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Show 16 A TRIP ACROSS THE PLAINS, ta·apping, and coming to the forks hrst were to await ·his arrival. He never recov.ered the "bending reed." The next rr.o1·ning was very cold, th€ thermometer nt 5 o'c. A. M. standing at 28 deg. Fahr. Five rniles from the La Bonte we crossed a. branch of the same stream. In the vic_ inity of this branch there are large masses of magnesian limestone, and a peculiar earth of a rleep red color. In th~ sarne locality, there is a natural, or artificial pyramid butl_t u~ of" boulders" about seventy-five feel in heightThis pde of rocks lool(s very much, as if man had been. the author; but if not Dame Nature must have had '•a tit~e of it" in getting the1n together. Travelling sixteen miles farther we encamped on the Ala Prele 1·iver. This. stream is a_bout as large as the La Bonte. 'J'his is a very good camp1ng place. \!Ve left encampment next morn in a> about 2 o'clock, in orde1• to 1·each the ·"Lowe&' ford and ferry of north Platte," distant eighteen miles, before another company immediately behind us. \Ve learned afterwards that this ea1·ly start was unnecessal'y, as they crossed another ford, ~wenty-seven miles •'highe1· up." Eight miles from ct~cumpment we crossed the Fourche Bois river. Nino mtlcs farther ct·oss~d Deer Ct·eek and encamped, as the ~e r~·y bout abo·~Jt. bemg buil·t, by a gentleman from Ft Larl~ tc, ~vas n?t 9·ult~ co_rnpleted. Some of the eompany, asSisted 1n fintshm.g 1t, 1.n orde1.· that we n~ight get over next day. .Deer cr~ek is ab.out thirty feet wide and two feet deep, w~th a raptd cut·rent. . There arc some very guod fish in thts stream; but uone 1n hand is worth two in the water' 'as wo found that they were not easily caught. Samuel Hanson, J ~seph J uckson and some othet·s~ conv~rted a wagon cov~t· Into_ a fish net~ but it was "no go;" tbo result of tbe. fish1ng betng a cold ba.tA. · · There is a coral m.in.e n sh(}.rt cHstance fi'om the mouth of the C·reek .. Nex.t n;l,Ol:ning w·m.. Palmer of Mansfield, 0. had an u t ... tnck of cholera ~r·bt\s, bu:t was abJe to resume his share· of ca~p wol'k 1n the afternoon. Abo.ut noon we. broke up out· c-aro.p., and ffil>,vcd to the fe.rry about one anile dis~ 1ant. an.~ succeeded ~n gettiag every thing ove1· ~afelv b.ef.ore rught.. "" 'fb.e No1·th. Platte at this pla.ce is ~bou.t one hu.n.dred and AND LIFE IN CALIFORNIA. 17 twenty yards wide, and nt this time four and a half feet deep. We encamped nfler crossing, having plenty of wood nnd some gtass. There are some very beautiful volcanic rocks in this y icin it y. This ferrv is one hundred and thirteen miles west o{ Ft Larimi0. · Friday morning, may lOth left this encampment and after travelling twenty-two miles, generally near the river, encamped five miles below ••Upper Platte Ferry and Ford.' During the afternoon a brown bt=>ar was killed by some of the company, not fat· from the bank of the river. Next tnorning after travelling five miles we struck the Platte for the last time·. The mineral lake and springs are seven miles farther, t~1e wa.tel's of which are so highly imp1·egnated with alkaline 1natte)·, as to be entirely unfit fot· use . Afte r travelling about eighteen tniles farther, we found a. small stream of good water. ,-fhere are a number of springs and creeks in this distance, but all highly alkaline. The mules and norses that were running loose, required considerable w~tcl~ing ir~ order to P!'e v~nt thetn injuring then1selves by d!.' Inki.n g. thts water. fh1s part of the countl'y is of vo]ca-niC ong1n. CHAPTER V. • 8nme 8ubject coutinued.-For•liug. rivers-Ice 8prina8·- l~niin nnd hail llt.Ol'ID. Next morning May 12th. the thenuorneter nt 4 1·2 o'clock A. M. stood ~t 26deg. Fahr. After travelling ~w~ a?d three fourth ~1les, ~e came to Willow Springs.fhis 1s a good camptng place, there being plenty of willows and good water. Pl'ospect hill is 0ne mile farther.- The Sweet Water mountains, cue distinctly seen from the suanmit of this hill. Game is ve1·y a~)undant in this part of the country. The Alkaline Lakes are about fourteen miles from '-.~Pros~ect Hill." The surface of the earth he~e, is covered w!th alm?st p_ure carbonate of soda, varying from two to ten 1nches. •n. thickness. This salt either fo1· baking or ar~y other use, Js almost equal to the commercial article.Ou• · fuel here, aud for hundreds of miles fa1·the1· was the • • .8 |