% 



56 Ex. Doc, No. 41. 



■ 



had pitched' our new camp Lieutenant Tngalls came up with a mail, 

 and gave the pleaeant information that the saddles were only about 



six hours behind. _ . • 



October 14. — We parted with onr wagons, which w^re sent back 



under charge of Lieutenant Ingalls, andj in doing so, every man 

 seemed to be greatly relieved. With me it was far otherwise. My 

 chronometers and barometer, which before rode so safely, were 

 now in constant danger. The trip of a mule might destroy the 

 whole. The chronometers, too, were of the largest size, unsuited 

 to carry time on foot or horseback. All ray endeavors, in the 2i 

 hours allowed me in Washington to procure a pocket chronometer, 

 had failed. I saw then, what I now- feel, the superiority of pocket 

 over large chronometers for expeditions on foot or horseback. The 

 viaraeter for measuring distances, heretofore attached to the wheel 

 of the instrument wagon, was now attached to the wheel of one of 

 the small mountain howitzers. ■ , 



The valley narrows into a canon at BusK peak, and opens again 

 a mile or so wide, where we encamped for the night. Growth of 



"1 



to-day much the same as yesterday. . 



Bash peak is, on its river face, a sfeep escarpment of basalt, and 

 abreast of it, on the west side of the river, we saw many chips of 

 metalliferous limestone. To-day, met a solitary Mexican mounted 

 on a mule, driving before him a horse, with his back literally 

 skinned with the saddle. He was beating the poor beast over the 

 galled place. The Mexicans generally treat their horses and mules 

 in a barbarous manner, riding and packing them when their backs 



are running with sores. • ■ _ 



Octoher 15. — After travelling three and a half miles, we turned 

 off from the Del Norte and took final leave of it at a pretty little 

 grove, where wq found two Mexicans returning from a trading expe- 

 dition to the Apaches. They were attending a poor worn out jennet, 

 (that had been maltreated and overtasked,) in the hope that a few 

 days' rest would enable it to take their lazy bodies to the settle- 

 ments. 



At this point, several intelligent guides were detached to look up 



a road further south, by which Captain Cook, who is to follow us 

 with the Mormons, may turn the mountains with his wagons. "^ 



After mounting to the table land, some 200 feet above the valley, 

 it is very level, except where the table land is indented by the 

 streams from the mountains, most of which are now dry. ^ We 

 passed two in succession, both deep and wide enoug^h to contain all 

 the water of the Mississippi, and presenting the appearance of the 

 deserted beds of once large and turbulent rivers. The beds were 

 paved with large round pebbles, mostly of the red feldspathic 



granite. 



On the table land the winter grama (a more delicate grass than 



* 



) 



Th 



lobus, small mezquite, fraxi'nus, (ashj) dilTerent from any in the 

 United States; castilleja and datura. 



* The route followed by Colonel Cooke vrill be found traced oa tlie majp 



