294 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



dian river, which he had visited in 1849, and found it about twenty- 

 five miles distant, in a position exactly corresponding to that assigned 

 it by their astronomical observations. 



After completing the examination of the north branch of Red river, 

 Capt Marcy directed his course southward, across an elevated prairie 

 country, and after thirty miles travel reached the middle fork, which 

 having explored, he resumed his southerly course, and marching fifty 

 miles, arrived at the southern and principal branch of the river. The 

 Camanches, call this stream Ke-che-ati-que-ho-no, or Prairie Dog 

 Town river. In one place, near the bank of this stream, the travel- 

 lers passed for twenty-five miles through a continuous community of 

 these animals. " Supposing its extent to have been the same in other 

 directions," says Capt. Marcy, " the town would occupy an area of 625 

 square miles, or 396,000 acres ; with the burrows at the usual distances 

 of about twenty yards apart, and each containing a family of five or 

 six dogs, the aggregate population would, I fancy, exceed that of any 

 city in the world." 



The southern branch of the stream proved to be one thousand yards 

 wide at the point of intersection, and flowing over a sandy bed through 

 so rough a country that the gallant captain was obliged to leave his 

 wagon train, and proceed with a small escort of mounted men directly 

 along the bed of the stream ; and after three days hard riding he 

 arrived at the fountain head in lat. 34o 12', Ion. 102 35'. Three miles 

 from, its source, the bed, which had previously, with one exception, 

 been of sand from its confluence with the Mississippi, changed to 

 rock, and the water, which had been nauseating and bitter, became 

 cool, clear, and free from salts. This was an unlocked for luxury, and 

 after indulging freely in the delicious element, they ascended along 

 the narrow dell through which the stream flowed for a distance of two 

 miles, when they were obliged to leave their horses and clamber over 

 the remaining mile of distance on foot. Capt. Marcy says : 



" The gigantic walls of sandstone, rising to the enormous height of 

 eight hundred feet, on each side, gradually closed in until they were 

 only a few yards apart, and at last united above us, leaving a long, 

 narrow corridor beneath, at the base of which the head spring of the 

 principal branch of Red river takes its rise. This spring bursts from 

 its cavernous reservoir, and leaping down over the huge masses of 

 rock below, commences its long journey to unite with other tributa- 

 ries in the noblest river in the universe. 



" The stupendous escarpments of the solid rock, rising to such a height 

 as to exclude the rays of the sun for a great portion of the day, were 

 worn away by the lapse of time and the action of water and the 

 weather into the most fantastic forms, which it required but little effort 

 of the imagination to convert into works of art ; all united in form- 

 ing one of the most sublime and picturesque scenes that can be imag- 

 ined, and we all, with one accord, stopped and gazed with wonder and 

 admiration upon a panorama which was now for the first time exhib- 

 ited to the eyes of civilized man." 



Capt. Marcy remarked that one of the most striking features of this 



