Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-06-22
us SugeIes gemla.
tFrom the Evening Kxprsss.)
The Lava Beds.

The present indian outbreak
among bands or tribes In the north
|ern country Is rapidly assuming an
ugly shape. and threatens death and
disaster that will be far-reaching In
|Its consequences. Military prepar-
|ations are being pushed with energy
ffom the east, the west and the
|oouth, and 1t is confidently hoped
that the treacherous redskins will
bs punished for the mischief they
/ srs creating before they escape TO
|the lava beds. Should they sue
ceod In concentrating in that re-
tIon, . comparatively small body
| 81 savages can hold at bay a very
large military force, and continue
their bloody work for an indefinite
period. To give those who are un-
acquainted with the region of coun-
trv which IL the present scene of
vsrlike operations q brief descrip-
tion may not be out Of place.
The lava beds mentioned in the
dlepatches should not be confound-
q with the locality In Eastern Ore
rou, where q mere handful of Mo-
docs, . few years ago, waged SO
long and desperate conflict against
treat odds. What is termed under
fhe reneral name of the "Lava
Beds,n Is vast region of volcanic
Formation, and was doubtless
caused by the same great convul.
nlop Of nature, yet there is q dis
Gnct natural separation, and the
present struggle is several hundred
miles from the scenes OF the Moooc
! massacres. This volcanic region
covers . considerable portion OF
Eastern Oregon, something OF
Northern Nevada and Utah, span
ING the whole of Southern Idaho,
besrIpR northward into Montana
and over the borders of the Yellow
stone Park, in Wyoming; a vast
ares, very empire in itself, and,
for the most part, practically unin-
habitable. The most rugged and
impassable of these masses of
monlton rock and earth are, per-
haps, found in Eastern Oregon; here
the springs and sources of water
supply were dried up or sunk and
the water courses turned aside and
now run far away from what was
nnna their natural channels, by
some convulsion of nature. About
the only water to be had is in pools
formed by melting snow, and they,
too, disappear when the snow is
gone. In idaho they are generally
more level and passable, wagon
roads and trails traverse them in
many directions. What is not
great beds Of lava, piled up with the
utmost confusion, Is fine sand
mingled with ashes, strongly inn
pregnated with alkali. Here also
3 scarcity of water is often the
cause Of Intense suffering to those
who find it necessary to cross the
inhospitable locality under burn
ing Summer sun. This immense
region has always been the favor
lite resort of the savages, number
/ ing among them bands from a
score of powerful tribes, when they
start out on marrauding expedl-
tions, and for fifty years bloody
conflict was waged between the
Indians and the hunters and trap
pers of the American and Hudson
Bay Fur Companies, with ever
varying fortunes. In late years
the Hudson Bay hunters and the
Mormons are believed to have
Joined the savages in their venge-
fi1lsnoxk-T This was always q re-
Rion of terror to the en-
igrants; they always antic-
fpated trouble while passing
this veritable death valley, aud
rarely were they disappointed. All
that was left of many large train
OF the early pioneers were what
few remains of an outfit that could
not be dragged down to Salt Lake
and sold, and the bleaching bones
Of the people that had been butch
cred In these terrible wastes.
On the south this region is
bounded by the Fort Hall or
Snake River valley, which has been
termed the sage desert of the noun.
tains. Through this for many
weary leagues, courses the Snake
River, deep down in the bowels OF
the earth, making 1t o matter of
exceeding difficulty to get water
out of it. Across this desert to
the north and west, is the valley of
0odin's, or Lost River. Guided
by the deceptive mirage which so
I-often leads the travel-worn and
weary emigrant on to bitter disap-
pointment, he pushes on in search
Of water and grass so plain to he
distance; after many hours of pain
ful toiling through the broiling sun
and blistering sands, he finds, on
reaching the river, that there is no
water there and no green things on
| Its banks, destitute, dry and forbid
| ding-he had got only dead sea ap-
Piles for all his toll. The heart
| sinks like the waters of the river,
| and the courage of the stoutest
| man almost fails at this realiza-
tion. The approach to this unpleas.
ant place Is along road
. through the bed of lava just
as nature In fiery mood had
thrown it up, walled up straight on
| either eide and true as though made
by man and leveled and paved with
granite. Through here there is no
living thing except the scorpion,
| the rattlesnake and the horned toad.
. The whole region is strongly sug-
| gestiye of the Internal regions, and
kVhen one reaches the river he
can only think Of the Styx, and in.
Voluntarily look for the mysterious
. ferryman to take him TO the other
shore. With all these surroundings
it requires but little stretch of the
Inauguration to smell the fumes ofI
burning sulphur and other diaboli-
cal substances: fit place for deeds of
violence and robbery. Over this
scene Of desolation, as far ns the |
eye can reach, on either side is |
nothing but lava, thrown up like |