for some time aggie found no difficulty in keeping her word, for the train were obliged to pass over a part of the rocky mountains, and many a strange adventure they met upon the way. those that had been over the route before said they got along remarkably well, while those to whom the experience was new, declared that with the breaking down of some wagons, the unloading of others, and letting them and goods they contained down the precipices by ropes, and the accidents attendant upon such work, they found the journey anything but delightful. the children enjoyed this part of the trip more than any other, for, with the exception of guy, they had no more work to do, and had much more to interest and amuse them.
but upon the whole they were rather glad when they got upon the level ground again, and especially so when they neared the shores of the great salt lake, and passed by the city that stands upon its shores.
mr. harwood had intended to visit it, and spend three or four days in looking about the city and endeavoring to learn something about the manners and customs of the people that inhabited it, but several of the party were anxious to reach their destination, and for that and many other reasons they passed the dwelling place of the mormons by. although the children were greatly disappointed at not being able to go into the city, they could not help speaking and thinking with delight of the beautiful country they had passed over to reach it.
"it seems to me," said aggie one day when they stopped to rest, "that four seasons had wandered out of some years and lost themselves up among those mountains."
"you're crazy!" said george contemptuously.
"i think not," said guy kindly, "but what could have put such a queer idea as that into your head, aggie?"
"why you know," she said, "the grass was fresh and green there as if it was spring time, and yet very often while you were gathering buttercups to make me a chain, george and gus would be pelting you with snow-balls, while the summer sun was shining upon us all the day long."
"that's so," exclaimed george, "i should never have thought of it again. it's the queerest place i ever saw in my life, except this very great valley which we are in now. papa says it is over three hundred miles from the rocky mountains to the sierra nevadas, yet although we haven't been out of sight of the first for more than a week, we shall see the tops of the others in a few days, and then, hurrah! we've only to cross them and we shall be in california! won't that be glorious?"
"yes, i shall be glad," said aggie, "for i was beginning to think as mamma said the other day, 'that we never should see a house again.' and won't you be glad, guy, not to have to get up so early to make the fires in the morning, and to work so late at night, often after walking over the hot sands all day?"
"i don't know," said guy rather sadly, "you have all been very kind to me here, and though i have often worked very hard, i guess it won't be all play for me in california."
little aggie often thought of these words of guy in the days that followed, as they drew nearer and nearer their destination, and each member of the company spoke of his or her hopes or prospects. she noticed that upon that guy, as well as his mother, was always silent, and many, many hours she sat in the wagon puzzling her little head as to what would become of their favorite.
she even spoke of it to guy when they were alone together, but he seldom would say anything about it. he was not like some people that find comfort in talking over perplexing questions, and it certainly was a very perplexing question to him, how he was to support his mother in the strange country to which he had induced her to come, for though young, guy was too wise to think that gold lay all over the land, and all that any one had to do was to stoop and pick it up, though many older than himself in the train still believed that old fable, which deceived many in the time of cortez, over two hundred years before.
but although guy was so uncertain as to what his fate would be in california, he soon became as anxious to reach it as the rest, for nothing for many weeks occurred to break the monotony of their journey, and the only excitement they had at all was in looking out for indians, which were said to be very plenty upon their route, and in being constantly pleasurably disappointed in not coming upon any.
one day, indeed, they were greatly surprised by the descent of a terrific rain storm upon them, for they had never dreamed of encountering rain in that elevated region, where not even a drop of dew was found in the early morning. at the time it occurred a party from the train, among whom was guy, were out hunting. they saw the black clouds rising above the mountains, but leisurely continued their way intent upon obtaining some game for supper, when, suddenly, a blast of wind swept down upon them, bringing with it torrents of water, as if, as guy afterwards said, another deluge had come to sweep every living thing from the earth's surface.
for a moment the horses stood still as if stunned, and their riders bent low over the saddles, then, suddenly wheeling, the animals turned their heads away from the furious blast, and in that position waited for it to expend its fury. neither whip nor spur would induce them to move, though mr. harwood used both freely, being anxious to gain the camp and satisfy himself of the safety of his family. the horses chose the best position, according to the instinct which had been given them to escape from danger, and they maintained it until the fury of the storm was spent, and then obediently carried their riders to the camp, where they found two or three of the lighter wagons blown over, and a number of articles scattered hither and thither. all the people however were safe though greatly frightened.
