SURVEY OF THE WESTERN SHORE. 183 



The pelican captured upon Gunnison's Island was consigned to 

 the kettle to-day, and boiled, for the purpose of preserving his 

 skeleton. We had not been able to induce him to eat or drink a 

 morsel, so that, finding he would starve to death, I had, a few days 

 before, set him at liberty. He followed the boats for a long dis- 

 tance, but we lost sight of him, and the next morning he was found 

 dead upon the shore. I had made some little progress in taming 

 the fierceness of his nature. He would sufi"er me to assist him in 

 pluming his feathers ; but to all others he was sullen and intract- 

 able, snapping violently at every one who approached him. 



Thursday^ May 16. — We are now to turn our faces to the south- 

 ward, and to explore the western shore of this solitary sea. From 

 the most elevated points the prospect before us was dreary and 

 discouraging. To the south, as far as the eye could reach, lay a 

 plain of arid white sand, stretching many miles westward to a lofty 

 range of mountains, which had, no doubt, ages ago, formed the 

 barrier to the waters in that direction. A high and rocky hill rose 

 occasionally from this level flat, like an island from the sea, while 

 the scene was here and there relieved by patches of green arte- 

 misia — which alone flourished in this inhospitable region. The 

 uncertainty of finding water was the only question which caused 

 the least apprehension in encountering this desert of sand. Labour 

 and fatigue all were willing to undergo ; but, without water, it was 

 impossible to live. We, however, determined to venture ; knowing 

 that, at the worst, we could procure a sufficient supply by crossing 

 to the eastern shore of the lake. 



The shore party was provided with as many canteens as were 

 to be found, and we commenced to move the camp ; previously 

 establishing a system of signals, by which they might be enabled 

 to find our rendezvous at night. The wading operation had to be 

 undergone as usual, and by noon we were fairly under way. Two 

 long sandspits, or bars, had to be doubled before we could hope 

 to reach any point that would be near the shore party at the ter- 

 mination of their day's work. This was finally accomplished by 

 •dint of dragging and wading, and we at length turned in to what, 

 from the boat, we supposed to be the shore. But when within 

 something less than a mile of it, the boat again grounded, and the 

 usual consequences followed. When we reached the beach, before 

 us lay a boundless flat of white sand, only a few inches above the 

 water-level of the lake. A line of artemisia-bushes appeared to be 

 about half a mile distant, and we bent our steps toward it for the 



