GYPSUM WATER. 155 
for water. At length, we descended a ravine, and bivouaced 
“per force” near two pools of the most bitter water we had 
had to put up with. We now realized, how comparatively use- 
less our gum-elastic water sacks were. The water not only 
became nauseous from the gum, but exposure to the sun 
rendered it equally unpalatable to the gypsum water. 
We also had gum-elastic sacks for our rations of pork, and 
discovered that heat and grease together so softened this 
material, as to render it entirely unfit for service in that 
climate. The whole coating of gum peels off under such 
circumstances, and leaves the sack, not equal to one made of 
common canvass. : 
One or two gutta percha bags, unfortunately of small ca- 
pacity, happening to have been brought along, their contents 
proved good, so that we fared better than could have been 
expected, but our miserable bivouac, for that night, will long 
be impressed upon our memories. 
One of thesoldiers, here became very violently ill with cramps 
and diarrhcea, and we were all suffering terribly and much ex- 
hausted by the constant doses of this most execrable stuff, im- 
pregnated, as itis, with sulphate of lime, sulphate of magnesia, 
sulphate of soda, chloride of sodium and hydrosulphuric acid,* 
* Professor W. $ Clarke, of Amherst College, lysis of this water, 
and gives the following as the result. 
Water in fluid, ounces . er . . 4.000 
Weight of Sulphate of Lime we 219 
 * a Magnesia, ae 083 
“ « Me Medes xe is 073 
“* 6 Chloride of Sodium, .- . : 023 
* Hydrosulphuric acid, renee O11 
