formation consists of marls, some of them white and laminated; the country
to the left rising suddenly, and falling off gradually and uniformly to
the right. In five or six miles of a northeasterly course, we struck a
high ridge, broken into conical peaks, on whose summits large boulders
were gathered in heaps. The magnetic direction of the ridge is northwest
and southeast, the glittering white of its precipitous sides making it
visible for many miles to the south. It is composed of a soft earthy
limestone and marls, resembling that hereafter described in the
neighborhood of the Chimney rock, on the North fork of the Platte, easily
worked by the winds and rains, and sometimes moulded into very fantastic
shapes. At the foot of the northern slope was the bed of a creek, some
forty feet wide, coming, by frequent falls, from the bench above. It was
shut in by high, perpendicular banks, in which were strata of white
laminated marl. Its bed was perfectly dry, and the leading feature of the
whole region is one of remarkable aridity, and perfect freedom from
moisture. In about six miles we crossed the bed of another dry creek; and,
continuing our ride over high level prairie, a little before sundown we
came suddenly upon a beautiful creek, which revived us with a feeling of
delighted surprise by the pleasant contrast of the deep verdure of its
banks with the parched desert we had passed. We had suffered much to-day,
both men and horses, for want of water; having met with it but once in our
uninterrupted march of forty miles; and an exclusive meat diet creates
much thirst.

"_Les bestias tienen mucha hambre_," said the young Spaniard,
inquiringly: "_y la gente tambien_," said I, "_amiago_, we'll
camp here." A stream of good and clear water ran winding about through the
little valley, and a herd of buffalo were quietly feeding a little
distance below. It was quite a hunter's paradise; and while some ran down
towards the band to kill one for supper, others collected _bois de