| OCR Text |
Show EASTERN SLOPE OF THE BLACK HILLS. 259 observation of Altair gave for the latitude of the camp, 41° 8' 2"; long. 105° 24' l l ." Sunday, September 29.- Ther. at sunrise, 28°. After passing through about two miles of pine and aspen woods, the country became a rolling prairie, which obliged us to wind about considerably among the hills to avoid the undulations of the ground. Our general course was east for eleven miles, when, descending the eastern slope of the ridge, we struck upon the heads of a little stream issuing from a rugged cafion of red feldspathic granite, at the base of the hills, and flowing into the plain below. We learned from a band of Cheyennes, who paid us a visit about sundown, that this was another branch of Crow Creek. Here the main ridge of the Black Hills suddenly falls off into a range of lower elevation, which again slopes to a plateau of clayey and earthy marl. The timber which had clothed the ridge ceases upon reaching the plain, but the stream is fringed with willows. Where the creek issued from the cafion, wild cherries, and yellow, red, and black currants occurred in great profusion and fully ripe. The yellow variety was particularly good, resembling in flavour a mellow sour apple. From our noon halt of yesterday, the formation has consisted chiefly of massive red feldspathic granite, with an occasional heavy out- crop of ferruginous quartz. Following down this branch for four miles, we encamped on its left bank, with good grass and water. A village of Cheyennes was encamped a short distance to the north of us, who, as soon as they descried our party, immediately paid' us a visit. They hung around the cook- fires till the guard was set for the night, when I notified the chief of the fact, and desired him to send his people away, at the same time informing him that should any attempt be made during the night to disturb our animals, the guard had positive directions to fire upon the marauders. He made them an harangue to this effect, and they immediately left us, some for a ride of ten miles back to the vicinity of our morning encampment, whence they had followed and accompanied us during the day, partly from curiosity, and partly from the hopes of a plentiful meal. Day's march fourteen and a- half miles. Latitude by observation 41° 9' 3". 5; longitude 105° 8' 24". Monday, September 30.- The camp was up long before daylight, and we were on the road by sunrise. Finding that the branch of Crow Creek, upon which we had encamped, passed too much to the southward for our purposes, we turned our faces to the north, and followed along the base of the Black Hills, about four miles distant, |
