70 Expedition to the 



considerably swollen. Its immediate valley is about three hun- 

 dred yards in width, bounded on both sides by perpendicular 

 cliffs of sandstone, of near two hundred feet elevation. A very 

 large part of the area included between these showed evi- 

 dence in the slime and rubbish, with which its surface was 

 covered, of having been recently inundated. This stream, 

 like all others of similar magnitude, having their sources in 

 high mountains, is subject to great and sudden floods. 



A short time before we halted, our two hunters, Verplank 

 and Dougherty, were sent forward to hunt, and joined us 

 with a deer, soon after we had encamped. 



After dinner we moved on, ascending the creek, whose 

 valley was sufficiently wide for a little distance, to afford us 

 an easy and unobstructed passage. The stream runs nearly 

 from south to north, in a deep but narrow and tortuous val- 

 ley, terminated on both sides, by lofty and perpendicular pre- 

 cipices, of red sand rock. This sandstone, appears entirely 

 to resemble that before described, as occuring in an inclined 

 position, along the base of the mountains, on the Arkansa 

 and the Boiling-spring creek. Here it is disposed in horizon- 

 tal strata of immense thickness. It varies in colour from a 

 bright brick red, to a dark brown, and is sometimes gray, 

 yellow, or white. It consists essentially of rounded particles 

 of quartz and other silicious stones, varying in size from the 

 finest sand to gravel stones, and large pebbles. Extensive 

 beds of pudding stone occur in every part of it, but are abun- 

 dant somewhat in proportion, to the proximity of the high 

 primitive mountains. In the lower parts of the stratum, these 

 beds of coarse conglomerate, appear to have the constituent 

 gravel and pebble stones more loosely cemented, than in por- 

 tions nearer the upper surface. Wherever we have met 

 with them in immediate contact with the granite of the Rocky 

 Mountains, they are nearly destitute of cement, and of a co- 

 lour approaching to white. This remark, it is highly proba- 

 ble, may not be applicable to many extensive beds of pud- 



