COMPLETION OF JOURNEY. 81 



evening is upon the border of a ravine in the timber, where we find 

 good water and grass. 



In our march to-day, we have passed the heads of several branches 

 running into Wild Horse, Beaver, Rush, and Mud creeks, upon all of 

 which there is an exuberant vegetation, denoting a fertile soil. The 

 timber is abundant, and of a good quality, and the water, issuing from 

 springs, is perennial. I have passed through the Cross-Timbers at five 

 different points before this, and have always found them similar in 

 character and composition. • 



Some Kickapoo hunters came into camp this evening, and we could 

 not but remark the striking contrast between them and the Witchitas. 

 They were fine-looking, well dressed young men, with open, frank, and 

 intelligent countenances, and seem to scorn the idea of begging; 

 while the others, as has been observed, are incessantly begging every 

 article they see, and do not possess the slightest gratitude for favors 

 received. 



July 26. — At daylight this morning we resumed our march through 

 the Cross-Timbers, keeping the dividing ridge for two miles, when we 

 turned to the left, and passed down near Wild Horse creek ; but we 

 found small streams, with abrupt banks, crossing our course so frequently* 

 that we had much difficulty in making progress. We, however, by 

 hard labor in digging down banks and cutting through dense thickets, 

 succeeded in making eight miles, and encamped upon a small spring 

 branch in the Cross-Timbers. A short distance before we reached our 

 present position we fell into an old Indian trail, where some wagons had 

 passed several years before. We noticed where several small trees had 

 been cut, and where the bark had been scraped off from others by the 

 ends of the axles as they passed along. 



July 27. — As soon as it was sufficiently light to enable us to see the 

 trail this morning, we started on, keeping the old wagon trace through 

 the timber for eight miles, when it led us into a road I had made the 

 last season, between Fort Arbuckle and Fort Belknap, at a point four- 

 teen miles from the former post. As soon as the men came in sight of 

 this, they gave a prolonged and simultaneous shout of joy ; it seemed 

 to them like greeting an old familiar acquaintance : it was the first 

 place they had recognised in several months, and it brought them near 

 home. 



The axes and spades were laid by in the wagons, as our labors in 



road-making terminate here ; and I have no doubt the command are 



heartily rejoiced upon the occasion, as their duty since we left the 



Witchita mountains has been very laborious. Two miles after striking 



6 



