a 
[ 174) | 14 
we halted to noon on a small creek, where the water stood in i pools. 
In the bank of the creek limestone made its ng age in a stratum about 
one foot thick. In the afternoon, the people seemed to suffer for want of 
water. The road led along a high dry ridge; dark Rte of timber indicated 
the heads of streams in the plains below; but there was no water near, 
and the day was very oppressive, with a. hot wind, and the thermometer 
at.90°. Along our route the amorpha has been in very abundant but va- 
riabie bloom—in some places bending beneath the weight of purple clus- 
ters; in others without a flower. It seems to love best the sunny slopes, 
with a dark soil and southern exposure. Every where the fose is met 
with, and reminds us of cultivated gardens and “civilizations It is seat- 
tered. over the prairies in small bouquets, and, when glittering in the dews 
and — in the pleasant breeze of the early morning, is the most wt 
tiful of the prairie flowers. The artemisia, absinthe, or prairie sa 
it is variously called, is increasing in size, and glitters like silversiie. ioe 
southern breeze turns up its leaves to the sun. All these plants have 
their insect inhabitants, variously colored; taking generally the hue of the 
flower on which they live. The arlemisia has its small fly accompany - 
ing it through every change of elevation and latitude; and wherever I 
have seen the asclepias tuberosa,1 have always remarked , too, on the 
flower a large butterfly, so nearly resembling it in color as to be distin- 
guishable at a little distance only by the motion of its wings. Travelling 
on the fresh traces of the Oregon emigrants relieves a little the loneliness. 
of the road; and to-night, after a march of twenty-two miles, we halted 
on a small creek, which had been one of their encampments. As we ad- 
vance westward, the soil appears to be getting more sandy, and the sur- 
face rock, an erratic deposite of sand and gravel, rests here on a bed of 
coarse yellow and gray and very friable sandstone. Evening closed over 
with rain and its usual attendant, hordes of tauastons, with which we 
were annoyed for the first time 
June 22.—We enjoyed at breakfast this morning a luxury, very unusual 
in this country, in a cup of excellent coffee, with cream from our cow. 
Being ogee at night, cream was thus had in the morning. Our mid-day 
halt was at Wyeth’s creek, in the bed of which were numerous boulders 
of dark ferugivous sandstone, mingled with others of the red sandstone, 
y a. pack of cards, lying loose on the grass, mark- 
of on Oregon pe 2 ae and. it is. wae atthe close of 
v we: had: in sheseaegadinatie | scuben ‘seh tesa: 
“eatige creek was curd dry, — —— 
first time, 
