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Show 222 TEAVELS AND ADVENTUEES IN THE FAE WEST. o'clock. Our road led over a sandy bluff, which was most tiresome to our animals. After a stretch of three miles, we abruptly descended some two hundred feet into the bed of the river, which we crossed with much difficulty, as the water was over the bottoms of the wagons. The road led through a continuous grove of acacias {spwoldbeum odorafum), in full bloom, interspersed with a few cottonwoods. We found this road, also, to assume a serpentine course, which created the necessity to recross it seven times, by noon camp. I noticed on this river a beautiful tree, covered with white flowers hanging in tassels like the flowers of the locust; it resembles the willow, with its long narrow leaves. It is about as large as the weeping willow; it is, certainly, the most beautiful ornamental tree I ever saw. There are two species of acacias, one closely resembling the opoponax, the other bearing long white blossoms and spiral seed vessels. These trees abound with doves, which, with the mocking- bird, are the only kinds of the feathered tribe I noticed. The formation on both sides of the river is a conglomerate, or pudding-stone, with layers of sandstone. Thousands of party-colored flowers cover the dry, sandy bottom*. It seems a marvel to me how the loose dry sand can yield nourishment sufficient to enable them to grow so luxuriantly. We travelled twenty miles to-day, along the river, and camped at six o'clock on the road, with good bunch grass on the hills around. A number of Pahutes came into camp this evening |
