Rocky Mountains. 257 



ment of forest and fertile prairie, many advantageous sites 

 for plantations, of which one is already established at the 

 confluence of Big Skin Bayou. 



During the afternoon's ride the country was observed to 

 be more hilly. Soon after the occurrence of the greatest heat 

 of the day, which was 9i degrees, several showers of rain 

 fell, accompanied with distant thunder. 



On a naked part of the soil, gullied out by the action of 

 torrents of water, we beheld a hymenopterous or wasp-like 

 insect (Sphexj triumphantly, but laboriously, dragging the 

 body of the gigantic spider, its prey, to furnish food to its 

 future progeny. We cannot but admire the prowess of this 

 comparatively pigmy victor, and the wonderful influence of 

 a maternal emotion, which thus impels it to a hazardous 

 encounter, for the sake of a posterity which it can never 

 know. 



Distance nineteen miles. 



9th. Pursued our journey, with every hope of reaching 

 the place of rendezvous appointed by Major Long, before 

 noon. Since passing Bayou Viande we have observed the 

 country, on either side of our path, to be distinguished by 

 extremely numerous natural elevations of earth, of some con- 

 siderable degree of regularity. They are of a more or less 

 oval outline, and their general dimensions may be stated at 

 one hundred feet long, by from two to five feet in greatest 

 height. Their existence is doubtless due to the action of 

 water. Should the rivers Platte and Arkansa be deprived of 

 their waters, the sand islands of their beds would probably 

 present a somewhat similar appearance. 



An Indian who observed us passing, hallooed to us from 

 a distance, and expecting some important communication, 

 we waited some time, until he came up. He proved to be a 

 Cherokee, dressed much in the manner of the whites, and 

 not a little infected with the spirit of an interrogator, com- 

 mon, no doubt, to those with whom he has been accustomed 



VOL. ij. 33 



