8th. Litwiler and company sold their horses this morning and started on
foot. Ford, one of our men, went with them, leaving but four of us; we
being nearly out of provisions. A man came to our camp this morning who
had lost everything on the desert, his team, wagon, provisions, and
father; he had been without sleep or food for two nights and a day, and
was pretty much worn out. I made him a cup of coffee, and gave him some
boiled corn, which having devoured, he laid himself down in the shade
and slept until evening, then went in pursuit of his father again.--He
was from Missouri.
A man came near being drowned near us this morning, but was saved by a
person standing on the bank, who plunged in and brought him out. He
tumbled off his horse while crossing the river, which frightened him so
much that he could not help himself in the least. The traders here buy
horses of the emigrants for from two lbs. of flour to 10, per
head.--Such is the destitution. I saw one horse, saddle and bridle, a
very good one too, sold on the desert for three gallons of water.
9th. Started again this morning, taking along the Missourian who lost
his father. We consumed the last of our rice this morning, leaving us
reduced to six quarts of corn, and three lbs. of dried meat for four of
us. The road soon leaves the river and strikes across the desert,
making the river again about two miles from the Carson River meadows.
The Missourian and myself followed up the river and found a very good
packing trail; we killed two turtle doves which sustained us through
the day. Saw snow again to-day on the tops of the Sierra Nevadas. 22
miles.
10th. Camped on the meadows late last night where we remain to-day to
recruit our horses. Jonathan and myself went into the mountains
hunting, found a few deer, but they were so wild that we could not get
a shot; killed a large yellow rattlesnake, a sage hare, and found an
old Indian and boy fishing, traded my pocket knife to the boy for a
line with 10 bone hooks I attached to it, caught about 40 small fish,
and got back to camp about dark.
11th. Sunday. Still remain in camp. Fuller left us this morning, having
concluded to pack through on foot with Dr. Cody, of our county. A man
died near us last night. He was picked up on the desert and brought
thus far by some gentlemen from Davenport, Iowa. He was left there by
his messmates sick, without food or water, and when found, his hands
and face were so blistered by the scorching sun that the skin all
peeled from them, leaving them as raw as a piece of beef. Poor
fellow!--When found he was crying in the most excruciating agony for a
drop of water to quench his burning thirst. Burning at the stake would
be too merciful to the hardened wretches who left him sick and helpless
on those burning sands. The gentlemen who picked him up had been lying
bye two or three days at this place expressly on his account. One of
them was a physician; although the poor fellow was a stranger to them,
they tended him with all the assiduity of brothers.
12th. Started again this morning, but our road led across a sand plain
12 miles wide, when we struck the river again, following a packing
trail, thus avoiding the desert back from the river.