138 NOTES TAKEN. 
encouragement, (as many green spots and lines could be seen, 
marking holes or courses,) that relief was at hand in the 
shape of water, so that our camp wore a more cheering 
aspect, though I observed the men made such frequent visits 
~ to the water-barrels that a guard had to be placed over 
them, their minds dwelling so constantly upon thirst as no 
doubt to increase it, which is invariably the case, not only 
with this but everything else upon which the mind dwells too 
long. i 
dance came in and reported water ten miles off, so that 
we spent a more comfortable night, for besides, strange to . 
say, the thermometer fell fifteen degrees before sundown, and 
the sky was full of meteors during the evening, principally 
from the East. 
July 26th.—Jacobs was wrong in his estimate of the dis- 
tance to water; a not unusual thing, as I’ have before 
observed, with Indians. Whether this arises from their 
habit of going to any designated place in the shortest time 
and by the shortest road or-not I know not, but they are 
seldom accurate in distances ; as for places, they never fail 
if they have once been there, 
We found some tolerable water about four miles from 
camp, and after watering our stock and taking a supply in 
our barrels, we continued our march and soon reached the 
Divide, between the Big Witchita and the Brazos. 
This is a high narrow ridge of land, very barren and entirely 
without water. Wateris found on either side, but in spite of 
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