the Results — Lye Water — Curiosities of the Lake — Free Hotel — Some Funny Incidents a Little Overdrawn 2C5 Contents. XVII

CHAPTER LIX

Poor Again — Slinking as a Business — A Model Collector — Misery loves Company — Comparing Notes for Comfort — A Streak of Luck — Finding a Dime — Wealthy by Comparison — Two Sumptuous Dinners 425

CHAPTER LX

in Old Friend — An Educated Miner — Pocket Mining — Freaks of Fortune. . . 435

CHAPTER LXI.

Dick Baker and his Cat — Tom Quartz's Peculiarities — On an Excursion — Appearance On His Return— A Prejudiced Cat — Empty Pockets and a Roving Life. 439 CHAPTER LXH. Bound for the Sandwich Islands — The Three Captains — The Old Admiral — His Daily Habits — His Well Fought Fields — An Unexpected Opponent — The Admiral Overpowered — The Victor Declared a Hero 443

CHAPTER LXIII.

Arrival at the Islands — Honolulu — What I Saw There — Dress and Habits of the Inhabitants — The Animal Kingdom — Fruits and Delightful Effects. . 454

CHAPTER LXIV.

An Excursion — Captain Phillips and his Turn-Out — A Horseback Ride — A Vicious Animal — Nature and Art — Interesting Ruins — All Praise to the Missionaries 45SI

CHAPTER LXV.

Interesting Mementoes and Relics — An Old Legend of a Frightful Leap — An Appreciative Horse — Horse Jockeys and Their Brothers — A New Trick — A Hay Merchant — Good Country for Horse Lovers 46S

CHAPTER LXVI.

A Saturday Afternoon — Sandwich Island Girls on a Frolic — The Poi Merchant — Grand Gala Day — A Native Dance — Church Membership — Cats and Officials — An Overwhelming Discovery 473

CHAPTER LXVII.

The Legislature of the Island — What Its President Has Seen — Praying for an Enemv — Women's Rights — Romantic Fashions — Worship of the Shark — Desire for Dress — Full Dress — Not Paris Style — Playing Empire— Officials and Foreign Ambassadors — Overwhelming Magnificence 480

CHAPTER LXVIII.

A Royal Funeral— Order of Procession— Pomp and Ceremony— A Striking Contrast— A Sick Monarch— Human Sacrifices at His Death— Burial Orgies 400

CHAPTER LXIX.

" Once more upon the Waters."— A Noisy Passenger— Several Silent Ones— A Moonlight Scene — Fruits and Plantations . . 498 2f Contents.

CHAPTER LXX.

A Droll Character — Mrs. Beazely and Her Son — Meditations on Turnips — A Letter from Horace Greeley — An Indignant Rejoinder — The Letter Translated but too Late 502

CHAPTER LXXI.

Kealakekua Bay — Death of Captain Cook — His Monument — Its Construction — OrtfBoard the Schooner 512

CHAPTER LXXII.

Young Kanakas in New England — A Temple Built by Ghosts — Female Bathers — I Stood Guard — Women and Whiskey — A Fight for Religion — Arrival of Missionaries 517

CHAPTER LXXIII.

Native Canoes — Surf Bathing — A Sanctuary — How Built — The Queen's Rock — Curiosities — Petrified Lava 524

CHAPTER LXXIV.

Visit to the Volcano — The Crater — Pillar of Fire — Magnificent Spectacle — A Lake of Fire 532

CHAPTER LXXV.

The North Lake — Fountains of Fire — Streams of Burning Lava — Tidal Waves 538

CHAPTER LXXVI.

A Reminiscence — Another Horse Story — My Ride with the Retired Milk Horse — A Picnicing Excursion — Dead Volcano -of Holeakala — Comparison with Vesuvius — An Inside View 544

CHAPTER LXXVII.

A Curious Character — A Series of Stories — Sad Fate of a Liar — Evidence of Insanity 551

CHAPTER LXXVIII.

Return to San Francisco — Ship Amusements — Preparing for Lecturing — Valuable Assistance Secured — My First Attempt — The Audience Carried — " All's Well that Ends Well." 558

CHAPTER LXXIX.

