Ex. Doc. No. 41. 101 



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sand, which here terminates in a hlufF 40 feet high, making the arc 

 of a great circle conrexing to the north. • ■ 



Descending this bluff, we found in what had been the channel of 

 a stream, now overgrown with a few ill-conditioned mezquite, a 

 large hole where persons had evidently dug for water. It was ne- 

 cessary to halt to rest our animals, and the time was occupied in 

 deepening this hole, which after a long struggle, showed signs of 



water. An old champagne basket, used by one of the officers as a 

 pannier, was lowered in the hole, to prevent the crumblino- of the' 

 sand. After many efforts to keep out the "caving sand, a°basket- 

 work of willow twigs, effected the object, and much to the joy of 

 a , the basket, which was now 15 or 20 feet below the surface, 

 niied with water. The order was now given for each mess to draw 

 a camp-kettle of water, and Captain Turner was placed in charge 

 01 the spring, to see fair distribution. 



When the messes were supplied, the firmness of the banks gave 

 Jopes that the animals might be watered, and each party was noti- 

 ced to have their animals in waiting; the important business of wa- 

 tering then commenced, upon the success of which depended the 

 possibility of their advancing with us a foot further. 



Two buckets for each animal were allowed. At 10, a. m., when 

 my turn came. Captain Moore had succeeded, by great exertions, in 

 opening another well, and the one already opened began to flow 

 more freely, in consequence of which, we could afford to give each 

 animal as much as he could drink. The poor brutes, none of 

 J^nrch had tasted water in forty-eight hours, and some not for the 

 iast sixty, clustered round the well and scrambled for precedence. 



At 12 o clock I had watered all my animals, thirty-seven in num- 

 oer and turned over the well to Capta-n Moore. 



Ihe animals still had an aching void to fill, and all night was 



«eard the munching of sticks, and their piteous cries for more con- 

 genial lood. 



.^^('^'^mher 27 a^ii 28.— To-day we started a few minutes after sun- 

 Th^' \T -^ course was a winding one, to avoid the sand-drifts, 

 ae Mexicans had informed us that the waters of the salt lake, 

 ome thirty or forty miles distant, were too salt to use, but other 

 ntormatlon led us to think the intelligence was wrong. We ac- 

 cordingly tried to reach itj about 3, p. m., we disengaged ourselves 

 rem the sand and went due (magnetic) west, over an immense 

 ^^^ of clay detritus, hard and smooth as a bowling green, 

 ^ne desert was almost destitute ol vegetation, now and then an 

 •P edra, Oenothera, or bunches of aristida were seen, and occa- 

 ani? 1 *^^ l^^el was covered with a growth of obione canescens, 



TlT h^ ^^^^ ^^*** small oval plaited leaves, unknown. 

 ^ ne heavy sand had proved too much for many horses and some 



th^ ^^^'^^ ^^^ ^^^ efforts of their drivers could bring them no far- 

 er than the middle of this dreary desert. About 8 o'clock, as 

 e approached the lake, the stench of dead animals confirmed the 

 ports of the Mexicans, and put to flight all hopes of our being" 



e 



^ to use the water. 



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