COMPARISON OF ROUTES. 155 
* 
crossing the Arkansas river, where we lost 
several mules by drowning; and on the 22d 
of April we made our entrance into Van Bu- 
ren. This trip was much more tedious and 
protracted than I had contemplated—owing, 
in the first part of the journey, to the incle- 
mency of the Hise? and a want of pasturage 
oy eee s; and, towards the conclusion, 
uent rains, which kept the route in 
a ‘iccrable condition 
Concerning this expedition, I have only one 
or two more remarks to offer. As regards the 
two different routes to Santa Fé, although 
Missouri, for various reasons which it is need- 
less to explain here, can doubtless retain the 
monopoly of the Santa Fé trade, the route 
from Arkansas possesses many advantages. 
Besides its being some days’ travel shorter,* 
it is less intersected with large streams; there 
are fewer sandy stretches, and a greater variety 
of wood-skirted brooks, affording throughout _ 
the journey very agreeable camping-places. 
, as the grass springs up nearly a month 
earlier than in Upper Missouri, caravans could 
start much sooner, and the proprietors would 
have double the time to conduct their mer- 
cantile transactions. Moreover, the “grt 
companies would find better 
their Way back, and reach their homes Before 
the season of frost had far advanced. Again, 
such as should desire to engage in the ‘stock 
* The latitude of Independence, Mo., is 39° 8’, while that of Van 
Buren is 35° 26’,—within a few miles ‘of the parallel of Santa Fé: 
ing on about the same op Og Independence, the dis- 
tance, of course, is considerably shorte. 
