AGRICULTURAL CAPACITY OF THE COUNTRY. 73 



abundant for all purposes of the agriculturist, and of a superior quality. 

 Most of the varieties of hard wood, such as overcup, post-oak, black- 

 walnut, pecan, hackberry, ash, black or Spanish oak, (Qzcercus elongata^) 

 elm, and china, besides cotton-wood and willow, are found here. We 

 also found the wild passion-flower, (Passiflora incarnata,) and a beau- 

 tiful variety of the sensitive plant, which we had not met with before. 



Directly opposite the village, upon the north side, there is a large 

 body of timber, which extends across to the eastern branch of Cache 

 creek ; this unites with the branch upon which we "are encamped, about 

 a mile below the village. 



Upon the south bank of the creek there is an immense natural 

 meadow, clothed with luxuriant grasses, where hay might be procured 

 sufficient to subsist immense numbers of cattle. Opposite our camp 

 the creek flows directly at the base of a perpendicular wall of 

 porphyritic trap, three hundred feet high, studded with dwarf cedars, 

 which, taking shallow root in the crevices of the formation, receive 

 their meagre sustenance from the scanty decomposition of the rocks. 

 This escarpment has a columnar structure, with the flutings parallel, 

 and traversing the face in a vertical direction from top to bottom, and 

 has the appearance of being the vertical section of a round hill that has 

 been cleft asunder and one-half removed, there being no appearance of 

 a continuation of the formation upon the opposite bank of the creek. 

 All the sides of this hill, except that upon the creek,^ire smooth, with 

 gentle and easy slopes, covered with grass up to the very verge of the 

 acclivity. On riding up the smooth ascent of this eminence, and sud- 

 denly coming, upon the edge of the giddy precipice, one involuntarily 

 recoils back with a shudder at the appearance of this strange freak of 

 nature. Large veins of quartz were seen traversing this formation, and 

 upon an examination of specimens, we found it to be cellular or spongy, 

 with the cells filled with liquid naptha of about the consistence of tar> 

 and having a strong resinous odor. 



"We have now reached the eastern extremity of the Witchita chain of 

 mountains, and shall to-morrow morning cross the main creek below 

 the village, and strike our course for Fort Arbuckle, this being the 

 nearest military post, and in our course for Fort Smith. 



The more we have seen of the country about these mountains, the 

 more pleased we have been with it. Indeed, I have never visited any 

 country that, in my opinion, possessed greater natural local advantages 

 for agriculture than this. Bounteous nature seems here to have strewed 

 her favors with a lavish hand, and to have held out every inducement 

 for civilized man to occupy it. The numerous tributaries of Cache creek 



