284 THE UPPER SPRINGS. Book II. 
in our route west had increased to 1500 feet: we had 
crossed the Arkansas at about 2700, and the Cimarron at 
3800 feet. The continuation of our journey now led us 
rapidly to a table-land of 5000 to 6000, and nearly 
7000 feet. These latter heights, it must be observed, were 
of the general level of the country, although at the foot of 
the mountains of New Mexico. 
On the first day's journey on the south side of the 
Cimarron we reached the neighbourhood of the so-called 
" Upper Springs." Here, where the sandstone of the Jura- 
formation commences with towering masses of rock, the 
country increases in interest. I ascended to the rocky 
summit over the first rising ground, on the right of the 
road. On the highest point I found clear water in the little 
hollows of the rocks. In different places were breastworks, 
built of stones — probably Indian places of ambush. I 
had a wide view over the country : overhead was a cloud- 
less sky ; distant unknown sounds reached my ear ; high 
in the air passed a flock of cranes in a wedge-like double 
line — an appearance we saw more frequently as we advanced 
westwards. 
The Upper Springs are a spot, not without the peculiar 
charms of the wilderness. Between naked sandstone rocks, 
on which is merely a scanty growth of yucca bushes, lies a 
small valley of meadow-land, with a group of poplars on a 
brook which further down is dried up again. Through the 
opening of the valley the view extends down to the level of 
the prairie, which reaches to the distant eastern horizon, 
and has the appearance of the ocean. Here we halted to 
take our noon-day dinner. On starting again we had 
towards evening one of the most interesting landscape 
scenes at the side of our road. Over the valley of the 
upper Cimarron, shut in by terraces of rock, the view 
