TO HORSE-HEAD CROSSING. 
87 
in the water-pools. The road from our last camp has 
been good. 
October 2^th. The camp was aroused early ; and 
after taking a cup of coffee, we resumed our journey, 
about an hour and a half before sunrise. Sent four 
men ahead to find the road. The hills extended some 
eight or ten miles towards the desert, when they 
gradually fell off into the plain. The desert was not, 
as I supposed, a level surface, but a succession of slight 
elevations. Every thing bore the appearance of extreme 
barrenness ; not a tree could be seen. Mezquit chappo- 
ral, or bushes from three to five feet in height, were 
thinly scattered over the plain. The wild sage and 
Larrea Mexicana, the prickly pear and other kinds of 
cacti, constituted the vegetation of this desert region. 
Grama grass ( GJirondosium) grew in some spots, and, 
though completely dried up, was eaten with avidity 
by our animals. Antelope were seen in great numbers, 
but so shy, that in the open plain we could not get 
a shot at them. Colonies of prairie dogs were occasion- 
ally observed; and from the numerous burrowing 
places of greater or less size, it was evident that other 
animals found a dwelling among them. A few rabbits 
were also seen bounding over the plain, and disap- 
pearing in their holes or among the bushes. Several 
shots were fired at them without success. These bar- 
ren regions do not furnish many of the feathered tribe : 
a couple of prairie fowls, a flock of large curlews, and 
a few meadow larks and sparrows, were all that were 
seen. 
About twenty miles from our last camp we passed 
a mud-hole, marked on the map as the “Mustang 
