Show I In n nth t the h e B Beg Beginning e g i inn n n i n g 9 By J. J Cecil Alter Aller Deepest Darkness Before the Dawn The last few days on the desert were the worst only because of the worn-out worn condition of the starving animals and soldiers in the Mormon Mormon Mormon Mor Mor- mon battalion and as the men teams and animals animals ani ani- mals were strung out from two to three days' days journey there was much less cooperation among them Of the Of-the the fortunes of the five women women women wo wo- wo- wo men in the train we hear not one word it if is as if they had agreed to submerge themselves if allowed to go alongA along A itA great many of my men are re wholly without without with with- out shoes the colonel commented and use ev every every ev- ev ery cry expedient such as rawhide moccasins and sandals and even wrapping the feet in pieces of woolen or cotton cloth The excessively cold nights and the blistering hot days made footgear footgear footgear foot foot- gear a necessity hence these makeshifts for shoes since no extra clothing had been sup sup- plied Despite the encouraging respite at the Car- Car iza oasis the journey to the next water was an almost impossible move but was reached on the The men arrived here completely worn down they staggered as they marched as they did yesterday Eighty Eighty eight eight sheep came up with the camp here 40 per cent having been lost I went through the companies this morning morning morn morn- ing they were eating their last tour four ounces of oft flour of sugar and coffee there has been none t for some weeks I have remaining only five public wagons mere luere are three private prop prop- erty Battalion Needed to Fight To upset any plans that may have been made for recuperating here at the edge of the desert before entering the foothills of the coast range the company was met by an express of messengers messengers messengers mes mes- three days ays from the coast with news of General Kearney's Battles and the loss of numerous numerous nu nu- nu men The battalion was needed quickly and needed in fighting condition if it could be begotten begotten begotten gotten in that condition Instead of organizIng organizing ing ng and resting it was consequently necessary to stand the men up in companies again and do doa a little drilling It seemed to electrify the they y young ung men especially who recovered completely complete complete- ly as if by magic after a little food and rest The men who this morning were prostrate worn out hungry heartless have recovered their spirits tonight and are singing and playing play play- ing the fiddle the colonel expresses it But it reads this way in Bigler's journal Some of the boys went to the top of a mountain to the south of our camp camp and amused themselves by rolling large boulders down the mountain making mak mak- ing a noise like peals of thunder fairly shaking shaking shaking shak shak- ing the earth arth like an earthquake while others in in camp sang songs fiddled and danced This got away with the colonel and he swore that he did not see how it was when the men could hardly keep up the command but when hen they got into camp by G the fiddle was going and the men dancing Missing Flour Reported Hurrying forward through the canyon trails at a somewhat faster rate in places they were h held ld up making roads into the abandoned In Indian Indian In- In dian village o of San Phillippi H Here the Here the mules were grazed Crazed In in hulY and two beeves were killed for breakfast there was no other otherl food f 1 t If the themen men even the young men found joy in such a state of the provisions it is difficult to understand There were stray parties of Mexican Mexican Mexican can enemies reported over the country and it was a constant threat of an attack Thus Colonel Colonel Colonel Col Col- onel Cooke decided to go in farther north via Warners Warner's rancho just over the coast range summit summit summit sum sum- mit and thence to Los Angeles At San Phillippi One IOne of the five missing adventurers after the lost flour came into camp the colonel recorded reporting all safe II but broken down on the desert with about pounds of flour Assistance was sent to them A captain reported that two men who stopped at the river and had joined the corporal probably probably probably ably misunderstood him as giving them per per- mission Such things happen among volun volun- Plan Los os Angeles Attack It may be regretted that many more such things could not have happened among the volunteers Five men had brought forward pounds of flour expecting daily to overtake those who were just ahead subsisting solely on fresh beef in the unorganized haste of the colonel to avert perishing on the desert He did not even know they were in the role of Santa Claus Glaus and had he suspected it he must certa certainly have expected them to perish in the attempt Scouts had explained that General Kearney was advancing on Los Angeles the enemy stronghold from the south and General Fremont Fremont Fremont Fre Fre- mont from the north Thus the battalion was most needed in Cookes Cooke's opinion directly from the east especially since the Indians in that territory were thought to be mostly enemies of the Mexicans Delays were interminable and roads were constructed in the most difficult places All but two of the wagons had to be betaken betaken betaken taken apart to get them through the rocks over one summit and in another place the wagons were let down by ropes Drill on Empty Stomachs While waiting for the road crews to get the wagons through on the and the colonel colonel colonel col col- col- col onel drilled the troops in military forms and rind orders but did it mostly on empty stomachs I One camp on the was made without wa wa- va- va ter That therefore had ad brought them to to toWarner's toWarner's Warners Warner's rancho pretty much worn down again agam Here a Bostonian alone directed several hundred hundred hun hun- dred Indians in a cattle ranching enterprise More meat was purchased cheaply and the ra rations rations rations ra- ra increased to four and om one half half pounds a day But it is flat eating without bread or salt Bigler says Oth Other r diarists say they were able to obtain I Ia a few beans eans and some other small quantities of of eatables but Colonel Cooke explains he had nothing besides the meat It is remarkable that the battalion arrived at Warners Warner's the day the guides were instructed December 28 to meet it here says the colonel Word Vord came from Indians that many of their number had been killed in an engagement with Mexican insurgents and th the Indian leaders de desired desired desired de- de sired to return with the battalion and bury their ther This was arran arranged ed the chief and 10 Im Inns ins also alzo to act as scouts guides and cattle cat cat- tle herders toward Los Angeles i b |