Others expressed an individual idiosyncrasy only; as in the case of the man who carried clothes hooks to screw into the trees.  A man’s method of packing was also closely watched.  Each had his own favourite hitch.  The strong preponderance seemed to be in favour of the Diamond, both single and double, but many proved strongly addicted to the Lone Packer, or the Basco, or the Miners’, or the Square, or even the generally despised Squaw, and would stoutly defend their choices, and give reasons therefore.  Bob sometimes amused himself practising these hitches in miniature by means of a string, a bent nail, and two folded handkerchiefs as packs.  After many trials, and many lapses of memory, he succeeded on all but the Double Diamond.  Although apparently he followed every move, the result was never that beautiful all-over tightening at the last pull.  He reluctantly concluded that on this point he must have instruction.

Although rarely a day went by during the whole season that one or more parties did not pass through, or camp over night at the Meadow Lake, it was a fact that, after passing Baldy, these hundreds could scatter so far through the labyrinth of the Sierras that in a whole summer’s journeying they were extremely unlikely to see each other—­or indeed any one else, save when they stumbled on one of the established cow camps.  The vastness of the California mountains cannot be conveyed to one who has not travelled them.  Men have all summer pastured illegally thousands of head of sheep undiscovered, in spite of the fact that rangers and soldiers were out looking for them.  One may journey diligently throughout the season, and cover but one corner of the three great maps that depict about one-half of them.  If one wills he can, to all intents and purposes, become sole and undisputed master of kingdoms in extent.  He can occupy beautiful valleys miles long, guarded by cliffs rising thousands of feet, threaded by fish-haunted streams, spangled with fair, flower-grown lawns, cool with groves of trees, neck high in rich feed.  Unless by sheer chance, no one will disturb his solitude.  Of course he must work for his kingdom.  He must press on past the easy travel, past the wide cattle country of the middle elevations, into the splintered, frowning granite and snow, over the shoulders of the mighty peaks of the High Sierras.  Nevertheless, the reward is sure for the hardy voyager.

Most men, however, elect to spend their time in the easier middle ground.  There the elevations run up to nine or ten thousand feet; the trails are fairly well defined and travelled; the streams are full of fish; meadows are in every moist pocket; the great box canons and peaks of the spur ranges offer the grandeur of real mountain scenery.

From these men, as they ended their journeys on the way out, came tales and rumours.  There was no doubt whatever that the country had too many cattle in it.  That was brought home to each and every man by the scarcity of horse feed on meadows where usually an abundance for everybody was to be expected.  The cattle were thin and restless.  It was unsafe to leave a camp unprotected; the half-wild animals trampled everything into the ground.  The cattlemen, of whatever camp, appeared sullen and suspicious of every comer.