accounted for the contents of the pan which stood beside Keseberg when he was found.  It appeared that he had left at the other camp the dead bullock and horse, and on visiting this camp and finding the body thawed out, took therefrom the brains, liver, and lights.

Tucker and Rhodes came back the next morning, bringing $273.00 that had been cached by Keseberg, who after disclosing to them the spot, returned to the cabin.  The money had been hidden directly underneath the projecting limb of a large tree, the end of which seemed to point precisely to the treasure buried in the earth.  On their return and passing the cabin, they saw the unfortunate man within devouring the remaining brains and liver left from his morning repast.  They hurried him away, but before leaving, he gathered together the bones and heaped them all in a box he used for the purpose, blessed them and the cabin and said, “I hope God will forgive me what I have done.  I could not help it; and I hope I may get to heaven yet!” We asked Keseberg why he did not use the meat of the bullock and horse instead of human flesh.  He replied he had not seen them.  We then told him we knew better, and asked him why the meat on the chair had not been consumed.  He said, “Oh, it is too dry eating; the liver and lights were a great deal better, and brains made good soup!” We then moved on and camped by the lake for the night.

April 21.  Started for Bear River Valley this morning.  Found the snow from six to eight feet deep; camped at Yuma River for the night.  On the twenty-second travelled down Yuma about eighteen miles, and camped at the head of Bear River Valley.  On the twenty-fifth moved down to lower end of the valley, met our horses, and came in.

The account by Fallon regarding the fate of the last of the Donners in their mountain camp was the same as that which Elitha and Leanna had heard and had endeavored to keep from us little ones at Sutter’s Fort.

[Illustration:  VIEW IN THE GROUNDS OF THE HOUGHTON HOME IN SAN JOSE]

[Illustration:  THE HOUGHTON RESIDENCE IN SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA]

It is self-evident, however, that the author of those statements did not contemplate that reliable parties[29] would see the Donner camps before prowling beasts, or time and elements, had destroyed all proof of his own and his party’s wanton falsity.

It is also plain that the Fallon Party did not set out expecting to find any one alive in the mountains, otherwise would it not have taken more provisions than just enough to sustain its own men ten days?  Would it not have ordered more horses to meet it at the lower end of Bear Valley for the return trip?  Had it planned to find and succor survivors would it have taken it for granted that all had perished, simply because there was no one in the lake cabins, and would it have delayed two precious hours in searching the lake camp for valuables before proceeding to Donner’s Camp?