The Californian beef is
generally fat, juicy, and tender, and surpasses in flavour any which I
ever tasted elsewhere. Distance 10 miles.
_December 5_.--I rose before daylight. The moon shone brightly. The
temperature was cold. The vapour in the atmosphere had congealed and
fallen upon the ground in feathery flakes, covering it with a white
semi-transparent veil, or crystal sheen, sparkling in the moonbeams.
The smoke from the numerous camp-fires soon began to curl languidly up
in graceful wreaths, settling upon the mountain summits. The scene was
one for the pencil and brush of the artist; but, when the envious sun
rose, he soon stripped Madam Earth of her gauzy holiday morning-gown,
and exposed her every-day petticoat of mud.
Our march to-day has been one of great difficulty, through a deep
brushy mountain gorge, through which it was almost impossible to force
the field-pieces. In one place they were lowered with ropes down a
steep and nearly perpendicular precipice of great height and depth. We
encamped about three o'clock, P.M., in a small valley. Many of the
horses gave out on the march, and were left behind by the men, who came
straggling into camp until a late hour of the evening, bringing their
saddles and baggage upon their shoulders.
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