The San Bernardino Mountain Range
The next day following the valley of a creek alternately
sinking and rising and passing through a range of Mt for 8 miles where I was
obliged to travel in the bed of the creek as the hills on both sides which were
thick covered with cedar came in close and rugged to the creek. About ten miles
from camp I came out into a large valley having no timber except what was on
the creeks coming from the Mountains. Here we found a plenty of grass and what
was still more pleasing we began to see track of Horses and Cattle and shortly
after saw some fine herds of Cattle in many directions. As those sure evidences
of Civilization passed in sight they awakened many emotions in my mind and some
of them not the most pleasant. It would perhaps be supposed that after numerous
hardships endured in a savage and inhospitable desert I should hail the herds
that were passing before me in the valley as harbingers of better times. But
they reminded me that I was approaching a country inhabited by Spaniards. A
people whose distinguishing characteristic has ever been jealousy a people of
different religion from mine and possessing a full share of that bigotry and
disregard of the rights of a Protestant that has at times stained the Catholic Religon.
They might perhaps consider me a spy imprison me persecute
me for the sake of religion or detain me in prison to the ruin of my business I
knew such things had been and might be again. Yet confiding in the rectitude of
my intentions I endeavored to convince myself that I should be able to make it
appear to them that I had come to their country as the only means by which I
could extricate myself from my own embarrassing situation and that so far from
being a spy my only was to procure such supplies as would enable me to
proceed to my own country.
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