Days forever flown

University of California • Berkeley
IN HONOR OF Peter Frazier

UPON HIS RETIREMENT IN 2OO5

FROM The Council of the Friends of

The Bancroft Library
after his years of valuable service

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Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2007 with funding from

IVIicrosoft Corporation

http://www.archive.org/details/daysforeverflownOOhaslrich

DAYS FOREVER FLOWN

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DAYS FOREVER FLOWN

" Voice of the Western windy

Thou singest /ro7n a/ar^
Rich with the inusic of a land

Where all thy mem'ries are.
But in thy song I only hear

The echo of a tone
That fell divinely on my ear

In days forever flown.

•' Star of the Western sky.
Thou beamest from afar.

With lustre caught from eyes I know.
Whose orbs were each a star.

But, oh t those eyes too widely bright
No m.ore eclipse their own,

A nd never shall I find the light

Of days forever flown." j (V^ |^^. (^ pkV f^'

PRIVATELY PRINTED

NEW YORK
MDCCCXCII

GILUS8 BROTHERS
A 402 WEST 14TH STREET PRINTS BY THE

NEW YORK «EW YORK PHOTOGRAVURE COMPANY

FROM ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS

yf T the repeated request of many friends, these
yg leaves from my Journal of iSgi are given,
with no additions or alterations, and few
eliminations ; and although of little interest to others,
and unworthy to he read, as they were written solely
for the refreshing of our memories as years passed
on, they are offered to those who knew and loved
my husband, in the hope that a glimpse of the last and
happiest months of his young life may be of interest to
them. Perhaps, — wandering in the same direction at
some future time, it may be a pleasure to know what
paths he chose, what scenes of peculiar interest at-
tradted him, and what unusual sensations and im-
pressions were his.

As the writing of this journal was at his instigation,
and was stimulated and sustained by his earnest en-
treaties and watchful care, that no day should be with-
out a chronicle; and as he always sat near during
the hurried times of writing, it seems as if his Spirit
and sentiraents so pervade these pages, that they must
have been unwittingly written for just such a purpose,
as a ''Memorial of Sunshine,'' to give the brightness
from those happy months to those who loved him.

How blessed that through those wonderful wander-
ings we dreamed not of the shadow, so swiftly follow-

ing our path of sunshine. As we stood, side by side,
in those supreme moments, when marvelous beauty
suddenly surrounded us on every hand, and our eyes
seemed to behold the reflexion of some heavenly
grandeur, we did not realiT^e how soon the Gates of
Pearl would open for one of us, and one would stand
in the light, — and the other in the darkness. There
was no fear for us then, by day or night; life seemed
too bright for shadows or sorrows, — and it is well that
" we are led on, like the little children, by a way we
know not. ' '

The sun will not shine for us forever, the brightness
of life cannot always be ours, for '" into each life some
rain must fall, ' ' but when *' the days are cold and dark
and dreary,'' we can look upward to the '"Man of
Sorrows," who was acquainted with grief, and back-
ward upon our lives, and win calm and peace to walk
''serene in sorrow," from the happiness which has
been ours, and from the blessed memories which the
Father hath granted us.

" With grateful hearts the past we own.
The future, all to us unknown,
We to Thy guardian care commit,
And peaceful leave before Thy feet T

M. A. H.
Jan. 7, i8g2.

OUR JOURNEY OVERLAND

FRIDAY, MAY 8TH, 1 89 1.

ALTHOUGH superstition points to an un-
lucky ending for anything begun on this
day of the week, James and I had long
ago chosen it as our particular day for
going anywhere, and as James often said, "We
start everywhere on a Friday, and we always have
good luck."

After spending together, at home, the wedding
anniversary —

" As it fell upon a day
In the merry month of May " —

which chronicled seven years of happiness, we
started to-day, Friday, May 8th, for our anticipated
journey overland.

The day was without incident; the "Pennsyl-
vania Limited "to Chicago passing through quite
familiar country, and being "an old story" to us,
we had little to marvel at, and nothing to attract
us, save the beautiful suggestions of the coming
Summer, which are ever a powerful stimulant to
thought and reflection. A little verse on the

prophecy of Spring, which Mamma wrote, recurs to
me :

"And so the tiny tender blade
Whispers the promise God has made
Of Summer sun, — the song of bird,
The valleys green, — the grazing herd, —
And from the trees, the slender shoot
Foretells the bud, the flower, the fruit."

"The April winds are magical,'* and bring the
beautiful blossom-laden month of May, and the
dainty daisies with their hearts of gold, and the
violets in their modesty; — sweet shy blue-bells,
hanging their heads "as they wait for their lover;"
and the glorious daffodils; — truly the Springtime
brings a newness to life and expectation, which
makes the world as attractive and entrancing, as if
touched by a wand of magic. There seems a new
brightness and joy in the sunshine, a new beauty in
the buds and blossoms in every Springtide, as if we
had not experienced the same sensations only a
twelvemonth ago.

And so a journey begun at such a beautiful
season is always full of hope and promise.

SATURDAY, MAY 9TH.

\\T E reached Chicago at 9.45 A. M., and drove at
once to the Auditorium Hotel. It was a
pleasure to return to the beautiful city which was
once home to us, and after five years' absence, we
naturally found numerous changes in the appear-

8

ance of things. If ** Architecture is frozen Music "
Chicago is one glorious harmonious anthem.

After resting, seeing some friends, and dining, we
went to see Mr. and Mrs. Kendal, in "The Iron-
master," and James was much impressed by the
fine acting of the English favorites. Through great
rolling tears Jamie smiled at me, and said ** Is this
the play that Mother and Lizzie wept over? I
don't wonder at it ! "

SUNDAY, MAY lOTH.

nPHE day dawned for us about ten o'clock, and it

was pouring and promised a wretched day.

It was bright indoors, however, for our welcome to

Chicago was so cordial and enthusiastic, and friends

were with us all day. We went to Cousin L *s

to supper.

MONDAY, MAY IlTH.

A LOVELY, lovely morning. After breakfast,
'^ James went down-town to see his friends, with
whom he was associated in business many years in
the " West Countree." His welcome was more
than he had ever dreamed it would be, and he was
like a big happy boy, when he returned to tell me of

it. Miss K came to see me at once, and invited

us to dine with them this evening, and see Mr. and
Mrs. Kendal again, which invitation we accepted,
and had a most enjoyable time.

TUESDAY, MAY I2TH.

A NOTHER lovely day. After breakfast, James

and I went down town on some important

errands, but returned in time to see our good friend

C. S.W., who lunched with us and was delightful, as of

old. We missed so many callers to-day, for we went

about five o'clock, with Cousins L and A

for a delightful drive, through Jackson and Washing
ton Parks, and to visit the site of the World's Fair.
Chicago impresses us more than ever. It is a
marvelous city, with superb drives and wonderfully
beautiful parks, and so many and so large, that the
few little breathing spaces, in most of our eastern
cities, seem nothing in comparison. We dined at
the fine " Washington Park Club," of which Cousin
A. is a member, and had a charming drive back to
the hotel.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13TH.

"IXTE had a feast this morning in some home let-
ters, and such a laugh over a " Clever Collec-
tion of C-ing-C-ong Comedy," an unceasing flow from
the little Mother's witty pen. The first few hours
of our winged flight from New York to Philadelphia,
I amused myself composing a stupid affair about
" cheery cottages, with creeping climbers, churches
with chorus choirs, chuckling chickens, comely cows,
captivating caterpillars, capering calves and such
coarse, comic comedy, " sending it home from Phila-
delphia on a postal card, and calling it " Concoction

No. I." Imagine our surprise to receive in answer
from the Mother, " Careening cars, carrying certain
characters 'cross country, in continuous course,
cause continual commotion, constantly conjuring
clever conceptions, carefully concealed in capacious
cerebral chambers, and conspicuously conveyed on
a convenient card, to one closely connected by con-
ditions of consanguinity. The Concoction, a curi-
ous concern from its commencement, containing
considerable and commendable commodities, will
convince and convict, caress and cajole its contents
as you will, constraining one to conclude its con-
tributor was certainly ' C '-sick, or perhaps 'half
c's over* ! "

James with C. S. W. went to visit Pullman to-day,
to see the place where, five years ago, he gave up
his business relations and interests. He wanted to
see the friends there as well, and the three clerks
whom he gladly gave a start in the business world
before he left them. He had a most satisfactory
visit ; every one was rejoiced to see him, and he was
thoroughly pleased that he had gone.

My day was a full one, with so many calls, a de-
lightful luncheon with the H's in their beautiful
new home, and we made calls in the evening.

THURSDAY, MAY 14TH.

A MONG many visitors to-day was a young fel-
'^ low whom James had taken into his employ
when he first went to Pullman, and of whom he was

always fond. He was so anxious to see James, and
after paying me a visit, he followed him down to
Mr. K.'s office, and saw him there. He told me
that he remembered so well the morning he arrived
in Pullman, and sat on his trunk outside James's
store. James happened to pass soon after, and
seeing this nice little fellow of thirteen years,
stopped and spoke to him, and finding he desired
employment, James took him at once into his
store, " for he was such a smart little chap," as he
often told me. This " little chap " is now a fine
big fellow, and he told me to-day, ** It was my for-
tune to meet Mr. Haslehurst that morning, for he
has always been my ideal ever since in all I have
done, and I have never felt for any one else in the
world the regard I have for Mr. Haslehurst." I
could ''fill a small volume" with his praise for
James, but I felt most deeply when he solemnly
added, " He started me right in the world, Mrs.
Haslehurst, and I owe my good fortune to his ad-
vice and example." That boy is right; he is a
" true knight and matchless."

More calls, and all day ! Such a cordial and
hearty reception in Chicago pleases James exceed-
ingly, and is more than we could have expected.
As we rolled into the depot last Saturday morning,
with so much anticipation in our hearts, I whis-
pered to James, " I wonder if we will be glad we
have come, or perhaps we have lost our places in
the hearts of our friends, and we will be quite ready

to move on next Thursday." We feel like children
now, quite ready to cry, because we have arranged
to start on to-night. Chicago was never so charm-
ing, our friends have showered upon us most lovely
attentions,and we find them more attractive than ever*

At half-past nine o'clock to-night, with C. S. W.
accompanying (and a large roll of magazines and
newspapers, and a big basket of every conceivable
kind of fresh and candied fruit, which his bounty
had provided) James and I started for the Chicago
and North-western Railroad Depot, where we took
a train for the West,

As we reached the depot, C. S. W. exclaimed,
" This road discharged four hundred and fifty
switchmen this morning, owing to a strike, and
have new hands on to-night." Little chills played
tag up and down my spinal column, but I only
smiled automatically. As we moved out of Chicago,
I rolled up my curtain and looked out, and sure
enough every switchman was accompanied by a
policeman, with club upheld, and in the weird light
of the switchman's lantern, and the green and red
lights of the switch signals, it was anything but
comforting and reassuring. We slept, however, in
spite of danger, real or imaginary.

FRIDAY, MAY 15th.

/^N the train from Chicago to Denver. Breakfast
^^ at 7.45 A. M., and after that, what a long day
it was ! I was ready for bed at 11 A. M. ! It was

13

one of God's days of creation, without beginning
and without end. We managed to procure stools
from the porter, and sat out on the rear platform of
the car, within the folds of the vestibule appliance,
most of the day. We met a gentleman from New
York, and we three sat together in our " Observa-
tion Car,*' the two gentlemen smoking, chatting,
reading, etc. We discussed Theology and Theoso-
phy, Darwin and Evolution, and then descended to
conundrums and stories.

We passed through Iowa and Nebraska to-day.
Iowa is a beautiful State to us, finely cultivated, and
for miles and miles we seemed to be traveling
through great farms ; the ground was ploughed and
planted, cleared of all rubbish, and stumps and
stones, and one could easily imagine they were
traveling through English country. Prosperity and
contentment were in the very air, and if we could
have seen the farmers and their families, I am sure
we would have found them all well fed and well
clothed. It was a pleasant journey to Council
Bluffs. There we waited a half hour, while wheel-
men went under the cars, other men on top, exam-
ining and cleaning everything for the rest of the
trip. We saw sad sights among some emigrants ;
poor people, they are handled like cattle in trans-
portation.

When we crossed the muddy Missouri and reached
Omaha, our friend, seeing some wretched huts and
hovels near our tracks, exclaimed in most ironical

14

tones to me, ^* This is the aristocratic part of the
town ! " ** No, sir, it ain't," exclaimed a man stand-
ing near, who looked as if he had never understood
a joke in his life ; " I've lived here two years, and
the best part of the town is up yonder." Well,
Omaha is a fine city no doubt, but from the railroad
it is singularly uninviting.

We hurried along through or into Nebraska, and
as we came to the prairies, we were filled with inter-
est to see the beautiful clusters of fine trees, the
pretty farm houses and barns gathered under these
trees, and lovely verdure everywhere. Gradually
the trees diminished in number, and in nearness to
one another, the houses were fewer and poorer, and
finally there were no trees at all, and such parched
and dry lands, such desolate and dreary deserts, and
the huts and shanties looked as if they would tum-
ble into heaps of rubbish, if their owners sneezed.
Then the prairies became rolling and sandy; hills of
sand had formed by the side of the tracks, where
protective walls and fences had been erected, and as
we went further, into Nebraska, the desolation was
dreadful, and the degradation was in keeping with
the rest. We saw ranchmen on their horses, some-
times shooting, at other times galloping across a
limitless, undivided country, without road or any-
thing to guide one, save marks at intervals of wheels
and hoofs. The herds of horses and cattle were
near the tracks, by hundreds and hundreds ; and such
deplorable, dispirited animals, looking like whipped

IS

dogs ; they made our hearts ache, they seemed
so dejected and forlorn. Even the cows (and I never
did like cows), made me feel pity for them. They
move like snails across the prairies.

Of course there are places in all this dreary desert
that surprise and interest one. Corning, Nebraska,
is a lively little place, with electric lights, a cable-
road, and showed signs of genuine thrift. But
these places of size and activity are few and far
between in Nebraska. Grand Island was wide-awake
and stirring, and when we asked what made its suc-
cess and prosperity and growth, they told us
" There's a big beet-sugar factory here."

SATURDAY, MAY i6TH.

A LTHOUGH we were conscious of long waits in
the night, and -visions of Indians with toma-
hawks and knives were in my dreams, we did not
know until we awoke on Saturday morning, that a
burning bridge had delayed us three hours and a
half. A queer resignation comes over one, when he
is in a fix and there is no help for it, and so Jamie
and I settled ourselves, to wait indefinitely for
breakfast, oranges and bananas, from the bountiful
basket presented to us when we left Chicago, quiet-
ing the most acute pangs of the long enforced fast.
About ten o'clock a porter's welcome voice rang
through the car, and announced that " this train will
stop ten minutes at La Salle (Colorado) for break-
fast." Everybody braced up at the mere mention

16

of such a thing, and visions of something, at least
edible, wandered through our empty and benumbed
craniums. It was pouring hard when La Salle was
reached, and a low one-story shanty, with a counter
across one end, was the " breakfast room." Mud-
like coffee was sold to the weary traveller, with
sandwiches, and although Jamie was among the
first to leave the train in search of something
tempting, the sandwiches had given out before he
reached the counter. Dirty and distressing it was,
a little house set down in the wide weary waste, and
the only thing attractive there, animate or inani-
mate, was a great big good-natured Newfoundland
dog, who wanted every one to pet him, — but we
could not eat him ! We returned to our fruit
basket, with a " Thank God, we have this," and
after our appetites had been appeased, having seen
some weary and tired people in the emigrant car, I
went there with my basket and attempted to feed
them. When I asked one nice looking woman, who
had evidently seen better days, if she would have
an orange, she answered, ** Oh, yes, indeed I will,
and I'll pay you too, how much is it?" After
explaining that they were given to me, and I in
turn desired to give them to her, she hurriedly
added, "But I always like to pay for what I have.'*
Next I passed the basket to a young mother with a
baby on her breast, and her big-lipped, stupid look-
ing husband said " How much, Ma'am ? " My
single word " Nothing " must have produced the

17

desired result, for they accepted and devoured in
silence. I then visited a poor young woman with
two wee babes, and left my basket and its diminish-
ing contents to her to distribute.

On reaching Denver at half past eleven, we drove
to the hotel where President Harrison had stopped,
but as it was not yet open for regular guests, we
went to "The Windsor." We felt the high altitude
of the city greatly, which is at an elevation of five
thousand, one hundred and ninety-six feet, and it pro-
duced a depressing effect at first. It seemed as if
our heads would surely leave our shoulders, they
felt so light. " Was it the air," does any one ask ?
Unkind, unfeeling mortals !

SUNDAY, MAY 17TH.

nPHEY say they seldom have seen such a rainy day
as yesterday, in Denver, and that five months
may pass now, without more rain visiting the city.

To-day has been lovely. This morning the mud
was ankle deep, but it has dried rapidly and was
really dusty when we drove about the city in the
afternoon.

Denver is a wonderful city. There are fine
buildings and fine dwellings, some really palatial
homes, but altogether the city impressed us as a
great big town, overgrown and provincial. But the
street-car system is marvelous. Cable-cars run in
every direction, north, south, east and west, around
curves, passing and crossing tracks of other lines,

x8

and making one dizzy by their rapid movements.
The city seems like a great aeolian harp, for every
car must sound a gong at crossings, and they ring in
every key of the chromatic scale.

We saw all parts of the city, Ex-Senator Tabor's
residence, Grant Street, Lincoln, Logan and Sher-
man Streets, Colfax and Pennsylvania Avenues,
etc., as well as churches of all denominations and
creeds, and much of real interest. While a marvel-
ous city in growth, power and prosperity, Denver
attracts us less than any city we were ever in.
Perhaps we are not yet in tune with the western
spirit and enterprise, but I think we are fair in our
judgment and criticism.

Everybody here is from the East, even the bell-
boys and maids and the porters. To-day our porter
said *' I'm from Boston M'am, I had the asthm-y, and
had to come here, but I'm cured now."

MONDAY, MAY i8TH.

A X rE are thoroughly satisfied with our knowledge
of Denver, as a long walk this morning added
to our acquaintance with this western city.

It was beautifully bright in the early part of the
day, but a mist and heavy clouds obscured our view
of the mountains, which our geographical bumps
told us surrounded Denver. When we turned on
our homeward tramp, the clouds had all rolled
away, and there before us were the snow-capped
Rocky Mountains. They were most majestic and

19

wonderfully imposing to us, and we stood spell-
bound with admiration. A great range of dark
stormy mountains surround Denver, and behind,
peeping between the dark summits, are the great
monarchs, beautifully and dazzlingly white. The
highest peak we saw to-day was Long's Peak, over
fourteen thousand and eighty-eight feet high. They
are so near heaven, it seems as if they must reflect
the glory of the Great White Throne.

TUESDAY, MAY I9TH.

TXrE were glad our lucky star had aided us in
deciding to leave Denver to-day, for before
we were astir, the hotel was noisy with the newly
arrived representatives from Louisiana and Texas,
for the Trans-Mississippi Congress. Before we were
out of our room, while we were dressing, two noble
specimens were assigned to our palatial apartment,
but as we strongly objected, they went away.
While we were at breakfast, we hired the chamber-
maid to abide in our room, and guard our goods and
chattels, and while she was getting fresh linen for
the bed, the blooming Southern representatives
walked in, deposited their '* where-with-alls " and
dusters, and began " a tub " in the bath room. They
were cut short in their exercises by the return of
our fair hired damsel, and were ushered out until
we should start. They left their bags reluctantly,
fearing we might "take them by mistake."

We left Denver at 9 A. M., and before we had

pushed our way out of the city, we were speechless.
The great mountains of the Rockies stood out in
bold relief, and such grandeur in their size and
shapes, with the ever-changing fleecy clouds passing
over them, made a picture against the sky never to
be forgotten. The rocks and scrub-oaks were liter-
ally black in the shadows made by the passing
clouds, and they stood out in such boldness against
the white snow mountains in the background. It
was a perfect day, and a perfect vision of wonder
and surprise to us. Our trip from Denver to
Colorado Springs was one long exclamation! Jamie
and I, as usual, sat on the rear platform of the train,
on comfortable stools provided by the porter.

As we left Denver, the great snow-monarchs
seemed to form a half-circle about us, and as we
hurried along, the view was ever changing, and
presenting new and interesting sights. Looming up
against the sky, we would see great rocks, with every
kind of broken outlines, representing castles, ani-
mals, etc., and finally right before us, stood a great
wall of rock, hundreds of feet high, exactly like photo-
graphs I saw not long ago, in one of our magazines,
of the homes of the cave-dwellers of Mexico. As we
hurried along, on what western people call a fast
train (going twenty-five miles an hour), we were
deeply impressed by the queer rock formations,
along the plains and prairies on our left, and in the
great mountains on our right. Some huge piles of
stone, hundreds of feet high, terminated in a flat

square top, making the whole mountain resemble a
cone decapitated. I exclaimed once, in the presence
of a fellow-traveller : " These must at one time have
been volcanoes, they look just like extinct craters.'^
" And they are," came the answer from my better
informed companion. On top of some of these
mountains were formations of rock, like the castles
on the Rhine, as picturesque and beautiful, and of
one of them I was able to take a photograph. Some
rocks took the form of animals, — one near the rail-
road represented perfectly a huge elephant, —
another was poised on a high pinnacle, and resem-
bled an eagle.

It is wonderful to ride over these road-beds and
fine railroads, and realize that all these miles of road,
through the wild prairie lands and deserts, have
been laid mile by mile, by men's hands ; and it is
remarkable to see how all the obstacles of nature
have been overcome by the brains of men. The
country through which we passed was cultivated,
and looked rich and fertile, and the ranches seemed
prosperous and well-cared for.

What interested us greatly were the little towns
of prairie dog mounds. These little animals move
along in great numbers, and some hillsides were
fairly peppered by the little pointed sandy hills.

Colorado Springs we reached at twelve o'clock,
after a three hours' ride from Denver, and were most
agreeably pleased in our first view. The town
itself, numbering between ten and twelve thousand

inhabitants, is prettily laid out, — the streets are
very wide and the houses are exceedingly pictur-
esque. Many people, who cannot live anywhere else
in health, can live here, consequently many wealthy
families have gathered in Colorado Springs, and as
their surroundings accord with their means and
taste, the town is exceedingly attractive. There
are no tall buildings, — the hotel, " The Antlers," is
the highest in town, and it is such a fine hotel,
beautifully furnished and most comfortable. The
whole city impresses one as a prairie town, with the
exception of the grand mountains in the back-
ground. The stores are good, presenting novelties
and attractions, and they have fine public buildings
as well. One remarkable thing in these western
towns is the great use of electricity. Nothing but
electric lights are used everywhere, and electric
cars go in all directions.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20TH.

A LTHOUGH cloudy this morning, we deter-
'^ mined to start out about ten o'clock for a drive,
to begin to see the points of interest about this
pretty little place. We had a good driver, a light
wagon with a covering over our heads, and armed
with mackintoshes and umbrellas, we started. We
drove through Colorado City, which is ugly and
flat, and has absolutely no charms, save its close
proximity to the great rocks and wonders, rising so
unexpectedly out of the plains, and called the

33

** Garden of the Gods." The great entrance, with
its red sandstone and white rocky mounds, presented
an imposing spectacle, as we first saw them during a
drive through Colorado City to Manitou. Manitou
is five miles from Colorado Springs, and is at the
foot of a great mountain range, all its roads being
up and down hill and wonderfully picturesque, with
the little shops bordering them, and the pretty little
houses for summer guests perched up on every con-
ceivable pinnacle and corner of rock. It reminded
us of a foreign watering place, but, of course, is not
so large or so well patronized. We climbed one
winding road to the famous Iron Spring, which
James tasted and pronounced " good.*' We then
retraced our steps, and the plucky little horses be-
gan an ascent, we little dreamed of at the start.
We climbed up and up between two high mountains,
over a road cut from the solid rock, with huge per-
pendicular cliffs towering up each side of us, and the
driveway fenced in to prevent falling to the depths
below. We were then climbing the celebrated
" Ute Pass," — the mountain pass used by the Ute
Indians, and later by the people of Leadville during
their mining excitement. The rocks are full of iron
and copper, and the pink and green coloring was
picturesque. Suddenly, and without warning, the
driver turned directly at right angles and we began
a climb, up, up, up, until we seemed in the very
clouds, and as if we were hobnobbing with all the
majestic summits of those wonderful mountains.

We curved around, until we had driven about half
an hour, and had climbed to an altitude of
over eight thousand feet. We were then at
the mouth of one of the greatest wonders
in Colorado. Travellers who have visited the
Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, say these grand
Caverns of Iron Mountain, Colorado, are small and
insignificant in size, but they were of the deepest
interest to James and to me. Outside the cave is a
little hut where you register your name, pay your
admission, and hire a guide. They give each visitor
a lamp with a reflector, which you carry, and when
our lamps were "trimmed and burning" we entered
the cave.

The story says that a young man, named Snider,
was one day hunting on the top of this mountain,
and seeing a small opening among the rocks, where
the snow was melted away, began to investigate to
find the cause of the snow melting more there than
at any other spot. He soon discovered warm air
coming from the hole, and after digging awhile
became convinced that he had found a cave. A
visit next day proved that he had made an important
discovery, and for four years he kept his secret, until
he had obtained a right to the land. This happened
in 1881, and in 1885 the "Grand Caverns" were
opened to visitors. Twenty-five thousand people
visited them last year ; and at one dollar a head,
who would not discover a cavern ? I do not know
how to describe our trip through these five under

25

ground chambers, with their wonderful prismatic
colors, their ribbon and pencil stalactites and stal-
agmites, their great ceilings formed of rocks weigh-
ing tons and tons, which seem ready to fall any
minute. We entered by a long black spooky
passage first into a '' Grand Hall," they call it, three
hundred feet long, and from fifty to one hundred
feet high. Up among the great arches of the roof,
where a ladder was placed to aid the ascent, was a
guide with a lantern and a rod, playing on a natural
organ, formed of huge stalactites of ribbon formation^
which contain true musical scales of ** F " and "G.
He played " We won't go home till morning," and
one othertune, and then sounded the most beautiful,
rich, deep-toned chimes I have ever heard, on some
pencil stalactites. The ribbon formation is thin and
follows the surface to which it grows, like a ribbon
caught by a pearl edge. The pencil stalactites fall in
cone shapes. No one can imagine how queer it all
was, and this wonderful music soared upwards in such
volumes of harmony, in such rich crescendoes that
it seemed uncanny and more than mysterious. The
ceilings and walls are covered with rainbow colors in
great waves, which our lamps enabled us to distin-
guish plainly, like mother-of-pearl in some places and
great opals in others. The formations are remark-
able, taking the shapes of carrots and beets, and of
a great ham. Some of the walls are like delicate
coral. The Bridal Chamber is beautiful. It has not
been open to the public long enough to be smoked

26

by the lamps, as some of the others are, and it is
beautifully white. What seemed so strange to me
were the great white stalactites, among the darker
ones, of pure cream-white alabaster. Some were in
the shape of huge candles, as purely white as snow.
In one place it was quite wet and dripping, and
when I asked the guide what made it so, he said,
" No one knows why, or from where the water
comes." The alabaster is still adding its white
deposit, but as it takes many years to form the thick-
ness of a sheet of paper, it takes a century to add
one inch.

One passage had a dome one hundred and ten
feet high. We saw a gate up at one place, and the
guide told us that about eighty feet further in, the
passage terminated in a bottomless pit. They have
never been able to hear a stone touch bottom, or
lower anything into it to touch or measure the
depth. I noticed a board platform, and was stand-
ing on it, when the guide said, " Under your feet,
now, is a channel we hope to explore next winter,
over one hundred feet deep, which is pure alabaster,
and magnificent." I jumped ten feet away, and
shuddered; the mysterious influence of the place
had begun to creep over me, and I exclaimed,
" Please don't move too fast, guide, for if I lose
sight of you, I shall scream," and most reassuringly
he answered, *' You might scream for a month, and
no one would hear you." Another year they hope
to light the caverns with electricity, and although it

27

will enable people to see all parts of the cave better,
it will rob it of its uncanny and mysteriously weird
■effect. It is so unusual as it is now.

When we came out of the Caverns we found it
was raining hard, but we were well equipped and
did not mind it an atom, and drove to the Barker
House in Manitou, where we had dinner. About
half past two o'clock we started for Colorado
Springs, driving through the *' Garden of the Gods,"
which is a collection of most wonderfully formed
rocks, placed in the most remarkable positions,
without rhyme or reason, without relation or like-
ness one to the other, and how they came there,
and by what process formed, makes one fairly faint
with conjecture. Some are of red sandstone, almost
terra-cotta, others near these red ones are white,
like granite, and remembering that behind, or in
the background, is Pike's Peak, in a perpetual
snow mantle, you can imagine what a beautiful
picture these form. Queer resemblances were
found to animals and people. The turtle, alligator's
head and mouth, whale, porcupine, anvil, toad,
bear, sheep and seal are all wonderfully formed in
great isolated rocks, which stand out in relief
against the sky. Three great rocks amused us
greatly ; one represented a man's head and bust,
with a military hat, near it stood a woman in a cap,
and between the two was a funny pile of stones, an
exact counterpart of a fat jolly bald-headed baby.
They are named " Punch, and Judy, and the Baby."

28

One part of the Garden of the Gods is called
Mushroom Park. It is composed of huge mush-^
rooms of stone, perfect in every detail, and sa
numerous and colossal, that a human being feels
like the hundredth part of an atom of matter in this
wondrous world of stone. I do not believe an
atheist could go through this country without
believing in the existence of a God. We are deeply
impressed by all these natural wonders, and believe
we see daily evidences of the rounding and mould-
ing, in these volcanic masses, of the great ice covers,
of the earth of many centuries ago. The work of
the ice artist is visible in isolated boulders, for how
else could all these wondrous rocks come to be, in
such prairie places as we find them, if they were not
carried to their resting places by the glaciers. One
can see the water marks, the great ridges formed by
the cutting ice, and it must be deeply interesting ta
one well grounded in scientific lore.

THURSDAY, MAY 2 1 ST.

A BOUT six o'clock this morning, our room being-
dark, I jumped up to find out what time it
was, and to look out of the window to see what signs
we had for the day. Everything was enveloped in
mist, and rain was still falling. I went to sleep
again, feeling we were in for a rainy day, and in a
measure I have not been disappointed. About
eight o'clock a most beautiful sight awaited us*
The mountains, as well as the foot-hills, were (and

29

are yet) white with snow, and seemed to be as near
as our balcony. They are grand, and every one
says it is a most unusual sight for this time of year.
As I write they seem close to us, and one has such
a feeling of chumminess with them. It snows at in-
tervals, and is too windy to venture out to-day.

FRIDAY, MAY 22ND.

p)REAKFAST about nine o'clock as usual, and a
mean-looking cloudy morning greeted us too.
** We're in for another day in the house," Jamie
exclaimed ; but as it did not rain after breakfast, we
went for a good walk. Toward noon it cleared, and
after lunch, Jamie and I took a most lovely drive to
North and South Cheyenne Cafton. We drove
across the plains for a long distance, and then right
up between two magnificent mountains, and as it
was brilliantly clear, and the peaks were all snow-
covered, it was a most interesting drive.

North Cheyenne Cafton is a very narrow gorge
between two great grand mountains. The road
winds up beside a most beautiful babbling brook,
twisting and turning at sharp angles, and constantly
surprising one by new and unusually picturesque
views. We saw here formations of rocks we had
never seen before. Very different they were from
the wonders in the ** Gardens of the Gods," and yet
only five miles apart, and James and I were deeply
impressed by their grandeur. They assume more
castle effects than individual forms, and are like

30

great fortresses on the hill summits, some having
magnificent turrets and watch-towers, and presenting
the most amazing variety in architecture. These
huge piles of stones are like plum-puddings hard-
ened into shapes, that is, they are full of little and
big stones, cemented together by a substance like
batter, and hardened and shaped into serrated forms,
and of course this form and deposit points most
conclusively to the glacial period. But these great
ice forces were artistic in their manner of sprinkling
the earth with wondrous formations, for no artist
could have done such marvelous work in the pictur-
esque placing of these masses of stone. Some tow-
ered hundreds of feet above one's head in great
walls, with strata formed lengthwise, sidewise,
and every other wise ; others stood like colos-
sal sentinels, magnificent and majestic in their
might. We were spell-bound, as we turned sharp
corners, and came suddenly upon new visions of
splendor.

South Cheyenne Caflon is different in aspect from
North Cheyenne Caflon, although so close together
in the mountains. It is wilder, and has more solid
walls of rock, hundreds of feet high, but fewer iso-
lated pinnacles. Here we had the pleasure of ford-
ing the same stream four times each way, eight
times in all, and it was real exciting, for owing to
the recent rains the stream was full, and running
with great force. We felt some alarm at the first
ford, but at the second we began to enjoy it, and to

31

watch with interest the hub of the wheels disappear
under the water.

SATURDAY, MAY 23 RD.

/^WING to the extreme cold last night, we did
^"^ not open our window, but trusted to the
ventilator to air the room. About five o'clock this
morning, I awoke nearly suffocated, and Jamie hear-
ing my groans, arose to open the window. *' Come
here quickly, May, and see a beautiful sight," and I
hurried with all the energy I could demand at that
early hour, and joined my white-robed spouse at the
window. It was a beautiful sight ; all the valley
lay in shadow, the foot-hills were nearly black, and
only a tiny gas-light in one cottage near showed
any signs of life. Pike's Peak, however, and the
high mountains near, were silver, then golden, as
the rising sun touched them with glory, and made
them stand out alone, above all the dim shadow ia
the valley, and all I could think of was the glory of
Heaven itself, kissing the mountain peaks with a
morning blessing. If an angel had hovered in mid-
air, it would have seemed in keeping with that silent
grandeur. I felt over-powered and crept back to
bed, very glad to have the opportunity to close my
eyes and keep that picture with me for a little while ;
Jamie, on the contrary, went flying about the room,
vowing he was " wide-awake and rested. I never felt
better in my life. May ; Colorado air does agree with
me," etc. As I failed soon to audibly appreciate

32

these comments, Mr. J. W, H. jumped into bed
again, wishing " it was time to get up." He soon
showed signs of sonorous breathing, while I lay
quietly wondering the why and wherefore of certain
things in nature.

We woke again at eight, to find a most exquisite
day before us, and we at once decided that a morn-
ing drive would be just the thing, but as we could
not get our favorite driver, we fortunately postponed
it until the afternoon. We drove five miles over
the " Mesa," which means a ** Spanish Plateau," and
a fine view was obtained of the country in every
direction, — the mountains on the left and hundreds
of miles of rolling prairie on our right, made a
beautiful picture. We drove to " Glen Eyrie," the
residence of General Palmer, built in a cafton, with
a natural fortification, as impregnable as a fortress.
It is surrounded by beautiful scenery, and although
a fine residence, it must be too shut in to be inspir-
ing and always attractive. We took some photo-
graphs there, which we have since been told was
strictly prohibited, but " where ignorance is bliss,"
etc. We have the photographs, and they have the
law.

We then thought a sunshiny view of the " Garden
of the Gods " would pay us for a second visit, so we
drove there, and just before entering at the great
red gates, we saw a dozen or more little children
coming towards us on burros, or as they call them
here, " Rocky Mountain Canaries." I stood up with

33

my camera, they clustered round us, and were much
excited over having their pictures taken.

The " Garden of the Gods " interested us anew,
and at the " Balanced Rock " Jamie and I left the
carriage, and I climbed up on the rocks to take a
photograph of James and the big rock. The sun
went under a cloud just then, and while I waited
for it to peep out again, along came a carriage with
a lady and gentleman in it. They stopped, and as
the lady jumped out the man shouted to me,
" there's a party who would like to have her picture
taken too." From my rocky elevation I accepted
the proposition, and the lady went and stood as
cosily as you please next to Jamie. Either James
was not entertaining enough, or she grew tired of
waiting for the sun to shine, for she suddenly deci-
ded not to tarry longer, and away she went.

James went this evening with our good friends,
Mr. F. and Mr. R., to the " El Paso Club," the free-
dom and courtesies of the club having been extended
to him for two weeks. They treated him royally^
and did all they could to tempt him to remain
longer in Colorado Springs.

I spent a delightful evening with Mrs. R., a most
intellectual, charming woman, and her experiences
were most entertaining to hear, as she had lived in
many strange countries, and at one time in Brazil,
by invitation from the Emperor to her husband*
Her son, a lad of thirteen, has become a special
friend of ours, and is so clever and bright and com-

34

^

panionable. He has a fine face, a broad intellectual
forehead, and a large expressive nose. My theory
is, that people with big noses always amount to
something intellectually. They are not great be-
cause their noses are big, but their noses are big
because they are great. Is that a distinction with-
out a difference ?

To-day, as we drove to the hotel in the sunshine,
over the entire road arched a most beautiful rain-
bow. It was raining out on the praries, and we had
the beauty without the clouds.

SUNDAY, MAY 24TH.

JAMIE says Colorado Springs agrees with his body
and his conscience as well, and he wanted to go
to church this morning, which we did. We had a
good walk to and from the church. We did not
know which church to attend, as the Presbyterian,
Baptist, Methodist, and all, seemed flourishing and
attractive outwardly, but we finally decided on the
Congregational Church. The minister. Dr. Gregg,
formerly of Hartford, preached a sermon exactly
suited to our needs. It was on the ** Religious Life
in the Church and in the Home," and was excellent.
In this hotel, there is the funniest porter we have
ever seen. He is a great, big, good-natured colored
man, and has a most original way of announcing
the departure of trains east and west. His voice
has most remarkable acoustic properties, and rever-
berates all over the house. As our room is directly

35

over the office, we are amused a dozen or more times
a day, by this peculiar musical chant. The stage
rolls up to the door, and simultaneously rings out :

p

^^

Rio Grande North to Den

j Fi
1 St. Jo<

" Chicago, Rockland
and Illinois.

First stop, I
"oe, Missouri, f

All aboard !

All aboard!'

MONDAY, MAY 25TH.

T7 ARLY this morning, before five o'clock, I was
up to take a survey of the weather, to see if
we could hope to leave Colorado Springs, and begin
our long journey *' across country." It was pouring,
with an evident determination to keep it up all day,
and I awoke James, and prepared his mind for an-
other delay. After a late breakfast, James donned
his mackintosh, and armed with an umbrella walked
about the town, and seemed happy and resigned.
We lunched by invitation with " The Bachelors "
to-day. Eight fellows from the East live together
at " The Antlers," and we were finely entertained by
them. They all had taken James and me for bride
and groom, — the third time so far on this trip!
This evening we spent by invitation with Mrs. R.
again.

TUESDAY, MAY 26tH.

Jamie hopped up about five o'clock this morning,
to have a peep at the weather. Pike's Peak stood
out clear and bright, flooded with sunshine, and the
entire Dutch army could have been clothed in the
light ethereal blue. We soon began to make ready
for our start, but before eight o'clock it had clouded
over again, and seemed as unpromising as ever.
Out of the three hundred and sixty-five days of
the year, sunshine has usually blessed Colorado
Springs for three hundred and twenty-six days, and
'* the oldest inhabitant " has never known such an
'^uncertain May."

As Jamie was restless, we determined to start at
11.55 ■^- M- fo^ ^^^ West, which proved a wise
decision, and we have blessed our guiding star ever
since, for we could not have had a lovelier time, or
have met a jollier party. Our friends came to the
train to see us off, and we left Colorado Springs,
with many kind wishes expressed for our trip.

At Colorado Springs, two couples besides our-
selves boarded the train, and were all consigned to
sections in the same car. In the car was a fellow
who attracted James at once, he reminded us so
forcibly of our good friend W. B. ; and these two
couples, this young gentlemen, and James and I,
were all crowded together on the rear platform of
the train, and were soon friends, and we all kept to-
gether for several days, and had a royally good time.

37

The first interesting place we saw after leaving
Colorado Springs, was Pueblo. We had dinner
here, in the Railroad Hotel, and we thought it poor
enough, but later learned to know it was a fine
repast. We then passed through a most uninterest-
ing country, with nothing but great mountains of
gray stone, covered half-way with sand, gray sand,
reddish sand, and straw-colored sand, and presented
all kinds of fantastic shapes. At first we were in-
terested, it was so different from all that we had
seen before, but after several hours of it we grew
unutterably weary. Some of these formations inter-
ested us in one particular ; the rocks were in great
strata, and in different colors, — copper, iron and
sandstone, and formed some wondrous effects. But
this region was so barren, nothing grew on the hill-
sides, not even sage brush, and the valleys were
forsaken and doleful. Once in awhile a cabin would
be visible, and a few weak lonely horses or cows,
but all seemed in keeping with the dire surround-
ings, and the poor animals looked as if they had
been fed on stones.

About half-past three this afternoon, a general
stir among the passengers was a sign that we were
approaching something of interest, and we all
gathered on the back platform (where we sat most
of the time for the next three days), and saw the
" Royal Gorge " as we passed through. It passeth
knowledge how man ever overcame such obstacles
in nature, as were presented to us in this royally

38

*' Royal Gorge.*' A stream on one side of the
track, rushing and hurrying along, with a great wall
of solid rock rising hundreds of feet, nay thousands
of feet, straight up into heaven on each side of us.
They say the rocks rise three thousand feet on each
side of the track. It is like a miracle to pass through
that gorge. It seemed unearthly, as we twisted
and whirled around the sharp and narrow curves,
and looked up so far, to catch a glimpse of God's
heaven. At first we were filled with wonder, at the
marvelous engineering skill and genius, that had
planned and executed so gigantic an undertaking ;
then an awe and silence stole over us, as we stood
face to face with such wonders of God's creation.
The summits of these walls of rock were pointed,
rounded, in squares, turrets and spires, and the
change in the color of these great expanses of stone
presented prismatic tints, which no brush could
imitate. Fiery red, terra-cotta, blue, then almost
white, would appear in waves of color, and not one
tiny bush or shrub to break the great breadth of
rocks. It was a magnificent trip through that gorge,
and one never to be forgotten. My words seem so
poor in describing this grandeur.

We hurried along after leaving the Royal Gorge,
through a very beautiful and fertile valley, and were
rejoiced to see grander snow mountains on our left
than we had seen before. We were nearing Salida,
and were steadily going higher and higher, as the
altitude of Salida is seven thousand and fifty feet.

39

We reached there at 5.35 P. M., and found it a very
small town, formed of cheap houses and homes, a
railroad centre merely. They told us the hotel
" Monte Christo " was first-class. It is over the
station, and a noisier, more disagreeable abode is
hard to imagine, but we will have to be satisfied
with much worse before we reach home, I fancy.
As soon as we had obtained a room and deposited
our traps, James and I started out to see the town,
and take a few photographs. The mountains were
magnificent. Salida is situated in a semi-circle of
great mountains, so white with snow as to be almost
too dazzling to look at. We were spell-bound with
admiration.

We walked up the main street, which was filled
with remarkably smart shops, but every other win-
dow presented whiskey bottles; in other words, every
other store was a saloon. The night before our
arrival, a hotel and five saloons had burned down, and
the ruins were still smoking, but it was no loss to
the little town. We hurried back to the supper-
table, then took another walk with our friends.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27TH.

^X rE had a wretched night, and longed for day-
light. Long before five o'clock, we were too
nervous with the noise of the trains to stand it
longer, so we were up and out, and what a pleasure
awaited us ! The sun had touched all the hills and
mountains, the snow looked like gold, and as we

40

stood watching and wondering, we counted twenty-
five great snow monarchs, so beautiful and inspiring
they were, and reminded us in shape of the ele-
phants at Barnum's circus, as they have stood with
their backs to us, only they were snow from tip to
tail, and colossal.

We found a native of Salida willing to talk and
give us information, so we chatted until after six
with him. He was a rude specimen, and was brought
nine months before to Salida, so sick with consump-
tion, he nearly died on the way, but now he is able
to work on the railroads, and is as robust and well
as any one. He told us that they seldom had real
wintry weather, only in February, March and April
they had some cold, but never any snow, except on
the mountains which caught all, and kept it from
falling into the valley. Colorado is a wonderful
State, the scenery is grand beyond words, the cli-
mate is a blessing to scores and scores of invalids,
and its mineral and mining products are rich beyond
question, and make millionaires of many men. Oh^
that we knew ** the receipt for that popular mys-
tery ! " Colorado interested us so much and made
Jamie so wonderfully better, that we think if he
ever feels badly again, we will fly to Colorado
Springs. When you come to real distance, it does
not seem far from home.

At 7 A. M., in a queer, narrow-guage Pullman
sleeper, we began our ride for the day. Mr. and
Mrs. H., Mr. and Mrs. V. G., Mr. H., Mr. F., James

41

and myself, took possession of the back plat-
form. Jamie sat in the middle, right down on the
platform, with his feet hanging over and resting on
the coupling. Mr. H. sat on one step, Mr. F. on
the other, Mrs. H., Mrs. V. G. and I on stools in
between, and Mr. H. standing back of us, and in
this fashion we went through or over the " Marshall
Pass." How can I describe it ! We began our ride,
going through a most beautiful caflon, the rocks
rising so far above us on each side, and the trees,
grasses and shrubs being really beautiful. As we
sat there, little dreaming what was before us, some
one looked up the hillside and said, " Why there's
another railroad right up above us." Perhaps we're
going up to that," answered another. " Impossible,"
ejaculated a third. Pretty soon around a most
beautiful horseshoe curve we turned, and Jamie
exclaimed, ** By Jove ! we are going just where
we thought we could not." Then our calm-
ness vanished, and we began to watch and
to wait for more glimpses of road and rail, and
were in Wonderland before we knew it. Creeping
like a snake up the side of the mountain, we would
look ahead, and see a cutting through the rocks,
outlined against the sky, and soon we would pass
through that very opening. We ascended so slowly,
so steadily, winding and twisting, turning almost at
right angles sometimes, crossing trestles and
bridges, through which we could look from our back
seats and see hundreds of feet down. Gradually

42

all signs of vegetation began to cease, trees became
scarce, except the poor, tired evergreens, some look-
ing too tired to live, others as if they had died an
awful death. We began to get into the snow-
regions and to feel so familiar with the snow-capped
mountains. Such views as were ours, for as we
looked in every direction, we could see such wonder-
ful scenes, valleys, mountains, white and black,
villages nestled in the valleys, and we absolutely
grew silent in admiration. Great snow-drifts began
to surround us, snow-sheds began to bother us too,
but these were short and we were soon through
them. At last, as we neared the summit, 10,852
feet in altitude, we went into the clouds, and were
surrounded by such a damp vapor, just like fog.
We could see the clouds as we approached and went
into them. The summit was reached at a quarter
past nine, and then we rested there a little, while
the brakes were carefully examined to see if all was
safe for our ride down hill. While at the top, and
in the snow-shed, we were nearly frozen — our hands
and feet tingled, and we had to stamp about to keep
warm. We had much merriment, snowballing each
other, for we happened to stop right beside a snow
mound, and had quite a jolly time. Mr. F. had not
seen snow for ten years, living as he does in Galves-
ton, and he was quite funny as he frisked about in
his linen duster, making snow balls. It grew so
cold during our downward journey, that we spent
the rest of the morning inside the little car.

43

At Gunnison, at half-past eleven o'clock, we had
dinner, and how hungry we were ! After leaving Gun-
nison, we were told that at the next station, Sapinero,
an observation car would be attached to the train>
to take us through the Black Cafion, and we all
gathered in the top-less car, with plain board seats.
We then had fifteen miles of such magnificence,
that Jamie and I are powerless to express our im-
pressions of it. The Royal Gorge was grander,
more colossal and majestic than the Black Cafion,
because its walls of rock were in great vast masses ;
but the Black Cafion was to us more impressive^
although much narrower, and the rocks stood in
great solitary piles, forming cathedrals, castles and
needles, while beautiful waterfalls seemed to tumble
down from the very skies themselves. The rocks at
times entirely surrounded us, and as I looked ahead
at the little puffing locomotive, as it skipped along,
now over a bridge, and then as if right against the
solid rock, I exclaimed, " Surely, there is no way of
escape for us, we are rock-bound in reality."

We were creeping along the bank of the merry
little river Gunnison, which added greatly to the
beauty of the scene, with its rapids and pretty falls.
We wanted eyes on all sides of our heads for that
lovely wonderful trip. As we finally crept out of
the cafion into the fields and country again, they
appeared tame and commonplace, in contrast to the
beauty of tfie rock and rill which we had just
left.

44

We stopped at a little village called Cimarron,
where Mr. F. had to leave us, much to our re-
gret.

After leaving Cimarron, we settled ourselves on
the back platform of the car, little dreaming of the
beautiful afternoon trip we had before us. Every-
body had spoken enthusiastically of Marshall Pass
and Black Cafion, but no one had said a word about
the country further on. With two engines again,
we began to climb another steep mountain, going
around curves by the dozen, each of which rivaled,
in beauty and wonder of engineering skill, the
famous horseshoe curve in Pennsylvania. It was
amost as fine a pass as the Marshall, and wonder-
fully rich in scenery and grand effects, and we were
much impressed by it. The descent was especially
beautiful, as we came down into a most fertile val-
ley, the hills about were covered with rare and deli-
cate wild flowers. Pink tinted the hillsides for miles,
then yellow and white would alternate, and great
bushes and shrubs of color would add their beauty
to the scene. Suddenly the lovely valley was
left behind, and we hurried along through a dry and
parched country, so sandy and gloomy that only
sage-brush was visible, with now and then a little
courageous daisy or blue-bell, to relieve the monot-
ony, and cheer the weary traveller.

Right in this glaring sand desert, our train was
side-tracked, to let a train to the East pass, and we
had several minutes to wander about. What a God-

45

forsaken country it was, so parched and dry for
want of water.

Montrose was reached soon, and there the won-
derful circle of mountains, which surround Ouray
and Silverton, appeared most majestic and grand.
From Montrose to Grand Junction was a pretty trip.
The country was full of fine and flourishing ranches,
and cows, horses and sheep all seemed to prosper
and to enjoy life. The ranches did not look over-
attractive to me, but they were strikingly beautiful
in contrast to those we had viewed before.

We arrived at Grand Junction, at a quarter past
seven o'clock, and although we had been informed
that Grand Junction and the hotel were worse than
Salida, we were so tired we almost did not mind the
unwelcome anticipation. So many people left the
train at the depot, that Mr. H. hurried off and
reached the " Brunswick '* ahead of all travellers*
Our names were first on the list, and in consequence
we had the best rooms in the hotel, which was not
saying much after all. Mr. H. told the clerk that
we were bride and groom, and that he was best man^
and had to arrange everything for us. Mr. and Mrs.
H. and Mr. and Mrs. V. G. were indignant, because
the four were offered one room, with two beds, and
the clerk was much surprised when they would not
accept such an arrangement.

Our little party had our dinner together, and
imagine our consternation when, after a bowl of
soup, our empty stomachs were asked to choose be-

46

tween ** mutton, beef and brains T* So the waiter
in his shirt-sleeves recited his lesson. After dinner
we took a walk to see this little one-horse town,
and to our surprise, we found it was quite an enter-
prising little place, with street cars, one or two large
fine buildings, and some good stores. A very rough
set of men were on the streets, and lots of cow-
boys. We saw a fine-looking cowboy, as handsome
as a picture, finely dressed in his buckskin trousers,
large Mexican sombrero, and elaborate jacket, all of
which looked so new and shining. His face was a
study for an artist, but it was such a bad face, and
I wove a little romance at once, about that young
boy, and I imagined the sorrowing mother weeping
over her handsome wayward son. He is one of
many wild boys, I suppose, who are sent away from
home " to sow their wild oats."

47

SALT LAKE CITY AND THE
MORMONS

THURSDAY, MAY 28TH.

A BOUT four o'clock this morning, we were up, and
"^^ ready in a half hour to start for the depot,
breakfastless, however. Last night, Jamie and Mr. H.
ordered as fine a lunch as Grand Junction could get
up, for us to take along, and have for an early break-
fast. Imagine our dismay and emptiness, when we
reached the train, and found that no one had remem-
bered to bring the breakfast. We hired a man to
run and get it, but our train cruelly moved out of
the depot, before his return. To steam out of a
station at 4.40 A. M. and leave a breakfast behind, is
enough to spoil the temper of an angel, especially
as we could not have breakfast until we reached
Green River, at half-past eight o'clock, nearly four
hours later. Then, to add to our discomfort, no
one was up in the Pullman Car, and we had to crowd
ourselves into a seat car, riot a chair car, like ours
in the East, but a car with seats, and narrow at that.
How James and Mr. H. were *' raked over the
coals," for forgetting that breakfast.

After leaving one station, we missed Mr. V. G.,
48

and no one knew where he was. We were begin-
ning to get anxious, when, through the stillness of
the car, sounded a regular war-whoop, and turning,
we saw our energetic friend coming towards us, in
great glee, with his right hand on top, and his left
hand under a great pile of sandwiches. The bread
was in inch-thick slices, and seven sandwiches made
a pile, never to be forgotten ! But where had our
friend found these *' loaves and fishes?" A woman
in the emigrant car had heard Mr. V. G. sigh:
" My kingdom for a sandwich," and had volunteered
to make what was needed for us, from her little stock
of provisions. Oh, that some one had given that
pile a little poke in the middle, and relieved Mr. V.
G.*s hands of the pressure between ! But he was
jubilant and merry, and so happy over his little sur-
prise, assuring us that " the woman was so nice and
clean," and his heart was nearly broken when James,
after the first bite, opened the window and threw
his sandwich out. Mr. H. slipped out on the plat-
form, to " fully enjoy his'n" ; but I — I choked mine
down to the last crumb, to atone for the short-com-
ings of the two boys. When we reached Green
River, we nearly embraced each other, in our joy at
the sight of food.

Thursday, May 28th was a hard day. We passed
through most uninteresting scenery, across prairies
and desert lands, so dry and white and parched —
across one big mountain, to be sure, but everything
about it betokened loneliness and gloom. Even the

49

names of the stations were depressing — " Solitude *'
was one, **Rest" another. We had to wait till
nearly three o'clock for dinner, which we had at
Provo.

As we crossed Utah, and approached Salt Lake
City, we were impressed by the barrenness and dry
parched land on every side. Then followed such
loveliness — fertile ground, beautiful trees. Lake
Utah added to the scene, and the circle of snow
mountains capped the climax. The snow was so
purely white, and ran down the sides of the moun-
tains like great veins. We saw to-day, as we crossed
the country, row after row of charcoal pits,
which looked like great white bee-hives. We were
also much interested in the white-covered wagons,
crossing the prairies, drawn by cows and oxen, com-
ing along at a snail's pace, carrying a family often-
times, with all their worldly goods and possessions.

Brigham Junction was the beginning of anything
of a Mormon flavor in our journey. We reached
Salt Lake City at half-past four, and a happier set of
people surely have never arrived, since the time that
Brigham Young, or Joseph Smith, brought their fol-
lowers over Emigrant Pass, into the valley of the
Salt Sea.

Soon after arriving in Salt Lake, we were comfort-
ably located at the *' Hotel Templeton," and then
James hunted all over the town for flowers, for Mrs.
V. G., whose second wedding anniversary was to-
day. No flowers are grown in Salt Lake City,

50

none can be had, except when brought from a
distance, and to James' regret, he had to return
empty-handed.

At half-past seven, all our little party met in the
parlor, as Mr. V. G.'s guests, to dine with him, as
'* his anniversary spree." He had a private room,
and had a very beautiful dinner. What amused us
all were the sudden transformations, in each and
every member of our little party. We had been for
three days together, in travelling clothes, and, it was
laughable to see the look of surprise on each face,
and the side glance of scrutiny, which each bestowed
on the other, when we thought no one was looking,
as we appeared dressed in our best. After our fine
repast, we took a little walk about the city, as a di-
gester, then separated for the much-needed rest.

FRIDAY, MAY 29TH.

A LITTLE before ten o'clock, James, Mr. H.
"^^ and I met at breakfast, in the sixth story
dining-room. We have a table, in a corner of the
room, which commands a most fascinating view in
every direction. Salt Lake City is surrounded by
snow mountains, which never fail to add the great-
est possible charm to every view. The sunsets sur-
pass in beauty any mountain sunsets we have ever
seen. The mountains fairly glow with splendor,
then turn a vivid violet, then almost black, while the
sky retains its fire and glory, and mysteriously casts
everything in shadow.

SI

We sallied forth, after our morning meal, to pre~
sent our letter of introduction to Col. W., the Super-
intendent of the "Zion Mercantile Co-operative
Institution." He received us in his private room,
was cordiality itself, and has done much for our en-
joyment ever since. He asked if we would like to
go then to the Tabernacle, that he would gladly go
with us, and we accepted joyfully. Before going
there, we went to see Brigham Young's homes, and
saw what they call "The Lion House," where his
surviving wives now live together, and also the
" Bee-Hive," where his family lived. Both of these
places we see daily, from our room in the hotel, also
the new Temple, the Tabernacle, and Assembly
Hall.

The Tabernacle, Temple, and Assembly Hall are
in one large enclosure, surrounded by a high wall,
with gates on the north and east. On Sundays-
both gates are open, on week days only the north
gate. We found an entrance into the Tabernacle^
by one of a multitude of doors, and were soon
inside the great building, which is two hundred
and fifty feet long, by one hundred and fifty feet
broad, with seating capacity for eight thousand,
without crowding, for ten thousand under pressure,
and room for four thousand to stand. One great
arch forms the roof, without pillar or support. There
is not an angle in the entire building, not a corner,
to echo or retard sound, and the acoustic proper-
ties of the vast building are marvelous. At the

request of our friend, we walked to the farthest
part of the gallery, and stood a few minutes. A
man, near the pulpit, took a little white pin, and
holding it not more than two inches above the rail-
ing, about the pulpit, let it drop. We could hear it
•distinctly. He then rubbed his hands together
slowly, as one does without apparent noise, and it
was distinctly audible where we stood, two hundred
feet away. To our great delight, Col. W. told us
that the organist happened fortunately to be in the
building, and would be glad to play for us." Joy
unspeakable ! The organ is the largest in this
-country, and was built of Utah timber, and by native
talent. It is a wonder, such sweetness of tone and
richness of quality, such great power and strength.
We sat in the gallery, and listened to a most beauti-
ful organ recital. I always shiver when music pleases
me, but I had genuine fever and ague then, and
shook like a leaf. After leaving the tabernacle, we
visited the Deseret Museum, a place of much inter-
est and many curios.

Salt Lake City is situated twenty miles from the
great Salt Lake, and after luncheon, our Httle party
went to Garfield Beach, which is on the lake. After
a forty-minutes' trip by rail, we reached the lake, a
vast body of water, with mountains all about it. It
is a wonderful place, so barren and dreary, for no
trees or vegetation grow near its shores ; they can-
not live there, it is so salt. No birds or insects can
live near it, not one living thing is in its water, save

S3

the smallest little black bug, about the size of a pin-
head, so small one can hardly see it. Great rocks
pile high on the shore, and the waves dash over
them, leaving a white coating of salt.

" Garfield Beach" is composed of a pavilion, bath-
ing-houses, and a lunch stand. There is excellent
bathing, and they say it is remarkable, and every
one is sorry that we did not try it, for the water
buoys one up, and no one can sink. In splashing
over the face, it leaves white spots of salt, which one
must rub off. The water is one-fifth salt, and we
took some up in our hands to taste, and found it
decidedly briny.

After returning to the hotel, we received a call
from Mr. J., a gentleman to whom James had a
letter of introduction, but which we had not yet
an opportunity to present. He heard from Col. W.
of our arrival, and — true Mormon hospitality — he
had called at once. We also found, on our return,
beautiful roses from Col. W. and a book of poems,
of which he had spoken in the morning. We had
a most interesting conversation on the Mormon
religion, for he is a strict Mormon, as is also our
other friend, Mr. J. There is so much to tell, that
I must take it in order, in a section all by itself.

SATURDAV, MAY 30TH.

T7XQUISITE weather,— such lovely air, sky and

views beggar description. At eleven o'clock,

Mr. and Mrs. J. came in a handsome cart, with a

54

beautiful pair of horses, to take us to drive. We
had a lovely drive. We went all over the city, and
out to the garrison, at Fort Douglass. We reached
there just as the soldiers, and their fine band, were
returning from the cemetery, — it being Decoration
Day, and it was a beautiful sight, for, of course,
crowds of carriages followed them. The garrison is
composed of young officers, graduates, — only three
are married, and they are there with their brides.
It is lovely and very gay there.

