209 [ 174 ] 
they had been digging. There were frequent trails, and fresh tracks of 
Indians ; and, from the abundant signs visible, the black-tailed hare appears 
to be numero s here. It was evident that, in other seasons, this place was 
a sheet of water. Crossing this marsh towards the eastern hills, and pass- 
ing over a borderise plain of heavy sands, covered with artemisia, we en- 
camped before sundown on the creek, which here was very small, paving 
lost its water in the marshy grounds. We found here tolerably good 
The wind to-night was high, and we had no longer our huge pine a 
but were driven to our old resource of small dried willows and artemisia. 
About twelve miles ahead, the valley: appears to be closed in by a high, 
dark-looking ridge 
December 20. Tia yéiteg for a few hours down the stream this morn- 
ing, we turned a point of the hill on our left, and came suddenly in sight of 
another and much larger lake, which, along its eastern shore, was closely 
bordered by the high black ridge which walled it in by a precipitous face on 
this side. Throughout this region the face of the country is characterized 
by these precipices of black voleanic rock , generally enclosing the valleys of 
streams, and frequently terminating the hills. Often in the course of our 
journey we would be tempted to continue our road up the genie ascent of a 
sloping hill, which, at the summit, would terminate abruptly in a black preci- 
a Spread out over a length ‘of 20 miles, the lake, when we first came 
n view, presented a handsome sheet of water; and I gave to it the name 
of Lake Abert, in honor of the chief of the corps to which I belonged. The 
fresh-water stream we had followed emptied into the lake by a little fall; and 
I was doubtful for a moment whether to go on, or encamp at this place. The 
miry ground in the neighborhood of the lake did not allow us to examine 
the water conveniently, and, being now on the borders of a desert country, 
we Were moving cautiously. It was, however, still early in the day, and I 
continued on, trusting either that the water would be drinkable, or that we 
should find some little spring from the hill side. We were following an 
Indian trail which led along the steep rocky precipice ; a black aii? along 
the western shore holding out no prospect whatever. The white efflores- 
cences which lined the shore like a bank of snow, and the preceute 
ordor which filled the air as soon as we came near, infornied us too plain 
that the water belonged to one of those fetid salt lakes which are = led 
in this region. We continued until late in the evening to work along the 
rocky shore, but, as often afterwards, the dry énhospitable rock deceived 
us; and, halting on the lake, we kindled up fires to guide those who were 
straggling along behind. We tried the water, but it was impossible to 
drink it, and most of the people to-night lay ‘down without eating ; but 
some of us, who had always a great reluctance to close the day without 
supper, dug holes along the shore, and obtained water, which, being filtered, 
ve eertiendy palatable to be used, but still retained much of its nauseat- 
ing taste. ere was Very little grass for the animals, the shore being 
tibe®: w a luxuriant ap of repens ceous shrubs, which burned . 
4 yuntains made a bay, leav ring at thei 
e lake. Here. we found numerous hill 
in the wast of which were deep holes, or S| 
. was covered with grass, which, al of 
iy: dat ‘mixed with caline’e efflorese 3, wa 
