It was not yet night, but we must camp in so beautiful a place as this, and though the food was poor, we were better off than we had been before.
Bennett proposed that I take the mule and go back to where we saw the track of the animal in the snow and follow it in hope that we might get some game for we had an idea it might be an elk or bear or some large game, good to kill and give us better meat: So I saddled the mule and took the trail back till I came to the track, then followed it as best I could, for it was very dull and gave me no idea what it was.

I traced out of the snow and then in a blind way through bushes as high as the mule's back--Chaparral we called it now--among which I made my way with difficulty.

I could now see that the track was made by an ox or cow--perhaps an elk--I could not tell for sure it was so faint.

This chaparral covered a large piece of table land, and I made my way through it, following the track for a mile or two, till I came to the top of a steep hill sloping down into a deep canon and a creek, on the bank of which grew sycamore and alder trees, with large willows.

I stopped here some minutes to see if I could see or hear the movement of of anything.