Salt Lake City is wonderful in some respects.
When one knows that the entire valley and foot-
hills, on which it is situated, were once barren,
parched prairie land, with nothing but scrub-oak, to
relieve the glaring sandy soil, and then sees the
beautiful city, with magnificent streets, and hun-
dreds and hundreds of fine shade trees, it is a won-
der, and cannot but provoke admiration. The early
settlers came across the country in wagons, drawn
often by cows, and were three or four months in
coming. When this site was chosen for a settle-
ment, the families of these people had to live, for
months, in these miserable wagons, until the men
could bring timber from the mountains, and build
their houses. The land had to be irrigated, that it
might become fertile and bear crops, and so much
labor had to be expended to make this barren plain
habitable. Trees had to be planted regularly, every
man and boy turning out, one day in the year, to
plant them. It was not safe, in those days, for men

55

to go alone into the cafions for timber, on account
of the many wild beasts, but they would go in com-
panies, and in this way, little by little, the streets
were planted on each side with trees, that have
grown wonderfully fast, and formed such beautiful
arches of grateful shade. The box-elder is a favor-
ite tree, but the poplar is magnificent in its growth.
As far as the eye can reach, in every direction, these
straight slim trees are visible, standing in regular
rows, like a company of a regiment out on drill.
Their foliage is darker than the other umbrageous
trees, and consequently forms a fine contrast in light
and shade. They delighted us, these straight-laced
poplars, although they seem chary of their shade,
and fairly hug themselves, with their leaves and
branches.

The streets of Salt Lake City are one hundred
and thirty feet broad, and the houses and homes
are, many of them, as handsome as we can find in
our largest cities. The blocks are very long, and
when the city was laid out originally, there were
eight blocks to a mile. But people speak of these
blocks, not as so many feet, but as so many rods.
Our friend Mr. J.'s house is on one of the finest
streets, yet within one block of a cafton, so one can
imagine how near the mountains are, all about the
city. From our window, we looked upon finely
rounded green mountains, outlined against the sky,
covered with brush, but not a tree to be seen.

This morning I asked the maid, why she had not

56

brushed the things I had asked her to do the night
before ? *' Well," she answered, " Vm taking banjo
lessons, and my teacher came last night, and I could
not very well be excused." This gives a suggestion
of the sort of maid-servants to be had in Salt Lake
City.

SUNDAY, MAY 3 1 ST.

np 0-DAY has been such a bright, beautiful Sun-
day, but the sunshine seemed ten times
stronger than in our eastern cities, and the glare of
the sun, on the white sandy soil, is very trying in
Salt Lake City.

James and I had our breakfast in our room, and
did not appear in public, until we met Mr. and Mrs.
V. G. at lunch. Then we four went to the Taber-
nacle, to service.

Salt Lake City is divided into twenty-two wards,
and each ward has a Bishop or Pastor, and a chapel,
where services are held morning and evening, and
the people of each ward attend their respective
chapels. But every Sunday, at two o'clock, there is
service in the Tabernacle, over which the " President
of the Mormon church " presides. The services
to-day were especially interesting to all, as it was
the ** Annual Report of the Young Men's Improve-
ment Association." A speaker from each ward was
heard, and instead of one service in the Tabernacle,
there were three to-day, and we attended the two
o'clock service. The great edifice was literally

57

packed, hardly one more could have been accom-
modated. It was a wonderful sight, — a great sea
of faces of men, women and children. Little babes
in arms were in great numbers also. The chorus,
filling all the seats on each side the great organ,
numbers over three hundred. All in Utah are
musical, — it is the great talent in that territory, and
a taste for music is nurtured and developed, and
produces marvelous results.

The service opened by a song, then someone
offered a prayer, then an address was delivered.
Soon after the commencement of the address on
** Self-Culture," a still small voice was heard, but we
could not hear what was said. The speaker halted ;
all was silence while these few words were uttered ;
then a number of men arose, and began to pass the
Bread of Communion. The speaker continued, and
during his entire address, the plates of bread were
passed — back and forth through those long rows of
seats. Everybody partook, even the tiniest babies
had a piece of the Bread put into their mouths by
their mothers. No head was bowed, no prayer in
silence offered, but all looked about as if nothing
had happened, and they were merely being refreshed.
The lecturer continued his discourse, when suddenly
and once more there was a riioment's silence, then the
ushers began to move about with urns and cups,
which were filled with water. Every Mormon, in
that vast assembly, partook in the same seemingly
unappreciative way, and then each child had some

58

of the water also. As one usher approached the
pulpit and the lecturer, he thrust the cup into the
speaker's hand, and he immediately paused and
drank. The solemnity of our beautiful service was
not seen or felt, and I could not think that the sweet
communion, which comes to us in our silent worship,
could come in this way, and I wondered how these
people could " take and eat," without bowing the
head, or offering one little prayer.

A letter was read from one of the President's
Councilors — a man named Joseph F. Smith, who has
been in exile, since the law abolishing polygamy was
enforced, for he had too many wives. He said in
his letter that " Joseph Smith, the Prophet, was as
truly a messenger from God, as truly inspired, as
great a teacher and prophet, as Jesus Christ was,"
and much of a similar nature. It was a rambling,
ranting letter, but listened to as attentively by that
great audience, as if a message from Heaven.

Then President Woodruff, a man over eighty-five
years old, made an address. We sat over two hours
in the tabernacle, with tired and crying babies, on
our right hand and left, before and behind us, and
we were only refreshed, when that magnificent organ
and chorus rang out, in great volumes of glorious
sound.

Joseph Smith, the prophet, was the one who
claimed to have found the lost tablets, through in-
spiration from heaven, which made polygamy per-
missible. All their freedom, in many marriages, dates

59

from this licentious old fraud's sage and wonderful
influence, over a readily convinced people. They
say, whenever Brigham Young saw a nice attractive-
looking young woman, and was beginning to tire of
the previous wife, he used to go into the mountains,
and come back after a while, and tell the young
girl's parents, that he had had a revelation from
heaven, telling him he should marry their daughter.
It was a law of heaven, and must be obeyed, and so
the girl became one of his wives.

In the early days of polygamy, the first wife could
regulate the marriages of her husband, as her con-
sent was necessary. In the latter days, however,
the old rogues used to get married, on the quiet, and
not wait for the consent of any one.

As I sat in the Tabernacle, all that I had learned
of the Mormon religion passed rapidly through
my mind, and impressed me with not a little weight
and interest. But the polygamous side of the re-
ligion caused me no end of amusing thoughts, and
each man I eyed with suspicion, especially if he sat
*' with his sisters, and his cousins and his aunts,"
and I could not help wondering which was number
one, and which number six, and if they lived *' at
swords' points " with each other, or were at peace
in their united love for their lord and master. I
marveled at the wonderful strength of character
those women must have possessed, who had such
experiences.

A lady friend, a Mormon, told me that " the pres-
60

ent trials of the men, caused by the recent strict laws^
are only just, in proportion to the sufferings born
by brave noble women in the past." I asked **how
a man could choose between all his wives, and take
one away from the rest, and live with her alone and
only ? " " Oh, the law regulates with which wife a
man must live," answered my friend ; " a man must
take his first wife, whether she is the most attractive
to him, or not. If he takes any other wife, he is
liable to imprisonment. If a man's first wife is dead,
however, he can then choose from his other wives,
but he must be married to her by a minister,
although he may have a large family of children, by
that very wife." One gentleman, whom we saw, was
in a sad predicament. When the law was passed, he
was living with two wives, his first wife having died.
The poor man could not live with either of these
wives, because if he chose one, he made his other
marriage illegal, and their children ceased to be
his the moment he married the other wife. To be
true to both, and to be able to care for, and be a
father to all his children, he lives alone, and his two
wives live together.

The liberty allowed by the Mormon Church, in
taking a number of wives, has been terribly abused,
and is keenly felt by the younger element in the
church, and only the older men of the early days
have many. Of course, every one is descended from
some enormous household, and as children always
reverence and love their grand-parents, so they

6i

always speak most kindly of them, and most apolo-
getically. While chatting one day in Salt Lake City
with a friend, thoughtlessly I asked her if there
were many in her family. " Many! " exclaimed her
husband ; " as her grandfather had more wives than
Brigham Young, there are naturally a great many
in her family." "But," added my friend, "my
grandmother was the Jirst wife ! " A strange thing,
but the first wife was always treated with the utmost
respect, by all the other wives, and their households.
The law now prohibits a man from ever seeing his
former wives, and if a man can be caught calling
upon them, he can be fined and imprisoned.

The hard part is in disowning the innocent little
children, who have been so unfortunate as to come
into the world, under these trying circumstances.
The Church provides a home for such mothers and
their families, who are so uncomfortably deserted
and unable to support themselves, but, as a rule,
the deserted wives live together, and are sadder and
more miserable than widows.

They say " Children are Utah's best crop." A
childless woman, in the Mormon Church, is consid-
ered a disgrace to her family.

Brigham Young was a devoted father, and was
constantly in the midst of his modest little flock of
fifty-two children. He could not remember all the
Marys, Susans and Kates, so they each had a num-
ber, and were "registered stock." There is now
standing the school house, which he built for his own

62

family, and where they were all educated. He left
each an inheritance, at his death, of thirty thousand
dollars. Brigham Young had nineteen wives.

Polygamy tended to the development of incon-
stancy, to speak mildly, and to a lack of concentra-
tion of affection, most damaging to home
and happiness. The women of Utah were,
in the olden times, quite like the women
of to-day, and their sufferings must have been
intense, as they bore it because it was their
"religion," — the inconstancy of their husbands, —
and had to smother the jealousy and heartaches, and
find pleasure in the love of their little children.
The sympathy, and companionship, and love, of
mother and child in Utah, is most touching and true.
The mothers seem to have lavished all their affec-
tion upon their little ones, as the only beings in life,
entirely and fully their own.

When walking with Col. W. to the Tabernacle, on
Friday, we had a short talk on religion, as the Mor-
mons believe in it. They believe in Jesus Christ, in
the Holy Ghost, and God, in the Trinity, as we do.
They believe that God is a Merciful Father, that
He does not willingly punish any of his
children, but that we bring punishment upon our-
selves, by our own acts. They believe that God was
once upon earth, that He knows our temptations
and trials, but by His wonderful power He became
our Saviour. They believe that we have all existed
before, in some other sphere, and as spirits, and

63

their greatest religious fervor is in preparing for the
life to come. The truly religious look upon this
life, as merely a place of preparation. They believe
in a resurrection of the body, as well as the soul.
They say this body returns to the dust, from which
it was made, but our spiritual body will be the
exact image of our earthly body ; in other words,
they believe in the resurrection of our body,.
without the earthly element. They have
perfect faith in inspiration, and usually at
their services, the President is inspired to call
upon some member to speak, and that person
considers it a " Divine Call," and speaks sometimes
for one hour, sometimes two, as he feels impelled.
The Church is governed by a President, by Twelve
Apostles, and the Chosen Seventy, all of whom sit
up in front of the organ, on raised sofas of red
plush — the President occupying the highest. One
thing Col. W. told me has impressed me more and
more, as I have thought of it, day by day, that is —
that we have a Mother in Heaven, as well as a
Father. It will startle one at first, as it did me.
The Mormons believe that, as *' God is great in wis^
dom, and power, and might, so He is great in provid-
ing Himself with all that is best, and so He does
not live alone in His greatness, but He has a
wife !" — Don Carlos Young, one of Brigham Young's
sons, thus expressed it to me. The idea was revolt-
ing to me at first, but after reading a little poem,
which Col. W. sent me, it was so prettily expressed,.

64

that Jamie copied it, to insert in my journal. It is^
of course, the one idea of happiness to Mormons,
the possession of a wife, and so they cannot think
of God in Heaven, as a lonely solitary Power. The
Mormon religion savors of the Theosophists' faith,
but it is in form more like the Quaker, in their
belief in divine inspiration, and in their order of
service.

INVOCATION

OR THE
ETERNAL FATHER AND MOTHER.

OMY Father, thou that dwellest
In the high and holy place, —
When shall I regain thy presence.
And again behold thy face ?

In thy glorious habitation,
Did my spirit once reside ?

In my first primeval childhdod,
Was I nurtured near thy side ?

For a wise and glorious purpose,
Thou has placed me here on earth,

And withheld the recollection
Of my former friends and birth.

Yet oftimes a secret something

Whispered, " You're a stranger here

And I felt that I had wandered
From a more exalted sphere.

I had learned to call thee Father,
Through thy spirit from on high ;

But, until the Key of Knowledge
Was restored, I knew not why.

65

In the heavens are parents single ?

No : the thought makes reason stare :
Truth is reason : truth eternal,

Tells me I've a mother there.

When I leave this frail existence —

When I lay this mortal by —
Father, Mother, may I meet you

In your royal court on high ?

Then at length, when I've completed

All you sent me forth to do,
With your mutual approbation,

Let me come and dwell with you.

By Eliza R. Snow, widow of Joseph Smith, the Mormon
Prophet, and afterwards one of Brigham Young's
nineteen wives.

Copied by J. W. H., June 4, 1891.

MONDAY, JUNE 1ST.

A LOVELY morning, cool and almost too bright
•^^ and sunny. After a late breakfast, I went
shopping with a friend, and when I returned, I found
that James had been with Mr. J. all the morning. His
hospitality and cordiality are most flattering to my
husband. After lunch, armed with my camera, we
went with Mrs. J. and her daughter to Brigham
Young's grave. To-day is Brigham Young's nine-
tieth birthday, — he has been dead fifteen years in
August. On his birthday, his children and grand-
children cover his grave with flowers, and the gate
to the burying-ground is unlocked, and strangers are
admitted. When we reached there, some visitors

66

moved away ; and while arranging the camera for a
photograph, through the gate, and across the green
lawn, walked five little children,the oldest about ten
years, the youngest about three. They all carried
flowers, — some in the form of wreaths, others bou-
quets. The thought flashed through my mind,
what a chance for a picture ; it was so unusual a cir-
cumstance, and seemed made on purpose for me, for
those five children were Brigham Young's grand-
children, and had come to lay flowers on his grave.

Afterwards I met one of Brigham Young's
daughters, — a very pleasant, well-educated lady.
She spoke of her mother's care and hardships, in
crossing the plains, in a little wagon, when she came
to Salt Lake, — of the long four months' trip, etc.,
and it was most interesting to hear.

In the evening, James and I went with the J.'s to
Salt Lake Opera House, to see the " Lilliputians."
We had a box, and spent a most delightful evening.
The little actors were as cute as possible. The
theatre is small but wonderfully pretty, and was
built years ago, by Brigham Young, the centre light
in the ceiling having been made of the wheel of the
wagon, in which he came across the plains, with
lamps hung around the edge, and in the middle. It
is now replaced by a fine electric flower piece.

Brigham Young was a born organizer and despot,
and he ruled his little kingdom like an emperor, in
undisputed power and might. The people loved
him, his word was law to them, and no matter how

67

down-trodden they were, his magnetic power car-
ried all before him, and no one thought of raising a
voice against his edicts.

TUESDAY, JUNE 2ND.

A NOTHER bright day, and another drive with
•^ our friends ; in fact, most of our time is spent
with them, in their charming home, or driving.

They say the dusty season in Salt Lake City is a
most trying time and experience, but it comes later
in the summer. We think it is terribly dusty now ;
our boots and shoes are constantly white. Outside
all the front doors of even the finest homes, are
feather dusters, to use for the boots before entering
the house.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3RD.

T OVELY weather ; in fact, every day seems lovely
here. Again, before eleven, we were driving
with Mr. J. We had a delightful drive, and are
becoming so well acquainted with the city, and so
interested in the wonderful growth of the trees.
The streets all have wooden gutters, through which
water is kept flowing, as nothing will grow, neither
trees nor grass, without this constant irrigation.
Lawns are regularly watered morning and evening,
as all would dry up if it was not done. Salt Lake
City did not impress me favorably at first, and if
James had felt like it, I should gladly have moved
on last Saturday. I am so thankful we did not ; for

68

the more we see of the city and its people, the more
delighted we are that we have remained, and come
to know both so well. The Mormons are greatly-
misunderstood. Of course, their religious views,
differ widely in many points from ours, but we were
glad to hear, from the Mormons themselves, just
what they believe.

In Salt Lake City is the funniest little house we
ever saw. Long ago, a young man lost his lady-
love, the night before they were to have been mar-
ried, and it changed his entire life, making a
" crooked stick " out of a youth of bright promise.
The lover is an old man now, but he lives entirely
alone with his memories, A long curl of golden
hair, and a sweet little wedding gown are his treas-
ures. His house is the tiniest place imaginable,
white as white-wash can make it, and as clean and
shining within as without. The queerest part of it
is, that all his choicest goods and chattels are put
about the little place, on the outside. He thinks, for
some unknown reason, that his sweetheart's spirit
will not come into the house, so he has I'ttle chairs
and a sofa, oil paintings, etc., yards of American
flags, mosses, shells, and every conceivable thing
outside, on the roof, the sidewalk and everywhere.
The people of Salt Lake so honor this poor old
man's sentiment and sorrow, that no one ever mo-
lests or destroys a thing. It was very pathetic to
us. It seems sad that the one affection of a man's
heart, should not be for its noblest development,

69

and stimulating to the highest and best in character.
Why should love, even deep and abiding, dwarf
one, and make such gloomy shadows and sad lives ?

FRIDAY, JUNE 5TH.

13EF0RE we had finished breakfast. Col. W.
called to ask us to accompany him, after lunch,
to view the new Temple. Soon after he left, our
friend Mrs. J. came for us to drive again, a little ear-
lier this morning, for some one else had taken us
yesterday, before she came. After a delightful
drive, and lunch, James and I went to see the new
** Temple." No one is admitted, usually ; but Col.
W. had obtained a private permit, and Don Carlos
Young (one of Brigham Young's fifty-two), took us
all over it, explained everything, and we came away
full of religious points and principles, which I will
add to this chronicle, in a Coda.

We did what few Mormons have ever done, and
very few ladies ; we climbed to the tip-top pinnacle,
up stairs of stone at first, then wooden steps,
climbed ladders, crawling through dark rooms where
we could only feel our way, and finally, our climb
was crowned by a most magnificent and glorious
view over all the city, across to Salt Lake, the snow
mountains rising so majestically all about the beau-
tifully shaded city. It was an awful climb, but as
James said, "it paid, — didn't it. May!"

We were nearly tired out before we were back at
the Hotel, and then the packing had to be done, as

70

we were to leave Salt Lake City, in the wee small
hours of the night, for San Francisco.

After dinner, when all was in readiness for our
start, we went with the J.'s to the delightful Mus-
ical Festival in the Tabernacle. It was a wonder-
ful sight to us, that huge auditorium absolutely-
packed with human beings. The organ was in mag-
nificent tone, and the chorus was so huge and so
mighty in number and voice, that our ears did not
seem one-fourth big enough, to fully appreciate that
volume of wondrous harmony. It was magnificent !
Some native talent was astonishing and marvelous.
Myron Whitney sang well, and Miss Emma Thurs-
by's voice was angelic, — both having come from the
East, to grace the occasion. Miss Thursby sang as
if inspired, and her audience was spell-bound, and
not a note was lost by that music-loving assembly.

The musical feast was too soon over. James was
never so enthusiastic, — in fact he was deeply im-
pressed. At eleven o'clock, we were out in the
open air again, and much interested in watching the
mass of people disperse and disappear, in every di-
rection. Where they all came from and went to,
was a wonder to us. We went to our friends'
home, expecting only to make a short call, but a
dainty supper for the travellers, we found prepared ;
and it was long after midnight, when we hurriedly
returned to the hotel for our luggage, to take the 2
A. M. train for San Francisco.

We left Salt Lake City at 2 A. M., but in reality

71

we left Ogden one hour before we reached there,
for we arrived at Ogden at 3 A. M. by Mountain
Time, but left there at 2 A. M. by Pacific Time,

SATURDAY, JUNE 6TH.

/^N the train, going to San Francisco, across the
^■^ most uninteresting portion of God's World I
We were over twenty-four hours in crossing the
Great Desert, and it was awful, such barrenness and
doleful scenery, such weary wastes of woeful mis-
ery, and dust — like pepper — covered everything, for
we were crossing the alkali plains. It was a most
wretched day !

James and I sat together, on the back platform of
our train, as it was too warm to stay in the car, and
we were too tired and too dusty to care much for
anything.

We saw plenty of Indians, in paint and feathers ;
and one woman attracted us exceedingly, as she
carried her dear little pappoose on her back, the
little black head just peeping out from its awful
wool wrapping. Another Indian woman was as
handsome as a picture, and her rich dark cheeks
were each painted with a fine white cross, put on in
spots like beads.

SUNDAY, JUNE 7TH.

JAMES and I slept as well on the train last night,
as we have lately at the hotels, where we have
been. There was a general shake up and earth-

73

quake motion, which we do not find in hotels, but
we were unusually comfortable. We had a misera-
ble breakfast this morning, at Sacramento ; but the
waiter said, " Will you have coffee, or tea, Miss,'^
which produced a well-fed satisfaction within my
breast, in spite of the lack of proper provisions.

The ride, until after twelve, was truly delightful.
Before we reached Sacramento, we had passed
through a most beautiful country; and they say
from Reno to Sacramento, passing through the
Sierra Nevada Range, is a charming trip. Our train,
unfortunately, went through the interesting part,
during the very early morning hours, and we missed
seeing it. The '' Fast Mail " from Salt Lake City,
takes thirty-five hours to run to San Francisco.

From Sacramento to Oakland, the country was
like a beautiful flower garden. The marsh-lands
and meadows were full of long reed grasses, and
wonderful stalks of salmon-pink buds. On each
side of the track, bordering it for miles, were great
bushes of yellow wild flowers, so plentiful and pro-
fuse that, as we looked back from our seat on the
back platform, the long straight track for miles,
sometimes without a turn, seemed one golden path-
way. They made the roadway look like some drive
through a garden full of flowers. Between the rails,
creeping over the sleepers, and peeping up every-
where, nodding so pleasantly and merrily as we flew
over them, were millions of morning-glories; and
all the buds and blossoms waved so cheerily, by

73

means of the commotion we created in the air, of
course, and seemed to bow and say, " Welcome to
our flowery State." Some sandy hills were bril-
liant with orange-colored bells. We were soon
creeping along the shores of the Sacramento River,
but the flowers never forsook us, and came with us
to Oakland Ferry, where we left the train of the
Central Pacific, and took the boat for San Francisco.
At Belencia, thirty-two miles from the City of the
Golden Gate, we had to cross the river by boat, as
we used to do at New London. James gave much
pleasure, by taking a photograph there of our engine
and all the train hands ; and I never saw a happier
crowd of men, and especially when James took
their addresses, and promised to send each one of
them a picture. As the train left the boat at Port
Costa, the engineer and switch-men all raised their
hats to me, as I stood on the back platform, and
James was so much pleased and gratified ; but we
laughed heartily as we realized, by our satisfaction,
how little it took to please us.

We saw many vineyards on our journey to-day,
notably the Zinfandel Vineyard. Oakland impressed
us as a very pretty place, and the sail from Oakland
to San Francisco was delightful, as the boats are
large and fine. There were many officers on board
to-day, and we learned that three men-of-war had
come in last night, and lay at anchor near our boat,
and they had received orders to start at once for
Chili.

74

We landed at San Francisco at noon, and drove at
once to the Palace Hotel, and were soon taken to a
very pleasant room; but one look at the bath-tub was
enough for James, and he asked for another room,
with better and fresher appointments, for nothing
seemed so attractive just then as a clean tub of hot
water ; we were so travel-stained. While we were
waiting for room number two, in came our good
friend Mr. H., who had left us in Salt Lake City,
and gone on to San Francisco. Poor fellow, he had
taken a young lady to the boat with him to meet
us, and reached there two minutes too late, so fol-
lowed us to the hotel. He asked us to go to the
parlor to meet his friend, which I did, dirt and all,
and had a very pleasant call.

After ablutions and a dainty lunch, served in our
room, and a good long nap, James and I prepared
for dinner. As James was dressed first, he went
downstairs to get a little idea of places and things,
and was to return in a few minutes for me. Mr. H.
came to the door to speak to James a moment, and
I had just said "You'll find him down in the
office,'* when I heard a colored man say "this is
your room, I think, sir," and there stood James
laughing heartily. " Well, I never was in such a
hotel," exclaimed the poor fellow, " it's as much as
a man can do to find his way about." Then he went
on to tell us, that he had mistaken the floor and gone
to the wrong door, which a dear little lady opened
and shut as quickly. "Then I had to get the bell-

7S

man to bring me to my room," he laughingly added.
One cannot imagine, in their wildest moods, such a
monstrous place as this Palace Hotel. It is larger
and finer than any hotel we have ever seen in
America, or on the other side of the water. Hand-
somely appointed and furnished, with halls luxuri-
ously provided with innumerable sofas, etc., palms
to decorate, and everything in such perfect order
and cleanliness everywhere, the Palace Hotel is cer-
tainly not mis-named. Our room is on the second
floor, and is " No. 946." The dining-room is fin-
ished and furnished in white and gold, and the cui-
sine is excellent. After a good dinner, we came to
our room and spent a delightful evening, reading and
writing.

SAN FRANCISCO AND MONTEREY.

MONDAY, JUNE 8TH.

C AN FRANCISCO ! A breakfast in our room,
^ then, at ii A.M., Mr. H. came with Miss
B. (the young lady he came West to see, who
called upon me yesterday), and we four wandered
out, first on errands, then pleasure. It was a most
lovely day, but so awfully windy^ which is San
Francisco's chronic state, at this season. The Trade
Winds begin to blow about 1 1 A.M., and woe to the
big hats and parasols ! Our first errand was to carry
our Kodak to the agent here, to be developed. Then
we called on Mr. J.'s business agent, who offered to
go with us, in the afternoon, at 2 p.m., to the best
shops in ** Chinatown." We went into some of
the stores on errands, had lunch at a restaurant,
called ''Maison Doree,"and at 2 P.M. Mr. S. met us,
and we went to Chinatown.

Chinatown is a part of San Francisco, directly off
the main shopping street. We are only about six
blocks from it here at the Palace Hotel. We walked
along Kearny Street, for about five or six blocks,
then suddenly turned to our left, and walked one

77

block, up a steep hill : — the City is all hills, and we
were in such a queer, unusual place, — the shops and
streets outlined with Chinese signs, in great gilt
hieroglyphics, looking most picturesque and un-
usual. The narrow streets were filled with quite
American shaped houses, but the balconies were
hung with banners and great Chinese lanterns, and
were very showy and dressy. We walked a little
through the streets and alleys, but soon began to
visit the merchants in their neat shops. I thought
we had seen Chinamen in our eastern cities ; but
here we saw hundreds and hundreds of these solemn-
faced, cleanly-shaved Celestials, in their long queer
dark-colored shirts, or coats, their unsteady and
uncomfortable looking shoes, their long pig-tails
and cleanly-shaved foreheads. Half way back,
towards the top of the head, Chinamen are closely
shaved, giving them such tremendous foreheads,
and one queer peculiarity of their faces is, that there
is but little degree or difference in their foreheads
— at least, I mean, it would be hard to tell where the
forehead ends, and the nose and eyes begin, if it
were not for the eye-brows (which no high-born
Chinaman ever allows to grow). I have studied
their faces quite closely, and find the lack of expres-
sion due mostly to this straight forehead and nose ;
but they are an interesting people — keen, shrewd,
sharp at a bargain, and cunning as witches. The
high-class merchant is a fine specimen of man.
Generally clean and neatly dressed, with wonderful

78

dignity and solemn manners, no one can help but
admire him ; but one cannot help noticing the lack
of frivolity, and utter absence of wit and humor.
He seems heavy and solemn, as if life was a serious
problem, and must be met with appropriate dignity,
and silent struggle. Their language is a sort of
chop-stick medley, a mixture of musical and un-
musical sounds and groans.

Mr. S. took us to see many of them, and we were
at once fascinated with their goods, and Chinatown.
Everything in Chinatown is *'two bit-te" (or 25
cents), " four bit-te " etc., and soon one gets to talk-
ing pigeon English unconsciously. We saw some
little things, and asked the price, " Him cost four
bit-te." Pretty soon I heard James ask " Well, what
does him cost, — other him " pointing to some other
article. Everything is *' him." I don't believe the
Chinese language has any but the masculine gender.
If you don't like a thing you say, " Him no good,
me don't want him." But we found some China-
men who could speak English most wonderfully.
One man spoke so well that we complimented him,
and said '* You speak English as well as we do."
He answered : ** Why, you flatter me, ladies," as
polite as a Frenchman. But before we left the store,
we had bought something, and told him to send it
to the Hotel, at once, " I assure you, Madam, it will
go surely, without f-a-i-1-i-n-g-s ! "

They eat at queer times, some time in the morn-
ing, and again at four or five in the afternoon. As

79

you go through Chinatown, in the afternoon, you will
see red curtains hung up at the store-door, at 4 or 5
o'clock; that means ** don't come in, we are eating."
In one store, the Chinaman was showing us some-
thing, and, being evidently cross and hungry, he
said, *' Come to-morrow, me eat now," and we had
to go ; he wouldn't show us anything more. Mr. S.
took us into one shop, when they were eating. In
the back of the room, around a bare table, sat six
Chinamen. Bowls of rice were before each one, and
one large dish of some savory something, in the
middle of the table, was the common property of all.
They fished in the centre dish with their chop-sticks,
sometimes all at once, snapping the chop-sticks to-
gether, until the ends hit some big bit, and they could
spring it over to the pursed-up lips. Then, holding
his rice bowl under his chin, so that, standing oppo-
site, I could not see his nose, the Chinaman shovelled
the rice into his funnel-shaped mouth, at the rate of
**a mile a minute," with his chop-sticks. We do
not wonder that their mouths grow, as if they had
been born whistling, for they always hold the mouth
like a funnel. No women eat with the men, nor
have we seen any women in any of the stores, —
native women, I mean. Old hags are on the street,
and some very fine looking Chinese girls, but most
of these are the bad class of women. Really high-
class women are scarce in Chinatown, and what few
are there, are seldom seen. To-day we saw a little
girl of the high class, walking on the street in China-

80

town, followed by a maid, — a rude, coarse Chinese
woman. The little girl was gorgeously dressed, in
beautiful and tiny shoes, green trousers embroid-
ered elaborately, a beautiful bright colored tunic,
and a silver headdress, with ornaments dangling
over her forehead, and long streamers hanging way
down her back. She was a beauty, for Chinatown.
We were in that fascinating place, until after five
o'clock ; then James and I came to our room. Miss
B. and Mr. H. left us, — we dressed, had dinner,
listened to the orchestra, which plays twice a week
in the Court of this hotel, wrote my journal, and re-
tired.

TUESDAY, JUNE 9TH.

A FTER a late breakfast, Mr. H., James and I
"^ wandered out to buy a little birthday remem-
brance for D , and we found a fine silver store,

Shreves, — where the daintiest novelties were to be
seen. As we walked along, we were irresistibly
drawn into Chinatown again. We became so inter-
ested there, and were on such pleasant terms with
Sing Fat, Fong Sang Lung, and others, that it was
two o'clock before we left there. We then went to
see the films of our Kodak, to choose the good ones
and hurry their completion. We had the merriest
time possible over them, as the photographer said,
" they were the best set of amateur photographs
that he had seen in a long time— and a fine lens you
have," he added. We then had a little lunch, and

81

at four o'clock were back at the Palace, and after
writing a short letter home, and having a nap, we
dined at " table d'hote," with Mr. and Mrs. V. G.
In the evening, we went through Chinatown —
^* the correct thing to do." We had an excellent
guide, who took us everywhere, and ** what we saw
in Chinatown " will be written to-morrow.

At a quarter past eight o'clock, we assembled in
the court, on the first floor of the Palace Hotel, to
meet our guide, who was to take us through China-
town. Our party consisted of twelve besides our-
selves, our friends Mr. and Mrs. V. G. and Mr. H.
and Miss B. among the number. We followed our
fleet-footed courier through Kearny Street, until
we reached the hill, which led us up into Chinatown.
This particular and peculiar quarter of San Fran-
cisco covers a space, fourteen blocks square, and is
a more crowded place than any similar space in any
large city. There are 50,000 Chinese in Chinatown,
they say, and one would think there were five times
that number, to see the swarms of children and men
in the streets.

Our first point of interest was a Chinese Mission,
maintained by the Baptist denomination. The little
chapel was good but plain; but over the chapel was
a school-room, divided into classes by partitions,
and these little spaces were full of Chinamen, learn-
ing to speak English, which an old white-haired
man, and several nice-looking ladies were trying to
teach these Celestials. Some of the scholars were

83

little boys, but most of them were men. I spoke
to a few of them, looked at their books, and asked
one about the American history he was reading, and
he spoke English very well. Finally I came to a
dear little Chinese boy, and talked to him, and when
I left him, he spoke to me and said ** Good-bye,**
which seemed to be the only word he could say, and
his effort proved a source of great amusement to
the older men about him. One seldom sees an old
man among these Chinamen ; we have seen but one
in all our visits here. They say Chinamen go to
these schools purely to learn English, for business
purposes; and although the Baptists think often-
times that they have converted some, after learning
English, they almost always return to their old
faith.

We next visited " Chinese Dr. Wong' Woo." His
office is a shop full of herbs and drugs, and when
we went in, two men were grinding herbs. They
sold us a pill, which is the size of a marble, and then
is covered with wax, making it as big as a lime.
They showed us a queer little frog-like animal
thoroughly dried and stiff, and they take the oil
from this little hide, and rub on joints of patients
who suffer with rheumatism. The Chinamen in
this office were very coquettish, and flirtatious, and
as we made it a point to speak to any of them, who
could understand us, wherever we went, we had
quite a laugh here. One man brought us some
kind of a root, and offered it to me, but not know-

83

ing whether it was poison or not, I was afraid to try
it, until he commenced to eat some himself, when it
seemed reasonably safe.

We visited several markets, where the most re-
volting black flesh meats were sold as choice mor-
sels. In every market may be found eggs, which
are brought from China ; but they cover these eggs
with a queer kind of black earth, before sending
them over, to preserve and keep them fresh, and the
earth is so strong, that it eats through the shell and
makes the entire Qgg like ink, and most disgusting.
Nothing in these markets looked tempting. The
Chinese never season their food ; but chicken, duck,
or whatever meat they have, is cooked without but-
ter, pepper or salt, and is consequently very unsav-
ory to American palates. We saw a dismal basket
full of gristle and bone, hanging up in full sight,
and learned that these dainty morsels were highly
prized feet of chickens. Such queer-looking joints,
— some as black as your hat ! They say they
will not eat American-raised goose, but will eat all
other American things. " Pigs they adore ! " When
a Chinaman dies, the people are so terrified by death
that they run away, and the friends generally hurry
their dead to the cemetery, as fast as possible. They
take all kinds of things, — roast pigs and all kinds of
eatables, and leave on the grave, and they say their
graveyard resembles a picnic-ground.

We visited a " Josh House.'* These houses are
their temples, where they come to worship. A pas-

sage and stairway lead to it, and both walls are cov-
ered with Chinese figures, which we thought was a
Chinese wall-paper ; but the guide told us that they
use the walls of these passages, as a directory of
names, of the members of that particular Josh
House. The Chinese language is a language of
signs and symbols, and certain sounds mean certain
things. For instance 0 (a circle with a dot in
the middle) some time ago, stood for the sun, and
the dawn was represented by this same sign, with a
horizontal line drawn beneath O^ which was the
sun above the horizon. Now both are modified into
a figure or symbol, and a sound represents that par-
ticular figure. It makes one curious to know where
the Chinese ever found their guttural grunts and
groans. It impresses James very much, to think
that this religion of theirs has lived so many more
hundreds of years than our own, and it holds them
so strongly, and makes the Chinese just as sincere
worshippers, as our own religion does, even better in
many instances. The Chinese are afraid to do any-
thing that they have been taught their gods forbid.
In this temple, we went behind a gorgeously carved
and gilded screen, and were initiated into the mys-
teries of their religion. One great ugly looking
god, all decked out in rings and gilt and fine colors,
sat high up under a kind of canopy, and is consid-
ered their Supreme God; but whenever he displeases
them too much, they go in a mass and take him
down, destroy him, and put up a new god, or Josh.

85

In front of him sit four minor gods. Three were
pleasant-faced images, all sitting like tailors or
Turks, with crossed legs, but the other was the
" Red-faced Josh," and the people fear him greatly.
On the altar, in front of these gods, were two little
frames, with three small tea cups in each, and these
are filled each day, as they evaporate, with fresh
tea, that the gods may never get thirsty. Then, in
great brass urns, full of ashes of former sandal
sticks, are put little sticks of sandal-wood, which are
always kept lighted, to keep evil spirits away.
When they go in to worship, they always put a
little lighted stick in ajar, over the threshold, before
worshipping. On the extreme left of the altar, in a
corner, stood the funniest little figure, dried like a
mummy, dressed in a reddish gown, and holding in
his hand a big palm leaf fan. This we were informed
was the ** Good-spirit Devil," and on the floor be-
fore him stood a tin-pan, in which was a great
quantity of ashes. They told us that the Chinese
have an idea that, if they go before this God, and
burn something that represents their characters,
they will be safe from the evil in the world. If they
do not perform this service, the world is supposed to
rob them and ruin their characters.

A Chinaman, for a small fee, went through his
form of worship for us. He knelt in front of the
altar, then prostrated himself three times, striking
his forehead on the floor, then he muttered away to
himself in their peculiar monotone, bowing his head

86

at certain stated intervals. After much of this kind
of worship, he took two small piecesof wood, shaped
like half-moons, and threw them into the air, to try
his luck, and see if the gods heard his prayer and
were inclined to look favorably upon him. If these
two pieces of wood both fell with the flat side down,
he would have very bad luck ; if both flat sides turned
up, his luck would be moderate ; but if one was up
and one down, nothing better could be desired.
Our Chinese worshipper was rewarded by the last-
mentioned good fortune ; but he did not stop here.
He next took a wooden jar full of fiat sticks of
wood, quite long and narrow, each of which was
numbered, and shaking them three times and pull-
ing them, he began a gentle but steady motion,
with the jar clasped in his two hands. Slowly,
steadily, but resolutely he shook them, until one lit-
tle slim stick began to push its head a little higher
than its neighbors, and gradually progressed in its
upward motion, until it came out of the pack, and
dropped on the floor. It was strange, but as we all
surrounded that queer little Chinaman, in silence
and wonder, as he knelt before his altar, he turned
to us, and singling me out of that little party said,
" That is your fortune. Lady." He then looked at
the number on the stick, turned to a book of refer-
ence and read my fortune : — it was good luck, and
something we could not understand about Chicago,
but he added, " You will be mich, and have luck,
big-ee house, much gold, and come Chinatown

87

again." Mich means rich, and James hopes his
prophecy will come true.

One queer thing interested us very much. On
almost every corner in Chinatown are fruit venders,
who look so dirty, and their fruit so uninviting, that
I wonder they ever sell anything. One fruit-stand
on a corner is kept by a father and three sons. Over
the stand, built close against the cornice of the win-
dow, and entirely out of the way, is a little cup-
board, fenced in with sides, not bigger than our bath-
tub at home. A small ladder leads up to a door in
one end, and in that ** band-box,'* as tourists call it,
sleep that father and his three sons. They are four
full grown people. The last man in or up, pulls up
the ladder. You cannot imagine how crowded the
Chinese live, like sardines packed in a box. One
queer place we visited was not as large as the pan-
try at Sunny-Slope. It is the home of an old wo-
man named Annie, and her queer shriveled up hus-
band, and around the wall hangs every article they
own in life ; — a little stove, a bed and a chair, com-
pose their furniture, and the entire place is over-run
with cats and dogs. The dogs gave us a dismal bark
as we approached, but the cats were two deep every
where, — on the bed, on every little niche and box,
cats, — nothing but cats, a full dozen, or more !

We went to a Chinese pawn-shop, and to a barber
shop. The Chinese need barbers, and go regularly
to them to have their cues braided, their fore-
heads shaved ; even their nostrils and ears are shaved

also. When you see a man with blue braid tied in
his cue, he is in mourning for some relation, and
when he wears blue trousers also, he has lost all his
relations. We went to the theatre, but no play was
being given. Men are the only actors, and take the
part of women characters marvelously, they say.
During a performance, the furniture for the differ-
ent acts is all placed together, on one side of the
stage, and when a man wants to play that he is row-
ing a boat, he goes and selects a pair of oars from
the pile, and springs across the stage, moving them
as if he was in a boat. Everything is very primi-
tive,— they have never advanced one step with the
improvements of the age, in those things. All the
actors live with their families, underground. Un-
der the theatres, — (there are only two) there are
subterranean passages, with only room enough for a
man to stand upright ; and on each side of the pass-
ages, live the actors, or stars, with their wives —
always underground and in the dark. We saw many
of them, as they were having vacation, and two had
the most exquisite faces; really beautiful they were.
One was the highest paid and finest actor. He re-
ceives three thousand dollars a year, and is consid-
ered very rich. His wife was having her hair
dressed, when we went in, and they always put a
kind of paste, as black and sticky as tar, all over
their hair, to make it stiff and shiny. In their
small room underground, they pointed with great
pride to their Marriage Certificate, framed and hang-

89

ing on the wall, as they were married by American
rites. This actor had the dearest little daughter I
ever saw, so sweet and refined looking; — high-born
people they are. She sat on one of the beautiful
ebony chairs, inlaid with pearl, which are common
everywhere in Chinatown, and with a little oblique-
eyed cousin,-^both in their quaint costumes, they
sang for us. We fairly wept ! Two sweet little
girls, not five years old, — little Lin Moy and her
cousin, with their feet pinched into tight bands,
that they should not grow, sat and sang to us with
their dear little voices, and in the purest English,
"Nearer, My God to Thee," and " Jesus loves even
me." They go regularly to the English school for
girls. I could have loved those sweet wee ones, —
they were little angels.

In striking contrast to that scene, was our visit to
a hermit. It was a most awful experience ! We
wandered through several streets, following Mr. L.,
when suddenly he turned into the darkest spookiest
alley imaginable. The draught was too strong to
allow anyone to carry a lantern, if we had had one,
so we all filed in a single column up this narrow
alley, so narrow that we could touch each wall with
our elbows. No one felt very brave, and our per-
fect horror can therefore be imagined, when the
guide suddenly sang out, " Get up there, you
drunken white-trash, get out of the way," — light-
ing his cigar-lighter, which gave one sickly flame,
and then as if ashamed to show such a sight, sput-

90

tered and went out. " Come right along, ladies,"
came a reassuring voice from the pitch darkness,
^' don't be afraid, only a drunken man, keep close to
the left wall" ; and like a flock of sheep, no one
being able to see one inch ahead, or one another,
but holding on for dear life to whatever piece of ap-
parel we happened to catch, in our Blind Man's Buff
parade, we marched forward. We had been
through Murderer's Alley, Rose Alley, Sullivan Al-
ley, and many dark, dirty, villainous places in China-
town ; but this was the vilest and worst of them all.
Even James said afterwards, it was entirely too
spooky for him ! We finally reached the object of
our search, and the picture will never be effaced
from my memory. By the aid of the little cigar-
lighter, we stepped into a wretched hole of a place,
as dirty as absolute filth could make it ; and sitting
in one corner, close to the wall, his head bent so
low we could not see his face, sat — what they called
— a man ! When a Chinaman looses his cue, dis-
grace comes upon him. This poor creature had no
cue, his hair grew in a mass all over his head, and
had not been combed for years, if appearances do
not deceive. His poor ragged clothes hung in
great tatters from his shrunken shoulders, and one
shoulder was bare. The guide said, — "This man,
ladies and gents, is deaf and dumb. He has been
here in this one position, for ten years. A poor
man, like himself, living near, brings him food occa-
sionally. He has committed some awful crime, or

91

done some deed which I cannot find out, but it must
be something awful, for none of his own people
will come near him,** etc., etc.; but I noticed when
that guide said " he has committed some awful
crime," even in that dim light, a tremor shook his en-
tire body, and he was having more than his just pun-
ishment in this world, — even then. No one can make
me believe that man is deaf, or cannot understand !
We saw a magnificent restaurant, furnished
throughout with lovely ebony and pearl chairs
and tables, — beautiful, exquisite. The House
has many balconies, and all are hung with lanterns,
Chinese banners, and all kinds of Chinese toggery.
They give magnificent banquets here, but mostly
for the fast set. Some streets or alleys in China-
town are full of questionable places. They have no
windows, and the doors are grated. Little spaces
in the walls have gratings over them; and once upon
a time, a pretty face used to appear behind these
bars, — but these times are past, as the law forbids that
procedure now. We visited one house, which has so
many inmates, that they call it the Palace Hotel.
Six hundred and seventy-five men, women
and children live in this one house, crowded
in so closely, it would make one sick to see
them. Opium dens were in great numbers,
and it became a familiar sight to see men
asleep, overcome by this powerful drug. Some
showed us how it was smoked, and it was quite in-
teresting, but not so unusal as I expected.

The " High Binders " is a society like the Mafia,
of Italy, composed of the worst characters among
the Chinese. Their buildings have been seized by
law and done away with, and their society, it is
hoped, has become a thing of the past. They are
a terrible set of lawless ruffians, and bring fear to
Chinese and Americans alike.

There are so many things about these queer people,
that are unusual and interesting, that I feel as if I
had not chronicled one half of all we have seen and
learned of them.

One thing I forgot to mention ; the Chinese, in
Chinatown, take the bleached bones of their dead,
back home to China, and bury them in their own
cemeteries there.

We visited the Chinese Dungeon, also, and it re-
minded us of the tales told of the prisons and punish-
ments of the Inquisition. Punishment and sentence
are pronounced, by one among them, given authority
by the Home Government.

We were back at the Palace Hotel, about mid-
night, and were quite well satisfied with the knowl-
edge we had gained, of the wonderful little world in
Chinatown.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE lOTH.

WT E were too tired to be up early this morning,
so James and I took breakfast and lunch to-
gether, at twelve o'clock, with our good friend Mr.

93

H. Miss B. joined us a little later, and we four went
out for a walk in the afternoon. It is a great pleasure
to James and me, to have two such congenial spirits
with us, as are these two young people; and we like
both so much, we are hoping their fondness for one
another is prophetic. We had dinner together, then
sat in the easy-chairs in the Court, and chatted until
quite late.

THURSDAY, JUNE IITH.

C AN FRANCISCO is the queerest City to us, in
its strange weather. To day is damp and dis-
mal,— a fog is over everything, and a little mist is
falling; but it is the only bad day we have had,
in at least three weeks. It is lovely to have such
weather.

San Francisco is not attractive to us, except in a
few ways. It is quite cold here, which is of course
delightful, when we hear of our loved ones, in the
East, melting with the heat. Every night since we
came here, we have slept under two heavy blankets
and a spread, and warm clothing has been a necessity
to us. I sit in our room and shiver often with the
cold. The other attraction to us is the flowers.
Such roses, pinks, and sweet-peas ! Men and boys
stand by the dozen, in the streets, with their flower
baskets fairly laden, with the most glorious bunches
of color, — great pink La France roses (five for a
quarter, or " two bits," they all say), violet and dark
blue sweet peas, — great bunches of corn-flowers,

94

Jacque roses in plenty, and all so cheap ! Jamie
buys me flowers every morning, and never pays
more than two bits a bunch. This morning, he
brought me the most glorious La France roses, with
beautiful foliage and long stems, and a bunch of
the daintiest pink and white carnations, — cost, only
ten cents for them all, imagine it ! James says " I
could fill a big packing box full, for two dollars, but
it would cost too much to send home, or I would try
it." The poorest people have flowers, and it is really
remarkable to walk along the streets, and notice the
glorious bunches carried by the poorest of the poor.
Everybody seems to love them, and to wear them.
The colors are more brilliant than at home, and I
suppose it is the peculiar brightness of the sunshine.
The sun is dazzlingly brilliant in these western
states, — it nearly blinds us. Another thing which
interests us in San Francisco, are the cable cars.
They run so fast and so close together, with four
separate tracks on the main street, on which the
Palace Hotel faces, that it is all one's life is worth to
cross the street. I fairly fly across when I have to
go, and expect to be run over yet. As Mr. H. ex-
pressed it, " You can run for the stern end of one of
those cars, and missing it, you will run right into the
bow of another." They run like mad all over the
City, and cover distances so fast, and go so thoroughly
all over, that few people keep horses and carriages
here, and not one stylish turn-out have I seen, since
we came here.

95

One thing San Francisco entirely lacks, is a good
restaurant. There is no Delmonico, or Brunswick
here, only what we would call second-class places.
The best people patronize them, however, and as
one " wants to do in Rome as the Romans do," we
have gone to them, and been much surprised at the
good things, and more surprised at the prices (of
which I will write later). This hotel is certainly mag-
nificent ; the finest and largest hotel we have ever
seen at home or abroad. It is built around a huge
courtyard, with balconies about, on each floor, and on
four sides. Easy chairs and sofas line these balconies,
and make a most delightful place to sit, at any time
of the day or evening, but especially on Monday
and Friday evenings, during " Concert hours.'* The
halls of the hotel are huge and well kept, the ele-
vators are many, — the bell-men and porters, and
chambermaids, are the best to be had.

This morning, James decided that we would rest
and do nothing, as it was disagreeable and rainy. I
went to my room and to the table in the bay window*
and wrote as fast as I could on my journal. About
half past five, we decided to go out for dinner ; so
"we three," — Mr. H. having joined us, — went to a
place across the street, kept by a man named Swain,
and then the question arose, '* what shall we eat ? "
"Oh, anything," I said, " only don't ask me to or-
der." Just then a sign on the wall attracted us, —
" French dinner, 50 cents." " Let's try that," I sug-
gested. To be sure, the service and appointments

96

were not like Delmonico's ; they filled the glass water-
pitcher on each table, from a big tin pail, and we ate
with rather thinly plated spoons, but it was a most
remarkable repast for the price. James and I then
took a very short stroll up Market street, and re-
turning to the Palace, we made Mr. and Mrs. V. G. a
short call.

The Kodak photos came to us to-day, and we
have looked at them a dozen times already. They
are so good, and Mr. V. G. is so pleased, that he has
borrowed over a dozen of the films, and will have
more struck off for himself. He is a good friend of
" the Duke " as he always calls Jamie.

FRIDAY, JUNE I2TH.

T OVELY in the morning, dismal and foggy at
noon, but clear in the afternoon. We were
invited to go with Miss B., her father and sister,
and Mr. H. to visit Leiand Stanford's celebrated
stable at Palo Alto : — we were to start at ten
o'clock, but I felt so miserably this morning, that
James would not let me go, and he sent a note to
make our excuses. We spent most of the morning
in our room, receiving a visit about two o'clock,
from our kind friends, who told us they had given
up the trip to the stables, because we could not go
with them. Then these two dear friends told us,
what we had been most anxious should come to pass,
that they were engaged to be married. The symp-
toms of Cupid's work had been very evident to

97

James and me ; and our own sweet experience made
us feel that we were competent to judge, in such
matters. We rejoiced, when told that Mr. H. would
wait awhile, and take his bride home with him ; and
James and I are to take the ** bridegroom elect '* away
with us, to Monterey. How little James and I
thought, when we left home, that we would have a
part so soon in a love affair ! It is truly a delight
to see young people so much in love, and I do hope
heartaches may be spared them forever. We are
glad to be of aid in such happiness, however ; but
James often says, he wishes he could be sure, that all
our friends could have the sweet and blissful hap-
piness and contentment, that are ours. Few are so
blessed, and few are more thankful than we are.
Surely a married life like our own, with its perfect
trust, and love, and confidence, is a bit of Heaven on
earth, the highest and sweetest and best of all God's
blessings to His children.

A package arrived from home this afternoon, while
we were sitting together, and of course I opened it
at once, and began to peep into the two boxes.
Suddenly an envelope slipped out, and *' M. A. H."
seized it with a hug, for it was all her own. Open-
ing it, I found a tiny envelope, enclosed in which
was a great yellow velvet pansy, with its sweet
heart full of gold, which I know had grown right
by the Library window at home. With it were
some verses for me, which I began to read, when
James called to me " read it aloud, May, don't be

98

selfish ; " so, while our two friends and James lis-
tened, I read the sweetest of verses ever written, by
a mother to her daughter :

"/^NLY a pansy blossom,

Plucked by a gentle hand,
To send far away,
To loved ones, who stray
Across this broad, beautiful land.

A modest plebeian flower,
Of lowly and humble birth, —

Yet in its short day,

And in its own way.
It gladdens the face of the earth.

Look into its heart, where the yellow
Is deepened, as if by a blush, —

And a dark, heavy shade,

A wall round it has made.
To hold it, and keep it, — for hush

Now, while there is no one to listen.
And softly 'twill whisper to you,

How, with tenderest care,

A treasure to bear,
It has hastened the long journey through.

For lips, that are aching and longing
To press themselves close to your own, —

But now denied this.

Have planted a kiss
Deep down in its heart, where alone —

99

Close in the embrace of the petals.
Held in by the dark wall around,

Securely it lies.

As onward it flies.
And there, all unharmed, may be found-
So, just for a moment, pray hold it
Close up to your own fair warm cheek.

And into your ear.

While it nestles near,
A message of love it will speak.

And if to your own lips you press it.
You will think of one far, far away,

Whose love you may miss.

So she sends you a kiss —
With a prayer, that God bless you each day.

Only a pansy blossom, —
A plain little everyday thing,

That never has guessed

How it might be pressed
Into service, my message to bring."

I could hardly read it through, for I had such a
time swallowing ; but I thought it was my love for
the writer, which made every word sink deep into
my heart, for it was written entirely for me, without
a thought that any other eye would ever see it, or ear
hear it. But, when I finished, every one was so si-
lent, that I looked up enquiringly ; and the three
were in tears. " My gracious, that would melt a
heart of stone!'* said Mr. H. "Mother is an an-
gel ! " stammered James. '' It's beautiful ! " and

Miss B. could say no more, but put out her hand in
silence for the letter, and the little golden heartsease.
She took the little pansy and looked at it so lovingly,
and then, as James and Mr. H. left us, we had a
sweet heart to heart talk, and were firm friends
from that moment, and forever, I hope. I wished
that the little mother could have looked into my
room, in San Francisco, at that moment, and realized
the mission of the little flower.

After dinner together, and an enjoyable concert,
it being Friday, and Concert Night, at the Palace
Hotel, our friends left us and we retired.

SATURDAY, JUNE 13TH.

T OVELY weather again. James and I took
breakfast and luncheon together, as we awoke
quite late. After writing a little. Miss B. came
with Mr. H.; we wandered out, and as usual drifted
into fascinating Chinatown, hunting for embroidered
gowns. Fong Lang Lung was most anxious to
please us. We know these Chinamen so well now,
and they have taught us to say in the Chinese
language ** How do you do," "Thank you," and
" Good-bye." The first sounds as if it was spelled
"Noo-lah." Thank you sounds like *' Tar-tare,"
and good-bye is " Ten-or." Mrs. V. G. was told in
Providence, at one time, to say a certain Chinese
word, whenever she wanted to particularly please
any Chinaman; therefore, whenever a Chinaman
came for her laundry work, or whenever she spoke to

any Celestial on the street, she would say it, thinking
it was some specially polite greeting. After months
of practice, and much wonder why she made no im-
pression, because of her fluent use of the Chinese
language, she was told one day, that she should not
use that expression, as it was a genuine Chinese
oath.

These Chinese merchants are so funny, and yet
so serious. Only once have we been surprised by
any unusual brilliancy, and that was to-day, when we
expostulated about the price of a gown, and the
Chinaman's answer made us laugh. "Well," he
said, " it must be higher in price now, because, you
know, the * McKinley bill' " — but his sentence was
never finished. So the McKinley bill had reached
Chinatown too ! We took our camera to this inter-
esting quarter to-day, and one Chinaman escorted
me to a side street, that I might try to take a photo-
graph of some tiny tots there. He gave them
candy and they were pleased; but when they saw
me with my little box, they ran away like mice, and
huddling close together, with their faces hidden, they
cried pitifully. It made my heart ache, and I called
to them not to be afraid ; but the poor little things,
the more I said, the more they cried, because they
could not understand me. One funny little speci-
men was too young to be afraid, and stood looking
enquiringly at me ; but the moment his father spied
me, he snatched up the little fellow and ran into the
house. We did not have much luck to-day, but we

intend trying again, when our guide will go with us.
The Chinese are like the Indians ; they are supersti-
tious from ignorance, and afraid to have their photo-
graphs taken. They think you have taken some
advantage of them, when you obtain any likeness
of them.

SUNDAY, JUNE 14TH.

"\ 1 rE slept late this morning and did not go out to

church. After lunch, I wrote in my journal,
willing, however, to drop my pen at any moment, if
James desired to go out, but I was quite pleased to
remain indoors for one day at least. We thought
at first we would take a drive in Golden Gate Park,
but it was so awfully windy, dusty and cold, that we
postponed it. Mr. H. came in for about two hours,
but left us at five o'clock, and I have been writing
ever since. I never knew such long twilights ! It is
brilliant sunshine, until nearly half past eight.

Miss Emma Thursby called on us yesterday,
with her sister, but I was out. Jamie sent her
some flowers this morning. Sunday morning is the
great flower morning, and I had three of the most
magnificent bouquets sent me, I have ever seen.
One is over twenty-two inches in diameter, and more
than one could carry. It is composed of white, tea,
and red roses, beautiful pink carnations, heliotrope,
maiden*s hair fern, mignonette, and dusted all over
with the most delicate little white flower. The
other two are more exquisite, yellow roses in the

103

middle, surrounded by maiden*s hair fern and pink
carnations and heliotrope, make a sort of raised
centre. This is surrounded by a band, five inches
deep, of pansies, solid, and numbering about three
hundred pansies, at the least calculation. They are
all dark purple ones, with a yellow heart once in a
while ; and around the edge, against a fern border, lie
the delicate white feathery flowers and pink carna-
tions again. It is a dream in color ! Nothing was
big enough to hold them, so " Whiskers " the colored
man, brought me three silver pitchers, and my room
is a flower garden. When we came up from break-
fast and opened our door, James exclaimed: "It
smells just like a funeral ! "

There are two colored bell-men on this floor, one
named Charles, who is devotion itself to us. He
asked me to take his photograph, and he was as
pleased as the Chinese were horrified. The cham-
bermaid asked me this evening, if we had been
married long ; and when I told her, she exclaimed,
" Oh my ! we thought you were bride and groom !
I told Charlie the other day, that I had a bride and
groom in 946, surely, because the husband was
always sending her flowers and lemonade ; and we
were all wondering how long it would last."

MONDAY, JUNE 15TH.

T^HIS morning we were up soon after seven

o'clock, breakfasted about eight, and were

ready for guests in our room, at nine o'clock. Miss

104

B. had ordered two Chinamen to come to our room
at that time, with Chinese gowns for her selection,
as it was more convenient for her, and for us.

Later, Miss B.'s sweet sister, Ivy, with Mr. H.,
James and myself, started for Chinatown again.
James was specially anxious to get some photo-
graphs with our own camera there, and so we had
planned to meet our guide, that he might pilot us
up and down alleys, where we would not go alone ;
and he had as much trouble in getting subjects for
us to photograph, as we would have had ourselves.
While the guide had gone to try and persuade the
little girl, who sang for us the other night, to let us
photograph her. Ivy and I wandered around the
corner of the street, a very little way, waiting for
James and the guide to join us. Ivy stood near
me, when suddenly a swarm of Chinese men sur-
rounded me, at my back, and on each side ; and when
I spoke to them, and pointed to my little detective
finder, they crowded around me and looked at it
eagerly. One or two Chinamen walked in front of
the camera once or twice, and did not discover it at
first, but when they did, you never saw men dis-
perse more quickly. They are afraid to have their
photographs taken, and yet they were full of curi-
osity to look into my funny black box. No power
on earth could persuade them to let me take their
pictures. Our good friend " Louie," a Chinaman at
Fong Lang Lung's shop, was the only sensible man
among them, and he agreed willingly to have his

105

photograph taken. James and the guide would
stand in the street in front of me, and I was there-
fore hidden ; but whenever a little child came along,
or a woman, and stood in full sunlight, they would
step aside, and I would snap my picture. It was
awfully exciting work, and I was quite in a tremble
when we had finished. I took at least fourteen in
Chinatown. We did not succeed in taking build-
ings,— the streets and alleys were too narrow and
dark.

