300 Expedition to the 



becomes more micaceous and slaty, and at length assumes 

 all the characters of a sandstone accompanying coal. 



In the afternoon of the 29th, we arrived at Lockhart's 

 settlement on the Saline Fork of the "Washita. The soil of 

 some of the bottom lands along this stream is not inferior to 

 any we have seen west of the Mississippi. It is well water- 

 ed, and abounds in excellent timber. Pine and oak are in- 

 termixed with the ash, hickory, and sugar maple. Here are 

 some well cultivated gardens, and extensive plantations of 

 corn, cotton and tobacco. Mr. Lockhart and his family, who 

 are emigrants from North Carolina, consider the climate 

 more agreeable than that of the country they came from, and 

 have continued duriftg a residence of several years to ^njoy 

 good health. We could not fail to attribute this remarkable 

 exemption from disease, in a great measure, to the regulari- 

 ty, neatness, and good order of their domestic economy. 



30th. In crossing some broken ridges of sandstone which 

 occupy the high and uninhabited tract between the vallies 

 of the Arkansa and Washita, we followed the obscure path 

 communicating between the settlements on the Saline and 

 the town of Little Rock. As we were descending from one 

 of these ridges, our attention was called to an unusual noise, 

 proceeding from a copse of low bushes on our right, at a 

 few rods from the path; on arriving at the spot we found two 

 buck deer, their horns fast interlocked with each other, and 

 both much spent with fatigue, one in particular being so 

 much exhausted as to be unable to stand. As we perceived 

 it would be impossible they should extricate themselves, and 

 must either linger in their present situation until they died 

 of hunger, or were destroyed by the wolves, we despatched 

 them with our knives, not without having first made an un- 

 availing attempt to disentangle their antlers. Leaving their 

 bodies io the place where we had killed them, we called at 

 the cabin of a setder, which we found within a few miles, 

 and requested him to go back and fetch the venison for the 



