NARRATIVE AND ITINERARY—WRIGHT LAKE-KIIETT LAKE. 
65 
but there is no reason to suppose that it did not bend toward the south, and discharge into Pit 
river about ten miles below our camp. I feel pretty sure either that it sinks, (that is, has no 
continuous bed,) or that it goes to Pit river. In the latter case, the railroad should follow it up. ” 
August 10.—To-day, we travelled over the route examined by Lieutenant Williamson yester¬ 
day, and encamped at what he termed the “spring branch.” It was a little creek about ten 
feet in width, which flowed through a small opening bordered by pine timber. The stream 
was so choked up with bushes, that, in many places, it could only be reached by cutting them 
away. Towards the lower part of the opening, the brook spread out into a little swamp 
Frogs of a very peculiar species were found in the creek and swamp, in great numbers. An ante¬ 
lope was shot near camp. 
August 11.—The party was aroused at three o’clock this morning, by Lieutenant William¬ 
son’s order ; as it was very uncertain how far we might be obliged to travel before reaching 
water. The head of the antelojie killed yesterday, had been baked by allowing it to remain 
all night buried among hot stones, and it furnished an excellent breakfast. We followed the 
wagon road through an open pine forest for about six miles, and then, finding that it inclined 
too much to the west, left it, and endeavored to keep, by compass, a course 1ST. 20° W. After 
travelling several miles on nearly level ground through the forest, we emerged from it, and 
found ourselves on a rocky plain covered with sage bushes. This we crossed in about six miles, 
and, on reaching the summit of a line of low sandstone hills capped with trap, saw below us 
Wright lake. It was a fine sheet of water, about eleven miles long and four miles wide, 
bordered by tule. The banks were so miry that we were compelled to travel more than a 
mile before reaching a place where the animals could drink. We encamped in the edge of the 
tule, near some green willow bushes which supplied us with our only fuel, as even sage bushes 
had disappeared after crossing the hills. 
August 12.—Our course, at first, lay along the southwestern shore of the lake, where the 
hills occasionally terminated very abruptly at the water’s edge. The horn of a mountain sheep, 
weighing several pounds, was found near the trail. After crossing the low hills which border 
the lake, we travelled through a gently undulating region, dotted with sage bushes, for about 
seven miles. We then found ourselves on the edge of an abrupt descent of 200 feet, which 
conducted to the shores of Rhett lake. This lake was about fourteen miles long and eight 
miles broad. It was bordered by a wide belt of tule, the home of vast numbers of water-fowl, 
which rose in clouds at our approach. 
On the bluff the trail joined an emigrant road, which followed down a narrow ravine to the 
level of the lake. This ravine was once the scene of a bloody massacre. A party of In¬ 
dians lay in ambush, until an emigrant train reached the middle of the descent, and then 
attacked and killed nearly the whole party. Rhett lake is a secure retreat, where the savages 
can escape among the tule, in their light canoes, and defy a greatly superior force. 
The line of hills which borders the lake on the northeastern side, is separated from the tule 
by a narrow strip of land, elevated but little above the water. This was covered with grass, 
the rich green of which presented a refreshing contrast to the sickly blue of the sage plain 
over which we had been travelling. The clouds of dust ceased, and we journeyed on through 
a much more pleasing region. After riding a few miles from the bluff, we left the road, and 
encamped on Lost river near where it discharges itself into the lake by several mouths. It 
was a deep, unfordable stream, flowing with a very sluggish current. The banks were abrupt 
like the sides of a canal. A few sage bushes and “ bois des vaches” supplied the only fuel. 
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