. 
[174] ee 25a 
We made, on the 7th, a hard amareh i in a cold chilly rain from morning 
until night —the weather so thick that we travelled by compass. This was 
a traverse from the San Joaquin to the waters of the Tulé lakes, and our 
road was.over a very level prairie country. We saw wolves frequently 
during the day, prowling about after the young antelope, which cannot run 
HR ast. These were ndmerous: during the day, and two were caught by 
the people. 
Late in the ‘afternoon wé discovered timber, which was found to be 
groves of oak trees on a dry arroyo. The rain, which had fallen in fre- 
quent showers, poured.down ina storm at sunset, with a strong wind, 
, swept off the clouds, and left a clear sky. Riding on through the 
mnbars beak dark we found abundant water in small ponds, 20 to 30 yards 
Sengiats pee clear deep water and sandy beds, bordered with bo 
us,) and_a tall rush (scirpus lacustris) 12 feet high, 
cand sino ay near the margin with willow trees in bloom ; among them 
which reSembled salix myricoides. The oak of the groves was the 
Senaliniands mentioned, with small leaves, in form like those.of the white 
oak, and forming, with the evergreen oak, the characteristic trees of _ 
valley 
April 8,—After a ride of two miles through brush and open groves, we 
reached a large stream, called one River of the Lake, resembling in size the 
» San Joaquin, and being about 100 yards broad. This is the principal trib- 
utary tothe Tulé lakes, which saicer all the waters in the upper part of 
___ the valley. . While we — searching fora ford, some Indians appeared on 
» _By obseryatio 
ne 
Pe sent 
" the opposite bank, and, having diseovered that we it = Spanish ail 
di owed us the way to a good ford several miles ab 
The bahent era Sierra make arent Besneuts upon sth settlements 
Coast. ao but never enter the Sierra. 
e opposite side we found some forty or fifty ies who had come 
to meet us from the village below. We made them some small presents, — 
and eviee oda to accompany us to our encampment, which, after about 
hrough fine oak groves, we made on the river. We made a 
rt, princi ly on account.of our animals. The Indians brought otter 
skins, and several kinds of fish, and bread made of acorns, to trade. ees 
them were. mesa ° —— eto live —— these I eee 
Latte . ma y be visited on them. They are dark- skioninedi but Picndaice and. . 
gent Indians, and live —, on acorns and the roots of the tulé, 
of which alo, their huts are made. 
; the latitude of the encampment is 36° 24' 50% and lon- 
~for ectecal Rieke we had very bad travelling over" what is 
called r ound, in which the horses were aiordatasay up to their knees. 
aking towardsa line of a S2t auree anainten fond» 
c| heed roved, Ag ie ieee — 
