Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/110



kill rx:iy  horses  for  old  Hardcoop."  Some  offered  to go  back  on  foot  and  bring  Hardcoop  forw^ard.  but  the others  refused  to  wait  for  them.

Daily their  cattle  lessened  in  number,  some  drop- ping from exhaustion,  some  being  shot  or  stolen  by the  natives. In such  cases,  wagons  and  property  were buried at  different  points. One of  the  party,  a  Ger- man, having lost  all  his  oxen,  wished  the  company  to stop  while  he  concealed  his  effects. This the  others refused to  do ;  so  selecting  two  men,  likewise  Germans, he prevailed  on  them  to  help  him,  assuring  them  that they could  easily  overtake  the  train. Three days after the  two  men  came  up,  and  told  a  story  of  on- slaught by the  savages,  in  which  their  employer  was killed and  the  property  burned. As the  dead  man had money,  no  one  doubted  that  the  others  murdered him for  it. Intense selfishness  governed  the  actions of women  as  well  as  of  men. Eddy, having  lost  all his property,  picked  up  one  of  his  children,  and  his wife another,  and  thus  they  marched  along,  until fainting, they  begged  first  of  one  woman  and  then  of another,  a  little  meat  to  save  their  little  ones  from starvation. They were  everywhere  refused. Unable to get  water,  Eddy  begged  a  pint  of  one  who  had  ten gallons, and  was  likewise  refused. " I  will  have  it, or  your  life,"  cried  the  man,  now  desperate,  and  took it accordingly. The Donners  had  suffered  severely with the  rest,  but  up  to  this  time  their  losses  were less than  some  of  the  others.

On the  29th  of  October,  they  reached  the  eastern base of  the  Sierra,  which  loomed  before  them  high into the  heavens,  a  white  wall  glistening  with  frosted pines. Climbing upward  as  far  as  they  could  go,  they found the  top  of  Truckee  pass  five  feet  under  snow. Returning to  a  cabin  near  their  camp  of  the  preceding night, they  rested  next  day,  and  on  the  31st  the  whole party again  attempted  to  cross  the  mountains. They ascended to  within  three  miles  of  the  summit,  where they now  found  ten  feet  of  snow,  each  moment  thick-