omplete the trip by the Carson Route, thus separating from the
majority, but their supplies were exhausted and they had now but one
ox and one cow to draw their wagon. A suggestion, that those who could
spare articles of food should divide with the needy, was no sooner
made than acted upon. Sides of bacon, sacks of flour and other
substantials were piled into their little vehicle, and the owners of
the two oxen which had been loaned Darby simply said, "Take them
along; you need them more than we do." Danny, alias "Gravy" Worley,
being of that party, showed his delight, by sparkling eyes and
beaming fat face, when he saw the abundance of edibles turned over to
his people. Mr. Darby shed genuine tears of gratitude, as we bade them
good-bye and drove away by another route.

The combination train was further divided, each party shaping its
farther course according to the location of its final stop. The
Drennans took the Carson Route, the Maxwell train proceeding by the
more northerly, Truckee, trail. The associations of the plains, closer
cemented by the sharing of many hardships and some pleasures, had
created feelings almost equal to kinship, more binding than those of
many a life-long neighborhood relation. So there were deep regrets at
parting.

On leaving the Sink of the Humboldt there was before us a wholly
desert section, forty miles wide. The course led southwesterly, over
flat, barren lands, with a line of low hills, absolutely devoid of
vegetation, on our right. This was known to be one of the hard drives
of our long journey; but hearsay knowledge was also to the effect
that, at its farther border, we would reach the Truckee River, and
soon thereafter ascend the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The prospect of
seeing again a river of _pure_ water, and fresh, green trees, had a
buoyant effect on our lagging hopes; and these were further stimulated
by the information that not long after entering these forest shades we
would cross the State line into California.

While crossing the forty miles of desert, the sun-baked silt, at the
beginning, and later the deep, dry sand, made heavy going. To avoid
the almost intolerable heat of day as much as possible, and it being
known that water was not obtainable, during this much-dreaded bit of
travel, we deferred the start until mid-afternoon, and traveled all
night.

The impressions of that night ride were most extraordinary. As the
sun sank, and twilight shaded into night, the a