106 - INDIAN FORTS. 



If the reader imagines we felt in a superlative good humor while stand- 

 ing there, breakfastless, shivering, and wet, he has conjured up a strange 

 illusion. 



It having ceased raining about mid-day, in the course of the afternoon 

 we enjoyed a beautiful sunshine for a couple of hours, which enabled us 

 to assume a better tmvelling plight ; and, favored by a mild atmosphere and 

 clear sky, on the following morning, we again resumed our course. 



Striking upon an Indian trail, we bore leftward from the river, and, in a 

 short ride, came to a sand creek shut in by precipitous embankments of 

 limestone, through which our road led by a narrow defile. A transparent 

 spring gushes from the right bank with considerable noise, furnishing a 

 beautiful streamlet to its hitherto high bed, which is known as the " Warm 

 Spring." 



A short distance above the mouth of this creek, the Platte makes its 

 final egress from the Black Hills through a tunnel-1-Jke pass, walled in 

 upon either side by precipitous cliffs of red-sandstone and siliceous lime- 

 stone, sometimes overhanging the stream at their base, and towering to a 

 height of from three to five hundred feet. The high table lands consti- 

 tuting these immense walls, are surmounted with shrubs and occasional 

 pines and cedars, that unite to present a wild romantic scenery. 



Continuing on, and bearing still further leftward, we passed a beautiful 

 valley, graced with several springs and a small grove of cottonwood, with 

 cherry and plum bushes, near which rose a conical hill abundant in fos- 

 siliferous limestone of a snowy whiteness. A diminutive pond in the vicin- 

 ity afforded several varieties of the testaceous order, both bivalves and 

 univalves — a circumstance quite rare among mountain waters. The soil 

 of this locality appeared to be a compound of clay, sand, and marl, and 

 well adapted to agriculture. 



Passing this, our course led over a gently undulating prairie, bounded 

 on either side by pine hills. The soil was generally of a reddish, sandy 

 loam, intermixed with clay ; and, judging from the long dry grass of the 

 preceding year, it was both rich and productive. 



Towards night we arrived at a laj-ge creek, bearing the name of Bitter 

 Cottonwood, — so called from the abundance of that species of poplar in 

 its valley. 



These trees generally grow very tall and straight with expansive tops, 

 — averaging from twenty-five to one hundred and fifty feet in height. 



The creek occupies a wide, sandy bed, over which the water is dispersed 

 in several shallow streams. The valley is broad and of a jetty, vegetable 

 mould, variegated, at intervals, with layers of gravel deposited by aqueona 

 currents, and is bounded on both sides by abrupt acclivities leading to the 

 beautiful plateaux and lofty pine hills so abundant in the neighborhood. 



The remains of three or four Indian forts were situated adjoining the 

 place selected for our encampment. These were built of logs, arranged 

 in a circular form, and enclosing an area, sufficient for the accommodation 

 of twenty or thirty warriors. The walls were generally about six feet 

 high, with single entrances, and apertures in various places for the use of 

 their defenders in case of attack. 



All Indian forts, meeting my observation in subsequent travels, with one or 

 two exceptions, were of the same general description. Some, however 



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