DOG-TOWN. 59 



of the command, espied a huge panther very leisurely walking away in 

 an opposite direction ; and as, in hunter's parlance, we "had the wind of 

 him," it enabled us to ride sufficiently near to give him a shot before 

 he discovered us. It took effect and caused him to make a tremendous 

 leap into the air, and, running a short distance, he fell dead. We have 

 also killed four deer to-day, which supplies us with an abundance of 

 fresh meat. Some of the bucks are now very fat, and the venison is 

 superior to any I have ever eaten. 



The pond of water at our camp is a very peculiar and strange freak 

 of nature. It is almost round, two hundred and fifty feet in diameter, 

 with the water thirty feet deep, and perfectly transparent and sweet. 

 The surface of the water in this basin is about twenty feet below the 

 banks, and the sides of the depression nearly perpendicular. The 

 country for two or three miles around, in all directions, rises to the 

 height of from one to two hundred feet. As this pond seems to be 

 supplied by springs, and has no visible outlet, it occurred to me that 

 there might possibly be a subterraneous communication which carried 

 off the surplus water and the earth from the depression of the basin. 



July 5. — We were in motion this morning at 2 o'clock, keeping 

 down the left bank of the river, in an easterly course over a firm and 

 smooth road for sixteen miles, when we found ourselves upon a small 

 running creek, the water of which was strongly charged with salts; but 

 as we had filled our casks at the pond, we did not suffer. 



We are encamped near a conical-shaped mound, flat upon the top, 

 and are about three miles from the main river. 



We find much more mezquite timber upon this branch of the river 

 than upon the other. Indeed, I have never seen much of this wood above 

 the thirty-sixth degree of north latitude; but south of this it appears to 

 increase in quantity and size as far as the 28th degree. Upon the 

 Canadian river I have observed a few small bushes ; but the climate in 

 that latitude appears too cold for it to flourish well. 



The soil here is sandy, with but little water, and that for the most 

 part of a quality unfit for use. The grama and mezquite grasses are 

 abundant. Our route for the last fifty miles has carried us through an 

 almost continuous dog-town, but as yet we have not been able to secure 

 a live specimen. The latitude at this point is 34° 8' 30". 



July 6. — Our wagons were packed, and we were en route before 3 

 o'clock this morning, but were obliged to deviate from our course very 

 considerably to pass around some deep ravines that extended back to 

 near the crest of the ridge, dividing the middle from the south fork. In 

 this route we traversed a very smooth and elevated rolling prairie, from 



