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Show Ex. Doc. No. 41. 467 a mile from w:1t r, and thr approa <'h to th rn on one si dP wns strcp anct difli cult; on the other sid • impas~abl<·, on arrount of the rovks breaking oll' with a perpendi cula r face lSO f<'<'t hi~h. Th('S(' rock arc composed of saudstonc, containing sb;nk'· t 'cth, ~hells, and bones of wsh, many of which we collcctccl. We returned, recros eel the str('nrn, determined to camp h re, and to-morrow to foJlow a little valley that led off to the westward, th rongh which we noticed a faint path. Although the banks of th stream arc here 30 fe tin height, we yet were so fortunate as to fi•1d a plare to cross, when we encamped, having found several little pool~ of water. On the cast &ide of the stream, opposite our camp, we "Yisited a co11cction of stone ruins; they had been arranged ·o as to form a square enclosure, whose sides went 200 yards long. Near the town we noticed places of rich black earth, from 2 to 3 feet in depth, that marked the spot where the "corrals" ~cc stood. We afterwards learned that this place was called "Poblnzon ;" but to all our other questions, with regctrd to this ancient town, we received the usual Mtxican reply of "quien sabe." : October 18.-We arose ' 'ery early, not knowing but that we sllowld have to march far before we should obtain water. We were at a loss to conceive who could be the owners of the conical but, and of the cornfields where we staid last night. Continuing our march westward, we followecl the bed of a valley, on each side of whic·h sandstone rocks were piled up, in some place· near 600 feet high. Th~se rocks had an anticlinal dip, with refc renee to the axis of the Ya] Icy. Our route wa strewed with carbonate of lime, in va ri ous forms; sometimes beautifully 1 cry talized, at others in amorphous fragments of a waxen ap-pc~ nance. We found, also, fragm<'nts of large nmrnonifcs, and pic c <' s of i 11 o cera m us, an d t h e 1 itt l e k n o I I s a r o u n d g I i tt <.' r c d w i t h plates of selenite. This Jast ruincral is very abundant, and we could sec it gii~tening all the day in the sicl ·s of the distant tnountains. 'i'owards the Ja tcr part of the d;. ~ we enter ·d a volcanic country, our road abounding with frngrnents of a ,·e ry hard dark purple and ve-,Jrular rock; and to the north of our cour~c, we saw thre peak , or rather column~, of voll·anic roek, that seemed to · range in a northeasterly dirt>ction. They lo oked so picturesque that I dismountt·d and made a sketch of tl1em. We had now been travt>lling all day, aud at length night began to draw on apae ; we had not yet found any water, and at last, just as our plight seemed most hopeless, we caught Right of some di tant mountains; that, from their cours , we concluded must bound a large valley that, without cloubt, contained a stream. Soon, too, we caught sight of srvNal columns of smoke asC'ending Yertica]ly ; a,nd tracks of cattle, of sherp, and of rnt·n, appl'ared numerous ou aJI sides of u~. We now pr' sed forward, eager to !each a resting pine(•; but uddcnly night came upon us, and it was Jndcc rl a dark 11 igh t; we cnd'.!avor •d to f~ II ow the path, but were constantly getting off the coursE'; all dismounted and marched a Ion g, s e u r h i n g o u t as well as we co u J d fo r t h e p ~ t h . A t ln .... t w c reached .1n impas.5ablc "arroyo," the banks of wlucl1 W<'rc jJcrpcu- |
