ON THE GREAT SANDY DESERT. 161 



Mormons and the Indians, particularly the Diggers, but as few 

 of them will get hold of this book, and those who do in all like- 

 lihood can't read, I will waste no more apologies on the one 

 than the other. 



Over a region like that described our caravan slowly jour- 

 neyed, after entering the limits of the Great Sandy Desert. 

 The road was so rough from the stones, that strewed it at suit- 

 able distances for jolting our corporeal systems to pieces, that 

 we found it about as pleasant to walk as ride in our spring- 

 minus diligences. We halted at sun-down, w^hen about fifteen 

 miles on our journey, to refresh ourselves and animals with 

 food and rest, but only for an hour, when we pushed ahead 

 and continued on our way till midnight. During the latter 

 part of our march the road had been an ascending one, and 

 our encampment was on the summit of a ridge — the culminat- 

 ing point of the jornado, or waterless stretch. AVe had this 

 day traveled about thirty miles. 



We made an early start on the morning of the 8th, the sun 

 of which shone on us through the medium of a chilling atmos- 

 phere. Owing to the representations of our Mormon conduc- 

 tors, we had expected to find the weather in this region op- 

 pressively warm, and consequently many of our party had 

 disposed of their blankets and heavy clothing in the settle- 

 ments. They now seriously felt the want of these articles, for 

 the weather was for a good part of the time uncomfortably 

 cold, particularly mornings and evenings. We left our ele- 

 vated camp by a gradually descending road, which passed over 

 a country similar to that on the other side of the divide, and 

 in twenty-five miles reached a broad, level valley, known as 

 " Las Vegas," or the Meadows, where we arrived late in the 

 afternoon. Crossing the valley, which was three miles in 

 width, we came upon the remains of a Mormon settlement. 

 Some years ago a colony was planted here by the Saints; the 

 intention being to form a half-way station between their col- 



