complete the saddles that I had commenced. I was in school promptly the second week; and had saddles enough to pay board and tuition for the entire school.
When the last term ended I had gotten through with spelling, reading, arithmetic, English grammar, geography, composition, philosophy and astronomy. I then engaged to teach a four months' school twelve miles from Albany, on the breaks of the Cumberland. They had never seen a blackboard in that part. In agreeing to teach their school I had stipulated with the directors that a blackboard should be furnished, and the school should be conducted according to the most improved methods. Of this they soon repented. They objected to the blackboard, to the silent method in school, to classing the students, and to drilling in the art of spelling and reading. They said their children knew nothing about these things. They had been used to the students saying their lessons one at a time, and had been used to the children all spelling and reading out, so that they could be heard at least a quarter of a mile. One director could see the improvement and stood by me. The other two tried to stop the school. We taught the school. We then entered school at Albany. We had not, however, been there but one month when we determined to go to California with some young men that were going from that place.
Having determined to go to California I sold my interest in the old homestead, by giving security for a deed, when I should become of age, and arranged to start. We were to go to New York and ship from there to San Francisco. That trip could be made one month quicker than the trip that way we had to start by a certain date. We were to start on Monday, but on Sunday the two young men that I was to go with came to town and informed me that their parents were not willing for them to start that month, and consequently the time for starting would be postponed one month. I determined to spend that month visiting, so next morning I started for Tennessee. I had not been gone long till those young men came after me. Their parents had consented for them to start. They could not wait and make the necessary connection, so I was left. I had said, however, that I was going to California, and when I said a thing, even in my youthful days, I generally meant it.
I had longed to see some of the great West, hence I determined to go to Independence, Mo., and go across into California with a freight or emigrant train. A young man, my senior by some years, wanted to go with me. He had no money, but had been to Missouri. I doubted the propriety of accepting him as a traveling companion. Surrendering, however, to the judgment of an older brother, I consented to take him with me, bear his expenses and wait till he could refund the money. On January 18, 1858, we left Albany. We went to Nashville, Tenn., designing to go from there to Cairo, Ill., by water. There we had to wait three or four days for a boat.
We went to Grishan and Huffaker's wholesale grocery store. Mr. Huffaker was a brother to our oldest brother's wife. He went with us to a boarding house, told the proprietor to take good care of us till we could get passage down the river. I was now eighteen years old.
