e 
™ . ie 2. " fe Yeas oa we 
(174) 14's | 
the people were ae to-day, and I was inclined to attribute their ndipe 
Sition > 5 the meat of the bull which had been killed the eS: 
Jul 1 There were no indications of buffalo having been recently i in 
“the neighbghhood; and, unwilling to travel farther eastward, I turned this 
morning to the southwa rd, up the valley “of Bijou. “£sparcette occurred 
Criyrdigally, and among the plants o xe river-I noti een; ae first time 
during this journey, a few small bu the absinthe of the voyageurs, 
which iscommonly used for fire wood, (artemista srideniateal ~ Yesterday. 
aind to-day the road has been ornamented with the showy bloom of a beau- 
tiful lupinusya characteristic igen ny parts of the mountain | region, on 
which were generally great nu rs of an insect with very bright colors, 
— —— a.) 
_As we were riding quietly plone, eagerly” soaring every hollow. in” 
ch bof gaine, we discovered, a a little distance’ in the prairie, a large 
grizz so. busily engaged in digging roots that he did not perceive us 
sel bet galloping down a little hill fifty yards from him, when he- 
charged upon us with such sudden energy, that several of us came near 
losing our saddles. Being wounded, he commenced retreating to a rocky 
iney ridge near by, from which we were not able tocuthim off, and we 
entered the timber with him. The way was very much blocked up with 
fallen timber ; and we kept up a running fight for some time, animated by 
the bear charging among the horses. He did not fall until after he had 
eeceived six rifle balls. He was miserably poor, and added nothing toour 
stock of provisions. - 
We follewed the, sireang to its head i in a broken ridge, whi ich, 
met as.about 7,500 feet above the sea. Thisis a piney ele- 
vation, i which the prairies are gathered, and from which the waters 
Ww, inalmost every direction, to the Arkansas, Platte,and Kansas rivers; 
the latter Stream having here its remotest sources. Although somewhat 
rocky and broken, and covered with pines, in comparison with the nei; igh- 
boring mountains, it scarcely forms an interruption to the great praitic 
piains which sweep Up to their bases 
The annexedviewof Pike’s peak from*this camp, at’ the distance of: 40 
miles, represents very correctly the manner in which this mountain barrier 
pr 2 esents itself to travellers on ‘the plains, which sweep almost directly to its 
Bases ; an immense and comparatively smooth and grassy prairie, in very 
Sor Se with the. black masses of timber, and the glittering “vated 
his is the picture which has been left upon mam and 
4 tee to you the same impression. With occasional 
tively so very small as not to pe bee mi 
here covered with a close and vi 
1 . our operations smi us ten pec eS raegunne, s Toon 
Crags rocks. The soil of all this country is ex-_ 
‘and pastoral population. A glance at the map accompa- 
long our several lines ‘f trayel, will show eT this 
nany streams., Througl the western of the 
w, with va _deaeg becoming deeper as reach 
the | ri river ; they generally have bottom 
oe *.. 
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