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From Newberry Transcribe
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village of Indians encamped on its shores, we had a talk with these Indians and ? them a ?mean? loss lived, treacherous ?. We found the first impression of them was a correct one when we again visited their country in 1846. Our guide left us at Klamath Lake and we struck out for California, our course lay through a barren desolate and unexplored country till we reached the Sierra Nevadas which we found covered with snow from one end to the other. We were nearly out of provisions but had to cross the mountains at no matter what cost. We went as far in the snow as we possibly could with our animals and were then compelled to send them back, then we commenced making a road through the snow, beating it down with mallets. The snow was six feet deep on the level for three ?leagues?, so we made snow shoes in order to pass over it and out. How much work we still had to do ? from a road must be made for the distance above stated, after we reached the extremity of the snow belt we could see the green valley of the Sacramento and the coast range in the distance. I know the place well as I had been there 17 years before , our feelings can best be imagined when we got a glimpse of such beautiful country, having nothing to eat but mule meat, we returned to the place from which we had sent back our animals and commenced our work of road making. In fifteen days our task was accomplished and we sent back for our animals, they had through hunger eaten one another's tails and the leather of the pack saddles, in fact everything they could lay hold of. They were in a deplorable condition and we would frequently kill one to keep it from dying, then use the meat for food.