We reached the Palace Hotel, at half-past one
o'clock, then had luncheon, after which James, Mr.
H. and I went out to inquire about our trip to Mon-
terey. We were back at four o'clock, then I wrote
my journal. James and I spent our evening on the
balcony, on the second floor of the Court, with our
friends, Mr. and Mrs. V. G., and were also joined
by Mr. H. and Miss B.; and the concert was de-
lightful.

TUESDAY, JUNE i6TH.

Wl E have been painfully tired of San Francisco
for several days, and have felt that we have
had enough of large cities, for awhile at least, but we
have been waiting a few days to know what our
good friend Mr. H. would decide to do. Finally,
yesterday, James and I grew desperate, and decided
we would go to Monterey, or rather to what people
call *' Del Monte, Monterey," to distinguish it from
the little village of Monterey. We arranged for it,

io6

and Mr. H. then decided to go with us, to our de-
light.

We left San Francisco to-day, on the 2.30 P. M.
train, and our trip to Del Monte was a lovely one.
It was terribly hot, however, between 85 and 88 de-
grees,— the first really hot day we have had. I had
heard of the lovely trip to Del Monte, of the beau-
tiful country-places of California's millionaires, — of
the wonderful trees, which only grow in this portion
of the United States ; but when we first started out,
and flew rapidly over salt marshes, with flat, unin-
teresting country about them, I was wonderfully
disappointed. Soon, however, as if touched by
magic and a fairy wand, the country changed, and
such beauty I never saw. It seemed as if all Cali-
fornia was haying, — for the country, for miles, was all
covered with golden mounds, — in regular rows
sometimes, like soldiers, — then again a hill-side
would be peppered irregularly. It seemed to me
that Dame Fashion, in originating styles for this
summer, must have travelled in this country, so
spotted over with little button hay-mounds, and in
that way received the inspiration for our summer
fashion of dotting waists and sleeves all over, with
jet or gems ; and nature had in this instance the start
of fashion, and had " set the style."

The hills, on which the harvest had already been
reaped and garnered, were most exquisite in the
sunshine, — like old-gold plush, and making the
lights and shades most velvety and deep. Every

107

once in a while, great twisted trunks of trees, some-
times singly, sometimes in groups, would add their
beauty to the scene, with the most marvelous dark
foliage, so dense sometimes as to admit no light
whatever. These darkly beautiful trees, against the
golden hill-side, made wonderful effects ; and all
along the views were changing, filling us with won-
der and delight. The great dark giants are indi-
genous to the coast in California, and mostly to
Monterey County, and are called " Monterey Pines.'*
Their " Live Oak " is a variety unknown to us in
the East, and also indigenous to this quarter of the
globe. It is a lower tree than the pine, with twisted,
knotted trunks and feathered foliage, not so dense or
dark. At times, its branches are hung with a queer
" greybeard moss," which drapes itself gracefully
from branch to branch. Great groves of these two
trees made beautiful views, and especially with the
remarkable golden background. Vineyards were in
great numbers, — some were so full and rich, others
seemingly just planted, and vegetable gardens,
, which were a pleasure to the eye, so finely kept and
so fully grown. We saw some magnificent resi-
dences— and such luxurious homes without, made
us long to look within, for the surroundings were
gorgeous. The growth of vegetation is remarkable
all through this State, — much more wonderful to
us, than the most glowing accounts ever pictured.
Even at the railroad stations, the great palms and
cactus plants were all about, on the platforms, in

io8

little flower pots, and such wonderful vines cover-
ing telegraph poles and everything else — roses
in vases and on bushes, nasturtiums in brilliant col-
ors, all so beautiful and attractive.

We were three hours and a quarter coming to
Del Monte, and therefore reached here at $.43 P. M.
Our first view was enchanting ! Luxurious bushes
and fine trees, picturesque walks as well, commence
from the very station ; and all this was enhanced by
some stunning equipages, little donkey carts, etc.,
for the richest people of California come to this
** Heaven upon earth." James was fairly wild with
delight. He went down to be shaved, shortly after
we arrived, and he came flying back and said, " I
came near telegraphing mother that we had reached
Heaven, — I never saw such beauty, May," etc., etc.
It is the loveliest spot, in every possible way, that
I can dream ever could exist. I have never seen
such perfect beauty. After getting dressed and
dining, Mr. H., James and I walked out about the
hotel for an hour or more ; then we strolled to a
cunning little club-house, so picturesquely placed in
a beautiful grove of trees, where every game, from
Ten Pins to Pool, is played by ladies, as well as
gentlemen.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17TH.

TIT EAVEN is undoubtedly more lovely and glor-
ious than we mortals can picture, or paint to
ourselves, in our highest moods, more inspiring, and

109

exalting and beautiful ; but, Del Monte is as near
my ideal of beauty, natural and artificial means
combined, as any spot on earth that I have ever
seen, or any ideal or picture I can make in my mind
of Heaven. We have seen the "Garden of the
Gods," beautiful in name and actual splendor ; but
Del Monte is so exquisite, and delicate, and dainty,
that one feels as if the sky had opened and let down
a little of its choicest charms, and gathered them all
together in this one place. It seems like the " Gate
of Heaven," and makes one pause in awe and won-
der, at the beauties of Nature, and the riches of her
boundless store. " You cannot describe Del Monte,"
a near neighbor and travelling companion of mine
has said; but its beauties have sunk so deep into my
innermost heart, that I must try to describe, to the
best of my ability, a little of the hotel and its
surroundings.

" El Monte," or '* The Forest " was the name of
a hotel, standing where the new one is now, which
was burned down two years ago ; and Del Monte,
" Of (or in) the Forest " is the name of the mag-
nificent new structure, which is one of the most
delightful hotels we have ever been in, in appoint-
ment and service. The building itself covers six
and a half acres, and is so huge that, from the end of
one wing of the hotel, to the end of the other wing,
is one third of a mile. It is built with many piazzas
and doors, many, many windows, — in fact some
passages are all windows. It is beautiful within, with

" all the comforts of home,'* and heavenly without.
About the house — on every and all sides — in every
available nook and corner, are plants, flowers, great
trees, of different kinds of palms, dates, banana
trees, foliage beds of rare and marvelously beauti-
ful designs, in such variety of figures, squares,
rounds, oblongs and circles, that one is bewildered
and confused, one minute declaring, that there never
was such an exquisite Turkish rug in plants, only to
turn and find another of such greater beauty, that
adjectives and superlatives grow scarce and weak,
and one becomes silent (perhaps for the first time in
life). Out of every window, in whatever direction
one looks, beautiful and rare flowers are everywhere
seen, in novel combinations ; and as I have said
before, all colors seem intensified in this warm south-
ern climate. About every doorway, along the rail-
ings of the balconies, hanging with hundreds of
blossoms, are climbing rose bushes, so full and large
and big, that one stands to count the roses, only to
move on the next minute, realizing what a hopeless
task it is. Red, pink, and white roses, great big
ones, filling the air with the most exquisite perfume,
and clinging so lovingly to every post.

Soon after breakfast this morning, James, Mr. H.
and I wandered out on the grounds. One hundred
and eight acres are under cultivation, and hundreds
of Chinamen, and others, are every day at work, keep-
ing lawns, beds and walks in perfect order. Such
trees! Cypresses, with their tall straight trunks, and

deep-toned foliage (like the evergreens), Monterey
pines, so high-toned and aristocratic, and the
short, stubby and thick set Live Oaks, with their
feathery foliage, make the grounds of Del Monte
most beautiful. Hundreds and hundreds of these
trees, are every one covered thickly, about twenty
or thirty feet up the trunk, with the most luxurious
growth of ivy. Jamie said, at least a score of times,
*' What wouldn't Mother give for just one such vine,
to coax, and watch, and tack up." Dear boy ! his en-
thusiasm knew no bounds, and he grew absolutely
worn out exclaiming. In the grove about the
house, there is the most beautiful rose garden, with
thousands of plants, and hundreds of varieties of
roses, all named for Rose-study. Another garden is
full of all kinds of cactus growth, and is most weird
and strange. Queer things, with marvelous shapes
and wonderful growths, and awful names, are so
many, that it needs several visits to see and appre-
ciate all. All through the grounds, among the trees,
are great beds of creeping vines, myrtle in flower ;
and all the beds and borders are overflowing with
such quantities of flowers, and such marvelous
blending of colors, that each view one has, is a pict-
ure in itself. Tennis courts appeared every once
in a while, as we walked, — made courts, surrounded
by high wire fences, and these fences are over-
grown with vines — poppies, forget-me-nots, daisies,
heliotrope, forming borders all about the enclos-
ures. Swings for children, rustic vine-covered

benches for lovers, sunny seats for sun-bath invalids,
and a " Maze " to tempt people into its embrace,
and then make them ** swear a blue streak " before
they can get out.

"We three" approached this marvelous terrace
of pine hedge, cut in such beautiful arches, with
hedge vases, urns, etc., and as we peeped into its
high-walled walks, I said " let's go in a minute."
Woe betide the wicked spirit that tempted me that
day! Three innocent, unsuspecting mortals en-
tered the evergreen portals, and amused and curi-
ous, wandered along a straight, narrow path, walled
in with hedges. Turning a corner, we came to an-
other long way, parallel with our first promenade.
Idly, we continued on, coming now to a queer,
short little turn, then a corner, and so on, always
between the same green walls, until we felt wearied
by the monotony, and decided we had had enough.
Signs faced us at every turn, — " Do not break through
the hedges." "What lunacy," I exclaimed to my
companions, — " who wants to crawl through hedges?"
but how I longed to break through rule and
hedges later ! " Let's go out," James calmly called.
We turned to retrace our steps, but they would not
retrace, for somehow, or other, the corners we had
turned, and the long, straight aisles, had all moved,
and such funny little short walks were ours now.
Mr. H. had dragged his cane in walking along, I
had noticed, and he now owned up, that he had
done it on purpose to guide us, in making an exit.

"3

But some other fellow had had the same dreadful
idea, and dragged his cane also ; and soon we missed
our trail and were lost, absolutely. We were very,
very hot, and some of us were getting a bit anxious
and excited, for it seemed hopeless, and dinner
hour was approaching. Suddenly James exclaimed,
" Here's the way — we haven't passed that barbed
wire before — come along this way ; " and we went
along that way, and after a tramp we came right
into a bench, and the end of that aisle ! All this
time we could hear voices in some hidden path, and
once in a while, we could see a light dress move
along, but merriment had melted, and solemn de-
spair reigned. We continued to wander and wan-
der, and seemed to be revolving about a hollow
square, but although we knew it was " The Centre,"
we could not get there. We were standing still
and quite silent outwardly, no matter what was go-
ing on inwardly, when a man and a maiden ap-
proached us. Formality had fled, and I gasped out,
*' Will you please tell us the way out?" Imagine
our despair, when the young woman answered,
*' We've been hunting it for a half hour, and we
can't find any way to get out." ''Thank you,"
we three hopelessly gasped. " Let's make a grand
effort, now," chirped Mr. H. We solemnly filed in
line, and after the second turn, we walked into " The
Centre," which we had not been able to reach be-
fore. Seats surrounded the square, and we sank
down, exhausted. Suddenly in walked our couple,

114

— it was their ninth entrance, — they would always
turn up there, when they were trying to get out.
Flying along the sandy paths, we met constantly
the same sad man, tearing along as if an evil spirit
was after him We asked him pleadingly, if he
knew the way out. With his teeth tightly set, he
whistled out *' can't find it," and away he went, as
mad a man as you could ever find. James and Mr.
H. were just beginning to suggest taking off coats
and vests while they rested, but the ninth entrance
of the other lost babes restrained them. Joining
forces, we five began to wander again, leaving with
regret, after all, as we hated to leave a certainty for
an uncertainty, as we had found the centre, and
were still in doubt about the entrance, and way
out. James and Mr. H. made up their minds that
there was some rule about it all, — that either all left
hand turns, or vice versa, was sure to do something,
— so leaving marks in the sand at crossings, we
marched ahead, and after ten or fifteen minutes,
perhaps less, we saw the daylight coming in, and
like the Pilgrim Fathers when they landed on
Plymouth Rock, — we each said a little thanksgiving
in our hearts, I am sure. We heard the mad fellow
tearing about, as we were coming out. Oh, what a
maze that is : people have been caught in there for
hours sometimes, — lost their dinners and tempers,
and yet all came out alive. It was an adventure,
and one that makes us roar with laughter, now it is
over ; but we wanted to warn everybody, after that.

A little visit to the Club-house, and some cooling
lemonade refreshed us all, and we went afterwards
to see the green houses and have a chat with the
gardener, by which we profited, as he gave us much
information. Flowers are exquisite here, some
bloom all winter in the open air.

THURSDAY, JUNE i8TH.

P XQUISITE, beautiful, lovely, and such a day
for the drive we took! We breakfasted at
nine-twenty, then started at ten o'clock, in a com-
fortable carriage, for what Del Monte people call
'* the eighteen mile drive." It was a drive never to
be forgotten, as it took us, for ten miles or more,
along the shore of the great Pacific Ocean ; and as
we gazed at the beautiful surf, and watched the
great waves roll in and dash so high, we realized,
for the first time, that we had absolutely crossed our
Continent, from ocean to ocean, and were gazing
toward Japan and China, with nothing but the open
sea between us and those marvelous countries. It
made me feel queerly, for a few moments, and I
just stood still on those great rocks on the shore,
and thought to myself, " Can this be I, or am I
dreaming; and am I really not here, but only imag-
ine that I am ? " But that philosophy of the Ger-
mans would not satisfy me then, and I took a good
breath of the Pacific Ocean salt breeze, and — was
myself again.

Our drive, at first, was through the old Mexican

1x6

town of Monterey; and the guide-book informed
us, that " Monterey was the capital of California,
when the territory was acquired by the United
States, and it is the place where General Fremont
first raised the stars and stripes, and took formal
possession of the country." Many buildings still
stand that were built by the Mexicans, and queer,
quaint structures they are, dingy and old, but inter-
esting in their antique style of architecture. We
saw one enclosure where, in olden times, the inhab-
itants used to have bull-fights, for their amusement
and recreation. We saw the house where General
Sherman lived, when stationed here; also where
General Fremont camped, and tried to protect —
something.

We drove for miles, through the most interesting
country, and finally came to Pacific Grove, a sum-
mer resort and bathing-place. " The Church of
Aunt Mary" amused us greatly, on account of its
unique name.

We had the funniest old driver we had ever
chanced to meet, — a queer, quaint man of over
sixty, but with a fresh and ready wit, really amus-
ing. His name was Alexander Early. " Queer
name, ain't it ? " he said, when he told us. " Do
you see that little house ? " he added, after a while,
as we passed a pretty, modest little cottage, with a
wealth of color and radiance all about it, in the
glorious flowers. *' Well, in that house lives a
woman, who came across the plains with me, over

117

thirty-nine years ago, as steerage on an ox team."
" Steerage ! " I gasped ; *' what difference could be
made, coming across the plains, between cabin pas-
sengers and steerage ? '* " Cabin people rode, —
steerage walked," he answered. As we passed
through the beautiful woods, just outside Pacific
Grove, a fence ran across the country, and a gate
allowed drivers to pass along. " What's that fence
for, driver?" I asked. "To divide Pacific Grove
Methodists from cattle ! " was the answer; and just
then as two pretty young girls passed on the road,
he exclaimed, " Look at those destroying angels ! "
Then 'he told us, in his own queer way, out of
the side of his mouth, about a passenger he had
once, " who shaved as all them Boston fellers do,
way down to his collar. Well, this Boston chap
could ask more questions than anybody I ever met.
Says he to me, * Driver, how old is that tree ? ' —
thinkin' he'd stick me. * Two thousand and six
years old,' I answered. * What,' say he, * how do
you know ? * * Well,' says I, * a naturalist come out
here six years ago, and said it was two thousand
years old, and I reckon it ain't stopped growing
these last six years.' That nearly fetched him; but
pretty soon he said, * Is the Carmel Mission built
on the water, driver?' 'No, Sir,' says I; 'can't
build no such stone structure on water, not in my
time.' * No impertinence, driver,' says Boston ; * I
mean near the water, of course.' * Within a half
mile. Sir,' I answered. That feller slowed up a

1x8

scrap then. Travellers are awful fresh, sometimes/*
Alexander added. The full wit in these items or
scraps, from a four hours' drive, bountifully sprink-
led throughout with them, is lost, when the man-
ner, and enjoyment of his own jokes, cannot be pict-
ured. He was quite inimitable.

After driving through the loveliest of pine woods,
most picturesque and beautiful, we came suddenly
out into the bright sunshine, right on the shore of
the great Pacific Ocean. Our drive continued, for
ten miles or more, right by the ocean, — the great
rocks rising about us, and the breakers dashing high
in surf and spray, making a white, thick outline
along the beach, as far as the eye could reach. Our
first glimpse of the ocean and rocks was, perhaps,
the grandest of all, as the waves come in six differ^
ent currents, and the meeting point makes a grand
picture. It is called Pyramid Point. " When we
reach a fine place, driver, I want to take a photo-
graph," I said. "Well, ma'am, this is the boss
place, — the first starter," he answered; and I
jumped out with my Kodak.

The trees on this drive are magnificent ! It is the
only place where the Monterey Cypress trees grow,
in great numbers. They are most picturesque, tall,
with dense foliage, but quite flat on top. This is a
marvelous country for trees and palms. The Mon-
terey Pines ; and the Live Oak, with the Cypress,
made our drive most unusual and picturesque. I
was anxious to get a picture of a real good specimen

"9

of the Cypress, and when I told the driver, he said,
" I've got a tree all picked out for you, just ready,
it's been sketched, photographed and painted, until
it's pretty nigh worn out." I photographed it, — or
rather Mr. H. did, with James and myself standing
near. It is called the " Lone Tree." He gave the
reins to James once, and jumped out of the carriage
like a boy of sixteen, instead of sixty, and came
back to me, with a branch of the Cypress, with cones,
so different from other cones ; and as he handed them
to me, he said, " When we only have one lady along,
we have to treat her well ; but when we have more
than one, we let the gentlemen look after them."

One sight of unusual interest to us, were the Seal-
rocks, where the sea lions live. They are near the
shore, so one can watch these sea-monsters quite
closely. Law forbids any one from shooting or kill-
ing them. They were thickly settled all over the
rocks, where we saw them basking in the sun, their
great wet shiny bodies and little heads, looking most
strange and uncanny. We saw them fight, and heard
them bark plainly, and were much interested. There
were several hundreds in sight. They weigh two
thousand pounds, sometimes. Further down the
coast, we saw the leopard seals, with their striped
bodies and queer heads, and the driver said, " Those
leopard sea-lions don't bark or make no racket, but
are high-toned, and don't associate with no other
seals."

Some trees make shapes and forms of animals ;

and two great cypress trees, on that shore-drive,
made the exact representation of an ostrich, with
long slim legs and slender arched neck. We also
saw a Buffalo Ranch, where that already scarce
animal is being raised and bred. One beautiful
sight was a hill, at least one mile in length, and
quite high, covered with ferns, beautiful in form, and
not one coarse one among them. It made me think
of papa and mamma, and their love for the wild
flowers and ferns. They would absolutely grow
frantic, in this country of brilliance and beauty.
The Trade Winds have much to do in shaping the
trees. The wind bends the trunks of the young
trees, and as the old adage says " As the twig is
bent, the tree inclines "; so as one travels through the
country, it is very easy to see from what quarter the
wind has come. Fields are covered with trees,
oftentimes, which bow all in one direction, as if
doing homage to some unseen God or Goddess.
Such a field we passed on this drive, and Alexander
Early said : " A lady asked me why all the trees
were bent in one direction," and I told her ** cause
they had a lean on the property."

One more item ; then endeth the chapter on A.
Early. As we passed through a lovely grove, the
perfume of the pines was delicious ; and as we
breathed it into our lungs, with an "Ah, how good
it feels," and an '* Oh my," some one said, " How
good this must be for consumption." Alexander
Early said, " Yes, that reminds me of one of those

Raymonds from Boston, who asked me once if this
was a good place for consumption. I told her no,
because I had been here ten years and I hadn't got
it yet. '* The drive was a most enjoyable one, and
it was over nineteen miles, for we had taken a couple
of extra views ; but it was none too long.

FRIDAY, JUNE I9TH.

A BIT cloudy when James, Mr. H. and I went to
breakfast soon after nine, but after that the
clouds cleared away, and it was loveliness itself.

About eleven o'clock, we three " chums " walked
to the little funny horse-cars, with rope-traces on the
horses, and rode to the Natatorium, a fine establish-
ment on the sandy shore of the Pacific Ocean, or
Monterey Bay, as it is properly called. It is a huge
building, — glass sides and roof, with warm water
tanks inside, — some colder than others, — to suit
every taste and desire ; and about these clear fresh-
looking tanks, full of salt water at different degrees
of temperature, are the most magnificent palms and
.plants, of all sizes and variety, while hanging from
the ceiling are fine baskets, full of vines ; and an air
of a tropical climate is everywhere. It is a most
unusual bathing establishment ; and it seems as if
bathers should wear satin and silk suits, to harmon-
ize with the luxurious surroundings. There is
always a bathing master in attendance, who gives
swimming lessons ; and it was remarkable to see
some little tots, who could not stand upright, be-

cause the water was over their heads, swim about,
tread water, and move all over, like little fish.
Outside these tanks are dressing rooms, for those
who bathe in the open ocean ; and we soon left the
tropical tubs, for the seats outside, and watched
some fine swimmers, both ladies and gentlemen.
About twelve o'clock, in company with the young
bride and groom from Salt Lake City, whom we
met in the Maze, we came back to the fascinating
Club House, had lemonade, then wandered through
the beautiful grounds again, to fully impress them
upon our memories, — then we came in to lunch.
After luncheon, and a little chat on one of the
many piazzas, I left the " two boys " and came to
do a little packing in my room — then wrote this
journal, while Jamie packed his *' traps."

This morning, in our walk, we passed the Maze,
and hearing some voices within, we stopped to
listen. " Poor things " exclaimed Mr. H. ** lost as
we were ; " and the merriest laugh rang out from that
labyrinth of green : the poor lost people had heard
us, and evidently felt encouraged to think they were
not alone in their affliction.

x«3

UP MT. HAMILTON TO THE LICK OB-
SERVATORY

SATURDAY, JUNE 20TH.

T7ROM Monterey to San Jose. At the unearthly
hour of half past four o'clock A.M., James and
I awoke, in anticipation of the order we had left at
the office last night, to be awakened at 4.45. We
arose, dressed, breakfasted at half past five, and at
three minutes before six o'clock, James, Mr. H. and
I stepped into the " bus " and were driven from
lovely Del Monte, to take the train for San Jos6.
Our trip of two hours and a quarter, to San Jos^,was
quite uneventful, but pleasant, but as we had so re-
cently gone over the same road, it was not so novel
or entertaining. We went at once, on arriving at
San Jos^, to the new Vendome Hotel, a very pret-
tily situated and comfortable little place, which,
however, was quite tame to us, coming so directly
as we had from Del Monte. But at night, when
we returned again to it, unexpectedly to our-
selves, it seemed a palace and paradise. After sit-
ting a couple of hours on the piazza, and listening
to a band, consisting of three pieces, who play

134

morning and evening, James, Mr. H. and I jumped
on an electric car, and went to view the town. We
found it a remarkably wide-awake little place, fine
stores, nice goods, and quite inviting and pleasant.
What impressed us most in San Jos^, was the won-
derful growth of the palms. Along the streets, by
the side-walks, they are planted in rows, palms by
the hundreds, like real trees, giving such a tropical
air and style to the streets. We had a lunch at a
quarter to twelve, and at half past twelve we were
sitting with our hand baggage on the piazza, waiting
for the stage to take us, and many others, up Mt.
Hamilton. At least a hundred people drove up that
mountain with us, in private carriages, etc., that
day. It was a magnificent day, not a cloud to be
seen, and full moon at night ; and (as we learned
later) it had been foggy, rainy and unpleasant for
the last three Saturdays ; and as that is the only
public day, it was too much to resist, and many
drove up. At the Observatory, one of the Profes-
sors remarked, within my hearing, that ** they had
done no work for a week, in the Observatory, as they
had been enveloped in a dense fog." Our " good
fairy " had not deserted us. James and I had en-
gaged the box-seats with the driver ; but finding the
seats inside the coach filled with ladies, I suggested
that Mr. H. and I exchange seats, which we did, and
fortunately for me, — at least going up, for the sun
was so hot, it nearly broiled the two poor fellows.
We had a very dusty and a terribly hot drive, start-

"5

ing as we did about one o'clock, and driving through
a most beautiful country, with very little shade. But
it paid us well, and will stand out in our memories
always, as a delightful experience.

California is the most beautifully fertile country
I have ever seen, and not an inch of ground seems
uncultivated. Our drive, at first, was through the
famous Santa Clara Valley, and it was like driving
through a beautifully cultivated park, with such
well kept prune ranches, cherry farms, and pear
groves, such a luxurious growth of every kind of
fruit, apricots, plums and everything good, making
one long to stop and have a picnic, in among the
trees. But we did not stop : we drove on and on for
about six miles ; and then we began to climb the
hills, creeping round the mountains like snails, but
going steadily higher and higher, slowly, inch by
inch, but surely. We finally crossed one range of
hills, then came into a beautiful valley, as shady
along the road-way, as the path we had just left was
sunny and barren of trees. The Buck-eye bushes
were white with blossoms ; and as they are as long
as our horse-chestnut blossoms, only thicker and
denser, it was a pretty addition to the green of the
trees. Wild lilac was plenty, — in great white bushes
— in fact, the flora on that drive, was really beautiful
and wonderful. Finally, about half past four o'clock,
we reached a place called '* Smith's Creek," where
all stages stop, change horses, and feed passengers.
Some people remain here also over night, so as to

176

break the drive, and rest. We intended to do so ;
but one glimpse of the house and surroundings, one
meal in the spacious ( ! ) dining room, settled our
minds, and decided us in our doings. Rather than
stay at Smith's Creek, we decided to drive back to
San Jos^, and run our risk of getting bed and board.
As the four stages, with four horses each, came thun-
dering up to the hotel (we were in the lead), an army
of attendants came flying out of the house, each
armed with a feather duster and brush, and every-
body was brushed, pounded and thoroughly cleaned
before we could enter '* Smith's Creek Palace Hotel,"
as I named it. As soon as we were in order, we
three chums marched boldly into the dining room.
The Dining-room ! The laundry at Sunny-Slope (a
bit longer perhaps, but no wider), is palatial to that
dining room. We had a very frugal repast, not
enough to give us proper nourishment, but all we
could get.

At Smith's Creek, we could look straight up and
see the Lick Observatory, and by a trail, it was just
two miles ; but by the road, it was seven miles, and
took us nearly three hours to crawl up. Our road
was wonderful, — marvelous, — cut from the sides of
the hills, and winding, twisting, turning, in the most
graceful curves, through the most beautiful country
and land, and giving us views, unsurpassed, of miles
and miles in every direction. As far as one could
turn the head, to the right, or to the left as well, a
view of wondrous beauty was visible ; the only spot,

127

not actually calling forth the most enthusiastic
praise, being directly at one's back. James was an
enthusiast in every sense of the word. He would
call out to me every other minute, saying, " Isn't
it grand ! Did you see anything like this even in
Switzerland ? " In those seven miles, the road turns
three hundred and sixty-seven times ; and gradually
we reached the summit, and drove up in front of
that marvelous structure, in all its massiveness, —
the " Lick Observatory." Mt. Hamilton is about
five thousand feet above the sea level, and we
had come twenty-seven miles, the driver said, to
see it ; (but the miles in this country are equal to
about two each in the East). It is built of brick
and iron, the base being painted a dull red, and the
domes, one on each end, are white, and can be seen
for miles, with the naked eye. It is a fine struc-
ture, full of every manner of electric appliance, and
every new and old invention, for the study of sci-
ence,— a comfortable library for the professors, who
number about six or eight, I believe, with their at-
tendants, making about twenty in all, on that lonely
mountain.

James Lick, the founder of this observatory, was
a very poor lad, in a country village, and loved,
unfortunately, a miller's daughter. His request of
the miller, for his daughter's hand, was denied him,
because he was poor. He made up his mind to
prove himself worthy of his sweetheart ; and, leav-
ing home, he went to California and settled in the

128

Santa Clara Valley, near the foot of Mt. Hamil-
ton, obtaining employment, and finally becoming
interested in a mine near, which made him, in time,
a very wealthy man. He built a mill, far surpass-
ing the one owned by the stem old miller, finished
in California woods, and then wrote to the miller,
to invite him to come and visit him, and to ask
again for the hand of his daughter. The story
says, the daughter had not been true to her lover,
but had married ; — and James Lick remained a
bachelor all his life. I asked some one, who seemed
to be posted, why James Lick left his money for
an observatory ; for, if he was a poor man, and had
had but little education, how did he come to feel
an interest in scientific research ? The answer was
this : When a boy, he had known a monk whom he
admired greatly, who was always studying the
heavens, through a little telescope he possessed, and
it was from him that he first learned of the glory
of the heavens, and the need of means to study and
learn. James Lick died an eccentric old bachelor,
and after willing the immense sum of money for the
building of the observatory, and a fund for the
maintenance of professors, etc., he requested that
his body be placed under the great telescope, in the
great dome, where it now rests. We reached there
about half-past seven, and at once began to look
about. The view of the surrounding country was
beyond words to describe, as we looked nearly a
hundred miles in every direction, across to CaHfor-

129

nia Bay, and to the coast range of mountains. As
we peeped over the stone wall on the edge, looking
down, we could see over two thousand feet, straight
down the mountain side, into the valley. Jamie
and Bert were annoyed by the great crowd of peo-
ple, waiting in the Grand Dome, to look through the
great telescope of thirty-six inch diameter, so they
went outside, after looking at the moon through the
smaller telescope ; and by so doing, they saw one of
the finest of sunsets, and gloried over me in their
glee. Bert did hunt for me, and took me to see the
last fading remnants of its glory; but I was too late
for much. We were nearly two hours in the great
dome, sitting in the dark, waiting for our turn to
view Saturn, with his rings and satellites. At last
our chance came, and we stepped into the charmed
mystic enclosure, and approached the great wonder
in the scientific world, the powerful lens. When it
came my turn to look, I climbed the ladder up to
the little eye-hole, and then held my breath, as I
viewed Saturn, with his rings and six satellites.
Surely, " the heavens declare the glory of God, and
the firmament showeth His handiwork." It was a
wonderful view I had, that one-half minute, but it is
indelibly impressed on my mind. It was a glimpse
into the mysteries of that attractive science of as-
tronomy, of which I know so little, and which makes
one hunger for knowledge, and a keener insight into
the glories of the heavens. I did not wonder that
those learned men would sacrifice everything, —

130

home, happiness, comfort, — to stay on that moun-
tain peak, to study and learn of the heavens.
I also looked through the smaller telescope,
which has no mean lens, but is, of course,
inferior to the greater monarch. I saw the
moon through that, and was much interested.
It was too full, to see the volcanoes and moun-
tains, but I could see a portion of it very well.
I had a minute then, and could not help asking the
professor in attendance, *' if there could ever be a
telescope, powerful enough to discover life on the
other planets, if there is life on any of them." He
answered " We have never had a telescope yet,
strong enough to discover life on any planet.**
When we emerged from the dome, we saw the elec-
tric key-board, where at twelve o'clock every day,
" Pacific Time " is flashed to many places, also
the self-registering barometer and water-gage, etc.
The entire building is full of photographs of the
moon, at different periods and quarters, and of all
kinds of heavenly bodies; and I learned that it
takes, sometimes, ten hours to take a photograph of
the heavens. Imagine it ! At ten o'clock, our pas-
sengers were, with difficulty, gathered together,
stowed away and sufficiently wrapped ; and we be-
gan our descent of Mt. Hamilton, in the most radi-
antly beautiful flood of moonlight, I have ever seen.
If the **Moon and I" had arranged to be out the
same night, we could not have done better. It was
a superb night; the moonlight was white, and

seemed to give color to the trees and grass. As we
followed the winding road, flying along like mad
around the curves, we had so slowly crawled up, in
the afternoon, we could see the distant hills plainly.
They were a delicate gray mass against the sky ;
then against them in turn were the foot-hills, — a
dozen shades darker, and more distinct ; and then
in the foreground, the great trees and their clearly-
cut shadows, made a picture never to be forgotten.
It was a glorious drive ! It took an hour to reach
Smith's Creek, and at 11.15 P. M. we had a light
lunch there. We then drove until i A. M., when we
changed horses, and drove on, reaching the Ven-
dome Hotel at 2.30 A. M. Tired? — We had reached
the superlative degree of that word ! Dusty ?
Words are poor to describe our condition, as to
cleanliness ! The drive down, however, had been
well worth the dust and fatigue, and was glorious.
We sang, — to keep awake, — told stories and conun-
drums, and finally lapsed into an ominous silence,
which was made visible, by nodding heads, and wab-
bling bodies.

On reaching Vendome, Bert tried to register us,
and nearly fell asleep during the process. At that
unearthly hour, rooms were assigned us, and we
fairly rolled into them, and were in bed in quick
haste. How James and Bert roared, as we walked
into our room, and they had a good look at me by
gaslight. With my rubber coat and cape, and my
little fur shoulder wrap over it, my poor wreck of a

13a

tin-pan hat, stuck back on my head, and my hair
hanging in a regular fringe, I must have presented
a sorry sight ; and the boys laughed hard enough at
me, to make me right angry, if I had not been so
tired. All Bert could do was to wave a good-night,
as he grabbed his " grip " and was shown to his
room.

SUNDAY, JUNE 2 1 ST.

"VJO one of our little party appeared, or showed
any signs of life, until noon, to-day. Then we
came from our rooms, looking as if we had been on an
awful spree, but were trying to brace up. A lunch-
eon and breakfast combined, and at half-past two
o'clock, we took the omnibus for the depot, and the
3.05 P. M. train for San Francisco. While waiting
for the train to start, Bert and James smoked out
on the platform, and when I looked out a little
after and finally joined them, I found a Chinaman
conversing with them. He had come to them and
spoken, said he had seen us all in Chinatown, and
proved to be one of our friends there, — Ah Fung
by name. Somebody in San Jos^ had seen a Chi-
nese funeral, a couple of days before we arrived,
and they said it was very singular. The Chinamen
rode in carriages, but they made an unearthly noise,
with gongs and bells, and acted as if they were
possessed of evil spirits. They have a great fear of
death, and generally hurry their dead to the ceme-
teries, as fast as possible. During the drive to the

133

grave-yard, all of them throw little colored pieces
of paper out of the carriage windows, in every di-
rection ; and the more they can scatter in this way,
the better for the dead, for each piece of paper has
nine holes in it, and their theory is, that the Devil
must go in and out each hole ; and the more they
can distribute, the more work the old fellow has to
do, and therefore cannot catch the mourners, before
they have buried their dead. They have a regular
chase with the Devil, which shall first arrive at the
cemetery.

We were rejoiced to reach San Francisco again,
for, although, as a City we do not like it, it was a
bit like home to us, this time. The porters, bell-
men and waiters, all welcomed us ; and as James said,
it was pleasant to have somebody to speak to you,
and welcome you back. We found letters from
home also, and after reading them, dining, etc., we
went to our room and had a quiet, undisturbed
evening, writing my journal, and James reading.

MONDAY, JUNE 22ND.

AXTE could not think of leaving San Francisco,
without seeing the Golden Gate Park, and
the famous Cliff House ; and as the winds are high
in the afternoon, James, Bert and I started at ten
o'clock, for a drive, first taking my camera to have
the films developed. We drove through the Park
to the Cliff House, which is on the Pacific coast.
Golden Gate Park is pretty in some parts of it, but

134

it IS young yet, and does not begin to compare with
our Eastern parks. It has many obstacles to sur-
mount, for it is built on sand-hills, and is also swept,
at this time of year, by the destructive winds, which
dry up everything, and make sad havoc with trees
and shrubs as well. But, giving it every benefit of
every doubt, it is an unattractive place to us.

After leaving the Park, we drove along the beach
to the Cliff House, which is, as its name implies,
built on a cliff over-looking three huge rocks, on
which live the celebrated sea-lions. These are the
attraction, of course, and we spent a long time,
watching the great monsters, and studying their
ungainly and awkward movements. Eleven hundred
sea-lions live on these rocks. They chose this spot
many years ago, and are true to it, never deserting
their home. They are creatures of habit too, always
going to the exact place on the rocks, which they
have had before, which, if occupied by an intruder,
is quickly fought for. Some of these sea-lions are
tremendous ! Four huge fellows are ''monarchs of
all they survey " on these rocks, and they weigh
from fourteen hundred to two thousand pounds.
We saw three of them ; — Brigham Young, one is
called, and another Ben Butler ; the latter is a re-
markable likeness. They have real battles, and
bark like dogs, when angry. After watching them
some time, we drove up still higher, to view the
private residence and grounds of Mr. Sutro, called
*' Sutro Heights." It is a marvelous place, beauti-

135

fully laid out, with flower-beds equal to Del Monte
in design, but not so many, of course. The grounds
are full of every conceivable kind of statuary, or
*' stationery " as a man told us. The views are
extensive, and altogether it was a most original and
unusual place, well worth seeing.

We reached the hotel again at three o'clock, had
our luncheon, and then went shopping. In the
evening. Miss B. and Mr. H. were with us, listening
to the music in the Court ; and after a little packing,
we retired.

136

THE YOSEMITE

TUESDAY, JUNE 23RD.

C AN FRANCISCO to Berenda ! We were up,
and ready to see Mr. H. this morning, at nine
o*clock, as he had promised to, go with his father-
in-law, to Palo Alto, to see Hon. Leland Stanford's
stables, and was therefore obliged to say good-bye
to us early. James and I felt badly about it, as we
have shared the same fate for four weeks, and we
have enjoyed Mr. H. wonderfully ; he has done so
much to make us happy, and has been a delightful
travelling companion.

After breakfast, James went on errands, to see Mr.
S., get tickets, etc., and I went out " shopping " for
a few necessary articles. I was back at half-past
eleven, then packed, and at 2 P. M. I was ready to
start, — had a bite of lunch, sent a scrawl, added to
a line from Jamie, to the three at home, and at half-
past two o'clock " we two babes" started out alone,
for a trip to the Yosemite. We went to the Oak-
land Ferry, crossed, and took the train there. On
the boat, we saw two young men, who went up the
Mt. Hamilton trip with us, and although we did

137

not know them well, we were glad to hear they were
bound for the Yosemite too, for it was some one to
talk to. As we turned from speaking to them, we
saw a little German bride and her big German hus-
band, who had sat at our table at Del Monte, and
to whom I had spoken once or twice. Four familiar
faces, — and in a strange part of the country, among
strange scenes and people, familiar faces are a bless-
ing. James and I had the drawing-room, but a
warm wave seemed to have found and decided to
accompany us, and we were remarkably uncomfort-
able, during the night. James slept but little, and I
managed to put in a few good hours.

We had rather an uninteresting ride. California
has been delightful to us, in every particular, and in
every trip, until this ride from San Francisco to
Berenda. We had supper at **a railroad eating-
room," The place is called Lathrop. When we
reached Berenda, the car we were in was side-track-
ed ; and as the town of Berenda consists of a railroad
depot, and a few houses, instead of being side-tracked
in real Berenda, we stood all night out on a genuine
Nebraska prairie, a most lonely, God-forsaken spot.
No Indian or out-law molested us, and we had a
quiet but very trying night, it was so warm.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24TH.

A T four and a half o'clock this morning, James

Walcott Haslehurst was up, washed and

dressed, and in his right mind ! I followed suit, as

138

the car was to start at five o'clock, and I thought it
would be pleasanter to dress quietly, than to a waltz
step. We were relieved to be up and out, and half
past five found James and myself sitting on the
back platform, as wide awake as we ever are at
home, at nine o'clock. The dust and cinders soon
drove us into our little room again, and we were no
sooner in and comfortably placed, than "Ray-
mond " sang the Porter, and out we bounced, bag
and baggage. Raymond, thought I, — where is
Raymond? Surely that white house, covered with
vines, does not constitute the town of Raymond ;
but it did. As I looked, two or three other little
huts loomed up ; but with a thanksgiving in my
heart, that fate had spared us from the necessity of
eating our breakfast in any of them, James and I
approached the vine covered piazza, of what proved
to be rather a nice place, after all. In front of the
house was a platform, on which, in the most pictur-
esque groups, the Yosemite passengers had piled
their baggage. It is not well to bring a trunk into
the valley, unless one comes for some time; so the
number and variety, the shapes and kinds and mar-
velous contours of those parcels, beggar description;
little and big, round and flat, neat and untidy, and
all in separate little piles, to be put into the coaches
before starting.

At a quarter past six, we all went to breakfast.
It was good, as such meals go, — nothing surprising,
but one could take enough bread and coffee, to last

139

for a few hours. Our repast was soon over, and at
seven o'clock, sharp, two four-horse coaches came
to the door, luggage and grips were stored away,
passengers given their allotted places, and away we
started, with as blazing and hot a sun, as one ever
cares to have, pouring down on our unprotected
heads. "Unprotected heads," does anyone ex-
claim ? James and I were the only sufferers. The
best seats, on such drives and such stages, are with
the driver, and out from under cover, and we were
considered fortunate indeed, to have secured them,
a week ago. But we had such a dreadful morning,
— nothing but awful dust, intolerable heat and real
discomfort. This was not visited on our heads
alone, for the people inside suffered as much from
dust, as we did. We thought ourselves fortunate,
however, in being outside, as whatever little stray
breeze came our way, we were sure to catch.

The driver said, as we drove out of Raymond,
that the drive to " Grant's " — the dinner-station, —
was most trying and uninteresting, — and it was so
^ in every sense. The country was lovely, but some-
how or other, there was not much to interest one.
One little encounter was quite exciting. Coiled up
in the road, so that one wheel nearly passed over it,
was a real big rattle-snake, about four feet long.
One of the passengers spied it, and at once, driver
and passengers, with sticks and stones, were out by
the snake, trying to kill it. It was a lively young
fellow, and showed fight from the first, evading his

140

would-be assassins very adroitly. Finally the
driver pinned him down with a stick ; and then how
his poisonous tongue did run out, in energetic little
jerks, trying to hurt somebody. At last, his rattling
highness escaped his wooden pin, and jumped right
in among the warriors bold, and they all jumped
in turn about ten feet, in every direction. The
quick, active driver, with the strength of a Hercules,
gave one good blow at that moment, however, and
a limp, lifeless head was the result. Then the re-
mains were brought, for inspection, to the stage,
and the rattle was taken from the end of the tail.
Twelve rattles were found ; and if the theory is cor-
rect, that each rattle represents one year, his de-
ceased snakeship was just twelve years old.

This wild country is running over with animal
life. We saw squirrels by the hundreds, rabbits by
dozens, and quail, buzzards, lizards without numbers,
and even a wild cat (but a dead one, thank fortune).
One funny, unusual sight, was an old man on horse-
back, herding geese. He seemed the biggest goose
of the lot ! One gets so used to strange names for
places, people, and horses, that they fail, after a time,
to impress one as anything unusual or peculiar; but
as we drove along this morning, and passed several
teams, hauling loads, the driver of our stage called
out to the driver of another : " Say, how does Jim-
mie Neversweat work now?'* Poor little Jimmie
Neversweat — he was a poor, tired, worn-out little
animal.

141

Alexander Early used to drive a stage into this
Valley, and all the drivers know him. When we
asked our driver, Thomas Gordon, he said : ** Know
Alex. Early, gas-sy Alex, we called him.** Then he
told us a story, quite in keeping with Mr. Early's
yam to us. The pine trees in this Valley sometimes
die at the top, and therefore present a strange ap-
pearance. A traveller asked Alex. Early, once,
"why so many trees died at the top?" " Oh, the
season's so short here, the sap don't have time to get
up there," he answered.

As we drove through the country, this morning,
we saw a queer wooden affair, running along for
miles, and raised on stilts, to keep it at a certain
angle. We, of course, were curious about it, and
asked the necessary questions, finding out that this
queer arrangement was a lumber flume, running for
sixty-five miles through the country, to a saw-mill.
The flume has a stream of water flowing through it,
and the wood is tied in certain sized piles, and floated
through. It was decidedly novel to us.

Well, as we crept over hill and dale, we tried to
feel glad we were there ; but a sigh would escape
somebody, once in a while, and it was quite evident
that no one was overjoyed, to be in such a dusty
scrape. We reached a place — or rather a house —
called Grant's; and then the honest convictions, of
the souls of our passengers, found expression, and
everybody wondered " if all travellers to the Yosem-
ite had turned liars, from such afflictions and trials,

142

— if it was really worth so much discomfort — if there
was really anything to see, after all." But, after as
nice and tempting a meal as one could wish to have,
we all took our places in the stage again, and went
on. Nothing pleasant presented itself, until about
four o'clock, when, after climbing by inches the
highest of high hills, we reached the summit of the
mountain, and were 5,600 feet above sea-level, and
about four thousand above the valley. There we
saw beauty enough to pay us for our long uncom-
fortable trip. We drove into such a forest of loveli-
ness, with huge pine trees rising hundreds of feet, on
all sides of us, with their great straight trunks and
magnificently mottled bark. The ground was cov-
ered, each side of our roadway, with mammoth ferns,
and a sea of huge collossal pine cones. A peculiar
growth, like whiskers, but of strong wooden spikes,
are allabout the trunks of these pine trees ; and a
bright vivid green moss clings most lovingly to these
rope-like limbs, and sometimes covers them entirely.
The contrast of this bright green moss, with the
darker evergreen foliage, and the rich loam of the
earth, made a picture never seen by us before.
Then, after those seven hours of hot discomfort, we
were glad we had come. When we reached Wawona,
we found the loveliest and cleanest of little hotels,
most attractively surrounded, and delightful as well,
in food and lodging. After a good pounding, by
the corps of attendants, who appear with a brush
and duster, on arrival of every stage, we had dinner,

143

then visited the studio of the artist, Thomas Hill, of
Yosemite fame, whose medals of honor and reward,
show well that his work is highly approved by judges
of art.

A letter, written to the three at home, finished the
evening, and before eleven o'clock we had retired.

The distance driven to-day was thirty-nine miles.

THURSDAY, JUNE 25TH.

AT 5.30 A. M. we were awakened and up, and
although poor James groaned, " When will I
get rested?" we had to be up and away at 7 A. M.
It was a beautiful morning, exquisite in every way,
except the heat, which was intense. We did noth-
ing but go up and down hills, but such awfully steep
places, where our road lay right on the edge of the
deepest precipices. We could look hundreds of feet
right straight down into the valley, over the tops of
the highest trees, with such grand, such magnificent
views for hundreds of miles. It was a wild, exciting
drive, through the most beautiful wooded country,
around curves by the dozens, when the four horses
would go as if demented, or chased by some fiend.
We forded little streams, crossed innumerable
bridges, and had a glorious drive. Our only anx-
iety was in meeting teams or stages ; then some-
times our hearts were in our mouths, for the roads
were so narrow, and there seemed no place to turn
out. One poor, lone man had to turn out for us, as
the stage has the right of way, and as he sat in his

144

little light wagon, he looked the picture of fright,
and exclaimed, in an agonized way, " The bank's
going from under me ! " " Serves you right ! ** ex-
claimed our driver; **you should have waited in
some safe place for the stages."

Our drive this morning was twenty-six miles, and
we reached the Yosemite Valley at i .30 P. M.

The Yosemite Valley is just eight miles in length,
and when travellers first see it, it is from a height
of about six thousand five hundred feet. As we
turned a sharp curve, in descending Mount Chow-
chile, the Valley was seen suddenly ; and nothing,
that I can write, can give any idea of the impression
that first view gives one. Never in my life, but
once, have I felt so before ; and that, was, when we
stood at the foot of Mount Blanc, and the clouds
parted, and we saw the reflection of the setting sun,
on that mountain of ice. Now, as then, words were
gone ; my tongue refused to articulate, and I could
not even think. I felt as Moses must have felt,
when the Lord appeared unto him on the Mount.
I only looked, wondered, and admired, in awe and
reverence, this great marvel of nature. Rocks of all
shapes and tints, in most majestic magnificence,
walled us in, as we descended into the Valley, with
the most brilliantly bright falls of water, the most
luxurious growths of trees, shrubs and flowers, and
the grandest grandeur ever seen, on every side. It
has been said, that '* it is not easy to describe, in
words, the precise impressions which great objects

145

make upon us "; and I felt this then, and realize it
more now, when I try to write of this entrance of
ours into, and our first glimpse of, the Yosemite
Valley. Actual objects, and places, like Chinatown,
etc., one can picture and portray by word or pen,
sometimes; but these great scenes, these wonders
in nature, only sink deep into the heart, and defy
pen or words, to picture or describe the impressions
made. It makes one feel the presence of the Cre-
ator of all this wondrous beauty, in the rocks and
rills, the mountains and myriad wonders ; and the
heart stands still, in silent homage to the Great God ;
and prayer and praise come intuitively to a thought-
ful mind.

After dinner, or rather lunch, James and I came
to our comfortable room in the Stoneman House,
and after necessary ablutions, slept soundly for sev-
eral hours. In the evening, we chatted with some
fellow-passengers, sent a letter on its way to the
three at home, and started early for the " Land of
Nod."

FRIDAY, JUNE 26tH.

T N the Yosemite Valley ! Breakfast is over here
at 8.30 A. M., and James and I managed to
scramble in, just at the last minute. Most of our
companions had made early starts, on excursions,
etc., but we were too tired for much sight-seeing
to-day. It was too lovely to stay indoors, so Jamie
and I took a walk, through the most beautiful woods,

X46 '

STONEMAN HOUSE, YOSEMITE VALLEY.

along the Merced River. We came to such pretty
bridges, made of huge logs, which tempted us to
cross over to a lovely little island, surrounded by fine
rapids. Still another log bridge, and another, en-
ticed us along, until we had wandered some dis-
tance, and seen such dainty bits of views, such pict-
uresque islands, fine trees, and dashing rapids, and
real beauty, that we were well satisfied with our morn-
ing, and felt repaid for our exertions in tramping.

We spent a quiet afternoon and evening, reading,
etc. I managed to write much in my journal, and
we both felt better for the day's rest.

This far-away spot, in the heart of the Yosemite
Valley, sixty-five miles in one direction, from the
railroad, and ninety in the other, seems the place of
meeting for all nations. The Antipodes appeared
to-day, in one stage-load. One man from Scotland,
another from England, one from Tasmania, one
from North Australia, two from Calcutta, one from
China, came to-day. Two are here from Mexico,
one from Germany, and America is well repre-
sented.

SATURDAY, JUNE 27TH.

T OVELY day, and lovely at 5.30 A. M., when we
arose, to be ready to go, at seven o'clock, to
Mirror Lake, to see the sun rise in the lake. Mirror
Lake is about a mile from the hotel, and at that
hour in the morning, it is as calm and smooth as a
genuine mirror. Every mountain is reflected, as

147

clearly as it is seen above the lake, and it is an ex-
quisite sight. Groups were scattered along the
shore, gazing at one rocky reflection in the water,
called the " Old Man in the Mountain." About a
quarter before eight, an ominous silence showed
that all were intently watching a little rim of light,
that was creeping along the edge of this rocky pro-
jection. It seemed a halo of radiance, and deep-
ened and deepened, until all at once. Old Sol made
his appearance, reflecting such a brilliant blaze, from
the depths of the water, that one could look but a
moment at him, — his light was as intense as an elec-
tric light. It was a most unusual experience. We
then returned to the hotel ; but the rest of the party
separated on different excursions.

One trip is to Nevada and Vernal Falls, another
to an immensely high point, called Glacier Point.
Both trips must be made on horseback, or mule back ;
and although James and I had planned to do both,
when we finally came into the valley, a peculiar
nervousness came over James, and seeing his condi-
tion, I could not urge it. The trails are very steep,
and make some people so dizzy, that they have to be
blind-folded in coming down, and James said he felt
he could never even reach the top. We spent a
quiet morning, an opportunity I seized for writing;
and after lunch, at 2 P.M. we took a carriage, and a
good guide, and drove all over the valley, down nine
miles below the beginning of the valley, in the
Caflon, saw all the falls, all points of interest, etc.,

148

EL CAPITAN.

and were gone four hours and a half. We had a
lovely time.

We went first to Yosemite Falls. It is a very
high waterfall, and is divided into three parts. The
upper part is thirty-four feet wide, at the top, and
drops 1,502 feet, without a single break. The middle
fall IS over 50® feet, and the lower 487 feet, making
2,550 feet of waterfall. It is the finest thing of the
kind we have ever seen. There is another, in the
valley opposite this, called Sentinel Fall, which is
the highest in the Yosemite ; it falls 3,270 feet, but
is broken in its descent many times. We became
familiar with the great rocks. El Capitan (3,300 feet
above us). The Three Brothers (the highest rising
3,630 feet, above the valley). The Three Graces,
Cathedral Spires, North Dome (rising 3,700 feet).
South, or Half Dome (5,000 feet above the valley).
They are superb, and all rise, as you see, over a half
mile, and one nearly a mile, right up into the air,
on all sides of us. There are many more. Sentinel
Rock, Washington Column, Star King, and Cloud's
Rest; the latter is 9,772 feet above the sea-level, and
5,780 feet above the valley. The delicate dainty
waterfalls are many in number, and make such re-
freshing contrasts, with the great granite boulders.
As we drove down the valley, the driver stopped
near El Capitan, and asked us if we could pick out
** The Lone Tree.*' Sure enough, there in a crack
in the rock, 1,000 feet up from the valley,
with no other trees near it, grows a cedar tree. It

looked to us about four inches high ; but it measures
just 125 feet in height. We climbed up the
trail, to the foot of Yosemite Falls, and were
well repaid, for we were able to realize better
the enormous height of the falls, and were able
to get good and wet, with the heavy spray.
After a drive to the Cascade Fall, and along a series
of beautiful rapids, we came back, close to the beau-
tiful '' Bridal Veil Fall." It is the loveliest in the
valley ! It falls 860 feet, without a break, and it is
so coquettishly tossed and swayed, by every breeze
that blows, that it waves and curves, in a most fascin-
ating manner. About five o'clock every day, the
sun touches it, in such a way, that it is all prismatic
colors, and as the spray is tossed, the rainbow wid-
ens or decreases, rises or falls, at the caprice of the
zephyrs. We sat in the carriage a long time, watch-
ing the picture. One minute, the rainbow would
sweep across the rock, in a broad band of color, for a
thousand feet or more ; the next moment, it would
arch gracefully over the rocks, at the base of the fall,
or perhaps spread upwards like a ribbon. It was
exquisite !

I must not fail to mention the roads, through
which we drove, the most picturesque ever seen.
Overgrown with ferns, wild flowers, vines, the great
trees themselves, with lovely green moss on them,
the driveways in the valley are most beautiful, in
their very wildness. We agreed when we returned,
that of all our drives in Colorado, and elsewhere,

ISO

none had surpassed, in wild beauty and grandeur,
this drive of ours, in the Yosemite Valley.

A letter written home was the only incident of
the evening.

SUNDAY, JUNE 28TH.

TDEAUTIFUL day, but it began very warm, and
promised a regular broiler ! James and I
breakfasted at the very last minute, as usual, then sat
on the piazza awhile, with the K — s, Mrs. J — and
a party from Peekskill, then came to our rooms for
a quiet morning, which I spent in writing my
journal. About noon, we all congregated on the
piazza, to see three stage loads, of hot dusty passen-
gers, arrive. Gen. Schofield, and his new wife, ar-
rived, with a little coterie of friends, also an Eng-
lish Baronet, — Sir F. and Lady B. After lunch,
James and I again sought the seclusion of our own
apartment, one reading, while the other wrote.

Yesterday, we were much amused, by a conversa-
tion I had, with our guide and driver, on the proba-
ble formation of this Yosemite Valley. Some sci-
entists hold to the Volcanic theory, — that much has
been split and broken, by volcanic action, earth-
quakes, and such forces. In fact, we know it all
came to be, in the beginning, by these great forces.
The greater number of scientists, however, hold to
the glacial formation, to the rounding and polishing
and cutting, of these great masses, by the ice action
of later date ; and to me, this is the most plausible

151

of any theory. There are positive evidences, on
every side, of glacial action, and proofs positive,
by terminal moraines, in this immediate neighbor-
hood. It is as clearly the result of the Ice Age, as
anything we have yet seen. Great rocks are piled
upon one another ; then, every once in a while, a
tremendous boulder is isolated, in some green field ;
and the question arises at once, — how did that
great mass get there ? Oh, if some spirit, or power,
could make these great rocks unfold their secret,
and speak of the mysteries of their being ! If a sin-
gle stone would only confess its secret, and turn
state's evidence on the spot, what a blessing it
would be to science, and what a blow to some cher-
ished theories and laws ! But no : each little stone,
however small, each blade of grass and tiniest leaf,
keep folded up, within their breasts, the story of
their birth ; and the inquirer goes away, little wiser
than he came. All bask in the sunshine, and smile
together, in their silent splendor and happiness, and
keep their secrets, until the Author of their being
shall bid them speak. The waterfalls and cascades
sing away the hours, but their language is one of
sounds and sighings ; and no student, of even the
ancient hieroglyphics, has yet interpreted their little
humming and murmuring songs. So we leave the
beautiful Yosemite Valley, in its silent grandeur;
but we feel wiser and better in our hearts, because
we have beheld and pondered awhile, on these won
ders of our God.

153

Our Sunday evening was spent on the piazza of
the Stoneman House, in the pleasant company of
the Peekskill party. Being friends of Mrs. Gen. S.
before her marriage, she, of course, joined them
here ; and James and I met her, and were pleased
with her simple girlish manners, and shall meet her
again in San Francisco.

James foolishly went to the piazza, about five
o'clock, to look at the thermometer. In the office, it
was 84 degrees ; on the piazza, it was 98 degrees, in
the shade, and in the sun, 115 degrees. We nearly
melted, after we knew how hot it was ; but in the
evening, it was delightfully cool and comfortable.

It is beautiful here ; the Valley is exquisite, with
its carpet of ferns, and wild flowers, and the great
rock mountains, so majestic and wonderful, some so
high, with their crowns of pure white snow — looking
like a great white throne, waiting for its King.

MONDAY, JUNE 29TH.

A T half-past four o'clock this morning, the porter
knocked on our door, and James and I were
up in a twinkle, and dressed and ready for breakfast,
at a quarter past five. It was hard to get up, but
once started, it was delightful ; and the earliest
hours of the day are always so quiet and peaceful.

At 6 A. M. sharp, we were in our high seats by the
driver, and started promptly for our long drive,
which, for eight miles through the Valley, was ideal ;
— the birds sang a good-bye to us, and we were

153

really sorry to leave. Some tourists were out, with
rod and line, ready to catch fish, and bugs, too ; for
we had a naturalist in our midst, from the Smith-
sonian Institute, who was collecting and prepar-
ing specimens, for classification. After driving
through the ferns and flowers, our road turned sud-
denly ; and for two full hours, the dear old horses
pulled and tugged, panted and perspired, dragging
the heavy stage-load of passengers, up a very steep
hill, rising half a mile in five miles, such an incline
as we had not been up before. Our drive of twenty-
six miles, to Wawona, which place we reached at
twelve o'clock, was most interesting and exciting.
Our trip into the Valley was a little nerve-trying, as
we had a driver we could not feel confidence in, and
a man who made his horses too nervous and excita-
ble. As we turned those dangerous curves, on the
edge of the precipices, we were frightened by his
carelessness, and really dreaded the drive out. It
was such a magnificent trip, however, that we were
sorry when it was at an end ; and we can look for-
ward with pleasure, to coming into the Yosemite
Valley again, with the same driver we had to-day, —
Uriah Toby by name, — or as the children call him,
" Maria." Owing to his skillful management, we
turned those sharp curves, and flew over hills, and
through the valleys, with only interest and excite-
ment in our progress, and not one fear, as to our
safety.

