342 LIFE OP AUDUBON. 



was more pleasing than otherwise. Ahout noon we entered 

 Buffalo Bayou, at the mouth of the St. Jacinto Eiver, and 

 opposite the famous battle-ground of the same name. Pro- 

 ceeding smoothly up the bayou, we saw abundance of game, 

 and at the distance of some twenty miles stopped at the house 

 of a Mr. Batterson. This bayou is usually sluggish, deep, and 

 bordered on both sides with a strip of woods not exceeding a 

 mile in depth. The banks have a gentle slope, and the soil on 

 its shores is good ; but the prairies in the rear are cold and 

 generally wet, bored by innumerable clay fish, destitute of 

 clover, but covered with coarse glass and weeds, with a sight 

 here and there of a grove of timber, rising from a bed of cold, 

 wet clay. 



It rained and lightened, and we passed the night at Mr. 

 Batterson's. The tenth it rained again, but we pushed on to 

 Houston, and arrived there wet and hungry. The rain had 

 swollen the water in the bayon, and increased the current so 

 that we were eight hours rowing twelve miles. 



"May 15. We landed at Houston, the capital of Texas, 

 drenched to the skin, and were kindly received on board the 

 steamer Tallow Stone, Captain West, who gave us his state- 

 room to change our clothes, and furnished us refreshments and 

 dinner. 



" The Buffalo Bayou had risen about six feet, and the neigh- 

 bouring prairies were partly covered with water : there was a 

 wild and desolate look cast on the surrounding scenery. We 

 had already passed two little girls encamped on the bank of the 

 bayon, under the cover of a few class-boards, cooking a scanty 

 meal ; shanties, cargoes of hogsheads, barrels, &c., were spread 

 about the landing; and Indians drunk and hallooing were 

 stumbling about in the mud in every direction. These poor 

 beings had come here to enter into a treaty proposed by the 

 whites ; many of them were young and well looking, and with 

 far less decorations than I have seen before on such occasions. 

 The chief of the tribe is an old and corpulent man. 



" We walked towards the President's house, accompanied by 

 the secretary of the navy, and as soon as we rose above the 

 bank, we saw before us a level of far-extending prairie, destitute 

 of timber, and rather poor soil. Houses half finished, and most 



