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Show 104 TEAVELS AND ADVENTUEES IN THE FAE WEST. CHAPTER XVH. Divide between Grand and Green River-Capt. Gunnison's Trail-Without Water- Formation of the Country-Castellated Bluffs-Green River Indians-Crossing of the Green River-Interview with Indians-Disappointment-Grass-seed-Manner of Preparing it for Food-Horse Purchased1-Starving Condition of the "Whites-Incident Exhibiting the Moral Dishonesty of one of the Men-Name not Published-Dinner on Porcupine-"Living Graves"-Tempestuous Night-Reflections on Guard-No Grass-Frozen Horse Liver-Blunted Feelings. THE divide between Grand River and the Green River, (the eastern and western forks of the Colorado) is barren and sterile to a degree. At the season that we crossed, there was no water between the two rivers, a distance of about forty miles. Capt. Gunnison's wagon trail was still plainly visible at the crossing of a gully, now however without water. That party must have had great difficulty in transporting their wagons across it. From its appearance, a tremendous body of water must have forced a passage through the gully, at that time. Dwarf artemisia grows sparsely on this sandstone formation. At the roots of the artemisia still remained small quantities of dry powdered snow. To allay my thirst, I have put my head under the bush, and lapped the snow with my tongue. The descent into the valley of the Green River was over most dangerous projections of different strata of rock, thrown into its present state by some convulsion of nature. |