OCR Text |
Show 148 0(' r the· rrJC k \ Lid: o·. c.' .. ~ 2'5 e creLr:. 0 f the four {ir)t mu,•io .. ·d, ·hrec c.:,i\er nc ... dy --CJU~ quantities, btJt . (). 1, ·I.e . 0 .t co -sirle-able: de ive:-::> about five tim<·., ac., rn td ~s Gne o t .. cot. .... r three ; the t\\·o of jnfc:r i(Jr . .rJte m:1.\ ·. · f.r...,c ·h_r, bee ua! w one ; and all the dr op:,ing,. ~ r d ~n.a!l ~ pri· ..:<:> , 'ire probably under-rattd ut clcub!e ·he qu ni··:· r. G:ie of the three; that i~1 all tO~'C:her. they \l.i. ci.: i'-cr a quantity equal to eleven time'i the \ 2·cr: '!~uing from th!: o~.c mo~t commodiou lv ituated Ior mea. u:-emen . This spring £!led a ~ e el of ele·en quart in eleven seconds, hence the \\ hoi~ quc.1!.hi~y o. hot \\ ater deli \·ered ~ro1n the s:Jrin2's ut he b:.1 e oi the hill i 165 gallons 111 a minu 1 te ·o:- 377 i; ho~head in 24 hour~, "·hich is equ1l to ~ hand orne brook ~nd might work a~1 overshot mill. In cool weather condensed vapour IS seen ri ·ing- out of the graYel b d of the creek, from_springs which r~mnot be t~ken into account. Dunng the sumn1er and fall the creek recei\'eS li:tle or no \\·ater but , hat is supplied by the hot prings: at that s_eason itself is a hot bath, too hot, mdced, near the spnngs ; so that a person n1~1y chno~e. the tetnperatur~ most agreeable to himself. by se_l c.ting a n_atural basin near to, or farther from, the pnnc1p. .1 l spnngs.. At. three or four tnilc b lo\\· the ~pri ng::> the ,,·ater IS tep1cl and unpl .tsant to drink. }• rom the "estern n101.mtain, e ti mated to be of equal h i~ht "i h that .r0n1 \\ hich tl;e hot springs flow, th ·re ar · ..:~.." •ral i:n" pr ;:," 'Ct • fhe ' >1lley o~ the '\'a hit.l, c 1111 n .. 1t.Pd ~ ct ween the h1ll · on e1t~1er si(lt- ~ · m d ,t "'- rtt'~t tLt ~, u:1 l about t\\·el ve nules , 4 • • ,, id '. n .tll h. n ~ .... \H_t· ... " '- .1 the lulls, or n1ountams, ns th 'Y an: hen: c,1 kd, 1 i.;inn· be hind e.lch oth~r. In the dir\.'Ct~on of no:th, the n1o t di t.mt ,,·ere est1ma!~d to be firtr rnile , ofi', nnd are ·uppo · l to be th?se o_f !he rkmis,t ri\ r, 0r the ru;t-cd n1onntain "h1ehy d1 1 v_Iclc th( '' ntcr~ of the _ \r1 .m::...l frmu those of the \\ a~ 11ta, and pr ., cut th , ) .. l~rt' IP li.u: · fi·om Yi ~iring th_e latte: '. f w hotn th y ~lr' · uppv~ d Igt.orant; othervase then 14.9 excursions here \vould prevent tlus place frotn being visited by " ·hite persons, or other Indians. In a south \Vest direction, at about forty miles distance, is seen a perfectly level ridge, snppo.sed to be the high prairies of the Red river. Notwithstanding the severity of the weather, a con~ siderable number, and some variety of plants were in flower, and others retained their verdure : indeed the ridge was tnore temperate than the valley below; there it was cold, da~11p , and penetrating; here dry, and the attn~spherc In del. Of the plants growing here wus a spec1cs of cabbage : the piants grow with expandc~l leaves, spreading on the ground, of a deep green, ,~·1th a shad<.; ?f purple.: the ta~te of the cabbage was pbmly predonunant, with an agreeable wannth inclining to that of the radish; sevL ral tap-roots penetr? ted into t~e soil, of a white ~olor, having the taste of horse-radish, but n1uch nulder. A. quantity of thcn1 taken to the camp and dressed, proved palatab: c and mild. It is not probable that cabb1ge seed has been scattered on this ridge; the hunters ascend. ing this river haYe always had dificrent objects. Until further elucidation, this cabbage must be considered as indigen_ous to this sequestered quarter, and may be denornmated the cabbage radish of the Washita. They found a plant, then green, called by the French " racine rouge," (red root), \rhich is said to be a specific in fen1alc obstructions; it has also been used, combined \rith the China root, to dye red, the last probably acting; as a 1nordant. 'fhe top of this ridge is covered '"ith rocks of a flinty kind, and so very hard as to be improper for gun-flints, for when applied to that use it soon digs cavities in the har~uner o~ the lock. This hard stone is generally white, but frequ ently clouded with red, brown, black, and other colors. I-Iere and there fragments of iron stone were met \vith, ~nd where a tree l1acl been overtur? ed, its roots brought to view fragments of schistus, 'rbch 'n~rc suffering decmnposition from exposure to |