evening, and we found it very similar to the common fallow deer of the States, but much larger.

There are but few varieties of birds upon the prairies: we have, however, seen quails at all places we have been, and occasionally a few plover and English snipe.

September 11.-As our animals were somewhat jaded from the long marches we have made for a few days past, and as we had a long journey before us, I remained in our camp of last night until after dinner to give them rest, when we moved forward over a good road to Independence spring, five miles.

Here we found two large springs of pure cold water, which boil up from the ground and run off in a stream about the size of a barrel, with a great supply of oak wood and grama grass near, rendering it a most derirable place for encamping.

The country from the base of the mountains to this place is rolling, and the soil good.

The peak of Guadalupe, and. the general outline of the chain, can be seen from here, and it appears to be impossible to pass through it with wagons anywhere north of our route; and as the defile is near the peak, which can be seen for many miles around, it is a good landmark.

About twelve miles south of this are several salt lakes, which our guide informed me had been formerly resorted to by the Mexicans for salt; but that since the Indians had become hostile, they did not venture to go there. The salt is deposited in a pure state upon the bed of the lake, about six inches in thickness; and when the water becomes low and recedes from high-water mark, it can be shoveled up in large quantities. The Salt lake north of El Paso is of the same character, and furnishes all the salt that is consumed in New Mexico and several of the States of southern Mexico. From specimens that I saw, I should imagine it to be pure chloride of sodium, with a very strong saline taste, and equal to the best Turk's island salt.

As it rained nearly all day to-day, the 12th September, we did not

move.

On the 13th we started forward again, and travelled over a hard rolling prairie, passing many round symmetrical mounds on each side of the road, until we reached the Ojo de San Martin, at the head of the Delaware creek, our average course being south 85° east, and the distance travelled 15 miles.

The mounds were standing isolated and detached from the other hills around, and were as regularly symmetrical as they could have been made by art, being composed of an alternate strata of lime and sandstone lying horizontally upon each other in thin plates like slate, and receding in terraces from the base to the top, the shape in all cases being conical, and almost as round as if cut out for a monument. We noticed one with a cap upon the top, in the form of an inverted plate, which, from its peculiar shape, the Mexicans call "centirula."

We saw a fresh Apache trail crossing our road to-day, and, as they are probably hovering about us for no good purpose, I shall see that our animals are guarded with great care. Our custom has been to herd them during the day in the immediate vicinity of the camp; at night the mules are driven into a "corral," formed with the wagons arranged in a circle, and the horses picketed together near the tents of the men, with senti

ek walking among them constantly. In this way I think we shall le Messieurs "Los Apaches," notwithstanding they have the reputaon of being the most expert and boldest horse thieves in the west. The have often had the impertinence to enter the Mexican towns in e daylight, drive off animals, and take women and children prisoners, be the faces of the soldiers stationed there; indeed, they are as inveten freebooters as can be found on earth.

There are several springs at this place, the waters of which unite and in the Delaware creek. One of them, the Ojo de San Martiu, bursts of a solid limestone rock in a volume of sufficient magnitude to drive alinary saw-mill at the fountain-head, and is as pure, sweet water ever drank.

Love this there are several others possessing different mineral properts. One is highly charged with sulphuretted hydrogen, and tastes much like the Kentucky "Blue Lick water." Another is decidedly beate, and a third is strongly sulphurous, leaving a thick incrustaof sulphur upon the rocks for many yards from the source. These unite in one common outlet, and the amalgamation is far from ant to the taste.

kit not within the scope of probabilities that these springs may be and to possess valuable medicinal properties, and that this place may and at no very distant period) become a place of fashionable resort fre "upper-ten-thousand" of New Mexico? The climate here is deful, the atmosphere perfectly elastic and pure, and the temperature rm and delicious; then, may not an invalid derive as much benefit this place as at Saratoga or any other of our watering places? There is but little wood near here, except some small mezquite bushes aia species of dwarf live-oak, which answers very well for fuel. I also ved yesterday a tree which is spoken of by a writer in California as g frequently seen there. It resembles the box-wood in some respects, ing in clusters or bunches, with a similar leaf, but appears to shed stark (which is very thin and tough) annually. At this season, when theld bark is off, the stock and branches have more the appearance of tmbs of a person, both in color and texture, than of a tree, the extebeing a most beautiful flesh-color. It produces a fruit which is eaten by the Indians.

