JOHN C. FREMONT. 165 



of the ridge, the peaks were plainly visible among 

 which were some of the springs of the Nebraska or 

 Platte River. Around us, the whole scene had one 

 main striking feature, which was that of terrible 

 convulsion. Parallel to its length, the ridge was 

 split into chasms and fissures, between which rose 

 the thin lofty walls, terminated with slender mina- 

 rets and columns. According to the barometer, the 

 little crest of the wall on which we stood was three 

 thousand five hundred and seventy feet above that 

 place, and two thousand seven hundred and eighty 

 above the little lakes at the bottom, immediately at 

 our feet. Our camp at the Two Hills (an astrono- 

 mical station) bore south 3 east, which, with a 

 bearing afterward obtained from a fixed position, 

 enabled us to locate the peak. The bearing of the 

 Trois Telons was north 50 west, and the direction 

 of the central bridge of the Wind River Mountains 

 south 39 east. 



"The summit-rock was gneiss, succeeded by 

 sienitic gneiss. Sienite and feldspar succeeded in 

 our descent to the snow-line, where we found a 

 feldspathic granite. I had remarked that the noise 

 produced by the explosion of our pistols had the 

 usual degree of loudness, but was not in the least 

 prolonged, expiring almost instantaneously. Having 

 now made what observations our means aiforded, 



