the
globe. By uniting on the south these mountain ranges form the vast
Tulare Valley, if not the most fertile, at least one of the most
fertile in California.
On
the morning of our departure, which occurred at eleven o'clock, having
realized that our tin cradle operated slowly and gave only mediocre
results, we decided to build our own cradle to wash gravel
Unfortunately, we lacked nearly everything required for making such a
machine. The bottom of the machine consisted, first of all, of a dozen
planks six inches in breadth and two or three feet in length. If we
made these planks ourselves we should lose time that was becoming more
and more valuable; to purchase these planks required more funds than we
could supply.
Suddenly
the thought came to me to go over to American Camp, situated one and
one-half leagues from the diggings where we knew wine was being shipped
in kegs. There we purchased two old empty kegs for one piastre each,
and some nails at an exorbitant figure. All that was now needed was a
piece of sheet iron. I was fortunate enough to find, just after we had
decided to make this acquisition, a piece of old iron, attached to a
mule saddle which had served no doubt, for a lining.
At
eight o'clock that morning we returned to our tent and began work on
our machine which we completed in about two hours, with the aid of a
saw, a plane, and our knives. We then went out to try it and see how it
worked. Our work proved entirely successful. There was nothing more to
hinder us from leaving for the Sierra Nevada and locating some good
placers.
At
eleven o'clock, as I have said, we departed, climbing the first
mountain that loomed up ahead of us. Out here there was no longer a
well-travelled trail. With the sun's rays pouring down on us, we moved
on through die high grass of which I have already spoken. The mules led
us at random; and in all justice to them it must be said they know how
to find the best route. This did not prevent us, from time to time, in
falling down literally from fatigue under groves of trees, groves
composed almost invariably of pines and oaks.
Twice
during this trip we fund running water and descended to the river. At
the second stream we stopped, watered our mules, allowed them to graze
a bit, and had something to eat ourselves. At five o'clock in the
evening we resumed our course. We intended to camp at the top of the
mountain, but we did not reach the summit until after nine-thirty
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