up the valley we could see a cloud of dust, thick and high, and soon several men on horseback who came at a rushing gallop.  I told Rogers they were after us, and believed them to be a murderous set who might make trouble for us.  I hastily buried our little store of money in the sand, telling him that if they got us, they would not get our money.  Putting our guns across our laps in an easy position we had them cocked and ready for business, and our knives where we could get them handy, and awaited their arrival.

They came on with a rush until within a short distance and halted for consultation just across the creek, after which one of them advanced toward us and as he came near us we could see he was a white man, who wished us good evening in our own language.  We answered him rather cooly, still sitting in the sand and he no doubt saw that we were a little suspicious of the crowd.  He asked us where we were from, and we told him our circumstances and condition and that we would like to secure some means of relief for the people we had left in the desert, but our means were very limited and we wanted to do the best we could.  He said we were about 500 miles from San Francisco, not far from 100 miles from the coast and thirty miles from Los Angeles.  We were much afraid we would not be able to get anything here, but he told us to go across the valley to a large live oak tree which he pointed out, and said we would find an American there, and we should wait there till morning.  He said he would go back and stay at the house we had passed, and would do what he could to assist us to go to Los Angeles where we could get some supplies.  Then he rode away, and as we talked it over we saw no way but to follow the directions of our newfound friend.

It seemed now that my lameness had indeed been a blessing.  If I had been able to walk we would now have been well on toward the seashore, where we could have found no such friend as this who had appeared to us.  The way seemed clearer to us, but the time for our return was almost up and there was no way of getting back in fifteen days as we had agreed upon, so there was great danger to our people yet.  It seemed very likely to take us twenty four or thirty days at best, and while they probably had oxen enough to provide them food for so long a time they might take a notion to move on, which would be fatal.

At the big live oak tree we found an American camper, who was on his way to the gold mines.  He was going a new route and said the mines could be reached much quicker than by going up the coast by way of San Francisco.  A new company with wagons was soon to start out to break the road, and when they crossed the east end of the valley he would follow them.  I think this man’s name was Springer.  He had come by way of the Santa Fe route, and the people of Los Angeles had told him this route was an easy one being often traveled by saddle horses, and if the company could make it possible for wagons they could have all the cattle they wanted to kill along the road as their pay for doing the work.  Our new friend lay down early, and as he saw we were scant in blankets he brought some to us for our use, which were most thankfully received.