Highwaymen — A Predicament— A Huge Joke — Farewell to California — At Home Again — Great Changes. Moral 664

Appendix

. A. — Brief Sketch of Mormon History 572 B. — The Mountain Meadows Massacre 576 C. — Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated ....

Chapter I

~\ JTY brother had just been appointed Secretary of Nevada _LVJ_ Territory — an office of such majesty that it con centrated in itself the duties and dignities of Treasurer, Comptroller, Secretary of State, and Acting Governor in the Governor's absence. A salary of eighteen hundred dollars a year and the title of " Mr. Secretary," gave to the great position an air of Avild and imposing grandeur. I was young and ignorant, and I envied my brother. I coveted his distinction and his financial splendor, but particularly and especially the long, strange journey he was going to make, and the curious new world he was going to explore. He was going to travel ! I never had been away from home, and that word " travel " had a seductive charm for me. Pretty soon he would be hundreds and hundreds of miles away on the great plains and deserts, and among the mountains of the Far West, and would see buffa loes and Indians, and prairie dogs, and antelopes, and have all kinds of adventures, and may be get hanged or scalped, and have ever such a fine time, and write home and tell us all about it, and be a hero.

And he would see the gold mines and the silver mines, and maybe go about of an afternoon when his work was done, and pick up two or three pailfuls of shining slugs, and nuggets of gold and silver on the hillside. And by and by he would become very rich, and return home by sea, and be able to talk as calmly about San Francisco and the ocean, and " the isthmus " as if it was nothing of any conse quence to have seen those marvels face to tace. What I suffered in contemplating his happiness, pen cannot describe. And so, when he offered me, in cold blood, the sublime position of private secretary under him, it appeared to me that GETTING READY. 20 the heavens and the earth passed away, and the firmament was rolled together as a scroll ! I had nothing more to desire. My contentment was complete.

At the end of an hour or ENVIOUS contemplations. two I was ready for the journey. Not much packing up was necessary, because we were going in the overland stage from the Missouri frontier to Nevada, and passengers were only allowed a small quantity of baggage apiece. There was no Pacific railroad in those fine times of ten or twelve years ago — not a single rail of it. I only proposed to stay in Nevada three months — I had no thought of staying longer than that. I meant to see all I could that was new and strange, and then hurry home to business. I little thought that I would not see the end of that three-month pleasure excursion for six or seven uncommonly long years ! I dreamed all night about Indians, deserts, and silver bars, and in due time, next day, we took shipping at the St. Louis wharf on boards a steamboat bound up the Missouri River.

HERMAPHRODITE STEAMER. 21 "We were six days going from St. Louis to " St. Jo." — a trip that was so dull, and sleepy, and eventless that it has left no more impression on my memory than if its duration had been six minutes instead of that many days. No record is left in my mind, now, concerning it, but a confused jumble of savage-looking snags, which we deliberately Avalked over with one wheel or the other ; and of reefs which we butted and butted, and then retired from and climbed over in some softer place ; and of sand-bars which we roosted on occasion ally, and rested, and then got out our crutches and sparred over. In fact, the boat might almost as well have gone to St. Jo. by land, for she was walking most of the time, anyhow — climbing over reefs and clambering over snags patiently and laboriously INNOCENT DBEAMS. all day long.

The captain said she was a " bully " boat, and all she wanted was more " shear" and a bigger wheel. I thought she wanted a pair of stilts, but I had the deep sagacity not to say so.

Chapter II. The

first thing we did on that glad evening that landed us at St. Joseph was to hunt up the stage-office, and pay a hundred and fifty dollars apiece for tickets per overland coach to Carson City, Nevada. The next morning, bright and early, we took a hasty break fast, and hurried to the starting-place. Then an inconvenience presented itself which we had not properly appreciated before, namely, that one cannot make a heavy traveling trunk stand fo"r twenty-five pounds of baggage — because it weighs a good deal more. But that was all we could take — twenty-five pounds each. So we had to snatch our trunks open, and make a selection in a good deal of a hurry. We put our lawful twenty-five pounds apiece all in one valise, and shipped 'the trunks back to St. Louis again. It Avas a sad parting, for now we had no swallow-taij coats and white kid gloves to wear at Pa.wnee receptions in the Rocky Mountains, and no stove pipe hats nor patent-leather boots, nor anything else necessary to make life calm and peaceful.

