The Arkansas advocate., 1835-05-22

"ti'Sh hiusts HI tilS SpltiiSs GdIIf ine NHOie water of the prairie into the branches of the Brazos and Red River. Lewis. Irwin and myself lost the company. We were on the right of the river. After waiting for the party for some time, we turned down to the rlver, but found no trail We then went into the hills again, and followed the river up, and met with Bill Williams and seven or eight others, all lost. We travel ed up the river till night, and then encamp- ed together. We had plenty of meat, how eyer The next morning we separated again from Bill, took to the hills on the right, and followed down the river, nearly to high hill which we had seen the day before. Finding still no trail, and ima- gining that the party had been farther from the river than we had, and had struck in again between us and the hill, we turned back and went up nearly to our old camp. Here we struck the trail and followed it till dark, and encamped within about four miles of the party, without water or food, having travelled that day nearly forty miles, through the worst country upon earth.- We could hardly go five rods at a time without crossing gully, and were often obliged to dlsmount. and sometimes we lost an hour in going up and down one of them, to ind where to cross 1t. Just after dark we heard three guns fired in the direc- ton of the river, and answered them by three more. This day we had seen large signal-smoke rise 10 the right behind a. mountain, and another still farther below answered 1t.
 1l.-Went down to the river and found the party, got breakfast, scolded awhile with Harris, and started. We still kept down the river--though not following all it's wlndings-and encamped on the southern bank of it. Travelled this day in south ern direction, about eighteen miles.
 l2.-This day we crossed the river sev- eral times in the course of the forenoon dug for water, which was, as usual, salt.- About noon five of us left the party, turned into the hills on the north east side of the river, and left this fork of the Brazos forev- CT. Striking our course for hill which we saw at distance, we travelled about twelve miles after leaving the party, and encamp- ed by hollow of water and among some mesquite bushes. Travelled to-day, in the Wiioie. dDOut tWGHty-lWO mics.
 On reviewing our route thus far, it will appear that about two hundred and sixty miles to the southeast of San Miguel, or three hundred and ten from Santa Fe, Is the head of the branch of the Brazos upon which we had been travelling that, keep 1 ing down this river to the distance of sev- enty-eight miles, still southeast, and then l cfr C., xl,s below the last Cumanche village, we should have reached the small creek Mo- chico in three days-that is, in the distance of forty miles that, crossing this branch, which also runs southeast course, we should have reached, in five days more, (seventy miles) the Rio Azul river of clear running water, running also to the southeast, and which Is, without any doubt, the main branch of the Brazos; that, keep ing down this six or eight days, we should have reached the point where the San Saba joins 1t, turning up which river we should have passed the mouths of three branches running into 1t. Thus much we were in- formed by Manuel, the Cumancle, before we left him, and 1t was corroborated by An tonic. One hundred and fortv-six miles below the head of the branch on which we travelled Con the Del Resgate) another fork came in from the north and joined it: and one hundred and eighty-four miles from the head of 1t, or four hundred and ninety-four miles, nearly, southeast of Santa Fe, we left the Del Resgate. It was here about fifty yards wide, containing water only here and there in holes.
 The country upon which we entered af- ter leaving the river, was hilly, red, and barren, thiny covered with mesquite bush- es, and in the hollows with hackberry trees. At almost every step you could see marks of water, although at this time 1t was per- feetiy dry and hard. These general marks of inundation, the numerous gullies at eve- ry step, and the rough, washen appearance of the red hills, all prove that, in the spring, the rush of water through this country must be tremendous, and travel, in any way, im- possible. We supposed that we were about ten days journey from the Cross Timbers, and on the waters of Red River. I had horse, and each of my companions mule, and although we were in the midst of ene- mics, we had little fear of not reaching the United States in safety. Besides Lewis and myself, our little party consisted of. IT, win, Ish and Gillet Irwin was an En- glishman, who had just como by land from California; brave, good-humored man, and not much afraid of anything save wild animals. Ish and Gilet were young men from Missouri who had haan b;rod ;n Cor