of my blankets. We missed him a few minutes afterwards, and never
saw him again. He had deserted. His bad faith and treachery were
in perfect keeping with the estimate of Indian character, which
a long intercourse with this people had gradually forced upon my
mind.

"While a portion of the camp were occupied in bringing up the
baggage to this point, the remainder were busied in making sledges
and snowshoes. I had determined to explore the mountain ahead, and
the sledges were to be used in transporting the baggage.

"Crossing the open basin, in a march of about ten miles we reached
the top of one of the peaks, to the left of the pass indicated
by our guide. Far below us, dimmed by the distance, was a large,
snowless valley, bounded on the western side, at the distance of
about a hundred miles, by a low range of mountains, which Carson
recognized with delight as the mountains bordering the coast.
'There,' said he, 'is the little mountain -- it is fifteen years
ago since I saw it; but I am just as sure as if I had seen it
yesterday.' Between us, then, and this low coast range, was the
valley of the Sacramento; and no one who had not accompanied us
through the incidents of our life for the last few months, could
realize the delight with which at last we looked down upon it. At
the distance of apparently thirty miles beyond us were distinguished
spots of prairie; and a dark line, which could be traced with the
glass, was imagined to be the course of the river; but we were
evidently at a great height above the valley, and between us and
the plains extended miles of snowy fields and broken ridges of pine
covered mountains.