"We were reduced to a war^ footing. Each of us put on a rough, heavy suit of clothing, woolen army shirt and " stogy " boots included ; and into the valise we crowded a few white shirts, some under-clothing and such things. My brother, the Secretary, took along about four pounds of United States statutes and six pounds of Unabridged Dictionary ; for we did not know — poor inno cents — that such things could be bought in San Francisco on one day and received in Carson City the next. I was armed FORMIDABLE ARMAMENT 23 to the teeth with a pitiful little Smith & Wesson's seven shooter, which carried a ball like a homœopathic pill, and it took the whole seven to make a dose for an adult. But I thought it Avas grand. It appeared to me to be a dangerous weapon. It only had one fault — you could not hit anything with it.

One of our " conductors " practiced awhile on a cow with it, and as long as she stood still and behaved herself she was safe; but as soon as she Avent to mov ing about, and he got to shooting at other things, she came to grief. The Secretary had a small-sized Colt's revolver strapped around him for protection against the Indians, and to guard against accidents he carried it uncapped. Mr. George Bemis Avas dismally LIGHT TRAVELING OEDEE. formidable. George Bemis was our felloAv-traveler. We had never seen him before. He Avore in his belt an old original "Allen " reArolver, such as irreverent people called a " pepper box." Simply draAving the trigger back, cocked and fired the pistol. As the trigger came back, the hammer would begin to rise and the barrel to turn OA^er, and presently down would drop the hammer, and aAvay Avould speed the ball.

To aim along the turning barrel and hit the thing aimed at Avas a feat which was probably never done with was probably never done with an "Allen" in the world. But THE "ALLEN." George's was a reliable Aveapon, nevertheless, because, as one of the stage-drivers aftenvard said, " If she didn't get what she went after, she Avould fetch something else." And so she did. She went after a deuce of , LUXURIES AND NECESSARIES. spades nailed against a tree, once, and fetched a mule standing about thirty yards to the left of it. Bemis did not want the mule; but the owner came out Avith a double-barreled shot gun and persuaded him to buy it, anyhow. It was a cheerful INDUCEMENTS TO PURCHASE. weapon — the "Allen." Sometimes all its six barrels Avould go oft' at once, and then there Avas no safe place in all the region round about, but behind it.

We took two or three blankets for protection against frosty weather in the mountains. In the matter of luxuries we were modest — we took none along but some pipes and five pounds of smoking tobacco. We had two large canteens to carry water in, between stations on the Plains, and we also took with us a little shot-bag of silver coin for daily expenses in the way of breakfasts and dinners. OUR COACH 25 By eight o'clock everything was ready, and we were on the other side of the river. We jumped into the stage, the driver cracked his whip, and Ave boAvled aAvay and left " the States " behind us. It Avas a' superb summer morning, and all the landscape was brilliant with sunshine. There was a freshness and breeziness, too, and an exhilarating sense of emancipation from all sorts of cares and responsibilities, that almost made us feel that the years Ave had spent in the close, hot city, toil ing and slaving, had been wasted and thrown aAvay.

We were spinning along through Kansas, and in the course of an hour and a half we were fairly abroad on the great Plains. Just here the land Avas rolling — a grand sweep of regular elevations and depressions as far as the eye could reach — like the stately heave and savcII of the ocean's bosom after a storm. And everyAvhere Avere cornfields, accenting with squares of deeper green, this limitless expanse of grassy land. But presently this sea upon dry ground was to lose its "rolling" character and stretch away for seven hundred miles as level as a floor ! Our coach Avas a great swinging and swaying stage, of the most sumptuous description — an imposing cradle on wheels. It was drawn by six handsome horses, and by the side of the driver sat the "conductor," the legitimate captain of the craft; for it was his business to take charge and care of the mails, baggage, express matter, and passen gers.