After some days Fremont took a party of eight men, and went on to get provisions for the rest.  But for a long distance he found no grass, and his animals began to give out.  One of his men grew so hungry and tired that he became insane for a while.  Another got lost from the party, and found them only after several days.  He told the rest that he had suffered so much from hunger that he ate small toads, and even let the large ants creep upon his hands so that he could eat them.

One day Fremont saw some Indian huts.  The Indians ran away when they saw the white men coming.  Fremont found near these huts some great baskets as big as hogsheads filled with acorns.  Inside the huts he found smaller baskets with roasted acorns in them.  The men took about half a bushel of these roasted acorns, and left a shirt, some handkerchiefs, and some trinkets, to pay for them.

At last they came to a place where there were paths, and tracks of cattle.  The horses, having found grass to eat, grew strong enough for the men to ride them.  One day Fremont found some Indians, one of whom could speak Spanish.

The Indian said, “I am a herdsman, and work for Captain Sutter.”

“Where does he live?”

“Just over the hill.  I will show you.”

In a short time Fremont and his white men were at the house of Sutter.  But Captain Fremont rested only one night.  The next morning he started back with food for his starving men, who were coming on behind.  The second day after he left Sutter’s he met his men.

They were a sad sight.  They were all on foot.  Each man was leading a horse as weak and lean as he was himself.  Many of the horses had fallen off the rocks, and had been killed.  Only half of the mules and horses that had started over the mountains had lived to get across.  As soon as Fremont met his men, he told them to camp.  He fed the poor starving fellows beef and bread and fresh salmon.  The next day they all reached the beautiful Sacramento River, where the city of Sacramento now stands.

FINDING GOLD IN CALIFORNIA.

California once belonged to Mexico.  Then there was a war between this country and Mexico.  This is what we call the Mexican War.  During that war the United States took California away from Mexico.  It is now one of the richest and most beautiful States in the Union.  In the old days, when California belonged to Mexico, it was a quiet country.  Nearly all the white people spoke Spanish, which is the language of Mexico.  They lived mostly by raising cattle.  In those days people did not know that there was gold in California.  A little gold had been found in the southern part of the State, but nobody expected to find valuable gold mines.  A few people from the United States had settled in the country.  They also raised cattle.

Some time after the United States had taken California, peace was made with Mexico.  California then became a part of our country.  About the time that this peace was made, something happened which made a great excitement all over the country.  It changed the history of our country, and changed the business of the whole world.  Here is the story of it:—­