250 THE COPPER MINES TO 
were not disappointed: a walk of a mile brought us 
to a fine spring, from which a rapid brook dashed 
over the rocks, dispensing a refreshing coolness, 
though it entirely disappeared within four hundred 
yards. The grass being good here, we turned the 
animals loose, and made a halt of three hours. 
On resuming our journey, our course lay across a 
plain, gradually descending towards a valley inter- 
sected by several deep gullies, which led to the dry 
bed of a stream. We followed this for some distance, 
but found no water. Crossed two other beds of 
streams also dry. On our right was a large grove of 
oaks, which is noted on Colonel Cooke’s map; and 
about four miles after passing this, we struck the 
source of the stream we had noticed so long on our 
right, where we found the water standing in large pools. 
Here we pitched our tents, and encamped for the 
night, after a journey. of thirty-two miles. 
_ May 20th. Another cold morning, with ice in our 
water buckets. Fires to warm ourselves were quite out 
of the question, as not a particle of wood was to be 
seen. For cooking purposes, we generally collected 
a little where it could be found, and put it into the 
wagons. Our course to-day was nearly south, over a 
broad valley, from eight to ten miles’ across, hemmed 
in on both sides by high ranges of mountains. So 
level was this valley, and so luxuriant the grass, that 
it resembled a vast meadow; yet all its rich verdure 
seemed wasted, for no animals appeared, except a few 
antelopes and several dog-towns. In every other 
instance where the prairie dogs were congregated, it 
was on the most barren spots, far from water, where 
a as to 
