52 SAN ANTONIO 
The weather on the first evening was so warm and 
pleasant, that the young men did not pitch their tents, 
but bivouacked for the night. One was afterwards set 
up for the botanist and geologist, who had some labor 
to perform. About midnight, one of those sudden 
storms arose, which are so common in this region: the 
rain fell in torrents, the wind blew with violence, the 
thunder re-echoed from the hills, and the vivid lightning 
showed our tentless party in a very sorry plight. A 
few sought shelter in the only tent that was pitched ; 
but scarcely had they got ensconced within, when a 
stronger gust than usual drew the pins from their 
fastenings and laid the tent flat upon the ground. As 
there was no other shelter near, they had no alternative 
but to lie soaking in their wet blankets till morning. 
I feared that this rude exposure at the outset would 
be attended with unpleasant consequences; but all 
were up early and ready for the march in the morning. 
October 11th. Deferred starting until 9 o'clock, in 
order to give the party time to dry their clothing. 
The road was exceedingly heavy in consequence of 
the rain, which kept falling at intervals during the 
morning. The country, since we left San Antonio, 
consists of low hills, with broad intervening valleys, 
and is covered with rich mezquit grass, Clusters of 
live oak abound in the valleys, while the hills are 
comparatively bare of trees. Left the road with my 
mule and ascended a high conical hill on the left, from 
which I had a fine view of the surrounding landscape. 
Limestone seems to prevail here, and much of it crops 
out of the ground on which the road passes, making it 
exceedingly rough for the wagons. A very little labor 
