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Ex. Doc. No. 41. 13 



of soft sanil stonej Avhich, in turn, over lays a blue shale, and some- 

 times the richest description of marl. 



Hi<^her up the riverj we find the same formation, but in addition 

 aro-illaceous lime stone, containing amonites and other impressions 

 of shells in great variety, and in more than one instance distinct 

 impressions of oyster shells. The dip in both cases abput .6*^, and* 



a little north of east. 



The soij of the plains is a" granitic sand, intermixed with the 

 exuvite of animals and vegetable matter, supporting a scanty vege- 

 tation. The eye wanders in vain over these immense wastes in 

 search of trees. Not one is to be seen. The principal growth is 

 the buffalo grass, cacti in endless variety, though diminutive, yucca 

 angustifolia, (soap plant,) the Darlingtonia brachyloba, schrankia 

 uncinata, prairie gourd (cucurbita aur'antla,) and very rarely that 

 wonderful plant, the Iporaea leptophylla, called by the hunter man 

 TOot, from the similarity of its root in size and shape to the body 

 of a man. It is esculent, and serves to sustain human life in some 

 of the many vicissitudes of hunger and privation to which men who 

 roam the prairies, as an occupation, are subjected. 



July 24 — Near the dry mouth of the Big Sandy creek, the yucca 

 angustifolia, palmillo of the Spaniards, or soap piant, first made its 

 appearance, and marked a new change in the soil and vegetation 



of the prairies. 



The narrow strip which I have described as the bottom land of 

 the Arkansas, varying from ha'lf a^mile to two or three miles wide, 

 contains a luxuriant growth of grasses, which, by the judicious, 

 selection and distribution of the camps, sustained all the animals 

 of the army of the west whilst on "the river. The only tree of any 

 magnitude found on its course is the cotton-wood, (populus cana- 

 densis,) and it frequently happens that not one of these is seen in 

 a whole day's journey, and the buffalo dung and wild sage consti- 

 tute the only fuel to be procured. About 35 miles before reaching 

 Bent's Fort is found what is called the ^^ big timber. '' Here the ' 

 valley of the river widens, and the banks on either side fall towards 

 it in gentle slopes. The ^^ big timber'' is a thinly scattered growth 

 of large cotton woods not more than three quarters of a mile wide, 

 and three or four miles long. It is here the Chyennes, Arapahoes^ 

 and the Kioways sometimes winter, to avail themselves of the 

 scanty supply of w^ood for fuel, and to let their animals browse on 

 the twigs and bark of the cotton-wood. The buffaloes are some- 

 times driven by the severity of the winter, which is here intense 

 for the latitude, to the same place to feed upon the cotton-wood. 

 To this point, which has been indicated to the government as a 

 -suitable one for a military post, Mr. Bent thinks of moving his' 



.establishment. 



In addition to the grasses and co4ton-wood mentioned, we find in 

 the bottoms wild plum, wild cherry, willo"vr, (salix longifolia,) sum- 

 mer grape, (vitis jestiyalis,) cat-tail, (typha latifolia,) scouring rush, 

 (equisetum hyemale,) a powerful diurectic upon horses, commelina 

 angustifolia, Mexican poppy, (argemone Mexicana,) monarda fistu- 

 losa, coreopsis tinctoria, psoralea esculenta, cassia cham^rcrista^ 



