SOAP PLANT. 15 
the stray oxen, an early hour found us steering North, over a 
~ much better country, and at eleven a. M., we encamped upon . 
a tributary to the Little Witchita, where we found good water 
and plenty of grass. 
As the exploring party had fixed no aay for their return 
to camp, we expected to be detained here some time, but in 
about an hour after our arrival they came into camp, all 
very much overcome with heat, thirst and the bad water of the 
Big Witchita, which they explored some miles towards its 
mouth, finding a very barren and uninteresting country, with 
neither grass nor water. They made themselves doubly wel- 
come to us, as they brought i in a supply of honey, which they 
obtained by cutting down a bee tree. They also brought 
some grey grouse, and the Doctor had found a new and beau- 
tiful species of lily, of a brilliant purple, the petal black and 
cone-shaped. As the Major had never met with it before, we 
ealled it the Camanche Lily. 
Specimens of the soap plant were also found and the seed 
obtained. This plant grows like the palm, and the Mexicans 
use the roots for manufacturing a very fine soap. We had 
a fair opportunity of testing the worth of this soap, as the 
Major had brought a supply with him from home when he 
joined our camp. It has a very soothing effect upon the 
skin when suffering from the attacks of insects, or irritation 
from sunburn, &c. For ordinary purposes it is as good as 
the best. 
They were all much dissatisfied and prophesied great 
