[ aw "262 
tomed to the grassy plains of the Sacramento valley. Through these 
sandy basins sometimes struggled a scanty stream, or occurred a hole o 
water, which furnished camping pte ve a travellers. Frequently in our 
journey across, snow was visible on the surrounding mountains ; me their 
‘waters rarely reached the sandy plain below, where we toiled. along, op- 
pressed with thirst and a burning sun. But, throughout this nakedness 
of san ravel, were many beautiful plants and flowering shrubs, 
which occurred in many new species, and with greater. variety than we 
had been accustomed to see in the most luxuriant prairie countries ; this 
was a peculiarity of this desert... Even where no grass would take 
the naked sand would bloom with some rich and rare. flower, which found 
its appropriate home in the arid and barren spot. 
~—~Scattered over the plain, and tolerably abundant, was a handsome legu- 
Minous shrub, three or four feet high, with fine bright. -purple flowers. It 
isa new psoralea, and occurred frequently henceforward along o 
Beyond the first ridge, our road bore a little to the east of north, to- 
‘wards a gap in a higher line of mountains; and, afier travelling a 
twenty- -five miles, we arrived at the 2gua de Tomaso—the spring where 
the horses had been left ; but, as we expected, they were gone. A brief 
examination of the sround convinced us that they had been driven oe by 
the Indians. Carson and Godey volunteered with the Mexican to pursue 
them ; and, well mounted, the three set off on the trail. At this stopping 
pes ‘there were a few bushes and very littlegrass. Its water v wasa 7 
‘moon, which gives for the ee of the sc 116° 23' 28"; the lati-- 
tude, by observation, is 35° 13’ 08". From Helvetia to this place, the po- 
sitions along the intervening line are laid down with the longitudes ob- 
tained from the chronometer, which appears to have retained its rate re- 
markably well; but henceforward, to the end of the journey, the few lon- 
gitudes given are absolute, depending upon a subsequent occultation and 
eclipses of the satellites. 
In the afternoon of the next day, a war-whoop was heard, s such as In- 
ate make when returning from a victorious enterprise ; and soon Carson 
and Godey appeared, driving before them a band of horses, erramniean by 
NS to be part of those they had lost. Two bloody scalps, danglit 
from the end of Godey’s gun, announced that they had overtaken the In- 
dians as wellas the horses. They informed us, that after Fuentes left them, 
from. the failure of his horse, they continued the pursuit alone, and coaeiis 
nightfall entered the mountains, into which the trailled. After sunset the 
moon gave light, and they followed the trail by moonshine until in in the 
‘when it entered a narrow defile, and was%difficult to follow. Afra 
of losing it in | the darkness of the defile, they tied up their horses, pbs no 
fire, and od yd down to sleep in silence and in darkness. Here they lay from 
p d the encampment of four lodges close by 
‘got within thirty or forty decane f their pf 
