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Show • 140 EXPLORATION OF TllE OARONS OF THE OOLORADO. till we reached the sa.Iient spoken of. Here we found that the eastern line of the plateau swung in another great curve to the north, and thus again projected in a salient, like the o~e we had reached. In the angle between these salients lies a beautiful valley, drained by a stream flowing northward, being, in fact, as we afterward ascertained, one of the southern branches of the Dirty Devil River. We went into camp at this point, and spent a day in exploration. . The stream draining the valley between the salients soon enters a narrow canon, and the whole country becomes so cut by transverse gorges that travel in that direetion was manifestly impracticable. During the day an old Indian trail was discovered, leading along the low, broken ridge noticed from the foot of Potato Valley. This we followed the next morning, and after many wanderings around the heads of canons, running hoth northward and southward, came to the edge of the cliff forming the eastern rim of the Escalante Basin, and overlooking a valley 2,000 feet below. After some trouble we found a practicable way to descend, though most of the time we were on bare rock, often sloping at an angle of twenty five degrees. Reaching the foot, we found ourselves on the bank of a clear stream, flowing through groves of cottonwood, and well entitled to the name which we gave it-Pleasant Creek. During the day we had observed many fresh signs of Indians, and early the next morning we found a small party gathering seeds. From their questions, a.nd the surprise they evinced at our appearance, it was evident that we were the first white men who had been known to vi it this portion of their country. We traveled but three miles this day, spending the most of the time in endeavoring to induce the Indians to accompany us, but with no success. . On leaving this camp our course was south fifteen degrees cas~, for eight miles, when we turned to the left, and entered a narrow canon, with vertical walls 800 feet l1igh. We followed this for ten miles, and to its head finding no place whe~·e .its walls could be scaled, and reluctantly rcturno~, and camped for the mglit near its mouth. The next day after much searchinrr a~ d 'd ' b cons! orable labor, we made a t.rail up a rocky point, and camped that mght at a water pocket, in tho head of a canon, on tlte me a above. The . next day we crossed tho mesa, to the flank of tho Henry Uountains, and |