RIDE AFTER NATIVES. 
97 
August 14. — Moving away very early we tra- 
velled sixteen miles due north, through a very si- 
milar country, only that the stones and gravel in 
the plains had become much finer and a good deal 
mixed with sand ; the fragments of table land still 
continued in every direction at intervals, and their 
elevations still varied from 50 to 300 feet. In 
the upper part these elevations appeared red from 
the red sandy soil, gravel, or iron-stone grit which 
were generally found upon their summits. They 
had all steep precipitous sides, which looked very 
white in the distance, and were composed of a chalky 
substance, traversed by veins of very beautiful gyp- 
sum. There were neither trees nor shrubs, nor 
grass, nor vegetation of any kind except salsola- 
ceous plants, and these every where abounded. 
In the midst of these barren miserable plains I 
met with four natives, as impoverished and wretched 
looking as the country they inhabited. As soon 
as they saw us they took to their heels, apparently 
in great alarm, but as I was anxious to find out from 
them if there was any water near, I galloped after 
two of them, and upon coming up with them was 
very nearly speared for my indiscretion ; for the 
eldest of the two men, who had in his hand a long, 
rude kind of spear with which he had been digging 
roots or grubs out of the ground (although I could 
not see the least sign of anything edible) finding 
that he was rather close pressed, suddenly halted 
and faced me, raising his spear to throw. 
VOL. i. 
ii 
