on"[A] to our number. It was the Prodigal who
discovered him. He was a tall, dissolute Englishman, gaunt, ragged and
verminous, but with the earmarks of a gentleman. He seemed indifferent
to everything but whiskey and only anxious to hide himself from his
friends. I discovered he had once been an officer in a Hussar regiment,
but he was obviously reluctant to speak of his past. A lost soul in
every sense of the word, the North was to him a refuge and an
unrestricted stamping-ground. So, partly in pity, partly in hope of
winning back his manhood, we allowed him to join the party.

Pack animals were in vast demand, for it was considered a pound of grub
was the equal of a pound of gold. Old horses, fit but for the knacker's
yard, and burdened till they could barely stand, were being goaded
forward through the mud. Any kind of a dog was a prize, quickly stolen
if left unwatched. Sheep being taken in for the butcher were driven
forward with packs on their backs. Even was there an effort to make pack
animals out of pigs, but they grunted, squealed and rolled their
precious burdens in the mire. What crazy excitement, what urging and
shouting, what desperate device to make a start!

We were lucky in buying a yoke of oxen from a packer for four hundred
dollars. On the first day we hauled half of our outfit to Canyon City,
and on the second we transferred the balance. This was our plan all
through, though in bad places we had to make many relays. It was simple
enough, yet, oh, the travail of it! Here is an extract from my diary of
these days.

"Turn out at 4 A.M. Breakfasted on flapjacks and coffee. Find one
of our oxen dying. Dies at seven o'clock. Harness remaining ox and
start to remove goods up Canyon. Find trail in awful condition, yet
thousands are struggling to get through. Horses often fall in pools
of water ten to fifteen feet deep, trying to haul loads over the
boulders that render trail almost impassable. Drive with sleigh
over places that at other times one would be afraid to walk over
without any load. Two feet of snow fell during the night, but it is
now raining. Rains and snows alternately. At night bitterly cold.
Hauled five loads up Canyon to-day. Finished last trip near
midnight and turned in, cold, wet and played out."

The above is a fairly representative day and of such days we were to
have many ere we reached the water. Slowly, with infinite effort, w