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Show 404. Ex. Doc. No. 41. gons w1· l11 ll 1c ar.m y were without l'iprings and roughly built, like Santa F · tra1le wngonR. . co'ml'~ho lSn l< a y we m .,u 1.".. a< tn•a rch of 31~\ mil ·s•, 1· 1nsstng all ong· the. top1~ r of · 1 b t ccn one Hnd two mtlrs from t 1c 11\'Ct .. no-Ua u~ nn grr wena s ntc' gbcc, s, cc' nw l t t't curly bufTalo grass, now parched by Hl . . I . I 1 t h c sum m <' r ' s 1H ' .'1 t · '1'l·• e s• t ttl 11ouretl do• wn l11s rays mo.l n1v tt s 1 y; the ·m en a 11 <1 .·l.' moun1t< , 11 an 1l W'l1kcd w or cl er to rest au< o rc- ' ' ' · l 1. 1 1 t r1 e themsr 1v rs f.t om tllc c'""' "t ngul·•· r .S " Jl.':ltiOn lHOdUCC.' < uy LlH ' lCa.1 FH~vs t one ·.,n H1 tl le.n '' \nothcr o.f. th'"' 1)arty became 1ll, an< scvcra ) sci'l.e<l with a scv're vomttJPg. . w<lrr~ thc .ev<•ning 1 wt•nt 0 ,er to ·Major Clarl.:<'' s camp, 111 order. to havean.'-'X 1< ' t 1· <' c·· 111 "" d · T h <... r c I ~'a w m :111 y w Lh o' a p p (' art' clJ )l o b c rll ; a~on rst thl'Pl wert' Captain \Vc·ightm:m an1l tcul_en:~nt . . t~rr: . 1 1 .\urncd to our camp ; ncl P""'''" a ,\( rph·'" lnnc , l<slcn~ng !~ t1 ~~otstl'ps of tlH' guard· <PHI JL)W <l.II(l thrn, t!tt• <'ofl\' Cr~at!On o tl~ ~ F r (' n <' h l> 0 y s b r o k <' u p ~ n t h e s t i lln e ~ s o [ t h c ll i ~ b l ; t h ~· Y , .too, were not ab1t· to Rlc<·p :~onndly. We W<'re :11 cxt.-t•m 'Jy ,1nxtous with n·gard to 0 <' !I era I K ~>aru y's hralth. . 1' u e s day , .J u Z11 2 J s t . - T lJ 1 s m o 1 n i n g· w <' p 1 c s c n l ~~ ,l q u tl_ c a so r r y ~ ~ o k- 111 rurray of hn~nan facts. At clay -l'!'l'ak I was sctZ<'d wtth a vom1~1 lli!I w lg11. ( ·1 l l·n,os tc"' l ",,O rne time• ·' I was obh!!'<J '<l • to setJC1I ' for the. ] dotlc lot. drr 11 eH'r detrrmiuetl to pm:h forwnrd 111 co1np wnce wrt 1 1e or. ~~ icutenant I•~mory, who was with G<'llt•ral ( ntny, aud cornmJt~ rd ;nysclf to th, wago:wr's r:Ht·, while L"cutenant Peck look com~ nan d 0 f the ramp . L) in g herr, my eye r o v e d o v e ~- b nt a r. on }.,;cd }Ho•pcd; un d cr me wen lJ uu<:l<•s of heel ding, w•t h hlan kerl<f~ n•d hln ancl whitr; n<'ar 1111'' a fit ek man , 1angllldly gazlllg upw.a ,/ abo'v me the hrnd tl 1o .-.s of the wagon that supported a l.lrl"?e bite <'ov't•r 1hrough which th<• ~un beat ·with int<'n sc heat; and, m ~:ont throu'gh a little llolr, one eaught sight of the landscape danci'ng to and fro as the wagon jolte<l aloug. . , a Fe Wr formed our camp_, ~f~n a ~narc!l of 11 mtle~, at t~1c Sa~~' itcrossing, an<l in the Ylcm1ty o1 Major ~larke':::; halla~10n of .tr\clery so that wr could hn.vt· an oppor1untty of complctwg our ax L tree ' ·t hat w began yc. ten1 a y. w c soon , aw our wa. g on ' •a nl lcarne<l that G encral Kearny hatl pcrfe ·tl y recovered. Al this plnce we obtained some beautiful purrlc lil_ies, (custo~~ russdiaua,) and Mr. N ours hrought me a psor~ha, wtth a monos ·l palous ·aly?'. On th opposite ide of the r.iver there arc scv~~~Indian hodieR, wrapped m blankets and slcms, exposed on P formR of lodge poles, l.igh up in cottonwood trees, wbcr~ tbc~.a~~ iafe from wolvrs and the sacrilegious touch of men. 1 he au the prairie produces rapid desiccation, and, in thi'1 rcspcet, resembles that of Egypt and the islands of the ancient Guanches. 29 th From the 21st of July until our arrival at Bent's fort, on ~he h ~ being all the time sick, I have no recollection of anytiung t 3_ transpired, excepting a Jrawir:g that I made of the san<~ rat, (f150e,~dostoma brissarins.) The body and legs arc covered w1tl~ yc ish brown hair, plumbeous at the base; ·bel1y, white; antenor.c1 ~ ~vs, strong and large; posterior claws, short; iris, black; en~, proJec ~n! slightly. On each side of the upper ja,,- are two cxtenor pouc e' Ex. Doc. No. 41. 