After reaching Wawona and having lunch, at 1. 15

154

p. M. we started again in a stage, with Toby, to visit
the Big Trees. It was broiling then, — the sun was
at his highest, and was sending down burning bolts
upon our already hot heads ; but we were soon so
interested in our surroundings, that we forgot the
heat, and decided finally, that we would rather bake,
in the process of seeing those giants of the Sierra
Nevadas, than not to see them at all. The great
trees of Mariposa County, grow in the highest alti-
tude ; and in our drive of eight miles, to the Big
Trees, we went up 2,600 feet, bringing us to an al-
titude of between 6,500 and 6,600 feet. The Sugar
Pines and Cedars, of the evergreen tribe, were tre-
mendous, in the woods through which we passed ;
and we exclaimed, dozens of times, as some straight
trunk raised its branches to nearly two hundred
feet ; — but when we saw the Big Trees, — the real
live wonders of the forests, we could not find words
to express our surprise and admiration. They si-
lence one completely ! As we drove along, these
giant trees, with their red trunks, stood by our
roadway, like huge monsters ; and the " Three Sen-
tinels " were our first introduction, to this peculiar
specimen of forest growth, the " Sequoia Gigantea,"
which is more ancient than any other family of
trees. Then, in groups of twos and threes, some-
times more, we met these giants, and were lost in
admiration, as we gazed at trees which, scientists
say, are fully 5,000 years old! "The Three
Sisters " stood on one side of the drive, with " The

15s

Big Brother " opposite. " Princeton," " Harvard,"
*' Lincoln," "Washington," "The Faithful Couple,"
with " Brooklyn " and " New York " near, " Massa-
chusetts " not far from " St. Louis," and so many
gigantic giants surrounded us, that we were abso-
lutely getting accustomed to their size, until we
came to the greatest of all. "The Grizzley,** it is
called, or "Yo Semite," which means the same
thing. We all left the stages here, to walk about
this monster, which is thirty-three feet in diameter ;
and eight feet up from the ground, it measures one
hundred and one feet in circumference. It stands two
hundred and ninety feet high, and one of its
branches is six feet in diameter. It is collossal,
grand, magnificent, its trunk so dark and red, so
massive and tremendous ! Another great wonder is
the tree "Wawona," through which we drove.
When the Indians lived in these woods, they used
to burn them out every year, to clear away the un-
derbrush, so they could hunt better. Some of these
huge monsters were badly burned, and Wawona
was also damaged, so that, some one in authority,
tried the experiment of cutting out the burned part,
and making a drive-way through the tree. It is a
grand success, and is a wonder! A four-horse
stage goes through easily, and as the tree is twenty-
eight feet in diameter, the opening accommodates
not only the stage, but both pairs of horses, with the
exception of the leaders' heads. The two tallest
trees in the entire grove (which contains about six

156

WAWONA.

hundred mammoth trees, four hundred of which are
marvels), measure three hundred and thirty-seven
feet. If any one will take a cord, and measure one
hundred and one feet, then place it in a circle, a little
idea can be obtained of the size of " The Grizzley,"
the largest of all trees. We all stopped at a little
log cabin, where the ** Guardian " lives, for these
woods are carefully protected from fire and damage.
We found samples of bark and wood, cones of huge
size, and some curios. The strangest thing is, that
these huge cones are not the fruit of the biggest trees.
The huge trees have small cones, but the sugar
pines have the large ones. These pines have often
the bright green moss on their trunks ; and as the
moss always grows on the north side of a tree, the
Indians used them as their compasses, and guides.
They could always tell the points of the compass, by
the moss-trees.

While at this " Log Cabin," we all climbed up, by
means of a ladder, on to the trunk of one of the big
trees, which had fallen. It accommodated about
twenty of us, on the roots alone. It was huge ! — A
great giant, named " Grant," stood near the cabin,
and somebody suggested that we should make a
circle, and see how many it took, to surround the
trunk of a moderate sized tree. Accordingly we
joined hands about the tree, and then, breaking the
circle, straightened out in a line, *'to count noses."
Consternation showed on many faces, as our count
stood ''thirteen." " How dreadful ! " said some-

157

body. *' Oh, dear ! " exclaimed Mr. W., of Tas-
mania, to me, *' that's bad luck; I wouldn't have
had that happen for anything!" " What happen ?**
said I. " Why, there were thirteen of us around
that tree." " No, indeed ; there were fourteen of
us in all," quoth I ; " surely the tree counted for
something, and made fourteen of us." We had a
fine time there ; then taking our seats beside Toby
again, we had a flying trip down the mountain to
Wawona ; and although we had driven forty-six
miles, since six o'clock in the morning, and had been
eleven hours in the stage, we were really sorry to
think that our day was over. One thing I must
chronicle, — it takes nineteen people, with arms out-
stretched, to encircle old Mr. Grizzley.

In the evening we chatted with our German
bride and groom, Mr. and Mrs. M., of Mexico, and
the Peekskill party; and we went again to Mr. Hill's
studio, where James presented me with two sou-
venirs, painted on the natural wood of the big trees,
one of ** Wawona" with the driveway, the other of
Bridal Veil Falls, in Yosemite, both lovely, and Mr.
Hill's work.

TUESDAY, JUNE 30TH.

■^OTHING but awful heat to chronicle to-day.
At 8 a.m. we started in the stage, for the dusty
and disagreeable part of the Yosemite trip, the drive
from Wawona to Raymond. It is thirty-nine miles,
and takes from eight o'clock until half past eleven,

158

when we stopped for luncheon at Grant's. Then
from half past twelve, to half past five, it was dread-
ful,— so hot we could hardly breathe — but while
everybody perspired and groaned, James and I had
not one drop of perspiration, to moisten gloves or
collars. We stopped at a little mining camp, to
take on a mail bag (a place bearing the refined name
of " Grub Gulch"), and seeing a thermometer hanging
near, asked the man to let us look at it. It hung
in the shade, but I saw, with mine own eyes, the
mercury at 105 degrees. We were driving in the
sun, and it must have been ten degrees hotter.
When we reached Raymond, at 5.30 P.M. the ther-
mometer stood at 108 degrees. We had our supper
there, then took the train for Berenda, and in the
car, the thermometer was 102 degrees, at 8 P.M.
James and I felt as if we were burning up, inside and
outside, but we were as dry as bones! Queer heat
it was, not a drop of moisture in it.

The car for San Francisco, in which all our party
were, goes to Berenda, where it is side-tracked until
3 A.M. when a Los Angeles train, going to San
Francisco, picks it up. We had to leave the train
and wait at Berenda, from 8 to 10.25 P.M., when a
train, going to Los Angeles, picked us up.

Berenda consists of a station and nine houses, by
actual count ! When we left the train, the porter
said: "There are generally lots of tramps about,
you had better keep close to your baggage." We
could not find chairs, or even a bench, so we took a

159

baggage truck, put our things on it, James loaded
his pistol, and we sat ourselves down to watch and
wait, with the one mild man who was going our way.
Soon, down the tracks, walked a little party of our
friends from the car, who came to pay us a visit.
After a while, as the extreme heat made us thirsty,
(at Berenda, the thermometer had been 117 degrees)
these good friends carried me with them, to the car,
(one remaining with James), and treating me as a
guest, they entertained me accordingly. Then they
escorted me back; and some of the gentlemen. Dr.
B of England, and Mr. W of Tasmania, re-
mained with us until ten o'clock, so our weary vigil
was brightened and shortened. At last, our train
came ; we boarded it, engaged the Drawing Room,
and were soon as comfortable as we have ever been, in
any place, on such a warm night, and were too tired
to stay awake, to comment on the heat.

160

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1ST.

A S James and I have comforted ourselves all
along, by saying, "It is not half as warm as it
might be," so we started out this morning, and
although we kept hearing people groan, on all sides
of us, and poor little children cry, we were remarka-
bly comfortable. The thermometer performed some
famous gymnastics, however, a record of which I
kept as we went along.

We breakfasted at Mojave, a most God-forsaken
place, at the entrance to the Desert of Mojave, and
we had an awful meal. The thermometer we saw
there, at half past eight o'clock in the morning, regis-
tered 98 degrees. In our car it was 99 degrees, and
at noon, the thermometer stood at 100 degrees.
Last night at Raymond, one queer thing was the
amount of heat, which was communicated to every
dish and spoon. I lifted a glass dish, full of nuts and
raisins, and it was so hot I could hardly hold it ; and
every spoon and fork, and every dish and glass was
hot^ not merely warm, but burning.

We had quite a comfortable trip, in spite of the
161

heat. Nothing was interesting, for we came through
a desert, whose only redeeming feature was the pe-
culiar growth of cacti, or Yucca Palm. These large
tree-palms grow in among the sage-brush, and are as
large, oftentimes, as apple trees. They give a little
variety to the dreariness, and are remarkable in them-
selves, but they have no real beauty, and only vary
the monotony.

James made such an impression on all the train
men to-day, that they could not do enough for him.
He expressed a desire to ride on the engine, and the
conductor promised he should ; and he went, and had
a glorious time, '* The event of my trip," he ex-
claimed when he returned ; ** it was most interesting
and exciting.'*

We reached Los Angeles at 2.30 P.M. and came at
once to the Westminster Hotel, where letters from
home greeted us, to our joy.

THURSDAY, JULY 2ND.

T T P at about half past eight, to find the day bright
and lovely, but warm already. After break-
fast, James and I wandered about the streets, look-
ing in shop windows, etc., until twelve o'clock,
when we returned, I to write, James to read.

After lunch and a rest, James and I went out, at
5 P. M., for a lovely drive, all over the City of Los
Angeles. The heat here disappears at sunset, and
the nights are always cool and delightful. We
chose a splendid time for a drive, for the lights and

162

shadows were beautiful. Los Angeles is as pretty
a city as one can wish to see. The houses are,
many of them, really magnificent ; but the full
glory of the place is in the trees. Pepper trees, with
their delicate dainty foliage, line the streets, with
palms, planted in wild profusion anywhere and
everywhere, — palms that grow like our commonest
trees, before houses of every grade, the lowliest
cottage having, before its door, the finest of palm
trees, banana trees, and bushes, and shrubs. Rose
bushes climb all over everything, even creep up on
to the roofs of houses, and cover them oftentimes
with such a luxurious growth of vines and blossoms.
Rubber trees, as big as our chestnuts — only not so
tall, — great magnolia trees in full blossom ; dates, fifty
years old and older, and oh, such wealth of beautiful
buds and blossoms ! Los Angeles attracts us more
than any little city we have seen, since we started.
The buildings are large and imposing, the streets
finely paved, and everything has an air of wealth
and luxury. Judge Silent's place is a marvel of
beauty. The driver said, in answer to our exclama-
tion of delight, ** If that place pleases you now, you
should see it when all the flowers are in bloom — in
mid-winter — then the air is almost sickening, it is so
sweet from the flowers."

Of course we are here in the wrong season, for
winter is the time for Southern California, but we
think it better to see it now, and dream what it
must be in winter, than not to see it at all.

163

FRIDAY, JULY 3RD.

'PROM Los Angeles to Coronado. We were
obliged to make an early start this morning, and
were up soon after six o'clock, having breakfast at
seven, and at half-past seven, we started for the
train, which brought us to San Diego. Being the
day before the " Glorious Fourth," a crowd was an-
ticipated, and we were advised to reach the train in
plenty of time, to secure good seats in the sleeper ;
(there are no chair cars here, such as we have in the
East). It was a very bright day, and we had a very
dusty and warm trip, until we suddenly came to the
Pacific Coast, when it was lovely and cool, and has
been so ever since. We passed through such funny
little towns on our way — so Spanish in name and
appearance. Many of the towns and cities are
Spanish in language, the inhabitants having come
from Mexico. Santa Anna is one, Sorrento (Italian
flavor) another, San Juan by the Sea, Encinetas,
Orange, San Fernando, etc. All are small villages,
with most unattractive surrounding country, for the
desert makes itself at home, even in Southern Cali-
fornia, and in spite of labor and irrigation, the white
alkali dust rises to the surface, and must be so dis-
couraging to the people, who work hard to rid them-
selves of it. It has always been my idea, that all
Southern California was fertile and beautiful, with
flowers, vineyards and orange groves ; and our first
introduction to the State was to decidedly deepen

164

that impression. No more beautiful country can
exist, than that between San Francisco and Del
Monte, and no more fertile^farm lands, fine orchards,
flowers and fruits. The Santa Clara Valley, through
which we drove to Mt. Hamilton, was ideal, not one
inch, on hill or dale, uncultivated or uncared for. A
veritable park it is, all that vast valley, and most
beautiful. Of course, the further south we came, the
more fertile we expected the country to be. Imag-
ine our horror, when a regular Nebraska desert, a
vast and dreary waste, confronted us on our jour-
ney to Los Angeles. It does not extend to Los
Angeles, but within forty miles of it. Beyond beau-
tiful Los Angeles, the desert conditions prevail in
part, and especially barren are the lands near San
Diego, along the ocean. But every farmer, and
every humble cottager, has planted brilliant gerani-
ums, which grow like trees, bright yellow daisies,
pink asters, and all kinds of flowers, about the mod-
est tumble-down homes ; — vines crawl all over them,
and the dreary surroundings are forgotten, in the
flood of color, which make a pathway of beauty,
through which the train passes. The approach to
San Diego was very picturesque and foreign in as-
pect. The harbor is marvelously fine, one of the
best on the coast, and the land rises very perpen-
dicularly about the town, and makes a half circle of
mountains, an artistic background for the pretty
little city, which is built on a series of foot-hills.
We did not wait long, however, to admire San

165

Diego, but jumped into a Hotel Del Coronado stage,
and were driven to the ferry-boat, a little one-horse
concern, which soon carried us safely across to Coro-
nado, which is a sand peninsular, curving around
like Fire Island, or Sandy Hook. The Hotel is a
mile or more from the landing, and the drive to it
was a pretty one. There is a steam motor, as they
call it, which flies all over the island, up to the
Hotel, etc.; and the railroad is lined, on both sides,
with magnificent great palm trees, placed about
twenty feet apart, quite regularly planted, making
an avenue of palms, through which the railroad
passes. I counted for a while, then grew tired ; but
half way up, there were two hundred and thirty
palms. I have never seen such tropical growth as
is here in Southern California. The commonest
flowers grow on bushes, almost like trees.

As we drove up to the Hotel Del Coronado (or
Hotel of a Crown), we were greatly impressed by its
magnificent dimensions. It is simply huge, and a
magnificent structure, in a most attractive and artis-
tic style of architecture. Gables, chimneys, balcon-
ies, appear in the most unexpected places, and in
the most picturesque positions. It is built around
a court, full of beautiful blossoms, just as Del
Monte is, and is quite foreign ; and the interior is
beautiful. Fine rooms open one from the other,
billiard rooms for ladies, writing rooms, beautiful re-
ception rooms, a most elegant music room (the finest
I have ever seen), with a daintily decorated and artis-

i66

tic stage, and pianos are everywhere. It is situated,
like our Oriental, directly on the sea, and has just
the surroundings of our beach hotel. A museum,
containing fine specimens, a hot-plunge bathing
house, cold ones as well, surround the Hotel in sepa-
rate buildings, and make it attractive to all kinds of
people. The dining room, which is beautiful, is
made of Eastern oak, walls, floor and ceiling, and
every inch of this wood highly polished. At dinner
there is always music ; four well-trained musicians
play good selections, and make the dinner hour most
attractive. The furniture of the dining room is un-
usually fine for a hotel. High oak chairs with tapes-
try seats, such as one would have in a home, with
round and square tables, little and big, and fine
china, good silver, glass and flowers on every
table, make an attractive dining room. This room
seats, without crowding, five hundred people ; in
" the season," it accommodates seven hundred. We
were there out of season, but there were several
hundred people then.

James and I did not begin to enjoy it, as we did
Del Monte. At Del Monte, the Hotel is " as clean
as a pin," and although not so gorgeous, it is more
attractive to us. We were always out under the
trees, and among the flowers. At Del Coronado,
one walk about the grounds was sufficient, and
then a person contentedly stayed at the Hotel.

After lunch, James, Mr. D (the German

acquaintance of the Yosemite, whom we met on

167

the train to-day) and I, walked about awhile ; then,
as I had a violent headache, we sat on the fine
broad piazza and kept deliciously cool.

About nine o'clock, a gentleman came along the
piazza, and asked some ladies, whom he knew, to
come to the Music Room ; they were to have some
fun, — '* a fight to the finish," he said. Turning to-
wards us, he asked us to go also. James, Mr. D.
and I went in, and enjoyed a funny performance.
It seems they had gotten up a little merriment, at
short notice. There was much musical talent on
hand, so they began with a fine piano solo, — then
followed duetts, trios, solos, recitations, etc. A
right funny young man, with ready wit, announced
the performers. " The proprietor had gathered
together, at great expense, a fine lot of talented art-
tistes, etc., etc.," this young man remarked. " The
first piece on the programme, will be a piano solo,
entitled * The best I can,' by Moszkowski." Later
he came on to the stage and announced, that " a
celebrated artist had been prevailed upon to appear,
but although highly talented, he was likewise mod-
est and needed encouragement." Two bell-boys
marched onto the stage, one with a music stand, the
other with a table, and then in came another, carry-
ing a child's hand organ, A fine looking man, in
evening dress, walked in amid deafening applause,
put his sheet of music on the stand ; the announcer
turned his pages, and in the most solemn and earn-
est manner, he ground out " Annie Rooney."

i68

Once or twice his music fell off; he stopped, and
with great seriousness found his place again.
Finally his right hand grew tired, for he had played
It over, at least six times, — his left hand was then
exercised, and growing bodily weary, he seated him-
self on the table, — all done with great dignity and
solemnity. It was quite funny. The last part of
the performance was a miniature prize fight. Two
diminutive boys came in, with their attendants, all
in shirt sleeves, no collars or cravats, with towels to
rub down, ice to put on their heads, a formidable
black bottle, and all the requirements of a genuine
ring fight. Arrangements were made, rules closely
followed, — the Marquis of Tewksbury's rules in
order, and as James said, " every detail of a genu-
ine fight." How the audience roared with laugh-
ter! The Pacific, in its wildest moods, could not
have drowned that noise.

SATURDAY, JULY 4TH.

A FOURTH of July odor was in the air, when we
awoke this morning, — a sort of powder per-
fume and fire-cracker atmosphere, and the small boy
had been up for hours, no doubt. Of course, the
day was pleasant, for it always is pleasant here, at
this time of the year, as no rain ever falls. A more
even temperature cannot be found, than in South-
ern California. The thermometer seldom varies
twenty degrees, all the year round, and snow is un-
known, except on the highest peaks of the moun-

169

tains. No wonder palms and plants can grow and
become trees, in a year or two.

James greeted me, when I joined him for break-
fast, with the announcement that the warship
Charleston was in sight, — had brought the Chilean
Itata in, and was anchored just off the hotel. Sure
enough, there she lay, a fine picture and surprise for
a Fourth of July morning, and a beauty she was,
too, — so white in the sunshine. Crowds of people
came all day to Coronado, to see the " Keeper of the
Peace," and the entire place was crowded from
morning till evening. We watched the ship and the
crowds, sat on the piazza, and walked, and had a
nap in the afternoon.

After dinner, although every available spot was
full, we found a comfortable corner, and watched the
fire-works, which were displayed from a private
yacht anchored near, belonging to the Millionaire
Spreckles, of San Francisco. We were not alto-
gether pleased, and were trying to keep our senti-
ments to ourselves, when a queer and strange ap-
pearance in the sky, like long tails of light moving
mysteriously, attracted us. Going down on one of
the walks, we soon saw that the Charleston was
taking her turn, at lighting up the heavens and earth,
and was having Fourth of July celebration, with her
electric search light. In bands of light, then great
flashes, sometimes in one spot, sometimes chasing
each other in a circle on the sky, these great fingers
of fire illuminated the entire horizon. Two powerful

170

reflecting head-lights could be seen on the ship,
and from their intensely bright centres, the rays
seemed to fly out into space, searching every nook
and corner with its radius. As we stood there, one
minute in darkness, the next in a blaze of brilliancy,
we agreed that the Charleston had out-shone all
fire-works, in her unusual and dazzling display. It
was the most interesting thing to us, and we re-
turned well pleased with our quiet Fourth.

MONDAY JULY 6TH.

"X 1 rE left Del Coronado, soon after ten o'clock this
morning, and on reaching the wharf, at San
Diego, a carriage was awaiting us, to take us about
the little city, and to the Old Mission. After view-
ing the business streets, banks, hotels and churches,
we drove among the residences of the city, and
found some really beautiful homes. In 1885, the
population of San Diego was 4,000; to-day it is
30,000. It is a pretty little city, quite foreign in
general appearance, but its chief charm is its ex-
quisite land-locked harbor, which reminds one forci-
bly of the beautiful Bay of Naples. The land, near
the water's edge, rises quite suddenly into a series
of foot-hills, upon which the City is built, and finally
terminates in a rolling Mesa, which runs for miles
back into the country, until it meets the Old Mis-
sion Valley.

After seeing all the visible charms of this pictur-
esquely plaoed city, we decided to drive to the Old

171

Mission, a sight every one must see, as it is one of
the few ruins we have on American soil. It is now
a lonely pile of stones, but stands in a glorious po-
sition, on a promontory, commanding a magnificent
view in every direction. This tumble down cathed-
ral was once the centre of life and activity, of that
portion of the country, and was the scene of all the
glory and splendor, that the people, for miles about,
ever knew ; and the old Mexican fathers were like
emperors or kings, in their little domain, but ruled
the people by love, rather than fear. This mission
was burned down in 1769, but rebuilt in 1789. The
land, for miles, about this old ruin, is cultivated and
cared for, and at one time belonged to the Church.
Opposite and close by, was the finest olive orchard
we have ever seen.

Standing near the road, where our carriage
stopped, was a queer tree, which I should have
called a willow, if I had been asked. After James
and I returned from our climb, among the tumbling
walls and stones of the Old Mission, our driver told
us of this remarkable tree, which his priest had
often declared to him, was the only one of its kind in
America. It is said to be a cutting of the tree,
from which the Crown of Thorns was made, which
was placed in scorn upon our Saviour's head.
James and I, at first, naturally doubted such an as-
sertion, for it seemed preposterous to our American
minds, that such a thing could be hidden so far in
the wilderness as it is, away from all eyes, and be

172

HB

Wt '^^lH^^^^^B

ij

really what it pretended to be. A close examina-
tion, however, brought us to the conclusion that
after all, we had never seen any tree like it, any
where in all our wanderings. We sent a request to
the people, in the little house near, on whose grounds
this remarkable tree grows, for a small branch of it,
and our desire being granted, we were able to ex-
amine it closely. Delicate slim branches this tree
had, slender and pliable and easily twisted into
shape, and its little lace-like leaves grew, according
to the mathematical law of leaves on their stems,
but covered completely the most marvelous thorns,
as sharp as needles, pointed and piercing, and ap-
pearing at every angle, and so staunch and strong
were they, that a big pull was necessary to tear one
from its position. Stripping the leaves from their
places, and twisting the branch into the shape of a
crown, the needle-like thorns stuck out in every di-
rection, and convinced our minds, that, if not a cut-
ting from the actual tree, from which Our Lord's
Crown of ignominy was made, it was without doubt
the same species of growth, new to our eyes, which
was used by the soldiers of old, in those days of
Our Lord's sorrow and anguish.

Although bountifully covered with dust, we
drove away from the Old Mission, quite satisfied
and pleased that we had visited it, and next turned
our attention to " Old Town," as it is called, or
North San Diego. We had several miles to drive,
through fertile and well kept farm lands.

173

Old Town, or North San Diego, we found to be a
most complete wreck, of a once prosperous village.
The low Mexican adobes were numerous, but al-
though interesting in their picturesque decay, the
entire place impressed one, as a deserted village, a
scene of activity and life once upon a time, but
dead and destroyed now. No people were visible
in the streets, or about the few houses, which
seem to be still used as dwellings, and not one liv-
ing being did we see, until we stopped in front of a
long low adobe building, and at our driver's sugges-
tion, knocked at the door. A sweet, lovely young
woman, a Roman Catholic Sister, opened the door,
and asked us to walk in ; and we learned that we
had reached one of the most prosperous Indian
schools, in the South. Over one hundred Indian
boys and girls are taught here, during the year, but
as our visit came in their vacation time, only thirty
were left, the others having gone to their homes, for
a visit. It was most interesting to see these girls,
averaging in age, from five to sixteen years, all so
bright, quick and intelligent. Sister Octavia, as we
afterwards learned, the Lady Superior of this school,
showed us the sewing, mending, and other work of
these girls, who are trained in womanly and house-
hold duties, and are clever indeed in all branches.

After we had spoken to " Cloudia," *'Juanita,"
" Letitia," and many others, the Lady Superior took
us into a room in the house, where an altar was
standing, which, she told us, was the room where

174

Father Gaspara lived, when Ramona and Alessan-
dro came, that dark night, after their journey-
through that wild cafton, and told their sad story of
their love and misfortunes. Mrs. Helen Hunt
Jackson's narrative and portrayal of the sufferings
of these peculiarly interesting people, has made
Southern California familiar to many minds, and no
one can have read her sweet story of Indian life,
without recalling this incident. As she writes — '^ On
the opposite side of the way, in a neglected, weedy-
open, stood his little chapel, a poverty-stricken little
place, its walls imperfectly white-washed, decorated
by a few coarse pictures, etc." To this little one-
room abode, the outer walls now covered with
boards, our mild-voiced guide led us, and we stood
within the little chapel, where Ramona and Ales-
sandro were made man and wife, by the black-
bearded priest. Father Gaspara. A tiny chapel it is,
with an altar at one end, and ten pews for the con-
gregation, and probably there was plenty of room to
spare, at every celebration and service.

A queer little place it is, but one of interest to
us, for it has been a haven of rest to many a weary
wanderer, besides Ramona and Alessandro, and was
also where Father Junipero Serra, with his wonder-
ful strength of character, and marvelous endurance
of hardships and discouragements, had begun his
work, so many years ago.

Sister Octavia sent for the Indian girls, whom we
had seen in the school, and they came to the little

175

chapel and sang some of their Latin chants. It was
pathetic to us, to hear these fresh young voices sing-
ing their Ave Maria, and to realize how short a time
had passed, since they had been brought from their
homes in the wilderness, and taught these sacred
things. James was much moved by this singing,
and as we sat in that tiny chapel, we felt as if years
were passing in review before us, as we pictured to
ourselves all the happy hearts, and sad as well, that
had stood before that sacred altar, and received the
blessing of their priest. After seeing the priestly
vestments, James asked the privilege of photograph-
ing that little gathering ; and standing beneath the
"Old Bells of 1802," which are at one end of the
little chapel, James photographed the Lady Supe-
rior, and thirty Indian girls.

As we drove away from the little group, the chil-
dren waved us a good-bye, and my noble, thoughtful
husband exclaimed, " What a beautiful work that is.
May, to rescue those girls from their wandering life
on the plains, and teach them to be noble women in
the world. No wonder Sister Octavia's face ex-
pressed such calm and peace, that must come into
the heart, and face as well, when one gives their life
to such a grand work."

TUESDAY, JULY 7TH.

A T six o'clock we had breakfast, and at half past

six, we started on our trip, from Del Coronado

and San Diego, back to Los Angeles. It was as

176

pleasant a journey as possible, but it was very warm,
and made us apprehensive about our afternoon.
Before we left Los Angeles, we arranged to have a
carriage meet us at the depot, on our arrival to-day,
to take us immediately into the beautiful country,
surrounding the city. On reaching Los Angeles,
"the chariot " awaited us, and sending our small
baggage to the Westminster Hotel, we started at
once into the San Gabriel Valley ; and what a scene
of beauty it was ! For miles and miles, we drove
through beautiful orange groves, the deep heavy
foliage of the short stubby trees, making a fine con-
trast to the golden fruit, still hanging in some groves.
An orange grove in blossom, has the most powerful
perfume ever known, which pervades and fills the air,
until everything seems saturated with the odor, as
if the entire country was decorated for a marriage
feast. It must be a veritable paradise in this valley,
in the winter season, when the woods and meadows
are carpeted with every variety of blossom, every
tint and hue mingling and blending in harmony and
exquisite beauty, and all watched over by the
serious, solemn Sierra Madre Mountains, with their
snow-clad peaks and yawning cafions. No wonder
invalids, by the hundreds, fly to the protecting arms,
and mild climate, of the San Gabriel Valley in winter,
for surely no more beautiful place on earth is to be
found, this side of the tropics. Great avenues of
banana trees, palm and date trees, fig and plum and
apricot trees, the Eucalyptus, in their slim stately

177

style — in fact, the San Gabriel Valley, of ten miles
wide, by thirty miles long, is one series of beautiful
and wonderful drives, through orange groves, vine-
yards, wonderful cactus growths, avenues of feathery
pepper trees, — and such hedges ! Pomegranate hedges
in rare beauty, with the blossoms en masse in the
richest of color, which the Southern sunshine seems
to have kissed and glorified, with a new radiance.
The fatigue of our early start and journey, was for-
gotten, in the midst of this entrancing restful beauty^
and the first part of our drive brought us, about two
o'clock, to the lovely hotel San Gabriel, where we
had an excellent luncheon. We had seen, in our
drive, the oldest grapevine in Southern California, a
mammoth tree and stem, as large as some of the
trunks of our chestnut trees, at home.

It was also our good fortune, to see the famous
San Gabriel Mission, which was founded in 1771,
but placed in its present position in 1775. Some of
the bells still hang in the old belfry, and were most
picturesque, and we admired them, but they were
deaf to the piteous plea " Ring out wild bells."

After luncheon, we drove to the famous Raymond
Hotel, at Raymond, and such a magnificent hotel it
is, with such walks and drives about it, such glorious
shrubs and plants, that the entire place was fascin-
ating to us, until we turned and saw the view ; that
beggars description ! In the soft mellow light of
that southern climate, and the approaching twilight
hour, it was a dream of such wonder, a vision of

178

radiant and perfect proportions, that, as we feasted
our eyes on all before us, a calm and restful peace
stole over us, and we seemed in paradise at last. In
the distance, the Sierra Madre mountains were vio-
let in color, then the orange trees, in their regular
stately rows, with now and then a tall palm, or date,
or eucalyptus tree, so clearly outlined against the
mountains and sky, and then, perhaps, a fine villa,
with its shrubs and plants and rose bushes, until the
scene before us was too beautiful to describe, and
can only be remembered as a complete and perfect
whole.

Pasadena, with its entrancing beauty, attracted
James more than any city we have seen, in all our
travelling, and a dozen times, he exclaimed, " A little
home here would just suit me, May ; it would seem
as if we had gone to Heaven, in reality." Pasadena
is a paradise on earth ; a new joy was in the sun-
shine, a new life seemed to touch and beautify the
flowers, and all smiled with a radiance and beauty
most contagious. We felt it even in our drive
through the streets ; we saw it in the open and at-
tractive homes, and we drove about, for a long time,
and did not wonder that people chose this beauty
spot for a home. Oranges grew on the trees, right
along the streets, and when we exclaimed that we had
never picked an orange off a tree, our driver drove
up to a well-laden tree, in front of a fine villa, and
began to take all the oranges within reach. James
and I were horrified, and forbade any further pillage,

179

but when we were well on our way toward Los
Angeles, the golden fruit in the bottom of the car-
riage " tempted me, and I did eat." Never has an
orange tasted like that orange, perhaps, because
" stolen sweets are best " ; but my gratification soon
tempted James to join me, and our only regret was
that we had not allowed our driver to take more.

We reached the Westminster Hotel about eight
o'clock, had dinner and retired, well satisfied with
our day in the beautiful San Gabriel Valley.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8TH.

Al /"E left Los Angeles to-day, at noon, and with
some regret, for the city is really beautiful,
and James and I felt we could spend several weeks
here very pleasantly, if we could spare the time.

Our trip to-day was quiet and uneventful, and
pleasant, as we passed through the monotonous
Mojave Desert, during the night. We have become
so used to sleeping cars and travelling now, that we
are quite contented, when en route, and really enjoy
moving along and seeing our great and glorious
country ; and we are proud that we are Americans.

x8o

NORTHWARD OVER THE SIERRA
NEVADAS

THURSDAY, JULY QTH.

ATLTE reached San Francisco at noon to-day, and
found it very warm, but quite like home, or
perhaps I should say, more like home, than any place
in this far away country. California impresses us in
every way. It is a wonderfully beautiful State,
magnificent in every respect, and is so large. We
have travelled in California, nearly 2,000 miles, and
we have yet nearly 500 miles to cover, going north
to Portland. The distance from San Francisco to
San Diego is 608 miles; but when James and I first
planned to go there, we thought the journey would
be about equal to a trip, from New York to Utica.
We blushed, when we learned how ignorant we were.
Coming over-land, we travelled over 3,000 miles, equal
to a trip to Europe.

We were much amused at the News Agent, on the
train, who electrified us, by singing out, as he saun-
tered through the car, " Travelling caps, and Neu-
ralgia combs!

181

SATURDAY, JULY IITH.

Wl E were sleepy this morning, and, as usual, had a
late breakfast. We had planned to go, at
half-past ten o'clock, with F. J. to Chinatown, to buy
his wife a gift ; but I was delayed in going to my
room this morning, by meeting friends from Salt
Lake City, and later by meeting Miss Thursby and
sister, and the Rev. Dr. B., of Brooklyn, in the cor-
ridor. About eleven o'clock, however, we started
(James, Mr. D., F. J. and I) for Chinatown. We
stopped at Liebes' celebrated fur store, to see the
beautiful furs, from this part of the world, and
Alaska, etc. Mr. H. (a friend of F.'s) was very kind,
showed us very choice skins, took us to the cellar, to
examine rare furs, see the process of curing and
treating ; in fact, we had a regular lecture on the sub-
ject, and acquired much information. Then ho !
for Chinatown.

Of course we visited Fong Sang Lung, Kim Woo,
Hon Wing, Sing Fat, and many others ; and Mr. J.
was as much interested in his visit, as when he went
there first, many years ago. We spent several hours,
in wandering about, and picking up a few odd trifles ;
then happening to be near a Chinese restaurant, we
walked in. To follow the old adage, " While in
Rome, do as the Romans do," while we were in
Chinatown, we did as the Chinamen do, — we took
seats at a big round table and ordered tea. It was
a beautiful restaurant — the ceiling and side walls

xSa

were covered with Chinese hieroglyphics in gold,
gold scrolls hung on the walls, the partition between
two divisions in the room was of carved wood, very
artistically and beautifully carved, then covered with
gilding, and in every little window space was stained
glass. The furniture was ebony, inlaid with pearl,
beautiful chairs and tables. The restaurant was up
two flights of stairs, and had balconies, with flower-
pots all along the edge, full of Chinese plants, dwarf
oaks, etc. It was an unusual place. The tea was
good — but the variety of sweetmeats they brought
us, the sugar-coated cake, with pink Chinese hiero-
glyphics on it — the nuts, preserved citron, cherries,
etc., were too much for me, so I ate a nut or two,
drank my tea, and spent the rest of the time taking
a mental inventory. We finally wandered back to
the civilized stores, did a few necessary errands, for
our Alaska welfare, then we came to the hotel, and
I wrote a letter home. I found some lovely roses
waiting for me, from Miss T. We had dinner at a
quarter past seven, F. and Mr. D. dining with us,
and after dinner, we went with Mr. and Mrs. V. G.
to Chinatown, to see the theatre and play, as we
could not see it when we were here before. Every-
body said it was a thing not to be omitted, a sight
well worth a trip to enjoy. We found the guide
awaiting us at Kim Lung's, and through the dirty
alleys, we picked our way to the back, and stage
entrance of the Jackson Street Theatre. Crowds
of Chinamen surrounded us, before, behind, on our

183

right hand and on our left, for the theatre is their
one recreation and amusement, and this was the
only one open. Chinatown accommodates more
Chinamen, than any known space, of equal propor-
tions, in America.

After threading our way, in the underground pas-
sages, up the narrowest, steepest staircase, so narrow,
everybody wiped down each wall, as he crept along,
we emerged into the " Green Room " of the actors,
a place about the size of our laundry at Sunny Slope,
crowded and jammed with actors in their costumes,
densely thick with smoke, — and such awful smoke
too ! Finally our guide waved everybody aside, and
the crowd of celestials moved a tiny bit, for us to
press our way through, and the first thing I knew,
we came suddenly right out on the stage. We would
have stepped back, — our natural modesty, of course,
suggesting such a thing, — but no, we were not
allowed to escape. A table was on the middle of
the stage, two chairs by it — one on each side — and
beside it stood two actors, going along in their
queer performance, oblivious of all else. Into one of
these chairs, on the middle of the stage, they tried
to put me. No indeed — I had come to see, and not
to be seen ; so I pushed my way back, against a solid
wall of Chinamen. Visitors are all seated on the
stage, and usually have comfortable quarters. To-
night, however, the theatre was so crowded, the sides
of the stage were arranged in tiers, for the China-
men, and in front on each side, in a semi-circle, we

184

finally were all placed. Across from us, sat the Rev.
Mr., Mrs. and Miss B., all as engrossed and amused as
we were.

The theatre was jammed, from the floor to the
ceiling, not one place, in aisle or anywhere, that was
not occupied. The men never sit with the women —
the women are in two balconies, on one side of the
house, unescorted — and such a medley ! Some were
quite aristocratic looking, highly-born, perhaps ;
others had huge, coarse features, but all were in-
tensely interested in the performance. Not an eye
wandered ; no one thought of anything but that
drama on the stage, and in some parts the women
wept copiously, then hung their handkerchiefs over
the railing to dry. Below, and in two other balcon-
ies, were the men, so closely packed, so densely
crowded, and all smoking, and eating fruit — such an
odor! As James said, he was as much interested
in watching the audience, as he was the actors.
When anything seemed pathetic, they were as solemn
as judges ; when anything amused them, they set up
a Chinese howl, a genuine roof-raiser! But the
stage, and the play !

When we entered, two women (men dressed as
women), were performing. It seems, one woman was
a widow, had lost her baby (we were too late to see
the Chinese mother bring in a rag-baby and wash its
face), and the other woman wanted her to marry
again, which she refused to do. The older woman
took a long broom-like whip, and whipped the widow,

i8s

to the great grief of said widow, and delight of the
house. Whenever any great emotion was being
portrayed, a band — behind the table — accompanied
the emotion, with appropriate selections ; but if one
hundred Scottish bagpipes had been let loose upon
the audience that night, it would have been ten
degrees below the^volume and quality of sound sent
forth. It seemed as if our ears would never be re-
stored to normal condition again. The play con-
tinued ; the widow's mother and father received her
back to their home, in rather an unpleasant manner,
and the father and mother had such a war of words
about it, that the father killed the mother, that is
he made a rush at her, stepped hard on her toe, and
like a log of wood, she fell to the floor. A man
stood near us, who went, as soon as the mother fell,
and stuck a straight long thing under her head, like
2, pillar y but it was a pillow. She straightened out,
then picked herself up and went away.

A Chinese play often lasts for months, and is
carried along like a story. They have no scenery
whatever, only represent what they desire with ar-
ticles. Their voices are shrill and piercing, and their
acting is automatic, wooden, as if they were on
wheels, and were worked by strings, from beneath
the stage. I never have seen such "pirouetting,"
such absolutely ridiculous performances! They
seem a thousand years behind the times ; and yet
this is their choice, their recreation and amusement,
and they are perfectly satisfied. We were there

186

half an hour, and would not have left then, if the
ponderous perfumes had not overcome us. It was
most interesting, so serious and solemn, the specta-
tors so intent upon the actors ; and the actors were
artists in stiffness and absolute awkwardness. Del-
sarte never could teach these celestials the poetry
of motion. They move in angles ; nothing beyond
a straight line touches their sense of beauty, — even
their faces betoken angularity.

We were worn out and weary, on our return, but
well paid, by our visit to the theatre, in China-
town.

MONDAY, JULY I3TH.

\^ E left San Francisco last night, at nine o'clock.
We found our days were gliding swiftly
by, and we had need of haste, as we must reach
Tacoma, and go on board the steamer, for Alaska,
on Thursday night.

The Mt. Shasta Route, to Portland, had been much
praised, by travellers we chanced to meet, and pro-
nounced grand and magnificent, and we naturally
anticipated it ; but we were little prepared for the
beauty, which has greeted our eyes, all the way to-
day. From San Francisco to Sacramento, we passed
in the night, but having been through that country
before, we lost nothing. After leaving Sacramento,
in the early morning hours, our road followed close-
ly the banks of the Sacramento River, which ran
through a most beautiful and fertile valley. After

187

Redding was reached, and breakfast over, our feast
of delight really began, as we climbed among the
mighty mountains of the Sierra Nevada range.
Slowly, and with difficulty, as the grade is severe,
we crept around curves and sharp cuts in the
rocks, passed over bridges and trestles, through a
dozen or more tunnels, and in a short distance of
eighty miles, we crossed the tortuous course of the
Sacramento River, eighteen times. From a beauti-
ful broad band of blue water, at the city, — bearing its
name, with so much life and energy manifested
on its surface, as if it had come a long way to do a
great work, — we followed the Sacramento River, up
to its source in the mountains ; and it diminished in
volume and brightness, to a ribbon of grayish color,
and twisted, and tumbled, and turned, as if its narrow
boundaries were irksome, to the energy beneath its
waters. Its river-bed lay between banks of such
forbidding nature, as if a great river of lava, from
Mt. Shasta's depths, had poured down that gorge in
the mountain, and hardened, and finally, in a fit of
rage and despair, had split and divided into two lava
banks, between which the river ran, on its way to the
sea.

Our first point of interest was at the Soda
Springs, now becoming so well known, for their fine
mineral qualities ; and in a little flock, all the passen-
gers on the train, hurried to the rustic enclosure
over the Spring, to refresh themselves with one
"life-giving draught." Beautiful little streams of

i88

water constantly coursed down the steep, rocky
sides and cafions, as we flew along ; but a perfect
vision of loveliness was ours, when we stopped op-
posite Mossbrae Falls, as lovely as anything of the
kind we have seen, outside the Yosemite. Splash-
ing suddenly and playfully out, into the sunshine, as
if it had just escaped, for the first time, from the
icy grasp of one of Mt. Shasta's greatest glaciers,
these ** laughing waters " spring, from a bed of ex-
quisite ferns and mosses, which'wave and tremble,
under the pressure and spray of the cascade, as if a
new and welcome guest had just come to them, and
had not been their companion, for many years. A
luxuriant growth of these ferns, and mosses, and
grasses, have flourished so marvelously under this
constant shower of icy water, that the usual barren
rocks are nowhere visible, and are picturesquely
covered by this dainty fertility. Perhaps Robert
Southey had seen just such a sparkling stream,

" Rising and leaping,
Sinking and creeping,
Swelling and sweeping.
Showering and springing."

when he wrote " How does the water come down at
Lodore !"

The Castle Rocks attracted us next, with their
solid walls of granite, rising 4,000 feet above
the valley; and with their columns and minarets,
they presented a scene of marvelous beauty ; but

189

every once in a while, through the great pine
trees, so colossal and magnificent in their forest
fortresses, we caught such dazzling glimpses of
shimmering beauty, that we were breathless in an-
ticipation, and powerless in awe and reverence,
when finally, Mt. Shasta, in its whiteness, rose before
us, ** its great white dome of incandescent snow and
lava crags" so impressive, as it stood outlined
against the silent blue heavens. Mt. Shasta is
called, the key of California scenery, because the
Sierra Nevada Mountains, bounding the eastern
portion of the State, and the Coast Range, bounding
the western meet at Mt. Shasta, " making a moun-
tain arch, of which the Great White Butte is the
keystone. '

Words fail to give expression to our impressions,
of the solemn repose, and stately grandeur, of this
mountain giant. The snow-filled crater, of this once
fiery mountain, and the lava gorges, now the bed of
numerous glaciers, shone like silver in their silent
beauty, and made the great peaks surrounding it,
so black, and bare, and desolate, stand forth in won-
drous contrast. But how small all those grand
mountains seem, how insignificant, as Mt. Shasta
raises its cloud-crowned cliffs, two vertical miles
above the surrounding country !

Right in front of this ice fortress, twelve miles
from its base, which, in the clear air, seemed a dis-
tance of only a mile, at the little village of Sissons,
we stopped, and had time to enjoy this grandeur ;

• S

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i

B|

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^yK ^

i

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f

and as we rolled away from the place, the five vol-
canic cones of Muir's Peak, added to the charm of
view. We passed through Strawberry Valley, and
Shasta Valley, and soon crossed the state line, be-
tween California and Oregon, and began to climb
the Siskiyou Mountains, which form a natural line,
between the two states. This ascent is a wonder of
engineering skill, and although the Royal Gorge,
and MarshalFs Pass, in Colorado, had charmed us,
here we were dumb in wonder and amazement!
Such marvelous skill in building a railroad, where it
seemed only the fleetest-footed animals could hope
to climb — such twistings and turnings, tunnels bor-
ing into the very hearts of the forests, disturbing
roots of those stately and venerable pines, and car-
rying us higher and higher, into the mountains.
Such views as were ours! James* exclamations
were constant, and he seemed as deeply impressed
as I was. The scenery was indescribably magnifi-
cent, for as far as the eye could reach, the great
snow-monarchs soared up into the heavens, and we
seemed encircled in their icy embrace. Extending
north, for hundreds of miles, stood the Cascade
Range ; to the west, we could see the Siskiyou and
Coast Mountains ; sparkling lakes, fertile valleys in
all their loveliness, rivers, and splashing springs,
deep solemn gorges were before us, awful caftons on
every side, forests of pine and oak, and a more won-
derful, ever-changing panorama, of magnificent
grandeur and variety, cannot be imagined.

191

" speech was given to man, to conceal his
thoughts," seems true indeed to me, as I strive to
express the impressions, made upon our minds this
day. It is a hopeless task, to attempt to portray
such inspiring and up-lifting emotions, which bring
one into harmony with the best and most beautiful,
in God's world of wonder; and it seems to me,
sometimes, that in just such experiences as these,
we are given a little suggestion of that higher and
better life ; as if the veil, which separates our mortal
life from the immortal, was for a moment parted,
and a single God-given emotion sent — to fill our
souls with a rapture before unknown ; and we have
a foretaste of that glorious hereafter, — a glimpse of
that Better Land, toward which we are all hastening.

TUESDAY, JULY 14TH.

A RRIVING at Portland, at half-past nine this
morning, James hastened to ** The Portland '*
(which is a very fine Hotel), as I was feeling quite
sick, from our incessant travelling of late. A good
day's rest restored me, however. While I stayed
quietly in my room, James spent this exceedingly
warm day, in hunting for a winter ulster, for the
Alaska trip.

We met such charming people on the train, —
Lord and Lady F. from London, — and their friends
and travelling companions were equally delightful.
They had just landed from a trip through Japan.
James was much amused this morning, when the
^ 192

waiter brought ** Mi-Lord " an egg, opened in a
glass, as we often eat them. With a disgusted
expression, and a genuine drawl, he ordered it from
the table, and turning to James, he exclaimed, —
" I haven't got used to eating eggs, a/l messed up,
— you know."

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15TH.

A LTHOUGH we had seen nothing of this gj-eat

City of the West, we were obliged to hurry

northward to-day, and took the 11.45 A.M. train

for Tacoma, promising ourselves another visit, on

our return from Alaska.

Our trip of 144 miles, was one of exceeding
interest, although so different from our recent
journey. We followed the shores of the
Willamette River, crossed the Columbia and
passed through most beautiful forests, with
such giant trees, — so straight and grand, one was
constantly reminded of the days in the Yosemite,
with the great pines there, — not the Mariposa
Grove of monarchs, to be sure, but stately enough
to challenge our praise.

We had with us, all the way, the snow mountains
of the Cascade Range, — Mt. Hood, which keeps
constant guard over the city we had just left, Mt. St.
Helens on one shore of the Columbia River, Mt.
Adams, Mt. Jefferson ; and as we approached Ta-
coma, Mt. Ranier stood forth, in the glorious rose of
the twilight, to welcome us.

193

There is a mythological legend, that long ago,
in the prehistoric ages, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt.
Hood, were firm friends, and stood side by side, in
their glory and pride, presided over by certain gods.
A serious quarrel occurred, between the gods of
these two mountains, which set the whole mountain
range in such a furious frenzy, upset so many tem-
pers, turned calm and contented peaks and cones
into fiery fiends, and caused such grave and terrible
damage to the country about, that Mt. Hood, and
Mt. St. Helens, were irrevocably doomed to be
separated forever, and in heaviness of heart and
with tremendous lamentations, and an upheaval of
sighs and groans, these mountain companions were
torn asunder, and the Columbia River decreed, to
run forever between.

We reached Tacoma, about half past six o'clock,
and went to *'The Tacoma," a large hotel overlook-
ing Puget Sound, and in full view of Mt. Ranier,
or, as the people here prefer to call it, " Mt. Ta-
coma."

THURSDAY, JULY i6tH.

A BUSY day, preparing for our trip to Alaska.
We went, in the afternoon, to view our abid-
ing place for the next three weeks, and we found
the Mexico a larger steamer than we imagined,
comfortably appointed ; and we are quite ready to
start on a trip, which offers such unusual attractions.
A friend, whom we met in San Francisco, had just

194

returned from this trip, on the same steamer we are
to take, and her answer to our question as to
whether she enjoyed it, would have been decidedly-
depressing, if we had not already brought our courage
to the sticking point, and were little daunted when
she exclaimed, '* Oh, its pretty good, that is, if
you like a good dose of scenery ! "

About ten o'clock to-night, with as little baggage
as we could arrange to take with us, we embarked on
the " Pacific Coast Steamship Mexico,'' and as it
was a superb moonlight night, we remained out on
deck, met the officers of the ship, and learned a
little of the trip we were just starting upon. The
Queen is the regular excursion boat to Alaska, but
the Mexico and Topeka are mail and freight boats,
and go to the little, as well as the big, Alaskan ports,
and to many of the out-of-the-way places. We are
content with our lot thus far, and are anticipating
much pleasure.

About half past eleven o'clock, I went to our
cabin (the palatial proportions of which are eight
feet long, by six feet wide), and began to arrange
our things for comfort and convenience, when a
deep-toned voice at my window sang out solemnly :
''Lights ordered out at ten." I felt as if I had
jumped back to my boarding-school days, and was
subject to " rule and rod " once more, and the hours
and regulations, which were all so quietly maintained
at dear old Farmington.

195

ALASKA

FRIDAY, JULY 17TH.

A LTHOUGH we knew the Mexico was to leave
'^ her wharf, at four o'clock this morning, we
were oblivious of the fact, until we were fast to the
wharf at Seattle, our first stopping place. After a
couple of hours there, we started again, and in a few
hours more, reached Port Townsend, a little place of
considerable shipping importance, but of no interest
otherwise. We found this stop a bit tedious, and
longed to be off, for new and interesting sights and
scenes, but we wandered about the town, and finally
contented ourselves on board our ship, chatting,
reading and writing. The Olympic Mountains made
a beautiful picture, and background for this little city,
and Mt. Baker was regal, in its northern position
and unrivaled splendor, as it stood alone in silent
beauty.

SATURDAY, JULY i8TH.

A LOVELY day, a few showers at mid-day, but
"^ not enough to do any harm. We were tied
up to the dock at Victoria, British Columbia, before

196

Jamie and I were up this morning. We left Port
Townsend at four and reached Victoria at six.
After breakfast, Jamie and I jumped into a carriage
and drove up into the town, about three-quarters of
a mile, and bought two steamer rugs, which we
found we needed. We then drove about Vic-
toria, and found it a very English looking town,
with about 25,000 inhabitants, but very sleepy in
appearance. They say it is an attractive summer
resort, but we failed to see many points of attrac-
tion. There were some fine churches, a few fine
dwellings, but they were mostly low and of inferior
appearance. The Olympic Mountains, with their
white caps, made a beautiful background for this
little British town. We were back at the steamer,
at half-past nine o'clock, and were off from Victoria,
at 10.20 A.M., and had a lovely sail all day. It was
like a trip through a colossal Lake George ; every-
thing was on a magnificent scale, so beautiful, and
reflected in the water was every mountain and
island, like Mirror Lake in the Yosemite. Jamie
and I sat in silent comfort and asked the conun-
drum to ourselves, " Why were we like the luckiest
of all vowels, the vowel i ? Because we were in the
middle of bliss." Nothing disturbed us, until a man
went about the decks, ringing a fearful bell, and
calling, '* All to the Purser's office for table seats."
A crowd immediately flew, but Jamie did not go at
first, for we had been informed in the morning, that
we were to be seated at the Purser's table.

197

We reached Departure Bay, British Columbia, at
five o'clock. Jamie heard that the Queen (with
Aunt Mary on board) was at Nanaimo, a little
place three miles from Departure Bay; and al-
though she was reported to sail at six o'clock, and
we had only one hour in which to reach her, we de-
termined to try it. Jamie felt really sick, with a
neuralgic headache, but we flew along the wharf,
across the little bridge, and along the beach, a half
mile in all, to a house, which was store, post-office,
livery stable and all. In perfect breathlessness, we
asked to hire a driver, horse and wagon in hot haste,
to reach the Queen, in double quick time. Inside of
five minutes, we were seated in an old farm wagon,
on the back seat, and a right good horse was tearing
along, driven by the funniest specimen of a country
green-horn. If he had leaned over too far, or pulled
the horse up suddenly, he would surely have split his
coat, from seam to seam, for he looked as if he was
stuffed into it. We flew along those three miles to
Nanaimo, and it was an exquisite ride. The road
passes through the most beautiful woods, really
lovelier than any I have ever seen, except in the
Yosemite, and it lay between tremendous ferns, six
or seven feet high, and growing en masse^ close to
the driveway. As far as one could see into the
woods, between the great fir trees, the same mam-
moth fern thicket was visible, and huge trees of
wild flowers, mountain lilac making the air almost
sickeningly sweet. As far as one could look ahead,

X98

the same fern road-way invited us on, and it was
lovely. Before we reached Nanaimo, we came from
the woods into a clearing, and saw the little town
lying before us, with its lovely harbor full of ships ;
and the Queen lay at her wharf, as true to her name
as possible ; but we expected every minute to see
the great black smoke pour from her smoke-stack,
and see her sail away. We tore through the town,
over bridges, where fast-driving was forbidden ; and
** John Gilpin " was nowhere ! Finally, we landed at a
little hill, beyond which " the chariot " could not go.
Jamie and I ran up the hill, rushed along the coal-
tracks towards the Queen, and at last, as we reached
the gang-plank, worn out by our rush (for it was
four minutes before six then), I gasped out to a coal-
man standing near, '* When does she sail ? " ^' About
twelve o'clock to-night " came the answer. What a
relief! If that information had only been ours
sooner, we might have escaped the hurry and fa-
tigue, and Jamie might not have had such a head-
ache. Well, we were there, anyhow ; now, how were
we to find Aunt Mary ? A boy's interest was so-
licited, but the Queen was a large steamer, and we
were at a loss to know how to find her. A gen-
tleman came to our assistance, and to our inquiry
for '' Mrs. B.," he said ** she is right here." Turn-
ing and walking a few steps, we came face to face
with her, — and I shall never forget her surprise. She
was delighted to see us, and the pleasure was mu-
tual, and we chatted an hour with her. We had a

199

lovely drive back to our ship, meeting many of our
passengers walking in the woods, and found that
some people had tried to get conveyances to take
them to Nanaimo, but we had the only one in the
place,

SUNDAY, JULY I9TH.

npiED up to the dock, at Departure Bay, all day
long ; and such a dirty place as this boat was,
until five o'clock this afternoon, from the dust and
dirt of the coal. This is a great coal district ; a large
coal mine here gets out twenty-five hundred to three
thousand tons a day, and this vessel, since last night,
at five o'clock, has received four hundred tons.

After an eight o'clock breakfast this morning,
Jamie and I came forward to our stateroom, won-
dering where we would spend the day. The sail
which had been hung up forward from our room, to
keep out coal dust, suddenly wavered, and a great
cloud of dust came towards us. "Too bad," ex-
claimed Mr. Gray, the first officer, "the wind has
changed, and we're in for it." Sure enough we were,
for from that hour, the dust sifted all over the ship,
on one side. We shut our room up tight, covered
everything with papers and towels, and left it all day
closed, and it was unharmed to-night. Jamie and I
took our chairs this morning and went to the clean
side of the boat, and sat for a while, but it grew cold,
and Jamie was feeling very poorly with neuralgia,
and threatened with lumbago, which filled him with

alarm, but did not, somehow or other, frighten me.
I began to take a mental account of the remedies
which I had in my bag, but the probability of poss-
ible illness did not assume alarming proportions in
my mind. As it grew colder, Jamie managed to
meander around, with his back on the bias, and
finally informed me that he had found just the
cosiest corner for us both. Following my " lord and
master," we wandered into the little smoking room ;
Jamie put his chair in a corner, I seated myself at a
table near by, and we spent our entire day there, as
comfortable and snug as could be ; and I wrote let-
ters home. At twelve o'clock, we went down to
luncheon and then returned to " our retreat " again,
where I wrote until half past four o'clock, when Mr.
Gray came for my letters. We then came to our
room to make ready for dinner, and tie up some
pretty sweet grass, which Miss C. of Oakland, had
brought me. Everybody has been off the boat, into
the woods to-day, or else in little boats to Nanaimo,
but James not feeling well, we have kept very quiet
all day. The sweet grass is lovely ; it consists of
great big fresh green leaves, on a long stem. They
gather it, make it into round green balls, hang
them in the staterooms, and as they wither and dry,
the perfume is very sweet and very strong.

After a good dinner, James and I came to our
clean and cosy corner, and I was writing to-day's
journal, when Officer Gray appeared, with the biggest
ball of sweet grass that I have yet seen, and pre-

sented it to me. I felt quite complimented, as he
had sent a man to gather it for me.

At 8 P. M. we set sail from Departure Bay, and
right happy we were to be on the move again. We
were all up on the hurricane deck, to see the start,
and also to see the loveliest of sunsets. It was
brilliant daylight until nine o'clock, and not dark
then, only the moon began to be radiant and shut
off the twilight. The sky was as blue, and the clouds
as pink as shells, long after the path of moonlight
on the water, had widened to abroad shining ribbon.
This is a land of wonder that we are approaching,
wonder in sky and sea, as well as on land; and a trip
to Alaska is instructive, as well as interesting, teach-
ing us of tides as well as of glaciers and ice-bergs.
If the days are so long, and the twilights without
end, one wonders why, and the very query leads to
questions and research, and ends in knowledge
gained, if only to be the beginning to paths of
wisdom.

Jamie and I were right royally tired by half past
ten, and glad to retire to our little shelves.

MONDAY, JULY 20TH.

r^ REY all day, no sunshine and very, very cold.
^^ After our breakfast, at 7.30 A. M., I did a lot of
mending on my new ulster. Before I get through, I
shall have made an ulster, for new rips come every
day, but it is a good coat for all that, and a young
lady on board said, she ** knew we were from New

York, by the cut of our clothes." As I was dressed
in a Tacoma cap, and a Portland ulster, I was
amused. Afterward, I joined Jamie in our ** cosy
corner," but all our wraps were necessary to-day,
as it has been very cold and disagreeably blowy.
Mr. Gray had an awning put forward, to protect us
a little from the wind. We slept all the morning,
quite overpowered with fatigue, and after luncheon
out on deck, we slept two hours more, until three
o'clock, when Miss C. and Miss K. came, by invita-
tion, and we had "afternoon tea," with my Chinese
" Tea-basket ;" and a third guest came before we
had finished. After dinner, we did nothing but
chat with Commander and Mrs. G., Senator and Mrs.
D., until nine, when we had supper. We eat
and sleep constantly. The passengers were reading
novels on deck, until half past nine to-night, — such
long twilights !

TUESDAY, JULY 2 1 ST.

A GREY day ; clouds have hung low over the
mountains, just lifting once in a while, to give
us a peep of some snow-caps, then nestling closely
again, down on the tree tops. Instead of detract-
ing from the beauty, I think the clouds have
added to this scene of wildness and mystery, for
they have been like thin gauze ribbons or festoons,
hung in every variety of way. I say this " scene of
wildness," because every hill and mountain, every
island and shore line, is covered with fir trees thick

203

together, and so dense, one sees hundreds of trees
on a mountain, like one huge green covering ; there
is no outline of individuality, or any marked feature,
to distinguish one spot from another, and not one
living thing to be seen. There is a sameness in
color to-day, because there is no sunshine to produce
a variety ; but the sunshine is not needed, to show
us the beautiful outline of the islands, or the chang-
ing coast of the mainland. The islands cannot be
numbered, for every variety, — from a little round
tuft of rock and green, to a great big surface, half
the size of some of our Eastern States, — we have
passed during the last two days. It makes an ever
changing scene, as we steam along a narrow channel^
close to the shore, then out on a stretch of ocean,
the roll of whose waves sends timid hearts and un-
steady stomachs to their little rooms. There is
only one stretch of sea-crossing, which is really very
rough, and that is Queen Charlotte's Sound, and
we made that yesterday. We have not been yet out
of sight of land.

