254 Expedition to the 



A slight shower of rain fell in the afternoon, and during 

 our ride, we first observed the dog wood {Cor?ius Florida/) 

 in the evening we arrived at Mr. Bean's salt works. These 

 are situate on a small creek, which flows into the Illinois, 

 about a mile below, and are at the distance of about seven 

 miles from the Arkansa. Mr. Bean commenced his opera- 

 tions in the spring, and has already a neat farm house on the 

 Iljinois, with a considerable stock of cattle, hogs, and poul- 

 try, and several acres in Indian corn. Near the springs he has 

 erected a neat log house, and a shed for the furnace, but 

 his kettles, which were purchased of the proprietors of the 

 Neosho establishment, were not yet fixed. He assured us 

 that the water was so far saturated, as not to dissolve any 

 perceptible quantity of a handful of salt that was thrown in- 

 to it. On the side of a large well which he had sunk to col- 

 lect the salt water, and perhaps two feet from the surface of 

 the soil, he pointed out the remains of a stratum of char- 

 coal of inconsiderable extent, through which they had pene- 

 trated, and which, to a by-stander was a certain proof that 

 these springs had been formerly worked by the Indians. But 

 as no other appearances justified this conclusion, a greater 

 probability seems attached to the idea, that during some 

 former conflagration of the prairies, the charred trunk or 

 branches of a tree were here imbedded. Another agent, how- 

 ever, of sufficient efficacy to operate this carbonization of 

 wood, resides in the sulphuric acid, liberated by the decom- 

 posing pyritous rocks, so abundant here. 



Whilst waiting with a moderate share of patience, for our 

 evening meal of boiled pumpkins, one of the children brought 

 us a huge, hairy spider, which he carried upon a twig, that 

 he had induced the animal to grasp with its feet. Its mag- 

 nitude and formidable appearance surprised us. The boy in- 

 formed us, that he had captured it near the entrance of its 

 burrow, and that the species is by no means rare in this part 

 of the country. Not having any box suitable to contain it, 



