X 



Ex. Doc. No. 41. 



461 



Te was wanted to. equip thera; T had, therefore, to apply to Mr. 



be 



I 



/ 



also procured a few simple medicines from our well known surgeon. 

 I)r. Decamp, and thus furnished, with a party of three men, did 

 Lieutenant Peck and I start to make the survey of New Mexico. 



We marched this afternoon but six miles, and then encamped at 

 *^Agua Fria;'' here we were obliged to purchase fodder and wood.. 

 On our road we noticed much of the ''Scincio filifoliis," cedar, ar- 

 temisia, and several species of cacti. 



October 9. — As we were in want of meat, we were obliged to 

 purcliase of the man fiom whom we had obta'ned the forlcfer. He 



would not consent to receive 

 generally the price throughout Mexico. 



$1 



er. H 



p; 11 i 



After a short march, we reached ^'Cienegi,'' a very well watered 

 place, as its name denotesj the neighboring hills are iulJ of springs 

 the waters of clear rivulets are rushing across our path in all di- 

 rections, ^ 



We noticed some large '^grullas," blue cranes, in the low grounds 

 and several flocks of wild geese. This valley is wlU settled; every 

 minute we saw the pastores, driving their flocks of sheep and goats 



7 



we saw, too, the invaluable shepherd dogs, ai;sisting their masters 

 These dogs are remaikable for their sagacity, and are perfectly 

 skilled in the management of the fold. 



We had a very windy day, and ihe dust flew about in grea:t pro- 

 fusion. After a march of seventeen miles, we encamped on ''Ga- 

 listeo creek." The water is very brackii^h, and the bed of the 

 stredm white with saline efflorescences. The country around sho^^s 

 considerable disturbance; the rocks, which are of sandstone, have 

 an easterly dip at* from 20° to 30^, and there are numerous volcanic 

 dikes inteiseriing each other in various tingles. 



The Rio Galisteo empties into the Del Norte a short distance 

 north of the Pueblo of Santo Domingo, and five miles to the south of 

 the embouchure of the Rio de Santa Fe, In many places the wa^^ 

 ters are absorbed by the sandy soil, over which they have to flow- 

 but water is always to be found by following up the bed of the 

 stream. 



October 10. — The rock around us consists of sandstone, under- 

 lain! by purple and white clays, and below these a dark ftrruginou!? 

 clay. 



Th 



angustafi 

 species of stramonium. 



e yucca 



was abundant, and we noticed a new 



The first part of our journey led ns dow^n the bed of the creek,, 

 and was very sandy; ere long we overtook some ox teams; ihey had 

 been out tour days from Santa Fe, and their oxen had had nothing 

 to eatj already tliree yoke had fallen down irora exhaustii.*n, and 

 had been left on the road. After a journey of 17 miles, we crossed 

 the *^Rio Tuerto," and encamped near the village of '*San Phll- 

 lippe.'' At the time Pike visited thi*« country, there w^as a wooden 

 bridge of eight arches thrown across the river at St. Phillippe, but 

 it has been entirely swept away, and the people are now obliged to 



n. 



