200 LOST SURVEYING PARTY. 



about noon. The party itself had bivouacked on the sand the night 

 previous, and were seen from the station, just before the storm 

 came up, making good progress across the flat toward the Knob. 

 As they did not make their appearance at dark, a couple of 

 men were sent to the west end of the Knob to make signal-fires 

 to guide them in. These fires were kept up until nearly midnight, 

 and supper postponed in expectation of their arrival. The look- 

 outs, on their return, reported that they had seen fires to the south- 

 west, and that after waiting for the party more than an hour, had 

 concluded that they must have been unable to find their way in, 

 owing to the darkness. I was quite uneasy about them, as I knew 

 they must be suffering for water, having with them only what they 

 could carry in their canteens. There was no help for it, however, 

 and, about midnight, we took our supper and retired to rest. A 

 number of specimens were added to the herbarium to-day. 



Sunday^ June 9. — Mr. Carrington came in with his party a 

 little after sunrise. They had struck from the flats to the north 

 point of the range, instead of the peninsula to the north of it, 

 which, intervening between them and our camp-fires, had concealed 

 us from their view. Not finding the camp, as they expected, they 

 had followed along the shore (which here turns to the southward) 

 for five miles in search of it, but being disappointed, had returned 

 to the point which they had first reached, kindled a fire, and lain 

 down on the sand for the night, without either blanket or food. 

 They did not see our signal-fires before reaching this point, as 

 their faces were turned to the south, and, when they did descry 

 them, were too much exhausted to come in. They had suffered 

 much from want of water, but were in good spirits. 



A heavy thunder-gust came up in the afternoon, with violent 

 wind from south-west, and more rain than we had seen since we 

 left Salt Lake City. Just before dark, the yawl was despatched 

 across the lake to the springs for water, with instructions to cover 

 the station near them with white cloth, and return as speedily as 

 possible. Evening dark and threatening. The gusts here are 

 short, but the wind very violent, driving the sand before it with 

 great force and velocity. 



Monday, June 10. — Dark and lowering early in the morning, 

 with some rain, and the prospect of a wet day. But it soon cleared 

 off, with a brisk cool wind from the north, which anywhere else 

 would have given a clear transparent atmosphere. It seems, 

 nowever, a striking peculiarity of this climate, that no matter 



