ON THE GREAT SANDY DESERT. 167 



olate. The clear stream which came dashing by us from its 

 source in the neighboring rocky bluff to its sink in the valley 

 beneath us, was fringed with masses of ice which the cold of 

 the night had formed. The water here is excellent, unlike 

 that found at the few other camping places in the desert, where 

 the springs are more or less tinctured with sulphur. Several 

 of the animals having wandered off during the night, we were 

 detained until the middle of the forenoon searching for them, 

 when, making a retrograde march to regain the trail, which 

 we had left the night before in order to reach water, we fol- 

 lowed for a while along a range of mountains which arose as 

 if to bar our progress. We ascended this escarpment at length 

 through a sort of pass, which by a variety of tortuous 

 ascents and descent leads to the summit. The scenery was 

 varied and interesting along our route ; the mountain slopes 

 were covered with cedars, and we occasionally passed fantas- 

 tically shaped rocks. At one place the summit of a steep de- 

 clivity was surmounted by a rocky pile, which at a distance 

 appeared like a huge watch-tower. The side fronting the road 

 was pierced by a rough-hewn doorway. At another place 

 the side of a rock-faced hill was indented by a cave some ten 

 feet square, which had the appearance of being hewn out by 

 human hands, so correct and regular was it in its outlines. 

 Objects similarly picturesque were continually presenting 

 themselves to us as we slowly trudged up the mountain side. 

 Five miles down the western slope of the mountain, which we 

 descended at a rapid pace, we came to the " Mountain Springs," 

 which are twelve miles from " Williams' Ranch " by the wagon 

 trail, but only six by a Digger path over the mountains. Sev- 

 eral of our party came by this " cut-ofF," under the pilotage of 

 a young Pah-Utah whom we had brought with us from Las 

 Vegas. We found them at the Springs on our arrival, all 

 looking the worse for wear, to judge from the array of toes that 

 we saw protruding from the folds of shoe-leather which had 



