SAUK INDIANS. 17 



ridge to avoid the spurs and ravines on the right. We are now 

 fairly on the broad open prairie ; the air fresh, cool, and delight- 

 ful ; the view on all sides very extensive. In the afternoon we 

 were met by a small band of Sauk Indians, who presented a paper, 

 written by some philanthropic emigrant, representing that as we 

 were now passing through their country, consuming their grass, 

 water, and wood, (the latter of which was very scarce) they wished 

 to receive something by way of remuneration, whether money, bis- 

 cuit, (of which they are very fond,) or tobacco. They were rather 

 a fine-looking body of men, and seemed quite peaceably disposed. 

 They were evidently on the look-out for the difi'erent companies as 

 they passed, with the purpose of levying contributions. They ac- 

 companied us to camp, and received some biscuit and tobacco, 

 with which they seemed well satisfied. 



The formation passed over to-day has been the same as that 

 observed heretofore, except that the shales appear to be rather 

 more predominant, and the limestone more ferruginous, and per- 

 haps more siliceous. In a deep ravine the shales were very evi- 

 dent, being in some places washed out to a great extent from the 

 overlying limestone, which presented large tabular masses, in place, 

 in which no dip was discovered. 



Tuesday^ June 5. — Bar. 29.17 ; Ther. 70°. The country tra- 

 versed to-day has been principally rolling prairie, rising gradually 

 for about six miles ; our road, following the crest of a ridge, with 

 heads of ravines from the north and the south interlocking, was 

 rendered both crooked and undulating. After tracing this winding 

 track for some time, we entered the main emigration road from 

 Kansas. Up to this point the road has been very good — smooth, 

 hard, and dry, and free from abrupt descents or ascents. The 

 country around us is entirely destitute of trees ; not so much as a 

 twig is to be seen ; all is bald, naked prairie, with sweeping undu- 

 lations of the surface, as if a heavy ground-swell of the ocean had 

 been suddenly arrested and converted, by the wand of some en- 

 chanter, into fixed and solid soil. 



Rain came on about noon, with occasional showers, until nearly 

 sunset, when it cleared ofi", with high wind from the south. Ferru- 

 ginous and slaty limestones were occasionally exposed in the ra- 

 vines, very fossiliferous, containing principally testacea. Some 

 stems of crinoidese were also found in the rock, in place. Plover 

 and prairie hens were now seen very frequently ; the former, how- 

 ever, for the first time, and very shy. In the afternoon, we met a 



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