Rocky Mountains. 493 



Towards evening the air became more clear, and our view 

 of the mountains was more satisfactory, though as yet we 

 could onlv distinguish their grand outline, imprinted in bold 

 indentations upon the luminous margin of the sky. We soon 

 remarked a particular part of the range divided into three 

 conic summits, each apparently of nearly equal altitude. 

 This we concluded to be the point designated by Pike as the 

 Highest Peak. Its bearing was taken a short time before we 

 halted for the evening, and found to be south, 73° west. As 

 we were about to encamp some of the party went in pursuit 

 of a herd of bisons, one of which they killed, and returned 

 to camp a little before sunset. 



July 1st. Although the temperature indicated by the ther- 

 mometer for several days had been about 80°, in the middle 

 of the day, the heat, owing to the cool breezes from the 

 mountain, had been by no means oppressive. On the night 

 of the 30th of June the mercury fell to 55°, and on the fol- 

 lowing morning the air was chilly, and a strong breeze was 

 felt before sunrise, from the southeast. We left our camp at 

 a very early hour, and travelling over a tract differing in no 

 respect but its greater barrenness from that passed on the pre- 

 ceding day. We halted to dine at the distance of sixteen and 

 an half miles. Many acres of this plain had not vegetation 

 enough to communicate to the surface the least shade of 

 green ; a few dwarfish sunflowers and grasses, which had 

 grown here in the early part of the summer, being now en- 

 tirely withered and brown. In stagnant pools near the river 

 we saw the common arrow head, (Saggittaria saggittifolia,) 

 the alisma plantago, and the small lemna growing together, 

 as in similar situations in the eastern States. 



A striking feature of that part of the plain country, we 

 were now passing, is formed by innumerable ant-heaps, ris- 

 ing from twelve to eighteen inches above the common level 

 of the surface. They occur with some uniformity, at inter- 

 vals of about twenty feet, and are all similar in size and di- 



