16. About 10 miles drive brought us to the Humboldt, which is about 20
yards wide and three feet deep. We crossed it and followed down it on
its west bank. The valley here is wide and filled with abundance of
excellent grass, clover, wild oats, wheat and red top. The day has been
very hot and dusty, yet on both sides of us, but a few miles distant,
the tops of the mountains are covered with snow. We passed two new
graves to-day; one of them was of a man who was shot by an Indian
whilst on guard on the night of the 2d of July, and died on the fifth.
His name was Oliver; he was from Waukesha, Wis. The Indians are rather
troublesome of late, as the Diggers always are when they dare to be. We
find a great many dead horses now, and some that are left alive, the
effects of hard driving and alkali. The most of the dead stock
heretofore has been oxen, but it seems now that oxen stand this part of
the trip the best.