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Show 250 PERSONAL ADVENTURES But our troubles 'vere not over, for several times we were obliged to get up and run after our horses, which, being tied up to the low bushes by leathern ropes, were set free by the cayotes-a species of anitnal something between a fox and a dog-that devour leather with avidity, and are ever on the watch to procure it. We lost several of these ropes, which are frequently couverted into temporary bridles by passing them from the neck around the nose in an ingenious n1anner, completely obviating the use of head-stalls or bit. They are often of the handsomest description, and chiefly made of leather, which the cayotes nibble away in a very short time, ten minutes at most sufficing for them to entirely demolish the most solid of thetn. It may readily be imagined, therefore, that, between watching for cayotes and thieving Indians, our repose that night was not of the soundest kind, and that, when tnorning came, 've were none of us much refreshed. On reaching the base of the mountains I have already alluded to, we were exceedingly IN CALIFORNIA. 251 perplexed, for here we lost all traces of the road. The wild oats grew in abundance, and proved a serious obstacle to our progress, for not only did they effectually obliterate all indications of the roads that passed through them, but they caught our horses' legs, and severely annoyed them. Once we believed we had hit upon the right track; but, after pursuing it for some distance, we came to a second exactly like it, and did not until then discover that they were formed by wild deer. To increase the discomfort of our position, our three indolent companions expressed their determination to follow one of these narro·w paths which wound round the side of the declivity, whilst we were of opinion that our better plan would be to prosecute our journey across the mountains, trusting to our knowledge of the direction of the mines, 'vhich we knew lay on the other side of the range. As we could not prevail upon them to acco1npany us, and it chanced that our horses and provisions 'vere equally divided, we separated, each party continuing the road selected by the leader. Our |