NARRATIVE AND ITINERARY—PSUC-SEE-QUE, CHIT-TIKE, AND WAM CHUCK CANONS. 85 
united with these wild unearthly figures to give a gloomy desolation to the scene, which was 
not a little heightened by a solitary Indian grave. It was marked by a pile of stones, a short 
stick with a piece of white cloth attached to it, and the skeleton of a horse, shot upon the last 
resting place of his master. 
We followed down this canon for about five miles, when a rocky spur cut off all further pro¬ 
gress, and compelled us to attempt the ascent. This, with great difficulty, we accomplished, 
and found ourselves on a plain, thinly dotted with sage bushes and clumps of grass. AVe 
continued our course, and, after crossing the bed of a torrent of the rainy season, came to a very 
small stream called Psuc-see-que by the Indians. It was sunk in a canon about 500 feet deep, 
cut through successive strata of basalt, infusorial marl, tufas, and conglomerate sandstone like 
that found in the Mpto-ly-as canon. There was a little grass in the narrow bottom and on the 
sides, and some small cedars, willows, and bushes near the water’s edge. Here we encamped, 
after a laborious day’s march, which had brought us but very little nearer the end of our journey. 
The view from our camp was wild and beautiful. Looking up the canon, we could see the snowy 
summit of Mount Jefferson closing the narrow vista; while the steep banks, with their strongly 
contrasting colors of black, white, blue, pink, and red, gradually approached each other below 
our camp, until they formed a narrow gateway, through which we had a glimpse of a little 
opening in the ravine beyond. 
September 8.—This morning our course lay through a lateral defile, opening out of the Psuc- 
see-que canon by a narrow gate, about half way up its northern side. The general character of 
the country was similar to that through which we passed yesterday. In about six miles we reached 
a fine stream called Chit-tike, which was sunk in an enormous canon, 900 feet deep, very much 
resembling that of the Psuc-see-que, except that it had a wider bottom and more bushes on the 
water’s edge. The grass in the bottom was coarse and not very nutritious; but on the sides 
there was a little excellent bunch grass, as is generally the case in these river canons. AVe 
crossed it and entered a narrow gorge which led into a valley, about two miles wide, nearly 
parallel to the canon that we had left, and covered with scattered sage bushes and a few stunted 
cedars. This we crossed, ascended by a steep rise into a small basin surrounded by hills and con¬ 
siderably elevated above the valley, climbed another steep hill, and found ourselves on the summit 
of the northern divide of Chit-tike creek. Before us lay a gradual descent, appearing to reach to 
the foot of a low ridge, which, after extending in an east and west direction about ten miles, 
abruptly terminated at each extremity. Portions of the sides of this range were of a brick red color, 
which gave it a strange appearance at a distance. As we approached, we found that a canon 
300 feet deep, with steep sides of basaltic rock and red earth, separated us from the foot of the 
range. It contained a stream of considerable size, called AVam Chuck. In the canon we were 
much surprised to see a party of twenty or thirty white men, who were vainly searching for 
gold. They had started to explore this barren region, in the hope of discovering new mines; 
but, as yet, had met with no success. There were also several Indians, who crowded around 
us with great surprise and interest. They were delighted beyond measure at a ludicrous 
accident which happened to one of our party; who, being very thirsty, and seeing a beautiful, clear 
spring bubbling from under a rock near the trail, jumped from his mule, and lying on the ground 
eagerly filled his mouth with the tempting liquid. He instantly ejected it, however, with looks 
of wild astonishment, and many grimaces indicative of anything but satisfaction. It was a hot 
spring with a temperature of 140° Fah. 
AVam Chuck river flows with a rapid current over a bed of large rounded rocks, which render 
