KIOWAY ENCAMPMENT. 37 



CHAPTER V. 



Reach the source of the north branch of red river — bottle buried — 



arrived upon the canadian departure for middle fork indian battle 



ground prairie-dos towns source of the middle fork south fork 



prairie-dogs. 



June 15. — On account of the morning being dark and the clouds 

 threatening rain, we did not leave camp until daylight this morning. 

 We, however, made a good day's march over a very heavy sandy 

 country, and after crossing the main river, encamped upon the south 

 bank. 



During the day we crossed several small branches, in which we found 

 good Avater ; and in several places where there was timber upon them, 

 we saw old Indian camps. At one place I noticed a large grove of 

 cotton-wood which had been entirely enclosed with a brush fence by 

 the Indians ; this was probably made for the purpose of keeping their 

 animals from straying away. 



On reaching the river we found that it had very much diminished in 

 magnitude since we had last seen it. It was now only fifteen yards 

 wide, the water clear, and to the taste entirely free from salts. 



The herbage for the last twenty miles of our march has suffered much 

 from drought, and the grass in many places upon the elevated lands is 

 entirely burnt up. We, however, continue to find excellent grass in the 

 valleys near the borders of the small streams, and upon the river itself. 

 The only varieties of timber that we find upon this part of Red river are 

 cotton-wood and hackberry, the former greatly predominating and of 

 large dimensions. Indeed, I have never seen so much timber at any 

 other place upon the plains, in this longitude, as we find here. 



We have had the line of high bluffs in sight before us all day, and 

 we are now within a few miles of them. The geological formation 

 through the country over which we are passing is a light-colored calca- 

 reous sandstone, covered with a drift of quartz and scoria. 



Near our present position, upon the opposite side of the river, there 

 has been a very large band of Kioways encamped, about two weeks since, 

 and their animals have cropped much of the grass for several miles 

 around us. From the multitude of tracks that we see in every direction, 

 there must have been an immense number of animals. On leaving here 

 their course was south. 



