The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-05-03

, SWampy that after the water mao WltndraWt
it cannot be travelled for some time Blu
when the sun comes out hot it soon dries
and is crusted hard beneath its burning
beams. The scenery is very tame down the
valley. There are mountains or both sides
but they have no particular character, and
seemed very commonplace after seeing such
shaggy, green or snow mountains, and such
excess of wildness. There was now and
then one higher than the other, with lit.
tie wreath of snow around its brow, but our
eyes were too much accustomed to that to
note it as novelty even when the sun was
at burning heat. At Lessons meadows,
twenty miles this side of the American des-
ert we stopped to make hay, as we could
find no more grass until we were over it.
Lessons Meadows are wild valley along
the river ten miles long and varying in
width. The grass in most places was very
! high and headed out something like Tim
othy and even as any farmers meadows
After stopping there two days to recruit our
horses as they would have very little rest
for thirty-six hours, we loaded our hay
and started over the first twenty mile
stretch. at one in morning, and reached
Sulphur Springs at nine. These springs
which are strongly inprcgnated with Sui
phur, are at the eastern boundary of the
desert There Humboldt river spreads out
into large still pond with no visible outlet.
1t is commonly called the sink Of the Hum
boldt. Taking one route across the desert
you strike Carson river which also flows to-
the desert eastward and sinks Taking
another you strike Swekie river, immediate
ly after crossing. We took the latter at
one i'll the afternoon, and soon were trailing
slowly over desert sands. There was one
thing about the eastern part of it that l did
not expedite bluffs. There were long
low ranges every few miles. black, lone and
desoate, like ghosts of their more fortunate
sisters along the river, while had expected
a boundless level waste. Then there were
piles of rocks, rough, sharp and jagged We
reached boiling springs twenty miles, at
half past-eig in the evening, and canped
for supper. There are two of these springs
The first one is about six feet in circumfer-
ence and though boiling hot does not boil
The other mile further on is twenty feet
in circumference and boils violently This
water has greasy brackish taste, perfect
ly unpalateable, our animals refusing to
drink it. The ground is level around theni
dry and hard with no signs of moisture, on
ly those vast basins of boiling water. The
water comes within three feet of the top of
the spring, and report says the boiling one
boils louder after shutdown, but | visited
them only at night. On leaving them the
bluffs or ridges grow less so that in few
miles the ground is slightly undulating
Sage bush and grease wood "a low shrub)
grow scatteringly, and we scarcely passed the
length of our wagon without encounrering
the white bleached bones of some animal,
the desert sands5to rise no more Animal
matter does not decay but dries and
crisps hard in the dry scorching heat. On
account of that heat the desert is seldom
crossed by white men by day. A full
moon shed her light on travel stained wag-
ons toiling horses and white bones strewn
along the way, while the cool dry air re-
freshed our wearied frames. 1t scarcely
seemed that that could be the desert The
level sandy waste stretching far onward until
merged in the blue of heaven was not there
But one undulating waste covered with
sage bush and white bones. AS the sun rose
we drew rein on the banks of the rwekie.
Beautiful Twekie, thy mother is that
matchless lake grit bound by the rocky
arms of thy mountain sires the Nevadas =
thy sisters, the vestal SHOWS, warm sun
beams, and the thousand winding strag-
CLING streams that pour down as many dark
some canyons into thy deep current
Along its valley ferocious warlike Indi-
ans rove, but the white man has wrested
from their grasp many fertile little nook,
and made himself bachelor home there.
Brave men they must be, fearless and bold,
to lie down in the darksome night knowing
so savage foe roalns round them.
THIsTLEDowN