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Show I 174 J 52 elled later than usual, llavi.ng .;;pc~1t some time _in ~rn.rcl~it_Jg for .~ra.·-;, . : a. llll'<'Cl't) ~incr the rLVl'l' bdore we could fmd ,\. .. nlhcteut qn,l.lltlly cros~·illlh ll t ,, h 1 · ( • . " •• 11 · 111.,ls 'l'owarJ dusk we CIH.:alll}1Cl anwtt~ some artetn1::il,1. 0 I 0 ll [ ,\1 ,. • . < ' 1 l • 1. ·l , . t ,. l attd three Ccct in It\ iuht where some s,·atteret pate H's ot uU, lCS, \ l < - ' • } l · short tou"lt ar::~s~ allinded a ·rauty supply. In cros:mtg~ we wr occn.~ton 10 ohserv~· t~at the river w::ts frequently too deep to lH' lo_nletl, thou~lt we alway~ succrcdccl in flt.tclit·lg a place wlw~·e tilt' wat.cr d.t~l, not <·t~t.N t~~ <.:arts. The stre:llll cotlltnllell vcty <'ll'ar, w1th two m tl.llec humhed feet ureadth of water ::tlld the S<llldy bc!l and bank.s were lrequently Cl1\'{'1'0(l with lar1rc ronnd pebbles. \Ve h:H.l travelled tlus day twenty.~-;evcn_mtlcs. Tile maill cktill or the Bhck hitls \~as ll~ r? only ahollt .. CVl.'ll n:tlcs to. the sont!J, Oll the right hauk of t!Je lJVt'r, rt~11 1g abruptly. tO tiW ltctoht Oi ciaht and twC'Ivc llutHlr<'d ft>t~t. Patches of green gtass lit tl~c rantJCS on th~ stl'ep sides markeu tile prl''-'ClJCe of ~priugs, <l.tHl tlJe SUllllllllS Were clttll with pines. July 28.-ln two miles from onr cncampmrnt, we rcadwt1 the pl:tcc where tllo n•crttlar road cros.es the Platte. There was two hundred feet breadth of w~tcr at thi • time in the bed, which has i.l variablr, w1dth of e1nltt to filtPCtJ hundred feet. The cltannels were gctwrally tlncP ft•ct deep, at~d then' were large (lllgular rocks ou ~ltc bottom, whie~· mnue tl10 ford Ill so1110 plat:I'S a litlle diilirul.t. Even at Jts low stages, tl11s rtvcr .cntmo~ ,he t!tosscd ~'t. random, and thts b::ts nlways bern 11 cd a the Lest fu!'(l. the low stage of the water[-; the present yo;n had 111:100 it tonlable in almost any p:trt of it: t!Otlrsc, where acc1'SS could b? had to tts betl. . . For the ~atdactioll of travellers, I \\' Jll etH.lc~1vor to gtvc some Jcsctqtlllll of the nr~tme ot' till~ road from Larntnic to thi · poi11t. Tltc nature of Ute soil tll:ly bt! iuf 'Trt'd from its geological rormatioll. The litne~tonc at tltl' r:t~lerll limit ot' tl 11~ SCCtiOII is SllCCCCUPd by linwstO llt.! without tos~il~, a oreal variety of santb:one, COII::.istillg pt iucipally of l'<'U sand ·touc and fin~ cougltHlH'Tatt's. Tlte reel s::tmlsto11e is argillaccnns, with compact wltitc ~yp::-um or alaha::-tcr, very ln';ultirul. The other sattdstoncs an• gray, yellow, a11d rerrugitwns, snnwti tncs very coarse. Tho apparent :-:terility of :he country llllJst tltcret(ne be sought t'tlr in other cuusus tltatJ the nntmc ot the soil. 