372 CORRELITOS 
water. We got off again at 4 o’clock, but had not gone 
more than eight miles before the heavens began to be 
obscured by a black cloud, which rose behind a lofty 
pinnacled mountain on our right, one of the most singu- 
lar and picturesque we had seen. Mr. Leroux rode 
ahead with others, to search for a patch of grass, as the 
plain around us was almost destitute of vegetation. 
Fortunately he found a small one where the hungry 
animals might obtain a scanty feed, a short distance in 
advance, where we halted. We made but fifteen miles 
to-day, a short march; but in this, and many other _ 
days’ journeys, we were compelled to stop short of our 
intended places of encampment, in order to get up our 
tents and arrange the camp before the rain came on. 
Istood guard this night, and found it rather uncom- 
fortable, as it rained most of the time; yet I made my 
hourly rounds, ‘stumbling several times over mules, 
which I could not see in the darkness. 
August 15th. Keeping a north-easterly course, our 
whole day’s march was over a broad plain with few 
undulations, and no hills or mountains near; the road 
good as before. The day was damp and cloudy. At 
4 o'clock, p. u., we stopped, having travelled about 
twenty miles. | 
We now approached the most dreaded portion of 
our journey since crossing the Tucson desert, south of 
the Gila. This was the Médanos, or Sand-hills.’ All 
the emigrants we had met spoke of these, and the 
great difficulties that attended their passage. By 
_ doubling their ox-teams, that is, by putting from 12 
to 15 oxen to each wagon, they had succeeded in 
passing them. Two trips were thus required for each 
= 