September 14.-Our course to-day has been north 83° east, down the et bank of the creek, crossing over a tract of poor soil covered in places white decomposed gypsum. We touched the creek at but one place, il we arrived at our present camp. This is upon a high sandy bluff btering the creek.

We found the stream at this point literally alive with a multitude of fs, and in a very short time we caught enough to supply the whole comLand. Among other kinds, we caught a white bass that I have never seen anywhere before, and found it very excellent.

From our last camp to where we struck the creek was 6 miles, and fra there to this place 5 miles.

September 15.-We continued down the creek to-day in a course north 5 east for 9 miles, crossed and encamped on the south bank. We Late passed over a country similar to that of yesterday, being poor soil, no timber, and covered with decomposed gypsum. The grama grass is

very large and abundant along the valley of the stream, and affords excellent pasturage for our animals.

September 16.-Leaving the Delaware creek this morning, we struck out upon the prairie in a course south 64° 30′ east, and, after travelling nine miles, came in sight of the valley of the Rio Pecos. Our course led us down the stream six miles further, where we descended from the high lands into a sandy bottom, and encamped upon the river. The stream is here about thirty yards wide, very sinuous, rapid, and deep, with high clay banks. I understand that it receives a very considerable tributary some fifty miles above here, called the "Sacramento river," rising in the chain of mountains of that name; and this is said by the Mexicans to have upon its borders the most beautiful valley of lawns and woodlands of any streams known in New Mexico. They express their admiration of it by the word "linda," which, I believe, signifies super-excellent; yet, as it is in the heart of the Apache "range," it has never been settled.

Our Comanche guide informs me this evening that I cannot, as I desired, go directly from this point to the head of the Colorado or Brazos, as no man (not even an Indian) ever undertakes to cross the "Lland Estacado" opposite here. He states that it is eight days' travel from here to "Bosque Redondo," where the route from the "Joya de Cibaletta' crosses the Pecos, and about sixty miles to where the other route crosses near the southern terminus of the Llano Estacado. We are, therefore, obliged to follow down this stream until we find we can with safety turn

east.

September 17.-We continued down the Pecos this morning for four and a half miles, where there is a rapid, with good rock bottom; and here we could have forded the stream, there being but three feet water in the channel. I, however, concluded, as the banks required some digging to make a good passage for the wagons, that I would continue down the valley and search for a better crossing. After marching six miles further, we encamped again on the west bank of the river. Here we found the finest and most luxuriant grama grass we had seen, with mezquite wood The water of the Pecos is slightly brackish, but we used it without incon venience.

September 18.--Keeping down the right bank of the river, we found the valley covered in many places with a growth of small mezquite trees and in these we saw for the first time since leaving the Rio Grande the white-tailed or common deer of the States. Our course was S. 68° 7' E. distance travelled 13 miles. The soil in the river bottom has been clay covered with a heavy grama grass, and the stream very crooked, with per pendicular banks from three to twenty feet high. Along its whole cours the water is muddy, resembling the water of the Rio Grande. There is total absence of anything like timber on its banks, and a stranger would not expect to find a water-course in approaching it until he was directly upon it, so much does it appear like other places upon the surrounding prairies. The course of the river runs so much nearer the direction wish to travel than I had been led to believe from the maps of the coun try, that I shall continue down for some days further before turning east September 19.-Our road continued in the valley of the river, touching it occasionally, and cutting off the large bends, where it could be done until we reached a high bank at 13 miles from our last camp; here w

found good wood and grass, and encamped. The soil has been of a clayey nature to-day, but very soft and rich; no timber except small mezquite bushes, which answer very well for fuel. The road through the bottom where we have travelled to day will be muddy after heavy rains, but at such times travellers can keep back upon the high prairie ridge.

September 20.-Our course to-day was S. 81° E. for 15 miles along the west bank of the river. We passed a small salt lake upon our road, which was very highly saline; with this exception, the features of the valley were similar to that part which we passed yesterday. As I have not been able to find another ford since leaving the rapids, I have concluded to endeavor to effect a crossing at this place to-morrow. The river from the rapids here is very rapid, deep, and narrow, with high vertical banks of soft clay.

