The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-03-23

North. and longitude ioi degrees 81 minutes S So
| conds sest frum Greenwich.
A. ne Excavations taken here made orr present
position only about twenty-five miles from the Cana
aan river The same longi,nic. lshere had pass.
"a IN 1851 was anxious ID determine how the
suits correSp0nded with those arrived n, that
casion particularly a. the Canadian had BY several
travellers been m-taken for Rel river. Acc rdi ,ly.
with q nal detachment for an escort. made an
excursi0l across The intervening country and fond
The road had made In lS49. vita the river In the
relative position indicated BY Astronomical OBJ
ssrvaiiofs Al The head q BED river Thswas q me
a matter ~ much Qualification and Interest. IS II de-
sel0ped and confirmed tie accuracy Of our calcla.
tons regarding The geographical positions Of both
points.
Amer having completed the examination Of the
north branch ~ kcd river tlrued south over an
esvasd waving prairie country, and travelled thirty
1 miles, when Ne reached the middle or salt fork
NJ tic river, which assembled - its source, aud
/ again usJmed the south course. and marching
ffty miles IN this dvctOn i brought 10 the valley
q The souih 90 principal branch Of the river. On
arriving a fhls stream. which the C0manches call
ke-che hgue-hono. Prairie dog town river" 40
named for The rason, presume that vast number
q dogs are found along IL valley. Indeed in
place. near thc bead q the river, we passed for
twenty-five miles through continuous community
Of thee quadrupels. Surprising IT. extent 10 have
been tie sane Ia other directions, the town would
occupy an AREA OF G1S square miles, 3o6 900
acres. with the blH-vws al the usual distances Of
about twenty yards apart, aud each containing q
hmly n i've OF six dogs, the aggregate population
would fancy exceed that of any city in the world
This interesting little specimen Of the mammala Of
0Cr coCntry has cfen been described by travellers,
but some facts connected with their history, which
have never seen mentioned IN any published &C
count may not be considered out q place here. In
selecting position or sic for their towns, they
appear 20 have regard h. Is distance from water
4 which has Induced me 10 believe that they do
l net require that element, which other animals 50
frcqututy have occasion Tor aud without which they
inevitably perish. ! have occasionally them
upon the elevated table Lands of New Mexico, where
there water on the surface Of the ground for
twenty miles. and where Il ana not seem probable
that i could lie found hy excavation. As there are
seldom any rains CT dews upon these plains during
4 the summer months, and the animals
never wander far from their burrows,
think ] am warranted 10 the conclusion thai they
require other aqueous sustenance than Whit they
receive from their FOOD. which & grass. The rattle
snake Is often found with the dogs and has by
4 been considered a welcome guest Of the proprietor
4 Of the establishment; L. III i an Crl1r a. he preys
/ upon the dog and i undoubtedly regarded by him
rs intruder. We found this bFan.h OF the
stream one thousand yards Vide, and l0wiag over
sandy bed, through an exceedingly rough ~ broken
country, wholly impossible Tor wagons vas, there
fore, under the necessity oleayng my wagon trai and
proceeding from this point with small escort q
mounted men, directly along the bed 81 tie stream;
and after three days hard riding With the thernome-
ter ranging from l02 TO ITO degrees Ia the shade,
and nothing bnt the most nanseatiag aud bitter
water 70 drink during The time, al engta arrived
al the source OF the main branch Of Red river, IN
degrees. 70 minutes about two hundred and twenty
five miles IN southeast direction from Santa re.
Three miles from the head OF the river, we iound
that its bed which, from it, confluence with tho Mis-
sssippi to this point, with exception, hal been
sand, suddenly changed to rock, with the water,
(Which below here had been turbd and bitter) dow
ing clearly and rapidly over it-and much 10 our de-
light, il was cool and entirely free from salts. This
IN unlooked-for luxury, IS we had everywhere
before tins found il exceedingly unpaatabe. The
effect OF this water upon rs had been 10 produce
sickness at the stomach, attended with loss OF appe
tite and raging and feyerish thirst which COO.
stanty impelled to drink it. although il hal sin
contrary effect from what we desired incre lsing
our thirst rather than allaying H. After intense suf
ferins from drinking this nansea'ing water, we In
dulged freely in the pure and delicious element,
we assembled along the narrow dell through viii ii
the stream found its way; and following up for two
miles the tortuous course Of the gorge. reached
point where it became so much obsrucied with huge
piles of rocks that we were obliged to leave our
horses. and Chamber over the remainder Of the dis
tance on foot.
The gigantic walls Of sandstone, rising 70 the
enormous height Of eight hundred feet each side.
gradually closed in, until they were only few yards
apart, and at last united above US, leaving g long,
narrow corridor beneath, the base (which the head
spring Of tie principal branch Of Red river takes is
rise. This spring bursts from its servor,
and eapng down over the huge masses OF rock below,
Commences its long journey to unite with other
tributaries in the modest river in the universe. Ga
beholdng this little rivulet it winds its tortuous
down the steep descent OF the cd0, IL Il diff
fcult TO realize that it forms the nucleus to the
largest and most important river IN America, ratng
steamers upon its bosom for nearly two thousand
miles, and depositing an auyiun along its borders
which renders its valley perhaps the most fertile Ia
the world.
We drank copous draugh.s Of the cool and re-
freshing water in the spring. and thereby considered
ourselves with the pleasure derived from the beau
tful and majestic scenery around US, remunerated
for all our fatigue and priyations. The magnihcencc
Of the views that presented themselves 70 eyes
we approached the head of the river exceeded any
thing had ever beheld II is impossible for me to
describe the sensations of intense pleasure ] ex.
perienced as gazed on these grand and novel dis
plays Of nature.
The stupendous escarpments Of the solid rock,
rising to such height as to exclude the rays OF the
sun for great portion OF the day, were worn away,
by the lapse Of time and the action Of water and the
weather into the most fantastic forms, which IL re-
qnired but little effort Of the imagination to convert
into works Of art; all united in forming one OF
the most sublime and picturesque scenes that can be
imagined, and all, with one accord, stopped and
gazed with wonder and admiration upon panorama
which was now for the first time exhibited to the
eyes Of civilized man.
All here wore the aspect Of nature it sprang
into eXsteIce-nature in its unreclaimed subiimity
and wildIess-and il inspired me with that yenera-
ton which one is apt TO feel in contemplating the
beauty and grandeur OF the undsurbed creations OF
the Sovereign Architect, stamped, apparently, as
with his own eternity.
From the head OF this branch Of the river re-
turned to the main body OF my command, and from
the point they mad occupied Travelled down between
the two south branches reaching Fort Arbucke, in
the Chickasaw Nation, the S0th day OF July.
Here for the first time we heard the report that was
so generally circulated in relation to massacre by
the Comanches. This report evidently originated
with these Indians, who manifested no friendly dis
position towards us, and always avoided US. Al
though VIC considered Ourselves fully prepared 70
meet any force OF Indians that couid lie brought
against in the country through which sc passed,
yet Cannot fCrego this opportunity Of acknowledg-
ing the deep gratitude feel ~ my country men, for
the kind sympathy they manifested in the fate Of
myself ard companions.
In hasty glance at the face OF the country over
which we passed one Of the most strking aLl ano-
malous features that presents itself i strip
Of woodland from five to thirty miles VIDE, called
tie Cross Imbers extending from the Arkansas
Iiyer, in southwesterly direction, % the BrszDs,
some five hundred miles This belt divides tie arabic
lands from the great p-airies, which for the most
part are arid and sterile Upon the east side there
aIe numerous spring brooks, lowing over very Fro.