Ex. Doc. No. 41. 523 



/ 



+ 



they forced them to keep in the middle of "the stream, and enect- 

 Tially prevented them, notwithstamiing their frequent attempts, from 

 leaping up the bnnks on either side. 



We now reached one of the steepest acclivities we had seen in 

 the whole journey. We took .all the mules, and as many of ihe 

 party as could find room at the wheels, and carried our wagons up 

 one at a time. It was painful to see the poor beasts so terribly 

 beaten, and shocking to hear the blasphemoiis oaths which were 

 uttered; but all seemed to forget themselves in the excitement of 

 the moment, while they strained every nerve, and while the woods 

 resounded with whooping and yelling. When we reached the top 

 of the hill, the old. pine trees of the mountain sides shook Vv^ith 

 -deafening shouts and cheering. To look at this hill, it would seem 

 impossible for loaded wagons to achieve the ascent. 



Before we had proceeded Air, we found several broken wagons; 

 the tongue of one of them v-as of hickory; this we took, as we 

 ■wanted helves for our axes, and pickets for our mules. VVe made 

 an early camp near a grove of dead cotton Vv^ood trees, -and close 

 by the road side; we built large fires, and every one had his roast- 

 ing-stiek loaded with venison, which was soon sputtering before 

 the flames. Although vve were many hours on the road, yet our 

 day's march did not exceed eight miies. 



January 14. — Not long after leaving camp we reached the last 

 difncult hill that wc would have to encounter, for the remainder of 

 the road from here to Bent's fort rises and falls in gentle slopes. 



As soon as I had seen the wagons safely over this hill, I took 

 Laing with me and set off for some coal beds which I had formerly 

 visited on my way to Santa Fc, when I had not been able to find 

 ^ny traces of ferns; but as Laing h*ad once worked in a coal mine, 

 ^nd seemed to be positive that he could find me impressions such 

 as he had seen in the carboniferous formations of Missouri, I set 

 out with renewed hopes; but after a long search he v.-as obliged to 

 confess that there were none. We however obr. -pcl several speci- 

 mens of the fossil loaves of dicotyledonous plar^s. These were of 

 . two sorts: one a lanceolate leaf, resembling that of the willow; 

 the other a laro-e cordate leaf, like that of the catalpa, and both 

 sorts of leaves a°re distinctly marked with branching veins. This 

 formation extends throughout the Raton, according to the report of 



Jny hunters. . . , -r •> x. 



The specimens of coal and of fossils which I procured h"e, as 



^vell as all the geological and mineralogical specimens cohectert 

 durincr Ihe exploration, have been submitted to the inspection ol 

 Professor Bailey of West Point, who has kindly consented to ex- 

 amine them. , „ ,, • ^ fl^.;T,fr 



While huntin- fossils, large flocks of stellar jays came fljing 

 along the b!ufl";^hey v/ere chattering noisily, and in ....s le.pe.t 



thr:'y are like our blue jay. , , , i „;,TnoV wp repched 



We soon overtook the wagons, and about 1 o ^^ ^ ^ ';: J f /f , "^ ^ ' 

 the '^ Rio de los Animas," or Purgatory. Here we {^"f'^j^^^^' J^^. 

 train of wa<Tons, and saw some of the teamsters who sa.d t^at he) 

 had takertheir winter quarters here, and that they should ^^ ait until . 



