THE SEVENTY-MILE DESERT. 113 



of living upon the bodies of their dead comrades, until they were 

 rescued by relief from Sutter's Fort. 



The road to California from this point follows around the south- 

 ern end of the ridge, passes to the north of another high moun- 

 tain, and thence on to the head of Humboldt's or Mary's River. 



Leaving the springs, we crossed, once more, though in an oppo- 

 site direction, the same mud-plain over which we had been obliged 

 to pass in order to reach the mountain. It was twelve miles in 

 width ; and now, in consequence of the recent rains, was soft and 

 slippery — all the salt having disappeared, except a few crystals 

 left in some old wagon-tracks. The travelling was in consequence 

 heavy and laborious. After crossing, we passed, by a gentle as- 

 cent, over a neck of land which connected the high ridge on our 

 left, at the north end of which we had bivouacked on the 29th, 

 with another and broader one to the south, and which latter turned 

 oflf considerably to the south-west. Here we halted for a short 

 time, to give our mules their last chance to pick a little bunch- 

 grass which grew in thin scattered tufts on the mountain-side. 



The strata, at this point, were very much contorted, as at the 

 northern end of the same protruded ridge, inclining in all direc- 

 tions. The higher hills were composed of dark limestone, traversed 

 in various directions by veins of white marble, some of which were 

 of considerable thickness. The dip was to the north-west, 65°. 

 Over the limestone were beds of conglomerate, not conformable ; 

 the lower layers of which, or those in immediate contact with the 

 limestone, consisted of portions of the rock that had not been 

 waterworn. Lower down, near the base of the hill, was found a 

 coarse, imperfect oolitic limestone, dipping about 50° to north-west, 

 and under these some sandstone, not conformable, and imperfect. 



After halting an hour, we pursued our journey along the east- 

 ern base of this isolated mountain or butte, where the dark lime- 

 stone was again seen, with gypsum, conformable and at right 

 angles with the strata. Some six miles farther on, we passed 

 another isolated butte, upheaved through the level mud-plain, con- 

 taining what appeared to be another crater, analogous to that seen 

 on the northern end of the ridge, open to the eastward, with the 

 strata dipping in every direction. The main butte appeared to be, 

 at this end, about ten miles wide from east to west, and had mani- 

 festly been very much disturbed. 



From this point we travelled on until past midnight, over a 



level mud-plain, lighted by the rays of the moon, which struggled 



8 