To-day has been too short. We began by having
breakfast at half past seven; then, after attending to
a few ** odds and ends," Jamie and I seated our-
selves in our corner, to enjoy the morning, and be-
fore we were aware, the sea breezes had made us so
drowsy, we could not keep awake, and it was near
eleven when I opened my eyes, to find the wife of
Senator D., of Oregon, seated near us. She had
adopted our corner, and we were glad to have so

agreeable and handsome a companion. We chatted,
and a very good article in Frank Leslie's Magazine,
of August, 1 89 1, on ** A Trip to Alaska " was read,
then twelve o'clock and luncheon. After lunch,
Mr. C, the purser, Mr. C, the freight clerk. Misses
K., D., J., of San Jos6, Miss C, of Oakland, Dr. N.,
of Johns Hopkins University, Mrs. D. and a few
others, all gathered in our corner, and we asked
conundrums, until worn out and weary, when we dis-
persed for naps. I tried to write my journal, but my
head was in such a state of commotion, from the
ship's motion, that I could do nothing, so gave it up
until we should come to Loring. Miss C. came, about
half past four, and serenaded me outside my door,
with a banjo and a song, very sweet and pretty.
About five o'clock, "first dinner" was announced,
and after it, as somebody at our table discovered
that I knew a little about palmistry (they did not
know how little that was), our corner was soon full
of applicants for " a reading," — thin and fat hands,
artistic and practical. I read about two dozen, very
poorly^ too, but it pleased the little crowd, and es-
pecially Jamie, as I happened to ** hit several nails
on the head." I think twenty-five or thirty sur-
rounded us ; it was as bad as in Chinatown with the
camera.

At last, about 8 P. M., we steamed up to a miser-
able collection of little huts, about fifteen houses in
all, and the Captain said, "This is Loring, in
Alaska." A fish cannery is the industry of the

205

place, where they can salmon; and some people who
went ashore, say, "You will never eat canned
salmon, if you once see the process !" Lots of people
went ashore, but it was pouring — a regular Alaska
down-pour, — and as I knew we should have another
chance to land here, on the return trip, I came to my
room, to get in out of the rain, and have been writ-
ing this journal. I am sitting in the tiny room,
my door is shut and light comes only through a
small window, and yet it is quite light enough to
see to write ; and it is 8.50 P. M., and a rainy night
at that.

To-day we passed an empty Indian village. Fort
Tongas, it is called on the map. The Indians re-
turn to it in winter. We saw many Totem poles,
and the Indian graveyard. They put their dead
under ground, but build little houses, and fences
about the corpse, and it is quite an unusual sight, —
a little miniature village.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22ND.

A T five o'clock this morning, we steamed up
to Fort Wrangle's dock, and tied up to the
wharf. It was a damp, chilly, disagreeable morn-
ing, but we were up early, in order to see all
we could at this Alaskan Port. Fort Wrangle, once
upon a time, was a flourishing little town, being the
nearest one, of any size, to the British boundary, and
mines in the vicinity were in working order, pro-
ducing activity and life in this small village. The

206

river Stikeen opens up from Wrangle to the British
possessions, and was the quickest path, in those
days, from Victoria to the British mines. That life
of activity and interest, bringing Fort Wrangle in
touch with the world, is over now, as capital /<?r the
mines and deposits in the mines, have both simul-
taneously given out, and this little village has
dwindled into a tumble-down wreck of a place,
which was not much to boast of, in its palmiest
days. From the wharf, broken-down huts, devoid
of paint or embellishment of any kind, one story
high, seem to be clustered about the curve of the
shore, making a semicircle of civilization, most un-
attractive externally and swarming with Indians, of
every age and size. Everything seems stamped
with the motto *' going to destruction," for houses
are tumbling down, their supports seem insecure,
and uncertainty is written on everything, in the
little town of Fort Wrangle. Rubbish lies in every
path, broken wharves, wrecks of once fleet steam-
ships, tumbling shanties, and no one seems thrifty
enough to put a nail into needy places, or clear
away the piles of rubbish. In going about, we had
board walks for a while, but then had to wander on
the shore, covered with stones, and old shoes, and
tin cans.

At ten minutes after six, Jamie wandered back
into the stateroom, and I arose. He had been out
to walk, having met Miss C, and gone with her to an
Indian silversmith's, and bought me two tiny silver

207

bangles, of dainty design and work. He hurried me
as much as he could, and before seven o'clock, we
were wandering up the wharf, poking our noses into
the funny little shops, and finally we wandered into
the silversmith's little out-of-the-way cottage. We
then went through a long alley-way, up a little
incline, and came to a neat little hut. As we ap-
proached, I could smell — a smell I shall not forget,
— an odor of smoked and smoking herrmg ! Oh, how
these people, — their baskets and wares, — do smell !
By a stove, stood a young Indian boy, cooking the
small red fish, — opposite, at a table, sat Indian
Charlie, eating his fish like sticks of candy. No-
thing else was before him, — absolutely nothing, —
that was his breakfast ! The room was small, but it
looked clean. It was papered with daily news-
papers ; once in a while, an illustrated weekly shone
forth conspicuously. In one corner stood a bed,
clean and white and nicely made, and on it lay a
bundle of flannel, on pillows. In another corner, on
the floor, — on some kind of mattress, — in a pink
dress, but under a sheet and blanket, lay a young
Indian woman ; and by her side was a plate, with
the sticks of unappetizing herring on it, for her to
eat. This young woman was just a mother,— -and
the bundle on the bed, was the two days old Indian
baby, — a little round roll of fatness. James marched
into the room, and straight over to the bed, as if he
was an old friend of the family, and he called to me,
to come and see the little baby ! It was a dear

little dark-skinned Indian, and was fighting with its
little fists, like a born warrior. When a child
is a year old, the first winter, the mother takes
it to the river or bay, and puts it in the cold-
est water to be found. If the child lives, it is
hardened, they say, by this process ; but if it dies,
it was too sickly for earth. After viewing the in-
fant, we wandered about again, and met a white man,
who took us to see an old war-boat, used always in
war, and carrying forty or fifty men. It was cut
from one log, and had long pointed bow and stern,
like gondolas. As we passed through an old build-
ing to go and see it, we came suddenly upon a dog,
— I thought it was, — and although chained, I was
not afraid, and put out my hand to pat his head.
He growled fiercely, and I jumped back fortunate-
ly, for it was a wolf, and he was quite ferocious
toward strangers. The owner came and held him,
while I passed, and said, *' Well, he might do no
harm ; — he tore the minister's clothes all to pieces
last time he called ! " On all corners, sat groups of
old women and children, in their queer crouching
positions, bent shoulders, thick bright blankets and
brilliant head handkerchiefs. Their faces are stupid
and express but little, their skin is like a hide, and
very dark. They rub in paint of red shades, or else
blacken the face, all over sometimes, again only in
spots, with stove blacking, or a gum of one of their
trees.

We came back to the ship for breakfast, which we

fl09

swallowed in double quick time ; then in a flock, we
all wandered out again, around the shore to where
the totem poles were the finest. These Indians at
Fort Wrangle get trees from the forest, take the
bark off, and carve — rudely, to be sure, — their family-
history upon these poles. They are their family
trees, their badge of heraldry, historical record of
their own brave chiefs ; and they set them up in
front of their houses, usually placing on the sum-
mit, some monstrous animal, with huge wide-open
mouth, or all eyes, which means something, that I
could not find out. These poles are called " Totem
poles," and are usually five or six times as high as
the house. Some are painted, some seem all eyes,
which they vary with different colors. They also
place them about their graves, and they are most
unusual, and very interesting. In Longfellow's
beautiful poem, we read of this peculiar characteris-
tic of these Indians :

" All these things did Hiawatha
Show unto his wondering people,
And interpreted their meaning,
And he said ; * Behold, your grave-posts
Have no mark, no sign, nor symbol.
Go and paint them all with figures ;
Each one with its household symbol.
With its own ancestral Totem ;
So that those who follow after
May distinguish them and know them.'
And they painted on the grave-posts
Of the graves yet unforgotten.

Each his own ancestral Totem,
Each the symbol of his household,
Figures of the Bear aud Reindeer,
Of the Turtle, Crane, and Beaver."

We saw five or six very fine ones. Two were in
front of the house belonging to a nephew of the
Chief — ** Shakes " by name, and he asked us in and
up one flight of steps (for this was a new and mod-
ern dwelling), to see a totem pole, of small dimen-
sions (carried on all state occasions by the Chief),
one thousand years old. He also showed us a queer
hat, five hundred years old, worn by many Indian
chiefs. It was like an inverted pan, made of wood,
painted a queer blue, and on it was a monster,
spreading all over it, with outstretched claws, and
tremendous shining eyes, in a bronze color. On top
of that was a queer little thing, which stuclf up like a
chimney, and waved when a man walked, from
which hung tails of fur.

James and I had a pleasant time, and were return-
ing to the ship, when Mr. C, the clerk, a good-natured
fellow, came running after us, to say they had per-
suaded Katashan to put on all his fine toggery, and
come out for me to photograph him. Of course,
we were delighted and hurried back, and as soon as
we came in sight of the door, there stood the Indian
in full regimentals ; and a study in color he was. A
Chilcat blanket, full of yellow wool and great black
eyes, covered his shoulders, and the straw-colored

fringe hung nearly to the ground. On his head
was the old hat, and in his hand the showy totem
pole, and he was a picture indeed. After he had
disappeared, his little son came up and asked if we
would like to have him sing. He was a little chap,
and too cute for anything. He had been taught in
the Indian school, which is doing wonderful work
among the little people. "Thumpkins he can dance
alone," and similar ballads, were his stock in trade,
and very cutely he sang them too, then bowed very
low, and at once passed round his little straw hat.
He was bountifully rewarded. We soon had to hurry
back to the steamer, as we were to leave Fort Wran-
gle, at 10.30 A. M.

Our trip all day was lovely, through exquisite
scenery, bountifully supplied with snow mountains
and numerous islands, most picturesque and beau-
tiful. I sewed a bit before lunch, and after lunch,
in the delicious cool crisp air, we slept and nearly
froze. After dinner it was very cold, so we sat in
our cabin reading, until we began to approach Point
Ellis ; then we went on the hurricane deck, and
watched the man throw the lead and take soundings.

Point Ellis consists merely of a cannery, belong-
ing to Mr. E., who was a Mexico passenger ; and the
Mexico went out of her course, to take the owner
to view, for the first time, his property. We left
him there, and will go after him later, on our re-
turn trip. As we were rounding into the Bay, near
Point Ellis, Miss C. said, ** Isn't it light for nine

o*clock ? " " Nine o'clock ! " I exclaimed, " you're
crazy ; it can't be more than seven, if it is that." We
immediately took out our watches, and sure enough
it was nine o'clock. It was as bright as it is at home
at five.

The view here was perfectly beautiful. The fore-
ground was full of lovely wooded islands, of numer-
ous shapes and sizes, then a band of blue water, be-
hind which, the great ragged peaks of the moun-
tains rose, boldly outlined against such a sky as one
seldom sees, — the bluish grey of the rocks on their
summits, contrasting strangely with the great white
snow patches on them; and, over all, a pink glow was
thrown from the sunshine, which deepened into
rose, then red, purple and all shades of violet ; and
all was reflected in a mirror of water below. We
stood in a speechless trance, spellbound by such
beauty. The sunshine lasted until after ten o'clock,
then a radiant twilight came down upon us, and at
eleven o'clock, I could see plainly, sitting outside my
own room door, as I wrote a letter to the three
at home.

We had much fun to-day, watching whales, which
came so near the ship, we could see their great heads
and shining bodies plainly.

THURSDAY, JULY 23RD.

A NCHORED at Douglas Island, Alaska, 10.30
"^ P. M., in bright daylight and on deck.
Although half past ten o'clock, it is bright day-

313

light, and I am sitting outside my stateroom, writ-
ing in the twilight of this Alaskan day. It is a
queer sensation to have the daylight linger so long ;
it quite upsets one's ideas of the proper order of
things, and makes going to bed seem almost a sac-
rilege. The sun set about half past nine to-night,
and the beautiful rose-glow on the snow mountains
was simply heavenly, at a quarter to ten o'clock.
Now, as I write, without exaggeration, it is as
bright as it is at home, at seven o'clock in summer.
The mountains have a golden glory all behind them,
and it is beautiful, although uncanny and mysteri-
ous, to one accustomed to darkness at the " proper
hour." They say, to-morrow night, it will be still
later when the sun goes down, for we start out in a
few minutes now, to go further north. I must say,
this long twilight is simply fascinating, and makes
one forget fatigue and every care, in the cheerful
and continual blessing of the sunshine. It covers
the entire scene with a glow and a glory, which
make all beautiful. Last month, the days were
longer, but gradually, month by month, the days
shorten, until, during the winter, the sun departs
about two o'clock in the afternoon, and although
not inky black until six o'clock at night, lamps are
lighted about 2 P. M. Doleful it is then !

We were up this morning at the usual hour, had
breakfast at half past seven ; and it is simply aston-
ishing how much one can sleep and eat, on ship-
board. A trip to Alaska is *' a life on the ocean

214

wave/* without much wave about it, just delightful
and ideal, and as unusual as it is easy. After break-
fast Misses C — , J — , D — , K — , N — , and I, sat
awhile together, then I came to my room to finish a
letter home, which I wanted to mail in Juneau.
Dinner at twelve o'clock, or rather luncheon, and
then about two o'clock, we were nearing Juneau, the
largest city in Alaska, and naturally, everybody was
on deck, and all on the *' qui vive " to see this spot.
We had travelled miles and miles, without a single
sign of civilization, and now we were approaching a
big city. At the foot of some very high mountains,
nestled close to the water's edge, stood Juneau, a
city of a few hundred inhabitants. Houses were
many, with but one story, and usually one room in
them, and although some, high upon the hill, were
more palatial in appearance, they were only moder-
ately beautiful, that was all. We went on shore as
soon as we could, and everyone made a rush for the
stores marked "curios." Etiquette was forgotten,
in some instances, and a person's natural selfishness
stood out "in full feather." Jamie and Miss C. made
a mad march for "souvenir spoons." Everybody is
spoony in these trips; in fact, the fad is an epidemic,
in a violent form.

Of course, Juneau is hilly, and the best street is
on the side of the hill. There are nice stores here,
— a fine drug-store, good provision stores, fur shops
without number, — and baskets of Alaskan weave in
every form and variety. We saw a funny sight on

315

a street corner. Under a sheltering roof, by the
side of a store, sat a dozen Indian women, crouch-
ing down on their haunches (for Indians never
use or possess chairs). They were sitting back
against the wall, in a row, — such filthy, dirty old
hags, that one felt like keeping a good distance
from them. In front of them were china cups,
filled with all kinds of berries, which they ex-
pected we would buy. They wear always moc-
casins, an old calico skirt, blankets pinned about the
neck and falling from the shoulders, and handker-
chiefs over their heads. Yellow, red, and bright
green, are their favorite colors, and in contrast with
their dark skins and black hair, are very picturesque.
A group of Indian women is generally a study in
color, of the highest tints. Some of these women
were young, some were old, but all wore innumerable
silver rings, sometimes on every finger, and ban-
gles of silver by dozens. There is no Indian woman
poor enough, to go without her silver ornaments.
One curious custom among them is, that they paint
their faces with vermilion, and rub it in, until it is a
brilliant red. As I said before, the most revolting
habit is painting the face black, which is a very com-
mon custom, and we saw many at Juneau blackened,
and shining, as black as a coal everywhere, except
rings around eyes and mouth. They do it for three
reasons — to protect the face, sometimes, from the
sun when canoeing, again for beauty, but mostly, as
a little Indian boy expressed it, *' When she wants

216

to cry a good deal, cause she lost her papa" — in
other words, as a badge of mourning. When a
woman marries, she has her chin pierced, as we do
our ears, and has a silver piece put in it. It is called
a labret, and is the mark of a married woman. It is
like a cribbage marking pin, only made of silver,
larger and longer, and even in size, and sticks out of
the lower lip, or the chin under the lip, about an
inch. One woman we saw at Juneau, had not only
a labret, but she had a silver ring put through her
nose. You see dozens of these people, on the cor-
ners, and on the wharves, all offering goods for sale,
and at big prices too. They live in huts, always
close together, and as they have no fear of dirt, you
see it in every variety and form, in Indian villages.
One walks into an Indian village at first courage-
ously, and with interest, but feels like crawling out
as soon as possible. We visited the little village, or
settlement, near the wharf. In a door-way, crouch-
ing down, sat a young mother, with a ten days old
baby in her arms. We went near and looked at the
diminutive scrap, and never in my life have I seen
such an atom, in the form of a baby. An ordinary
sized orange would be large, in comparison with its
head, and its hands were like birds' claws, as some
one expressed it. I do not believe it measured
more than twelve inches, ''over all " (as they say
of a ship), I tried to get the mother to let me take
her picture, with her baby, but she cried and went
into her house. After strolling all over town, trying

to get some lemonade, or apollinaris, or something,
which we could not do, we wandered back to the
ship and rested, for we were to have a long evening.
Dinner at five o'clock, then we mustered up a little
crowd and went on shore, up to an Indian tent,
to see a War Dance by the Indians, in their native
dress, paint and feathers. It was a disappointment,
no doubt, to the Indians, that so few people came
to their unique performance, but some did not think
it worth " one dollar admission," and only about a
dozen of us were present. Behind a miserably dirty
curtain, on a little raised stage, sat the Indians, and
in their shrill harsh voices, they chanted for about
fifteen minutes, before we were allowed to see them.
We, in the meantime, were seated on boards and
benches, in the middle of a medium sized tent.
At last, Yash Noosh, the Chief, in a checked suit
of brownish tint, and a straw hat, gave the signal,
and the curtain was drawn aside. About half a
dozen Indians, in brilliant paint, with Chilcat
blankets and feather head-dresses, with numberless
ermine tails hanging down behind, and queer war-
spears, began to tip back and forth, from heel to toe,
and then jumping and see-sawing on their toes, and
keeping time to a queer melancholy chant, as weird
and doleful as it could be. They kept this up for a
while, then the curtain came down, and a recess was
taken. Another dance exhibited other war-gar-
ments, queer trousers of buckskin, bright woven
blankets, new attitudes, and new tunes, and quite

218

unusual and different from the first. The perform-
ance consisted of a series of these dances, very strange
and picturesque, and ended in a " Medicine Man's
Dance.*' The Medicine Man was trying to expel an
evil spirit from his patient, who lay quite still on
the floor, and the physician and attendants made the
most unearthly noise, screaming, howling, beating a
drum, and doing enough to kill any sick man from
sheer exhaustion. All the time, the wonderful doc-
tor was sitting down on his haunches, and hopping
around like a toad, while another attendant kept
throwing feathers all over him, and in his face also.
The performance ended with this Medicine dance,
and while we would not go one block to see it again,
it was well worth one visit, and we were glad we
had gone. Among the performers was a tiny boy,
whose reddened face and black lines, over nose and
cheeks, enlisted the interest of all the audience.
He teetered back and forth on his little toes, to the
great amusement of all. He was dressed in a little
fur coat, and was too cunning for anything. After
one dance, this diminutive scrap came tumbling
from behind the curtain, in a flood of tears,
stopping every few steps to rub one poor little toe,
which a big Indian had stepped upon. His red
paint and black, were getting hopelessly mixed and
streaked. One of our party took the little fellow,
and sat him in our midst, and as she did so, she ex-
claimed, *' Oh, how I would like to wash you, you
dirty little thing! " He was almost better than the

219

performance. All the while these Indians danced,
it seemed as if they were waxing more and more
angry, and one could easily imagine that they could
commit any number of atrocious deeds, after such
agitating performances.

At eight o'clock, the Mexico steamed off from
Juneau, across the bay to Douglas Island, a couple
of miles only, and we remained there from nine
o'clock to twelve, when we set sail for Chilcat Can-
neries. On Douglas Island, we were much interested,
for the richest mine of gold in the world is there,
turning out a million dollars worth of gold a year ;
and there is no sign of any lessening for years to
come. It is the Tredwell Mine, owned, it is said,
by D. O. Mills, and other capitalists.

At 9 P. M. in an army, the passengers marched up
the pier, to the buildings of the mining company.
We were specially invited, by a young friend of Miss
C.'s who was here, and had influence, to go with
about twelve, in a private party, so we went through
the Tredwell Mine, with a former superintendent of
the mine, who took us everywhere, except into the
room where the gold is poured into moulds. That
is a forbidden place to all, as the immense yield of
the mine is kept secret. We saw the two hundred
and forty stamp mill, where the ore is put into the
crusher, the quicksilver slabs over which the gold is
washed and caught, the concentrator, or a vertical
shaking slab, where all gold, that escaped the first
slab, is caught and separated from the soda ; then that

dust is put in fires and baked, and again put in tanks,
and a solution of acid thrown over it, which separates
the last remnants of gold, from the common stuffs.
We went everywhere, even climbed up a steep place,
and looked down into the mine, saw the shutes, down
which the ore is thrown into cars below. It was a
most interesting experience. At 9.45 P. M. we came
out of the mine and enjoyed the exquisite sunset,
with the lovely pink glow on the snow-mountains.

We saw some icebergs to-day, not large ones, to
be sure, but a little taste of what we are to see
later. The glaciers, on the mountain sides, were
beautiful to-day.

Miss K. gave me a pretty drawn work hand-
kerchief to-day, and Miss N. brought me some
lovely wild flowers at night.

FRIDAY, JULY 24TH.

'I A 7" HEN we awoke this morning, we were an-
chored off the Chilcat Canneries, and found
ourselves unable to go ashore, even if we desired to
do so. The wind is very strong to-day ; the tide is
low, and as there is but little to see, we are not
sorry to be obliged to stay on our ship. It is a
lovely place to anchor, for the views, in every direc-
tion, are grand and magnificent. As we stepped
out of our stateroom, to go to breakfast this morn-
ing, we looked right into the face of a tremendous
blue glacier, on the shore opposite. It is a wonder-
ful sight to me, these great frozen rivers, so majestic

in their silent grandeur ; and in the sunshine, the va-
riety of blue and green ice crevices, give a marvel-
ous effect to the entire surface. Near the ship, is a
queer formation of stones and boulders, in piles and
layers, which is said to be the terminal moraine of
an ancient glacier. This huge glacier before us is
called ** Davidson's Glacier/* The story is told,
that a man some time ago, grew discontented with
his work for Mr. Muir (of Muir Glacier fame), and
rather than stay with him, he determined to cross
this dangerous ice-flow, and reach his home on the
bay, where we are now anchored. He was fourteen
days in doing it ; and although he had two extra
pairs of shoes with him, he reached his destination
bare-footed. He had coffee and biscuits with him,
— fortunately met and killed a bear, on his way, and
had many and thrilling experiences. Some days he
would creep for only two miles, then find some
gorge or crevice impassable, and have his steps to
retrace, and a fresh beginning to make.

This morning, after breakfast, I was standing near
the pilot-house, taking a view of our surroundings,
when a gentleman joined us, and began to speak of
the two missionaries, we are to leave in this desolate
spot, — a young man from Princeton, and his new
wife. I was at once interested, as being in the for-
ward part of the ship, these facts had not reached
my ears. I went aft to see them, and had a long
chat with the brave young people. They have left
home, a father and mother over seventy years old.

to come and teach these Chilcat Indians. The
Chilcat tribe numbers about three thousand,
and are the most powerful tribe in Alaska. They
are the most warlike too, but these young people
are devoid of fear. I had a most interesting chat
with the young wife, — long enough to satisfy my-
self, that she little knows what she is undertaking.
They are truly in earnest in their work, but have
little realization of the desolation and loneliness,
they are about to enter. It is said, if the Indians
are friendly, they nearly live with the whites, —
come in crowds into one's kitchen, and sit on the
floor for hours, saying nothing, — only watching.
If the lady of the house goes into any other room,
they go along, and at any and all hours of the day,
Indian faces may be seen, pressed close to the win-
dow pane, watching every movement. The Indians
here are more easily taught, than the ordinary In-
dians of our Territories and Western States. They
claim they are of Mongolian descent, and are more
intelligent. If these two young missionaries are
favorites, in the new home to which they go, they
say, the Indians will, in time, make a great feast for
the newcomers, and with fitting ceremonies, adopt
them into their tribe, and give them Indian names.
While I chatted with brave Mrs. W., I found she
was quite unprepared, for the common ordinary
aches and pains, which mortals are heirs to, and did
not fully appreciate the ninety miles of space, be-
tween her and any doctor ; so I came into my room,

223

searched through my bag, and could only find
Jamaica Ginger to offer her, which she most joy-
ously accepted. Such faith and self-sacrifice, as
these people exhibit, such forgetfulness of pleasure
and comforts, of home and family, in the service of
the Master, makes one stand still, and wonder in
silence, at the strength which such faith can bring,
and at the bright cheerful heart, so full of hope and
pleasure, even knowing the hardships. I know the
discipline of pain, and I know one can accept the
trials which come ; but to absolutely go out into
a nest of trouble and discouragements, to settle
down in the midst of distresses, and keep cheerful
and happy in hard work, expresses a strength of
character, I am utterly unable to appreciate.

While we chatted, a lady from Montana joined
in the conversation, and she was rich in experiences
with the Indians of Montana. She told us of the
lawless times they used to have, before justice had
any voice in the administration of affairs, when the
sheriff was the head of a band of robbers and
thieves, all being road agents. Murder and house-
breaking were common everyday affairs, and there
was no redress, — one lost everything, — life was
demanded at a moment's notice, and no voice was
raised in complaint, for the safety of the people, for
some time. Finally, right was might, and the down-
trodden sufferers joined in bands, called "Vigil-
antes," and hung every out-law they could find, at
a moment's warning. At last, they brought some

224

out-laws to trial. This lady's cousin was just
stepping into a stage, in this little settlement, which
was to carry him to his home, when the people
came, to beg him to stay and try their case, as the
road-agents and sheriff had bought up all the law-
yers in town ; and this gentleman was a judge.
He yielded, but there was no house or place for the
Court room. Taking a farm wagon, and calling
jurors, he stood up in the wagon and " held
court." It was simply and quickly done. The
man under arrest was a fine looking fellow, but
a villain. He had murdered any number of inno-
cent people, and his favorite method was to
catch them on some high-way, bind them to trees,
and then, as recreation between his courses at
lunch, or between drinks, he would shoot at them,
and watch and ridicule their agony. He would
riddle his victims with bullets, which usually
resulted in their deaths, but if not, he would dis-
patch them more brutally. This young man was
tried and sentenced, to be hanged in an hour. In a
most pathetic manner, he begged for more time, that
he might write last letters to friends ; and this lady
said that her cousin felt sympathy for the fellow, and
could hardly bear to be so cruel, but he knew that
if he yielded one moment, the road-agents would
rally and free their companion. One man in the
crowd reminded the masses, of the little mercy ever
shown by the prisoner, to any of his prisoners, and
at once the verdict was changed to immediate execu-

225

Hon. Of course this is only an incident, in the his-
tory of our Western States, in the early years of
their formation. This lady says, in Montana now,
and especially in Helena, whenever any robbery is
committed, or any threatened assassination, boards
are stuck up all over Helena, and all the newspapers
print a mystical signal. It is " 3-7-77," — and under
this number, is always a skull and bones. No out-
law ever stands upon the order of his going, but de-
parts at once, when this sign appears. It means, —
as it counts, — *' In twenty-four hours, you will be
skull and bones." She said she saw the sign, only
two years ago, in Helena. She also amused us, by
telling of the Indians' love for dress, and the queer
fancies the men take for peculiar articles. Sun-um-
brellas are their delight. She saw an Indian, not
long ago, in buckskin trousers, a bright red blanket,
his hair braided, and amply hung with rattlesnake
rattles, and over his head he carried, with great sat-
isfaction, a pink cotton umbrella, A Sioux Indian
went to visit a friend of hers, and having to ford a
stream, the Indian took off his scanty supply of
clothes, and hanging them on his arm, waded across.
Instead of dressing again on the other bank, he ap-
proached the tents, with his clothing on his arm,
and a blue-checked sunshade over his head !

While I was writing this journal, Mrs. S. came to
my cabin door, to ask what I thought about getting
a cow for the missionaries. It seems there are no
cows near Chilcat, — no milk is anywhere to be had,

226

and they cannot get butter or any fresh meat.
Eggs are one dollar a dozen, and scarce and hard to
get. A cow could be brought here, perhaps, etc.
I put on my cap and went out on deck, to see what
Jamie thought of such a plan, what he would give
towards it, but he did not encourage it much, — in
fact, I found there was much opposition to mission-
aries, as many in these parts have been said to be
scoundrels and scamps, feathering their own nest,
under the cloak of religion. But, despite the antip-
athy to missionaries, the fact stood unchanged, and
the women on board appreciated the discomforts
and deprivations, the young wife had before her,
and longed to ease them a little, at least. The fact
that she was a missionary was forgotten, in the sym-
pathy of one woman's heart for another. But the
little discouragements disheartened us, and we re-
luctantly gave it up. About half past two o'clock,
I was resting in my " tiny boudoir," when Mrs. S.
came again, to ask me to come and wave the mis-
sionaries off, as they were to go ashore then. I
went out, but there was the usual delay, and while
we waited, I chatted with a gentlemen from Lincoln,
Nebraska. I told him of the desire that we had
and he spoke so encouragingly, that I flew to Mrs,
S. and suggested that we do, in those few minutes,
all we could. In fifteen minutes, we had seen a
dozen or more people ; all gave, and in less than half
an hour, Mrs. S. stood on deck, with fifty dollars in
gold in her hand, for the little wife. She called her

227

into the saloon, and gave it to her ; and for the first
time, the tears came, and the poor woman wept.
It was awfully pathetic, and we cried too. When
she opened the envelope and saw the shining gold,
she was overpowered and could hardly speak. The
cow is to be called Mexico, at our request. Several
heard of it later, and some came to me with their
donations, and we sent more to her by the Captain.
It seemed only right, to do a little for her, when we
were all out on a pleasure trip.

Jamie went on shore, and into the Cannery, with
Commander C. of the Navy, and had quite an inter-
esting time.

After dinner little groups gathered in "our
corner," and we had a right merry time. At nine
o'clock, the sun was so high in the heavens, that
Jamie took a photograph of us all ; but we were
laughing so heartily, I fear the photograph will not
be good. The sun was blinding on the water then.
About half past nine, the Mexico steamed from Chil-
cat to Pyramid Bay, to another Cannery, to discharge
freight, and take on more canned salmon. Pyramid
Bay takes its name from an island, just off shore,
formed entirely of rocks, and in the form of a pointed
pyramid, and it is interesting, because it is the ter-
minal moraine of a once powerful glacier.

We all remained on deck, guessing proverbs, and
having much merriment, until after ten o'clock, then
we went down to supper. After supper Miss C,
who has a glorious voice, sang for us, and we had

228

some other good music, until half past eleven, when
we made ourselves go to our room, but it seemed
cruel and wicked, to go to sleep, and leave the
twilight. It was light at twelve o'clock — mid-night
— and the sky was blue, the clouds were rose-colored
and purple, and it was heavenly ! These northern
nights are worth the journey to see, and to exper-
ience the queer sensations they produce. I felt as if
I was going to bed at five o'clock, and yet, my tired
bones warned me, it was bedtime.

What a lovely trip this is ! At first one has much
to become accustomed to, discomfort, inconvenience
and cramped quarters ; and the first few days seem
long. Then, as soon as the rough edges wear off,
and one gets settled and learns to manage, a charm
and fascination comes over one, and you float along
from day to day, and wish the voyage was ten times
as long ; and each day we long to stretch, to its utmost
limit. It is glorious, such a blissful rest !

SATURDAY, JULY 25TH.

'T^HESE long days upset every one, and make
regular hours a dream of the past, a remnant
of the Dark Ages. Last night, no one wanted to go
to bed, and it was not strange, for it was quite bright
at twelve o'clock, at mid-night. Some people sat
up, hoping to see the Northern Lights ; but there
were none to be seen.

Nothing to chronicle to-day, so far. We spent the
morning at Pyramid Bay, anchored, loading with

239

canned salmon. At noon, we moved back to Chilcat,
but we hope to leave here, in a couple of hours now.
I have "cleaned house" this morning, that is,
straightened and arranged my room, as order is an
absolute necessity, and I have been writing also,
between chats with passing people. We have been
watching the Indians in their canoes, which have
hovered about the ship all the morning. A strong
young Indian, with his squaw and pappoose, and
three other tiny tots, paddled out to the ship, to try
and sell some things. We had fun with him, offer-
ing to buy the pappoose, and he finally said he would
sell it, for ten dollars. It is interesting to watch
these ^to^X^y from a distance ; they are often good-
natured and jolly, and what little English they can
speak, they use in such an original choppy way, but
they are too dirty, to have a nearer acquaintance safe
or pleasant.

This morning, one of the men on the ship, went
ashore with his gun, and a little while ago, he brought
to show us, a bald-headed eagle, which he had shot.
It was a fine fellow, and measured six feet from tip
to tip of his wings. His great white head and claws
were large in proportion, and it was an interesting
sight.

It is delightful to see the improvement in Jamie's
health. He has gained hourly of late, eats like a
starved child, and is as full of fun as possible. The
prediction about "our table " in the dining-room,
is true, and we have the jolliest times imaginable.

230

We steamed over to Chilcat about noon, and
stayed there until about four o'clock. James went
ashore yesterday, but not again to-day. While at
Chilcat Mrs. S. came to me, with a dish of the most
beautiful strawberries I have ever seen. Mrs. W.,
the missionary, had sent them over to the ship, to
the ladies who had given her the cow ; they were
picked in the meadows and were wild strawberries,
and were magnificent, and so large, with stout stems
and a good flavor. Strawberries grow marvelously
in this country, as do all things : ferns are colossal,
mosses are glorious, wild flowers are plenty in cer-
tain locations. I saw seven strawberries on one
stem, the other night, and the stem was as large as
a pipe stem. The leaves were equally large.

After dinner we all scrambled on deck, to see the
Davidson Glacier, as we passed it. It is a tremend-
ous great ice river, three miles across its front, and
for miles and miles, it covers the country. The
crevices were many and deep, giving] a dark blue,
and oftentimes a green color to the ice. It was
most interesting, but seemed only grand in size,
when we turned to see ten pure white ones, nestled
close in the mountain's side ; then we felt we had
seen glaciers in their finest form, and they were the
most beautiful pictures imaginable.

The scenery, from Chilcat to Sitka, is the most
magnificent sight, one can ever hope to see, in this
world. After leaving Chilcat, we stood for hours on
the hurricane deck, watching the grandeur. It was

231

sublime, ideal, such a sight as one wishes to hold
forever in the memory. The mountains rose on
each side of us, in great ranges, so high they seemed
to touch the sky. Their base and sides were gray
and dark, but the ragged peaks, in every conceivable
effect, from round to pointed, ragged and sharp and
blunt as well, were each and all covered thickly with
pure white snow, which crept down to the dark
sides in great rivers of white. The spaces between
the mountains were full of great shining glaciers,
icy and white ; and all was in marked contrast to the
dark angry waters, and the heavy rain clouds in the
sky above us. We stood in admiring silence, until
the rain drops fell upon us, and then went below,
with the picture indelibly printed upon our minds,
for it was a scene of awful grandeur, magnificent
and inspiring.

SUNDAY, JULY 26tH.

"^r EVER was scenery more daintily picturesque
and beautiful, than this morning. Through
narrow passages, close to thickly wooded shores, in
and out, between most exquisite little islands of rocks
and trees, into enclosed lakes, for which there
seemed no opening nor outlet, — until a gateway sud-
denly presented itself to us, as our bow was almost
on shore, — the good Old Mexico has carried us on,
and we became as enthusiastic, over the delicate out-
lines and profusion of beautiful islands, as we were
last night, over the solemn grandeur of the great

232

gray monarchs, with their snow covering and glacial
deposits. The entire morning was one long excla-
mation of " Oh, how beautiful ! " Islands, like little
buttons, stood side by side, with great green emerald
isles, all reproduced in the quiet water, so mirror-
like in its reflection. Ducks were swimming on the
surface, and at our approach, with a dive and a long
streak of ruffled water behind them, they would dis-
appear, only to rise up serenely, a half minute later,
and with a shrill call, fly off to the land. Porpoises,
too, were waltzing along, like pin-wheels, and racing
with us. Finally a ring from the Captain on his
bridge, quieted the engine; the good old ship's speed
was lessened, and we seemed to float forward in si-
lence. Somebody said, ''This must be White Stone
Narrows, the most dangerous pass on the trip," and
then every one was on the qui vive, to see the
ship pass the danger point, and enthusuastic over
the marvelous dexterity, with which the Captain
and his assistants, handled the big ship. Two buoys
were placed, about two boats* length apart. We had
to pass one on one side, and the other on the other,
making a letter S, and we clung so close to one
buoy, caressing it the entire length of our ship, that
somebody suggested the conundrum, coined on the
spot, "Why was \.\i^ Mexico exceedingly improper?
Because she had been seen hugging a buoy ! " As we
steamed out of these Narrows, where the great rocks
and reefs stood out boldly, on each side of us, re
minding one of the St. Lawrence Rapids, we sud-

233

denly rounded a point and saw, in the distance,
Sitka, the Capital City of Alaska.

As pretty a picture as one cares ever to see, is
this little town, situated at the foot of the great Mt.
Verstoria, — the sides and top so green and beautiful,
— beside and behind which are numberless moun-
tains of pure snow ; and opposite the little city
stands, as sentinel, the extinct volcano, Edgecombe,
with its great open cup full of snow. Islands with-
out number, in picturesque confusion, stand between
Sitka and the open ocean, and make an island bar-
ricade, like the links in a chain. As we approached
Sitka, going beyond and in and out, among these
islands, threading our way with cautious care, we
were spell-bound, by the beautiful picture, this iso-
lated little city presents. The ancient Russian
Castle, now in such picturesque ruins, stands out in
bold relief, against the green Mt. Verstoria and looks
like the haunted house, it is said to be. It was once
the residence of all Russian Governors, who were
men of rank and title, and lived here in luxury and
state, bringing their Court and state furnishings
from Russia ; and the stories told of their grandeur,
of their Court, and doings, make one believe in the
past greatness of Sitka, but also make one see how
truly /^j/ is that greatness.

Once upon a time, Sitka had fine industries. A
marvelous foundry here, was the one that fashioned
all the bells, for the missions in Southern California,
and sent its work to many large cities. Slowly, and

234

by the law which governs the rise and fall of nations,
Sitka began to lose power and people ; and in 1867,
when America negotiated with Russia, and pur-
chased Alaska, as a territory, paying ** at the rate of
two cents per acre," the legends of Russian glory,
became the property of the American people.
Sitka is the brightest little place imaginable, and it
is hard to realize, that it is so remote from all civili-
zation.

When we steamed into the harbor, between the
town and the islands, we were impressed by the
picturesqueness of this little city. In contrast to
the great Russian Castle, in its square box-like
architecture and remnants of brown paint, its brok-
en windows and tumbled-down ruined appearance —
stood the Greek Church, in about the centre of the
town. Its spire is bulging, like beads on a string,
set on end, an oblong one, then a round one, and
surmounted by a golden Greek Cross. Behind this
spire is a dome of ample proportions, and dome and
spire are painted a light green, — not a bit of yellow
in the green — pale but distinctly green. The rest of
the building is devoid of paint ; or the incessant
rains, which visit Sitka, may have washed away
the less powerful colors. An old tradition says,
that whenever a ship is in sight, the ravens always
gather on the gilded cross, on the spire of the Greek
Church ; and as we came nearer to the town, a
couple of great black ravens flew towards the cross.
Whether they really knew their lesson and direc-

235

tions, and were going to perch on that cross, is
a question ; only knowing the tradition, their flight
seemed a coincidence. Barracks, a Court house,
innumerable houses low and small, all curving along
a cove of the sea, form the little city.

The Mexico reached Sitka at eleven o'clock ; but
we were obliged to anchor off shore, as the steamer
QueeUj the excursion boat, had come, out of her
regular order and time, into Sitka this morning, and
occupied the dock-room. A disgusted set of pas-
sengers we were ; for the Queen swallows up at
every port, all the choicest of curios, and we had
rejoiced that we were to reach there first. The
Queen only remained five or six hours at Sitka, how-
ever, and was to move at 2 P. M. by Sitka time,
three o'clock by our watches, as Sitka time is one
hour earlier, than we are on shipboard. We could
not wait, however, until that hour to go ashore, so
small boats were put off, and we went about one
o'clock, fifteen at a time.

As we landed at the dock, we were charmed at
the outset, by the aspect of things. Before us, was
a large green parade ground, on one side of which
stood the Government Buildings, the long stairway
leading to the lofty Castle, and some trees. Under
the trees, along the wharf, in front of the buildings,
sitting closely together in rows, were the Indian
women with their wares, all of their own make.
Baskets of every conceivable design and color, silver
rings and bangles, wooden totem poles, basket

236

bottles, etc., etc., and everything in the most pictur-
esque confusion. The coloring of their dresses,
blankets, and head-handkerchiefs, their dark yellow-
skins, contrasting strangely with their dozens of
silver bangles and numberless rings, and the little
children in brilliant colors, all presented a picture
of wonderful combinations. It was interesting to
walk along, and look at the rows of dark-skinned
women, to see the different degrees of intelligence,
and marks of industry, and their adroit manner of
displaying their things. Any Indian woman, or
every ore, I should say, can speak enough English
to sell ; they can all say, ** two bits,'* or four, or six,
as the price may be, and some are so jolly about
it, and hold up their fingers to denote the price,
thus displaying the silver bedecked arms and hands.
They never undersell each other, and nothing
makes them more angry than to have people offer
them less than they ask, and yet bargains are some-
times gained by perseverance. James and I wan-
dered along the row of Indians, really thoroughly
interested in them and their wares, and also in
watching the passengers from the Queen, who were
strolling along as we were, when we suddenly looked

up and stood face to face with Mrs. V — N ,

of Brooklyn. We have never been more than bow-
ing acquaintances, but to meet any one from home,
in such a far-away place as Alaska, makes one feel
very friendly indeed, and we greeted each other in
the most enthusiastic manner. After a little, James

237

and I grew interested in looking at trifling souvenirs
of Sitka, and we wandered from one little group of
Indians to another. Then we remembered our let-
ter to Mrs. H. of Sitka, which a friend in Chicago
had given us, and we found Mrs. H. lived in an
entire house, all to herself, which is a mark of supe-
riority in Sitka, as most of the people live in rooms
over stores, or in cabins, — even the officers and their
wives. We found the house without difficulty, and
were received by a little lady, in a very pretty room,
full of the most curious of curios. Her welcome
was most cordial, but as we soon found she had two
cousins on the Queetij who were to sail away in a very
short time, and who were then visiting her, James
and I left for a while, and went to the Greek Church.
This church is still maintained by the Russians,
and although there are but few full-blooded Rus-
sians now in Sitka, many of the people attend that
church. (The other chapel is Presbyterian.) We
entered the front door, were received by a young
man, who politely requested each to deposit fifty
cents in a contribution box at hand, which is used
for the attendants on "Tourists* days," etc. We
then entered the church proper, which is small in
size, but large in rich possessions. No man or
woman ever sits during a Russian service, so there
are no pews or seats anywhere visible. Two huge
white columns supported the dome, and made a fit-
ting frame for the beautiful altar before us. With
three or four steps leading to it, was a kind of Rere-

238

dos, or screen, formed of beautiful paintings, the
middle part having golden-bronze gates full of lovely-
pictures, four of which were set in ovals and repre-
sented the four Evangelists, — the two middle ones
were to represent the Annunciation. There were
three in each door, and one peculiar feature and effect
was produced by a silver mantle (of genuine ore)^over
each picture. The heads and hands of the figures
were uncovered, but all the rest was covered by exact
representations of the paintings underneath, but
made of pure silver, and all the shades and folds
were most carefully wrought. No idea can be ob-
tained from a word picture, of the singularly unique
and beautiful effect this produced. On each side of
this door were similar paintings, but almost life-size,
one of the Virgin and Child, the other of Jesus
Christ, and both were covered with a full-length
silver covering. St. Michael, being the Patron
Saint, was represented twice, once in a gorgeous
gold covering. Three of these paintings in panels
were on each side of the middle door, four with
their glorious draperies, and two without, but all
were really marvelous works of art. Before these
paintings stood and hung beautifully wrought Rus-
sian silver lamps, and all produced a grand effect,
and were so decidedly foreign to anything we ex-
pected to see, in such isolation. On each side of the
main altar were smaller sanctuaries, with rare gems
in beautiful paintings, sent by royal Russians, one
conspicuous for its frame of rare and precious stones.

239

In the left hand chapel is a head of Mother and
Child, said to have been painted by Raphael, — it is
exquisite. The tenderness in the Mother's face,
the beauty of the eyes, reminds one forcibly of the
Sistine Madonna, and lingers long in mind and
memory. This gem has also a silver covering, most
curiously fashioned, but exquisite, — head-drapery
and shoulder covering of silver, with gold wrought
in, and a huge golden halo. It is the loveliest thing
of its kind that we have ever seen. There are also
many costly works of art and ivory carvings several
hundred years old.

Behind the golden gate in the centre, we were
told, was the " Holy of Holies," the most sacred
spot to all Russian men, but between those portals
no woman is allowed to enter. The usher kindly
opened the doors, which are always thrown open
at service, and allowed us to peep in, — just a look at
the Holy Place. It was a room with altars and ac-
companying fixtures, but brilliantly glorious in silver
and golden laces and decorations, more beautiful
than can be described. Vestments of the priests
were to be seen, of gold and silver cloth, with tapes-
try colors woven in such gorgeous glory, that it
seemed cruel to have it all so hidden from the world.
A head-piece, worn at service by the Russian Priest,
was one mass of jewels ; one huge emerald cut in the
shape of a cross, set in the front, was grand and
magnificent. This little church is rich beyond com-
pare, in glorious Russian richness, and is so strange

240

and out of place in its setting, for Sitka seems quite
unequal to such grandeur and beauty.

When a couple are married in the Greek Church
in Sitka, they come to the church door and knock,
and the door being opened by the priest, the groom
makes his wish known. Approaching a little raised
platform in the centre of the Church, the bride and
groom stand upon it, sometimes for an hour or more,
all the time the bride wearing upon her head a beau-
tiful crown. If the crown is too big, as often hap-
pens, the best man is obliged to hold it over the
bride's head. The service is long and tiresome ; at
its finish, the groom approaches the figure of Jesus
Christ, touching the toe with his lips, and the bride
approaches the Mother and Child.

After dreaming in silence a little while, in a corner
of the Church, and allowing our thoughts to run
riot and revel in the ages past, when happy and sad
Russian men and maidens attended this choicest
chapel, Jamie and I wandered out again, into the
crooked little streets, with the log-huts and cabins,
the houses of more modern comers, and the relics of
Russian Architecture.

Hearing the whistle, which announced the Queen's
departure, I went again to see Mrs. H. while Jamie
returned to the ship, and when I left her an hour
later, she insisted that we should call for her after
dinner, and she would take us through the Indian
quarters, or the Rancherie, as it is called. About
six o'clock, therefore, we went again to the house,

241

taking a few friends with us, and we all went to the
Siwash, or Indian settlement. It is situated right
on the water's edge ; the houses are of moderate size
and appearance, and are built in rows, and quite
closely together. We were at once interested and
curious about the numbering of the houses, and
questioned everybody, to know why one house was
numbered over the door, in huge figures " icx)," the
next house '* 200," the next " 300," and so on. Mr.
H. explained it to us and it is a most curious reason.
The numbers increase one hundred each time, until
one thousand is reached, then they jump one hun-
dred each time, also, and the why and wherefore is
just this. A census was taken some time ago, and it
was found that often in one house of one rootn, ten
families live, with the multitude of children always
accompanying. They allow ten numbers to each
household, or to each family under one roof, and
registered them " A, the father, B, the mother,"
without recording their names, and allowed for eight
children in each family. One hundred numbers
were therefore allotted to one mansion ! No one,
without seeing, can form any idea of the swarms of
human beings living in cramped and crowded quar-
ters, such as we saw in this Siwash village. Mrs.
H. took us into many houses, which were all built
alike. A square of stones and ashes, in the centre
of the only room, forms the rallying point, around
which all gather. There is usually a fire burning,
and crouching figures, rolled in blankets, about it.

243

The roof is always a little open, and much smoked
and blackened, as the smoke and soot rise and cling
to it. Fish, split open and drying, are always hang-
ing from the beams, and add another perfume to the
well-scented air. Around this central square is
usually a raised platform, on which are all the wear-
ing apparel and property of the different families.
No curtain divides one apartment from another, no
partition or division of any kind, but all are huddled
in together, like sardines, and delicacy of feeling or
modesty, in the slightest degree, is never visible nor
thought of. The fathers and mothers and the chil-
dren live together like a cat and her kittens, with
just about as much care for personal and household
cleanliness, as a feline animal would have. Of course^
there are exceptions in every case, and marked ex-
ceptions, especially where civilized ways and means
have been shown these people, but I am now speak-
ing of the Siwash people, in their natural and un-
changed ways of living. Rude, rough bedsteads,
without pillow or mattress, are sometimes seen, but
they are not large enough for all the family, and
most of them sleep on the floor. We saw a girl of
fourteen — a mother then, with her tiny babe in her
arms — and it was a sad sight. A funny sign over
the door of one house, amused us all immensely — it
was this : " Elisha Ltahin, Head of a large Family
of Orthodox Christians." No one knows exactly
why this Indian put up that sign, but he is very
proud of it, and it is really a curiosity ! Mrs. H.

243

surprised us by saying, that these Indians are often
really clean, and that they are never known to steal.
She never locks the door of her house, except at
night, and in winter often finds a half dozen women
in her kitchen or sitting room, when she re-
turns from a walk, getting warmed up. Blankets
are their measure of wealth, and an Indian is
worth so many blankets, rather than so many
shares of a certain stock. They put all their money
earned in trading, into blankets, which are packed
in chests in their houses, and are the pride of their
hearts. When a man wants some cash, h.^ pawns
some blankets, which he never redeems as a rule,
but he does not sell them, oh no, that would hurt
his pride, and his family honor ! In some houses
into which we went, we saw a dozen or more huge
blanket chests in the corners, a sign of wealth. If a
ransom is ever demanded for a life, or a fine to satisfy
any law of theirs, it is often paid in blankets. One
Indian woman in Sitka, has accumulated such
wealth, that she owns a trading-ship, they say, and
has saved twenty-thousand dollars. She leads a
wicked life, but she rules the town ! There is de-
cided '' caste " in these little settlements, and Eme-
line Baker is said to be the queen of this " Ran-
cherie," and is acknowledged as ** Princess Thom."
She is fat and fifty, lame and ungainly in her fleshi-
ness, and as homely as can be imagined. Of course,
we went to her house to see her collection of wares,
which were for sale. James made a great impres-

244

sion on Princess Thorn, and she sold him a most re-
markable ring from her index finger, and her smiles
and coquettish airs set us all into fits of laughter.
She was stiff in her prices, and knows how to get
and keep the mighty dollar, but we had much fun
at Princess Thom's. After walking to the end of
the village, as we passed the home of the royal
princess in returning, she came prancing out to
offer James another ring she had, and invited him
into the house again. The coy princess had changed
her dark stuff dress to a ** Mother-Hubbard " of the
brightest yellow; a deeper yellow handkerchief
covered her head, and some other brilliant colors
were visible. Instead of being **a dream " in yellow,
she represented a genuine nightmare !

Almost as numerous as the children in this vil-
lage, were the dogs ; there^were big dogs and small
dogs, fat dogs and lean dogs, and all were as ugly
and wolf-like, as any I have ever seen. They are a
pest and a nuisance, as they follow one, and are so
creepy and uncomfortable. Some were quite fero-
cious, but seemed brave only until an umbrella was
raised, or a foot stamped ; that always upset their
courage, and sent them flying in all directions.

These Indians are peaceful now, and never give
any trouble to the residents, but about seven years
ago there was an uprising among them, which was
put down providentially. They became angry over
some imagined injury from the whites, and were in
war paint for several days, and finally attacked the

245

residents of Sitka, who resisted them for a time, by
barricading themselves in their houses. One morn-
ing, hope of battling longer was about given up by
the white people, and without doubt a general mas-
sacre would have resulted, if a war ship had not hap-
pened to put in an appearance that very morning,
for coal or water. The Indians have immense re-
spect for a gun ; they fear the business end of such
articles, and as soon as the ship appeared, they dis-
appeared into their huts and were as docile as kit-
tens. The Government keeps soldiers in Sitka now,
and a small war-ship is most of the time anchored
here, and manned by clever young officers. The
Pinta is stationed at Sitka, and we were invited on
board, an invitation which James accepted.

I wish I could describe the queer Indian canoes.
They are cut from a tree-trunk, hollowed out by the
Indians themselves, without rule or measure. They
give them long over-hanging and slender bows, and
sterns as well, which make them quite like gondolas
and decidedly picturesque. Nothing is more strange
than to see these long slender canoes glide along
through the water, with their brilliantly decked
occupants, crouching in the bottom of the boat. At
almost every place we have stopped, these canoes
have gathered about the ship and presented such
varied little pictures of Indian families and Indian
life.

Mrs. N. one of our Mexico passengers had known,
many years ago, the Russian Princess MaksoutofI,

346

the first wife of Sitka's last Russian Governor. She
died early in her life and was buried in the little
graveyard in Sitka. For the sake of old times, and
their friendship, Mrs. N. visited her grave, and was
horrified to find it one mass of weeds and brambles,
the beautiful tombstone having been carried away
some distance from the grave, and it hurt Mrs. N.'s
feelings so much, that she had men clear and cut the
bushes and weeds from about it, replace the stone,
and left it in good condition. It was a sweet noble
woman's heart, that prompted such an act of kind-
ness and respect, and we love our fellow traveller
for her quiet tribute of love to her old friend.

Sitka was pronounced to-night by all, to be a most
charming little place. It is a marvel in many ways,
— in its remote situation, so far from all civilized
portions of the earth, in the midst of wildness of
land as well as of people — and yet it holds up its
head proudly and bravely, and seems as happy a
place, with as contented a set of people, as one can
find anywhere.

Sitka, with its greatness in the past, its legends of
romance and love, of blood-shed and glory, with its
relics and treasures in true Russian gorgeousness, is
the most fascinating little spot we have seen in our
entire journey. It seems entirely out of the com-
monplace, and is unique in itself and unusual and
foreign in many respects. One could easily spend
a month here, with pleasure and profit, and our
friends urged it so strongly that we would have re-

247

mained, had we been a wee bit prepared for it.
They promised camping and hunting, glimpses of
exquisite scenery, but although sorely tempted, we
could not stay.

MONDAY, JULY 27TH.

\\7 E were up early as usual, this morning, and
soon on shore, for Sitka was too attractive
for us to resist. We were able to photograph a
little, as the sun produced a glare and semi-shine,
good for photographers. Jamie, Miss C. and I
wandered about the shops until about ten o'clock,
then James went to the Pinfa with Capt. Coffin, and
I took a long walk with Mrs. and Miss N. and Miss
C. to the wonderful Mission School for boys and
girls of Indian parentage. It is a remarkable insti-
tution, for the Indian children are taught not alone
studies, but trades and occupations. Many of the
young Indian boys do all the building, and do it re-
markably well. We were much interested in the
fine-looking young fellows in their uniforms, and
feel that the Sitka Mission is really a fine institu-
tion. This is the one in which Mrs. Shepard is so
interested, and in large letters over a door of one
building is " Elliot F. Shepard Training School."
We also visited the little Museum, full of most in-
teresting curios, really remarkable relics and antiqui-
ties. The pleasantest part of the morning was our
walk to Indian River, about a mile and a half. It
was through such an ideal country, so natural and

248

wild, so full of ferns, and exquisite trees, and views,
really most picturesque and delightful. I had to
leave my companions at the Mission and hasten to
the MexicOy for James and I had asked Mr. and
Mrs. H. to lunch with us at twelve, and we had to
be on hand. They came, and we had a lovely visit
with them, and were right sorry to leave them.
Mrs. H. brought me as a souvenir, a most unusual
and unique wooden "potlach spoon" and Jamie was
delighted. After luncheon Mr. H. walked with us
to the Indian Ranch, and we took a photo of the
" Orthodox Family of Christians," — at least of the
remarkable sign over the door.

Mr. H. told us that he and some of the officers
had put a stop to many of the atrocious habits of
the Indians. One was that, whenever a man or
woman was dying, they would place them in a cor-
ner against the wall, and putting a piece of wood
between their teeth for them to bite on, during
their last agonies and struggles, the heartless people
would go on preparing for the burial. A lady on
the Mexico told us of an experience a naval friend
of hers had, when officer on a vessel stationed at
the Fiji Islands. An old Chief was ill, and he was
on his way to inquire for him, when he met the
Chief's son, who said simply ** Father's dead ! "
Walking to the house, the officer entered and saw
the Chief laid out in state, but still breathing. He
expostulated with the son, and tried to show him
that his father was not dead, but that he still

249

breathed. **0h well," said the youth, "he may-
breath but his soul left the body long ago." The
Chief was carried to the grave prepared for him,
and buried, while he still breathed ! Two of his
wives were strangled to death at the same time,
which was their custom then, for a chief had always
to have company for his soul, as well in death as in
life.

The Mexico sailed at two o'clock. Princess Thom
was on the wharf, and remarkably radiant in colors
and avoirdupois, a spectacle which made the
amateur photographers particularly lively, — Jamie
among them.

We had a very quiet afternoon. We took a rest
in our chairs and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. It
was exquisite to-day, just such scenery as we had
coming to Sitka — lovely wooded islands, beauti-
ful little lakes, snow-capped mountains, and the
narrowest of passes.

TUESDAY, JULY 28TH.

pOINT ELLIS was reached again, and our anchor
cast, at a little after five o'clock this morning.
We expected to reach Glacier Bay at that hour,
but it was so stormy last night, the Captain decided
to come here to-day, and give the weather a chance
to change. Jamie and I did not know the change
of plan, so this morning, when we anchored, it
awoke me, and I jumped out of bed to see where
we were in Glacier Bay. My eyes were not half

250

awake, and I imagined that I saw ice-bergs in the
distance, which proved to be rocks in the mist and
rain, for it was a stormy morning. I jumped back
on my little shelf after that, and slept heavily until
seven, and when we learned later that we had come
to Point Ellis for the canned salmon, we were sur-
prised. Our day in Glacier Bay is " the day " of
our trip, and as sunshine is needed to make the
sight perfect, the Captain is most anxious to have a
little sign of clearing, before going there. We an-
ticipate it like children, and although the dangers
are many, it gives spice and flavor to the experience.
On the last trip, a big ice-berg took eighteen inches
off the Mexico's bow, but the damage was soon re-
paired, and the trip enjoyed.

This morning I came at once, after breakfast, to
my cabin, to have a good long morning with my
writing, but soon I began to have callers, and until
lunch time I was not alone. Senator D. brought
me a few posies, — Mrs. N. came to chat awhile, —
Mrs. S., of Summit, also Miss J. and Miss E. in
turn, and after luncheon, and a little call on Mrs.
C, I came to my room again. Nothing, of course,
has happened to chronicle to-day, thus far. Every-
one on board is resting, or reading, to recover from
our long enjoyable day in Sitka, which was as ex-
citing to all as it was fatiguing, and now the un-
avoidable reaction has struck the ship, and all are
resting.

Dinner at five, — then we gathered in groups and

251

had a merry time. About twelve came to our cor-
ner, and as we had only one cabin chair, and two
steamer chairs, we had to offer seats to some of our
guests on the floor. Down on the deck, — all like
tailors, — sat our company, and we sang " rounds,"
and had the joUiest of jolly times.

