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Show 98 BECONNOISSANCB AROUND GREAT SALT LAKE. the way. We also provided ourselves with three India- rubber bags, of the capacity of five gallons each, and a small keg, for transporting water across the desert; some sacks of flour, a small tent without poles, a tent- fly, and a blanket to each man. In addition, each person carried a few pounds of fresh beef attached to his saddle, which. might be used before resorting to our store of dried meat. Thus equipped and well armed, we set out on the afternoon of the 19th of October, the little party numbering five men and sixteen mules. The provision- train for the surveying party was sent forward by the emigrant road, on the east side of the lake, under Lieutenant Howland, with orders to report to Lieutenant Gunnison at Salt Lake City. Colonel Porter had left us the day previous, on his return to Cantonment Loring. From the ford of Bear River we followed the emigrant road westward for about four miles, which brought us to the Malade River. The crossing here was very difficult, and we found it impossible to get our animals over with their packs on, because of the depth of water; they were accordingly unloaded and dragged or driven over, one at a time, and some of them came near being swamped in the soft, sticky mud composing the bottom. The men were obliged to strip, and carry the packs over on their heads, the lighter articles being thrown across. Wood was very scarce: we had but artemisia- bushes and a few charred sticks found amid the ashes of the extinguished fires left by the emigrants. These were, however, sufficient for cooking purposes. Grass there was none; and we began already to have some foretaste of the hardships to which our poor animals were about to be exposed. The night was cold; thermometer 22°. As wood could not be obtained even for tent-poles, we contented ourselves with stretching our weary bodies upon the ground, and, wrapped in our blankets, slept soundly till the morning. The bottoms of Bear River and the Malade are composed of white clay, in which no trace of organic remains was discovered. The current of the Malade is here slow, and the water brackish and nauseous. Saturday, October 20.- Ther. at daylight, 26°. Continued on the emigrant road about four miles, when we left it and turned more to the southward, with the intention of doubling a lofty promontory that puts into the lake from the north, and forms the western boundary of the Malade valley. In about a mile we came upon three or four beautiful springs of clear, bright water: they |