Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 5.djvu/394

 384 PETKR H. BUKNETT. with the wagons were compelled to do without water at night. They chained their oxen to their wagons, as the animals would have gone to water had they been turned out. The ox has a keen scent, and they smell water at the distance of one or two miles. It was another sober, solemn, and silent time. Scarcely a word was spoken, and not a mouthful eaten. By daybreak next morning we were off, and had only gone about five miles when we came to the edge of a pine forest. From this elevated point we had a most admirable view. Below at the seeming distance of ten, but the real distance of twenty miles, lay the broad and magnificent valley of the Sacramento, gleaming in the bright and genial sunshine ; and beyond, and in the dim distance, rose the grand blue outlines of the Coast Range. The scene was most beautiful to us, thirsty as we were. How our hearts leaped for joy ! That was our Canaan. Once in that valley, and our serious difficulties, our doubts and fears, would be among the things of the past. But the last of our trials was the most severe. We had still to descend to that desired valley over a very rough road. From the place where we stood, we could see three tall, narrow, rocky ridges, with deep ravines between, running toward the valley. Neither our pilots nor any of us knew which of the three ridges to take, and we had no time to explore. We contemplated the scene for a few moments, and then looked down the ridges for a short time, and chose the middle one at a venture, not knowing what obstructions and sufferings were before us. We had in our company two classes. One was eager to enter the valley as early as possible, while the other had no desire for haste. I belonged to the latter class. I had lived and suffered long enough to have acquired some caution. The last camp before the one where a portion of our people had done without water had plenty of grass, fuel,