About nine o'clock to-night, we began to approach
Killisnoo, a *' Herring Fishery Oil Manufactory.**
We were all anxious to get ashore, for every Indian
village attracts travellers, even having seen so many
already, — so, as soon as the gang-way was lowered,
although the tide was high, and we were to climb
down at an awful angle, we scrambled ashore, to
see all there was to be seen in Killisnoo. There
was much to smell, for the refuse of the herring,
after all the oil is extracted from it, is prepared for
a fertilizer, and those articles are never choice nor
pleasant. The Indian women, true to their trading
instincts, had tumbled out of their homes with their
wares, and were in selling trim when we arrived.

These villages consist of a couple of dozen shan-
ties,— no house of size or ambitious inclinations
being visible. The cannery, at Killisnoo, is the in-
dustry which holds the village and its hundred or
two Indians together. We wandered through the
dirty lanes, stamped our feet at the miserable wolf-
dogs, which infest Indian villages, and saw little
new or of interest, until we came to the house of
the Chief, — ** Saganaw Jake," as he is called. A
little broad-shouldered Indian, very thickly set, but

252

with such crooked legs that he was made lame by
them (by constantly tripping over his own toes), was
in his house, entertaining some of the Mexico pas-
sengers by his number of uniforms. It seems he
was such a bad Indian that some of the naval offi-
cers took him, some years ago, to San Francisco,
where he was tried and confined in prison for one
year. He has killed scores of people, — Indians and
whites — and held undisputed sway after his brother,
who was really the Chief, and had a similar experi-
ence with the Navy. He held such a power over
the Indians, that the Oil Company realized that
they must acknowledge his authority in some way,
so they made him a policeman, and he holds that
position undisputed and alone, as unique as any
curio in Alaska, for Indian policemen are not many
in number. He wears a big bright shield, with
** Indian Policeman " on it, in big letters. His pecu-
liar fondness is for uniforms, and officers visiting
here on vessels, and others, have given him uni-
forms of different naval degrees, and land regiment-
als as well. When a steamer is in Killisnoo, Jake
dresses up a dozen times a day, and parades on his
crooked legs down to the wharf, to be admired, and
keeps it up until all his numerous uniforms have
had an outing. As we were there in twilight, he
did some rapid work, changing his effects in his
house, while an admiring crowd stood by to watch
him. We were on hand, and were much amused by
the soldierly air with which he donned his cap and

253

epaulettes, and moved about to " show his shape."
Most of these Thlinket tribes are well developed
from the waist-line up, having broad shoulders and
good chests. Their legs are frequently dwarfed, in
both men and women, which comes from sitting,
hour after hour, and day after day, in their canoes.
We went outside Jake's house, and were much in-
terested in a peculiar carved ornament over his door.
Over the door is a window, and above this window
is a carved wooden eagle's head, and spreading from
it are huge wings, made to represent feathers. Be-
low the window is the tail, also in pieces like feath-
ers. The window forms the body of the eagle, and
they say this is the only eagle in Alaska, " with a
pane in its breast ! "

It spreads outside the roof line, and seems as if
it could stretch its wings and fly right away, with the
house and the Chief as well. In the Indian or Chi-
nook language, a Chief is called a Tyee^ and an
island is called Illahee. On the back of Jake's house
are these verses, written for him by a white man at
Killisnoo, and cut out of wood.

Verse i. By the Government's commission,
And the Company's permission,
I am made the grand Tyee
Of this entire Illahee.

Verse 2. I am sung in song and story,
I've attained the top of glory,
As Saganaw I'm known to fame,
Jake is but my common name.

254

To-day several ladies, asked Mrs. Willard, — the
missionary, — to tell of her life among the Indians.
I went to hear her, and was intensely interested.
She has now a mission school at Juneau, but came
on the Mexico from Sitka with us. She came to the
mission work in Alaska ten years ago, and although
a terrible tirade has been made against the mission-
aries, in some of these ports (as some have been un-
questionably bad, and under the cloak of religion
have done all kinds of outrageous things), I feel sure
Mrs. Willard has been a marvelous exception to the
rule, as she seems a woman of great strength of
character. Quiet, dignified, calm, not at all prepos-
sessing in appearance, yet she impresses one deeply,
when she speaks of the experiences which have been
hers. Ten years ago, she came with her husband to
the very mission at Chilcat, in which we felt an in-
terest early in our voyage, because two of our pas-
sengers were left there for the mission work. When
she went there, there was not one white person near
her, not one soul but Indians, and they were the
war-like Chilcats, the most troublesome tribe, even
now, of these people on the Alaskan coast. They
were in quite a fury when the Willards reached them,
as they had had a long fight with a neighboring
tribe. The Chilcats number between two and three
thousand now. They are separated in five villages.
The Willards selected their site for the mission
buildings in the centre of these five settlements, and
while they were building the husband and wife went

255

to visit the villages. One chief refused to admit
them to his village, but they were bold and brave,
and did not stop, but went on and were received
after all, by His Highness. A great storm (more
severe than any storm known in that vicinity before
or since), visited that part of the country, the first
winter the Willards were there, and the *' Medicine
Men," the men of power in the village, told the peo-
ple, that the gods of the earth and air were angry,
because these white people had come into their midst
with their new God, and they must kill them. The
** Medicine Men *' are the priests of the villages, but
the Indians believed then, in no God, except gods
of anger, and gods to fear, and fear in its most terri-
ble form was their only natural emotion. These
Medicine Men were listened to attentively, as long
as their hair was long, but the minute a man's hair
was cut off, he was lost until it grew again, and the
worst punishment that could happen to a Medicine
Man was to lose his hair. They wore all kinds of
charms about their necks, and all over them, and
their work was to frighten away evil spirits, and
when they used to dance ovet their patients, they
would put on a mask, and then roar and plunge
about the sick one, throwing charms at him, and
making passes, until the spirit was supposed to be
driven out of the patient. Most usually the patient
died ! Mrs. Willard said these Chilcats were so
against them, that they kept provisions or any food
from them, and the dire results make one almost

256

sick to write. The poor woman had her limbs
paralyzed, from her waist down, and one of her hus-
band's arms became useless, — and to crown all, her
little girl was very ill. All the time the Indians
were making their lives a purgatory. They had
been fired upon, — the Medicine Men and Chiefs had
threatened their lives, and all kinds of hardships had
been theirs, through which, Mrs. Willard said, they
were carried miraculously, by a power unseen,
and not tangible, but ever by their side. The
Indians have a law, that if a life is taken, one must
be given in compensation, — if a man is killed, ac-
cording to his rank, lives are demanded. For in-
stance, if a chief is killed in battle, four men^s lives
are demanded from the enemy in return. They
have a caste and a standard, and it is as unchanging
as the laws of the Medes and Persians. Mrs. Wil-
lard used to visit the sick, and take gruel and medi-
cine to them. The Medicine Men saw their power
slipping from them, so they would meet Mrs.
Willard, on her walk to and from these people, and
shaking their fists in her face, tell her she would
be killed if she continued such acts, — that if one
person died, they would demand her life, etc. She
continued her work, with supernatural courage.
After years among these Indians, the Willards gradu-
ally gained their affection, were adopted into their
tribe, were most cordially treated and loved, and
even now, when Chilcat Indians come to Juneau,
they always visit the Willards, and beg " father and

257

mother, to come home to Chilcat." But after many
years among them, in their school, a Chief's child
died, and then the Indian affection had a test. The
lives of Mrs. Willard's little son and daughter were
demanded, as a recompense for the death of the
Chief's child. The old Chief himself held out against
this demand for a long time, but the other Chiefs
assembled and demanded it, for the pride of their
tribe was in danger, and their time-honored law
could not be insulted. At last, the father of the
child demanded the two lives as his right, but the
Willards held their own, and kept calm, and soon
moved away to Juneau. She told us many interest-
ing items of the queer lives of these people, of their
wealth, etc. The rich Indians give sometimes, great
feasts, called "Potlaches," which cost them thou-
sands of dollars. At these potlaches they give quan-
tities of food, and throw hundreds of blankets among
the guests, which the guests immediately reduce to
tatters, tearing in strips, and throwing over them-
selves, and over the ground. This constitutes great
liberality, and is their idea of a good time. The
more they destroy, the grander the feast, the greater
the Chief, and the more successful the potlach. The
poor Indians often gather up the broken strips and
make themselves clothing out of them.
We left Killisnoo at lo P. M.

358

WEDNESDAY, JULY 29TH.

HTHERE are some days in life, which defy the
cleverest pen to describe, or picture, when one
feels dumb and speechless, and the sensations and
emotions are too many and unusual to portray.
Such a day in our lives was Wednesday, July 29th
1 89 1. It was the day chosen by the Captain for our
trip into Glacier Bay, to see the greatest glacier known
to scientists, the Muir Glacier. It is the acme of
enjoyment to all travellers in Alaska, and the most
unusual portion of the trip, in every sense of the word.
Usually the steamers approach the Glacier until
within a half mile in front, and then anchor off the
side, in thirty fathoms of water. The Muir Glacier
is said to be grand beyond measure ; it is three miles
wide across the front, and one solid mass of ice com-
ing to the water's edge, and it breaks off in great
masses every little while, making the sound of roar-
ing cannon, and producing disturbances of unusual
features in the Bay. Its water front, or terminal
moraine, is between three and four hundred feet
high, and full of wonderful deposits. People are
landed a half mile from it, and are able to walk to
it, and over it, if they wish. It is the most wonder-
ful sight imaginable, but — we did not see it f It nearly
broke our hearts, but we were compensated in the
end, and now feel that we have had two experiences
never before allotted to Alaska tourists.
About half past four o'clock this morning, I was

259

aroused by an awful thump on the ship's side, fol-
lowed by another, and another, until I began to
awake to the realization that we were at last in
Glacier Bay, and in the midst of ice-bergs. I jumped
down from my shelf, opened the door, and peeped
out ; and such a scene as greeted my eyes ! A
dozen or more fine ice-bergs surrounded our ship,
and the dear old Mexico was pushing her way along,
like a veritable snail. Just then Mr. C. the freight
clerk, whose room is next door, knocked hard on the
partition, according to promise, and Jamie awoke
also. I could hardly see, I was so sleepy, but I re-
alized this was a day with few parallels, in our lives,
and we could afford to lose sleep, rather than one
moment of such an unusual experience. Jamie was
of similar mind, so we were up and dressed soon after
five o'clock, and out on the hurricane deck. We
found lots of fellow passengers and slowly, little by
little, others came, until most of us were on deck. It
was bitterly cold, and icy, damp and penetrating ; the
sky was gray and overcast — the mountains on all
sides were a deep misty blue — but the scene before
us beggared description ! I looked in every direc-
tion, and was dumb. Not a single word came at my
bidding, and I shivered and shook, from the intense
cold, as well as from the impression of the marvelous
scene before us. Coffee was to be had below, but I
was glued to the spot, and Jamie went and ordered
the hot drink with toast, brought to us on the
hurricane deck, where we stood and ate in silence.

260

Around us, before, behind, on each side, was ice, —
great ice-bergs, — so tremendous that our ship
seemed but an atom, a speck, to their wonderful
size. As far as the eye could reach, these moun-
tains of ice were to be seen, in such magnificence,
in such wondrous shapes and colors, that I shall
not be surprised, if I am considered extravagrant
in my description of them. At first the bergs were
fewer and with distance between them, but the
crystal clearness of the water doubled each mons-
ter, and we could only imagine the depth below
the water-line. The mountains also were exquis-
ite in the water mirror, and the gray light made
the ice-bergs a glorious white against the sombre
background. Little by little, the ice closed in upon
us ; the good old ship buried her nose in it, push-
ing it aside, scratching against it, and splintering
her bow dreadfully. Two hours* steaming only
registered five miles covered, and we were then
twelve miles from the Muir Glacier. We could
see it in the distance, in its awful grandeur, and
the snow mountains surrounding and encasing
it, in a radiant white circle. It seemed very near to
us; its wall of ice looked mountain high, and so
strangely distinct, but a traveller who had three
times seen this wonderful sight, told us we were
viewing a mirage. Often much ice is encountered in
the passage through Glacier Bay, and only the last
trip, the Mexico's bow was taken off eighteen inches
back, and water came into the hold. Never but

36X

once, however, had our Captain seen such a sight ;
only once had he ever been obliged to turn back.
Slowly the ice closed in upon us ; the great ice-bergs
encircled us, and seemed to hold us fast in their em-
brace. The old ship shivered and shook — she
pressed her bow against the- great obstacles — she
pushed, twisted and tried to advance one inch, but
to no avail. We were truly bound tightly in, by the
wonderful ice. Commander C, who had been to
the Arctic Sea, on the Alert, in search of Greeley,
said this scene was as truly like the Arctic Ocean,
with its bergs and ice, as anything he could possibly
imagine, and we were having an experience which
few people, except explorers of the Arctic regions,
ever have. We fully realized it. The ice impeded
our progress ; not one inch could we move without
imminent danger, and the engines were stopped,
and we lay quietly in our cradle of ice for a couple
of hours. The scene before us was magnificent,
and swallowed up all worry and fear we had, or
might have had, if we had not been in the seventh
heaven of bliss and ecstasy.

The great bergs towered on all sides of us, in such
marvelous sizes and such remarkable shapes. Some
were like several houses in one mass, and reflecting
the most wonderful colors. As far as the eye could
reach, there was nothing but wondrous ice and snow.
Some ice-bergs were a brilliant green, others as if a
bag of blueing had been poured on them, the blue
was so intense, and these colors were reflected in the

262

queer gray water, which is invariably the result of
glaciers, and denotes the proximity to one, wherever
it is met. It is caused by the sediment of matter,
deposited in the water by the glacial action. On
these ice-bergs, imbedded often in the ice and snow,
were huge boulders and coal, rocks of all sizes and
colors, carried along for miles and miles by this ice
river, and brought from — goodness knows where !
Some of these ice-bergs were like mushrooms,
glorious in size and pure white in color, forming
marvelous contrasts with the greens and blues. Be-
tween these floating mountains of ice, were smaller
masses, crowding together, heaping up in little piles,
and chipping and tumbling about, but slowly and
with dignity, for the whole harbor or bay was cov-
ered as solidly as if the pieces had been glued to-
gether. The most beautiful thing of all was the
delicate musical hum of the ice, as it cracked, and
creaked, and knocked together. It was a positive
song, as rhythmical and harmonious as an orchestra
could make it, with a distinct melody of sweet
sounds. As it thumped against the sides of the
ship, it hummed away to itself so merrily and
cheerily, and seemed to sing something about
" not going home until morning," or '* Forever and
Forever." The big pieces seemed more sedate in
their measured metre, but the little cakes of ice
danced in their glee over their prisoners, and were
tremulous in their treble clef. As far as the eye
could reach, great ice-bergs towered to the sky, and

263

seemed to threaten, with numerous fingers of ice
pointing upwards, dire disaster and calamities great,
if the old ship dared try a step more, or persevere
against their great glorious fortress of snow and ice.
The ice-song went on, in single voices, then in great
and grand choruses, a little metallic ring making it
different from any oratorio or opera ever sung, and
yet never surpassed by any Musical Festival, or
Bayreuth Carnival. It was a song of the ice
witches, a wild weird harmony, with such soft and
mysterious crescendos. I felt such supreme and
unusual emotions, as if I had been transported to
another world, where language and life were so new
and strange, — as if a door had opened to some
" Kingdom Wonderful " and I had been allowed to
stand on the threshold and look therein.

While the dreamers dreamed, and gazed off upon
that Arctic scene, consultations were being held by
the careful officers of our ship, and it was decided
unsafe to push our way any farther into that river
of ice-bergs, all of which seemed so cold and inhos-
pitable to our approach. Before we turned our bow
homeward, a small boat was lowered from the ship,
that our ice supply might be re-inforced, and the
only way the little boat could go ahead to the bow
of the MexicOy was by the two sailors jumping out
on the ice, pushing the ice a little away with boat
hooks, and then dragging and hauling it along. The
men walked about the ship as if on land. Great
cakes of ice were pulled up, a strong net of ropes

264

slipped under, and by a pulley and ropes from the
yard-arm in the bow, several small ice-bergs were
taken on board, to keep our provisions good for the
rest of our trip. The tide changed, after a couple of
hours of waiting, and cleared the ice only a little bit
from our bows, but enough to allow the good old ship
to swing about, and go an inch at a time towards clear
water. Cautiously and carefully our capable Cap-
tain carried us along, but the five miles took us
about three hours to cover. It was one constant
feast of unusual sights and scenes, and we spent our
entire morning flying from one part of the ship to
another, as exclamations of delight would reach our
ears. Finally, worn out after five hours of this en-
joyment, we had just settled ourselves in our chairs
for a rest, when Mrs. C. came to me in quite a fever
of excitement, and said, "Come quick, and bring
your camera ! '* I ran after her, and as I reached
the other side of the ship, I saw the picture she de-
sired me to catch. In between the great cakes of
ice, and the ice-bergs, like a veritable atom of life,
came a little tiny canoe, with an Indian, his squaw
and pappoose ! It was bitterly cold and raw, but
way out in that sea of ice, as fearless as a lion, came
the seal-hunter, in his light frail craft. Sitting in
the stern was the woman, her pappoose in her lap,
rolled so much in heavy cloths it was hardly visible.
She paddled very rapidly. In the bow sat the
Indian, and in front of him was a queer square sail-
like arrangement, behind which the seal-hunter

265

crouches when he approaches a seal. The little
canoe was covered with white, and all this is done
to make the small affair resemble a cake of ice, as
much as possible, and surprise the seal. The canoe
approached our ship bravely and steadly and the oc-
cupants seemed so pleased to see us. We all gath-
ered to see them, Miss N. lowering on a string a
pretty and bright head-handkerchief for the squaw,
which gave much pleasure to the poor woman.
They paddled along for a while by our side, then as
we all saw a seal, we told them of it, and they turned
and went in search of it, and the last we saw of the
little canoe, it was pushing its way along in the ice,
and seemed a mere speck in the distance. Some-
times those hunters are out, for two or three days, in
their boats, seal-hunting. Just as we were coming
to clear water, we met the grandest ice-berg of our
morning. It was as long as our ship, which is two
hundred and seventy-five feet in length, and was
fifty feet high, and it went sailing by us like a mag-
nificent ice-palace, of grand and colossal proportions.
After reaching clear water, we steamed at usual
speed and reached Juneau at 7.15 P. M. Although
it rained hard we went on shore, but having seen all
before, in sunshine, we did not do much, except look
into the stores. As we returned to the ship we saw
a genuine Medicine Man. He was tall and dark,
wore high rubber boots, and a brilliant striped
blanket covered him from neck to knee. His face
was as hard and stern and as ignorant as a brute's,

266

and I would like to apologize to the brute for the
comparison. What interested us most was his head.
His hair was long, and probably it was against his re-
ligion to ever comb it, for it hung in ropes, like great
cords, it was so matted together, and it was caught
and tucked under his blanket. I never have seen such
a dreadful head in my life. Medusa, with her myriad
snakes and serpents, would be a fascinating picture
to the dirty, unwashed, uncombed heathen Indian.

THURSDAY, JULY 30TH.

'\ 17" E remained at Juneau all night, and about
eight o'clock in the morning, we steamed
over to Douglas Island for theTreadwell Mine, gold.
My own eyes feasted on the small parcels of gold
brought on board, which amounted to ninety-thou-
sand dollars. It was good to look upon. About
ten o'clock, the dear old Mexico steamed away from
the wharf at Douglas Island, and we started forTaku
Inlet, for the Captain was bound to have his passen-
gers see some glaciers, and in Taku Inlet are two
fine ones, not so grand as the Muir, but very fine
and to some more beautiful, because of the purity of
the ice. We had a most exquisite sail into this little
paradise, into this Inlet of wooded shores and
glorious grandeur. Finally, about twelve o'clock, we
were nearing the Taku Glacier, and were to approach
through the sea of ice-bergs to its front, when the
channel having shifted, owing to glacial deposits,
high and dry on a sand-bank went our bow, and we

267

were grounded. We rejoiced all day over this fact,
and called it " our good fortune," for we had to re-
main until high tide to get afloat again, and high
tide was at 9 P. M. A whole day in such magnifi-
cent scenery, a whole day in Paradise !

Around us on every side were the most majestic
mountains, every one with a crown of crystal snow,
every one with such glorious outlines, such ice-cut
rock sides, such green foliage near the water's edge,
that the picture was one exquisite vision of color,
a veritable mosaic. We lay in among ice-bergs
without number, in a basin of beautiful outlines,
encased and surrounded by a circle of grand hills,
whose variety of form against the blue sky, made
an impression upon us never to be effaced. Down
the mountain sides tumbled breathlessly a multi-
tude of silvery streams, and once in a while, a glori-
ous mass of brilliant red, informed us where the
snow-flower was growing. Toward our left hand,
in beauty and grandeur, stood the great Child
Glacier, but a mile of mud and stones deposited by
the ice, made a nearer acquaintance quite out of the
question. In front of us, about three miles away, in
most inviting beauty, stood the pure and exquisite
Taku Glacier, in such radiant glory in the sunshine
that it was a feast to stand and watch it. Between
us and the Glacier, as well as on our right hand,
and forward, were innumerable ice-bergs, more
beautiful, if that could be, than any of Glacier Bay,
more individual and characteristic.

s63

Although no boats had ever been sent to the
front of this Glacier, although all the sea-faring men
said it was fool-hardy and dangerous, and the peo-
ple were taking their lives in their hands, three
crowded boats started out after luncheon, and rowed
in and out between the ice-bergs, to the front of the
glacier. We watched these three boats until they
were tiny specks in the distance; we lost sight of
them many times, and for an hour or more could
not find them, they were so hidden behind the ice.
The greatest danger was in the fact that huge pin-
nacles were constantly being deposited in the water,
breaking off from the glacier, and when these masses
fall they produce disturbances in the water, which
oftentimes overturn huge ice-bergs, and make
much danger for any boat, especially a small one.
These boats were terribly crowded, and Jamie and I
were not alone, in refusing to imperil our lives in
such a crowd. We remained on deck all the after-
noon, most enthusiastic and excited over the scene
before us, for it defied description, and words can never
tell what a mysterious charm came over us this day.
We could do nothing but absorb and drink in that
grandeur. After four hours* absence our three boats
returned, enthusiastic in the wildest terms over their
experience. Some poor women had been in hyster-
ics over the trip, and came home used up and worn
out and in tears, but most of them were anxious for
us to see the same wonderful sight. Mr. Gray, the first
officer, had asked us in the afternoon, why we did

269

not go, and when I told him it was because of the
crowd that we were afraid, he promised to take us
there himself, and in perfect safety, and after dinner,
and sending one boat-load of twenty people off with
two sailors, Mr. Gray took Jamie and me, with seven
friends and four sailors, to see the great sight.

We pushed off from the ship about 6 p. M. and
rowed directly toward the Taku Glacier, threading
our way in and out between the great bergs, and oh,
how great and cold and awful they did look to us,
in our tiny boat ! It was then that we appreciated
the size and height of those terrible ice mountains,
the beauty and magnificence and grandeur of those
marvelous churches and palaces and cathedrals of
ice. A great arched berg, raising its head so proudly
and gracefully, resembled a swan of colossal propor-
tions, another was a great bear, and all the animals
in the animal kingdom were faithfully represented
there. We rowed around a great white snow berg,
with such tremendous perpendicular walls, such
slabs of snow ice, that it seemed impossible to real-
ize, that such a weight could be buoyed up by the
water, and came to a transparent castle of glorious
blue, like a gem, a veritable turquoise, as if it had
just dropped from God's blue skies. Next we would
see a huge ice-berg, whose overhanging top made
beautiful ice-grottos, far surpassing in glorious
beauty, the famed '' Blue Grotto " of Capri. Next
to this a transparent ice-berg of pure clear ice, then
a deep green one, until one was bewildered, and the

370

mind could grasp no more. As we crept by inches
between the ice-bergs, we were crawling over them as
well, as vigorous thumps on the bottom of the boat
informed us. " Easy boys," sang Officer Gray to
his sailors, ** we don't want to go to the bottom
here in such ice water." " Is there danger? " quoth
I. ** Yes indeed, but we'll be careful," was the reply.
Was I nervous ? Maybe ! a little at first, but the
novelty of the experience, the beauty of the scene,
the great and glorious ice, finally absorbed and swal-
lowed up all fears, and I felt as if I was in Heaven
at last, and if I was tossed into that water, I could
not be far from God's Great White Throne. We
went within an eighth of a mile of the front of the
glacier, and there we lay for a while to watch and
see. Oh, how beautiful it was ! Rising two and
three hundred feet, right from the water into the air,
in pinnacles, turrets, spires and columns, in blue and
white and green ice, was this great frozen river, in
exquisite purity and whiteness. Some points and
pyramids were divided by tremendous cracks and
crevasses, which produced the most marvelous
shadows, such deep colors, that it made one creep
with fear, to see such unfathomable depths. As we
sat in the boat and feasted our eyes upon that mar-
velous miracle, in the last rays of the setting sun, it
was a glimpse of Heaven in reality, a sight which
grows more and more impressive, as I think of it day
after day. It was the mysterious wonder, the one
great unexplained query of all that night, as to the

271

age and meaning of those rivers of ice; their
historical records imprisoned in the stranded boulders
and floating ice-bergs, could not be fathomed ; they
held their secret fast, in their silent beauty. Our
row back to the ship was even more beautiful than
our row to the glacier, and it was with regret that
we reached the Mexico, after 9 P. M. We returned,
thoroughly imbued with the emotions of the occa-
sion, and in a spirit of exaltation and ecstasy, of
awe, wonder and of praise. "Ye ice and snow,
Praise ye the Lord," had been fulfilled to the letter
of the law, and we were in tune with the anthem.

FRIDAY, JULY 3 1 ST.

/^H, how we slept last night! Not a sound did
we hear this morning, not even the great rising
bell, until Tom, our chambermaidy knocked on the
cabin door, with hot water. I jumped up then with
my eyes full of sticks, and a big wish in my heart to
remain for an extra snooze. Breakfast over, we put
on our ulsters and heavy things (for it was very,
very cold), and went up on the hurricane deck, for
we were nearing one of the narrowest passes of our
trip. Wrangle Narrows is a dangerous passage, and
requires great skill to go through safely, but Captain
Hunter is equal to anything, and no one can be
timid with such a safe, reliable captain at the helm.
The passage is most beautiful, winding in and out
between thickly wooded banks, and giving us glimpses
of the greatest beauty and variety. The men casting

273

the lead were of interest too, and their weird calls
*' By the mark-five,*' **and the <^<?^-six," emphasiz-
ing always the words underlined, were like Greek to
me, until I learned that all odd numbers were ac-
companied by the word " mark," and all the even
by " deep/* They have such a clever adroit manner
of swinging the lead back and forth, until it is in
proper form to turn in circles, and this gives it carry-
ing power, and takes it flying out beyond the bows
into the water.

We enjoyed the morning chatting, as we had lots
of company in our cosy corner. About half-past one
o'clock, we began to see Fort Wrangle in the dis-
tance, and were all on the gut vive when the Mexico
reached the wharf. The Captain gave us only an
hour this time, as we had been here for much longer
when we first came, so we jumped off the ship in
quick hot haste, Miss C. and I in the lead. We had
ordered a souvenir spoon, and having very little con-
fidence in the Indian's word of honor, we were
anxious to reach his hut before others should per-
suade him to sell to them. We two fairly tore
through the village, between the little huts and
through the alleys, and on reaching Indian Charlie
Gunnak, the silversmith, we found our fears were
without foundation, for our spoons were carefully
put away, waiting for us. We then strolled about
the place, walking along the beach in the wet, for
it was sprinkling and real damp Alaska weather,
and we found another Indian who wanted to sell us

273

something. The entire village turns out on steamer
days, and as most of the village consists of Indians,
the houses are lined and outlined by these crouch-
ing figures, with their bright yellow, red and green
head-handkerchiefs and their showy blankets, and
their baskets and skins of animals, spread out before
them to sell.

We were bound to see the Chief's house this time
if we could, the "Chief Shakes," who was away
fishing when we were in Fort Wrangle before. He
lives in a typical Indian house, but the one room
was large and had three tiers about it. The lowest
part or square is where the fire is usually built ;
around it are two steps, or balconies, on which the
Indians lie on fur skins, and eat, smoke, or sleep.
Still higher is a raised shelf-like balcony, running
entirely around the room, on which are put the
rude board bedsteads, tables, etc. Shakes was at
home, but was very different from my idea of a
real chief. He is short and does not impress one
very deeply, yet he is their Chief, the Chief of the
Wrangle Indians, and has great power among his
people. He is wealthy and displayed with great
pride his collection of curios, which consisted of
relics of years and years, some having rather inter-
esting legends associated with them. The Shakes
family have a tradition, that a big white bear
jumped out of Noah's ark, swam to Alaska and went
to Shakes' great, great, great, great grandfather for
food. The grandfather mentioned is said to have

274

fed and housed the bear, who lived in peace and
gratitude with the family for years, until his death.
The skin is shown by Shakes, with great pride, and
he told us to-day that the skin and head were about
eight hundred years old, showing the Indian idea
of the date of the deluge. He had many robes,
shirts and blankets, worn at different times by his
ancestors, and these were elaborately decorated with
pearl button designs, men's faces made with them,
eyes, nose and mouth being very expressive and
lifelike ! He had numerous hats, such as Kadishan
showed us, with bronze dragons and ermine tails
hanging, innumerable totem effects, carved and
painted figures, wonderful carved horns, some most
unusual curios, and all were heirlooms and priceless.
Outside his house were two totems. One was won-
derfully fine and old, in fact, only the old Indian
villages have these totem poles ; the other repre-
sented the historical bear. The sides of the pole
were covered with bear foot-prints, as if the bear had
climbed up the pole, and on the top was a carved
wooden bear crouching. It tells its own story, the
fable of the bear from the Ark, and makes the fam-
ily history of Shakes branch and tribe of great
antiquity.

We were as much interested in these totem poles,
seeing them the second time, as at first ; in fact their
originality and unusual appearance were more im-
pressive to-day than before. Nowhere else in the
world are these totems to be seen ; they are unique

275

and one of Alaska's charms. We left Wrangle
about three o'clock and steamed around a short dis-
tance, only fifteen minutes' sail, to Labouchere Bay,
where a cannery is situated, and where we took on
more canned salmon. No one went ashore, as there
was absolutely nothing to see. Jamie napped and I
took the little opportunity of quiet and repose to
write. After dinner, it was cold, so until we started
I sat inside my cabin door and wrote a little more.
By snatching odd unused minutes, my journal is
kept, for I cannot spare the time when there is any-
thing to see or enjoy. About seven o'clock. Miss N.
and Miss K. came to my door, to tell me there was
music and dancing on the hurricane deck, so Jamie
and I went up, and it was such a jolly evening. A
young fellow had come aboard at Fort Wrangle,
who played the banjo, Miss S. accompanied on the
guitar ; Capt. Hunter is a musical genius and had
his violin on deck, another man had a violin also,
and the dancing was quite spirited. We had the
jolliest time imaginable, for we all know one another
well now, and congenial spirits always flock together,
consequently " our crowd " is a right royally jolly
one.

About 8 P. M. we moved out of Labouchere Bay,
and every one was deeply grieved because one of
the ship's dogs had been left at Fort Wrangle.
Around to Fort Wrangle we turned, to find the miss-
ing favorite "Texas." Capt. Hunter has two huge
Newfoundland dogs, who never leave him, and

276

whose devotion to our Captain is truly touching.
Everybody on the ship is devoted to Texas, and Jeff
Davis. Owing to some mistake Texas was left, and
no one could be reconciled to make the rest of the
voyage without him. Up to the wharf the big
Mexico steamed ; lines were thrown out and made
fast, and a boatswain sent on shore to find Texas.
No one else went ashore but every one watched for
the dear old dog. Soon, down the long wharf came
the great black fellow, running like mad, and when
he saw the ship, the Captain and the people, I
thought his tail would wriggle right off, it waved so
rapidly. No gangway was put out, but he was
helped into a port hole, and as soon as he was on
board he rushed for the Captain, who stood on his
bridge. The meeting between the Captain and Jeff
and Texas, was really touching. Jeff ran up and
kissed Texas, and Texas could hardly do enough to
express his gratitude to his master. He jumped all
over him, licked his hands, and expressed his thanks
as no words could have done, and it was truly won-
derful to see the love that noble old dog was trying,
all the evening, to express to his Captain.

We had the pleasantest evening of the voyage.
Mrs. N., Mrs. C, Miss C, Dr. N., Miss N., James
and I sat together until half-past nine o'clock, then
we went for some supper. When we went down, it
seemed wicked to eat and leave such beauty, for the
scenery was magnificent and the sunset glory was
radiantly exquisite. Gold, liquid and pure, with

277

filmy violet and rose tints strewed over it, with a re-
flection of such shimmering beauty, that it seemed
almost unnatural, was the picture we saw. Ten
minutes after ten o'clock, when we came up from
supper, it was still beautiful and bright as day.

We were just parting for the night, when some one
told us there was music in the Captain's cabin. Go-
ing to his room, we found a crowd assembled as au-
dience, and inside the room were a few fellows with
pleasant voices, singing glees, old-timers some of
them — but always good. It was a pleasant ending
to a most lovely day.

This morning we saw as many as twenty eagles, on
one bank of Wrangle's Narrows. They were big
fellows, with white heads. On Tuesday last, one of
the engineers went out into the woods again, and
when he returned came to my door and showed me
his prize. He had shot a big bald-headed eagle, and
we measured his wings from tip to tip, and he
measured seven feet eight inches. He was a mon-
ster.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1ST.

^ITHEN we awoke this morning, we found it
raining dismally, and we were anchored in
the beautiful land-locked harbor of Yaas Bay. It is
a beautiful spot, wooded to the water's edge, and
the ferns and mosses are exquisite. There is a
cannery here, and we are doing a great salmon busi-
ness, this dear old Mexico, and we must lie here all

278

day loading. There is a salmon wheel here, and we
anticipated seeing it, as the fish are caught on the
paddle of the wheel, as they pass through the
stream, and are thrown on shore. But, although
some people ventured on shore, they found the
mud ankle deep, and were unable to reach the
wheel. Jamie borrowed a big pair of rubber boots,
and started off, but he went into mud almost to
his knees, although he succeeded in seeing the
wheel. We have had a quiet day, — good to most
of us, for we were tired. I have sat in my cabin,
with my door open, most of the morning, while just
outside sit an army of people, all scraping horn
spoons. It is an epidemic and has struck everyone
on board, except Jamie and myself, and we expect
to succumb soon. The horn spoons made and used
by the Indians, from the horns of the mountain
sheep, are very old, and after scraping down with
glass and sand-paper, are capable of being highly
polished, and although it takes great elbow exercise,
each one tries to outdo his neighbor. As I write,
the scrape, scrape, scrape, makes a regular song, an
opera in sand-paper rhythm, and such groans and
sighs as come from the spoony crowd ! Oil is
rubbed in, rosin is used, and a real dirty operation it
is, but everybody is working like a day-laborer.
The workers sit in little groups, and such merri-
ment as it all provokes. I wish some time that I
could put down all the jokes and fun. We think
something of having a " horn-spoon photograph,**

279

and as no one will be allowed in it, unless he can
give a certificate that he has scraped, at least five
minutes, we must get to work and qualify for office.
I saw Mr. S. in Fort Wrangle yesterday, with a
paper bundle under his arm, and as everyone asks
everybody else what they have bought, and what
they have paid, I said to Mr. S., '* Been buying
photographs, I see. " *' No, I haven't," he an-
swered, " that's a pane of glass and sand-paper, for
I'm going into the spoon business."

This afternoon Miss N. and Miss K. came to my
room, and we all copied Captain Hunter's record of
the nautical miles of our trip. Outside the door sat
Jamie and several others. About half-past three, I
made "tea" in my little Chinese basket, and enter-
tained the crowd. We had lots of fun and merri-
ment, and kept it up until dinner time. Just before
going to dinner, Mr. C. gave me a beautiful spoon, a
light-colored horn one, and beautifully polished, his
own work. I was much pleased.

After dinner, we all put on our rubbers to go
ashore at Loring. It rained, of course, as it does
much of the time in Alaska, but we all went ashore
armed with umbrellas, and marched in Indian file, up
to the one store in this cluster of two dozen little
huts. The door was locked, and a man standing
near said, ** the man will open the store after he has
finished his supper." There was independence for
you, a little piazza crowded full of people, about
seventy-five in all, standing and waiting for Loring's

280

one merchant to finfsh his supper! I could not help
expressing surprise at the man's utter indifference
to the almighty dollar. He came at last, and opened
the store, and we all tumbled in en masse and
divided as our tastes led us. Some small boys
wanted candy, so we waited about fifteen minutes
for them to be satisfied, and for the one store-keeper
to come our way. After a look about, Jamie and I,
with a young lady from Pasadena, went with Mr. E.
into the Salmon Cannery. I had not been into any
such establishment, and James thought I should see
one before leaving Alaska. Every one advised me
not to go, but I did go, and I'm glad. I saw the
salmon taken, and heads and tails cut off, split,
cleaned, and then thrown on a table, and cut into
pieces. The machine was not working, but I saw
where the pieces of salmon are put in, where the
can comes down in a shute, and is filled, and then is
pushed by steam in a little channel, to have a top put
on. It is then soldered, and put in hot water, boil-
ing water, where it remains forty-five minutes. A
hole is then made in the can, to allow the air to es-
cape, and it is at once soldered again. It is then put
into " coolies," they are called, and placed in a retort,
where they stay one hour, at a temperature of 240^.
They are washed immediately in cold water, and
then put in a trepanning bath. Labeling and pack-
ing come next, and then the process ends. It was
really interesting to me and I was glad I went. They
fill about forty-eight thousand cans a day, each can

containing one pound. Chinamen are the workmen,
and this Cannery at Loring is one of the best pay-
ing fisheries in Alaska.

It is interesting to watch the salmon in the water.
They jump several times their length, up, out, and
over the water, just as one makes a stone skip along
the surface. They put nets out all about the mouths
of the streams, and at Chilcat we saw the men haul-
ing the net, and were much interested in watching
their process of handling.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 2ND.'

Tl rE left Loring last night, and when we awoke
this morning, we found it was raining again
and was cold and damp. We were sailing through
most beautiful channels and sounds, and were a
little vexed that the rain followed us so persistently,
when, turning a sharp point in our course, we saw
the most glorious sunshine ahead, — and out from
under the low hanging clouds, which had hovered
about us all the morning, and had veiled the moun-
tains from our sight, we steamed into such radiant
sunshine, with blue sky above us and blue water
under us, and the dividing line between sunshine
and shadow was as distinct as if it had been cut
with a knife. With the sunshine came our spirits,
and we fairly jumped for joy. The views were ex-
quisite, and we were enjoying them, when our atten-
tion was suddenly arrested by a most unusual ap-
pearance of the water. To all reason, we were

282

sailing in blood-red water, — the bow of the Mexico
cut its way through really bright red waves, and left
curling tracks behind of the same marvelous hue. It
was thick, — one could see it plainly, — like a sub-
stance dissolved in water, but still retaining its
body. (But can a substance be dissolved and still
retain its body ?) " We scientists " went to the Cap-
tain, to solve the question why this water was so red
and thick, and the Captain thought it was salmon-
spawn, swept out by the tide. Another suggestion
was, that it was a low form of animal or vegetable
life, the same that produces the phosphorescent
light in the water. To prove this theory, Dr. N.
had a pail full of this queer water reserved until
night, and taking it in the dark, into our cabin,
proved that it was the red variety of that vegetable
life, which produces the light in the waves.

At 11.45 ^' M» we approached Metlakahtla, an
Indian village of remarkable and civilized develop-
ment. We anchored off the little settlement and
after dinner we went ashore in small boats. Having
no wharf to approach, we were rowed on to the
beach, and having a heavy load, of course our boat
stuck in the sand and some feet of water lay between
us and the beach. As quick as lightning, our gallant
Third Officer was " afloat " in the intervening space,
with his high rubber boots, and approached the bow
of the boat where Jamie was sitting. In an in-
stant, off to the shore went my dearly beloved, on
the back of a strong fellow, one of the sailors, and

283

was landed high and dry on the beach "in a
twinkle." How everybody roared, and how relieved
we ladies were, when we were informed that the same
method of transportation was not necessary for us.
A board was brought and stretched from boat to
shore, and we scrambled across on that — in fine
style.

Metlakahtla is a model Indian village, and all to
the credit of one man, who has given his life to this
great work. Mr. William Duncan lived in England,
and was a smart, energetic young man. One stormy
night he went to a missionary meeting, and as only
nine persons were present, it was suggested that the
meeting be postpioned. Another suggestion, how-
ever, carried the vote, which was that the nine brave
members of that little gathering be rewarded by a
service then and there. It resulted in one of the
little band leaving the gathering, with a verbal vow
to give his life to the missionary cause. In 1857,
this young man — William Duncan — came to British
Columbia, going among the Indians at once. When
I asked him if he would tell us a little of his life, —
if he had a hard time at first, etc., — he would not
reply, except by a nod of such solemnity that I
hesitated to press my request. Once, while talking
to us later, in his office, he took a little book from
his book-shelf, and opening to the frontispiece said,
" Where is the lady who wanted to know how I was
treated, when I first came among these people?"
and when I identified myself, he handed me the

284

book and said, " That's the way they treated me.'*
Four or five Indians, in war paint and feathers,
were beating a man, bound hand and foot, who
was crouched on the ground, begging for mercy.

Later he told us a few incidents of his life. In
1858, when he reached these Indians, they were
hostile to all white people, and were the most savage
tribe on the coast. They were cannibals, and Mr.
Duncan said he ** saw them cook and eat a slave at
one time, a woman." He was shot at, and every
means taken to dispose of him, and when I gasped
" How were you saved?" he answered, " Because I
was protected, and when the Indians realized that
some power unknown to them protected me, they
felt powerless, and gave up their repeated attempts
to dispose of me." He worked for many years
among them, and had done much good, when
the Bishop of the English Church reprimanded
him for laxity of church discipline, in service
and liturgy, and demanded form and ceremony,
instead of the simple services which Mr. Duncan
had found more attractive to the Indian's intel-
lectual demand. Mr. Duncan remonstrated, and
finally, after many other disagreeable incidents, he
determined to seek liberty under the United States*
laws. Going to headquarters, at Washington, I be-
lieve, he asked for land in the Alaskan territory, and
his request being granted, he returned, going directly
to his new home. The Indians heard of his return,
and one by one followed the man whom they loved

28s

and trusted. Mr. Duncan said, " One canoe-full
after another arrived, sometimes fifty canoes in a
day," for they determined to live with him wherever
he was. His settlement of Metlakahtla dates from
August 7th, 1887. It is a model village. He has
taught the Indians to be self-supporting ; they have
learned trades, — build their own dwellings, churches,
and school-houses, — have a cannery, a joint-stock
company, the natives holding the stock, and receiv-
ing large dividends — besides several other indus-
tries which pay well ; he taught them to play on
musical instruments, and they are very proud of
their band. They are the nicest set of Indians one
can see anywhere, all well dressed and most orderly
and civilized. They number nearly five hundred,
and their village is a marvelous little place. They
are all devoted church workers, and have put away
their heathenish and idolatrous beliefs, regulating
their little settlement by rigid and strict laws. No
work is ever permitted on the Sabbath, and as we
arrived on the Lord's Day, we had to wait until mid-
night for the freight of canned salmon, the Mexico
had come to take away.

As soon as we reached the shore, we made our
way to the little Church, but were too late for ser-
vice. We were entertained, however, in listening
to some young Indian men and women singing relig-
ious songs in English. All the young Indians here
speak English. James was much impressed by a
verse over the little plain wooden pulpit, which an

286

Indian boy had painted in huge bright letters, on the
wall, and he copied it in his note book for me :
" Glory to our Lord and King,
Honor, majesty.
This the song the angels sing
Through Eternity."

We were especially interested in a lot of old white-
haired men, who had such amiable faces and such a
pleasant greeting for us. They could not speak our
language, but they held in their hands, nevertheless,
with great reverence. Bibles in the English language.
I spoke to several old Indian women and they
seemed to understand me. I was much touched by
one old woman ; she told me much in a moment and
only by gesture. I said, *' Do you speak EngHsh ? "
she shook her head — ** no," and then taking hold of
the end of her tongue, she looked sadly at me, and
pointing to my tongue, shook her head — *' no "
again. Laying her hand on her heart, and pointing
to my heart and then up to Heaven, she smiled and
nodded her head — "yes." She told me so plainly,
that although we could not speak the same tongue,
we both loved the same God in Heaven.

Mr. Duncan took us to his office and showed us the
sea-weed food of the Indians, which they gather far
out on the rocks, dry thoroughly, and either stew or
eat as bread. ** Eat some," he invitingly asked.
We all ate a little and quietly one by one slipped
outside the little room, returning as seemingly un-
observed, but to that little crowd, the moment's

287

absence spoke volumes. We knew the short ac-
quaintance with the sea-weed bread, was not all one's
heart could desire.

MONDAY, AUGUST 3D.

Wl E slept pretty well last night, although I
awoke when we left Metlakahtla at 1.30 A.
M., and later also, when a little rolling of the ship,
announced to me that we were making one of the
very few sea crossings, and at half past five o'clock
I heard the anchor lowered in Nichol's Bay. The
morning was exquisite ; the sun was as bright and
warm as mid-summer, and every outline of the
shore and islands was so clearly cut, so finely chis-
eled and beautiful. All felt jubilant, for we have
had so much rain. After breakfast, I interviewed
an Indian woman, who had paddled out to the ship
in a canoe, with her family and a dear old dog,
whose company was not wanted in the family ark,
and so he swam around and around it, in circles.
Jamie and I chatted for awhile with friends, watch-
ing the Captain's caution in guiding the Mexico, from
Nichol's Bay, through a wonderfully narrow passage,
and as we steamed out into Queen Charlotte's Sound
or Dixon's Entrance, we settled ourselves in our
chairs, wrapped up warmly in ulsters and rugs, and
decided to take a nap. The cool sea air and sun-
shine made us so drowsy, we soon fell sound asleep,
and as our chairs were just outside our cabin door,
and necessarily very close together, we proved food

288

for amusement to our friends. Jamie and I were
entirely ignorant of the part we were playing in the
comedy, until we awoke, two hours later, to find we
had been sketched, photographed and viewed, by
almost everyone on the ship. They tell us that
any number of cameras were snapped at us ; a pro-
cession filed past us, to view the " sleeping beauties *' ;
Captain George, the pilot, shouted and snored right
in our ears ; our artistic friends took sketches of us,
and there we sat, Jamie and I, for two hours, per-
fectly oblivious of all this fun-making. How we
laughed when we awoke, and how pleased we were
when we saw the sketches and had them presented
to us. As we went down to luncheon, so many
said, " Had a nice nap? — I went around to see you,"
until I actually believe we were viewed by all.
"Did you see Mr. B.'s sketch of you? It's so
good," and another said " Isn't Miss N.'s sketch ex-
cellent? Your husband's mouth was wide open,
and she has made it true to life."

About noon we steamed into Cordova Bay, and
anchored opposite one building on the shore, to take
on salted salmon. It is so queer to go miles and
miles, to come to a tiny building like this, and then
see barrels after barrels come out of a moderate
sized shed, to be shipped. It brings us into the
loveliest possible places, through narrow openings,
into exquisite land-locked bays and is delightful to
one not in haste.

Such exquisite scenery as we have enjoyed to-

day ! As we turned to come into this Bay, the
mountains and islands were perfectly beautiful, re-
flecting all shades of green and all shapes of islands
in the water, and we feasted our eyes upon it, as if
we had not seen anything fine before. Many pas-
sengers went ashore, but we surmised that it would
not be very attractive, and ^waited until someone
should return and report. It was, as we thought,
terribly muddy and dirty, and nothing at all attrac-
tive, except the woods, which were too wet for com-
fort. Horn spoon maniacs went on shore to hunt
for spoons to polish, for the craze is so very strong
that spoons have been in great demand. As I write,
six scrapers surround my door, each expatiating on
the superior polishing qualities of his or her spoon,
and all accompanying their conversation by the
most vigorous rubs and scrubs. The deck is cov-
ered with bone shavings, and sand-paper, and glass,
and dirty hands and dusty dresses are the style.
As one passes along the deck, in the stateroom
doors sit young women and old, old white-haired
men and boys, all scraping spoons. The craze has
struck James; he is head over ears in shavings and
bone-dust, and rubbing as if his life depended upon
it.

Opposite our anchorage, and the only hut to be
seen, save one small cottage near the *' Salt-ery " (as
it is called), is an Indian hut, with characteristic sur-
roundings. As we steamed into the Bay, it was
most picturesque. On the shore, to the right, was

290

a tall rafter-like concern, covered thickly with bright
pink salmon, split open and turned inside out to
dry, and near the green of the trees it presented a
fine contrast. Close to these brilliant fish were
brown blankets, drying ; shirts of white and red were
also visible ; up under the trees sat the women with
red handkerchiefs on their heads, and down on the
shore were the little bare-footed children, crouching
on a big rock, with three or four Siwash dogs roam-
ing about. It is a very pretty picture, at a distance.
We pass miles and miles of shore, where not one
single soul abides ; the wild animals possess much
property here, and roam at their own sweet will.
Eagles are plentiful, and almost unnoticed by us
now.

A gentleman remarked the other day, in a dry
way, ** Well inhabited Alaska is ! There must be at
least one person to every thousand miles, in this
territory."

To-night, or at least after a five o*clock dinner,
as we came up on deck, Mr. S., from the East,
met James and asked him if we would enjoy rowing
with a party, to a very old Indian village, about five
miles away. We were glad indeed to go, and to
see anything unusual, out of the ordinary line of
sight-seeing ; so about six o'clock the Third Officer
and two seamen, took sixteen of us in a life-boat, to
the deserted village of Klinquan. The row to and
from the village was beautiful enough in itself to
reward us, if the place had not been of interest. We

391

rowed around beautiful little islands, close up to
rocks, covered with wondrous sea-weeds and purple
star-fish. The browns and tans of the sea-mosses,
the color of the fish, the stones above, bare and gray,
and above these still, the exquisite shades of green
in the foliage of the trees, made the most exquisite
rainbow effect in the water, for the red glow of the
sunset furnished the brilliant colors needed. It was
a beautiful little trip, and we felt like veritable ex-
plorers, approaching an unknown buried city. Quite
enclosed by islands, and protected from the sea by a
natural barricade, with a fine beach upon which to
drag canoes, a band of the Hydah Indians have set-
tled, some long time ago, in this little cove, and
built themselves houses and homes, wherein they
dwell. The entire village consists of about one
dozen houses, and not one soul was there in this
little town, when we visited it. Every house was
locked or barred with wooden sticks, and not one
living thing did we see, save an old and wild cat,
which one of the sailors found and tried to catch.
It was truly a deserted village, as all the inhabitants
were away fishing and working. They return to this
sheltered nook when winter comes. As we ap-
proached the little hamlet, an exclamation of wonder
and delight went up from our boat like a chorus,
for we had not seen a spot like it in all Alaska.
Fort Wrangle had totem poles of great interest and
antiquity, but here were totem poles by the dozens,
and of most superior quality. As I have men-

292

tioned before, these poles are the historical records
of the family. Any family having enough history
to erect and furnish a pole, is honored by all sur-
rounding tribes. These totem poles belong, how-
ever, to an age that is passing swiftly along, for
many customs of these people are being abandoned,
as the Indians become better educated. Antiquity
consequently, of tribe and people, is made known
by means of these signs and symbols. Klinquan
contains about twelve houses, and more than sixty
totem poles of the most marvelous workmanship.
Some carved trees were so huge, it was a marvel
how they were ever conveyed to their present loca-
tion, and even when brought and carved, how they
were ever stood up and placed in the ground. They
are carved in the most curious designs, in the most
grotesque figures, and yet all most symmetrically
done. Such huge eyes as the monsters have, such a
queer arrangement of figures, such marvelous orna-
ments to crown the top. The Bear Tribe always
surmounts each of their totems with a huge crouch-
ing bear, marvelously done. In looking up at one
to-night, we discovered in each claw a good repre-
sentation of a human face. An eagle, with out-
stretched wings, surmounted several columns, and an
Indian with huge ancient hat, such as the Chief
Kadishan wore, when we took his photograph, was
several times repeated. One curious thing was,
that on top of one tall slim pole, a cunning little
figure of a man, was poised on one foot, on a ball,

293

with the other leg and his arms outstretched, just
like the figure of Victory, on the 14th of July col-
umn, in Paris. The question arose, where did these
Hydah Indians get the idea for that figure ? Was
it wafted to them across the waters, or did the same
genius burn in some Indian brain, as in the brain of
the artist who designed the French model ? It was
a marked feature in that collection of totems. Some
of them are mostly grotesque, others mysterious and
solemn, and all stood about that collection of little
huts, like sentinels on duty. We were much inter-
ested also in some graves, and the peculiar fencing
about them. Around one chief's grave, was a high
fence, and on each corner stood, what seemed to us,
a white china milk pitcher. On examination we
found that the pitchers were carved out of wood,
and painted white to look like china. Queer little
summer-houses were built over some graves.

The officer found a most interesting ruin of a
house, into which we went. It was built like all
Indian houses, with a square and two tiers around,
and the sides of wood, two feet and a half deep,
were most beautifully carved. We had much ex-
citement in landing, and in getting away also. We
reached there at half tide, and could not make a
good landing, so the men held the oars together,
putting one end on land, the other on the boat, and
we crawled across that way. But our visit thoroughly
paid us, and we decided it was one of the features of
the trip.

a94

Five people from our ship, had been to this same
spot in the afternoon. Seeing a pole, with a queer
box-like thing on top, they gave it a vigorous blow
and down it came, with a crash. Imagine their
surprise, when bones and dust came tumbling out
and an Indian skull, with hair and flesh still on it,
but dried like a mummy's skull. They left it, hor-
rified at what they had unwittingly done, and sick-
ened by the sight of the life-like head.

We reached the Mexico at lo P. M.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 4TH.

\\J E were all much concerned last night, when we
went to bed, over Baron Von B.'s non-ap-
pearance. He is a German, a magnificent specimen
of a man, of glorious physical proportions, and an
indefatigable hunter. He has been in Alaska hunting
for some time, and we took the Baron and Baroness
on board at Juneau. We left the Baron yesterday
at Nichol's Bay ; he was to hunt and then join our
ship at Cordova Bay, and a young Indian was his
guide. He did not put in an appearance until this
morning at 7 A. M., when the Mexico was on her way
to find him. It seemed he became interested, had
shot two deer; his Indian guide lost his head and his
way, and they had a dreadful time. The Baron was
too heavy for the canoe, which was old and rotten,
and they had to bail out the water every minute, and
expected to go to the bottom, at short notice.
We left Cordova Bay as soon as he was on board,

29s

and we have had a lovely sunshiny day, and a most
exquisite sail. We had about sixty miles of sea
to-day, but we had to ask when we were at sea, it was
so calm and pond-like. Jamie and I slept in our
chairs again this morning, but I kept one eye open,
and watched photographers and sketchers, whenever
they appeared.

After dinner, we all gathered on the forward deck,
tied a ladder to a ventilator, and had a "living totem
pole." We arranged our little crowd in tiers ; all
held horn spoons or some Indian curio in our hands,
and had our photograph taken. Dr. N. and I were
" photographers royal," but numerous Kodaks were
snapped on us. We numbered about twenty in all,
but our audience numbered nearly a hundred. We
had a fine time, as we all know one another so well
now, and we had the jolliest kind of an evening af-
terwards. We enjoyed the beautiful sunset and af-
ter glory, which lasted until nearly ten o'clock. It
was " one of those heavenly days that cannot die."
Then we went to supper, after which we assembled
on the hurricane deck, sang rounds, and danced, and
finally, seeing a steamer approaching, we all gathered
together to give a song of greeting, which we
shouted with all our might, as the stranger passed
us. The phosphorescence in the waves, as we
ploughed our way along, was perfectly beautiful, like
melted silver, and full of bright and glittering stars,
and made a wondrous light, like electricity.

096

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5TH.

"P N route all day, with beautiful sunshine most
all the way, although we had some fog in
Queen Charlotte's Sound. The morning was not
eventful ; Jamie and I had a nap again until lunch-
eon, after which Mrs. D. and a party of six or more,
settled themselves with us in our corner, and we
polished and scraped spoons until about three
o'clock, when Miss N. came to see me and we shut
ourselves in my little room for a chat alone. Mr.
McD., a most interesting man, who has lived for
twenty years or more in British Columbia, as over-
seer of the Hudson Bay Company, is on thQ Mexico,
on his journey home. He had interesting curios in
his trunk in the hold, made by the Indians, three or
four hundred miles in the interior, and offered to
show them to James and me, but to no one else, ex-
cept Miss K. (who was with me). We made a
secret trip down, and he showed us some interesting
things — Indian work on leather of porcupine quills,
dyed different colors, blankets for his four dogs, who
dragged him all over the snows in those Arctic
regions, and he ended by presenting me with an in-
teresting piece of work, made by an Indian of the
Cascar tribe, who lives three hundred miles beyond
Fort Wrangle.

Our evening was just like last night, only we did
not sing en masse, but Miss C. gave us a treat with
her lovely voice. This life is most fascinating to us,

297

with its rest and perfect freedom from care, and
there are so many interesting people on the Mexico,
that one can hear words of wisdom, and learn some-
thing every day. One of our passengers is Mrs. A.
who has made quite a trip in Alaska, staying more
than two weeks in Fort Wrangle, and also in Juneau
and Sitka. She is full of interesting Indian legends
and folklore, and entertained us to-night by a little
talk, as we all stood out in the bow, viewing the
magnificent scenery. It was glorious to-night ; the
sunset was like liquid gold, and the rose and violet
shades on the mountains, which assume such glori-
ous tints in the twilight hour, were more radiant
than ever. Our constant attendants, the snow
mountains, have been left behind a little now, as we
are nearing warmer latitudes, but once in a while, a
great giant in white raises his head above the sur-
rounding greenness, and gives us a look, as we steam
along, and makes us long to turn again and hurry
northward, for one more glance at those circles of
great and glorious grandeur.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 6TH.

JAMES was up and dressed for breakfast, as usual,
this morning, but as it was pouring hard, and
was cold and damp, he did not waken me, and I was
not conscious of much in the wide-awake world,
until the big whistle of the Mexico announced that
we had reached somewhere, and looking out of my
window, I recognized Departure Bay. We had been

298

steaming along for forty-eight hours and it was good
to stop. We remained only until half past ten
o'clock, long enough, however, to send to Nanaimo,
for the ship's mail, as well as to send telegrams.
Jamie sent one home, as being three days late in
reaching Tacoma, we feared there might be some
little anxiety felt by the three loved ones at home.
Nothing to chronicle so far, except that our good
friends, Mrs. N. with her daughter and son, have de-
cided, instead of stopping at Victoria, to go with us
to Tacoma ; then we five move along next week to
Portland and take the trip on the Columbia River
together. I wrote all this afternoon while James
slept.

About seven o'clock to-night we reached Victoria,
and at once some of our Mexico family went up into
town. It was rainy and disagreeable, and we de-
cided to wait until morning for our trip. We
watched the people moving about, saw the " Steamer
Queen^' come in with her load of Alaskan travelers,
and rejoiced that we were not of the number, for
although much more palatial, she goes too fast to
suit us.

This afternoon, as I came up from luncheon. Miss
W., a clever women, offered me copies of Mr. Dun-
can's little paper, called The MetlakahtlaUy printed
in Metlakahtla. In one tiny sheet of November,
1889, was a letter by Mr. D., and the preface says,
'* Having been frequently asked to give some ex-
planation of the peculiar carving, found among the

299

natives of this coast, I think it well to insert in The
Metlakahtlatiy the following letter, written last sum-
mer to a friend in Washington." I have just copied
the letter, omitting a short paragraph in the begin-
ning. I have copied it, because it seemed to give
such a good idea of the carving and use of the totem
poles.

In this letter, Mr. Duncan tells of the opera-
tions of the silversmith, in making silver spoons out
of silver dollars. He says, " the designs they cut on
the spoons, are peculiar to the carving and painting
of the Indians in this country, and are symbolical
of the curious crests or totems (as they are some-
times called), which seem to have been adopted in
far back ages, to distinguish the four social classes,
into which each band is divided. The names of
these four classes in the Tsimshean language are,
Kish-poot-wodda, Canaddo, Lack-a-boo, and Lacksh-
keak."

