46 



PASS A FAMILY OF INDIANS. 



to drag it through the deep mud, but after adjust- 

 ing their saddles, breathing the horses, and mount- 

 ing again, the peons made a tremendous noise, 

 and applying their unmerciful long spurs, it was 

 astonishing to see what a steep bank it was 

 dragged up ; it was dark when we arrived at 

 the post of Salladillo 6 Manantiales, or Salt 

 Springs, where we passed the night, the post 

 being tolerably good. As I intend inserting 

 my thermometrical observations in a table here- 

 after, I shall merely mention that it was gene- 

 rally a frosty night and morning, with bitter 

 cold wind, but in the middle of the day the ther- 

 mometer would rise as high as 60° and 65° in the 

 shade, and 80° to 84° in the sun, which rendered 

 the constitution extremely susceptible to such 

 great extremes. 



Saturday 2^th, Beautiful frosty morning ; 

 started as the sun rose over the same vast and 

 dreary plain which showed neither house, tree, 

 nor shrub — nothing to obstruct the view from 

 ranging round the horizon of desolation. 