'l'hn face o!' the country cannot wit it propriety be callt>d !tilly. lt 1-.: a succt•sstott of long ridges, Hw.dc by tile numerous stn:aP1::'1 which come . dowu from tlte 1 cighbori11~ mountain ra11ge. The ndges lla ve an undulating surface, witlt some such appcnruuce a the oceatJ pt'l'Scuts in an ordinary breezr. The road which is now generally tollowetl through this J'l'~ion is tlwrcforc n. very goocl one, without any di!Ticult ascent to overcome. Tltc priucipal obstructions arc ncar the rive r, where the tram:ieut waters of heavy rnitts have made deep raviues with steep banks, wltielJ reudcrs frc· qtHml circu its twcessary. It will be remcrnbt!recl that w,tgons pn:-.::- 1his roaJ only ouec or twice a yea r, wllicl1 i: by no means sulli<:ieut to !Jreak down the ~tu bborn roots of the innnnwrablc artemisia bn.,ltc<>. A partial • 1bsence of these is o!'tcn the only i11<.licatiou of thr track~ :utd the roughness prounced by their roots in IU:lllY places gives t.l-te roaJ the cltanu·ter of one newly opened in a wooded country. Thi is u~nally eon!-.itlered the worst part of the road east of the montttain~; anu, us it pa~St'S through an open prairie region, may be much improved, so as to avoid the greater part of the iuequalities it now presents. From the mouth of the Kansas to the Green n ver valley, west of the 53 [ 174 J florky m.om~taitt~. there i~ 110 snrh thing as a monntoin ro::td 011 the lin' oC COI1l nlll lllC<l tiOII . . 'Ve corttitlllC.cl our wa~', ::ttH.l fot.tr mik•s IH')'OtH1 tlte ford Jndiatt.s were dtsctwr rcd agnm; and I halt('~l wlttlt' a party wen· H'ttt forwartl to a~cerlau wltn tl~ey wen'. l11 a ~~~lHl ttlltt' t.!tcy n'lllrtH•d, aC<'Olltpa 11 il'd by tl lltltlliH' of lndta· tts ·o ff ' the O·g lallah, , hand nl StOll X. Frou1 them we 1·,, , 1·v, l . I:Cl I l :iOlll(' tlll<'l'C.Sft.llg Ill Ol'llliltiOII. Jltuy iwd fol'llll'U part of' tlte grc;tt villarr wftich dtcy tJJ.tomHHl_ u. hat~ brokt_'II 11 p, and was 011 itH way 11onw. Tl~~ 'greater part ot the vtll:1ge, ttltllldJ ttg the AraJ)ilhOt' · Clwyc'tlltl's 'l.l)<.] O•rl·,ll 1 l { d I 1>1 . I ' . ' . o .. II ~~. t~<. cro" e t 1e attc etg_tl or l<'lt tni le~ below the lllOlltlt of tlte Sweet "ater,.and w;rc· now hellllld .tlte tll!Httttains to tltc sotJth of' us, intenditJ•t to l't'g~lll the l l;~ftl' hy w.ty of Dr1'r Cr(·ek. 'I'IJC'Y l~:td tak<·tt rlti~ unusnal route lll search of ~ra s nnd rrat'lC' TIH'Y cr tV" tiS 't vc1·y 1· · • • ... t> ' ' ' '- < (. ISCOilJ'it<YJ lJ <Y ptctllre ot tile conntqr. Tltc ~real tlronnht and tit ld·tntl" of ar· ··J~ " l l . b ' I ' \.. 0 llSS l 0 p-pers 1:1( SWCpl lt SO tllllt SC:tl'Ce ll. hl ~H~~' of' ora~s W'\S to l.C s 'C l I . ' . b I' . t> ... . u .t .n' a nc t lCil, Wd~ not a llf alo to be fOlllld lll the Wlto\e }'po·inll 'f'll<'l·l. ] n l l f• I ·a I t> . . >.-ope, t ICY urt 1er sa1 , tatl been nearly starved to U(';ltll, and we would find tht·t~· road. ,r:~ar!\ed ?Y lotlgPs which tlwy had throw11 :1 way in order to 111_0' e ~no1e l c1pt~~ ?',' .wd !Jy the c:u:casses ?f tile lton .. es which they !tad eaten. 