74 We Explore Dead Lodge Canyon 



after a rain, like the mud flats of the river, and 

 curl up on the surface when dry. The fluting of 

 the sand-beds is due to the fact that they contain 

 so much clay, that during a rain, the whole sur- 

 face is puddled and the water cannot pass 

 through the thin coating of mud, and runs off the 

 surface in countless rivulets sculpturing the 

 soft mass into the most beautiful flutings im- 

 aginable. This we have often noticed before. 



There are neither wells or springs in these 

 beds, not enough water penetrating them to pro- 

 duce either. There are, however, many under- 

 ground passages through which the water finds 

 its way during a rain to lower levels. Near the 

 top of the badlands, or anywhere through them, 

 often, a sink hole is formed. The water first 

 forming a cistern, until a way is found for it 

 downward, and the water escapes at last through 

 the mouth of a cave, it has formed. These pas- 

 sages are choked with fallen rock from above, or 

 from the sides, which in turn are disintegrated 

 and are carried out by water until we have a 

 series of natural bridges over the chasm, which 

 break down at last, and produce a ravine. We 

 used water from these cisterns on several occa- 

 sions to make plaster. There was one contain- 

 ing many gallons near Charlie's carnivore. 



We were often bitterly disappointed in our 

 finds. Take for instance Levi's crested dinosaur. 

 He found some exposed tail vertebrae a little to 

 one side of a horse trail that came over the rocks 



