Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/342



The passenger  is  but  fairly  reseated  in  the  first stage, when  an  offer  of  two  dollars  tumbles  him  out again, and  an  offer  of  one  dollar  sends  him  back. But the  opposition  is  not  to  be  beaten  in  this  way.

"Well, old  fellow,"  he  finally  puts  in,  "sorry  to make  you  so  much  trouble,  but  get  back  here  and  I will  carry  you  for  nothing,  pay  for  your  dinner,  and give  you  all  the  whiskey  you  can  drink  on  the  wa}'  I"

I will  cite  one  instance  showing  the  behavior  of these  knights  of  the  whip,  under  trying  circum- stances. Upon the  box  of  the  coach  leaving  Forest City for  Nevada  the  23d  of  July,  1855,  were  seated two men,  members  of  the  Jehu  brotherhood,  one  of whom  was  driving;. Passino; under  the  limb  of  a tree  which  seemed  in  some  way  to  have  settled  and dropped down  since  the  last  trip,  the  top  of  the  stage was torn  entirely  off,  and  the  driver  thrown  to  the ground. Of the  eleven  passengers  one  was  thrown upon the  root  and  three  jumped  to  the  ground. The crash of  the  break ino;  vehicle  frio-htened  the  horses, which started  off  at  full  speed,  dragging  the  driver some distance  before  they  freed  themselves  from  his grasp. The horses  were  now  dashing  along  the  road at a  furious  rate,  wholly  without  control,  and  the  in- mates of the  stage  apparently  helpless. At this  junc- ture the man  who  occupied  the  seat  next  the  driver, deliberately got  down  upon  the  pole,  walked  to  the end of  it,  gathered  up  the  reins,  returned  safely  to his  seat,  and  finally  succeeded  in  stopping  the  horses without further  damage  or  loss  of  life.

It was  when  the  lono;  routes  were  established  across the plains,  however,  that  staging  assumed  its  most gigantic proportions ;  one  by  the  way  of  Salt  Lake and the  other  through  New  Mexico  and  Arizona — two thousand  miles  in  twenty  days  and  nights,  stop- ping only to  change  horses  and  for  meals. The road across the  Sierra  Nevada  was  fearfully  picturesque, and going  clown  the  mountain  sides  was  anything but quieting  to  unsteady  nerves. Lighting a  cigar