AGUA PRIETA. 
245 
Avith a knife on a rude board, supported by a heap of 
stones. Antelopes Avere descried in abundance to-day 
bounding over the plain. Of the feathered tribe, we 
saAV blackbirds, croA\^s, haAvks, the Carolina dove, quails, 
meadoAv-larks, and a flock of Avhat appeared to be black 
plover ; but as they did not alight, and flew beyond 
reach of my gun, I was unable to obtain a specimen. 
May We routed the cooks at two o’clock, 
breakfasted by moonlight, and were on the move be- 
fore the first dawn of day. There being an uncer- 
tainty about water, it was thought best to get over as 
much ground as possible before the heat of the day. 
As the road passed over an open plain, with short 
grama grass and no bushes, and moreover led to a de- 
pression in the mountain range, there was no difficulty 
in keeping it. We continued rapidly down a gradual 
descent of about twenty miles, with scarcely an undu- 
lation. Not a tree or shrub was seen. After passing 
to the west of a low range of hills, and crossing another 
plain of about fiA^e miles, we entered the defile or 
canon, when we reached a spot marked by Colonel 
Cooke, where he found water for 50 animals. This 
was a hole in a rock, a few feet to the left of the road, 
where we found a few buckets of stagnant and brackish 
water, so bad that most of the animals refused to drink 
it. The poor creatures having travelled some thirty-six 
miles since starting, made repeated trials to drink from 
the uninviting pool before them, and as often turned 
away in disgust. We rambled over the rocks, and 
explored the ravines in this defile, where there were 
many indications of running water, but none could be 
found. 
