398 Ex. Doc. No. 41. 



J 



sure of seeing one of the animals fallj the other then turned ofif 



into the wide prairie. ' -a- 



Near the buttes we collected some beautiful Gaillardias of differ- 

 ent species. Gaillardia amblyodon and G. pinnatifida we found 

 abundant over the remainder of our day's route. After a march of 

 eight miles more we reached the banks of the Arkansas river, where 

 ^1 encamped. Here we found a large train of wagons, belonging 

 to Messrs. Hoffman, of Baltimore. 



Sunday^ July 12.— We left the Arkansas and marched to vVal- 

 nut creek, w^ere we found Mr. Hoffman's party, they having 

 started before daybreak. We here noticed the prairie gourd 

 (cucumis perennis) and the cactus, (cactus opunta^) also the 

 *'pinette de prairie," or liatris pychnostachia, with a great abun- 

 dance of the common sunflower, (helianthus annuusj) the bright 

 scarlet malva (malva pedata) and the silver edged euphorbia, (E. 

 maroinata;) also the purslane, the convolvulus (ipomen lepto- 

 phyfla) rudbeckia hirta, and a species of cockle burrj and on all 

 sides the little mounds of loose earth thrown up by the gopher^, 

 (psedostoma hrissarius.) " . 



We left Walnut creek at 3 o'clock, and entered upon vast plainsv 



of the buffalo grass, ( 



After a march of 11 



miles we camped within five miles of the famed Pawnee rock. Our 

 camp was a mile from the river; but we drove our horses to water 

 and got our buckets filled. As there was no wood, we used the 

 ^^ bois de vache," and lay down n^ar the smoke of the fires to avoid 

 the mosquitoes. We had no sticks to support our mosquito bars. 

 When we first arrived, the country around was covered with buf- 

 falo, but it was too late in the day to hunt; we therefore lay 

 down quietly with the intention of having a fierce chase in thfr 



morning. 



'July l^th, — Last night we- had a terrible serenade from ? large 



drove of prairie wolves, (canis latrans.) These animals always 



hano; on the heels of the buffalo, to pick up the infirm and those 



the hunters have wounded, as well as to prey on what is left of the 



slaughtered. ^ ^ * . 



We got off in good time, and Lieutenant Emory, in company oi 



one of our hunters, started for the buffalo. We saw the chase; as 



the herd would divide, and let the horsemen pass through, we heard 



the rumbling sound of their M^y feet; but at last they crossed the 



bluff that extends towards the north from Pawnee rock, and \tere 



lost to our view. Lieutenant Emory killed one of the herd; out 



our hunter came into camp empty handed. We halted a short time 



to pack the buffalo meat, and then proceeded to Ash creek. This 



creek was dry, so we continued our route among herds oi buffalo 



■ that were continually dashing across our road, and at length reached 



Pawnee fork after a marsh of IS miles. 



The waters of this creek were so high that we could not crossj. 

 the trees along the sides of the banks were half hidden; the whirl- 



>-p 



Ing eddies were rusliing along with great velocity; the willows that 

 grew on the banks were waving under the strong pressure of the 



water, and brush and large logs were hurriedly borne along on the 



i 



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