" The Kish-poot-wodda, by far the most numer-
ous hereabouts, are represented symbolically by the
fin-back whale in the sea, the grizzly bear on land,
the grouse in the air, and the sun and stars in the
heavens."

** The Canaddo symbols are the frog, the raven,
starfish and the bull-head."

"The Lackaboo takes the wolf, the heron and
the grizzly bear for totems."

" The Lacksh-keak, the eagle, the beaver and the
halibut."

300

" The creatures I have just named, are however,
only regarded as the visible representatives of the
powerful and mystical beings, or genii, of Indian my-
thology, and as all of one group are said to be of
one kindred, so all the members of the same class,
whose heraldic symbols are the same, are counted
as blood relations. Strange to say, this relationship
holds good, should the person belong to different,
or even hostile tribes, speak a totally different lan-
guage, or be located thousands of miles apart. On
being asked to explain how this notion of relation-
ship originated, or why it is perpetuated in the face
of so many obliterating circumstances, the Indian
points back to a remote age, when their ancestors
lived in a beautiful land, and where in a mysterious
manner, the mystical creatures, whose symbols they
retain, revealed themselves to the heads of the
family of that day."

'* They can relate the traditional story of an over-
whelming flood, which came and submerged the
land, and spread death and destruction all around.
Those of the ancients who escaped in canoes, were
drifted about and scattered in every direction on
the face of the waters, and where they found them-
selves after the flood had subsided, there they lo-
cated and formed new tribal associations. Thus it
was that persons related by blood, became widely
severed from each other ; nevertheless they retained
and clung to the symbols which had distinguished
them and their respective families before the flood ;

301

and all succeeding generations have, in this particu-
lar, sacredly followed suit. Hence it is the crests
have continued to mark the offspring of the original
founders of each family."

" As it may interest you to know, to what prac-
tical uses the natives apply their crests, I will enum-
erate those which have come under my own
notice."

** First. As I have previously mentioned, crests
sub-divide tribes into social clans, and a union of
crest is a closer bond than a tribal union."

" Second. It is the ambition of all leading mem-
bers of each clan, in the several tribes, to represent,
by carving or painting, their heraldic symbols on all
their belongings, not omitting even their house-
hold utensils, as spoons, and dishes, and on the
death of the head of a family, a totem pole is
erected in front of his house by his successor, on
which is carved and painted, more or less elaborately,
the symbolic creatures of his clan, as they appear in
some mythological tale or legend."

" Third. The crests define the bounds of con-
sanguinity, and persons having the same crest are
forbidden to intermarry ; that is, a frog may not
marry a frog, nor a whale marry a whale ; but a frog
may marry a wolf, and a whale may marry an eagle.
Among some of the Alaskan tribes, I am told the
marriage restrictions are still further narrowed, and
persons of different crests may not intermarry, if the
creatures of their respective clans have the same in-

stincts. Thus a Canaddo may not marry a Lacksh-
keak, because the raven X)f the one crest and the
eagle of the other, seek and devour the same kind
of food. Again, the Kish-poot-wodda may not
marry a Lackaboo, because the grizzly bear and wolf,
representing those crests, are both carnivorous."

" Fourth. All the children take the mother's
crest, and are incorporated as members of the
mother's family, nor do they designate, or regard
their father's family as their relations. A man's
heir and successor, therefore, is not his own son,
but his sister's son, and in the case of a woman be-
ing married into a distant tribe, away from her rela-
tions, the offspring of such union, when grown up,
will leave their parents and go to their mother's
tribe, and take their respective place in their mother's
family. This law accounts for the great interest
which natives take in their nephews and nieces,
which seems to be quite equal to the interest they
take in their own children."

" Fifth. The clan relationship also regulates all
feasting. A native never invites the members of
his own crest to a feast ; they being regarded as his
blood relations, are always welcome as his guests ;
but at feasts which are given only for display, so far
from being partakers of the bounty, all the clansmen,
within a reasonable distance, are expected to con-
tribute of their means and their services gratuitously,
to make the feast a success. On the fame of the
feast, hangs the honor of the clan."

303

" Sixth. What I have just written reminds me to
add, this social brotherhood has a great deal to do
with promoting hospitality among the Indians, a
matter of immense importance, in a country without
hotels, or restaurants. A stranger, with or without
his family, in visiting an Indian village, need never
be at a loss for shelter ; all he has to do is to make
for the house belonging to one of his crest, and
which he can easily distinguish by the totem pole
in front of it. There he is sure of a welcome, and of
the best the host can afford. There he is accounted
a brother, and treated and trusted as such."

" Seventh. I may mention too, that the sub-divis-
ion of the bands into their social clans, accounts in
some measure for the number of petty chiefs exist-
ing in each tribe, as each clan can boast of its head-
man. The more property a clan accumulates and
gives away to rival clans, the greater number of head
men it may have."

*' Eighth. Another prominent nise made by the
natives of their heraldic symbols is, that they take
names from them for their children ; for instance,
Wee-nay-ach — ' big fin * (whale). Lee-tahm-lach-ta
— * sitting on the ice * (eagle). Iksh-co-am-alyah —
** the first speaker " (raven in the morning). Athl-
kah-kout — * the howler travelling ' (wolf)."

" Ninth. And last, but not least, the kinship
claimed and maintained in each tribe, by the method
of crests, has much to do with preventing blood-
feuds, and also in restoring the peace, when quarrels

304

and fighting have ensued. Tribes, or sections there-
of, may and do fight, but members of the same social
clan may not fight. Hence, in contests between two
tribes, there always remains in each, some non-com-
batants who will watch the opportunity to interpose
their offices, in the interest of peace and order. In
case too, of a marauding party being out to secure
slaves, should they find one or more of their victims
to be of their own crest, such a person would be set
free, and be incorporated as a member of their
family, while the captives of other crests would be
held or sold as slaves.**

" In writing of these matters, it must be under-
stood that I have kept in view the natives in their
primitive state. The Metlakathlans who are civil-
ized, while retaining their crest distinctions and up-
holding the good and salutary regulations connected
therewith, have dropped all the baneful and heathen-
ish rivalry with which the clannish system was in-
timately associated."

" Yours respect.,**

(Signed) " W. DUNCAN.**

FRIDAY, AUGUST ^TH.

T T was perfectly lovely this morning, so sunny and
bright, and at half past eight o'clock, James and
I started in a hansom, for the shops of Victoria.
Mr. McD. our Hudson Bay Co. friend, met us, to
look about a little with us, and he is such a whole-
souled lovely man, James and I enjoyed him greatly.

30s

We skipped about from shop to shop, constantly
meeting our friends and fellow-passengers, and about
eleven o'clock we turned our faces toward the ship,
and returned to the dear old Mexico, bidding our
new friend good-bye, as he was about to start in a
few hours, for his home in Winnipeg. We had
hardly reached the Mexico and exchanged notes
with all our friends, as to bargains, etc., when to
our surprise, Mr. McD. whom we had just a half
hour before bade good-bye, and left in excellent
spirits, appeared before us, with red eyes, and a
black-bordered letter in his hand. I saw in a moment
that some sorrow had come to him, and calling Jamie
and me aside, he told us that after we left him, he
had received and read the letter he then held, telling
him that his favorite brother — the one whom he
anticipated meeting more than any one else — was
dead and buried. The great strong man covered
his face with his hands, and turned to go away, but
James and I opened our cabin door, and took him
into the little room for a few minutes. He was
completely unnerved and had come to us for sym-
pathy. He had looked forward like a boy, to his
home-coming ; now anticipation and joy were crushed
by this unexpected and saddest of sorrows. Only
yesterday I made the remark, that I wondered if all
of our passengers would reach shore, without some,
or many, finding sad tidings awaiting them, and as
the disciples of old asked the Master, at the Last
Supper, " Lord, is it I ? " so the same query went

306

up from my heart, with a prayer for mercy.
Anxiety was mine for a little, for who has nerves so
strong that they can battle with such moments, and
conquer every fear and dread.

We left Victoria about one o'clock, and the after-
noon was spent by all, in the disagreeable duty of
packing, as we land to-morrow. It was a trying
operation, and not very good for the proper develop-
ment of patience and sweetness of temper, as we are
all agreed.

About four o'clock we reached Port Townsend,
but no one went ashore until after dinner. Then
Mrs. N. the Dr. and R., Commander and Mrs. C,
Miss C. and Miss E., with Jamie and myself, started
out and having nothing to do, or see, or buy, we
took an electric car and rode around the city twice.
We were merry and made fun out of nothing.

A letter was awaiting me here from Miss Thursby,
asking me to advise her about going to Alaska, on
the next trip of the Mexico, She had been singing in
this neighborhood, and would have waited to greet
us, if she had not been engaged to sing somewhere
else. I wrote her to-night advising her to go.

There is a genuine sadness in the air to-day, a
depression one cannot escape, for the pleasant life
on ship-board is soon to be given up, — the familiar
every-day friendships to be no more, and the life on
shore, with its heat and dusty railroads, to be our
lot once again. Jamie's last remark to-night, as he
hurried to sleep, was — " oh. May, — don't you hate to

307

leave the dear old ship/' and I do. It has been a
restful home and shelter to us for twenty-three days,
and the very discomforts and trials and deprivations,
have become dear to us. Our tiny room has grown
to quite palatial proportions ; although at first we
could only dress one at a time, — now we can both
array ourselves, with only occasional bumps and
thumps. Fussiness is a thing of the past, order a
necessity, but not requiring energy or time to
produce. Our last night on our comfortable little
shelves ! I hope more chances may be ours in
future, for the same sweet blissful rest. The wonder-
ful scenery will then be well-known by us, and yet
it will be inspiring in its greatness and grandeur.

f
SATURDAY, AUGUST 8TH.

"IXTE were all up at six o'clock this morning; —
breakfast was at seven, but James and Dr.
N. had been up to "The Tacoma" before that
meal, to secure rooms. About 8.30, we all be-
gan to leave the dear old Mexico, but it was hard
work, and we hung around as long as we could.
Finally, we made up our minds that lingering only
prolonged the agony, so we made a grand rush for
the carriage. With Jamie's first awakening con-
sciousness this morning, he groaned aloud, and ex-
claimed with a sigh, — " Isn't it awful to think of
trains, and heat, and dust again ? " The heat seemed
to open its arms wide to us, as we drove to the
hotel, Mrs. N. and R., Jamie and I in one carriage.

308

As we neared the hotel, my one thought was to get
somewhere, where I could read our letters from home,
which Jamie had brought to me, but as we entered
the doorway, whom should I behold but Aunt Mary,
who immediately exclaimed, ** I've been waiting
three weeks for you, to finish your trip with you."

We three went to our room, and I read the let-
ters from home aloud, which took some time. We
then wandered out to find a photographer, to de-
velop our films, and returning, after luncheon, we
came to our room to rest.

The evening was spent with Auntie and the N.s,
hstening to the Spanish Students' delightful music,
and regretting that we were not on the good old
MexicOy for another trip.

It is no hardship to return to Tacoma, for it is
the brightest of little towns. The business streets
are as lively and crowded, and the stores are as
good, as any in a larger and older city. To be sure,
the pavements on the streets and sidewalks are of
wood, but the buildings are many, and really very
fine and imposing, and altogether, Tacoma impresses
us wonderfully. There are about forty-five thou-
sand people here, and they are mostly Eastern peo-
ple, and full of energy and ambition. Tacoma's
chief charm, as to location, is not so much its posi-
tion on an arm of Puget Sound, as the great snow
mountain, which guards it day and night. Mt. Ran-
ier, 14,444 feet above the sea level, is a grand moun-
tain, and peeps from the clouds early every morn-

309

ing, and stands sentinel all day in its beauty. It is
all snow, and is glorious, — pink like a shell at sun-
set, and then amber, and sometimes violet. If one
ever feels tired of buildings and streets, they have
only to turn their eyes toward Ranier, and they find
food for reflection for many a long day.

COLUMBIA RIVER AND MT. HOOD

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9TH, MONDAY, AUGUST lOTH,
TUESDAY, AUGUST IITH.

nPHESE three uninteresting, common-place days,
must be treated collectively.

Sunday morning, Jamie and I remained in our
room, and did not appear until luncheon. In the
afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. A., of Tacoma, called, and
were with us for a couple of hours. Dinner being over,
we sat quietly on the piazza. We were all feeling
the reaction of our trip, and the change from cool
to warm weather again.

Monday morning, after a late breakfast, we all
went to see and pronounce verdicts upon the Kodak
films, — which took some time. Luncheon over, we
went to work at our packing, for James was anxious
to get the freight box off, with our Alaska curios,
chairs, rugs, etc. Company all the evening, ended
a hum-drum day.

Tuesday morning was spent out with our little
party until noon ; then the finishing touches were
put to the box, and James went to start it on its
way, while I went to drive with the three N.s, seeing

31X

many views of Puget Sound and fine homes and
residences. We danced in the evening, and I wrote a
letter home.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST I2TH.

"XlyTE started for Portland at 1 1.40 A. M., with the
N.s. It was a decidedly tiresome and dusty
journey, miserably warm, and we were royally glad
to reach Portland, about 6.40 P. M. A brush off and
dinner, then a chat with Miss H. — a resident of
Portland, — and a fellow MeArico-ltey and a good-night
to all except Miss Thursby, who had sent us word
to come to her room, after her concert was over. I
was with her until about twelve o'clock, and when she
asked, " Shall we go to Alaska on the Mexico ? " my
enthusiasm decided her, and they left the very next
morning. If stormy, so that they cannot enjoy the
scenery, she can say, like a lady I heard of last
night, " she went to Alaska, not to see the scenery,
but for the air"

THURSDAY, AUGUST 13TH.

"^[O one put in an appearance until luncheon time,
after which we five took a drive all over Port-
land, seeing the city thoroughly and some fine views.
Portland has some magnificent streets, palatial
homes, and is a delightful city in many respects.
Mr. C, of the Mexico^ called to-night. We found
Miss C. and Miss E. at "The Portland," also Mr.

313

and Mrs. S., of Summit, and we had a little reunion,
and all went together to call on Miss H., and had a
pleasant time.

FRIDAY, AUGUST I4TH.

T N fear and trembling, without courage or enthu-
siasm, we five sallied forth this morning
for our trip down to "The Dalles." Disap-
pointment, and lack of anticipation were manifested,
by our low spirits and our sober faces. Last
night, when we returned from our drive, with the
tickets for our trip bought and paid for, and every
arrangement made, we met friends who had two
hours before returned from the same experience.
" Don't go," they cried, '* it's stupid, horrid, wretched,
no money would hire us to go again ! Oh, how I
pity you," they added. We turned to each other
and tried to look as brave as lions. We thought
they were tired and cross, but ze/^ would have a good
time. While at dinner Mrs. B. passed me, and
knowing they had taken a trip part way to " The
Dalles " that very day, I asked them how they liked
it. "Well," they answered, "after Alaska it is
tame, in fact, it is hardly worth the time and money,
unless you have plenty of both on your hands."
Had the bottom gone out of the world, or had all
our " Dalles Friends," or those who had taken the
trip, deliberately lied? A more forlorn, dejected set
were never found. A sort of gasp, and a " we're in
for it " expression, settled like the shades of night

313

upon us, and we were crushed, and had little heart
in the next day's doing.

At half-past four o'clock we were awakened, and
prepared for our trip by half-past five, and as Jamie
expressed it, "we all wished we were just coming
back, instead of starting." Reaching the boat,
which seemed to our sleepy eyes to be named
** Furline " but which proved to be Lurline, we were
further discouraged, for we beheld a regular Mis-
sissippi stern wheel affair, and anything but at-
tractive. They say "blessings brighten as they
take their flight," and so as we sailed along
the Willamette River, to its junction with the
Columbia, we began to think we were not in such
a bad place after all. Our staterooms were pala-
tial in size, and our breakfast at 6.30 A. M. made
us feel " at peace with the world, the flesh and
the devil." We three, in fact all but Dr. N. turned
in at seven, for a couple of hours* rest, and when
about nine we emerged as fresh as daisies, the Lur-
line was steaming along between the banks of the
Columbia River, in rarely beautiful scenery, and from
then until we reached '* The Dalles," at 5.40 P. M.,
we were delighted, and much surprised at the lack
of appreciation exhibited by our friends. Very dif-
ferent indeed from any scenery we have seen before,
it was still so wonderfully characteristic and bold
and beautiful. Our first glimpse of any individual-
ity in special outline, was a huge rock standing quite
alone, called Rooster Rock. Next came Cape Horn,

314

a marvelous formation of basaltic boulders. From
that point, our trip up the Columbia was between
great fortresses and castles, of rare volcanic forma-
tion— great black boulders, then clay deposits which
produced such a brilliant contrast. The mountains
and hills on each side, rose very high above us, and
were covered half way up with delicate feathery
foliage, the different and variegated colors blending
harmoniously with the reddish rocks, and the great
bare trunks of trees, which gleamed so white among
the deeper evergreens. Here and there a bright
branch of some maple waved conspicuously in the
October tints, and made the picture perfect. A lace-
like waterfall, eight hundred and thirty feet high, by
twelve feet wide, shone like silver in its beauty, and
was the well-known Multnomah Falls. About
twelve o'clock we had dinner, then the Lurline
stopped at " The Cascades " and we were taken on
a little train, six miles around the Cascades, where
we took the D. S. Baker to " The Dalles." We saw
a flat open freight car on the little train, and quietly
seated ourselves with our luggage on it, but we were
no sooner settled, than a car-man told us they needed
the space for two boats. We went away, but as
soon as the boats were on the car, we jumped into
one, and on a flat platform car, in a boat, we rode
those six miles, through lovely woods and with
glorious glimpses of the Cascades.

Our afternoon on D, 5. Baker's palatial (?) deck
was a most delightful one. We enjoyed every

31S

minute, because it was really rarely beautiful, such
wonderful volcanic formations, unlike anything we
had seen. One funny thing kept us constantly on
the alert, for every time a passenger wanted to get
off the boat, or one wanted to get on, all they did
was to " run the boat agin the bank, till every galoot
was ashore." The first time we approached the
land I was alarmed, and knew something was wrong
and we were going aground. Sure enough, up in
the mud ran the bow, and the engines were stopped.
A long plank was thrown ashore, and passengers
carefully helped along. The next time we turned
for the bank, I could see nothing to make such a
performance reasonable or right, but as we neared
the little lonely spot, on the shore sat a young
woman, with a little boy, alone with their traps, and
both were quickly taken on board.

We reached " The Dalles " about 5.40 P. M. and
walked to the " Umatella House," where we left our
bags and proceeded to see the town. Forlorn, un-
attractive, doleful, a barren glaring spot, with about
four thousand people living there, and we were
royally glad to take a train at 6.40, for Hood River.
We knew nothing of our shelter for the night, but
we were taking chances, and when I saw the hotel, I
felt like running to the woods, but it proved better
than it looked. A general search was made by each
of us, as soon as our rooms were apportioned, and
simultaneously we all put our heads into the hall,
and asked about clean linen. I saw the nice young

3x6

wife of the proprietor, and said " Our upper sheet
and pillows seem clean, but the under sheet looks
doubtful." ** Yes ma'am, I know, and I'll change
it," she answered, " I only change one sheet for
gentlemen ; they don't mind, you know, so I pre-
pared that room for a gentleman, you see." We were
almost too tired to care much, and at nine o'clock
we were in bed, lights out, and were not disturbed
until the next morning, at five o'clock.

** Why did not those people like that lovely trip ? "
was our query all day. It made us fear they had
wearied of the wonderful and beautiful, and were not
quite in tune with these surroundings.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15TH.

T OVELY and bright, when we were awakened, at
half past five o'clock this morning, for our
drive up Mt. Hood. At seven o'clock we started,
packed bag and baggage in the stage, and as we had
been told in Portland, that we would reach Cloud
Cap Inn at noon, we thought our trip would be
short and sweet. We had twenty-seven miles to go;
most of those miles we were climbing hills, and the
man who told us that we only needed a few hours
for the ascent, had never been up Mt. Hood himself,
I'll warrant. At luncheon time, we were only half
way up that tremendous climb, and did not reach
the Inn, until half past five o'clock that night. The
drive was a glorious one, through beautiful woods,
with the trees thickly hung with " Grey Beard," and

317

the wild flowers, the little streams of gray water from
the glaciers, with numerous glimpses of great Mt.
Hood, in its snow mantle, made it an everchanging
panorama. But the dust ! Never in our lives had
we seen such loving, clinging, all-powerful dust, and
never had we been so bountifully powdered. Al-
though we had plenty of dust in the Yosemite, it
was nothing compared to this close and intimate
bosom-friend of Mt. Hood. The road is made
through basaltic and lava formations, and the pow-
dered boulders, the deep deposit of ages, has been
overturned and lies upon the surface in a thick
powder. As the driver said — " it's real good clean
dust," and so it was, but the most inquisitive parti-
cles that we have ever met. As I thought we had
given up the Mt. Hood trip, I had left our dusters
behind, but as we left the Hood River Hotel, the
good wife of the proprietor had offered me her
duster, which, though marvelously ample, was a
blessing after all. We had all left our hats there
also, and wore caps, as we have learned never to have
such stiff burdensome things about, when away for
pleasure. The dust sifted through everything,
through our veils and dusters, and plastered us
from head to heels. Our faces were worse than
any coal-digger's ; we were smutched all over with
grim shadows around our eyes, and nose, and
mouth, for the slight moisture of the warm weather
mixed marvelously well with the dirt, and made a
plastic mud, most uncomfortable to us all. At first

318

we brushed every few minutes ; then a calm resigna-
tion came over us and we sat still and took our dust,
peck by peck, — like good Christians. We swallowed
more than we liked, and absolutely ground our teeth
upon it. I am not exaggerating, for nobody could
give an adequate idea of that powdered drive. We
finally came to a barn, and the driver said we would
rest there an hour, so we thought we would eat our
luncheon. Oh, how we laughed when we were on
the ground and could have a full view of one another !
Dr. N. laughed heartily when he beheld Jamie, in
all his dustiness, little realizing that he looked just
as badly himself. Mrs. N. went about, whipping the
bushes and trunks of trees with her hat, veil and
wrap, but Jamie and I were too hungry to care, and
seating ourselves, — Jamie on a box found under a
tree, and I, perching up on one end of the little
wooden table, — we opened and prepared the
luncheon. Chickens' wings and legs, hard boiled
eggs, bread, crackers, little cakes and apples, com-
posed the repast, but as the hostess of the Wood
River Hotel was not troubled with a tremendous
stock of refinement, every article was done up in
dingy newspaper, — old pieces that looked as if they
had been through the war. But dusty, dirty beings as
we were, could not be very particular, — our appetites
were too big to be spoiled and we sat and ate our
newspaper lunch, as if served with the air and grace
of a Delmonico waiter. We roared with laughter,
between bites, at our funny little circle, and when-

319

ever I undertook to move, or Dr. N. who was perched
on the other end of our rude rough lunch-table,
it would see-saw and shake, and every one would
watch some particular dainty (?) morsel, with fever-
ish anxiety, for fear it would take unto itself wings
and fly away. It was a party of the merriest kind.
To give some idea of our snail's pace up the
mountain, we were three hours going up five miles.
It was like climbing the side of a house, and of
course the higher we climbed, the rarer the air be-
came, and the poor horses panted, and puffed, and
made our hearts ache. When we espied Cloud Cap
Inn, we were glad we had faced the discomforts and
trials of that trip, to find such a lovely resting place.
A log cabin of one story, — tied down to the rocks
by means of strong cables, it presented the most
attractive appearance imaginable. Wooden within
and without, — no carpets, or wall papers, or conven-
tionalities, it however proved the loveliest retreat,
so quiet, so lofty, so unusual ; and to our dusty
souls, it seemed a heaven on earth. A most excel-
lent woman keeps the Inn in the Clouds, providing
home-like dainties in abundance, and we found our-
selves at once so comfortable that we shook the dis-
agreeable remembrance of our drive from us, with
the dust, and enjoyed it all in full measure. A fine
sunset, and a gorgeous moon-light night, with genuine
winter coldness, made us all sleepy and before ten
o'clock we had started for the land of "Wynken,
Blynken, and Nod."

320

SUNDAY MORNING, AUGUST i6tH.

T AM sitting alone, on the floor of the little observ-
atory, on top of Cloud Cap Inn. It is half-past
" five o'clock in the morning " and the rest of our
little party have returned to their beds, but I could
not shut my eyes upon such grandeur; the idea of
being alone to absorb and drink in this beauty, made
me so wide awake that I could not resist the temp-
tation, and so I am here, all alone with my thoughts,
the great mountains, and the flood of sunshine which
surrounds me, and it was never so easy to worship
my God, on a Sabbath morning, as it is to-day. The
mountains and hills declare His glory; the great
snow monarchs proclaim His praise ; the trees sing
their anthems in the gentle morning breeze, and the
little birds twitter their love for Him. Why should
not my heart glow and give thanks why should I
not be in tune with all this glory ! It makes me
feel awed and speechless, as in silent grandeur all
nature makes homage to its Creator. Not one word,
no sound, except the wind as it rustles through the
tree-tops, and yet a more glorious adoration was
never given than we have witnessed this morning.
In awful grandeur and magnificence, the great
mountains raise their heads, beholding nothing on
earth to rival their beauty, but all pointing to
Heaven, the home of their King, and expressing in
themselves the prayer of the Ages, the anthem they
have sung since time began.

331

By the thoughtfulness of good Mrs. F., we were
awakened before five o'clock, to see the sun rise.
Scrambling into our clothes, with unwashed faces
and uncombed heads, we assembled on the little rus-
tic observatory, on the roof of this artistic little log-
cabin. I was alone at first, but was soon joined by
four sleepy companions, all, however, awakened be-
fore many minutes, to the beauteous surroundings.
At our left, in close companionship, stood Mt. Hood,
on whose side we now are. Cleanly and clearly
outlined against a sky of turquoise, with its great
cone-shaped summit covered with pure white
snow, Mt. Hood stood in such wondrous beauty,
in such mysterious grandeur, its great rocks
and shining glaciers making a wonderful impres-
sion upon us. We felt as if we could put out
our hands and touch its glorious summit, it was so
near us. Opposite us, on our right hand and on our
left, stood range after range of wonderful moun-
tains, in such marvelous numbers, with such myr-
iads of points and peaks, of deep shadowy bftie,
some in the distance resembling castles and cathed-
rals, that we seemed unable to take it all in and
properly appreciate its beauty. The most glori-
ous, grand and marvelous sight, however, were the
great Kings of the West, lifting their snow-covered
heads in majesty and might, behind the numerous
mountains in the foreground and middle distance.
Mt. Ranier, 165 miles away from us, opposite
Tacoma, stood out so distinctly before us, that we

322

marveled at the sight of its great glacial sides and
multitude of cracks and crevasses, and could not be-
lieve that so many miles were between us. Nearer
us, to the right of Ranier's gorgeous rounded top,
stood Mt. Adams, in such loftiness and glorious
grandeur, in such a pure white mantle, it seemed to
touch the heavens, and reflect the splendor of the
Pearly Gates. To Ranier's left, in a haughty glori-
ousness, and with a great volcanic cup full of snow,
as her crown, stood Mt. St. Helens, the loftiest and
most aristocratic and aspiring of the quartette. We
stood in an amphitheatre of grandeur, of magnifi-
cent mountain ranges on all sides of us, with these
great monarchs as sentinels, rising far into the sky,
above the rest, in such unparalleled loveliness, in
such unspeakable magnificence.

When we first saw Mt. Hood this morning, it was
outlined against the azure blue, like a genuine gem,
in a molten silver setting. To enhance the picture,
one twinkling star peeped at us, over the summit of
snow, a good-bye to the night, for the dawn was
coming. In the far east, a great band of deep red
light announced the approach of the King of Day,
and glowed and glistened, reflecting rose, violet,
purple, then a long finger of yellow, over the scene
of enchantment before us. Mt. Adams was a purple
of royal hue, with violet shadows ; Mt. Ranier, like a
beautiful pink rose, stood out in delicate outlines ;
while Mt. St. Helens, like a glorious bride decked
for her wedding morn, was purest gold, rare and

333

bright, and beautiful ; and wonderful beyond words
was this marvelous picture. We were harmonious
in our praise and enjoyment of this vision of beauty,
which far surpassed any similar scene ever witnessed.
Gradually Old Sol, in the brightest of Sunday at-
tires, peeped up from behind the mountains, a little
rim of gold at first, to be sure all Nature was ready
to receive him and do him homage, then, as if satis-
fied and puffed up with pride, he came rolling forth
in a grandeur and splendor of sunshine, flooding
everything with his wondrous light. The little star
above Mt. Hood quickly made its exit ; the snow
smiled back at Old Sol, as he caressed its mounds
and glaciers ; the trees began to wave their welcome ;
the birds sang a little chorus of praise, and every
rock and rill, every mountain and valley sent up a
little cloud of incense, their welcome to the Sun.

As I sit on this lofty pinnacle, looking over the
tree-tops, to the snow-clad mountains, and realize
where I am, and that I am viewing some of the
grandest scenery in the world, I am depressed as
well as impressed, as I realize the atom I am, in this
great world of wonder and wisdom.

While I sat in such absolute stillness, drinking in
the beauty on all sides of me, the little birds did not
seem afraid of me ; they did not seem to realize that
I was a living being, and they came and perched
about me, gave a little peep, sang a merry song,
looking straight into my face, then they flew away
to tell their neighbors, who came in turn to see me,

334

i

and I wondered what they thought of that queer
little woman, crouched down on the floor of the little
rustic observatory, like an Indian squaw in her
usual position. Perhaps they thought I had come
" To sweep the cobwebs from the sky," — " Old
woman, old woman, old woman, quoth I."

At half-past six, I saw that Mt. Hood would soon
be too bright to photograph, so I ran to our room,
grasped my camera and flew to the roof, to take two
photos of this wondrous companion of ours. Its aw-
ful summit is only four thousand feet above us, as
it stands 11,400 feet above the sea level. Then, as
the people of the house began to move about, and
I felt that absolute solitude could no longer be
mine, I went to our room and jumped into bed for
an hour's nap. About half-past eight we assembled
for breakfast, and such a good one as we had, just
like a home breakfast. Soon after, we were out and
wandering about, but the rare air made exercise too
much for any of us, and after walking a few steps,
we were obliged to give up our desire to visit an
immense glacier, not an eighth of a mile away from
us. We reached a point of rocks, called ** Artist's
Point," where Bierstadt painted some famous pict-
ures, and there we sat for an hour or two, looking
deep down into the Valley and seeing the wonder-
ful volcanic formations, and lava beds. On the op-
posite side of Mt. Hood from where we are, there
is a crater, which often now sends forth steam in
great volumes.

32s

About one o'clock, which came all too soon, we
were called to dinner, and at two o'clock we packed
ourselves again in our stage, waved a good-bye to
the good woman who keeps the little Inn, and began
our descent of Mt. Hood. The five miles of terri-
ble climbing, which took us over three hours yester-
day, we went down in forty minutes. The trip
back to Hood River was a very tiresome one, more ■
so than yesterday, because we had not thoroughly
rested from the drive and necessary fatigue. The
terrible dust of yesterday attacked us again, in quite
as violent a form, but we did not enjoy it as much
as before ; the novelty had worn off, and we saw
visions of being too late to have a good wash, before
taking the train for Portland. We were a perfect
sight, when we reached Hood River at seven o'clock,
and as we drove up to the Hotel, the piazza was
crowded with country people in their Sunday attire,
and the children set up a howl, when they saw
James alight. He was plastered with this basaltic
powder, literally coated with it, and his face was
hardly recognizable. We were all in similar condi-
tion, and were approached by the men of the Inn,
with long handled dusters and brushes. A general
rush for rooms and clean clothes, " a rub, scrub and a
polish," a little bite of supper, and at 7.40 P. M. we
took the train for Portland, five tired out but con-
tented people. We reached Portland at 10.45 P- M-
and after *' a tub " we tumbled into bed, to dream
of the visions of beauty we had seen.

326

MONDAY, AUGUST I/TH.

T OVELY morning, bright, sunny and very warm.
Mrs. N. was quite ill all last night and very
wretched this morning. Dr. N. however, was able to
leave his mother for a while this morning, and James
and the Doctor and I, wandered about the streets
of Portland, into the shops, hunting some trifles and
some good views of Alaska and other places. We
had such a late breakfast that we did not return for
luncheon, but about half past two we came back to
The Portland^ and were able to visit Mrs. N. for a
little. R. was so disappointed, not being able to go
with us in the morning, that she begged me to go to
a few shops again with her, which I did with genuine
pleasure. When we returned about five o'clock, I
found the Doctor with James in our room, painting a
totem-pole in water colors, from my photo, and my
desire to write home had to be curbed until dinner
time, but was accomplished, in spite of obstacles.
We five Hood-ites dined together and had our
evening together also, for the thought of parting
makes us sad. It is remarkable how short a time it
takes to make real firm friends. Four weeks ago, we
did not know the N.s, and now we hope to keep
them always as friends.

TUESDAY, AUGUST i8TH.
13 AINING and cool, and joy was in our hearts
when we awoke, and found this condition of
things. Rain is scarce in this part of ^ the summer,

327

\

seldom visiting the country for weeks and months.
A rainy day for a trip to Tacoma, the dustiest of
rail experiences, was a delight to us. After packing,
we breakfasted at 9.30 A. M. with the N.s, and I was
made happy by the farewell offerings brought me.

At eleven o'clock, we left the Hotel and our three
friends, whose waving handkerchiefs were visible
until we turned a sharp corner two blocks away,
and Jamie and I are already wondering how soon
it may be our good fortune to see them again. At
11.45 our train started and landed us in Tacoma at
6.25 p. M. We passed the uninteresting trip quickly
away, by reading " Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow,"
by Jerome K. Jerome, parts of which Jamie read
aloud to me, and we richly enjoyed. Aunt Mary
was awaiting us, and we were quite rejoiced to get
back. Letters were our treat from home, and were
thoroughly digested before we ate one mouthful of
supper.

3a8

PUGET SOUND TO MONTANA

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST I9TH.

13 IGHT after breakfast, James, Auntie and I wan-
dered out to see our photographs. While
shopping, afterwards, we met Miss J. and Miss D.
and Mrs. A., of our Mexico party, and had a short
interview in Gross's '* Dry Goods Shop." The girls
had been to call upon me. After reaching the hotel.
Rev. Dr. Y. and Dr. James Y., who were awaiting
our return, made us a long call, inviting us to go
this afternoon to ** Tea " at the Ladies' Tennis Club.
) Luncheon — then a change of rooms, and while

struggling fifteen minutes later, to get settled. Miss
J. and Miss D. appeared* again. They had not gone,
when Dr. Y. arrived to escort us to the Tennis
Grounds, and Dr. J. Y. was there to welcome us on
arrival. The Tennis Club does not occupy impos-
ing grounds and buildings, but there is simply a
corner lot, with two courts, a small building, where
tea was served, and some benches and seats, ar-
ranged very ingeniously under the sidewalk. We
met many people, however, saw Tacoma's belles and
beauties, and they were decidedly attractive in ap-

329

pearance. Life in Tacoma seems like one big pic-
nic,— a sort of holiday life and energy, and a con-
stant round of entertainments — which is very pleas-
ant.

As James had not been about Tacoma, we took a
drive after leaving the grounds, and Dr. Y. went
with us. The oldest part of the town is about
twenty years old, and is spoken of with great rever-
ence, by all the inhabitants, as *'01d Tacoma,"
(strong emphasis on the Old). In this ancient cor-
ner, is a tiny edifice, a little church (Episcopal),
" St. Peter's " by name. The belfry is on a huge
tree, seven feet in diameter ; the branches have
been cut away, and on top of this huge trunk, a bell-
tower has been placed. Ivy covers the trunk
thickly, and it is a unique and remarkable church
tower. Dr. Y. wanted to stop at the old Church,
which we did, and interviewed the minister, who
took us into the Church. Then we drove to Dr. Y.'s
home and went in for a short call, and to see dear
little Gretchen. After dinner, we spent a quiet
pleasant evening with Aunt Mary, and listened to the
Spanish Students.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20TH.

"jWrOST remarkably uneventful, and yet a pleas-
ant, quiet, restful day, with enough com-
pany to entertain us, and enough music to make
life worth living.

330

FRIDAY, AUGUST 2 1 ST.

A BOUT three and a half o'clock, Auntie, James
and I, in an electric car, rode to what is known
in these parts as " Old Tacoma," to meet Mr. G.
and his Naphtha launch Hope^ for a trip to the
" Boat Club House," about six miles across Puget
Sound. Naphtha launches, have seemed to me up
to date, an invention of the Devil, to be avoided
religiously by me and my better half, on all occasions.
Imagine my horror, when informed that James had
actually accepted this invitation, for himself and
me. As I prepared for my pleasure (!) trip, I kept
assuring myself that drowning, after all, was a pleas-
ant death — sort of panoramic and kaleidoscopic. As
I stepped into the little twenty-one foot craft, with
its shining business-like funnel, and numerous little
wheels and knobs, to turn on or off the gas needed or
not needed, I gasped, in despair, and to my better
half's infinite disgust, ** Any danger in these little
ships ? " to which Mr. G. answered reassuringly (?)
** Don't believe so, I've never had an accident, but
no knowing when will be the first time." I swal-
lowed something that would stick up in my throat,
and fibbed about its being** so pleasant to go so fast
and feel so safe," but for a mile or so, I kept my eye
on that little " infernal machine " in the stern, to my
great amusement after, for soon a sense of safety
came over me, and ever since I have been an enthu-
siastic admirer of these little crafts. We sailed

331

those six miles in forty minutes, and reached the
boat club in ample time, for the " Naphtha Launch
Race," which was called at 6 P. M. We were landed
on the float, but soon to our delight, the Commodore
of the little fleet, sent us an invitation to come to his
yacht, which was anchored off shore, and was the
starting point, as well as finish, for the race. Soon
the seven launches started out on their three miles
course, and it was very interesting and a pretty
sight. Our Hope was one of the small launches, and
was beaten by a bigger boat, but we enjoyed the
sight very much. A supper, served to a large num
ber of guests, followed, and about a quarter to nine
o'clock, we started in our little craft for the shore of
Tacoma. It was a glorious sail back ; the phosphor-
escence was exquisite ; we seemed to cut our way
through diamond waves, and the moon rose like a
great fiery cart-wheel, and shed a red path of light
to guide us home.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22D.

"IITE had callers on the piazza all the morning,
the K's, of Peekskill, whom we met in the
Yosemite, and who have just returned from Alaska,
and the Y's. In the afternoon, Jamie and Dr. Y.,
with the host of the Hope^ went again for a sail,
but as we were going to dine with Mrs. Y., I refused
the tempting invitation. Jamie returned in time to
dress, and we went to the dinner, and had a very
pleasant time.

333

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23D.

A UNTIE and James spent the day with me in
my room, as I was not feeling well. I went
to dinner, however, and after it we three went to
the little church in old Tacoma, with its ancient bell-
tower, and ivy (which has poked its tiny tendrils
through every available crack and crevice, into the
sacred sanctuary, and grown everywhere luxuriously),
and we heard a fine sermon, from Rev. Dr. Y., of
Staten Island.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26TH.

A FTER breakfast in my room, I received calls in
■^^ the parlor, from Mrs. W. and her sister Miss
C, whom I met at Mrs. Y.'s dinner, after which the
music was enjoyed. After luncheon, by invitation
from Mr. G., Auntie, James, Dr. Y. and I, also Miss
R., went for a sail on the launch Hope. It was a
terribly warm day on shore, but in our hurried pas-
sage through the water, we created such a breeze'
that jackets were necessary for comfort and safety.

The great interest now in Puget Sound is the
salmon fishing, and the run of salmon is so great, that
we thought a sail to the traps would be of interest.
Before going near enough to see through the nets,
we sailed about near the spot, and never in our lives
have we seen such a sight. The fish were jump-
ing many times their length, up into the air, on all
sides of us, and it was one incessant exclamation of
* look here, quick," or " look sharp," for it was a

333

sight never to be forgotten. As if amused by some
great aquatic joke, and rolling with merriment, these
"pinks of propriety" would fly up out of their
watery abode, give a bound through the air, and dis-
appear as quickly as they appeared. Like pin-wheels
they would roll about, and in schools of great num-
bers, they would hurry along, as if out for an airing.
The queerest thing of all, was to see the vast mass of
fish, as they swam along, for we could see them on
the surface so distinctly and plainly, and they were
so crowded and so closely packed in together, that
their fins stuck up above the water, and made the
waves quite black. We had heard of salmon '* filling
the streams so full, that a man could walk on their
backs safely to shore," and while in Alaska, one of
our number caught a fish in a stream, between his
handsy but these fins on the surface and these
aeronautic salmon, we saw with our own eyes, and
can vouch one for the other, if our veracity is
doubted. We finally tied our Hope to two of
the trap-poles, shut off the gas, and lay quietly and
cosily close to the nets, to see the catch. It was one
vast throng of fine fish, so many in the nets, that the
sides just below the water line, bulged out to their
most elastic limits. Once in a while, a fine speci-
men of the fish kingdom would be bounced up out
of the water, on the backs of its fellow companions,
like some oarsman, brought home by his college
mates on their shoulders, after a victory. Mr. G.,
our host, to do all in his power for his guests, pro-

334

duced a gaff, and leaning over the side-net, easily-
brought up a fine salmon on the hook, in gorgeous
glory and pride. Seeing the fishermen preparing to
haul a net on shore, we landed, and viewed the un-
usual sight. Slowly but surely, the meshes of that
strong net closed upon its victims, and as it came
closer and closer to shore, the splashes and dashes
of the prisoners, produced as much commotion in the
water, as a sudden squall of wind would do. They
landed hundreds, nay thousands, and Dr. Y. bought
eleven fine salmon, weighing each between eight and
twelve pounds, for two bits, or twenty-five cents. A
man, a few days ago, sold five hundred salmon for five
dollars ; for several days the run had been so great,
that they had to shut their trap-doors, and after fill-
ing their boats full, and giving to any who were
near, they liberated nearly five thousand — '* pretty
big fish story " to be sure !

On our way to shore, we steamed up to see a little
collection of houses, I had become interested in from
my window. It seems, a certain wandering class of
laborers live in floating houses, which are carried to
their different objective points, on the rising tide.
Nestled close by the big sawmill, opposite this
Hotel, which is situated on a point of ground in a
shallow channel or water-way, are several dozens of
these huts, or aquatic cottages, where women and
children live their lives, having bridges to bring them
to the main-land, but staying always in this way on
the water, avoiding land rents and having no water

335

tax, even for their floating homes. It is a queer
little gathering of houses, and some are quite pre-
tentious, having curtains at their windows and front
doors. One little square box, which stands high and
dry at low tide, but is surely at sea at high water,
has quite a fine stained-glass front door, and sev-
eral have platforms or floats near their front entrance,
with fences about them, for the tiny tots (who
abound in such quarters), to have as a play-ground.
Wooden soap and starch-boxes full of flowers, serve
as ornaments in various places in these homes, and
they seem as comfortable and happy, in their watery
paradise, and as thrifty as in more secure abodes.
Surely, these floating laborers know how to evade
the demands of the law. For some reason a conund-
rum, we heard on the Mexico y which pleased James
greatly, recurs to me now, and that is, " Who was
the best financier mentioned in history ? Noah, be-
cause he floated a Loan (lone) Company while all
the world was in liquidation."

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27TH.

T OVELY morning, but to arise at six o'clock
again, savored too much of the Yosemite and
Mt. Hood trips, and yet was a joy after we were
once on our feet. Breakfast at seven o'clock, and at
half-past seven, Auntie, James and I started for the
eight o'clock boat, the City of Kingston^ for Seattle.
We had several minutes to spare before the boat
started, and had an opportunity to study a group of

336

Siwash laborers, who had come to town for the hop-
picking. It was a goodly gathering, and more In-
dians collected in one group than in any we had
seen even in Alaska. Just at this time of the year,
the country is full of these peculiar people, and
they come floating up the Sound, with their families,
their goods and chattels, in their big picturesque
canoes, and remind one of Robinson Crusoe or
some similar exile, just coming from a long life on
some far-away desert island. They come some-
times from Alaska, sometimes from British Colum-
bia, and make long journeys to these hop-fields,
stopping when night comes, on the shore, wherever
they happen to be, and little bright fires may be
seen all along the shore every evening, denoting the
abiding-place for that night, of those wandering pil-
grims. They move along the shores like born mar-
iners, and seem perfectly at home in their little
canoes. I say little canoes, but they are big, and
the bow and stern are so wonderfully well cut out,
in such graceful curves, that they reflect a perfect
bow in the water beneath them, a semi-circle like
the new moon, and they are laden with bright
blanketed women, little children with bright hand-
kerchiefs about their heads, and the omnipresent
Siwash dog, with its greenish eyes and wiry hair.
The heads of these families usually sit in the stern,
and paddle in such a scientific manner, carrying
their paddle freely above the waves, between each
stroke, and yet so closely to the water, that it never

337

seems to leave it for a moment. They use this
mode of locomotion from their cradle, and are as
skillful as well trained oarsmen could be. We saw
many of these big family canoes to-day, and they
never failed to call forth our admiration, for they
were certainly wonderfully picturesque and unusual.
As they glide along over the waves, the Indian
women often knit, and their dark heads and hands,
bending low over some child's blue or red stocking,
added much to the effect. Indians, as a rule, in
the old times never wore stockings, but now, the
result of education is seen in the comfortably clad
children, some looking quite like white children in
their modern attire. This morning the squaws and
children, with their clean dresses, shoes and stock-
ings, their combed and braided hair, and neat ap-
pearance, contrasted marvelously with the old
women and their filthy dirty feet, their snarled and
tangled hair, their grimy faces and loathsome ex-
pressions ; and although they all crouched on the
ground, and were all eating their breakfasts of
berries, and had very black looking mouths, any-
one interested in such a study, could very easily
pick out the educated Indian, at a glance. We saw
fat Indians and lean Indians, clean Indians and dirty
ones, little Indians and big Indians, and we were
sorry to leave our study in Siwash oils, when the
bell rang and communicated to the engineer of the
City of Kingston, the Captain's desire to be off for
Seattle.

338

Our sail to Seattle was one of little interest, for
the heat of the coming hours was preceded by an
ominous mist and haze, and we could see little be-
yond the bow of the boat. Dr. Y., who had joined
us for the trip, sat outside with James, while Auntie
and I snoozed in the cabin. Ten o'clock found us
at the wonderful little city of Seattle, and as we
walked from the boat the two short blocks to the
business streets, we were all impressed by the mag-
nificent buildings, really imposing and fine, and by
the remarkably big appearance of the little City.

Three years ago, in i88S, a terrible fire wiped out
all of Seattle's business quarter, and accomplished
its work of destruction so thoroughly, that crackers
and bacon were the only provisions it was possible
to obtain, for a few days, until relief trains brought
better things to the ruined city. Twelve millions of
dollars worth of property was destroyed. Now the
buildings are rebuilt and are as handsome as many
in New York or Boston. This gives Seattle a very
new and impressive appearance, especially its busi-
ness quarter. The residences in Seattle are home-
like and attractive, but are as much behind the
homes in Tacoma, as its business portion is far
superior. The jealousy between this thirty (or forty)
years old city of Seattle, and the little young eight
years old Tacoma, is as ridiculous and undignified as
it would be, between a woman and a child, of the
same respective ages.

Our first aim was to find and see Mr. B, We

339

heard he was in the Merchants' National Bank, and
soon found our way to a magnificent building.
Asking for Mr. B. we were told to step into his
private ofifice, as he would be in directly. A fine
glass door, with a silken curtain, and the words
" Vice-President " on it in gold, was opened for us,
and we found ourselves in a handsomely furnished
room, a large desk, chairs, sofa, etc., and learned
that the young friend, whom we were waiting to see,
who only three years ago came to Seattle, from the
East, was now Vice-President of a flourishing bank,
a Park Commissioner, a public-spirited, high-princi-
pled young man, whom all respected and honored
in this home of his adoption. We had not long to
wait, for our friend soon came in, and was most
cordial in his welcome. Arranging some matters
which demanded his immediate attention, he insisted
upon taking us about the City, and took us first to
the beautiful Washington Lake. The system of
cable and electric roads is in perfection in Seattle.
It is a city on a multitude of hills ; each street at its
corners, seems to wave and curve north and south,
as well as east and west ; and up and over all these
hills, as if they were nothing of any account, these
roads run, flying like witches in every direction.
One cable road took us one mile and a half to the
Lake, and there we took a little steamer and went a
mile and a half up the lake, to the " Canoe Club-Boat-
House, a lovely sail to a charming spot. Mr. B.
belongs to this organization, and bringing out his

340

pretty pet " Argonaut," he was photographed in it,
by our "special photographer." After some time
spent in looking about, in viewing the picturesque
shores of this fresh-water resort, we took another
cable car and went three miles and a half back to
the city, stopping before we reached the Bank, at
the " Ranier Hotel," for dinner. After that mid-day
meal, and a quiet rest for a little while on the piazza,
we wandered to the Bank again, and leaving James
and the Doctor there. Auntie and I walked about, in
and out of the shops, to find photos and spoons.

At last we decided to continue our sight-seeing,
and as cars were the best means of moving about,
we took another line, and went several miles in a
different direction, to the top of Queen Anne Hill,
where the view of Puget Sound was really beautiful,
and the city presented a remarkably pleasing sight.
It was singularly fascinating, the manner in which
we glided over hill and dale, climbing precipitous
ascents at a glorious gait, and having genuine to-
boggan slides at some corners, with regular
" Thank-you-marms " liberally intermixed. James
seemed particularly amused at this car-sight-seeing
of ours, and we were so pleased by our several rides,
that, having an extra hour at our disposal, we
hunted for an unexplored portion of the town, and
taking one electric car to its limit, and transferring
to still another, we went in the only remaining un-
seen point of the compass, and returned in time for
our boat, at half-past five. We carried back to Ta-

341

coma, besides beautiful roses sent by our friend,
wonderfully pleasant impressions of the industrious
spirit and energy of Seattle, with its pleasant homes
and its active business quarter. Surely this western
country is the place for energetic business enter-
prises, but the newness of the place and surround-
ings, is almost as depressing, as it is remarkable in
its growth and sure and steady development. A
lovely sail back to Tacoma, with dehghtful music in
the evening to rest our tired brains, and an early to
bed, brought to an end a pleasant and enjoyable
day.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28TH.

T_J OT, very, very hot, but after breakfast Jamie
and I mustered up courage, and went up to
Dr. Y.'s to take a photograph of the house and
family, and the Doctor's office, as I had promised.
Before returning, we made a short morning call on
Mrs. W. and Miss C, then came down town to do a
few errands, and had a quiet afternoon.

About half-past six, Mr. and Mrs. A. arrived, and
dined with us and we had a very pleasant evening
after, with them and the Y.s who came down to
hear the music and to dance. Tuesday and Friday
are dancing nights, and owing to some queer freak,
Friday has become " the night " of the week. This
evening, the parlor was quite full of gaily dressed
young women, and young men in evening dress, and
our friends seemed to enjoy it so much, that they

342

did not leave until the music stopped, at twelve
o'clock.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29TH.

A WARM but bright day, and a quiet rest on the
'^ piazza in big chairs, listening to the dreamy-
delicious music of the artistic Spanish Students.
While I was dressing for dinner, a card came up
from James, saying Mr. B. from Seattle had arrived;
he had come to spend Sunday with us. We had a
very pleasant evening, and about half-past ten
o'clock, James went to the Club with him, but re-
turned in about a half hour, as it was a deserted
place, — no one there.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30TH.

TDEAUTIFUL, but warm. After a late breakfast,
we amused ourselves looking over our photo-
graphs, and watching the big bear and pet of the
Tacoma Hotel, which was brought here when a cub.
After luncheon, by invitation from Mr. G., we three
(Mr. B., James and I) went out in the naphtha launch
again, and had the loveliest afternoon imaginable,
on Puget Sound. We stopped for a few minutes at
the Launch Club, but the most of our four hours on
the water, were spent in steaming in and out of
lovely little bays and coves, and it was simply ideal
to He there in that little boat, and dream and think.
Our evening was a quiet one, sitting and chatting
on the piazza.

343

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1ST.

Wl E spent a pleasant morning on the piazza, lis-
tening to the Spanish Students for the last
time, also received calls from both Dr. Y., Mrs. and
Miss Y. and their friends. One of the Spanish Stu-
dents is quite a clever sculptor, and I had taken an
interest in his work, having bought a little as a curi-
osity, and also induced Mrs. M. to do the same.
The polite fellow came to me this morning, with the
loveliest little trifle imaginable, and in his broken
English, and with a terribly low bow, asked me to
accept the gift, "with his compliments." Jamie
was quite touched by his gratitude.

After a little more packing, and luncheon. Auntie,
James and I started for the 2.40 P. M. train for
Helena. We had a very pleasant trip the remain-
der of the day, and found Washington an interest-
ing State, quite wild and unsettled, but made beau-
tiful by its forests and trees. The chief crop seemed
to be hops, for we saw acres and acres devoted to
nothing else, and as this is the picking season, the
great, heavy, bushy poles were laden with the light
yellow-green harvest, and all through the country
the bright dresses of the Indian women might be
seen, in between the rows of hop-poles, picking the
heavy crop into wooden cribs or cradles. It was an
interesting scene, especially viewed for the first
time. The lumber camps give one such pictur-
esque glimpses, of what must be a most monotonous

344

mode of living. It brought back to me what I had
so often heard of olden times, of early settlements
in a new country, and I felt as if I could see, with
mine own eyes, what the pioneer used to do, and
put up with, in the **good old days." It was prob-
ably more interesting to see, than to experience.

The scenery was enjoyable, but our greatest en-
tertainment came, when we began to climb the
mountains, to cross the Cascade Range. The trestles
were numerous and very, very high, and finally, as we
stopped suddenly in a snow-shed, and in a cloud of
smoke from the engine, I asked the brakeman what
was the trouble. "A trestle on fire, I believe," he
answered, ** we were told in the valley about it."
Sure enough, it was so, but an expert had come to
examine, and pronounced it safe, and over we went,
but the old bridge grunted and groaned, and
creaked and cracked, as if quite out of temper that
we were so short a time detained, and seemed to
feel so safe. At the top of the mountain, we passed
through a most marvelous tunnel, called " Stam-
pede Tunnel,*' two miles in length, and lighted with
electricity. We all sat on the rear platform and en-
joyed the sight, for the perspective lent beauty to
the scene. It was like the Hoosac Tunnel, only not
so long. The greatest interest of the entire even-
ing was, however, the burning forest through which
we passed. Like some great fiery furnace, the
heat penetrating, sometimes even through the closed
windows of the car, the forest would gleam and

345

glare and glow in its frenzy of flames, great curling
columns of fire and smoke rising upwards, as if to
dim the glory of the stars. Sparks flew right and
left ; stumps dried and parched for want of rain,
were transformed into burning blazing caldrons
and caves of fire, great glaring flames sticking out
at little openings and charred places, like eyes and
tongues of torture. Our way was through these
burning forests for an hour or more, and was so
weird and wonderful in the blackness of the night,
making one feel the marvelous power of the spirit
of fire, and as if we were running through a corner
of the Infernal Regions, just to behold, without
feeling, the blistering fiend. Way up on the moun-
tain top, in one place, the fires were kindled to the
highest pitch, and one could easily imagine the de-
struction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Great tongues
of bright red flames licked the heavens in their fury,
jumping and leaping from tree to tree, as if playing
tag on the tree-tops, and as one after another, of
noble bearing and ancient lineage, tumbled and fell,
great columns of smoke and sparks announced the
downfall of these monarchs of the mountains.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND.

'^^rE had a pleasant journey to-day, as we passed
through a part of Idaho, and that is a most
attractive and fertile state. Our road lay beside the
Snake River, which, true to its name, winds its ser-
pent-like and tortuous course toward the Columbia

346

River, through great basaltic walls. It was most
picturesque and remarkable.

Soon after breakfast, we reached Hope, Idaho,
which is situated on the exquisite Lake Pond
Oreille, and here, to our joy, although we reached
Hope about ten o'clock, we left at eleven o'clock,
for it was the first change in time, on our march to-
ward the East. At Hope, the houses are meagre
and poor, and business does not seem to be particu-
larly flourishing, for on a tiny one-room shanty were
two signs, a little bright barber's pole, and near it
on the door was also " F. W. May, DentistT

We passed through the Flat- Head Indian Reser-
vation, and saw the buildings of the Agency, which
is under Catholic control. They say it is a well-
managed and interesting reservation, that the Flat-
head Indians in winter live in log cabins, and have
learned to raise grain and potatoes, and cattle and
horses are their stock also. These Indians boast
that their tribe has never killed a white man. As
our train went through these lands, we could see
parties of Indians, cantering across the open country,
in groups of three or five, their brilliant blankets
producing quite a contrast with the green of the
foliage and the bronze of the grasses.

We were quite tired before we reached Helena, at
10.40 P. M., then we had four miles in a steam-motor
to Hotel Broadwater. A good feast with our let-
ters, and then we tumbled into bed and were lost
in pleasant dreams.

347

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3RD.

JAMIE and I awoke this morning as the clock
pointed to ten, and quickly ordered a light
breakfast served in our room, knowing the iron-clad
rules of these Western hotels. A gentleman in the
room next to us exclaimed, just after we awoke,
in most irate tones, " The idea of that darkey tell-
ing me I was late for breakfast," and to avoid that
annoyance, we had coffee, etc., in our room. After
that. Auntie, James and I strolled out to see the
surroundings of the Hotel Broadwater.

Nobody can imagine such weary wastes, such
rolling hills and mounds, utterly devoid of vegeta-
tion, or any vestige of green in fact. The Hotel
Broadwater with its trees, shrubs and flowers, is a
perfect revelation to these mountain people, to think
that anything, with any pretentions to beauty, can be
made out of such a barren wilderness. The imme-
diate surroundings of the Hotel are, however, pretty
and pleasing, and quietly restful. The greatest
attraction is the fine Natatorium, really an imposing
building, quite Moorish in design and finish. It is
a huge building, three hundred and fifty feet long,
one hundred and fifty broad, and is all one big water-
tank, with numerous rooms surrounding it for bath-
ers. It is a superb room, vaulted and well lighted by
stained glass windows. On each side are twenty-
four large round ones, of brilliant colors, and as
many smaller ones over them, making a very pretty

348

effect, with the colored rays of sunshine. At one
end of this room is a tremendous water fall, tumbling
and bubbling over rocks and stones, and some one
said, " It was such a good idea to build a Natatorium
over such a fine cascade.*' The cascade is made,
however, and the spring water is carried several
miles in pipes, and brought over these rocks into the
Natatorium. It is a natural mineral spring, and is
so very hot, that it takes 500,000 gallons a day of
cool water, to make it possible to bathe in it. This
Broadwater Hotel and Natatorium is a fashionable
and popular health and pleasure resort, in embryo,
but just now it is young and new, and needs time to
bring out its salient points.

About two o'clock, we took the electric car and
went into Helena, to see the richest city, for its size
and number of inhabitants, in our United States.
We met a friend of Auntie's, a very pleasant young
fellow, who gave us much information, and showed
us some pretty nuggets of gold, just as they had
been found in a Montana Gold Mine. Later we
went to a place right in the city, on a very promi-
nent corner, where workmen were digging founda-
tions for a new Club house. Down in the dirt, with
little tin pans, were boys, and some men, bringing up
pans full of the brown soil, which we watched the;n
wash and sift, to find the gold deposits. It was a
funny sight, to see a dozen men and boys all shaking
pans of dirt, in a little water-trough, crouching down
in the mud, seeking gold which they found in little

349

yellow shining lumps, and they immediately assumed
such airs, with their riches and success as gold-diggers.
We tried to buy a few flakes from one youth, but he
said he preferred to retain them. It was a novel ex-
perience, to see gold brought out of the soil in the
very heart of the city.