01 '~l11ch had per tsl~<'d l)y sta ~·va I tOIL ~uclt wast he pro:pcet before u .. . \:' IH~ll ltc had fitttsilcd the ttttcrpr tattOJt of these thint;s, l\tfr. Bi:-:;sollctle unmc<.lt::ttcly rode up to me~ ~ttd urgently advised tlt at I should Clltir lr nbaudon tile further l>I'OSecnt tOit or my l~"'}1l<ll" 'tl l.()IJ ,, 1 ) II e 'II . • . ··' , • A 1 1 cure uvts q11eJ~ pourrat:'> l'ous donnl'r c'est dt' t•irf'J' de .c:llitc. ' ,, Tltc be~r advice 1 cart gtve you, rs to turn back at ott c." It was his ow11 intcn tiou to r ._ turn, a· we had now reached the poittt to which ~te IJad enn-ao-ecl to attenJ ~11<: . lll.rcply. I C<~llcd np .lilY men, and eotumutticared t~ t~etu fully tile m~o r~~t~on I lw.d J~l- t rccctvetl. [ . t,hL'IJ expr<'sscd to tllc'tll my fixed d ·ternuttcltJOn to ptor.eud to tit' end of tile cnte rJ>ri::-c on which J h· tl 1.,, cor t . l t . I . . .t U( (II .. n , Hl _,1s t _w sttllatwn of tlt1' ~ountry gn.,'e me some reJsott to apprc-h( nd that 1t nn.ght b_u atiCJt~led w111t nn tltlf\ntun:lf(' result to so1ne of us, T would leave tt optLOnal W1tl1 t.IJelll to cotlliuuc with 111e or to relttrtt. . A t,n.ong litem ';ere s~t~H· five or si wlto I l(IJn w wonlcl retuaitt. \Y e h.td ~t llltc n J ,tys prnvl, lOIJS; atHI, ~ll o n ld no g.~ nw bl' ft>und, when tltifo, stock was e-xpended, w' had our hnrsc, and LJlltlcs w!ti ·It we Ct)ttld e·lt W}JUll other ~llC<lliS or ~nbsistcnre l~tilerl. Bnt llOt :t man tlirtclt l'd fro;n tht> ~mdcrL1l(l 11g. "\Ve'll cat. tile llllll<.-·s, ' saiu Basil Lnjntlncsse · and tl~c.r('u pon ;'!o shot>k lmnJ~ wtth on r. llltcrpret ·r ;tud lti!' l11cliaus, ;.wd p.u.:( d. \\i Itlt thf:lll I SL'llt back otw o~ my lllt!tt, DnnJ(~:-;. whom the ell' rb of •Y ole], WOIH~dtll the leg- I"<'Utkrnd liiCapable o(' C'Olltiltllill.~ thtl jnllrttl'V Ort foot, <til(.~ illS horse Sel'Ule<.l 011 tilt! point of aiviw,. Ollt. J la.V itW I"L'~ solved to dt:-;cucnmbcr oursvlves immediately of ev~·y tlttJtlr llot ·~h olurely ncccssnl'y to our fntnn· npt'rntiom; I turtwtl direct!\' int>tow·utl til. n ver 'Httl e .. 1 1 1 .. l ' . · ': llt.Ullpec on t lc etf m11k, n. ltttle above tlte place whLe re 0111t col n~tr:ll ha0 .!wen ltc.ld, ::111<1 w1.1Cre.n. thic-k grovl: of willows oll't•red u sut t~ )!c: spot ftJl the obJect I l1au 111 vte w . .l.he cart.s lw.vitl~ IH' 'JJ di~r.ltargcd tltc covers ll.tHl wl1ecls were tak('n, oO .mel, WJtll tl.tP lraJtws, earned ttttn SCIIlle low plar<'~ amottrr rite willows ~.ll(l conce:1lc~luJ tlw dt·nsc folia~e in snell a manner tltat the0 ulitter nf th·~ ~1 011 1 Work nm~lt~ not attrnct tlw obserV<ttiOIJ of sonlf. .. stram~·littO' Indiun l~~.! le sand, wlltclt k1tl l>l'Ctl . blowll ttp into waves GllJOllg ~he \~illow ·, ,; be hole was thell dug, ten i<'ct square anJ six d 'cp . Iu the mean time, |