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Show 98 RECONNOISSANOB AROUND GREAT SALT LAKE. the way. We* also, provided ourselves with three India- rubber bags, o? the capacity, of five gallons eaoh, 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 hid 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 jroad, on the $ ast side of the lake, under Lieutenant Howland, with orders to report to Lieutenant Gunnison at Salt Lake LCrty; Colonel Porter had left us the day previous, on his return to Cantonment Loring. - t . From the ford ff'Bear River we followed the emigrant road westward for about four miles* which braught us to the Malade River. The crossing here was very dimQult, 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 o\^ er, 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 apross. Wood was very scarce i we had but artemisia- bushes and a few pharred sticks found atoid die Ashes of the extinguished firqs left by the emigrants. These were, bow-ever, 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 momiing. The bottoms of Bear River and the - Malade are composed of white clay, in which no trace . of organic remaps was discovered* . The current of tha Malade is fiere slow, and the water, brackish and nauseous. Saturday, October, 2< h- Ther. at daylight, 26°. Contipued on - the. emigrant road. ab^ ut four miles, whence l$ ft it and turned more to . the . southward, with the intention of; doubling a lofty promontory that puts into the lake from the north, and form* the western boundary of the Malade valley. In about a mile we came upon three or four befcutiful springs of clear, bright watejj: they |
