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Ex. Doc. No. 4L 433 



around the horizon. They, however, divided and passed along the 

 ridges on each side- of the river valley; as the glorious light of the 

 setting sun shone between the division it contrasted strongly with 

 the black clouds on our right and left. The day had been warm 

 now cool gusts of wind came puffing along the valley, bearing the 

 refreshing scent of new fallen rain. Several hawks, whose out- 

 lines cut sharp against the dark clouds, were sporting in the air 

 sometimes with rapid beating wings contending against the wind' 

 and then, ceasing all efforts, suddenly swept along. ' 



Notwithstanding the risk of a drenching, we continued our march 

 to the mouth of the "Rio Timpa," nearly eight miles west of 

 Bent's, when we encamped on the banks of the Arkansas. Before 

 dark several wagons belonging to Lieutenant Simpson, Missouri 

 volunteers, and Mr. St. Vrain, came up with us. 



We enjoyed our suppers as if we had that day taken a Ions 

 journey. The very idea of once more getting on the prairie pro- 

 duced a pleasurable excitement that extended its influence to our 

 dormant appetites, for want of exercise and confinement to the 

 fort had not agreed with any of us. 



At night we had a serenade from a full choir of prairie wolves- 

 they collected around our camp in great numbers, and broke forth 

 m sudden bursts of their inimitable music. There are times when 

 the wolf's howl sounds pleasantly, and again there are times when 

 the spirits of desolation seemed to be conjured up by it. 



September 10.— This morning I got several species of willow 

 amongst which was the long leafed willow, (salix angustifolia-'J 

 also two varieties of cotton wood, (P. canadensis, and P. mono- 

 lifera;) the former is often used in winter to feed horses and mules 

 and they seem to relish it greatly; of the latter they are not fond'* 



We tried to start early, but two .of our mules gave us a long- 

 chase before we could catch them. At length we started up the 

 limpa. On either side, the prairie was covered with a dense growth 

 ol artemisia, under which the timid hare sought shelter- ever and 

 anon the agile antelope, in droves of twenty or thirty, would 

 dash across the road and speed away, until getting the wind of us 

 they would suddenly stop, and, wheeling rapidly, dash off in 

 anotner direction with renewed velocity. We soon came in sight 

 of "Las Cumbres Espanolas," or the Spanish peaks, their twinned 

 summits towering above the clouds that drifted midway up their 

 sides. Our route bore direct for the peaks. 



The road was very dusty, and the wind constantly annoyed us 

 heaving up great clouds of dust and sand, and dashing them into our 

 faces. The country around us was extremely sterile. Its sandy 

 bosom covered v/ith cacti, amongst which were the cereus cespi- 

 tosa, and cactus opuntia, and here and there, clustered in groups; 

 the bristling bayonet leaves of the yucca angustifolia, and under 

 our feet hundreds of horned frogs (agaraa cornuta) were crawling 

 about without heeding our proximity. _ 



We marched twenty miles, and encamped about one mile beyond 

 ihe point at which the army had .turned off from the road. The 

 limpa at this place is three-fourths of a mile from the road, and 



