TO DELAWARE CREEK. 
109 
of wood helped to' render this portion of our journey 
most disagreeable; and but for the broken wagons 
that were providentially left in our way, we could not 
have procured wood enough to cook our food. The 
river and adjacent country here present the same aspect 
as below. In width it now varied from fifty to ninety 
feet, with steep banks of clay or sand from twelve to 
twenty feet in height. Its rapidity may be somewhat 
less than at the Horse-head Crossing. 
On stopping to water our animals at the last halt 
made on the everlasting Pecos, one of our Mexican horses 
was suffered to nibble at the scanty grass on the river 
bank, while the party were taking a lunch. His dangerous 
situation was observed by one of the teamsters, who step- 
ped forward to lead him away. Resisting the benevolent 
intention thus manifested towards him, the animal, 
as a matter of course, determined to progress back- 
wards ; and over the bank he went, nearly dragging 
the man after him. The bank was here full twenty 
feet high, one half being perpendicular, and the other, 
formed of the debris, nearly so. We all rushed to 
its edge, expecting to witness the last struggle of the 
poor beast, when, to our surprise, we saw him on his 
feet nearly covered with water. The comical look of 
the animal, as he rolled up his eyes at us, and the pre- 
dicament he had placed himself in by his stubbornness, 
brought forth a hearty laugh from all. A man was let 
down by a rope, who succeeded in bringing him back 
to the camp none the worse for his fall and somerset. 
Leaving the Pecos we took a direction a little north 
of west over a range of hills composed of gravel and 
marl. The road pursued a winding course among the 
