But first—-this announcement:

I’ll be signing books at the Chico Library Fall Festival tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. If anyone would like a copy of my book, or would like to meet and talk to the author, please stop by and say, “Hi!”

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

“Thursday, 14th. This morning we saw at a distance Capt. B. with his 7 men, coming in a direction towards us, but we made no halt, ascended the stream about 20 miles. The mountains continued to increase in height.”

Captain Bartleson was back. He had taken off with seven of his eight companions, their saddlebags packed with most of the meat from a slaughtered ox. One of Bartleson’s friends stayed behind, saying, “The captain is wrong and I will stay with you, boys.” At first the rest of the company followed in Bartleson’s tracks, knowing that the company’s best scout, Charles Hopper, was with them.

On the 11th they deviated from Bartleson’s trail and started along the Walker River into the mountains. It would be another day and a half before Bartleson’s group, in a very hungry condition, caught up with them.