Helena was an unusually unattractive place to us,
but there are some fine buildings, attractive houses
and homes, and the society is delightful. Auntie
had met Mr. and Mrs. Broadwater on the Queen (for
Alaska) also Judge C, wife and daughter, and they
made it very pleasant for us. One young lady said
to me, " We all like Helena, I suppose, because we
go away from it so much ! "

James suggested our walking to the end of the
Main Street, which being an undertaking requiring
neither time nor exertion, we accomplished. We
were surrounded on every side by men of all ranks
and grades, and soon saw the reason, for two build-
ings bore the inscription "The Headquarters of
Licensed Gambling House" in big bold letters.
Cow-boys, in their leggins of buck-skin, their som-
breros and rough jackets, were liberally sprinkled
through the fortune-seekers, and faces full of hope,
others of despair, were easily distinguished in the
crowd.

We were on our way back in our electric car, when
a genuine prairie sand-storm struck and enveloped
us, and such a sudden and determined storm as it
was. Not a crack or crevice that it did not seek out

350

and go through. By the time, however, that we
reached the Hotel, the storm had somewhat abated,
and a rainbow stood out, arching royally across the
city, which it seemed to hold in its embrace.

In the evening we visited the Natatorium, to wit-
ness a base-ball game, played in the pool, and as
some seventy or eighty bathers were in the water, it
gave us much merriment to watch their antics. A
trapeze tempted athletes, a canoe easily capsized
captivated others, while a most interesting toboggan
slide made fun and frolic, as it hurriedly deposited
its adventurous visitors, in wild hot haste, far out in
the tank. We watched it for some time, then re-
turning to our hotel, we listened to some music,
danced, and soon retired.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4TH.

A DAY of little moment, until we left Hotel
'^ Broadwater, at three o'clock, and drove into
Helena, to take the 4.40 P. M. train for Livingston.
No sleeping cars were on our train, so we seated our-
selves in an ordinary coach, to ride until after seven
o'clock, when we were to reach Logan and take the
Butte train there. It was a most desolate country
through which we traveled, until we reached the
Missouri River, and there a band of fertile ground
stretched out as far as the eye could reach. We were
startled at one place, by four quick, sharp reports of
some fire arm, and when James returned from the
smoking car, he told us that the ** News Agent " had

351

taken aim out of the car window, as we were mov-
ing along, and with four pistol shots he had killed
four wild ducks. Soon this remarkably plain unin-
teresting man came into our car, selling peaches. We
spoke to him, saying we had heard he was a good
shot, and he said " Oh, shooting four ducks aint
anything. Last week I fired twelve shots out of
two six-shooters, and knocked down eleven ducks
out of the twelve shots." I naturally asked "When
did you learn to shoot ? " He answered, *' I was
brought up in Montana, where a feller had to learn
to shoot to live." As he spoke, he pulled out a
little "bull-dog pistol" (he called it), and handling
it lovingly, he showed it to me, and to my remark
that some men I supposed always carried such
things with them, he answered, **I aint in good
health, when I haven't a thing like that about me."
He then told us a little of what those " old days "
used to be in Montana, where a man's life was noth-
ing and where no warning was ever given, but a life
demanded and taken in one moment. He had crossed
the plains in an emigrant train, composed of fifteen
canvas-covered wagons, and consisting of over one
hundred and fifty souls, men, women and children
together. These trains often took six months to
cross the plains. The Indians attacked them when
nearing Helena, and only seventy of that little com-
pany ever reached their new home. He told us
much of Gen. Miles and Gen. Custer, and waxed
eloquent when speaking of the latter. He said

352

" Gen. Custer warn't no white-livered chap, and there
wasn't a man in the West who'd speak agin him. His
only trouble was he was too bravey / " A couple of
nights ago, at the end of the run, he was held up by
a robber, but he said " I just held up my little bull-
dog, and persuaded him that he'd better take a little
walk he-self." After changing trains at Logan, this
Montana shooter came through the car again selling
something, and James said to him, laughingly
" killed anybody since I saw you ? " " No, but I
wish you was going through to the end of my run,
and Fd show you the latest modes for doin' it," he
answered.

We reached Logan at 7.35 P. M., and our train be-
ing late, we seated ourselves on our luggage to wait
comfortably. A dozen houses and an engine switch
house, and about a hundred people compose the vil-
lage of Logan. Our ** News Agent " still enter-
tained us with blood-curdling accounts, and soon our
little group was joined by a tiny specimen of hu-
manity, in the shape of a little boy, in trousers evi-
dently made out of his father's old ones, for they
were alarmingly ample and " bagged " about his
ankles. A coat four sizes too big, a funny round
skull-cap, a basket on his arm, and a more remark-
ably ludicrous specimen could not be found. He
was tiny and such a character. We asked his age,
*^ just ten," — what he did every day, "herd cattle on
horseback." Auntie, in a most impressively earnest
way said, ''Little boy don't you goto school?"

353

** No marm ! " answered the young hopeful. " But,
added Auntie, *' don't you want to learn some-
thing," and as if to inspire ambition in the little
breast, she said " what will you do when you grow
up, if you don't learn something ? " Drawing his lit-
tle shoulders up into their ample covering, eyeing
Auntie all the time, he drawled out, with the tone
and emphasis of a genuine and hardened ruffian,
'^ I don't know and I don't care!'' Just then
some one asked him to go and bring us some
wonderful petrified wood, found in that vicinity,
and he showed decided disinclination to any such
exertion, and pleaded " no time," but when the
Agent insisted upon it, his energy came out in such
a vigorous *' Gee-whiz " and away he ran, and brought
us two fine specimens, which we forthwith purchased.
It was duly admired, and somebody suggested a
doubt as to its genuineness, when the little fellow
shouted, " Bet your boots, it is ! "

Our train came at 8 P. M., and at eleven o'clock
we reached the " Albemarle," at Livingston, a big-
sounding name for a little moderate hotel. We soon
slept, however, and knew nothing until the next
morning.

354

THE YELLOWSTONE.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH.

A BRIGHT lovely morning, and glorious for our
'^ trip to the Yellowstone Park. After a seven
o'clock breakfast, we started out to spend the few
minutes before our train left, at a quarter past eight,
in seeing some sights in Livingston, of which we
had heard. At a taxidermist's, we saw one of the
very few mountain goats in existence, and were
right glad to get the chance.

Our trip from Livingston to Cinnabar was through
lovely country, but the special feature of interest
was Auntie's and my ride on the engine. Jamie
made love to the engineer, and Auntie went on the
engine when we left Cinnabar, and rode some twelve
miles or more. I went on it then, and rode for
three-quarters of an hour, with Jamie near, as he
feared I would be nervous. What an unusual sensa-
tion it was ! We bounded off into space at a tre-
mendous pace, tossing and tumbling along, as if on
the wings of the wind. It was awfully exciting and
exhilarating, and put me all in a glow, but I never
before realized how thoroughly we travelers were in

355

the hands, and at the mercy, of the engineer. It was
terrible to contemplate, and to see the careless man-
ner in which he turned his back to the road ahead,
every once in a while, and joked and laughed with
us all. I think I ran that train for those few miles,
for I never took my eyes off the track ahead, and
never felt more responsibility than I did then. As
we neared a trestle, the engineer slowed up a little,
and as he did so he said, — ** I go slow over those
things, so that if we go through, we'll go easy."
And just then, as he finished telling me of having
run over six horses the other day, as we tore madly
around a great curve, cut out of a tremendous rock-
cliff, he said, — " I slow up here a bit too, for rocks
are not half so nice to run into as horses." He told
me that engineers often slept at their posts at night,
for, as he said, — **We are all human, and can't help
it sometimes." It was quite an experience, and I
never before flew out into space in such a hurry, for
it gives one a queer sensation, to feel the engine
throb as it puffs and groans, and to be pushed out
into the world, in company with such a tremendous
power. Nothing happened to harm us, but when
the engineer lifted me from my seat in the cab to
the ground, when stopping to take water, my little
side-bag, or " valise " as Mr. H. called it, slipped from
my belt, and I discovered my loss too late to search
for it then and there. It completely upset me for
the rest of the day, as it contained some few things
of value, which I had never carried in it until that

356

day. I hardly noticed the drive from Livingston to
the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, although I knew
it was through most beautiful caflons, and I have
read that they were finely marked by, and gave
strong evidence of, the Ice Age of our Continent.
After luncheon I took a rest to quiet my ruffled
spirits, and about half past four o'clock James,
Auntie and I went out to examine the wonderful
formations near this hotel, at which I had been peep-
ing at intervals from my window. This was our

FIRST GLIMPSE OF WONDERLAND.

C TANDING below, and looking up at this small
mountain of glorious formation, with its terrace
upon terrace, — its steam-covered springs, all lifting
their vapors in adoration to the skies, — the brilliant
colors contrasting gloriously with the great masses
of pure white, — one could hardly help feeling that a
new world was opening for us, — a new order of
things, demanding our watchful attention, and com-
manding our praise. We stood still to see it in its
entirety, before examining it in detail, and this
great and marvelous formation was glorious and
grand indeed, to our eyes. At the foot of this set
of terraces, stands a great colossal pyramid, rising
fifty or sixty feet from a level surrounding, and as it
points upward, with its layer upon layer of formation,
once the seat of a powerful geyser, which has de-
parted but left this monument to survive it, it pre-
sents a most imposing picture, and has been most

357

appropriately named ** Liberty Cap." Little by
little, slowly, for lack of breath (for these
Mammoth Hot Springs stand at an altitude
of 6,200 feet), we climbed these marvelous
terraces, and as we threaded our way between the
bubbling and boiling springs, and the little rivulets
which chase one another down the hill-side, we were
lost in wonder and admiration, and stirred to our
depths by these wonderful and marvelous sights.
There are one hundred and seventy acres in this hill
and plateau, over fifty terraces, and as many active
springs, and it is divided into three parts, Minerva's
Terrace, Jupiter's Terrace, and the Pulpit. The hot
springs have formed all these, evaporating in steam
and leaving the most exquisite and delicate deposits,
as truly inimitable as the sunshine. These layers, or
deposits, form the most peculiar fluted edges, curling
and scalloping and waving like beautiful frills, and
forming terrace after terrace, transforming all into
magnificent pictures by the luminous colors. These
springs, with their frost-like rims, their flake-like
frills of coral and fret-work, set one against the
other, in innumerable shapes and sizes, in terraces
and layers, made us feel that we had never before
beheld such grandeur in colors. Nothing we had
ever seen could be compared to this beauty, all won-
derful as it was, and after standing for some time,
gazing and searching in my mind for something,
which might be used as an example of its shapes
and character of formation, a homely simile sug-

358

gested itself, of colossal tarts and pies, with crimped
crusts,'and indented edges, only all in white, and rose-
color, and deep red. In these pools or springs, which
were too hot to do more than dip in our finger and
withdraw it quickly, were the most delicate frost-
work, and honey-comb deposits, like feathers in the
many colored pools, for one pool would be a heav-
enly blue, the one next it, perhaps, an emerald
green, then a yellowish green, until one was be-
wildered by the combinations and prismatic tints.
Some spaces between these springs were hard, but
streaked, as if some one had swept them when wet
and the broom-marks were distinctly visible. Some
great formations, like frosted or frozen cascades and
waves, were like whipped cream in their velvety soft-
ness, and the white and glistening stalactites stood
out against the clear sky, like great organ-pipes, and
it seemed to me that some angel from the heavens
could strike those glorious gems, and bring forth the
harmony of the past, when all nature was in tune
with this great glory. Perhaps the '' Lost Chord " or
that ** Great and Last Amen " is locked up in these
frozen fortresses, to swell forth on the Judgment
Day. As we wandered over these terraces, we walked
upon the white deposit, which crunched and creaked
beneath our feet like snow in winter, or an ash-path
in some mairshy place. It seemed to sing a little low
soft song, at least to me, as I wandered thoughtfully
along, and when I exclaimed aloud, thinking audibly
to my surprise," I feel as if I were walking on the ashes

359

of the past,"a dear old gentleman who had joined us,
exclaimed" I fancy that is just what you are doing."
One impressive thing to us were the waves of
color, in triangles and rectangles, which were so
beautifully blended and so artistically shaded, from
crimson and maroon to pink and rose-color, from
brown to the most delicate yellow, with grey, and
white, and black, so interwoven that it was a mag-
nificent spectacle. Over all these colors a stream
of hot-water constantly coursed, which in the sun-
shine was like a silver sheen or veil, blending each
color and shade in exquisite harmony. On the same
terrace on which this marvelous coloring was visi-
ble, was a similar formation of purest white, which
made a dazzling and wonderful contrast.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6tH.

"\ 17" HEN James interviewed the manager of the
stage line yesterday afternoon, and found
we were not certain of a stage for our start into the
Yellowstone, on Monday morning, we were quite
perplexed and did not know what to do. Our plan
to rest quietly over the Sabbath, seemed to meet
obstacles on every side, for the only stage for such
a small party — and the only driver, could be obtained
for a Sunday morning start, and no other ! After a
serious consultation, and a struggle with our con-
sciences, we found we were really obliged to do so,
and at eight, or to be perfectly exact, at 8.15 A. M.,
James, Auntie and I started from the Mammoth

360

Hot Springs Hotel, in ** our own hired coach and
four," for the tour of the famous Yellowstone
Park.

Our glimpse yesterday afternoon, into Wonder-
land, was enough to make us truly enthusiastic and
full of anticipation, and we started on our long drive,
as bright as the proverbial buttons. Our way, for
the first twenty-two miles, as far as Norris Basin, was
beautifully wooded, through most interesting coun-
try, over hills and through valleys, which comman-
ded extensive and exquisite views. Mountain peaks
crowned with snow, escorted us in their rocky grand-
eur, to the ** Golden Gate " of Yellowstone Park,
and there left us to ponder and wonder at the great
basaltic formations, the lava of ancient eruptions,
which has hardened in centuries into marvelous pin-
nacles and pillars, and which derives its name from the
golden moss or lichen, which clings so lovingly to its
many shaped and multitude of formations, making
a glorious gold mantle over all. Bunsen's Peak,
Electric Peak, the highest in the Park (ii,ooo feet).
Belle and Quadruple then came into view, with
beautiful waterfalls to enhance the beauty of the
scene, and make the contrast of light and shade per-
fect. Beaver Lake interested us much, because it
was full of dams made by the beavers, who stopped the
waters of the creek, and made this lovely little lake
by their work. A beaver house was plainly visible,
and is said to be inhabited now.

Our greatest interest, however, was aroused when
361

we reached the Obsidian Clififs, which skirt the shore
of Beaver Lake for some distance. From one hun-
dred and fifty, to two hundred and fifty feet, these
great jet black cliffs rise into the air, in almost verti-
cal columns, like basalt in pentagonal pinnacles, and
like basalt when broken, they divide into pieces
having one concave and one convex surface. Obsi-
dian is a species of lava ; it is volcanic glass, and very
rare. Although found in other places in small
quantities, there is not a cliff like this in the Rocky
Mountains, or anywhere, except in Mexico. This
Obsidian Cliff is considered unequalled in the world,
and it is really a grand sight. It is exactly like jet,
and glistens in the sunshine like genuine glass. It
is opaque. It was necessary to construct a carriage-
road at its base, and this was quite a difficult opera-
tion. Large fires were built upon the largest masses,
and when the obsidian was sufficiently expanded by
the heat, cold water was dashed upon it, which frac-
tured the blocks so that they could be handled. It
is said that " this is the only piece of glass carriage
road in the world." It is a quarter of a mile in
length. It is very interesting to see the different
varieties of this marvelous glass. Pure black is the
rarest and best, but some of it is flaked with yellow
and red, some with white, pink and blue. The Indians
used to visit these cliffs for obsidian, for their arrow-
heads and weapons, and it was such a sacred spot to
them, that hereditary enemies used to meet here as
friends, and it was neutral ground.

362

We had not gone far from the Obsidian Cliffs, when
our driver asked us if we wanted to drink some
genuine Apollinaris water, and being quite ready
for drinks, we walked a short distance into the
woods, and found a fine spring of mineral water, quite
rivaling its namesake. As we stood near the spring,
a dear little squirrel pranced about us, as tame as a
kitten, and it almost came into our hands. We saw
some lovely lakes, and arsenic springs, containing
genuine poison, and labeled on a big board " danger-
ous ! " Suddenly a great white side of a mountain
attracted our attention, and it was puffing and
steaming away up on the top, and being our first
glimpse of a geyser district, or the numerous steam
vents of that locality, we were much impressed. It
is called " Roaring Mountain." Soon, by our road-
way, singing and sizzling and sputtering away, was
the Devil's Frying Pan, a hot spring rising to the
surface in the shape of a frying pan. The steam
and boiling process made the water dance like
genuine devils and sprites, and they sang their 240*^
song in a very staccato treble. We were much
amused by this little devilish appearance, but our
driver laughed at our enthusiasm, saying we would
hardly notice that on our return trip, after we had
seen the greater wonders of the Basin.

After dinner at Norris Geyser Basin, a place
twenty-two miles from Mammoth Hot Springs, we
wandered out to get our first view of genuine and
real geysers. We walked about half a mile, before

363

we saw any real manifestations of steam; then, all at
once coming to the top of a little knoll, we saw the
whole Basin stretched out before us, and such a
revelation, such a marvelous sight as it was. A
great stretch of land lay before us, of such pure
white formation that it was dazzling to our eyes.
Great masses of deep red appeared at intervals, where
the iron ore had been deposited ; sulphur had made
other spots a regular green and yellow, and between
these deposits, in circular, oblong, small, big and
tiny shapes were the hot pools and springs, smoking,
puffing, and pulsating, and all sending such volumes
of steam up to the skies, that the whole place re-
minded us of a great manufacturing town, the build-
ings hidden by the steam, but the roar and hum and
puff of machinery, and the power moving it, very
distinct and audible. Every minute, several geysers
near us would throw up into the air a great fountain
and spray of water and steam, play and coquette in
mid-air half a minute, then subside to accumulate
strength and material for another great outburst.
We stood silently watching this new and marvelous
sight, when we were horribly conscious of heat com-
ing up into our faces and under our clothes, and
looking down and about us, we discovered that we
were standing over, and were surrounded by, great
cracks in the earth's crust, which were sending forth
great streams of steam (if steam can be spoken of as
a stream). The holes, and crevices, and cracks, were
ugly and awful, some like caves, reaching deep down

364

into the bowels of the earth, others great yawning
openings, all cracked and split and seamed, and
yellow and burned-looking, and all sending forth
steam, with such grunts and groans, such sputterings
and sighings, that we were quite willing to move
along. The sulphurous odors were stifling, and
came into our faces in great volumes. We wan-
dered along the road which is made through this
Basin, until we approached a mammoth and much
noisier spring than we had seen, and being enthusi-
astic in our discoveries, we walked back from the
road a little, in among some queer ^' paint-pots,"
which were boiling their muddy pastes in such a
sing-song manner, and were wonderful indeed. We
were unconscious of danger, until the heat through
my cork-sole shoes brought me back to common-
place things, and feeling of the shoe, I found it so
hot that I could not hold the sole in my hand. I
then leaned down to touch the spot on which I stood,
and my hand was nearly blistered. In an instant we
were cautiously picking our way back to the road,
when Aunt Mary gave a scream, and said she had
burned the side of her foot badly. It pained her the
rest of the day. A story came to my mind then, of
an Irishman, who came into the Park with a friend,
and standing and looking into one of these boiling
pools one day, he called to his friend, *' Bedad, Pat,
let*s go back, Hell's only half a mile ahead."

One great crack in a little hollow near the road,
emits such a powerful steam force, that it comes

36s

forth with a growl and a roar, and is appropriately
named ** The Growler." It seemed like one of Hell's
chimneys, and was too suggestive of the Inferno for
us to remain long. The trees about it are white
and dead, as if their life had been suddenly ended
by the poisonous gases, which pour from this vent.
We read in a guide book of a " New Crater,"
which had made its appearance recently, within the
last twelve or fifteen years, and which is watched
with great interest by scientists. We found it in
the woods near, and were looking into its awful
mouth, listening to the thunder and hissing down in
the depths, when, with a spurt and a dash, a great
heaving and roaring, it began to play, throwing boil-
ing water over the place we had been occupying,
while we were skipping to points of safety, to watch
it from afar. It was too awful to stay long near its
tremendous power, and we walked along to places,
where the steam showed us there were other
springs. We came to one fine Mud Geyser, as it is
called, its great pool being about twelve feet in di-
ameter, and its walls about five feet high. Seeing
the muddy clay-colored water quite agitated, we
waited a short time and were rewarded, by seeing it
play finely. The water rose in the basin until it
filled the entire opening, and then threw up a drab-
colored spray, and continued this operation, splash-
ing and dashing high into the air, for four or five
minutes. It leaves an inky deposit, which forms
into beautiful shapes. This Mud Geyser plays reg-

366

ularly every twenty minutes, and we waited to see
it a second time. We saw " Hurricane Spring "
and the great " Monarch " ; the latter is so erratic in
its playful moods, that no dependence can be
placed upon it, and it was not wise for us to wait,
in hopes of seeing its grand display. Conse-
quently, after two hours of familiarity with the gey-
sers and springs of Norris Basin, we took our stage
which had followed us along, and drove twenty
miles farther on, to** Lower Geyser Basin." We
went through Gibbon's Cafton, a most exquisite and
beautiful bit of scenery, so picturesque and delight-
ful. As we were driving along, we came suddenly
to one of the loveliest springs we had seen, right
close to the road, alone in all its beauty, and com-
ing near to its circular edge, we could look deep
down into its exquisite depths, for rightly called was
** Beryl Spring."

We made two fords, one across Reservation
Creek, another the Fire-Hole River, and at last,
about 5.45 P. M. we reached the new " Fountain
Hotel," at the Lower Geyser Basin. Dumping our
luggage hurriedly in our rooms, although it threat-
ened rain, we went out to see the formations here
and to be in time if any of the big geysers should
play. The formation here was as purely white, and
as tremendous and colossal, as our wildest imagin-
ings could have pictured, and the terraces were
finely marked and colored. The great Fountain
Geyser, whose crater is thirty feet in diameter, with

367

its depth of exquisite blue water, its sides of the
most dainty colored formation, and its brilliant de-
posits, making a crinkled edge four or five inches
deep, was actively boiling and bubbling, but '* a
keeper of the peace," in the shape of a gallant
young officer of the guard, which is placed through-
out the Park, informed us that the Fountain would
not play for an hour at least. He escorted us to
see the Mammoth Paint Pots, and oh how fascinat-
ingly beautiful they were ! A great pool or lake of
white pasty clay, forty feet by sixty (with walls of
its own formation, five or six feet high, on three
sides), sputtering, gurgling, rising in globular
masses, making cones and rings, and throwing up
jets of mud, presented a spectacle utterly new to
us, and as beautiful as it was bewitching. It capti-
vated me, and I could not take my attention from
this beautiful, thick, cream-white siliceous clay,
which was in perpetual and incessant agitation. Its
surface was ever changing, and as the mud puffs
flew up into the air, and from the nature of its com-
position, settled back into itself, like little circles or
cones, it reminded me of a game of checkers, and it
seemed as if the playful plastic material was having
a colossal game with itself, and as one checker of
white mud settled itself on the surface, as if to rest
from its labors, the mud next it would jump up and
hop over the first, as if hurrying to the end to be
crowned and have double power. All over this
huge caldron, this operation was repeated, over and

368

over, and the **plop, plop " of this pasty stuff be-
came quite musical to our ears. Three sides were
surrounded, as I said, with walls of deposit, but the
fourth side was composed of some thirty or forty
cones or mud-puffs, three or four feet high, which
presented a cracked or seamed appearance. These
little cone-shaped hills are of the softest and loveli-
est shades of pink, and like velvet to the touch.
They almost all have pulsations, but one attracted
us beyond anything we had seen. It was more a
caldron than a cone, of thicker consistency than
the white, and of a delicate pink color. It heaved,
sighed and actually sneezed, then lazily opened an
exquisite lily-like flower, and up shot, four or five
feet into the air, a little stream of pink, which as
quickly settled back, and the lily became a tulip;
then doubling back its petals and leaves, an ex-
quisite full rose was before us, and with infinite
variety this process continued, until we were driven
away by a wretched shower, which threatened to
cover us too copiously with its "little drops of
water." We left the marvelous phenomenon with
its sighs and groans, its upheavings and artistic
forms of ever changing variety, and hurried through
the mud to our " home for the night," but not until
we had seen the remarkable red feathery formations
in some springs, which flowed over the white
ground about it, like rivers of blood, which, scien-
tists or chemists say, comes from the ferric acid,
which is in the flow, and these wonderful colors

369

make chemical combinations, producing the most
marvelous mosaic rocks, like marble and onyx. It
is merely one of the many things to marvel at.

Surely our first day's wanderings in this ** Wonder-
ful Wonderland," made us feel as if we had been
fully repaid for all our journey, to see such marvels,
and would have contented us if we had never seen
more. Our brains and bones were tired and worn,
and we were in our beds before nine o'clock was
reached, thanking God in our prayers, that our Sun-
day had been spent among such wonders of His
creation, and we could sing in our hearts : " O all ye
works and powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord ;
praise Him and magnify Him forever."

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH.

npHIS band of formidable formations seems to
extend, so I was told, about fifty miles across
the country, appearing at times and places wholly
unexpectedly, and proving that a tremendous power
is constantly at work under the earth's crust, moving
back and forth, and finding vents and holes to expend
its fury and strength. It is a mysterious and awful
power, terrible in its playfulness and violence, even in
its quietest moments. This seems to have been the
last portion of our continent to cool and become
hard, making one feel intuitively that the entire
crust of our earth was once in just such a state of
ferment and activity, as this is now. Great cracks,
and hollows, and caves, are only thinly crusted over,

370

and some are treacherous and dangerous. The
earth's crust is honeycombed at some places, and
holes with steam coming forth, are met at most un-
expected times and are quite hidden, making watch-
fulness imperative, and carelessness often pays a
painful penalty.

It was densely foggy when we awoke, at half past
six this morning, and it took a tremendous amount
of self-control and courage to prepare for our trip,
with such a frowning promise for the day. We felt
as if the whole surrounding country had perhaps
developed into a huge geyser, during the night, and
this dense fog was after all, a cloud of steam from
the new crater. But ** fortune favors the brave,"
and when we drove from the Fountain Hotel, at ten
minutes before eight o'clock, a ray of sunshine lay
across our path, and seemed to follow us as we went.
The whole earth's surface seemed to rise up in clouds
of vapor, to kiss the sun, and as we drove away from
the lower basin, it made the most perfect picture, with
the white fleecy veil reaching out from the earth to
the blue sky above. We drove a few miles, then
stopped by the " Fire-Hole River " (I always feel
as if I could smell brimstone and sulphur whenever
I name that river), and after leaving our coaches and
crossing the aforesaid stream, we had but a tiny walk
before we stood on ** Hell's Half-Acre." White soil,
with such dense volumes and columns of steam, that
our fellow-travelers were often enveloped and hidden
from our sight, and they were not fifteen feet away,

371

with a great yawning geyser on our left, and in-
numerable pools and springs on all sides of us, such
was ** Hell's Half-Acre," and after a solemn conclave
we unanimously agreed, that if Hell's HalfAcxQ was
as bad as that, we did not ever care to see a whole
acre of that Infernal Region. The " Prismatic Lake"
was in this dire place, but it was so exquisite in its
beauty, that we were spell bound by its waves and
bands of prismatic tints, its brilliancy and radiancy
being something quite remarkable. ** Turquoise
Spring " was near us on our right, a crystal-like
spring of exquisite blue waters, so clear that we
could see deep down into its boiling depths, and the
little rivulets which conveyed its overflow into the
river, were lines of white, with deep yellow
borders.

But this awful abyss on our left, with its terrific
hissing, and gurgling, and rumbling, was the crater of
the greatest of all the geysers, the " Excelsior," —
whose eruptions have shaken the country for miles
around, and whose terrible volume of rising steam
never ceases, night or day, winter or summer, but
can be seen for miles. The ** Excelsior" has not
been in active eruption for some time, but the de-
struction it has worked about and within its own
crater, is wonderful to behold. It is two hundred and
fifty feet wide and four hundred feet long, with
walls twenty and thirty feet high. At the bottom
are numerous springs, boiling and sputtering, great
boulders that have been thrown from their resting

372

places, into masses and dire confusion, and such a
dreadful scene, — that I felt as if I had been trans-
ported into the realms of some mysterious and awful
spirit. There is utter desolation about these fire-
holes ; no tree lives near these boiling caldrons ; no
bird did we see, not any living insect; in fact, the sili-
ceous deposits make great white masses about the
roots of all the trees.

After leaving this marvelous *' Half Acre," we
drove to the Upper Geyser Basin, where the princi-
pal geysers of the Park are found, which are not
surpassed by any in the known world. Iceland and
New Zealand are the proud possessors of such
demonstrations of the powers of the earth's central
force, but nowhere are geysers found^ of such mag-
nitude and magnificence as here. Some years ago,
there were said to be four hundred and forty active
springs and geysers in this Basin, but we saw so
many that we could not count them, and must trust
to our memories, to retain facts and data of a few
of the many. As we drove along the Fire-Hole
River, which receives most of its force from these
hot-water eruptions, we were watching anxiously for
some sudden symptoms of display, when the coaches
in front of us stopped suddenly, and our driver elec-
trified us by saying, "Just in time, there goes the
Mortar!" Sure enough, as we drove up, this
beautiful geyser was sending up its stream of water
and steam, and was a most inviting invitation and
initiation into the mysteries of the Upper Geyser

373

Basin. Then some one shouted, "The Grotto,
quick!" and one after another the horses tore
along, but an eruption was just over, as we discovered
to our sorrow. We left our coach here, and walked
the mile between us and the hotel, in order to see
all we could. "The Grotto" was exquisite to
examine, encrusted with a geyserite deposit
like glorious pearls, and some portions were like
frost and exquisite white coral. As we stood
before this grotto of gems, some one said, " The
Splendid is going off," and like a flock of sheep, we
all ran toward the geyser, which was said to be ready
to play. But we watched and waited for some
time, then in a line, we wandered to see the great
" Giant," one of the most powerful in the Upper
Basin. The numerous clouds of vapor and steam,
between us and the hotel, began to attract us in that
direction, and as we met a young soldier, who es-
corted us all over, — everywhere, — we were soon
viewing the springs and geysers, in their order and
regularity, and under " military escort." To our
right and to our left, behind us and before us, were
spouting geysers, and that whole portion of the
earth seemed to be in active motion, — the entire
surface was covered with clouds and veils of vapor.

" Economic," a geyser which plays every five
minutes (as regular as a clock), attracted us much,
as we watched the small apperture through which
the water bubbled up at first, then flew out into
space with a roar and a dash, and as quickly crept

374

back into the same hole again, to get ready for the
next uprising. "The Grand" and "The Turban,"
— both geysers, — next charmed us, and as we gazed
into their wonderful depths, it seemed as if some
fairy had touched the formations with a magic wand,
for all was so exquisitely shaped and with such
marvelous variety ! A most curious effect was wit-
nessed, as we all gazed deep down into " The Tur-
ban's" blue waters. From openings in the white
geyserite deposits, deep down at one side, shot out
great tongues of blue flames, licking the water as if
to quench some distressing heat or thirst. Like
monsters, these blue flames lapped against the
geyser's sides, and as they touched the water, a
combustion resulted, the reports, which were inces-
sant, being distinctly audible where we stood, and
after each, bubbles of air rose to the surface, keep-
ing a romping ripple playing across the water. Of
course, we knew water would extinguish flames, and
they could not be what they seemed, but some sci-
entist explained to us, that a certain gas coming out
of the earth at that outlet, meeting water, produced
combustion, and then the gas rose to the surface
like an air-bubble. It was singularly beautiful. A
" Crested Pool,'* — so named on account of the glori-
ous masses of ornamentation about its rim, which
was raised in beautiful cushioned puffs, — " The Cas-
tle,"— a m^agnificent and glorious fortress of deposit
and formation, with a great crater-cone, many feet
high, — both were examined, and admired.

375

We were nearing the little hotel, having walked a
good long two miles, and although we had seen the
trusty " Old Faithful " twice, at a distance, we de-
termined to have a nearer and more intimate ac-
quaintance. This geyser, all of wonderful formation
and deposits, is raised above the surrounding ground,
— but although " Old Faithful " was roaring and
hissing, and showing strong symptoms of an ap-
proaching display, we knew it would not be until
the proper and regular time, so Auntie and I climbed
up to the crater's mouth and gazed down into its
steaming and gurgling aperture. This formation
was like gems, too, being in terraces with beaded
and fretted rims and beautiful colors, and it was ex-
quisite. Just on the moment, — for Old Faithful
plays every sixty-five minutes, regularly (it plays
five minutes, with sixty minutes interval), — it began
its magnificent eruption, sending a column of water,
two feet in diameter, up one hundred and fifty feet
into the air, the steam going half again as high. It
was grand, marvelous, wonderful !

After luncheon, we thought another display by
" Old Faithful," although our fourth, would please us,
so we waited until it was time, and while we waited,
the geysers just in front of us, **The Lioness " and
" The Cub," gave fine exhibitions of their strength
and power, and were beautiful to behold. James
was feeling too tired to walk any more, so Auntie
and I, with our military escort (for he had returned
for us), started out again, and saw so many springs,

376

and pools, and geysers, that we were almost bewil-
dered. ''The Bee-Hive," a glorious geyser, did not
play for us, it being very irregular, — but it is most
appropriately named, as is also "The Butterfly,"
merely a boiling spring, and " The Sponge," a for-
mation exactly resembling the article for which it is
named. " The Bee-Hive " throws water two hun-
dred and twenty feet into the air. ''The Run,"
"The Vault," "The Infant," "The Chromatic,"
" Wave," " Tea-Kettle," are all exquisite, with crys-
tal waters and marvelous formations in their basins.
"The Beauty" is rarely exquisite, and blue as the
heavens above, while the " Oblong," with an open-
ing fifty by thirty-one feet, is a most glorious and
magnificent geyser. We were hovering about "The
Grotto," looking at its glorious great aperture, when
James came in the coach, and as steam was appear-
ing from further down, we drove to see from whence
it came, and found one of the finest geysers of the
Upper Basin was playing. We were just in time,
and the great " Riverside " displayed its gigantic
strength and power for full fifteen minutes, by our
watches. It sent up two great streams, ninety feet
high, and roared, and hissed, and rumbled, and
quaked so heavily that the ground under our wheels
shook violently, and we could feel it distinctly, sit-
ting in our seats in the coach.

We were quite satisfied after this display, having
seen many geysers play, so we drove along to ex-
amine some springs and pools. The beautiful and

377

unsurpassed " Morning Glory '* received from us a
lengthy visit. Its great circle, twenty feet in
diameter, is surrounded by the most beautiful white
deposit, which crinkles and curves with exquisite
irregularity, and is beautifully encrusted. From this
crisp edge, shade the morning glory tints ; rose-color
creeps from the white and yellowish band, then blues
from light to dark, until all is concentrated in a
royal purple ! Water, clear as crystal, covers all these
waves of color, and through the water, as we looked,
the sun shone brightly, the rays of light bending
and blending, crossing and recrossing, making little
golden squares over all, which produced a harmon-
ious union, a beautiful whole.

One of our Alaska friends, who had visited the
Park, before the trip on the Mexico, begged us not
to fail to see " Biscuit Basin," which is not in the
regular route, and it was with difficulty that we
persuaded our driver to take us there. We had to
make a dangerous ford, but it repaid us. A glorious
" Sapphire Pool " pulsated constantly, and was sur-
rounded by formations, resembling biscuits of all
sizes, in rows. The pool was deep blue, and these
formations were all olive-green ! A spring, called
the " Silver Globe,'* was near one, called the " Black
Pearl," both true to their appellations. ** Avoca "
was in perpetual commotion, and ** The Jewel "
played every three minutes, and was such a rollick-
ing jolly little affair.

We reached the Fountain Hotel about 4.50 P. M.,
378

for we were to spend another night there, but no
sooner had we deposited our things in our room,
than we rushed to see the " Mammoth Paint Pots,"
which had fascinated us so much yesterday. They
seemed more beautiful — the rose ones especially —
and we vowed that they really sobbed and sighed, and
as the beautiful rose-colored lilies unfolded and de-
veloped into one lovely form after another, it seemed
as if Dame Nature was moulding and fashioning
forms, for a sculptor to fire in her furnaces, when
modeled exactly true ; but she seemed in a dissatis-
fied mood, as if nothing was ever quite as lovely as
she wished it. We mortals stood bewildered by
the multitude of creations, and marveled at the
beauty of each.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH.

A T 8.15 A. M. we left the Fountain Hotel, at the
'^^ Lower Geyser Basin, and started on our all
day drive to the Yellowstone Cafion. We felt that
we had had the most unusual and interesting part of
our trip, and we quite settled ourselves for a monot-
onous and hum-drum day. We had no more
geysers to see, except a straggling one, now and
then, by the road-side, and when somebody said
** You will have beautiful scenery," a query arose in
our minds, if we had not already seen the loveliest
scenery in our country. The Yosemite was grand
and magnificent; Alaska was interesting and un-
usual ; Mt. Hood was decidedly novel and inspiring;

379

the Yellowstone geysers had been phenomenal and
most weird and fascinating ; and could anything come
now, to surpass any of these ? Our day began well,
as we had the fun and excitement of making many
fords, and in the middle of one small river our driver
lost his hat, and had to run down stream, and fish it
out with the whip. We drove through most fertile
and beautiful valleys, going for miles through the
most glorious green and gold grasses, with here and
there a patch of bronze or red, to illuminate the
entire fields. We then climbed a great moun-
tain, the trees being numerous at first, but we came
to many places where a fire or some destructive
agent, had laid the trees low, and for miles fallen
trees, criss-cross, at angles, in piles and every kind
of a heap, surrounded and outlined our path. It was
an uninteresting sight, but it seemed to me that the
giants of the forest must have been having a gigantic
game of Jack-straws, and left their mammoth game
in a pretty tight place, where no one could " play
without moving."

We passed over " Mary's Mountain," a very pre-
cipitous climb, one bit of road being so narrow and
rough, that Jamie and I walked up it, and found
afterwards that we had climbed, not " the golden
stairs," but the "Devil's Ladder." It was on this
mountain, about a year ago, that a buffalo appeared
in front of a stage-load of people, frightening the
horses so terribly, that they ran away and upset the
stage. Fortunately only one person was injured.

380

After driving about sixteen miles, we came to a
hollow in between the hills, and there found a little
collection of tents, and were informed that it was
" Larry's Lunch Station ! " It was a most remark-
able place, one tent for a dining-room, one for a
waiting-room, a kitchen, and all the necessary re-
quirements ; and elk-horns, with their great branches,
ornamented every available space in front of the
entrance to this remarkable abode. On the white
canvas were grotesque drawings, two of which
we photographed. The owner of this quaint lunch-
station, was a roaring Irishman, with a fund of ready
wit and humor, really remarkable and truly amusing.
He acted the part of host to perfection, in his shirt-
sleeves and little round skull cap, and although
" his guests " sat down at his bountiful board as
strangers, they arose as friends, for his remarks, as he
walked back and forth from one to the other, to see
that all were waited upon, produced such an
uproar, that we lost all formality and ceremony
while in that tent. A long wooden bench stretched
down each side of the table, and one either had to go
in at the end, or climb over. As one lady climbed to
her place at the table, Larry exclaimed " Please, lady,
don't soil the upholstery," and soon perceiving some
haste on the part of one person present, he shouted,
" You have one hour and a half to eat ; this ain't no
twenty minute lunch counter." Just as we were all
seated and had opened our Japanese napkins, and
prepared for our meal, Larry electrified us all, by

shouting at the top of his decidedly loud voice,
" Let her go, coffee," and to our surprise, from
another tent near by, there came a young man, with
an earthenware pitcher full of really excellent coffee.
It was surprising how good things did taste to us
all.

After leaving Larry's, we drove through a long
stretch of desolate country, owing to the loss of
trees, but were surrounded by mountains ; and as we
crept along, we kept coming nearer and nearer to
such a peculiar mountain, so white and green and
yellow all over, and discovered that we were
viewing the famous Sulphur Mountain, a most re-
markable formation of almost pure sulphur. A
boiling spring lies right at the foot, on the road-side,
and was in a very active bubbling state.

About four o'clock, we were climbing a very steep
ascent, when a sudden glimpse from a place called
" Grand Point," gave us a little idea of the beautiful
scenery before us, of the marvelous Cafion we had
come so many miles to see, and hurrying our horses
to the hotel which was near, we lost no time in ob-
taining a little " rattle-trap " of a carriage, and
drove rapidly to see the two most extensive views
into the Cafion, from ** Point Lookout," and *' In-
spiration Point." Point Lookout was reached by
driving to the edge of the woods, and walking in.
And as we neared this high point, and saw the vision
of beauty which met our eyes on every side, in that
sunset hour, when all was bathed in floods of ex-

382

quisite light, we felt as if nothing so beautiful in
nature, had we ever seen before. Kneeling on a lit-
tle stone near the edge, looking down hundreds of
feet into that vast abyss, gazing ahead at the won-
derful sheet of water falling over the Yellowstone
Falls, three hundred and sixty feet without a break,
then turning and looking backward, into that glori-
ous coloring, made us feel as if we had seen God's
Heaven at last !

Supreme and sublime emotions come to us all, at i
times and seasons when we least expect them ; they
do not come at will, but overpower us when we
know not of their approach. Twice before in my
life had I been so deeply moved, once by Mt. Blanc's
superb serenity and golden glory, and again when
the grand organ in the Cathedral at Freiburg, pealed
forth into the dimly lighted edifice ; and now the
same emotions overwhelmed me, and I sank on my
knees, and the tears chased themselves down my
cheeks, unbidden and unnoticed, until Jamie's alarm
lest I should fall or faint, brought me to my-
self.

If words or pen could describe that scene ! The
great sides of the Caflon were wide apart at the top,
but sloped gradually together at their base, leaving
a small space through which the river ran, like a
beautiful band of green, or a strip of moss-agate.
Rising on each side, as if a great sea of prisms had
been frozen side-wise into a perpetual formation,
the great points and waves of color rose, broken off

383

jaggedly into pinnacles of all sizes and ragged
edges, some standing alone, others in companies of
twos and threes. Over all these formations and
groups were the tints of beauty, red and deep crimson
shading into palest pink and rose-color, browns and
orange tints to lemon-color, purple of a most royal
hue, and violet of such exquisite tint, of such distinct
and yet soft shades, green too, and olive, and purest
white, and such richness of color, such blending and
harmonious combinations, such mellow tints, that
not one harsh line was visible, not one unpleasant
impression to mar the whole. It seemed as if the
entire world had been transformed, as if we had been
gazing into " Hades Holes," and now we were look-
ing into the " Heavenly Gates," at the amethyst
walls, and streets of pearl. It seemed as if the au-
tumn tints had all been gathered here, as if it was the
store-house of Dame Nature's paints and palettes, as
if these blending and mellow prismatic walls were
nature's copy and inspiration, for all the beauty of
the trees in autumn. It impressed us all, and we
came away reluctantly. It left in our hearts the
peaceful exaltation and ecstasy of a beautiful prayer,
or hymn ; and it seemed as if we could not but be
better in the world, because of this blissful and per-
fect vision of natural beauty. It was the same scene
of loveliness on Inspiration Point, and over all, the
mellow twilight spread a golden veil, adding the last
touch to that perfect scene. We were two hours in
this paradise of color.

384

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH.

C UCH a sunshiny morning inspires any one, and
life seems worth living, when such floods of
golden light cover the earth. Some rays must peep
into our hearts, on such days as this, I think, and it
is only when our hearts and minds are too full of
something else, that the sunshine cannot enter, and
we wonder then, why we are not in tune with such
glorious surroundings. Auntie, James and I were in
full harmony with the beauty of the morning, and as
soon as our breakfast was over, and our luggage
ready for the coach, we started for *' Point Lookout,"
to see in the morning light, the beauty which had so
enthralled us in the last sunset hour. It was a
twenty minutes* walk, but as we started before nine
o'clock, we had plenty of time before us and were
able to stay there a full half hour. Reaching Point
Lookout, by the path of rare beauty through the
woods, we immediately isolated ourselves, one from
the other, to drink in silently and to meditate alone
upon that rarest of rare beauties in nature. All be-
fore us, in the morning glory, lay the greatest of
natural wonders, and the longer we lingered and
looked, the more speechless was our admiration, —
the more marvelous it seemed to us. It was a dif-
ferent aspect in the morning, — the sunlight came
from such a different angle, and the mellow dreami-
ness and exquisite pathos of the sunset, had given
place to the hopefulness and brightness of the morn-

38s

ing glow. New beauties attracted me, new colors
which shadows had deepened in the twilight and
which I had not seen distinctly, and new and beauti-
ful combinations of the prismatic tints, stood before
me, in such rare radiance, that I was fascinated anew,
and loath to leave this Point of Enchantment, as I
love to call it, when Jamie brought my wandering
thoughts back to terra-firma, by the suggestion that
our half hour was up, and our coach was ready for
us. Silently, in single Indian file, we reluctantly re-
traced our steps, and found all ready for our day's
drive. In that little walk, neither Auntie, Jamie nor
I exchanged a single word, and it seemed as if we
felt the need of silent meditation, to bring us back
to every day things again, and to print indelibly
upon our hearts and minds, that scene of grand and
exquisite beauty. The beautiful Falls had been like
sparkling crystals and diamonds in the sunshine,
great bands of emerald green, and a beautiful rain-
bow in the mist and spray, and it was like the mys-
tical beauty of the heavenly land.

Our thirteen-mile drive was a fine one, over a pass
in the mountains, through great forests and along
splendid roads, and we reached Norris Geyser Basin,
about half past twelve. It was old ground to us
this time, but we fancied a second view of the gey-
sers and great smoke-holes would be valuable to us,
so after our luncheon, we wandered again through
that marvelous formation, which had been our first
introduction to the ''Wonders of Wonderland.

386

On this visit, I noticed more caution, — greater pru-
dence in investigating hot places, and we kept most-
ly in the roadway and wandered little, in among the
boiling pools and caldrons. But our interest was
not lessened, but rather strengthened, by further
familiarity with these volcanic forces, and we came
away reluctantly, wishing our trip had just begun,
instead of about to end.

When we started, at about 2.15 P. M. for our return
trip to the Mammoth Hot Springs, we were informed
that we would meet, half way in our twenty-two
miles, a stage with five people in it, who would
change there with us, and take our driver and his
poor horses back into the Park. We drove along
pleasantly over the same ground that we had covered
in our start, but when we reached the Obsidian
Cliffs, we felt such interest in the deposits and the
glass boulders, that we thought it well to let the
horses rest, and we amused ourselves for a half hour,
wandering about those great cliffs, upon the pieces of
all sizes, which creaked and cracked and rattled and
chatted to us, as we walked over them. The glitter
of the obsidian is its chief beauty, and as we watched
it in the sunshine, it was like polished jet in the
bright light.

Finally, the stage from the Hot Springs arrived,
and the transfer of passengers and luggage took
place, and our final move towards the end of this
part of our journey was made. Imagine our horror,
when we discovered that our new driver was intoxi-

387

cated, and showed the symptoms so seriously, that
we were quite alarmed. He had a man on the box
with him, to whom he handed the reins, for about
nine miles, and then to my horror, he came into the
stage and sat with me, — an unprecedented proceed-
ing. I was not half so much afraid then, as when he
held the reins, and did my best to keep him good-nat-
ured, smiling at his silly jests, and letting his foolish
remarks pass unnoticed. Jamie and Auntie watched
me anxiously, but I carried out my part of the
comedy, and acted as if I enjoyed my drunken
companion. Finally, when the steepest part of the
road lay before us, our driver stepped out of the
stage, took a bottle of whiskey, and inviting James
to join him (which he of course refused), turned it up
and drank freely; then taking the reins, we went like
the wind, down those three miles, through the steep-
est and narrowest of the passes, rolling round the
curves and corners, as if the laws of centrifugal forces
could not catch us, if we flew fast enough. Riding
on an engine, was nothing to this excitement, with a
man at the reins, who could not have sat straight, or
remained on the coach, but for the break at his side,
on which his foot was braced. Jamie, Auntie and I
said nothing, but pressing our lips tightly together,
and watching the lay of the land, if a jump was
necessary, we resigned ourselves to our fate, not
knowing which way it might go, at any moment.
When a person is in a bad scrape and cannot get out
of it, a calmness and resignation come, which are per-

388

fectly inexplicable, and help one through. Such
was our experience.

We reached the hotel at 6.40 P. M., having had a
most glorious and enjoyable trip through the
National Yellowstone Park.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER lOTH.

A UNTIE, James and I walked a little in the
"^ morning. There is a spring among the Mam-
moth Hot Springs here, which coats any article
that is put into it, with a heavy glistening white
deposit. We walked to the little house where these
^'Coated Specimens" from Cleopatra Spring, are sold.
At 2 p. M., in a heavy shower which had just
reached us, Auntie started on her journey to Salt
Lake City. Our afternoon was spent quietly, rest-
ing and writing, and watching the succession of
showers, chasing one another across the mountains
near us. In the evening, we received some calls
from those to whom we had letters of introduction.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER IITH.

T OVELY day, — really too chilly for comfort.
My morning was spent writing and packing?
and we left the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, at
two o'clock, truly sorry that our pleasant trip was
ended. Our drive to Cinnabar was interesting, and
the wonderful volcanic action, as well as the glacial
cuttings, were plainly marked and easily recognized,
and the stranded boulders were a source of constant

389

remark, at least to anyone interested in such things.
One could easily trace the slow but steady advance
of the great ice sheet, which had covered the earth,
so long ago, and see the keen and sharp outline of
its work, in the caflons through which we drove, on
those eight miles to Cinnabar. We had a half hour
when we reached there, before the train started, and
one of the baggage-men constituted himself our
guide, and took us to see a few curiosities, live ones,
too, owned by the people about there, which
were trotted out for our special benefit, while an ad-
miring crowd stood around us. There were two
baby antelopes, dear tame little creatures, a great
black bear, and a wolf; then a rattle-snake was poked
out of his cage, to rattle for us, and let us take his
picture, and our half hour passed pleasantly and
profitably.

At 4 P. M. the train started, landing us in Living-
ston at six. The M — family,with James and myself
had dinner at the "Albemarle Hotel"; then we took
little Philip to see the Mountain Goat, and after
looking in the few shops of interest, we returned to
the hotel. Mr. M. left his family with James as
protector, and took a train for the West, so after
writing some letters, we joined our new charges in
the sleeper, and long before the train started, we
were in bed and asleep.

390

HOMEWARD!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER I2TH.

nPHE day was beautiful, and we spent it quietly
and pleasantly, resting, reading, and watching
the varied scenery from our car windows. We were
much interested in seeing Miles City, and Fort
Keough, in Montana, and especially curious about
the Camp of Indians, near the latter place. Col.
Page, an officer from that fort, told us that those
Indians were the Cheyennes, whom the soldiers
brought last winter from Pine Ridge, where they
were held and badly treated by their enemies, the
Sioux. It was a curious village, the queer Indian
tents being seen by the dozen, and such squalor and
filth was visible, even from the train. We also saw
twa cattle round-ups, and the whippers-in were very
busy, keeping refractory animals from making breaks
and succeeding in fleeing from their enforced cap-
tivity.

We anticipated the Dakota " Bad Lands " very
much, but were disappointed when we finally saw
them. They are a most marvelous formation, in
points and pinnacles, turrets and domes, in every

391

remarkable and unusual form and size, many of
them brilliantly colored, the brightest bands of red
and yellow, being at the top of these mounds and
hills. They interest one at first, but soon grow
monotonous and wearisome. These unusual lands
were once at the bottom of a great sea, for the
rocks in them record the fact, and make it positive
and beyond a doubt, as they are full of the most in-
teresting and marvelous fossils. Truly it is an edu-
cation in itself, for one to travel through this won-
derful country of ours, and if one's eyes are open to
all the interesting sights and scenes, a store of infor-
mation can be tucked away, to be properly de-
veloped when time and opportunity allow. Jamie
and I are returning home, with a firm determination
to read and digest the many books we have heard
of, and to look well into the continent building
forces, which have interested us so much of late.

The Dakota wheat fields were a marvel in their
wonderful harvest, as we steamed through them to-
day. For miles on every side of us, as far as the
eye could reach, were these yellow mounds, bearing
such a harvest as Dakota has never known before.
A prairie sunset of marvelous beauty, finished a
really interesting day, on our journey.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13TH.

COMETIMES "common-place days" are a treat,

the very idea of having nothing to do, being

restful, and after a feast in mysteries and wonders

392

and color, such as we have had, in the Yellowstone,
we are quite ready for the dusty railroad again.
Having the Drawing Room last night, we slept
very well, and were hardly ready to waken when the
porter knocked, at 7.30 A. M. We lost our travelling
companions, Mrs. M. and little Philip, and Miss M.
when we reached Staples, in Minnesota, about break-
fast time.

Minnesota is a beautiful state, and coming out of
Dakota, with its broad expanse of treeless prairies,
it was a delight, in the lovely autumn tints, and as
we watched the varied and brilliant colors, it seemed
as if the Grand Caflon of the Yellowstone had been
brought to this region and distributed liberally over
the land. We reached Minneapolis all too soon and
unexpectedly, feeling bright and more refreshed
than after any trip before, of similar length. Our
day was uneventful. A rest, some writing, dinner in
our room, and a lovely quiet evening, and then to
sleep.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER I4TH.

T rERY warm, beautifully bright. After strolling
about the city, looking into the shop windows
and enjoying some fine pictures, we were so warm
and so tired, that we returned to the West Hotel,
and rested awhile before luncheon, and as we were
on our way to the dining-room, Jamie's Aunt Annie,
with her daughter and son, came to call upon us.
Jamie had never seen these cousins, and it was the

393

principal reason that brought us to Minneapolis.
They took us to drive, for three hours or more, and
we saw the famous Minnehaha Falls, where they

" Flash and gleam among the oak-trees,
Laugh and leap into the valley."

One could easily picture the beautiful maiden and
Hiawatha her lover, in that exquisite spot, as she
placed her hand in his, and her promise ** I will fol-
low you, my husband," seems to have been the song
of those water witches ever since.

We drove about two beautiful lakes, with fine
boulevards surrounding them, which, with the arched
roadways of exquisite shade and natural beauty,
make a drive any city might view with envy. Lake
Harriet and Lake Calhoun are indeed gems of beauty,
and well deserve their popularity. We went home
with our newly found relatives and remained to sup-
per with them, meeting all the cousins whom we are
so glad to know at last.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH.

JAMES* cousin Mamie, came early this morning
and took me for a long and very beautiful drive.
Truly Minneapolis is a charming city, and so eastern
in appearance, we are delighted with it.

Our afternoon was spent writing and resting, and
we made a few visits in the evening. It is a relief
to us sometimes to have a quiet day.

394

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER i6tH.

A DAY without an event to chronicle, is indeed a
"^ rarity in our present wandering existence, and
yet it was restful and sweet to us, **to pause
and ponder by the way." Needful are these
periods of quiet repose to us, and we always enjoy
an undisturbed day together.

We made a little call in the afternoon on the cous-
ins, and aunt, and took a few views with our camera.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH.
A S James had some important business to attend
'^^ to in Minneapolis, he asked Aunt Annie and
Mamie, to accompany me to St. Paul to-day. We
had planned to spend several days there, but an
ungovernable desire to get home suddenly seized James,
and he wanted to start at once.

St. Paul is a wonderfully beautiful City, and I
suppose would be pronounced far ahead of Minne-
apolis, by anyone having no particular interest in
either place to influence them. The houses are
certainly most palatial and inviting, and with a few
exceptions on Fifth Avenue, in New York, are far
ahead of our city, in number and architectural beauty,
but, I came back with pleasure to Minneapolis, and
decidedly prefer this city to her rival, St. Paul.

I returned in time to pack, and was ready to start
for the east at seven o'clock, when we took the train
for Chicago. Homeward bound in reality ! Jamie
is like a little boy in his anticipation !

395

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER i8TH.

AX /"E reached Chicago about nine o'clock, having
had a pleasant and comfortable trip from
Minneapolis. We went at once to the Auditorium
Hotel, and expected to stay a few days, to again see
our friends. Jamie, however, felt so impatient to
get home that he could not hear of any delay, and
we decided to start for home to-night at five o'clock.
It had always been James' desire to take me to
Mr. K's store, to see the working of that large estab-
lishment, and to meet some of his friends whom I
did not know. This morning, he insisted upon my
going, and we had such a pleasant time, seeing the
entire process of the work and meeting such a host
of friends, who welcomed us most cordially. Two
sad items of news, however, greatly depressed us.
We learned this morning of the sudden death of our
new but dear friend, Mrs. J. in Salt Lake City, and
we feel deep sympathy for that young husband, and
his motherless little ones. Then trouble has come
to another friend, whom we left in Chicago in
May, in such health, and full of promise. As Jamie
and I drove along on our return to the Hotel, he
comforted me, in the sudden shock which had come
to us both, and said, *' We are sad, May, and I do
not see how we can help it, but we must not let it
depress us too much, for we are spared to each other
yet, and are so happy and well, and I am so thankful
for that."

356

Stopping at the photographer's studio, to order
more of Jamie's pictures, the artist urged us to let
him make a large crayon head of him for me, at which
he exclaimed, *' Who wants a large crayon of me
hanging about ? No^ people do that after one is
dead r^ As we stepped into the carriage again,
Jamie turned to me, asking if I *^ really wanted that
crayon very much," and when I said that it would
be a pleasure to have it, he hurried again into the
studio. In five minutes he joined me saying,
" There, May, the crayon is ordered for you, but
don^t have it framed till I am dead! "

At five o'clock, we took the Pennsylvania Limited
for New York, and meeting our friend, Mr. I. from
Brooklyn, we spent a pleasant evening, chatting
with him.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER I9TH.

T^HE slowest of slow days ! It seemed as if the
time could not go fast enough, to keep pace
with our impatience and eager desire to get home.

"We're four hours late!" exclaimed Jamie this
morning, " but perhaps we'll make up some time."
All this day, the time-table for the Staten Island
boats, was constantly studied, and much anxiety ex-
pressed for fear we could not catch the midnight
boat from New York. At a quarter past eleven
o'clock, we rolled into the depot at Jersey City, being
over four hours late. We easily caught the last boat
to the Island, and at half past one o'clock Sunday

397

morning, September 20th, we reached the home and
loved ones so dear to us. How good it was ! All
the way, as we drove from our little station to the
house, in a beautiful path of moonlight, Jamie kept
exclaiming, " Isn't it lovely to get home ! The best
part of going away is the coming home," etc., etc.,
but although I was overjoyed to see the dear ones
again, a nameless something made me sad, as well
as glad. Was I too tired ?

398

T7 IGHT days of unspeakable happiness followed,
"^ days of joy in everything about us, such per-
fect pleasure and serene content ; and the home was
never so lovely to us. Jamie exclaimed, the morn-
ing after our arrival, "Although we have seen many
beautiful places in our own country. May, there is
no spot so lovely and beautiful as this home of ours,
after all." Jamie had found that " Be it ever so
humble, there's no place like Home."

Many times, during those few days, Jamie spoke
of the wonderful good fortune, that had followed us
in all our trip, and how remarkable it was that we
had always been either just ahead, or just behind,
the numerous railroad accidents, on the roads over
which we had passed, having had no annoyance save
one or two short delays, in reaching our destination.
" I hope you give thanks daily May, for I do, for we
surely have been guided and watched over by a
Divine Providence."

And we had been! That same Guiding Hand
had brought us home, just when we should have
come, and granted us more happiness, so that we
thought we felt strong in heart and body, for what-

399

ever might come ; and when, only four days later,
the Father took one of us gently by the hand, and
led him to that Better Land, where his eyes should
behold more wonderful wonders and greater beauty^
than together we had seen, it seems as if his lips
must have whispered again, " There is no place like
this Home."

" I can not say and I will not say
That he is dead. — He is just away !

With a cheery smile, and a wave of the hand,
He has wandered into an unknown land.

And left us dreaming how very fair
It needs must be, since he lingers there.

And you — O you, who the wildest yearn
For the old-time step and the glad return, —

Think of him faring on, as dear

In the love of There, as the love of Here ;

Think of him still as the same, I say :
He is not dead — he is just away ! "

400

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Worn april I4tli X856*
2DteD O^ctober l0t X89X*

" K man beart? belobeb."

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401

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