405 ~ 4 5 inches in depth;. tail ovcrctl with short hair, a little Jess ~ n J en g t h than on e h a 1i _l h c l c n g t h o ~ t h c b o cl y ; b o d y a l> on t 6 j n c h s m len.gth: The pou~h _1s covncd Wtth short while hair, and capable of ucmg_ turne_cl 111 ule O~ll. Th_is, I think, was a young one; l1cnce tlle slight d1fferenccs Jtl the s1zc and the color of its legs an<l the tail being <.:overed with hair. ' a p t n i n T u rn c r: <! f t h c 1 s t . d rag o o n~ , h rough t m e n ( o r l y go m c t r a cnrollllus;) the. c l.Hrds arc lll plenty along tlw Arkansa uottoJU. i.his one was caught alter a short chast', fot: it flew a short distance ()nly, wlH•n it appeared to b too mtl':h fatiguct.l . or too much bewi I dt'rC'd to rise n gain . ' Of th plaut that occur bd\\cen tlte Arkansa~ crossing nnd l3<.:nt's fort,~ cann_ot clo b<·ttt·r 1han rd'er to the Ji~t appenclctl to tills r<'porl, 111 wlurh they are anangcd in the family to whid\ they belong·, and the locality mrnliou ed in which they W('rc obtained. As ? 1_1 e a pI~ r o a c h s D c n t' s f o r t , h m ret s w i t h m an y v a r i r t i <' s ,., f artrm1 1a, w1th lhe obionc cancsr:cns, and a plant whic!1 is 'Xtrcmely useful t? the Mcxicnns as a ·uustitnt(• for soap, Ly th<'m called. tl1<! palmt~lo, by us Adamt.: needle·, or Spani~h hilyonet; its bot an u.: a 1 11 am e 1 s t h ~ y u t; <'a. an g u s t i f o 1 in . We a l so J 1 ave t h c p raj I' j C g 0 tll' d , ( C' U (' ll HJI S p C I' C Tl ll i S j ) t h a l i R a b U ll d a n t :\] S () fr 0 m n C 11 t' ~ fort to anta li' •. \Vc h·tvc the Lartonia, scvrral varictic. of so 1 an a s , s · v c red v n r i c t i c s o [ ~ n o t b r a , t h c rn a r t y n i a , t It c c 1 c o rn • , the.sa!i corn.ia, ipum a, ·1nd rigonumf. Amongst the tr<•cs, several ·vanettcs ol populus; nrn on gst which ar · the populus can ad t.'n -;is and p. monolifcra; ~· cv ·ral varieties of sali>-, and tlw plum and cherry. _Amongst the animals, we have the panlhcr, (f(· lis <:oncolor;) the wrld l'at, (fc·lis rufa;) the white wolf, (eanis nubilus;) the prairie wolf, (canis latrnns;) the .,ilver-g rcy fox, (eanis cinerea argentus;) ll?<~ the prairie fox, (canis y lo ·;) praitic dog, (arttontys JudoVlCJann;) the gophc•r, (rsrndos[oma urissarius;) the <llltt•Jopc, (d irranoc ·crus. ~urcifrr;) the gr y bear, (ursu ~ fcrnx;) al~o a species o1 -vc~pert_Jfta a11d ~pecies of ground-squirrel; it is said lhal there ~trC t~nre clilfcrent varict!es. Along the Arkansas, where there is sufiiCicnt cover, one finds the rl'd deN, (ct)vus virgin.,) one also finds ~lc baugrr, (taxus labradori r us;) and the polecat, (m<•phitis mer.) _The Indians at the fort showed me a racoon (procyon lotor) Ion, they said had been obtnin d in the ncighLorhood. Amongst the bird~, the turkey vulture, (cath.trt •s atra;) wild turkey, (mcleagris gallipavo;) qunil, (ortix virgina;) r d-hcnd d Wood ~c.ckcr, (pi cus cry th roePph a l11s ;) m cad ow larl , ( st urn ella l~doviCiana;) ntght bawl, (chc,rodcilcs virgins;) cow-birds, (molo- 1 rus pccoris;) dove, ( ectopi tcs carolin;) flicLer , (picu. aubatu ;~ ravrn, (corvus coron ·;) and the r ail tailcd buzzard, (batco .oreal1 :) There has also been found on the Arkan. as, wit_hin elght mdes of Bent's f()rt, a singular and but little .known bud,. £ailed the pasana, (geococyx viaticus.) |