246 ON THE FBONTIEK. 



we are as tired as the animals. Not only from humanity's 

 sake, but from a motive of prudence, we have walked most 

 of the way, well knowing that our horses have yet many 

 days of hard travelling and short commons before them. 

 Fatigue and darkness render us disinclined to make 

 elaborate ablution or much improvement to our toilet, 

 and we are glad to eat our supper, roll ourselves in a thin 

 blanket, and go to sleep. And we make a long night of it, 

 too, for to-morrow we shall " lay over." Men and animals 

 are in need of rest, waggons have to be greased, harness 

 must be mended, whip-lashes braided, and a general wash of 

 clothes and persons has been decreed. 



We spend the day in making ourselves as comfortable as 

 circumstances permit looking round, and, generally speak- 

 ing, recruiting and repairing. 



The deceptive appearance presented by Soda Lake, when 

 viewed from a distance, we find to be caused by the fact 

 that the level expanse of baked mud forming the Lake is 

 thickly covered with efflorescent salts, in many places 

 indeed it could be shovelled up with a spade. The 

 "charming verdure" is, in reality, stretches of sand grass 

 and compact beds of tulds a marsh-grass looking like a 

 cross between a reed and a bulrush. Where these tules 

 grow round the lake there is water, but it is not visible ; 

 were it not in the shadow of the tulds it would be dried 

 up by the blazing sun. This water, though clear, is bitter, 

 salt, and abominable, impossible to drink, and acrid to 

 the skin. It has been known to take the hair off the pas- 

 terns of mules who have stood long in it to crop the tops 

 of the tules. 



