Rocky Mountains. 95 



which is about as large as the garden cherry, is very plea- 

 sant to the taste. The fruit of the C. ferox, which is also 

 found here, was now ripe, being nearly as large as an egg, 

 and of a deep purple colour. The jatropha stimulosa, a con- 

 gener to the manihot or Cassada of the West Indies, a cassia, 

 an amorpha, and many new plants were here added to our 

 collections. 



A few wild horses had been observed in the course of the 

 day, and towards evening one was seen following the party, 

 but keeping at a distance. At night, after our horses had been 

 staked in the usual manner near the camp, we perceived him 

 still lingering about, and at length approaching the tent, so 

 closely, that we began to entertain hopes of capturing him 

 alive. In attempting this, we stationed a man with a noosed 

 rope, in the top of a cotton-wood tree, under which we tied 

 a few of our horses, but this plan did not succeed. 



On the following morning, one of our hunters fortunately 

 discovered the same horse standing asleep under the shade 

 of a tree, and having shot him, returned immediately to 

 camp with the intelligence. We had all suffered so severely 

 from hunger, and our present want of provisions was so 

 great, that we ate indiscriminately and greedily of this unac- 

 customed food, and congratulated each other on the acquisi- 

 tion of so seasonable a supply. We felt a little regret at 

 killing so beautiful an animal, who had followed us several 

 miles on the day before, and had lingered with a sort of con- 

 fidence about our camp; but all our scruples yielded to the 

 admonitions of hunger. 



The day being Sunday, and the plain about our camp af- 

 fording a supply of grass for our jaded horses, we resolved 

 to remain encamped, seizing the opportunity of making ob- 

 servations for latitude, &c. The morning was calm and clear, 

 the mercury at 69^ Fah. For five mornings preceding, it had 

 been at 58^ and in the middle of each day rose above 90". 

 The moon was now too near the sun to admit of observations 



