was now found only in dispersed spots, on low grounds, and on the bottom
land of the streams. A long drought, joined to extreme heat, had so
parched up the upper prairies, that they were in many places bald, or
covered only with a thin growth of yellow and poor grass. The nature of
the soil renders it extremely susceptible to the vicissitudes of the
climate. Between the forks, and from their junction to the Black hills,
the formation consists of marl and a soft earthy limestone, with granitic
sandstone. Such a formation cannot give rise to a sterile soil; and, on
our return in September, when the country had been watered by frequent
rains, the valley of the Platte looked like a garden; so rich was the
verdure of the grasses, and so luxuriant the bloom of abundant flowers.
The wild sage begins to make its appearance, and timber is so scarce that
we generally made our fires of the _bois de vache_. With the
exception of now and then an isolated tree or two, standing like a
lighthouse on the river bank, there is none to be seen.

"8th.--Our road to-day was a solitary one. No game made its appearance--
not even a buffalo or a stray antelope; and nothing occurred to break the
monotony until about 5 o'clock, when the caravan made a sudden halt. There
was a galloping in of scouts and horsemen from every side--a hurrying to
and fro in noisy confusion; rifles were taken from their covers; bullet
pouches examined: in short, there was the cry of 'Indians,' heard again. I
had become so much accustomed to these alarms, that they now made but
little impression on me; and before I had time to become excited, the
newcomers were ascertained to be whites. It was a large party of traders
and trappers, conducted by Mr. Bridger, a man well known in the history of
the country. As the sun was low, and there was a fine grass patch not far
ahead, they turned back and encamped for the night with us. Mr. Bridger
was invited to supper; and, after the _table-cloth_ was removed, we
listened with eager interest to an account of their adventures. What they