How delicious was the change to our poor travellers! Washed, refreshed,
and lying at full length on luxurious sofas, their sensations, as the
locomotive spun them down the ringing grooves of the steep Sierras, can
be more easily imagined than described. They were all fast asleep when
the train entered Sacramento, but the Mayor and the other city
authorities who had waited up to receive them, had them carried
carefully, so as not to disturb their slumbers, on board the _Yo
Semite_, a fine steamer belonging to the California Navigation Company,
which landed them safely at San Francisco about noon on the 26th, after
accomplishing the extraordinary winter journey of 1500 miles over land
in little more than nine days, only about 200 miles being done by steam.
Half-past two P.M. found our travellers bathed, dressed, shaved, dined,
and ready to receive company in the grand parlor of the _Occidental
Hotel_. Captain Bloomsbury was the first to call.
Marston hobbled eagerly towards him and asked:
"What have you done towards fishing them up, Captain?"
"A good deal, Mr. Marston; indeed almost everything is ready."
"Is that really the case, Captain?" asked all, very agreeably surprised.
Pages:
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429