~~ 
1842.] CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. 37 
distances, and an occultation of Arietis, is tom, the longitude of the place is 107° 2S 
107° 13° 29", and the latitude 42°33’ 27/7, | 23", latitude 42° 29° 56”. 3 
e of our horses, which had given @ut, we | August 2.—Five miles above Rock Inde- 
ing to take her, m. Devil’s Gate, where the Sweet Water cuts 
July 31.—This morning we left the course | through the point of a grani 
of the Platte, to cross over to the Sweet Wa- | length of th is about three hundred 
ter. Our way, for a few m the | yards, and the width thirty- 3 
sand creek, in which I found | walls of rock a ical, about four 
several interesting plants. L g this, we | hundred feet in height; and the in 
wound our way to the summit of the hills, | the gate is almost entirely choked up by 
te 
of which the peaks are here eight hundred | masses which have fallen frat above. Inthe 
feet above the Platte, bare and rocky. A | wall,on the right bank, is a dike of trap rock, © 
long and al led f i i ined grey granite. 
ear the point of this ridge crop out some 
fifteen miles t Island. I € an) strata of the valley formation, consisting of a 
j i ish mi } ist and fi ined 
necora?l 
witha very moderate current. We had to-night no shelter from the rain, 
The adjoining prairies are sandy, but the | which commenced with squalls of wind about 
immediate river bottom is a good soil, which | sunset. The country here is exceedingly 
afforded an abundance of sott green grass to | picturesque. On either side of the valley, 
rses, and where I found a variety of | which is four or five miles broad, the moan- 
ance for t in to-night | hundred or two thou the south 
it unpleasantly cold; an s no | side, the e ep be timbered, and 
tree here. us to pitch our single | to-night is luminous with fi ba’ \ 
poles of which had been left at | work of the Indians, who have just passed 
Cache 5 e refore, no shel hrough the valle en 
except what was to be found under cover of | and granite rise abruptly from the 
the ushes, which grew in many sward of , terminating in a 
thick patches, one or two and line of opeoge summits. Except in the cre- 
t ices 0 ona 
v rock, 
August 1 —The hunters went ahead this | ledge or bench of the mountain, where a few; 
morning, as buffalo appeared tolerably abun- | hardy pines have clustered together, these \ 
dant, and I was desirous to secure a small | are perfectly bare and destitute of vegetation. ' 
k of provisions; and we moved about mong these masses, where there are 