September 21.-I was obliged to resort to one of those expedients which necessity often forces travellers in this wild country to put in practice; and that was, to invent and construct a substitute for a ferry-boat to transport ur men and baggage across the river. This I did by taking one of our wagon beds and placing six empty barrels in it, lashing them down firmly with ropes, and tying one on each outside, opposite the centre. I then attached a long stout rope to each end of the bed, and placed it bottom up in the water; a man then swam the river with the end of a small cord in tis mouth, and to the end of this was tied one of the ropes of the wagon, which he pulled across and made fast to a stake upon the opposite bank. Some men then took passage upon the inverted wagon boats, and the current carried it to other shore, the rope attached to the stake preventing it from going down the stream further than its length. The boat was then drawn back by men for another load, and in this manner we crossed our men and baggage in a short time. We could transport 2,000 pounds of freight at one load, perfectly dry. Our wagons were then lashed fast to the axles, with ropes tied to each end, when they were pushed into the river and hauled across. There were fifteen feet of water where we crossed. As the current ran rapidly and the banks were muddy and steep, I was fearful that our mules would not make the passage. I therefore tied a rope to the neck of each one and pulled them across.

September 22.-This morning we made a march of nine miles down near the left bank of the river in a direction N. 82° E., where we struck a Larrow laguna, or lake, which we followed for about two miles, and etramped near the southern extremity. The soil has been a rich loam, and I have no doubt would prove very productive. There has been a chain of sand hills in sight to-day, running from north to south across Our course, about twenty miles to the east of us, (upon the Llano Estacado,) in which our guide informs me that there is water, but that we obliged to pass over a sandy road for some fifteen miles to get through them. I have, therefore, determined to remain at this place until I can send ahead and ascertain whether I cannot pass to the south of them. September 23.-1 sent out Lieutenant Sackett,with an escort of dragus, this morning, to explore the country in the vicinity of the sand hills, and shall remain here until to-morrow evening, by which time I expect to learn the result of his explorations.

all

September 24.-After filling our water barrels, and giving our animals they would drink, I made a start this evening at two o'clock, and

travelled ten miles in a direction nearly perpendicular to the valley of th river. Shortly after we left the laguna, an express returned from Lien tenant Sackett, informing me that, after, making a thorough examinatio of the range of sand hills for about forty miles south of our course, h was of the opinion that there was no place within that distance wher they could be crossed with wagons. The whole surface of the countr in that direction seemed to be one continuous succession of white san hills, from twenty to one hundred feet high, in which his horses sunk their knees at almost every step, from which I infer that the route ind cated by our guide is the only one in the vicinity where this formidabl obstacle can be passed. I shall, therefore, take a direct course for th pass in the morning, and expect to reach the hills during the day.

September 25.-We reached the sand hills this afternoon, about tw o'clock, over a good level road, except about four miles near here, whic is sandy, making the distance from the Pecos twent-three miles an four-tenths. There is a great abundance of good water at several place in the sand hills, but it is necessary to drive animals to it, as it is half mile from the road and wagons cannot pass nearer. There is a tra leading to the water from where the road strikes the hills. These hills or mounds, present a most singular and anomalous feature in the geolog of the prairies. They extend (so far as we have explored) at least fift miles in nearly a north and south direction, and from five to ten mile east and west; they are white drift-sand thrown up with much uniformit into a multitude of conical hills, destitute of soil, trees, or herbage.

In following up the trail from our road into the midst of this ocean o sand, we suddenly came upon several large, deep pools of pure waterthe very last place on earth where one would ever think of looking for it We are told by our guide that water can always be found here in th dryest season, and, judging from the rushes and other water plant growing in the ponds, I have no doubt that such is the case.

September 26.-As we have a long march before us still, and as th road through the hills is sandy, I have concluded to double team to-day, and send on one-half of the wagons to the last watering place five miles from here, and take up the remainder to-morrow.

September 27.-We moved up to-day with the wagons that were lef behind yesterday, and found the water at this place equally as good a at the other. Although there are but two particular points where trail lead from the road to water in the hills, yet it can be found almost any where between the two points by going about half a mile to the east o the road, among the highest hills.

September 28.-Eight miles of sandy road which we passed over to day brought us out upon the hard prairie again. Thus the entire dis tance from where we first encountered the sand to this place is abou seventeen miles; but only about one-half that distance is bad, and thi not worse than some parts of the road upon the Rio Grande. There i good grass near the hills, and sufficient wood for fuel.

September 29.-Leaving the sand this morning, we pushed out upor the high plain of the Llano Estacado, not knowing whether we were to find water before we reached a luguna about sixty five miles distant. A our guide had passed over this portion of the road but once before, and then in a hurry, he was not very familiar with the localities. I therefore