enting a bold front to any gang
of desperadoes who might be daring enough to attack us. There was
little fear of this, however, for we hardly rode a mile without falling
in with scattered parties bound to the gold mines.

We made our way but slowly during the first portion of our ride, for
the road wound up steep hills and down into deep hollows, but when at
last we came upon a winding valley some miles in extent, our horses got
over the ground in a style which only Californian steeds could achieve
after the hard work which had already been performed. Towards evening,
we crossed the hills which divided the valley from Sonoma plain, and on
reaching Sonoma put up at an hotel recently opened here by a citizen
from the United States, who coolly told us, in the course of
conversation, that he guessed he didn't intend shearing off to the gold
mines, until he had drawn a few thousand dollars from the San Francisco
folk who pass through here to and from the diggings.

_May 27th_.--We stopped at Sonoma the greater part of Thursday, to give
our horses rest. At the hotel, I met Lieutenant Sherman, who had
brought dispatches to the officer in command here from Colonel Mason. I
was much delighted in again meeting with this gentleman, and we had a
long talk together over the merry times we had when we were both
slaying at Washington. When he heard our destination he kindly offered
to give me a letter of introduction to a very old friend of his,
Captain Sutter, the proprietor of Sutter's fort, and one of the
earliest settlers on the Sacramento. I availed myself of his offer, and
about three o'clock we started off across the plain, and made our way
through the groves of fine oak trees which cover it in every direction.
We next ascended the hills which lay between us and Napper Valley, and,
after crossing them, made for the house of an American settler, a
friend of Bradley's, who provided us with the best accommodation his
house would furnish for the night. We turned in early, but the legions
of fleas which were our bedfellows exerted themselves to such a degree
that for hours sleep was out of the question. The country is terribly
plagued with these vermin. I do not know how the settlers get on;
perhaps they are accustomed to the infliction, but a stranger feels it
severely.

The next day we travelled over the corresponding range of hills to
those crossed on Thursday, and were soon in the midst of a much
wilder-looking country--a rap