442 Ex. Doc. No. 41. 



4 



At 3 o'clock, we Had reached the "Vermejo," but we found no 

 water in the river, aiid were obliged to proceed six miles further, 

 where we found some pools. Here the water had a saltish taste, 

 but was quite pleasant; the ground around the pools was whitened 

 with a saline efflorescence. -Here we obtained many beautiful crys- 

 tals of carbonate of lime. There were also many places where a 

 dark variety of this rock appeared, bulging from the earth in con- 

 Tex masses of three or four feet in diameter. 



Our mules seemed to relish the salt grass with infinite gusto, and 

 the water was no less pleasing to them; but wood was scarce in 

 the vicinity of the ponds, therefore we did not feel perfectly satis- 

 fied, and at last were fain to have recourse to the artemisias. ' 

 t: The '^ obione canescens" grows so abundant as to fill the creek 

 bottoms, and, with the yellow, willow, are two of the most charac- 



teristic plants. 



a curious variety 



On the banks of the " El Rio Canadiano," I got 

 of '' oxybaphus," delicate branching species, and a variety^of as- 

 clepias, also "Oenothera sinnata." 



September 21.— After a march of four miles, we reached the 

 Cimmaroncito. This stream is composed of two large branches, 

 each of which the road crosses about sixty yards above their junc- 

 tion Soon after leaving this river, we met Lieutenant Elliot, 

 of the Missouri volunteers; he had a long train of wagons, and 

 j-as on his way to Bent's to bring up the government stores that 

 had been left there. I now procured, through the kindness of 

 l^ieutenant Elliot, a sketch of my route from this place to Santa 

 ±e, with all the watering places and good pasture grounds marked 

 thereon, and much verbal information that was of great value to 

 me. I also learned that General Kearney intended leaving Santa 

 ±e on the 2oih proximo. I therefore determined to travel as expe- 

 ditiously as possible, in time to go with the army, In case my ser- 

 vices should be required. As it was too late to reach the "Ocate" 

 tnis day, I was forced to camp on the Rayada, ten miles distant 

 Irom the little Cimmaron; about midway we crossed the ^' Poni," 

 wnich was dry, and at last reached the Rayada, which was full of 

 excellent water. On this stream we had the " populus monllifera," 

 and thickets of willow, and I got a beautiful scarlet plant, " che- 

 ione barbata," and a penstemon, with scarlet flowers. 



m the afternoon, we tried to catch some prairie dogs by forcing 

 tnem out of their holes with water. We poured bucket after bucket 

 i.;. 7vf '" dwellings without flooding them. One dog shewed itself 

 ?3 ..'•"'''^^^ °^ ^^^ ^^^^0^. but, as soon as it saw us, again re- 



treated, 



September 22. W 



^ 



we'r^P. A 1 '''^ little rills of clear water.' Continuing our jour!iey, 

 wftrfi^- 1 ^ v 'S^ shallow pool, the shores of which were covered 

 r^P Af. ^^ ■ efflorescence; the whiteness was painful to the 

 blifff^ fr, l^^^.fS it, we entered a narrow gor^e, the tops of the 

 tr«n .? T\ ''^^ V^ crowned with a stratum of amaygdaloidal 

 Vh^Jl ^"i^ PyP^e color and vesicular. Presently we reached 

 xne extremity of the gorge, and ascended to a "mesa" or horizon- 



